Things are not as they seem...

I've gotten a lot of lovely compliments from people/family about this photo saying how terrific it is, which is nice, but unfortunately we do tend to put our nicest photos on Instagram and Facebook.

They are usually carefully filtered, altered, and uploaded with appropriate tags such as 'love' 'family' 'cute' 'candyfloss' 'fucklookathowperfectweare'

Sometimes it's lovely to look at photos like this... on other occasions (usually where you look like shit and are having a rough day because your daughter did a sneaky poo in her nappy and you didn't realise until she'd spent the morning bouncing on it happily) you feel like shaking these perfect photo-taking people and shouting

'Shut up with your perfectness you dicks!'

So I thought I'd be honest, and reassure you that this picture is far from perfect...

~

The picture is artistically cropped because my Husband failed to point out that my pants were on show. They weren't nice pants either, they were comfy, well-worn pants with frogs on them.

I look like I'm about to sweep Nahla up into my bosom for a loving embrace, I'm actually pushing her away in an attempt to get her to stop pulling my hair.

The grass was soaking.

Nahla hated Daisies and showed her dominance over them by eating one.

We had walked for half an hour, in the heat, through a building site, for something to do whilst we waited for my Husband's car to pass it's MOT.

The car failed its MOT.

I had a blister the size of a terrier and the wind kept catching my dress so people got a good view of my frogs.

Here is an unedited photo from this scene that didn't make it to Instagram...

{You're looking for the frogs aren't you?}

Nahla- Pops~ 5 Months

This Girl.

Leaps and Bounds, seriously!

She went from not being able to roll over, to rolling over one day and then not stopping. 

It was like watching a cat in a sun patch.

Now I have to watch her constantly, even her cot has become a hazard zone with her flipping about like an otter.

She also spins around, a bit like a slow break dancer, but its brilliant none the less.

It looks like crawling is imminent with her backwards shuffling and over-enthusiastic press-ups! 

Food glorious food!

Weaning is going well, so much so that I forget that she's not even 6 months old and we (technically) started weaning her early, with permission from our HV, obviously.

How could I not? 

This girl devours bowlfuls of Papaya, mountains of Carrots and chunks of Banana like a fiend!

I sort of half let her feed herself, half spoon-feed her, I want her to eat a good amount but at the same time I want her to experience her food... clothes can be washed and hands (and ears) can be wiped.

Nahla loves the cats, and they tolerate her, sometimes they'll even go in for a cuddle.

She grins like a loon whenever they walk in a proceeds to rock forward shouting 'Cah! Cah!' which, I assume, means 'Cat.'

Much to my Husband's delight she's also attempting to say 'Daddy'. Whenever she sees him she says the same word over and over 'Aggy! Aggy!' It's either her Dad she's delighted to see, or she's a fan of Aggie from 'How Clean Is Your House'

Sorry about your face Harry Styles...

I am 24 today so it made sense to celebrate by looking at some fish!

Nahla hadn't seen a fish before today, so it was a pretty hilarious to witness her expressions...

 {...the majority of which were fish-inspired}

Lara and Lee were tip top companions in our quest for undersea knowledge, they were dedicated enough to fill out their 'Fish Finder', mine ended up in the bottom of the pram.

 

Nahla did NOT like the Rays.

Rock pool mischief with the boys.

These chaps had the most amazing dance moves.

The merriment ended with my Husband cutting Harry Styles' cakeface in half.

I had such a Happy Birthday, I got some excellent presents and am now overflowing with the knowledge of Pollocks.

MIA!

Oh my goodness, life has been non-stop recently, I can't believe how tired I am!

I've been a bit sparse on the old blogging recently because I've been visiting relatives, then, upon coming home, I've just been caught in a spiral of projects and routine-setting!

I just thought I would drop in quickly and tell you what will be coming up on the blog soon...

Terrariums!

These were so cheap and fun to make! 

D.I.Y Chalkboards!

Chalkboard paint is all the rage at the moment, and I jumped on the bandwagon!

Organise your life!

Raising a 5-month-old and keeping a home is more difficult and time-consuming than you think, it's often 11:30 before I'm able to crawl into bed, so I've had to get my life organised! 

So can you!

Like I mentioned earlier, I recently visited family down south and flew, by myself, for the first time with this chirpy bird!

I'll be blogging about the journey and my stay at home, along with tips for traveling with babies!

I've been such a Foodie at the moment!

I think I've got about 5 recipe posts lined up, all Vegetarian of course.

These posts WILL be coming soon, Nahla's down to one nap a day which has left me no time for blogging, but I'm determined to figure it out!

Snow, Cake & Pugs!

 I had a very lovely, chilled out 1st Mother's Day, last year doesn't really count because Nahla had only been in my tummy about 3-4 weeks!

I woke up to a big smiley face... who was bringing me breakfast in bed (Nahla was still asleep) and a lovely card, from Nahla, who's handwriting is suspiciously like her Father's.

Simon had to work for a couple of hours so the morning was spent in bed, watching Caitlin Moran and Peppa Pig, weird combo or what?!

 We decided that, although it was snowing like mad outside, that we might as well make the most of the day and pop out for a hot drink. We popped into a really lovely Cashmere/Wool/Bits and Bobs shop close to us where they sell loads of really lovely kitcheny bits, from Cath Kidston to Emma Bridgewater.

Nahla was so nosey and kept trying to turn her head all the way around to get a 360 view!

Passers by kept giving her lots of compliments, which was lovely.

This was my OOTD...

Elbow-Patch Knitted Sweater- Primark £16
Leggings-Wallis £10

Scarf- A Gift

Hunter Wellies- £89

Nappy Bag- Cath Kidston- £60

I loved these little mugs and will definitely be getting one next payday! They are SO ADORABLE! I love Pugs and will probably get one when we have our own house and Nahla is quite a bit older.

I just love the little one wearing a top hat and monocle! :')

 Next door to the shop is a really lovely little posh cafe. As soon as we walked in I felt a little nervous, it was full of middle aged and elderly couples, we were the youngest there and this was the first time we had taken Nahla out to eat on our own, I was expecting her to have a complete meltdown and spit fire at the other customers, but she was an absolute delight.

She had her bottle there, looked around and grinned at everyone, she was very interested in my pink cake!

(which, btw, was more icing than actual cake... but that's not a ratio I'm going to complain about!)

 

I had a cup of hot chocolate and the most delicious cupcake, Simon had a very dark coffee and a rock cake... he bit the side of his mouth, which was a bit unfortunate!

 Walking back through the shop I spotted some really lovely things, from gorgeous quilts, to beautiful Orla Kiley pieces and this amazing fish-bowl display with driftwood around it... I also almost screeched when I saw they sold Neom candles, I've blogged about how much I've wanted one for ages and my husband was lovely enough to buy one for me...

 ...it's such a gorgeous smelling candle; Moroccan Blush Rose.

I'm in love with it and will be burning it whilst I'm in the bath Simon's running for me tonight after he's cooked me a lovely meal.

I've really enjoyed my first Mother's Day, although I can't wait until Nahla's old enough to treat me herself!

Love,

Laura xxx

(Lots of love to my Mummy too!)

Mother's Day

This is Nahla.

(Otherwise known as: Pops, Nahla-Banana, Nahla-Bee, Nahla-Bug, 'Dingus', Wet-Pants & Pinga)

 Nahla has just entered her fourth month of being a little Human and I've just realised that I've hardly blogged about her at all!

Where to begin??

Nahla's birth was pretty pants, but she is AWESOME. I've never been a very gushy/sappy/sentimental person but this girl just brings out all of those emotions in me!

I'm fascinated by how much she changes every week, it seemed like only yesterday that we were so careful and ginger whilst holding her and now she's trying to jump up and down on my tummy and is almost sitting up by herself.

She has the most beautiful big eyes, soft mousey hair and this gorgeous unique smell that I inhale like I'm desperate for oxygen!

I put so many pictures of her all over the place, and talk about her constantly, it must drive people insane but I don't care! This girl is my absolute world. At first I was worried that I would be too selfish to take care of a baby, too independent and headstrong; but as soon as I saw her I was overwhelmed with the desire to protect and nurture her.

Nahla's laugh is the most hysterical thing I've ever heard and her smile is infectious, she loves smiling at people and is ridiculously chatty for her age, I'm told.

She does something new everyday so it's never a dull moment!

This man has done so much for me over the past few months; everything from holding me up in the shower after my cesarean, injecting me in the stomach to stop blood clots, feeding Nahla at 2am whilst having me wail into his shoulder at the same time. I owe him so much, yet continue to bark and shout at him whilst simultaneously purring and cooing at him ... thus is marriage after the birth of your first child!
 
Nahla and Pops are two peas in a pod when it comes to wanting to sleep in in the mornings, both of them are so lazy! I'll often be up and about long before they even start rubbing their eyes sleepily.

She smiles and laughs at Simon more than me, just the sight of him reduces her to fits of giggles and huge beaming grins... it must be something to do with his face, I tend to laugh at it from time to time too!

I find it so strange to see my husband holding a baby, it used to be pints of beer that he cradled but now he seems full of this new found wisdom. He picks up on her cries and knows what they mean, he can make her smile whilst she's in the middle of a tiredness-induced tantrum and makes her laugh by a mere flick of an eyebrow.

He tells her he loves her, and has affectionately nicknamed her 'Dingus' a name that I find quite endearing and that I know will be used to embarrass her on her wedding day!

To me, there is nothing more attractive than a man who dotes on his daughter, who reads her bedtime stories and bites her toes, puts her to bed and kisses her cheeks.

 I have changed so much since having her!

Naievely, I thought I would sail through this motherhood-business but it has been no easy ride. A traumatic birth, a difficult healing process and the onset of PND has seen me feel the most helpless and sad that I have ever felt in my life.

Simultaneously, my heart feels like it's going to burst with happiness!

Nahla is my daughter, my teeny little munchkin who nuzzles into me, who blows bubbles on my cheek, dribbles on all my clothes, pulls my hair and stamps her feet, and shares baths with me, being around her can snap from stressful to utter bliss in a few seconds.

Being a Mama is EXCITING.

I look at her and often think of what sort of woman she will turn into, I hope to nurture her into a strong, kind, driven Girl who has aspirations, intelligence and can hold her own.

As a Feminist, I want her to recognise and defend her rights as a woman and a person, I never want her to feel that there's something she can't do simply because of her sex.

As her Mama, I want her to succeed in life, for her to have a good job, a family of her own, an exciting hobby... these things are fine, but just knowing that she's happy would be satisfying enough.

I am loving her at this cuddly, teeny-weeny, adorably chubby stage, but also can't wait for the next milestones; talking, crawling, eating real food, walking etc, it all seems so exciting but happens so quickly!

In conclusion: Motherhood is a job and a half, but completely rewarding, especially when little girls like Nahla are involved!

Love,

Laura xxx