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.

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'S IN MY C-SECTION HOSPITAL BAG?

This is my hospital bag, I'm pretty sure it's from Avon, it was a gift so I'm not sure how much it cost. It very spacious and I use it anytime we go away - it's got a lot of compartments and it's very lightweight. Oh, and it's pink!

Inside: Belvita breakfast biscuits (I live off these!!), Go Ahead bars, Twinings Peppermint tea (good for easing pains and indigestion after c-sections), 40 pack of breast pads, pack of Pampers New Baby nappies (couldn't fit in baby's bag), Always night sanitary towels, toiletries bag & make-up bag (both £4 from Primark), grey hard-bottomed slippers (great for if you can't bend down after c-section, £4 from Morrisons), 5 pairs of full briefs (more comfy on the c-section scar than normal underwear, £4 from Primark), 2 nursing bra's (£20 for 2 pack from Mothercare), dark bath towel, 2 sets of pyjama's (trouser and vest top type) and one nightie (for first night whilst the catheter and drains are in).

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 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!

THE PROCESS OF DECORATING EMILIA'S NURSERY.

After scrolling through Pinterest for nursery ideas we took a trip to B&Q, Wilko, Next Home and some other shops to get some supplies, then I got to work As you can see the room was previously this ugly (IMO) shade of pink. I detest it so much and there were Disney Princess stickers all over the walls - it needed to go! I started by lining the outsides of the carpet and the bottom of the wall with masking tape and used some old towels to cover the carpet in the surrounding area. The first step I took was glossing the skirting boards to make them look clean and finished - I used a brilliant white non-drip gloss from Wilko which usually ranges from £5-10 depending on which brand you choose. I used a synthetic paintbrush to prevent shedding and long brush strokes to avoid noticeable marks. I allowed a couple of days for the gloss to completely dry and set (even though it says 12-24 hours to dry).

NURSERY IDEAS AND WHICH INSPIRED US THE MOST.

We moved into our new house in early February. As our bub was 4 weeks old at that time and was sleeping ALL DAY I decided that it was time to start decorating the house. I started with the downstairs toilet, then that got old, so I decided to move onto Emilia's nursery. I knew we were going to have her sleeping in her own room by about 6 months so I wanted to make sure that her room was fully decorated and ready for her. (note: I've realized that preparation is key when you have a baby, like down. to. the. hour.) I downloaded the Pinterest app on my phone whilst waiting for the internet to be set up - I became obsessed with it and started to look for nursery decor inspiration.

1. I love this nursery. The grey walls, the basic white furniture and the bright contrasting patterns. I think this is quite a modern nursery and to be honest, this could be a great girls nursery as well as boys. I really love the hardwood flooring along with the grey rug! Not a fan of the shelving above the cot as I'd be scared that things would fall onto the baby, but it does look very nice!

2. Again, I love grey walls, and I love that this is girly but not in-your-face pink princess room. White furniture has always been a favourite of mine, I believe it looks great in any room of the house. This room is very spacious and I think it'd be a suitable room for a child to grow in. I also love the idea of the armchair instead of your usual wooden feeding chair, it gives the nursery more of a comfy feel.