Abi starts school in September and to say I'm nervous is an understatement, not because I think she won't thrive but because I don't want her to grow her up! I put off applying for her school places for weeks- until chris told me very abruptly that it doesn't matter how much I ignore it, it's happening. So. Now it's just the waiting game to see where she's going! They don't expect much from the children when they first join school, just that they can at least write their own name, something that Abi is a bit hit and miss at. Sometimes she does it brilliantly. Other times it just a line on some paper with a dot. There are so many tools on market these days for preparing your child for school from books to computer games and it's all a bit of a mind field to be honest. It doesn't matter how many reviews I read I still come out of my research confused- if not more so than when I started. Back when Abi was 1 we got her the leapfrog leap pad which is basically an iPad for a child with a lot of educational benefits that's a lot more robust than an actual iPad. When she first got it- she wasn't fussed in the slightest. But about 6 months ago she became quite obsessed with the educational songs that come with it- there's several that are all based around things like the alphabet, counting and punctuation and since she's been prancing around and singing to them she's actually improved in her knowledge of those areas. So after much debate and indecisive research we decided that for Christmas from my Gran we would invest in the new LeapFrog LeapReader. For £38 you get a taster book with several little snippets from some of their most popular books that go with the leapreader and the actual leap reader pen. The simplest way to describe it is that it's basically a pen computer that you connect to your laptop or computer and Download any of the leapfrog books on to so that you can do all the activities that are included. Setting up the device was super easy- you just logged into the leapfrog website and downloaded the software for the product (I was completely unaware how many products that leapfrog do!) which took no more than 5 minutes. Then you set up your parent account so you can control the different books and games etc. As I said above, the leapreader taster book includes several different snippets so you can try some of the different activities you can get for the leapreader. In some of the books you can do games, read and practice your writing. As well as learn how to sound out bigger words etc. But that all depends on the different books and which ones you buy separately. You're looking at between £10-£25 for each different book full of different activities.
Abi took to the writing really well- which is the main reason we got it - the only issue being just how large the "pen" is. It's obviously quite a bit larger than a pen that a toddler is used to writing with but Abi took to it quite quickly. The games are really quite good- they range from activities like counting the different animals on a page, or listening to the story that the leap reader will read for you and then answering questions based on what you were told. Despite our initial impressions of it being a bit advanced for a preschooler, it's actually really good and makes learning fun for someone so young, since her first go Abi has continually asked to have a go- and not just at the games but at the writing too! It's obviously quite expensive and the fact you need different books for each different activity and level of ability makes it add up all the more but if it helps prepare for school it's obviously worth it. Like I said the pen could do with being less bulky because for such small hands it's a struggle for them to hold and also the placement of the buttons on the pen mean that they are often pressed meaning the activity has to be restarted which can be frustrating for both you as a parent and your child!! The concept of the LeapReader is very clever- and if you're a bit of a tech lover like chris you'll be quite intrigued as to how the pen knows what activity you're doing etc. If you chose to give the leap reader ago you'd soon understand what I mean! As it is, with just the taster book we would definitely reccomend the LeapReader to anyone who's looking for an interesting and fun way to get your little one into reading and writing ready for school! Now it's off to buy some new books to try out and really get this school prep going! Jess X
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Christmas is both mine and Chris's favourite time of the year. We love everything about it - even the present buying! But Christmas this year was a bit different, for one it's been our big milestone for explaining when the baby will be here to Abi but it's also been the first Christmas that Chris has been home because he's changing his job. So our Christmas has been one of both firsts and lasts. With a new baby coming so soon after Christmas and a wedding to pay for we decided to make the most of it being Abis last Christmas where she still doesn't have a full grasp on the idea of Christmas in the way of presents etc. So we went for a cheaper Christmas which involved not getting each other anything and a secret santa for the extended family. Abi was desperate for a Paw Patroller. She lived and breathed for the thing- every day asking for it (that was until Christmas Eve where she asked for a Elsa doll- not entirely sure where that blip came from!) Back in novemeber we struggled to find one but Eventually Amazon came to the rescue... Then came the actual Paw patrol characters, they were a bit tricky. Luckily we managed to find them all.... Every Christmas Eve we spend the day in our Pjs getting the house all cosy ready for Christmas morning, then after a nice dinner- this year was lasagne- we tuck into our Christmas Eve box. Its a tradition I wanted to start as soon as soon we found we were expecting Abi- a box with some new Pjs in, some chocolate coins, a new book, reindeer food (that Abi has made at her school fayre) and a bath bomb was added this year- Abi is a fan of a bath bomb!! Admittedly our Christmas bath bomb looked a little bit like a blood bath this year... Once we are all bathed and in our Pjs it's time to sprinkle the reindeer food and snuggle down with our favourite stinky monkey and a read of the new book! For the week leading up to Christmas morning, Abi was up every day at 4.30am asking if santa had been, of course actual Christmas morning she came strolling in to our room at 6.45am after we'd been up for an hour completely oblivious to the giant sack at the end of her bed!!! We opened all presents. Stocking in our bed and her big santa presents downstairs. Followed by crossiants and orange juice then off we went to Nannie and Grandads for Christmas lunch! Here's a few pictures of our Christmas Day... Chocolate for a pre breakfast snack... After a day at Chris's mums, we head over to my mums for more food and presents! Every year mum insists on getting a new game... this year was Jibber Jabber... After a day of eating, playing and everyone bar me drinking it no surprise Abi hit her wall at 9.30pm- a lot later than we had anticipated!!! Boxing Day this year was at my families- and because there's so many of us we decided to do secret santa which was a massive hit. My Dad got me so I finally got the mermaid blanket I'd mentioned to him months ago!!!! Chris got a very inappropriate book called "inappropriate boners" so you can imagine the laughs. Boxing Day is always fun- it's full of games and just general silliness - usually always innapropriate too!! Abi was well and truly spoilt so our "bank holiday" Tuesday has consisted of sorting all our new bits and pieces we were lucky to be given and playing with all the new toys while watching Netflix and tucking in to some of the chocolate we got! We wanted to make this Christmas quite special for Abi and after her telling us repeatedly that she's loved it- I think we succeeded. Now it's all about preparing for Chris's new job and our new addition!! It's hard to believe that this is our last festive period with just the three of us and that next year we will have two little girls to play santa for!!
For now, it's time for an evening of Harry Potter films (MY FAVOURITE!!!!!!) hot chocolate, more sweets and sofa snugs with chris and making the most of the time that we have of relaxation before a very busy few weeks! Jess X There is nothing better than a movie at home in your pjs with a cup of hot chocolate and sweets- at least that's what I thought, then sky emailed me with this... You can imagine my excitement at the prospect of a relatively new film that we haven't had to pay for- not that I'm a cheap skate or anything! We were pleasantly surprised at the massive selection of both old and new movies that we could use the £13.99 on- which I'll mention included the film being watched on up to 4 devices- sky box included and the DVD copy of the film sent to your door! In the end we opted for the new Independence Day film- Independence Day resurgence Its basically a follow up of the first film 20 years on based in the year 2016! I won't go into to much detail because I wouldn't want to ruin the film! It has several of the original characters and actors in which was actually done really well. It was pretty much the same sort of premis as the original, just better cgi and some added eye candy for us ladies... Liam Hemswoth in particular... All in all it was a very good film, that despite being a tad slow to start had me on the edge of my seat a couple of times... With a few cheesy one liners by Jeff Goldblum (tho would Jeff Goldblum being in a film without said one liners actually count towards his career)
The special effects were second to none and the story line like I said above was very similar to the first but very well put across none the less. I'll be honest, I don't know if I'd being saying this if I had paid £13.99 out my own pocket mind... it was very good and definitely worth a watch but slow in places and sometimes a bit too cheesy! So from a heavily pregnant women who's watched the entire film collection we have to offer with all her free time and her fiancé whose been desperate for a new film- a massive thankyou to sky for our little Xmas treat for being great customers!! Jess x Finding a hobby for a 3 year old isn't the easiest task, specially when your 3 year old seems to love everything. When I was growing up I was that child who would flit between different hobbies and never see it through to the end. I did dancing, horse riding, swimming and played the oboe. All of which never amounted to much. So when Abi reached an age where doing something out of nursery was an option I was adamant she would love it and want to do it. Her first choice was of course horse riding... one of the more expensive hobbies out there and despite my 3 years of doing it - something I couldn't stand the idea of. I hate horses. Well not so much hate as absolutely terrified of them. I blame the fact I spent more time on my arse after being thrown off than being actually scared of the animal itself. We went once a week for 4 weeks- then the horse got a little spooked one week when the weather wasn't great and after a small moment of the horse thrashing and Abi holding on for dear life we decided maybe horse riding wasn't for us... We asked Abi what she would love to do now and without hesitation she told us she wanted to dance. I don't know why we hadn't thought of this sooner to be honest. She can't help but have a wiggle when a song comes on and loves performing. After a lot of research we decided to give Swish of the curtain a call. They are a performing art school as opposed to just dancing so it was perfect. We wasted no time in signing her up to a Saturday morning session for an hour where she would do ballet and pre performers and what really sold it to us was the fact that all the other children would be the same age. It runs in the school term times so started in sepetember. Within the first few weeks her confidence excelled and despite being only 3 her dancing and imagination were suddenly incredible. Every Saturday morning she runs straight in at 5am eager to get ready for ballet! Maybe it's the pink tutu that she loves! Just last week we had our first taste of a dance recital- and we couldn't wait!!! It was only 20 minutes but it was amazing to see what she does in her hour lesson each week and despite being a little nervous that she wouldn't perform well in front of the 20 parents that were staring at them all she did brilliantly. Hitting every note and getting all the moves down perfectly! It's now the Christmas holidays so no dancing for two weeks- something that we thought Abi wouldn't notice but she's pretty disappointed at the prospect of no dancing for so long! Swish of the curtain is definitely something I would recommend to anyone who has a little one- boy or girl - who loves dancing, singing and general performing! The teachers knowledge and ability to engage an entire class of 20 three year olds absolutely baffles me and watching how they all stare in awe and hang off their every word each week is incredible- I must find out how the lovely Miss Kyle makes our usually crazy child sit and listen for longer than 1 minute!!! Like I said above, Abi's confidence has absolutely sky rocketed and I would put money on it being purely down to the Swish team! Jess
X One of the first posts I did was about how this pregnancy hasn't been quite what we had hoped for (not that you can predict how a pregnancy will continue!) I had just hit the 20 weeks mark and if I could go back and tell 20 week pregnant me that I should enjoy that seemingly awful time because it will ultimately get worse, I would.
The approach to week 28 has seen the arrival of nail breakages (they were so long and nice) super dry skin (including very very dry scalp) ans spots galore. It's also seen a hospital visit because I thought my waters had broke- they hadn't- it's just the result of another not so great problem this pregnancy has dealt us, my blood pressure has spiked then dived, swelling has become an absolute norm and at one point it was looking like gestational diabetes was heading our way- thankfully it was a false alarm!! All of the above resulted in just a few points to keep an eye on at every appointment I attend- luckily my midwife is super involved and has been seeing me every 3-4 weeks and plans on doing so till the very end! The one thing that's caused me much more grief- SPD. At the start of this spd diagnosis, my back pain and sciatica seemed to cause me more issues and the spd was just an added unconvenince- this is where 20 week me would give 28 week me a hearty kick up the arse and tell me to prepare myself. About week 25 the pain in my - let's call it my groin for modesty- was intense. It was a cross between the most intense pressure - worse than those final weeks before labour with Abi and the worse crippling cramp like pain I've ever felt- again up there with labour. I couldn't walk for more than 5 minutes without needing a rest and more often than not a cry and getting off the toilet was suddenly an inconceivable idea!! My physio got me straight in when I told her and it was there she told that she was surprised I could even walk- I've come to conclusion it's because I've had the pain on and off since 16 weeks so it's like I'm used to it, I also have neither the time or patience to accept I'm bed ridden to baby girl arrives. I was referred to a specialist physio (tomorrow's the day!!) and other than that told to rest when I can and prepare for it get worse little by little. Which it has. Good days I manage a nice walk can manage to clean at a leisurely (1.5 hours to clean the bathroom with regular tea breaks for example) pace and bad days I still walk (I have 3 year old who I refuse to let suffer because of it) but I rest a lot more and I'm usually in bed by 7. its part of the normal now and I've been regularly assured that once she's here it will be like I never had the spd and I'll be back to complete normal activity! Of course week 27 sees a massive growth spurt and my, this little one did not disappoint. It was a week before my next midwife check up and I suddenly felt huge- all clothes were too tight and I now own one pair of super comfy pj bottoms that I live in and wash pretty much every day so I don't feel too slobbish! (Absolutely refusing to buy any more maternity wear!!) But I didn't just feel big. I suddenly felt very very uncomfortable for a reason that wasn't spd related. I felt exactly like I did right before I went into labour with Abi. I had an immense pressure in my lower abdomen, I suddenly needed to wee all the time and her every movement caused a little pinch sensation making me wee a bit!! I also suddenly couldn't sleep on my back comfortably or stretch properly. All these points i was ready to raise at my appointment (even tho I was fairly confident it was just her ever growing size- with Abi she measured much smaller than should be right until the end where she suddenly grew!) Check up rolled around and Sian my lovely midwife got very excited about the fact that baby girl was in fact head down and very low (not a concern at all. Apparently it's good) instantly I panicked but she very quickly reassured me that she's just comfy and ready and she's just a baby who's sitting very very low- and it could all change in weeks because these babies don't play by anything but their own rules. After I stopped being naurotic I described the feelings of movement I have and it all made sense- the pinchy bladder is because she's literally hitting it with her hands, the popping up the top of my belly- her feet playing piano on my ribs and the pressure- she's just stretching like Mrs incredible. All in all this baby is a lot more active than Abi was- tho she'll have several days of constant movement followed by a couple of very little. I'm a keen believer in not wasting anyone's time so the 3 times it's happened I haven't called anyone- I've just relaxed and really felt for her movements- and they are there. Just a lot more subtle. I spend the 2 days worrying and being vile to anyone who comes into contact with me - because I'm worried- then by the time I think "right better call someone" she makes up for it like a gymnast. For example right now- after 2 days of barely moving she's actually hurting me a little. All I can say is god help me at 38 weeks!! Pregnancy is beautiful- so I'm told- but my god. Roll on March. Tho, not to quick because all we have in the way of preparation for this baby girl is her new Pram which we've had since 12 weeks and the fact I've washed and packed away all her clothes (most of which are all Abis old clothes which I love- it makes them all so much more special) I've decided February will be my baby shopping month- it will all keep me occupied for the last few weeks! Happy Sunday! Jess X The last few weeks have been somewhat challenging. Between a demonic three year old (who resembles an angsty teenager more and more every day) doctors and midwife appointments and getting ready for the big man to come down our chimney, we've all been pretty busy in the Bolton household. On top of all that BT royally messed up our broadband and phone line (several angry correspondence have been sent) so for 5 weeks we were without wifi and data (how I survived with no social media to help pass my bed rest is still a mystery! Through all this though- our Christmas shopping is complete (albeit not wrapped) our house is decorated and the advent calanders get eaten every day! This year Chris took full charge of all the decorating- he's far more patient than me and is also quite fussy so it made sense for the perfectionist to take over- I'm also lazy. In doing all the decorating tho he has decided we need a new tree- he loves spending money unnecessarily!! But I do agree. Every year Abi brings home a selection of hand mans Xmas decorations- as well as making something at her school Xmas Fayre. Our windowsill looks very festive with all her little trinkets that she's spent hours making! Abi has spent the last 6 months telling us she would like a baby born dolly for Xmas and the kids version of the new pram for the baby- of course she changed her mind 4 weeks before Xmas and decided she wanted a paw patroller and all the characters from santa- if you're not aware it's one of the hardest presents to get your hands on. But the powers of daddy prevailed and the paw patroller and it's 6 heros are hidden safely in santas grotto ready to be wrapped for Xmas morning! I definitely underestimated the strength it takes to keep an over excited child at bay for the 2.5 weeks of advent calanender opening that leads up to the big day (every day we have the same conversation explaining why she can't eat the entire thing as well as mummy and daddy's!) Midwife appointment after physio apointment after doctors appointment hasn't really helped on the pregnancy side of things- other than the confidence that baby girl Bolton 2 is thriving and is at no risk- I'm just suffering at her expense. But I'll touch on that more in another post! Last week saw both Chris and Abi get taken out by the winter viral flu thing that's doing the rounds- high temperatures over 41c, the sweats, excessive sleep and no appetite persisted but after the 48 hours they woke up like nothing had happened!! Both of them are as equally dramatic as each other- neither could move from the sofa (their legs were broken apparently!) tho Abi did seem to get it worse and for a little longer too- as the below picture will show you... Despite it being so long- there's really nothing of much interest to report... so this mumma is hitting the hay (I'm sure that's how the saying goes) ready for another week of Christmas prep!! Jess
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