9 Things I Miss About Pregnancy

Pregnancy for me was the worst; I spent most of my days up until 30 weeks with my head in the toilet bowl, and the sickness didn't really stop until my labour was over. I suffered with horrendous heartburn, had awful restless, tingling legs for weeks on end, itchy skin, sleepless nights upon sleepless nights, and yet somehow, I look back on it quite positively. Because of course, it's all worth it in the end once the beautiful, squishy baby arrives, and strangely I always look back on the things I miss about pregnancy, rather than the horrible parts of it!

1. Naps. Aaah sleep, how I do miss you. Being sick so often meant that half of my pregnancy was either spent in bed or lying on the sofa, and no-one judged me for taking a good 3-4 hour nap during the day. I mean, that baby making business is EXHAUSTING. These days I really have to choose between tackling the never-ending washing pile or taking a quick nap when Ada goes down for one, and sadly the housework wins most of the time.

2. Being able to eat anything and everything I wanted. The one positive of having hyperemesis was that I lost a stone in my first trimester, and being able to keep down so little, I could basically eat what I wanted. I did try to be the healthiest I possibly could, but if I was a choice between a salad I'd throw up, or Mcdonalds fries I can keep down, the fries won! Plus the lack of caffeine meant hot chocolates everywhere I went *scrummy*.

3. Thick hair. I've always had thin hair and an okay amount of it, but pregnancy sent it into overdrive. It sat so much nicer and looked so much healthier; I didn't realise quite how much it thickened up until I lost it all after Ada was born and spent two weeks covered in molting hair.

4. Feeling Ada move inside me. There honestly is no feeling like those first few little flutters as you start to feel your baby moving, it's just magical. Ada used to go absolutely crazy every time I got in the bath, and it was like our special hour together each day when I'd just rub my tummy and she'd respond back with kicks and punches (it's nicer than it sounds, honest!)

5. Baths. From my earlier point, towards the end of my pregnancy I took a bath every. damn. day. Even though I was majorly lazy and moisturised very rarely so ended up with crazy dry skin, bath time was just the best. Whenever I felt achy and tired, a bath would sort me out; these days I'm lucky to get a shower three times a week!

6. Being taken care of. Whilst I was ill and getting to grips with my pregnancy, Kane was ACE. He did all my food shopping, all the cleaning around the house, he even washed my hair once after I'd been sick ten times in a day. Sadly it didn't take long for things to get back to normal and me to take back my role of housewife once I was feeling better *sobs*

7. Comfortable clothes. There are some seriously stylish expectant Mama's out there, but I was not one of them. I practically lived in leggings and maternity jeans with an oversized t-shirt, and although it's nice to be able to dress up a bit more now, the comfort was awesome.

8. No periods. This one is pretty self explanatory, being able to have another baby again was not a welcome return for me.

9. Using pregnancy as an excuse. I took three driving tests and the third was when I was pregnant; I failed the other two thanks to nerves, but immediately explained I was pregnant during the third, just in case I had to pull over and puke! If I was doing anything wrong during my test I just blamed it on baby brain, and whilst I can't remember doing anything too wrong (except hitting the kerb on my parallel park!), I'm sure he looked favourably on me 'cause I was pregnant and crazy hormonal. And I basically used "baby brain" as an excuse for everything I forgot or did wrong for the entire nine months.

Is there anything you miss about being pregnant?

9 Months Old

Well, this picture was technically taken the week before you turned 9 months old, but it's incredibly hard to take a picture of you these days, you just won't stay still! You definitely aren't happy unless you're on the move; your crawling is super speedy now, and you're pulling yourself up on everything now. You finally mastered bending your knees enough to be able to walk with mummy and daddy's help, although your balance still isn't quite there yet!

It's been a strange old month with you, and not one of the easiest, being honest! I think you're currently going through a little separate anxiety, although luckily it's not person specific, but you sometimes get a little cranky being put down or if I walk out the room. I know it's only a phase, and for now I'm just soaking up all those little baby cuddles and snoozes I get with you. We took a trip to the Lakes, which again wasn't great as you've had a little tummy bug; you loved being nakey in the park until Uncle Sam brought you a new dress after we had to strip you out of a sicky covered one! We took another trip to the park and yet again, you tried to eat sand, and went on your first little swing! You giggled away watching your cousin, Mia, whizz backwards and forwards next to you; you two are the best of friends these days, and it's so lovely to watch.

I can't believe you've now been on the outside as long as you were inside, it feels like so long ago now that you were still just a bum in my tummy. I know it'll be your first birthday before we know it!

The Happiness Planner : First Impressions

I've seen it on Instagram (after all, who can avoid that gorgeous pink and gold combo?!) but until recently, the actual concept of The Happiness Planner was unknown to me. I'm a sucker for any sort of pretty stationery, but I don't think I've ever owned anything with any real thought behind it, other than somewhere just to keep notes.

I tend to get bogged down in every day life sometimes, so the concept of this is perfect for me; the past year has seen my life change in such a big way, and of course whilst I wouldn't change a thing and little Ada is the light of my life, it's still hard not to occasionally get a bit of FOMO seeing people who seem to be out all the time, and not seeing my friends as much as I'd like to. It's all just silly things really, so The Happiness Planner focuses on rewiring your outlook, trying to make each day as positive as it can be.

The stunning pink/gold combination planner comes boxed along with a few printables and gold paper clips, so they'll be perfect for attaching onto my little pink board. The planner itself is full of inspirational quotes, checklists and areas for reflection. It's quite a big old hefty book, so it's not one you'll be able to carry anywhere with you, it's more something for the bedside table or desk that you'll pick up first and last thing in the day. 

I also really like how there seems to be an exercise/health aspect to it, as I definitely need to put down the doughnuts. I'll do an update post in about a month to see how I'm getting along with it!

Do you have a Happiness Planner?

When's The Right Time To Have A Baby?

From being a teenage girl, I've always had my life plans and goals mapped out. Whilst careers have changed, university didn't quite work out, one thing stayed a constant; I wanted a baby. I always had the age 26 in my head, and being just one year out when I had Ada, I didn't do too badly. Despite it being my life's main ambition, that didn't stop me being absolutely terrified. I'd had an inkling I could be pregnant for a while, but it took me a couple weeks to finally take the plunge and take a test. And then another one, just to be sure.

My immediate reaction was to cry. This was something I'd wanted for so long, every time I spotted a baby or played with my niece, Mia, the broodiness took over me. Kane and I had been together for over four years, this was something I'd been desperate to happen, but it didn't stop the immediate shock. Every little doubt came rushing into my head; was I really ready for a baby? I'm only 24 (at the age of getting pregnant), surely I should be focusing on my business? Am I really ready to stop being a selfish human, getting to go and do as I please. To stop using my disposable income on myself and instead start preparing for a baby and saving? Surely these where the years I should still be going out every weekend getting bladdered?!

Everyone has a different answer for when's the best age to have a baby. I always wanted to be a relatively young Mum, and yet now I've had a baby at the age of 25, that seems ridiculously young to me. There's so many options for girls these days, long gone are the housewife days and instead we can head straight into work, go to university, go travelling.. If we choose not to have a baby in our twenties, there's the delightful reminder from the media that into our thirties our biological clock is tick-tick-ticking away. Statistically we're told that fertility starts to decline as we hit thirty, although then perhaps we're more likely to have our finances in order, a stable job and perhaps even a home to call our own. But then are we still unsure, could we really take such a long break for a job where I'm needed? And what will happen after the baby is born.. Childcare is expensive, would I be able to leave my baby to go back to work? And if so, will I be deemed a heartless, career driven woman who's putting myself before my baby? 

It seems at any age, there will always be reasons, doubts, to not have a baby. I don't think anyone will ever feel truly ready to have a child, there will always be niggling little fears about how it'll turn your life upside down. And I'm afraid to say, it truly will. But it truly, truly, will be absolutely worth it. 

What do you think? Do you think there's an ideal age to have a baby?

More Office Updates

It feels like the room I'm forever switching around and making changes to, is my office. And that is probably because it's the room I find the hardest to keep tidy, so every so often I have to spend a couple hours in there and give it a little freshen up (read: massive clear out). An inspiring office space is crucial, I feel anyway, to being productive, so I'm always adding a few new pieces in and trying to make it the best possible space to work in that I can.

In my latest little switch-up I've added in a bit more colour, a few more prints and a couple more plants. I honestly don't feel like a person could have too many plants (unless they're covering the entire floor, or something daft like that!) and whilst my living room and conservatory had a good fill of them, upstairs it was a bit lacking. I bought a little spider plant from B&Q, and got a little spiked planter from Cats Ceramics, as well as a copper hanging planter from a charity shop. I also got this Palm Leaf Print on Etsy, it's just a cheapy instant download so not the best quality with my printer, but cute all the same for just a few pounds.

I bought the pink board from B&Q, originally intending it to be for blog pictures, but I like using it as a bit of a pinboard, without the pins. I just really like the pop of colour it adds to the room; is it wrong to want one in every room of my house? After a bit of a tidy up it feels like a whole new space, now just to find the time to actually do some work in there!

20 A/W Interior Buys For Under £20

If you don't like candles or cushions, turn away now because this post isn't for you. Autumn isn't only my favourite season in fashion terms, I also love making some autumnal changes around my house where I basically buy every single candle I see, get out all my cushions (mustard velvet, anyone?) and lie under my ridiculous amount of knit throws - I just like being cosy, alright?!

It can get pretty expensive business changing around your home with each season, so I thought I'd throw together a little thing of 20 of my favourite a/w buys for under £20, then you can just pick a few of your favourites, chuck on a good film, have a slice of cake and a hot chocolate, and ultimate feelings of hygge achieved (yep, I am jumping on that!)

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . 10 . 11 . 12 . 13 . 14 . 15 . 16 . 17 . 18 . 19 . 20

A Make-Up & Skincare Haul

Bloody hell, it's been a while since I've done a haul, hasn't it?! And being honest, it'll be a while before I do another one, for the obvious baby/family reasons. As much as I enjoy the initial feeling of "Ooh, new shiny things!", it's not long before they're replaced with feelings of guilt that I'm spending money on myself instead of Ada, or putting money into my savings. But hey, a girl needs a new face cream every once in a while.

I'm pretty sure it happens to everyone, but every little bit of my night-time skincare ran out at the same time. And for once, I decided to stray from the things I've been loyal to for a few years now; I'd lost my real love for them, and just fancied a bit of a change really. I've always been a fan of Antipodes so I decided to go for their Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream; I've only used it a couple times before writing this but every morning I wake up my skin is GLOWING. Although I've been using it together with the Pai Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil, so I guess I have to give them both credit for that. 

I also finally got round to buying myself a micellar water, so I don't keep taking my make-up off with baby wipes on the days where I'm really exhausted. I'd heard really good things about the Garnier one, and so far it's doing the trick without any eye stinging or flushed red cheeks. Even after all the hype from a couple years ago, I still hadn't tried the La Roche Posay Serozinc, so I popped that into my basket too, although I'm still not quite sure what the point of it is? But hey-ho, I'll give it a go anyway. My skin is being a little cray cray at the moment and spots are turning up all over the place, so I also bought the Caudalie Instant Detox Mask.

A little trip to the Trafford Centre saw me being treated to a few more purchases too. I hit up the NYX counter in Boots and walked away with a Soft Matte Lip Cream in Amsterdam, Tame & Frame Brow Pomade, Pro Angled Brow Brush, and a Cheek Contour Duo Palette. I'm SO impressed with everything I bought from them, I think NYX are really rivaling some of the bigger beauty brands at the moment but for half the price, I'm excited to try more now. I also made a few repurchases; my favourite foundation, MAC Studio Fix Fluid, MAC Pro Longwear Concealer, and my all time favourite perfume, Coco Mademoiselle.