Meet My New Nephew!

Hello guys!

An exciting post for you today- meet my new baby nephew!

He was born on the 19th November and his name is Laithan.

He is absolutely adorable and I fell in love with him as soon as I met him.

I can't wait for him to meet my niece!

Welcome to the family, Laithan.

Auntie Bea loves you. :-)

Becoming An Auntie Again| The 5 Benefits of Being An Auntie!

Hello!

On the 3rd of April I found out I was going to be an Auntie again. The previous year my sister had my niece Lisa-Mae, and then surprisingly this year one of my other sisters is pregnant! It is the most bizarre feeling not being an Auntie and being the youngest of the family at the beginning of one year to being an Auntie to two by the end of the following year.

Here is the scan of my NEPHEW whose due date is the 25th of November:

There are 5 benefits of being an Auntie:

1. It's great practise before (possible) motherhood:

Before my niece was born last year I had never held a baby in my life. I had no idea what to do with babies or how to look after them. However as the months went on I got to know everything there is about caring for a baby which I think is a valuable life experience. If I ever became a mother in the future I will be very thankful for this knowledge I now know!  

2. You can give them back:

Another benefit is that you can have enjoy the fun of playing with babies/children and the excitement of watching them grow...then give them back! I'm not saying I haven't had my fair share of nappy changing and constant crying, but it was always good knowing I could give my niece back to her parents when the going got tough. Although this is perhaps a shallow benefit of being an Auntie, it certainly is an advantage!  

3. You have an excuse to do children's activities again:
Something I enjoy whilst having a niece is that I can sort of live my childhood again through her. You can now watch children's programmes and play with children's toys with a valid reason! 

4. You can watch them grow and develop:
I find it so fascinating how babies learn, grow and develop. It means so much to share first moments with them such as their first time crawling, first tooth and first steps. Seeing them smile for the first time and hearing their cute little laughs is music to your ears. 

5. You see your sibling grow and develop too:
Everybody changes when they become a parent. It is interesting to see your brother/sister who you have known all your life change as a person when they become a parent. Suddenly that sibling you once knew as a child and as a moody teenager is now a mature adult with responsibility and such strong emotion for their child. 

Here are a few photos of me and my niece from the day she was born to her first birthday which was last weekend:

Are you an Auntie? Do you agree with my 5 benefits? Let me know!

Easter Gifts for Babies!

Hello BumbleBeas!

Last summer I had the privilege of becoming an Auntie to my beautiful niece Lisa-Mae whom of which I am very close to. This Easter will be her first Easter and I would like to make it fun throughout her childhood as I know it would have been something I would have enjoyed as a child.

But, what do you do for a 7 month old baby at Easter? She can't eat chocolate eggs and can't go Easter Egg hunting, so I sat for ages and wondered: What on earth could I do for her? I searched the internet for ideas but nothing was helping me! So after I decided upon this idea I thought I'd share it with everyone who may be in a similar situation to me.

First of all I decided I would buy her an Easter egg basket which I would keep throughout her childhood for every Easter. I also thought it would come in handy when she is old enough to do Easter Egg hunts as she can collect her eggs and put them in the basket.
I took a trip to Hobbycraft and found this pink felt bucket with flowers on which was only £1.50!

I then decided on a theme which I made about rabbits. Every item I would collect for the bucket would have to be somehow related to rabbits which just adds to the fun of it.

For my first present I found this cute fluffy rabbit from Ikea. I can't remember the price of it but I don't think it expensive.

Secondly, I found these cute little socks with little rabbit heads on the feet at Baby M&Co which have a rattle inside! I thought of these as practical yet still fun. I am not 100% sure how much they were but I think they were £2.

Lastly, I found a hard book which is baby proof called 'Peekaboo!' in Waterstones for £4.99. It's a touch-and feel book with flaps inside and you have to lift the flap to see something pop out with fun material on to touch. Excellent for learning babies! As you can see there is a rabbit on the front cover and overall I knew my niece would love it.

I doubt I will add anything else to the collection but you never know! I haven't told my sister (niece's mother) about it as I want it to be a surprise for both of them. I hope to continue this tradition always for my niece and I can't wait to design Easter Egg hunts for her! I am really looking forward to Easter now so I can see her smiling face when she sees her presents.

What did you used to do for Easter as a child? Are you buying anything for the child in your life? Let me know and also tell me what you think of my idea!