The Adventures of Izzy and Isaac

Our cats were our babies before we had Isaac, like it is for so many other couples and singletons with their own furbabies. I've wanted cats since I was a child but wasn't allowed to have one (my Mum doesn't like cats!). On Valentine's Day, about a month after we moved into our own place, my husband said yes we could get a cat and it didn't take long for her to become my lap cat. She's definitely still my girl; only eating when I put her food down for her, waiting for my lap to sit on, and can be a little protective of me.  We got our second cat just after we got married (putting our broodiness on hold for a while with a gorgeous little kitten); she's feisty and playful and still so small now that she's fully grown, but there's a cuddle bug inside our little cat too. When I was pregnant, both cats seemed to know something was going on, cuddling up to me more often and purring against bump, which I found just adorable of course! Later in my pregnanc...

[Note before: by weaning I mean the introduction of solid foods (complementary feeding) and not weaning off the breast]. There is sooo much advice when it comes to weaning, most of which is conflicting. Everyone has their own ideas about the best time to start weaning and the best way to do it. It's a minefield! From about four months old we were receiving mail from formula companies about getting ready to wean, and our health visitor advised us at just over five months that Isaac was ready to wean and we could start whenever we wanted. I spent a while looking into this, because I'd also been told you shouldn't wean until six months.  This advice comes from the World Health Organisation  who say that complementary feeding should begin at six months as baby's gut is not ready for solid food before this time, but that this is the peak time of baby's development to introduce them to these new experiences, tastes and textures. The virgin gut theory  theorizes that ...

I was reading an article recently which talked about the difference between figuring out how to be a mother and figuring out how to be a family, and that the two are really quite different. It got me thinking, so here’s my take on that. Heads up, it’s going to be unedited, and at times, it’s going to be soppy. And apparently, long, sorry about that. I brought my baby into the world as part of a team. I didn’t make him alone, I didn’t grow him alone, and I didn’t birth him alone. Throughout my pregnancy, my husband was there to share in my worries and my excitement; we saw the ultrasounds together, heard his heartbeat together, felt him move (and hiccough) in the womb together. Being pregnant was a journey, the next step in our relationship that we always hoped we’d get to experience. It was the start of the shift from couple to family. I’ve always been very clumsy, but when my husband told me to be careful during my pregnancy, he expected me to be even more careful, for our son....

My partner and I recently decided that (for now at least) I will not be going back to work but will be a stay at home mum (SAHM). My partner is a chef so works long hours including weekends and evenings which means I have a lot of time alone with Isaac. This post is all about what I get up to all day as a SAHM. Look after baby! Surprise, surprise, right. I let Isaac set his own routine so that means feeding on demand and letting him nap when he wants too and for as long as he wants. This works for us especially while he's still under 1 because it gives us the freedom to go out when we want and do different things every day. This means I can't give you a play by play of an average day because there isn't one... but these are the things I do to look after Isaac every day: nappies, changing clothes, feeding (milk and food), playing, talking to etc :)  Playing with baby We're lucky to have lots of toys Isaac can play with (see my previous post about our favourite  bab...

I breastfeed. I knew when I was pregnant that I wanted to do breastfeed once baby was born, and I read up on it. I also attended NHS antenatal classes promoting breastfeeding, where due to my reading I was able to contribute quite a lot in discussions. Despite this, I was not prepared for the reality of breastfeeding.   I feel disappointed in the information being offered; if myself, as someone who actively sought information to ensure my breastfeeding journey would be a success, was not prepared, I suspect most mothers won't have been. I feel like the NHS staff delivering the antenatal classes vetted the information they were giving to portray a solely positive picture of breastfeeding so as not to put anyone off, therefore missing out important information. This, coupled with budget cuts affecting the availability of breastfeeding support, is likely to be a key factor in the alarming drop seen in statistics of women who begin breastfeeding (81%) compared with the rate of ...

When you sew for your baby, the end goal is often to make them clothes. A great place to start is rompers because you don't need to faff with elastic waistbands or fastenings and you can make them from most materials. I would recommend using cotton as it passes fire safety regulations for use for children's clothing. There is a variety of romper patterns available online, or you can draw around an existing romper (onto greaseproof/ tracing paper/ normal copier paper) leaving some room for a seam allowance. Place your pattern onto your fabric and cut a front and back (bearing in mind the direction of the print on the fabric) - the back is normally slightly higher than the front. If you wish to line your romper, cut just the top half of another front and back in either the same fabric or a contrasting or complementary colour.  Start sewing by hemming the bottom edge of the liner pieces only. Then  placing your liner and romper pieces  right side to right side...

This post is about attachment parenting, which I kind of discovered is the name for the way I am parenting Isaac. I needed to write this post as a bit of an emotional release... all will become clear! What is attachment parenting?  noun noun:  attachment parenting an approach to raising infants that aims to promote a close relationship between the baby and its parents by methods such as feeding on demand and letting the baby sleep with its parents. Also sometimes referred to as gentle parenting, attachment parenting means (to me anyway) being with your baby whenever they want you and seeing to their needs as soon as you possibly can. It means cuddling your baby as often as they want, being close to them, and fostering a relationship of trust with your baby.  This is where I'm putting a disclaimer so as not to offend, because parenting is an emotional thing - you are investing your whole self into another tiny person. You will find your own way ...