Unexpected free time

That moment when your step mum texts to say ‘Would you like me to have Arya for a bit this afternoon?’ …… um HELL YES! Wait that’s too enthusiastic, better rein that in. ‘If you could that would be super, thanks’. I love Arya to pieces but knowing I’m going to get some time to get on with things without, either having to have her attached to me, or moving her between various bouncers and walkers until she gets fed up is just like a tiny piece of heaven! Then in creeps the guilt for being happy at the prospect of a little time to myself. It’s a vicious cycle.

Baby wearing is a lifesaver

What did I do with that small window of opportunity??? Well, lots of things!

I managed to finish this letter frame. Not finished in the picture of course!

These letter frames are my most popular product

I also made this customised phone case for a customer. I’d very much like to keep it for myself ! 🦄🌈🍭

Always be yourself, unless you can be a unicorn

Then I made a few bows up! I cut them out at the beginning of the week whilst watching Broadchurch. It’s the one night of the week I can sneek away from Arya at bed time. These are all new fabrics that arrived a few weeks ago and I’ve been dying to play with them.

I have a bit of a unicorn obsession and it’s spreading across the Falklands

After all that I have a wonderful soak in the bath. It’s funny how you never really appreciate the time you had before having a child. Everyone tells you to enjoy it, and you do, but it’s certainly hard to truly understand until that time is no longer available. On the other hand, I totally love that my days are now filled with Arya and was ready to take on this new role.

After my amazing dip I quickly ran around putting more washing on and started making supper just as Arya arrived back home. It’s a wonderful feeling when they wave their arms at you because they are excited to see you, even when they’ve only been gone for a couple of hours. We both enjoyed our little break. It’s important to look after ourselves and it is alright to look forward to some time alone. It’s something I’m not very good at doing but I’ll keep trying!

Throw the books away!

Well, this is a bit scary. Not ‘jump out of a plane’ scary, but you know, close. I’m currently stuck under my sleeping baby, again, which is what brings me to write this blog in the first place. I’ve tried lots of things whilst Arya sleeps on me. Some are easy, I can read a good book, catch up on Vikings, listen to music. Lovely relaxing things whilst the dishes fester in the sink. What I would really love to be doing is catching up on my orders for my craft business but trying to manipulate tiny rhinestones whilst balancing a baby is rather difficult past the newborn stage! So I needed another outlet and here I am.

First time mum

Arya the day after she was born. She scratched herself on the way out!

In this blog I’d like to share my journey about being a first time mum. I can hear you, I’ve thought the same. What the freaking hell does she know? She’s a first time mum, her baby is so young, she’s got so far to go yet. You’re right! Like Jon Snow, I also know nothing. In fact, not true. I know how to put on nappies (disposable, sorry Earth), dress my baby, let her eat and get her to sleep. I’m also pretty awesome at making her laugh now, so I know a couple of things. I’m not here to give advice and I’m certainly not here to make anyone feel shitty about their choices because believe me I get that on a day to day basis and it sucks. I’m here to reach out to the other Mums like me, that found things way harder than they expected and found themselves parenting in a completely different way to what they had in mind.

Me before Arya

It’s a bit mad to think there was a life before Arya arrived, but there was honest! I’m a teacher, I have a small craft business and I enjoyed going out friends until I got pregnant. At the age of 18 I left my home (more about that later) and went to the UK to study. Life was pretty awesome, I partied hard, traveled, worked hard, made crazy friends, got tattoos, dyed my hair and ate way too much pizza. I finally returned home four years ago to take up a post at our infant and junior school, reconnected with my partner and built a house (well my dad did, but I paid him for it!) I was a fairly confident person after my time away, I felt good about myself and sure about what I wanted in life. Oh how that was about to change!

‘You’ll make a rod for your own back’ and other awful things people say

From the moment everyone finds out you are pregnant you are subjected to endless amounts of unsolicited advice. Most people mean well and I’ll honest, it feels great to feel like you know more about a subject than someone else, you feel like it’s your duty to share what you have found out so that others don’t go through the same thing. That’s one of the reasons why I’m even writing a blog in the first place. But there is certainly a way of going about it and making someone feel like an idiot isn’t alright. I’m sure I’ve done it before and I am so sorry! People comment on what you eat, your size (before and after pregnancy), how and where your baby sleeps and my ‘favourite’ if your child is a ‘good’ baby.

Here’s a list of things that have made my blood boil…so far:

• “Are you sure you can eat prawns?”
• “Does she sleep all night?” (I still get this now but jeez she was only a few weeks old when it started!)
• “Is she a good baby?”
• “Are you some kind of hippy?” In response to me talking about baby wearing and baby led weaning
• “Don’t rock your baby, you’re making a rod for your own back”
• “Leave her to cry, if she’s fed and clean she’s had all her needs met”

I’ll elaborate more on my thoughts on all of these in future posts, but each one really grinds my gears!

I found being a Mum tough and around the 3 month mark we came across some breastfeeding issues and my partner was working away for a few weeks at a time. I thought I had this and I didn’t. Luckily I had lots of amazing friends and family to come round and help me but many said things that just didn’t sit right with the way I wanted to parent. Again I’ll say I have nothing against the way others choose to do things, I just know that it’s not my way. I listened though, I tried some things, but most made me feel awful and went against what my instincts were telling me. All of my friends meant very well and were simply sharing what they had found worked for them or what was recommended at the time. I had purchased a couple of books, I’m a natural worrier and I thought that if I tried to learn as much as possible I’d be okay. But the books said the same things. I’d burn that book now if it wasn’t on my iPad. It has survived a car crash, but burning in a blaze of glory might be a bit much for it. The moral of the story is that once I stopped listening to the books (until I found books that supported my views) and started listening to myself and my baby we both became much happier.

These are the things that my blog is going to include about my parenting journey so far:

• Breastfeeding and formula (now on formula)
• Co-sleeping and bed sharing
• Attachment parenting
• Baby wearing
• Baby led weaning
• Miscarriage
• Labour and birth
• How I manage to run a small craft business in 5 minute intervals in the day

I don’t intend this to just be about my new role as a parent. I also want to share my craft business, including tutorials on how to make some of the things I do and I’ll talk about the beautiful place that I call home, The Falkland Islands.

If those things sound like something you’d like to hear and talk about I hope you follow my journey! Excuse me a moment “Bloody hell Milo PUT THAT DOWN” I told you I’d shout at those cats.