Deaf Kids Rock | 2 Years of Hearing

When I fell pregnant with Harry, I was so naïve.  I had worries of course but they were for all the “normal” things, would he have all his limbs, would he even make it all the way to 9 months gestation.  I never ever ever considered that my baby would be born without something I consider to be one of the ultimate senses.  I could not have guessed in a million years that my son would be born profoundly deaf.

Being told something as significant as that can really shatter a person.  We felt broken, I felt broken.  I was absolutely and utterly terrified for what Harry’s future would hold.  Would he have a fulfilled life, would he struggle at school and the ultimate question for me, would he ever hear me tell him I love him. 

I spent an entire 42 weeks growing this little person inside my tummy, talking to him and telling him all of our hopes and dreams and the thought that he didn’t and possibly wouldn’t ever hear any of that split my heart right down the middle. 

However, we had to pull ourselves together and focus on our boy wholeheartedly and without fear.  We had to make decisions around surgery for Harry that could have put his life at risk, a decision that meant he would either hear or he wouldn’t.

Little did I know that Harry being born without hearing would be one of the most incredible experiences we could have ever endured.  It completely shaped our lives as a team of three into something really quite special. 

Harry really is like any other three year old lad.  He is a boys boy, he’s happiest when surrounded by cars, trucks and dinosaurs.  He is confident, loud, stroppy and completely pushes all of the buttons.  But he is chatting away more and more every single day and each time he comes out with a new word or phrase my face completely lights up and I couldn’t smile any wider.  The feeling of not knowing if my baby would ever hear, to him “blessing” me after I sneeze really is like no other feeling I have ever experienced.

It sounds so cliché but he really does light up something inside of everyone he meets with his charm and his baby blues.  I never look at him and feel sad or sorry that he is deaf, or has to wear equipment on his head to be able to hear.  I look at him and feel inspired, empowered and most of all insanely proud.

People like my son Harry show the world that there are miracles.

I’m forever grateful to be your Mama little bug, Happy 2nd Hearing Birthday  x

The Threenager.

Yeah he looks cute, but as I type this, my three year old is laying screaming at the top of the stairs because he wants to stay up and play. 

But of course this isn't the first argument of the day, no sir.  Let me list the things we have battled over with sir Harry since we woke up this morning..

• turning our bedside lamp on way before 7am (its Sunday)
• breakfast.  What he wanted/didn't want.
• how the toast was cut
• I gave him a broken biscuit
• I gave him the wrong water bottle
• he spilt some porridge and shouted at me for it
• his iPad ran out of battery and shouted at me for it
• he wanted to play with a coral red nail polish
• he wanted to watch grandad have a wee
• he covered his face in bum cream and didn't want it wiped off
• he wouldn't eat dinner
• he was really hungry
• he didn't want a bath but wanted a bath

..actually that's probably only the half of it but I pick my battles.

Threenagers are the most confusing little people I have ever met.  When our kids hit three we get all smug and we're almost tricked into thinking that crazy year of terrible twos is well and truly over.  Don't be smug.  The minute Harry turned three he became like a teenage/baby hybrid and on some occasions i may ever describe him as devilish.

Someone wise once told me that boys get a surge of testosterone between 2 and a half and 4 and it pretty much sends them a little cray cray.  If this is true then to be honest I can sympathise as I can be an emotional wreck when hormones hit!  It kind of makes sense as my boy can be bouncing off the walls with happiness one second and in floods of unhappy tears the next over the absolute tiniest of details.

I was so unprepared for three.  I wasn't ready for the opinions they have, the almighty tantrums they throw or the physical strength they have! 

I have made a little video for Channel Mum's "Why did no one tell me" series if you fancy getting an insight into what the threenager is really like!

Do you have a threenager??

 

A Review | Bepanthen Nappy Care Ointment

Bepanthen is a brand that my family knows and trusts.  It is pretty much the only nappy cream brand I consistently used on Harry’s delicate little tush and we still use it now if hes a little bit sore “down there”.

Bepanthen Nappy Care Ointment works by forming a transparent layer on your babys skin which can help protect again rubbing and irritants.  Its water-in-oil formulation also contains pro-vitamin B5 which aids the skin in its natural recovery meaning you really don’t need to use it for every nappy change.  It doesn’t dry out or clump like other creams can and we find a tiny amount really does goes a long way.

Bepanthen have recently changed their tube design to make it more accessible and easier to use than ever before, which I LOVE.  They scrapped the metal type previous tube with the screw on lid, for a nifty plastic one with a flip up lid that can be opened with just one hand!  I'm sure you will agree, this is a definite necessity when trying to pin down a wriggly baby!

We have been really lucky in terms of nappy rash with Harry, he has never suffered badly but of course occainsionly gets a little sore and I find this stuff a miracle worker, its like an instant relief for him!  I would 100% recommend it to new mums and dads, or if you’re current nappy cream isn’t quite up to scratch give Bepanthen a go and see if it makes a difference.

I’m also very excited to share that Bepanthen has teamed up with parenting expert Lisa Clegg (author of Blissful Baby and Blissful Toddler) to write this handy little e-book called What the Parenting Manuals Don't Tell You.  The e-book is full of tips for expectant parents which were crowd-sourced via social media.  I love the illustrations in the book by Alyana Cazalet who is also a mother.

I love Lisa, I have gone to her for advice before as well as reading her books cover to cover varous times for her tips and tricks for new parents.  You can download their e-book for free here!

What nappy cream do you use?

*this post was written in collaboration with Bepanthen.  My views are, as always, completely honest and are my own.

Talking About My Ectopic Pregnancy

Back in April this year, I was rushed to hospital with a ruptured ectopic pregnancy which was developing in my fallopian tube.  I wrote all about my experience here just a few days after it happened.  Now a few months down the line I thought I would branch out and share my story on YouTube on my channel Lucie and the Bump.

I was really nervous filming this but I felt like it was something I should talk about being a parent blogger and vlogger, in the hope it can help someone else or at least raise awareness. 

I would love it if you shared this video with anyone you know who has been through or going through something similar.  Or just take the time to hear about the signs and symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy.

Hopefully my next video will be something a bit more upbeat :)

Lucie x 

The Un-filterable.

You know those days when its not even 10am 9am and you're already wondering if its bedtime yet?

I like to refer to those days as the un-filterable.  There is simply no Instagram filter that could make the snapshots of those days any better.  

We have been going through a bloody tough time with our son Harry.  He is coming up to 3 and it seems like the whole terrible twos/threeanger thing has well and truly kicked in.  There doesn't seem to be a day lately where I haven't had to tell him off for doing something naughty or battle with him across the dinner table. 

I don't understand why mums (and some dads, don't want to leave you out there lads) find it so hard to share the tough parts of parenthood.  Those real dark times where you have said a few swear words to your children, not even under your breath.  Where you physically have to lock yourself in the bathroom to stop yourself from bursting into floods of tears from frustration.  Or when you're scrubbing lipstick out of the brand new sofa because you stupidly left your handbag at toddler-level.

I haven't been posting as much as I usually would on Instagram because of course no one wants to see photos on their social media feed of that puddle of wee your son just gifted you on the rug or the almighty tantrum over wanting to wear a shark print swimsuit with slippers to nursery.  So pre-mum you are led into this false sense of everything being pink and fluffy, with not a meltdown in sight.

I am certainly not one of those people who pretends that it is all fine and dandy and that I love being a mum every second of every day, because I don't!  Its the hardest job I've ever done.  I'm not a mumsy mum and sometimes I would rather talk about makeup and Geordie Shore than whether breast is best.  We don't do arts and crafts at home twice a week because I simply can't stand the mess, and I let Harry watch his iPad whilst eating his breakfast every morning!  AND SOMETIMES (this one is really bad) I have to bribe him with chocolate in order to brush his teeth.... ironic?!

Why am I writing this you may be asking yourself?!  Well its simply just a ramble, a real life one where it isn't all sunshine and rainbows.  Sometimes I want to smash my phone up when I see how seemingly perfect another family's life looks.  But I have to remind myself that it is all the work of the ever popular Valencia filter, and really I bet those people are going through the very same struggles that I am.
Also.. I do really love the bones off my son even if I did almost want to throw him out the window at 3am this morning!!  I know it won't last forever and its all part of the parenting game!

A Playdate to Wellington Country Park | with Huggies Little Swimmers

We recently went for a playdate with our buddies Lara and George.  We went to one of our fave local hangouts, Wellington Country Park.  They have an awesome new splash pad, tons of parks and even animals to pet, it is such a nice place to visit if you are in the Hampshire or Berkshire area!

I decided to film our playdate so that you can get a peek into a typical Thursday morning with my little bug Harry!  As a Huggies Little Swimmers Get Set Splash Blogger, I wanted to show you guys how easy it is to use their swim nappies whilst out and about on a whim without it being a stressful experience.  We always always always have a few of them in our changing bag for days like this where the sun could burst through the clouds at any moment!

I hope you enjoy this video (give it a thumbs up if you did!)!  I would love to hear what you guys have been up to this Summer in the comments, or if you have any hang outs you think I need to check out!

*As a Huggies Little Swimmers "Get Set, Splash" blogger I did collaborate with them for this video and post, but as always my opinions are always honest and entirely my own!

Just the Three of Us

I feel like its been a really long time since I have sat down and just rambled about my little bug Harry.  I think its because he is no longer a baby so typical milestones happen less often and life is generally more consistent.  However for my lad and his magic ears there are so many milestones that I just don’t realise he has surpassed and I have found myself sitting and realising that for a kid that couldn’t hear just over a year ago he is doing pretty darn well!!

Harry can now say SO many words and understands pretty much everything that you say to him.  He will point out objects in picture books if you ask him to find something, his favourite books being anything Peppa Pig (ew) or Thomas.  If you ask him to put his shoes on you are generally faced with a big fat “NO” but it confirms he knows exactly what you want him to do, he just doesn’t want to do it like any other two year old! 

Being two and a half is really quite hard according to Harry.  Those of you with 18-20 month old babies who think they have entered the so called “terrible twos”, I promise you that you have seen nothing yet, the daily meltdowns are REAL people.. get your gin ready!!  Yes I am that mum with the screaming wild one unwillingly strapped in his pram because he wants to run off in town.  Don’t you hate the judgey looks from passers by!?  They clearly have never had a 2.5 mini person.  He is a terrible eater which stresses me out daily, he is defo one of those so called beige eaters and won’t touch fruit or vegetables at home.  We have really started to crack down on it though and I’m becoming quite strict with his snacks and treats.. any advice would be gladly received #stressedmumissues

However alongside the tantrums and mayhem, confusingly, comes the most loving moments.  Harry will often run opened armed and unprompted to embrace us in a huge bear hug and he blows us lovely kisses every night once hes tucked up in bed.  He has so much to say when I pick him up from his childminders and babbles away in his own little language whilst dropping the words “garden” and “park” in here and there.

Harry is and always has been a typical boy, in the sense that he loves nothing more than cars, trains, diggers and planes.  The day is never complete unless hes got one scraped knee and a ton if dirt under his fingernails!  He is finding the balance between play fighting and actually fist fighting and so far its not going too well!  He doesn’t quite understand how to tickle someone and its more like pinching and scratching but he really doesn’t mean to be so aggressive

Sitting and looking back at how Harry has evolved makes my heart feel so warm and fuzzy and I still get that bubbly proud feeling in my tummy when I tell people I have a little boy whom I am so fiercely proud of  

I feel like life is really great as a family of three right now and although people around me seem to be extending their families left right and centre I’m so content with my two boys, my team that seems to be growing ever stronger by the day.

I am the 1% | My Ectopic Pregnancy Story

I really thought our bad luck was over and we would see the back of hospital beds and saline drips for a while but unfortunately for us that wasn't going to be our story. I was just getting back into posting all the normal "mum blogger" junk as well as planning some actual You Tube videos, and letting go of the painful year we have just started to get over.

I feel compelled to share with you the reason for my brief social media absence (if anyone has noticed!) and it wouldn't seem right if I didn't talk about the very thing which has consumed me and my family lately, and I also have a feeling you lot will have all sorts of words of kindness and positivity that I need right now.  No pressure.

It started the Monday evening, after work, before dinner when I started to get the most indescribable and excruciating tummy pains. It was like a swelling sensation as well as feeling extremely faint and all together pretty rubbish. I had indulged in sashimi for lunch and instantly thought perhaps I had got food poisoning and just needed to "sit on the loo" so to speak. The longer I sat there the worse I felt and I eventually curled up in a ball on our very cold bathroom floor whilst Mr H administered some paracetamol and ibuprofen. I was then tucked up in bed with a hot water bottle and the pain seemed to ease slightly. Before I had gone up to bed however I did notice that my stomach seemed to be hard and bloated but again this could have been my body reacting to a bad bit of fish. I spent the whole night curled tightly in a little ball with the hot water bottle pressed tightly against me, until morning.

The morning seemed better but not without pain so I decided that I would take a day sick from work and drop Harry with his childminder. Once Harry was settled in front of the TV I showered and kissed Mr H goodbye as he was late for his train. 

The moment I stepped out of the shower was when the searing pain in my tummy returned and after a quick glance in the mirror my lips had turned totally purple. I staggered into the living room where I knew if I didn't lay on the floor I was going to collapse!  I called for Harry who immediately knew something was wrong and dropped to my side with the sweetest look of concern. I asked him to go and find my phone which miraculously he did so I could phone Mr H and tell him something was seriously wrong. Thank god he picked up, as his train was just pulling up to the platform and he sprinted home making a dozen phone calls on the way.

During this time my darling and clever baby boy sat stroking my arm, he fetched his little wooden doctors kit and "listened to my heart". He gave me his absolute favourite comforter his stuffed elephant Ellie and signed to me not to cry. In such an awful painful moment it was one of the most proudest few minutes of my parenting life and I couldn't have loved him any more. 

What happened next was a bit of a blur but I was taken to A & E and seen pretty much immediately.  I told them through gritted teeth all of my symptoms and as I was speaking I could feel the pain travel up through my right arm and shoulder. As soon as I told the nurse this symptom she wheeled me straight into an emergency room and asked me to gown up. I was asked a thousand questions at that point with the main one being "could you be pregnant?"

There was no way in my head that I was pregnant, I had just had a period, on the pill and we weren't trying, I had felt completely normal before today. I did a sample for them anyway which they whisked away to test and in the meantime the doctor then proceeded to tell me that extreme pain like that travelling to your right shoulder is a strong indication that there is internal bleeding in the abdomen. This would usually be caused by appendicitis or more commonly ectopic pregnancy. 

My test result was positive. I was pregnant. But was I.. Because in the same sentence they had told me I was pregnant they also told me I wouldn't be within a few hours.  I was having an ectopic pregnancy (fancy explanation here) which basically means the embryo attaches itself to your Fallopian tube which is about the width of a drinking straw and not a possible place for a baby to grow and is basically not good my friends. 

I was high as a kite on morphine and confused, scared, angry at myself for not knowing when we had conceived and guilty because my body had failed me.  Scott and I cried together and tried to make sense of what the doctors were telling us whilst a consent form was thrust my way and I signed my life into the hands of the surgical gods. Within 2 hours of arriving at the hospital I was taken into the operating theatre and put to sleep.

I can't tell you how long I was in surgery but I was in recovery for almost 6 hours. I was in and out of sleep and weird conversation with the nurse attending to me. The next thing I remember is being wheeled up to the women's health ward and seeing Scott's face. The surgeon had been to see him and he really couldn't believe I was still here. The Fallopian tube where the pregnancy had attached itself to had ruptured on the Monday night and my stomach had been bloated because it was filling up with blood. Somehow I hadn't bled to death during the night otherwise I wouldn't be writing this post today. 

There was over 2 pints of blood in my abdomen so my surgeon had made the decision to cut straight across under my bikini line instead of the usual key hole surgery commonly used in ectopic pregnancy to drain it out and I received a blood transfusion to replace what I had lost.

Due to the rupture my left Fallopian tube had to be removed completely but he saw that my right tube was in tact and healthy, as well as my ovaries being totally fine. This means that my future chances of conceiving are only very slightly reduced.  I'm no scientist but the general consensus is that your egg and his sperm will find their way via your remaining tube and get down to it.. Or something like that anyway.

I was in the 1% club, that's the risk percentage of your pregnancy being ectopic. The risk of a repeat ectopic pregnancy once you have had one does go up by around 5% which is a little scary but I have been reassured that I will be closely monitored/scanned in those early weeks next time.

I was allowed to come home to my boys just a couple of days after my surgery, it felt like Harry and I had been apart for weeks and his beaming smile when our eyes met was almost enough to take all the pain away. 

I won't lie, I'm in absolute agony!  I can barely walk, I can't lift more than a glass of water and I'm bloated like a Buddha.  The cut is not dissimilar to a c section wound but instead of stitches I have staples which I can't bear to look at right now. My surgeon was very polite in the fact he made sure the cut was super straight and neat and he managed to join it to 2 hernia scars I have from when I was little! It's silly really to care about the cosmetic side of things when you're life has just flashed before your eyes but it helps to know you won't look like you've had a battle with a tiger once it's all over 

I'm one tube down with no backup but I'm doing OK.  I have never felt so loved in my life, my house resembles a florists and I've got a cupboard full of chocolate and biscuits ready and waiting for me to pile back on the pounds when I'm up to it!

I couldn't ask for a better nurse, flower arranger or chef in my partner Scott who, despite everything he has gone through, is doing m an amazing job as the mum and the dad! 

  I have yet again learnt that I am brave which isn't a bad thing I suppose, and that the human body can be a confusing mess of failing you and then being a miracle worker all at the same time. 

I've accepted that this experience is now a part of my life story as well as all the other struggles we have somehow managed to trudge through! I'm naturally a positive person and I won't dwell on this or let it take me down, its just another path I can say I have walked down and I can tell you I will be a hell of a lot stronger for it

Easter Festivities

Miss Etoile "Enjoy" Tin

Easter is definitely up there with one of my favourite holidays of the year.  Not only do most of us get to enjoy a long weekend away from the stress of work but we get to spend some quality time with our families – usually in the spring sunshine – and of course we get to eat chocolate for breakfast, lunch and dinner!!

I have so many great childhood memories of Easter, one of the main ones being egg hunts at my grandparents’ house!  My granddad would find immense enjoyment in hiding little foil covered chocolate eggs in the most obscure and difficult to reach places around the garden and we would spend what felt like hours hunting them down!  Being the youngest by 7 years my sisters would beat me to it every time and end up with a bowl full way before I had even found one, but my g’dad would cheat and give me a few extra right out of the packet!  We would never ever find them all and the adults would forget where they hid them all, so sometime during the summer we would be playing in the garden and would find a melted mini egg stuck to the rose bush or in the cracks of the patio!

Another fond memory I have of Easter is making Easter bonnets which I don’t think is much of a tradition these days!  It’s such a a shame as we used to get so into it and create some really elaborate fancy hats complete with fluffy chicks, colourful feathers and mini eggs to take into school the next day! 

Of course we were always spoilt with chocolate eggs but being the weird kid that I was I never used to eat them and they would sit in the cupboard until they eventually got thrown away.  But as I got a bit older I went through a stage of melting them in a bowl and eating them with a spoon!  I told you I was a bit odd..

I feel like the build up to Easter and the whole celebration of it gets bigger and bigger every year.  We have always spent time with family during the long bank holiday weekend but I don’t remember there being so much merchandise around and we definitely never had an Easter basket like the ones people put together these days!  I hadn’t bothered making Harry an Easter basket in previous years as he has just been too little to get anything out of it, but this year I am fully embracing this Americanised trend!  I will do a separate mini post about whats in his basket soon!

We will be spending the Easter bank holiday with our families and there will be egg hunts on the agenda for sure but it feels like Easter already in our house as we have already started our festivities.
Amara, the online deparement store, have been kind enough to send us some beautiful things from their tableware and baking collection to use this Easter and I chose some pieces from the gorgeous Miss Etoile.  This is such a girly and fun collection stocked with gorgeous cake stands, teacups and saucers as well as milk jugs and tins.

Miss Etoile Egg Cup & Plate Set

Miss Etoile Mini Bird Bowl

For some reason we only seem to have boiled eggs at this time of year so we have been starting our days with boiled eggs and soldiers in these cute little egg cups and we have been nibbling on chocolate mini eggs for days already!!!

Miss Etoile Mini Plate on Stand

Miss Etoile Gold Heart Serving Plate

I had pinned a billion ideas for some great bakes, so we made some little chocolate cornflake nest cakes as I think these are pretty much fool proof and easy to do with a toddler (nothing can get burnt) We also made some shortbread which didn't really turn out as planned and my chicks and bunnies look a little mutated!!!  I tried..

I think the Miss Etoile gold heart serving plate I have displayed them on looks like something straight out of Kate Spade and it could be used as a trinket or jewellery dish as well as something to serve your Easter cakes upon.

******

Here are some of my favourite Easter activities to do with a toddler

Easter Egg Hunt:  Mini eggs are cheap as chips if you pick them up in the £1 shop and even the littlest ones will enjoy an egg hunt.  You could even use their Easter baskets as egg holders

Easter Bonnet Competition:  You can find some really cheap wicker hats in crafts shops or make your own with some card or paper.  All you need to do is get creative with paints, glue, chicks and feathers!

Easter Card or Picture Making:  Stock up on the paint and googly eyes and give your relatives some Easter pictures or cards to put on their fridge!

Easter Cake Baking:  You could get really fancy by making a speckled egg cake or like me go simple with some chocolate egg nests

Egg Painting:  Pinterest has some amazing Egg painting ideas whether you paint real egg shells or cheat like me and get some wooden ones!

Easter Colouring Pages: I found some great ones here that you can print out for free at home!


What are your favourite Easter activities??

*This post was written in collaboration with Amara

A Year of Sound | Harry's 1st Hearing Birthday

To my darling Harry,

Today, 4th of March 2016 marks your very first "hearing birthday" and my my, how you have changed since that very first sound you heard.  I still can't believe that 11,000 people have watched your special moment at your big "switch on" on YouTube.  One whole year of listening to mummy sing her silly made up songs, telling you off when you're naughty and chatting to you about your day.

I always knew you would be my best friend even before I had met you.  When you were fresh and new in my arms I instantly couldn't imagine a life BH (before Harry) and your colicky cries!  I knew you would be a real mummy's boy always willing to give me an extra kiss and cuddle for another biscuit.  You absolutely adore your daddy too though, he likes to wind you up just before bedtime with play fighting and running up and down the living room like a loony!  

You are saying so so much now, words like "peppa" "more" "biscuit" and "get down" among so many more, and if you don't know the word you will sign what you want to tell us.  You also insist profusely on calling me "Lucie" which I think you are now doing on purpose the more I tell you that I am mummy!!! You love to sing along to Frozen and Paw Patrol (at 5.30 in the morning) and lots of annoying songs from random videos you find on YouTube!  Cute!

You aren't all milk and cookies though.. You have the wildest temper on you that you most definitely get from your Daddy!  You throw a strop at pretty much anything, sometimes resulting in smashing your own head on the floor, throwing things and screeching!  You're 100% a typical two year old and you know how to play us up and get our blood boiling!!

But the best thing about you Harry is that you are so very kind.  Its the sort of kindness you don't always see in little ones your age.  Don't get me wrong you can be one hell of a pickle, you lash out when you're angry and you struggle with sharing but you will always give an upset child your toy or offer them a few of your precious raisins. You hate to see people upset and you do your best to make them smile, usually by giving them the biggest cheesiest grin or a stroke on the shoulder. You very rarely pass up the chance of giving people a smooch and one of your most used words right now is "cuddle".  You are ever so friendly and you'll play with anybody that will have you.  You love to run after the bigger kids, especially your cousins Lily and Issy who dote on your every move!  I'm just waiting for the day that they start to find you annoying and the raging fights begin, but for now I'll relish in the beautiful relationship you have with them.

In a way I feel so lucky the world decided you would be deaf and that I would be the one to take care of you.  I've felt tremendous pain for you, felt so incredibly sad but mostly felt pure happiness and wonder.  You have opened up a whole new horizon for us as a family, we've met people we would never have met, done things we would never have had the opportunity to do and ultimately lead us down a path I never imagined we would be walking.  That path has been really really special and actually pretty fantastic and you have had so many people by your side cheering you on every step of the way. 

Don't be afraid to be different my love, you were born to do something unique and distinctive.  You are going to grow up to do some really amazing things, I can see it in that sparkle in your eyes and I'm so excited to watch it happen.  

Happy First Hearing Birthday Harry, I love you little bug,

Mummy xx

Sharing the Mum Blogger Love | My Favourite Pregnancy & Baby Blogs

Back in 2013 (wowser that seems so long ago!!) I shared with you some of my favourite pregnancy and and baby blogs

Whilst I am still an avid follower of them all, there are some amazing ladies out there with some beautiful and informative not to mention humorous blogs who i find myself scanning Bloglovin' for on a daily basis!  

Katie is the author of Mummy, Daddy and Me Makes Three and is one of my absolute favourites in the whole world wide web!!  I am in awe of her beautiful but very real photography skills capturing her gorgeous little family and stunning home.  I completely relate to every post she writes and I enjoy following her journey as a Mum to her 2 girls and bump!  She's also such a lovely friendly person and so bright and happy, I can't wait to see how her family blossoms with a baby boy thrown into the mix!
Read for: Pregnancy updates, stunning interiors and nice quotes

London based Emma from Mamalina, is one in a million for me.  Her approach to parenting is ultra modern and ever since having a beautiful son Jack she hasn't let being a mother define her or change the way her and her husband go about their life.  This includes Jack going along to festivals, napping on tubes and seeing the other side of the world before he even turned two.  Now pregnant with her second baby and having just got back from travelling, Emma to me is a breath of fresh air and a rare find in this routine filled, soft play consumed parenting world
Read for: travel advice with a baby, yoga and the prettiest smiles

AKA Peachie (also known as Charlotte) is one of the more comical reads on my list.  I LOVE catching up with her latest going on via Instagram and her blog, I find everything she says so funny and she is just all round pretty cool!  Shes very real very relatable and VERY honest and that is why I love her.  She has also promised me a "virtual coffee date" so I think i'm in there ;-)
Read for: Real talk, cool jumpers

I've actually met Donna in the flesh for all of 52 seconds at Bluestone and I can assure you she is just as dainty and beautiful in real life as she is in her stunning blog photos! The London Mum is her blog and I get so excited every time I see a new post as I immediately know i'm going to enjoy it.  Her blog is so varied, including product reviews, travel diaries and tips and tricks as well as monthly favourites.. all of my favourite things in one place!
Read for: Cool kids clothes, travel tips and reviews


I am always on the lookout for new blogs to follow so If you have any suggestions for me or you want t leave your blog link below, then comment away!!!

How I'm Getting my Fussy Toddler to Eat

This is in no way a miracle fix in getting your fussy toddler to eat but its a few things we have been trying in our house to get a super fussy Harry to put anything other than "beige food" in his mouth!
Harry eats pretty much anything his childminder puts in front of him and I was started to feel like I was being duped!  Why would he eat it there and not at home?!  What was I doing wrong?!  I decided that after the Christmas pig out, I would put a plan into action and get him eating some of the things that he should have been eating.

Before I give you some tips to try yourself please remember that I'm not an expert, proffessional, i'm just a mum doing what she can to get some nutrition into her kid!  its my way of doing things and its working.. for now!

SNACKS

So first things first, I think a big part of Harry not eating properly (especially at his evening meal) was snacking.  All of a sudden he was signing and talking to me and tell me that he wanted to eat, and in the excitement of this I was letting him graze CONSTANTLY. I didn't realise it at first but then I started to write down the half biscuit here and slice of toast there and realised I was giving him far too much food bribery in between meals, so he wouldn't be particularly hungry enough at meal times to even contemplate eating it.

So straight away we cut down on snacks, pretty dramatically actually.  I literally will give him just one thing, whether its a small jacket of raisons, biscuit, smoothie or a yoghurt, and I will only let him have it a good 2-3 hours before his main meal.  He still tells me he's hungry quite a lot but I say no and he accepts it usually so I know it was just a bit of a habit.  If your toddler is still having bottles of milk, take a look at how much they are drinking as milk is so filling, its almost a meal in itself

PREPARATION

Getting Harry involved in the prep and cooking process of meal times has been a massive help when it comes to getting him to try new things.  I know what you're thinking - MESS!  and yes.  it can be messy and it can take you twice as long to peel those potatoes and stir the pasta but I really think its so important to let your little ones get involved.  I let him handle a knife with my help to chop up all the vegetables and give him a slab of cheese and a grater and the kid is on cloud 9!!  He is much more likely to eat his dinner if he has helped me make it plus when he's chopping up things such as carrots he tends to have a few nibbles here and there which is getting some goodness into him before he's even got to the table!  Its also such a learning game, we name everything we're using he gets to feel the different shapes and textures of the food and when he's bigger hopefully he will be learning how to cook!

TOGETHER

Harry pretty much decided himself that he would no longer partake in sitting in his highchair.  Luckily for us we have the amazing Stokke Steps system so all we had to do was remove the baby seat part and he has a fully fledged chair that is the perfect height for table, and still has sides to ensure he can't topple out. 

It was then that we realised that we very rarely (OK never) sit at the dining room table and Harry doesn't see us eat our meals often so perhaps we need to start sitting with him and eating together.  It has helped so so much!  I think it gives him a sense of independence being out of his highchair and technically free to get down and roam around and seeing us eat what he is eating is helping him to understand that this is what people do!  Instead of prepping something separate for him I usually give him exactly what we are having, even all the veg.  Usually he will completely ignore the vegetables but sometimes he will have a few peas or we can hide them in a few mouthfuls.  I think the key is to provide a vegetable on their plate every single time so they get used to seeing it there and will inevitably try it!

EMOTIONS

All the emotions.  Lock them up!!  If Harry refuses to eat his dinner or pushes his plate away we simply say "no don't do that" or "eat your dinner" and if the answer is still no then we say "OK, time to get down" - which is usually met by a screaming fit, tear, head banging, the lot, but we remain complacent and calm and we refuse to get angry with him.  This shows him that he can't get what he wants just by kicking off and 9 times out of 10 it works BUT only if you stick to your guns.  You simply must be consistent as if you show any signs of weakness then they will get you in that kitchen and dishing them out all the toast and yoghurt!!
It sounds a bit harsh but unfortunately discipline has to come into play when it comes to eating and we have found this the best way to do it.  Remember they are not going to let themselves starve and they do give in eventually and every day gets a little bit easier.  


Yes, we do have slip ups.  Days where we are at social events or days out and food bribery is the only option!  We also aren't particularly strict about Harry using a fork and spoon, to be honest if he's shovelling food in with his hands then i'm happy for now! Manners can come later.
I also don't mind having the TV on whilst he eats if he asks for it.  Sometimes I find the less focus there is on the food the more likely he is to just eat it whilst happily watching his favourite Princesses on Frozen!  

I never thought I would be so happy to see someone eat ONE pea but honestly it felt like all our hard work has been paying off!!  Its still early days for us and our fussy eater but I have managed to get him to eat so much more than he was eating before.

Do you have a fussy eater?  What are your top tips for getting your fussy eater to EAT!??