Christmas Eve baskets seem to be the big thing this year! We did one for Indiana last year but obviously she was only one, so didn't really understand. This year she knows who Father Christmas is, understands presents and generally has much more of an understanding. So of course we had to continue the tradition, but this time add in some bits for Parker too!

We didn't want to go overboard as we know both of them will be spoilt on Christmas day, so just added some little treats we can all enjoy on the day. We went with something they could wear, read, watch, eat and a little extra treat to enjoy too. The basket itself is from eBay as I thought it would be useful for around the house throughout the year too. The ribbon I added myself to make it festive, and again was from eBay.

Firstly I added this cute little treat tray, for Indie to leave out for Father Christmas. I've seen beautiful personalised plates, but with the kids both being so small still I didn't want to risk it just yet haha. This one was from The Range and was really cheap. Also how cute are the little knitted characters?!

Of course they need new Christmas pjs! I was worried I wasn't going to be able to find matching ones, as you don't get many unisex items of clothing these days (what's with all the pink and blue?!). I found these gorgeous ones in Tesco and they were a bargain £6 each. I love that they'll be matching and in such cute pyjamas too.

Just like last year we got them each a book to read and then a Christmas film for us all to enjoy. I saw these 'Santa is coming to...' books and had to get one. They come personalised for your town and the story includes local areas, attractions and parks. The illustrations are beautiful, and the writing is big enough that in years to come Indiana can help us read it.

I love the 'That's Not My...' series so of course had to get another addition for Parker. These books are great for babies and toddlers, and I think both of them will enjoy this one. I got the penguin version last year, so went for polar bear this year! Both are from Amazon really cheap (we get most of our books from there).

I did buy two films for us to watch this year, but Elf managed to find it's way into the DVD player already haha. We also got Arthur Christmas for us all to watch. We first saw it last year and it's a lovely family film, complete with adult jokes which makes it fun for everyone! Again this is from Amazon for a couple of pounds.

As a little extra treat I added a couple of little presents that they can play with. For Indiana's first Christmas she was only 4 weeks old, so this rattle is the only thing we got her! It's now in her special memory box, so I wanted one for Parker too. He loves grabbing things now so this should Santa rattle should be fun for him. I got it in Mothercare's sale alongside a 'My First Christmas' vest for only £6.

For Indiana we got her this Toybox reindeer figure from ELC/Mothercare. She's obsessed with these toys and has quite a collection now. She loves role-playing with them - making them talk, go to sleep, play together, etc. They're great for her imagination and for only £4 I couldn't resist this reindeer to go with her Father Christmas. 

The last bits are little treats for both of us and Indiana to enjoy with the film. I got the idea for the 'Snowman Soup' hot chocolate cones from Sophie at Mumology. They're basically just hot chocolate, marshmallows and chocolate drops in the shape of a reindeer - how cute right?! These are from eBay and aren't that costly (I would have made my own if I had the time haha).

Of course no Christmas would be complete without chocolate coins, so I just had to throw these in too! We actually got these for Indiana when we went for breakfast with Father Christmas. I saved them and added them to the basket instead. I'm sure they're easily available for about 50p though.

Have you done a Christmas Eve basket? What have/would you put in yours?

Indiana's 2 Year Update

Can you believe it, our little girl is 2 years old! It's crazy to think I started this blog with her 3 month update, and now I'm writing about her turning 2... time sure does fly. So Indie turned 2 on the 26th November 2015. We celebrated the day as a four, with birthday cake for breakfast, presents, soft play and a yummy lunch out - perfect for us!

Where we live we don't have 2 year checks until they're 2 years 3 months old, so unfortunately I don't have any stats (but I'll try to remember to add them when I get them!). She is however in 1.5 - 2 year clothing, has size 5 feet and is still pretty short haha. She still has 20 teeth - which according to the dentist are perfect.

Things she loves at two are: colouring, stickers, puzzles, her baby and pushchair, dancing, singing, role play, Bing, Minions, bananas, chicken, her Toddlebike2, jumping, running, playing with her little friends at nursery, water play, playdoh, and lots lots more.

Indiana loves to talk, and chats away constantly now. You can have a conversation with her and understand a lot of the words, and she's been making sentences for a while. We love hearing her little voice develop; even if it's when she's shouting 'stop it' or screaming 'noooo!' at you haha. Her current favourite is Christmas! She's even started singing which is simply THE cutest thing in the World (although I do wish she'd move on from twinkle twinkle haha).

Her eating has definitely improved, which I'm hoping will continue. She's no longer in her highchair and eats like a big girl at her little table. She's also trying more food and refusing less which I'm SO happy about. She does seem to eat more things at nursery than at home though, which is really strange. Jack even witnessed her eating cucumber and asking for more - something she would turn her nose up at at home!



Sleep wise we have always been blessed with an amazing sleeper. Indie sleeps 7-7 with a nap after her lunch, usually between 1-3. She loves her toddler bed and has taken to climbing in with as many of her toys as possible - currently it's bunny, minion, Bing and her slumber hippo. She's now sharing her room with Parker which has gone amazingly well (she doesn't even stir when he wakes in the night).

She is such a loving, cheeky, bubbly little madam. She has the dirtiest laugh which is simply infectious and she has us in stitches a lot! She does have quite the temper on her though and does love to get her own way. The strops can be pretty intense haha, but that's just a two year old for you! Most of the time though she's an absolute delight and I couldn't be any prouder of my little girl.

Here's to the next year, and more adventures baby girl, mummy and daddy love you very much!

Parker's 4 Month Update

So I'm terrible at getting these up on time now, but Parker is 4 months old (he turned 4 months on the 4th December). I'm also a rubbish mummy and haven't had Parker weighed this month either - but I'll try and update this when I do! I do know that he is in 3-6 month clothing, and wearing size 3 nappies though.

Feeding wise Parker is all over the place at the moment, thanks to the God-awful 4th leap, and the 4 month sleep regression! Both us said we couldn't ever remember Indie being like this, but according to her update, she was exactly the same haha. He's roughly taking 6 bottles a day of anything between 4-7oz in each. We're still on the Comfort milk, but hoping to try and wean him off this soon, as his colic doesn't seem to be a problem anymore. He goes through stages of wanting milk every 2 hours, and then only taking a few ounces too.

As I mentioned we're well into the 4 month sleep regression. Sleep and naps have been just a bit rubbish really. Just when he was starting to sleep through the night, we're back to frequent wake ups and he fights going to sleep.

Naps are also tricky, and if you don't get him down at just the right moment you've got no chance of getting him to sleep without lots of work haha. I do follow a routine with him though and try to get him down for a nap 2 hours after he wakes, which works well for us. He's also no longer in his moses basket in our room.This big boy now sleeps in his cot, sharing a room with Indiana - I'd love to have him still in with us, but he is just so so long his moses basket was too small, and his cot won't fit in our bedroom!

Once again The Wonder Weeks app has been spot on for us. The 4th leap is most definitely the hardest so far - I say so far as I know how bloomin' hard the next ones are haha - and has been very testing. Parker is a very fussy and clingy baby anyway, but with this leap he wants constant attention and cuddles. I love doing this on my days when Indie is at nursery, but it's just impossible when she's home which makes things tough.

Between the fussing though Parker is such a happy, cheeky little boy. He gives the biggest smiles and giggles with delight when you play with him. He can grab and put toys to his mouth and learnt to roll front to back this month. He's started doing mini pushups and bringing his knees up under his bum in preparation for crawling; honestly these milestones are just as amazing the second time! 

Parker is such a mummy's boy already haha. Whenever he's on Jack's lap he looks around for me, and gives me the biggest smiles. I love it as Indiana has always been a daddy's girl! He pretty much loves attention from anyone though - although strangely he really doesn't like cuddling to sleep anymore, and wants to be left alone when he's sleepy.

He's really growing and changing so much. He's most definitely found his voice and can communicate with more than just cries now - he squeals and shouts a lot haha. Tummy time is improving although he still pretty much hates it! He's chubbed out which you can probably tell, and I think he's finally starting to look like his big sister Indiana. Also this boy has THE strongest legs I've ever seen! When you hold him he just wants to stand and bounce haha, I think this may be a sign of things to come.

Happy Second Birthday Indiana!

So at 2.12am my baby girl turned TWO! I'll probably say this every year but I honestly cannot believe how fast it's gone. My labour with Indiana wasn't perfect, it certainly wasn't quick and my goodness was it bloody painful. But I'd do it all over again a million times for her.

This year I've loved watching Indie grow and change a whole lot more. She's walking confidently, talking A LOT,and is a confident, funny but very stubborn little lady... and yesterday she did her first wee on the potty (a very proud mummy moment haha).

There's still so much more to come and I cannot wait! I love having conversations with her, and I cannot wait to hear what funny little phrases she'll come out with next - my current favourite is "boobies mummy!" while handing me my bra haha!

Happy birthday beautiful girl. Mummy, daddy and your baby brother Parker love you very much xxxx

Parker's 3 Month Update

One of my first posts when I started blogging was Indiana's 3 month update; now I'm writing the exact same post for her baby brother - crazy! This is a little late, but Parker turned 3 months old on the 4th November. I honestly cannot believe he's already 3 months. These weeks are just rushing by, and I'm not okay with it haha!

At 13 weeks he weighed 13lbs 3oz and he still wears 0-3 months clothes. He's SO long though that his trousers are too short and sleepsuits aren't long enough either - however where he's not chunky the next size doesn't fit around the middle haha; I can't win.

He was measured at his 8 week (where he was actually 10 weeks) check and was a massive 65cm, putting him on the 98th percentile for height! I know you shouldn't compare but he is the complete opposite to Indiana. She was always really short and a bit chubby, whereas he is long and skinny. It's so funny!

Same sleepsuit, same bouncer same age - So different!

He did great at his check and is progressing perfectly. He also had his horrible first set of jabs; luckily I managed to get Jack to take him in this time. He coped really well though and didn't fuss. The reason his check was so late though was because at 9 weeks our poor baby boy had his first chest infection - you really can't escape those germs with a toddler who goes to nursery.

We're still on Cow & Gate Comfort milk but have managed to stop giving the Gripe Water which is great! He now has between 5-7oz every 3/4 hours. He's on a rough schedule which he created himself which is great. We try and follow the EASY method which seems to help him (he's a grumpy little monkey if he doesn't nap haha). He then has his last bottle around 6.30pm-ish and then goes to bed at 7pm with Indiana. We then dreamfeed him at 10pm and he's now started sleeping through until anywhere between 5am and 7am.

We started putting him into a basic bedtime routine around 10 weeks and it only took him a few days to pick it up. I know a lot of people are against things like these but for us it works - we now have the evenings back to relax and enjoy some time to ourselves, giving us the energy to do it all again the next day haha. We've discovered he loves to have something near/over his face to sleep. Luckily we have hundreds of muslins, as they've become his comforters.

We are constantly getting smiles, giggles, coos and gurgles from Parker now. He first started those giggling sounds around 10 weeks and they've really developed. You don't have to do much to get one out of him - he really just loves you talking to him and making silly noises haha. He also finally likes his playmat and can now happily 'play' on it for a good while. He can bash the toys and grab onto the rattles too now. Tummy time however is a complete no-no; he absolutely hates it!

We've had a couple of rough weeks in between due to Leaps but luckily he seems to go back to his happy self pretty quickly. I know the 4 month leap is coming soon though - wish us luck!

13+1 Out - 13+1 In

Indiana's 23 Month Update

This is going to be my second to last monthly update for Indiana; can you believe she's going to be TWO next month! I still haven't got my head around it, and if I'm honest I'm trying not to think about it so much, as it makes me so sad haha.

This month Indie has grown up even more. The 'terrible two's have most definitely arrived - although those days are mostly thrown in between the most amazing days ever! She is learning, growing and changing each day and doesn't stop for a minute. She has quite a temper on her, and is a stubborn little madam just like her mummy, but on the flip side, she's also the most loving child I know.

At the moment she's loving playdoh, colouring, Bing, dancing, jumping and using her imagination. She plays so well independently, making her toys 'talk' and making them do things. She carries around crayons and always wants to colour, her grip holding a pencil is quite advanced according to Jack (he works at a nursery so knows these things haha).

I'm always told that at nursery she loves messy play - the sand pit, water table,etc - and seems to be the leader of the pack now she's one of the oldest children in her room. Her new game when we're out is plane spotting and jumping on manhole covers/drains. Everytime we see a plane we have to wave to it and say hello/bye, and we must jump on every drain we see too haha.

We have plenty of new words again this month too. She still refers to herself as 'you' although she knows her name is Indiana haha. She must have picked this up from us pointing her out in pictures saying it, so now we try our hardest to refer to her as Indiana. She can also say: feet, hands, toes, bum, Jack (much to his annoyance haha), penguin, coat, plane, spider, toys, oi (not so keen on that one either haha), there, that way, fix it, gone, finishes, tissue, phone, door, what's that?, wash, hair, bless you - after you sneeze, pardon you - after someone burps haha, toast and grape. She also calls Cbeebies 'beebies' which is rather cute!

Eating has really improved recently as she's eating lots more food than she was; particularly pasta, which she wouldn't even touch before! Sleep has taken a turn for the worse though. We think she's teething again which is making her wake up, and get up earlier than her newborn baby brother!

The final 'new' thing this month is that we've stopped bottles. We knew we wanted her off the by the time she was 2 so decided to take the plunge. We've been offering her milk in a sippy cup/straw cup but she's not interested. Luckily she has lots of dairy in her diet anyway to make up for it. We started off offering water instead in her bottles to wean her off of them, but she doesn't even touch it! We're not sure if it's affecting her sleep, but I suppose we'll find out haha.

We're so so proud of how well Indiana is doing; especially having to adjust to being a big sister, and now just our only priority. She's taking it all in her stride though; and when she turns to her Parker and says 'love you bubba' we know we have nothing to worry about!

What was your little one up to at 23 months? Any tips for getting her to drink milk in a cup?

Parker's 2 Month Update

This update is slightly late due to being SO busy with our wedding, but Parker turned 2 months old on the 4th October! I last had him weighed at 6 weeks old and he was 10lb 7oz (although I'm sure he's much heavier now), and was 56cm long. He's in 0-3 month clothing now which fits nicely in the length but is still slightly baggy, depending on which shop they're from.

We had our final Health Visitor check this month and she was really pleased with his development and weight gain. We won't be seeing her again now which I'm happy about; they're so bloody nosy haha. We were also discharged from the hospital. Parker was born with a slight heart murmur that needed to have further check ups. But after waiting 2 hours at the hospital, for a 5 minute appointment (that was great fun!), it's healed by itself so he's perfectly healthy.

He is dealing much better with his wind now he's getting bigger. He's still having gripe water, but we also made the switch to the comfort version of Cow & Gate. We used this with Indiana and saw massive improvement, and it's seemed to have worked it's magic again! He's now taking between 4/5oz every 3/4 hours.

Colic isn't as much of a problem any more either. The only time he ever really gets very upset is if he's overtired or just wants a snuggle. However at the moment he has been needing extra snuggles due to a nasty cold, courtesy of his big sister. We took him to the doctors on Monday and our poorly boy is now on amoxicillin to try and clear it up.

Before getting ill we were really getting somewhere with tummy time/play time and sleep. He was really starting to enjoy laying on his playmat looking at his toys (bashing them was his new trick), and himself in the mirror. He was also sleeping for bigger chunks at night too which was amazing! He usually settles for the evening after his 7pm(ish) bottle. We then feed him at 10pm just before we get in bed - kind of a dream feed as we try not to change his nappy or disturb him too much - and he has been sleeping until 4/5am, and has even gone until 6.30am a couple of times. We're hoping he goes back to this when he's feeling better.

That's about it for this month. He's still absolutely loving watching his big sister, and gives the biggest, sweetest side smiles I've ever seen! He was such a good boy at our wedding and was happy to have snuggles from everybody there, and slept the best he ever has for Jack's parents... not that I'm jealous at all haha.

Indiana's 22 Month Update

Sometimes I think about stopping these updates as not much changes now she's bigger. Then I think how much I'll love looking back of these when she's older, so I'm determined to carry on until she's 2! Indie turned 22 months today (26th September), and she's now around 26lb - not 100% accurate as she didn't want to stand on the scales at the health clinic haha. She's just starting to wear a few 18-24 month items of clothing, but she's still very petite (some 9-12 month clothes still fit!).

Eating wise she's still going through a fussy phase. She adores breakfast and will without fail eat everything she's given, sometimes having more. Her favourite at the moment is cheerios, always with a side of fruit - preferably a 'narna'. Lunch is hit and miss; she eats everything apart from the sandwich/wrap/roll which is a bit annoying. Dinner is the hardest meal.

We've had a lot end up on the floor recently, including things she used to love! We've had slight improvement these last few weeks (she's actually eaten peas and sweetcorn, and pasta willingly!), but it's still pretty frustrating, especially considering she used to eat absolutely anything.



Sleep has been SO much better since the nights/mornings have got darker. Now instead of waking at 5am for milk she's sleeping in until gone 6/7, and we've even had a couple of 8am lie-ins! She's still having a morning nap between 10 and 12 which is an absolute god-send; especially with having Parker. She definitely needs this nap still, so until she wants to drop it, it's staying.

She's been looking and acting even more grown up recently. She chats away to you constantly and is interested in everything. She's started noticing planes the past few weeks and now every time one flies over we have to watch it and say goodbye haha. She still loves to colour and paint, build towers, read books, role play with her stuffed toys and baby, and most importantly keep an eye on her baby brother!

Indie has picked up even more words this month, and it's getting pretty hard to keep up with how many she now knows. She asks for breakfast and uses the word for all meals haha, of course she knows the word snack too! New words this month include: Gemma, Laura, Joe, Rabbit, Zebra, "go away", "stop it", breakfast, colour, plate, and loads more! She refers to herself as 'you' and points to herself - we've tried to make a habit of pointing herself out in pictures and saying Indiana now instead haha. I love having conversations with her now, she's got such a cheeky personality and it really shines.

She's now been a big sister for 2 months, and she still absolutely loves it - she's not bored of him yet haha. She is still obsessed with Parker and constantly gives him kisses and cuddles. She's still loving nursery too and has just started Jo Jingles during her Friday mornings; it's In The Night Garden themed at the moment, so you can imagine she LOVES it!

Cosatto To & Fro Pushchair | Review

Back in May I was contacted by the lovely people at Cosatto and asked if I wanted to review their brand new pushchair, the To & Fro. I practically jumped at the chance and was so excited when it arrived. We began using is with our toddler Indiana, but now our baby boy Parker has arrived we've been able to use it to the full. The To & Fro is a streamline pushchair that also doubles up as a travel system too - oh and it's also forward AND parent facing... amazing!

The To & Fro is suitable from birth by using either the seat in parent facing mode, or by using it as a travel system with the Cosatto Hold carseat (you do have to buy this separately). In parent facing mode the seat lays flat and with the head hugger and included foot muff, it creates a cosy and comfortable ride for any newborn. Then once you feel baby is ready to face the world you just flip the seat and hood over, and hey presto, it's back to a regular stroller! At first I did feel like I was going to break the hood when pulling it through, but it really was so simple, and doesn't take long at all. I will say though that without the footmuff there was a slight gap in the fabric when in parent facing mode.

This means there's no need to buy and transport extra bits and bobs as you really do have all you need in one unit! What I loved was that each side has it's own harness (although you do have to pull these through if you want to adjust the height of them - we had to do this when we used it for Parker in newborn mode, and Indiana in stroller mode.

Each way has it's own design too which I think is a brilliant touch. Cosatto's bright, vibrant and fun designs really are eye-catching and definitely make the pram stand out from the crowd. I chose the 'Pitter Patter' design as thought it was the most suitable for both genders, however there are others to choose from.

Using the pushchair with the car seat made a quick trip to town a lot easier. We managed to quickly pop on the car seat adaptors without even needing the instructions; although I will say getting the car seat onto these was a bit of a fiddle (it took both of us a number of attempts to get both sides on!). I will also say the one negative about this is that if you were using the pushchair is parent facing mode, and then wanted to use the car seat, you do have to flip it back - something that does slow down the process a little bit. The car seat itself was lovely and padded and Parker looked really comfortable in it. Jack also said the base was VERY easy to install into the car and made using the car seat a lot easier.

We did have a cheap umbrella stroller before but the added extras with this one just blew me away. Firstly the handles are height adjustable. This is a fab little extra, especially for us as I'm short and Jack's tall, so it caters to us both.

The pushchair also comes with a cup holder - essential for when out and about - and a raincover which is very easy to pop on and off. The foot muff is reversible so it matches the two designs and is fully lined and padded to create a comfortable ride for baby. The pushchair is easy to put up and down and when folded stands by itself too. Finally the hood has a panel to view your child through while on the go, a pocket for storing your essentials, and an extra flap so your child is completely shaded from the sun!

I must add a few negatives as it isn't 100% perfect, but these really haven't put us off using it at all. The pushchair is heavy. I love how sturdy and well-made the pushchair is, but this does mean that it it weightier than your cheaper umbrella-style pushchair. This doesn't affect how easy it is to push, but for people like us that have to carry it up and down stairs it is a bit annoying! The pushchair is also long when folded. This means it doesn't fit in the back of our Seat Ibiza unless the parcel shelf is off, or we have to put it on the back seats (something we now cannot do with two car seats in there)!

Overall we absolutely love the Cosatto To & Fro. We love that we can use it for both our toddler Indiana and our newborn baby boy Parker without having to make many changes. It's design means you only ever need to buy one pushchair; it really would last you from birth until they no longer need a pram. Also how can you not love that design and the fact it comes with a 4 year guarantee as standard!

Disclaimer - We were sent the Cosatto To & Fro Pushchair, Hold carseat and carseat base for the purpose of this review. However all opinions are honest, my own and we have not been paid for this review

Parker's 1 Month Update

It's so crazy to believe Parker's been a part of our family for over a month now. These newborn weeks really do fly by and don't last long at all! Parker turned a month old on the 4th September; he's changed a lot in just a few short weeks.

I had him weighed on the 8th at exactly 5 weeks (slightly late but I lost track of when the weighing clinic was haha), and he now weighs 9lb 7oz. He was 8lb 9oz born - dropped to 8lb 3oz at 2 days old - and was back up to his exact birth weight at 2 weeks so he's gaining well.

Now he's uncurcled you can see he's a long baby compared to Indiana, and he has the biggest fingers and feet I've ever seen haha. He's still fitting into first size although these are getting tight around his legs, so we need to move out of these already. Most of his clothes are currently up to 1 month or newborn.

I still can't get over the amount of dark hair Parker was born with, especially when Indie was such a baldy haha! It's rubbing off slightly at the back now but still going strong. It's lightening up though and it's definitely turning blonde/ginger. His eyes are turning blue just like everyone else in my family. He now coos and gurgles instead of always crying, and he gave us his first smiles at 4 weeks 6 days old! He adores bath time and will be instantly calm once he's in the water.

Parker was breastfed for the first few days and then I slowly switched to bottles (I expressed to begin with so he didn't go straight to formula). We were using Tommee Tippee bottles but quickly switched to Dr Browns. He has a lot of trouble with wind and really struggles to get it up. We were using Infacol which did help a bit, but now we're using Gripe Water which seems to be doing a better job. He takes between 2-4 ounces every 3/4 hours - I remember Indiana taking a lot more this early on, but clearly he's not as greedy as her haha.

We have been suffering the dreaded colic in the evenings, which I remember very well. Around 4-10 is when he's at his worst, which is probably when having two under two is the hardest. I really need to invest in a sling/carrier so I can wear him during these times - any recommendations very welcome! He's a very cuddly, clingy baby compared to Indiana and loves to be held; preferably with you stood up holding him close to your chest. At the moment he doesn't really enjoy being laid down on his playmat, and will usually cry after about 5/10 minutes.

Sleep-wise we're getting into some sort of routine. During the day he mostly cat-naps as Indiana doesn't really let him have a long sleep. He can then go to 'bed' anytime between 8-11 and then this is when he has his long period of sleep. He usually wakes up around 3ish and then 5ish which we're really happy with at the moment. He has slept through twice now (10-5) so fingers crossed he carries on! He sleeps happily in his moses basket and generally settles well after a night feed; thank you Ewan the Dreamsheep!

Parker has fitted into the family perfectly. Indiana is still very much besotted with him and actually asks for her 'bubba' before Jack and I now haha. I just wish they didn't grow up so fast!