GROMMETS - OUR JOURNEY: HOW LONG IT TOOK & WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

I was mooching around the blog, tidying up some posts and I realised not only had I not really spoke about Theo's constant battle with ear infections, but I hadn't shared our journey to when he got his grommets fitted last year. Although ear infections are pretty common we had a really tough time and as someone who has never had one before I was completely bewildered by them, and the thought of grommets. So I thought it would be helpful to write a post about it for anyone searching for answers or just some help.

A TRIP TO WEST MIDLAND SAFARI PARK | THE BEST PLACE FOR ANIMALS IN THE MIDLANDS

For Easter this year, my Mum and Dad treated us to a day out as a family, all together. They had taken Theo to West Midland Safari Park last year and he’d loved it, even with his limited vocabulary of ANIMALS and ROAR. I’m pretty sure that neither Tom or I have been to a safari park before so we were probably just as excited for this day out too. All 5 of us with tea flasks in toe and a bulky car seat squeezed into my Dads car at 8am ready for the trip. Although it’s only an hour or so’s drive from our house we wanted to get there mega early to make the most of the animals!

THEO | 18 MONTHS

Wow! The last post I wrote about Theo was back in October when he was 10 months old. It contained his love of his jumperoo and how he had started standing up. How things change! Now this little chatterbox won't stop walking or talking! So here, is our 18 month update for my crazy one and half year old. My mucky faced munckin is no longer a baby.

PLANNING A 1ST BIRTHDAY PARTY - AND WHAT I LEARNT FROM IT

This post is coming to you a little late so I've had plenty of time to reflect: make that 6 months late! Oops! However I thought that passing on my experience of how planning a - completely inappropriate but lovely nonetheless - 1st birthday party panned out - and also share some pictures because I didn't get chance to at the time.

I attended a lot of 1st birthday parties last year and since I didn't have a baby shower or a Christening I decided to go ahead and celebrate Theo's 1st birthday big. But obviously, as birthdays of all ages do, it didn't exactly go to plan.

THEO | 9 MONTHS

*Ok so I've had this post written up for almost a month and it seemed a shame to not post it even though he's almost 10 months so here it is.

It's been a busy month since I last posted anything at all. Theo and I are now settled into our new home and our new life as a duo. A lot has changed since his 7 month update - yes I skipped month 8, lets just brush over that one - with Theo as well as in our lives and every day is amazing watching him learn and grow! Apart from the lack of sleep, that bit isn't so amazing! Oh and the tantrums.

ADJUSTING TO LIFE AS TWO SEPARATE PARENTS

Most people don't plan to be "single parents" but let's just get down to it. Our Mummy/Daddy unit has separated. Theo's Dad has moved back to his parents and I am currently in the process of moving back to my home town. Our relationship is broken and currently will not be fixed. However that isn't the main thing. No longer am I in a position where I can wallow about lost time with ice cream or go out and get shit faced to drown my sorrows. We have Theo. And his happiness comes first.

CO-SLEEPING JUST ISN'T FOR US

Last month, I had the fright of my life. I woke up to a blood curdling scream coming from Theo's room. I ran into his bedroom expecting there to be an axe murderer standing over him but no....just him, fast asleep and screaming. After this I completely panicked and cuddled him to sleep in our bed. Once he was asleep I came to the realisation that I had snuggled us so close that it was going to be impossible to remove him without upsetting him so I decided for the first time ever, to let him sleep in our bed overnight. So there we were, three of us (plus the dog on occasion) in our double bed. This then continued for the next few weeks on and off. Never again!

THE EDEN PROJECT - A PUSHCHAIR FRIENDLY DAY OUT

Can you even go to Cornwall and not go to The Eden Project!? I don't think so! It's a proper family day out! Now I'm not particularly environmentally friendly or anything but I just think it's lovely to look around. But isn't it more for school age children than babies? Nope! It isn't! We took Theo with us on our visit and here's how we got on.

OUR TRIP TO CORNWALL AND THEO'S FIRST HOLIDAY

We're back!! Well we were back on Friday but it's taken me all weekend to wash all the holiday clothes and everything. It's hard to believe that such a tiny little person takes up so much room in a suitcase! I loved having some time away at the seaside and Theo's Dad got to spend some quality time with Theo for probably the first time since Paternity Leave. So here you go, a peak into our first little family holiday.

THEO | 4 MONTHS

My god it's been a long month...but in a good way. Looking back on my last post from Theo's 3 month update to now is crazy! My little premie baby is turning into an actual little person...and a cheeky one at that! Stop growing munchkin! So here we have a quick update on how we're getting on at 4 months old! The photo's are a little bit crap because like an idiot I took then the day after his 3rd set of jabs and wouldn't even look at the camera - SPOILER ALERT: They are a life ruiner!!

OUR HOMEMADE MILK BATH PHOTOSHOOT

This horrible windy morning we decided to do something a little bit creative. I saw this idea on Kirsty's blog a few months ago - check out her post here! - where she accidentally stained her little boy yellow but did get some beautiful canvas worthy photo's. Basically the popular Pinterest practice consists of plonking your baby in a bath full of milk (formula powder, not the milk for your tea) with some flowers. Even after reading her traumatic experience I still wanted to give it a go so armed with her words of wisdom, we we're ready to do this and this, is how we got on!

JESS TALKS: PARKING SPACE NOBS

When we first had Theo, the first big place we went to was Mothercare. He was a teeny tiny baby who had virtually no clothes that fit so off we popped. We were that used to parking in normal spaces that we drove around that car park for 5 minutes looking for a space until I realised...we have a baby now, we can park in the parent and baby spaces. Our lives were changed forever. However with this luxury of actually being able to get your car seat out of your car without scuffing the neighbours bodywork, comes great anger when someone who has been a parent for the last decade or more pulls into the only space available. I know it's petty and I shouldn't care but it just bugs me, ok!

THE START OF TEETHING: SPOTTING THE SIGNS & HOW TO COPE

Over the last few weeks we've been umm'ing and arr'ing over whether Theo is actually teething - after all he is only 3 months old. The dribbling, the irritability and the sudden awkwardness when it comes to sleeping and eating were dismissed by health visitors and random strangers alike. Until they saw him in person. My usual happy chappy can turn into the devil child in a matter of seconds and nothing settles him. It's bloody heartbreaking - and bloody hard work!

THIS WEEK I'M A BAD MUM: VOL 1

HAPPY FRIDAY! I fancied creating a regular segment that wasn't all sweetness and light because you know what, parenting isn't easy! Especially when your a first timer and your completely winging it - but isn't that part of the fun! So I've came up with this - posts listing all the reasons this week why I'm a terrible mother. It sounds harsh but in reality it's mostly tongue in cheek because personally I think I'm an epic mother....but still very, very true. This week was a particularly bad week, I've had a fair few down days and I've really struggled and here ladies and gents is why this week, I'm a bad Mum.

JESS TALKS: MAKING MUMMY FRIENDS

I've never been the greatest at making new friends, aside from being drunk in the ladies loo's ofcourse. I'm awkward and I'm just a bit antisocial. I enjoy leaving the house but I also enjoy lying in bed doing absolutely sod all. It's no surprise to me when I attend baby groups that although I natter along with various different Mums from all walks of life I don't come away with any ever lasting friendships. And that's part of the problem I think - I'm looking for commitment.

ALL ABOUT THE HYPE | TOMMEE TIPPEE PERFECT PREP MACHINE

There are an array of products to chose from when it comes to kitting out your life ready for the arrival of your new addition. There are also a selection of coveted goodies which are considered essentials to making your baby raising experience a hell of a lot easier. As a first time Mum I can safely say I am a sucker for any products that make life better and more convenient but when it comes down to it, are these pricey pieces actually worth the hype? Over the next few weeks I'll be filling in the gaps as to what I think to the top selling baby products and if they are really as good as they say.