Sofia's second Christmas!

This was Sofia's second Christmas and she noticed so much more this year, she loved all the lights and musical things.
we spent Christmas morning in my mums house then in the evening went to Matty's mums house so she spent time with both families.
She pretty much played all day and completely wore herself out and didn't want to go to bed.

Its hard to think next year she will be 2 and probably be More aware of Santa as she was afraid of him this year. We plan on bringing her on the rathwood train for next Christmas and starting to introduce Santa.

She got so many presents its crazy she is one spoiled little girl. Next year we are going to buy her a big present and get our family to buy just one present for her each because we don't want her to get spoiled, i want her to appreciate her things.

I'm so excited to start putting food out for the reindeer and making Christmas magical for her every year. :)

Sofias 12 month update!

My baby turned 1 on the 7th of November. I say it all the time but the year really flew by and its scary how quick she is growing up and needing us less and less.

Walking!

She has got so used to walking now and having her shoes on. Her balance has gone so much better and she hardly ever falls but she still doesn't look where she is going. Matt bought her shoes for her birthday a size 4 and shes already grown out of them. The only problem we have now is that she wont sit in her pram anymore and wants to walk all the time but she trys to run the opposite way so we had to buy her reins. I no understand when people say you need eyes in the back of your head.

Talking!

She is so good at saying words and understanding when we say something to her. She can now put 2 words together, she will say good girl when she hands you something or after she does something good. She knows what yes and no mean and will say no shaking her head. Her new word is garden because Matt plays round and round the garden with her. She also will call the cats and say cat and then swish at them. She does the same for the dog and clicks. She is so intelligent for her age already.

Eating!

Finally we conquered lumps and chunks of food its been a slow process but she eats everything we eat now broken down. Its so much easier to feed her now it used to be so stressful and id dread meal times. I think since she has more teeth it has helped alot.

Birthday celebrations!

We had her first birthday on the 8th and it was so special celebrating 1 whole year since she was born. I felt very emotional all day. I was glad i had all her party prep done way ahead of time so we could enjoy the day. I will do a separate post on its own for more about her party and lots of pics.

Milestones!

• She can put 2 words together now 'good girl'
• She goes to bed at 8 till 8 most nights.
• she has 5 teeth.
• she is in size 5 nappies.
• she is in 12-18 clothes.
• she is down to 3 bottles a day.
• She loves listening to music.
• her new favourite thing is kicking a ball around.

Sofia's 11 month update!

Only 1 month now till my little baby is 1 years old and officially a toddler! She seems to have grown up so much this month. It's hard to think this time last year we were waiting each day wondering when she would arrive.

Baby's first halloween!

Last year Sofia was born 1 week after halloween so i never got to dress her up. So this year i got her a princess dress. I searched everywhere for the perfect costume and as soon as i saw it i had to buy it for her. This year we will go to our parents with her and then Matts granny's house so she can see her little cousins.

On the go!

Sofia is on the go now that shes started walking she doesnt stop. Matty bought her some Clarkes shoes for her birthday so she ended up having them early. Shes still clumsy and falls a good bit but once she gets used to her shoes she will be ok.

Birthday prep!

I have everything got now for her party on the 8th a day after her birthday. We just got banners, ballons and alot of pink accessories. Were doing a princess theme. So far weve just invited close family and our close friends. I cant believe my baby is going to be a toddler soon, i homestly dont no where this year has gone.

Milestones:

• Sofia took her first steps.
• she is walking non stop now.
• she is in 12-18 month clothes.
• she is in size 5 nappies.
• her eating has gotten so much better and she can eat chunks now.
• we weaned her down to 3 bottles.
• she is copying everything we do.

Sofia's 10 month update!

She is officially in double figures! As its nearly the end of the month she is technically nearly 11 months old so its only 6 weeks till my baby is 1 and will be a toddler!

Baby's first steps!

Sofia officially took 2 steps, me and Matty were almost crying ha. She is not brave enough yet to walk on her own but she will hold on with one hand. She is cruising around the couch and walking with her walker now. She has really good balance and will stand up on her own for about a minute before she falls on her bum. I really think she will be walking before her birthday.

Conquering lumps!

Finally Sofia has managed to move on a bit with her eating. We tried her again with the liga biscuits, i just broke off little lumps and she eats it really good now. She is still on mashed foods but still loves her pasta. Like last month we are in no rush to push her with lumps and she is doing it in her own time. She has a sensitive gag reflex so its just going to take time.

Birthday preparations!

Anyone who knows me will know how i like to plan everything so of course i have been planning Sofia's party pretty much since she was born ha. We are doing a princess theme. I wanted peppa pig but i couldn't find alot of the stuff so this year for handiness there was alot of princess things i could get. I have all the decorations got i just need to order her cake now. I'm so excited about it but i feel really emotional at the same time, this year just went way to quick.

Milestones!

• She can almost walk.
• She has so many words.
• she is in 12-18 tops and 9-12 bottoms.
• she is in size 5 nappies.
• she drinks from her sippy cup now.
• she has 3 meals a day and 2-3 snacks.
• she is on the hungrier baby formula and has 4 bottles a day.

Sofia's 9 month update!

She is now 9 months old, this is the month ive noticed a big change in her. She is more like a toddler now than a baby. She is so intelligent and amazes me how quickly she learns and remembers things.

9 month development check!

We were recently back with the health nurse for sofias 9 month check up. Everything went great she was very impressed by how clever and advanced sofia is for her age. We were a little concerned about her weight but we were reasurred shes just fine and just above the normal weight. We always knew she was a tall girl but she measured in the 91% range for her height so she will more than likely tower over me when she grows up.

Feeding problem!

Sofia is great for trying any foods and will eat pretty much any flavours you give her. One problem we have is trying to move her on to bigger lumps and finger foods. She gags alot and finds it hard to chew things so she will just swallow it. Me and matt both have a big fear of choking so we are always careful what we give her. She can eat soft lumps like pasta or mashed foods. Our health nurse wasnt concerned and said she will move on when shes ready. Im glad of this because we are in no rush to and she will do it in her time.

On the move!

So one minute our baby couldnt even roll over and within a few weeks she mastered rolling over, crawling, standing assisted and climbing up. Once she does something once she just gets better even after 1 day. She will crawl really fast now and pull herself standing up on the couch. She has no fear tho so she just lets go so we have cushions everywhere ha.  Dont think it will be too long now till shes walking.

Milestones!

• She can crawl.
• She can stand assisted.
• She can say alot of words now. Mama, dada, baba, nana, yeah, gaga and bobo.
• She copys anything you show her.
• She bats her eyelashes when you show her.
• She knows what lights are and points to them when you ask her to.
• If music comes on she dances to it. 
• She is still in 9-12 clothes and 4+nappies.

Sofia's 8 month update!

My baby is now 8 months old which means in 4 months time she will be 1! She changes every week and learns something new. She is copying everything now so we have to watch what we are saying now around her.

Feeding and sleeping routine:

◆ 8.30am wake up and have a 5oz bottle.
◆ 9.30am breakfast any type of cereal, she has a mixture everyday.
◆ 12pm nap time.
◆ 1pm dinner time, she has either fruit and a yoghurt or veg and a yoghurt.
◆ 2pm, 50z bottle.
◆ 3pm nap time.
◆ 5pm tea time, variety of meat mixed with veg or mash/sweet potato.
◆ 6pm, 5oz bottle.
◆ 9pm, 7oz bottle.
◆ bedtime varies every night but she usually falls asleep any time from 9pm to 10pm and sleeps till half 8.

Growing up too fast!

Sofia is now in her own room and the transition was alot easier than i thought. I was so nervous with the thoughts of her being on her own all night but she seems to sleep so much better. We wanted to keep her in our room longer but every time we moved or went toilet in the night it was waking her up so she wasnt getting a full nights sleep. We finally got her curtains up so its nice and dark for her. she loves her room and all the fairy lights its a proper girly bedroom.

Milestones

• She understands when you tell her to wave or clap.
• She copies everything you show her.
• She has 2 teeth.
• Shes starting to pull her knees up ready to crawl.
• She reconises family members and acts shy around strangers.
• She is in size 4+ nappies and size 9.12 clothes.
• She is now in her own bedroom.

Daddy's little girl!

When me and matty got together we always said from the get go we wanted kids and to settle down. I always knew he would make an amazing dad and he is. Sofia is so lucky to have him as her dad. He is so hands on with her he changes nappies, feeds her, changes her and gives me a break when i need it.

She smiles more with him than anyone else and is always laughing when he has her. She has him comletely wrapped around her little finger. I love how affectionate he is with her and it helps that he is a big kid himself she loves it.

Matty always wanted to have a little boy then when we found out we were having a little girl he was so happy. Seeing him getting emotional when she was born and holding her for the first time is something il never forget. She is definatly daddy's little girl!

Since I dont have my dad here I want her to know how important it is to have her dad in her life. She is such a special girl we are so blessed to have her. Im so lucky to have matty and I definatly picked the right guy to be the dad to my kids :)

Happy first Fathers Day x

Sofia's 7 month update!

She is now 7 months old. I always feel like when a baby hits that age they are no longer small babies anymore and are growing closer to being a toddler. This month she has become so much more observant and aware. She knows her name and responds almost straight away when you call her. She can recognise people and start to make strange when she doesn't know someone.

Taking baby steps!

We bought Sofia a baby walker and she loves it. She loves the freedom to go where she wants since she can never sit still. We have a jumperoo for her and she still loves it but was starting to get bored being in the one spot too long. We think she will be one of those baby's who doesn't crawl and just gets up and walks one day because she has no interest on being on her belly. She just wants to be up on her feet all the time!

Separation Anxiety

For the last few weeks whenever me or Matty leave the room and Sofia sees us going she cries until we come back. We have to try and sneak out without her seeing. It's a lovely feeling that she wants me all the time but at the same time it can be very tiring. She is reaching her hands up now when she wants to be picked up aswel.

Milestones!

• Sofia is taking steps in her walker.
• She is now in her 9-12 clothes.
• She is starting to copy things you show her like clapping your hands or waving.
• She is pretty much sitting up on her own but because she cant sit still for 5 minutes she ends up falling over.
• She is in size 4+ nappies in pampers.
• She had her first solid poop ( really grose but its a milestone ) :P

xx

Sofia's feeding schedule at 6 months old!

When you have your first baby you try and do everything by the book and we were the very same. As Sofia gets older we just go with what we feel is best for her and just use "books" as a guideline. They can only advise you so much and after all you know your baby and what they like and dislike.

This is Sofia's feeding routine for an average day!

8.30am:
She has a 5oz bottle when she wakes up. She is on the Cow and gate follow on milk.

9am:
We will usually give her either cereal or a liga mixed with her milk and then some juice or water.

1pm:
After her morning nap she will have a fruit pot and a yoghurt for her lunch and some water. This is her favourite meal of the day.

2pm:
She will have another 5oz bottle.

6pm:
She will have a full jar of any of the cow and gate meals and some water. She loves the carrot ones and there's not much she wont eat. But she still doesn't like cottage pie or bollognaise.

7pm:
Sofia has another 5oz bottle.

10.30/11pm:
This is her last bottle before bed and she usually has a 7oz bottle which keeps her going till half 8 again.

All babies are different and will have more or less of what Sofia has but this is the routine what works for us right now :)

6 months postpartum!

I had a baby half a year ago! That just sounds crazy to say. I'm still not back to my pre-pregnancy body but I'm going by "9 months in and 9 months out" to hopefully be back to myself.

Diastasis Recti!

My stomach muscles are still not together as they should be I can still feel a gap in the middle and when i do a sit-up i get a bulge in my stomach coming up through my muscles. Its still sore to do a sit up and i find it very hard. Ive heard the Belly Bandit wraps are supposed to be brilliant for holding the muscles in and helping them join up again. They are quite expensive though so might be a while before i get one.  I did get an Ever last tummy slimmer for 6 euro for the mean time and it really keeps everything in so I'm going to wear it day and night and see in a few weeks if it makes any difference.

Broody Again!

One thing Ive noticed is I'm getting so broody again if I see a pregnant woman or a newborn baby but it's way too soon to even think about doing it all again. I want to make sure Sofia has my full attention till she is around 2. We want 3 kids and I hope to have them all before I'm 30 so 5 years for 2 more is loads of time.

6 month postpartum belly and stretch marks!

I still have my stretch marks but they have faded so much so I'm hoping they will carry on fading. I read somewhere at 6 months is when they start going white. My stomach still sticks out from my muscle separation but its gradually going back in.

Sofia's 6 month update!

Sofia is 6 months old! Half a year old already i really don't know where the time has gone. Shes such an amazing little girl shes so clever and very advanced for her age.

Routine!

She wakes up around 8.30 am and has her bottle and breakfast. Around 11 she usually naps for about half an hour. She is usually in a really good mood mornings. At 1 she has another bottle and dinner and will play till 6 when she has her dinner. Some evenings she will nap for about half an hour to an hour but she usually becomes really fussy around 7pm. She has her last feed at around 9pm and will stay awake till about 11. Once shes asleep she will sleep through till 8.30 am again although some nights she will wake 2 or 3 times but goes back to sleep after 5 minutes.

Milestones!

• Sofia finally rolled over :)
• She can sit up on her own for almost a minute.
• She can say mama, dada and baba.
• She holds her feet up and trys to put them in her mouth.
• She is such a fun little girl she loves to be tickled.
• She is in her 6-9 clothes and her follow on milk, shes growing up too fast.

Sofia's 5 month update!

Sofia is now 21 weeks old. Shes starting to turn into a little girl now she doesn't seem like my little baby anymore. She has pretty much grown out of all the baby things like her bouncer and her 3-6 month clothes are all being packed away. She is growing up way too fast! As of now she is in mostly all her 6-9 month clothes. I cant believe she will be half a year old in one month i want to cry thinking about it, I wish she could stay this age forever.

Baby's first care doc visit!

We had to bring her to the care doc the other morning at 1am! She had been coughing and chocking alot but it turned out to be a little cold and mucus from her nose making her cough. It was our first real panic with her and the doctor even laughed at us bringing her in but id always Rather be safe than sorry! She has saline drops in her nose now every 4 hours and its clearing the mucus really quick so its so much better for her.

Baby Talk!

She is non stop babbling, typical woman never stops ha! She is really trying to say words, I know its so soon but she is so intelligent she listens to everything and responds so well. So far even if it's just coincidence shes said egg, hiya, hi, baba. I need to try record her one day so someone believes me ha.

Tantrums already!

Sofia is very clever and she knows already how to get attention. She has starting screaming when she wants to be picked up or if shes in her jumperoo she will scream, stamp her feet and hit the top. It's very hard but we have to ignore her so she understands, after about 5-10 minutes she stops and carry's on playing. I have a feeling we are going to have a little madam on our hands ha!

Milestones!

• She seems to respond to her own name now and she is remembering people. She can be strange with people she doesn't know now.
• She is so close to rolling over she gets almost over and flips back the other way.
• She sat up for a few seconds on her own the other day.
• She almost sleeps through the whole night now, she goes down about 12-9.30/10am. We just have to try get her in a bit earlier.
• She can hold toys on her own now, pick them up and put them back down. She also reaches for everything and trys to put it in her mouth.
• She is such a happy baby she is always smiling and laughing.

 

My Dad x

My dad passed away from a sudden heart attack on Sunday 6th may 2012 at 47.
This is something i find very hard to talk about because when i do it just reminds me that he isn't here anymore. Anyone who knew my dad knew he was stubborn, hard headed, always right and always did what he wanted. He was also kind hearted, loving, supportive and a big softy. I feel angry he was taken when i was only 23. One thing that will stay with me forever is how he was always there for me and at one point he was my only friend.

When we were younger my dad worked abroad alot so we barely saw him, so it was like Christmas every day he came home. He used to always play his music really loud at the weekend and we would sit downstairs on the floor listening to songs all day.

 As i grew up i resented my dad for not being there, i guess i was too young to realise he worked so hard to give us everything we wanted. We disagreed on alot of things and grew apart. He became very depressed at home after his accident and it was very hard to talk to him. I should have tried to help him more and i regret that everyday.

When i became pregnant for the first time he was so excited and couldn't wait to be a grandad. When i lost the baby he was there for me and we started to become close again and it felt like old times. Unfortunately this was 3 months before he died.

There are things i will never have like him walking me down the aisle, our father daughter dance and meeting my daughter Sofia. It breaks my heart she will never know him. But there are things i will cherish forever, secrets and memories.

I miss him more everyday and the hole that's missing never goes away. 

If your dad is still here give him a big hug and kiss and tell him you love him x

4 months postpartum!

I am now 4 months postpartum! This month I am starting to finally feel back to myself. I stopped going to the exercise class in Mount Wolseley it was just too much I found she pushed us to much too soon. I started circuit training so I know with that I can go at my own pace. Matty's job recently gave us a tennis club membership for the year so we are starting that soon aswel.

I have been getting spasms in my back which my doctor said is nerve pain from having sofia so hopefully keep working out will relive some of the pain. He checked my stomach muscles and they are finally back together now so it doesn't hurt as much to do sit-ups.

Weight 4 months postpartum: 10 stone 9.

So far now ive lost 33lbs since I had Sofia. I want to lose the last 9lbs to be back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I lost 4lbs this month which is on track that I want to lose 1lb a week. I can hardly believe i put on 42lbs when i was pregnant! I know for sure next time im pregnant i will have a healthier diet and do light exercise so i dont pile on the weight again.
I have cut out so much junk food now I barely ever eat chocolate but if im craving it I will have it.

 

                         40 weeks pregnant                                             4 months postpartum

 

 Me and my little girl x

Sofia's 4 month update!

Sofia is 18 weeks old now! She doesn't seem like a little baby anymore, she's getting bigger each week and she knows what she wants already!
We recently went to the health nurse for her check up at 3 and a half months and she was 13lb 7oz's and 63cm long. She has always been a tall baby and is above average for her age. 

Baby's first solids!

We first tried her with the Heinz baby rice and she liked it but it bound her up too much so we took her off it and have her on the Milupa orange cereal now. At the moment she is having about 7-8 small spoonfuls each morning so she's gradually getting used to it.

In the evening around 5 we give her a fruit mix or a dinner and she loves it, she cant eat it quick enough. Her favourite so far is the apple and pear cow and gate pots or chicken dinners.

Milestones!

• One cute thing Sofia will do now when shes laughs is acting shy. She hides her face and smiles it's so adorable.
• She's so good at tummy time and holds her head right up for ages and moves her legs, i think she will be an early walker.
• She is non stop babbling now and gurgling its like she almost wants to talk.  
• She laughs so much now like proper belly laughs and is getting tickle-ish! 
• She has started screaming or screeching really loud to get attention it's so funny. 
• She is so close to rolling over now. 

Routine!

She wakes up around 9-9.30 now on a good morning and has her bottle. Then around half 10 we give her her orange cereal. She will usually nap around 11.30 for about an hour, maybe 2 if were lucky. Then at 2 she has another feed. Some days she will be awake or have another nap but it isnt usually for very long. At about 5 she has a few spoonfuls of her fruit or dinner then her bottle at 6. She usually goes on her play mat or in her jumperoo for about an hour. We do her bath around 8 and then she has another bottle at 10. She gets fussy after that and will stay awake till 1 most nights. Depending on her she will have a few ounces or go straight to sleep.

Baby's First Photoshoot! 

Sofia won a free photoshoot with pixifoto in mothercare. She was a bit cranky to start with but then as she got used to her surroundings she was smiling away and we got some lovely photos.

Getting baby ready for her first St Patricks day :)