Ollie's first birthday + my birth story.

My big boy is ONE today!!! I can't believe that he is so big. He is a very smart little man and my life wouldn't be the same without him. Sometimes it's hard to take care of him by myself with no family members around (only my sister is here), but it's the best job ever!

When Ollie was born it was my sister's birthday so it was the best gift I could get for her. We were all so happy that he is finally here. My mum came to us from Poland for 10 days especially to see Ollie and help me after giving birth. She came around 3pm and brought Polish food of course; we were talking, laughing, eating, picking first outfit for Ollie and then about 11pm I said that I have a pain similar to period pains. We went to hospital and Ollie was born on the next day at 12:12.

I thought that I will stay 2 or 3 days and my mum is going to take care of her grandson a bit and I was happy that she is going to see him on those first days. Unfortunately I lost a lot of blood so I had to stay longer and then Ollie was jaundiced and then he had some infection. Perfect! I was so angry and sad and happy at the same time. I stayed 8 full days at the hospital, what a nightmare. I was taking care of Ollie all by myself and it was a bit scary because I was new at this, but I had to learn how to change him and feed him and I did great!

I was watching everyone leaving the hospital and at the end of my stay I was feeling so much better that I was helping every mum there, which wasn't able to lift her baby or was taking a shower etc. Hospital staff was great and very nice and helpful. Food was good, I even got to eat ice cream, but for lunch we had some soups which I didn't like.

I feel great as a mum and I couldn't be happier. I always wanted to be a mum and I think I am doing great. Maybe I don't have a lot of times without a baby, when I can go to the cinema or to a girls party, but I wouldn't change my life for anything.

My son is a toddler now and I can't wait to see him developing and discovering his world. It's an interesting experience for a parent to be in those moments when your child is taking his first steps or saying first words and I am happy that I am a stay-at-home mum at the moment.

Happy birthday, my cutie pie!

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SmarTrike review!

My son is getting older and I want him to be an active, healthy and happy baby. He loves to play with his car and likes to push the wheels of his pram, so we thought that little bike or rather trike would be perfect for his birthday, which will be exactly in 6 days! 

On UK sites there were only few colours of this SmarTrike, even on Ebay or Amazon. I didin't like blue one from Argos, so my fiance chose this grey one from Smyths and I love it! 

This tricycle is 5 in 1 and is from 10 months old till 3 years! It has a storage bag where you can keep all of baby/toddler essentials such as nappies, wipes, toys etc. It also has a little bag attatched to the handle, where you can put your phone  for instance (blogger never leaves a house without one!). There's a canopy as well which protects from UV radiation, a little storage at the back of a tricycle and a bottle holder in the front. The best feature here is 360 degrees wheel, which helps you turn smoothly in every direction you want to go. Although from what I've experienced so far (we've been using it for about a week or so) you can't walk too fast when pushing this tricycle, because first wheel will be turning and stopping you suddenly which is quite dangerous when you are about to cross the street. I don't know if I like this special wheel, I would rather have a normal wheel like in the back. 

SmarTrike is very light which is very important when you have steps to your house like I do (only two but still). It is perfect for long walks in summer or other season of the year, even when it's time for your baby's nap! It has reclined seat which is great when your baby is tired or wants to relax a bit. 

My son is very happy and glad that we bought him a SmarTrike. Although he is still a little baby you can see that he likes it! It was a first gift that he enjoyed so much an that makes me and my partner happy too!

If you are wondering what to buy for your son or daughter for first or second birthday or even Christmas you can consider buying a tricycle. It will last for a long time and it's almost like a stroller. I think I won't buy any stroller now.

SmarTrike - Smyths

Do you want to see more reviews? Please write a comment bellow with your review idea.

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Little boy's room ideas.

Ollie is moving to his own room soon! I can't believe that my little boy will be a toddler now! He is a very smart boy and so so cute and sweet that I want to kiss him all the time. I know that I'm lucky, because I have one healthy boy and this boy is growing up so fast that I really don't know when did that happen. During the first year he was sleeping in our bedroom, sometimes even in our bed. I think I will miss that and I don't really know how to move him to his own room - it would be weird in the beginning - but I think we all are going to be fine. We definitely would benefit from that, because we are going to have more space in our bedroom and also in our bed... And Ollie is going to be more independent and some of his toys could go to his room as well, because now we've got everything in our living room.

Decorating baby's room is a tough task, but I have a lot of ideas in my head of some modern decors and I wanted to share it with you. I love light and neutral colours in the house, but I also like some colourful accessories such as pillows, frames or blankets. I fell in love with paper storage bags and I think we're going to buy one. I am also thinking about Miffy bunny, I think it will suit Ollie's cheeky character. I would also like to make some activity corner or sensory boards in his room. What I don't like is baby blue colour, I don't know why but it's to bland for me and I didn't want Ollie's room to be all blue! First thought that I had was grey walls. Yes! But then I thought that white would be perfect and his room would look even bigger.

I don't know when my son is going to sleep in his own room, but I am starting to collect more and more pictures and inspirations and it's very exciting. I have picked a few so you could see what those ideas are.

source: all pinterest

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Strawberry cheesecake.

Cheesecake is not a cake or a pie, it's a dessert. It's a dessert from my childhood and I don't eat it very often, only when I visit my home country, which is once-twice a year. My grandmother used to bake a lot such as my mum and I think that's why I am interested in baking. I had a lot of hobbies such as English language, than sewing, knitting and now baking, which I love the most.

This was my second attempt at making cheesecake and it was really stressful for me. I was checking the temperature every 10 minutes and couldn't focus on anything else at that time. I bought cream cheese in a bucket and it should be that thick that you can cut it with a knife. When I was making a cheesecake for the first time I didn't know about it and I thought that cream cheese that I bought will be ok, but it had consistency of a yogurt, so my cheesecake went straight to the bin... It collapsed in and was almost liquidy. 

I am sure that I'm going to try and make it again and maybe some day I will make my perfect cheesecake, but for now I am very pleased with this one.

Ingredients:

• 170 g digestive biscuits
• 60 g melted butter

Crush biscuits into a powder using a blender or a rolling pin (then you have to put all biscuits into a plastic bag). Mix with melted butter until you have a consistency of a wet sand.

Put parchment into a baking pot. Put mixed biscuits on top of it, even it. Put it into the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Ingredients for a cream cheese mixture:

• 500 g cream (curd) cheese
• 1/2 glass of double cream
• 2 eggs
• 3 tbsp of lemon juice
• 2/3 glass of caster sugar
• 2 tbsp of potato flour
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 300 g strawberries (it can be frozen and you don't have to refrozen it)

All ingredients should be kept in home temperature.

Place all ingredients in a bowl (leave strawberries for later) and mix just a little. Don't mix too long, because there will be too much air in the mixture and it will rise a lot in the oven and then collapse.

Pour the cream cheese mixture onto a biscuit base, which you've prepared earlier. Cut strawberries in half and place them on top of the mixture.

Bake in 150 degrees for 60 - 75 minutes. After that time cheesecake should be elastic and bouncy. Cool it in a slightly open oven (do not take it straight out of the oven!) and than put it into a fridge for 12 hours.

Before serving you can sprinkle icing on top.

Source: http://www.mojewypieki.com/post/sernik-truskawkowy

What desserts do you like? Do you bake or buy your favourite cakes/desserts in a supermarket? Leave a comment below. I would be happy to read all of them.

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Baby, it's cold outside.

Autumn is coming whether we want it or not. Some of us are a bit sad or maybe happy, because they have to put their uniforms on again (or for the first time ever) and learn how to write an essay, discover that from a chemical point of view human body consists of 60% of water, or that Earth revolves around the Sun. Some of us have the same feelings about the weather, which is going to change and you won't be sunbathing for 2 hours anymore or showing off your six pack. Unless you live on a tropical island or other warm place!

I like this time of the year, because we spend more time with our family and friends. We go to cinema to warm up a little bit, we pick some new, cosy blankets, we talk, we bake, we drink loads of tea - I prefer a tea without milk and maybe a fruity one, because I'm Polish, aren't I? In Poland where I come from we don't have that strong black tea like it is in England so we don't have to add milk to it and I think it is also some kind of tradition, but enough about tea! 

I feel blessed that I live near water and I have those amazing spots in my town. I can sit on a bench and just watch the Mersey river and people jogging with or without dogs, children riding bikes or mums chatting with each other. I like those people who don't know me at all and just smile or start a conversation. Not that I am so interesting, what I meant by that is that people here are very open and friendly. And the view is gorgeous, especially in Wales!

Autumn is a very special time, there's colorful leaves, chestnuts (when I was younger I was collecting chestnuts and making little puppets from chestnuts and matches). 

In autumn we also pick different colour of our clothes, or maybe it's just me. I like burgundy as well as khaki, but I also like caramel-coloured clothes. Today it's one of them. I hope you'll like it!

Which season of the year do you like and why?

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Giving kisses, eating sandwiches like a big boy and breaking records.

I really can't believe that my little one is going to be ONE in less than a month! I mean really? When did that happen? I remember when he only lied on his colourful mat and didn't know who me and my partner actually are.

Now he can say 'dada', 'baba', 'nana' and he is now saying 'mama' as well! When we're going downstair in the morning he grabs his little car and he knows what to do with it! I was shocked when I saw it for the first time.

I can see that he is growing (us mums don't see it as often as others, or maybe that's just me) when I buy him some new clothes. We bought him some T-shirts last time we were shopping and he now wears size age 12-18 months! 

Ollie can now give me a kiss, when I ask him to do it and try to reach him, he can eat his sanwiches by himself and he can also stand by himself for about 20-30 seconds! It's a beautiful feeling when you watch your little one grow to little boy and man. Ollie will soon be a toddler and will walk and run to mummy and daddy. I can't wait for all the amazing moments and I am writing down everything what my son can do in each month of his first year of life. It will be a nice thing to go back to in a few years.

What can your little ones do? What age are they? Don't hesitate to comment below. I would be more than happy to read it!

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Maxi skirt for summer.

As a mum I want to feel great in my body and look good in my clothes, but I have to admit - I was (still am sometimes) one of these women that spend a whole day in sweatpants and a T-shirt, without make up on and with an oily hair!

O.K. I have an excuse: I take care of my baby by MYSELF! I don't have Ollie's grandparents around (all of them live in Poland), it's only me, my partner, who works all week and my sister who stops by as often as she can.

O.K. No more excuses! This blog gave me an opportunity to always look good, even when I know that I'm staying at home today or just going to a playground for a while. And it gave me also something to do, some regular task, which I have to mark as 'done'.

Everyone has those days when they just want to feel comfortable in their clothes and aren't bothered taking that pajama off. It's not a bad thing to feel that way, but us women need sometimes a little bit of help to look good. A bit of mascara, a splash of perfume... You know what I mean. 

What I am trying to say is that I feel myself again. It's a lot of work being on your own with your little one, but you have to just organize your time and have some motivation to put your make up on and dress nice. 

Don't get me wrong, you don't have to be all glammed up to feel yourself, but you don't want to spend the rest of your life in sweatpants (or pajama) either, do you? Just be normal you, but take care of yourself.

Crop top - River Island

Maxi skirt - Primark

Shoes - online shop

And how do you cope with everything? Do you have a time for youself in this cray cray motherhood?

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