Fire alarms

So our latest adventures took us to a beautiful hotel that we are probably not posh enough for but loved every minute of our time there. We had an amazing weekend with family making lots of memories. It wasn’t without it’s drama however…

Last night we all enjoyed dinner followed by some drinks in the bar. We then all headed to bed ready to check out the next morning. Bed time was smooth. The little one finished her bottle and went straight to sleep. She’s been sleeping through the night mainly now so I wasn’t concerned about lack of sleep. So we went to bed and that was it.

Then we were woken up by the almighty sound of the fire alarm throughout the hotel. The room was pitch black but I could hear shouting outside. We jumped out of bed, grabbing our shoes and jackets. I quickly picked my baby out the travel cot and wrapped her in the biggest blanket I could find in the room and we ran out the door. The corridors were full of people rushing to leave. We went down the nearest fire escape and followed the fire exit signs. However when we reached the door… it wouldn’t open!!! So we had to turn around and navigate our way round the hotel to find another exit. Everyone was banging into each other trying to leave the building. When we got to the front of the hotel, the very stressed looking staff members let us know that there wasn’t a fire and that guests in the hotel had set the alarm off in their rooms. To say I was angry would be an understatement.

In summary, drunk guests had been extremely stupid and had ended up setting the alarm off an everyone had to be evacuated. So not only had I woken my sleeping baby up (something you should never do 🙈) i had also had to take her outside in the freezing cold all for nothing!!! When entering the hotel again to go back to our rooms the poor staff members were offering everyone tea and coffee. Bless them for trying their best to calm the situation. However my tiredness and frustration clearly got the better of me as when asked if I wanted a coffee I replied with ‘I don’t want a coffee but I would love the names and room number for the idiots who set the alarm off so they can deal with the screaming baby’ 🙈 oops! I should really have accepted the coffee!

Love H x

Future Diva

Today is the day I realised that my 4month old is going to be a diva.

Heard her stirring in her bed so went over and picked her up. The smiles I received were amazing as always. It really is the best start to the day. I changed her nappy and gave her the first feed of the day. She was so content and smiley. We went downstairs and I put her on her play mat. Now at this point I decided to make a cup of tea so I went into the kitchen (I can still see her through our glass door) and I turned the kettle on. As I did this I heard an almighty scream. It sounded like a terra dactyl 🙄 it was my daughter. This shouting/screaming continued until I put peppa pig on the television. After that she stops shouting and went back to smiling and cooing.

I’m no expert but I think I’ve experienced my first baby temper tantrum 🙈

Love

H x

Parents acting like babies.

Yesterday I witnessed something I never want to see again.

I was at a sensory baby class. We were having an amazing class mingling with the other parents and babies. We had played with bubbles and coloured scarfs. We had listened and danced to music and we were enjoying all the fabulous lights in the room. Baby girl was in her element. Totally engrossed.

That was until I hear raised voices in the corner of the room. I didn’t pay much attention as I assumed the voices were raised due to the volume of the music. How wrong was I in my little sensory bubble.

Next minute I see a tiny set of bells fly through the air like a bird. Accompanied by two confused but adorable babies being thrust into their prams and two parents standing arguing whilst still holding a multitude of cute and tiny musical instruments.

The panicked instructor scuttled over to try and diffuse the situation however it was too late as apparently it had reached breaking point when one parent said to the other “I just think you’re the most stupid person in the world if you honestly believe that your baby can play the bells better than mine”.

WHAT THE FUCK?!!

Yes! That actually came out their mouth. Who knew the performance of baby bell ringing was so competitive!

This argument continued for a few more minutes before they were asked to leave. And quite rightly so because my baby is the best bell ringer clearly 😉 just kidding. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so ridiculous in my life. You’d think these people would have more respect for the class and the babies in their company but apparently not.

Hope you all have a lovely start to your weekend. We have a full week together as a family due to holidays off work which is amazing and I can’t wait.

Love

H x

Next steps.

I’m sure every parent wishes they could have a little bit more sleep. An extra half hour or an extra 10 minutes. Our baby is still in the same room as us and she’s now 4 months old. She loves to wake up during the night and have a chat. 4am and we can guarantee she’s having a party to herself. She wakes us up constantly and it’s not got a bottle or a nappy change… just because she’s a little chatterbox who loves to move herself about her bed! 🙈 however the thought of moving her into her bigger bed in her own room is freaking me out. We have baby monitors etc but I still don’t want her to go into the room next door. I’ll end up sleeping in the new room with her 😂 any other parents felt the same way? What did you do to make things easier?

Love H x

Baby classes.

Going to baby classes can be such a stressful experience. Even before you step foot in the door.

Before you leave you pack your changing bag within an inch of its life. Extra bibs, outfits, dummies, bottles, toys. Just incase they are needed. You put your little one in the cutest outfit because you don’t want your baby looking casual if all the other babies are fancy (yes that thought goes through my head 🙈). You make your way to the class, making sure you give yourself plenty of time to arrive, park, unload your babies wheels, get all their shit into the pram because let’s face it they don’t travel light 😉.

We enter the class and scope out who is already there. Checking out the other parents in the room… who looks nice? Who smiles? Who looks a bit cliquey? Knowing whatever group you approach can determine how the next 6 weeks will be for you. Did you choose a chatty person, a judgmental person or the absolutely perfect model parent who has attended every baby class under the sun. Whoever you choose, you know you are stuck with them for the next few weeks. You are unofficially friends now. And that’s before the class has even started! And this is the same drama and stress before every class.

Anyone else feel the same?

Love

H x

Little moments

Today we had a little moment that I won’t forget. Just a little moment that didn’t last long but meant a lot to me.

We were with a group of friends at the park enjoying the beautiful weather. We took picnics and blankets and we sat in the shade under a tree with our babies enjoying the weather, view and each other’s company. It was a perfect afternoon.

And then it happened. My little girl sat up unaided on her own. I hadn’t even realised until a friend noticed. I was fumbling about with Muslim clothes and dummies to actually realise what was going on.

I have never felt so proud. It only lasted a short time however it was another little milestone met.

I hope everyone has had a lovely day. This little moment certainly made mines even better.

Love

H x

Look after your friends.

Look after your friends❗️

Being a parent is an exhausting but rewarding experience. You put in all your energy and effort to provide for these little humans no matter their age. You devote your time and attention to them, spend your money on them and they become the centre of your whole universe. Your main priority in life. Whilst you are busy being a part of their lives, it’s very easy to forget parts of your own life. It’s easy to forget about your friends. Everyone is going through something in life whether it is big or small. There may be a friends who has been quiet, unsociable or hasn’t been in contact very much recently. Check in on them. You may have a family member who you haven’t seen for a little while. Check in on them. There may be someone you know who has just become a new parent. Check in on them.

While you are busy with your new life, people in your old life may still need you. As much as I sometimes struggle to find the time, I’ve been trying my best to connect and check in with the people I care about. Just Incase they need someone. They will see you are very busy and won’t often say when they need help. Equally, if you find yourself in a situation that you may need support or even just a chat from a friend or relative – let them know.

We need to support each other and be there for the people we care about. A phone call, text, email or visit only takes a few minutes. Be kind to yourself and to others.

Love

H x

Sleep Olympics

How do your mornings work when the little one wakes up? During the week it’s simple for us. Mummy gets up with the little one and we start our day and daddy gets ready then goes to work. As I said – simple! What about the weekends you ask? Ha! That’s a completely different story. As we share the nighttime feeding it becomes very competitive on a Saturday and Sunday morning. Who can pretend to still be asleep the best so the other is forced to do the early rise? Who has the best reason for needing more sleep? Who can lie there the longest without getting up out of bed to see what our very vocal baby is getting upto? Who is the comfiest? The list is endless and the Sleep Olympics becomes more competitive as the weeks go on! Hope we aren’t the only ones… Love H x

Realistic questions.

I love nothing more than roaming the baby aisles in the shops. Looking at all the gorgeous outfits that I could picture my little one wearing. Lovely pink dresses, yellow rompers, glittery cardigans, fresh white baby grows. The list is endless.

But when I shop for her, 1 million different thoughts enter my head. I need to think carefully about the sizing of the clothes I buy. Will it fit her this season? Will it be too hot or too cold for the current weather? Will it match any outfits she already has? Will the material annoy her skin? Does it come with an undervest? In reality what I should really be asking myself is… will it wash properly when she shits right through it? Is it easy to get her out of during a nappy explosion? Will she grow out of it in a week? All more realistic questions.

However the beautiful lemon outfit is put in the shopping basket and the shopping trip continues. I’ll be cursing myself later.

Maternity Leave Expectations

When I first finished up work to begin my maternity leave, I had so many ideas in my head of things our baby and I would do. Activities we would take part in, classes we would attend and places we would go. New parents (and experienced ones) can put so much pressure on themselves to bounce back and get out and about with their little one. You’re expected to socialise, attend every sensory and music class under the sun as well as looking like you’ve got your shit together. I don’t know why I felt this pressure so much. Pressure to look like my pre pregnancy self, to be out walking with the pram every day, to keep on top of housework as well as attending book bug every week. But in all honestly it hasn’t worked out that way at all. But that’s ok.

We need to give ourselves lazy days at home in our pyjamas, eating microwave meals and watching endless tv. We need to have days to regain energy. To sleep. To enjoy a shower in peace. Days to spend with our family. I think sometimes I need a reminder that I don’t need to meet societies expectations. And neither should anyone else. We should set our own expectations.

On that note… I’m planning on having a lazy night with my little family on the sofa watching films and eating our body weight in biscuits. That’s my expectation for today.

Love

H x