28 & 29 Weeks Pregnant - Baby #2

Baby
Our baby girl has grown from roughly 14.6 inches to 15.2 inches long and from 2.25lb to 2.5lb in weight. When we had our 4D scan a few weeks ago they mentioned that she's measuring exactly what she should be, to the day. This makes me think that she probably is between these estimates in length and weight. Her brain has developed more in these last two weeks and she is starting to sleep in 30 minute intervals. Over the next couple of weeks she will be growing rapidly and space will become quite cramped in there!

She's a very strong baby, going off her movements and kicks. I don't remember Noah ever being so strong really! I think that could be down to having an anterior placenta with him though, perhaps it buffered some of those feelings. Baby girl sometimes feels like the Incredible Hulk and she can really startle me with her kicks and prods! I keep saying it's a sign of things to come, she's going to be a feisty one just like her Mummy!

Mummy

I'm happy to report that my chest infection has now long gone and I feel so much better now! It's such a relief as I honestly don't think that I've ever been so poorly. It was so hard trying to take care of myself, my pregnancy and my toddler while being so unwell but what else can you do! I just had to get on with it. I still have heartburn from time to time but it's not as relentless as it once was. My appetite still isn't right, it hasn't been normal since I conceived and my taste buds are way off too. A new symptom is pelvic pain which I never had with Noah, it can be so painful and difficult to walk and sometimes it makes me wince. With my bump being so big and with being in pain with it already it does make me wonder how I'm going to fare over the next ten weeks or so. I'm scared!

All that aside I absolutely love being pregnant, it really is a beautiful experience and I'm so lucky that I've been able to experience it twice. I've found myself soaking in every moment of this pregnancy, so much more than I did with Noah. This is because we are stopping at two children so I don't want to rush away the experience, that being said this pregnancy has flown by scarily fast. As I type this I can feel her kicking away in my belly and it really is a feeling that I wouldn't want to speed a long or change in any way. I can't wait to meet our baby girl but for now I'm just enjoying every minute of carrying her.

See you next week!

Something Special Mr Tumble Toys - Review

Mr Tumble is a household name across the country and is a firm favourite in many family homes. Noah took to take a shine to Mr Tumble quite late on, just after he turned two and a half but ever since he's been hooked and really enjoys singing and dancing a long with Justin. With that in mind I was more than happy to review a couple of the products from the new Something Special Mr Tumble range from Golden Bear Toys. 

The first toy we decided to open was Mr Tumble with Tumble Tapp which retails at £29.99. When I was offered this I was in two minds whether or not Noah would like it because at three years old he isn't really interested in soft toys anymore and much prefers figures and vehicles. Thankfully this toy is more than just a soft toy, so Noah approved straight away.

The Mr Tumble with Tumble Tapp toy is aimed at children from 10 months old and on wards. It's a lovely soft toy which makes it perfect for young children and also makes it ideal for cuddles. It comes with an attached Tumble Tapp which is interactive and has five different buttons that you can press. Each button plays different songs, phrases and noises which are instantly recognisable from the show and his nose lights up too! 

The second product we were sent to review was Mr Tumble's Textured Spotty Bag. The introduction to Mr Tumble's Spotty Bag is one of the highlights of every episode so Noah was very excited to be receiving his very own! This toy is priced at £14.99 and suitable from 36 months as there are small parts included in within the design. 

Mr Tumble's Spotty Bag looks just liked the one in the TV show, just a little smaller which makes it perfect sized for toddlers and young children. The bag is made from brightly coloured and multi textured fabrics; green satin, orange velvet, red plush and blue corduroy. This makes the bag great for sensory play and is a way to stimulate senses too. The bag comes with 5 flashcards with Makaton signs to help encourage sign language of familiar household items. Noah hasn't really used the flashcards often but he really enjoys carrying different toys around inside the Spotty Bag.

We were delighted with both items from the new range of Something Special Mr Tumble toys from Golden Bear Toys. They were both superbly manufactured to the utmost quality and you can tell that a lot of thought has gone into creating these toys. I also think they are priced fairly and would make ideal Christmas presents for all CBeebies or Mr Tumble fans out there.

Do you have any Mr Tumble fans in your family?

- We were sent these products for the purpose of this review. However all opinions are my own.

My Sunday Photo - 50/52

Project 365 - Week 49

4th December - 10th December

04/12/16

05/12/16

06/12/16

07/12/16

08/12/16

09/12/16

10/12/16

We've had a great week this week on a whole. The week started with an easy going and relaxed Sunday, the day of rest and all. On Monday I had my 28 week midwife appointment where I had my bloods taken and they began measuring the bump. Everything was great and with our appointment being early I decided to take Noah to playgroup after it. We hadn't been in months with the session being so early on a Monday morning and with Noah starting nursery so it was nice to go back and see familiar faces. Noah had such a great time but he was so clingy to me, I think he thought I was going to leave him like I do at nursery drop off. Bless him. The rest of the week went by in a bit of a blur. Tuesday Noah had nursery, Wednesday my Mum came to visit and Thursday was nursery again. Friday we had a day of shopping and today was our Grandad's 80th birthday. We all went out for a swanky meal cooked by a Michelin star chef and the food was out of this world. It was six courses so I did wonder how Noah would sit still for so long as it lasted hours but he was so good. He even tucked into a goats cheese and beetroot appetiser which absolutely baffled me! Not normal for a three year old to enjoy foods like that! It was a great day and it was lovely to celebrate such a special occasion with family.

What have you been up to this week?

My Outdoor Winter Essentials

One of our favourite things to do as a family is to explore the great outdoors. When the weekend arrives we always have a couple of trips out planned, no matter what the weather! We've had days out in the sunshine, in the rain and even in the snow. As long as you are dressed appropriately and are well prepared there's no stopping you and your family from getting outdoors and making memories. Here is my list of outdoor winter essentials.

1. Suitable footwear. 

Whenever we plan on spending the day outdoors we make sure that we are all wearing suitable footwear because there's nothing worse than being on a long walk with sore feet. I find myself wearing trainers in Spring and Summer and wellington boots or hiking books in Autumn and Winter. At the moment we've been relying heavily on our wellies a lot as the weather is so temperamental. 

2. Wear lots of layers.

The temperature has really taken a drop recently, it's bitter cold. I'm also heavily pregnant at the moment so my coat no longer fastens which has made it impossible to stay warm. I've recently been looking into investing in some thermal and waterproof coats for the whole family and Engelbert Strauss has quite a few which have taken my fancy. 

3. Bring a thermos.

You can be wrapped up as warm as you possibly can but once you've reached your destination there's nothing better than sitting down with a warm drink. I have a huge thermos that I fill with hot chocolate for our days out. I make sure to pack marshmallows and extra cups in my rucksack as well as a few snacks. To be honest, a hot chocolate after a long walk out is our favourite part! 

What are your winter essentials?

Graco Modes 3 Lite Trio - Review

For the past couple of months I've been working a long side Graco as one of their Generation Graco Ambassadors. As part of our partnership I was invited down to London Zoo in October to meet the team and have since been sent numerous products to test and try out. The first product I was sent to review was the Graco Milestone which has been great car seat for us, you can read all about here. The second product arrived last week, the Graco Modes 3 Lite travel system. 

The Graco Modes 3 Lite is a travel system which it's suitable from birth through to 15kg and designed to grow with your baby. Included in the package is the chassis, stroller seat, carry cot, car seat, cosy toes and rain cover. As you've read it really does contain everything you need to get you started, all at an affordable price too. 

With Noah being three years old we were unable to give a in depth review of the carry cot and car seat so was asked to focus on the stroller seat for the purpose of this review.

First I have to mention that assembling the stroller was very quick and easy. In fact it was easier to not follow the instructions as that just made the simple task confusing, so we skipped that part. My initial impression was good as straight away I noticed three things which are always a major plus for me when it comes to pushchairs and strollers, it was lightweight, sturdy and had a huge shopping basket.

Stroller features: 
Suitable from birth up to 15kg
An easy one-second, one-hand fold offers convenience for busy parents
Flexible Fast Action fold works with or without the stroller seat to fold 2 ways
Storage lock engages automatically when folded and stroller stays upright
3-wheel manoeuvrability with locking front-swivel wheel
One pivoting child cup holder to hold snacks, drinks or treasures
Multi-position reclining for child's comfort
Extra-large basket to hold all your essentials
Click Connect provides a one-step, secure attachment of infant car seat 
Lightweight, sturdy frame make it easier to take on-the-go
Convertible 3- or 5-point harness grows with your child

What we like:
The one second, one hand fold. This is absolutely genius and a godsend for us parents, talk about making our lives easier! It's also light weight and easy to steer and manoeuvre. 

We don't use strollers often anymore with Noah being three but I found that the seat had plenty of room for him to sit comfortably. This is a huge pro for the stroller as I've found quite a few different brands be quite small on the seating front.

Possibly my favourite element to the Graco Modes 3 Lite has got to be the shopping basket, it's so spacious and would make shopping so much easier. There's nothing worse than having a decent pram with a really small basket.

One thing that I always associate with Graco is the cup holder. They include them with selected car seats and on certain pushchairs and I think it's great! It's also quite the novelty for the toddlers too!

What we'd like to see improved:
There's not much that I'd like to see different but there are a couple of things I'd like to mention but they are only suggestions down to my own personal preference.

I found that I did struggle sometimes with positioning the seat as you do this with a toggle at the back of the stroller. I personally prefer a click action for this rather than a toggle that you have to pull because I just find the process a bit of a hassle.

This is another suggestion which is totally down to preference as some people prefer their prams with tyres and others prefer plastic wheels. I find that plastic are good for everyday use but do prefer tyres on a whole as I find them better on all types of surfaces.

My overall verdict for the Graco Modes 3 Lite is that it's a great travel system which is excellent value for money. It'd be ideal for a new parent who have their budget stretched as it would meet all their needs without breaking the bank. The Graco Modes 3 Lite Trio is available at Babies ‘R’ Us at £389.99.

- We were sent this product for the purpose of this review however all opinions are my own.