TODDLER AUTUMN CLOTHES HAUL // ASDA GEORGE, MATALAN, DEBENHAMS & MORE.

My eldest daughter Emilia is soon approaching the big '2 Years Old' so we've been building up her 2-3 years wardrobe. We usually stick to Asda George, Matalan and Primark for things like leggings, multi packs of tops and pyjamas, then branch out to Next and Zara for shoes, jeggings/jeans, jumpers and jackets. The quality of children's clothes from Asda, Matalan and Primark is really great, and they all have amazing value for money and are very current and stylish.

1. Matalan £6, 2. Matalan £6. 3 & 4. Asda George £7

5. Matalan £5, 6.Matalan £6, 7. Matalan £6, 8 & 9. Asda George

10. Matalan £9

11. Asda George (Can't find link)

12. Asda George (multipack) £7

4 MONTH UPDATE & FUTURE GOALS.

It's been a few months since I last did a blog post... I thought about writing one a few times but I was in such a rut - hopefully now I'm out of it. So, Olivia has just turned 4 months old and Emilia 19 months; time is definitely flying. I'm still breastfeeding Olivia, I'm also trying to pump so she gets used to the bottle as I'm not sure how long I'm going to keep breastfeeding even though I love the bond it's given us. Olivia moved into her room yesterday as she's outgrown her big Moses basket (long legs like her daddy); she slept quite well considering it was her first night. She's definitely found her voice now and wriggles everywhere, she's got such strong legs! Olivia is 14lbs now and putting on weight steadily, despite her silent reflux which she's on Gaviscon Infant for. I know some people choose to start early but we have no plans to wean her any time soon, I think when the time comes we will be doing BLW.

5 TOP TIPS FOR SURVIVING 2 UNDER 2.

I'm in no way an expert at parenting. I learn through my experiences and wanted to share my go-to tips to keep me from going insane. They may be absolutely basic and obvious but hopefully they will be helpful!

1. Try not to stress A.K.A. take each moment as it comes.

For example, if child #1 is having a tantrum (but they're totally safe) and number child #2 has just puked everywhere or had a nappy explosion, take a breath, be calm and prioritise. Babies and children can pick up on stress and anxiety so just tackle the worst thing first (maybe whilst singing a crazy song to child #2 haha) then tackle the next thing. It really is all about prioritising. It's easier said than done but there is no point stressing because you're probably going to go through more disgusting and eventful experiences throughout your childrens' life!

2. PLAN, PLAN, PLAN.

If you have somewhere to be, whether it's immediately, in a few hours or in the next few days, make sure you plan it all out. Have a changing bag ready with spare clothes, nappies for both kids, wipes, snacks, drinks, favourite toys, etc. Pick out clothes and have them ready in their rooms along with socks, shoes and coats. Plan out your own outfits and toiletries that you'll be using, make-up and jewelry (for those lucky mothers who have the motivation to look presentable!). When it comes to meals, make them ahead of time, freeze them and reheat them on the day you need them. Prep your breakfast, lunch and dinner so you have no excuses for missing meals due to being tired or busy.

ONE MONTH UPDATE // C-SECTION, BABY GIRL AND LIFE WITH 2 UNDER 2.

Welcome to the world Olivia Rose Green, born on April 9th at 12:23pm, weighing 8lbs7oz.

Hi everyone, had a bit of a break these past few weeks... The end of my pregnancy wasn't too great, I was really uncomfortable and lacked motivation to do much, then of course I had my baby girl! It's been quite hectic but I'm now starting to get into a bit of a routine. Things were a bit different this time seeing as I had an elective cesarean section rather than emergency - I wasn't as exhausted, I had time to plan and I knew what to expect pain-wise. It kind of worked against me at the same time though because I was so awake that I experienced everything; at least last time I was so out of it that I didn't really feel how scary it was. This time it went a lot better and it was calmer and more positive but it was still quite traumatic, I didn't really think about how much of it I would feel (the tugging and moving, not actual pain); I don't regret my decision one bit though.

I'm not going to go into details about my c-section in this post, I'll probably make a separate one for it/I'm still not sure how to word it. My stay at the hospital wasn't too great, I wanted to go home straight away; I felt so positive straight after my surgery and knew that staying in a noisy, unfamiliar postnatal ward would make me miserable. I didn't sleep much during my 2-day stay which isn't surprising, however Olivia basically slept the entire time, she was an absolute angel. I chose to breastfeed her and she took to it straight away, she now weighs about 10lbs 4oz at 5 weeks old so she seems to be responding well to the breast milk! When Olivia was a few days old the midwives/health visitors noticed that she was slightly jaundice and said that it was because of breastfeeding and that it would pass out of her system soon (usually takes 1-2 weeks max), however after blood and urine tests, the doctors found out that she has a urine infection and that its stopping her jaundice from going away. She's been on antibiotics for the past week and we're waiting for the results to come back, fingers crossed they'll come back fine and her jaundice will go away. It's been a stressful few weeks but it'll all be over soon hopefully.

WHAT'S IN MY BABY'S HOSPITAL BAG?

This is the bag that I bought to hold my baby's things for the hospital. It's quite spacious, seems very sturdy and I love the design of it - the shoulder strap makes for easy carrying. Plus it was only £8 from Primark.

Inside: 9 sleepsuits and 9 vests (I packed thinking I'd be staying for 3 days), 3 muslin cloths, 1 fleece blanket, a swaddle pod (£10 from Amazon, I remember stressing out so much about swaddling Emilia in hospital), 2 pairs of socks and a hat.

WHAT MY TODDLER EATS // BREAKFAST EDITION.

Hi lovelies, thought I'd continue the trend of this 'What my toddler eats' series, even though I did it slightly backwards ha ha! It's been pretty hard to find a variety of foods that Emilia will eat that will fill her up and give her energy, so we mainly stick to carby foods with added protein. She feeds herself her breakfast so we give her food that's easy to chew and not to crumbly.

buttered scotch pancakes (usually cut into quarters) with chopped banana and blueberries.

32 WEEK PREGNANCY UPDATE BABY #2

How far along: I'm in my 32nd week of pregnancy

Due date: 9th April 2015

How many days left: 53 days!!!

Maternity clothes: Mainly wearing maternity jeans, maternity leggings, tights with dresses and long stretchy tops!

Stretch marks: The ones on my sides from my previous pregnancy are fading but I have a few new ones on the front of my belly.

Sleep: Sleeping pretty well at the moment, Emilia's sleeping through the night still, so the only time I wake up is due to uncomfortable belly or achy ankles.

Best moment this week: Our day at Chester Zoo as a family!

Movement: Baby girl is constantly moving, kicking and poking her little hands out, very different movements than in my last pregnancy.

WHAT MY TODDLER EATS // LUNCHTIME EDITION.

I've seen a few mummy bloggers do one of these posts so thought I'd join in as I'm always interested to see what other toddlers are eating. Emilia's never really been fussy with her food - she pretty much eats anything but we keep it healthy. Emilia's meals are pretty balanced but one thing I've been struggling with is protein for her, she gets her protein from her dinner mainly (unless she has some peanut butter on toast with one of her meals); a lot of the time we buy meat for her but it just gets wasted. This example is pretty standard for Emilia, it's what she usually has each day with a few alterations here and there, and she'll eat all of it. This may seem like a lot to some people and it may seem like not much to others but she's gaining weight steadily and healthily and she's a very happy little eater!

WHAT'S IN MY TODDLER'S CHANGING BAG? // FEAT. BABYMEL CARA.

This is the Babymel Cara bag, purchased for £58 at Mothercare. This was probably the second or third changing bag that I've bought and I LOVE it - I'm going to try and keep it, even with the second baby as it is very spacious compared to other changing bags. Its dimensions are 31cm x 45cm x 15.5cm, which after doing my research I discovered is bigger than most changing bags that are designed for 2 babies, let alone 1. It has 2 separate compartments for nappies and a zipped section for things like keys and things you'd want to keep safe, the bag also has 2 exterior side pockets and a large front pocket. It comes with a bottle warmer (I personally didn't use it as Emilia was breastfed for 10 months and preferred cold milk after that) and a matching changing mat.

EMILIA'S WINTER WARDROBE.

It's that time again! I'd say this post is a kind of 'toddler-clothing seasonal favourites' and by toddler favourites I of course mean 'mummy favourites' haha. These clothing items are all extremely affordable and cute and can be mixed and matched, as you'll see I have done. Emilia is 13 months but is still fitting snugly in her 9-12 months clothes, I'm thinking they'll probably fit her for a while yet. Anyway, lets get on to the clothing!

floral long-sleeved dress £4 Asda, stripe and floral long-sleeved dress £4 Asda.

pink bunny jumper £8.99 Zara, blue floral Minnie jumper £5-6 Primark

EMILIA'S PLAYPEN.

We recently purchased the 'BabyDan Configure Gate XXL Black' from Safetots. We previously had the Infantastic playpen which we're keeping for when we travel and for when Emilia stays at her grandparents' house. We decided to get a bigger and sturdier playpen as Emilia is walking now and has quite a lot of toys. I wanted to be able to keep an eye on her and for her to play happily and safely whilst I'll be caring for the new baby. I believe this type of playpen was well priced (£89.99) and I'm extremely happy with our choice. 

(This is the old playpen, which has served it's purpose and would probably have stayed as her playpen if we weren't having another baby)

LIFE UPDATE.

Seeing as it's a new year I've decided to try and blog more often - this will be my creative outlet aside from my life as a soon to be mother of 2 under 2 years old. Though I'll be writing about my lovely children, I'll also be doing lifestyle, fashion and beauty posts. First up is a life update, just to put things in perspective. 

So, my daughter Emilia is about to turn 1 on January 12th. We want to make it a special event even though she won't remember it, so we're inviting our parents, close family and my best friend to my mums' house for a little tea party. It's going to be pink themed (typical, i know) as Emilia loves Minnie Mouse; I'm hoping that she'll like seeing the banners and balloons and bright colours. She's going to be given so much attention by our family and friends, she'll be completely in her element. I just wish she had baby friends.. Of course she'll have her little sister when she's born but I think this year we're going to make more of an effort to introduce Emilia and baby O to some other children so they can get used to child interaction before they go off to nursery (sob!!). We're going to take lots of pictures at Emilia's party so we can put them in a giant scrap book and show her when she's older, I'll hopefully do a post about it too.

EMILIA'S AUTUMN WARDROBE.

Seeing as my darling daughter has just started wearing 9-12 month clothes I thought it was time she had some new, weather-appropriate clothes. She's a lot more active now and she enjoys going on walks (in her pushchair, haha) and she loves going to the park and going on the baby swings, so it's about time she got some cute, warm clothes!

Right now I'm loving the selection of baby girl clothes in Primark, the pink sweater with the navy polkadot elbow pads was from there and was around £6, very impressed with the quality and durability of this item. The grey socks were part of a pack of 4 or 5 and are from Next and were £5, they are perfect as they are super soft and stay on baby's feet thanks to the roll-top. The faux fur hooded gilet was also from Next, I believe it was around £15, here is one similar. These trusty denim-style jeggings were from Matalan, they were £5 and I find them so easy to pair with anything!