BABY STYLE: A week of outfits #40

This week has truly flown by - I was back at work, Isabella was back at nursery and now we're looking forward to a long bank holiday weekend together as a family. Isabella came out of her most recent 'developmental leap' this week and there's been such a change. She's so much more smiley, giggling at everything (even me and that's usually saved for "Dada") and the tantrums have been few and far between. Isabella learnt to stand up from sitting all by herself this week and has suddenly become so much more confident with her walking. We even walked to the village shop together, hand in hand. It took a while, but was one of the moments I had dreamt about since before she was born. So special.  Last weekend I also set up a Pinterest account for my blog, which you can see here. I'd love it if you could check it out and perhaps hit the follow button - you'll find baby/toddler style, tasty recipes, baby friendly munchies, craft activities, home dreams, hand stamping, children's bedroom inspiration, parenting etc. :)

Day 1

RECIPE: Flower and Raspberry Chocolate Bark

This has to be one of the easiest but most effective treats I made for Isabella's floral themed birthday party. The combination of white chocolate with the dried raspberries works so well and the addition of edible dried flowers make it look extra special. You can pick up dried edible flowers online (websites such as amazon), but I found them to be pretty expensive. I ended up buying the seriously floral flower petal muesli from Waitrose (£3.99) and picking out the dried flower petals individually. It was quite a time consuming way of doing it but you don't need many petals and it meant I can now enjoy the muesli too.

TODDLER: Becoming a mini artist...

 Now that Isabella is up on her feet she is interested in such different things. Gone have the days when she'd enjoy being in the door bouncer while splashing her feet in a tub of water or laying on her back playing with the play gym. We are now having to adapt Isabella's sensory and creative experiences at home to activities she can do while standing up. One of her new favourite activities is drawing using the Kids 3-in-1 Activity Easel* (£25) and ELC Mini Artist My First Chalks* (£6), which are both from Hobbycraft. 

WEANING: Paneer, Pea and Cauliflower Curry Recipe

 I'm a big fan of giving Isabella a variety of curries, as they're full of flavour and always freeze really well. The garam masala is a fragrant mix of spices, without the addition of chilli making it ideal for babies/children. However if you don't have any you could use a combination of ground coriander, ground cumin, tumeric, ground ginger and cardamon. Just add as little or as much of each spice to suit your child's palette.

DIY: Floral Bunting Cake Topper Tutorial

 

 For Isabella's birthday party I ended up making two cake toppers, a glitter one (see my tutorial here) and this floral bunting one. We had two cakes - one full of sugar and naughtiness for the adults and a no-added sugar version for the babies/children, hence needing two cake toppers. Creating a floral bunting cake topper take no more than 5 minutes, so the perfect option for a last minute addition too. You could easily adapt this to say 'Mr & Mrs' for a wedding, 'boy/girl' for a baby shower or any other number for birthdays.

BABY STYLE: A week of outfits #39

Isabella has been really poorly this week, all starting with a rather unpleasant sick episode on Sunday night. We then had two days of her being sick and three days of feeling very poorly. She obviously didn't go to nursery and we had to juggle our first 'poorly child and we work' situation. My husband ended up taking Monday off and then I had to have Tuesday and Wednesday off, resulting in major cabin fever and lots of cuddles. Luckily by Thursday Isabella was feeling a lot better, by Friday we were back at soft play and dealing with all the tantrums! 

Day 1

RECIPE: Mini Completely Edible Flower Pots

 While preparing for Isabella's floral themed birthday party I was having a think about how we could integrate that theme into the food. We had a lot of people at our house for her party, so the food needed to reflect this. It couldn't be complicated, yet I still wanted it to have an impact when people walked in. I love creating, cooking and baking...hence making these completely edible flower pots. They were ideal finger food for the party, left no wrapper or cases behind and fitted in perfectly with the floral theme. Once I had the idea in my mind I was determined to somehow create them and in fact ended up doing so with just what we already had in the house. A true store cupboard creation. 

GIVEAWAY: Tickets to The Baby Show at the NEC, Birmingham 2016

The Baby Show at the NEC is an event I had wanted to attend for years, as someone who loves anything to do with babies I was just waiting for an excuse to attend. Isabella's birth back in April last year was the perfect reason to visit, so armed with our newborn baby, pushchair and a few NCT friends we headed to the NEC. Isabella was only just over a month old, which may have seemed like a silly idea but the fantastic facilities at the show made our visit stress free.

WEANING: Oven Baked Falafel

Falafel is one of my favourite meals, they are so simple to make and with a couple of adaptions they are perfect for babies to enjoy too. I wanted to cook these in the oven to make them slightly healthier, but you can also fry them in a small amount of oil if you prefer. You could easily make these following the recipe below, remove some of the mixture to make baby friendly falafel and then add some chilli, harissa or chipotle paste into the leftover mixture for tasty adult friendly falafels. They can then be served in pitta bread with houmous, grated cheese, salad and cucumber or however you and your little one like to enjoy falafel!

NURSERY: What to pack

 

Prior to Isabella's first session at nursery I wanted to ensure we had everything she'd need for her days there, plus some extra comforts. Going to nursery is such a big step for both parents and children, so anyway I could make it easier for Isabella I was going to do it. I didn't want to spend much money on the items I was sending Isabella into nursery with - I've heard enough stories about things get ruined/lost that I knew nursery wasn't the place for her 'best' outfits. 

BABY STYLE: A week of outfits #38

This week has been a really positive one - Isabella is now eating more and sleeping longer at nursery, I had a good half week at work and filled the other half with seeing friends and family. Sometimes I get nervous about filling up my diary with seeing people because it means Isabella doesn't nap for as long, often resulting in less sleep at night. But this week I've realised I need to change this attitude and embrace everyday as it comes. Recently Isabella hasn't been sleeping well at night whether we go out for the day or not, so why not have a lovely day anyway?! 

Day 1

RECIPE: Ginger Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

These cookies are slightly different to the usual chewy texture I go for, they're soft and truly delicious, which is a nice change. The Seed and Bean Just Ginger Dark Chocolate adds just the right amount of warming richness to these buttery cookies. I like to leave the chunks of chocolate pretty big, but you do whatever you prefer - adding another type of chocolate to counteract the richness of the dark chocolate would work really well too.

FIRST BIRTHDAY: Party Food

Deciding what food to have at Isabella's first birthday party wasn't easy. We were hosting about 35 adults and 6 children/babies, all within limited space. We therefore needed food that could easily be picked up, no need for cutting or preparing (ie. cheese board and bread) and that catered for all dietary requirements. I love hosting and thrive off this kind of challenge, it was also a welcome distraction from returning to work too. 

FINGER FOOD: Mini Raspberry Cheesecake Recipe using Organix Biscuits

The other day I had the eager to make something new for Isabella to try, so I hunted in our cupboards and fridge to see what we had. After finding Greek yogurt and cream cheese I decided to make Isabella mini cheesecakes that had no added sugar and that would be ideal for her to enjoy as finger food. The cheesecake part was easy to come up with, but I was a bit stuck on how to create the biscuit base without any sugar involved. I also wanted to be able to quickly make a batch of these cheesecakes that evening, so they'd be ready for Isabella to enjoy the next day. By using Organix Banana Baby Biscuits (also available in Strawberry or Vanilla flavours, which woudl work just as well) it saved so much time, ensured there was no added sugar and meant that a batch of these was made in under 5 minutes! 

FIRST BIRTHDAY: Isabellas Party Bags

Party bags can be a source of stress for parents - what to fill them with? What about the extra cost? How to cater for the variety of ages/genders? We decided to brave the topic of party bags for Isabella's birthday party and create some for the guests who were children. As it was Isabella's first birthday party she was too young to invite her 'friends', so we chose to invite everyone who has been significant in her first year of life. It was incredibly special to have so many people who love and care for Isabella altogether, including six children. This made the task of party bags for the children much more manageable and in fact turned into one of my favourite aspects to organise. Perhaps due to these stunning Liberty Betsy Party Bags* from Party Pieces (£6.99 for 8 pack) - though their beauty made me not want to give them away!

BABY STYLE: A week of outfits #37

I've been back at work again this week and I'm completely exhausted! Reality has hit that when you're a parent there is just no stopping. I leave the house at 6.50am, go to work, pick Isabella up from nursery at 5pm(ish) then go home where I bath her, feed her and put her to bed. Then I have work to do and I'm sometimes able to sneek some blogging in too. By 9pm I'm so tired and have to go to bed, that's my day. No 'me time', time to relax or even time for a hot cup of tea. I feel very lucky that that's only three days a week and not full time, but it's exhausting nonetheless. I have really enjoyed being back at work though - I treasure the time with Isabella more and have liked testing my brain again.

Day 1

FIRST BIRTHDAY: Isabellas Outfits...yes there were two of them!

For Isabella's first birthday I had been searching for her birthday outfits. Yes...outfits, because if you can't wear two outfits on your first birthday then when can you? I really wanted an outfit that showed Isabella was turning 1 and a 'party' outfit for when her birthday party began in the afternoon. 

DIY: Glitter Birthday Cake Topper

 When we were thinking about what type of cake we were going to have for Isabella's first birthday we just couldn't decide. I really wanted a smaller version of our wedding cake, but that would have been hundreds of pounds and I just couldn't justify it. We eventually settled on a Victoria sponge from Costco, it was only £7.29 and huge! But it didn't look like a birthday cake, or anything special to be honest. I therefore wanted to add some personal additions, making an £7.29 cake look like something a bit more special. 

FIRST BIRTHDAY: Isabellas Party

Isabella's is now one...a whole year old! Her birthday was on a Sunday this year, so we had her party actually on her birthday. It was so special to have everyone who loves, cares and has been a big part of Isabella's first year altogether on her birthday. We organised her party to start at 12.30pm so that we had a good chunk of the morning to spend together, as well as putting the final touches to the party food. It worked really well because Isabella napped just before her party started, enabling her to dance the afternoon away! 

WEANING: Baked Cinnamon Custard Recipe

 

This recipe came about because I didn't want to waste the egg yolks that are left over from my fried egg white breakfast. It's so quick to make, all done in the time it takes for my egg white to cook! You could add different fruit, spices or a crumble topping, just do whatever your little one enjoys the most. Isabella has this baked cinnamon custard for breakfast with banana or as a pudding, it's also a nice one if they've not been very well as it's easy for them to eat.

MOTHERHOOD: Is it what I expected?

As it was Isabella's first birthday yesterday I've been doing a lot of reminiscing about the past year and what a year it's been. Everyone warns you how much a having a baby will change your life and they're not wrong, everything changes. Mostly for the better, though some of the changes are for the worse - oh how I hate the constant worrying/guilty feeling! Having said that when I think about my life before Isabella it makes me sad...it makes me sad to think there was a time she wasn't in my life. Strange really as there have been a lot more years without her, than with her. I blame the incredible new level of emotion that was created within me after having Isabella.

ISABELLAS FAVOURITES: March 2016

March has been a big month for learning new skills and consolidating old ones. Isabella now says 'Mumma' rather than repeating the 'Mamama' sound, has taken her first steps, can blow kisses, climb up and down stairs, wave, turn herself around to slide off the sofa safely, cuddle and clap on request and so much more...what a busy month! It's been an emotional, exciting and exhausting month and our last month of having a baby under 1. I literally can't believe it.

BABY STYLE: A week of outfits #36

This week has been a crazily busy one filled with more nursery settling in sessions, party prepartions, catching up with friends and about seven trips to the supermarket! Lists have been my best friend as we've been making the final preparations for Isabella's birthday party. Hence there are only two outfits this week, we'll be back to three next week. I've cooked, cleaned, sorted, crafted, organised, shopped, ordered and decorated my way through the week and I've loved every single second of it. I love hosting, especially one that is so special. In the few spare minutes I've been spent reminiscing about this time last year when I was in labour with Isabella, this past year has been the best year of my life. I am so incredibly lucky.

Day 1

MEMORIES: Our first night at home with Isabella

I'd read so many baby books, attended all of our antenatal classes and as a result thought I knew what that first night at home with our brand new bundle of joy would be like. Oh how wrong was I. Isabella was born on a Friday afternoon and by Saturday evening we were standing in the hospital car park trying to work out how the car seat went into the car and I very much had the post birth {painful} penguin walk. In the space of 24 hours we'd gone from a couple to a family of three, life had changed forever. At the time my husband had a three door car and due to Isabella crying I somehow clambered into the back of the car to try and comfort her. The problem was I was new to being a Mummy, she was new to the world...I didn't know what to do to comfort her and she didn't know how to tell me what was wrong. All the while my husband was making the 40 minute drive back home, trying not to let Isabella's crying distract him. I just remember staring at her the whole way home though, she was so tiny and helpless. She needed us to survive and that's quite a responsibility.