Nurturing yourself through motherhood

With Mother’s Day just around the corner it’s got me thinking about what I’ve learnt over the last nearly 4 years since I became a mum. In short, the answer is – a LOT. A lot about myself, a lot about patience and tolerance, a lot about juggling family with career and a lot about balancing my child’s needs with my own.

When you bring a child into the world, or become a foster or adoptive parent, it is the probably one of the most life-changing experiences we can go through. I assumed, and I’ve heard so many expectant parents say the same, that the baby would just fit in around our life. Ha! How foolish! A baby, at least for the first year of its life, consumes you. Their welfare and needs are at the forefront of your mind every sleep-deprived moment of the day, as it should be, absolutely – but often at the determent of your own well-being and health.

At nearly four years in to my motherhood journey, of course my daughter’s needs are still at the forefront, but I have slowly realised that being fulfilled and nourished (both nutritionally and mentally) in yourself is hugely important to your happiness but also to that of the people around you. If you’ve found yourself arguing or feeling resentful towards your partner, it is more than likely down to the fact you are not allowing yourself enough of what makes you feel energised, inspired and happy. Yes, children bring happiness and joy in abundance, but so do many other things.  Allowing yourself to enjoy those things does not mean you are any less of a great mother by focusing on yourself, even for a short time.

Pink cushion, £19.50; Grey pom pom throw, £69; Serving board, £25 all Marks and Spencer

In the spirit of appreciating mothers (we should do it EVERY day, not just once a year, right?!) I thought I’d share a few thoughts on how to nurture yourself in motherhood. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this too – what do you do to treat yourself? How do you ensure you keep your mind and body healthy when carrying out the hardest job in the world? Do let me know. Here are the things I've found helpful or I am currently working to improve on myself...

1.     Let go of the ‘mum guilt’ – We’ve all experienced it - guilt about putting your little one into nursery so you can go back to work, guilt because you fancy a night out, guilt because you lost your patience and shouted. In our modern world it seems like there is SO much pressure to be the perfect mum and do everything, but you just gotta let it go. NO-ONE is perfect, and you are doing a great job so you have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about. Instead, feel proud that you enjoy work as well as motherhood, enjoy the fact you have friends and a social life and feel fine with how you instil discipline, safe in the knowledge that you balance this with masses of love, affection and fun.

 Scented Spring Posy, £25 from Marks and Spencer

2.     Take time out – Time to yourself can sometimes be rare when you are a mum, but it is SO important. Don’t feel like this can only be a ‘once every six months’ occurrence. Plan ahead for those days or evenings out – and then go book yourself a creative workshop, meet a friend for drinks or go get a massage. When you’re at home, spend an evening with your favourite magazine and some cake, take up a craft which you can do a bit of every evening, or why not just do a bit of faffing?! I love faffing around with styling things in the house, or playing around arranging some flowers – those times when you aren’t really doing anything particularly useful but it allows your mind to wander and relax.

 Lombard dinner plate, £5, Marks and Spencer

3.     Eat well – I am totally guilty of not doing this one myself. I think about what Ruby is eating and constantly encourage her to eat her fruit and vegetables, but then eat badly myself. It’s something I really want to work on this year – firstly because if she sees me eating good things then hopefully she will follow suit, and also I’m sure if I am looking after myself  nutritionally then I will feel less tired and run-down too.  Rather than just wolfing down some toast for lunch, I want to try and throw together a salad or a wrap and substitute those biscuits with fruit. Generally, I think achieving this comes down to planning. Make sure to throw a few bits in the shopping trolley for yourself rather than only thinking of the kids meals. Meal planning can go a long way to ensuring you don’t just grab a quick ready meal on the way home, so try and draw up even a rough guide at the start of week.  

4.     Streamline your life – I’ve been reading The Empowered Mama, and I really enjoyed the bit about pruning your life. There’s a quote in it which says: ‘When we become skilled at selectively knowing what to prune out of our lives, what remains becomes stronger, brighter, clearer.’ Sometimes it’s people you need to prune – if there is a friend or colleague who demands too much of you, and makes you feel drained, or takes up time you could be doing something you love, then maybe it’s time to step away from that relationship. Sometimes it is ‘stuff’ you need to prune – clutter can become suppressing, so take a bit of time to evaluate whether you really wear all those clothes in your wardrobe (there are loads of great blog posts out there about creating a capsule wardrobe) or simply take half an hour and clear out a couple of drawers. It took me ten minutes the other day to go through my underwear drawer and throw out anything that was past it and I felt strangely lighter afterwards knowing that everything in that drawer was now useable. Or it may be activities that can be pruned – if you are the type of person who finds it hard to say no, you may have ended up with duties or plans that you’d really rather not do. Also, check with your kids if they genuinely enjoy all of their activities – you may find they’d rather not take that piano lesson as well as singing in a choir.  Make sure you are all only doing things that actually bring you happiness and fulfilment.

5.     Exercise – It’s easy to say that it is hard to fit exercise into your life, but I’ve recently realised that you don’t need to attend a two hour fitness class or go on a six mile bike ride to introduce exercise into your life. Obviously if you are on a mission to get fit or loose weight then by all means, but I’ve found that introducing just a small amount of gentle exercise can make such a difference. I’ve never been one for exercise classes, but I quite enjoy yoga, so I’ve started following ‘Yoga with Adrienne’ on YouTube and doing half hour videos a couple of times a week in my front room. I always do it in the morning and always feel really good after it and like it was a positive start to the day. I’m also trying to incorporate at least one brisk walk into my week when I listen to a podcast and keep up a good pace. You can also burn a few extra cals simply by having a run around the park with the kids or putting some music on and dancing round the living room with them!

Serving board, as before. Food by Marks and Spencer

6.     Treat yourself – Mother’s Day is just around the corner, so fingers crossed a treat is on it’s way (!), but regardless, there’s no harm in giving yourself an extra little treat is there?! I find it is a real pick-me-up to surround yourself with pretty things at home – flowers, plants, candles, favourite books and magazines, a really cosy blanket – then simply put your feet up and remember you are doing fabulous!

I really hope you feel appreciated this Mother's Day and ALL the time! And don't forgot about your own mum - she knows how tough motherhood can be, only too well! Do let me know any thoughts you have on this post - I am far from a mummy/parenting blogger and am not attempting to be, but as it's such a big part of my life, I think it's nice to go there now and again. 

** This post was sponsored by Marks and Spencer to celebrate Mother's Day and to highlight their Flower Shop where you can treat your mum or yourself to a beautiful bouquet. If you fancy a little bit of floral faffing like me, it's worth checking out some tips they've put together on flower arranging. M&S provided me with some product and flowers for my images. **

Creating new Christmas rituals

I recently read a column in Smallish magazine about Christmas which really resonated with me. The writer talked about how having children makes you become nostalgic about your own childhood Christmas's, and what traditions your family had surrounding the big day. We never were a family to go away at Christmas, so my memories of it are very much rooted at home, Christmas films on the telly, fire roaring, while we ripped into our gifts. Slightly strangely, every Christmas Eve our family went for a Chinese meal - I'm guessing it was a combination of my mum saving her cooking energy for the next day and that the Chinese was probably one of the only restaurants open on the 24th back then, but hey, it's what we did and I always looked forward it!

Now that I am a parent myself, I've realised that it is now our turn to create those rituals and traditions for Ruby. She is 3 now, and most definitely understands the concept of Christmas. She is already talking about it and getting excited. The build up to the big day is all part of it, and especially Christmas Eve when the anticipation is off the scale! So while I know some traditions happen naturally and develop over the years (like our Chinese meals!), these are a few of the simple rituals I plan to do with her this year and beyond, hopefully instilling in her the importance of being with family, creating memories and being content and happy at home... 

1. Baking biscuits for Father Christmas - Ruby LOVES to bake, and at the moment we are making something most weeks on her days off from pre-school, so I know she will love to spend Christmas Eve afternoon preparing some festive treats for Santa to nibble on. And of course the extra biscuits can be eaten for breakfast! 

2. Leaving the treats by the hearth - I remember I loved this part of Christmas Eve. When you are really young, the thought of Santa enjoying a biscuit and some milk (or a sherry!) and Rudolph nibbling on some carrots, before flying off to their next stop was completely magical. And then of course, checking in the morning that they'd gone! 

3. New pyjamas and a book - I remember as a child I often thought it odd that my parents didn't get me a Christmas gift. We obviously got our 'Santa gifts' but as far as I was concerned Santa chose and financed those himself! So I think for Ruby, we will allow her to open one gift which is from mum and dad on Christmas Eve. I've stolen an idea from my colleague and friend Laura of Circle of Pine Trees, who gives her three sons new pyjamas and a book every year. I LOVE this idea, as even though as time goes on, it won't necessarily be a 'surprise' gift, I know she will come to enjoy the familiarity of opening that present each year, and then being able to slip into those fresh pyjamas and read her new book at bedtime. As a pyjama and book lover myself, I think it is definitely a requirement of this tradition to also gift myself a new set and an inspiring read! 

Three rituals that are at the heart of what I want our Christmas's to be about - family, simplicity and embracing hygge. Let's hope Santa enjoys our homemade biscuits! What are your Christmas Eve rituals or traditions? I'd so love to hear. 

This post was a paid collaboration with Marks and Spencer who also gifted me some cosy pyjamas. Do check out their range of perfect Christmas Eve pyjamas. All ideas, thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ectopic pregnancy - my experience

I don't often go 'off topic' here at Patchwork Harmony, but once in while things occur that I feel the need to share. Sometimes it's something I think others might benefit from, like hypnobirthing, sometimes it's to raise awareness, and sometimes it's just therapy for myself, I find it helps to write things down - especially difficult experiences - it helps me to process it all.

So that's why I'm writing this post - for all of the above reasons, but also to reject the taboo that seems to surround the subject of losing a baby. It is a very personal matter of course, and understandably some women would rather keep it private, but for me, I always knew that if it happened to me I wouldn't bottle it up, I would share my experience and hopefully reach out to other women going through the same thing, so we can hold hands together and remember we are not alone.

Weirdly, I've always kind of felt that at some point I might have a miscarriage, and I'm guessing that feeling is down to the fact that '1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage' but little did I know what would unfold shortly after we discovered I was pregnant on New Years Eve. 

This picture is me on Friday 13th (unlucky for me it seems!) shortly after surgery to remove my right fallopian tube and our 6 week old foetus that was developing in there. It was just two weeks after finding out I was pregnant, and the diagnosis was an ectopic pregnancy. They told us that as it wasn't failing naturally which often happens, they would have to operate before the tube ruptures which is incredibly dangerous.

My reason for sharing this is not to scare anyone, or worry you if you are in the early stages of pregnancy, but more to highlight the condition and to point out the signs. Call it women's intuition, but weirdly I had a feeling from the start that things weren't right. While we were elated to find out I was expecting on New Years Eve, for the next week I kept commenting on how I didn't 'feel pregnant'. We reminded ourselves that symptoms often don't start till later, but deep down I had a niggle. I tried to convince myself otherwise, and even brushed off some spotting, as I remembered having it with my first pregnancy in the early weeks so pretty much ignored it.

The following Saturday - a week to the day after finding out about the pregnancy, I had a bit more blood, which concerned me enough to go to A&E. After 4 hours of waiting, all I was given was an early scan appointment in 5 days time. After the A&E trip the bleeding completely stopped and I relaxed a bit. But then two days later I started getting a dull achey pain in my right side, which went round into my lower back and down my thigh. Again, I remembered getting aches last time, so assigned it to stretching pains. But the day before I was due to have the scan, my worries came back. While the pain wasn't agony, it did seem to be worsening. Without wanting to rush to A&E again when I knew i had the scan the next day I turned to Dr. Google. We all do it, even though we know we shouldn't,, and this is what I want to highlight. Everything I read online seemed to suggest that unless you were bleeding everything was ok - aches and pains are normal in pregnancy - bleeding is the only thing to be concerned about. THIS IS NOT THE CASE! While I'd had a very small amount the week before, I was having none now, I could easily have reassured myself and just tried to ignore the aches. I'd also read about cysts that often cause pain, so I tried to tell myself that it could be that. The point is, everyone's symptoms are different, so don't ignore any bleeding or pain - and try not to go online - even if you think it's 'probably normal' - just get it checked. 

Despite what I'd read, by that evening I knew that there was definitely something going on, so I asked my hubby to come with me to the scan. Thankfully he did, as hearing the sonographer say 'I can't see anything in your uterus' was pretty heart-breaking. We had a little bit of hope when they said that perhaps my dates were wrong and it was too early to see the baby. They also suggested that the pain I was having was a cyst, so when we were sent home that afternoon, I tried to remain positive that this was the case. But then a phone call from the hospital suggested that the chances of ectopic were looking quite high and that I shouldn't drive or be alone in case the tube burst. This was absolute worst case scenario, but that was all I heard, and I spent the night terrified that it might happen. They told me that if my tube burst I would get pain in my shoulder - I spent the evening thinking my shoulder was getting sore. (your mind can play some cruel tricks!) 

The next morning - Friday the 13th (!) - we were back at the hospital where a consultant scanned me and confirmed the ectopic pregnancy. I was admitted straight away and went to theatre that afternoon. It's been two weeks since then, and I'm recovering well, Of course, it’s not just physical healing, it’s emotional too.. Unlike the traumatic delivery I had when giving birth to Ruby at least I was rewarded with a beautiful baby girl. Sadly this time, I went through the trauma and pain of surgery, but without that wonderful end result. I'm thankful though that we caught it early enough as the consequences could have been very different had the pregnancy continued to developed in my tube. 

I'm not looking for sympathy by writing this post, I really am feeling fine and dealing with it well. All I wanted was to tell my story and highlight the condition - one which I’d never even really contemplated - so that others are aware.  I also wanted to be open about a subject that is often veiled in silence, especially as nearly everyone I've spoken to since has been touched by the loss of a baby, but yet, no one talks about it. It's nothing to be embarrassed about or ashamed of, it's not a failure, it's just life. it's bloody hard to make a human and sometimes it just doesn't work out. 

Earlier this week, when I had my dressings removed and I saw the scarring, my resolve to stay strong did falter. Again, feeling sad that I've been left with this physical reminder and no new baby to override the pain with happiness. But then, my husband said 'They are proof of your journey through life, they are part of our story.' He's so right, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, “Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it” – we are moving on with positivity and good vibes and the hope of no more Friday the 13th's like that one! 

If you've been affected by ectopic pregnancy or are concerned you might be having one, then the Ectopic Pregnancy Trust is a really useful resource. But as I said, ANY bleeding or pain - just get checked, I'm so glad I didn't ignore what my body and mind were telling me. xxx

From nursery to toddler room

So it seems I am now officially the mum to a toddler, not a baby. I honestly don't know where the time goes. One minute they are sleeping in a tiny moses basket next to you, next they are scrambling all over your furniture like a excited puppy! Ruby is 19 months now, and is of course still sleeping in a cot, but I've been thinking recently about giving it a little update as she gets older, and will very soon have grown out of her sleeping bag. So whenever Silentnight got in touch to ask me to take part in their 'Room for a little one' campaign, it seemed like a good opportunity to give her sleeping quarters a mini update! 

I choose some lovely bedding from Olli Ella, whose designs I've admired for a while. I went for a fitted sheet and pillow in their confetti pattern, and a blanket in Terra and Tartine. 

It makes such a difference to the cot, as before there was just a plain white sheet on the mattress, so it looks much more 'grown up' and part of the room decor. Plus the bedding goes perfectly with the existing wallpaper.

The other thing with a growing toddler is the ever increasing accumulation of 'stuff'. I've talked about storage for kids before, so you'll know I'm always on the look out for lovely baskets, boxes or bags to incorporate, so I also ordered one of their lovely belly baskets to help with the expanding toy collection! (I may have had my eye on one of these for some time!) Ruby's comment when she saw the new basket in her room was simply 'what's that?!' I'm sure she'll appreciate its beauty one day! 

I think new bedding is to a bed, what new cushions are to a sofa. It can make such a huge difference and generally for very little expenditure. It's a transformation that literally only takes a few moments! The next thing will be when she is ready for the cot to be turned into a bed! That really will bring home how fast she is growing up! 

This post was created in collaboration with Silentnight. All product choices and views are my own. 

A circus themed birthday party

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have already seen quite a few posts about Ruby's first birthday. It's been so lovely celebrating this special time, and while she won't remember it, and doesn't really know what's going on, I still wanted to throw a lovely party for her with our family and friends. She will be able to look back on the photos one day, and see the efforts me and her dad put in! haha! 

Her dad took care of the food side while I of course got stuck into the decorating part of the day. I decided to have a bit of a circus theme, but in a subtle way if that makes sense! I love the 'Toot Sweet' range by Meri Meri, so I ordered a few bits and bobs from there, and then scoured the interweb for other things to add. I purchased some paper plates, straws and bunting from Berylune. 

The little cardboard circus came from Tiger and was a last minute purchase which I think just completed the table, and for just £3! The long candle was also from Tiger. 

I bought the gold '1' balloon from the party shop, Partica, in Kingston and my mum and I made a LOT of paper chains!

As for little Ruby herself, I wanted to her to have a special birthday outfit but without making her look like a clown - literally! :) So this is how she looked on the day... a classy circus baby!

I got the skirt in Mothercare - it is from the Baby K range by Myleene Klass. I had to order the black vest on Amazon - it is surprisingly hard to find a black baby vest! The hairband was from H&M Kids, and my mum and I made the bow tie! I got the fabric from M is for Make, and we put a little wadding inside to give it some structure. We covered some elastic in the pink fabric to go round her neck. It was fastened with velcro, so unsurprisingly she pulled it off half way through the party! 

We had such a lovely day, although I think Ruby found it a tad overwhelming! Bless her! Today is her actual birthday, but we will have a quieter day with her grandparents. Happy birthday my precious little gemstone xxx

Something different: Natal Hypnotherapy

I'm going off piste a little here today. I don't like to talk too much about kids and parenting on here as that's not what my blog is about, but sometimes when something means a lot to you, you want to share it. My blog is my little corner of the internet, So I thought, for this one post, I would use it to talk about something which turned out to be really important for me. 

The reason for writing this post now, is that in less than two weeks, Ruby will turn one! I can't quite believe it. In the run up to her birthday, I've been reflecting a little bit on the past 12 months, but also on where I was at exactly this time last year - huge, uncomfortable, and fast approaching one of the biggest events in my life! 

When I was pregnant, like many women, I was quite anxious about the idea of giving birth, and even mentioned it to my doctor. She suggested a course of CBT to relieve any anxieties, but when I did a little research online I came across Natal Hypnotherapy. I was initially a little skeptical, but what I read online convinced me to give it a go, and I started off by purchasing the book  - Effective Birth Preparation. I ended up reading the book about 3 times during my pregnancy, as I really wanted to retain the information. After the first read, I was already starting to feel much more relaxed about the whole idea, as it dispels a lot of myths about childbirth, and explains so much about how a hospital environment can actually make it more difficult to give birth, and that the main thing is trying to keep your body relaxed throughout.  

My first decision from this was opting to have my baby at the midwife-led unit at my local hospital, and ideally I wanted a water birth. The unit was right next to the labour ward so this made me feel happy that if anything did happen it was easy to transfer. 

Next, I purchased a couple of the Natal Hypnotherapy downloads to listen to on my iPod; Effective Birth Preparation and The Labour Companion. I started listening to the first one a few days a week, from about 25 weeks. It is basically calming words and music, that talks a lot about how natural giving birth is and how to stay relaxed. Occassionally I would nod off before the end, but that is ok apparatenly, it just means you are really relaxed. I did always wonder whether I would be able to relax in the same way while having real life contractions, but I made sure to stay positive, and as the program suggests, tried to rid myself of any worries that entered my head. 

The closer I got to the 'big day' I listened to the downloads more and more, and in the last few weeks I was listening to them at least once a day. If anything, it was a really great way to stay relaxed in those weeks of waiting for baby to arrive. I honestly shocked myself when I heard myself telling friends that I was actually looking forward to giving birth! 

On the 13th July (3 days after my due date), I started to 'feel' something. I'd had lots of Braxton Hicks already, but this definitely felt different, although still not particularly strong. I used the breathing techniques every time I felt a wave, and we actually went to the supermarket, then came home and made our imminent baby her first birthday cake! 

In the early hours of the 14th July, I woke up and felt something 'pop'. it wasn't my waters breaking, but I knew things were definitely starting to happen. I got up and went in the living room, and put on my hypnotherapy tracks, and lay down and relaxed. At around 3am, I decided to phone the hospital, and they told me to come in. I got my other half up, and off we set to the hospital. I continued to listen to my iPod in the car, and luckily as it was the middle of the night there was no traffic whatsoever. 

I won't run through my entire birth story, but basically we spent the first few hours in the midwife-led unit, with two lovely midwifes, who were really supportive of my birth plan, and were really interested in the hypnotherapy techniques. In fact, it really shocks me that midwifes are not given any training in this area, despite the fact that they were so amazed at how much it was helping me. 

My birth plan started to change when the midwifes suggested breaking my waters. When this happened it was then necessary for me to be transferred to the labour ward, as meconium in my waters meant the baby could be in danger. While I was disappointed, as I could no longer have the water birth I'd hoped for, I of course wanted to make sure our baby was delivered safely. I was later given an injection to move things along, and it was at this point (about 7cm dilated) I started to feel the need for more pain relief, and started on the gas and air. Until this point I'd only been using the hypnotherapy techniques and a tens machine. 

It was a difficult delivery, followed by me being taken to surgery to remove the placenta, I lost a lot of blood, and ended up having blood transfusions and we were in hospital for a week. (also due to Ruby being on antibiotics too) Despite all this, I don't feel worried about having another baby, and I put this down to the hypnotherapy. Yes, the delivery was tough, but the techniques I learnt helped me through the labour part, keeping me calm and able to deal without pain relief. I'm not going to lie at one point, I did tell my hubby I wanted an epidural, but he reminded me that this was the 'self doubt' phase - the part where the baby is very nearly here, and things are intense, and you are doubting if you can do it or not. It's essential to have your other half onboard too by the way! 

Looking back, I am really proud of how I managed it all, considering how anxious I originally was. I just wanted to share this experience with you, as I know there may be others out there, pregnant and similarly worried, and I would highly recommend giving it a go. Let's face it, you've got nothing to lose - that baby is coming either way, so why not at least attempt managing the journey in a more relaxed way?! 

I'd love to hear if you've used Natal Hypnotherapy too and what you thought. And if anyone has any questions, just let me know! ;) 

xxx

Living stylishly with kids

When I recently received an email about a new book called Design Mom: How to live with kids, a room-by-room guide, it really resonated with me. When you care a lot about how your home looks, it's a natural worry to wonder how all of the paraphernalia that comes with children will fit into your decor. Ruby is still young, so she doesn't have too much stuff just yet. I currently use boxes and baskets just to throw all of her toys into once she's gone to bed, but I'm sure this will change as she gets older and wants more things. 

So this book by Gabrielle Stanley Blair, grabbed my interest. The book is full of lovely interior images that show you how to still have a lovely home with kids in the mix. It's broken down into bite size chunks; perfect for us mums who don't have extended periods of time to read - we can pick it up when we've got five minutes! Tips such as 'shoe storage is your best friend' and 'furniture that moves as quickly as your kids' will probably ring true with some of you. It also has some easy DIY projects thrown in which is really nice. 

These are a few of my favourite images from the book to give you a taster. I love how there are clearly children living in these homes, but the owners have made it part of the space, rather than trying to hide it all away. It really is a lovely book that is practical as well as pretty. I'm sure I'll be referring to it for years to come! 

Photo credits: 1: Caroline Rowland / 2: Caroline Coehorst / 3: Meta Coleman / 4: the Land of Nod / 5: Anna Napthali / 6: Meta Coleman / 7: Heather Zweig, with stylist Jordan Ferney

Design Mom: How to Live with Kids: A Room-by-Room Guide by Gabrielle Stanley Blair (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2015 Buy it now mums and dads! 

Ruby's first pancake day

When you have a child, even the most minor of events seem so much more exciting don't they? Especially when it's their first experience of it! So last week when Debenhams asked me if I'd like to share a post on making pancakes with Ruby I thought it seemed like one of those traditions that you have to pass down to your kids - eating only pancakes for dinner one day a year! Even though at Ruby's age (she was 7 months yesterday!) she doesn't really understand what's going on, it's still fun for us to see how she reacts and interacts with new things.

It all started off quite civilised as she watched from her Bumbo, but soon she wanted to get involved! She's at the stage where her little hands grab for everything, so a few times we nearly ended up with flour everywhere!

Before we started making the mixture, she *somehow* ended up in my huge Tala bowl! Much hilarity! She's such a little wriggler that it was really hard to get any photos of her that aren't blurry! She was loving banging the utensils off the worktop and trying to fit an entire lemon in her mouth! 

By the time we got to actually making the pancakes, she was a tad restless so retired to her bouncer chair, but she did seem to enjoy eating the pancakes at the end! Obviously she won't remember her first pancake day, but it definitely made a small tradition like this much more fun for us! And hey, she can always look back on mum's blog in years to come to reminisce! :) 

Thanks to Debenhams for supplying some of the items for our pancake day fun! Tala Mixing Bowl, pink whisk and spatula, Greenpan frying pan and Royal Doulton dinner plates . And for Ruby's super cute outfit! Vest, striped cardi, skinny jeans, hairband and socks.

My big news for 2014!

There seems to be an awful lot going on in my life at the minute; working on the next issue of 91 Magazine, meeting all my freelance deadlines and our kitchen renovation are all keeping me very busy. BUT, the biggest and most exciting thing happening to me at the moment.... I'm expecting a baby!!

knitted baby booties by Bye Bye Birdie

I've been desperate to share the news on here since I found out way back in November, and have often found it hard to blog, not only because of first trimester tiredness but because I found it hard not to mention the news! It's such a huge thing, especially when it's your first, that it is SO hard to keep it secret!!

I'm now four months in, and everything seems to be going well so far (touch wood) and I'm feeling really well now I'm into the 2nd trimester. I'm hugely excited but also slightly scared, as I must admit I don't know much about babies, but I suppose lots of people feel like that.

I haven't yet bought anything for the baby, we plan to find out the sex at my next scan, so probably after that I will start buying bits and pieces, although I've been well warned not to go mad as there's lots of things you don't need, and I've been advised cheap clothing is best at the start as they tend to get ruined. But this hasn't stopped me browsing the internet for lovely things and ideas for the nursery!

Clockwise: Elephant print - Seventy Tree / Babygrow - Corby Tindesticks / Bib - Corby Tindersticks / Wallpaper - This Modern Life / Knited toy - Donna Wilson / Cot bumper - Nubie

I promise not to turn Patchwork Harmony into a baby blog, but of course there might be the odd nursery related post here and there! :) I'd love any tips you have on your fave websites for nursery and lovely baby things! It's definitely my new obsession!

via Chloe Fleury blog

via mama.nu

via Mokkasin

Knitted sheep - Molly Meg / Baby shoes - Scout and Co

Left: via The Socialite Family Right: via Apartment Therapy

xxx