Monthly Archives: October 2014

Mama’s boy

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I think that I am raising a total mama’s boy! These past few weeks baby boy has clung to me constantly. I can’t even go to the bathroom without him trying to crawl after me and god forbid I stand on the other side of the safety gate in full view of him. Just me attempting to leave the room brings on full blown hysterics.

I posted a while back about him becoming more independent and not needing me… ignore that! It is now the complete opposite. It is very rare that he will entertain the idea of someone else holding him, even if he knows that person well and if someone were to get a kiss from him, well they are honoured. The upside to not being able to pee in peace however are the many cuddles and kisses that are sent my way. I love it when I pick him up and he snuggles right into me. My heart melts!

My family tell me that I spoil him too much. Should I worry that I am creating a mama’s boy? I’m not so sure that it is a bad thing.

Do you have a mama’s boy?

Hand me downs and second hand

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When baby boy was first born we were given a huge box and numerous bags of hand me downs from friends and family. It was brilliant! The clothes ranged from newborn up to 2 years. I spent a couple of hours one afternoon sorting them into piles. There were absolutely loads of the smaller clothes. The piles got smaller as the sizes got bigger but that didn’t matter, it was just amazing to have so many clothes and I was touched by the generosity. Between those and the outfits he was bought as gifts we didn’t have to buy a single newborn or 0-3 outfit.

Once he outgrew his 0-3 I realised that I actually had to buy a few outfits to fill out the clothes that we had been given in the 3-6 age range. I looked at what we already had and decided that a pack of sleepsuits and a couple of complete outfits was all we needed to buy. I went to George at Asda (I had seen some really cute outfits) and although the clothes were very reasonably priced it still came to a lot more than I had expected. This clothing a child malarkey is an expensive business!

When it came to his 6-9 month clothes I was prepared therefore. I once again checked what clothes we had and this time knew that I needed to buy quite a few bits. I knew where I was going to shop this time – eBay! I logged on with my list ready and to my absolute delight I discovered bundles. People were selling big bundles of clothes with starting prices of 99p. I couldn’t believe it. I looked carefully and managed to buy everything I needed plus more (included in the bundles) for £35 including postage. The bonus was that every single item was from Next! I was extremely impressed. I excitedly told people of my bargain. Some people were amazed by my purchases whereas some turned their noses up at the thought of second hand.

Baby boy is still wearing his 6-9 month clothes but I am already prepared for the next stage and this time I have only spent £25 (including a very cute elf outfit ready for Christmas). Some people don’t like the idea of second hand clothes but I say they are brilliant. Children only fit in them for such a short time and so why pay a fortune. Now baby boys clothes will be passed on to his new little cousin as he grows out of them and so even more use will be gotten out of them.

I absolutely love hand me downs and second hand bargains. If the quality is good then why not make use of them!

Do you buy second hand?

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First Aid Basics

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A few weeks ago I was hit with a realisation. It suddenly occurred to me that if baby boy had an accident I wouldn’t have a clue what to do! It was a sobering thought. I have decided that I need to get myself on a first aid course just in case.

Now at the moment funds are tight and so until I can afford to attend a course I recruited the talents of one of my best friends. She is a first aid trainer and so I asked her if she could just show me a few basics. She agreed and on Friday baby boy and I went to her house for a crash course. She showed me 2 main things – choking and CPR. After I had learnt the basics I have to say I immediately felt better. Just the fact that I now have a basic knowledge of what to do in an emergency has set my mind at ease.

My friend gave me a useful first aid manual and also recommended the British Red Cross baby and child first aid app. It has fantastic videos, information and useful tests. I have been having a play on it and I can honestly recommend it.

Having a child is extremely rewarding but can also be extremely scary. Just having the smallest bit of knowledge of how I could help baby boy in an emergency helps calm the nerves!

Have you done a first aid course?

Image credit – http://www.missiontraining.co.uk/course/first-aid-training/childrens-first-aid-training/78/

Slow down – now we’re standing!

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For the past few weeks baby boy has been standing up in his cot. This week he has been trying to pull himself up on anything and everything that will stay still and has finally mastered it! I’m so proud of him. It is lovely to see his determined face light up when he manages to stand up tall and it just makes my day!

With this new found skill comes a fair few bumps though. We have had a few shocked tears but no actual injuries (touch wood). However, I’m slightly concerned that he is going to actually hurt himself one of these days. Short of bubble wrapping the whole house or baby boy for that matter I’m not sure what I can do really. I suppose I just have to watch him and try not to worry too much!

He is developing so much! I love seeing him master these new skills. He tries so hard and then looks so proud of himself when he manages it. It makes my heart melt! I never knew that these milestones would make me feel so blessed. These seem like small steps but for baby boy they are huge!

What next? What developmental leap is he going to master now? I’m excited to find out!

How do you feel when your little one learns something new?

When things get too much

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What do you do when things just get too much for you to handle? Sorry to moan but I have to get this off my chest.

Recently I have felt that the everyday stresses of life have been getting on top of me and I am finding it hard to let go. I won’t bore you with the detail but there are some financial, personal and probably, if I’m being honest, non existent worries that are getting me down. How do you deal with them? I am trying to be up beat and positive. I am trying to tell myself that there are people who are a lot worse off than me. I am even trying to just forget them and focus on the good things in my life. It’s not working! I have good things and plenty of them but they don’t stop me worrying about the difficult things.

So please, hit me with your coping strategies! I will give them a go!

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