Month: October 2015

The boys didn’t really crawl and they weren’t going anywhere on all fours. They sat on the floor and pushed themselves forward with one leg underneath them and hands for balance. Very funny, but I just let them get on with it and never pushed them to do anything else.

It was delightful, when the boys discovered their legs. The happiness etched on their faces when they made the first steps, realising that, they discovered a whole new world. So very exciting and there was no stopping them.

Leo’s first steps were at 15 months. It happened in a coffee bar, when he suddenly slid off his pushchair and almost ran after friend’s cocker spaniel.

Raph went a step further at 13 months. We were having a Sunday roast pub lunch with grandparents, when he got off his chair and walked straight out the front door.

Speechless is not the word!

Once it was time to introduce them to solid food, I cooked it all from fresh. The potatoes, parsnips, carrots and broccoli being their favorite. Gradually I added chicken, pasta, rice, cauliflower, all other mushy vegetables…Apple, pear and banana were great to play with and the boys loved it.

At first I resisted buying anything in jars or pre-cooked. But then I found HIPP! Creamy porridge breakfast, strawberry cereal with yoghurt, summer fruits with apple, mango and banana topped with yoghurt… They were great on the go, handy for snacks.. But I never went for the bolognese, or chicken or anything like that. Just the fruit and cereal ones. The boys really enjoyed it, and they still love all the fruit and yoghurt!

Lots of fun watching them enjoy the good food!

The ones I did not want to do without and glad I didn’t!

• Phillips AVENT Steam Sterilizer with Avent bottles!

Plug it in, put in the bottles, a little water and switch the button on. Does it all by itself. And the baby gets sterilized bottle to drink and sterilized dummy. Indispensable!

• PEG PEREGO GT3 baby stroller set!

I am very much outdoorsy person and this 3-wheel pushchair was absolutely perfect. Ideal for any terrain (off road strolling or snow ploughing), perfect for running with or rollerblading beside. Worth every penny.

• BABYBJORN Bouncer Chair &  BABYBJORN Carrier!

Great  bouncing fun. Babies own movements bounce the chair and there’s lots and lots of giggling. In case I needed to do something while the baby was awake I knew that he cannot get hurt, because he simply cannot fall out of it. And the carrier was one of the most comfortable things ever. Always there, always at the ready and absolutely no backache. Babies loved it , I did even more.

Heartly recommended!

What to eat when breastfeeding?                                                                                             Almost everything, but everything cooked.

My favourite breakfast was – oats cooked in milk with grated Bramley apple and few walnuts or flaked almonds on top. Loved it, still do. And toasted ham and cheese sandwiches with wholemeal bread with seeds.

After morning breastfeed I devoured the coffee, I just changed the espresso to hot and steamy latte. Green tea was still my preferable drink throughout the day, but always straight after the breastfeed. And of course lots of water.

Lunch and dinner were all sorts of brown rice risottos, wholewheat pastas, lasagnes, roasts, filled peppers, casseroles, all with lots of green vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, peas, spinach).

Snacks: I fell in love with chocolate or jam filled croissants, fresh fruit consisted mostly just of watermelon and bananas.

Food I avoided at all costs: citrus fruits, lemon and orange, strawberries, honey, cacao, shellfish, beans..

I am proud to say neither of the boys had colic problems, ever, and most importantly we have NO ALLERGIES!

Hope this helps and good luck! Keep it simple!

After both births, we had a three day stay at the hospital, where we already mastered the beautiful bonding experience of breastfeeding.

It came naturally. It was simply a case of, boob = food, and both boys just went for it. Amazing. I feel blessed to have had a very easy nursing time with both my boys.            The one thing I have never done was breastfeed in public. I didn’t want to share this lovely time, when it was just the two of us, with anybody, let alone public.

There was one grandmotherly advice I took to heart: “Stay at home for the first six weeks after birth, since you still have one foot in the grave!” And I did. I also discouraged any visits, I wanted to come out on my terms. The six weeks were heaven on earth and only ours.

No regrets there!

My precious and beautiful angel. Breathtakingly tiny miracle.

Born at 5.24pm one glorious Thursday afternoon with the full moon approaching, weighing 6.503pounds!

Love is in the air, everywhere! Again!

My precious and beautiful angel, breathtakingly tiny miracle!

Born at 11.03pm one glorious Thursday night with a full moon glowing, weighing 5.048pounds!

Love is in the air, everywhere!

He was 10 days early on a Thursday night and a full moon in the sky.

After 3 days of leaking water (I thought it was pregnancy incontinence), I finally went to the hospital full of excitement, joy and absolute dread of the first time.

But there was nothing that could have prepared me for what was to come. The birth itself was a doddle, really, I pushed 3 times and it was over. But deciding on a natural birth, the 5 hour contractions were absolute hell. I could always channel the pain away, but they just kept coming ever stronger and faster. Horrendous. The baby arrived at 11pm.

‘It’s a boy!’ “Thank God for that!”

The next half an hour was just a blur! I was shown the pictures afterwards with black mascara down my cheeks and a baby boy in my arms and I have no memory of them being taken.

‘Next time I want epidural!’

‘Your favourite – carbonara with wholewheat pasta and baby spinach salad!’

Given a choice between white and brown I’ll go for bolognese wholewheat pasta with fresh parsley, mince beef & brown rice filled red peppers, rye bread with pumpkin seeds…anytime. Love a good steak (medium) and liver with lots of onion and fresh basil and parsley. Turkey roast or risotto with broccoli and chicken also my favourable choices.

Green tea with lemon and an espresso on waking up, musli with walnuts, brasils & almonds for breakfast. Fresh fruit for snacking on, especially got a taste for freshly squeezed Orange juice! And lots of Water! Pure and simple!

I was taking a folic acid supplement (vitamin B) for the healthy spine of my baby, even though I was 4 months gone. And that was the only difference to my otherwise healthy diet of everyday life before the baby.

My sin – chocolate (every day still) and occasional glass of red wine.

But never ever did it cross my mind to eat for two!

‘Congratulations! You are just over 4 months pregnant!’
‘Wow! I’m expecting a baby! What? What do you mean just over 4 months?’
I simply didn’t know. It was just after winter. My cycle was regular, I wasn’t sick once, my weight didn’t go up…..well, not a lot, just the winter blues.
After I gave up the pill turning 30 ( I was on it for
9 years), I was expecting a baby at the age of 32.
So exciting, I was over the moon and very much ready! Perfect time for me.