Catch up

Well I haven't managed to write a blog in three weeks!

In all honesty, I've been so busy. I'm physically and mentally exhausted. I've had trouble with my iron levels since the last part of my pregnancy and I think they're getting worse as when I'm not busy with Max I just seem to fall asleep. I'm a bit worried really as I've been sleeping through him crying at night. Luckily my husband (who's normally an incredibly deep sleeper) has been waking up and looking after Max but I'm definitely going to have to go and see the doctor.

Life with Max over the past three weeks has been a big muddle of dirty nappies, giggles and smiles, naps, baby club (mummy club), baby massage, jumperoo time and a few days out thrown in. We had a lovely Father's Day. It was obviously Dave's first Father's Day and as he's a huge fan of fish we went to the aquarium. I thought Max would still be a bit young to appreciate it but he watched the fish and lights with wide eyes, especially in the shark tunnel. It was a lovely day out.

Max has learnt to roll over!! It had been coming for a long time to be honest! He prefers sleeping on his side, I'm guessing because I used to breast feed him to sleep on his side, and although we always put him to bed on his back, we were waking up to him being on his side. Cue a tired, snappy accusation of turning him over to my other half until we realised he was doing it himself! If I ever left him on his side after feeding he would kind of wriggle and flip into his tummy, so it was only a matter of time before he rolled completely and here's the photo from the first ever roll!

Haha his face cracks me up he looks so angry - he's scared himself when he rolled I think, and his arm was stuck under him but I had to get a photo! Since then we often find him asleep on his tummy with one leg hanging out of his cot, which scares the hell out of me but he must be comfy!!!

Baby club has taken over my pre-Max drinks and meals out with friends. My friends have been great and love Max to bits but its been amazing to meet other mums who understand how difficult it is to just leave the house and who make me feel like I'm not the only one going through the roller coaster of motherhood. I've made some really nice friends there (and at baby massage) and we've bonded over cake whilst Max has play dates with other babies :) I feel much happier now I'm getting out a bit. I didn't realise I wasn't as happy until I started getting out and I realised I was isolating myself, and Max, sitting in the house all day. He's great but it's so lovely meeting other adults! I think being a mum of a young baby can be incredibly isolating and it's so easy to be intimidated by baby groups and other mums, but at the end of the day we're all going through the same thing and its a lot healthier to get out. Max is certainly enjoying his play dates and I'm enjoying the company and cake!

Another walk!

Well in an attempt to enjoy the sunshine and burn off some pregnancy weight, we went for a walk!

I imagined the hubby and I walking hand in hand as we pushed max in his pram, who would be smiling away as we walked. In reality it was incredibly hot causing me to sweat and chaff, neither of us enjoyed pushing the pram because of the heat, there was the cofuffle of having to keep swapping the pram umberella around depending on which way the sun was facing and I had hay fever so bad my eyes looked like this:

Despite this, we had a really good time and saw lots of fun things.

Boats were constantly coming in and out of the dock, so being the engineering geeks we are, we stood and watched the bridge rotate for them. (We were the only saddos taking photos!)

(Someone missed it the first time!)

Watching the train again through the bushes

A lovely picnic by the water

And a walk back... But someone was tuckered out by then! 

Overall, a lovely day :) even if I am now sat with a huge box of tissues, eye drops and a nose spray!

Another lovely weekend!

My husband is just upstairs putting max to bed (yes, the routine worked yesterday!) and I'm sat feeling blessed and slightly tipsy from one glass of Pimms and lemonade (pregnancy made me a light weight!)

We have had the loveliest weekend. I expected the weather to be a bit warmer to be honest but it was sunny nevertheless and it's been so good. Yesterday we got a bit too apprehensive, expecting the hot weather, and headed to the lakes. Unfortunately, when we got to Grange over Sands we were greeted with huge grey clouds! Instead of getting out (with our summer outfits on and no cover or blanket for max) we decided to have a nice drive instead. It wasn't the lovely sunny walk I'd anticipated but it was great seeing all the countryside and taking in the sleepy toy town scenery of Grange. 

That evening we had a little BBQ as the weather was a bit nicer back home, and set to at getting max into bed for half 7. We have allowed him to sleep and feed on demand before, under recommendation from the midwives, and I didn't want him to use a dummy as I dislike them, never had one myself and was worried he'd become reliant on them. Instead he ended up breast feeding to sleep or for comfort. He's always been happy but it got to the point where me and Dave were arguing a lot from lack of sleep and he couldn't see where I was coming from when it came to not giving him a dummy. Because of the way we have fed and allowed him to sleep as and when he pleases he hasn't got much of a routine and we are seeing the repercussions of that now as he reaches three months old. I read the book, the baby whisperer, and decided to try the EASY method where he eats, spends time doing some kind of activity, sleeps (and I get some me time) and then does it all again. It was hard at first, as he's been used to feeding to sleep, sleeping in someones arms and I felt horrible waking him during a feed and then struggled to get him to sleep later on at first, but he's adapted well and he's now sleeping from a lot earlier too, giving me and the hubby some "us" time.

Last night we watched a film together and it was really good just cuddling together and having some time alone. I haven't left Max with anyone else at night yet as I've been breast feeding and I don't feel quite up to leaving him so we literally haven't had any time together alone for three months and our relationship was suffering because of it.

Today we both got a little lie in, me getting up earlier and then going back to bed for a couple of hours at around 9. We did a quick food shop and then went swimming this afternoon to Ribby Hall. Max loved it. He loves being in the water, and we have an inflatable trainer seat for him which he really enjoys being sat in. Me and Dave got to mess around and play too and the sunny weather when we left and got an ice cream ended up giving us a lovely holiday feeling. We popped in to see my mum and dad where max enjoyed a quick play on the trampoline and the swing, before heading home for bath time and bed. 

I'm sat smiling (yes I'm still feeling tipsy) as I listen to Dave read Max a story as I know I'm one lucky girl to have the special family unit that I have. I hope you've all had such lovely weekends too - here are some photos from ours!