Goodbye Me and You Raising Two

Over the last year a lot of changes have happened, the biggest being our family has grown and Eloise was born. She arrived 3 months early which led to me taking a break from the blogging world. But I'm back with a (slightly) new name and a new blog!

You can now find us over at http://www.youmeraisingthree.co.uk

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Advent Calendars For Children | Christmas Gifting

Whilst I realise it's October and may of you won't have given Christmas much thought advent calendars are becoming more and more popular and seem to sell out fairly quickly, hence my decision to post this now. This year there seems to be a huge variety for all ages on the market making it almost impossible to choose just one!  I know these won't be everyones cup of tea, but I actually like the idea of a calendar that isn't chocolate or sweet based and I think they make lovely gifts. 

Empowering Girls & Women

"A WOMAN WITH A VISION EMPOWERS AN EMPIRE OF WOMEN TO DO MORE, SEE MORE AND BE MORE."

Whilst looking through pinterest recently I came across this quote and it really stood out to me. 

I am a young woman but when it comes to supporting and encouraging other women and mums I like to think I have it covered. I'm far from perfect and I have made (and continue) to make many mistakes, as a woman, a parent and as a wife. However, I have a passion to help other women, particularly mums, to try and inspire them and help them feel good about themselves. 

Nimble Babies Milk Buster | Product Review & Giveaway

How many other mums out there hate cleaning bottles? Surely I am not the only one?! If we are all honest, no matter how hard you try and with the best will in the world, over time all bottles end up a bit cloudy. 

I have seen the Nimble Babies Milk Buster floating around the internet recently, and it did catch my eye but if I'm completely honest I thought 'Ok a fancy (more expensive) washing up liquid.' Let me tell you how wrong I was! Having tried and tested it I can confidently say it's nothing like your standard washing up liquid and it really does do what it claims to. 

Zara Haul | Oscar's Autumn/Winter Wardrobe

Brett and I had a major parenting fail recently, all of a sudden Oscar seemed to have a growth spurt and we had no clothes for him *insert monkey emoji covering face here*.  He is so awkward with his sizing, having only just grown out of 0-3 bottoms and still in 6-9 tops we've had him sorted since he was born.  Despite it still being around 28 degrees in Cyprus I'm beginning to pick up lots of Autumn and Winter bits, believe it or not the weather does change and you definitely need some warmer layers and a raincoat! I found out the hard way last year! 

For Lucas | Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Week

I wanted to mark Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness week by joining many others and writing a post about our experience.  This post is in many respects the easiest I could ever write, however, I've found myself putting it off for months, started and deleted it numerous times and left it as an untitled draft.  The last week, as most of you will know, I have been in hospital due to premature labour (which thankfully, has settled, for now).  I had my laptop with me and began to write what Brett and I went through, but nothing seems appropriate, I'm a pretty open book, I can and have talked openly about what happened and what we went through. For some reason I have really struggled to write it down in a blog post, sharing the intimate details just doesn't feel natural in this instance, for me. 

Pregnancy Update | 18 - 20 Weeks & Gender Reveal

I'm actually 21 weeks but the last couple of weeks have been nice and hectic as usual so I'm a little out of sync! In terms of the baby, everything is OK.  Things with me haven't been great but that's just ongoing issues which we were semi aware of.

Weaning Oscar | With HiPP Organic

Weaning can be daunting for any parent, whether it's your first or third child, it certainly has been for me. When it was Emelia's turn it was so easy, she began showing an interest and tasting foods at 4 months, whereas Oscar has been the polar opposite, even at 6 months he showed no interest what so ever. I was beginning to feel quite deflated, health visitors and other professionals were telling me what he should be having but no matter what I tried nothing worked, he just refused. I tried both bought and home made purees, finger foods, foods we eat, baby rice - everything.

Day Out | Hope Nature Centre & Animal Park

Hope Nature Centre and Animal Park is a charity run by young people with learning disabilities in Southwick, Wiltshire. The charity was founded in 2000, in May 2006 after six years of fundraising the tea room opened.  The following year chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, goats and a pony all found a new home in the nature centre and May 2008 saw the opening of the animal park.  The park is now home to may more animals and has approximately 700 visitors a week. 

Staying Cool During Pregnancy | Cool It Mama Spritz

I had my eye on the Cool It Mama spritz for a while before purchasing it and having used it constantly over the last few months I have to ask myself why I didn’t pick it up before.  To be honest, probably as I was sceptical about a product that is meant to cool you down, but it really does work and not only that, it smells beautiful. 

Tuesday 10 | Baby Names We Love But Won't Be Using

Choosing a baby name is to me, one the most important and overwhelming task you're faced with as a parent. We've never been particularly bothered about choosing a name that's trendy and standing out and being different has never been in the forefront of our minds. To us it's about the child and their future.  Regardless of how we may think our society act, people seem to be judged on their names, so we have always taken this into account.  I think it's important to imagine a name you like on an adult as well as a child, to me some names are absolutely fitting for a baby but maybe not so much for an adult, and vice versa. 

Maternity Style Top Picks | Autumn/Winter Edition

I am a HUGE fan of clothes shopping, but I have to be honest, maternity clothes don't really do it for me!  I find a lot of them to frumpy and ill fitting - for me anyway.  I wouldn't call myself a style icon or even particularly fashionable, especially during pregnancy.  At the moment it's hot, so I've been living in shorts and vests (pyjamas at home!), but as I getting bigger Autumn/Winter will arrive, my least favourite seasons which isn't a great time to be struggling for outfit ideas! My go to maternity clothes are leggings, a long vest and cardigan or jumper.  I have some maternity jeans but I'm yet to find a pair that I really love. I also don't think you need to invest in a great deal of maternity clothes, but I do like to have a few staple items which I can mix in with my normal clothes. 

Managing Your Time & The Demands Of Having a Toddler And A Newborn

Managing your time equally between your toddler and newborn is something, with the best will in the world, you can't prepare for. Thinking the other day about Emelia, and how well (on the whole) she has adapted to a new baby made me think how I'd feel if Brett came home one day and said "This is my new wife! She's going to be around for the rest of our lives, I'll still love you and spend time with you but she will need to be included in everything."  Umm, I don't think so! Far fetched I know, but for your toddler, this is how things can seem the second they meet their sibling, and more so from the moment they're brought home.  Excitement is likely to be the first emotion displayed, it certainly was for Emelia, but the realisation that a new person has joined the family and steals a lot of time with mummy and daddy means the tantrums begin to set in and all hell breaks loose.

Pregnancy Update | First Trimester + 6

This update is several weeks late, but better late than never right?  When I found out we were expecting again I couldn't wait to start documenting everything, particularly as I had never done so before.  From day one we have been faced with hurdles and uncertainties surrounding the viability of the pregnancy.  Fortunately, the baby has been developing perfectly and on that front there are no issues. Having lost a baby late into the second trimester and then a premature labour and delivery with Oscar, we were told from the outset the chances of another preemie are extremely high or I could miscarry at any stage.  We've had a few scares already but the staff at the medical centre and my consultant at the hospital have been outstanding, I'm being closely monitored and they're doing everything within their power to keep this pregnancy going for as long as possible.

Baby Shower Gift Guide

Baby Showers are more popular than ever before, for us in the UK it seems anyway.  Not something I've ever had personally, but they are something I have (and seem to be a lot recently) shopped for.  I have to say, I am one of those gooey women who love looking at anything baby related. I definitely get over excited when it comes to cute baby items, a cuddly toy, blanket or even a nicely dressed crib! So whenever one of my friends is expecting I love to look around and see what's new in the baby market.  When it comes to buying new baby or baby shower gifts I think we can all agree it's much more exciting to choose a pretty outfit or snuggly teddy over something practical like carseat adapters or a steriliser. I've rounded up some cute (and hopefully semi practical) items which I think are perfect to both give and receive, these are all personal favourites of mine, some of them I've received as gifts and some I've bought for friends.

Tuesday 10 | Travelling With Children

Tuesday 10, a new series I'm bringing to my Blog! As I'm travelling back to the U.K next week what better way than to kick off our first post with my 10 Top Tips for a relatively stress free travelling experience with children. 

Oscar's Journey - 7 Month Update

I am SO behind on Oscar's updates that I almost gave up with them, but this is my attempt at getting back into the swing of them! 

So here we are, Oscar is 7 months old - How that happened I don't know.  It's so cliche to say but the time really has flown by.  For the most part we are lucky and he is a happy and easy baby. The only issue we have really had has been his feeding.  He has never been a brilliant feeder, something that's always been put down to him being premature, but I always had a nagging feeling that there was something more going on.  Whenever I took him to be weighed I would mention that he wasn't feeding well, he would take ages, sometimes up to or over an hour for a few ounces. He'd cry, vomit and had nasty nappies.  For weeks and weeks this was dismissed and I was told to 'see how he goes.'  I think the doctors were getting irritated by us taking him in frequently saying we (I) thought something was wrong with him. 

Me & You Raising... THREE?!

"I'm not sure I understand what you're saying? This must be wrong, I'm on the pill?!" The doctor assured me it was in fact true, I was pregnant.  I am pregnant - again!

Toddler Style With The Essential One

With Summer on the horizon and party and wedding season rapidly approaching I've been on the look out for an outfit for Emelia.  We've got several parties and a wedding to attend this year and I wanted something that would be versatile but different and a little bit special.  Emelia received this beautiful Vintage Fairy Cat dress from The Essential One*, it's available in sizes 3-6 months right up to 5-6 years, the retail price is £22.49-£24.99, however, it's currently in the sale with 50% reduction (I believe all sizes are in stock at the moment). 

Personalised Book Review & Discount Code: Peppa & George's BIG Adventure To Find...

If you know me, you'll know I love books and I love having books around for the children.  Emelia has quite a selection now but we are always on the look out for something new and we love anything and everything that comes with the option of personalisation!