Living Arrows 9/52

And so half term is over and James is back at school! I'm ready for a rest! 

This week the boys have been to the dentist! Both were really good and opened their mouths! Although nana did bribe James with his latest craze zomlings(??) 

We have chilled out this week watching lots of Netflix and playing online games! James is crazy about the cbbc program Swashbuckle so we have been watching it on BBC iplayer and playing the games in the cbbc website! Then on Friday as it was daddy's day off work mummy, daddy and James went to see the Lego batman movie! James loved it but mummy and daddy found it rather cheesey. It was also James first visit to the cinema and he loved it! Although I think the popcorn might have helped!

While we were at the cinema nana and gaga took Freddie off around the metro centre! He's learning to walk and will confidently toddle along holding your hand and has done five steps on his own! It won't be long before I have two boys running me riot!

So it's back to school and back into a routine for mummy and Freddie! Having James at home totally knocks me for six and I get so confused as to what day it is and what I'm doing when!

Freddie at fifteen months!

Freddie you are 15 months old and such a little monkey! You are into everything! You crawl into the kitchen and follow me round like a little puppy! Your favourite game is emptying the draw where I keep the tea towels! It's got to the stage where we have had to put your travel cot up in our lounge and stick you in there if we need to leave the room!

You are wearing 12-18 clothes and a size 5+ nappy at night. You have started wearing a size 4 pull up during the day. We found changing your nappies during the day so challenging as you would crawl off nappyless! 

You have been poorly again! We were staying with your nana and gaga, and you were up all of the Saturday night screaming, so nana, mummy and James took you to the urgent care centre and three hours later we found out you had an ear infection. 

You are starting to learn to walk and have done five steps so far. But you still prefer to crawl as you can get to places much faster! You do however love walking around holding someone's hand. You had a lot of toddle time in the metro centre with mummy then you had a toddle with gaga and nana!

You mastered climbing the stairs when we were staying with nana and gaga! You were zooming up their stairs, after a couple of days at home you started climbing our stairs, but u always seem to stop half way up!

Your relationship with your big brother is so cute to watch. You love nothing more than climbing on James to give him cuddles! You were playing so nicely with James in the hospital waiting room. 

I wonder if by your 16 month update you will be walking? I know I will definitely need eyes in the back of my head as you are definitely my Mr Mischief! 

Lots of love 

Mummy

xxx

 

Living Arrows 8/52

Another week of Living Arrows and what a week it has been! We started this last week with James still ill and ended it with Freddie ill! James got back to school on Wednesday after being off ill for a week and sadly only lasted three hours before mummy had to bring him home. I had been in his school for a morning with Piccolo Music so the parents could see what the children had been learning this half term and no sooner had I arrived in his classroom with Freddie I could see James had taken a turn for worse again. He did soldier on and it was at the end of the session when his TA checked his temperature and it had shot right back up again it was decided I would take him home and keep him off till after the half term holiday. James has also had his hair cut at last! And boy does he look handsome! 

Freddie has loved having his big brother around while he's been ill and absolutely adored going into his school! He loves all the attention he gets of James friends and teachers! A few of the teachers have already said they are looking forward to Freddie starting the school which will be in September 2019! Since James was off ill we decided to come up to his nana and gaga's house for an extra couple of days for a change of scenery for the boys. All was going well and we had been to the park and been to Alnwick, then Saturday night Freddie slept for a grand total of an hour and was screaming and crying all night! Nana, mummy and James then spent three hours on the Sunday afternoon at the urgent care centre at Wansbeck hospital with Freddie to find out the poor little man has an ear infection! He has perked right up now he is on antibiotics! Lets hope when writing next weeks Living Arrows that both the boys and mummy and daddy are all well!

Siblings in February

This month has been full of sickness for mummy, daddy and James with teething hitting Freddie big time!

I've noticed that the boys relationship is getting better and better every day. James adores Freddie and Freddie adores James.

James has been pretty ill this last week and didn't really want to play with Freddie. These photos were taken as he was feeling better. He does love nothing more than climbing on his little brother!

#VicksTricks

Winter is definitely not my favourite time of year! With two boys, one being at school, someone is always ill.

As soon as James was back at school last September he was bringing home germs and passing them onto mummy, daddy and Freddie. I was praying we all stayed healthy this winter but alas we have all been ill! James and Freddie have both had numerous colds and sniffles, both boys have inhalers, Freddie just blue and both blue and brown for James as he seems to suffer badly! Daddy has had colds and flu and mummy coughing and colds! 

Winter 2015 was a bad one for us as Freddie caught a cold at 6 days old, which progressed into Bronchiolitis two days after his first Christmas and then him and mummy had a three day stay in hospital.

My best trick for winter is definitely a fully stocked medicine box! Our number one supply is definitely Vicks vapour rub for James, mummy and daddy. We also have snuffle babe for Freddie as he is under two.  Liquid paracetamol is definitely another lifesaver! James has a generic versions, but we have to give Freddie colour free calpol as colourings in medicine seems to make him vomit. We then have things like paracetamol for mummy and daddy, olbas oil, tissues, ibruprofen, cold and flu tablets, cough medicine and of course sticky plasters! You definitely need a supply of sticky plasters with a school boy! 

We have tried the good old Vicks vapour rub on the feet and cover with socks trick a few times, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. It seems to work more with James than Freddie. 

This is our entry for the #VicksTricks campaign with Britmums

Living Arrows 7/52

This week as been pretty much a right off. It started with mummy slowly getting over the nasty cough (which has finally gone woo hoo!) and ended with an emergency trip to GPs for James.

James has been off school with a nasty virus. He woke up Wednesday morning and had his breakfast but by the time we went to get him dressed for school his temperature had hit 39.4! So it was a day of calpol, ibruprofen and being curled up on the sofa. He then vomited at bed time so that ruled out school till Monday at the earliest. Thursday he was just curled on the sofa again his temperature kept hitting 39. By bed time he was refusing medicine. Friday as definitely the worst day. We couldn't get him to take any paracetamol or ibruprofen and by 4pm his temperature had hit 41.1! So it was a mad dash to get him to GPs for 5pm after mummy rang to see if there was anyway he could see GP. It's got to the stage where we have had to physically hold him down screaming to get some medicine into him to get his temperature down.

So poor Freddie has been stuck in the house all week due to ill big brother. He got out for a walk on Friday morning as daddy was on a day off so he could look after James. He also had to come to GPs with his big brother. Thursday we normally go to our fun,play and learn group at sure start but since James was ill we couldn't go and I think he really missed it as he hardly napped at all.

Here's hoping next week is better as its the last week of the half term before James has a week off

Day out essentials with Two under Four!

Days out with two kids four and under can be hard work. If I'm only nipping to do school run then I will just grab my Pink Lining mini yummy mummy bag as it has a changing mat and I can fit a nappy, some wipes, my purse, keys and phone into it.

For a longer full day out or trip into Newcastle city centre then I use my Babymule! I use this bag simply because it is amazing! 

So for a day out with the two boys, what's in my bag!

Starting with the large back pocket, in here I keep the changing pouch complete with changing mat. In there is normally four nappies in a size 5+ and a pack of baby wipes. Then we have the small zipped bag where I keep a baby grow, a vest, a bib and a muslin incase or sick or poonami! Next is the second pocket. In here I keep a pencil case, a rolled up bib and James toilet seat. In the small pocket I keep my keys on the key hook, an extra pen and a packet of mints. In the top small pocket is where the messenger bag strap is kept! The pocket on the front is where the bottle bag is so I normally will carry a bottle made up in there just in case.

So that's what's in my Babymule, but what do I keep under the pram? 

I try to keep the basket quite clear when we are out, but I do keep some important items in it! First is the rain cover as you never know when it is going to rain! The second important item is our SnoozeShade. Most people assume this is a summer item, but no it's not! I use ours all year round! It's actually attached to the frame as I never know when I am going to need it! Not only does it keep the low winter sun out of Freddie's eyes, but it keeps the chilly north east wind off him! I also keep a bottle of water in there too.

So those are our essentials for a day out with two kids under four! If you think I have forgotten anything please comment below!