6 month update!

Hey guys

Its been a while hasn't it, 6 whole months to be exact! Life has just really taken over, trying to find a balance between working, doing the house up and being a full time mum to two children now, my blog has been on the back burner. But fear not, just because i haven't been here doesn't mean i dont have lots of new ideas and posts coming up but today i'm going to start with Evalyns 6 month update.

6 months!!! How is my baby 6 months old already?! I feel like it was only yesterday i found out i was pregnant and now here she is at 6 months (nearly 7 months). She has really started to get her own little personality now, shes very quiet and chilled out, nothing really phases her at all. The only time she cries is when she wants feeding, which brings me on to another subject - weaning, i do have plans to do a full post on this but oh my life this girl can eat, if you've got food in your hands you can guarantee she will try to get it. Greedy monkey and her growth is really starting to show this as shes now on the 75th percentile and weighs a whopping 17lb 3oz.

We are still breastfeeding but with me going back to work and not being able to express, we are slowly weaning her off of me which i'm so disappointed about but she needs to be fed. She doesn't currently sleep through the night and is waking two to three times which is exhausting but shes so worth it. Shes a very bouncy girl and is always excitable about everything which i just love! She has the craziest hair ever and everybody always comments on her hair.

She can now sit up and roll everywhere, i leave her on the floor playing in one room and the next thing i know shes in the next room with me, shes mastered it to a tee and is fast at it. Crawling - shes now getting herself into the position to crawl and is rocking so i dont think it will be long until she is crawling but for now she finds it easier to just roll everywhere.


So that sums Evalyn up and what shes doing at 6 months and i'm honestly so in love with her. My next post will be a breastfeeding one due up on friday so make sure you come back to check it out.

Take care
Megan x

Meet my daughter!

Hey guys.

Its been a while hasnt it? If you cant tell from the title i have been a bit preoccupied with my new baby daughter! I cant quite believe shes here.

So meet baby Evalyn Ballard,  born on the 12.10.2016, weighing 8lb 11oz after going 12 days overdue. Its fair to say this little princess liked to keep us waiting.

I went into hospital at 9am that morning to be induced to find that i was already 6cm dilated and had been for a week and was now having regular contractions. The midwife decided not to induce me so sent me round to the birthing centre for a water birth but once i got there my contractions stopped. I went for a long walk and my contractions were then coming every 2 minutes but when the midwife checked me o hadnt dilated any firther so she broke my waters to find that little miss had pooped so i couldnt have a water birth after all. :(

I was gutted. But all i wanted was to hold her in my arms. I was then taken round to my delivery room where my contractions were coming thick and fast and i was in agony. I started on the has and air but was screaming for an epidural but i was ready to push so it was too late. Within 6 minutes my beautiful baby girl was in my arms and this whole rush of love filled my body and i couldnt believe how beautiful she was.

Life with Evalyn has been amazing, Albie is incredible with her and has shown no signs of jealousy and just wants to cuddle her all the time which completley melts my heart.

Hope you enjoyed reading
Take care
Megan x

Preparing Albie for the baby!

Hey guys,

So ever since we even thought about having another baby i have been worrying about how Albie is going to take and adapt to the fact he will no longer be an only child. He has always had mine and Hayden's constant attention and it has always been about him so bringing another child in to the equation is a big deal.

Anyway i have expressed my concerns to Hayden and to other family members and all of them have given me some tips on how to help him get prepared for the baby when she arrives and what to do when she is here so i thought i would share with you some tips.

1: Make him feel included in the build up
     - By this i mean, we have taken him to scans, let him help pick clothes for the baby, taken him to midwife appointments and listened to her heartbeat and let him talk to my bump and feel her kicking away.

2: Make the baby known
    - First of all when we found out we were expecting i tried not to speak to him to much about the baby because i thought it would make him feel sad and pushed out but i was so wrong. After our second scan when we found out the gender we told him hes going to have a baby sister, we told him her name, we showed him where she would be sleeping and sitting in the car just to make him aware that she will be around him when she arrives and so that a baby didn't just arrive in the car seat and bedroom next to him.

3: Let him help
   - This one works for both before the baby is here and after but more so afterwards, let him help pack the hospital bag, let him help get the nappies and feed the baby, just letting them help in general will make them feel so included and like they are not being left out and the attention is on them too.

4: A gift from the baby
    -  When you have a new baby you get a lot of guests that want to meet them and i didn't want Albie to feel its all about her so i am going to be making him a little gift bag of things from her that i know he will love for example, ive brought him some little motorbikes and dinosaurs and i am going to get him a few more bits to go inside just to make him feel that bit more special.

5: Albie and me time
    - Last but not least, although i now spend every minute of every day with Albie i have made sure there is an hour in the afternoons where it is just me and him and he picks an activity for us to do of his choice. I plan to continue this when the baby is born when she is napping just so that he still gets some one on one time with me.


So far Albie is really enjoying the fact he is soon going to be a big brother and is loving helping get the baby's stuff ready with us for her arrival. He is so loving towards my ever growing bump and throughout the day will just randomly pull my top up and kiss my tummy and talk to her. Just a few days ago we went out on a little mummy and Albie lunch date and i let him pick a cake and he said to the shop assistant my baby sister would like the pink cake. I had to explain she wasn't born yet but it truly melted my heart and has shown me that he is just going to be the most amazing big brother and i cannot wait for them to meet.

I really hope this post helps some of you guys if you are thinking about having any more children or are currently expecting.

Take care,
Megan x

The gender reveal!

Hey guys,

So on May 12th, we had our 20 week scan to check that the baby was growing and developing well and thankfully everything was perfect which we are so pleased about and at the end of the scan we had been asked if we wanted to know the gender, which of course we said yes! Some people prefer not to find out but we found out with Albie and i am terrible with surprises so we had both agreed if they asked then we would.

I was convinced i was having another boy all throughout my first trimester and early second trimester just because my gut was telling me 'its a boy' so when the sonographer said we were expecting A LITTLE GIRL i couldn't quite believe it, in fact i didn't. I asked her to triple check and asked for a second opinion ha, it was just a shock. Now dont get me wrong i would of loved another little boy but i was so excited to buy for a baby girl as it was something i had never done before what with having 3 brothers so it was a whole new thing for me. Hayden said he knew it was a girl although every time i had asked him prior to the scan his reply was 'how am i supposed to know', typical bloke response but he is delighted at the fact we have been blessed with a child of each gender.


So we have decided on the name 'Evalyn' for her and we had decided on this before we even knew the gender, we just love how pretty it sounds and that its a name that sounds perfect for any age.We announced the gender to our family at a gender reveal party that Haydens family hosted for us and we had made little picture cards of blue and pink baby boots and which ever we had the most of was the correct gender, they was all so confused at first as we had made it an even number and hid Albies and then said 'Albies turn' and he revealed the pink baby boots with her name written on.

We feel so grateful to be able to have children and are beyond excited for our baby girl to make her appearance into the world. 10 weeks and counting!

Hope you liked this post, take care!
Megan x

Im sorry!

So as you can tell i have been absent for a while, no real reason to it just have been super busy and my blog had to take a back seat for a while. Thats the best thing about my blog, it doesnt disappear if i dont write for a while and i can always come back and pick up where i left off.

So while i have been away being 'busy' we have found out the gender of our baby, stay tuned for the next post with an update about my second trimester and the big old gender reveal which will be going up this week coming. Id like to say i have also been busy working on the house but in all honesty i havent, i mean my husband and builders have been working very hard but i have literally not lifted a finger on it but im pregnant so i get away with it, ha.

Anyway now that i am in my third trimester ive decided i am going to make more of an effort with my blog, i enjoy write little posts for you to all read about my little life and i know quite a few of you like reading them so i promise when i say this i am back and there will be more blog posts coming!

Speak to you all very soon

Megan x

My first trimester.

Hey guys,

I thought I would do a post on my first trimester and how I found it, I am moving into my second trimester now and I cant wait!

So at around 6 weeks I started getting morning sickness. It hasn't stopped, I have had it every single day, every time I eat and it has been awful. I never got morning sickness with Albie so I had never experienced it but I have been trying to embrace it as I am trying to enjoy being pregnant this time round. (I am finding that hard to)

I have also had excruciating back pain and headaches, to the point that some days I have found even walking hard but I have struggled on through and the back pain seems to have come to an end (touch wood). I am still getting headaches but they are easing off a little bit now too, so now all I need is the sickness to disappear and I will love being pregnant.

Don't get me wrong, I feel so lucky to be in a position that I can have children and I thank my lucky stars every night but I am most definitely one of those women who prefer to give birth than be pregnant. People say to me are you nuts, pregnancy is the easy bit? But I disagree, I didn't enjoy being pregnant with Albie and I am not enjoying it this time around much either. I had such an easy labour with Albie that I can honestly say I prefer to give birth.

I know in the end, this is all so worth it and I am so looking forward to our baby being here. Apart from the sickness and back pain everything is going swimmingly, baby is healthy and seems to be growing and developing as they should be which is great news. I haven't put on any weight yet as whatever I am eating just comes straight back up but I am sure my body will make up for that in due course.

Did you guys enjoy being pregnant? What do you prefer, being pregnant or giving birth? Let me know in the comments.

Take care.
Megan x

Anxiety

Hey guys,

Hope you have all had a good week. I received quite a few questions from my latest blog post - home sick about whether or not I suffer with anxiety as well so I thought what better way to answer your questions than to write it in a new post.

So the answer to the most asked question, do I suffer with anxiety? Yes I suffer with anxiety. Some days are good days and some are bad.

Do I suffer with panic attacks? Sometimes, I don't always have one whenever im feeling anxious but I have had  some, I normally have one when I am in a situation that I feel fearful in. For example, every single dentist trip I have had for the past 4 years I have without a doubt had a panic attack. Some people don't know what triggers their panic attacks so im glad I know how to deal with mine and when they are going to happen.

What makes me anxious? I am somebody who suffers from very low self confidence so when I am in a situation where I don't know anybody or having to go somewhere new that I don't know and have never been to before, I will start worrying and will start to feel very anxious, very quickly. For example, I booked a trip to Paris for Hayden's 18th birthday present and because I didn't know the area or where i was i became ill with worry and spent most of it in my room until Hayden could convince me that it was safe to go outside and that he had worked out all of our routes.

What helps me with my anxiety? I find that if I research into the place im visiting and can work out how to get home or to where im staying then im okay and to help with my social anxiety it is best for me to be with someone that knows me well enough to know that I have anxiety and will talk me through it all if I start to become to panicked or too anxious. If im alone and having to face a new place or a social situation then I try to take 5 minutes and remember why im doing what im doing.

How long have I had it? To be completely honest, I think I have always had it but just never knew what it was. I've never been a confident person and have a fear of meeting new people and going to new places but I think its probably been worse for me since I was 14. I moved away from everything and everyone I knew.

I hope this post helps some of you know a bit more about me and answered some of your questions.

Take care 

Megan x

How we first met

Hey guys,

So what with it being valentines day this Sunday, I thought I would do an extra little post for you all about how me and Hayden first met.

It all started in January 2010, my mum moved to Crawley, a small town in West Sussex and I decided to move with her. It took me six weeks to be accepted into a new school up here and half way through my exams it felt like forever. I finally started school on March 8th and I met Hayden in our geography class on the 15th March.

Some pictures of us when we first got together

I asked my friend who he was and then added him on Facebook, good old social networking. We started talking over MSN and went on some dates and officially started dating on the 3rd of April. So i had known Hayden just over two weeks and now look at us.

Hayden hasn't changed, he's always been so determined and always works so hard to achieve everything he puts his mind to. He has the funniest sense of humour and he never gets grumpy haha. I'm so grateful to be able to call him my husband and for him to be the father to my child.

I cant believe that almost 6 years on we have moved out, got married and have our beautiful little boy. I genuinely feel so lucky to be where i am and to live the life I do.

Some more recent photos of us

How did you meet your partner/husband/wife?
Let me know in the comments.

Take care
Megan x

Life update

Hey guys,

I'm so sorry I haven't uploaded a new post in a while, i've been so busy. If you couldn't tell from my last post, i've moved house.

What a stressful experience that was! I'm not the most organised person when it comes to writing things down on my calendar and ill only remember that I have a hospital appointment the day I am supposed to be there but with my house I am very organised. Everything has a set place and if its not there I start to freak out. I just like to feel stable and comfortable and living with all my stuff in boxes it takes me right of out my comfort zone.

Anyway, so yes i've moved house. We are nowhere near settled and it was stressful, the house needs so much work to the point, Hayden has been working 5 days a week at his job and then working all weekend decorating the house. We still haven't completely unpacked but its starting to feel a bit more like home now although me and Albie haven't stayed a full weekend here yet as we moved in on a Saturday and last weekend we stayed at my mums so we didn't get in the way of Hayden and his manly tools.

With all of this going on and caring for a child who has most definitely hit terrible twos and working, I have just been so exhausted by the time Albie is in bed that I have literally just been showering and going to bed at near enough the same time as him. But I have been planning some really exciting blog posts for the not so distant future and I cant wait for you guys to read them. I am trying to fully relax now that I feel I am finally getting some of my energy back, I promise there will be a new blog post every week!

Some of the exciting blog posts coming up are, a whole series of blog posts of before and afters of my new house and a special guest will be featuring on here very soon who I cant wait for you all to meet.

Hope this post has answered all your questions as to where i have been, it wont happen again.

Take care,
Megan x

Joie Gemm car seat review.

Hey everyone,

Albies safety when we are out and about is always my main priority and always has been from the moment we welcomed him into this world. Trying to find the perfect pram and car seat took up a lot of time and a lot of research as i didnt want to just buy anything. I wanted him to feel comfortable, be safe and practical at the same time.

After doing all this research Hayden and i finally decided on the Joie Gemm 0+ car seat which lasts up to 13kg which is around 12-15 months. For practical reasons this car seat ticked all the boxes, it was light weight, it fits onto our pram using adaptors so that if he was to fall asleep in the car we could just pop the car seat out the car and on to the pram without disturbing him. It is compatible with most pushchairs if you use the maxi cosi adaptors (we did) and also fits on to the Joie pushchairs without the need for any adaptors.

The best part about this car seat is its safety features. It comes with a 5 point safety harness which meant Albie would be securely strapped in and has an adjustable strap so you can adjust it with just one pull. Safe and convenient. Top marks. This car seat has side impact technology to give ultimate protection if were to happen. It has also undergone a lot of strict safety testing which really did help us make our decision.

The car seat has a lot of padding but not to much that your child is squashed. It has a newborn cushion which is perfect to stop their little necks from being moved to much. It also has padded harness and buckle which means that they wont cause any rubbing on their neck. Albie was very comfortable in his car seat and i kind of wish they made adult seats that were just as comfy.

All parts of the car seat are machine washable which came in so handy when we had nappy explosions or any vomiting.

Overall, i am so glad we chose this car seat for Albie and strongly recommend it to all our friends and family. You can purchase this car seat from mothercare, kiddicare, joie and other baby retailers.

Thankyou so much for reading.
Speak soon
Megan x

Albies is 2!

Hey guys, sorry ive been so absent. As you can tell from the title its been a certain little mr's birthday this week and the build up has been hectic.

It only feels like yesterday that i was moaning about how 9 months of pregnancy was dragging and how much i hated it and i wanted Albie born and now hes 2? Really? How? It feels like hes been in my life forever but in the same way i cant believe how quick the past two years have gone. Hes gone from being an 8lb 11oz baby to a walking, talking toddler.

So i havent really updated any of you guys for a while on how Albies doing, whats he doing or anything like that so i thought his second birthday would be a great time to do just that.

Routine:
Albie has always had a routine, its forever changing and just when i feel like we have mastered one something changes. His day starts at around 7-8am and then in the morning i like to take him out to soft play or a toddler group or something to try and burn some of his energy. He has his lunch quite early around 11.30-11.45 so that he has finished by 12.15 ready to go down for a 2-3 hour nap. Depending on what time he wakes from his nap sometimes we will go for a walk to feed the ducks or to the park or something before Hayden gets home from work ready for dinner around 5. We then have family time after dinner before bath, milk and bed by 7pm. Albie has always loved his sleep and i am so grateful because i really do too. You know when you have new baby and they say 'make sure you sleep when the baby does' well i still do that haha.

Development:
Albies personality in the past year has really grown. He is talking so much now to the point he will have a full on conversation with us and tell us about his day when we ask him. His favourite word at the moment is 'no'. Everything we ask him is no until he thinks about what we asked him.He has very recently started to get a sense of humour, he has started to do things to make other people laugh and will giggle away at the most silliest of things before telling us how funny it is which makes my heart melt.  He is also now fully potty trained during the day and has been from around 19 months, we have the odd accident every now and then but its bound to happen.

Relationships:
Albie has always had a very strong family unit around him and hes really starting to form bonds with other family members now which is so cute to see. He now knows what all of his aunts and uncles are called and what his grandparents are known by and when we drive past their houses he knows who lives there which truly baffles me as to how he can remember stuff. Lately, hes been really enjoying playing together with other little people his age and we have some he sees weekly and is always asking about when we are going to see them next.

The past two years have completley whizzed by and my baby is now a little boy with a cheeky personality coming along, before i know it he is going to be a stroppy teenager. I love watching him grow and seeing him learn something new daily. Being a parent truly changes your view on life and the things that used to matter before you became a parent dont and the things that didnt matter, do.

Do any of you have children of this age? Id love to hear or read about them, leave a comment in the comments section below and ill be sure to check your blogs out.

Speak soon,
Megan x

Dealing with an invisible illness.

Hey everyone,

So ive been thinking about writing this blog post for a long time because although there is a lot of information about my illness on the internet, there isnt many posts from people giving there view on living with it.

So since the age of 18 years old i have been living with a condition called Hypothyroidism, i had never heard of a thyroid before so i was shocked to find out that i had something wrong with mine.
Hypothyroidism means that your thyroid gland doesnt produce enough of the hormone needed which can cause you to feel tired, depressed, to have dry skin and hair, sensitivity to the cold and may cause your muscles to ache.

A lot of people dont realise they have this condition as they ignore symptoms or dont realise they have them. I was the same. I had all these symptoms but i had no idea until one night my vision completley disappeared and my eyes started to shake, i was rushed to hospital but with no conclusive answers i was sent home that night. This happened three more times before i finally went to my local GP who decided to run some more in depth blood tests than i had done at the hospital which showed up that my TSH levels were normal but my T4 levels were abnormal which led to me being diagnosed with this illness.

I currently take 50mg of levothyroxine daily and have done since i was first diagnosed which although its a small dosage makes so much of a difference to my life. I always thought i would live this energtic life running round, chasing Albie, playing sports with him but sometimes i find it hard to even have the energy to get out of bed but i do and he really is the reason i get out of bed and do the things that we do together.

People always say to me you look so well and happy all the time, but they dont see how hard some days are, how exhausted i can be and how drained i am if i dont take my medication. Some days are harder than most but its something ive learnt to deal with and although i do have bad days i also have really good days where i do feel that there is nothing wrong with me. Taking my medication doesnt mean my life is back to normal and i do still experience episodes wear i lose my sight which doesnt happen to all people with this condition but it does to me.

Just because somebody looks well and happy, doesn't necessarily mean they are. Never judge someone by what you see on the outside because you never know what is happening on the inside, always remember that.

Hope this helps some of you who have an invisible illness or know somebody who does. Let me know in the comments if have an illness and what it is and how you deal with it.

Take care

Megan x

Its christmas!

Hey everyone!

I hope you're all having a fantastic Christmas, I cant quite believe how quick this year has gone and that we are almost in 2016. It only feels like we was all welcoming 2015 in but hey time flies when your having fun.

Im so sorry ive been so quiet on my blog, unfortunately my laptop broke and ive been so busy that I haven't even thought about buying a new one but thankfully santa was ever so kind and I got a new one for Christmas this year. (happy dance) So that also means that throughout 2016 I will be able to post regular and consistent posts for you guys :)

I have decided that I will upload a new post every Friday on a variety of different topics so let me know if there is anything you want me to write about in particular and I will try to cover it.

Anyway, I will let you all get back to enjoying your Christmas turkey and celebrations and will see you all on Friday with a new blog post.

Megan x

Memories #2 - Albie

On the 15th january 2014 my whole world changed. I had given birth to what felt like a pumpkin. Albie was born into this world weighing 8lb 11oz. Now to me that seems and sounds massive but to other people that sounds arround average.

Life as a mum was difficult at first, i was so tired everyday but i never wanted any help from anybody. He was my baby and me and Hayden were the only ones i wanted to look after him. He was just so precious that everytime someone held him, everytime he got a little mark or rash, everytime he  would cry i would be at his beck and call.

As the days went by, my love for Albie grew stronger and stronger and every little milestone Albie would reach i loved being there to watch. I have endless amount of photos and videos of him, some of him sleeping, some of him crying, some of him playing. Every little emotion Albie went through, i wanted to capture it all.

As the months passed, i watched Albie growing into the cheekiest little boy. Every day his personality was growing and changing, as were his clothes! People always told me how quickly they grow out of things but id love an outfit on him and by the time i had got through the mountain of washing, he had already grown out of it.

Albie is now a blossoming walking, talking cheeky little one year old and every day is a joyous, treasured memory. The best part about him growing up is how much stronger the bond between us and the level of communication that he shows. If hes unhappy he will try and show me why, if he wants a cuddle he will just come over to me and snuggle (this is a rare one but still a great one)

Overall, being a mum to my beautiful little boy is truly the best experience of my life and although hes growing and learning so fast, i am too. Every time i think i have this whole mum stuff figured out Albie shows me i havent.

Albie is my world and there is nothing i would change. Being a young mum doesnt mean my life ended, hes given me a whole new one. Because i had him young, means ill hopefully get to love him longer.

Megan x

Welcome to my blog.

Heyy. Im Megan-marie. Devoted mum and wife. I have a one year old little boy named Albie who is perfect beyond words. I have really wanted to have somewhere that i could write down precious little milestones that Albie reaches and memories we share as a family. Im awful with diaries so i thought i would try my hand at blogging. My blog will be based around being a mummy and special memories that i want to treasure and look back on in years to come.  I really hope you enjoy reading my upcoming blog posts about life with my little family.

Megan x