Gender prediction

This time we didn't find out what gender the baby is. It's so close now, and I am getting really exciting to find out. 

We thought that we do a few old wives tales to see what they point to. 

Love Sophia xxx

38 Week Pregnancy Update

Here is my 38 week update...

Symptoms: So, I thought that the baby may have engaged the other day but then I started feeling movement just to the side instead - I have heard that with baby number 2 they can engage and then come out again, so not sure if this is what happened or not. Saying that, towards the end of the week, the baby has been very low again, making it really difficult to move around or to pick things up. In preparation for the arrival, I have really been focusing on making sure that the baby is not back to back by bouncing loads on the ball and watching TV on all fours. 

My Braxton Hicks has been terrible this week; I must have said on 3 seperate occasions, 'this could be it!!!' Some days I have had them for most of the day but they just haven't developed into anything. 

I am really exhausted this week too, not wanting to sleep but just to rest on the sofa instead. I am really feeling like Jackson is missing out on fun stuff at the moment which has been making me a bit sad too. 

Food Cravings: Chocolate this week!

Movement: Still tons of movement all the time.

Sleep: I just keep tossing and turning throughout most of the night, which Chris had the cheek to complain about one morning, haha!!!

Things I am Missing: Drinking wine!!!

Best Moment: Getting to meet my friend's newborn, although they have made me even more impatient with waiting for mine (if that was at all possible)!

Worst Moment: Not being as mobile, I just don't want Jackson to suffer from my state.

Love Sophia xxx

What my toddler ate #3

I haven't done a 'what Jackson ate' in a while, so thought one was due. Some of these photo's didn't come out the best for some reason but I think you can make out what they are still. 

We started the day with Weetabix and a banana. He was still hungry afterwards, of course, so he had 2 tangerines (his favourite at the moment).

He also had 2 beakers of milk. 

He tends to miss his mid-morning snack at the moment - I think this is a combination of him waking slightly later and eating a big breakfast.

Lunch consisted of a wholemeal Sandwich Thin with cheese and some coleslaw. On the side he had some blueberries and sweetcorn. He didn't really eat the sweetcorn but ate all of the rest. 

The mid-afternoon snack was a fruit puree pouch and a few cheese biscuits. Nice and easy!

He also helped himself to a tangerine just before dinner (such a cheeky boy!). 

For dinner, I made a beef and carrot stew with sweet potato wedges. He took so long to eat it but in the end, he had most of it. He also had a yogurt for pudding. 

Before bed, I gave him his milk but it's a bit hit and miss on if he will drink it at the moment -today he wasn't interested. 

Love Sophia xxx

Preparing a Toddler for a New Baby

I have really tried to make sure that Jackson is as ready as possible for his little sibling to arrive.
He's too young to really understand what is going on and, in some ways, this can be a good thing but I also still want him to know as best as he can, what is about to happen.

We have talked a lot about baby being in my tummy. For instance, we get him to stroke my belly and I have often tried to get him to feel the baby when they are moving, although, just when I thought he was getting it, he often gets confused and points to his tummy and says 'baby' (we are very lucky so far that he hasn't said it to anyone else)!

For Christmas, we also bought him a dolly and a buggy. He had never shown any interest in toys like this at playgroups or at his friends' houses but at home, he absolutely loves it. He puts baby in the high chair to feed him, tucks him in his bed and, now that the car seat is down from the loft (ready for actual baby), he puts dolly in there too. The only problem with this is that now when we say where's baby, instead of pointing to my belly, he runs to find his dolly!

One major thing we wanted to change to get Jackson ready was to move him into the bigger bedroom before his brother/sister arrives and takes the smaller room. We finished his new room with about 8-9 weeks to go (obviously this may differ depending on when baby actually makes their appearance). Jackson took a while to settle into his new room, probably a lot longer than Chris and I thought it would take him as he is normally so easy going, so I am really glad that we did it with plenty of time to spare (if I was to do it again, I would probably do it even earlier).

Chris wanted to get the baby a teddy too, as he did this for Jackson when he was born. He also took Jacks with him, so that he could pick something for the new baby too. This would probably work a lot better with an older child who has more of an understanding, as I am pretty sure that he thought it was for himself and wanted to pick about 4 other teddies/comforts too, but it was still a nice thing to do.

I have also done another blog post on Jackson's book shelf in his room, which we change every now and then for different themes - at the moment, we are using it for a few books based on me being pregnant and him becoming a big brother. If you want to see what books I have bought, click here.

Let me know if you have any other ideas on how to help prepare Jackson for the big day.

Love Sophia xxx

Meal plan #9

We now have loads of meals in the freezer, in preparation for the new baby's arrival . Plus my Mum has already said she's going to bring us meals too, so we don't want to go over board and do many more!

I didn't pick up the cookbooks this week and instead looked around on the internet, especially on Jamie Oliver's website. He has some really easy family recipes, which I think are definitely worth looking at. 

Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Spinach Curry  -  I will be making this one to put in the freezer. We went out recently on a Sunday and I had something similar which was delicious, so I was purposely trying to find a recipe as close as possible to recreate it!

Pizza - Chris is so into making his own pizzas at the moment. He makes all of the dough and sauce etc. from scratch and, while I am not normally a big fan of pizzas, I have really been enjoying these ones, as they are really rustic and not greasy at all.

Italian Spaghetti with Prawns - This is one of the quickest meals but also has the biggest flavour.

Macaroni Cheese with Bacon and Pine Nuts - This is a posh macaroni cheese and looks yummy! I am going to put some of this in the freezer but for Jackson, as opposed to us. 

Smoky Veggie Chilli - This is the best way to fill Jackson with veggies without him knowing! 

Let me know if you make any of these recipes and what you think of them. 

Love Sophia xxx

Trip to the farm with Dada

Now that I have stopped working, we always get a family day on Tuesday when Chris is off work. This Tuesday, we went to the local farm for the morning. Not sure who had more fun, Dada or Jackson! 

Love Sophia xxx

Babygrows for the New Baby

This week, instead of a 'What Jackson wore' article, I thought that I would focus a little on the new baby. 

I am getting so excited to find out what sex my baby will be. We are completely split in this household - I am so convinced that it will be a boy but Chris seems adamant that it is a girl!

Even if we do have another boy, we don't have that many babygrows because we had a lot of Jackson's first ones made into a teddy bear for his first birthday. Therefore, I have been looking into babygrows for both sexes, so I can easily find some I like when he/she makes their arrival. I have added some of my favourites below...

As I think it's a boy, I have automatically been drawn to the boy sections. The first set is from Next - I love the white one with the vehicles all over it. Not a huge fan of the blue and grey stripes but I am sure it will look cute when it's on. 

This is another Next selection but I think that, with their free next day delivery, it will be where I turn to first, once we know. I love dinosaurs, Jackson has had a few dinosaurs themed clothes. 

Jackson also had a similar one to this but the dark blue version. It was a gift from his Guide Parent just before he was born and It's from JoJo Maman Bebe, so it is a little on the more expensive side but the quality is so good. 

As much as I love babygrows, I did start to hate all the poppers after a while when Jacks was little but this one not only has doggies on it, it also has a zip instead! 

It's from M&S so you know the quality will be really good too. 

I can't believe how cheap this set from ASDA is. I really love the middle one which is plain white with the different colour vehicles, very boyish. 

Now we are moving onto the girls...

This first set is from Next and I absolutely love it. I really like all three and couldn't tell you which one is my favourite to be honest! 

Again, another from Next - they are really girly but I also love the twist of the dinosaurs on the front one. 

Peter Pan collars on baby girls are just the cutest. This one from Jojo Maman Bebe is adorable and will be a must if this baby is a girl. 

This is another Peter Pan collar but from M&S. I like that it is a velour material, meaning it will be warmer for the colder days. 

This is a bargain from ASDA, I love the floral prints on all 3. 

Which ones are your favourites? 

The same as always, this blog is linking up with 'This Mama Life' and 'The Diary of an Ordinary Mum' for the #WeekendTotStyle. Visit one of their pages if you want to link up too! 

Love Sophia xxx

Expectations vs Reality

Ever since I found out I was pregnant, I have wanted to film this video. 

I basically now think I am a comedian-cross-hollywood actress! 

Hope you enjoy....

Love Sophia xxx

37 Week Pregnancy Update

Here is my 37 week pregnancy update...

I remembered a photo this week but forgot to get Chris to take one so it had to be a selfie from my phone! 

Symptoms: Wow, am I ready to have this baby!!!!! We have got everything sorted now and I have packed my hospital bag (Click here for mine and click here for the baby's), so feeling organised at last. However, I am just so fed up of being so slow and tired all of the time. Also, knowing that soon Chris will have 2 weeks off, it just can't come quick enough. I know that it's not exactly a relaxing holiday for the first 2 weeks of a little one's life but I can't wait for that baby bubble!

I think that this baby has definitely dropped/engaged, as the bump is lower and my peeing has increased ridiculously. My back has been really bad this week too, even sitting on the sofa makes it worse. 

I wanted to start having Raspberry Leaf Tea to try and help things along but then noticed that the ones I had were off, so I still need to get some more. I have started eating pineapple though, but I did read somewhere that you have to eat 7 in one go for it to work (not sure I could handle that much!). Since I have stopped working, I have also upped my walking to help with the process, as I have just the single buggy now. 

I went to my first Acupuncture this week - I haven't done it before and to be honest, haven't really thought that much about it. I have a few friends who say it has helped to get them pregnant so thought it was worth a go. It was an unusual feeling; it wasn't painful but you could feel the needles sticking in, especially when she twisted them.

All I have thought about this week is having a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After C-section) and how much I don't want a C-section this time. However, while saying that, it has just started to dawn on me that I will have to do this naturally!!!!!

Food Cravings: Diet Coke, again.

Movement: My whole belly has been moving loads this week, which makes me think this baby is going to be BIG.

Sleep: When I have been practising Hypnobirthing before bed, I have been sleeping much better. 

Things I am Missing: Putting on shoes easily. 

Best Moment: Getting everything ready for the baby - I feel like, over night, I went from being so disorganised to being the most organised person ever! 

Worst Moment: Back pains. 

Love Sophia xxx

Baby Hospital Bag

As you will know from one of my previous blogs, I have packed my bag for all of the essentials needed for our upcoming BIG day, click here to see! However, I decided it would be a good idea to  have a separate bag packed for the baby, as this will make it easier for Chris so that all of the bits are together in their own areas.

The first things in baby's bag are 3 x babygrows - Jackson was a big boy when he was born so I have only brought 0-3 month ones this time, incase we have another chubster!

The rainbow one is from JoJo Maman Bebe.

The grey one is from John Lewis.

The plain one is also from John Lewis.

To go with these, I have also included 3 x vests. They are 'first' size from Next and they are ones that we used for Jackson. I have also washed 0-3 months vests and have them ready in the nursery drawers so that, if they don't fit, Chris knows exactly where they are. I also threw in the long sleeved one incase it's a bit cold.

He/She is going to be a winter baby, so I had to buy a pram-suit and a hat for the way home, which will also be good for when we are out and about during the first few weeks of being at home. These are both from Gap and I bought the booties separately.
Pram-suit- Gap
Booties- Gap (I think they have sold out)
Hat and Mittens- Asda

When I had my C-section with Jackson, they told us to bring a hat to put on him once he was born, so we've packed this one just in case things go the same way.

Hat and Bib Set- Next 

Another item I have thrown in is this gorgeous blanket from John Lewis. It's not too big so will be perfect for hospital and it's one we got for Jackson but we didn't use it that much (he had a blue star one that was very similar).

Jackson didn't like to be swaddled but this baby might, if not I can just use this as a blanket (or to mop up sick!). I haven't got it yet but this is the one I have ordered - Jojo Maman Bebe. 

Muslins are a real must when you have babies - they can be used to protect things or just to mop up sick (seems to be a common situation!).

Nappies; we all know what they do and what they look like. I actually can't believe that Jackson ever fitted into ones this small!!!

Professionals seem to recommend cotton wool and water for newborns but I was told about these wipes when I was pregnant with Jackson and they were brilliant. Therefore, thought we would pack some for this time around.

Finally, Chris bought the baby this really cute dinosaur teddy. He did the same for Jackson and we have a lovely photo of him with it in hospital, so I want to do the same with this bubba!

I think that I have everything but let me know if you think I have missed anything.

Love Sophia xxx

My Hosptial Bag

I am a bit of an over-packer and I like to have everything that I might possibly need, so packing my Hospital Bag was a challenge at times! My thinking is that if taking some extra items will make you feel better, then why not take them. As we ended up with a fair amount of stuff, I have packed a seperate bag for the baby, which will be covered in a seperate blog, and for myself and Chris, we have 2 bags - one rucksack for the labour and a carry-on type bag for all of the bits needed post-labour. Below, I have listed all of the items I have packed in each bag...

The Labour bag

The first and probably most important thing I need is my maternity notes (something I always nearly forget when going to appointments etc.)!!!

Like last time I have been practising Hyponbirthing, so we are taking a speaker and the speaker charger with us, in order to play some calming music. 

For my birth with Jackson, I bought an egg light and some battery powered candles. However, I didn't use them as my eyes were shut the whole time, plus Chris was not aloud to stop massaging my back for one second, so he didn't have a chance to put them on! We are going to try and use them this time though.

Massage Oil is a big must in my books and it was a life saver last time. I had a back to back labour, so after a few hours of massaging my back, Chris needed the oil.

Another essential is a flannel and some refreshing water spray to cool me down when things get a bit heated.

Obviously, we both will be bringing our IPhones and a charger, but I think that I am going to bring my DSLR camera and the full charged spare battery too, just incase we need it. 

A few snacks are important. Again, I think that all Chris ate the whole time with Jackson was a snickers and I had one Jaffa Cake, but it's better to have them than not. I'll also throw in my water bottle and a few Lucozades, as they were a help last time.

A few people say that your feet get cold during labour, so you must take socks - I don't remember feeling this but I am throwing them in anyway.

My Bag 

I ended up in hospital for 3 nights with Jacks. Hopefully, this time, I'll be able to head home earlier but if not, I like to have all of my wash bits with me. This may be TMI but someone mentioned to me in the past to take feminine wash too, just incase you have any stitches, as it can be a bit gentler. I have also thrown in a Toothbrush for Chris (I suppose he can have some luxury!). 

Makeup is one thing I have been advised a few times before is a waste of time but for me, if I put a bit on, it makes me feel a bit better. Also, with the amount of photo's that you take in hospital, I want to look a little human, so I will definitely be taking some with me.

I have, of course, packed these lovely post-birth items; Maternity pads, nipple cream and breast feeding tablets. I have thrown in a few breast pads too but my milk didn't properly come in until I was out of hospital with Jackson, so may not need them straight away. 

Large black pants, regardless of what type of birth you have, are a must. I haven't taken a picture of these so I will let your imaginations run away with just how big I am talking! 

PJ's are a necessity, incase you have to stay in hospital, as they are always comfortable to wear after the main event. 

As previously mentioned, I was in hospital for a few days with Jackson and needed to shower there, so I will be taking some flip flops with me (when using public showers I tend to freak out if I don't wear flip flops) as well as a towel. I also used some last time for walking around the hospital, as it was so hot.

A comfortable outfit to either wear home or for the next day (if I end up staying) - I haven't packed this yet but will just grab it when the fun all starts. There are a few bits like this, such as makeup, phones and chargers, which I won't be packing until later, so I have put a list on top of the bag to make sure that I bring them all. 

Let me know if you think I have forgotten anything!

Love Sophia xxx

DITL - Pizza Night

Here is another 'Day in the Life' - mainly just a Mama and Jackson day, ending with Dadda making us pizzas!!

Enjoy!!!

Love Sophia xxx

Truth about Motherhood

So, many people talk about pregnancy and what you should expect but they never really say it how it is. Before you read on, please note that I know how lucky I am to have my gorgeous boy and to be pregnant with the number 2!!!!

It is a fact that you are pregnant for about 9 months, however, the side effects last for so much longer, making it very similar to an Elephant pregnancy!!! One example of this is the fact that the weight that most people tend to put on takes well over 9 months to lose. Don't get me wrong, there are those lucky few (most of whom I am friends with - everyone I know that has given birth to #2 already look amazing!!!!) who shed the weight almost instantly, but not me! The 'tired bags under the eyes' look you get in the 3rd trimester seems to stay with you for a very long time too, even if your baby does sleep through the night with ease. 

My next point, which often isn't mentioned, is 'Mum Guilt'. This really is a thing (I wonder if all schools should stop teaching children to put condoms on bananas and showing them videos from the 1970s for sexual education, as all they need to do is explain and find a way for them to experience Mum Guilt!). It makes you feel terrible, especially at the moment when I am growing another child, you feel like you are going to forget about your first born! I thought that it would stop after a while but my Mum informed me that she still feels Mum Guilt with my sister and I (we are 26 and 29 by the way).

Some days, you will see your husband playing with your child and you will have so much love for him, you can't quite believe it is possible. Then, some other days and for no apparent reason at all, you will hate him to the point you do not even want to be in the same room! Why should you have to put up with all of the snot and tears everyday, only for your other half to come home and have nothing but smiles and giggles?!? 

Another thing to consider when having a child is, you are never alone!! Whenever you need to go to the loo, you must lock the door, else you will have a little visitor playing around you in the bathroom while you try to do your business (not off-putting at all!). The visitor also won't just sit there and be silent, he will start unrolling the loo roll, opening the doors and emptying the cupboard - just what you need. 

When you do have some rare alone-time, all you can think and talk about is your baby who you have left at home. They may as well be there with you, completely defeating the object of alone time.

Some days, you will love your children so much that you are worried you could actually eat them. Then again, some days you are pretty sure it's already time that they made it in the big wide world by themselves (please bear in mind my son is not even 2 yet and I already have these days).  

Your beautiful home, that you spent a lot of time and money making perfect for yourself, now resembles a cheap soft-play most of the time.

You actually see yourself age. It's quite amazing, every day you look in the mirror and you will have a new wrinkle or some more grey hairs.

A healthy diet is trying not to eat more than 4 biscuits and a chocolate bar each day, especially when breastfeeding when you wake up wanting to eat a roast dinner in the middle of the night.

I used to care a little about what I looked like and made sure I did things that I enjoyed. Now, all I care about is making Jackson happy. I suppose you could say that what makes me happy has changed. However, after an hour pushing your son on the swings, it gets a little old!

What do other Mama's think of these points? 

Love Sophia xxx

36 Week Pregnancy Update

Here is my 36 week pregnancy update...

Symptoms: This week has been an emotional roller coaster. I think this is partly down to recovering from all the late nights and craziness of the Christmas period, but also...

On Friday, I went to a midwife appointment (with a different midwife to my normal one) which started really positively and she seemed to think that I would be an ideal candidate for a natural delivery. After taking my blood pressure, she then said that it was higher that normal BUT not too high. She then went on to say that if I have a headache (which I did) I would have to ring the Birth Centre. I had also felt very faint the day before and was seeing a few spots in my eyesight, so she took bloods to double check that I didn't have preeclampsia. She managed to race through the blood test but it was still the longest 6 hour wait ever!!!! Luckily it came back all clear and my blood pressure is back to normal now. 

Then, I had the next VBAC (Vaginal Birth After C-section) appointment. The Nurse seemed to say completely different things to what I had been told previously, leading to me having a break down in the hospital, which was very embarrassing (I am an ugly crier!). In the end though, it was a very positive appointment and I am still on track for a natural birth. I have another appointment at 40 weeks, so will have another talk then (if baby hasn't made an appearance by then - fingers crossed I wont have to go to that appointment!). 

We have also got our bums in gear and finally painted the nursery at the weekend. We then got all of the bits down from the loft and made a list of what else we needed, which I am pleased to say was very small. Tomorrow, Chris is not working, so we are heading out to get the last bits and then we are completely ready (or as ready as you can be) for the baby to arrive! 

Braxton Hicks has been happening very often but thankfully they haven't been very strong. Crazy that I didn't really get any last time but this time I have had loads!  

Food Cravings: Nothing unusual. 

Movement: Lots of movement but all at the front, so I think the baby might be back to back!! 

Sleep: Sleep has been difficult with lots of tossing a turning again.

Things I am Missing: Not feeling tired for more than 5mins!

Best Moment: Getting Beebee's room painted.

Worst Moment: Thinking I could potentially have preeclampsia.

Love Sophia xxx

Going Minimalistic

When you have a newborn/little baby, they have soooooo many large items around the house. I actually think that Jackson, as a newborn, took up more space than he does now, even though he has so many toys today!

Having dusty shelves and crumbs on the floor is also something that really stresses me out, but that is not to say that every time someone comes to my house you would find it spotless. I have a child and really want to make sure that I spend as much time with Jackson as possible without wasting it doing loads of cleaning. With the new baby on it’s way too, I want to ensure that I have a stress free environment and am able to spend as much time with them both as I possibly can.

I have recently read a few blogs on going minimalistic, including 'The girl behind the camera' and 'Nourishing Minimalism'. They have given me some great ideas and really sparked my enthusiasm for giving the minimalist thing a go. I am going to do it in stages, mainly so that Chris doesn't have a shock when he comes home from work to find a cushion on the floor where the sofa once was! He is slowly coming round to this idea but, like most, he thinks our house will feel less homely and too clinical if we get rid of too much. I don't think this is the case, if you do it right, and I will still have colour in the house such as photos on the walls and cushion on the sofa. I just want the useless stuff gone - it's hard to admit at first that something you have brought with your hard earned cash was, to be honest, a complete waste of money!! Which actually leads onto my next main reason for doing this; it will definitely make me think twice when buying something, hopefully leading to me saving more money for the more important things in life. When having children, I don’t think that you can be completely minimalistic, as they just need a lot of stuff around. What I want to achieve is clever storage solutions and a nice stress free space.

From about October-time, I have started to sell a few bits around our home and have really been trying to de-clutter. One of the items I have sold was a corner bookcase, which I did really love but it was just a place to have ornaments and collect dust. Actually, now I have sold it, it has made so much space and massively opened up the room.

However, as I am writing this, it is the 1^st January and we are away from home. I keep finding myself thinking about the Christmas clutter that is still up and the not-so-clean house I have waiting for me when we return. It’s funny how I always count down the days until I can put up the decorations up for Christmas but as soon as it has been and gone, I suddenly see the dust collecting on them and realise how little space we currently have!

Every month from now on, I will be checking that what we have are actually bits that we want to keep. This does not necessarily mean that I will be removing everything from our kitchen and sorting through it. I will just have a look at a cupboard at a time and think to myself, 'do I need/use everything in there?'. For the stuff we get rid of, I am going to try to sell as much of it as possible and then donate items that I think someone else might find useful. 

Let me know if anyone else is thinking of doing this or if you already have. 

Love Sophia xxx