The Life of a Lavery Toddler

I'm going to be straight with you. Trying to come up with an idea for a new blog post has been a bit of a challenge. I guess this must be how actual authors feel. They pour their heart and soul into a book, it becomes a best seller (yeah, I'm being slightly full of myself here), and then they have to start all over again. But really my blogger's block (a blogger's version of writer's block) is just because nothing that remarkable has happened lately. It's just been normal day-to-day life. You know, toddler, eat, housework, repeat.  So instead of making something up (which I totally could do), I'm just going to tell you all about the journey I have been on with my husband, Jack. Just the complete unfiltered truth of how we have found transitioning from being an in love duo, to a happy family of three. I must warn you, there are a few assumptions made here. Jack is not a communicator, so sometimes I have to fill in the gaps and guess what he is thinking. ...

Picture from my pregnancy This post could be considered a little bit of a change in direction for me and my blog. That's because it's not really about Cian at all. It's just an update on one month into my healthier exercise regime (i.e. having one at all) and diet. Jack actually questioned me when I told him this idea. You know, I like to consult Jack on these things. Because, whether he likes it or not, he's my partner in both actual life, and blog life. He wondered if this was really about being a mother of a toddler, after all my blog is titled "The Life of a Lavery Toddler". But really, this is motherhood related, because it's all about priorities. And let's face it, when you have kids, they become your number one priority, and that other stuff gets knocked to the back of the list. Or in my case, off the list completely. So some history first. Basically, the minute I found out I was pregnant, I pretty much stopped exercising, and I relaxed...

Spot the hat. One clue: Not where it should be. Good evening everyone! I say that because obviously I am writing in the evening but of course please squeeze me into whenever suits your busy schedule. I wanted to share with you what happened the other evening.  On our walk home from nursery, Cian and I were victims of Backseat Parenting. A phrase I have coined to describe someone who offers up their opinion on your parenting without provocation. Basically, unwanted parenting advice. If I was submitting my expression to be entered into the dictionary, my definition would be: Backseat Parenting (verb) [Bak-seet-pair-uh n-ting] 'A person who offers unsolicited advice or criticism relating to your parenting.' Sounds professional right? I did work quite hard on that, so I'd appreciate some laughs. So, what happened? Well, Cian and I were walking along the road, quite happily, as we always do. I try to walk from the house to work/nursery ev...

Seeing as I pride myself in being pretty honest when it comes to parenting. I thought, what better than writing a post all about my  experiences of parenting. Because for me, being a mum has ended up being very different to what I had expected. Of course, I had expected to have an undeniable bond with my son. And I got that. I still just stare at him sometimes with so much love. Really, it could be seen to be bordering on obsession. But that's normal right? It's the part of parenting, that I did not anticipate, that I want to talk about. Just the parts that no one else tells you about. The on the job learning stuff. Of course, the good things do outweigh the bad.. most days. Unless you're going through the terrible twos.. You just need to stock pile the wine and chocolate in then. Sleep when the baby sleeps! So, the hardest part of parenting for me, has hands down been the lack of sleep. And if I am lucky enough to get sleep, I struggle with the number of interrup...

M E R R Y  C H R I S T M A S  E V E R Y O N E ! So, I have seen a lot of lovely festive posts and I thought, I really need to get in on this. Everyone loves an upbeat and feel-good Christmas post, right? But, do you know what, writing about Sunshines and Rainbows, or should I say Mince Pies and Santa Trees, is just a bit boring... I don't know, maybe my genre of blog is less feel-good, and more feel-bad? Is that even a thing? Anyway, I thought I would attempt a Zaz-style Christmas post! December 2018 Having a child has definitely increased my Christmas buzz. I never used to be that Christmassy. Don't get me wrong, I have always enjoyed it. But I'm not one of those Christmas fanatics who  live  for Christmas. You know the ones. They have a 90-day build up, and a countdown on Facebook. This year though, I honestly just can't wait to just spend the day with my family. I have so many games lined up. But, good games. Not ones that go on for 4 flipping hour...

Cian, one week old As a woman with shoulder length hair I am quite low maintenance when it comes to any hair-related grooming. I probably get my hair cut every six months in a good year. I think my last haircut was April and it is just while I write this that I am considering booking an appointment. It's not even the price that is a deterrent for me. That's only because I found a salon which is quite reasonable, and doesn't charge you a week's salary for a trim. For me, it is just not at the top the priority list of things to do at the weekend. For men however, hair grooming is a whole different ball game. For the first six years of our relationship, I was never conscious of the frequency of Jack's haircuts. I think he must have been barbering in secret. Now I realise that it's not just Jack, it's all men. My male colleagues are just as bad and my Dad is probably the worst topping the charts with at least three visits a quarter. So now having a son...

Nappy change at 3 days old I am not even going to waste my energy attempting to make this blog post high brow. This post is all about poos. You can package them up any way you want. I guess some people might find other words less offensive? Maybe saying poo-poo sounds cuter? I don't know. But in reality, you can't polish a turd, so why try. For the record my poos will not be discussed here, just my son's poos. He's only 2, so that's more acceptable right? One thing that never really bothered me about having a baby, was the poo. Actually, from birth you are encouraged to monitor your child's poos quite closely. I would always be pretty pleased when he produced one. It was far better than the alternative. Constipation is not funny. I think it helps that for as long as I can remember, talking about bowel movements has been encouraged in my family. I honestly believe that's the way to do it. Get it out in the open. The discussion, not the poo. I do know...

We are now 4 weeks into potty training. Not that I'm counting or anything. And I personally feel we have come miles from when I last wrote about this. I'll get to how far Cian has come in a minute, but I feel personally I have developed a lot throughout this project. How Zaz? How have you developed as a person and a mother? Well reader, let me tell you. I have always been a pretty patient person when it comes to Cian. It takes a lot for me to lose my sh*t. But in those rare scenarios (I'm being kind, they happen more frequently than they should) the only effective method I have found that has truly kept me from throwing my child, or myself, out the window, is the 'tag-team approach'. I'm sure many of you use it, and not necessarily with a child, maybe a pet, or a drunk friend? This approach basically has you taking five minutes to calm down, and letting someone else deal with the child, dog, or drunk friend. In this scenario my someone else is Jack, and m...

So for once, this is actually going to be a relatively serious post. Yeah, I'm going to give one of those serious posts a bash. I started my blogging journey because I wanted to share the daily pleasures and struggles of parenthood, and this post definitely falls into that latter category. I wanted to share this story because I feel pretty strongly about this one subject. I don't tend to have much I feel genuinely passionate about. I'm not opinionated on climate change, or recycling, or team sports. Does that make me a bad person? I don't know. But recently I have become extremely passionate about one thing. Febrile seizures.  Hospital after Seizure No. 1 January 2018 So, what is a febrile seizure? Very good question Mr/Ms Reader. I have taken the definition from the NHS website just for you!  A febrile seizure is a fit that can happen when a child has a fever... They most often occur between the ages of 6 months and 3 years. They are relatively c...

Cian at 3.5 months old - July 2016. Exclusively  breast fed. If you're a mother, you will have probably heard this. It doesn't matter if you chose to breast feed or bottle feed. At one point in time I'm positive these ridiculous words were said - "You can't overfeed a breastfed baby". Midwives say it, healthcare professionals say it, mothers say it, god even the internet says it. But it's BULLSH*T. And I have proof. Don't get me wrong, I think breastfeeding is great in so many ways. It's cheaper, it means less cleaning (bottles), you don't have to move much during the night for feeds, and the health benefits for the child are fantastic! What is not so great, is not being able to tell how much your little peanut has drank at each feed. Was it a snack or a three-course meal? In reality, it is impossible to know! Like so much of parenthood, it's a complete guessing game. I feel it important to note, I also think there are so man...