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Dear Daisy, It is your first day at school...

Daisy you have turned one whole year old!

My little Daisy, you are now one whole year old! How on earth did that happen? I am sure it was only last month that I met you for the first time and you were just a teeny, squishy little dot of a baby girl!



This last year has absolutely flown by, it seems like such a cliché how everyone says how fast it will go and to savour every last thing they do and every little snuggle that you get, but it really is true. I am sure I closed my eyes, opened them again and a year has passed. It has been a wonderful year and one I will never forget but I do wish I could go back and live it all over again, sleepless nights and all! If only we had time machines.




This age now is the most rewarding and probably the most entertaining and fun! But I do miss the soft, squishiness of a new born baby at times. You still give the best cuddles ever but you really do choose when you give them and make me work pretty hard for one sometimes! Luckily bedtime you are very cuddly and so I am guaranteed at least that one a day anyway.

At bedtime you go to bed like a little dream, no qualms at all. However, recently you have started waking in the night, whether that be just the once for a quick drink or 2/3 times just because you can! I think you are so active that you wake yourself up wriggling around the cot and then you can't seem to drift back off sometimes. You still need a nap in the day, sometimes 2. I try not to let you sleep any later than 3.30pm so that you are still sleepy come bedtime.

You now kiss back which is pretty cute, even if you do poke your tongue out half way through and give us a good lick! You are a cheeky monkey.You are cheeky all day, even first thing in the morning when you are babbling away to your friends in your cot.

Your hair is so beautiful, fair, long and with a little curl at the end. We are still not sure if you will stay fair or go dark like Dada but for now it is most definitely blonde. Your eyes have turned to a bluey green and those two tiny little teeth at the bottom make you look even cheekier! They are some spiky little choppers!

Bath time is your favourite time of the day, you have a real swim in there. Throwing yourself on to your belly and splashing about! You are pretty fearless in the water, maybe that comes from our swimming lessons! The only issue we have is getting you out when the water has gone cold!!!

You are practising walking now, cruising around and climbing everything you possibly can. I don't think it will be too long before you are off on your own but in some ways I want you to stay my baby and stay firmly on the floor!! (Cruel muma!)

We have our first holiday on an aeroplane in 5 weeks time, that could be interesting. You hate sitting still and like to be free to do your own thing, that is something to look forward to! It will all be worth it though when you are there with the sunshine shining on your little sun hat, toes in the sea and hands building sandcastles on the beach. That could also be interesting because when we last took you to the beach you were not too impressed by the sand!

On your birthday we had a day together at a local park where we talked to the ducks and geese on the lakes, had a go on the swings and slide, crawling about and picnic on the grass and lots of walking around before lunch outside in the sunshine. Then we were home for you to be spoilt further by the rest of your family!






We then held a little party for you at home on the weekend where you had friends and family come to celebrate with you. It was a lovely day!

You are a very lucky girl,

Lots of love,

Muma xx



A very lazy weekend and Daisy's very first pair of "proper" shoes! (Vlog edition)

Here we go again, another little video of our lazy weekend for you. Lots of playing and some new shoes!!!

Lots of love,

Hayley & Daisy xx



Weekend style #4

So it is time for Baby weekend style again and we have some beauties this week! We have missed a few weeks but hopefully we will get back in to it now!

Day 1

I love this outfit and not because I am biased and that the tutu is from Braces and Bows but because it is just so girly and cute! Like a proper little lady. This bow is the same as is shown below, we love it!





Day 2

How gorgeous is that bow! It is just amazing, it is from Bowtiful (look them up on Instagram). It is almost as big as her head and I just love it! It has a glittery silver edge and is so cute!



I am not sure why the photos are a little grainy, a little disappointing really (iphone photos sadly!). But you get the gist of how cute it is I am sure! Her dress and little jacket (with the cutest sparkly buttons) are from Primark, her dress was an Easter pressie from her Aunty, Her leggings are Next and the little moccasin shoes are Braces and Bows. I just love this outfit, it is trendy but still babyish and I love to dress her like a baby as she won't be one forever!

Hope you like them!

If you wish to take part in the linky find out more here:

The Knott Bump & Us


Lots of love,

Hayley & Daisy xxx





Daisy's progress update

We recently had an appointment back at the children's hospital to see the specialist regarding Daisy's hand, I say recently but it actually was well over a month ago! I'm just a bit behind on these updates!!!





We expected to go and see the paediatric surgeon and for her to say we won't be doing anything with Daisy and pass us on to the West Midlands rehabilitation centre. Who basically will support us in Daisy's development in the way of any adaptations she may need, for example grips on a bike etc. This is the impression she gave us on her last visit. 

It went pretty much how we expected except we will still be under her care for  at least another year, because she would like to see Daisy again and see how she is developing. She mentioned surgery but in the respect that there isn't anything she can do at this time, thank goodness! To be honest if she had offered us that option I am 99% sure we would have declined. For now we really don't want to upset the development she has made and how happy she is, why would you want to put your baby through that? What if it did more harm than good? All theoretical questions obviously! 

If you have seen any of my YouTube videos or follow this blog then you'll know there is nothing Daisy hasn't been able to do yet, she is doing beautifully. She crawls without any issues, picks things up, feeds herself, holds her own bottle, gives the best cuddles ever, has a good right hook and is generally showing us no concern at all with her physical development. She is so strong and seems to do new things every single day!

She absolutely loves swimming and climbing and generally being a menace, it certainly will not hold her back!


Just thought I would give a little update as I do get asked every so often :)


If you are new to our blog then please feel free to catch up with our little story here.

Lots of love,

Hayley & Daisy xxx


An intro in to my mummy life (Vlog addition) #mummytag

Hello,

I was nominated by More of me and Little O to take part in the #Mummytag. Usually I would do this on my blog and write it up but I needed to film a video for a little project and so thought I would do it this way.

Yes, it is very cringey. And yes I hate my own voice! Does it ever get any easier hearing it??

Please be kind...


Lots of love,

Hayley & Daisy xxx

Leaving baby overnight for the 1st time

Daisy will be one in a few weeks time and I have never left her over night. I thought I was quite unusual in this and felt a bit of a smothering mother but actually talking to lots of other parents it isn't unusual in the slightest. Phew! Not that I needed reassurance, I am fairly happy being that mother who wants to spend every minute she can with her baby to be honest! Better that way than the opposite hey!


If you have followed my blog for a while you will know I started this mainly for something to do when I was away with work. It used to be a weekly occurrence that I would be away 1-2 nights and that's just how it was. After Daisy came along I really didn't want to do that any more, it isn't what I wanted at all. So I changed jobs and companies. It just wouldn't have worked where I was previously, as much as the job was rewarding and the people I worked with lovely (mostly) my expectations just wouldn't have fit with the role. Which is fair enough. Anyway, I digress!

In my new role I have managed to travel when I can, it has meant a few lonnnnnggg days, some very early starts and some later home times but it has meant I have seen my baby every day at some point. It came to a point this week when it was necessary really to stay away, it would have been crazy for me to travel to the same place two days for early starts and late finishes. And when I thought about it I was realistic and thought actually if I am leaving super early I may not see her in the morning, then if I am late home, I wont see her in the evening and then the same the next day! So I may as well save all those millions of hours driving and just stay over. So i did.


I expected to feel awful, tears, no sleep, the works! But to be honest it wasn't too awful. I may have got a bit emotional leaving and felt a little teary going to bed but that was to be expected. It helped knowing she was fast asleep in bed and she was with her dad at home. She probably didn't even notice I had gone, how sad is that?!!

Anyway I survived! and the morale of this story is that you both will survive!

I won't be doing it again in a hurry out of choice and hopefully it won't be necessary very often, but at least now I know we will survive :) That sounds crazy doesn't it!

Lots of love,

Hayley xxx

Review: Tesco Baby Bedtime bath tried and tested

So not long ago I did a review on the Wilko baby bath and the jury was out on it, I was not convinced on it if I am honest. not enough bubbles, and well its all about that isn't it! (oh and it being nice and kind to babies skin of course) Read the review here.

Well I have made another impulse purchase and this time it is Tesco baby bedtime bath, I have no idea why I picked it up and why I didn't just pick up Johnsons or Infacare like usual. Stick to what you know and all that...


Anyway.. I am pleased to say that actually this was a good purchase. It smells lovely and you get loads of bubbles, hooray!


It's pretty cheap, and it was on promotion too so even better.

It hasn't dried my hands out which Johnsons can do at times, so another bonus!



Have you tried any of the Tesco baby products? We are also trying out their extra dry nappies and I have to say I am pretty impressed with those too. Maybe I will try a few other things out one day!

Lots of love,

Hayley & Daisy xxx

Our Vlog debut: Easter Bank Holiday Weekend

Well this isn't really our début is it, the Bluestone video probably was.

But I felt this was more of a Vlog than a tour of our holiday.

Let me know what you think...  Oh, and don't forget to subscribe!

Oh and please don't cringe too much at my voice!!!


Lots of love,

Hayley & Daisy xxx

#2 Visiting Bluestone with a young family: What we got up to(Activities)

This is my second post regarding our trip to Bluestone, if you missed the 1st one read it here.

I also have uploaded a little video, our very first Vlog, you can see that here too.

I thought it best to write about what we got up to separately to the accommodation as there was just so much to write.

 Driving down to Pembrokeshire is a fair journey for us, around 4 hours with a little stop. We actually took the majority of the day and took the scenic route down to Bluestone by going along the coastal road through Aberystwyth and New Quay etc, it meant there was somewhere nice to stop and have lunch and a walk around. We needed to ensure we had places to stop with Daisy as she needs to obviously get out of her car seat, stretch her legs and get some fresh air. An 11 month old is easily bored!! Although it was a long drive, its quite a nice journey for us really.




Anyway when we were there I realised Bluestone offers so much to you as a family. There is the Blue Lagoon, a big swimming pool with waves that come on every 20 minutes or so (they give you warning with the most horrible noise from their megaphones!!), lots of flumes, jacuzzi (We only spotted this on our way out on the last day), toddler area, fountains, lazy river... Lots to do basically. The building has a glass roof and the sun shone through it the entire time we were there, it made it so lovely and warm and it felt like we really were on holiday. I could have shut my eyes and gone to sleep on the deck chairs!

Daisy just loved swimming, she wasn't so sure about the waves but everything else she just loved! Obviously there is much more to do for bigger children than a baby so it can only appeal to us even more as she gets older.

The blue lagoon shut on our first day, the lady at check in said it was due to necessary, urgent maintenance. No idea what.. but it sounded serious! It then shut again for most of one of our other days which was a real shame and a day wasted in terms of swimming. When we went back the next day there were posters up about "feeling unwell, don't risk it or the pool will need to be evacuated", maybe this was a hint at what had happened!! Yuk! 

I do think though if I had paid for the trip this may have been a little disappointing to me as I do think its one of the crowd pleaser's and one of the main reasons you would visit with a family. Especially if the weather had been poor!

The other little area that the small children loved was the Circus room, which is on top of the adventure centre. It says it is up until 4/5 years - I can't remember which actually. I do think that's quite old to be mixing with the babies, especially as they can be quite boisterous sometimes past 3! Daisy was always a little tired when we visited here, at an end of a day usually. And I think she found it a little over whelming with some bigger children tearing around. She found her feet once they had all gone home for their tea though and did some good exploring. It is a brilliant area, with loads for them to look at, find and play with. My god daughter who is a year older than Daisy loved it, it was her dream! They visited a few more times than us and really made the most of it.


Ben and I really fancied the high ropes and zip wire experiences but sadly just ran out of time. We did take a walk down to Camp Smoky though where it was based and had a good look around and it looked ace! 

Camp Smoky in general was a great place, it had a nice atmosphere and I loved the Smell. It smelt of open fire, smoky food and just the outdoors in general. If you watched our video this is where we were off to when we were walking down the hill into the forest! Next time we will definitely toast some marshmallows on the fire! Such a nice idea.





Basically there was just so much to do that we didn't get chance to do even half of what we wanted to do! When we go away we like to explore the area too and so spent a day in Tenby, which has the  most beautiful beach I have ever been to in the UK! But sadly this also meant a day off the park doing some of the other activities, but then again you cant have it all and 4 days just went far too fast. It will get us back there though one day I am sure!









Lots of love,

Hayley xxx

Weekend style 3

We have missed a few weeks of the  weekend style linky with holidays and illnesses but hopefully we are back in the game! I did get to read a lot of your posts, albeit I didnt comment on many for feeling too naff and not having the energy to! I promise to try harder this week!!!!

On to my little flower...

Day 1

Here she is sporting a Next Rose jumper, H&M short dungarees, M&S tights and of the course the obligatory Braces and Bows topknot.

Ps - Braces and Bows have a 20% discount code this weekend (EASTERBOWS) just incase you fancied anything :)





On to Day 2...

I just LOVE this outfit! She has not worn it anywhere near enough for my liking. It is quite a full dress and its like a corduroy material so quite heavy, with her being a crawler and climber I haven't even thought to put it on her enough! We often wear it for jolly days out and she wears it a lot on a Friday when she is off out with grandparents to be cooed over at the garden centre etc! It is only 6-9 months, I think we have a few more weeks out of it yet :)

Dress is Next, Little Lace Top is from Twinkle Twinkle (a little boutique), Tights H&M and the bow is from Bowtiful on Instagram. We went a bit mad last week and bought around 6 from her, but they are super cute!






How cheeky is that last photo, how could I not put that in the post? Monkey. 

If you wish to take part in the linky find out more here:

The Knott Bump & Us


Lots of Love, 

Hayley & Daisy xxx

Daisy's 11 month update

One month to go until the big..1! A whole year old, where has my baby gone?

This month we have moved on from crawling everywhere at super speed to cruising around, pulling herself up and trying to get places. Although when she does get there she panics sometimes that she is stuck! This is a bit of a nightmare especially at night when she climbs all around her cot, gets stuck and wakes herself up completely.

Bow is from Bowtfiul Bows (Instagram)


Sleeping at the moment is up and down. She was always such a good sleeper, from day one. However this has changed all of a sudden and is sometimes awake every few hours, and then won't go back to sleep until sometimes I give up and plonk her in our bed! Nightmare. Let's hope it passes by as quick as it came, I need sleep! Or solid sleep at least. She actually goes to bed a dream still, that is one thing to be thankful for! And actually as I am updating this post ready to post she has slept brilliantly the last few nights. Sleep actually is the hardest thing about a little one, as much as I read about how you can sleep train etc. I really don't think its valid. It is just my opinion but I am really not into training my child when she isn't even a year old, she wakes for a reason not just to be a pain.


Yabbering is now like full on chatting, she just doesn't stop. Its Mama, Dada, Bob bob etc. all day long! Even when she is falling off to sleep, chatterbox. And volume, she has that sussed! One minute she shouts and then she is whispering and miming! Clever cloggs.

She is now fully into her 9-12 month clothes comfortably, I am still not letting go of some 6-9 though, I just love them too much! I think when it starts get warmer though and we can start wearing lighter clothes and summery items I will fall in love with her new little wardrobe. It is so in-between at the moment.

One massive highlight of the month - WE HAVE A TOOTHIE PEGG!!!!! One single little white tooth at the bottom, it is so cute and razor sharp! Looking today it looks as if it may have a twin soon enough, I am sure I can see one starting to cut through next to it. Her nose has not stopped running and the dribble hasn't stopped along with the rosy cheeks, so that would explain that!


She is such a character now I have absolutely loved this month watching her personality grow more and more. I can't wait to see what is coming next!

Lots of love,

Hayley xxx