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.

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!