Dexters ootd 9/5/15

Happy Saturday! So today is one of our favourite days of the week, because it's Lee's final day at work until Wednesday! I absolutely love our lovely little family days and snuggling up in bed with my two very favourite people in the whole world. Dexter is still doing amazingly well with his food and managed porridge for breakfast, puréed strawberries and apples for lunch and cauliflower cheese for dinner yesterday! He has started the day again with porridge and a nice strawberry flavour petit filous yogurt. Lee and I are absolutely brimming with pride at how well he has taken to food and we can't wait to give him his very first taste of ice cream this summer! 

Today, however, it's definitely not ice cream weather. Which is why I've picked Dexter a nice long sleeve top, jeans and socks today! 

First is Dexters vest for today, which is a Led Zeppelin one by rock a bye baby. Sorry the picture isn't all that clear! The white writing on the black vest looks so clear in person, but somehow doesn't translate very well to photo! I love Dexters chunky little baby thighs in this picture! It's the only age he'll ever be when it's perfectly healthy and acceptable to have little rolls at the top of his legs! 

Next up are his top and jeans! Dexters jeans today (as always) are from Next and are in size 9-12 months, so I think you get an idea how tall Dexter is getting! His top is a lovely striped Zara baby number! I love how it has a worn, distressed effect to it and is just thin enough to be an everyday top, rather than a thick jumper. It also has buttons at both sides of the neck, just incase you have an exceptionally big head to deal with or even a little one who hates things being pulled over their face. 

Dexters socks today were yet another sock gift from my parents. They remind me of the pacman ghosts and they've got little grips on the bottom to stop him slipping over when he walks...although he's not quite at that stage yet! 

Hope you're all having great days! 

Until next time, 

Laura XxX 

Dexters ootd 8/5/15

Morning! So yesterday was a pretty big day for Dexter. Daddy fed him his very first petit filous and he had cottage pie for tea! Weaning is going amazingly well and Dexter is taking to it like a duck to water. It makes me so proud of him, but I also can't believe where the time's gone! Before we had him, I honestly thought he would stay a little baby, all wrapped up in a blanket for ages! But here we are 6 months on, and he's eating 3 meals a day plus bits of baby milk here and there! Today we are feeling nice and bright after a good nights sleep! Dexter only woke up once, which I suspect could be because his tummy is nice and full and he doesn't feel the need to wake up for bottles much anymore! This morning he had organix banana and strawberry baby porridge mixed with whole milk for the first time...and he loved it! It's so nice to see him trying new flavours and enjoying them! 

After a nice long nap, it was time to get Dexter out of his babygrow and into his outfit for today! 

As you can see, Dexter is desperate to become a footballer when he's bigger! This vest was bought on eBay, but it was originally from tesco. I just loved the little slogan on the front and couldn't resist! Dexter genuinely loves to watch football with his Daddy, and his eyes light up when Lee has sky sports on! Pretty sure he's going to take after Daddy and be really sporty.

Here's a nice shot of Dexter nonchalantly watching Cbeebies when I'm trying to get him to smile. Never work with children or animals! 

As you can see, Dexter is wearing his 'Daddy is my Superman' t-shirt,which is very fitting as he absolutely adores Lee! His jeans are from Next, and are the only pair he has which still fit him in size 3-6 months. I doubt they'll fit him for too much longer, I'm pretty sure he'll be taller than me next week at the rate he's growing! 

His little socks are part of a set my parents bought Dexter for Xmas and, as you can see, have cute little dumper trucks and stripes on them. 

I hope you all have a lovely day! I'm off to try and tidy up a bit while Dexter has his second nap of the day! 

Until next time,

Laura XxX

Dexter ootd 7/5/15

Hello again! So today, Dexter brings you another ootd! He was up for about an hour in the night so he actually let me sleep until 8.20am this morning! After giving him his breakfast, and waiting for him to wake up after a short morning nap, it was time to get him dressed. As it's another dull day, I decided on another long sleeved top accompanied by jeans and socks. 

His entire outfit today is from next, apart from his socks and vest! As you can see, his top says 'high five me :)' which I did! He gave me a look that you would only reserve for someone who had grown two heads... I then blew a raspberry, we both laughed and were friends again! 

His socks look like little high tops and are so cute! They were in a big gift pack of socks bought by my parents and given to us as part of Dexters Christmas presents. 

His vest today is one I totally forgot he had and still had the tags on! He had two of these in 0-3 size when he was born, and a lovely bib to go with them, bought by Lee's mom! This one is 6-9 months and has been sitting in his vest drawer waiting to be worn. 

So that's Dexters ootd for today! 

Until next time!

Laura XxX

Dexter OOTD 06/05/15

So, just as an initial disclaimer, I do not profess to be any sort of baby stylist or majorly fashionable person. I am, however, a very proud parent and I love finding cute little items for my baby! Dexter is a hop, skip and jump away from becoming a 6 month old...or a week away if you want to be technical! He is such a lively and sweet little boy who is full of smiles and it's an absolute pleasure being his Mommy. 😊

Since I have found it difficult lately,with one thing and another, to get out regular full length blog posts, I decided to post ootd's for Dexter! I thought it would be a nice way to bridge the gap between my long blog posts and keep you in the loop about how we are doing and what we've been up to! Also, Dexter loves the camera! So, here is Dexter's Ootd for today, which happens to be on a wet and windy Wednesday!

Get a load of this cheeky little chap! So, as you can see, dexter is channeling spring in yellow today! His top is a lovely Toy Story number which reads 'I'm too cute for my boots!' 

His jeans are from next baby and his socks were one of many cute little gifts from my parents when Dexter was born! 

As you can see by the blurred picture, Dexter is a major wriggle bottom nowadays! 

So, there you have it! Dexters very first OOTD! It's pretty difficult keeping yellow clothes clean, especially as we are in the process of weaning! 

Until next time!

Laura XxX

Advice for my pre baby self

So, i'm sure we are all in agreement that life completely flip turns upside down when you become a parent. You go from being just a person to being one half of a couple and then to being at the mercy of a tiny dictator with an obsession for milk and shouting at 3am. Absolutely nothing in the world can prepare you for the sheer pride and overwhelming love you feel as a parent...and also the tear inducing exhaustion and eye bags that never seem to go away no matter how much concealer is applied. I often try to remember what life was like before we had Dexter, but i literally can't even imagine it. It's as if he's always been with us and that's the way i'd like it to stay! I do, however, think that had i known then what i know now, i would have a few words of advice for my poor naive self!

• For the love of god, sleep like your life depends on it! Have as many lie in's as possible. Wear pyjamas all day. Don't set an alarm on your days off and enjoy waking up whenever you like. People told me when i was pregnant that i would pretty much never sleep again because even when they've started sleeping through the night, you are normally up worrying that they're not breathing properly. Then they go to school and you stay up worrying about wether they're making friends or doing well enough...then you worry that you're being a pushy parent by thinking these things. Then come the teenage years when you sit up with a strong coffee until your little darling finally staggers through the front door with a kebab in one hand at 3am. My Mom has told me on many occasions that no matter how old my sister or i get, we will always be her babies. Looks as if the worrying and sleeplessness goes way past the teenage years then doesn't it!? So, like i said, sleep like crazy...and throw in a few afternoon naps for good measure! God knows you will never have that luxury ever again!

• Enjoy your time as a couple. Go out for dinner and a movie, even just for a drink. Jump in the car and go on an adventure at a moments notice. Be spontaneous and loving towards each other . All spontaneity goes out of the window when you have a baby, as does all romance...unless you work at it of course! You will find yourself planning trips days in advance and packing a gigantic bag full of items which will prepare you for every eventuality imaginable. You will also find that as soon as you and your partner cuddle up together and put on a film, or even start to eat a meal, your baby will immediately wake up and demand that you see to them that second or else! A bit deflating for your love life! The important thing to remember is that you were a couple before you were parents and yes, you talked about things that were nothing to do with babies! (i know right, hard to imagine now isn't it?) Treat your partner as you did before you became Mommy and Daddy and always remember that your little angel was created out of the love you feel for one another. If you remember those things, you won't go far wrong!

• Go on holiday! They become military operations when you become a parent, and that feeling of freedom is so much stronger when you're not attempting to shove a travel cot and pushchair in the boot of the car! Of course, i'm not telling you to not take your children on holiday with you. I'm simply saying that there is so much less to think about when you're just packing for two of you. When two becomes three or more, it can become a lot more stressful. So make some lovely couple memories you can look back on and even tell your kids about when they're older!

• Save some money!! I can't stress this one enough, and wish i'd actually done it before we had Dexter! Let's face it ladies, maternity pay is not an amazing amount of money and babies are an expensive game. That then leaves your poor partner being the breadwinner and trying to keep everything ticking over as smoothly as possible while quietly going mad wondering which crazily expensive pram and car seat to buy. Not to mention how bloomin' cramped your car suddenly becomes when said car seat seems massive and appears to take up most of the back seat! So there you are, frantically browsing auto trader and wondering if you will ever be able to afford a car which is large enough to contain your family and all of the items that your little darling requires! We still do this now and i do wish we had given ourselves a bit of a head start when it comes to saving. Unfortunately, it's a bit like looking back at school. At the time, you can't wait to leave the place and go out into the real world and be an adult. When you actually are an adult, you crave a simpler time when you don't have to worry about boring things like budgeting and bills and realise that your school years were actually the best years of your life. Basically, you can't be told at the time but later wish you had listened to that little voice in the back of your head which told you to put something away for a rainy day. Damn you sensible voice!

• Cross some things off your bucket list. This is something i never did but should have done really. I haven't got a bucket list per se, just a load of things in my head that i would like to do someday. Most of them are visiting certain countries, but my biggest bucket list item was to become a mother. Big fat cross through that now,i think we can safely say! Basically, go out and do some things that you have always wanted to do. Skydive, Bungee Jump, Go Zorbing, Participate in a zombie apocalypse weekend...the list is endless. It's so much harder to do these things once you have a tighter budget and have to arrange a babysitter! 

• Never take for granted your ability to walk! I know it's a random one, but i remember how hard it was being stuck in a bed for ages after having my c-section. Going hand in hand with that point, never take for granted your ability to go to the toilet and have a shower unaided. Yeah, there's no air of mystery in your relationship once you have had a baby. Lee has seen some pretty awful sights, one of which being my insides handing out on the operating table while i was being stitched up. Thank God he is not squeamish! Lee is strong as hell and ,in turn, he keeps me strong. I can't stress enough how thankful i am for him. He held me up when i could barely move my legs, he helped me get dressed, fetched my food for me at hospital mealtimes, saw to Dexter when it took me a good five minutes to sit up comfortably, convinced me i'm a good Mom when i have felt low and held my hand during the scariest, and most magical time i have ever experienced. I am the luckiest girl alive :)

So there you have it! I know for a fact, as i always do, i will remember about a billion things i would have wanted to include but completely forgot at the time i was typing this! Life is a funny old journey, but one which helps you grow and adapt as a person. Nothing i have come across does this more than becoming a parent. I experienced a level of pain i didn't know existed and found strength i didn't know i had , all to bring our little boy into the world. I just can't wait to see what the future brings...

Until next time

Laura Xxx



P.S-Here are some photo's of Lee and i in our 'pre baby loved up early relationship' phase! As you can see, we look like we have both had the time to have a bath and i have even sorted my eyebrows! Also, no hair scraped up on top of my head in true mom style.

...but then there are these lovely moments we have shared as a little family over the last 6 wonderful, but tiring, months. These moments make you forget about your ego or vanity, or even how you used to spend 2 hours getting ready to go out.

The truth is yes, becoming a parent is a huge transition as an individual and as a couple. It's really not without it's challenges and should never be entered into without being completely sure you are ready for it. That being said, it's also the most amazing, rewarding and life affirming experience of your life! I type this as Dexter sits on my lap while doing a poo...but i still stand by it! You will never worry as much about another person in your life, but then you will never smile and laugh as much. Being a parent is amazing, and i just can't wait to see what the future hold for me and my little family.

XxX