The Pregnancy Diaries: Week 16

Permalink

16 weeks already! It really feels like the time is flying by, and with the rush of Christmas it seems like there's so much going on at the moment.   What's going on with the baby   At 16 weeks the baby is around the size of an avocado and they've started to grow toenails. Their limbs and joints are fully formed and they might even have worked out how to suck their thumb! It's this week when the baby will have developed tiny bones in their ears which mean that they'll be able to hear your voice.   What's going on with me?   I'm so so pleased to say that the sickness has finally started to ease off! I'm having far more good days than bad ones ...

The Pregnancy Diaries: Week 15

Permalink

You know where I said last week that I thought the sickness was starting to ease off? Well karma came to give me a swift kick in the teeth, as I had one of the worst days ever this week - being sick every 30 minutes all day, whether there was anything to throw up or not. I got really down, but strangely a couple of days later my husband came home from work ill and proceeded to spend the next 48 hours being sick. It turns out I had a bug! I don't think I've ever been so relieved to have a bug in my life - at least with a bug you know that it'll be over soon.   What's going ...

Christmas through the eyes of a toddler

Permalink

I've always loved Christmas. My parents did so much to make sure that our Christmases were a happy time, surrounded by family and full of tradition and I have so many happy memories of Christmas. But somewhere along the line, you grow up, and that magic sparkle of Christmas fades slightly. The traditions that you love have become familiar friends - there is a nostalgic joy in them rather than the raw enthusiasm that was there in childhood. I suppose it's inevitable as you grow up really.   But this year, seeing Christmas through my two year old's eyes, the magic is back.   Everything is new to him, everything is a delight. The joy on his face as he opens his advent calendar; the concentration as he hangs ...

Living Arrows 51/52

Permalink

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth – Kahlil Gibran Max has just loved decorating the Christmas tree this year and hung lots of the baubles on himself (with only a couple of breakages in the process!). He was so pleased with himself to find just the right place for them all. And he's been constantly rearranging ever since. I love this shot I got of him adjusting this bauble - even though you can't see his face clearly, I love that you can still sense the intense concentration on his face!    

5 Happy Things #28

Permalink

Hurrah for Christmas! It's definitely getting close now - there are more open windows on the advent calendar than closed and the presents are nearly all bought (don't mention the wrapping though!). I really love this time of year and could have filled this 5 Happy Things twice over, but here are my highlights from the last two weeks. It's been quite a creative week of baking and crafting now I look back!   01. I always love putting up the Christmas tree - it signals the start of Christmas for me. This was the first year that Max has been fascinated by it all too, desperately wanting to join in with hanging up all the decorations. I got some lovely photos of ...

The Pregnancy Diaries: Week 14

Permalink

I've said before that I really want to try to enjoy this pregnancy more than I did my first, so I thought it would be nice to keep a pregnancy diary. So now it's all out in the open it's time to get going with that!   Hello second trimester! The time when you're supposed to feel full of energy and just glowing, right? Well, sadly not for me - I'm still exhausted! But on the plus side, (and it's a huge huge plus) the all day nausea (I refuse to call it morning sickness) has stopped and, aside from still being sick twice a day, I'm starting to feel much better. I'm so relieved, because with my first pregnancy, the nausea ...

#SharingtheBlogLove #25

Permalink

A big welcome to week 25 of #SharingtheBlogLove - the final linky of the year! Laura and I are both going to be taking a blogging break over Christmas and we really hope that you have a wonderful Christmas with your families too. I wanted to a huge thank you to all of you for joining us over the past 6 months for this linky - it's been such a wonderful way to discover new bloggers and to give a bit of love to your wonderful posts. It really means a lot that so many of you take the time to link up each week.   But, on with the linky!   What's #SharingtheBlogLove all about? If you are new to Sharing the Blog Love it is a ...

Sharing the Blog Love - Showcase 25

Permalink

A big welcome to our 25th week of #SharingtheBlogLove and our weekly Blogger Showcase! The last one of the year as we'll be taking a short break over Christmas, returning on the 5th January. If you're new to #SharingtheBlogLove, these are mine and Laura's favourite posts from last week's linky. As part of the linky we'd like you to choose one post from each showcase post to head over and leave a comment to show them some extra blog love.   Little Paper Swans For someone who is massively into Christmas, I do feel slightly guilty that for the last 4 years we've had an artificial tree. I always used to love going to choose our tree with my family, and it always signalled the start ...

Living Arrows 50/52

Permalink

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth – Kahlil Gibran I really wanted some photos of Max by the Christmas tree, so I grabbed my camera and got snapping. Like mother, like son though, as immediately Max decided he wanted to take his own snaps of me! He's been interested in cameras for a little while now, and to try to discourage him from going for my camera we bought him this little one from eBay for £1. Apparently toy cameras wouldn't cut it! I love these two of him - even when you can't see his face properly he still looks so cheeky!    

Our favourite Christmas books for toddlers

Permalink

I love switching up our book display to reflect seasonal events and Christmas is the biggest one of all! I remember fondly getting all of our Christmas books down from the loft along with the decorations and it was always like being reunited with old friends. Christmas books for toddlers can be a difficult one though - Max is very picky about what books he'll tolerate, and definitely has his favourites which I wanted to share with you here.   Stick Man I love Julia Donaldson books and Max is slowly warming up to them. We've owned Stick Man for a long time, but at first it was just too old for him. I have to admit that his interest in Stick Man ...