Trendy Tuesday - It's back!!

Whew, I've decided I have neglected my blog enough.  Although Felix still feeds twice a night (and that's not all that surprising, he's only 9 weeks old) I'm getting enough sleep now to allow me the odd late night here and there.. that means I can dedicate some time to my dear blog again. Hurray!!  I can't really blog in the day at the moment.  Felix's naps are still too unpredictable and Ethan is now at home 24/7 as it's the school holidays so there's no chance of any free time in the day.

I digress..  Let's get on with some fashion!

Have I been loving having a new person to dress?  Are you kidding?!  For me at least, dressing a small person has to be one of the perks of having children.  I adore clothes.  I adore fashion.  I love that they can't tell me what they will and won't wear yet (Ethan does choose a lot more of his clothes these days of course). There are just so many gorgeous clothes for baby's and young children.  Of course Felix is wearing a lot of Ethan's baby clothes though I have bought him the odd thing and we've been given some items as gifts as well so he has got some things that are new to him.

I'm going to write about a bit of a marmite subject today though (love hate that is).  Siblings in matching clothing.  Now, I'm not someone who dresses her children in matching outfits at all times.  Personally I think that would be far too much.. but I have to admit that the potential cuteness of matching kiddies hasn't totally gone over my head.  It's a bit of a novelty and it does look cute (OK, maybe a bit twee as well).  Ethan had a t shirt from Boys & Girls that I loved and without realising, I bought Felix a romper in the same print.  It was unintentional, but once I realised I'd done it, I couldn't help putting them both in their Boys & Girls clothes at the same time and snapping away with my camera.  They'll probably hate me for it in years to come (though actually I suspect there will be other things to hate me for instead, not in the least blogging about them!!) but I can't resist.  It is a bit cheesy, I know, and I'm never going to be someone who buys them matching outfits to wear every single day - that's just weird in my book!  They are individuals after all.  Now and then though?  Why not!!

www.medicatedfollower.com

What are your thoughts on the subject?  Do you ever dress your children in matching outfits?

Joining in with Trendy Tuesday is easy.  Write a blog post about your children and their style/what they've been wearing and link it up over here.  Spread the word!! Tell blogging friends about the linky, get them to join in too.  Don't forget to comment here, I love to read your comments, and please visit the other blogs that join in.

Joy & Joe Wrap Sling Review

When I had Ethan I was too overwhelmed to really give babywearing a proper chance, but this time around, like with cloth nappies, I wanted to try it out and make more of an effort.  Shortly after having Felix I was asked if I would like to review a wrap sling from Joy & Joe.  This was the type of babywearing I was most scared to try - wraps look so daunting.  Yes, they are just one piece of material, but the whole idea of figuring out how to wrap?  It seemed too hard.. and would it really support Felix and my back?  I had to give it a go, to push myself to try something I was scared to try.

Our Joy & Joe wrap arrived really quickly, I chose a nice bright green.  The wraps are available in a whole host of colours, ones with patterned panels are available as well.  From a style perspective, I decided a plain colour would go with the widest variety of outfits - haha, I know, sad... It might not seem important, but I do wear a lot of patterned clothes and I didn't want to be put off babywearing for fear of clashing!!  I do realise that's a trivial point, but it was honestly a consideration for me.  I did at least choose a bold colour, and one I knew hubby would be happy to wear as well.

Once the wrap arrived, I must admit the wrap sat on my living room table for a while.  I wanted to use it, but I was so tired and overwhelmed by dealing with two children I just didn't get round to it.  Eventually, I just had to bite the bullet and give it a go.  The wrap comes with a detailed booklet which gives step by step instructions including photos showing you how to use the wrap.  Maybe it's just me, but I found these a little tricky to follow, but it's OK because Joy & Joe have provided some very useful and easy to follow instruction videos on YouTube.  I would really recommend watching these before using a wrap.  Once I'd watched these a couple of times it gave me the confidence to try it out.

I think it's taken me a few goes to really get the hang of the wrap.  It takes a little while to get a feel of it, how it's comfortable for you and how it best suits your baby.  Of course there are a few different ways of wearing your baby in a wrap which is why they are so versatile though I've only used a basic front carry so far.

I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable and supportive the wrap is.  I really didn't expect this, I didn't see how one piece of frankly stretchy material could be supportive, but it really is if you tie it properly.  Felix was comfy as well and fell asleep happily.

www.medicatedfollower.com

Now I've got the hang of it, I'm using this wrap quite often, mostly around the house for now.  Felix loves to be close to me (or Daddy) and it's lovely to have him close.  I really enjoy the chance for some skin to skin contact.  As it's been so hot lately he's often in the wrap with just a nappy on and I've only had a vest on top so there's lots of skin to skin contact which baby's love.  I adore being able to smell his gorgeous baby smell so close to me.  It's also a fantastic way for me to be with Ethan but also have Felix close.  I can imagine if I were still breastfeeding how useful it would be as well.  It's nice to have another option when it comes to settling your baby, almost without fail Felix becomes calm and sleeps when he's in the wrap.

Joy & Joe wraps retail from £19.99 which I think is a bargain for such a versatile and supportive wrap.  We love ours and I know I'll continue to use it.

**I was provided with a wrap for the purpose of review but no payment has been received and all views expressed are my own**

Life with two children

Hello! I am still here!  I just logged on to Blogger for the first time in weeks and checked my stats - I'm still getting the same amount of page views despite not blogging in a while so obviously someone is still popping by and reading!  So, if that's you - thank you very much!

I'm sorry it's all gone quiet.  Some bloggers amaze me, they seem to step straight back into blogging just days after having their baby and subsequent children.  Although I've managed a couple of blog posts since Felix was born I'm finding it very hard to find time, let along the inclination to blog.  I don't want to feel forced into it to keep stats up.  I blog because I enjoy it and I want to keep it that way.  So, please bear with me - posts are likely to be sporadic for a while!

Felix is two months old tomorrow.  Where has the time gone?  He's fitted into the family well, I couldn't imagine the family and life without him now.  Ethan has had a hard time adjusting to being a big brother.  I think he feels quite usurped.  He has moments where he seems to enjoy being a big brother, giving Felix the odd hug, asking to hold his bottle from time to time.  Often though he gets annoyed at him, tells me he doesn't like his crying!  I feel I can see the start of a bond though, and I can really picture them as two little boys running around together, playing.  Being a family of four feels nice.  Complete.

Felix is a joy.  It's hard work dealing with two children, there's only an hour or so a day that I get to myself but I can see things getting easier all the time.  Generally Felix still feeds twice a night (he's completely bottle fed now) and once or twice he's only had one feed.  I think that's pretty good at 8-9 weeks.  We get both boys in bed for the night by 8pm most nights so although we don't eat ourselves until quite late, we do get some evening every night which keeps us sane I think!

I'm hoping soon I'll be able to get back to Trendy Tuesday - I've got some gorgeous outfits both boys have worn to show off!!

Watch this space - I'll be back to blogging properly soon!!