Our Weekend

I had such an amazing weekend with my little love, even after his cold which he still has the sniffles, he still has been such a good boy. So excited to share with you all that Xavier has officially starting walking on his own now, still 50% of the time he is crawling as he knows he gets to places alot faster but we are very proud of such big step from being a baby to toddler, who knew those cute wobbly 'sunken' steps would be so adorable! Yep, just a fell a little more in love with my little guy seeing his face light up when mine did. I managed to get some photos of his walking and playing at a Autumn harvest festival held at the royal botanical gardens in Hobart,Australia. It's now Autumn here in Australia and what a great time to snap some cute photos of all the colours that this season brings, Xavier had such a ball playing with all the other bigger kiddies that I believe is half the reason he took some confidence and started to walk. Today he has been a little unsettled again which i'm thinking is the molars that are making his gums blue,yep those bad boys are still making there way through, all in all I have a very well behaved boy most of time (lets just forget the tantrums he has started lately). I know i've said it a trillion times before but being a mother is the most amazing experience and ten on the bad days i'm thankful I got to be a mumma to this little guy. Some people have asked about my photos I take of Xavier and how I capture them, answer is, take your camera everywhere! Take photos of everything and anything that they do, keep clicking until you can't possibly click anymore as you can delete a not so good photo but you can't take an amazing one by checking to see if the last was good, we all know babies totally do not work like that! Oh and fasten your shutter speed on your camera or phone, a Toddler moves FAST!!! Hope everyone else had a fantastic weekend also. 

Enjoy x

Ethan's First Birthday Party

Today we celebrated one of Xavier's first friends Ethan's first birthday, his mumma Zoa did a bunny theme and it was absolutely gorgeous! Xavier had such a fun morning that he fell asleep in the car as soon as I started driving which doesn't happen very often anymore. Thank you Zoa for letting me share Ethan's special day and we can't wait for many more! We loved seeing Ethan's face light up and seeing him so happy eating his cake while everyone watched and took photos of him. Xavier has his first birthday soon so i'll be sharing photos of his day in the next couple of weeks. 

Enjoy these cute snaps I took today. xx

My Weekly Update

Unfortunately this week Xavier and I caught the flu which we are still currently recuperating from still, Xavier has caught colds in the past but nothing like the one we recently had. In all honesty I felt like I had been hit with a shovel and I definitely looked like it just yesterday, Xavier has had the typical runny nose but this time he got a chesty cough which he has never had in the past. So off I went to the chemist only to find out the only thing you can do for babies this age is panadol/nurofen and some euky bear eucalyptus rub which I had been putting on his chest and on his feet with socks, I have been keeping Xavier hydrated with +H2Coco Pure Coconut Water . Warm showers with steam seemed to also help, as most of you know (the people who read all my blogs posts) Xavier doesn't usually day nap for very long and usually only has one sleep a day, well he has been so unwell that he has slept 3 times a day for about an hour each time, very unlike him. Thankfully that means I could get some rest in also so when he slept, so did I! I was also rocking the curly afro as suddenly my hormones have decided to give my ringlets and some new hair at the front, nobody tells you how much having a baby will effect your hair and for a hairdresser thats a pretty big deal, vain I know but I love my hair. Also after 9 months of large amounts of hair falling out here there and everywhere you think it would have stopped right? Well apparently it can take years!! So this has got me onto why not add to the clan then? If my hair is going to continue to fall out and my body have a continuos bloat that makes me look about 6 weeks pregnant (yep not even kidding!) I will admit I am getting clucky which I didn't think was possible until Xavier was at least 2 years old but those pregnancy jitters have crept in early! So we'll see how we go! So this week I have decided to share some photos of some the things we have gotten up to last week before we both got too unwell, Xavier loves music and I love the markets so I took him down to the markets to get some fresh fruit to eat and watch the puppet shows. We also got our cool new +freshly picked  Moccasins that Xavier has sporting around all week and you'll also see a photo of Xavier and I below with Xavier in a sling. Yep! I sure did get a baby sling and became a baby wearer, I should have done it alot sooner and when the next baby does come along they will be all bundled in the sling also after all they grow up so quickly and become independent so why not keep them close until the day they decide they're too grown up to be cuddled 24/7.

                                 

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!