Hello dolls
It feels like a very long time since I posted one of these, and my life is completely unrecognisable from the last time I did.
Having a baby has turned my life totally upside down and nothing is the same as before.
Genuinely I didn't realise how full on having a newborn is. You think- they sleep a lot, don't they? But I didn't realise it only tends to be in short bursts to begin with.
You find yourself trapped in an endless cycle of nappy change, feed, soothe, sleep that somehow consumes each day.
Theo is what I call a 'Velcro baby' as well- meaning he cries everytime you put him down!
Some days it's honestly as much as I can do to grab a shower! I never realised it would be quite so intense, but despite all that I have been enjoying it as well.
Theo at a month old
As you might expect, everything is all about the baby at the moment. He's six weeks old now and that's been a really steep learning curve.
At first it felt like a bombshell had gone off in my nice, ordered life. Utter chaos ruled for the first three weeks or so while we tried to establish sleeping patterns and get the hang of breastfeeding.
It was all insanely tough, paired with recovering from the birth and 15 hour labour, and all the crazy hormones. There have been some very low moments in all honesty!
But every week has gotten a little better and now I'm beginning to feel more like my old self. Theo is waking up two or three times a night but not for long, so I'm tired but getting enough sleep to cope.
We've started to join in a lot of the local baby groups and make new friends, which has made a massive difference. Being able to talk to other mums going through the same experiences has just about saved my sanity. There's so much to do - coffee mornings, music sessions, sensory classes, even baby cinema - that I'm starting to enjoy my days.
Theo has changed so much in six weeks. He's having more awake periods where he wants to play, and he even started smiling last week! We had a bit of a struggle getting his weight up to begin with but even that has now sorted itself out.
He's a real joy though and every morning I wake up, turn over and see him there it feels a little bit like realising it's Christmas!
He's honestly so beautiful and rewarding to look after, and that's coming from someone who would never have called herself maternal before the little chap came along.
He's honestly so beautiful and rewarding to look after, and that's coming from someone who would never have called herself maternal before the little chap came along.
Friends and family
So the past few weeks have been all about introducing Theo to friends and family.
We have so loved seeing their reactions to this new little guy.
One of the best things has been Theo getting to know his little cousins, Annabel and Jude. I hope they'll grow up really close and getting in lots of trouble together! Annabel is in love with Theo and wants to cuddle and help feed him all the time, it's adorable. They both chatter all the time about about Theo and what he's up to.
My mum also came up to visit from Cornwall. We had a really nice couple of days, even though it was tough as Theo was having a growth spurt and just wanted to be fed all the time! We managed to go to lunch at The Parlour though, which was lovely and I also took her along to baby group, where we got Theo's little hand and footprints done in ceramics as a keepsake.
Our friends have been calling in to meet the new arrival too. There has been an awful lot of tea and cuddles! I definitely feel like our social life has gotten more busy since Theo came along!
We went over to our friends Katie and Richard's, as they have just bought a fairytale cottage in a beautiful little village. They had us over for a gorgeous lunch, which was so kind.
A new cafe called Bread and Butterflies has also opened near us in Lady Bay, which is great news. We have been along a couple of times for coffee and cake.
I've been out for a few lunches as well (dinner is a bit too difficult at the moment) including this beautiful creation at Mud Crab. It was called the 'Duck and Waffle' - sticky sweet roast duck, sweet potato, sour cream and maple syrup on a waffle.
Theo has met friends up visiting from Southampton, back from Malta and also one of my best friends, Claire, who was back from London. We've been friends since we were not much older than Theo and grown up together so it was quite special for them to meet.
Out and about
With a small baby, it's really easy to get stuck in the house, so we've been making sure to get out and about as much as possible.
The fresh air is good for sanity and walking is also easing me back into some exercise. I was quite active while I was pregnant but it's gone downhill since then!
Every week we get a bit more mobile. We started off with tentative walks through the park to the Avenue to grab a latte, enjoying the autumn sunshine.
Then we got a bit braver and popped Theo in the sling for a walk through the country park we live next to. The sailing club was in full swing and we thought he'd enjoy looking at the boats.
We love our winter walks all wrapped up so I'm looking forward to a few of those across the frosty fields.
I'm also hoping that all the walking will help me to shed my baby weight, and I've just started back at the gym hoping to get back into shape.
Oktoberfest
We don't really do Halloween in our house (although that may have to change when the little man gets a bit older), but we do celebrate Oktoberfest.
Any excuse to cook a bunch of bratwurst, some bratkartoffeln and apfelkutchen, and wash it all down with a nice German Pilsner!
It's something we've been doing for a while now, and it's become a bit of a tradition.
Seb and I love cooking together, but that has become quite difficult with working around Theo- we found a solution though, when we popped him in this stretchy Jersey wrap sling.
He was super comfortable and we got to cook our dinner and enjoy it in peace!
I'm Reading
Getting stuck into a good book has become just as difficult as I thought it might since Theo arrived! I normally love my history and biographies, but reading anything complex and weighty has become quite tricky!
So I've mostly been reading magazines, as they are easy to dip in and out of. However, I am still very slowly ploughing through Alan Forrest's Napoleon. It's a detailed account of his life and gives a great insight into his psychological drive and what made him ferociously ambitious and driven to be ruthless.
Seb idolises Napoleon, so I guess I wanted to see what all the fuss is about! He's certainly a fascinating character. But my reading is slow going so it may be a while before I finish this one!
I'm Watching
As I'm trapped on the sofa feeding the baby a lot of the time, I've had plenty of opportunity to get into a few series on Netflix.
Borgia has been drawing me in with its dramatic depiction of the legendary family's rise to power in 15th century Italy. It was a fascinating period of time, when the Renaissance was blossoming and politics and the structure of society and the nature of faith was on the move.
I've also been enjoying the return of Catastrophe. It's a comedy about two transatlantic strangers who have a one night stand and end up pregnant. I can relate to a lot of the black humour about the trials of having a new baby!
I've also been getting into Modern Family. I was never bothered by it before but I happened to catch a couple of episodes and found it really funny, so now I'm watching the current series as it airs.
And The Returned is finally back and I'm just as gripped by it as I was by the first series. It's powerfully acted, and I love the slow-build tension and the way it steers away from obvious horror.
I'm Listening
I am totally loving The Weeknd's album House of Balloons at the moment. It's not really my usual type of music but for some reason, I've been totally drawn in! It's the soundtrack for my return to the gym and buggy power walks.
And finally...
If you haven't already spotted them, go and grab the November copies of Elle and Glamour, because there are some amazing freebies with them!
Elle has a deluxe sample size of the new Benefit They're Real Lash Primer. I'm not a huge fan of the mascara, but I know a lot of people rave about it. This primer can be layered under any mascara though to give it a boost or worn on its own, as it's a mink brown colour rather than white.
And Glamour is offering mini versions of its moisturising lotion, mascara or two of its Pop Lips colours. I bought Pop Lips when it came out in a bright pink shade and I have to say it's one of the nicest formulations I've tried, it's so creamy and smooth.
So I had to raid the shops to pick up both shades on offer- Nude Pop and Cherry Pop. These are the other colours I probably would buy, so it's great to try them out. I love the cute mini versions though, they're ideal for popping in a clutch bag for party season. Well worth the £2 cover price for the magazine, which features Tanya Burr on the cover this month. Almost tempted to get back up copies!
And that was my month. What have you been up to lately?
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