Tuesday 24 March 2015

Rhodri's 10 Month Update

Rhodri's 10 Month Update


Hello there! I know posts have been thin on the ground recently, but I am working hard at developing some sort of work/home/blog life balance. I have a few posts in the pipeline and am grateful for all of you who read my blog and who are patient as I figure out how to juggle everything

My baby boy is now 10 months old.  He is in to everything. Everything is a toy, and belongs to him! He seems to change almost every day, constantly growing and learning. Now that I'm back in work it seems like by the time the weekend comes around and I can spend the full day with him, he's learnt so much without me. He's more and more like a little boy, and less like a baby every day. I am loving watching the changes and development. Here's what's happened in the last month!


Weight: Rhodri hasn't been weighed this month, judging by the return of his appetite I think he is probably right back on track. 

Height: We haven't had this checked since last month. He's not likely to be measured until his 1 year check up.

Clothing size: Around two weeks ago Rhodri moved up to his 9-12 month clothes. I probably could have held out a little longer as the arms and legs seem slightly too long. He was in that awkward stage where 6-9 was starting to get small and I'd rather his clothes were too big than too small.

Sleep: He sleeps 7pm - 6.30am. We do sometimes have to wake him at 6.30am so that we can get him out the door and get ourselves to work, but more often than not once he hears us stirring he starts to wake also.

This months milestones: 
  • TEETH!! Holy moly! We went two and a half months with just the two bottom two teeth, when finally one of his top front teeth came through. Then two weeks later he is teething with three more top teeth! The poor little man is teething like crazy! We have made his first dentist appointment for next month, and hopefully by then the three teeth will be through!
  • Rhodri is learning more words/sounds. Mamma and Dadda he has down to an art. He's working on Yes and Bye at the moment.
  • In the past week Rhodri has been standing unaided for a few seconds. Not for long, but we are getting there and his balance is noticeably improving.
  • He can walk when holding on to furniture or our hands.
  • Still not crawling, but he has recently moved from a sitting to almost crawling position before lying down and giving up... it's progress!
  • He is showing signs of being sociable with other children. Although he can't talk to them, he mimics the sounds or crys they make to try and grab their attention.
  • The health visitor visited me after my first week back in work and said Rhodri showed signs of Separation Anxiety. He wasn't overly upset, and he quickly warmed to her again and showered her with smiles. But showed that he was certain who his Mummy was and who the stranger in the situation was.
This months special outings:
  • Rhodri has had a few outings to the park. He loves the swings. Slides are mildly interesting. Nosing in on other peoples conversations is of course the best part of any outing.
  • We continue to spend Thursdays visiting his Aunty and cousins. Sometimes when he's really lucky his girlfriend is there too. He's very fond of women. Flirt.
Baby gear love: My brand new woven wrap. I'm still getting to grips with it but I am enjoying trying out different carries using my wrap. I am building up the confidence to take him out minus the pram and with just the wrap.

Baby's routine: You can read our bed time routine HERE

Around 6.30am he wakes up, he has porridge and a bottle before brushing his teeth and being dressed for the day. We tend to leave the house around 7am dropping him off before heading to work. His grandparents play with him, take him out and just enjoy him of course. He naps around 9 for two hours. Has a bottle and lunch around half 11. Second nap half two ish for an hour. His last bottle after the second nap. I pick him up around 4.45pm. When we get home he has dinner and we resume the normal evening routine. Thursdays & Weekends Rhodri doesn't go to his grandparents and so I try to maintain the routine while still making memories and enjoying quality time together.


Highlights of the month: 
  • Rhodri is constantly babbling and chatting. He laughs and giggles alot. Seeing him attempt communication is so rewarding and enjoyable to hear.
  • Rhodri claps, waves and does a lot of dancing. I find it so lovely to see him enjoying movement and music. It's lovely to see him so happy.
  • Getting home from work every day and getting smiles, kisses and cuddles is the best.

Rhodri's monthly favourites: 
  • Toy - Anything musical
  • Teddy - Goodnight bear.
  • Food - Cauliflower, banana Pancakes and toast.
  • Music - He just loves music. Sam Smith, Taylor Swift, Sia, Meghan Trainor... pretty much anything in the top 40 are his favourites. He loves Queen and Bon Jovi too. Anything he can bop along to!! 
  • Activity - Standing, walking, dancing.
  • Person - Mummy & Daddy of course!
  • Book - The Gruffalos Child.
Rhodri's monthly dislikes:
  • Being left the first few days Mummy went back to work.
  • Being dressed. Particularly dislikes putting coats on - this continues to be an issue.
  • Being put in/strapped in to seats, chairs, prams. He wants to be held or walking and doesn't particularly like being restrained.

Thats all for this month. As always thanks for reading!! xoxo







Monday 16 March 2015

Plumbing disaster doubles as a Zoflora Review




 I've become something of a plumbing expert since Rhodri came along. For some unknown reason our plumbing has become a little unreliable. It started off with a leak under the bath. I learned to tighten loose joints. This was followed by a leaky kitchen tap. I learnt to replace taps and more than I ever needed to know about various types of pipes, connections, spanners etc.

But most recently, last but one week of my maternity leave, I sat on the sofa enjoying the smiles and babbling from Rhodri when it occurred to me that whooshing sound of the washing machine filling up had gone on a lot longer than usual.

Turns out the whooshing noise wasn't the machine but a pipe in our bathroom had burst leaving my kitchen and bathroom flooded. Yikes!!

After gracefully dancing through the water, and leaping past the water shooting everywhere, elegantly turning off the water and then gliding back to baby (translated I stumbled, tumbled, got soaked, screamed a bit, ran and slipped on to my backside) I had the task of cleaning up the mess!!

Every towel in the house was used to dry up the water, but dust and fluff from under the cupboards along with mud from the plumbers trudging back and fore was now all over my tiled kitchen and laminate flooring downstairs.

This gave me the opportunity to try out the zoflora disinfectant I was kindly sent to try. **disclosure - I didn't pay for the zoflora I was sent to review but all thoughts and opinions expressed are honest and my own**

So I diluted the linen fresh disinfectant I was sent and set about mopping the floors. It got rid of the mess, left my house smelling fresh but not at all over powering and best of all, I knew everything was clean and hygenic so Rhodri could play on the floor once again.

I love that zoflora can be used for cleaning the bathroom. Put in a spray bottle and used as a cleaning spray, to soak dishclothes in or even to clean pet toys. I liked the fresh smell and love that they have quite a few fragrances to try.

You can check out their products, stockists and even hints/tips for different usages on their website www.zoflora.co.uk

I will definitely be repurchasing once I finish this sample.

So even though the pipe burst, the floors were stinking and my mood was not so good... There was a silver lining. I got to review a product in the process of cleaning up!

As always thanks for reading!

Sunday 8 March 2015

New Beginnings

The last 11 months have been full of memories. Some not so good... like a flooded kitchen and bathroom or a poorly son. But mostly full of amazing memories. For 11 months I have been on maternity leave and it seems like just yesterday I came home from my last day and rang my Mum. It hit me like a bus that day, I wasn't just pregnant, I was actually going to have a baby! 

That sounds daft I'm sure, but it sure does become 'real' and that for me was the moment it really hit home. For a month I was waiting for this baby and the next chapter of my life. Always knowing I would be returning to work and not even fazed by the idea.

A month later my gorgeous little boy was born. He rushed in to my life and every day since has been a blur of happiness, life lessons and overwhelming love. Immediately the idea of returning to work became sad. Because it meant I wasn't always going to have these long days of cuddles, playing and learning.

Rhodri, 12 hours old

For 9 and a half, almost 10 months I have lived and breathed being a Mum. I sometimes joke that I forget what I did before Rhodri was born. But truthfully it's not really a joke. Within a short few hours with my son, I couldn't have imagined life without him and although being a Mum was so new, it seemed like I had known this little boy forever.

But now Rhodri and I approach a new chapter in our lives. Tomorrow morning Rhodri will go to his grandparents and I will return to work. Yes the 11 months is finally up and I can hardly believe it!

I know it will be hard to leave my little man behind, I know that given the opportunity I'd gladly stay home and raise my son. But I also know that a tiny part of me is a little excited. It will be strange, and yet I look forward to seeing the faces of my colleagues, having a conversation that has actual English words in it. It will be bizarre yet refreshing to be Rachel and not Rhodri's Mummy for a few hours a day.

So tonights post is a good bye to the days of being a Stay At Home Mum. A new beginning of being a Working Mum. Here's me trying to look on the bright side of not spending 24/7 with my favourite person and trying to be positive about a change that was always going to happen.

Any working mums out there, how did you manage with the transition? Any hints, tips and funny stories always welcome!!

As always, thanks for reading!!