Beautiful Bluestone

Our Grassholm lodge

At the end of last month we went on our third getaway to Bluestone Resort in Wales, and it did not disappoint!

I always thought of myself as a 'one person trip' to stay at a hotel/resort/holiday park etc but Bluestone is somewhere I'd return to regularly. First of all its' beautiful, tranquil National Park setting is perfect  when you want a break, whether it's as a family, as a couple or with friends, I believe there's something for everyone! From woodland walks, to play areas, to the pub, to the spa, there are plenty of things to do at Bluestone!

Secondly from what I have seen of Pembrokeshire it is absolutely beautiful, and there's still so much I haven't seen!

What's Included In A Bluestone Break?

When you book a holiday at Bluestone, free entry into the Adventure Centre and Blue Lagoon is included. Guided walks, outdoor play areas and seasonal festivals are also included at no extra cost, to find out more click here. There are plenty of other activities available for all ages that can be booked and paid for.

Accommodation At Bluestone

There is a variety of lodges and cottages available to book to suit your individual requirements, from couples to large families or groups there will be somewhere ideal, including interconnecting lodges. 

Our Stay At Bluestone

Monday

We left later than originally planned and had a couple of stops on route for food and coffee. It's a pretty long journey for us so next time I'd definitely consider leaving on the Sunday and staying overnight along the way in somewhere like Cardiff. When we were about twenty minutes away from Bluestone Nola got quite upset, I think she'd had enough of travelling so breaking up the journey would work well for us I think. Maps on my phone gave a travel time of just under four hours but of course you then have to factor in any stops or traffic you may come across. I think our journey was between the five and six hour mark.

We arrived to the usual friendly check in just after 7pm. Our lodge was immaculate as they have been on our previous visits.
Once we'd unloaded the car we headed to Aldi in Haverford West to stock up for our stay. We had a late dinner in our lovely Grassholm lodge and there was sometime spent trying to get Eliot into bed, he was too excited to sleep and couldn't wait to go back and visit the Blue Lagoon!

Tuesday
This was our busiest day at Bluestone in terms of activities we had pre booked. After a relaxed breakfast in our lodge, accompanied by some seagulls Nola and I headed up to the Adventure Centre for the baby sensory class, an activity suitable for 0-13 month olds.

Some of the local wildlife!

This was the first class I'd ever taken Nola to so was really looking forward to it.  When we arrived we got comfy and settled on our mat. Once everyone had arrived the lady leading the session introduced herself and explained what would be happening during the session. Everyone then introduced their baby before things got started. A variety of activities followed giving each baby opportunites to get involved. There were musical instruments, different textured balls, toys, materials for the babies to use their senses to explore. The different activities were introduced separately enabling the babies to have a go before clearing away and starting the next one, aiming to prevent the babies from becoming too overwhelmed. One of the last little activities was banana tasting, which Nola loves but unfortunately she had fallen asleep after all the excitement! It was a really lovely relaxed class, perfect for Nola. As she is delayed in her development due to her condition she didn't wasn't 'too old' being at the older end of the class age range. I certainly recommend booking on to the sensory class if your staying with a baby!
Whilst I'd been in the class with Nola, Eliot had been with dad collecting bikes to use for the duration of our stay, before making the most of indoor play and mini golf elsewhere in the Adventure Centre. I met with him, swapped children and then took Eliot down to Camp Smokey for the 'Into The Wild' activity. There is space for twelve children on this activity but Eliot got a 1:1 experience! It was onlysometime after I realised there were no older children because our break was in term time.

All ready & camouflaged!

We met 'Smokey Joe' who led us to base camp in search of her cousin 'Digger'. On route they added some camouflage to their faces using mud and leaves. Smokey Joe explained to Eliot that Digger lived with her but she wanted him to help her build a new home for Digger as she snored too much!

 We found Digger at base camp and she was promptly told she needed to move out before they began 'building' her a new home,  I also helped (a little bit) after some encouragement to get involved from everyone else!

Building a new home for Digger!

Attempting to make it waterproof

 Once the home was complete and tested on how watertight it was, we warmed up by the camp fire and ate a welsh cake!
We then got into teams, Eliot & Smokey Joe and myself and Digger to make a raft to race down the stream. We searched for twigs to create our masterpieces which I must admit I was pretty poor at and Digger did most of the 'building'!

Eliot with 'The Black Pearl'

Collecting the rafts after the race

 After the 'Rusty Bucket and 'The Black Pearl' were safely retrieved post race, a very special visitor made their way to base camp, Frodo the owl.

 I think I was more excited about Frodo! I'm a big fan of birds of prey and being this close certainly makes me in awe of them!

Eliot got to 'fly' Frodo and ask questions about him, it's not everyday you get to fly a bird of prey so this was fantastic! After Frodo left we toasted marshmallows over the camp fire, a nice way to end the session!

Eliot had instructed everyone to do  a 'Captain Jack' pose

This activity was my favourite, I'll 'fess up and say I'm a bit of a 'no mum' and the thought of Eliot smearing mud on himself on a regular day would probably have me shouting about dirt and germs! It was so lovely just to watch him immerse himself in all the activities and do things he hasn't done very often. It was certainly beneficial for him and he throughly enjoyed it. The two members of staff were fantastic too as I think in some respects it's tricky to run an activity that is planned for groups for an individual but they were both great!

After lunch and a break back at the lodge we walked up to Blue Lagoon, which Eliot had been going on about for weeks and couldn't wait to get in the pool!
 The under fives area was closed but all other parts of the pool were open, Eliot tried out a couple of the slides and spent a lot of his time in on them. We also enjoyed the lazy river and wave machine before it was almost closing time.
The family changing facilities are just what you need with little ones to get everyone changed. If you spend a long time at the pool, have family who don't wish to swim or simply fancy a drink or snack there's a cafe poolside to fulfil your snacking needs!

After our swim we headed straight down to Camp Smokey for 'Smokey Joe's Shindig' which is held on various evenings throughout the week depending on the time of year (it's closed between November & February) and involves eating, drinking and dancing! Included in your ticket is the food and live music, drinks are purchased from the bar.

I was very much looking forward to eating and enjoying music Al Fresco in the wood! On arrival we were greeted by 'Smokey Joe' and 'Digger' (the first) and put in Digger's blue team. We then had blue paint smeared on our faces. The red and blue team had to to compete to see who'd get their dinner first. Dancing and stomping were strongly encouraged, especially on chairs! The red team won so us blues had to wait a little longer before we could collect our dinner which consisted of a burger, sausage, pulled pork, BBQ beans and roasted potatoes. For pudding there was a choice of brownie or choc ice, brownie is always a winner for me! The evening ended with some familiar songs played by the live music act. I had such a good time I forgot to take any photos but did take some video clips, this is my favourite showing how much Nola enjoys music and dancing! 

I would certainly book the shindig again, the experience of eating down in the woods, singing and dancing was brilliant!

Wednesday

After breakfast in our lodge we headed out of Bluestone to the nearby Tenby which I'm sure hosts one of the best beaches in the UK! It is such a pretty little seaside town with shops and lanes to explore about a twenty five minute drive from Bluestone.

We had a relaxed mosey before having a coffee break. Then headed down to the harbour where we had a pit stop to give Nola her lunch.

 After enjoying just sitting back and taking everything in we walked over to the beach where Eliot was literally living his best life playing with a bucket and spade in the soggy sand. if we'd been there from 9am-5pm I'm sure he would have happily spent the entire time on the beach!

Before driving back to Bluestone we had fish and chips for dinner, you just have to have it when you're at the seaside!
There are so many more things to do at Tenby, such as visit the Tudor Merchant house, go on a boat trip or visit the castle. It's a must do if you holiday anywhere nearby!
We had booked Eliot on a 'Games Night' back at Bluestone which is an activity where you can leave your child/ren unaccompanied and enjoy some time alone to make the most of Bluestone! They had called us in the morning to let us know Eliot was the only one booked on the games night (again because it was in term time) and to see if he still wanted to participate. He had initially wanted to still join in but when he arrived and could see he was the only one there he changed his mind. It was a shame but I was impressed the staff had called to let us know the situation in the morning, rather than turning up to drop Eliot off and then being informed.

Thursday 
We spent the full day in Bluestone beginning with a leisurely start to the day by relaxing in the lodge. Eliot did get taken to the adventure centre again to enjoy more time in the indoor play area.
Lunch was something I had been looking forward to as we had booked it down at Camp Smokey, where my love for al fresco dining grew!
We rode our bikes down to the parking area ready for a woodland adventure after lunch.
This time we ordered from the menu and waited for our order number to be called to go and collect it.

I ordered 'smores' for pudding which I enjoyed and got to toast marshmallows over the fire again which was lots of fun in the surroundings.
Afterwards we collected out bikes and went on a little woodland adventure on one of the trails in Bluestone. It was only when we were down in the woods a family we rode past said it looked like my back tyre was punctured. On stopping and inspecting it was clear it was flat so I had to abandon my 'ride' and settle for pushing it, which I really didn't mind as I was appreciating how peaceful and calming the woods were.

 It was wonderful to feel like I was 'away from it all', hearing only woodland noise like the rushing water of the stream or the crack and crunch of sticks under your feet.

Hiring or bringing your own bikes to get around Bluestone is a great way to explore but if you're a very inexperienced bike rider like myself be warned, there are LOTS of hills, easy to get down, not so easy to get back up!

After our little adventure we arrived back to the village just in time for the village festival which is part of the Bwbach Festival running from September 3rd to November 4th.

Eliot enjoyed getting involved with the dancing before he spent time in the play area.

We then went back to our lodge for our last night at Bluestone, having dinner and getting packed for the journey home.

Friday

Check out time at Bluestone is 10am, once we'd loaded the car and vacated our lovely lodge, we took the bikes back. Then went to the Adventure centre for Eliot to enjoy one last play and had lunch at the Wildwood Cafe.

One thing we almost forgot to enjoy was the circus room, which is upstairs in the Adventure Centre for under fives.

Four Nola's!

Nola had a wonderful time watching the sensory bubble machine and enjoying the soft play area. Eliot also enjoyed having a play in here, it was interesting watching him as the last time he was in there he was under two!
Then reluctantly, we dragged our feet back to the car park to make the journey home. None of us wanted to leave which speaks volumes about how wonderful Bluestone resort is!

Why Visit Bluestone?
All of us 101% recommend Bluestone as a holiday, what we got up to is just a fraction of what you can do at the resort and there is plenty more to see and do in Pembrokeshire.
The staff are very pleasant and helpful.
You have the option to cook what you fancy in your accommodation but if you don't want to cook you can choose from a selection of places to dine in Bluestone.
There are seasonal themes and activities.

I mean I could go on but you have to experience a stay yourself, even if you're not really an 'outdoorsy' person like myself, you will want to get out, enjoy and make the most of the surroundings and facilities!

Have you been to Bluestone?

*We received a stay at Bluestone and use of bikes in return for a post. All opinions are my own

Photos credit: Photos marked with MPP were taken by Meet Petty Photography

Sealife London Aquarium-Review

Last week we had a fun summer holiday day out to the Sealife London Aquarium. I've been there a few times before but not for a good while, there were a lot of changes, from a new entrance to the addition of penguins, there were lots of new things to see!

As you first go in there is a clear walkway over some of the sea life...including sharks enabling you to get a look at them swimming below!

It was obviously busy being the holidays, so it was handy there were toilets while we were queueing to get into the next part. There was large family toilet which we went into complete with a kids toilet as well as a 'normal' toilet and a baby change! It was perfect timing as Nola needed nappy change.

As well as there being an abundance of sea creatures to see, there were also several talks about some of them, repeated several times a day.

One of my favourite things about our visit was being able to get a bit hands on. Eliot touched a starfish for the first time, despite having opportunities to do this in the past he was never quite brave enough. He said he was 'too scared' on this visit but after a member of staff said she would show him how to do it first he was happy to have a go.

 As we were about to go through the tunnel there was another member of staff with different specimens talking about what they were and answering any questions.

Eliot getting hands on

Another favourite part of our visit was seeing the giant turtles, I'm always in a bit of awe when I see wildlife and it was amazing to get so close, minus the glass. Of course one of the main attractions are the sharks and there a plenty of opportunities to see them from different perspectives in the tank.

Nola enjoying looking at the sharks!

 Seahorses are another of my favourites, they're so interesting to watch and move so gracefully. I think the tiny white specks you can see in the clear tube were baby seahorses!

There are plenty of species to see and read about as you walk through the different areas.

We all enjoyed the 'Rainforest Adventure' zone which started off with some creepy crawlies. The giant leaf cutter ants were fascinating to watch, as well as being in a tank there was a tube that ran above the other exhibits meaning you could catch a good sight of them in action. 

There were also hissing cockroaches and a rather large tarantula! The tanks they were in enabled you to get a better view and give the impression you were in there with them, with a dome in the centre you could crawl into.

Moving further through there were plenty more species to look at including piranha fish, poisonous dart frogs and cuban crocodiles.

Of course there were many people surrounding the penguin tank, all hoping to see them in action. Most of the penguins stayed at the back but there were a few that seemed to love having the crowds watching them. They'd dive in, swim around at an incredible speed before launching themselves back on to dry land like absolute pros!

One penguin in particular that wowed the audience was 'Max', he took it upon himself to parade right next to one of the windows, going back and forth before diving back into the water again. What an absolute character, such a joy to watch!

I certainly recommend a visit to the Sealife London Aquarium whether it's a trip with your other half, friends or a family day out, there's plenty to see! It was also interesting to learn about the conservation projects they are involved in.

Have you visited recently?

*I received complimentary entry in exchange for a review, all options are my own

The Third Trimester-Second Baby

35+4 weeks

A year on from me being in the third trimester of my second pregnancy and I'm finally writing about it...better late than never!

Morning Sickness

I did have a lot of moments when I was nauseous, one in particular was when we'd made a roast chicken in the bag for a Sunday lunch. When it was cooked and I opened the bag I couldn't bear the smell, it made e retch and safe to say I didn't eat any!

Cravings

Still no cravings as such but still avoided 'proper meals' on many occasions and would choose cereal and toast!

Scares

I always felt that when pregnant with Eliot that his movements were never really in a 'pattern' and felt the same with this pregnancy. I also thought the movements this time round were different, certainly bigger like rolls and more uncomfortable at times.

At 29+6 I called the midwife after work to say I was concerned I hadn't felt much movement so she sent me to the antenatal assessment unit at the hospital. Of course baby decided to become active and was moving whilst I was monitored. It happened to be the end of the heatwave in June and I'd had a sore throat so thought me being under the weather could have affected things.

I found myself back in the AAU a few times, I suppose the most worrying being when I fell arse over tit whilst rushing to a midwife appointment. I had to spend a bit of time being monitored and waiting for Anti D as I'd knocked my bump.

First monitoring

Midwives & Doctors 

I had the routine anti d injection due to my blood being rhesus negative. It wasn't the midwife I usually saw and I was asked if I would prefer the injection in my arm or the top of my backside! Having had previous anti d injections in my arm I went for the backside option. I was pre warned it would feel cold which it did.

 I saw a different midwife in my preferred hospital and also went through the process from the beginning, having to have my bloods taken again which I was not happy about! She also booked me to see a Dr as Eliot had weighed 9lb5oz when born and she happened to mention a 'bigger baby' could get its' 'shoulders stuck' which freaked me out and stuck in my mind. 

Most of the last few appointments with my usual midwife were normal, urine samples were ok apart from one time when my blood pressure was also raised so I was sent to AAU for monitoring but when they checked my urine and blood pressure everything was normal so I'm not sure what happened!

I saw the doctor at 39+6 after having a scan a week or two earlier to check babies size. At that point baby was estimated to weigh 7lb6oz. Due to my concern of baby being 'larger' than Eliot was, I was given a sweep which was not pleasant nor did it get baby moving! Then I was booked in for an induction four days later!

Scans

After having a 4D scan with Eliot I didn't think Id have one the second time round but gave in to temptation! I also wanted Eliot to see the baby to hopefully make it more real for him but as it turned out he was 'bored' after the first couple of minutes! The 4D experience is well worth it as you can find deals on packages. We came away with a DVD, images, a magnet and keyrings.

I also had a scan around 37 weeks to check babies size as mentioned above.

Other

I don't think I mentioned in previous pregnancy updates that I had some patches of skin discolouration, one was above my eyebrow. 

I had hideously swollen legs and feet, I think that had to be the worst pregnancy symptom, they were uncomfortable!

One big memory I have from the third trimester was that week long heatwave (nothing compared to this summer!) I didn't have a fan and almost had a breakdown in one of the aisles in Sainsbury's when they told me they didn't have any. I attempted to sleep with an ice pack but still had an uncomfortable few nights of sleep!

How was your final trimester?

Keep an eye out for Nola's birth story coming soon!

The Golden Hinde London

If you're in London or not too far away,The Golden Hinde in Southwark is one of London's many things to do and is part of a perfect trip out for any pirate/history fans. 

 Eliot has always enjoyed being out and about across the capital and loves the varied sights of what the capital has to offer. Lately, he has been particularly fond of London’s historic sights and revels on the background stories and facts behind them. One of his favourite historic subjects at present is pirates and ships.  So when we mentioned paying the Golden Hinde a visit he was very keen! Especially when his dad told him stories and facts about of one of history’s most famous Elizabethan sea captains, Sir Francis Drake and the mighty ship, he couldn't wait to get there!

 

Situated on the historic banks of Southwark, moments from London Bridge Station, and under the shadows of the gothic majestic Southwark Cathedral, The Golden Hinde is an exact replica of the real thing and is moored perfectly to where many boats and ships of the time would have docked.

Below deck is very tight and apart from Eliot, the rest of us had to duck down as we explored the lower decks. It really gives you a feel for how difficult and awful it would have been for the crewman who manned the guns as explosions and chaos rumbled around the ship. The living and sleeping quarters  were extremely cramped which makes you wonder how the crew coped. 

Being a grumpy, bossy captain!

 

We enjoyed our trip to the Golden Hinde and learning about the different parts of the ship and what they would have been used for.

The Golden Hinde is open daily but do check the website as they close for private functions, you can also see what's on as they have special events on certain days. The day we visited there was a pirate training activity!

Jumping with excitement!

 

Have you visited the Golden Hinde?

 

 

*We received free entry in exchange for a blog post

 

Nola's 6, 7, 8 & 9 Month Update!

General/milestones

Nola you are now nine months old, the same amount of time you were growing inside me. I'm sorry I haven't kept up to date with your updates, there wasn't any big changes between five and six months so I thought I'd pick things up again at seven months, then eight months and before I knew it here we are at nine months old!
You have grown a lot, especially your hair it's getting thicker and thicker! You have become more smiley, you 'talk' a lot making an 'aahhh' sound and you have continued to work hard at holding objects and rolling over. You have been rolling all the time these past couple of weeks and you're getting pretty good at it, you did bump your head at the weekend and bruised your head.

Seizure wise they made a come back unfortunately. When you were six months old I noticed when you were sleeping sometimes you eyes would open and then flicker, I was pretty sure they were seizures. So I sent a video over to the epilepsy nurse, I didn't hear back but then received a letter for an appointment at Addenbrookes with the paediatric neurologist, it turned out the epilepsy nurse had forwarded the video to him. He put you on a third medication and told us he would see you again in July.
The next day you began to have infantile spasms again so called I the neuros secretary and explained. The Dr called me that evening and said we'd stick with the plan, which was introducing the third medicine over four weeks and that should hopefully stop the spasms.
 It didn't so our appointment was brought forward and we saw him again a couple of weeks ago and he said the next stop was to put you on steroids. I really didn't want to put you on these as the side effects aren't great. But the with the overall outcome of infantile spasms there really is was no other choice. You have been an absolute trooper on them though Nola, you've just been amazing so so good! Very quiet and dazed at times but you have been smiley at times too. The good news is they stopped the spasms quickly and they have kept away so far! We started to wean you yesterday on your nine month birthday so I'm hoping that will be ok as I know it can be difficult for some little ones.



I don't think your development has gone back, if it has only a little. You wanted to roll for ages and you're doing it consistently now! You also want to sit up by yourself, you're getting there. I know you'll do it, I'm so proud of you! You're still not overly keen to use you hands, although you'll bash things and try to grab them if you're in the mood. A few weekends ago you mastered blowing raspberries and couldn't stop doing it! You haven't done it as much since you started the steroids.
 You cut your first tooth just after you turned six months and the second one followed shortly after!
In April you had your first trip abroad to Disneyland Paris, you were far better behaved than your big brother! It was such a nice getaway, not in anyway relaxing but wonderful to getaway...Disney is magical!
We were chosen to be ambassadors for Turtle Tots which is very exciting! We started our swimming lessons in May but have stopped for now due to your immune system being suppressed whilst on steroids. You love being in the water and did lots of splashing around.
 I moved you up to size 4 nappies at some point but discovered today you still fit in a size 3! 

Wearing purple for world epilepsy awareness day!

Feeding

Nothing has changed about your appetite! You still love milk and of course I started weaning you at six months. I gave you different vegetables first, broccoli, potato, carrot, cauliflower, parsnip, peas, green beans. You liked most of them but broccoli made you heave he first time, you were fine after that though. You definitely prefer sweet though as you can't get enough of fruit and yogurt! You are loving eating solids!
Milk is still very much a favourite, you have three to four bottles a day 5-6oz, I mix a bit with one of your medicines in the morning and at night. I have been putting some of steroid doses in.  

Sleeping

Mostly you sleep through the night but there have been a few times you've woken up very early, to be fair you happily lay there kicking your legs and playing with your feet. Mostly you have been waking around 7am.

 

Weight

I can update your weight this time! You were weighed at the hospital a couple of weeks ago and were 8.16kg = 17lbs9oz which is lighter than I thought you were!

Clothes

You are mainly in 6-9 month clothes but also wearing some 9-12 month bits.
 

More Nicknames

The nicknames keep coming!  Here are what came out last time and below there's more!     

30. Kee Kee
31. Kee-Kai
32. Beauty
33.Beauty Weauty
34. Tutti Fruitti
35. Pumbles
36. Kee-Kai
37.Pooch
38.Poochie
39.Poochie Woochie
40.Poochie Woocha

With big bro at Hampton Court Palace

 

Your Likes

• You still love snuggly cuddles...I do too!
• Milk and food
• Bath time still makes you happy and now swimming does too
• You love being out and about
•  Watching trees, they make you very excited for some reason
• Big brother playing with you (when he's not being too rough!)

Your Dislikes

• Waiting for milk or food
• Still not a fan of being dressed or undressed, although you don't grumble as much
• Still being disturbed

In all honesty there's not a lot you kick up a fuss about right now, you are so chilled!

That's it my darling girl, until next time!

xxx