So Little. Big Story. we're back

Hello,

I know, I know, I haven't blogged in ages. We've had a really tough 6 months and I haven't had time to blog at all, sorry.

Anyway, moving on. There has been so many changes to tell you since I last blogged, I have become more economical, Thaine is even in cloth nappies. He moved into them when he was 2 months and his draw has never been so colourful.

 Thaine is in his new bedroom now.

He generally sleeps most of the night. But what's really good, is that when he does wake up for milk he crawls into our bedroom up to our bed and I only have to pick him up and put him on the breast (sounds super lazy of me :S).

 

Thaine is also baby led weaned, fully now already. I cannot believe such a little baby can eat so much!

Not the healthiest of pictures but here's Thaine having his first piece of chocolate for Easter.

It was a bath job after.

Lastly, our biggest piece of news, well to us anyway, is that Thaine, at the age of 9 months (almost 10 months) has finally got his first teeth come through. Yes, I said 'teeth' he had four teeth come through all at the same time.

 

Thank you for reading,
Love Paige

So Little. Autumn is here.

Autumn is here, and hasn't it just let us know it!

It's just the beginning of autumn and it's a coat or no coat situation. What am I to put on my so little baby?

Now autumn is here, it is just another opportunity for me to shop! :)

Lets start with the coat. I didn't want an all-in-one coat for him made of polyester material because they're not very breathable and can cause over heating. I wanted a 100% cotton all-in-one coat for him.

I brought this coat (right), Pigeon by Organics for Kids Snowsuit, from www.naturalbabyshower.co.uk/. It is 100% organic cotton, lined with super soft brushed cotton, making it perfect for the colder weather.

The cuffs also fold over on the hands and feet, and the hood has poppers on it, to turn it in to a cute sailor collar.

I cannot wait to get the coat on Thaine but I don't think it's quite cold enough yet, I'll give it a couple of weeks.

 

Thaine in his new hat (left).

I brought this wool beanie hat from Debenhams by Jasper Conran. It's wonderfully soft and the elastic is gentle (it doesn't leave a mark on his head). It is the smallest size and is big on my so little baby. But I think it is the cutest hat ever!

I brought grey, as grey goes with most colours, and knowing me he is going to have a lot of outfits to go with it :).

 

My last buy for Thaine's autumn/winter outwear is this beautiful 100% cotton, autumn coloured pram blanket from Mamas and Papas.

This funky blanket is stunningly soft and I can image Thaine is going to look cosy and snug wrapped up in it; a bonus is that the green in the blanket matches his coat perfectly. 

I'll update this blog post with a picture of Thaine in all his outwear soon.

 

Thank you for reading,

love Paige x

 

www.naturalbabyshower.co.uk

www.debenhams.com

www.mamasandpapas.com

So Little. Summer

Our Son was born in the middle of the summer, so most of our time was spent learning and getting to know him.

Taking Thaine out in the day was difficult, as the sun was hot and it is difficult to protect a new born baby from the sun.

I did invest in a Moby wrap (picture to the right, worn by Benjamin :) ) so we could take day time walks. The wrap we brought was a UV Moby wrap and is SPF 50+. We would just strip him to his nappy, pop him in and off we'd go. Thaine found it so comfortable that as soon as we set off he would be fast asleep.

In fact, everyone else found it so comfortable that they were more that happy to wear Thaine as a fashion accessory.

Thaine chilling on a traditional deck chair.

We visited Whitstable beach for their boat regatta, however we did miss it. Instead we found this lovely fish and chip shop on the beach and enjoyed a late lunch in the sun. Outside the fish and chip shop was a load of deckchairs and we could not resist putting Thaine on one of them. He seemed pretty chilled in it.

After we took a walk along the harbour and had a browse at the shops. There was this brilliant band performing pop chart hits but with a reggae twist, so we enjoying a good dance alongside  others.

 

It was Benjamin and I's first wedding anniversary this year and we decided to spend it up in London.

Thaine was 5 weeks old and it was his first time on a train and visit to the capital.

We went to the Sea Life, London Aquarium and was pleasantly surprised with Thaine's response.

He was actually able to follow the fish in the tanks and obviously the lighting was a wonderful sensory experience for him.

 

I did theme his t-shirt to our trip, it had a octopus picture on it :).

Thaine seemed to enjoy himself.

 

 

With Thaine being so little and me breastfeeding, a lot of our visits were to restaurants. Yum. Here's Benjamin and Thaine in Wagamama's (right), this was Thaine's second visit already to Wagamama's and Benjamin's first. This was also Benjamin's first time wearing the Lascal carrier and he say's that it is not as comfortable as the Moby Wrap, however the Lascal is still very supportive on the back and is very attractive.

We went to a couple of small music festival's near our town, which, again was a great sensory experience for Thaine and we enjoyed ourselves too.
This summer by far is my favourite, cheesy as it sounds but I am so happy to have Thaine in our lives.






Thank you for reading,
Love Paige x

http://www.themobywrap.co.uk/
http://www.lascal.se/
http://www.wagamama.com/



 
 
 
 
 







So Little water baby

I cannot wait to share this blog. :D

8 week old Thaine has started swimming lessons with Water Babies, which is one of the UK's leading swim schools. Using fully qualified instructors they teach you, the parent, to teach your baby how to swim in a fun and positively enthusiastic approach.

 

Water Babies teach in heated pools. Because Thaine and his class friends are so young, they are taught in a hydrotherapy pool. 

I heard about Water Babies through my sister who lives seven hours away from me. She took her son to Water Babies at a young age too. She invited me to see one of the lesson's when he was a year old and almost all of the babies could swim. It was truly magical.

Packing Thaine's swimming bag:

This is a picture of Thaine's swimming bag. Inside is his swimming nappies (the Little Swimmers) and his swimming pants (a Happy Nappy brought from the Water Babies site). I need my swimming costume too, as I get in the water with my baby and two towels, one for each of us. I have a changing mat that I take with me to get Thaine ready on and a clean nappy for after. Oh and goggles for the lessons when you get to watch your baby swim under water.

Water Babies recommend a hat for your baby for after the lesson, even in the summer.

Here's Thaine, ready for his swimming lesson, laying on his 'Jonathan Adler for Skip Hop Pronto' changing mat from John Lewis (£35).

Tips for getting your baby ready for swimming classes:

• Make sure your baby has a good sleep before class.

• Arrive 45 minutes to an hour early to make sure you have time to feed your baby.

• Take your time getting them dressed for swimming, they will enjoy it if you know you've got time. Rushing can stress your baby out and you don't want a unhappy baby in the pool.

 

The swimming lesson:

Simon is Thaine's instructor, he is friendly, reassuring and the babies love his warm personality. He learns all the babies names and when the class begins, he welcomes all the babies to the group one by one with a swim around the pool with himself.

Simon is always aware of the parents confidence and most importantly the child's well-being.

This week Benjamin went swimming with Thaine. Benjamin was excited to swim with Thaine, but at the same time a little nervous. Benjamin was taught a couple of activities do to with Thaine in the water and was proud of his son's happy response.

Benjamin said "The activities are explained, demonstrated and easy to learn".

The lesson is 30 minutes, which is the perfect amount of time for a little baby to enjoy the water before having enough.

We've only had a couple of lesson's and we're already seeing the progression in Thaine's water skills and our own. :)

We are really looking forward to our next lesson.

 

Thank you for reading,

Love Paige x

www.johnlewis.com

www.waterbabies.co.uk

 

The So Little bedroom.

Hello again,

I have decided to talk about his bedroom, as Benjamin and I have finally finished it,...yesterday!

I do feel as though bedrooms are the most important place in a house. You need to feel comfortable, safe and secure when your resting. We wanted to give Thaine a bedroom that he was able to grow up with; a theme that could last years.

I really love the English woods and stories based in the woodlands and gardens, such as the Gruffalo (written by Julia Donaldson) and The very Hungry Caterpillar (written by Eric Carle).

We started the bedroom when I was pregnant, we did not know whether we were going to have a boy or a girl. We tried to keep it as unisex as possible.

Most of the furniture and toys are from good old Ikea. Ikea is good for buying on a budget and knowing that you are not expecting the furniture to last a lifetime.

I tried a couple of feeding chairs, but I truly like the Ikea Poang armchair for £75. I decorated it with a throw and a cushion from TK Max. The cushion is a favourite of mine, as I couldn't get along with normal feeding cushions. This cushion is full of duck feathers and regains it's shape with just a quick 'poof'.

The sheep skin rug was a good buy, from Ikea again. When I was looking for a sheep skin rug it was Ikea that had the best quality and best priced. The cushions and basket on the floor and most of the cuddle toys were AGAIN from Ikea. However those who know the story of the Gruffalo will notice that most of the toys are animals from the story. So when we read Thaine the Gruffalo we occasionally act it out with the toys, which he loves.

The shelves came from Ikea (from £5)  and the hooks came from John Lewis at £11.

The photograph of Thaine on the top shelf was taken by Miles in Time Photography when he was only 1 week old. He also has his named hospital ankle bracelet up there.

As you can see I do really love the Hungry Caterpillar and adore this Hungry Caterpillar vest from Sainsbury's.

The towel is one of his nappy changing towels, which most are brought from Ikea and are 100% cotton, they are soft and thin, ideal for fast drying.

 So this is his changing unit I put it together with a chest of draws from Ikea (Malm £45). Then a wedged anti-roll changing mat from John Lewis for £15. On the shelf above I keep his water bowl for changing his nappy, I have a room thermometer, Milton to clean the changing mat and a glow ball for when I change his nappy at night; it keeps a calm atmosphere.  

The glow ball I brought from Homebase for £1.99.

It glows six different colours and although it is not bright enough to light the whole room it does give enough effect for the changing unit.

 

This is inside his top draw. I brought the dividers from Ikea for £6. When you have a baby it is so easy for the place to get messy, so these dividers make me organised and does help when I need to grab something quick!

I wash his bottom with cotton wool and water, then dry with a towel. The wipes are there just in case.

 

The paint is Dulux matt finish and is meant to be 'non-mark'. But as you can see there is a grease hand mark on the top right. So I am not too impressed with the paint.

The owl on a tree wall sticker was brought from Abode Wall Art and price depends on the size. It was really easy to put up and I think it looks great.

 

Thaine's So Little room took a long time to create and find the bits and bobs we wanted. But now it's finished I look at it and think it is perfect for my baby to chill out and get ready for bed.

 

 

 

 

Thaine moves in to his bedroom end of Janurary 2014, look out for the blog. :)

 

 

 

Thank you for reading,

Love Paige x

 

 

 

www.abodewallart.co.uk 

 http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Miles-In-Time-Photography/570468079663376?fref=ts 

www.johnlewis.com 

 



40 weeks, 3 days

Oh I'm so nervous, this is my first blog!

So I got married on the hottest day of last year in August. To my very best friend, Benjamin.

This is a picture of my husband and I on our wedding day.

Then that November we happily discovered that we were expecting.

 

Two weeks after taking the pregnancy test, morning sickness kicked in...hard! I was really struggling to pull myself away from the toilet, let alone get ready for work. When I was 8 weeks pregnant I spoke to my family and my doctor, they all said the same thing

"Your pregnant! What do you expect?"

Oh how I cried when people told me this, I really thought at that point that there was no way I could make the whole pregnancy.

At 10 weeks pregnant I could barely sit up, the room was spinning and I was living in the bathroom. Benjamin decided enough was enough and took me to A&E. They found that I was severely dehydrated and that I had Hyperemesis' Gravidarum (HG). I was admitted for 4 days, put on hydration intravenous drips and given anti-sickness injections.

I was discharged with anti-sickness tablets.

3 weeks later at 13 weeks I was admitted again for 2 days and the same treatment.

Then four weeks after that I was admitted again for 9 days after throwing up blood and ripping my stomach. That was the worst time ever.

HG is horrible, nothing can relieve the pain of never ending sickness...not even ginger biscuits! HG is worst then just morning sickness, even a small glass of water is unable to touch your lips without you throwing up. It got so bad for me that I ended up having my husband bath, dress and generally wait on me. I didn't enjoy my pregnancy it felt never ending.

The Birth Story:

40 weeks and 2 days I went in to labour naturally. My waters broke at 5 in the morning in bed and the contractions started straight away. I was so excited! After changing the bed sheets I attempted to get some more sleep, as I knew I would need the energy...But I was just too excited. I just wanted to help hurry it along, so all day I bounced on the yoga ball, I went for a walk and even went shopping. (Did I mention I was a self confessed shopaholic?!).

At 6.30pm I asked my mum to come round as my contractions were so irregular but were so painful. She said we should make our way to maternity day care at the hospital to get checked out to see how far along I was. When I got there the midwife on duty, believe it or not, told me I didn't look like I was in labour and refused to check me out. How rude!

So I went back to my parents house. The thought of being with my husband and my other loved ones help make me relax.

My dad brought us fish and chips, which was great because I was so hungry and they did taste good.

They didn't stay down for long though...I do not recommend fatty foods when you are in labour! :)

At 10.30pm I made my way to the midwifery led unit in the hospital. It was such a beautiful relaxing room and the midwives were great! I went to school with one of the midwives and she was excellent, she even stayed past her end of work time to watch my birth; she was great at making me feel comforted and cared for.

 Me in the birthing pool.

 

I was 5cm dilated when we arrived and I got to go in to birthing pool for about 4 hours and so did Benjamin. It was such a lovely experience. I was looking forward to giving birth in the water. There we were, in the pool listening to Bob Marley when suddenly, I had about 8 contractions in a row; they barely came down from the peek. I asked for gas and air for the first time, I was so proud of myself.

They soon asked me to get out of the pool so they could hook me up to the monitor. It confirmed the continuous contractions I was having, it also made us all aware that my baby's heartbeat was stopping when a contraction was at it's peek...which was very often. So off I was wheeled to the labour ward.

I was told that I NEEDED to push him out now otherwise I was to have a C-section. So I did as I was told and after 42 minutes of pushing and a tear. At 8.13am I gave birth to a very beautiful, very little boy.

 

The moment when we became a family of three.

 

Giving birth was amazing. I would do it all over again. Especially for this outcome : 

Welcome to the world Thaine.

Thank you for reading,

love Paige x