Silent Sunday 31/7/11

Walking

He's there and there's no stopping him now. Brandon has gone from taking a couple of steps to actually walking across the floor now :)

Unfortunately he's also developed the art of climbing the stairs. I don't know how, but he just climbs up them with no help.

Now the fun really starts :)

Midlife Crisis?

I've just read somewhere on a baby forum that apparently TTC (trying to conceive) in your 40's is attention seekIing, dangerous and the male equivalent of buying a sports car!!!

I don't actually think that I'm any of those things. I had babies when I was very young. We had no money and my husband worked abroad a lot. Now I'm in my 40's we have money (we're not rich though Dan and Arran!), we have more time and patience and I absolutely love having a baby again. Maybe there are more risks, but I think there can be risks with pregnancy whatever your age.

I have to say that I didn't actively TTC in my 40's, it just happened. I definitely wasn't attention seeking. I suppose it may have been slightly more dangerous due to my age, but I was very carefully monitored and not once did any midwife or Consultant make me feel ancient!

I didn't realise that you're only allowed to have a baby when you're young. Who knew?? Certainly not me.

I'm considering having a brother or sister (not much chance of pink here) for my boys, so does that make me reckless and selfish, or am I just going through a midlife crisis?

Thoughts anyone??

Target

Still on target.

3lb loss this week

Total 31lb

69lb left to go

3.1lb per week to lose.

Silent Sunday

11 months

Brandon was 11 months old yesterday, and I will say again, I can't believe how quick the time has flown by. I really don't think it went this quickly with my first two. Who messed up time for me in the last 20 years? Or is it just that I'm getting old(er) lol.

I keep thinking of the early days in hospital, when he was a teeny little newborn, and all the hours spent gazing at him. I remember holding him for hours and hours, breastfeeding and letting him sleep on me (because he's spoilt lol). Broody? Me? Nah *ahem*

So my little baby is fast becoming a toddler. He mimics everything, and if you happen to find something he does funny, well he keeps doing it over and over (even if it's something naughty oops).

He can virtually run around the furniture now. Climbing is his new passion (unfortunately), and he can stand in the middle of the room for ages on his own. I don't know how long it's going to be before he discover that he could move his feet and actually walk :)

In one months time my little baby is going to be 1. I still can't believe it. In fact I still find it amazing that I have a baby :)

I suppose I should start thinking about a 1st birthday party :)

Breastfeeding

As I posted the other day, my breastfeeding journey has finally come to an end. I'm a little bit sad about it, but I'm so glad that I had the experience. I breastfed for nearly 11 months, and I wasn't even really certain that I would be doing it at all.

With my first son I feel that I was "forced" to breastfeed. I was in hospital for a week and I remember just crying and crying on the 3rd day after he was born because he wouldn't feed properly. I wasn't ever really shown how to do it properly.

I didn't realise that it was normal for newborns to feed almost constantly, and I didn't want to go out, as I didn't want to breastfeed in front of anyone else. When I got home I started topping him up with bottles. I now know that this is definitely the wrong thing to do, but back then there wasn't really much info about, and absolutely none of my friends were breastfeeding. As you've probably guessed my supply diminished and I ended up bottle feeding completely after not too long. I was also suffering with PND at this point and everything just seemed too much to cope with, so the bottle was easier for me.

When my second son came along I was absolutely adamant that I wasn't going to breastfeed. He was 10lb 10oz born and I just thought that there was no way I could breastfeed him. I remembered the constant feeding from the 1st time round, so to me a heavier baby equalled even more feeding.

So onto 20 years later. I was much more informed this time round. There are programmes on TV, Books, Magazines and of course, the internet. I joined baby forums and read everything about breastfeeding. But in the back of my mind I still didn't think I'd be able to do it. I thought I'll do it in hospital, but I can always start the bottle when I get home if I need to.

As I had gestational diabetes Brandon was born with very low blood sugar and just wanted to sleep all the time. Trying to feed him was an absolute nightmare. They said I had to keep feeding as much as possible, but he just wouldn't wake up. Even the heel pricks every couple of hours didn't wake him. I still persevered though, and got as much breastmilk into him that I could. The day that they came and told me that they would give him a bottle if his blood sugar didn't get any better devastated me. I couldn't quite believe my own reaction. From that moment on I decided that I was definitely breastfeeding!! In the end he didn't have a bottle.

It wasn't all plain sailing. I can remember feeding him, and it being so painful that I would have to grit my teeth. But still I was determined to carry on. I can't quite remember when it got better, but after a few months I realised that it was just "easy". So I carried on. I thought "I'll carry on until he's 6 months". Six months came and went and I still carried on.

Oh and as for not breastfeeding in public, after hours spent in a "jaundice clinic" with a hungry baby I soon got over that fear :)

I've now given up as Brandon seemed to just start weaning himself off and became less interested. He's also got 8 very sharp teeth and was sometimes a bit over zealous, so I think I
was ready to give up as well.

I absolutely loved the experience and I'm so glad that I finally persevered.

Weight

Lost another 5.5lb, which brings my total to a nice round 28lbs. 2 stone!!

Hoorah - on target for my 100lb loss by Christmas.

Who Needs Toys?

Apparently Brandon doesn't. He has hundreds of toys, all bright pretty shapes and colours.

They make sounds, they're fun!

I just wish Brandon would realise that.

He likes pressing buttons, so he will occasionally play with a "talking book" etc, but most of all he likes to play with anything that is boring and black. Anything that looks very unappealing and boring just seems to attract him. He loves to get hold of the lead from my laptop. A mobile phone is a wonder. Remote control? Perfect!! But best of all he's learnt to pull himself up on the telephone table so that he can press the buttons on the answer machine. I'm sick of hearing that woman say "your call will be answered in 7 rings".

Today I shall be trying cardboard boxes and a selection of wooden spoons and pots and pans from the kitchen cupboards :)

Boots Baby Sensitive Oil

I was recently asked if I would like to try Boots Baby Sensitive Oil. Baby Sensitive is a range that has been developed by skincare experts in consultation with a leading dermatologist. The products are designed to be colour and fragrance free and are suitable for all dry skin conditions, including eczema.

As Brandon has very bad eczema I've tried lots of oils and creams, but nothing apart from hydrocortisone seems to help. I was hoping that this oil might have some effect, but I'm afraid it didn't. I used lots of it, but I think that his skin is just too dry.

I did however find another use for it. Cradle cap!! Brandon also suffers from cradle cap, so as this is colourless and fragrance free I didn't have a problem using it in his hair.I rubbed it into Brandon's scalp (which he quite liked), every day and then brushed with a very soft baby brush to loosen the flakes (which he didn't like as much),and I have to say there is a definite improvement.

At £1.35 for 300ml a lot went a long way and Brandon had no allergic reaction to it. It's worth a try if your baby has dry skin or cradle cap. It's suitable for newborns.

By the way I've used products that are supposed to be fragrance free before and there is always some sort of fragrance, but this is definitely definitely fragrance free. I sniffed and sniffed and couldn't smell anything.

Along with this little package came another little surprise. A lovely soft fleece blanket(£10), which is perfect for when we're walking along the beach at night.

Both items available from Boots stores. Take a loot at the rest of their Baby Sensitive Range on the website

Goal

I've finally decided to set a goal for myself. I like setting goals, writing lists, achieving something etc (OCD anyone?), so I've been messing about a bit on my weight loss journey, but as I said recently I'm finally in "the zone". I've lost 22.8lbs so far and even though I can't actually see any results :( I can feel them. My jeans are literally falling off. Pity I wear Bridget Jones's so I don't have anything sexy to flash, but you can't have everything ;)

So my decision today is to lose 100lbs by Christmas. I weigh myself on Mondays, so that gives me 24 weeks (Monday 19th December).

By my calculations that's 100-22.8 = 77.2lb. 77.2/24 = 3.2lbs per week.

I think I can do that.

Please keep an eye on my little ticker in the right hand column and feel free to stop by with your support.

Thanks :)

The Gallery - Grandparents

All my Grandparents died when I was quite young. My Mum is the youngest of 6 and my Dad the oldest of 6, so I had one set that were younger but they still died in their 60's :(

My children have been very lucky. I was only 19 when I got pregnant with eldest son, so my two eldest boys had Great Grandparents for a while. Unfortunately they're also gone now.

It makes me sad to think that Brandon won't have as much time with his Grandparents as the other two boys, but he sees them very regularly and we're making the most of it. Not that I'm looking on the dark side lol. I hope both sets of Grandparents have many many years left, but as I'm nearly 41 Brandon definitely won't have as much time as Daniel and Arran have had. That's just a sad fact. He won't have as much time with me and his Dad either, but I have to keep putting that thought out of my head or I could easily get depressed.

Oh dear this was supposed to be a happy celebration post and now I have tears in my eyes!!

I have lots of photo's of both sets of Grandparents that are still with us, so I'm going to choose a photo of the Great Grandparents with Number one son, Daniel.

What are you reading? The July Issue...

I'm joining in this month with lovely Julia's linky, which you can find here

I love reading. I learnt to read at a very young age and I've always loved it. I can't read one book at a time though, I have to read several. Same with knitting. Just greedy lol. Since I've had Brandon I haven't really had chance to do much. Just reading in the bath when I got chance (or on the toilet!! yeah don't tell me you never have!). But now my darling son is getting older and into more of a routine, so I do get a bit more time.

While we were away at the weekend I wandered round bookshops looking for something suitable to read. I like to find strange books from charity shops (if you ever see "The Farmer's Wife" get it lol), but didn't have much luck. I did find a brand new 1000 piece jigsaw of a cat wearing a wizard's outfit for £1.99, but that's besides the point.

Anyhow, eventually I ended up in Waterstones (in spite of my husband trying to drag me away). They have 3 for 2 you know? Bargain. Except I accidentally picked up one that wasn't in the 3 for 2, so then I had to go back and get another book. What? well I wasn't going to put the other one back and swap it. It was only £3.95!!

My chosen books were

and I can't remember the last one because I've left it at the caravan :)

I read "Room" in a couple of hours. It was brilliant! I just couldn't stop reading it.
Obviously I don't want to give too much away, but the story takes place in a 12 by 12 room. The only occupants of the room are 5 year old Jack (who was born in the room) and his Mother. The story is told from Jack's point of view and is unlike anything I've ever read before.
It's sad and funny and a real page-turner. If you're going to buy a book for Summer, try this one.

Now go and take a look at what everyone else is reading

Boots Pain Relief Paracetamol Suspension & Home Safety Kit

I was recently asked if I would like to try out Boots Pain Relief Paracetamol Suspension, and as Brandon is teething I welcomed the chance.

They cost £1.82 for a box of 10 sachets. They're suitable for babies from 3 months to 12 years and come with a handy measuring spoon (2.5ml and 5ml).

The sachets are perfect for keeping in your baby changing bag. Much lighter than carrying round a bottle of medicine, and of course there is no sticky bottle left, as you can just throw away the empty sachet.

I was really pleased with this product and it really helped when Brandon was having a bad day with teething. All in all an excellent product.

I was also lucky enough to receive a Boots Home Safety Starter Pack and it couldn't have come at a better time. Brandon is now super speedy at crawling and cruising round the furniture and is always looking for mischief.

The pack costs £10.21 and actually looks really small, but when you see the list of safety items it contains you will be amazed.

6 x Boots plug socket covers
· 4 x Boots corner cushions
· 3 x Boots cupboard locks
· 3 x Boots drawer locks
· 1 x Boots door slam protector
· 1 x Boots toilet lock
· 1 x Boots short multipurpose lock
· 1 x Boots long multipurpose lock

The plug socket covers and corner cushions and door slam protector were straight out of the box and put to use. At least I don't have to keep covering the edges of the fireplace with cushions now, as the corner cushions fit perfectly and were easy to attach. The door protector is a really simple idea, but works very well.
The cupboard locks are still waiting for hubby to put them on ;) (that's what hubby's are for), and I'm sure we shall put the other items to good use very soon.

I would say that this kit is definitely essential for peace of mind and is a very small price to pay for your baby's safety.