My Son May Give You a Stone.

If my son gives you a stone, please don't laugh. It may just seem like a stone to you but to him, it's so much more.

He is 2. He has no money to give, no words of wisdom to share & his arms can only give small hugs. But this stone; something that seems so small, insignificant & of no worth; that stone he chose just for you.

Something magical about that very stone in particular caught his eye, enough that it stopped him in his tracks, taking time out his day to pick it up, investigate it & assess whether it really was up to standard. That stone, he proudly showed his Mummy, announcing exactly who he had in mind to give it to. That stone, he gently put into his pocket & carried home with intent. That stone, he never forgot exactly who it was for.

It may seem a little strange. It may be something that makes you think, "what am I meant to do with this?". But that stone? That stone is all he has to give in the world. That stone, he carefully chose out of all the others. So please don't laugh when my son gives you a stone. Because that stone is all he has to give.

And he's chosen to give it to you.

Sending you some stone love,

Something A Little Different.

One of my New Year Resolutions is to improve my photography. So last week, whilst feeling inspired by my Doona, Rebecca, I took my camera & tripod (along with David snuggled into the buggy) down to the beach to try my hand at some long exposure shots.

Despite having my camera for nearly 4 years, I've largely relied on the Auto settings, with only a handful of times trying to get to grips with Manual before quickly realising I'm clueless and switching back. So when I broke my camera a few weeks back I reiterated my New Year Resolution & told myself if I was to replace my old camera, I had to make an extra effort in using a new one. So when my sparkly new Nikon D3100 arrived, I wrote myself a list of things to try. Amongst various ideas for photographing the boys, self portraits & nature-y things, I wanted to try some long exposure. And having the beach at the bottom of our road makes the perfect place to start!

It was a freezing cold day, the wind was mad & the water was a bit wild. But I'm pretty happy with my first long exposure attempt. I could do with a bit more practise in editing but I do love how the above photo turned out regardless.

(Recognise the scenery? I think I take too many photos here perhaps. Previously seen here, here & here.)

Babywearing - Getting Out With Two.

David is hidden in there...somewhere...

When I was pregnant with David everyone would ask me if we were going to get a double buggy. The whole prospect of this thought terrified me, for a number of reasons...

When we found out I was pregnant with John, I researched buggies to death. Given the price of them, I wanted to ensure we got the best buggy for us with no room for error. In the end we opted for the Bugaboo Bee which has been my favourite baby purchase out of every gadget, 'must-have' and essential that we've purchased in the past two years. The thought of giving up my prized possession broke my heart and I knew that unless we mustered up the cash for the Bugaboo Donkey (around £1,000 no-less!), I'd be bitterly disappointed with an alternative double buggy. There's also the fact that I don't drive and unless Iain is available, I solely rely on my own two feet & the bus to get us from A to B. This can be stressful enough with our existing buggy which is designed for public transport, so the thought of trying to manoeuvre a double buggy on & off a bus (or worse, having to fold a double buggy with a toddler & newborn in tow) was, and still is, my worst nightmare.

So where did that leave us? Well for a while I was convinced we'd get by with John walking & David being in the buggy. Simple enough but as I soon realised, John isn't even 2 years old yet and his little legs can only go so far before he insists on being carried. The next option was a buggy board, which we do have but again, John is a little young for it and doesn't quite grasp the concept yet.

The last solution was to babywear David and carry on using the buggy for John. Eureka moment! When John was little(r) I sometimes used a cheap Baby Bjorn style baby carrier that we'd bought on a whim from Mothercare. I loved it but it killed my back, particularly as he grew. And research also tells me that these carriers are not best designed for babies hips & aren't especially comfortable for them either. It wasn't until John was closer to a year old that I started following Rose from Carry Them on Instagram which opened me up to a whole new world of babywearing. I felt I was a little late to start investing in wraps for John so instead I told myself we'd give it a go when no.2 came along.

After a bit of research, I decided we'd get ourselves a stretchy wrap to use with David. At first I looked at the Moby Wrap but to me they seemed a little overpriced. I then went on to discover Victoria Slinglady and I thought my mind was made up, until I noticed the tutorial on her website on how to make your own stretchy wraps. I did a little more Googling for further DIY tutorials and went ahead to make my own stretchy wraps and so far they've been perfect! I think it's safe to say I'm becoming a babywearing convert. I even been writing up a wishlist of woven wraps for when David gets too big for his stretchy wraps.

So the benefits? My hands are free to deal with John (& push the buggy) and David is cosy & settled. Making leaving the house with two under 2 possible and virtually stress free! Ok, that last part is a bit of a lie but you get my point!

Extra For The Experts.
Babywearing International - What is Babywearing?
Babywearing International - Benefits of Babywearing.

Victoria Slinglady - Making Your Own Stretchy Wrap.
Ruby Stillettoes - DIY Stretchy Wrap.

Don't forget - you can vote every 24 hours!

Seaside Splashing.

Last week, John got his first pair of wellies. After a rather hilarious first attempt at having wellies fitted at Clarks the previous week (picture John not knowing how to actually walk in them and looking rather confused whilst glued to the spot) we got this lovely little pair of boots in Asda.

Recently John has become a tad obsessed with jumping in puddles so wellies were a much needed addition to his winter wardrobe. And what better way to test them out than by taking a walk to the beach to splash at the shore?

It's fair to say that boy was in his element. And despite the fact he splashed so much that a wet suit may have been more appropriate, testing out his new wellies seemed to make his day.

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Dear John - Little Boy.

Each day you seem to grow. Taller, leaner, less baby & more little-boy. The days of cradling you in my arms as a baby are now just a distant memory. Now our cuddles are initiated by you running up to me with arms open, wrapping your ever-increasing embrace around my neck and sitting yourself on top of your little brother's sanctuary.

You're such a caring little soul. You always have kisses & cuddles from your Mummy, Daddy, Granny, Papa, Grandad & Aunties - in fact anyone you take a liking to! You also love animals too, always so gentle with the cats we meet in the street or your Granny & Papa's dog, Bella. I know you're going to be just the same with your little brother - the overly bearing big brother, determined to help at any opportunity.

You're also so clever. So very clever. Words are few but your understanding of them is great. You know all commands from "pull your trousers up" to "blow your nose". And you answer all questioned asked, either with a 'yes', 'no' or an action of some sort, be it "would you like a snack?" or "where are your shoes?".

However, despite your mental leaps, you're still a tiny wee thing. You have recently had a growth spurt in which your height has increased and the last of your baby-chub has all but disappeared, yet you're still a titch for your age. Still wearing 6-9 month trousers, teamed with your new (sleeves-far-too-long) 18-24 month tops. I keep wondering if you'll ever take steps into the direction of your giant Mummy's height. You don't seem to let your size hold you back though - you let those little legs run as fast as they can to keep up with us bigger folk and you certainly know how to hold yourself around other kids.

My baby, my little boy. I'll continue to watch you grow, both physically and emotionally, always in awe of what you'll become.

Don't forget - you can vote every 24 hours!

Dear John - Mr Independent.

You climb up to the slide with no hesitation at all, waving at me once your reach the top. Then comes the decision -- do you opt for a traditional slide down on your bum, or instead choose your favourite method of throwing yourself down face first on your tummy? 90% of the time you choose your tummy, refusing my assistance to get your back on your feet at the end.

You happily exhaust yourself climbing and sliding, occasionally breaking to play in the sandpit. You barely even notice I'm there watching you. You're not even phased by the big kids that try and interact with you, instead you carry on playing away quite contently.

My boy, you're growing up ever so quickly and it's magical to watch. But just remember, no matter how fast you're growing, you still need your Mummy when it comes to a push on the swings!

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Oh, I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside.

Tuesday was another glorious day in Edinburgh. To take advantage of this beautiful heat wave we're experiencing, we arranged a trip to Portobello beach with the lovely Noelle with her two little ones, Leah & Daniel.

Our peaceful image of toddlers building sandcastles and paddling in the waves was not as picturesque as you'd imagine. Instead the day turned into food fights, John running away numerous times with Leah chasing after him, and a sticky mess of ice cream! I had also planned to get lots of nice photos but with two rampaging toddlers, an unsettled newborn and only two pairs of adult hands to deal with it all, the photographing side of me had to take a back-seat.

I did manage to get a good ice-cream-face shot of both Leah & John -- a cute memorabilia of an otherwise lovely day.

Also, a big thank you to Noelle for very kindly passing all her maternity clothes onto me! At long last I have clothes that are wearable, comfortable and not falling to pieces, for both work & day-to-day.

Don't forget - you can vote every 24 hours!

Let The Sun Shine.

This weekend was perfect. Both weather-wise and in terms of creating fond memories. We started our Saturday morning with a early morning trip to the park (which John was very content in having all to himself!), followed by a drive up the Hills in the afternoon for some fun throwing stones into the river. And the sun didn't stopped shining -- lets just hope it lasts!

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Our Home - Portobello Beach.

Two miles of golden sand, the cool blue water of the Forth and the perfected Promenade -- Portobello Beach is our home.

Known as "Edinburgh's seaside", we moved to the area a few months before John was born. Originally your traditional picture of a Victorian seaside resort, Portobello is a wonderful place for both day trips and for living. Iain had previously stayed in Portobello before we moved into the city centre together and knowing we didn't want to live so close to the bustle of city, it seemed like the perfect place to settle before our new arrival that would make us a family.

We're perfectly situated between the beach and the High Street -- a great location in all aspects. Right from when I was still pregnant and on mission "Get This Baby Out of Me!" I would walk the length of the beautifully maintained Promenade on an almost daily basis, something which I now do with John holding my hand. And Portobello High Street has everything you could ever need; from butchers to bakers and sweet shops to chemists. I can't imagine a better place to stay, particularly in such great reach to the city centre.

On a busy summer weekend, the beach is a sea of people, flooding in from the city craving ice cream & sea air. But when I'm need of some tranquillity, I'll head down in the early morning with John to watch the dog walkers and the beach-cleaning tractor -- at this time of day, the beach is perfectly quiet, the sand barely touched, ready for another day of hosting the masses.

Even in the winter, I love Portobello beach. Things are quieter, calmer. Only the dog walkers and those with metal detectors tread the sand but the Promenade still plays host the locals out getting their daily dose of sea air. Families, couples, kids and the elderly -- everyone walks along the beach front taking in the scenery and atmosphere. And it's always worth stopping in at the Beach House, grabbing some Fish 'n' Chips or having a drink in The Espy, none of which require the sunshine to enjoy (but it does help!).

Having grown up by the seaside myself (just down the coast from Portobello in fact), I'm glad that John will do the same. I can't imagine living anywhere else and it'll take something truly special to get me to agree to leave Edinburgh's seaside. For now I'll carry on walking the Promenade hand-in-hand with my toddler (often stopping to argue why we can't go in the sea today) and look forward to the days when Iain will take there to teach him how to ride a bike (whilst he falls into everyone's way).

Have you ever been to Portobello beach? Share your memories!