Surviving month one with a baby and a toddler

A whole month of being parents of two little boys. And it's gone by so so fast. Especially those first two weeks! I know it's a total cliche but kids really do make the days and weeks fly past, and it's a bit of a catch 22. I'm so looking forward to seeing the boys interact together and develop their personalities with each other, but also it's very scary seeing the weeks race by!

So, how have we been coping for the last month?
It sure is a transition going from one to two. And I think one of the biggest challenges is managing the first born, particularly if they're quite excitable. I also think the sleep deprivation plays a big role in the change to your home. We have good days and bad days, but I guess that's parenting for you.

How we tackled our fussy eater toddler

Being the owner of a fussy eater can be pretty stressful

Henry isn't the worst eater, I know he eats EVERYTHING at nursery, and is pretty good for Breakfast and Dinner, but all things in between can be really hit and miss, and that does include dinner times too. We have some great days, and some not so great days, and some days where I really question whether he's actually going to gain anything from the food he's eaten at all?

Most of the problem with a fussy eater is the guilt for the parents. Are they getting enough vitamins and nutrients. Is it going to affect their bodies and their mind.
All you want is the best for them, but reasoning with a toddler is like trying to get blood out of a stone. And if your toddler is as strong willed as mine, then you really aren't going to change their mind once it's made up. It's both a great thing, and highly frustrating.

As a disclaimer, Henry was Baby Led Weaned at six months (he showed literally zero interest in food prior to six months), and has always been a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to food. Like me, he seems to be more of a grazer, than wanting big meals, but he has pretty much always been a great eater when it comes to nursery.

However, we are seeing some improvements at home, so I thought I'd share where we're at.

Getting out and about with two littles with Buggy Board

Review post*
Getting out and about with two kids that are both under three, and to be frank, almost under two (Henry's second birthday was two and a half weeks ahead of Dexter's birth) can be a bit of a struggle.

Henry is a pretty strong willed character and mightily independent which I adore, but can also be a bit tricky to navigate. And with most toddlers, sometimes there is just no reasoning with them! And to be honest, I feel like I parent a whole lot better when we're outside and exploring.

So we needed some travel options for our now family of four - and enter the Lascal MAXI Buggy Board*

Crabbing Adventures - The Ordinary Moments

I talked a couple of weeks back about how being by the water is my favourite thing, and I'm continuing that trend today with some photos of our recent little adventure crabbing. 

With Dann on paternity leave, it meant we had access to the car and a lot more freedom to go exploring during the week, which also meant everywhere was a little less busy (school holidays broke the week Dann returned to work). 

We've attempted to go up to the pontoon at Hamble River Country Park a couple of times at the weekends, but always found it so very busy, but luck was on our side this time, with only a handful of other people around. 

We grabbed a bucket, string and some bacon to tempt the crabs and sat out in the sunshine. 

How to train your insta/blog-husband to take photos how you like them

The Insta-Husband.
The man behind the camera.
The guy tirelessly shooting images, usually that look almost entirely the same, but you know, from an ever-so-slightly different angle.
The bloke who helps you bring your grid to life.

Your trainee.

Let's be honest, 90% of us did not marry, or date, or whatever you call it, a photographer.
Dann is not a photographer. In fact before I met him, I'm not sure he ever took photos outside of drunken nights in the pub. However, nowadays, you'll find him with a camera in hand almost as often as it's in mine. And sometimes more!

Seaviews and Country Parks - The Ordinary Moments

I think one of my favourite places to be is by water. 

I'm not overly bothered by what kind of water - river, lake, sea or a pool. But beside water is where I feel my most relaxed. 

Of course, luckily for me, we live on the South Coast. We've lived in homes where you could literally see water from our window (twice) and have lived within 15 minutes driving of a coastline for the last nine years. 

And I'm glad that we do. Not only for me. But for our kids. 

Henry is already a huge lover of water. Water play is my go-to when I need to entertain Henry in the house. He's been in swimming lessons since he was six months old. He adores splash pads and bath time. And now he loves being by the sea! 

Can you tell he's my kid yet?

For me, nothing beats being by the sea. The glittering sunlight off the water. The cool chill of the splashing waves. The nostalgic memories of summer holidays gone by. The calming sounds. 

How our playroom is organised to stay as tidy as possible

I know that we're pretty lucky to even have a playroom.
And to be honest it wasn't in the initial plan for our home until Henry arrived. In fact our playroom started life upstairs in what is now Henry's bedroom (you can read my first playroom post here, and how it's been transformed into Henry's room here) and moved to our conservatory late last year.

Being able to have a playroom means we can keep some of the toddler mess in one manageable space, and create more adult space in other rooms. Our living room does still get completely trashed with toys, but in stages, and in the evenings, we can tidy everything away into the playroom and our space is child-free. It's a nice feeling.

Our home water birth experience with Dexter

If you'd asked me six months ago what my birth plan was for our second baby, all I could commit to was a water birth, most likely at our local midwife led unit.

However at 34 ish weeks we made the decision to go for a home birth. And this post is probably one of the happiest posts I've written as I got pretty much the perfect birth story, at home, and with that water birth I've wanted since having Henry in 2016. You can read how we planned our home birth here.

We knew we wanted a water birth from the start as it was the one thing I missed with Henry. I had a good water labour but actually gave birth on dry land. So our first step was getting a pool.
We were very generously gifted a mini pool from the Gentle Birth Birthing Pool Hire* and honestly I can't thank Ceri enough for helping make my dreams come true.

So Dexter's home water birth story...

Farmers Market exploring - The Ordinary Moments

There's something about finding new local things to do that just makes me really happy. Filling our weekends with new experiences and visiting different places is one of my favourite things to do, and more so with Henry. I just want him to experience as much as possible, and integrating it with our normal life is so important to me.

So when I saw a new Farmer's Market for Southampton, I decided it was the perfect excuse for a Saturday morning trip out.

I love a good Farmer's Market anyway, I think it's because it remind me of home and little town life. Plus there's something very satisfying about supporting small local businesses and finding really great food and products.

So a couple of Saturday's ago we went along to the Oxford Street Farmer's Market for a bit of a look around and a little shop.

Our favourite ice lolly smoothie recipes

Review post*
Being the parent of a fussy eater can be a pretty stressful experience.
Luckily though, smoothies are one thing that Henry will drink and eat (in the form of ice lollies) and it's a real saviour for the mum guilt!

With us hitting peak summer, and needing all the nutrients and vitamins we can get, smoothies are one of our go-to's for some extra goodness, that also tastes great! Not only are they great for an afternoon thirst-quencher, they freeze really well so are perfect for a healthy ice lolly. Plus we have a Pick Your Own Farm just up the road from us so need lots of recipes to use up all the fruit we pick.

Making ice lolly smoothies is also a great thing to do with kids. Getting them involved keeps them best entertained, helps educate them, and lets them feel a part of what they're eating which is only ever going to be a good thing. Henry loves adding all the fruit to the blender and "holding down" the lid whilst it's on.

We've been making these up in the recent heatwave (let's face it yes it is Summer, but us Brits don't function too well in extreme heat!) in our new moulds from Steamer Trading Cookshop*, the Zoku fish moulds* and the Zoku Pop Moulds*. Both are so easy to use, and I've become weirdly obsessed with the kids fish moulds as because they are silicone, they are SO EASY to get the ice lollies out of. No running under a tap, no tapping on the kitchen counter. They literally pull out. Plus they're the perfect size for Henry, and as they're relatively small in height, he has no problems with the stick! Also, how awesome do they look?

So what's our favourite go to ice lolly smoothie recipes at home? 

Using up PYO fruit - rhubarb and strawberry crumble

We're big fans of pick your own fruit and veg farms. They make for a great family trip out, everyone can get involved, and you can stock the fridge up with lots of healthy food. You can see the blog post and video we made last year from our first strawberry picking trip. And tips on taking kids to a Pick Your Own Farm here.

Of course, you inevitably end up with way too much food, or at least we always do, and then you need to eat it as fast as possible, or make something with it all.

And one of my go-to recipes is my Rhubarb and Strawberry Crumble.
I adore rhubarb crumble anyway, it's probably my favourite kind of crumble, and with strawberries, it has a but of extra sweetness to it. Plus if you're experience of PYO is anything like ours, Henry enjoyed moving the strawberries from basket to basket, meaning we ended up with quite a lot of bruised fruit. Unfortunately bruised strawberries just don't go so well with cream, so cooking them into a crumble is the perfect way to get them used up.

Pick Your Own Fruit Farm - and how to survive it with a toddler - The Ordinary Moments

I always thought Autumn was my favourite season, but since having a kid/s I think I'm a summer convert. I do have two summer babies after all. But oh man, the adventures are what makes the season so damn great. 

I absolutely love spending our weekends as a family exploring new places and trying new things. It helps with my wanderlust for one thing, without having to spend a fortune or leave the country (or renew my passport) and teaches Henry so much. 

Luckily for us, being close to both the city centre and lots of countryside, we have plenty of opportunity for new adventures and repeating old ones from previous years. And this includes our new love for Pick Your Own farms. 

We've already built a little yearly tradition for Pumpkin picking, and now we're developing one for Strawberry picking in the summer too. Last year Henry was just starting to walk and was mainly interested in the straw on the floor. This year, well he wanted to help A LOT!! 

Planning a home birth

During pregnancy there's always the thought at the back of your mind of how exactly you're going to bring a new life into the world. And to be honest, that doesn't change when you have your second. Just this time you have a little more awareness on what can happen, and a little bit of additional faith in your abilities.

My first birth with Henry was at our local Birth Centre and it was near perfect with a water labour, but I didn't quite get the water birth I'd hoped for. So this time I want to try and have that water birth. Alongside this we've decided to have a home birth.

A home birth wasn't really a consideration last time for us. I knew I wanted to go to the Birth Centre from the second I heard about it, and was doubly confirmed when we visited it ahead of giving birth. This time though, when my midwife suggested it we didn't say no.

We then didn't really think too much about it, though it was a background consideration, especially as we have a toddler and limited family in the area. Logically it made more sense to have a home birth especially if I'm in labour over night as it means Henry can just stay in bed until morning, and then go to nursery or his Godparents house, but I was still a little nervous. In my head, one good birth at the Birth Centre, meant I should go back and do it again.

At my 34 week appointment, my Midwife Lucinda reminded me that my next appointment would be in two weeks and we'd be discussing my birth plan, and it dawned on me that I really didn't have much of a plan! Luckily Lucinda is very much a pressure-off midwife but is a clear advocate of birth centres or home births. So I went home, did a bit of research on Pinterest, did a call out for stories from fellow bloggers (I'll link some at the end) and talked to Dann.

And we decided, we want a home birth.

Surviving pregnancy with a toddler

Probably one of the hardest and most challenging things I've ever had to do is to be a parent whilst pregnant.
In all honesty, this second pregnancy has been a difficult one, with a lot of ups and downs, but having a toddler in tow as well has made it more tricky.

The big thing is, when you have a toddler, you just can't sit and do nothing when you're not feeling your best. Most toddlers don't really care much for if you're tired, throwing up or generally not well; they just want to play and have fun.

Fortunately there is plenty that can be done to ease life for you, and make surviving pregnancy and life with a toddler a bit easier.

Father's Day on the Watercress Line - Ordinary Moments

Review Post*

Nothing beats an adventure on a special occasion. I think it makes that occasion just that little bit more memorable. In fact, trips and travels by far beat physical gifts in my opinion, unless it's something really sentimental. 

Just before Father's Day we were invited along to visit the War on the Line event held by the Watercress Line*, so we went along on the big day to explore steam trains and look around life during the Second World War.

How I've fallen back in love with Instagram

Instagram is a funny business.
You either love it, or you hate it.

Personally I love it. It's by far my favourite social media platform, but it is also really hard work.

As a blogger I want to grow my following. No, numbers aren't the be and the end all, but growth is always a good thing to see, and an increase in following and engagement is always going to be good for an influencer who wants to make money from what they out online.

But it's so very easy to fall into the trap of feeling like it isn't worth it when algorithms are making visibility harder, and numbers are dwindling.
And I'll admit, some days I have questioned whether it is worth it.
It's hard seeing people with huge followings uploading any old photo and getting loads of likes, when I spend time curating a feed that I love, for no one to see it.

So I readjusted how I looked at Instagram.

What's in our just-in-case hospital bag and toddler bag

For our second baby boy, we have a home birth planned, so the bulk of my recent planning has been around ensuring we have everything we need in the house to bring baby boy into the world.
However, that doesn't mean we're off the hook for bag packing!

Ever the organiser, I've packed a normal hospital bag as well, just in case I have to be transferred to hospital.
Hopefully this will be completely unnecessary, but I'd rather pack and not need it, than be unprepared.

I'm also packing a second bag this time, specifically for Henry, so that if I'm in labour during the day he has a bag packed to go to his Godparents house until he can come home again.

Luckily, last time around I packed a pretty good concise hospital bag so I'm pretty much sticking with that as a base, but with a little update, and less in the way of comforts as this is just an emergency bag!

A birthday zoo trip - the Ordinary Moments

We've started a little unintentional tradition in the Bradford household, visiting the zoo for Henry's birthday. 

For his first birthday we did a trip at the weekend with some close friends and family, but as it is quite pricey, we decided to do the trip on our own this year, and do something else for his party. 

We knew that Henry would be a huge fan of Marwell Zoo this year as he's really gotten into his animals over the last few months. I mean he's a big fan of David Attenborough documentaries and any Disney film with animals in, so we thought this would be the perfect day out for him.

And it was so damn good.

A bunch of photos from our day below.

Opening birthday presents:A toddler gift guide

Post contains review items*

My little man turned two!!
That's still pretty crazy to even think about, let alone say out loud.

However turning two was a whole lot of fun, and involved a very early morning (he really does not believe in lie ins) with presents and cinnamon buns!

I have to admit, shopping for kids is actually really hard work. There's literally so much available to buy kids, so it's working out what they will actually enjoy. And it's so easy to fall in to the trap of buying and buying, because you see just another gift that would be perfect.

A home away from home - Room2 Hometel

Review Post*

I think travel is so important for families and can be such a great experience for everyone involved.
But it can also be a very stressful experience, especially for parents.

One of the key factors of any part of travel is where you stay. Where are you going to rest your head at right, and wake up in the mornings. Your base location. For families, it's vital to have a safe, secure and homely environment, to help create a stress-free trip or break.

And let's be honest. The traditional hotel just doesn't cut it 90% of the time. You see parents hiding in the bathroom whilst their kids settle down for the night. Or limited space because the cot or trundle bed have taken over half the room. And to be frank, most of them really don't look amazing. They're pretty generic with rules on what you can and can't have in the rooms, and limited additional facilities.

So when Room2 got in touch with their brand new concept, and invited me to their launch event*, I knew I had to go and get the down-low, because this has family travel sorted.