Treading water

I am currently experiencing what must be an almost universal struggle for parents after weeks of summer holidays. Of course we have decided to add a tiny baby to the mix just to make life interesting! Nemo is bouncing off the walls, I try and take them out every day however it is never enough for poor Nemo who has always loved being out and stimulated as much as possible! 

Not one to shy away from a challenge I decided to use the extra time at home to potty train Pebble. Now Nemo was a bit of a nightmare potty trainer, I have hoped that Pebble would be better but now on day 10 of no nappies during the day we have yet to have any success. Honestly between the 3 children (Nemo is still having some nighttime accidents) I feel like I'm drowning in wee and poo! 

It's a bit of a lonely time as well, no groups or school runs means that I can go days without any adult conversation with anyone other than hubby. 

There are a couple of things helping cheer me up- first is my crafting and second is my glass of mummy juice when the children in bed! 

(I can recommend pink gin as both pretty and yummy!) 

I've definitely been on a sewing spree over the last couple of weeks. Pip has gone up another sizing range (so sad to pack away those tiny clothes!) however this has given me an excuse to make more clothes. I had leftover sloth material and Pip had already grown out of the last romper I made for her out of it so I made another! 

(Yes I made is super big this time so it lasts longer!) 

I changed a t shirt pattern to make a dress for Pebble. 

(I even tried to be fancy and do a longer back) 

I also used left over deer fabric from Pebble's dress to make Pip and top and hat. 

My twin nieces are having a Totoro themed party shortly. Pebble has always reminded me of the little girl Mai from the film (hence her Totoro themed first birthday cake).

I was very delighted at the excuse to get a Mai themed outfit for her. Having failed to find a reasonably priced dress and puff sleeve blouse I decided to make some. Thankfully using plain cotton meant the fabric cost me very little. 

First attempt at a blouse so it's a little untidy, I love the Peter Pan collar though. 

Yes it's the same Sally Dress pattern I've used many times before! 

Nemo and Pip are going as Tororo. I bought Nemo a Tororo T-shirt and Pip a Totoro vest however have made Totoro a pair of leggings and a hat (with an attempt at ears!) to go with it. 

I've also made the twins another pair of dresses for their birthday (because my sleep deprived brain lacks any originality!) 

So I couldn't end a blog without some seriously sweet photos of number 3. 

Pip is growing so fast it's scary. She is a little ray of sunshine though, her little eyes light up and go rainbow shaped when she smiles! 

She just adores being sung to and is irrestably cute. She's not too bad during the night but it would be nice to be getting a bit more sleep! Her brother and sister both love her but Nemo in particular is besotted with Pip 

I love this photo of Hubby and his girls all napping! 

Ok so looking at these kind of photos is why I get broody! This is the kind of photo I need to look at the help remedy this! 

Your welcome!! 

  

Fireman Nemo turns 4

*Yes this blog is super late but we went on holiday after Nemo's birthday then I've been have technical issues!*

So it's that time of year again where one my my babies has a birthday and I stress over trying to make a cake that way over pushes the boundaries of my cake making talents.

This time is is my baby boy's 4th birthday. 

Just grown a bit then?!?

It's hard to believe my first born is now no longer a baby, or even a toddler but definately into little boy territory. He's changed so much over the last year, you can have full conversations with him. Nemo is so full of energy it's ridiculous. Parenting Nemo often feels like trying to take a younger Poppy for a walk on a short lead. Like Poppy would always be pulling on the lead and need reminding to heel Nemo is constantly pushing boundaries, wanting to understand things, jumping on things etc! He's so loving and funny and yet I feel like I'm constantly asking him to stop doing things! 

Nemo wants to be a fireman when he grows up. He's decided he wants 10 babies and initially wanted to marry a fireman (girls are ikky of course) however more recently he decided he wants to marry a fire engine instead! 

After last years pirate cake fiasco I said I'd never make a shaped cake and yet my little boy asked for a fire engine cake so here I was doing what I said I'd never do and making a shaped cake. I have to admit the shape was much easier then a boat shape but with 2 children and a newborn I was more pushed for time then I ever have been before. At 2am on the day of Nemo's birthday after I had dropped the last of my green icing on the floor this is the photo I took before retreating to bed!

Wheels falling off and scenery unfinished! 

Well anyway I finished the next day although I didn't do everything I had planned (I wanted to do a fireman and say happy birthday in the puddle of water!) 

So far my collection of my childrens' birthday cakes colection look like this 

Of course now Pip is here it's another cake to make every year! 

Other crafting I did for Nemo's birthday was sewing a hoodie and two pair of shorts in dinosaur and mountain material.

The weather wasn't great on Nemo's birthday but Grandma and Grandad were here and we did make a quick trip to the beach when the weather improved for an hour or two. We got Nemo a second hand fireman bike and a play mobil rocket so he enjoyed playing with those and his other birthday presents.

Being my first baby I am always learning with Nemo however he makes me so proud. He is such a loving and energetic little boy and such a good big brother to his sisters. (Setting aside the battles with Pebble over toys!) 

So happy birthday to my special baby boy! 

(Yes that's Pip wearing Nemo's T-shirt- I had a parenting fail moment) 

Happy birthday Nemo :) 

Keeping my sanity

Well I can definately not complain that life is boring. 

Life with 3 children under 4 years old is.... Interesting! With all my efforts going into just keeping these 3 small people fed, watered and clean(ish) there is nothing left over for the house. It used to be the case were on a good day I could tidy as quickly as Nemo and Pebble would mess up. This had a break-even effect. With Pip bolstering Nemo and Pebble's efforts I now can only slow the deteriation on the house during the day! 

At night I feel exhausted but yet have so much whirling through my brain that I'm finding it hard to go to sleep. I just lay there listening to Pip sleeping hearing every noise she makes and waiting for her decide that she wants feeding again! 

*****Warning!***** I'm about to talk about boobies! 

Last week I developed my second bout of mastitis since Pip's been born. Of course this time it's not magically disappearing with antibiotics, my third dose in the last 10 weeks.

Now I've breastfed my children a combined time of almost 3 years and I thought I'd seen most things booby related but over the weekend my nipple started turning white, going swollen and just generally doing things I didn't even know nipples did whilst feeling like it was about to drop off everytime Pip latched on.

So this morning hubby makes me an appointment at the Doctors for me and I toddle off to show the GP an impressive collection of weird and wonderful boob photos I've taken over the weekend. 

Ah yes so I walk in to the Doctor's room and of course, it's the Doctor who goes to our church... Wonderful!

So I'm there showing him said weird and wonderful photos, and having a breast exam thinking, wow I'm really going to feel a bit embarrassed when I bump into you over tea and biscuits! Of course I realise that he won't even think twice about it, that he has probably seen more boobs than me and that my nipples, however weird and wonderful are of no interest to him.

Still really though there's something about having a baby that leaves you with zero dignity! 

Anyway new course of antibiotics (make that 4 courses in 10 weeks #livingthedream) this will hopefully out an end to my nipple's new party trick! 

Anyhow moving on from that! Being ill and stuck in bed made me suddenly decide that I should try origami. 

I managed a couple of elephants which I thought were quite good

Then I tried a cat which was ok..

Then well I attempted a rabbit before giving up!

This badly half completed rabbit resembles some kind of road kill!

Feeling a bit of cabin fever setting in I decided to reunite myself with my sewing machine. I was getting itchy sewing hands and feet! 

I finally did the small version of the moon romper for Pip.

Then I decided to use the leftover star material to make some leggings for Pebble and Pip

So cute! Nemo decided he wanted to 'help' me and bless him he was so interested in me sewing. He watched me for ages and learnt the difference between an overlocker and sewing machine. He helped me take out some pins and even threaded his first needle! 

Of course being 3 having seen his sisters get some leggings Nemo decided that he also wanted something. He requested shorts with cars, and I was secretly pretty pleased with myself because I have some stashed material which had some houses and cars on. So that night I made the shorts, using my my legging pattern just making the legs shorter! 

On Sunday I expected a happy little boy impressed with his new shorts, instead Nemo informs me that he wants shorts to have cars and fire engines on..... I just love how much appreciation your get from toddlers!

Of course naturally I explained to Nemo that if he didn't like them that was ok...

.....Alright I'm just not that good a Parent- I actually told Nemo that if he didn't like them that his Sister could have them!! 

Sunday afternoon I decided to make a romper for Pip with this adorable sloth material I bought some time ago. I didn't have a pattern so I used the moon pocket harem style romper pattern and a baby grow for Pip as a guide to make my own pattern. 

The sloths are soooo cute!! 

So that sums up my sewing. And before anyone comments about how impressed they are that I made this with 3 children let me confess that I ignored the household, Hubby held the baby and this is the mess I made! 

Haven't done a lot of crochet but have done a bit more on my lily pond blanket, here are all the pieces so far 

So before I move on from crafting I just have to show you this photo of all the 3 babies wearing matching home made leggings! 

So in other news Nemo has now finished pre-school ready for reception in September! It's crazy! 

Here is his first and last day of pre-school 

Nemo has grown up so much in the last year he really is a little boy now, although at times the toddler comes back! Nemo is also going up a class in swimming :) 

For the teachers we decided to give this wine with these funny labels I got from etsy! It started out as one bottle but then he has two teachers and then I remembered the teaching assistant so this little present turned out more expensive then I originally thought! 

Well I feel like I've rabbited on quite a bit now so I will leave you with the customary cute photos!