"John Had Nice Day, Mummy."

It's been a tough wee week in our house. I got a text from my Mum last Thursday to say that my Papa had pneumonia and it didn't look good. A few days later on Saturday morning, he passed away. Due to his advanced Alzheimer's we knew it could well happen but having only visited him days before, it was still pretty hard to news to hear.

After that it felt like Easter kind of passed in a blur. Both Iain & I were working over the weekend so aside from a little bit of chocolate on Sunday morning before I headed to work, it was as if it was any other weekend. So by the time Tuesday rolled around & I finally had a day off with my boys, I was desperate to get out and just enjoy the day. And as always, John & David were happy to oblige!

John's been asking to feed the ducks since last summer but it's always been too cold or wet, so when the sun started to shine on Tuesday we took advantage of the weather and headed to our favourite local park, complete with a massive pond filled with ducks, geese, swans & plenty of seagulls. John was in his element feeding the ducks & geese, as well as watching the swans bickering & splashing about (although he did call them "big seagulls"). David was fascinated too, watching the birds from his buggy and insisting John gave him some bread to throw too. Both boys were on perfect behaviour (y'know, apart from the fact David now has a bite-shaped bruise on his arm from John that he gave before we headed out...) which made for a perfect afternoon after a few days of feeling stressed & overwhelmed.

Best of all, John turned to me on the way home, just as we approached out house and said, "John had nice day, Mummy." Talk about wee boys melting their Mummy's heart!

If you enjoy reading Diddle Diddle Dumpling, there's still a few days left to nominate us in this years Brilliance in Blogging Awards. It's super easy & just takes a minute and we'll love you forever if you do!

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Monski Mouse at the Edinburgh Fringe

There's a few words that we use in Edinburgh that have different meaning to anywhere else in the world. Possibly my favourite is, "festival". According to Buzzfeed, a word that is usually used to describe a weekend filled with music & mud, is in fact, "an entire month spent fighting your way through crowds of people who just won’t leave," in Edinburgh. For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, it's the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; the world's largest arts festival, hosted in Edinburgh for the entire month of August.

For many years I've been a typical local, cursing the Fringe & all the slow-walking tourists it attracts. This year however, we took the opportunity to embrace the Fringe & take the boys to their first ever show. There are some shows aimed just for kids but few that cater to a pre-school audience. This year though, Edinburgh has welcomed Monski Mouse to the party!

On Friday, with Granny in tow, we headed up to George Square Gardens where the Palazzo Spiegeltent was pitched. Monski Mouse is the retro-fabulous-vintage DJ/Producer/Hostess of the Monski Mouse Baby Disco Dance Hall. Not only that, she is also a Mum of one with no.2 on the way. But her growing bump certainly didn't get in the way of the show. The Monski Mouse disco we attended was at 11am on Friday - a great time for the wee ones but the show we attended was a little bit quieter than the usual Monski Mouse shows. In retrospect, I think it may be due to the Edinburgh School's now being back after the summer holidays & many parents not being able to bring their wee ones due to Friday school run, being a half day in Edinburgh.

The small crowd didn't hold back Monski Mouse & her two lovely assistances though. They were still ready to rock & roll, impressing the group of wee ones who'd come to dance. John reminds me of myself at his age - quite apprehensive & unsure in big groups of people; this meant it took him a little while to come around to the idea of getting on the dance floor, instead hanging around our table asking for cuddles & his dummy (he usually naps around 11am-12pm too so he was a bit tired as well). David on the other hand was ready to rock!

The music of the disco was a nice combination of disco-classics & kid orientated songs, including one of John's favourite nursery rhymes, Sleeping Bunnies, which he was more than happy to cuddle into the cushions for & have Mummy bounce him extra high for. Throughout each song, Monski Mouse's assistants were running about, dancing their feet off, encouraging both adults & wee ones to boogy on the dance floor. The also conducted a rather impressive Conga Line, which John was more than happy to join in with.

The Monski Mouse disco is 50 minutes long, so perfect for the wee ones it's aimed for. Both John & David were exhausted by the end and a little grumpy as a result but they seemed really enjoy themselves. I too was absolutely knackered! One person that seemed to have endless energy though, was Monski Mouse herself, even jumping & shaking on the dance floor at the end of the disco, despite her obvious baby bump. One thing's for sure, you wouldn't have caught me dancing like that at that stage of my pregnancies! (Thank you, SPD  hips...).

Despite the small crowd at the disco we attended, Monski Mouse was a great, energetic morning out. Both boys enjoyed & exhausted themselves and seemed to be more than happy with their first Fringe show experience. And any event that ends in balloons & stickers is a winner in John's books!

For more info on Monski Mouse & her up-coming shows, you can follow her on Facebook & Twitter or check out her official website.

**We were provided with tickets for the Monski Mouse disco for the purposes of this review. All thoughts & opinions are our own.**

Keep dancing,

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Siblings #8.

I love this photo. It's from a series of similar photos of David smiling at the camera & John scowling or looking in a obscure direction. This one however, despite John's face being covered, is the best of the bunch. Why? Well because it looks like David is casually sitting beside the Cookie Monster!

But really, this photo is pretty relevant to these two boys. One smiling, contented, always-chilled-out baby, who'll happily sit in front of his snap-happy Mummy for as long as she wants. One bored, distracted, not-at-all-interested toddler, who'd much rather be chasing birds or picking flowers for his little brother to eat.

Of course, I'd rather have two little boys that enthusiastically embrace their mamarazzi Mum, but I don't. And this photo captures the reality of that perfectly. (Plus there's the fact John's hat covers his pasta covered face that I didn't wipe beforehand, knowing there'd be no chance of any photos if I did! Again, reality...).

See our Siblings in...
January. // February. // March. // April. // May. // June. // July.

Until next month,

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Hello Summer.

Things have been a little bit quiet here on Diddle Diddle Dumpling. Life has gotten a bit mad recently and at the end of the day, I've been too exhausted to entertain the idea of sitting in front of a computer screen and instead have been trying to catch up on house work & spending some time in front of the TV with Iain. But despite not having much to say, life has been by no means quiet. In fact, lots has been going on...

Lets start with John. The all singing, all dancing, refusing to nap at all, toddler. He can now count to 10 although he's still a little young to really understand what a number is. He often disappears to play in his room where you'll then hear a chorus of, "ba-ba back sheep, shedder wool." (I know, I know - but he's only 2...) Other songs include Twinkle Twinkle, Incy Wincy Spider & the Fireman Sam theme tune.
He's also completely potty trained now, only wearing nappies at night time and he's even dry for naps. However, his naps have become non-existent of late, much to my dismay...
In typical toddler fashion, he's also starting to push boundaries - majorly! After a bit of consideration we've decided to implement "Time Out" à la Supernanny Naughty Step (we're in a flat & don't have steps). At the moment it's being used in situations such as biting, hitting, upsetting David (he's developed this high pitched screech which he uses to make David cry when he doesn't want him to do something...) & refusing to help tidy up. And so far it's been pretty positive! He has grasped the concept and even remembers certain things will lead to Time Out; like picking the neighbours flowers. (NB. These aren't our neighbours flowers - this was the park!).

Then there's David - the biggest thing in David's life right now is starting nursery! He's still doing his settling in days but so far he seems to be enjoying it. I was a little worried as despite him being the happiest, most laid back baby in existence, he's never really spent any time away from me but thankfully he's taken it in his stride.
He's now mastered the sniper crawl and gets around our house with ease but hopefully seeing the other babies at nursery crawling will be enough to be him up onto his knees. He's also loving solid food - particular favourites being nectarines, sausages, pizza & ice cream (thanks, Granny...). And he has two teeth now to help him discover even more foodie delights. David's also taken to babbling away to himself, telling some great wee stories - he particularly loves when John repeats them back to him.
Sleep however? What is 'sleep'? Naps are great for David - he has at least 3 decent ones a day but he's still up at least 3 times a night. Thankfully he settles right after a quick breastfeed but it doesn't make it any less exhausting. He have taken the plunge and pop him right into his cot & ended full-time co-sleeping. But he won't be joining John in the other room until he starts sleeping a little better.

As for me? Well, I've been feeling a little lost lately; not sure who I am, other than "Mummy". It has come at a practical time however, as I'll be heading back to the world of work in a few weeks time, meaning I can have my 'days off' from being Mum and spend some time being Amy; talking to actual adults, who don't bite & who talk about things other than Fireman Sam (because no matter how great Sam is, sometimes I've just got to talk about something else...).

To try & help with my rut I've decided to start buying myself some new pieces of clothing and I've also been trying to give my straighteners a rest & embrace my natural hair. I've discovered the Curly Girl Method and I'm slowly having some success with it, although it's still very much trial & error. My skin on the other hand is absolutely atrocious. I have horrendous cystic acne that is not only affecting my confidence in my appearance but is agony too. It's getting me so down that I've made an appointment with the doctor later this week in hopes that they'll be able to help somehow, although I'm not holding my breath as I don't think there's much hope as long as I'm breastfeeding. 
And I finally finished the Couch to 5K a couple of weeks ago! (Whoop!) I'm now aiming to run at least 5k, a minimum of least twice a week, with hopefully upping the ante once this heat wave passes. Oh and it was my birthday on Tuesday! We celebrated with a trip to the park for a picnic & to feed the ducks, camera in hand to practice some new skills I've recently learnt (more on that later...). So here we are & Hello to 24.

So now you know what's been going on with us... How're you?

Happy summertime,

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Breastfeeding Support in Edinburgh & The Lothians.

It's one of the simplest things you could need, yet so many women still aren't receiving it. Support in Breastfeeding. Be it help in actually getting things established, or simply listening to you as you winge about being engorged again - support is always key. I've decided to keep things local today and list the support available for those of us in Edinburgh & The Lothians.

• • •

Midwives. They're a bit like Marmite - you love them or you hate them! If you're lucky enough to get a good one, grab hold of her from your first pregnancy appointment & don't let her go! I was lucky in that I had the best couple of midwives you could imagine. From answering the phone for the billionth time when John wouldn't latch, to being behind me 100% when I said I planned to tandem breastfeed. In fact, we had such a great relationship when it came to breastfeeding that they even invited me to speak at an antenatal class when John was a few months old.

That being said, my midwives were also the lactation specialists and ran the Breastfeeding Clinic for our area so they were very knowledgeable. If you don't feel like your midwife is much help, ask to be referred on to someone who is. Even if they don't seem clued up on breastfeeding, they'll have the contacts to those who are.

Breastfeeding Clinics. There are Breastfeeding Clinics throughout Edinburgh & The Lothians which are run by the NHS in various hospitals & health centres. Given how great my midwives were, I never had to attend one, however I've heard fantastic things about them. You can ask to be referred by your midwife, health visitor or GP, or you can just drop in. The Breastfeeding Clinics take time to help with the average appointment time being 2 hours, during which they'll take a history of your issues, watch your wee one feed, then identify the issues & work on a plan of action.

For a full list of Breastfeeding Clinics & when they're on, click here.

La Leche League. I was late in discovering the La Leche League [LLL] (when I was pregnant with David) but I'm glad I found them in the end. La Leche League (pronounced la lay-chay) is an international charitable organisation founded to give information and encouragement, mainly through mother-to-mother support, to all women who want to breastfeed their babies. I absolutely love going to the LLL meetings as there's no where else that you'll come across as many women who're happy to breastfeed their children without hesitation & eager to support each other in any way possible. It's the perfect place to not only gain support & advice in any breastfeeding issues but it's also fab for just talking to like-minded Mum's. Plus their meetings have a library of breastfeeding related books that you can borrow out too.

La Leche League Edinburgh meet twice a month for both a Baby Meeting & Toddler Meeting, but I've been welcomed at both with a baby & toddler in tow. And the great thing about LLL is that they have a 24 hour helpline and their group leaders are happy to be contacted between meetings too. The LLL Edinburgh also have a Facebook Group which is brilliant for those times between the groups when you need some moral support or just fancy talking boobs!

Psst! We also featured in the LLL magazine, Breastfeeding Matters in November/December 2013. Click here to see.

Feed Good Factor. There's a lot to be said for the NHS, especially here in Scotland (mine is positive, by the way!) but one thing I personally think they've done extremely well in is their breastfeeding support website, The Feed Good Factor. Not only does it explain the basics, like how to breastfeed, it also has a Myth Buster feature, a Troubleshooter help tool and a postcode search for local support groups a little closer to home. Plus their poster campaigns never fail to get a giggle from me. I highly recommend having a nosey is you're considering or planning to breastfeed, already facing problems or hoping to help some who is looking to breastfeed.

Friends & Family. It may seem like an obvious one but not everyone does get support from their loved ones. The important thing to remember is that generally, people mean well (& if they don't, well, you don't really need me to tell you do not need that negativity in your life!) and it pays to take any advice you're unsure of with a pinch of salt. It may help to make your wishes to breastfeed known before your wee one comes along and ask in advance that they support you in anyway you think will help. These could include, keeping visits brief at first, bringing you easy to cook & eat meals, not asking "when will you be introducing a bottle/dummy"... And make sure you instruct your other half to get you a glass of water & a breakfast bar each time you sit down to feed - breastfeeding is thirst & hunger inducing business! Having the support of those who mean the most to you will always be a step in the right direction.

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See what these other lovely ladies have to say in the Keep Britain Breastfeeding Scavenger Hunt.

Attachment Feminism // My Thoughts On Things // Hex Mum // Circus Queen // Mummies Waiting

And for the ultimate in breastfeeding support, hop on over to TalkMum who have kindly donated a 3 Month Supply of Pregnacare Breastfeeding Support Supplements to the Keep Britain Breastfeeding Scavenger Hunt.

Wishing you a supportive breastfeeding journey,

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,