Stylish Sunday

Forgot to post this up yesterday!

I came across these beautiful breastfeeding and babywearing necklaces but frankly they are stylish enough to be worn all the time.  Once payday comes around I think I'll be heading straight to the KangarooCare store on Etsy.  The only problem is there are SO many different combinations of styles and colours I'm finding it really difficult to choose.

Boom! The kitchen lands!

I cannot remember if I mentioned that we went ahead and ordered our new kitchen. If not, we ordered our new kitchen!!

It was actually just over two weeks ago when we drove down to Ikea and just went for it.  I had been designing it using the online planner for a while but it hadn't really occurred to me that at some point we would be saying, YES, let's do this.  Or rather, it hadn't occurred to me that this was something we could do right now. I was a little scared when I sat down to talk to the guy in the shop and Neil occupied Nye.  Neil really hasn't had much input on the kitchen design or content, so if it's not right.  It is certainly my fault!

Yesterday the influx of boxes arrived and we currently have cardboard and polystyrene taking over the kitchen and dining room.  It looks a little something like this...

The whole design process was really easy, after measuring up and inputting the details we chose the units that we liked and tried to find a combination of draws and shelves that would work for us.  Compromises have been made as we know this isn't our 'forever' home so that's a no to the £1000 range cooker or even a double oven.  But we have managed to organise a built in microwave grill which will free up some much needed worktop space and a gorgeous ceramic sink.  The built in microwaves at Ikea are insanely expensive, I think because they have to have front ventilation.  So, on the day we ordered, we left off the microwave to see if our current one would fit, (no such luck).  However, we have  managed to find a second hand one on Ebay that appears brand new.  I couldn't be more thankful to the lovely lady who packaged it up so beautifully for me on it's travels from the south coast.

Last week we spent as much time as we could getting as much of the painting done as possible.  We first used a steam cleaner to give the walls and ceilings a thorough deep clean which instantly made such a difference.  Then, we used some leftover white paint to give the ceiling a bit of love.  It took us a few coats to really make it sparkle but that alone has refreshed the room.  Next we tackled the walls.  Whilst poking around for paint brushes we found a discarded pot of paint we initially bought for the bathroom and didn't like.  We thought it would be worth a try in the kitchen, as it wasn't doing anything sitting under the stairs, and even after a quick test patch we agreed that we thought it would work really well.  As I'd been dreaming of my white kitchen with pops of orange I spent a while sulking but we've since realised that using pops of orange kitchenware will still be possible and look brilliant.  So, we've already been out and bought up a few pieces of le creuset from our trusty TK Maxx. I really can't wait to see them in situ as I really think they will look ace.  So, the colour palette now looks like this:

Kitchen colours by jc on Polyvore.

The kitchen units themselves are an off white colour with a solid wood worktop, and the turquoise, Mountain Rain is being used only on the chimney breast to provide a bit of contrast. I'm also hoping to use some Margareta, wood look fabric to go in the alcoves.  The majority of the paint work is complete now, and we have started taking the tiles off the wall which wasn't too difficult.  Now we find ourselves in the position of trying to work out a good way of taking out the old kitchen, whilst balancing baby duties.  And you know that as soon as you take out the old one, we don't actually have a working kitchen, until we install the new one, yikes! 

So far we've both been googling anything we think will come in handy and have been out to buy a jigsaw to cut the worktops, purchased plastering equipment for the walls and working how we can get the best deal on ply wood for the floor.  It certainly feels like we are getting there, and I have no doubt it WILL be done by Christmas but oh boy is it a daunting task!

Styl(ish) Sunday

Slightly in love with this Gilet, I think perhaps one needs to be inducted into my wardrobe.  I love the contrasting stripey long sleeve t-shirt that comes with it also. Bargain, £16.

9 Month Update

Here we are again with another monthly update, we're actually nearing the end of the 9th month just now.

Where do I start with this month?  It has been truly wonderful with so many developments.  Sometimes I forget that before I know it he will be a walking talking child and then he does something that makes me realise those times will be with us before we know it.  For example, on Thursday 8th November he learnt to wave!

Nye is still loving his food.  He does sometimes decide that at this particular moment he isn't a fan of certain things but always eats at least 90% of what he is offered.  Back in the early days he would be fine if he missed a meal, (if I gave him an extra milk feed.)  Now he does seem to really need the extra nourishment and gets very grouchy if he is without his beloved food.  He currently has breakfast at around 8am, Lunch at 1.30 and Dinner at 5.30.  He has a varied diet, but it is easy to get stuck in a rut with certain things and that bores me to death and takes the fun out of it.  So I do try my best to create new things for him to try, this month he has had brussel sprouts for the first time which he loved and I made some sweet potato falafel which I posted the recipe for on here.

Breakfast - Porridge fingers with raspberry's and strawberry's.

Lunch - Cod with fresh tomato, cucumber, onion and peas.

Dinner - Egg parcel made with spinach, pepper and mushroom with chicken strips and orange loaf cake for desert.

 Nye's sleep has been pretty consistent this last month, apart from this evening (obviously!) when he woke up about an hour after we put him down.  (I gave him another feed and laid him down to sleep which worked a treat.)  He has slept from 7am-7pm without a sound pretty much every night.  Some nights he has actually slept longer as he has recently been a little unwell and had some tiring days.  I know his sleep has definitely improved as he even slept perfectly when we went to visit my parents over half term.  He also now greets us in the morning standing up against the bars in the cot as if he is a prisoner waiting to be set free.  I absolutley love that first moment of eye contact in the morning when I go to pick him up and he does a little excited squeal, massive grin and bounces up and down ready for me to pick him up

Nye just loves people, he enjoys making everybody smile and enjoys listening to conversations.  He has started getting annoyed if I come in to rooms and don't say hello to him but so far he hasn't had any stranger anxiety.  This month his speech has come on quite dramatically.  He now babbles constantly, and is clearly trying to communicate with us. The sounds are now less repetitive and much more varied.  When I have some food I am feeding him and he wan'ts more he consistently says 'ah bababa'.  So, even if not speaking actual words, he does at least have his own language.  The variation in sounds has increased. From Ba and Da to Ma, Di, Bo, Aa.  However, unfortunately he has also perfected a high pitch scream which he now does to get attention if he is bored.

Also, as I mentioned earlier, this week Nye learnt to wave!  He absolutely loves being waved at and waving back and it fills me with joy and amazement.  He now waves at the dog and inanimate objects (perhaps he's not quite got the hang of it just yet...) But oh is it gorgeously cute or what!

Nye can crawl but still hates being laid down on his front and because of his resistance he is not the quickest crawler on the block.  He is a little more tolerant now he has realised how to pull himself up off the floor so even if he's complaining to me he can pull himself onto his feet.  His dislike for being on his knees is balanced out by his love of walking.  He has been able to stand alone on his feet for months now but as every day goes by he gets speedier.  He loves to cruise around furniture and this month he has truly mastered crouching  and even ducking so he can get under the table.  If I leave him for a few minutes whilst I pop to the loo and I come back and he's the other side of the room and I can't help wonder how on earth he got there.  But, he always looks incredibly pleased with himself.

This month we bought Nye a really lovely play table which has two sides, one full of twirly, noisy gadgets and the other with a board for connecting blocks and storage underneath.  He absolutely loved playing with this when we bought it at my parents but since we have got home his favourite things to look for are the lid off my lip balm, pens and roller glue.  Even if you are certain there aren't any in his vicinity he will seek them out and find them while you are not looking.

Peekaboo is most certainly his favourite game, he loves looking for me when I hide behind things.  An instant hit that always makes him giggle the most amazing little laugh.  And I think it is safe to say that 'Wind the bobbin up' is his most favourite of all songs.  It can even make him hush when he gets out of the bath and has to be dressed (his least favourite of ALL activities).

He also loves books, he will listen to them for a few pages then he will take the book from you and amuse himself by turning the pages.  Nye has also been on his very first swing in the park whilst we met up with my old school friend Claire.  He has really started swinging his legs this month (especially when he sits in his high chair) so he loved doing this in the swing.

This Month Nye sprouted his very first teeth.  I remember the first one cut through on a Saturday, the day after I was complaining to a midwife that he still had none.  Then lo and behold a second cut through on the Sunday.  Since then they have been gradually pushing their way through and are now almost there.  With the sighting of the new teeth we went out and bought Nye his very first tooth brush which he loves to chew on.

Stylish Sunday

The Christmas adverts have appeared so I'm turning my thoughts to beautiful dresses for the festive season.  I'd be happy to twirl around the Christmas tree in any of these and the most expensive one is only £32.

Party Time Dresses by jenni-clutten featuring a short sleeve dress

Sweet Potato Falafel - Baby led weaning recipe

Photo taken from The Lean Green Bean, recipe my own (I forgot to take a pic.)

As I mentioned at the weekend, we were away for half term which meant that before we left we pretty much emptied the entire contents of Nye's draw in the freezer into a cool bag.  Neil wanted to make sure that Nye would have something to eat for the time we were there.  I insisted that my parents were not people who go without food, and that Norfolk does indeed have supermarkets.  However, there was no deterring him and out came the tupperware

So, since we got home I've been trying to fill the freezer back up by looking around at what we have lying around and how I can make it in to something nutritious and delicious for my baby boy.

My eyes caught sight of a loan sweet potato which Nye loves and it reminded me of some fantastically delicious sweet potato falafel we had at The Horniman Museum Cafe.  I love falafel and used to eat them constently when I was a vegetarian but I have never even tried making them before.  Turns out there is no reason not to try making them as they are wonderfully easy.

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
• 2 tsp ground corriander
• 1 handful of coriander leaves (chopped)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 100g plain flour (or gram flour if you have it)
• 1 well oiled baking sheet

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 200°C  /180°C fan.
2. Microwave the sweet potato whole for 8-10 minutes until tender.  
3. Whilst the sweet potato is cooking, combine the cumin, garlic, ground and fresh corriander, lemon juice and flour in a large bowl.
4. Leave the sweet potato to cool until you are able to peel, add to the bowl and mash it together until smooth.
5. Use a tabelspoon to shape the mixture into balls (I rolled in floured hands), place on an oiled baking sheet.
6. Bake for 15 minutes until the bases start to brown, flip over and bake for a further 15 minutes.

I didn't season these as they were for Nye and served them in a toasted pitta bread with hummus and fresh red pepper strips.  Perfect for mum and baby and easy peasy to make.

Stylish Sunday

First of all, sorry for my absence, we have been away relaxing in Norfolk for half term and are finally getting back to normal.  I knew I could get back into the swing by today and provide you with some retail therapy.  I'm hunting down kitchen tiles and flooring at the moment as we ordered our kitchen this week!  That was the easy bit, the tough bit is working out how on earth we are going to install it and what we need to finish it off.

So I bring you beautiful boots!

Autumn / Fall boots by jenni-clutten featuring western boots