21 Weeks Pregnancy Update.

Hello everyone! Welcome back this is my week 21 pregnancy update. The last few weeks has been little bit rocky and emotional but I'll explain all that down below. 

How many weeks along are you?

21 weeks and 3 days. 

Due Date?

1st of May

Gender? 

Girl!

How is baby doing? 

This little lady is doing great! I've been feeling her more and more as the weeks have gone on and its starting to feel like she's doing some kind of acrobatics in there at the moment! She's currently weighing at three quaters of a pound and is about 10 - 11 inches long which is about as big as carrot. We also recently had our 20 week scan recently and she refused to move over for the sonographer to measure her spine so I have to go back for another scan before I hit 23 weeks to check that all of that is doing good.

Weight Gain? 
I don't think that I've gained any weight as some days I can't bring myself to eat as I feel so nauseous and some days all I do is still vomit. 

Symptoms? 
I'm pretty sure that I've started getting braxton hicks as some nights I'll be all nice and relaxed on the sofa, in the bath or in bed and I'll get some pretty awful cramping which sometimes completely catches me off guard. I'm also so tired all the time at the moment I feel as if as soon as I drop off to sleep its time to get up and start all over again. 

This week has been pretty exciting because now we know what this little bean is we've been able to start shopping instead of just buying grey and white yippee! and it's pretty safe to say I've gone a little bit ott on stuff, especially in the January sales! Its also so exciting to be able to say I'm having a baby this year (eeek!)

A Letter to Our Baby Girl

Luna Jane, 
I've felt such a range of emotions finding out your a beautiful baby girl, I've caught myself filled with fear over your future what things may be like for you as you grow up. I worry that one day when your older you may find out that your body may not work as it should and you may be told that having a family of your own is not as easy as some people make it look. Being told you were a girl left me over joyed yet so guilty that I may have left you with the difficulties that we've felt in being able to have you and your brother. I promise you my sweet girl that my arms, my ears and most of all my heart will always be open for whenever you need it just like they are for your brother. 
Sometimes things will not go to plan or just won't work out how you hoped but I will always be there to pick up the pieces no matter what.
There will be times people who are not worth it make you cry, there will be times people will come into your life and then disappear but that's okay because those people are not worth it and people who are worth it and will stay by your side will come along.
When you entered our lives as that tiny pink line this year had been pretty awful at times and you brought to it a bright light, after the experience of loss I never thought in a millions years that I would be sat here with you nestled up all snug in my womb us patiently waiting your safe arrival next year. How we've longed to for you my sweet girl, how we've longed for Oliver to be able to have a sibling. He loves you so much already, just the other day he was lifting up my top at the garden centre so that you could see all pretty lights and the reindeer, and he'll very often grab his blanket and put it over my belly so that you can be nice and warm when its cold. I can imagine you both creating havoc next Christmas with you crawling around and trying to pull yourself up the tree and your brother handing you the decorations from where you can't reach and I can't wait. I can't wait to take you on your first holiday even though you'll only be a few weeks old I can't wait to share those precious memories with you and give you something to look back on when your older.   
I'm so very grateful that your tucked up in there all nice and warm my tummy holding you until we can hold you in our arms. Waiting for you seems like forever but I know our patience will pay off soon enough. Every week that passes is one more week until we get to meet you. Thank you for coming into our lives beautiful girl. I can't wait to watch you grow, watch you change and nurture you just like your brother. 
Always dream big sweetheart. Love you always.

I'm Back!

Hello everyone!
I'm back after a ridiculously long time away! This pregnancy has really taken it out of me if I'm totally honest so I thought I'd pop by with a little catch up now I'm feeling slightly better. Life in general has been pretty hectic with the come down from our wedding and slotting back into normal life and the rush around Christmas I didn't realise how annoyed I'd get with people around this time of year being pregnant. 
This pregnancy has been far from straight forward, I've bled on and off since about 10 weeks to which we had to have an emergency scan and a trip to EPU and was pretty convinced that we would receive awful news but everything was fine, We then had our 12 week scan and everything was perfect and I ended up being back on with my due date (Woo) I've had the most awful sickness and nausea that just seems to wipe me out leaving me feeling completely exhausted. I saw my consultant at 18 weeks and they found ketones in my urine which they think because of how sick I have been being they said my body isn't getting enough and has started breaking down fat to keep both me and baby going. More recently we've had our 20 week scan and found out we're hiding a beautiful baby girl, I do however need to be re-scanned between Christmas and New Year as they couldn't get a good measurement of baby girls spine. There are also some concerns about the position of my placenta as its almost but not quite covering my cervix so I'm having that checked again after Christmas and again at 34 weeks. 

I think I've pretty much covered everything that's been going on since I last updated you all. I'm to try and be a little bit better at uploading content I promise! I should hopefully be back on track with pregnancy updates this next week. 

10 Tiny Fingers and 10 Tiny Toes, 2 Little Eyes and A Cute Button Nose.....

As you have probably guessed by now we've been keeping a little bit of a secret! We're expecting Baby Number 2! Oliver is going to be a big brother! And wow its has come as a bit of shock! As some of you may know we've been TTC for the last near enough year and sadly miscarried back in May. 

I had decided to do a test a couple of days before my Hen Party in September because we were obviously trying and I didn't want to end up drinking anything with Alcohol in! So I took the test not really expecting to seed that second little pink lie because We've just had disappointment after disappointment on the TTC front, but there is was clear as day! I couldn't believe it. The one thing we'd been yearning for to be parents again, to say that finally Ollie was going to be promoted to big brother. I've had a few ask Are you hoping for a little girl? My reposnse? I don't care I just want to be holding our beautiful tiny bundle come next spring! 

So there you have it guys are most amazing news! I will be trying to do Pregnancy updates weekly if not fortnightly because I'm sure I'm going to have my work cut out with chasing Ollie whist being busy being pregnant. 

I hope you enjoy following us on our new adventure! 

Pregnancy after loss I've felt is very bittersweet, its scary, its emotional. So far in this  pregnancy I've been pretty overwhelmed with emotion and I have found it hard to shake that something bad may happen. After our first loss back in May we found ourselves pregnant again in September. The overwhelming joy we felt that we were being given another chance for another baby a sibling for Ollie. I then felt such a strong unshakeable wash of anxiety and fear what if things weren't meant to be for a second time. I've cried many times to Ben about what if it happens again? I've already had an emergency scan as well as my 12 week scan because of a bleed at 11 weeks, We were so scared and I'd felt such a wash of fear thinking that this pregnancy was going to end in another miscarriage. There have been times in the last 12 weeks where I've had awful guilt over being pregnant again, not wanting to feel that I'd just forgotten about our angel and moved on. I will always remember our baby we never got to meet he or she will always be in our hearts. 

I hope that this little short post has made some sense to you. Thank you so much for ready and I'll catch you all on my next post! 

X

5 Weeks

For 5 weeks you nestled all tiny and snug in my womb. 4 and a half of those weeks we didn't know you were there. Those 2 pink lines that popped up on the test, the joy the tears, the happiness, the morning sickness and the queasiness, 7 months of wanting you to be there. 7 months of waiting so patiently. I couldn't wait to start feeling those little flutters, those tiny kicks and flips and rolls. Was is a fist or was it foot poking my ribs, I was so excited and couldn't wait, Sadly that wasn't meant to be what felt like moments the bleeding the cramping, the pain it all started so suddenly so soon. I knew. I knew you had gone. The scans, the urine samples and blood tests that followed didn't put me at ease I knew you were no longer nestled in my womb all snug and warm, but instead I felt you pass from me into the toilet just like that it was over. To the hospital you were just "a mass of tissue" a number a statistic. Although you were a just a tiny dot you were still our baby. I've had many comments like at least you were further along or it wasn't really a baby or be grateful that you've already had one baby. 
I've often wondered what you'd have been like would you of been like, would you of been a boy or a girl? Would you of had a fiery personality like your Brother or would you of been the mellow one? Would you of had my eyes or Daddy's? Would you look like Daddy just like you big brother? 
I'll be the first to admit that I've wept more than I'd like to admit at others pregnancy and birth announcements. That I've felt such awful awful jealousy towards pregnant strangers. I know that I shouldn't be this was but I can't help it!  

I don't want this to feel like I'm just ending this part in my life but I feel like I needed some closure. I know that its probably not going to get any easier or that it probably will never go away, but I need to start looking to the future and not let what has happened hold me back. Today Ben told me that It's devastated him how he's seen me go from being such a happy person to not being myself anymore which broke my heart. 
I'm not closing this chapter I'm just moving forward in what I hope will be a happier more positive way. 

Bunny and Bluebird; Review

Hi guys! Welcome back! 
Today I'm going to be doing a review for you all on the company Bunny and Bluebird! 
Bunny and Bluebird are a small independant company that creates crochet creations, Sophie makes them by herself from home. Her products take around around 3 days depending on the project to make. Sophie charges what I and all of her customers would agree is a resonable and fair price for such incredible work! 

This sheer hard work, creative eye and talent makes for some beautiful pieces. When choosing what you would like Sophie gives you creative control over tailoring exactly what you would like for an amazing tailor made and personal piece. She offers a range of sizes, colours and patterns! When looking at photographs they really do not do them justice! Upon seeing them in person how ever you will be completely wowed by how lovely they are! Whether as a keep sake or for play these creations are loved by children and adults a like! Children love to cuddle them and I as an adult love to look at them and I always look forward to see what Sophie has come up with next!

You can find Sophie and all her fantastic creations here; 

https://www.facebook.com/BunnyandBluebird/

Disclaimer: Although Sophie is a close friend of mine all the opinions and thoughts expressed in this post are all honest and my own.

Family Time is My Favourite Time!

Summer has finally arrived and me and Ben have made it our bid to start getting out way more with Oliver on Ben's days off! Ben doesn't get to spend as much time with Oliver as I do as he works full time providing for us and to give me the opportunity to be a stay at home mumma to our boy which I am truly grateful for. 
Today we kicked out off our new plans with a trip to our local park, fields and woods! Not the most exciting for some people but Oliver loves it! Oliver was even a daring little explorer and went down the biggest slide in the park with Daddy which he completely loved! squealing with excitement and joy! Grinning his little face off! These are the exact moments that I live for and enjoy so much! 

After the wake of recent events both personally and globally it has really made me realise the importance of family and togetherness and how I think we need to spend more doing things that we love together and with our friends and family,.

I hope you've all enjoyed my quick little post about our little adventure today! 

Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens

Hello everybody! Welcome back! I think that I should start off saying that It has been a little while since our visit here but I ended up planning to write this but ended up getting caught up in doing things for our holiday and other projects! So here it is better late then never and I mean the pictures are just to lovely not to share! 

We ended up going with my dad, his girlfriend Sam, her son Greg and 2 of her Grandchildren Ted and Jasmine. We had the loveliest day Oliver literally didn't stop all day, he was running around the park shouting whats this and pointing at everything. He was completely in his element even having a quite big tantrum over us trying to put him back in the buggy.

As well as obviously having all the animals, the train and lots of things to do for the children they also have the most beautiful gardens. We were lucky enough that when we went everything was in full bloom! 

We also took a picnic as there are plenty of open spaces and picnic benches and it was lovely, hot and sunny to just sit down whilst the children ran around in all the space playing and having just such a lovely time together. 

All in all we had the most lovely day filled with fun and giggles. It was just so lovely to see Oliver so intrigued and interested in everything and just loving life! 

Hope you've enjoyed this quick little post! Thank you so much for reading! 

Amy 

x

Butlins! Minehead Just for Tots Review!

Butlins Minehead Just For Tots Review; Our Experience

So as some of you may know or remember me writing that we off to Butlins! on a just for tots holiday from the 1st to the 5th of May. This was our first proper holiday as a family this year so we were extremely excited to take Oliver on his first holiday! Just for tots are 4 night 5 day breaks designed for children under the age of five and we though that this would be a brilliant holiday for us to try and enjoy with Ollie it meant that we wouldn't be away for home too long and there would hopefully be plenty to do! 

Accommodation 5/5

During our stay we stayed in the Standard Apartment during our stay but unfortunately I completely forgot to take some pictures of the apartment for this post ooops|! When we booked the holiday we thought that we had only booked a standard room for the week but were pleasantly surprised to realised that we had a whole apartment for the week. As you can tell by the accommadation title it was quite basic in areas. We had 3 bedrooms which all had a built in wardrobe and a set of draws in each and the master bedroom had a added extra of a big mirror. The kitchen was pretty standard which included a cooker, microwave and plates, cutlery, cups, and tea making facilities, we were also given a little roll up of cleaning cloths and a tea towel. We also had a utilty cupboard in the hallway with a broom, dustpan and brush and ironing board and iron! We also had a living type area which had two sofas, a dining table and a tv with built in freeview. 

Food 3.5/5
I've only given the dinind the review that I have because of Oliver's allergies. We chose to add the Premium Dining package to our stay, which was breakfast in the morning and an evening meal at night, you can choose to dine at either The Deck or The Yacht Club. Breakfast I couldn't fault there was plenty of variety for both us and Oliver to have and they were also very accommodating by providing soya milk for any cereal Oliver had. Tea time however was a bit more difficult with a lot of the options for little ones containing milk so therefore Oliver was unable to have them, so for pretty much the whole week Oliver ended up eating either chips, plain pasta, sausages and salad. We also chose to dine out at one of Butlins onsite restaurants The Diner; The food and milkshakes Ben and I ordered for ourselves we could not fault! Oliver's food however was awful, we ordered him a pasta dish which was rubbery and scalding hot when it came out. We gave it the benefit of the doubt a left if for a few minutes to cool down and entertained him with some colouring whilst we waited. We then let him have some of his food which he spat back out in disgust and started screaming and grabbed his drink. So I checked his pasta again and it was still scalding hot. We tried to complain to the staff but they didn't seem to very helpful or very interested in what we had to say so we begrudgingly paid the bill and left. Although we've booked to return next year we have decided that the food packages aren't really worth the money for us due to Oliver's allergies and it feeling like he or anyone else with similar allergies to him isn't really catered for so we've decided to go with Self Catering next time.

Activities 5/5
There are so many activities and things to do on a Just for Tots break! It's just knowing what to do first! I think though I'll start off by saying that although we weren't short of anything to do or see there were a few things that Oliver couldn't do because of age restrictions. I don't think that we got around to doing everything we wanted because there is such a lot available. We ended up seeing a fair few of the skyline gang shows and the Teletubbies live show as well as attending some Art and Crafts slots, Swimming at Splash Water World and the Tots fairground although Ollie was still a bit too little to go on a few of the rides but was aloud on the little train they run and in the soft play area just to name a few. No wonder he was asleep as soon as we put him in the travel cot! 

I hope you've enjoyed my little review of our Just for Tots break! Thank you for reading! 

Oliver's 18 Month Update!

Hello Everybody! So it's time for Oliver's 18 month update! How is he 18 months already?! Literally where has that time gone! 
Well firstly we'll start with his height and weight, I have been a slightly naughty mummy and he's not been weigh since Christmas (Ooops!) or has he been measured height wise for a while! I really must put that on my to do list! But he is definitely growing well, he's never really been a chubby boy but he is definitely lanky just like his daddy! 
Routine is getting better day by day, if we're lucky we manage to get him to have a nap after lunch which at the moment has been ranging from anywhere from an hour to two! He has a bath near enough everyday as part of his bedtime routine to help him relax he'll then go down to bed at about 7 - 7.30 and we're managing anywhere between a 5 - 7.30 wake up which has been a huge improvement, I do think that Ollie starting to walk properly has been tiring him out more. 
Eating and Drinking we're quite lucky that Ollie isn't really a fussy eater he does get a bit fussy when he's teething and doesn't tend to eat much when he's cutting teeth, drinks wise we've managed to cut down to one bottle of milk for bedtime and he no longer has the dummy he's not had a dummy for about 10 months now if I'm honest. 
Teething! Where do I start?! Its all that seems to be going on at the minute! We've finally cut those pesky molars on the plus side though! We don't really give him anything when he's teething aside from calpol because of him being  lactose intolerant a lot of the teething products contain lactose.
Walking he doesn't stop when we're at home he tears about the house like roadrunner! He's not quite confident enough for walking outside at the moment, we've brought him one of those little life dinosaur backpacks with the detachable reins. We have tried taking him out around our road and up to the playing field up by our house but we only seem to get a few steps before he sits down and he tries to crawl haha! 

Oliver's speaking is coming along great as well, he seems to be coming out with new words more and more and often amazes me with what he comes out with. He's getting really good at communicating with us when he wants some things he'll pick up what he wants whether its a toy he wants us to play with him with, a DVD he wants us to put on for him or a book he wants to read and says "This" and waves it at us! 
I hope you've enjoyed Oliver's 18 month update and I'l be back soon guys!

Love Amy 

x

A Lovely Spring Day!

It's definitely been feeling a lot like spring lately! So what better time to get out and blow the cobwebs away! So we took Ben, Nanny and I took Oliver out on his trike to our local garden centre webbs! The sell just about anything you could want they also have a massive hobby craft and a lovely big park made out of logs! The sun was out and Oliver had a lovely time! I'd say he was walking about but he's not quite confident enough on his feet yet although he has been tearing around the house without even thinking! He really is absolutely full of energy and squealing with delight as daddy pushed him down the slide and I caught him at the bottom and he enjoyed it so much that he decided that It was an amazing idea to try and crawl back up to daddy! 

I really do cherish days like this especially with Ben working the long hours that he does to provide for us and its just so lovely for him to spend time with Ollie and to see them so happy together and I don't think that I could ask or wish for anything better! 

(got to love those cheeky grins and that belly flash!)

I hope you've enjoyed this little short but sweet post! 
Love Amy x

An Evening with Giovanna Fletcher

Last week I managed to get the rare and wonderful thing of a night off of mummy duties and went to go see the wonderful Gi on her book tour for her new book Happy Mu, Happy Baby! I went with my lovely friend Kirsty and we made a night out of it a went for some food and such, we ended up eating in Ed's diner, I have never been before and the food was just so nice! I had a burger which came with Fries, Onion Rings and Coleslaw but I did end up having to leave some because there was just so much food, I also had a Nutella Shake which was just to die for and I mean that probably didn't help with making me feel so full either really tbh! We then had quick mooch round a couple of shops before heading back to the venue ready for when doors open. When we got inside we were given a lovely bag that had a copy of her book, some postcards with some amazing quotes on and a lovely little bottle of burt's bees cleanser and well I love me a good cleanser! 
Th evening kicked off with a Gi talking about her book and just about being a mummy in general! She is literally just such an amazing woman, I laughed, things got a bit emotional and I felt so honoured to be in a room with such a genuine lovely lady! We then got the oppotunity to ask Gi some questions about the book and such and I got a little bit shaky and upset but I did it! Once the Q & A had finished we then were allowed to line up and meet her and have our copy of book signed which was absolutely lovely!
All in all I had an absolutely amazing night although I missed Ollie so much and it was really quite weird to be away from him like it always is!

Shopping Trip Haul!

Today was one of those days where I probably spent more than I intended too! (Oooops!) Today's haul is mainly Primark but my trip into Primark did actually have a purpose so all my purchases were not just impulse purchases well not all of them anyway! I also went to Poundland, Superdrug and Tiger so I'll also be popping about them on the end so let's jump in and start with Primarni! 

First off I fell in love with this grey pleated skirt and decided that I maybe needed it and picked that up, the material is quite thick so but its also quite flowy so I figured that I could wear it now with tight and some nice boots whilst the weather is cooler and I could also wear it in the summer with some nice sandals and it was only £8 which I thought was an absolute bargain! 

I also purchased a pair of new shorts because we're going on holiday to Butlins in May and we're hoping that it might be reasonable warm so I wanted some new shorts that I would be able to wear to go for a paddle in the sea although I am currently wearing them whilst I relax and write this hehe! They're a cotton type material and they have like a lacy type detailing on them down the sides and around the bottom of the legs and they were only £4 which was such a steal! 

I also purchased a new candle..... I literally cannot go into anywhere without finding a candle that I like the smell of and buying it! (ooops!) this one is a raspberry and vanilla scent and when I smelt it, I immediately thought about burning it on a lovely summers day because the smell reminded me of ice cream! I will say though that Ben was maybe not too impressed that I have added to the ever growing collection tbh. It comes in a reasonably sized jar and was only £2. 

Now for the things that I purchased for Ollie -I did go a little bit mad here I'll admit that but we're going on holiday in May and he needed a few bits and bobs ready for our holiday! First off I picked him up some swim shorts because he hasn't been swimming for a little while and he's grown out of them so I got him these lovely red ones which came in a 2 pack and they were only £4 which is amazing value for money! I then got a few t-shirts for him ready for when we go away and I think the most I paid was £2.50 which all in all wasn't bad value for money, I also picked him up a pack of sock because Ollie is forever losing socks and I am always forever having to replace them! They were only £2.50 for a pack of five! I also picked him up a hat for the summer he doesn't really like to wear hats so I didn't want to spend too much money on hat that he probably won't wear so for £1 you can't go wrong really! 

I also picked up an few bits from superdrug I got the Garnier Beauty Oil body scrub with Argan, Macadamia, Almond and Rose oil which smells amazing and that was on offer for £1.79, I also picked up a coconut & orchid body lotion which was superdrug own brand and that was only £1.45 and then because I had purchased 2 skin care products I got a free Versace bright crystal mini! 

I hope you enjoyed my mini haul!

Love Amy x

PCOS and Me

A bit of an honest one today! Not many of you may know that I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS for short! I thought that maybe it would be good to talk about today and help some maybe understand what it is a bit more give a bit of awareness or perhaps even help some ladies get diagnosed! 

My Diagnosis;

I was first officially diangnosed when I was 17 by total accident, I also have a stomach condition that I was getting scanned for at the hospital where I recieve treatment and because I was female it was part of that hospitals policy to have a scan with one of those probe things to check my lady bits internally, so I had that done and whilst they were checking me with the internal probe things they discovered some things on my ovaries, they didn't really go into much detail just told me to visit my GP to go and get it checked out and that they would send the results! That was it, I was just kind of left hanging really! So fast forward a couple weeks from then and I'm sat in a room with my doctor, she explains not all that great if I'm honest, she basically told me what it was, told me to continue taking the contraceptive pill that I was already on and sent me away with some leaflets! 

I must say that the whole experience was a bit strange, and reading through the leaflets she'd sent me away with made it seem really scary and like I'd been thrown into something with no support or anything! My mum also suffers from PCOS as well so she explained more to be than any medical professional ever had to me but it also gave me comfort that my mum also understood how I was feeling at the time and understands alot how I feel now. 

My Symptoms;
I don't really have many symptoms that made any problem obvious until they checked my ovaries, My periods however can be really off and sometimes I will either bleed more that once a month or I may not bleed at all for 6 or 7 weeks it all depends how my body is behaving really, I alsot do get a small amount of excess body hair mainly just under my belly button and I do get some fine hairs appear on my top lip from time to time but I just deal with them how I usually deal with my hair on my legs and under my arms, I don't really struggle with my weight I have lost weight in the last few months but I don't think that I will ever be happy with my weight regardless with how light or heavy I am and I guess that's just life isn't it. 
I haven't really struggled with my fertility which is also another part of PCOS, I decided when I was 21 that I wanted to have a contraceptive implant fitted but my doctor wasn't happy to fit it because if I decided that I wanted to have it out to start a family she was concerned that my body would take longer to get back to normal so that was when we decided that we were going to start our family and 5 months later we were excited to find out that we would be becoming parents that year and became parents to Oliver in October 2015 and I do touch wood that I never do have problems with giving Oliver a brother or a sister but I know that it is/could be a possibility. 

I hope that you all enjoyed reading, I'll admit that it was a bit touchy to write but I hope that at least one other person can get something out of this than that would make me so happy 

X

Beauty Haul!

I've been hauling a fair few beauty products and make-up over the last couple of weeks, So I think that it's time that I did a little beauty and make -up haul post! Hope you enjoy! 

Simple Kind to Skin Exfoliator Wipes - £2 at Morrisons
These I have actually already used and I really like them! They have a smooth side for cleansing which I tend to use just to make sure all my make - up if off of my face then I'll give my face a good going over with the exfoliating side to get rid of all the dead skin and nasties from my face! I would definitely recommend this wipes! The £2 pound that I paid was an offer price I believe so I'm not too sure on the full price. 

Garnier Moisture + Matte Oil Free Moisturiser - £1.95 on offer at Superdrug
I've also used this already too and I'm a little bit on the fence about this one, my first impression is that it does smell really nice especially since it contains Green Tea Extract and doesn't have a nasty smell or anything but then when I first put it on my face it felt a little bit greasy, I'm not sure if that's because I maybe put a little bit too much on my face I'm not too sure but I'm gonna carry on using it and see how it feels after a few more uses and come to my conclusions then. 

Gillette Satin Care with a Touch of Olay shaving gel - £1.30 on Offer at Wilko's
I've also used this product already too! I must say that I am very impressed overall, it smells so lovely and not like a normal shaving gel and it also made my legs feel so soft and moisturised and I didn't feel any need to apply anything else after I've shaved my legs like I normally do which was an added bonus! 

Beauty Formula's Renewing Glorious Mud Exfoliater - £1 at Savers 
I've also already used this product and I'm not 100% sure about what I think about it. I know that it is meant to be an exfoliator but I can't but feel that it feels a little bit too gritty! I've been using it for about a week now and I've not really seen any difference in my pores or my complexion which has disappointed me slightly! 

Revolution Pressed Powder - £2 at Superdrug
I got this is the shade porcelain soft pink. At first I wasn't too sure about this straight away. I'm quite pale anyway and I often find it hard finding a shade in foundations and powders that match the colour of my skin and more often than not end up not buying from a brand because they don't do my shade, but this powder fits my skintone perfectly which I was pleasantly surprised about as I was concerned it would be too off. 

Freedom Pro Highlight - £2 at Superdrug
I also haven't used this product yet either but I am quite excited to be using it! I have however swatched this product and it is a very subtle pinky nude that isn't too dramatic on first impressions! I have only just really starting to experiment with highlighter so I'm still finding what I like and suits my skin at the moment so we shall see how this turns out! 

Nivea 3 in 1 Exfoliating Wipes - £1.45 offer price at Superdrug
I haven't used this yet and I'm still using up my simple exfoliating wipes before I move on to trying these! But I am excited to try these next, I'm trying to look after my skin a little bit better so I'm just trying to experiment and find what works well for my skin so we shall see how I feel about these.

January Faves!

Hello Everybody hope that you're all good? So today I'm bringing you my January faves, I'll just be chatting about all my favourites from January whether they be make -up, beauty, skin care or all the bits and pieces that I've brought for Ollie throughout the month! I hope you all enjoy!

My first hit is Body Scrub! I've lately become such a massive fan of body scrubs I'm not sure what it is about them but I've fallen in love with them lately, my favourite by far has to be the Soap and Glory Scrub of Your Life, I just love it so much, I think that it smells absolutely amazing and leaves my skin feeling great. I first got some of the soap and glory scrubs in a gift set that Ben had brought me for Christmas and that was it I'm hooked and I've fell in love, I've also since brought a couple more scrubs from other brands that I'm really excited to try. My Soap and Glory one is only a travel size but I will definitely be purchasing the full size one once I've used it all up! I've also really be loving the Wilkinson's own range Fruits so far I've tried the Coconut and Vanilla one and the Passion Fruit and Melon one both of them are incredible and I really want to try some others in the range! 
I've also really been loving the Nivea in Shower Body Moisturiser, I'm do really love it at the moment its so super easy because you just pop it onto your skin and rub it whilst its still wet, I've also found this this also saves a bit of time so it's great when Ollie is having one of his drifting in and out of sleep nights and I have to jump in the bath or the shower quick, I can wash, pop this on and then jump in my Pj's and I'm done! 

For Oliver I'm really on the bandwagon for boy legging's, I am obsessed with buying him them he's got so many of them in different patterns its ridiculous! I mean don't get me wrong I like jeans for him but leggings are so much more convenient, I'm not messing around with buttons or poppers and their great for when he's crawling around and climbing up everything he's got more comfort and flexibility and isn't restricted by a pair of jeans.

I've not really got any other favourites this month beside this little selection, I hope you've enjoyed my short and sweet post! 

Starting Youtube

So we have decided to bite the bullet this year and start a YouTube channel, I'm not really sure how we'll start our content and what we'll do. I have no idea how I'll schedule our content yet and what days we'll upload or anything, I have a few ideas of the type of content that I want to film and put out but I'm not too sure yet, I will definitely be vlogging our everyday lives though I know that's one thing that I want to do! and I'll probably upload some of the usually stuff like hauls and just general helpful tips and advice! I hope you'll all join me on this adventure and I'll make sure to keep you all updated when we finally start putting up content on our channel! 

Teething Toddler, Tired Mommy!

Teething is absolute hell, I mean seriously hell. We have one very agitated, grumpy, teething little boy! It's so awful and there isn't a whole lot we can do about it and it also seems that Oliver is cutting a whole mouth of teeth at once (okay that may be a slight exaggeration!) but he is cutting a fair few including some rather big nasty looking molars! 

Our poor baby, Its awful how utterly helpless you can feel isn't? He's definitely been a mummy's boy today whilst Daddy has been at work, Today has been one of those cuddle I don't really want to do anything else but cuddle you mummy day's last night was awful too, Oliver literally would not sleep in his own bed and kept waking up and screaming so ended up wedged between me and daddy although I can't really say that really helped the situation either he still continued to scream and cry but this time kick and punch me and Ben to his hearts content! 

Oh how I wish teething was nice and simple but most of all pain -free! We literally survive his teething stages on mainly calpol because teething gel doesn't really touch it and he can't have a lot of the other products that are available on the market because they contain lactose which is a right pain in the bum. Oliver hasn't ever really been a fan of teething rings or the water teether's or anything really! 
All that I can hope is that this teething phase passes really soon and we can regain some kind of peace and proper sleep to our house again soon! 

Mini Toddler Clothes and Make - Up Haul

So today I'm bringing you a sort of mini haul from my shopping trip to Redditch with my lovely sister in law Sophie this week! We had an absolutely lovely time and Oliver loved seeing his Auntie! 
So we first went to my absolute favourite place Primark, I love a good mooch in Primark and nearly always end up coming out with something everytime even if its just something small I just cannot help myself! So today I picked up a couple of things for Oliver which were two long sleeved t-shirts one in light grey with a black speech bubble that says "I didn't do it, Okay maybe I did" which I thought was quite lovely and simple and not all in your face. The second t-shirt I brought for him I brought for him says "I still live with my parents" with I though was quite funny and quirky, both shirts were I believe £1.50 which you can't really beat, I think if I remember I brought 1 shirt in 18-24 months and the other was 24-36 months which I know Oliver is nowhere near that but I thought that it was too lovely to not buy, I also tend to buy in the next size up for Oliver in Primark because sizing seems to run slightly small in there. The last thing that brought was a summer dress for myself, its black and made from a sort of silky type material with like a ruffly front. The label said that it should of been £3 reduced from £8 which I thought was quite a bargain, got to the till to find out that it was actually reduced to £1 which I thought was even better! My sister in law also treated me to a lovely choker which is like a black velvet type material with a little silver charm on with a pearly pink semi precious stone in the middle and I believe that it cost £1.50. 

I also had a trip to my other two favourite shops; Superdrug and Boots because I am totally addicted to buying make - up, skincare and basically any beauty product! From Superdrug I picked up a pair of lashes from what was leftover from their Halloween collection and they were only 49p! I also picked up a Sugar Baby Vita + Skin Vita Lip coconut infused lip balm and lip scrub collection which was only 49p too I picked this up because my lips have been really awfully dry and I wear a lot of liquid lipsticks and some dry my lips out more than others. I then picked up a couple of things from boots, I picked up a Maybelline Dream BB fresh 8-in-1 Beauty Balm Skin Perfecter I think they were like discontinuing alot of make -up and I ended up only paying £1 for that one, I also picked up a Bourjois Paris Sculpt Light Illuminator which is basically a cream highlighter and I only ended up paying £1 for that one also, I also picked up a nail varnish which was the Maybelline Colour Show Jelly Tint in the colour Berry Merry and that was only 50p, I think I only paid such little for these because the particular boots store was discontinuing them. 

I then popped to B & M and Wilko's both of which I love having a good mooch around, from B & M i picked up some George Pig short pyjamas for Ollie ready for the summer (but as you can see from the picture only shorts are there because he's already worn the top! I believe that I only paid £3 for the Pj's and then from Wilko's I picked Ollie up a Peppa Pig Paddle drum type thing that he absolute loves just as a little treat and that only cost me £1! 

I hope you've enjoyed my little haul. Thank you for reading! 

We're Going On Holiday!

We're going on holiday woohoo. So we washed away the January after Christmas blues and we booked our Holiday! and we're heading to Butlin's on one of their 4 day just for tots holiday's in May. I can safely say I pretty darn excited! I'm literally so excited to be taking Oliver on his properly holiday this summer, we took him away for a couple of days last summer but he was about 8 months don't get me wrong he was really interested in everything but he's gonna understand and be able to do some much more this time around. I don't know who's more excited me probably! When I was telling Oliver that we were going on holiday he kind of looked at me like I was a right freak and just carried on playing! I've literally gone into my let get prepared self and I've started writing a whole big list of what everybody is going need and everything that we're going to need to take with us and all sorts. I've even started writing a list of all the things that we're going to need to buy ready for our holiday, super organised me! 

So I'm now going to love and leave you all! I hope that you enjoyed my super quick and excitable update! 

What My Toddler Eats!

So I thought that I would start something new today and its a what my child eats in a day! I'm hoping that this post may be helpful to some people because our little boy Oliver is Lactose Intolerant and a lot of the meals that I'm going to be writing about have things substitited in to cater for his needs, So I'm just gonna crack on and I hope you enjoy reading about what Oliver eats during one day. 

Breakfast 
Breakfast is usually either toast or cereal he's not really all that fussed which it is aslong as he gets his breakfast on time! For toast we use the Vitalife Dairy free spread to spread on his toast, and for cereal he eats practically anything and everything; cocopops, porridge (plain and with banana in) at the moment though he's really loving Shredded Wheat and the Bear Alpha Bites cereal, he does however prefer the multigrain ones to the cocoa ones!  

Lunch
Lunch is usually cheese on crackers or cheese on crackers. We use the Arla Lactose Free cheese for his sandwiches and crackers. Oliver is also enjoys the Arla Dairy Free cheese spread on hi crackers too. With his Lunch he usually has some pom bears, along with some fruit and maybe something like the Bear Pure Fruit Yo Yo's snacks. 

Dinner
Dinner ranges from everything and anything really but he especially loves pasta he's eat it all the time if I let him! I usually try to bulk cook for our evening meals but with the Oliver's Daddy being such a fussy person that doesn't always happen! Pasta he eats really well and I do that with chopped tomatoes and just chuck some chicken and veggies in or I do pasta with meatballs and such. We also recently discovered a brand of ready meals called Kirsty's which specialise in Dairy, Gluten and Wheat free product which have been an absolute life saver and definitely taken the stress out of trying to make things to accomodate Oliver's allergy so I just pop one of these in the microwave if Me and Ben decide that we want something that perhaps Ollie can't have or if he needs something quick for whatever reason. He also really enjoys a roast dinner and loves all of his veggies he isn't however all that keen on peas. I also tend to make him his own pizza using a wrap as a base with tomato puree and his own cheese which he really enjoys, I use the wraps because unlike a normal pizza its a lot thinner and makes it easier for him to chew! 

Snacks and Drinks
Oliver isn't really a big snacker but when he does have a snack I try to stick to something like a banana or a plum or a couple of strawberries chopped up in a bowl. He is also quite partial to a couple of malted milk biscuits which if I let him he's end up eating more than he probably should do! He has a bottle of milk in the morning when he wakes up and bottle to settle him down at night and he drinks squash during the day just a small amount diluted in his sippy cup he usually prefers Orange over most. 

Hope you enjoy reading all about what Mr Oliver eats during a typical day! 

Catch Up! Oliver Update!

So I've been missing again seems to be a recurring theme here of life and just everything getting in the way! So I thought we could have a little catch up, so first things first I've changed my platform from wordpress to here! I'm hoping to maybe reach out to people a little bit more by changing up my platform. 

Oliver is absolutely thriving he's now 15 months I mean where has that gone doesn't seem like 5 minutes since we found out we were expecting him.

Development wise he still isn't walking independently he stands by himself but he isn't quite confident about walking on his own - he walks amazing aided and literally runs around holding the furniture so I can only imagine what he's going to be like once he starts walking. His speech is coming along great too he seems to come out with saying something that we've never heard him say every day! His favourite words seem to be Daddy, Daisy (his nanny and grandad's dog) and the typical toddler word no! He seems to say no to just about anything and everything. 

Sleep - isn't brilliant we seem to be going through a major sleep regression patch as well as him cutting teeth again, getting him to sleep is fine! but getting him to stay asleep and in his own bed is proving to be a major problem. He usually goes down to bed with a bottle about 7 but we're only managing to get him to stay asleep until about 11/12 o'clock and then he's wide awake and ready to play! We never really wanted to co-sleep with him but it definitely headed that way and the only way he seems to go back to sleep is if he's in our bed with us and then moved once he goes back to sleep, 

Teeth - He's now got 7 and is currently cutting some nasty molars at the moment which have lead to a very grumpy dribbley little boy! 

Oliver last time he was weighed which was about 3 weeks ago weighs 22lbs 11oz. Clothing wise he's in 12 - 18 months but some clothes we buy for him depending where there from seem to be absolutely huge and other places mainly Primark seem to a little small! and he's in a size 3 shoe.

Lactose Intolerance -  Oliver is still lactose intolerant and we've not got very far in trying him on milk products the highest we managed to get up the chart is to malted milk biscuits which is the first step on the chart we have to follow, but we're following the advice of the dietitian and taking a break for a few weeks before trying again to see if his tolerance has changed at all.