Oscar

And so it begins – baby led weaning and Oscar

14 years ago

by dawniebrown in Oscar, Parenting

Well we are a week away from Oscar turning 6 months and he is starting to show an interest in food and so I’ve decided it’s time to start baby led weaning with him. We had fantastic results doing blw with Zara and we started with her around this age so let the fun begin

Now I’m not expecting him to really eat anything for a while yet but I’ll be giving him the option and if he picks up the food and eats it fine, if not then no worries he will when he is ready. The whole point with blw is that you wait for them to do it and not force the pace

Baby Led Weaning Blw

Our Day at Build a Bear Workshop in Sunderland

14 years ago

by dawniebrown in Family Life, Oscar, Parenting, Reviews, Zara

We were very kindly invited to the opening of the Build-A-Bear Workshop at the Bridges Shopping Centre in Sunderland last week and as I was feeling very brave I decided to accept and take Zara and Oscar along. Now I don’t often do trips out alone with the 2 children as I don’t like being outnumbered but as we weren’t going to be out for long and we weren’t far from home I decided to risk it and I’m glad I did now as we had a lovely time

Having arrived at the store, we felt rather important to be allowed in before the grand opening and to be some of the first people to build-a-bear at the store. Zara was a little overwhelmed by the choice of bears that she could choose from (try telling a 19 month old to choose just one!) but we settled on a Doggy (no surprise there then ) which she fell instantly in love with. She was a bit reluctant to hand it over to have it stuffed and I don’t think she quite understood all the “putting a heart in it” part but we did put a bark inside his hand. Once stuffed we then moved onto the grooming part of the store, this was hands down Zara’s favourite part, I think she could have spent all day going back to brush her doggy, in fact I had trouble dragging her away to choose some clothes for him.

Now I don’t think Zara quite grasped the concept of dressing her doggy and choosing him some clothes so I chose his outfit myself and on the insistance of Zara we didn’t dress him, instead we packed his clothes in his going home box for him for later When it came to creating a birth certificate for doggy well Zara opted to call him “Big Doggy”, we already have “Little Dog” at home so Big Doggy was born :rolleyes:

: Zara had to choose a Doggy

We were kindly allowed to build a bear for Oscar aswell and Zara decided we were going to make Oscar an owl (with a little help from me ) By this time, Oscar was getting a little bit impatient for his next bottle and I could see a meltdown occuring at some point soon so we decided that Owlie (as named by Zara – got to give my girl 10/10 for originality ) didn’t need any clothes as he was super cute without them.

Owlie The Owl

Both Doggy and Owlie were then packed in their little houses and I made a hasty exit back home before we had any meltdowns lol. I always like to leave before I’m on the verge of a nervous breakdown

Zara decided that Doggy’s little house makes a rather nice little house for her as well

Build-A-Zara

I’d like to say a BIG thank you to Build-A-Bear Sunderland for making us feel very welcome and inviting us to your pre-opening event. We had a lovely time and Zara and Oscar both love their bears (Sorry if we rushed off before we had chance to do any face painting etc but trust me it was best for all of us that we got out of there when we did )

Build A Bear Sunderland

Our first family holiday

14 years ago

by dawniebrown in Family Life, Oscar, Parenting, Zara

Well ok, so it wasn’t so much a holiday, more a case of gatecrashing my parents holiday for a couple of nights BUT it was our first couple of nights away with both children!

Last weekend we drove down to Scarborough where my parents were staying in a caravan and we stayed a couple of nights with them. Now just imagine the fun of trying to fit 2 travel cots, a double pushchair, a portable highchair, bedding for 4 and clothes etc into one car. Thank goodness we have the new 4×4 or we would never have managed it. The car was packed with military precision and by 10am on Saturday morning we had everything and 2 children loaded into the car and ready to go!

The Brown Family are on their way!

If we thought fitting everything into the car was a squash, well fitting everything into a caravan was even more fun but luckily we managed to fit one travel cot in each of the twin rooms in the caravan and me and my hubby slept in the lounge. It was chaotic but nice to have a change of scene!

Zara started off the holiday by marching straight into the caravan door and almost splitting her head open. Luckily the skin held together just so it just meant a rather nasty bruise. We went swimming straight afterwards in the pool which was freezing which I think actually helped as the bump didn’t swell much thank goodness!

The great thing about having my parents around was that they kept an eye on Oscar whilst we could take Zara swimming which she loved, I haven’t taken her since before Oscar arrived and she was so excited to be back in the water, even though the pool was absolutely freezing so we couldn’t spent too long in there.

The site had a lovely play area so we spent lots of time on the swings and on the seesaw (I think I was having more fun than Zara on it )

Wheeee

Double Wheeeee

And of course there was also a mini-arcade where I managed to get Zara addicted to the 2 penny push machine (more, more, more she kept shouting holding her hand out for more coins to feed into the slots!) and of course we had to try the dance machine (and I think Zara did better at it than me!)

More, More, More...

No mummy, it's left foot, forward, right foot, right foot, back

Once the kids were in bed, my parents babysat for an hour each night so that me and Alex could nip out for a quick drink alone which was lovely and something which we don’t get to do very often

Cheers!

It was lovely to spend some time with my parents and have a change of scenery but oh my goodness it’s exhausting being away with 2 young children and away from their usual routines. I think I need a holiday now to recover from it lol

holiday

Galt Playnest Review

14 years ago

by dawniebrown in Oscar, Parenting, Reviews

The very kind people at Galt Toys have sent Oscar one of their Jungle Playnests to review

The triangular shaped Playnest has various activities to explore including a furry mane, squeaky elephant ear and crinkly leaves, hiding monkeys and snakes and furry tiger tummy. The triangular shape offers baby additional sideways support when sitting. The fabric cover has a quilted centre for baby’s comfort and is machine washable. Now Oscar is at the stage where he isn’t quite able to sit up unsupported at the moment, but he is wanting to see more of the world and gets very frustrated lying down on his playmat all the time so I was eager to see whether he would like the playnest.

He definitely seems to like it, here is a video of him just chilling out in it

We even have a little video of me sitting him up in it and helping him to explore (PS you have to excuse my husband commenting in the middle of it (he was of course referring to Rupert Murdoch’s wife lol) and you’ll have to excuse the rather large burp Oscar does at the end of the video lol ) My motto is never work with husbands or babies

Now as with anything in this house, it will also need to be approved by Zara as well and I think she’s found herself a pretty comfy seat for watching TV whilst she’s having her evening bottle lol

The playnest sells for £25.99 which I think is a pretty good price as I can see us getting months of use out of it and both Oscar and Zara are enjoying it

Baby toys Galt Playnest

Oscar at 5 Months!

14 years ago

by dawniebrown in Oscar, Parenting

Has it really been 5 months since Oscar arrived? I can’t believe how fast it has flown by!

This last month I think I’m starting to see a lot of developments with Oscar, until recently he really has been pretty boring bless him and I was getting a little concerned that he didn’t really seem to be developing. I know he was 6 weeks early but I still can’t help comparing him to his sister who first rolled over at 4 months and 1 day old (Yes I know I’m going to be a nightmare when they get older lol).

Anyway at 5 months I can now say:

1. Oscar weighs 18lbs! Now if you go by his corrected age this puts him on the 95th percentile for a baby born 6 weeks early, if I ignore the fact he was early he is still on the 75th percentile so he has pretty much overtaken most babies born 6 weeks later than him Despite all that sick, something obviously seems to be working

2. Oscar rolled over for the first time about 2 weeks ago (so not too far behind his sister at all ), this took me by surprise to be honest as I really wasn’t expecting it – but I did manage to catch it on video amazingly

3. Oscar has finally learnt to BURP! Probably a strange achievement in most people’s eyes but I haven’t been able to wind him after any bottle before now as he would just bring up the entire bottle rather than burp. Now he can burp without actually being sick!

4. Oscar now sleeps, and when I say sleep I mean it, I put him down to bed at around 7:30-8pm and that’s it (most nights) until 8am in the morning. When both O&Z sleep through (again which is most nights now!) I actually feel like a human being again.

It’s been a very long 5 months but I finally think we are getting somewhere I can’t wait to see what the next month brings

5 month old baby Oscar

Until The Light of Morning Review

14 years ago

by dawniebrown in Oscar, Parenting, Reviews

I’ve been asked to review a copy of Until The Light of Morning. This is a CD of lullabies for babies but with a difference. Until the Light of Morning is a new project by Essie Jain (an acclaimed NYC based English singer-songwriter), it’s an album of beautiful lullabies for babies that unlike many children’s music cd’s isn’t excruciating to listen to after the 500th play. In fact it’s actually a pleasure to listen to and helps me to relax as well.

Essie says “I always felt very clear on how I wanted this album to unfold. Having been lucky enough to spend so much time with my friends and families’ kids, I came to understand that there were three parts to putting a baby to bed, and that they were all as essential to each other. The winding down time, where they are soothed and comforted, then the moment they are just about to fall asleep, and then the time that follows when their dreams are emerging with deep sleep. I wanted to give all those elements in the album, so it unfolds, settles and effortlessly follows that natural rhythm.”

The album contains 8 tracks as follows:
1. What a Big Wide World (my personal favourite)
2. Lay Down
3. Falling Asleep
4. I’m Not Afraid of the Dark
5. O, I Love You (another favourite)
6. The Magic Star
7. Tip Toes
8. Midnight Starship

As with all these types of product, the proof of the pudding is whether it helps or not and I think this one does! I’ve downloaded the CD to my Iphone so that I can play it wherever I am and I have to say it does have a very calming effect on Oscar when he is fighting sleep. I can’t say that it is guaranteed to get him to sleep every time I play it but he does find the music relaxing and that is often enough to send him off to the land of nod. I’ve started playing it when I put him in his cot at night (if he isn’t already asleep) and I often find myself falling asleep whilst I lie there listening to it myself.

You can have a listen to a few of the tracks yourself and find out more information about the album over at their website HERE it’s definitely worth checking out if the sound of usual lullaby music is starting to drive you slowly insane as it was me There is also a link on the website where you can purchase the album through ITunes!

essie jain lullabies until the light of morning

Sadie and Frank Review

14 years ago

by dawniebrown in Oscar, Parenting, Reviews

I’ve been asked to do a review for Sadie and Frank, who specialise in funky baby clothes made from organic cotton or bamboo – soft, baby-friendly fabrics that don’t contain nasty chemicals that could irritate baby’s delicate skin. All their baby clothes have bright colours and funky designs so they’re perfect for cool, trendy babies! They also make sure their suppliers are responsible manufacturers so nothing is made in a sweatshop.

Now I love bright and funky baby clothes so when I was asked which item I would like to review I chose this Elephant Playsuit

And I wasn’t disappointed, firstly the playsuit arrived packaged in a box and beautifully wrapped which would be great for a gift and the playsuit itself is super cute. I ordered size 6-12 months as Oscar is fast approaching 20lbs in weight (not bad for a 4.5 month old premature baby!) and this fits him really well with a fair bit of room for him to grow into it.

The quality of the playsuit is really good and it has washed and dried really well which is essential! The price is a little more than I’d pay for Oscar’s usual playsuits at £20 but it’s lovely to have a few really nice outfits of good quality in amongst the cheaper ones that make up his staple wardrobe.

Anyway the proof of how gorgeous it is, is in the photos so here are a few photos of Oscar modelling his elephant playsuit

In fact the playsuit is so nice that I ordered another one in 0-6 months to send to a friend who recently had a baby boy! It was so nice and packaged so beautifully that I just couldn’t help myself

Definitely check out Sadie and Frank’s website for more of their gorgeous clothes, I particularly love this dinosaur one,

And this zigzag one

And I can’t forget this gorgeous Moomin one!

Absolutely gorgeous aren’t they!

dinosaur playsuit elephant playsuit moomin sadie and frank

Zara and Oscar and The Big Toddle

14 years ago

by dawniebrown in Oscar, Parenting, Zara

On 14th July, Zara and Oscar will be taking part in their first ever sponsored event though their nursery. They will be taking part in The Big Toddle where they will walk a mile (OK so I will be doing the walk on Oscar’s behalf with him in the Snugbaby! ) and will be raising money for our local childrens ward, The Treetops Ward at University Hospital North Durham. If your a regular reader of the blog then you will know that we’ve got a lot to thank the hospital for

The theme for this year is “Animal Fun” and so I’ve decided they are going to go dressed as “The Owl (Oscar) and The Pussycat (Zara). I’m busy making costumes for them at the moment

I can’t set up an online sponsorship form for them but if you would like to sponsor them could you please send me an email to dawn.brown@live.co.uk and I will send you my bank details so that you can transfer the money to me. I will then be paying all the sponsorship money over once I’ve collected it all.

A big thank you in advance from Z&O

I will let you know how we got on and whether the weather holds out for us or not later this week

the big toddle

Mamajewels Review

14 years ago

by dawniebrown in Oscar, Parenting, Reviews, Zara

I’m a little obsessed with Mamajewels and I’ve been meaning to write a review of them for ages. Mamajewels are fabulous and funky nursing / breastfeeding necklaces designed to a high quality and safety tested, that are non-toxic for when baby chomps on them and can be washed and sterilised. I’ve really missed wearing jewellery since having Zara but when my sister bought me my first ever Mamajewels necklace when I had Oscar, she started an obsession

The thing I love about Mamajewels is that you really can find a necklace to go with every outfit and they don’t look like teething/breastfeeding necklaces, they just look like gorgeous jewellery and unless somebody saw your child chomping on it they’d never realise the hidden genius

My first Mamajewels

and since then my collection has expanded to include this one…

The photo really doesn't do it justice!

It can be found HERE Oscar loves it aswell…

He will sit and play with it for hours

Another one of my favourites is this one…

which can be found HERE and also happens to be Zara’s favourite (she likes to thoroughly test that it is toddler proof!)

Of course I’d never let her wear it without me being sat next to her and because Oscar hates being left out…

And last but not least is the one I was wearing at Cybermummy…

which can be found here HERE My photos really don’t do them justice but they are seriously gorgeous and I might just have to take advantage of the current SALE over at Mamajewels to expand my collection even more

breastfeeding necklace mamajewels teething necklace

MooSkins Review – my personalised Iphone cover!

14 years ago

by dawniebrown in Oscar, Reviews, Zara

When Tom from Mooskins was looking for bloggers recently to review a personalised Iphone cover, it’s no surprise I snapped his hand off! I love my Iphone but I’ve been looking for a more interesting cover for it for a while now as I was getting bored with my plain one.

The whole thing about Mooskins is that they put your photo onto a case for your iphone and so you are guaranteed to have a unique one. It’s really quite simple, you go to their website, choose which case you would like (currently they have Iphone 3, Iphone 4 and Blackberry 8250 but I understand at some point in the future they will also be doing Ipad cases!), upload your phone and resize it to fit then you just click buy. It’s £19.99 for the Iphone covers which is pretty much what I paid for my plain cover from the Apple store!

The cases are made of a high grade plastic moulding which is scratch resistant and chip resistant with spaces for all the buttons, it just clips on and voila you have a personalised phone. The quality of the photo is excellent, apparently it’s photographic quality print (whatever that technical term means but basically it means it’s good – I can vouch for that in my case!)

The only problem I had was trying to decide which photo I wanted on my case so I used their website to play around with a few of them, ideally I wanted one of Zara and Oscar but these are a few of the designs I was trying to decide between: