Freshly Picked Moccasins

Freshly Picked Moccasins, many people have heard of this brand but not alot have heard of Freshly Picked here in Australia where I live. I am seriously obsessed over these shoes! They fit Xavier's wide small feet perfectly, he never trys to take them off (always a winner) and they keep his feet warmer than socks do. Freshly Picked are based in Utah, (America for us Aussies) and each little pair of moccasins are hand made with care for your little. Xavier is almost 12 months old now and pretty much walking on his own most of the time, so I needed to find a great pair of walking shoes with soft soles that still allowed him to walk freely as if he had no shoes at all. suddenly I came across Freshly Picked via Instagram and fell in love with the cute designs, they have stretchy elastic around the ankle, perfect for wider feet like Xaviers and are so flexible for their feet. Honeslty I can not rave enough about how fantastic these cute little shoes are, once you buy one pair you'll be wanting more and more. You have to be VERY quick as some colours, well most sell out so quickly because they are so popular.

The creater of Freshly Picked Susan Peterson started making these little babies for her own son because she found alot of the shoes on the market didn't cater enough for different size and shaped feet (so true!)  so Susan started as a mother of a small business that had quickly grown to be one of the most popular known shoes on the market! How cool is that, doing it for us Mums!! Not only have alot of us smalltime mummas purchased these shoes but so have alot of celebrities for their kids such as, Kourtney Kardashion, Ciara etc. You can purchase these cute little shoes on their site www.freshly-picked.com, be sure to follow also on their social media pages as they release new colours all the time and do awesome giveaways! Speaking of which thanks to Freshly Picked I will be doing a giveaway, yep you can win your very own pair of in my opinion the BEST shoes ever created for littles (from newborn upwards) via my instagram page (haaann_p). I will be running this in the next couple of weeks so keep tuned and make sure your following me on Instagram to be able to enter. Xavier is wearing the Freshly Picked Prince George Moccasins in a size 3.

Things I found most useful for the first 12 months

So your nearing the end of your pregnancy or just near the start and have seriously no idea what to purchase as your about to become a first time parent! I bought so many things I didn't need or didn't end up using and are still in a box or wrapped in plastic, yup you go overboard and think they need everything! Well actually they don't, just a few essential items and plenty of love. Here is a few things I use or and loved in the first year of Xavier's life, there's definitely a few things i'd do differently next time and some items I didn't know of until Xavier no longer needed them but at least now I have the knowledge of knowing what Xavier and I like and what we don't think worked for us. Hope this helps some of you newbies out a little!

 Wraps- I seriously could never of had enough of these wraps when Xavier was a newborn, we had to wrap Xavier to sleep as he could settle on his own and of course a baby can chuck or leak through nappies all the time or simply because it got dirty while we were out and about so I went through at least 2 a day. I found some really cute ones at pumpkin patch and target and they were nice and thick as Xavier was a newborn in late autumn/early winter so they also kept him snuggly and warm. This wrap above is new in at 'target' and perfect if your having a little boy! 

Knitted Jacket- a big esstiental for all year round as it keeps them nice and warm but also looks very cute! I was lucky enough to have a few different people knit jackets, vests and cardigans for Xavier so I never needed to buy one in store but this one above is from 'pure baby' and is absolutely gorgeous! No need to fret as they also come in pink and white.

 Coveralls/Onesies- So you think dressing a newborn is adorable well I actually found it extremely difficult as I was nervous about breaking his poor little floppy legs and arms not to mention their extra floppy necks! I found 'bonds' wonder suits the best thing ever as they are so easy to get on and off, they come in a variety of colours and patterns for boys or girls and great for nappy changes! Xavier lived in these most of the time unless we left the house, They are also perfect for tummy time as they can wriggle and move freely. 

Tummy Time/playmat- Nowadays you start tummy time right from newborn age to strengthen their head,neck,leg and arm muscles. I went through a few different tummy time mats trying to find the correct one for Xavier so he enjoyed tummy time, we ended up settling on the 'skip hop' tummy time mat, its great as it has different textures,colours and patterns for your little one and well it looks adorable.

Infants Friend- This stuff is legit and quite frankly AMAZING!!! I swear by it now for colicy/windy babies. This helped Xavier's Colic brilliantly and the best part is you can hide it in their bottles! I wish I knew of it from the very start as I would have had it as a medical basic in our cupboard. 

Mam Bottles- These also were my lifesaver with Xavier, I tried every other bottle on the market and can;t even tell you how much money I wasted on different brands of bottles. Mam bottles are anti-colic and self sterilising which means you don't have to have a big steriliser for your microwave, you simply wash them in hot soapy water, add water into the bottom of the bottles and pop them in the microwave for 3 minutes and you have clean sterilised bottles. Less fuss and mess and helps with colic and its well ventilated, a win win! They come in neutral, boys and girls colours.

Medela Breast Pump- This became my best friend, no seriously at least most of the day I was attached to this thing. It went everywhere with me and helped with my overflow of milk so I didn't have to leak through another bra or have a shower without feeling like my breasts were water pistols. It also helped me continue my breast feeding journey when Xavier stopped attaching to me so I could pump away, put the milk into bottles and have a good supply in the fridge/freezer. Best part is this baby can run on batteries as well as a plug in the wall, so you can even use it secretly in your car!

Boon b-box- Once xavier started regularly eating on the go and at home this little snack box was great for holding puree foods,finger foods or snack. It also comes with a spoon that has a little spot on the lid so you can't lose it, this was fantastic for me and I loved the two compartments.

Bloom Fresco Highchair- This is the greatest highchair to clean, you can take out the coloured insert (which also you can have a few different colours to choose from) and wipe it over or wash it under a tap. There is also a few different positions you can have the highchair in and its great for baby and all the way up to toddler. The only thing I can fault with this product is that the base is very heavy and It would be great if it came with wheels so you can move it around freely. But it's looks so nice in your home that you can swing past that tiny fault.

 Valco Snap Pram- This was a great pram, lightweight and easy to put up and down. You can get the hood in several different colours and i seriously can not fault Valco, its reclining and upright positions were also great! Although I loved this pram next time I will be going for a quinny pram as they are a little more versatile if your wanting to go shopping as this pram is a little hard to steer in smaller shops.

Valco Carry Cocoon- Again as I said before can not fault Valco, this adapted to the Valco snap pram perfectly and was great for a snuggly newborn as its almost like a little bed for them so great for visiting friends as they can sleep in a comfortable position. Although this was great next time i'll be getting a maxi cosi capsule as when Xavier got older this wasn't as handy as it was when he was a newborn.

Jelly Cat Rabbit- Xavier's number one, this little fella goes around with Xavier everywhere he goes and is his best friend. It's perfect for him s its floppy ears are great for him to hold and super snuggly! They also come a variety of colours and patterns, the next baby will also have one these as a comforter.

Infa Secure Car seat- I think this is the best basic carseat you can have! Easy to clean and get in and out of the car. As I said earlier we didn't have a capsule for Xavier so he was in this from day one, the padding is perfect but you can get extra padding for your little bundle if you feel like you need it.

Coconut Oil- I now swear by this stuff for Xaviers Skin, if you see my 'bath time blog post' you can read why.

Huggies Nappies (newborn)- I loved huggies nappies for Xavier when he was a newborn, they were the perfect size on his little bottom and never had a problem with rashes or leaking, unfortunately as Xavier got older huggies were no longer suitable as he started to leak even when we went up a size and caused some nappy rashes but i will always still use them for a newborn.

Coles Comfy Bots- Fantastic for Xavier once he was in the crawler size, we only use this brand now as we no longer get leaks or nappy rashes and they only cost $12 for a packet so as well as saving on money we were also having no mess! I also use the coles brand baby wipes as i find they are thicker than huggies and much cheaper $3 to be exact.

Freshly Picked Moccasins- These are the most adorable shoe ever created! We love how easy they are to slip on and off, keep they're little feet warm, are great for new walkers and come in sizes from newborn upwards! Seriously get onto these, I'll be doing a blog post all about them soon and also a giveaway on my instagram! Stay tuned! 

H2coco Water- A little addicted to this good stuff! Read my previous blog post 'h2coco water' to find out why.

Amber Teething Beads- Ok so some people hate these and some people love them, personally I'm a lover. Xavier wears his all the time and i've never really had a problem with his teething not sure if it's anything to do with these but I'm not taking the risk of taking Xaviers off like ever! Oh and I think they look really cute too!

Pregnancy

 Pregnancy, I was only 5 weeks along when I clued in that I was pregnant, my body felt different, I felt tired, unwell and late. Pregnancy test confirmed exactly what I thought! Little did I know what my body would go through in the next 9 months and how big my butt could actually get! By 6 weeks i got the common 'morning sickness' although i'd more describe it as a horrible lingering hangover you have constantly and i'd say mine always got worse at night. I tried the ginger biccies, the ginger tea, the ginger ale and nothing worked, now I'm sworn off ginger for the rest of my life, dry toast with peanut butter seemed to do the trick for a little while and a good course of medication worked wonders. for the first 12/13 weeks I think I got as much sleep as I ever have in my life, honestly I could have napped all day and still slept all night except for the constant toilet stops that interrupted my sleeps. Then suddenly my first trimester was gone and by 15 weeks so was my morning sickness (what a relief), 12 weeks and we saw the little bean who wasn't such a little bean anymore jumping and doing flips in my belly, can not describe that feeling to anyone and any other mumma will know just how I felt at that scan! By 20 weeks I finally had a 'pregnant' belly and didn't just look like a had too much lunch, I was completely enjoying my new little belly and loved dressing in tighter tops to show it off! I felt kicks by now and shortly after at around 24 weeks my partner did too! Also by week 20 I was getting braxton hicks, they are alot stronger than I originally thought and i swear every time I had them I was worried I was going into early labour, when obviously I look back now thinking how naive I was as braxton hicks are nothing compared to the real deal. 27 weeks and our little Baby garland decided he'd try to make an entrance into the world and thankfully he was stopped but I also found out I had gestational diabetes (woohoo)!!! So I was taught how to finger prick myself and test my sugar levels everytime I ate food and an hour after food, unfortunately changing and managing my diet wasn't enough to keep my sugar levels at a reasonable level so I had to start to inject insulin in my belly to control the levels which for a person with a needle phobia was a pretty big deal! I will admit the first time I did it I was lying down on my parents couch crying hysterically like a 2 year old but I eventually got used to it and it never bothered me in the end. By week 34 I had to stop working as I was getting to run down from being on my feet hairdressing as I kept getting infection and infection and slowly my pregnancy was becoming more of a ticking time bomb that I couldn't wait for it to explode so I could have my body back and a healthy baby. Week by week they were getting longer and I was quickly running out of things to do, I packed my hospital bag several times and researched all about newborns, with hot flushes and getting very sick of wearing maxi dresses my poor partner was going insane by my whinging of being pregnant still. Week 37 and they gave me an inducement date of week 38 due to my gestational diabetes which usually leads to larger babies, xavier was only 6 Pound 12o so no idea why they were so worried. I was so excited that in a weeks time I was going to be holding my baby, 2 days before inducement I was cleaning the house and watching plenty of tv. Inducement day came and I thought i'd be very organised and wash, dry and straighten my hair, put on fake eyelashes and makeup and even put fake tan on. Well after a 2 day labour that fake tan soon came off and so did every fake eyelash I put on but it was ok because I had the best gift in the world and was totally smitten with Baby Garland! I can't wait to experience pregnancy again and give Xavier a baby brother or sister and I will love every moment of bringing new life into the world, pregnancy is such a blessing and you usually don't realise it until after your baby is born and you reflect on what your amazing body has done.

                                                        12 Week Ultrasound

                                                          26 Weeks Pregnant

                                                          20 Weeks Pregnant

 12 Week Ultrasound, Baby Garland saying hello to mummy and daddy

                                                    18 Weeks Pregnant

                                                          32 Weeks Pregnant

                                                       20 Week Ultrasound

                                                          32 Weeks Pregnant

                                                           37 Weeks Pregnant

The last few weeks (in photos)

   

Thought i'd show you some photos of the last few weeks of my little slice of heaven, he has been teething and his molars are starting to come down (poor baby). He has also been sleeping from 6pm until 5am most nights but this also means he has cut down his 2 naps a day to 1 nap a day, so my days have become alot more hectic and a big adjustment for the both of us. Most days we have been leaving the house after he has his nap which usually only lasts 45 minutes, enough to sneak in a shower, get dressed and half dry my hair. I find if I leave the house his mood improves so it's a win win for the both of us! Although he has been in a wonder week for the last two weeks now and nearing the end and I'm notcing as he has picked up a few new tricks, Xavier now waves goodbye, dances to music, stands up on his own for a few minutes now, puts puzzles together and chit chats like no tomorrow. We are very proud of our little baby who turns into a toddler in just under a months time but he'll always be my baby.

 Enjoy x

                                               

                                               

                                         

H2coco Water.

 H2coco Water! 

Xavier and I absolutely adore this yummy drink! In a nutshell it's pure coconut water, thats right no concentrate, no hidden nasties and no added sugar. They come in yummy flavours and the best part is they are SO healthy for your children and younger babies. Xavier drinks these on a daily basis, we also add them in our smoothies and even dinners, with a high amount of potassium and 5 essential electrolytes it's honestly the best thing you could give to your littles.

 Having troubles with your littles drinking enough water through the day? I just found your saviour! My favourite is the pomegranate and acai h2coco water but Xavier adores the pineapple h2coco water, it's pretty much healthy water with flavouring so your littles would have no idea how good these drinks actually are for them! If your pregnant these are also a must have as they keep you hydrated throughout your day and feeding your little jellybean with all the good stuff that will leave them doing somersaults in your belly (if they're not already doing so). Are you a mumma who likes to work out? Take one of these bad boys to the gym or even add it to your protein shakes! 

 The benefits of drinking coconut water are incredible, if you don't believe me do a little research, by the time you've read up all about the good things it does you'll be buying these by the trolley full! H2coco water is made right here in Sydney, Australia and I'm so happy to be boasting about a drink that Xavier and I both love! You can buy these in your local Coles, Woolworths and Priceline stores right here in Australia for only $2.75. 

Head over to www.h2coconut.com for more information and for smoothie recipes with your h2coco water and don't forget to follow @h2coco #h2coco on Instagram.

Hope you enjoy it as much as Xavier and I do!