My First Week Back

Before my return to work I was a mix of emotions. On one hand I was looking forward to getting back to work. I missed my work friends, I missed the adult conversation and secretly I longed for the independence. I thought I'd enjoy getting out of the house for a while on my own.

While I've enjoyed getting out of the house, as expected I've missed Logan something crazy. The hardest bit for me so far is I've missed 5 bed times. I miss the routine, the cuddle before I put him down, the look of excitement when I pass him his favourite bear. However it's a small price I've got to pay.

The thing I've loved the most so far is feeling like I matter. A lot of mums will speak of the feeling of being taken for granted. While I don't quite feel like I'm taken for granted in our house, I do sometimes feel like I'm under appreciated. It's really nice to be back in an evironment where I'm appreciated.

On return from maternity leave I've taken 2 steps down from my previous position. So I'm now an assistant that know's how to do everything. Which has made me a bit of a commodity. It's nice to be needed.

I'm sure this feeling won't last forever and in time I won't be the shiny new toy anymore and i'll fade into the background and become part of the bump and grind and I won't get too upset when I miss bedtime, but for now, it's nice to be back.

Going Back To Work

Going back to work after maternity leave is not something to be taken lightly. Luckily for us it was something we had planned out before I even began my maternity leave but for some it isn't that easy. There are a lot of things to consider when going back to work:

1. Do you want to go back?

If I didn't have to I know I wouldn't be going back. I'd much rather be a stay at home mum, there to look after my baby every minute of the day, but unfortunately that's not financially possible for us. Well it would be if we dropped all hobbies and didn't want to leave the house ever again. We could manage on Gavin's wage alone but it's not the way we want to live. Therefor I need to go back to work, I need to earn a wage. Luckily not as much of a wage as I used to earn so I've been able to take a smaller contract at work. Before I fell pregnant I was working full time in a senior management position in a large retail store, when it came to doing the sums we realised we would need to spend money on childcare if I went back full time and it would eliminate the point in me earning extra. Going back part time meant that I would still earn a decent wage and between Gavin and I and our mothers we would be able to have childcare sorted without spending a penny. If you did decide once your maternity leave was over you didn't want to go back you don't have to pay your maternity pay back. If your employer has only paid you the statutory maternity pay while you have been off then that is your money to keep. However if they have paid you over and above the

SMP then you may be asked to pay that back if you do not return to work.

2. What do you want to go back as?
Just because you finished up in one position doesn't mean you have to go back in that same position. Now this might not be applicable to all jobs and roles but in my place of work it was straight forward enough for me to give up my original position and take a lesser contract. Is there another job you could do within the same company that would mean less hours or a smaller commute?

3. What about another job?

Before I fell pregnant my job pretty much was my life. It's a bit sad to admit that but it's true. Being in a well respected, secure job where I had great prospects was important to me. But now a job is a way to make ends meet. I don't have to love the job, it just has to pay me a wage. Therefor I don't place the same emphasis on the importance of a 'great' job. I'm sure if it paid well and fitted around my baby, I'd pretty much do anything. Luckily my current employers are being very flexible with my availability and being very considerate with the hours I'm being asked to work so I don't need to worry about looking for another job but maybe it would suit your new lifestyle more if you did.

4. Are you over-joyed about going back?
While most mums might be looking for any way to get out of going back to work you might be feeling guilty because you can't wait to go back to work. Don't worry, it doesn't make you a bad mother because you yearn for that routine, the adult company and to get dressed in something that doesn't have baby food encrusted into the sleeve, that's totally fine.

At the end of the day you have to do what works for you and your baby. Explore all the options and chose the best one for you.

Did you have anything different to consider when you went back to work?

Last Week I...

This week has been a busy one but doesn't come with a lot of photo's to show you. So here come a lot of pictures of Logan:

I started back work this week for realsies! So emotionally it was a bit of a roller coaster for me. Keep your eyes peeled this week for a more in-depth chat about my return to work appearing on the blog sometime this week. Obviously this meant I wasn't at home as much as usual.

The beginning of the week saw the snow start to disappear, we managed to get Logan out for a little play (not that he could do much) he had a little roll around till I decided it was too cold and we headed back inside.
This week he's been thinking he's the bee's knees and pulling himself up on everything. Especially the TV table. He even managed to cruise along from one side of the TV to the other but I didn't manage to get any photographic or video evidence of it.
unfortunately this week has also seen the return of the cold. Logan is all choked up again , with a horrible cough and a runny nose. Thankfully this time Calpol seems to be his new best friend and he's taking it really easily (last time it was honestly a screaming match and most of it ended up all down his clothes and smeared all over his face) So far its not quite as bad as the cold he had before Christmas and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't get much worse.
With me being back at work Gran has been down quite a bit to look after him when Gavin and I are both at work. Luckily Logan seems to think anything his Gran does is HILARIOUS so she seems to be his favourite person at the moment. Its made going back to work a lot more relaxing for me knowing that Logan's enjoying his time with his Gran. Papa even made an appearance on Saturday so Gran could do all my housework (I haven't had a chance being back at work, OK don't judge :p)
Today has been my first full day off since starting back so Logan and I have had a nice relaxing morning. Keep your eye out for a review of this Haberman Birdy Cup which we got sent this week. Now that Logan is napping I better get cracking with all these blog posts I've told you to keep your eye out for.

Don't forget to leave me any links to similar posts of what you've been up to this week. If you want to see what my best friend and book blogger Erin has been up to this week head over to Erins-Choice.blogspot.co.uk to find out.

Baby Proofing Your Home

Now that Logan is on the move it has been essential for us to baby proof our flat. The number of potential hazards within our living room alone is not worth thinking about. So I thought I would share with you a few things we thought of and how we fixed them.

1. Plug Sockets

To a baby a plug socket looks like the most fun, dark holes, switches and it's right at their eye level. Although they look fun, of course they pose a great risk of electrocution. Thankfully it's very easy to take away the risk. Most safety kits like this Lindam Home Safety Kit you can buy at Argos for £9.99 come with plastic socket plugs. Put these in all your empty sockets and the problem is removed.

2. Doors

Apart from when you occasionally catch your arm, hip or belt loop on the door handle, doors don't seem that problematic to us. However to a little one it is their barrier into another world. It is easy to keep them closed and stop your baby wandering into other areas unsupervised but it is also very easy for small fingers to get trapped. Some safety kits come with door stops** but an even less expensive way would be to hang towel over the top of the door to stop it closing.

3. Coffee Tables and Occasional Tables

Great for displaying ornaments or sitting coffee cups on but it was the first thing Logan learned to pull himself up on and we quickly learned nothing was safe. Suddenly cases and candles and picture frames had to be re-homed somewhere safer. The corners of these tables also pose a big risk. Especially when they first find their feet, little ones aren't that well balanced and it doesn't take a second for them to go from upright to careering to the floor. Add a sharp corner into the mix and you could have a very nasty scratch or a bad bump on the head or worse. Again safety kits come with plastic or Rubber corner guards but is also just as easy to sellotape cotton wool to the corners or tape rolled up towels round the corners. It may not look the greatest but it's cheap and really after baby proofing what part of your house really looks that great anymore?

4. Kitchen Cupboards and Drawers.
I found it easiest to get down onto the floor and look at the potential hazards in the kitchen. As we have a cat there were two huge hazards in our kitchen, her food and her litter tray. So we found it easiest to put a safety gate between the living room and the kitchen. But even then there are a few cupboards I want to make sure Logan can never get into. The cupboard under the sink for example is where all the cleaning products are kept, from dishwasher tablets to bleach there isn't anything in the cupboard I'd want him touching so we got these IKEA Drawer /Cabinet Catches for £2.50 that stop any tiny fingers from reaching into places they shouldn't.

5. Bookcases
Stupidly when we first moved into our flat we didn't secure our bookcase to the wall. Obviously at the time we weren't planning that far in advanced but I wish we had used to bits provided and secured it because now that I need to secure the bookcase to the wall I cant find anything to do the job. Now that Logan is pulling himself up on furniture the bookcase poses a huge problem. Its on an even floor and is well built therefor shouldn't fall easily but I sure as hell don't want to take the risk. If you have seen or no of anywhere that we could buy some sort of device? to attach a bookcase to the wall then so let me know. 

Last Week I...

Last week was a pretty quiet week for us. The weather here in Scotland was a bit all over the place which meant most of the week was spent indoors. Despite the snow we did get our new suite delivered (a hand me down from my uncle, but new to us!) The book I read this week was Beyond Grace's Rainbow by Carmel Harrington, still not sure if I enjoyed it yet, it made me cry and I couldn't stop reading it but there were quite a few things that annoyed me about it. We did manage a walk in the snow which meant I got to dust off my old sexy snow boots and Logan seemed to find the snow hilarious. The biggest achievement this week was Logan began pulling himself up on the furniture and now its all he wants to do. There have been a few bangs of the head but he seems to be getting the hang of it. All in all a quiet week for us. Tomorrow I officially finish my maternity leave and start back work. Wish me luck!

Check out Erin's post to see what my best friends been up to this week: http://erins-choice.blogspot.com/2015/01/last-week-i_18.html 

REVIEW | Haberman Penguin Cup

Logan didn't seem to get the hang of his sippy cup straight away. When we first introduced water at 6 months, we tried the most basic Tommee Tippee First Cup but this did'nt go down well. Logan just wanted to chew the spout and would throw the cup around everywhere out of frustration which ended up in everything and everyone being soaking wet.
I thought we should try a non-spill cup with a softer spout so we tried the Tommee Tippee First Sips Cup This one at first didn't go down well either, he just wanted to chew the spout. So we decided to give up and just give him water in his bottle. We tried again at 7 months with the soft spout but he still didn't get than hang of it. Eventually when we tried again at 9 months he seemed to get the hang of the spout. So I've been reluctant to try any more cups because 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' right?

When Haberman got in contact to ask if we would be be interested in trying some of their range I thought it would be worth a go to try something new and see how Logan got on.

Penguin cup 

Featuring the fully integrated leak-proof valve, these super cool penguin cups with a twist-on lid and spout will delight youngsters at their early stage of drinking independence.

Not only do they eliminate spillage, but the design also protects growing teeth by allowing a flow of liquid only when the child sucks and swallows.  

The ultimate must-have weaning product for all penguin lovers!

On first impression the cup looks great and it does look quite penguin like. The handles are designed to look a lot like a penguins flippers and I thought Logan might find them quite hard to hold on to because they're quite thick but he managed fine. There is no guage on the side to tell you how much water youre little one has drank. I found this quite annoying, especially as Logan has the cold and I like to know roughly how much fluid he's getting but it's not necessarily something that would put me of buying it. The sucking however, was something he didn't master. I tried it myself and to get the water out you need to suck quite hard (ooh err ;)) He spent quite a bit of time chewing at the spout but he got very little water out. 

Since then anytime he's tried the cup, he's struggled to get much water out. I'm quite disappointed because the cup looks great but it's just too much hard work. I don't think we'll percivere with it much longer. I might bring it out in another month or two and see if he gets the hang of it then but for the moment, the cup isn't for us.

If you want to have a look at the Penguin Cup or any other products from the Haberman range then take a look at: http://habermanbaby.com/haberman-anywayup-penguin-cup 

REVIEW | The Little Boy Who Lost His Name

A glorious, magical adventure like no other, following a courageous child as they track down the missing letters of their name. The beauty of the book is that each child’s name creates its own special, personalised tale.

Logan received this book as a gift from his Auntie Katie and it has to be one of the most precious things I have ever seen. It is the sweetest personalised story of a child who loses their name and goes on an adventure to recover it. Along the way they meet different animals and people who give him different letters and by the end of the story they have all the letters to make up their name. 

The website allows you to preview the book online so you can see exactly how the book would look before buying. 

The book is for children aged 2-6 but I think its a beautiful gift for any age. When I read it to Logan for the first time although he's only 9 months old he sat and listened to the whole story and was intrigued by the colourful pictures. 

Check it out for yourself at https://www.lostmy.name and enjoy seeing what creatures make up your little ones name.

9 Month Update

Nothing has changed very drastically since last months update. For most of the month Logan has been a little angel. However for 10 days over Christmas he was the poorliest wee munchkin around. He had a really severe cold and he was a miserable little soul. He was really lethargic and wasn't eating. He had a really bad cough and a runny nose. We ended up taking him to the out of hours clinic at our local hospital the Sunday before Christmas, because he was really dehydrated and I got really worried in case it was serious but the doctor was lovely and effectively told us there was nothing wrong with him he just had a really severe cold but he said it in a nice way that didn't make me feel like a silly worrying mother, even though I was. Unfortunately he was still pretty ill over Christmas Day and Boxing Day so he spent most of the day sleeping. When he was awake he was a little angel and seemed to have a great time playing with all his new toys and eating wrapping paper and his Christmas Dinner.

It's not long until I go back to work (only 1 week) so maybe next month I'll notice a little difference in him when I'm not spending every minute of every day with him.

Last Week I...

Anything to help me blog more regularly is a winner for me so when Erin (my best friend and book Blogger from Erin's Choice) ran an idea by me about a post recapping her week, in pictures I thought it was something I could try too.

Each Sunday (time & lives permitting) we will post a little collage of pictures of our weeks. I know there a lot of posts around doing something similar but this is just a little something Erin and I thought we would try.

We've had a fairly quiet week, the rainy and snowy weather has meant we've spent a lot of our time indoors reading. Logan got a few That's Not My... books for his Christmas and we began reading them during the week and he melted my heart being such a clever boy and touching all the right bits with his little fingers. I'm not really sure what age they usually start understanding things like that but I was so proud that he understand what to do with the books. The rough velcro patches are definitely his favourite.
During nap time I love nothing more than settling down with a cup of tea and losing myself in a good book. My book of choice this week was Fall From India Place by Samantha Young. Loved the book a lot!
The one night I did venture out, I went shopping with Erin, the top right is a picture of Logan just before going to bed, Daddy got him ready for bed and would you believe, his pyjammas didn't match. Though i had a baby free evening so I wont complain too much.
I had another KIT day at work, preparing myself for my imminent return. Only 1 week left :(
I had one very successful evening of cooking. I decided to try a few Annabel Karmel recipes from the 9-12 Month section as Logan did turn 9 months on the 9th. All the new textures are a great new adventure for him.

Check out Erin's post: ErinsChoice

What have you been up to this week? Please link any of your similar posts in the comments below and I can have a look at what you've been doing.

Friendships With a Baby

I've seen a few posts from first time mums talking about friendships and changes in friendships since having their baby. I did start a similar post but then I thought why not get it straight from the horses mouth (No, I'm not calling you a horse ;)) so here's Erin's take on our evolving relationship.

In the middle August 2013 I was sitting on the balcony of our stateroom where the cruise ship we were touring the Greek Islands on was moored in Corfu. We had just arrived back after spending most of the day strolling on a coach tour and I was chilling on the balcony texting with my best friend. That’s where I was when I found out she was pregnant.

Kirsty and I have been best friends for over 7 years (the length of time over which they say a friendship will last a lifetime)we see each other every week and txt every day. When I found out she was pregnant I was properly elated for her because it was what she wanted and it had happened easily for her. There was a tiny part of my mind that wondered what changes there would be for our own relationship when there was a baby in the mix which may seem a bit selfish but it was true. However, it was never a huge concern.

Throughout her pregnancy we continued our normal chatting every single day and seeing each other once a week, I know everything about Kirsty so it was natural then to know everything about her pregnancy! Whereas our conversations might have revolved around Gossip Girl or the pros and cons of Chuck and Nate we now had a whole new set of topics to cover from baby grows to birthing. I already have two nephews so I was really looking forward to being an auntie to Kirsty’s baby too.

We threw a baby shower a couple of weeks before her due date and then it was a case of waiting for baby to arrive.

On the 9th of April Logan was born and that same night I visited Kirsty, her boyfriend Gavin and the baby for the first time. I loved his little chubby chops from that moment! 

From that day the only change to our relationship is that now I have a gorgeous little boy to dote on. I’m Auntie Erin to a gorgeous, clever little boy who is starting to develop his own personality and who is growing so quickly. It’s the first sign really, that we are starting to get older! We are no longer the teenagers who crushed on boys in the year above at school but adults and becoming parents (and aunties) with responsibility for another life. I love Kirsty long time and I am completely in love with Logan. Any wonders I had about our relationship changing after his arrival were completely forgotten when he came. We still speak every day but now we have added “awws” over Logan’s #BOOTD (Baby outfit of the day) or a video or two of him screaming in glee because either Kirsty or Gav are pulling a funny face. 

If anything he’s brought us even closer than we already were.

“Silence makes the real conversations between friends. Not the saying, but the never needing to say that counts” – Margaret Lee Runbeck

Hello 2015; Let's Have Fun

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and New Year. Ours was pretty stressful with a very poorly baby but it was enjoyable none-the-less.

I am not one for New Year resolutions. I've not made any since I was young and I've not stuck to any since I was even younger. However I thought it would be useful to make a few points to help myself stay focused this year, and make the most of the year before it runs away from me like 2014 did. I feel like I achieved a lot in 2014 (I had a baby for goodness sake, biggest life goal: TICK!!!) and I want to get to the end of 2015 and feel like the same sense of achievement, but with a baby time tends to run away from you at a great rate of knots so here is a few things to keep me on track.

1. Continue Blogging: I started my blog in June 2014 and its something I've really enjoyed and also something I've put a lot of effort into and I would hate for it to fall by the way side. Although I'm going back to work in a few weeks I am going to try make the time to continue putting as much effort into my blog.

2. Feel healthier: Now this will take a lot more than a little effort. I have been unhappy with my weight since before I was pregnant and since Logan was born I have done little to nothing about it. I'm not putting on weight but I sure as heck am not losing any. My goal for 2015 is to get back into a shape I am proud of not a shape I continually want to cover up.

3. Get out more: I think all mother's can agree that Maternity pay is pitiful. Pre-Logan I was earning a regular, decent, full time wage, and although before I fell pregnant, we had planned and calculated the drop in money till we were blue in the face nothing really prepares you for the hardship of livingwith less than half the wage I was used to.. I think I used the lack of funds as an excuse not to do as much with my free time as I could have. In the early days Logan could be quite a difficult baby and again, I used that as an excuse to stay in the comfort of my own home. However I've come to realise it can get awfully boring! I hope to make 2015 full of more adventures.


Do you have any new years resolutions? Have you ever stuck to any?