Recent Loves

Just whenever we thought Eva's sleeping could not get any worse, she throws a spanner in the works- Just to keep us on our toes. 
We're now back to seeing every single hour on the clock. 
It's as well she's ridiculously cute as she stands in her cot clapping her hands for our attention.
We're up before most bakers in the country, before the majority of people have even stumbled home from the bar. 
It's just a phase we keep telling ourselves.
A torturous, cruel phase sent to push us to our physical and mental limits.
So understandably the caffeine intake has been upped this week.
(Nero, Costa... you name it)
The stronger the better, and a slice of cake please
And thank the Lord for Grandparents.

We have been Youtubing 'Baby Lullabies' the last few weeks.
We've all been there at one stage or another, haven't we? particularly at stupid o'clock in the morning.
I was a fan of the white noise apps back when Eva was a newborn, back before she found the sounds of the rain forest so comical.
These days we're on the lookout for something a little more calming and sleep inducing. I randomly came across 'Rockabye Baby' on one particularly challenging night.  Rock music in lullaby form? Count me in.
There's everything from David Bowie, The Cure and The Beatles to Coldplay, Pharrell Williams and Bob Marley.
A genius idea if you ask me!

Ok, so it hasn't actually lulled her off to sleep but how ridiculously relaxing is this to listen to? I have a playlist I like to put on while feeding Eva her last bottle of the night- it sends all three of us into a nice sleepy state. Other songs i'd recommend are The Cure's 'Just like heaven' and Journey's 'Don't Stop Believing' which I can't believe i'm actually typing as if there's one song I hate with a passion, it's this one. It  just screams out drunken karaoke. But in lullaby form? I'm all over it.

The lovely people at Nuby sent Eva out a teething bundle last week. 
I was almost as delighted as her as those little gums have been giving her a considerable amount of trouble recently.
Everything in the parcel was extremely useful, from the thick, absorbent dribble bibs to the teething rings that double as toys (Great for car trips)
OK, being completely honest. a teething baby is going to enjoy anything they can get into their mouths aren't they?- only this morning I was wrestling with Eva to get the edge of the laptop out of her mouth, and the remote control did not stand a chance.
That being said, these are a great distraction for her, they're safe, bright and colourful and the different textures means it holds her attention for longer.
 She's particularly been drawn to the 'Wacky Teething Ring' which contains a piece of of crinkly fabric which is always a winner with an inquisitive baby and lots of soft silicone for her to chomp down on.

I picked up 'Gurgle' magazine a few weeks back in the WHsmith in the airport. To be honest it was a bit of a panic purchase, but i'm so glad I came across it, I didn't put it down the entire flight.
Gone are the days of Cosmopolitan and Glamour, eh?
It's aimed at modern mums (and mums to be!) and contains articles on everything under the sun,  from embarking on your weaning journey, helping  little ones with a sleep aversion (sounds familiar), to information on fertility, IVF and conceiving.
There's maternity fashion, baby fashion, product reviews and recipes. Everything that is relevant to mums and mums to be. Where has it been in my life the last eight months?
I personally love reading other women's experiences and learning about all different styles of parenting and the tips and tricks that come along with them. The best recommendations come from the mouths of mums who have tried and tested products themselves and will give honest opinions.
I only wish I'd discovered it when I was pregnant.

The  past week we have been enjoying looking back at pictures of Eva. I think returning to work made me take stock of the last nine months and it was so nice to sit down and look back..

 It is amazing how much she has changed in the last few months. As much as i'm a perpetual pest with the camera i'm so glad i've captured all these fleeting moments by the week. I just need to get  move on printing some and adding to the baby books!

....And i'm back! On Tuesday I started back to work after nine months off on Maternity leave. I've spent the last few months feeling incredibly emotional and anxious at the idea of returning to work but like lots of mums who reassured me, it really wasn't too bad after all.
I really missed having a little cuddle in the evening, the bedtime routine and even just spending a few hours in the evening with Stuart. (Although on the plus side i'll probably lose a bit of weight by ditching the obligatory night time tea and biscuits)
By the third shift it felt as though I had never been away and had almost forgot about the joys of working in retail:
lots of dirty fingernails, forgotten wallets and plain strange conversations!
But I am glad to be back, see familiar faces and get back to a bit of normality. (For now that is!)

and what better way to finish off the week?? (Courtesy of my Tesco Clubcard vouchers!)