Sensory play toys

So, ala Buckley, plus some ideas from various places i'm in the midst of creating a sensory play box for Nathy. So here is my attempt at a pat mat..

nice and squishy... some gold stars..

Next i've made a little shaker thats full of different bits and pieces

Not sure if you can tell but there is some macaroni and conchigeli pasta, some rice and some lentils.... and a very tight lid!!

I tried to make the drinks bottle with water and stars... and i thought i'd be all eco friendly and use the tub the gel came in but i filled it, shook it and got covered in red water.... me thinks I need something witrh a tigthter lid!

So, next on the scrounge will be some different fabrics, a wooden hairbrush, wooden spoon, pegs, knitted toy etc.....

Things I'm enjoying

There is one main theme here.... Alice Buckley. She is writing a great new blog about how her and Dave teach their kids about Jesus through play.

Check it out here! Click below...

Another thing I'm loving is a blog that Alice has on her like list... truly hilarious!

Cake wrecks

Ah, the internet... never boring

Things of note....

So, life goes on. We're struggling with colds in the Hills household which has meant not travelling down to my mums this weekend. Was nice to be able to chill with my boys but I did miss my mumma.

Here is my little sleeper... in the cutest t-shirt "My Daddy Rocks". I took him to the cranial osteopath this morning, he's been a wee bit grumpy and i'm hoping that this is because of a headache. The osteopath said that his head was slightly out of line and his neck was stiff so i'm hoping with a couple of treatments we should see an improvement. He was so well behaved and smiled his whole way through it!

I also thought i'd post some pics of the nursery... still not quite finished but I only get time to do stuff when he's alseep, which also happens to coincidence, funnily enough, with when he's in the nursery!

I like owls and this is one I made whilst I was in the hospital waiting for Nath to arrive.

This is a little bird I made to sit on the tree...

And there is the tree on the wall plus his crib and wardrobe. More of my owls on the top.

Plus, my lovely mum gave us the money she got given from her retirement to buy something for Nath, so we got a Noah's ark

And we got his name in wooden letters to put on his wall...

How to start doing things again?

SO, the little man is in his crib asleep.... it took ages, not like him... he's been a funny little creature of late. I would say that he's not been himself, but I'm starting to worry that this is him.... the crying grumpy so and so! Anyhoo, I live in hope my placid little smiler will come back at some point!

It's funny, I'm really struggling to get life to any kind of normality when the wee man is in bed. I'm past the needing to lie in a darkened room stage everytime he is in bed but I'm struggling to know what to do. There is the obvious washing and tidying house aspect but apart from that I seem to have forgotten what I did before the little one was born. 

I know I like to be crafty, but I can't think what to do...

I know I like to bake but I don't seem to have the get up and go (plus I always forget one crucial ingredient and I can't just pop to the shops anymore!)

I like to go out.... (but again that is harder!)

So, what to do.... I guess it'll gradually get easier...

Until then, I'll hang out the washing and write this!

Baby

This having a baby thing keeps you quite busy doesn't it.. I'll be back soon to talk about not much...

He's here

My beautiful baby boy Nathaniel William James Hills is here..... finally.

I know.... mummy's are biased but I think he is a stunner of epic proportions. 

Just to say I was induced, has 3 lots of induction agents, finally waters went at 2 in the morning, started contracting like the billy-o, went from 1cm to 9cm in 5 hours, finally got up to delivery suite and then spent 4 1/2 hours pushing. He still couldn't quite get out  (by about 2-3cm lazy tyke) so had a drip to intensify contractions (if that was even possible) and after another 45 minutes had a forceps delivery with a 3rd degree tear thrown in for good measure. All of which was done with gas, air and stubborness.

8lbs 9oz, 52cm long

So worth it tho :)

38 + 5

Oh and here I am today...

And here are a couple we took with my mum x

Nursery

So, although it's not quite there... I thought I'd upload some pics of the nursery. I'm very proud of my traced tree!

So, with the use of a digital projector I got the tree up there, thanks must go to these people for the tree pattern but I'm pleased with the way it has turned out. Now all to do with it is make a little owl and bird to sit on the branches. 

This is our barginous Argos wardrobe that we built with the help of Mr W.J.Woolnough! The little wicker baskets are supposed to be on the changing table but we have left that at my mums for the time being. Plus the little owlies on top are going to go on the wall rather than the wardrobe. Thanks to Sarah Wilson for the owl card on the left and I made the two owlies on the right..

Finally, here is our non standard light in the nursery... I just wasn't feeling the teddy bear/giraffe love so we plumped for this instead and James installed a dimmer switch so it can get nice and cozy in there!

38+1 weeks

Hello again. So I'm now 38 weeks pregnant and still no baby. Unfotunatly I'm having one of those impatient days. I'm trying to balance this with the knowledge that this peace and quiet and ability to do what I want when I want will not last for much longer...... unfortunatly, even that is not working.

So, appointment on Monday they were satisfied with the baby, although did hear the skipped beat but said it may be a sign of foetal immaturity (how rude)! And scan, which I know is totally innacurate, plotted the baby in at 7lbs 11oz already.... another reason for wanting it shifting!

So, i'm just waiting.... cooked up 24 portions of food for the freezer, painted a tree on the nursery wall, pics to follow and have generally been whizzing round like a mad woman.

Ordered me a TENS machine yesterday which will hopefully come tomorrow, any experience of them out there I'd be interested to know thoughts...

Anyhoo, i'm off to cook tea, seeyas latas!

37 Weeks

Well hello again.... So, 37 weeks now.... still no baby...and more monitoring!!

Thought they could hear a skipped beat again today so back to day case, monitored once more. They didn't hear anything but have made me an appointment with the consultant for Monday and now little one has decided to not appear to have grown in the last couple of weeks so I'm having a growth scan too....

Gah... I tell you this little pickle better start behaving before it makes an entrance!

36 weeks...

So, I'm 36 weeks pregnant now... a date I wasn't sure I would ever get to, with me coming earlier than this! Back up in Preston for 36 week check today....

Blood pressure has been a little up and so I have been monitored down south a few times... and looking at the BP I took this morning I could well be being monitored this afternoon as well.... oh dear!

Baby very active, has found my ribs and had a heartrate of up to 198 when monitored the other day.... just like mummy!!

Anyway, no photo as yet... this is my 35 week one..

Feeling lardy.... oh and one more purchase this week... a man bag! Well, a changing bag that's supposed to be cool for guys... and I like it, lots of pockets!

So, there we go, I'll let you know about the blood pressure!

My 33 week photo

So, here is my 33 week photo taken by my mum. Funny, my bump always looks bigger in the mirror than it does in the photos! I could start taking pictures of the size of my ankles... there would be definate growth up the centile chart there!

It's been a while

Hey, I've not been round for a while... Life has been very busy over the last couple of months. I'm in Dorset looking after my fabulous mum who is fighting the unmerciful and indiscriminate disease of cancer. It's been a true to joy to be able to serve her in this way and I will continue to do that until she goes home to be with the Lord Jesus. 

Meanwhile my little nudger has become a macarena dancing, martial arts practising heffer. I love being able to feel my baby but it is becoming a little bizarre to see poking limbs and I quite frequently scare James by my cries of 'Ah'  and 'Ooh' when the baby goes in for the kill. Wouldn't change it for the world tho.

I'm gonna be 34 weeks on Wednesday... all very exciting. I'll let you know what the midwife says....

Meanwhile check out www.vertbaudet.co.uk some beautiful stuff on there... we have purchased a gorgeous bumper and cot sheet from there, animals range

29 Weeks pregnant

So here is my 29 week pic although I am 30 weeks today, hooray for numbers starting with 3!!

I actually look a lot bigger than this most of the time, must have been holding it in. 

Also, had a 4d scan last week thanks to a very kind friend... not sure whether to put up the pic tho, so at the mo, I'll just assure you that I'm carrying a very very cute little thing!

Pioneer woman, we love you

At the weekend my trusty baking buddy Sarah and I decided to give The Pioneer Woman's 'donut' recipe a bash! Sarah made the dough before I got there but the rest we fashioned using our own bare hands and the inside of a kinder egg to cut out the donut inners!

Here they are rising like little batters of joy

This is them ready to go into the big scary pot of hot oil!

Here is one being dunked into a heavely bath of sugar

Here is one sat chilling following it's bath. Unashamed of it's nudity

And here my friend is pure unadulterated joy

If you would like to make these yourself here is the link to Pioneer Woman's recipe

25 week pic

Here is me after a late shift at work, can't you tell by the hair :s Bambini bump seems to have really grown this week and movement is becoming a lot more obvious from the outside. Had an antenatal appointment also this week, the midwife said I had a lovely bump and the heart beat was lovely strong and loud, so happy days :)

Tickers...

Nursery Ideas

So, I've been looking at ideas for nurserys lately. We're still not sure what we want to do with the room, and we certainlty don't want to spend much (and we need it to possibly be a guest room) so the plan to cover every wall with teddies is out... :)

These have been some ideas...

I'm loving the tree idea... simple, easily paint overable and you can add matching accessories to the tree, such as owls or leaves etc

 This example being a M&P one...

I also think this is very sweet, along the same lines of simple background colour with just a little detail that could be easily changed. Like the owls, I like the little birds...

For something a little different, I also like this. I like the thought of alphabets, and this is pretty funky...

So all in all, a few different ideas.... getting the creational juices flowing!

Any thoughts?

Bakewell tart

Oh Alice, you have done a bad thing... I have woken up this morning craving almonds, jam and icing.... Town it is for ingredients then :(

24 Week Pics

Here is my 24 week pic... don't seem to have changed much in size since the last one but I certainly feel bigger and the back is starting to hurt...

Baby Links

Thought I'd share some cool links with you that I like to look at to do with the baby..

First there is this one

Create Studio

Then this one

Prudent Baby

Then this one

Project Nursery

Mostly crafty but a wealth of good ideas of things to do!

Baby Buys so far

So, recently I have turned into a bit of an Ebayaholic... and this had resulted in some great buys. It has also meant a fair few trips to the post office to redeem my product with their little red 'you weren't in' vouchers! (Which on a totally different note, i'm convinced is a conspiracy...I've sat in the lounge before and still managed to get one of those through my door)

Anyhoo, these have been my purchases so far

Now, don't be getting excited... the only reason I got it in pink was because it was cheap! Let's say if a little boy Hills pops out he's either gonna have to be butch or I'm gonna have to get creative with the ol fabric :) It also came with a wooden rocking frame.

Now, this I think is pretty funky. Not only is it a sleeping bag but it is a travel sleeping bag.. meaning you can thread a 5 point harness through the middle.... meaning that you can get your baby out of car seat and put straight to bed already in it's jarmies....

Many thanks to this random lady who is modelling another of my buys... the Moby wrap in Indigo... I got to looking at these after Alice (Crumbs) started talking about baby carriers. They look really great and funnily enough I have to go and pick it up from the post office later (redeeming yet another red voucher!) (and yes... I was in the house!!! rrr)

Finally, from Ebay, I got this grobag swaddling fabric for 0-3 months...I still have mixed views about swaddling but again, for the price I thought it would probably be a go-er!

Anyhoo.... in total, these items should have RRP'd £114 and I paid the grand total of £59... I love Ebay :)

As a side note I also found in Boots the cutest little red gilet for 3-6 months...supposed to be £10, only £3. Barginous and just the cutest thing!

22 weeks

Ok, so I'm now 23 weeks but here is my 22 week picture. Starting to feel really fat.... and I'm guessing it'll get to atleast another third of this size.... yowza

My Pregnancy Essentials

My friend Alice over at Crumbs posted this week about her pregnancy essentials so I though I'd do mine so far!

So Alice, I agree, this has been a great pregnancy so far. It being my first it's all a bit new but I love it. I've had relatively little pain, the odd back and hip pain but I blame working in the NHS for that!

The scans have been the most amazing moments, how you can love something that quite frankly looks a little bit like an alien and is only in black and white is beyond me, truly a gift from God.

I've also loved feeling a little person kicking about (like a champion karate star already!) inside me, very special.

As for the essentials.....

Oh my, I love these. (Plus they are actually 2 for £2, bonus). One bowl for breakfast and one bowl before bed makes Sarah a happy mommy!

Possibly need this because of the afformentioned but I don't care...

It may taste like death but it really does do a very good job, I applaud you Glaxo Smith Klein!

Finally so far, I must include this....

My James. Giving into my midnight runs to Asda for chocosquares... getting me hot water bottles, rubbing my back and generally asking very sweet naive pregnancy questions..... often with such a mortified face, when I in great detail tell him the answer!

So there we go, my 22 week pregnancy essentials.....

GLEE

Ooohh... Glee is back....

Love it.....

Week 20

Had a lovely weeks holiday last week in Battle with all the inlaws, parents siblings etc as well as a quick visit to my mum.

Hit 20 weeks whilst there... so here's the pic...

Baby is getting really active now, definate movement and sometimes even quite cooperative!

Our twenty week scan

So, here is baby Hills (team yellow) at our twenty week scan. It was a great experience and quite a long one as the little one decided to be in a deep sleep to start with and wouldn't move for the sonographer.

So one chocolate bar and a big bottle of ribena later the baby was plenty wiggling! Some lovely moments, to start with the baby had its head nestled in its hands and gave us a big yawn (so sweet and long may it carry on).

Really happy with this photo, think the face is so great but it appears the baby is taking after its daddy as its head is measuring 1 week ahead of it's suggested date....

Oh well..... that's what gas and air is for!

More belly shots...

More belly shots.....

This is 17 weeks...

This is 18 weeks...

This is 19 weeks.. (Think I may have eaten more pies last week........)