How I Met My Partner | Valentine's Special

As we all know Valentine's Day is quickly approaching, that one day where everyone celebrates the meaning of love.

Now if your single, February 14th may just be a normal day to you, however, I believe this special day shouldn't just be about romance, it should also be celebrating the love you have for your family, friends; those people close to you. 

And of course love should be celebrated everyday, not just one day a year.

I've never previously had a date or partner for Valentine's day, so now this day has a very important place in my heart! I never had any self confidence when it came to relationships or dating people.

I wanted to do a story time post tonight.

I like to keep my blog almost like a diary, for me to look back on when I'm older and read all the awesome memories that have been created.

Therefore, this is my story on how I met my partner of nearly two years, Daniel.

Me and Dan started talking on the ever romantic Facebook, I know! Its not the most romantic story to tell our grandchildren, however it does get more interesting, I promise.

To be honest I don't even know how me and Dan came across each other online, but once we got talking I had a good feeling about our friendship.

Me and Dan have both struggled with anxiety for many years, both in different ways but some ways very similar. We got talking about the topic of anxiety almost straight away, and again, I can't remember how or why. We both helped each other from then, onwards, with our struggles relating to anxiety, and this was before we even met.

We spoke for a good few months online before arranging to finally meet, for me, meeting someone new was one thing that set off my anxiety, due to it being social. I've had social anxiety for what feels like forever! I would never want to go to parties, sleepovers, school disco's; you name it, I just didn't like socialising, it scared me. This trait unfortunately stuck with me throughout primary school, high school and still to this day.

Dan turned from a stranger into my rock, he helped me on a daily basis, when I was having a bad day, I knew I'd have him to talk to and cheer me up, things were great!

I felt like the time was right to find my soul mate and strongly believed that if I met Dan, it could turn into something life changing, and my instinct's were right. 

For some reason Dan was the first guy that I didn't get myself worked up about meeting, I felt as if I was meeting a friend I'd known for years. For the first time I felt fine about meeting someone new and it felt so good to not have a million worries going through my head, so I just went with the flow.

I met Dan one morning and we took the train to Preston for the day. We both loved to shop so it was only right we would spend our first date shopping. This date was incredible, there wasn't one awkward moment, we were both really chatty and just happy to finally be face to face. I knew from day one that this was the man I wanted to grow old with and still to this day feel the exact same way.

The day went by super fast and not for one minute did I feel awkward, it honestly was such a bizarre feeling as I never thought I could ever meet someone and have such confidence and excitement about it. After our date we took the train home and I went to Dan's house to meet his parents. I never usually rushed to 'meet the parents', however for some reason, I felt like it was necessary, it wasn't a big deal to me, and yet again, my nerves were non existent.

We finished the day off with a walk to the local nature park and literally sat for ages on a bench, eating junk food and chatting away. It didn't matter what we did, we didn't feel the need for a fancy dinner date, or to have to impress each other, we were just happy to be together.
Whilst we were sat down, Dan asked me to be his partner, as we had previously spoke about it before meeting, and of course I said yes! I was extremely happy that I'd found someone genuine and down to earth, a true gentlemen.

And that was just the beginning!
Two months into our relationship we discovered I was pregnant, it was not planned and very unexpected as I was on the pill at the time. I knew from the second the pregnancy test came back positive that I was going to keep the baby, abortion wasn't an option. From then onwards, life has been amazing, I couldn't be happier with the life I have now, with my little family!

Me and Dan have always said that we were made for each other and I now truly believe that your life is planned out for you, things will happen when the time is right, whether you expect it or not!

And with all that being said, Happy Valentines Day!
I love you Daniel Bracey.

I DONATED MY ORGANS!

If you could help save a life, would you? 

This week I made one of the proudest decisions I've ever made. 

As scary as it is to think about, my decision in the future, will save someone's life. 

I'm always thinking of ways to 'do my bit' whilst I exist on this earth. I get a real buzz knowing I've helped someone, made someone smile, held the door open; small little gestures like this make me feel super positive.

Although I'm not one to set myself new year resolutions, I do set myself goals all the time, I'm someone who always likes to feel like I'm pushing myself to do my best.

A huge goal I want to achieve this year, and for many years to come, is to help those less fortunate than me.. I'm a very sensitive person and worry about everyone else before myself, even if I don't know that person, which brings me to the topic of this post..

After coming across a campaign from a Vlogger I follow on Instagram - Maisy Meow, I instantly wanted to take part. 

I decided to join a campaign called #ObjectsForOrgans, which was started by a woman called Adele, her main aim is to raise awareness about becoming an organ donor and to get as many people who want to get involved, signed up. People are helping spread the word via social media and we want to get this campaign across to as many people as possible, so everyone has the option to sign up and help change a life or multiple.

Organ donation is simple to sign up to, you simply register yourself on the Organ Donation List on the NHS website which can be found by clicking here. 

I took just a few minutes out of my day to sign up, and afterwards I felt so proud of myself, knowing that when its my time to go, I will be able to give something back and make a positive change to someones life - Because after all, life is so precious!

So why should you sign up? - Well here's just a few amazing facts that convinced me to want to donate:

• One, JUST ONE, organ donor can improve up to eight lives, as well as being able to save the lives of up to 50 people by donating tissues and eyes.
• As of last week in the UK alone, there are 6,414 people waiting for organ transfers.
• Every 10 minutes someone is added to the national transplant waiting list, however on average 20 people die a day from not having a transplant available for them.
• You can chose which organs to donate, whether its one, or like I chose - all of them.
• Its free to apply for and takes literally two minutes to fill out.

I hope this post has made at least one person aware of Organ Donating, if not more!

If you are interested in applying, then please do!

You could help make such a difference and give someone a second chance at life!

iCandy Peach Moonlight Pram | Review

As Noah is 7 months old now, I thought it would be an ideal time to do a review on Noah's pram, since we've had a good 7 months of testing it out. 

I have the iCandy Peach Moonlight pram which is a travel system, it comes with the carry cot and the pushchair which easily attach onto the frame of the pram.

When falling pregnant it came as a total shock, we were in no way prepared. We had to buy everything on a budget but luckily we had very supportive families who helped out whenever they could. This brings me to how we ended up choosing iCandy. 

My partners parents were kind enough to offer to buy our pram for us, this was a lovely surprise and we were extremely grateful.

Me and my partner had opposite ideas when it came to choosing a pram, meaning we had to come to a happy medium. After months of looking for the perfect pram, we came across the iCandy Peach Moonlight, which was on display in our local pram store, 'Simply Baby'. This pram is fab for many reasons, such as: variety of colour options, easy to disassemble and the fact this pram can be used from newborn to toddler, meaning we wouldn't have to folk out for another anytime soon. 

The iCandy Moonlight is super easy to push and also light weight, which is not what I was expecting from this pram as it looks quite bulky.

This pram is especially great for cold weather as the inside of the pushchair is lined with fleece type material, making it extra warm and snug, just like your baby is wrapped up in a duvet. 

One down side is that I don't drive which means having to use my parents car to get lifts anywhere, this means that its always a tight squeeze with having a full car majority of the time and having to fit both the pram frame and pushchair into the boot, unfortunately we have a small boot so the pushchair has to go on the back seat, or if the cars full, someone's knee, and trust me its a tight fit! This is not ideal when your in a rush, everything has to be put into the car prior to going out so were not rushing around last minute.

Now we get onto the price.. Before I say the price I just want to point out that if it wasn't for having the pram bought for us, I wouldn't have bought an iCandy purely due to the high price range, this pram would of been way out of my budget. I was never interested in a pram for the price, I was looking at Mothercare prams for a while as I liked the fact they were affordable, yet great quality. 

This pram cost a whooping £1060, and that was the SALE price! If I was to ever have more children I would be keeping this pram as for the price it was, I would want to get as much use out of it as possible! The great thing about this pram whilst on this particular subject is that the material is very high quality that my pram still looks brand new, even after pushing it around in rain, going through puddles and having baby food and milk spilt on it numerous times; which means if I was to use it again it should still look good as new! 

Overall this is a fabulous pram, however the price range would 100% put me off if I would of had to buy it myself. I believe (unless your a millionaire) that as a parent-to-be you want to be able to afford all the essentials and still have money left over for anymore baby bits you may need, although saying that, there are many brands out there who range their prams at a more reasonable price, so you still do have other options which is great.

I love the quality of every part of the iCandy Moonlight pram. There are so many great features, especially the spacious storage basket under the pram which makes shopping trips so much easier, that's one thing I'll miss when don't need to use a pram anymore, I actually have to carry my own bags!

You can buy add on's to this pram such as: cup holders, matching change bags, rain cover, clip-in sun protector umbrella and many more.

Head over to the iCandy website to check out the wide range of prams they have to offer.

Also if you want to check out Simply Baby, the store I bought this pram from who also stock popular/similar brands, then click here to be taken to their website.

Thank you so much for reading, until next time,

                                                                      

Weaning my son at 4 months old | My Journey

(Noah now - at 7 months old)

Disclaimer - I am in no way a health care professional, this post is about my experience only, if you are seeking professional advice, please contact the relevant people, e.g: your health visitor, midwife or GP.

My son has always been one step ahead of himself, which is what led me to start his weaning journey. Noah always took his bottles without a fuss, and eventually it got to the stage at around three months where his milk just wasn't satisfying him as much and he would become grumpy in-between bottles.

When Noah was four months old I decided to give weaning a try, if it was to fail I would go back to only giving him bottles until six months old, then try again.

To start of with, me and my mother made some of our own puree's using the Tommee Tippee baby food blender, however now I've had time to use this product, I've realised that I could of saved my money and just used the normal food blender I already had at home; which is now what I use as I can fit more portions into a normal blender.

Making my own puree's is so rewarding, Noah loved puree's from day one of weaning, which made me super excited for the start of his weaning experience.

My son surprised me with how fast he took to puree's, he was in no way fussy and enjoyed whatever food was placed in front of him.

When I'm not making my own puree's, my all time favourite place to shop for my son's baby food is Aldi, the prices are brilliant! With pouches of puree's starting from as little as 52p each, you can't go wrong. Considering for one pouch of Ella's Kitchen 6 month+ puree's your paying £1.50 each, your saving a heck of a lot of money in the long run, especially if you buy bulks at a time like myself. My only negative about Aldi is the variety, other stores may vary but in my local Aldi variety is limited, I never see any new flavours being released onto the shelves. This brings me back to Ella's Kitchen, although the prices are a lot higher, the variety is incredible! I do occasionally buy Ella's Kitchen baby food if there on offer. I'm always stuck for choice on which ones to buy next and I still have many more to try!

Lidl also have limited puree's but are low priced and have some lovely flavours to offer such as pumpkin, sweet potato, blueberries and apple pouches, which has been one of my sons all time fav's.

Noah is now 7 months old and he makes me so proud each day, he tries so many new foods, making my life a lot easier. I was always a fussy child and still am to this day, making me want to give Noah a great start to food so he can enjoy it instead of being scared of it.

Noah is now onto finger foods as well as 7 month+ puree's and his fav at the moment are rusks, toast and Ella's Kitchen melt puffs. These type of snacks are handy to have whilst out to fill a gap in your little ones tummy until its meal time.

I sometimes doubt myself and wonder 'am I rushing things?', although I know damn well that I do everything I can to ensure my son has an exciting, yet age appropriate diet.

Noah still gets plenty of milk and water daily, as well as a few snacks here and there ;)

To finish this post off I wanted to send a message to all parents, and that is to never doubt yourself! Don't be affraid to ask for professional help or advice from other parents if you are unsure of when to start the different stages with your baby.

You know better than anyone what stage your child's at and when they are ready to move up a step.

And with that being said, Good Luck on your weaning journey's!

Until next time..

Angelcare Soft Touch Bath Seat | Review

Since my son turned 5 months old, he has hated lying down in the bath, the struggle of holding a wriggling baby who is refusing to lie down is a challenge. This is why I decided to start my search for a bath seat. I looked at tons of seats, however only one really took my fancy!

I wanted a bath seat which was going to be comfy and that would support my son well so he's not slipping around. One night I was on Amazon when I discovered the Angelcare Soft Touch Bath Seat, I'd heard of this brand before, but never seen this product. After reading lots of positive reviews this product instantly caught my attention, however, I am an extreme cheapskate and the price did put me off a little, £25 this bath seat cost, which I though was a bit of a rip of for what it was. After umming and arhhhing I decided to go with this seat, after all I'd rather of spent a bit more than what my budget was if I was going to have a happy, comfy baby during bath times.

The bath seat took two days to arrive and was packaged well. When unboxing, I had a very strong feeling I was going to love this product, and sure enough I was correct.

I've been using this bath seat for over two months now and I absolutely love it! I would recommend it to any parent, and can confidently say this is the best baby product I've spent money on. It definitely paid off to spend that extra money as the quality of this seat is fantastic! My son adores bath time now, I bath him daily as I know that he enjoys his 20 minutes of relaxing in the bubbles and playing with his toys, or should I say, eating his toys!

One great feature is that the legs of the seat have suction pads on that stick to the bottom of your bath, this makes the seat stay put so there's no need for worrying about it sliding about. The part of the seat which baby's bum sits on has little holes in, this keeps the water around the baby instead of blocking it off so your baby is getting cleaned whilst having fun playing - Its a win, win!

This seat is labelled for babies 6 months+, my son was 5 months when we first tried this seat out, he fit perfectly as he is pretty much the same size as a 6 month old. Noah doesn't slip about inside the seat, the rubber type material makes sure his cute little booty is gripped nice and snug.

As you can see from the photo, Noah is so relaxed, he loves the fact he can sit up, look at all the bubbles and be able to grab his bath toys that float around him. Bath times are a breeze now!

I couldn't rave about this product enough, I will be keeping up to date with this brand and seeing what other awesome products they have to offer.

Fancy having a look for yourself? Then click here to be taken to their official website.

Thanks for reading, until next time..

Dyefor | Phone Case | Review

Dyefor is a British company who create high quality phone cases, accessories, clothing and many more.

Dyefor offer personalised products, such as phone cases & homeware etc..

I'd heard of this company for a while, however only just decided to try my luck with them this year, I was not let down!

I didn't realise until doing my research on this brand and what they have to offer, how inexpensive their products are, I bought two personalised phone cases, both were only £9.00 each; and if that wasn't good enough for you, they also do free shipping!

Free shipping is such a bonus for me!

Last month I decided to buy my sister a new iPhone 6s for her 16th birthday, I always like to have a phone case on my phone as I'm a bugger for dropping mine, which was the main reason I wanted to get my sister a case.

I came across Dyefor after searching Google for 'Personalised iPhone Case' and straight away knew I was going to love this brand!

I spent a good half hour searching through the wide variety of choices I had, it was tough choosing which design I was going to stick with, there where many I was fond of.

I was extremely pleased with the phone case when it arrived, delivery was super fast and it only took 2 days which for free delivery is fantastic!

I was very jealous of my sisters new phone case, that I had to get one myself, there cheap enough so why not!?

I am obsessed with mine, I've had so many compliments as well as people asking me where I found it. My case adds a girly touch to my silver, bland iPhone 6 Plus.

The plastic that these cases are made from are great quality, the cases don't bend or snap easily and the plastic is thick enough to protect the back of the phone from scratches. 

This brand get a well deserved 5* review from me!

Dyefor don't just do cases for iPhone's, they also provide cases for: Samsung, Google & Sony mobiles, so your sure to find one to suit your phone!

If you like the look of these cases, why not treat yourself to one, click here to be taken to their website.

Thank you for reading, don't forget to subscribe to my blog and follow me on social media for updates!

Until next time..

My Pregnancy Story

On Saturday 8th June 2017 at 10:14am, my whole world changed.

Noah James Bracey arrived safely into the world and made me a mummy.

My pregnancy was a total and utter shock, after being on the contraceptive pill for three years and not falling pregnant, it all changed and along came my son, the happiest day of my life!

At 21 years of age, I had my life planned out, a house, good job and then a baby. Things didn't quite go to plan when I took a pregnancy test one morning, thinking nothing of it, and right there in my face was a BIG FAT POSITIVE!

After the family discovered the news everyone was thrilled to pieces for me and my partner, which may I just mention we were only officially a couple for two months before we discovered the news!

I was so excited to go through the journey of pregnancy, a week or so later I fell extremely ill with morning sickness, and I mean, it was the worst I've felt in my whole life.

I struggled with having morning sickness everyday for a good few months, almost close to giving up (yep, you know what that means) I pushed through the first trimester and my god, am I glad I didnt quit, as I now couldn't ever imagine life without Noah, he is the missing piece to my puzzle.

The second trimester was somewhat easier, the daily urge to throw up wasn't as regular, although I hated leaving my house, the cold weather made me feel worse!

It was in my second trimester that I found out we were expecting a boy!!!

I cried happy tears and instantly my thought to give up vanished, I then fell head over heals in love with the little human I was growing.

Of course from then on mine and my partners new favourite hobby was shopping for clothes for our soon to be son.

After what felt like an eternity I finally reached the third trimester, morning sickness was a thing of the past, on the other hand it was replaced with many sleepless nights and heartburn. 

At this point I thought my pregnancy, besides the morning sickness, had ran pretty smoothly; only to discover at 28 weeks that I had developed undiagnosed Gestational Diabetes. From then on I was having to test my blood sugars daily before and after every meal, I became use to doing it after a few days, besides, I would have done anything to make sure my precious baby was going to be safe.

37 weeks came around and I had noticed reduced movement from Noah, I later had an appointment from a routine check up at the hospital where I there told the midwife of my situation. Immediately it was decided that I would be induced the week later, little did I know that my son didn't want to wait around any longer, the day after I booked my induction, my son arrived!

At 2am I was disturbed from my sleep from what felt like my waters breaking, I ran to the bathroom in darkness and as soon as I turned the light on all I saw was a trail of blood on the floor, as well as all down my legs.

I was terrified, my first thought was, THERES SOMETHING WRONG!

When I got to the hospital the midwives could not find an answer for where the blood had come from, therefore they had to break my waters ASAP!

I was examined at 6am to find out I was only 2cm dilated, then after hours of horrendous contractions and 3 shots of epidural fluid, I was finally examined again, only to discover that I was fully dilated!

I pushed for around 40 minutes and at 10:14am, Noah James Bracey arrived into the world, weighing a healthy 7lb 1.

That was the day my world was complete, I have never been more happier than I am today, and its all thanks to my wonderful son.

My partner Dan was incredible, he stood by my side the whole time, I grew a lot of respect for him that day, as a man, having to watch your other half be in so much pain for a long period of time must be so frustrating and emotionally draining, I thank him for giving me our son and being the best dad I could possibly wish for.