February 2016 - Running in Lavender

HeleddFebruary 29, 2016

Me and Mine – February 16 {A Family Portrait}

So here we are at the last day of another month (happy leap day!) and time for my Me and Mine Family Portrait post. This is an important one for us as it marks our last monthly pictures as a family of four. Next month, all going well, we’ll be joined by our newest little member who is due in the next three weeks.

We are now more than ready for the arrival of little baby Lavender but if I’m honest, I still can’t believe she’s really on her way and will be here so soon. This pregnancy has flown by so quickly!

My biggest worry is how it will change the family dynamics and limit the one-to-one time I have with my girls. Poppy has been the ‘baby of the family’ for so long and is very comfortable in that role. I’m worried that the new baby will have the biggest impact on her. Lili is already an amazing big sister, with a big heart and a massive amount of patience. She shares everything she has with her little sister without a moan or a grumble. Unfortunately, Poppy doesn’t have that same sharing mentality. She’s used to having her own way and demands most of our attention.

On the other hand Poppy is always the one that surprises us, we think she’s shy, then she gets up (by herself) and sings at her pre-school Christmas concert, without a second thought. We thought that starting pre-school would be a big challenge with tantrums at the door but we’ve had none! Maybe I worry about her too much because she’s my current baby – and underestimate her strength of character. Also, truth be told, she is the one that seems to be most excited about the new baby, kissing and talking to my bump on a daily basis.

Only time will tell how we settle into our new roles but one thing I do know, is that this little lady will be loved and cared for by us all, from the moment she comes into the world.

This month I’ve been…

– Struggling to sleep, so I’ve been getting up and watch soppy ‘girlie’ films on Netflix and Amazon Prime. I’m not proud of this but to be honest at 4am, they’re the only things my brain can handle.

-Eating way too much chocolate!

-Had a lovely day at a spa at the Brooklands Hotel with my good friend Bonnie from MamasVIB.

This month Dom has been…

– Helping me get ready for baby Lavender’s arrival by putting up the buggy, bouncer chair and cot bed.

– Enjoying the BBC’s new drama The Night Manager.

-Searching for our new family car. Yes, the search continues and he’s now left it a bit late!

-Loving his new FitBit watch. I now get a daily run down of his step count and sleep patterns… whether I want to hear them or not!

This month the girls have…

– Been getting excited about the arrival of their new baby sister.

– Lili has been made Fairy Godmother in her school play.

– Enjoyed Valentine’s day and got excited when they both got a card (from daddy).

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HeleddFebruary 28, 2016

37 Weeks Update and My Best Baby Buys Video

So here we are at the magical 37 weeks mark, this means that my baby is now fully developed and is ready to be born safely. Although, of course there is another three weeks before my actual due date.

At the risk of sounding like a ‘stuck record’, I’m feeling very tired, heavy and incredibly slow. I decided to tidy the girls’ bedroom the other day (it looked like a bomb had hit it), this easy sounding task would have normally have taken me twenty minutes or so, this week it took me almost two hours!! And worse than that, I felt so exhausted afterward that I was literally good for nothing, for the remainder of the day.

Insomnia has also recently kicked in, I seem to wake up at around 4am every morning and then can’t get back to sleep. So I grab my Dreamgenii pregnancy pillow and head down to the living room to watch a soppy film on Netflix or Amazon Prime. So far this week I’ve watched Endless Love, Lucky One and The Best of Me. Yes, I know all girly mush but at that time of the morning, that’s all my brain can handle – plus I wouldn’t mind if I end up falling back to sleep, not that I have!

For all these reasons, I’m now more than ready for this baby to arrive. The girls, are also getting very excited, as they realise that the birth is now very near. Most days Poppy asks if the baby will be born today, as if she thinks I know when it’s actually going to happen. I’ve tried to explain to her that it could be any day but of course I can’t give her a real answer.

Having said that, I do hope that little miss doesn’t decided to make her big appearance on Monday, as it’s just occurred to me that it’s a leap year and Monday is the 29th of Feb. There seems to be something sad about only celebrating your actual birthday once every four years, don’t you think? Or is that my hormones working overtime?

Last week in my 36 week update, I gave you a list of our baby haul. This week I’ve made a video of my best baby buys…

Featured in the video…

Bath – Shnuggle Baby Bath

*Bath Towel – Cuddledry Original Handsfree Baby Bath Towel

Swaddle Blankets – aden + anais

Summer Dream Swaddle – Baby & More

*Baby Carrier – We Made Me Wuti Wrap

*Pram Blanket – Joolz

Changing Bag Organiser/ Nappy Wallet – Melobaby

*Breast Pump – Medela Swing Maxi Double Electric Pump

Breastfeeding Pillow – Dreamgenii Donut Pillow

*Cot Bed – A SnuzPod2 in white with matching pink sheets and a jersey blanket.

*Sleeping Mattress – Cocoona Baby and a white blanket

Disclaimer: items marked * have been kindly sent to us to be used and featured.

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HeleddFebruary 25, 2016

Celebrating Her this Mother’s Day with Cath Kidston

Next month sees us celebrate Mother’s Day, a day that gives us the perfect opportunity to thank one of the most important people in our lives. My mum is my best friend and the one person in my life that I can always rely on. We talk on the phone once, sometimes twice a day and she travels up from Wales to stay with us on a monthly basis.

A few weeks ago one of my favourite brands Cath Kidston contacted me about creating a beautiful homemade fabric Rosette as a heartfelt Mother’s day gift.

Now I’m not the most ‘crafty’ of people but how could I turn down the opportunity to work with Cath Kidston?

Here’s how I got on…

Click here if you’d like to make your own Cath Kidston rosette.

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HeleddFebruary 25, 2016

My Captured Moment #60 {A Picture Link-up}

Welcome back to My Captured Moment, a weekly link-up where I share my favourite ‘Captured Moments’ and invite you to do the same.

On Sunday, while we were taking a family walk through a local ecology centre we nervously agreed to hand over our (point and shoot) camera to the kids. They’d been asking ‘for a go’ for a while, so we finally gave in and I’m so glad we did! These were the results…

Lili’s best picture…

Poppy’s best picture…

Of course there were also lots of floor and sky pictures too but there were a few classics!

These pictures are so special to me now for many reasons. They really do capture an important moment in our family’s life, as we prepare to welcome our third daughter. And even more special that they were taken by the girls.

Share your Moments

Your ‘My Captured Moment’ can be a single picture or a series of shots, new (taken this week) or old, with or without words. The idea is to simply share a moment in time you’ve captured on your camera and make sure it doesn’t go unseen. This could include vintage shots of your own childhood and beyond or a simple picture you’ve recently taken and want to ‘show off’.

How to Play Along

• Link up every Thursday to Sunday (ending at 11.00pm)

• Add my badge (or link back to my website using #MyCapturedMoment) at the bottom of your post.

• Share the love – try to comment on a few of the other posts. After all that’s what it’s all about.

Go Social

Tweet your posts to me @HeleddLavender using the hashtag #MyCapturedMoment and I’ll retweet. Hashtag your picture #MyCapturedMoment on Instagram (follow me @HeleddLavender) so we can share our pictures and hopefully get some new followers and likes.

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An InLinkz Link-up

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HeleddFebruary 24, 2016

Beautiful Nursery Ideas…

I’ve recently started thinking about baby Lavender’s nursery. Her room is currently our guest room, which we’ll need for the next few months as we have family and friends coming to stay. Also, our little lady will be sleeping with us, in our room for the first six to nine months while we all settle into our new routine and get the night feeds sorted. So realistically, the nursery is not something I need to think about for a while.

However, I can’t stop looking at furniture and coming up with ideas and themes for the new nursery. I suppose it’s the ‘nesting instinct’ that kicks in, in late pregnancy that’s to blame. There are so many beautiful designs out there on the internet, so many stunning websites and of course, gorgeous inspirations on Pinterest!

In my search I’ve come across a beautiful website called Baby Knees, who stock many different brands and sell gorgeous nursery furniture, interiors, accessories, clothing and gifts for little ones. Also, all the furniture is assembled for you at your home – how great is that! I’m rubbish at DIY so this service would be a Godsend.

Baby Knees have a showroom in Chelmsford, Essex (if you live near) where they offer a personalised service, so you can purchase all your baby essentials under one roof, in a one-to-one, stress free environment.

The mother and daughter team behind the brand have a background in interior design, so also offer a design service – where they help customers bring their ideas to life. You can make an appointment within their beautiful showroom or in the comfort of your own home if you prefer (and live nearby). Having suffered hyperemesis gravidarum during her own pregnancy and unable to get out of the house, owner Lois was keen to offer this ‘at home’ service.

Special Offers

Do take a look at the gorgeous website and take advantage of an exclusive 20% discount by using the promotional code ‘runninginlavender’ at checkout.

Each month Baby Knees run a different Special Offer on their site. For example, in February customers who spent over £250 online received a free Noa Storksak changing bag. In March customers receive a free Mother-to-be gift set, worth £45!

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HeleddFebruary 24, 2016

What’s in My Hospital Bag… {A Vlog}

I’m now 36 weeks pregnant – which if you read most of the baby books is when you should pack your ‘hospital bag’. So yesterday I did just that and thought I’d record a “What’s in my Hospital Bag” video.

As you can see I’ve packed two (smaller) bags this time round, one for all my things and a second for the baby’s items. I just thought it would make it easier for my husband to know where everything was in an instant. Time will tell if it works!

Here’s My Hospital Bag Checklist…

For Me…

My birth plan and maternity notes.
Backless slip-on slippers – easy to get on and off!
A dark nightdress or t-shirt to wear in labour.
Lip balm – lips can get dry while in hospital.
Snacks and drinks for me and my husband while I’m in labour.
A hairbrush, bands and clips.
My own pillow from home.
Mobile phone and charger – for music, timing contractions and contacting loved ones.
Digital camera and charger.
A nursing bra.
Breast pads.
Maternity pads.
Pyjamas or nightdress to wear on the ward.
Toiletries – travel size products to save on space.
A large towel.
Toothbrush and toothpaste.
Old or cheap knickers – don’t take your best ones!
An eye mask and earplugs, to help me sleep.
A going home outfit.

For the baby…

Two or three sleepsuits and vests – new born size and 0-3months
Baby blankets.
A pack of nappies.
Cotton wool or water wipes.
Muslin squares.
Hats.
A going home outfit.
A car seat.

So here we go, here’s what’s in my hospital bags…

Items from my video include…

*My Bag – from The DotComGiftShop

*The Baby Bag – from Skip Hop

*Nursing Bra – from Bravado

Night Slip – from Gap

Swaddle Blanket and Burp Cloth – from aden + anais

White Cotton Baby Clothes – from John Lewis

Cellular Blankets – from The White Company

Baby’s Going Home Outfit – from The White Company

Ooh I must also remember to buy a gift for the baby from the girls and a gift to the girls from the baby. Do let me know if you have any ideas on this!

I’m now feeling very organised and ready for the big day – whenever it may be! Please do let me know if there is anything glaringly obvious I’ve missed!!

Disclaimer – Items marked * were sent to me to be reviewed. All copy and thoughts are honest and my own.

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HeleddFebruary 23, 2016

A Baby Changes Everything…

I know from experience that having a baby changes everything, from your weekend sleep-ins, days out, shopping trips, even the food we eat. Before we became parents, my husband and I would indulge in regular date nights and takeaways, weekends away and quiet relaxing days at home reading and watching films in the afternoon.

Of course, we still do some of these things but the weekends away are now very different and the afternoon movies are more likely to be animated, than action adventure or a thriller. Do I miss the frequent date nights? Yes. Do we still have takeaways from time to time? Yes. Would I go back to that pre-children time? No way!

Our children have enriched our lives in so many ways. Our weekends are now taken up exploring beautiful National Trust venues, running around parks, making crafts on the kitchen table or baking together. We would never have done any of these things before we had children but have now discovered a new passion for being outdoors and in the fresh air.

With the very imminent arrival of our third baby, I’m only too aware that our family dynamic is about to change again. We’ll be back to sleepless nights and nappies but having been through this all before, I know that it is such a short time, that passes by so quickly – so I’m determined to cherish every second of this last baby. Although, she’ll be a part of our weekend adventures and family days from day one.

Mamas & Papas recently did a study to find out just how much a baby changes you, your health and your fitness. According to the 2,000 mums they surveyed, many no longer thought of cooking and exercising as an issue. Once their babies started weaning, mums found that providing a healthy and nutritious meal became second nature. I can certainly relate to this, as I now cook most of my meals from scratch and spend much more time thinking about what we eat, to ensure a fresh, healthy balanced diet (hence the now rare takeaways).

Discover more about what the mums said about their diet and fitness in this Mamas & Papas info-graphic….

Disclosure: This is a contributed post but all copy and thoughts are my own.

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HeleddFebruary 21, 2016

Sunday Stars – 21st February

Welcome back to our Sunday Stars linky, a place for you to share your favourite post each week.

Myself and a group of friends decided to set up this linky together. We wanted to create a place where our favourite post from the week could be easily shared – then we thought why not let everyone join in? We take it in turns to co-host but we all comment and re-tweet throughout the week.

Last Week’s Star Posts were…

Pregnancy, I’m Working Through Some Things – by My Petit Canarad

And

Misjudging Situations – by Something Crunchy Mummy

Do give these two posts a read, they’re amazing!

Back to this week…

This linky is designed to give everyone a place to show off their favourite post and make sure they don’t go unread. This week it’s myself and the lovely Amy from Everything Mummy hosting and we can’t wait to read your star post!

Tweet your posts to either of us (@heleddlavender or @amycooperem) and @SundaysStars using the hashtag #SundayStars and we’ll RT.

Next week’s hosts will be two of my favourites; Karen from Stopping at Two and Jess from Mummy of Boy Girl Twins – so keep an eye out for them next Sunday.

The Rules:

• You can link 1 post – old or new, anything that you are really proud of and want to share.

• Please remember to add the Sunday Stars badge to the bottom of the post.

• Share the love – try and comment on at least three other posts. After all that’s what it’s all about!

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An InLinkz Link-up

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HeleddFebruary 19, 2016

36 Week Pregnancy Update and Baby Haul

This pregnancy (for various reasons) has literally flown by, I can’t really believe that I’m now 36 weeks and (all going well) our little baby girl will be with us in just a few weeks. Having said that, I am now really starting to suffer from the pain and discomfort of late pregnancy. My back aches all the time, I can’t sleep comfortably through the night and I’m tired, so tired!

It feels like I’m trapped in my own body, there are so many things I want to do – simple things like run up the stairs to help my youngest go to the loo or take the girls to the park for a quick play. These are all the things we take for granted, simple things that a few months ago I did without a second thought. Now it takes me ages to get up the stairs, as I waddle and suffer with the pain in my lower back and pelvis, not to mention the weight of this now pretty big bump. I’m not complaining as such, as I know it’s part of the process and it’s what I’ve experienced in my past two pregnancies but somehow it feels worse this time. Maybe it’s because I have two very active little girls to contend with, maybe it’s because I’m older, maybe it’s because my body’s just had enough? Who knows? All I know is that my patience and pain tolerance is low at the moment and my family are paying the price.

As a result of feeling so out-of-control, tired and in pain, I am easily annoyed and find myself getting angry with the girls a lot more than I should. I then feel incredibly guilty as soon as they’ve gone to bed, because I realise that actually they haven’t been too bad. It’s more to do with me and the way I’m feeling. I hope they’ll understand and forgive me when they meet their new little sister.

Last week little baby Lavender was lying across my body, meaning her head was not down (where it should be), so it was looking like I may have to have a C-section delivery. However, I was assured today that her head is now down and getting ready to engage, so it’s back to the original plan, which makes me feel happy. All that bouncing on the birthing ball obviously paid off!

On another positive note, we are now getting very excited for baby L’s arrival and I think we now have everything we need, the only thing left on the list now is a baby monitor but Dom assures me he’s on the case.

So what have we got? Would you like to see a list of our ‘Baby Haul’?

*Cot Bed – A SnuzPod2 in white with matching pink sheets and a jersey blanket.

Baby Chair – Babymoove Swoon Up Chair

*Sleeping Mattress – Cocoona Baby and a white blanket

*Pushchair – Bugaboo Bee3 in grey

Bath – Shnuggle Baby Bath

*Bath Towel – Cuddledry Original Handsfree Baby Bath Towel

Changing Mat – John Lewis Wedge with changing mat covers

*Changing/ Hospital Bag – Skip Hop Grand Central Take-it-All Bag

Sleep Suites, Vets, Hats and Mittens – Plain white from John Lewis and Marks & Spencer

Swaddle Blankets – aden + anais

*Baby Carrier – We Made Me Wuti Wrap

*Breast Pump – Medela Swing Maxi Double Electric Pump

Nursing Cover – Bebe au Lait in black

Breastfeeding Pillow – Dreamgenii Donut Pillow

My mum has also been busy crocheting these gorgeous blankets, which will look beautiful in her Bugaboo pushchair (the grey and white one) and her SnuzPod (the pale baby colours one).

Disclaimer: items marked * have been kindly sent to us to be used and featured.

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HeleddFebruary 18, 2016

My Captured Moment #59 {A Picture Link-up}

Welcome back to My Captured Moment, a weekly link-up where I share my favourite ‘Captured Moments’ and invite you to do the same.

This week is half term, which means no getting up early for the school run and spending long days with my girls – including my mum, who’s come up to help me around the house and with the kids. All this makes me very happy!

I took these pictures of Lili on Tuesday while we were doing some drawings and crafts on the kitchen table. My big girl is growing up so quickly and is becoming such a kind, big hearted little girl. She always gives in to her little sister’s crazy demands and looks after her in every way. She’s like a second mum to her, teaching her to get dressed, count, sing songs and read. I love watching them together when they don’t know I’m there, I get a real insight into their relationship and individual personalities.

I often call Lili my little sunshine and these pictures really capture that happy, sunny side of her perfectly…

Share your Moments

Your ‘My Captured Moment’ can be a single picture or a series of shots, new (taken this week) or old, with or without words. The idea is to simply share a moment in time you’ve captured on your camera and make sure it doesn’t go unseen. This could include vintage shots of your own childhood and beyond or a simple picture you’ve recently taken and want to ‘show off’.

How to Play Along

• Link up every Thursday to Sunday (ending at 11.00pm)

• Add my badge (or link back to my website using #MyCapturedMoment) at the bottom of your post.

• Share the love – try to comment on a few of the other posts. After all that’s what it’s all about.

Go Social

Tweet your posts to me @HeleddLavender using the hashtag #MyCapturedMoment and I’ll retweet. Hashtag your picture #MyCapturedMoment on Instagram (follow me @HeleddLavender) so we can share our pictures and hopefully get some new followers and likes.

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.runninginlavender.com/" title="Running in Lavender"><img src="http://www.runninginlavender.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/My-Captured-Moment-badge.jpg" alt="Running in Lavender" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

An InLinkz Link-up

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