{Mummy Monthly} 20 Months of Madness

20 months down the line, and I still cant believe I am a mummy. Especially to this little guy!

Here is what he got up to in his 20th month.

A DIY Garden Wedding

 
 

My cousin got married a few weeks back, so I thought I would share some pictures of her theme and decor. I love weddings, they are such a special time, and I can’t help but get emotional. I was lucky enough to be in the bridal party, and I did a speech… well I tried to do a speech amongst my crying, what can I say, I am an emotional person.

They had a garden wedding, and luckily it did not rain – the morning of the wedding it was raining, but as the afternoon approached, thankfully they rain held off. The venue was really quite breath taking and made for some amazing photographs. 

Her theme/colour scheme was burlap, burgundy, black and cream. Everything apart from the dresses were handmade, and I love the vintage look it gave to the overall wedding.
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19 Month Toddler Update

This month I have noticed Keaton’s attachment to Bradley increase. For the first 18 months of his life, I was the person he would want when anything happened, however as he hit 18 months, I have become second to dad. He constantly wants to be around Bradley, and cries when he leaves etc. In a way it’s nice for me, as I have a break ,and can sit down and have some me time, but I can’t help but feel a bit sad that I am no longer his number 1. I am in  group on Facebook for New Zealand mums, and I posted about it on there, and apparently it’s a phase,  and it passes, so I better enjoy it while it lasts. Anyway here is what he has been up to this past month.

Eating: he no longer wants me to feed him, he does everything himself now, either eating from the spoon or with his hands. One thing he has started doing more of, which is rather annoying, is throwing everything off his plate and putting it on his highchair tray and then throwing his plate on the floor.

Sleeping: has been mostly good. I am not sure if we are sending him to bed too early, his bedtime is 7pm, however the last couple of nights he was stayed awake in his cot until past 8pm and then gone to sleep. I think he is getting enough sleep, as he sleeps 2 hours+ during the day and about 10 hours at night if he sleeps from 7pm – 6am. We are going to try the later bedtime over the weekends and see if that helps.

Loving: playing with his “kitchen booking toys”, riding around on his motor bike. He loves to pick flowers for my parents on the way to their house. Shouting people’s names (he puts his head back and screams them). Being outside – he is such a busy body, and can play outside for ages.

Hating: Shower time and brushing teeth again – he likes to “brush” his teeth by himself, but really needs my help, which he is not too fond of.

Doing: Potty time, he says “ wee wee”, and “ potty”, and will use the potty if I take him there and put him on it, but he has not learnt to ask to go to it yet.

Teeth: still has 20, no change here, although I think his last 4 molars are starting to move down, he is getting a rash on his face, and increased dribble.

Nappies: still in huggies walkers 10 – 15 KG

Clothing: slowly moving into size 18months / 2 years, the pants are still way to long, and most of his shorts are still size 1, his waist is just too small to fit them, however he can comfortably fit into size 2 shirts.

He had his first haircut which you can read about here.

Next month is Christmas - and I cant wait to see the difference in him this year vs last year, he gets so excited when he opens things, so just know its going to be awesome.

Check what he got up to last month here

Until next month xxx

Christmas Is Coming!!!

I love Christmas – I have been getting into the Christmas spirit since the beginning of the November, and I think it’s only going to get worse ,I absolutely cannot wait until the beginning of December so I can put up the Christmas Tree. I spoke to my sister earlier this week (they live in South Africa), and she said she has already put up her tree...um WHAT???? I thought I was bad... that is just a tad crazy.

Since moving to New Zealand I have themed the tree differently each year. I am pretty sure this year will be Pink and Gold, but I have been seeing a lot of pastels around, and I quite like the idea of that. Or maybe just all silver.

The town we live in has started putting up decorations, and when I go into town I can’t help but get excited. They are lighting up the tree in the village square this weekend, so will have to take a wander down and show Keaton.

He is still a bit small to join in all my hype, but fingers crossed next year he will be as excited as me. 

I bought my first Christmas candle and decorations. The candle is nothing fancy – the scent is Vanilla Sugar, but when I light it, I can really start to “Smell Christmas”. 

The decorations are just small add on’s to my extensive decoration collection.

I just can’t put into words how excited I am, I can’t wait to decorate the house, put up the tree, drive around in the evenings looking at the houses decorated in Christmas lights, Santa Parades, going for our annual Christmas picture at Santa’s Grotto (well this will be the second year), it’s all just so magical.

I also can’t believe the change in Keaton since last Christmas. He was 8 months old and he will be 20 months this Christmas, time is going too fast.

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Haircuts and Ice Cream

Keaton had his first hair cut over the weekend. It was a bittersweet day for me. I didn't want to cut it, I want him to have long luscious locks. I think a part of me also thought that once he had his hair cut, he was no longer a baby. I guess at 18 and a half months - he is not a baby. 


He was so good at the salon, he hardly moved, he just sat there in awe of what was happening. 

Now I'm not one of those people that find shaved heads, tennis ball cuts, or spikes "cool" for little kids (well most kids), so I made it quite known that he was to have minimal cut off. The stylist said we should shave it all off - as it will make his hair grow back thicker. Um - I never shaved my hair and its thick - so hell no am I going to have Keaton looking like a tennis ball. Each to their own i guess.

Spring time in Auckland is great - well in any country, but I think I appreciate it more now that we live in New Zealand, and we are super close to the beach. 
After our haircut trip we took a wander along beach and it was such a superb day out, we went and got Icecream. 

There is the cute little Icecream shop that closes over winter, and when its open there are always ques. We got there just before a influx of people, so didn't have too long to wait.

Keaton got to have his first cone Icecream - he ate it so well, hardly made a mess, and managed to get the licking motion going after watching us with our ones. He doesn't have a lot of dairy in general as he is a bit lactose intolerant ( he is semi okay with milk, but anything else does not agree with him), this was really a treat for him, and while he wont be able to have them all the time, I am sure he will enjoy them when he does have them.

Until the next adventure ...

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A Morning With The Gannets

We headed to Muriwai a few weekends back to have a look at the Gannet colony. I am sure that every Aucklander has been there at least once. Apart from the absolute stench of bird and poop – it’s a really amazing place.

Its official name is the Tapaku Refuge, and was established in 1979, and is a breeding area for about 1200 pairs of gannets.

Keaton and I were both sick, and we went on a super windy and chilly day. Luckily the gannets are there no matter what. He really enjoyed seeing the “birdies” as he calls them, so did my husband.

This picture if of 2 gannets literally flying right above my head - If I had reached up, I probably could have touched them

Anyway I thought I would share some pictures I took – as it really is a remarkable place and its just amazing to see these birds in their “natural habitat”.

18 Months of Awesome

As I write this, it still has not sunk in… we have an 18 month old. Time has gone by so quickly. I am so annoyed with myself that I did not start doing monthly blogs when Keaton was born. Oh well, guess better late than never.

Anyway – here is what he is up to at 18 months

Eating  Everything, he is a really good eater, and there is little he won’t eat. He feeds himself with a spoon or a fork, and  has become less messy the more he does it. We also say prayers before eating, and he get so excited as we get to the end, as he says “Amen”, its just the cutest thing.

Sleeping: Luckily still sleeping through. He has been since 7 months. He goes down at 7pm, and wakes at 6am. The sucky part about that, is that its 6am everyday – 7 days a week. We don’t even use our alarm clocks anymore.

Loving: He has taken a liking to my parents neighbour’s son. Not that he has ever met him, but he knows his name is Peter, and every time Peter goes out, or Keaton sees a car that looks like his, he says “Peter”. It’s really cute how he picks up words that we unintentionally say.

Hating: Nothing really – apart from strawberries. He is not a fussy eater at all, but strawberries seem to be his nemesis at the moment.

Doing: Lots of talking, his vocabulary keeps on increasing, and it’s amazing how he is able to interact now. 

Weight: He is around the 12/12.5 kg mark

Height: around 80cm

Teeth: I think he is cutting his last 4 molars, so he currently has 16. We have been lucky that he has gotten his teeth quite quickly, I think by 16 months he had all but 4 left to go.

Nappies: he has moved into the Huggies 10-16kg (think they are the Walkers ones). Huggies are more expensive in New Zealand, but they really are a quality nappy, and will definitely stick to them with my future babies.

Clothing: Brand dependent. He is still quite short for his age, and he has a small waist. Some clothes are 6-12 months, and some are 12-18 months. I am trying to pack away all his smaller sized clothes, and put him in 18 month to 2 years. Most of the 2 year old clothing is too big for him, but there are some smaller brands that

he fits into. He has so many clothes, that if I don’t put him in the bigger ones early, he won’t get wear out of them.

Shoe wise, he is a size 3, but he has fat feet, so is wearing size 4’s. He seems to fit into Converse best, so is wearing those in a size 4 and size 5.

I have seen a lot of changes in Keaton this month. He is showing signs that he is ready for potty training, which is fun and exciting. We have had a few accidents, but I guess that goes with the process. He is also into playing with pots and pans, and his imagination is really coming out. My husband made him a stove out of a cardboard box, nothing fancy. He will stand over his “stove” and stir his pots and bang them. Other things he is into is watering the garden. He takes the watering can and makes "psssssh" sounds as he waters the plants, he a real busy body. He always has to be doing something.

I love all the moments I get to share with him, he is growing up way to quickly.
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Liebster Award Nomination

I have been nominated by Nikki at:  fashion.beauty.love  for the Liebster Blog Award. Cheers for that, its a great way to check out new blogs and learn new things about my current fav bloggers. 

Rules for Liebster Award:

1. Post 11 random facts about yourself.

2. Answer 11 questions asked by the person who nominated you.

3.Nominate 11 bloggers (with less than 200 followers) to do the same.

4. Let them know you nominated them.

note: it’s hard to tell if a blogger has less than 200 followers. i didn't want to ask each of my 11 individually, as this would take away the "surprise" aspect of this nomination. i based my choices on the bloglovin follower count, as well as and google+ activity. apologies if i have chosen you, and you are over the 200 follower count.

11 Facts About Me:

1. I am scared of the dark
2. I have 2 tattoos of stars
3. I am left handed
4. I have an amazing family, who are always there for me
5. My son was born on my birthday
6. My sister and I had our babies 4 weeks apart
7. I have seen Justin Timberlake at both his world tours, one in 2007 in London, and one in 2014 in Auckland
8. I love bargain shopping
9. I can touch my nose with my tongue
10. I love baking
11. My favourite colour in pink

Nikki’s Questions

How old are you? 

28

Favourite thing to do? 

Shop and spend time with my husband and son

Do you have a job? If so, where?

Yes, I work in Marketing

Favourite place? 

Has to be Cape Town –South Africa

What is one of your best memories? 

I have 2, the first was the day I got married, and the other one was the day my son was born

Are you a morning person? 

I have had to become one, as my son is up at 6, every day, 7 days a week

What do you usually order at the coffee shop? 

Trim decaf latte, sometimes not the decaf – but try to stay trim

What is your style?

hmmm – comfort, anything skinny, I don’t see myself as a trend setter.

Favourite brand of make up?

I don’t really wear makeup, I have a couple of things from Nyx and L'Oreal and a BB cream at the moment

Where do you go when you're sad? 

I usually bottle in my emotions, and then let them all out at once, sometimes in the shower where no one can see me, and then I can pretend I have shampoo in my eyes.

Where do you go when you're happy?

I don’t have a specific happy place to go to, you can always tell when I am happy, as I have a super huge grin on my face

My Questions

1. What country do you live in?
2. What made you want to blog?
3. What did you want to be when you were little?
4. Who is your favourite superhero?
5. How old are you?
6. Do you have any siblings?
7. What is your favourite brand of clothing
8. Summer or Winter
9. Favourite Disney Character
10. You cant leave home without?
11. Who is your celebrity crush?

I nominate: 

 A Pretty Post-It

ITS A MARGO THING

Sophisticated Beauty on a Budget

Little World Of Rachel

Heart of Danny

Kate Lily

Edith and Me

This is my life

Loving Marshall

The Contented Wife Blog

Don't Lick Your Sister

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