HOME: The Shnuggle Basket

Shnuggle Basket

Time has been flying by these past few months, so fast that the Mid-August due date is forever looming and making me panic at all of the things we need to still buy. One of the first "important" purchases we made last month was to buy a moses basket. Although we purchased our nursery furniture at a similar time, this seemed more significant as this will be the first place our little baby boy will sleep, once we bring him home.

I've seen so many moses baskets plastered all over the Internet and if I'm being truthfully honest, I've always loved the idea of your traditional ones made from wicker, willow and the like. But the more I looked into it the more I thought about the impracticalities of them. They have a tendency to sag and can be creaky when you move the basket from room to room... Not good when you've spent a while trying to get the baby to sleep in the first place. Also, the size of some of them look teeny tiny. In an ideal world I would like to keep our baby in our room for at least four months, but if our little boy ends up being as long as his dad was when he was a baby, then I really didn't think he would fit in it for that length of time.

So, during my endless perusing of the Internet, I came across the Shnuggle Basket. What I liked about it was it was definitely larger than a lot of baskets I had seen in shops. It is also made out of plastic (BPA and Phthalate free) which is ventilated, and hygienic, which should make it easy to wipe clean after numerous explosions. Despite being larger, it is still lightweight and it feels like it's going to be hard wearing. I liked that it also came in various colours. This is great if you like to co-ordinate with the bedding and the room it will mainly be living in. We opted for the cream, just to get away from the white but still remained unisex, in case we have any more children in the near future.

Shnuggle Basket with the cotton blanket (part of set) and 2 extra fitted sheets

The dressing fabrics that the Shnuggle comes with are 100% cotton, and combined with the fact that the basket is also hypoallergenic, made me feel a whole lot more at ease. (Not that I plan to become one of those germ and allergy obsessed mums!) The hood is also supposed to be more successful at staying up as it is lockable. After setting it up, it does appear to be pretty sturdy. The Shnuggle also comes with a hypoallergenic mattress and a coverlet. I'm still up in arms with the mattress. It seems quite thin, but I really don't have much knowledge or experience with the pros and cons of mattresses! I think we will see how we get on with this one, but if the little one is struggling to sleep on it, I will consider buying a different mattress.

We managed to buy a bundle on the Shnuggle website which included the basket, a wooden stand and a white cotton blanket for £99. At the same time, we purchased 2 extra fitted mattress sheets and a spare fabric dressing set for the basket (for the explosions). We have also got ourselves a cat net from Mothercare, mainly for peace of mind with our very inquisitive cat. We thought it would be a good idea to set up our basket now so he can get his scent on it when rubs against the stand, as well as, get  used to it being in the room. The plus point is that if he jumps up, he doesn't get very far with the net attached. Poor Alfie, he doesn't know what he's got coming to him!

Shnuggle Basket with Mothercare Cat Net Attached

All in all we are both really happy with our purchase. I can't comment on the durability of the fabrics and sheets after washing as I haven't got around to that yet. Hopefully the little one will have some comfortable, long sleeps in there (wishful thinking?) and will love it as much as we do.

How did you find your moses basket? Feel free to comment below and let me know your own experience.

BABY: 26 Weeks Pregnant Update

Another week, another stripy top. I swear I do own other maternity clothing, but I apparently wear this every time I take a photo.

This week has been a pretty quiet one. After my parents left last week, apart from a trip to Truro to purchase more baby stuff, I've really just been taking it easy. I think I am tiring a little quicker now. I have to keep pulling at Chris' arm to slow him down when we are out and about. This may be the only time Chris' 6ft5in height has been a disadvantage for me, long legs equals fast pace!

My tummy is actually moving when the baby moves now so the little one must have had a growth spurt of his own. It is completely adorable and I still enjoy this sooo much!

My lower back is occasionally giving me a bit of gip but on the whole it could be a hell of a lot worse!

My stretch marks are still in the same area around my lower abdomen and I don't think I can see any extra ones cropping up... But there's still time!

I've had a really dry and scratchy throat for a few days now. Water helps, but I'm loathed to take any medication unless it gets unbearable. I just hope it isn't the onset of hayfever.

Last Friday I had my Gestational Diabetes Test. I don't think everyone necessarily has to take this test, it seems to be more on your Midwife's suggestion. If you are flagging up in various factors e.g large birth weight from previous births, diabetes in close family or even a higher BMI then you are more than likely going to have the test. It is pretty simple.. I had to stop eating and drinking anything except water at 10pm the night before the test. My test was at 9am with the nurse at my doctor's surgery. She took some of my blood which was quick and pretty painless and then gave me a weird tasteless sugary beverage to drink. After that, I then spent 2 hours in the waiting room (I brought a book - The Miniaturist - good book!) until I was called back in for another blood test. If they believed I had Gestational Diabetes after checking my bloods then I would get a phone call within a few days. It is now 6 days later and I haven't heard anything so no news is good news, right? Either way, I have a Midwife Appointment next week, so I'm sure she will let me know then for definite.

Have you taken the diabetes test? How did you find it? I'd love to hear your own personal experience!

BABY: The Second Trimester

So, I made it through the second trimester.. phew! Every mum I know and every book says the second trimester is the easiest. I think I would have to agree with the general consensus that it is indeed a bit of a breeze for the most part...

Nausea Subsides
As you know, I didn't suffer any sickness during the first trimester. But I definitely said goodbye to any of the icky feelings around smells. Except Branston Pickle. Bleugh!

Energy Levels Increase
My energy levels were the most noticeable change. No longer did I want to spend my days cocooned on the sofa in a fluffy blanket, watching Pretty Little Liars on repeat. When Chris suggested we go somewhere I was most definitely up for it.

Emotional Stability Returns
I may not be crying at random things as much as I was during the first few months (turning on the Christmas tree lights to find the built in lights were broken was a low point), but I still had the odd weep during an episode of Emmerdale or Supervet. If you don't watch them, you don't know how traumatic they can be!

Bump Growth
The bump really did start getting much larger during this trimester. Gone were the worrying times that I would look like I had ate all the pies that were ever made. Ever. But then came the arrival of the lower abdominal aches, where my ligaments were getting stretched by the brute of my growing uterus. That got pretty painful for a couple of weeks, mainly when turning over in bed. Thankfully they stopped and then my bump seemed to pop out even more overnight.This then meant a trip to the shops to purchase some maternity clothes to fit around my bump.

Stretch Marks
Linking in with this was the development of more stretch marks on the tummy. Genetically, I knew family members had the same problem, so it didn't really come as any surprise when they started cropping up. They are mainly on my lower abdomen and don't really worry me in the slightest.   
 

Baby Movements
The best part of this trimester was feeling the baby move inside me. Just little tiny flutters, but still completely miraculous, in their own way. Yes, at first I wasn't sure if I just had a bit of trapped wind as I had nothing to compare it to. But soon, it became stronger and regular, to the point where Chris could then feel the movements too. Magic!


Breathlessness
Running upstairs became a thing of the past.  Chris had to slow his pace down when we were out and about else I would feel myself getting more out of breath. Living on the top of a hill made the easiest task of posting a letter feel like a marathon.

20 Week Scan
This was the best scan ever mainly because it lasted so long whilst they checked our little one for any anomalies. I talked more about this in my 20 Week Scan post, but everything looked great and we found out we were expecting a little boy!!!

Sleep Problems
I remember waking up more frequently, remembering the strangest dreams. I also still tend to only get up once in the night for the toilet. Sleeping on my side meant getting the odd leg cramp or a slightly numb bum cheek. (Oh the joys). Turning over became a huge effort accompanied by lots of groaning.

Increased Sex Drive
To be honest, we didn't make the most of this, mainly because the sheer mechanics and balance was too much to bother with when we could just snuggle down into bed and have a chat about the near future and all the things we look forward to and are dreading. 

So that pretty much covers the whole of my second trimester. Can't believe I only have one more to write about and that is looming ever nearer!

How did you find your second trimester? Did you have similar experiences? Let me know in the comments below, I'd love to compare them to my own.

BABY: 25 Weeks Pregnant Update

I've had a bit of a break from the blog this week as I had my parents come to stay with us for a few days. Because of this I'm a little late in putting this up, as I am currently 26 weeks + 1 day. Better late than never though! It was great to see my parents and will probably be the last time we see them before the baby is born! Scary thought!!

I think I've definitely had a growth spurt on the old bump front. The lower pelvic pains have all but vanished, which in turn has definitely made sleeping a lot nicer.

The boy is much more active now and he certainly loves giving me lots of kicks, mainly when I'm in bed and later on in the evening.

We made a trip to Dunelm and managed to find a V shaped pillow at a great price. Finally having something to be able to simultaneously rest my bump on and put in between my knees is great. What's not so great is feeling like there's a third person in the bed!

Back ache is starting to raise its ugly head. Nothing too painful, just the lower back area. Trying to tempt Chris to give me the odd massage may well be in order. I'm sure he will oblige, especially if I offer to make him a cuppa.

What I wasn't expecting to happen this week was to have a leaky nipple. Yep.. just the one! It isn't painful, mainly amusing, as it's something I just wake up with on my pyjama top.

I haven't necessarily felt that tired this week. Maybe tired when on my feet for long periods, but not "take a nap" tired.

That's it for this week. Today I had my gestational diabetes test, but I'll talk about that next week!

BABY: 24 Weeks Pregnant Update

This week I turned 24 weeks pregnant. These weeks really are just flying by! I feel like my bump has become more prominent now. We did go maternity clothes shopping over the weekend and perhaps it is wearing maternity t-shirts that are enhancing the bump? Either way, people are opening doors for me and moving out of my way when I walk down the street. It's quite nice actually, I can pretend I'm the Queen. *polishes my crown*

Energy levels aren't quite as high as they have been. My walking is more of a snail's pace and I will feel wiped out after having the shortest trips shopping or tidying up around the house. Chris is a real help though, and watching him walk so slow is amusing in itself!

I'm still only getting up once during the night for the toilet. My bladder probably would prefer a second journey, but it's so much effort to get out of bed that I've managed to hold it in until I finally wake up.

Sleeping is still pretty good, until I need to turn over. It is actually pretty painful to turn over in my groin and lower pelvic area. It's a pulling feeling, but once I've turned over it goes away. I've permanently got a pillow between my knees and underneath my bump, which has really helped matters.

The same groin/pelvic pains have been more uncomfortable for the past couple of days whilst walking and bending, but I have had to wait in for deliveries (the nursery furniture arrived... eeek!) so haven't had as much exercise as I'd like.

My midwife appointment was this week and overall it went well. My blood pressure is still good and the baby's heartbeat is still brilliant. She did find a little glucose in my urine, but I have a gestation diabetes test booked for next week, so told me not to worry too much.

Finally, the baby movements have most certainly increased in frequency and intensity. They're still nice and comforting to feel and I am noticing they are developing a pattern of activity first thing in the morning and later on in the evening.

FOOD: What I Ate Yesterday

Yesterday was actually a bit of a naughty day, with regards to food. Not only was it a Bank Holiday, it was also our 5th Anniversary of being together. We don't really celebrate it as such, mainly because the Wedding Anniversary takes over from this one, but it's nice to see that date on the calendar and reminisce a little. So, we actually decided to go out for tea, hence the naughty food.

Breakfast
Chris found some leftover bacon in the fridge that needed using up so he made me a bacon butty. Of course, I opted for brown sauce, it is by far superior to tomato ketchup. The bacon was from the premium range in Co-Op and we tend to go for wholemeal/seeded bread.

Apparently, that wasn't enough for me, so I had a shredded wheat with a drizzle of honey and semi-skimmed milk. This was washed down with a glass of semi-skimmed milk and a half a small tumbler of orange juice.

Lunch
We actually ate breakfast quite late and had a productive afternoon of  doing the food shop and a few odd jobs around the house. I was still pretty full from my huge breakfast so I just kept myself hydrated with a few glasses of water.

Tea
We decided to eat out quite early and headed to The Stable in Newquay. The Stable is a pizza, pie and cider restaurant situated right on Fistral Beach. The atmosphere is always really relaxed here and boy do they know how to make pizzas! If you are a fan of the more authentic, thin crusts then this is the place to go!

To start with, we shared a garlic and mozzarella pizza bread. This is my favourite type of garlic bread.

I then went for their monthly special which was chicken, field mushrooms and wild garlic drizzled with a wild herb aioli. The wild garlic may look like spinach, but don't be fooled! It was actually quite strong and peppery, but really enjoyable.

We weren't planning on having a dessert but when I saw chocolate brownie with clotted cream on the menu, I just couldn't resist. It was every bit as wonderful as it looks. I opted for a pint of lemonade as I needed to quench my thirst, but they have self service tap water available with bottles and glasses that we also helped ourselves to.

Snacks
So I was planning on having an apple and a yogurt when we got home, but this plan went out of the window when I remembered we had got some Cadbury's chocolate fingers on offer from ASDA. Don't worry, I only had around 5! I also kept myself hydrated with more water throughout the rest of the evening.


Are you a pizza fan? What are your favourite toppings? Feel free to let me know below in the comments.

LIFE: Highlights of Last Week

Early Evening in the Cemetery

Last week felt like quite a productive week. This is my rundown of the main highlights of my week...

• Finding the gate that leads from our married quarters to the local cemetery. Some people may find this morbid, but I love having a stroll around a cemetery. They are just so peaceful, you get to see lots of wildlife and it's the perfect time to have a little think.

• Finally ordering our Nursery Furniture.. with 20% off the price too! This is our first big purchase. We then proceeded to have a moment of panic when we realised how much baby things we actually need to buy, eeeeek! We are getting the delivery for this later on in the week, so I will give you my verdict then.

• Getting the delivery of our Shnuggle moses basket. (Ordered at the same time as the other furniture, but delivered really quickly!) 

The Red Vintage Mini was my Favourite

• Seeing a line of vintage Mini's lined up in a car park. We saw lots of Mini's last weekend, so there must have been some kind of "meet-up". My favourite was the red one!

• Going out in the evening with friends for a curry. We try and book a meal out in Newquay every month with some of Chris' colleagues and their wives, but we somehow missed last month by accident. It was great to catch up with them and have a laugh whilst eating some lovely food. (I paid for it with heartburn later though.)

Alfie Perusing his Treats

• Finding the best deal for Alfie the cat... Alfie loves treats. He begs for them throughout the day and is very partial to the multipack cat sticks you can pick up in the supermarkets. Not only did we find his favourite flavour (lamb), but they were reduced to 25p!!! We picked up 11 packs, so he should be good until the end of July.

• A trip to Truro to finally purchase a few maternity tops and a comfortable bra. Although I can still fit into a lot of my clothes, it was nice to now have something that isn't struggling to stretch over my bump. I got fitted for my new non wired bra in record time by a lovely lady in Marks & Spencer. It is pretty ugly yet actually feels so amazing. I'm in love!

• Having cucumber and salad cream sandwiches for lunch. Is this a late craving? Who knows! Either way they are delicious and are my new addiction. *Drools*

 What were the highlights of your last week? Did you do anything exciting? Let me know in the comments below.

HOME: The Body Shop Fragrance Oil Burner Review

The Body Shop Home Fragrance Oil Burner

Earlier this year, we had my sister-in-law come to visit us down in Cornwall. A few weeks later, whilst more relatives were visiting, we were handed a "thank you for letting me stay with you" present from her. I opened it up (Chris was busy talking and drinking tea) and found the most lovely oil burner and fragrance oils. She clearly knows me well as I strive to have a pleasant smelling home and I may have a tendency to stock up on candles. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that I may have the beginnings of an addiction.

Well, Chris will be happy as I think this oil burner may end up being a lot more economical. The oil burner and oils were purchased from The Body Shop. The burner itself is made from soapstone and the neutral colour really compliments our Living Room.

It is also really simple to use. A tealight is placed into the centre of the burner. The lid that rests on top is half-filled with water and then you just add a few drops of your chosen fragrance oil to the water. All that is then needed is to light the tealight, which will in turn heat up the water and release the fragrance. Easy Peasy! It does state to use the burner for only 20 minutes and to not let the water in the lid dry out. I must admit I have lost track of time and had it on for half an hour and there was no damage to the burner.

We received two oils as part of the present. The Jasmine & White Frangipani oil has quite a sweet and light smelling fragrance and is more of a feminine smell. I use this in our Living Room but I think it would suit a bedroom really nicely too. The Aloe & Soft Linen oil has a subtle clean and fresh smelling fragrance which again suits a Living Area or even a Bathroom. I recently purchased the Green Tea & Lemon fragrance oil and it's just as lovely as the other two. This has more of a fresh citrus smelling fragrance, which smells gorgeous in our Living Room, but actually would work great in the kitchen.

I've heard that some fragrance oils can smell quite synthetic, but I haven't found this with the oils from The Body Shop. They can also throw their scent throughout the downstairs of our house really well. If I'm honest, they are probably more successful at doing this than many candles that I have purchased.

So, before you go out and spend your hard earned money on a really expensive candle, why not give an oil burner a try. You won't regret it!

Have you tried an oil burner? Can you suggest any fragrances I may like? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

BABY: Feeling Our Baby Kick Together

Source

It has been brilliant getting to feel our little monster moving around inside me. Those first flutters were what brought forward the reality that there really is a little baby inside there getting himself big and strong before entering our world.

The only down side was that the movements were not quite strong enough for Chris to feel. A couple of weeks ago, whilst Chris was away on a work course, the movements felt like they were getting a lot stronger. Trying to test if I could feel these with my hand proved a lot more tricky than I thought it would be, especially when I could feel them from the inside. I decided that I would just have to wait for Chris to return home and test it out for real.

Last week was the turning point for us. Chris got back and after a long day, we were sat catching up on a bit of TV. After feeling the little monster kick for a few minutes I told Chris to come over and see if he could feel it too. So, there we were, me sat on the sofa with my top pulled up, Chris kneeling on the floor next to me with his big bear hands on my tummy. We were probably frozen like statues for maybe only 30 seconds when I shouted, "THERE, HE KICKED". Chris wasn't certain if he felt it, so he told me to not tell him when he next kicked.

Perhaps another 30 seconds later, Chris exclaimed, "THERE.. Did he kick then?!"
I nodded.
His face had a look of disbelief.
"Really?"
I reassured him that yes he definitely had just felt him kicking.

We probably spent another couple of minutes feeling the little kicks and we were both so excited that we could finally share these moments together. It is so nice that Chris can now feel more connected to our baby. It now feels so much more real for us. Real enough that we should probably get off our backsides and start buying this baby some things!

Did you experience a similar heart warming moment? Tell me about it in the comments below.