Bank Holiday in Wales

The last time we came to Wales for a day trip was when I was about 3 months pregnant and we always used to go there with a group of friends, buy yesterday we took Eden for a day out. It was her first trip out of the country. Our first stop was Rhyl and we had a nice walk along the pier and stopped off for fish and chips in a cafe. Look at Eden excited at the prospect of having some fish!

We had a little stroll in the town and in the arcades and dad even won a cuddly toy :o)
Then we headed over to Llandudno. The scenery there is so nice but we only arrived late afternoon so we had a stroll while we tried to get Eden to take a nap. Finally after a while she nodded off and we went to get some food.

Our journey home was too long, Eden was in her new carseat and luckily I had sat in the back with her she was a little cranky and tired after the long day bless her and we only got home after 9pm.

So what did you all get up to over the weekend?

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Shel x

Daddy, daughter, and growth spurts

I totally forgot to add these pictures to a previous blog post, so here you go! I can't believe how small Eden looks in this first picture:

She seems to have shot up this past month. I can tell she has grown a lot as I seem to be clipping her fingernails every few days. Her hair has also come on in leaps and bounds this month as the bit that she has is getting long and her little flick is going in her eyes now.





One of my favourite most adorable bits of my daughter are her little feet, I think she will be like me, short with small feet :o)

However this month her little feet have grown a lot! She has outgrown quite a few pairs of shoes lately so I have been resorting to putting her in just socks.

What a difference 9 months makes!
When I look at those tiny shoes I think "was she really that small?" - it's seems such a long time ago now and as much as I am excited for the future it makes me kinda sad that every day my baby is growing up just that little bit more. Especially now with the growths spurts, the learning to speak, sharing food etc... the baby days will soon turn into toddler days, child days, teenager days.... I could go on.





I think to myself, the actions of my husband and I now, the way we treat Eden, what we teach her, her family life - will help determine the person she is when she grows up - that is a HUGE responsibility but I guess it's one that all parents have to take on board.

All anyone can do is their very best, show their children love and support, and teach right from wrong.... isn't it?

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Shel x

Like father, like daughter

Just how much does my daughter look like her father... look at that profile :)

Although she does have my chunky legs!

So cheeky!
Today we went to the Trafford Centre. Eden got a bath toy and 2 new pairs of shoes. Mum and Dad didn't get anything.

Being a parent has changed me so much. You don't mind doing without yourself so that your child has everything they need. It makes you so selfless. I don't mind going shopping and not getting anything for myself as I get more pleasure buying Eden things, I mean she is by no means spoilt, I always try to bag a bargain but I just get more pleasure buying for her.

We had to change the shoes I got her for the wedding we are going to, so I got these instead:

I reckon these are a better choice as these are walkers and there is a bit of room in them so hopefully they will last a few months!

We also picked these up from Debenhams, they are by a brand called Blue Zoo and they are a fab fit:

                                       

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Shel x

Squirrels and stuff

I couldn't write on one blog post all of the stuff that my daughter gets up to in a day. As every day is different, and every day she amazes me in some new way whether it be a new expression, or learning a new skill it's all so exciting and I can never take my eyes of her.

Lately her sheer rate of growth has amazed me most. I am now looking at buying her new clothes and looking at them thinking "that's way to long" however when I try it on her - fit's like a glove and my word, the amount of clothes she goes through it astonishing. I have purposely started putting her in things slightly too big so that she gets some wear out of them and we have bin bags of nearly new stuff stored away.

Today I took her over to the local park, not really taking into consideration the fact that it is the Summer holidays and all the kids are off school.... que a million stressed out parents trying to entertain the family!

The park has a LOT of squirrels and this one came over to say hello to Eden, although I don't think she knew what to make of it!:

"You talkin to me?"

I have the cutest view in the world when I walk my daughter ;=)

It was like mums at war to get your child on the baby swing. Can you believe there are only 2 baby swings? Every time I went to put Eden on it another mother would run to beat me to it....pretty childish if you ask me.... we made do with lot's of other fun things as swings aren't the be all and end all.

Her sleep habits are still causing problems. She was totally wiped out in her buggy on the way home but refused to fall asleep instead choosing to be super cranky. Back home, I spent an hour in her room trying to get her to nap in her cot but she was having none of it, she just wanted to touch my face and lie with me. My motherly instinct tells me to go with it and let her lie with me, but then my mind tells me she needs to learn that she can fall asleep on her own, with out using me as a sleep aid.

...I gave in after an hour and she got her own way.....

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Shel x

Dress to Impress

So my dress came that I ordered for the wedding where off to in a few weeks. It is a little big so I have ordered a smaller size ;o)

I didn't realise until it arrived but it actually has the same colours in it as Eden's dress (burgundy and pewter). Although it looks a bit red in this picture:

      

Nice isn't it? I am so happy I got it in a sale with £50 discount, what a bargain!

Now I am thinking I might have to persuade my poor husband to co-ordinate his outfit too so we all blend in well, or is that just something that celebrities do? I think it will look cute....

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Shel x

Eden in 3D

Hey all!

I have posted this previously on my personal page. Eden in 3D at 27 weeks gestation. It's a little long but the first few minutes are priceless!

Fairy cakes and attitude

Today I had the urge to bake. It is my new hobby, however fitting it in with an excitable 9 month old can be challenging! Anyhow, I found an online recipe for fairy cakes, and off we went shopping... we had lunch in the cafe and Eden decided now would be a fun time to scream - not because she was upset or anything, just because she thinks it's funny. However it wasn't so funny when everyone nearly jumped out of their skin, she is TOOOOOO loud!

Back home I waited until Eden was distracted and got my "bake on".


Here's the recipe, simple but so scrummy:

Eden's contribution was to lick the spoon :o)

Really messy but they where yummy!

Later, after she had eaten I gave her some of her favourite - melon, I came back into the room and this was how she was sat:

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Shel x

Look who's talking!

So today started out pretty unremarkable, usual rainy British weather, an average Tuesday. Eden was on good form although we had a lack of things to do due to the rain. So we played with her new ball, as she has learnt now to sit opposite me and push the ball to me and I pass it back, she gets so excited bless her!

I got some Photoshop actions online today so I have been having a little play around with some pictures I took. How cute is this headband.

                          

Her nan was picking her up for a couple of hours so I could crack on and get some housework done and out of the way. I love those couple of hours to myself, even when I am doing housework. I turn the music up loud and lose myself for a little while, then when Eden comes in she gives me the biggest smile like she has really missed me.

Well today was a little different, when my mum was leaving she did the usual "bye bye" with a wave of the hand to Eden - she usually just smiles but today she said "bye bye!!" it wasn't like a real bye bye more of a baby "bah bah" - but you get the jist of it.

I am super excited, I am hoping that this will be the start of her speech development. I mean she has been saying "mamma, dadda, babba" for a while now but this seems like she was really trying to say a regular word.

 I am a very excited, thrilled mum!

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Shel x

Great Expectations

Hey all!

I have just been looking through some pictures on my hard drive and found this!

Wow, was I really so HUGE!?

I was 8 months pregnant here it was my mums birthday last October. The girl with me is my uncle's wife Rebecca. When I look at this I feel the excitement that I felt back then, I was totally beside myself with joy. At the same time I had enough, I was miserable, I was so ready for Eden to come. My belly was so big I wasn't sleeping and I couldn't breath because of all the weight and I felt exhausted all the time.

The reason I look like I am carrying triplets is because I developed a condition called Polyhydramnios which is basically too much amniotic fluid surrounding the baby. As you can see here, I look like I have a basketball under my dress!

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Shel x

Birthday Gift Ideas

I really wanted to get this post up earlier but I have had a mountain of ironing to do. I still have a mental list of things I need to get done this week but there never seems to be enough time in the day!

Anyhow I have been looking at possible gifts for Eden's birthday, although it is only her birthday in November I definitely want to buy it early. We decided a while back that we would get her a trike, we have a big park right by where we live and I have visions of taking her over there on it next summer. The one I have been looking at is pink and should last her a couple of years but it is out of stock, however I did find one on Amazon.

Then I found this trendy cow print version and I think I am in LOVE with it!

I am considering paying the bit extra for this version because A. It looks so good, B. It's design is unisex and if it is still in good order it may be suitable for a future brother or sister.

So let me know your opinion??

Oooh, we got Eden's next stage car seat too:

It is a Britax, side impact protection, 9 months - 4 years. I can't wait to get her in it as she has totally outgrown her maxi cosi now and she will be able to see what's going on instead of facing the seat.

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Shel x

Shopping Day

Well today I had a lovely change and went into Liverpool with my mum shopping. It was great to get out and spend some quality time together. It's not like we never see each other but I  am always with Eden so it's nice occasionally when it is just my mum and I, although we always end up talking about Eden and buying her something!

Today I got her a couple of wooly winter hats, a denim skirt and some cute tights for winter. I LOVE LOVE LOVE shopping for my daughter as there is so much cute stuff out there for babies! We are going to a friends wedding in a few weeks so I also had to get the baby an outfit. I ended up buying her these:

Can you believe the dress I had to buy is for 18 - 24 months! I think the shop generally has small sizes, but come on she is 9 months old! I got her the shoes in 6-12 months and they just fit so I may have to see if I can get those in the next size up. I have decided to get some ribbon or fabric to match this lovely purple shade and make her a matching headband, just to complete the outfit. Ahhhhh she will look a treat!

Still have to get myself an outfit which will no doubt be last minute, but at least one of us in prepared!

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Shel x

Bogey Baby

Would you believe that after last week I have a sick baby again. She had a few great days and now she has a cold again, bigger and badder than before. I should have know because when I took her to nursery the other day (which didn't go too well either!) a few of the kids obviously had colds and I kinda knew she would pick one up again. Oh well, I am sure there is a lot more sickness where that came from as it's part of growing up. I just feel so bad for her with her little red nose, so sweet.

                        

Despite her nasty cold, today we took Eden to Botany Bay and she was in relatively good spirits but she was a little tearful so we will keep her in tomorrow.

There was an adventure playground for children and Eden went in the ball pool. She was a bit unsure but loved watching the other children playing. I really hope for her that she will be a bit of a social butterfly when she is older and enjoy mixing with other children. For now though we will enjoy introducing her to new experiences every day, new food, people, sights and sounds it's all very exciting when your 9 month sold!

Have a great day!

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Shel x

Baby Shower Friday

I had a lovely time this evening at the baby shower of my good friend Vicky.

It is the first baby shower I have ever been to as it is quite a new concept here in the UK and I had a great time.

We had lovely food.

Lovely gifts.

                            

And an excited mum to be!

We played some fun games and chatted about all things baby. Looking at all of the cute newborn outfits made me think about how I felt when I was about to have Eden and how excited and scared I was. I have to admit seeing all of those cute things made me sure I would like another baby some day.

This mum-to-be has such an exciting time ahead of her. I know because I have been through it. I also know that no matter how prepared you think you are you can never be completely ready for parenthood. For me it is challenging yet so rewarding, and there is no greater gift and privilege than bearing your child.

I wish her a positive birthing experience and a healthy bouncy baby girl!

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Shel x

Yoga Baby!

One of the most amazing things I think I have experienced so far about parenthood is how quickly I have watched my daughter grow. For the first couple of months we could lay her down and be pretty sure she wasn't going anywhere.

Before we knew it she was rolling, the next thing we knew she was shuffling across the room on her belly. I would watch her trying to figure out how on earth she was doing it. So funny.

Then she decided to try her hand at "baby yoga" were she would twist and wriggle her body into the strangest of shapes trying to roll over.

6 months old

The crawling hasn't caught on so far. These days Eden wants to stand up ALL the time which is hard work for me but great fun for her. This week she has started grabbing onto things trying to pull herself up, I think the coffee table needs to go. It is crazy how one day she can't do something then the next day she has learnt something knew. A couple of days ago she started trying to put her dummy in my mouth, really gross but funny. 

I expect it will be crawling or standing next, I had better take a deep breath!

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Shel x

Our Wedding!

We got married in May at the lovely Leasowe Castle on the Wirral and here is our slideshow. It's a little long but there are some lovely photos of Eden early on, she was 6 months and 1 day old here!
PS - Turn the volume up!

Michelle & Andy - 15th May - 2010 Leasowe Castle from Rhian Askins on Vimeo.

Super cute

If your looking for super cute baby things check out: Its Gorgeous

I am in love with about 95% of the items for sale - SO cute!!

Countdown to weigh in!

I never get bored of photographing my daughter, and this morning was just for fun!

She goes for her big weigh in tomorrow. The last time she was weighed she was on the 95th centile and that was when she was about 6 weeks old. I can't wait to see how she has come along tomorrow!

She will hopefully be having a mini session in her new nursery in the afternoon. I should have rang them to arrange it today but I totally forgot so will be doing that in the morning. I really hope she enjoys it, she seems to like mixing with other babies and children it's just the bit where I leave her that I am dreading!

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Shel x