Spring Bucket List

Spring is finally here! Not that you would think it with the amount of snow we have been getting!!! I'm looking forward to warmer days, longer evenings, watching the flowers bloom and seeing the newborn lambs running around in the fields.

I have decided to put together a 'spring bucket list' of things to do over the next few months at home and with the kids. We hope to get as many of these ticked off as possible and am looking forward to setting myself a challenge and completing it!

Here are some of the things we would like to accomplish before springs up:

• Go swimming
• Go to the park
• Stay at the caravan
• Eat Easter eggs
• Roll Ester eggs down hill
• Attend Easter service at church
• Do some Easter crafts
• Go to soft play
• Make a fort
• Make sensory toys
• Play in the sand pit
• Go on a family walk
• Go to the farm
• Spring clean and sort toys
• Make bird feeder
• Bake buns
• Feed ducks
• Plant flowers

What things are you planning to do with the kids this spring??

James - 6 Month Update

James I cannot believe that you are 6 months old already! Where has the time went? It feels like you were only born two months ago and still a little 9lbs newborn, now you are gradually making new milestones and growing and learning something new every day!

Here is a little overview of how you are at 6 months old xx

Weight 
No idea! We haven't had you weighed from your 4 month visit with the healh visitor but you weigh a tonne and you are getting so long as well.

Eating
You are still having 4/5 7oz bottles of hungry baby milk a day and last week we started you on solids. You still done know what to make of the baby food. The facial expressions you pull are hilarious! You are so different to your brother. He would have ate the arm of you if he had the chance but you are happy enough not to rush and take your time.

Sleeping
You are sleeping threw the night, most nights. Although recently you have decided you want to roll over onto your tummy and end up getting stuck and mummy has to come to your rescue. You love to have your little doggie and Ewan the dream sheep to fall asleep every night and also when your napping during the day. I love to sit and watch you sleeping and wonder what you are thinking about. You always look so peaceful...and I'm always a little jealous that I'm not down lying beside you sleeping aswell!!

Nappies
You are in size 4 nappies at the minute! You love to get t off and have a good kick before bath time.

Clothes
You are in most of your 6-9 month clothes at the moment. Only some of the bigger sized 3-6 month clothes fit you but I am sure it wont be much longer until I'm going to have to pack them away into the attic because their too small. I came across one of your first baby grows the other day when I was sorting out the clothes and I cannot believe how much you have grown in only a few short months.

Mood
You haven't been in the best of moods this past few weeks as you are teething and just wanting to chew on everything! We laugh that you are going to have no fingers left because you are constantly chewing them.

Loves
You love getting down on the floor and rolling at the moment. You are trying your best to get up on all fours to start crawling. I don't know how I will cope when that day comes! You will be all over the place. The jumperoo is your favourite past time. You could bounce about in it all day if we let you and you even managed to fall asleep in it one day!

Dislikes
You dislike weaning and teething and you have gotten to the stage where you don't like to be held, you would much rather be down on the floor rolling about. We even have to resort to putting you into your pram to give you your bottle as you try to turn around and fuss so much!

Milestones

• Can roll over
• Can sit up on your own for short periods of time
• Found your feet and love looking at your hands
• Can find your dummy and put it in your mouth
• Took first spoon feeds
• Trying to crawl

I cant wait to see you grow and develop over the next few months and see how much has changed. I hope you will be more keen on your spoon feeds and your 1st tooth will have come threw by your next update at 7 months.

Love you James xx

6 Sensory Play Activities For Kids

It's the weekend and what better way to spend it than with some quality time with the kids. Harry loves sensory play so over the weekend and next week I am going to make some sensory games with him and update you with what we made and how we got on in next weeks post.

Here are some ideas of the types of sensory activities we plan to do which you could try out with your kids as well. They are sure to love it.

(Link to activities on activity title)

DIY Rainbow Sensory Box 

Love this idea perfect alternative to a sand box and great for developing those senses!

Glitter/Calming Bottles

Harry just loves bottles. He likes to watch the liquid moving up and down the bottle when he moves it and noticed he carries some of the glitter bottles around at playgroup, so I think these will be one of the first things we will make as their so easy to do!

Glitter Slime

Harry also loves play doh so this would be a nice change and might be a bit less messy as well.

Mess Free Painting

Perfect for kids who love to paint but also tend to get it everywhere! These can be great for older babies too as their is no risk of them eating the paint.

Foam Sensory Play

This looks like such good fun and so easy to do. You could add toys or kitchen utensils to make it more interesting. The one I have linked use shells for an ocean theme!

Sensory Boards

Love these sensory boards. They can be made to suit different ages and levels and are bound to keep those little minds occupied for ages!

Have any of you used some sensory play with your kids? If you have any sensory play activities that you would like to share I would love to hear about them in the comments.

Fashion Fridays #2 - Kids style inspo and outfits from the week

It's FRIDAY!! That means the weekend is almost here! Here is some baby weekend style inspiration and some of our looks from the week!

1.  Wild one tee
2. Star bib
3. Beanie
4. Moccasins 
5. Leggings
6. Scarf
7. Teether

A few of this weeks outfits.

 If you have any questions about any of the outfits shown please leave a comment below. Have a great Friday everyone! xx

Newborn Photography Shoot

I just absolutely love pictures. They capture so many precious memories for us to look back on. Before James was born I contacted a photographer to book James in for a newborn baby shoot for when he was only a few weeks old so that in years and even months later I can look back and cherish the memories of how small and 'new' he was. I got Harry's photographs done with my Bounty vouchers that I got from the hospital but he was about 6 weeks old when he got them done so he wasn't 'quite' newborn as he was starting to get more head control and try and smile etc.

I have listed below when the best time is to get a newborn shoot and some things you should consider before you go and when you are at the shoot!

Before booking a photographer to shoot your newborn I would advise looking for someone who specialises in newborn photography as they will have a better idea on how to soothe babies and get them into different,safe, positions to be photographed and will most likely be shooting babies everyday so will have a good idea on what works best to achieve the perfect photographs for your new bundle of joy. Ask around friends and family as well to see who done their baby photo shoots and who they would personally recommend and make your decision based on these options.

Most photographers take a note of your due date so they have a base line to work with so they know roughly when you will be booking your session. A few days after your baby is born you should get in contact with your photographer again to pencil in a date.

 Photographers recommend that the first two weeks of life is the perfect time to get a newborn shoot done. This is because muscle tone is very weak and babies tend to sleep much deeper at this stage meaning it is easier to put them into different positions without annoying them too much.

You should bring a few bottles of milk with you to your photo shoot if you are bottle feeding, a dummy if you use one, spare nappies, and a change of outfit if you want your baby photographed in a few different things, but I think newborn photographs are much nicer when they are photographed with no clothes on and maybe just a blanket or shawl covering their modesty. Your photographer may be able to supply you with baby clothes, props or accessories but check before hand to make sure.

Photography sessions can last anywhere between 1-3 hours so keep this in mind if you are bringing other children with you so you can schedule your appointment around nap/feeding times. I would also recommend bringing some toys/snacks for older children to keep them occupied while the baby is getting their photographs taken and if your partner is unable to make the photo shoot with you, you could ask a friend or family member to come along with you to keep sibling amused in case you need to help out with the baby's photos.

I love looking back on these photos of James and seeing how much he has grown and developed in only a few months. If you are considering a newborn shoot I would highly recommend as they are only small once and you can't rewind back to them being that size again.

Weaning Wednesday #2

On Sunday I decided to try James on some baby rice again after his 11am bottle. I still haven't got round to cleaning Harry's old high chair (bad mummy) so I just sat the pram up a bit and gave it to him in that. We made the baby rice up with a little bit of his usual milk and gave it a quick heat in the microwave making sure there were no hot spots before giving it too him. I only gave him a small spoonful at first. He was still a little unsure of it but then started to reach out for the spoon and take a bit more. He took 3 or 4 small spoonfuls of the baby rice then started to push it all out again so we left it at that for the day.

On Monday he got baby rice again after his bottle and started to eat it slightly better. He was still screwing his face up and trying to figure out how exactly he was men't to eat it as he is only used to sucking through a bottle to eat and not chew.

Then yesterday (Tuesday) I tried James with some carrot. I just used the Ella's Kitchen carrot food pouch as I knew I would only be using a small amount at first and they can be kept in the fridge for 48 hours and can also be frozen into the ice cube trays that I suggested in my last weaning post. Using the pouches also gave me a good Idea on how thick of a consistency the food should be as well. James preferred the carrot purée better than the baby rice and was still trying to get the hang of trying to chew and it is so cute watching the little faces he makes when trying out these new foods.

I am going to try him on the carrot purée again today and tomorrow I will maybe try him with some more root vegetables like sweet potato or parsnip before introducing the sweeter tastes like fruit.

What is/where your little ones favourite 1st foods?