Messy Play and the start of summer! (Rocket)

I actually faced a fear of mine, MESSY PLAY! (yes I'm a mess-a-phobe ;) )

 I wanted to take Rocket out for a fun morning at a toddler group so our friend came round so I could follow her over as it wasn't the local group and we headed off for a morning of jelly, gloop, rice, sand, glue and paint!

Rocket was in his element, he was a little wary at first but he loved having all the options of things to do and to my absolute surprise he didn't even get dirty! Not even from the ice cream he had during the break!

It was so fabulous to see him having fun that I'm going to try take him a few more times over the summer.

Unfortunately the sitting on the floor and bending over, topped with picking him up during a tantrum i Asda set me off in a massive flare up today so I haven't been able to do much and I'm exhausted. I really need to learn that I can't do too much, especially at the moment being pregnant with Bumble (seeing as I want to keep cooking him as long as possible!)


When we got back from messy play Rocket has a little nap and woke with a tummy ache but was better by the evening, He even let me take a few photos as I hadn't taken any with my SLR in ages! (Que panic when I thought id forgotten how to use photoshop haha)

Anomaly Scan - 21+4 weeks!

The day for my 20 week scan finally rolled around! I hadn't actually been desperate for a scan like I was with Rocket as I had that gender scan at 6 weeks so I already had my scan 'fix' so I waited patiently.
 I had specifically asked for a Tuesday so Bumbles daddy could be with me as he missed the last 2 scans due to work so that's what had pushed the scan date back.

I was so nervous in the morning.. I don't even know why I felt like that, I knew he was fine as he was wiggling about but I guess knowing that something could be wrong with his heart or other organ got me in a panic.

9am was my scan and at about 9:15 I was called through by a smiley looking Ultrasound tech (which made me feel better as my last one wasn't so friendly!) and I also had a trainee tech in there too which was pretty cool as I got to hear more explained than I would in a normal scan.

He is still most definitely my little boy ;) and all was going well with the scan apart from him being in a really awkward position (transverse upside down!) but she saw the brain and lips, all was OK.... then she tried to see the heart and she went quiet and seemed to spend ages looking. She then got me to lay on my side and when that didn't move him she sent me off for a walk for 20 minutes to try get him to move so A and I went to the cafe and had some food and drink and jumped up the stairs.

When we got back she said she still couldn't see properly (although he had moved *success*, printed off some pictures then told me she needed to go get another ultrasound tech.. I was terrified at that point and thought for sure there was a problem with my little boy and the wait seemed like forever and a day.

In came the second ultrasound tech who took over to look for herself and they chatted amongst themselves for a while and it was just because he was in an awkward position and finally they agreed that everything looked OK with his heart *Que massive sigh of relief*

So all in all it was a roller coaster of emotions and I was glad to walk out with a lovely picture of my second little bundle!

Next appointment is next week.

I'm a Britax Mumbassador!

I'm really excited to have been invited to join the team of Britax Mumbassadors and of course I said yes!

I'll be bringing you tips and up to date information from Britax  along with safety information (I recently blogged about the new regulation for car seats called i-Size HERE)

After exiting the younger years with Rocket who is now fast approaching 3 and a half! *gasp* It will be exciting to discover new
products that I may even get to road test when Bumble is born in November!

You can find Britax on Twitter and Facebook along with their Website too!

Rocket's Visit to Legoland!

For weeks and weeks Rocket has been talking about the upcoming trip to Legoland and he was so excited after going through the videos of the rides on YouTube! His daddy and I were even more excited to take him as we both love theme parks (daddy mostly!) and we were excited to share this with Rocket.

I was a little scared about going as it's really hilly there and having HMS and being 19 weeks pregnant I knew I would struggle, especially having to drive over 2 hours there and back so we planned to get a wheelchair.

When we got there we were a bit late as the M25 was it's normal hellish jam and there was a long queue to guest services but when I got to the desk the guy that dealt with me was friendly and happy and sorted me out a disabled access pass (which we only ended up using twice!) and pointed me in the direction of the wheelchair hire which is at the back of the shop.

Once we were sorted we were off and we named Rocket 'captain' for the day and let him guide us to what he wanted to do! so he was off flying helicopters, driving boats and cars and generally having the best time ever! He even did the massive water slide with daddy and got drenched and still loved it!

I didn't really go on many rides and after getting in the boat decided after that I wouldn't go on anything i had to climb in or sit funny!

The weather was gorgeous, about 26 out there and not a cloud in the sky which made it perfect for the new children's splash area (we stuck to the lower bit as it was super busy!)

We left around 5 pm and headed home and within 5 minutes of being in the car, Rocket was fast asleep bless him! He had such a fun day and there was nothing bad that I could say about the day! 

Here is a link to the days video on YouTube!

We had our own tickets and I'm just writing about our own experience of the day!

20 Weeks Pregnant! Feelings and update

So in a 'normal' pregnancy I'm now half way there! (if you go by Rocket's pregnancy then I'm quite over half way already! That's crazy!)

 For some reason, this pregnancy is whizzing by alot faster than Rocket's pregnancy did. Maybe its because I'm running around after him, maybe it''s because I'm more chilled now.. or just because as you grow up, time disappears!

I'm quite OK with the speed of it though. I feel him move alot each day now.
 He has his quiet times but then will give me a big kick and I will know all is well.

Prior to getting pregnant, I had spent a few months working hard to lose weight and I lost 2 stone and was feeling a lot better in myself and I honestly believe that helped me get pregnant after trying completely unsuccessfully for 20 months.

 Recently I have been struggling with my body image and the way pregnancy is changing my body. Being a bigger girl I was aware that I wouldn't have a 'bump' for quite a while but after my stomach shrinking earlier in the year, watching the baby push out the fat was absolutely terrifying for me and I haven't really talked about it til now.

Luckily in the past week I have started to see a difference myself (I'm not too sure if strangers could tell though!) but even with the dreaded 'B' belly, my upper tummy seems to have 'popped' and I know that it's because Rocket ruined my stomach muscles and that Bumble is still only up to my belly button but have a feeling I'm going to be huge by the end of this pregnancy, especially if I go past the 34 week mark!

I love nothing more than waking up first thing in the morning and looking down to see if the bump has grown! I remember doing the same thing when pregnant with Rocket and it puts a smile on my face.

Rocket is now really into becoming a big brother, he talks about holding him in November and how my tummy is going to grow and how he will help with nappies, it's so sweet.
 When I listen to the baby's heartbeat on the Doppler, Rocket has to listen to the baby in HIS tummy! He tells strangers too ha ha.

My 20 week scan isn't until July 23rd as I wanted a specific day so my husband could come so it's a little later than when I had Rockets. But as I had a 16 week scan that seems to have tided me over, especially as I already know he's a little boy.

I had follow ups after having borderline high BP but that seems to be under control now and the next consultants appointment I have is shortly after my 20 week scan.

As it's only a couple of weeks away I leave it there and I'll update with the scan pictures on the 23rd!

i-SIZE MADE EASY WITH BRITAX

Confused by car seats?  Mark Bennett, car seat safety expert from BRITAX explains the new regulation called ‘i-Size’ that all parents should know about

To put simply, i-Size is a new regulation for child car seats that will make it easier for parents to choose and install the right seat, making travelling safer for children.  

One of the most significant changes parents need to be aware of, is how long a child should remain in a rearward facing car seat.  Under existing laws, parents could switch their baby from their rearward facing Group 0/0+ seat into a forward facing Group 1 seat when they reached 9kg or approximately nine months.

The new i-Size regulation means parents will have to keep their baby rearward facing until they are at least 15 months old and the move will be based on the size and age of the child rather than weight.  The new length and age classification will help make it easier for parents to check that their child is ready to be moved to the next stage car seat.

The new regulation is also about the reinforcement of ISOFIX seats use, which are easier to fit correctly and safely than those secured with the car seat belt.  Only a third of belted seats are fitted correctly which can have serious implications in the event of a crash*.   Side impact collisions are one of the most severe types of collisions on the roads** and for car seats to adhere to the new regulations they must pass the newly introduced side impact safety standards.

Why is this regulation coming into force?  Well there are a number of reasons, but in a nutshell, parents are too keen to move their babies forward facing on the premise they believe their child will be happier facing forwards rather than waiting until they have actually outgrown the seat.  Parents are also unaware babies are much safer rearward facing in the event of a collision.

Below 13kg a baby’s neck is not yet that strong and keeping your baby rearward facing for as long as possible (up to at least 15 months) will help protect their vulnerable neck in a frontal crash situation.

So much research evidence has built up on this from crash testing that the EU has introduced this new regulation to keep babies rearward facing until 15 months. BRITAX has accompanied and strongly supported the development of i-Size right from the very beginning.

So how does it affect you?  As soon as i-Size approved car seats are on the market parents will be able to choose between a seat that abides by the older ECE R44/04 regulation or i-Size. The current ECE R44/04 regulation is not replaced by i-Size, and instead will continue in tandem until 2018. The introduction of i-Size simply means that consumers now have an extra option when buying a car seat for their baby/toddler.

When should you change to forward facing?

Here are some guidelines on switching:
Don't do it just because your baby's feet are pushed against the car's back seat.
Wait until your baby is closer to, or ideally at, the maximum age (15 months) for her rearward facing seat than the minimum weight (9kg) for the front facing seat.

BUT do move them if their head is protruding over the top of the Group 0/0+ seat. If they outgrow the seat in height but have not reached the minimum weight for a Group 1 seat, you should then invest in a combination Group 0+ & 1 seat. That is simply the safest option.

You can already consider purchasing a combination Group 0+ & 1 seat as your baby’s first car seat from birth. DUALFIX and MAX-FIX from BRITAX will allow your child to travel rearward facing until they reach 18kg

What is the current law when it comes to car seat safety?

The law requires all children to travel in an appropriate child restraint until they reach 135 cm tall or their 12th birthday (UK, NL, DEN) or 150 cm tall or their 12th birthday (GER, AU, CH, IT, CZ) – whichever comes first. It is the driver's responsibility to ensure this is the case.

Under the existing laws, parents could switch their baby from their rearward facing Group 0&0+ seat into a forward facing one when they reach 9kg (around nine months old).

Now the new regulations, called ‘i-Size’, have come into force mid-July 2013, parents that purchase a child car seat approved under i-Size will have to keep their baby in a rearward facing seat until they are 15 months.

There will be no change to the overall law about child seats being compulsory to the age of 12 or 135 cm/150 cm tall.