Project Life // Week Three

Week three has to be my favourite week yet. I love the colours and textures. Turquoise and pink are a real Glitter Girl combo and worked well with the mix of newborn baby girl pics and toddler pics. I used a post-it note to make the title card and love this background paper with its feminine alphabet print.

The left hand side has stories and pictures about my girly day out with The Baby where we went for lunch in Harrogate and then got her birth certificate, cute pram and snuggle baby pics, The Toddler having sensory play threading cheerios onto spaghetti and soft play fun with my friend and her little girl.

I liked the angle of this picture and how adoringly they are both looking at The Baby. I stapled the embellishment on to add some texture.

The right side has a black and white SLR shot of the siblings, her six week update, pictures of our family walk to Swintsy Resovoir, The Toddler going on his early Saturday morning swim dates with daddy and building a snowman in the garden.

Stamping, sequin, wood veneer hearts and washi tape were the main embellishments on this side. 

I adore the happy look on The Toddler's face in this picture with his arm bands on. I love that they spend that quality time together and that I get to bond with my baby girl and possibly have a little lie in - depending on her napping.

Let's talk about breast feeding..

I have spoken before about my struggle with breast feeding with The Toddler and the guilt I felt when I had to bottle feeding after the first few days. So this time around I was ready to be more assertive with the decision that I made about feeding. I decided I would give it a go again, but if it didn't work out than I was fine with bottle feeding too and I wouldn't allow myself to feel pressured into it.

S, how was it that the day after she was born history repeated itself? There I was sobbing uncontrollably in the very same maternity ward and feeling all those feels again? I was meant to be more confident and in control second time around - wasn't I?

But she latched on - which he never did. Straight out of surgery she was whimpering and the midwife informed me she was hungry. 'Here we go,' I rolled my eyes. At least he had given me a day before he was hungry and the drama began.

So I gingerly placed her to my chest and she just latched on and started feeding. It was amazing. I couldn't believe it could be this easy. The midwives all joked that girls are so much better at latching on than 'lazy boys.' She fed briefly and then I was rolled back to the maternity ward feeling really pleased with myself. 

As the day went on she fed some more and it was okay. However it only seemed to work well on one side and so I got quite sore. The midwives were really busy and I kept buzzing them for help and support and often it would take a while for them to arrive. Being terribly English I resented having to push the buzzer and get help every time she wanted to feed.

That night was okay as she wasn't terribly hungry and they brought me one of those perspex cots that attaches to the side of my bed and so I could just put my hand on her belly and rock her to sleep rather than feeding her every time.

The following day things got more intense and sore. She seemed to want to feed all day and she had a really strong suck. My nipple was getting more and more sore and I was starting to dread every time I heard her little hungry whimper. I couldn't go gooey over her cuteness, bask in her newborn scent and enjoy the moment as feeding was the only thing on my mind.

Around me other mothers were having the same battle and through the none-too-discreet curtains you could get a sense of their experiences. Not able to latch on. Struggling to get the sleepy baby to feed. Not able to go home until they could feed the baby. Not wanting to 'give in' but finding breast feeding such a struggle. Milk not coming in yet. 

I felt for them and wanted to break down the barriers and share with them how the struggle is real. But you know we're all English so...

By the evening the battle of supply and demand continued and I was weary and wounded. The Belgian was going to stay for the night to support me (as they changed the rules and now allowed partners to stay overnight if you wanted to.) However he got a phone call and the Calvary needed him.

My very vocal meltdown was apparently not very subtle and a midwife nipped in to see how things were going. Cue full on waterworks and feeling very silly. They were more understanding this time around and talked me through different options. They suggested feeding her with a plastic cup that she would lap up like a little cat. It was very cute.

But I felt like a failure again.

Even though I had promised myself it wouldn't be like this and I would be fine with whatever decision I made.

Shortly after The Belgian left my favourite support worker came in saying she'd been so excited when she'd seen my name on the board. So apparently there was a most needy board and I was top of the list that day. 

She sat with me for an hour and we just chatted like friends, about her kids and motherhood: the struggles, the triumphs and all the emotions linked to newborns. She was really understanding and open. She helped me to feel human again as she fed my baby with the little beaker. Half an hour later (with the help of some ear plugs) I was sleeping like a baby and I had a much better night.

In the morning I was ready to leave. I'd made peace with my decision. I was going to mixed feed  - pumping and bottles. So the baby was fed and my poor engorged breasts got a rest. I knew from friends that when they say that breast feeding doesn't hurt, it is mostly a lie, as its always tricky and especially when you aren't used to it. I also know some mums who took to it like a duck to water and found it a really positive and beautiful experience. 

I have so much respect for women who breast feed as it is so time consuming and you can feel like you are chained to your bed or sofa. With a toddler it must be twice as hard - the pumping certainly was. I know mums who have breast fed twins and this must be exhausting. So yes we should champion it, but we should also realise that it is not possible for every woman. 

Some people had barely even said hello before they were asking if I was breast feeding and how else can you respond but go through the whole saga? Men too - as if I want to discuss my boobs with you, And why should you have to justify yourself? It is your baby. Your (slightly defective) nipples. And your decision.

Wild Ones // Yorkshire Sculpture Park Kaws

Ever since we saw about this exhibition at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park we knew we wanted to go and check it out. The Toddler is obsessed with Mickey Mouse and these giant sculptures definitely have a Disneyesque feel to them. 

It was pretty boggy, due to all the recent rain, these two were equipped for the conditions in their wellies but I wore my converse and they are still caked in mud now. I think the toddlers favourite part was splashing in the puddles - as per usual.

There are loads of interesting exhibits and sculptures to see that are there all year round. It's a really big site and a long route if you walk along the whole thing - we took a shorter route but The Toddler was still shattered by the end.

Everyone was taking pictures of these sculptures and they were definitely the main attraction. I thought that the name of the artist sounded Scandinavian but he's actually American.

The above was one of my favourites as it looks like a toddler peeking out behind his mummy. 

The Baby was having a little jaunt in the carrier. I was worried about her little feet being cold - but they get so warm against your body that I didn't want to put her in a snow suit.

I loved The Toddler's curiosity and how he could just roam around freely checking all the exhibits out.

Near the end of our visit we had a walk up a very steep and muddy hill to get back to the car. We had to play a very time consuming game of throwing a penny ahead for the toddler to fetch to get him up the hill. He wanted a 'carry' but he was too muddy and heavy for that - plus I was already carrying The Baby and he's been a bit of mummy's boy lately - it's always 'mummy turn' for everything. In the end we bribed him with an ice-cream - only a two year old could want a mini milk in sub zero temperatures.

I would recommend anyone living close to go and check it out as it is only on until June 12th. Even from further afield it is worth a road trip. One guy were chatting to was from Surrey but his mother lives in Wakefield and so he specifically planned a visit to her so he could see this exhibit - after watching it on the news. More information on the exhibit here and do watch the video of the construction as its fascinating. 

Siblings Project // March

 

This expression on her face is hilarious in this picture. He's become very affectionate with her and likes to cuddle her and tries to carry her around the room. She finds it more than a little disturbing! I too get worried as he teeters and staggers around with his pudgy little hands gripping her waist or neck in a bit of a death grip - daddy finds it very amusing.

He is very sweet in that he always wants her around - which if I'm honest is the opposite of what I expected as he used to get jealous of me holding other babies and even our friend's dog got pushed off me lap. However he seems to know that she belongs and we are not a complete family unless she's around and involved too. 

For example if she's napping upstairs or in her Moses basket he asks, "where'd Mia go?" Also in the morning he always comes into our room and is very concerned when he can't see her straight away. Also when I picked him up from playgroup one of the ladies was holding her whilst I changed him into his wellies and he was staring at her intently and saying, "My Mia! My Mia!" Like he thought that he was never getting her back again.

This month she has started smiling a lot and giggling a bit too. She loves tracking her big brother as he bounds around the room and smiles away at him. I can already see a sweet bond between them and I look forward to even more precious moments together as they get older.

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Linking up with the lovely Katie over at Mummy, Daddy, Me 

Family Fun // Geronimo Festival

Does your little one love a bit of CBeebies after a hard day of playing?

Would they love to meet Justin Fletcher, Mr Bloom (yes please, say all the mums), Cook & Line from Swashbuckle, Andy Day and Alex Winters?

Do they enjoy baby sensory like my little one?

Do they love a bit of baby ballet and baby yoga? We haven't tried these but I'm sure it would be fun to give it a try.

Do they go crazy for soft play like my tearaway toddler? 

Would they enjoy getting their face painted and taking part in a silent disco?

Would they love to do it in the stunning surrounding of Harewood House or Tatton Park? We've had a day out to Harewood House and its stunning with loads of fun activities for pre-schoolers including penguins and adventure playgrounds.

Would you love to spend the May bank holiday doing something family centred and fun for all of the family?

If you answered yes to all of the above then check out the Geronimo Festival 2016 website.

This is The Toddler's face when I told him we had family passes for the day to go to Harewood House. 

Geronimo is aimed at families with children aged between 2 and 12 years old.  Tickets are priced at £25.00 p.p. for a one-day ticket with under 2’s going free. I think this is a really reasonable price for all of the activities on offer - there truly will be something for everyone and every type of child.

With much, more including:

Face Painting / Live Music / Victorian Fun Fair / Silent Disco / Baby Rave / Roller Rink

Drumming Workshops / Kidz Kitchen / Arts & Crafts / Boomchickkaboom

Crocodile Joe / Rent A Beast / Petting Farm / Den Building  / Graffiti Workshops

Camel Rides**  / Donkey Rides / Giant Tortoise / Ferret World

Zumba Classes / Bollywood Lessons / Science Made Simple / Clay Workshops

VIP Puppets / Junk Orchestra / Hair Braiding / Mask Making

Stone Carving / Cookery Classes / Henna Workshops / Forest School

We just hope that The Toddler doesn't take things too far , like he usually does on family days out...

I will be hosting a giveaway soon so keep on checking my blog and twitter for more details.

Hopefully I will see some of you there.

                                          ___________________________________________

I feel incredibly lucky to have been selected as a Blog ambassador for 

this event and am being gifted a family pass. I was already looking into the event before I was offered this chance and so it is something that I am genuinely excited about.

Project Life // Week Two

So this week I was inspired after watching some of the Kelly Purkey process videos. I decided I liked the look of square corners - not such a great discovery when you have lots of cards with rounded corners. So I turned to an old 6 by 6 pad by Dear Lizzie (Serendipity) and enjoyed making my own cards.

The photos and stories on the left side are all about my first week flying solo with two kids. I planned a whole day based around the letter A where we read books about airplanes, made alphabet puzzles and paper airplanes, ate apple and did some art work and so the top two rows show the pictures and tell the story of this. I love the candid shot of them bottom right as this is us right now - too much screen time so I can feed The Baby.

I used the Project Life app to make the collage and then got it printed on free prints. If you choose not to pay the extra for a square print you just have to trim the edges of your 4 by 6 to get the square photo.

I trimmed the 'just us' card to get the square edges - another tip from Kelly.  I like to use the existing phrases and sentiments as little titles and journaling prompts.

The right hand side has pictures and stories about our monthly pass to Wacky Warehouse, The Toddlers obsession with profiteroles and The Baby's weekly update.

These pictures are printed from the free prints app as well. I stamped (badly - I keep meaning to redo it) the weekly card and used one of my many date stamps.

I used staples, little sentiments and letter stickers to embellish this side. 

Be back soon with week 3... 

My WIld Ones // Day out in Knaresborough

So I don't know about where you live but in Leeds half term was a bit of a wash out. Not ideal when you have a very active toddler who needs to run off steam every day.

Most of the week was spent in soft play hell or child friendly cafes - if such a paradox exists.

So when the blue sky appeared we decided to go for a day out to cute little town of Knaresborough.

As you can see The Toddler was very keen to have a good run around.

He did so well walking all around the cobbled streets, up really steep hills and then when we were five minutes from the car he said, "daddy carry!"

We sought refuge in Subway for a while to feed The Baby and warm up as it was freezing.

We also looked in a few charity shops as The Belgian is into finsding good vinyls for the vinyl player I got him for his 30th birthday.

The grounds around the castle were so pretty. The flowers gave us some hope for spring.

We all enjoyed admiring the views and The Toddler got really excited watching the trains pass over the bridge. He is very into 'choo choos' right now.

And as this cheeky smile on his face shows he enjoyed the clear blue skies and the chance to run around and explore. 

We had been planning to do the Sculpture Trail but it was really cold and all of our hands were like ice and The Toddlers nose was red with cold. The Baby was snuggled up warmly in her carry cot and snuggled in several blankets so she slept soundly the whole day out.

Where do you enjoy going on a family day out?

Project Life 2016 // Week One

I am determined to keep up with my Project Life this year as I think its always better to create when all of the stories and memories are fresh in your mind. In December I treated myself to a printer and this has really helped with making the process quicker as I can send them all by wifi from my phone or laptop and create a spread within an hour.

First half of the week features a cute SLR pic of them in the bath - I added the text in picmonkey - then a picture of the Belgian and The Toddler at our local park and then two SLR pictures of them in their Sunday best. I am trying to take more pictures with my big camera as even though my skills are limited the prints are always clearer and better than when I use my ipone 4s.
 

The second half of the week has a picture of The Toddler dressing up at soft, journalling about our week and how we fed the ducks ice-cream cones but The Toddler was eating them everytime I turned my back, then a black and white picture of The Baby and one of her in her moses basket sleeping as I loved her little waving hand. 
 

Each week I am making a collage in the Becky Higgin's Project Life app with a photo of The Baby and an update of what she is doing that week. This week she had her first bath and has been very snuggly. I then save the collage on my phone and print it straight away for my album. 

Supplies used: I have been trying to clear out a lot of things around the house and through doing this I have rediscovered some older stash. I mainly used a Dear Lizzie 6 by 6 pad and cut out the captions from the cut apart page and then used the same pink thickers for the titles of both sides to bring together the colour scheme. I also inked the edges - an older technique that I haven't used in years. Thanks Glitter Girl for inspiring me to use older stash and older supplies. 

The Siblings Project // Hanging Out

Since having a new baby I have struggling through the night feeds only to get a rude awakening at the crack of dawn from The Toddler so I have appreciated a slow start to the day.
This often involves snuggling in bed feeding the baby whilst the toddler watches some cartoons or plays games on the tablet.

Most of the time he is not too concerned about her but he does look for her in the mornings and sometimes he holds her hand when he's watching cartoons which is sweet.

Also he gets protective when other kids show an interest in her. At a mummy group a little girl kept fussing over her and trying to put her dummy in and he came over and said, "no! My sitter!" So hopefully he will play the protective older brother and look out for her in the playground and scare away any potential boyfriends.

Me and Mine // January

So we failed to get a family shot of all four of us and so this is the closest we came.

Some memories from January:-

• lots of play dates at 'Nancy's house' and hanging out with my mummy friends
• lots of mornings spent tearing around Wacky Warehouse (making the most of our monthly pass) whilst mummy snuggled with The Baby
• family walks at Swintsy Resovoir and Yeadon Tarn
• The Toddler's obsession with 'Bickey Mouse' and play dough and Thomas and Friends stop motion videos on youtube
• The Belgian had a busy month at school with lots of cover lessons, his own lessons and two offers for teaching placements in September. Proud of how well he did in his interviews. He also had his first experience of Ofsted and our school got a 'good' rating overall which we were all really pleased about.
• The Baby is growing up so quickly. She is very alert, loves standing up and looking all around and near the end of the month started giving gorgeous smiles.
• I arranged a mummies on maternity leave meet up with my work colleagues and was impressed to get six mummies plus toddlers and babies to attend. We had fun catching up and didn't talk about work once - which was a relief!
• The Toddler dropped his nap (sob) but now has an earlier bedtime of seven and this works quite well 
• The Toddler started the month pushing lots of boundaries so has had a sticker reward chart to reinforce positive behaviour like eating his dinner, brushing his teeth and staying in his cot at bedtime. His rewards have been kinder eggs and Thomas surprise bags.

Bring it on February!

The Ordinary Moments // Baby's bath time!

Due to a a mixture of the business of Christmas, the logistics of bathing a baby and a toddler at the same time, being a bit overwhelmed with two tiny tots in the house and feeling too exhausted we only bathed The Baby for the first time at five weeks.

I remember when The Toddler was a baby we googled 'how to bath a baby' as we were anxious about doing it right and not hurting the poor little thing. He had a few tears, but she took to it like a duck to water (scuse the pun!) No tears - even when The Toddler accidentally dropped her under the water!

I love this top picture as it showcases how calm and watchful she is with her gorgeous big eyes.

We find its often easier for one of us to hop into the bath with them and I adore this bottom photograph of baby and daddy. Its so precious and I know these years of shared baths, shared tears and smiles will be over before we know it and so its a reminder for me to not wish away the years.

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Linking up with lovely Katie over at Mummy Daddy Me who will soon 

have her own newborn to bath.