Sayin' what's up to my cup

Eurgh a girlie post. Look away now. I might mention periods or (god forbid) menstrual products. There's no might. I'm gonna, and any distaste for the subject you may feel is exactly why I'm writing it. Stick around, it won't hurt.

When you have a baby, you lose a bit of squeamishness about bodily functions, down there and the unique qualities of womanhood. You soon discover just how many women have exactly the same issues as you every month and there's a cathartic openness whereby you can actually talk periods. Those secret shameful things we try and pretend don't happen even though we know they do. My husband is particularly ignorant of these things. He grew up in an all boy household and despite witnessing menopause live as a kid he never really urgently needed an explanation of how women have to spend a fortune each month to cover up a natural event that no one talks about. I sent him shopping for emergency pads once, I'm genuinely not exaggerating his ignorance. So let's talk periods. Solutions. And why you have no hope in hell that I am sharing those chocolate biscuits.

About a year ago a company I knew through our cloth nappying had a brilliant deal on cloth pads (CSP) and I looked, I pondered, I spent a fortune on disposables and thought "how bad can it be?" and took the plunge. I'd spent two years washing nappies and other generally dirty kid stuff so there was literally nothing to shock me on that side. Chemical free is always a win and not having to dash out and spend a packet each month is also a major plus point. It is the best £30odd quid I've spent in a long time. Just as easy to use, easy to wash/store/change, comfy and nomre allergic reactions. It will take a certain gender specific experience to ruly understand that one. Shark week is lighter, faster, less painful, cheaper and much more environmentally friendly. I'm so happy. Thanks Cheeky Mamas you finally made periods a bit more cheerful. (They didn't pay me to say these things, I am genuinely bowled over by them).

Then we get onto cups. Not the ones in your cupboards, but menstrual cups, little goblets for your cavities. Once again a brilliant price point, a small business, a "how bad can it be?" approach and I was in the world of menstrual cups. (Earthwise girls, Fleurcup, £10)I'll admit right here that once upon a time I said "eww I'd never use one of those things", I'm more open minded now and I'm much better for it. The first thing I spent a lot of time doing was watching youtube to see how to fold the damn thing. I got cross at it, I cursed it, and almost gave up. Then I decided I'd give it one last go, so many people use them sucessfully so I must be doing something wrong. Hurrah for online support groups (great when you have *all* the questions) and a final hurrah for cups. I feel a bit stupid for it taking so long to get over my weird squeamish reservations and just do it. They're just as discreet and user friendly, I have more money each month and I think I understand more about periods than I ever did. It's only taken about 15 years but I finally got there. 

So there's the thing, I can talk about periods, not so ghastly and shining style blood bathy and I can talk about eco friendly methods to manage a period. I'm just hoping it won't be too long before we can raise a generation of girls who aren't ashamed to talk about it or ask questions. It happens, a lot, embrace it, moan about it, swear about it but hey, let's talk about it. You too menfolk, you've probably got a friend/partner/daughter/sister that menstruates, don't you have questions you want to ask? She shouldn't have to hide it away, should she?

Wednesday's thumbs up round up.

5 things (in brief) that have made my day brighter, post a comment for more in-depth details!

1. 'My First Classical Music Book' ( Helsby/Chapman)

 

 I am blessed with a son who has music in his heart, he stops and draws his attention to music playing, he'll sit for hours just listening, he falls asleep to heartfelt singing of hymns and lullabies and he dances, oh does he dance! He is a joy to watch with music and this book (new to us) is an immediate favourite. It covers different tones and tempos, different composers and instruments and has a wonderful CD of the perfect classical accompaniments. Double thumbs up, it's lovely!

2. Lillebaby/Tokidoki Carry On

 Anyone in England who went outside today probably got rained on, we got soaked everytime we went out! As enthusiastic as man cub is to walk everywhere sometimes we need to get there right away, like now. Incredibly grateful for having this around today, one snug dry man cub and three journeys made swifter and slightly drier as a result. Did I mention it's painfully funky. It's painfully funky!

3. My Slow Cooker

More than you will ever know do I love my slow cooker. Tomight's incredibly lazy fall part roast chicken is gonna be just as wonderful in pastas and pies for the next few days as it was tonight. Did I mention it makes the flat smell tasty for a bit too. Om! I should probably thank my brother and his fine lady as they bought it for me for Christmas. Great choice guys, great choice.
p.s. I eat my food, I don't photograph it but this is the slow cooker that adorns my work top.

4. Babywearing

Can I still call it that? Childwearing? Boy toting? Either way it's brightened my day. I've spent a long time (so much for super fast broadband...) creating a photo book of our whole babywearing journey. It's been lovely to look over all those cuddles, snuggles, adventures and smug faces. That combined with 'back cuddles' to rescue us from the rain I can't fault babywearing today. Did I mention I've booked onto the Trageschule course for this year? I'm very excited, I get to teach others how to share such a lovely skill. Wear all the babies friends, all the babies!

5. Patrick Ness' 'Chaos Walking' trilogy

 

Oh my word! These books are amazing! I'm tearing through book two at the moment and yes I've resorted to late nights, early mornings and highly anti-conversation tactics to read one more chapter. I can't believe I've never read them before. For my friends who have read them, why didn't you tell me how awesome they are. For my friends who have not read them, you simply must! And on that note I'm back to my book!

Drop me a comment, let me know you were here!

Testing testing 1, 2, 3

Welcome back nerf herders, shall we begin?

It's been a long long time so I'll not do a recap, I'll just add more detail to my posts when necessary. First things first I'm shuffling this blog a little. It's still going to be quite child/family (note no more baby!) orientated but I'm branching out. I'm gonna talk about general life with a now 4 year old, things I like and don't like, tips for living in a 1 bed apartment as a family of three, book reviews, complaints about lack of cake, cosplay stuff, crafty stuff, basically this is me. Reviewing my life and everything in it. How long before I forget to post regular updates? Place your bets now!

Festive Fashion Day 4

21 Days till Christmas!
Today we stayed in. We've painted, played and baked gingerbread men. The house even smells festive now.
Cosy cosy inside!
What Man Cub wore:

Tots Bots Easyfit [Starburst] & gNappy (gUniversity print)

• We  started today with painting, this requires either an old terry nappy with a cheapy wrap or a nappy that I'm less precious about. The tots bots were an absolute bargain from Tescos when they went inot clearance and the already massively range of colours hide all sorts of paint incidents. I certainly had a very groovy artist today! No other clothes were required, he paints in his pants alone.
• Once the painting was done we cracked onto proper clothes, and changed into the gUniversity set. I love stripes and the slightly lived in look that this nappy has is very much my style. With the matching t-shirt it looks even better.
• www.totsbots.co.uk for easyfits but this is an old version!
• Also a vintage print now, it's second hand hunt for this g nappy print!

gUniversity t-shirt (gNappies)

• Even without the matching nappy, this top is lovely. Man cub suits dark blue very well, but the grey breaks it up a bit so it's not so heavy. This set has washed better than any of my other gNappy sets, which is great because I think it's my favourite.
• A vintage set now, you may find one or two second hand.

Grey Baby Leg Warmers (Tiny Nippers)

• How does one complete an already matching set? With matching leg warmers of course! I have so many of these now but for the price and versatilty I can't fault them. They reduce the need for trousers around the house/outside in the summer/at playgroup and are an extra layer of warmth under trousers when it's cold out. These match the grey of the gNappy set perfectly and just finish the outfit off nicely.
• I can't see these particular ones on the website anymore but ther are loads of others ; www.tinynippers.co.uk

Brown suede slippers from Dotty Fish

• Non slip, cosy warm and very reasonably priced. I've recently just organised a co-op order amongst our baby group with these guys because we all love their shoes so much. These slippers are so lovely, they're our second pair as he grew out of the last ones. They weren't worn out at all, just a slightly different colour to when they started! I love these for around the house as they don't have the rigidity some kids indoor shoes seem to have. Lovely.
• http://dottyfish.com/

So that was today, we're heading out tomorrow so definitely more layers required!
See you tomorrow!

Festive Fashion Day 3

22 Days till Christmas!
Today we went to Winchester for some festive shopping & fun!
A bit chilly and windy
What Man Cub wore:

GNappies [go fish & globetrotter] & Bambino Mio miosolo [flying saucer]

• Great thing about cloth nappies? Colour co-ordination.See the picture above? Doesn't it all look beautifully blue together. No one we have seen today will appreciate that, but hopefully you will! Rule of thumb if you plain a day out, your toddler will use twice as many nappies as normal, especially if you're not close to home. Hence why we got through two gPants and a miosolo! 
• Let's talk g's. They're painfully cool and trendy, I love love love them! But happily, their values stretch beyond beauty, they really are super practical. Instead of changing the whole nappy at each change you can change just the cloth liner inside [ in theory...poonamis require a whole pouch change!] either way there's a lot less bulk in the bag which is always a plus! Did I mention I love how cool they look yet?! Our globetrooter actually has a cookie monster face on it too, it's not great but it's okay and looks awesome. Man cubs in gNappy's gTea promo video in it. Look adorable of course! These nappies will probably pop up on here a fair bit, just a heads up ;)
• Miosolo's were our first ever cloth nappy, so they have a special place in our hearts. Super simple, super easy but unfortunately not super absorbant. As with the tots bots, we have to boost these. It doesn't make unusable at all, just a little bulkier once the extra layers are in. I know my husband prefers using these over most of our others for sheer ease. We could do these nappies with our eyes closed!
• Gnappies info etc can be found here: www.gnappies.com but you'll have to trawl eBay/Facebook for the old prints, and be prepared to pay retro prices...
• Miosolos are so widely available now. We got ours from their website http://www.bambinomioshop.co.uk/ but they're available instores too! (Boots, kiddicare amongst others)

Little Blue Socks from Peacocks

• Sometimes I take the co-ordination thing too far, of course no one noticed his pants and socks were blue too! *sigh*
• These are part of the multipack yesterdays socks came from.

Man tights, from miniclub @ Boots

• So they're not really man tights, but they make pretty ace man cub tights. Today he was in the carrier (a lillebaby fyi) so he needed extra leg snuggliness. We went for blue and white stripeyness today, for obvious reasons. Whole day outside, in the cold yet no cold legs or feet. Win.
• Ours was purchased instore at Boots on the 3 for 2 but it's online too http://www.boots.com/en/Mini-Club-Girls-3-Pack-Tights_1357802/

Long Sleeve Vest suit, Light Blue from Tu @ Sainsburys

• 25% made these a fab price and they don't have any slogans or weird cartoon faces or anything on them. Plain old vests. We haven't used vests all summer (been flashing that fluffy nappy addiction!) so it's been a small battle to convince man cub to layer up. We've had to start using vests at night too and these are great for both day and night. Today was definitely a day for layers!
• These were bought instore, and there's actually a 25% off at the moment too! We'll be popping by to get the next size up!

Blue Cotton Trousers from Primark

• Occasionally economics overalls ethics with my shopping, these trousers are an example of this. He's growing so fast it's costing me a fortune to keep up so he's got some cheap trousers to fill the gap. These are a lovely shade of blue though, and super soft cotton, almost chino-esque. They're very forgiving to dirt and stains too, whcih when you have a toddler becomes a high priority. They're still a touch too long so are great for the carrier, then we roll them up a bit when he wants to walk. Happy faces all around.
• These were on clearance at Primark but I'm pretty sure they had similar cut and designs in different colours as current lines. Lovely and cheap!

White Sailor Shirt with blue trim

• These is another mama made shirt. It looked incredible in the summer with just a funky nappy and it's still a great layering a top. I think today was it's last outing though, his arms seem to have added about an inch since the summer. A great farewell to it though, now to find the pattern I made for it...
• Not available instores or online! My own design & craftmamaship

Blue winter Cardigan from F&F @ Tescos

• It has elbow patches and pretend leather buttons. That sums it up really doesn't it? It's lovely and chunky and looks quietly festive, less garish red more wintery blue. This was actually bought by my mother, but it is definitely well loved. I don't think it was too pricey but it's well worth it. It fits over a head without having to undo any buttons, if required which is always a benefit. And has not faded despite many washes. We find we're popping it with jeans/casual trousers etc. because it adds asmart casual feel to his outfit really easily.
• Bought instore at Tescos, couldn't find it on their website so you may have to forage in your local store!

Blue handknitted woolly hat

• Same as Sundays, the first one to hand this morning! Happened to match beautifully

Tiny, Red Nubuck Boys T-bar Shoes from Startrite

• Not a patch on his friends squeaker shoes today, but still sturdy and lovely, if a little filthy. I think he's almost grown out of these though so we're going to have to go shoe shopping soon!
• Still available on the start rite outlet site http://www.startriteshoes.com/outlet/boys/tiny-red-nubuck

*That* coat :) Blue Duffle Coat from John Lewis

• I really am going to squeeze every possible day of use out of this coat before he grows out of it. If I'm honest, I wish I had one for myself. I'll definitely be sale hunting for a bigger one to put away for next winter, it's wearing so well and is effortlessly classic.
• I bought this instore a lot earlier this year, there may be one or two floating around on eBay though.

A perfect outfit for Chritsmas market going in my opinion. He looked like a little angel! 
See you tomorrow!

Festive Fashion Day 2

23 Days till Christmas!
Today we stayed inside, put up two Christmas trees and had an advent clean up.
A bit chilly still
What Man Cub wore:

Tots Bots Easyfit Dinosaurs & Bamboozle with Red wrap

• So dinosaurs aren't strictly festive but I love dinosaurs and I love frugi, it's only natural we bought this print! That's my downfall with the cloth nappies you see, the gorgeous prints and colours! The slightly OCD part of me often matches to man cub's clothes too, even when no ones going to see! As with the festive tots bots we have to boost this nappy or it just doesn't work for us. Such a shame as it's so cool! The bamboozle however is so reliable it needs no help. It's not the trimmest or the prettiest but it does the job and it does the job well. Lovely red wrap to turn up the festive notes!
• I bought these from http://www.fluffheaven.com/ a little while back but they're pretty widely available

Little Grey Socks, Peacocks

• Socks with grippers on the bottom. Best invention ever. They're plain and boring but they keep those tiny toes warm!
• I bought these instore locally, as part of multipack of 5.

Robeez Peter Penguin boots

• I cannot express how much I love these boots! Warm and cosy and leather so they're non slip too. Man cub is a new walker so is still quite wobbly on his own but has no problems in these. The husband loves penguins so they were of course a hit with him. I hope these last forever because they are just so lovely, and the quality feels as if they will! The only downside is that man cub can easily remove them himself, but he then sits there hugging them close so the cuteness overtakes the frustration!
• Mine were a clearance find instore at t.k.maxx and well worth every penny!

Red long sleeved vest from Tesco

• These were dull so I sewed sesame street appliques onto them. This one is of course, Elmo. A super easy way to jazz up a cheap, plain vest. Because we're rocked applix [velcro] fastening nappies today a vest with poppers is very necessary. If you have a toddler you'll understand.
• Another instore buy (I do like to buy things in person!) from our local gigantic Tescos

Hand knitted white trousers

• Why do I love winter? Tiny baby hand knits of course! These are one of a few pairs of knitted trousers man cub has, these are the cheapy ones and being pure white as well they don't go outside much. Lovely and warm for mooching around the house though. Being wool they breathe too, so he won't overheat as the house temperature fluctuates.
• These came from a Christmas market in Didcot last year, hand made by a lovely lady.

Hand knitted brown Linda jumper

• Starting to see a trend? :) This jumper is brand new! Hand made by the lovely Linda at Church, where a lot of our jumpers come from. Saw this at the Christmas fete on Saturday and feel in love. It's such a mini man jumper and the colours just perfect. Man cub's still wearing it despite being fast asleep so I can only assume he's a fan too!
• Purchased from the Church fete

 

So that's todays outfit! Practically cute!

See you tomorrow!

Festive Fashion Day 1

24 Days till Christmas!
Today we went to Church, the shops and to a little housewarming.
A bit chilly but nice and dry.
What Man Cub wore:

Tots Bots Gingerbread print & then reindeer print nappy [previous season's prints no longer available]

• We love these nappies because they are so so festive! Great fit but need boosting to last long enough to be practicle! Favourite of the two is definitely the reindeer print one. We bought both of these second hand, and that's the only place you'll find them now and be warned the prices are creeping up as they become rarer!
• Check out more at www.totsbots.co.uk they've been winning awards and everything!

Stripey red tights from Miniclub @ Boots

• It's a cold country in the winter time, yet it is almost impossible to find tights that are boy proof. These are great, they came as a pack of 3 for £9 this pair, a navy pair and another stripey pair. They keep Man cub's legs nice and toasty and not a fleck of pink in sight.
• We bought ours instore at Boots, on a 3 for 2 offer but they are online too: http://www.boots.com/en/Mini-Club-Girls-3-Pack-Tights_1357802/

Red Christmas Knitted All in One from Miniclub @ Boots

•  I was devastated when I saw they only did this up to 12 months, but it's so generously sized Man Cub just fits into a 9-12 month size! It's so soft and the robin's aren't far off space invaders (probably unintentional) which adds to it's coolness. There are buttons across the crotch and at the neck, so it's easy to take off over the head or a straight drop down. Great for comfy play and looking smart without the effort!
• Again, ours was purchased instore at Boots on the 3 for 2 but it's online too http://www.boots.com/en/Mini-Club-Baby-Christmas-Knitted-All-In-One_1359418/

Tiny, Red Nubuck Boys T-bar Shoes from Startrite

• Controversially I bought beautiful red shoes for my little man cub. I love them, he loves them and they have lasted so so well. They're last seasons now, so only available through outlets and second hand. They say for pre walkers but we love them because they are flexible enough to give more of a barefoot experience whilst protecting his little feet from the outside. We've walked miles in ours and they're still in great condition! We'll definitely be sticking with start rite going forward.
• Still available on the start rite outlet site http://www.startriteshoes.com/outlet/boys/tiny-red-nubuck

Blue Duffle Coat from John Lewis

• My best bargain find from last winter, a lovely woolen duffle coat, fleece lined with paddington bear buttons and everything! I've bene looking forward to it being cold enough for man cub to wear it! It's unnecessarily smart (but anyone who knows me knows I love taht on my boy) but so lovely and warm. Problem is, it makes man cub look so mischeivous, there's jsut too much cuteness for him not to be up to something. 
• I bought this instore a lot earlier this year, there may be one or two floating around on eBay though.

Blue handknitted woolly hat

• Entirely necessary in this weather, this one is a purchase from the local craft market bought out of an urgency for a hat! None of his other hats go with todys outfit at all,but this one's not a million miles off!

So that's our man cub fashion today! I think he looked adorable, and the knitted all in one was a massive hit at Church!
See you tomorrow

Pants, Poo and Procrastination.

I haven't blogged in a very long time. If you have a toddler you may understand why... But luckily for me, Strictly Come Dancing is on so the world could literally collapse around him and he wouldn't notice! My Man Cub has grown:

Isn't he lovely :) I am, of course, biased but he is a bit adorable. Too much has passed since my last blog so I'll start fresh [ish]. We'll talk about pants, and my slightly obsessive collection of nappies. We'll probably talk about poo. It turns up a lot in conversation these days. Mocking single/non-parenting friends you'll see, just wait.
Just a brief check in today, all being well I'll check in more often!

World Breastfeeding week 2012 - Our Breast feeding experience

The photo above is of me, at a matter of minutes old doing the most natural thing possible and thanks to what my mother learnt from her own breastfeeding journey and the support and advice she could pass on we're reached month 5 of exclusively breastfeeding Alfred and have the confidence to continue.  If it wasn't for my mother, telling me to follow my instincts and stick at it, I'm not sure we'd have made it this far so thank you mum, Alfred and I owe you big time.
The photo below is also of me, with my son only minutes old doing what generations going back as far as time itself have done.

 As natural as breast feeding is, I now realise it's as much a skill that has to be learnt as every other aspect of parenting. In ante-natal classes you're told how it all just falls into place and told about a video of a newborn crawling to get up to the breast. No one tells you it's actually quite frustrating, both Alfred and I had to learn how to breast feed. It sounds daft, learning how to feed, but it is hard work in the first few days. Initially Alfred could latch on, and could suckle but not together and despite trying different placements, it was upsetting to struggle so much. They also didn't tell us how tired he would be after birth, he was born in a birthing pool naturally after about 8 hours of labour. He was breathing fine but didn't cry (cue influx of doctors) was loving the cuddles but just wanted to sleep. Eventually the midwife got us to express and fed Alfred with a syringe. I had major mixed feelings at that stage, happiness that at least he'd eaten and was settled down, but also complete and utter terror that we may not be able to feed as we'd intended. When he woke up at about 4 a.m. and still wasn't feeding properly my heart sank, and after getting no real help at the hospital I was on the verge of devastated. Luckily I had my mum on hand to re assure and re position him so he could feed.
Over the next few days we spent a lot time perfecting it, my darling husband even took pictures of our most successful latch ons for "reference purposes" if we were struggling. My husband was fantastic throughout, supportive and understanding he knew when to leave us to work things out, kept us supplied with drinks and snacks and was just there. He only offered the breast pump once during a difficult feed, I think he got the hint...
A combination of events with the midwife meant that I was left feeling like an absolute failure by her on more tan one occasion, I vividly remember one of the early days sitting in floods of tears wondering if I was doing the right thing sticking with breast feeding, my mother told me how well I was doing, told me to stick at it and I'm so glad I did. At 5 months my little man cub has only had one mild cold, has beautiful skin, is developing perfectly, is active and hitting milestones. We have an enviable close bond, perhaps because he know every time he's a bit upset because he's hungry he's guaranteed close individual mummy attention. I will probably be breast feeding him for the next 7 months, for the knowledge of the benefits it carries, for the bond it builds and of course for the post feed, milk "drunk" cuddles;

Breast feeding has awarded me with such confidence now I've got the hang of it, I've fed him in so many places when before having him I thought I'd be too nervous to feed him anywhere. My husband finds it a beautiful thing, me feeding our son, so there are actually quite a few photos of feeding in strange and wonderful places.
Some of my favourites are below, thanks for reading and if you ever doubt your ability as a mama to nourish your baby, trust your instincts, and your own mama!

Post feed at Whipsnade view, by the penguins. Excellent view.

 At Truck (music festival) hardly anyone noticed that we were actually feeding Alfred! Loved the mama smiles you get from ladies who have babies

 I didn't know this picture had been taken until I uploaded my camera! This is on a steam train at Didcot Railway Centre, takes about 4 consecutive rounds trips to feed a hungry man cub.

At our NCT group, it's lovely to be in a room where no matter how you feed your baby you can feed them without judgement. Alfred has a tendency to get Boob envy though, so has to directed away from our breast feeding mamas!









(this was inspired by another blog, http://ht.ly/cJ1J1 , pop by and have a look)

Baby Rockstars are high maintenance

Man Cub is definitely developing his own personality right now and it's quite fascinating to watch. He's quite chilled out overall taking in everything around him. Everywhere he go he likes to look, and from the height of the Moby he gets a pretty good view of everything. Buses in particular are amazing, napping on buses is now out of the question as there is just too much to see, he does however go out like a light when we get off the bus. He's babbling away non stop at home, talking to his toys, the cats, his books and us but as soon as we are out it's like he's in "study-mode" and is just too busy watching to chat. I'm curious to see just how much of his world he is taking in, as he doesn't seem to be a passive observer type. He's already recognising certain people, other than family, and seems to find them in rooms at playgroups. There are two friends that go to more than one playgroup with us each week, and we often go swimming together, he seems to notice them over everyone else in the room. He's developing a musical taste too (very important in our house) and it's funny how that's growing. Classical music seems to be a hit, but seeing as how he's had that in the background since forever I'm not terribly surprised. Today we discovered that Weezer hits the spot, and lullabies in the car actually send him to sleep. Win. It doesn't detract from the fact that his favourite song is "B is for Boobie" sung to the tune of "C is for Cookie" from Sesame Street. He's a rock star like that.
We're enjoying watching our little man become his own little person but it's with a pinch of sadness too, it already feels like he's growing up too fast and he's only 5 months!! At least he's growing up lovely, calm, happy and sociable (and a fan of Iron Maiden!!).

Pigeonholing Parents, or how we fell into Natural Parenting

This is my happy, healthy babby. In 5 months he has changed 80% of my views on how I thought I would want to parent and has shown me a new way of raising a child. A lot of media channels have done biased articles on attachment parenting recently, which has led to quite a few hurtful comments at us when we're out. I don't pigeon hole, I don't think it's fair and personally I think that how a family raises a child is up to them.

We decide to try a bit of everything and work out what's best for us which, for the foreseeable future, means that my little man is exclusively breastfed. Formula just wasn't an option for us, I was determined to Breast Feed and fought hard to get it to work. I found it quite hard to bond with Alfred at first, even convinced myself that he didn't like me and if I wasn't feeding him then he wouldn't want to know me. This sounds ridiculous now but I'm sure many mother swill understand where those feelings came from. Being able to feed him myself helped alot, for a lot of the day we are sat down together sharing something that no one else has and learning that we need each other. I'll admit I grimace when he clamps and twists, but watching his little feet fidget as he nods off at the end of his feeds is something magical. He's still exclusively breastfed, despite my midwife at 10 days telling me I should feed him formula so that he put on weight faster. He's developing quite nicely at his own speed and certainly seems to be thriving on boobie milk.

 Hopefully he'll be good on just milk until 6 months, he certainly isn't ready for food yet. I suppose the approach we're going to take for his food falls mostly into the baby led weaning category but once again I despise the fact that you have to pick one style and label yourself. We're going to follow the Alfred method of weaning. He's interested in food, but he's been interested in food since about 10 weeks. If you offer him food he'll take it, drool on it, taste it then get stuck unsure of what to do with it. There's no attempt to bite or suck food, so I'm quite sure he's not ready yet. Ideally he'll be able to sit up mostly unaided before we start solids, so he can sit at table and swallow his food safely. He's so close with sitting, but 10 seconds and he's over like a drunk trapeze artist. He'll share what's on our plates when we're out, get an adjusted version of our meals at home and have boobie milk in between. There are even packages of frozen milk in the freezer for baby rice / porridge when the time comes. I haven't the patience to puree everything, nor do I think it is the way I want him to learn about food. I appreciate it works for some people, but everyone's different.

The main point of difference seems to be the way in which Alfred is transported around town. We have pushchairs and they are sometime very practical and useful, but 90% of the time it's easier in the Moby. We've already convinced at least one friend on their brilliance and she now too has a happy carried baby. The term "babywearing" is everywhere right now, it's a trend apparently. Mothers have been carrying their babies since time began but it's a new fashion... go figure. I have only ever seen two other people with Moby wraps (before the convincing of friend), one of whom is a friend from an NCT group and the other was a lady just strolling round town. Everyone else seems to have argos' latest wheels. We don't use the wrap to lord our views over everyone, we use it because it's a nightmare travelling on the buses near us with a pushchair, Alfred likes to be close and doesn't like being in the pushchair for any great length of time and I feel it's safer with him upclose when we're somewhere busy or new. Why oh why we get "look it's one of them attachment parenting things" baffles me. I choose not to judge other people's choice on how they parent so we should be mocked? If only they could see whats catching Alfreds poop!

We are cloth bum converts. I'll admit I walked away from the Baby Show last October poo-poohing the idea of cloth nappies. Turns out the over engineered fiddley things that daunted us there just weren't right for us. We used disposables for the first two months, if only to get through all the cheap / free packs we'd acquired whilst pregnant. Then we saw a trial offer for miosolos, essentially they were free you just paid p&p. We gave it a go and haven't looked back. Turns out pocket nappies / all in ones work best for us in the day time (including the darling Spiderman one modelled above) and two parters with wraps work best overnight.We still use disposables now and again but they're a dying breed in out house in favour of cloth, turns out it's much easier for us, more economical (all our nappies are birth -potty) and miles better for Alfred's skin. No nappy rash since switching is enough for me. Which is good because my boy is still predominantly chemical free.

I am actually proud of the fact that at 5 months the infacol and calpol are still sealed in the cupboard. This boy is disgustingly healthy and touch wood is doing well without artificial junk. All of the lotions and potions that go on him are natural, his skin has been perfect since birth and he always smells lush. There is not even a hint of dry skin on him and the cradle cap is pretty much non-existent (thank you Burts Bees!). I wouldn't have thought this would be the way we would parent, wouldn't have guessed the crib would go largely unused as we shared a bed as a family. Ever since we started co-sleeping Alfred's slept right through, if we need to check on him in the nigh he's right there, if he needs feeding we're right there and there is nothing more lovely than your alarm clock being replaced by a tiny hand stroking your face until you wake up.

We parent naturally, choosing what feels natural to us regardless of what "trend" it falls into. And to all the people who sneer at us, check out my happy calm baby and leave us alone.

Our Brush with the 'lympics

We live in a London Borough, and as such we have a very particular view of the Olympics. Anyone who knows us will be aware we are not sporting types, the only games we participate in are video games and even they've taken a back burner right now. The fact that all the regeneration of sports facilities has meant the most inaccessible of our "local" pools got a revamp, whilst our actual local and perfectly adequate pool closed down is a bone of contention with me. Along with the "don't travel into London unless you absolutely have to" ... Londoners live here too ya know! And we're not all going to the games. Nonetheless Alfred's year of Birth is full of excitement and patriotism so we went to see the torch pass through our local area. The buzz and the atmosphere was overwhelming and quite fun. The torch itself was so brief it was barely worth the effort. Due to a 20 minute corporate stop-over it literally raced past, blink and you'd have missed it. But he can say he was there with his mama and his friends and he fell asleep. Yes, asleep. In amidst all the drums and whistles, and shouting and cheering Alfred fell asleep. He woke up when we got to the park afterwards though. Happy 'lmpics Alfred, you were there!

The birth of festival mama

For the last four years I've spent a July weekend in a field in Oxfordshire at Truck Festival , this year was to be no exception, despite our new addition. I think Alfred had more stuff than me and the mister combined but I decided I was taking no chances so took tonnes of clothes, blankets, toys and so so many nappies. Naturally he stayed clean all weekend so half the clothes didn't get used, the whole sha-bang was massively exciting so the toys were unnecessary blankets and nappies definitely got used though!
We left early on the Friday (after Alf's 5 a.m. feed) and he managed to fall asleep within minutes of being put in the car which was nice, just wish I could have switched off as easily ... Got to the in laws at about 7 (nice rush hour dodging by the OH) which gave us enough time for breakfast, rallying the troops and a guilt trip from the mother in law. I appreciate she doesn't see Alfred very much but it's really starting to get to me that I have to endure the "someone-sat-on-my-cute-fluffy-puppy-and-splurted-its-guts-everywhere" look. But anyway, I digress, we were one of the first lots to set up as we arrived at hlaf nine and were designated to the campervan section, which lies just outside the main camping field. This has always worked perfectly for us all,because although we love a festival, a beer or two or three and a late night, we also like to sleep. For this reason we take the trailer tent. I love the trailer tent, wholeheartedly. See below;

So yeah, you lot all enjoy your cold flimsy pop up festival tents and we'll chillax in our double beds with mattresses and eat our mahusive breakfasts made on propers hobs and grills :oD It makes camping with man cub dead easy too. I wasn't drinking this year, not too different from last, haven't really missed it or felt a need for it and quite happily my man cub comes first. OH was, so we took a bed each (we co-sleep with man cub and merry papas don't work well sharing with tiny man cubs). Fully expecting Alfred to mess up we were very tentative with everything but as it turns out he loved it, he adapted well to wearing ear defenders and being around strange smells and people. He slept through Tim Minchin's set quite peacefully! Completely contrary to what we expected, at 8 p.m. he just fell asleep in the sling and when I took him back to the tent at 11 he didn't even wake up as I got him changed and cosied up for bed. Friday night was COLD. I had visions of my MIL up panicking about the baby, who by the way was so toasty. Admittedly in the morning he needed some clever unwrapping from all of the blankets but this clever mama kept him at the right temperature all night :oD Of which I am quite proud! And thank you cloth nappies for no elaks on the trailer tent mattress!

Saturday was lovely and chilled out, being the responsible parents that we are, Alfred started the chilly morning in a nice cosy pram suit ...

 

I hadn't anticipated quite how much attention a 4 month old in a Tigger suit sttracts, apparently he was quite adorable. Saturday was a scorcher, all that surprise sunshine hit us like a brick between the eyes! Alfred napped under a muslin most of the day (highly effective sunscreen in combination with shade and hat) and as such was the only non burnt group member by the end of it all! He loved the music, and the balloon we acquired and all the people. Me, I love being able to lie down and breastfeed in public, theres certain freedoms being a field offers. Once again bedtime was a dream, I stayed long enough to British Sea Power then took a very sleepy man cub to bed. Despite the fact that we were in a tent he slept throuh till 7.30!! Turns out those blackout things would have a waste of money.

Overall we had a fantastic time, Tim Minchin was my favourite but also really enjoyed Gabriel Minnikin, Federation of the Disco Pimp, Clock Opera and the Villagers. Saturday highlights were Yellow Fever, Black Hats, The Low Anthem and of course British Sea Power. It was so easy to enjoy it with a little man cub and we're 100% back next year. Thank you Truck Festival!

Playgroups and Prizes

So we got back from our favourite playgroup this morning (last one for the summer :o( ) to find a little "we've left your parcel with your neighbours" card. I was hoping it was my new trainers as my current ones are a bit too slummy mummy now, but it wasn't it was from huggies. We now have free toilet rolls, nappies, tissues, baby wipes, andrex washlets, kleenex facial wipes, cars & disney stickers, fluffy andrex puppy, fluffy piglet toy, apron bib (weaning here we come), baby biscotti (with a very useful long date on them), bath toys and baby hair & body wash, phew.I'd almost forgotten that I'd entered the competition on twitter a little while back but boy am I glad I entered! Above are the entire contents of our goodie box (baby not included...)  and what's in the mystery blue box....?

A lovely hayfever rescue kit, ideal considering we've got a music festival next week and I'm not allowed to take my normal super-strength hayfever pills (breast feeding my baby is muchos more important). This has actually helped make this morning an overall positive experience. After two days stuck at home we've had a lovely peaceful time at playgroup, a box full of freebies and a snippet of sunshine. Life is good. Now we just need to win enough cash on the lottery to get that house up and the road and take our minds of OH's impending redundancy. Wish us luck!

My tiny cowboy!

Today I feel I have acheived awesomeness. Having a baby has re ignited my passion for sewing, it started with embroidery as I made blankets and hats for him before he was born. Lead onto the awesome cross-stitch samplers that were finished after he was born so as not to jinx anything and has now culminated in creating whole outfits for the little blighter!! I touched on costume making for MCM, but to be honest that was just a basic alteration of a baby carrier and shop bought yellow clothes, what you see above is a full on mummy-made cowboy outfit. I didn't make the jeans though, we have so many trousers it would have been a waste to make a pair just for the sake of it. I started with the shirt the other day which, I can very proudly say, only took 3 hours from start to finish. It was so simple I'm going to make him some more shirts for day to day wear as he looks adorable in them! I found a simple pattern online and because he's just a wee babby found a piece of brown gingham check in the remnants box at the fabric store that was big enough to do the whole piece, with some left over. Why do I love the remnants box? Because at 50p a piece it means I can go all out and make a full blown cowboy outfit including cowprint waistcoat (yep, remnants box again :o) ) which took me an impressive half hour just adapting the shirt pattern pieces.
Then came the hat. I am so proud of my hour to make cowboy hat! It has pipecleaners in the brim so it can be bent into a cowboy shape, but because it is all felt it's nice and lightweight, definite bonus with a boy who is not too sure about things on his head. The longest part of it was seam stitching by hand, but I think it's well worth it! When I went to try the whole ensemble on Alfred there was very nearly a drool related incident so, after raiding the stash, he had a red & white fleecey lined dribble bib to save the shirt. Goes quite nicely I think. You can't see them in the picture but there are felt cowboy boots, far from perfect but perfectly cute and adequate for a baby who can't even crawl yet!

This is primarily in aid of a friends 4th of July party, but also largely to satiate my love of costume making. So, if you read this post your review below. I think I've done quite well and armed with a stack of patterns ready to go I think my little 'uns gonna look rocking this summer!

I'm no expert and nor are you!

It's always been important to us that Man Cub learns to enjoy or at least tolerate days out, especially in Central London. There's such a wealth of fantastic (and free) things to see and do, all within easy reach of where we live that it would be a waste to never take him into town. Personally, I think we're doing pretty darn well. He's been into central London quite a few times now, twice in the last week! We started him off on Grand Designs Live and MCM ComicCon in May, both of which went down really well despite them being quite busy and quite long tube journeys.
Last Saturday was the City of London's 'Celebrate the City' event which was brilliant, predominantly free and open access to a lot of places you would normally bypass. We visited the market outside the Guildhall, via the Cheapside Fayre of course, where Alfred got absurdly excited about the blacksmiths who had street furnaces and were demonstating their skills very well. The market itself was worth the journey alone, free ice cream, bargain fruit from Kent and other people with their babies in slings!! It sounds mediocre but where we live we get nothing but strange looks and snide comments about the fact I carry my baby. I do of course then sit smugly as those looking at me with such disdain cannot board the first, second or third bus they need because there is no space or are struggling to get through shops and along busy pavements, we stroll past with our Moby all snug and hands-free and a million times more portable! It's sad that it's only in central London we see other baby carriers, even then I've never seen another Moby lots of Asian mothers with Mei Tai carriers and more Baby Bjorn carriers than you could shake a stick at, so maybe we're still a minority. Carrying Alfred on Saturday meant that we were able to get around the Clockamkers museum and the Guildhall Library, where we saw Shakespeare's First Folio and his genuine signature. We also breezed around the amphitheatre underneath the Guildhall Art Gallery and marvelled at John Singleton Copely's
'The Defeat of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar, September 1782' which is giant and beautiful. We also got to go through the Founders Company Exhibition at St Lawrence Jewry, which is single handly the msot beautiful place I have fed Alfred so far, I wish everywhere we stopped for food had such a glorious things to look at! What was even nicer here is that the vicar came up and asked if we needed anything and offered to find a space to change Alfred if I needed to. It's little kindnesses like that that make the day better! The best bit of the day was the tour of St. Brides' Church, Crypt and Charnel house, perhaps the strangest place Alfred's ever eaten. All in all everyone had a good day, especially Alfred.
Yesterday my Dad and I went up to London for an Auction and general wander. This is where someone announced, quite loudly as I got off the train, how unwise it is to bring a baby into London. Is it? Is it really? We always get on at the end of the line so we're seated, he's always in his sling so we don't take up any extra space and he's effectively harnessed the entire time, in any case he thrives off the attention and adores watching the world zoom past. So why exactly is it unwise to restrict my child's access to the capital? Should I wait until he is older and all the loud noises and smells are strange and scary? Perhaps I should only let him see things in books or on TV? I don't think so, Alfred loved the National Gallery yesterday, thank you Titians exhibition curator!, and cleary enjoyed it more than he does looking at pictures in books. He's four months old and has already seen Buckingham Palace, fabulous hidden city gems, artworks by Van Gogh, Monet and some of the most famous renaissaince art works in this country. So no, badly dressed office worker lady, it not unwise to bring a baby into London. It is stimulating, educational and fun and keep an eye out because we'll being doing it a whole lot more!!