Happy Halloween!

Here in Australia we don't really celebrate Halloween.. but it seems more and more people are dressing up and going trick or treating. So this year I thought to myself.. do I want James growing up being a part of Halloween festivities or not. 

The answer was clearly yes! I mean who doesn't love to get dressed up, eat lollies and watch scary movies? I would have loved to celebrate Halloween when I was a kid!

To start the Halloween tradition, I decided to carve my first pumpkin! It was fun (and so messy!), Rob bought the biggest one he could find (it's almost as big as James haha). I have to say.. I'm pretty impressed with my first efforts carving a pumpkin.. it looks even better when lit up at night. 

I also bought James a Scary Pumpkin costume. How could I resist!? He was, after-all, nicknamed Pumpky when he was growing inside my belly. I'm sure he'll kill me when he's older for dressing him up like this haha (I'll definitely be bringing this one out at his 21st!). 

I can't wait to see what we'll be doing (and wearing) next Halloween!

Do you celebrate Halloween? If so, what did you get up to this year?

xx

Spring Wishlist

Forever 21 Geo Print Denim Jacket


Ripcurl Bella Dress


Popbasic Navy Le Breton


Converse All Star White Sneakers


Warehouse Two For Print Dress


Romwe Blue A-Line Striped Skirt

Solids - Week 2

This week James tried Green Beans (he's not a fan!) and Carrots which he loved but are sooo messy! I forgot to take pics of him eating them, so he's one of him enjoying pear instead :)

Day 8

11am - Peas

6pm - Iron-Fortified Rice Cereal (with Pear & Breast milk)

Day 9

11am - Peas

6pm - Iron-Fortified Rice Cereal (with Pear & Breast milk)

Day 10

11am - Introduce Green Beans + Peas

6pm - Iron-Fortified Rice Cereal (with Pear & Water)

Day 11

11am - Green Beans + Peas

6pm - Iron-Fortified Rice Cereal (with Pear & Water)

Day 12

11am - Green Beans + Peas

6pm - Iron-Fortified Rice Cereal (with Pear & Water)

Day 13

11am - Introduce Carrots + Green Beans

6pm - Iron-Fortified Rice Cereal (with Pear & Water)

Day 14

11am - Carrots + Peas

6pm - Iron-Fortified Rice Cereal (with Pear & Water)

xx

Review: L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil Mist for Fine Hair

After running out of my trusty leave-in conditioner, I went in search for a replacement. I had used Moroccan Oil in the past and was keen to use something similar, but not as heavy (it weighed down my fine hair). I looked online at the Morrocan Oil "Light" and was contemplating buying it when I received a tiny sample of the L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil from Priceline as part of their regular newsletter. 

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much, just something to get me through the next few days. I decided to use it when my hair was wet to help detangle it, which it did.. but not only that, it also left my hair feeling super soft. I said to myself "I have to get this oil!". So I went out and picked up the L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil Mist for Fine Hair. I figured that the spray would be more versatile than the pump, as I could use it when my hair was both wet and dry. It would also be less messy as I wouldn't need to rub it in with my hands, just spray and brush! 

Now I am absolutely in-love with this product! It leaves my hair feeling smooth, shiny and frizz free. It also smells amazing (my hubby even commented on how good my hair smells!). It's a bargain too at only $20 (as opposed to $40+ for the "high street" version). I've totally been converted and won't be going back to leave-in conditioner.. it's oil mist all the way!

Do you use a hair oil or oil mist?

xx

5 Month Postpartum / Baby Update!

Body

I've started going to RPM classes this month (only once a week) and started taking longer walks whenever I can now that the weather has warmed up. I've lost a little bit of weight this month (0.8kg/1.7lbs), I've got another 3.8kg (8.3lbs) until I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight and 8.8kg (19.4lbs) until I'm at my goal weight.

Height/Weight

James is now 7.8kg (17.2lbs) so he's put on 0.8kgs/1.7lbs this month. I also measured him and he's 68cms which is 3.5cms more than last month. 

Routine

Things have been going amazingly well for us this month! We started sleep training James (letting him cry it out hurts my heart! - but we never do it for longer than 10 mins) and it's actually worked really well. He's learnt to self-settle in his cot and now sleeps from 7pm til 7am :O I'm so proud of him! We also got a new bottle (comotomo) and he takes it just like the boobie (no gagging or chewing on it). Yaaaay!!! now I can go out without having to race home to feed him. 

7am
James Wakes, Rob spends time with him while getting ready for work (I sleep in a little longer)

8am

Wakeup, Feed James, Rob goes to work

8.30am

Have Breakfast, Play Gym for James

9am
James Naps, Do Laundry & Housework

9.45am

Have a Shower and Get Ready

11am

Feed James then Give Him Solids

12pm
James Naps, Have Lunch, Blog/Relax/Go out

2.15pm

Feed, Play with James (Tummy Time, Reading, Standing/Sitting etc)

4pm
Go for a walk with James (he naps for around 30 mins)

5pm
Feed James (one side only), Rob gets home from work & plays with James

5.45pm

Express (other side), Rob Baths James

6pm
Cook Dinner, Rob does Bedtime Routine 

(moisturises & dresses James + gives him bottle then solids + reads to James)

7pm
James Sleeps, Have Dinner, Relax (spend quality time together)

10pm
Feed James, James Sleeps, Go to Bed

Sleeping

He's been great this month.. sleeping from 7am to 7pm! Never thought this day would come! haha. We still give him his dream-feed at 10pm (sometimes earlier) before we go to bed. I don't think we'll drop this feed anytime soon. His daytime naps are pretty much the same, sometimes he'll be great and other times he won't.. just depends on the day and what's happening.

Eating/Feeding

We've started him on solids this month! He's been loving it so far and so have I! It's so fun watching his reaction to different tastes. I still haven't tried feeding him solids in public yet.. I'm trying to put this off as long as possible! haha. Oh and I'm still continuing to breastfeed him as normal. 

Sizes
I'm still squeezing him into size 00, but I think I'll have to start putting him in size 0 this week. Oh he's so grown up! 

Milestones

James has hit a few big milestones this month! The first one being that he's started solids! So far he's just had a little bit of fruit, veggies and baby rice cereal. For now we're just sticking to purees as I've heard they can choke if you give them finger food too early. His favourite food so far is pear! He loves trying to feed himself with the spoon - it's so cute! Another milestone is that James went swimming for the first time! He had so much fun and was laughing while playing with us in the pool. We even tipped water over his head and it didn't seem to bother him. He hasn't been teething as badly as last month, still drooling and gnawing on everything but doesn't seem to be in pain which is good. I can see a few buds in his mouth but nothing's come up yet. James is also loves sitting up and standing up (although he needs support for both), he's so strong now and is so active! We also got James baptised this month and he was so well behaved (I'm so proud of him). I think this month has been my favourite so far, he's just been so chatty and happy all the time! I just want to spend all day playing with him.

xx

Starting Solids - Week 1

So we've bitten the bullet and started James on solids this week. I wasn't sure he was ready, so I  "tested the waters" by giving him a little taste of rice cereal and he LOVED it, he practically bit my hand off when I spoon fed him and cried when I took it away! He's a big boy (7.8kg) so he's got a healthy appetite! Obviously I'm no expert on introducing solids, and there's a lot of different (and conflicting) opinions out there about when and what you give your bubs. But for us, this is what we've started with and it's all going well so far (touch wood).

Day 1

After 11am Feed - Introduced Iron-Fortified Rice Cereal (with Breast milk)

Day 2

After 11am Feed - Iron-Fortified Rice Cereal (with Breast milk)

Day 3

After 11am Feed - Iron-Fortified Rice Cereal (with Breast milk)

Day 4

11am - Introduced Pear

After 6pm Feed - Iron-Fortified Rice Cereal (with Breast milk)

Day 5

After 6pm Feed - Iron-Fortified Rice Cereal (with Pear & Breast milk)

Day 6

After 6pm Feed - Iron-Fortified Rice Cereal (with Pear & Breast milk)

Day 7

After 11am Feed - Introduced Peas

After 6pm Feed - Iron-Fortified Rice Cereal (with Pear & Breast milk)

It's exciting being able to introduce him to new foods and see his reaction. I still can't believe he's eating solids already! Naw my little baby's growing up so fast *tear*.

xx

Things to do on Maternity Leave

When I was pregnant I was constantly googling 'things to do on maternity leave' because I thought.. "I'm going to get sooooo bored being at home all day with a baby". Boy was I wrong. Being a mum is a full-time job! I'm so much busier now than I ever was when I was working full-time. It's just a different type of busy. Between feeding, showering, nappy changes, laundry, housework and playing with James.. it's hard to find time to do anything else. 

''

I make use of any "free" time I have by doing fun and productive things like..

Catching up with Friends and Family
I catch up regularly with my sister (who I'm lucky enough to be on mat leave with) to go shopping, watch trashy shows or go for walks. I also meet up with my mummy friends and my work friends during the week and still see my close friends on the weekend.

Building a Herb Garden
James loves playing outside in the shade while I potter away.

Watching Girly Shows
I'm slowly getting through the Gilmore Girls box set and loving every minute of it!


Organising my Closet
It's actually neat and tidy for once!


Going for walks with James
It's been especially nice lately, now that the weather's warmed up.


Preparing for Christmas
Why wait til Christmas to start buying presents! I've been buying presents online and wrapping them as I go. It's been fun and it's going to make Christmas a hell of a lot easier.


Watching my Fave Youtube Channels
I love the SacconeJolys, the Mom's View, Erin and Baby & Amanda Muse. I tend to watch these in the morning while having my brekky :)


Filling out James' Baby Book
This can be a bit tedious but I think it will be such a nice keep-sake for him when he's older.


Going to Mother's Group
I attend a mother's group once a week if I can. It's a good opportunity to talk to other mums who can relate.  I also like the social aspect for little James.


Selling Clothes on eBay
I've been selling a tonne of clothes that have been wasting space in my closet. It's so liberating getting rid of them and making money out of it is just a bonus!


and of course.. Blogging!
I've been pretty slack lately.. I try to blog every few days but it doesn't always happen (as you can tell haha).

There's so much more I want to do on mat leave like go to playgroups, swimming lessons with James, mums n bubs movies (can you believe I haven't been to one yet!) and I can't wait. I really want to make the most of this time off before I have to go back to work (boooo).

xx