Baby boys items that are under $30!

My fave thing to do is dress my boys up. I love clothing so it was only a given it would be the same with my boys clothing. I decided to put together 10 or so items that are all under $30! Because you can buy cute things without it costing an arm and a leg. Enjoy!

Moccassins from- www.hugoco.com.au
Romper- www.ramieandweave.com.au

Romper- www.lovefromiylah.com.au

Romper- www.bestandless.com.au

Romper- www.kmart.com.au

Overalls- www.bestandless.com.au



Top- www.bestandless.com.au

Shorts- https://orson-rose.myshopify.com/

Onesie- www.bonds.com

Top- www.bestandless.com

Shorts- https://orson-rose.myshopify.com/

Shoes-www.hugoco.com.au

Onesie- www.bonds.com.au

Shorts- https://orson-rose.myshopify.com/

Socks and Moccassins- www.hugoco.com.au

How to take decent photos using your phone camera.

I get asked all the time what camera I use to take my photos and how I edit them. So I thought instead of replying to everyone individually in DM via the gram why not just do a blog post about it. So here it is! My personal hints, tricks and tips! I'm not an expect or have any professional as such experience. It's just what i've learnt myself. I hope this helps you in some way. If you ever need a little chat about it please feel free to DM via the gram. Enjoy!

I have a camera. It's a canon 7D. I currently use a 50mm lens but that's really only good for portrait work so I will be upgrading that soon. Now even though I do own a camera all of my Instagram photos of late have been from my phone. Mainly because although the quality of the canon camera is 1000x better it's heavy to take around on my own with 2 kids. So my phone is the easier option. So sure a exxy camera will produce higher quality photos but not everyone can afford that budget.
Currently I have a sony experia so that's what all my photos are taken on. Here are my tips for taking nice photos on your phone then I'll get to the editing.

Taking the photos-
1. It's all about that natural lighting guys! Natural light produces the best photos. I find early arvo to be the best for this personally. Because the sun isn't so bright (squinty and overexposed)  so it makes for really pretty lighting.

  

2. Self timer. Yep! Use a 1 second timer and it will cancel out some of the movement in focus. Aka- the wriggling babe. This doesn't always work if your baby/child is super wriggly but most of the time it works for me.

  

3. When taking photos I use the manual setting on my phone camera. Because I can focus on certain points to get the correct lighting on a focal point. Example- I want the focal point to be my baby and not the things in the background. So I will click the screen where my baby is in the frame and it will make my baby be brighter and more in focused lighting. That way the background is slightly more dark and the whole picture doesn't become overexposed.

4. Take lots of photos. Keep clicking for like 30-40 seconds. Usually you will get a couple of goodies in there.

5. Last but not least don't be afraid to play around with what angle you're taking your photos. You don't always have to centre an image.

Editing the photos-
1. I use an app called Vsco. This app is free to download and it comes on android and apple. It's the one I have found the easiest. There is another app called lightroom (I think you pay for that one but don't quote me on that.)

2. Vsco editing. Play around with the filters and see which one suits you. I have 1 filter I use on every photo and I just adjust the amount of filter on it to suit the individual photo. I also play around with the exposure, temperature, clarity, tint and highlight. This all takes practice but once you get the hang it's becomes quite easy.

3. Clarity/sharpness. This is what will take your photo from a 5 to 10, what I have found anyway. I find turning up the sharpness creates more of a HD effect. Because once you upload it the resolution will be effected.

4. I find i'm drawn to photos with warmth and brightness. I'm unsure why I just find those the best for me.

5. Facetune. Now don't hammer me on this one guys! I don't 'pinch' my body or anything like that. I really only use this app to make all my whites and greys the same shade so it all 'gels' together. I'm yet to find a different one to help me with that on my phone. (if you know of one let me know!)
. There is alot you can do with this app but that's the only time I use it. This app you have to pay for. I believe there is another app called snap seed that does this also. Best to have a play around though and find what works for you.

These are MY tips! I never claim to not edit my photos because I do. I do not edit my children or my body because that's one thing i'd never do. I only ever edit to colour Match.  Please remember that.

7 months pp and I still feel overwelmed.



    

So I decided to write a post about the last 7 months post pregnancy. I want to share abit more into my life than what you see on the gram. I want to open up in hope it will help a) break the stigma and b) help another mama! I'm all about the motherhood community and truely believe we can ALL support each other. True in fact I have found mothers tend to be the worst for online bullying. Why? Because unfortnately when some are feeling slightly overwelmed or insecure it is easier to make others feel bad in attempt to fill some sort of void. When I experience this anger/sadness/jealously/hate from another mother online I remind myself they must be going through a tough time too. It takes less of the blow off me anyway. But this post isn't about online bullying (although that does need to be highlighted at some point in time ya know!). It's about how I have been feeling the last few months, now this may turn into a longer post so get comfortable and grab a tea/coffee or whatever liquid you choose to drink. I have suffered anxiety most of my life. Many people will suffer anxiety at some point in their lives, which makes me feel sad but anywho! Once I had children it got a little worse because I now had little people to worry about as well as myself. But I was still pretty relaxed, a little bit chill with slight anxiety. However after Flynn my anxiety got abit worse and then once I had Noah it was at a all time high. Now to be honest I haven't even admitted to myself how bad it has been for me until quite recently. Many many things have contributed to these feelings of darkness. But I am head strong and try to pretend it will go away in time. However it hasn't this time, it has started to rule my life. I find myself panicking over the most ridiculous things! Even writing this i'm panicking!! I won't make a list because to be frank i'm actually too embarrassed to admit how silly they are. But to sum it up I even panic about being in the car with my kids. I feel I have to protect them at all times, with every single bit in me. So being in the car takes all my control away because some people drive SO bad on the road and I'm always seeing terrible car accidents on the news. So I live in fear of us being one of those cars/people on the news. Crazy right?!? It's draining worrying so much and I'm ashamed to admit that. I'm unsure why. I feel sad, alone, anxious. All these bad emotions have totally eaten up my soul. I am a happy person usually and I still am a happy person. I still enjoy things and I love my kids. But for the first time in 7 months i'm admitting i'm not doing well, I'm not always okay and that's okay! I'm admitting on here that I need to seek help about these dark emotions that are eating my soul away. Not just for my kids but for me. By admitting on here i'm making a promise I have to keep. Yes I put the best parts of my life on the gram. Because in those moments I am happy. Adventuring with my boys is what makes everyday feel so special. Because when I look back on these memories I want to remember how joyful they truely were. Babies don't keep, they grow and I don't want to miss a single moment of it.

It's ok to not always be ok. It's ok to admit defeat. From here I derserve to feel amazing! So I WILL seek help! Here is to a better me!

All my love,
H.
xx

An open letter to my first born.

My Xavier,
I'm writing this open letter to you. Because you are the most special, beautiful and kind hearted boy I know. Sure you have your moments; more so often than ever before. I wonder if it's an age attitude change or whether you're still becoming accustomed to sharing my attention with your little brother. I'm sorry mummy can't rush to your every whim anymore. I promise I try my best to share the time I have with both you and your brother. I'm sorry you have to share my cuddles, my kisses and attention. I promise to be as equal as I possibly can.
 Thankyou for being so understanding of mummy, for helping mummy calm your brother and for always loving me even when you are feeling overwelmed or having a bad day.

Mummy will always share a bond with you that no one can ever replace or take away. You are my first love and you made me a mummy for the first time. You give me so much joy, so much inspiration and mummy can't even put words together to describe the amount of love I have for you. I will cherish every single hug you give me, everytime you tell me you love me and even when you don't eat the food I spend lots of money on. We may not get every single moment together anymore but my little love I vow to always make sure you know how loved you really are. This is my open letter to you baby boy. Because although you are small now, I know you won't be forever.

All my love,
Mummy.
xx

Life after loss

I really contemplated writing this for awhile. Mainly because i'm not always sure how to put how I feel into words. But I know when I felt uncertain, confused, worried or even anxious it helped me to read others experiences. So today I am writing a piece about my angel boy and why it was finally my time to have a little rainbow. Losing Flynn was the hardest thing i've ever gone through and to be honest I didn't feel any pain or sadness at the time. I only felt numb and I think that was the only way I could cope at the time. I was numb for a very lengthy amount of time as it helped me when I had to labour him. It helped me when I had to name him, when I had to choose his coffin and when I had to pack up his nursery. It even helped me when I was experiencing a relationship breakdown 2 weeks after his death. So when people ask how I felt at the time I have to tell them I can't even remember. I was basically a walking zombie just trying to get through the day. I couldn't sleep my days away like I wanted to because I had a 1 year old toddler who needed me. If it weren't for Xavier I don't know how I would be now. I don't even want to imagine to be honest. Growing Flynn was a tough time, in the back of my mind I always knew something wasn't right. So going in for my 20 week scan was daunting. I never felt Flynn move freely in my womb, it was always quite jolted movements. Which in time I would find out was because I didn't have enough amniotic fluid surrounding him. I always thought because I am young it could never happen to me. I would never be a statistic and I would go on to have healthy pregnancies. Which obviously was very naive of me so when I found out I was pregnant with Noah instead of being happy I became an anxious mess. I was anxious my whole pregnancy and I was seeing someone during my pregnancy to help me sort of deal with those emotions. I hoped everytime I had a scan that the feeling of anxiety would go. However it didn't, so when I was in labour and struggling all over again (my body hates birthing babies) I was in fear. Fear of losing my little rainbow I longed for. I was scared to be a disappointment again. Then there he was pulled out of my belly, my little rainbow boy. I truely believe Flynn gave me Noah. He gave me a boy, a cheeky little boy to fill a little of the emptiness I had in my heart. I wasn't ever destined for a girl because Flynn wanted me to have a little boy and for Xavier to have a little brother just as he was supposed too. I am grateful everyday that I was given another baby, I feel I apprecaite Noah and pregnancy so much more now than I ever did. Pregnancy is very draining on me not only physically but also very emotionally. I think that's the reason I no longer feel the need to have more babies down the track. Because it's so tough on me mentally I can't imagine experiencing that anxiety again. The fear of losing another baby will never leave me. I have all I need in my arms now and I'm finally content with my blessings.

Life after loss; forever my baby you'll be (Flynn).

For anyone who has also suffered loss of a infant/child I am truely sorry. Please know you are not alone and to seek help if you feel you need to have a little chat. There is almost always a rainbow after the rain. Always remind yourself of that.

All my love, H
Xx

(the onesie/romper Noah is wearing is from the nest Aus). And yes it's our fave!

What's been going on lately..

 I started this blog in 2013, 4 1/2 years ago I had a little baby (Xavier) and I wanted to share my life as a first time mum. Mainly for myself to look back on as a sort of 'online' diary. It started to turn into more until I lost my second son Flynn. I took a fairly large break and when I felt ready I got slowly back into the swing of sharing and writing. I fell pregnant with Noah and somehow I formed a new found love and creativity for instagram. I've always shared my life on instagram but realised it could be much more. I've always enjoyed writing, photography and connecting with others. Using social media to do just that; be social! So slowly over the last few months i've found my 'new' groove in which I can be totally creative without limitation. I've made new 'online' friends who have helped me in times when I have felt dark. There is plenty of things I love (and also loathe) about instagram and why my blog and writing I suppose has taken a back burner. now most of my 'real life' friends are probably like girlfriend we noticed you up'd your insta game. To those who have totally supported me doing so Thankyou! No really, I mean that with all of my being. I'm growing my gram game into a business. Business? Wth you on women you say? Well if you haven't heard of the team influencer then google it man! Now I use the term 'influencer' on myself very loosely as I don't really like being called that. But that's my Biz, my jam, the thing i've been enjoying doing SO and I really mean SO (in caps) much. Why Hannah you ask? I can basically put all the things I love into one big thing. Photography, styling, connecting, making new friends, being social and spending time with my babies. So everytime you click on that cute little heart, double tap on my photo or comment on my posts you are supporting me. Little Hannah from Tasmania. If you don't interact/engage on my posts chances are you'll lose me. Huh lose? Girl you just clingy af? No i'm not really haha Insta likes to make us instagrammers (even people who post rarely) work hard and hustle. You will (Truely) only see my posts on your feed (cause I post on the reg guys) if you show me a little bit of love. If you already do than seriously we can be bffs because you are the best! You are the reason I can keep posting those damn cute af baby outfits and also the reason my hat game is getting strong. Do I just post anything i'm asked or sent? No I do not and will not ever post about something I wouldn't personally use or buy myself. I would lose respect from the following i'm growing and I wouldn't be being my true self which is what I always intend to be. If you see me recommend something it's because I really do think it's the bomb! My heart and soul goes into everything I post. Caption, photo, product and babies. Anyway now that i've talked your ear off, explained why and what i'm currently upto. I hope you join me or continue to join me on my journey through motherhood and media.

Much love, H
xx

The gro company

I've recently collabrated with The gro company to show you guys how easy and great a couple of the new and most popular products are. I'll go into a little about what the product does and how we used it in our everyday life.

Ollie the owl; Ollie is a sleep sound machine (white noise). Ollie makes 4 different sleep sounds, 3 different volumes, a light up belly and turns himself back on if your baby wakes.
I love how Ollie is gender neutral so it makes it easy to put him into a nursery. I've found our experience so far with Ollie really well. He has helped put our little Noah to sleep and for me that is a big tick of approval. White noise is a 'must have' for any new parent, i've used it with Noah right from the start.

The gro clock; most of you would know The gro company from the popular gro clock. I've been using this with Xavier and he has loved it. Xavier is a great sleeper, I never have to worry about him going to bed. However there is times where Xavier likes my day to start early. Really super duper early and I'm not a fan of starting my day anytime before 6:30am. So I set the time for 6:30am and explained to him he couldn't get up until the sun came up. That if he sees a moon it is not time to get up just yet. So far, so good! He has enjoyed the concept and it doubled as a nightlight whilst he was going down to sleep. A great product if you have a toddler or child that perhaps may like you starting your day extra early too!

Lastly the new Groegg2; this little device is a room temperature gage. It helps take a little of the stress off when it comes to knowing what to dress your baby/toddler in, what tog sleepbag they need (another item i'd higher suggest to a new parent) and whether you may need to warm or cool down the room. Groegg2 helps you to create a safe sleep space for your baby and also doubles as a nightlight. The actual eggshell itself changes colours to allow you to choose what tog sleepbag to use. I've found the groegg2 super easy to use, all you have to do is plug the usb into a port and pop it on a shelf or bedside table. It's also gender neutral and just blends into a nursery. 

Thanks to The gro company i'm currently doing a giveaway to celebrate the new Groegg2! Head on over to my Instagram page (@hannahpurd) to find out the details. Also head to (@thegrocompanyaus) and the website linked www.thegrocompany.com.au to buy any of these products plus more.

Remembering our babies

October 15th. This day to most would mean nothing, just another day. For some this day now signifies a huge event or time in their lives. I am in fact one of those few people, why you ask am I one?
3 years ago I lost a baby boy who we named Flynn Edward. I have a post about why etc. on my blog. He is in fact my second born child and I am a mum to 3 boys (biologically). 

Thanks to an amazing lady Maria Bond I have a day to share with other parents who have experienced the loss of a child. This day is called 'pregnancy and infant loss rememberance day' in Tasmania.
A day I can cry, talk and mourn with other parents who have experienced the same crippling emotions I too have experienced.
On this day I remember all the raw emotions I felt and still do feel now. It is hard to explain the emotions, all I can do is share some of the moments I do remember. Sorry in advance if this effects you or if you don't want to read anything remotely negative. I completely understand! 

I remember crying so much whilst I sat on the cold bathroom floor right next to the toilet trying to stop vomitting.
I remember putting on a front whilst Xavier was awake so he couldn't see my pain I was feeling.
I remember labouring for hours on end in the most traumatic pain i'd experienced because these kind of labours aren't your normal type ones.
I remember touching his cold fragile skin in his crib.
I remember the strange feeling I felt leaving my baby in the hospital.
I remember organising his funeral and looking at tiny coffins wondering why this cruel thing had happened to me.
I remember thinking how beautiful the flowers people had bought for us were on my bench but also wanted to put them in the bin because they reminded me of why I was numb.
I remember packing up the nursery I had started to put together.
I remember having to tell people over facebook why I was no longer having a gender reveal.
I remember my breasts leaking and being in pain knowing I could only express enough to take away the pressure.
I remember my hair falling out for months and the reminder it gave me that I did lose my baby.
I remember my first social outting after losing him.
I remember looking down at my new stretch marks and knowing I had a constant reminder that I carried this little boy for so many months.
These are just some of the negative emotions I felt and I truely wish I could say that you deal with it fine. You don't you just learn to deal with it better, one baby step at a time. But on a positive note I am so amazed that Maria has worked so hard to get this day recognised for all of us in Tasmania. Maria continues every year to support families with this difficult time. Thankyou SO much Maria. You truely inspire me.

Raising little gentleman

As a mum of boys my one goal is raising them to be kind, gentle and caring little men. I don't want them to ever treat others like rubbish, I don't want them to ever be bullies and I don't want them to ever treat women like they are beneath them.

I honestly believe it's our job as their parents to shape and guide them into being the best possible version of themselves they can be. Personally I want my boys to be able to feel like they can truly express their emotions, whether that be by crying, by telling me they feel sad or even asking for a hug.

I never want them to feel like it's not 'manly' enough to express these emotions or to feel like they have to be strong by not showing them at all. Xavier is a very gentle soul, he always has been. He's never been a 'fighter' as such; this used to worry me because I was worried he'd get pushed over as he grew older and attended school. But now I am proud that he is like this because I know it's such a great attribute to have, to be kind to others and sensitive to his feelings.

That doesn't go without saying he has also grown abit more of a backbone. He will let you know if you've pushed his buttons a little too far, he'll let you know when he's angry or if you've hurt his feelings. This is also ok with me because he is expressing how he is feeling emotionally rather than bottling it all up and exploding out in physical anger. 

I hope for Noah to be just as sensitive and gentle as Xavier is, I'll continue to smother my boys with love. I'll continue to let them know to express emotions to me, to their friends and to their family. Because I want them to be kind, caring and respectful little gentleman who tell others how much they love and appreciate them.

3 months of Noah

        

Noah hit the 3 month old milestone a week or two back and I can whole heartily say how sad I feel that my youngest is already growing so fast. I'm not sure if it's felt faster due to looking after his big brother too or just that I'm soaking in all the time I have whilst he is still so little. Because he has big brothers and a cousin to watch all the time he has done things SO much faster than Xavier did. He smiled at 6 weeks (not just wind smiles), slept through the night from about 2-3 weeks old (sorry for the sleep deprived zombie mums who are reading this and wanting to punch me in the face; I'd want to punch me to because I've been a zombie mum before too!!).

He rolled from tummy to back around 7 weeks old, starting chatting from 6 weeks and has now started to giggle at 12-13 weeks old. He is a little ray of sunshine and I can't imagine life before having him around all of us. This isn't to say we haven't had our hard times with him though, he used (key point here) sleep heaps during the day as well as night. Now that he is more alert that has changed to 2-3 stints of 30-45 minutes 'naps' which isn't fun at all because I can hardly get anything done! He has been cluster feeding for about 2 weeks now. Which has been hard on both Xav and myself as Xavy gets stuck waiting around for my full attention. But thankfully enough he is really understanding and pretty patient (not always he is only 4 years old haha!!).

I started him self settling from about 2-3 weeks old in his bassinet so he settles really well to sleep as I made the mistake of not doing that with Xavier until about 5 months old. Some people beg to differ on this subject whether it's a good thing to do but I really believe it helps them become more confident. I never let him cry it out as that's a method I don't personally like for my children. Once you learn the difference between all the cry's a baby can do it makes self settling alot easier. I still get my cuddle time whilst I'm feeding him so I don't feel like I'm missing out on that precious time at all. I've been exclusively breastfeeding Noah now for 3 1/2 months and I'm really hoping to make it to 12 months of feeding. We have overcome alot of hurdles on our feeding journey so far so for that I am already proud as punch. 

I honestly thought it would be easier the second time around with a new baby but I now realize it doesn't matter how many babies you have, they will all be different and test you in different ways. Parenting never gets easier, you will always doubt yourself and your own abilities as a parent. You'll always feel guilty over something you do or something you don't. I found the first week of having Noah the hardest on me because I was away from Xavier so much in that week. I cried alot, told myself I was a bad mother because I couldn't be with both of children due to Noah being in NICU and felt worried that it could be like this forever. I look back on that time as not a special time but I really horrible moment in my life because at that point I truly felt like it was one of the lowest parts of my life. As I felt so guilty that I wasn't spending the whole day with Xavier for his birthday and really didn't enjoy being out of control of a situation.

Once we were home and settled into our normal routine I felt much calmer, much more in control and finally felt less anxiety. Unfortunately I was still getting anxiety and feeling a sense of loss in my own environment, at the time I had no idea why I felt like this. Why was I feeling like this? I asked myself that daily until I just put it down to post par tum depression. I talked to my health nurse about it and she said it definitely wasn't post par tum depression but a condition called DMER. I had never ever heard about this and did some research. Reading all this information made me feel some what comforted like I wasn't a bad mother for being nervous, anxious and worried to feed my baby. DMER is a condition in which certain hormones that allow a 'let down' of milk to come can cause certain emotions to arise. Some pretty mild and some very high hormones, these are subdivided into 3 different categories; Mild, moderate and severe. I was put in the moderate range so I didn't need to be medicated for the condition I've just had to learn to deal with it better with certain strategies.

 The strategies I've mainly used to help have been; getting organized, a clean and clutter free space, having a drink or snack at arms reach and either watching netflix or using my phone to keep myself busy. These strategies have helped alot but mainly it's time that helps this condition. I have found that it has gotten better as Noah has gotten older but I still do get these sudden anxiety and sick to my  stomach feelings. They do say this condition is rare but the more research I've done the more it has shown how many breastfeeding mothers have it and don't realize they do which then leads to alot of mothers giving up on breastfeeding simply because they can not cope with the emotions they are having with breastfeeding. If I had gotten this as a first time mum I probably would have given up also because at the end of the day a happy mother makes a happy baby whether that be breast or bottle. I wanted to breastfeed Noah so I have persisted through it all and I'm thankful I have been able to continue feeding him. 

Despite the negatives the positives have far outweighed all the down moments I've had. I've loved watching Xavier become a big brother, watching how caring and helpful he is makes me proud to be his mum. I've loved being a mum of two and I know how lucky I am every single day that I've been given these beautiful boys to raise as gentlemen and help them flourish into whatever and wherever life takes them.