...an afternoon at Farmer Palmer's Farm Park

Can't work out which one Jesse loves more, his first dippy egg or Zia Carly?

On his birthday, we took him and his cousin Ted to Farmer Palmer's Farm Park. The goats there are pretty little kids and had a good nibble on little fingers.

Despite the cold all the boys had fun in the adventure playground. Jesse introduced Ted to the swings.

And he was flying!

There was lots of playtime with Daddy...

But the birthday boy's favourite bit was playing on the tractors. Boys and their toys. The little dude got a bit too comfortable and started taking his hands off the wheel. I guess you can get away with it when Mama is doing all the driving...

The website talks about kennels for dogs but we were glad we left Badger at home when we saw a couple of metal boxes in the car park, not exactly what he's used to.

...Jesse's first Christmas

...Celebrating Jesse's first Christmas I realised that he enjoyed spending time playing with his cousins more than playing with his new presents. He's all about family.

Here are a few photos of Jesse's first Christmas...

...four grandsons, three daughters and a nonna

My mother who has three daughters, is now nonna to four grandsons. Not a scrap of pink in sight.

It's funny because when my older sister had our first baby Luca we all couldn't imagine our mum loving any other grandchild as much as him. Boy, were we wrong!

With every grandson she has become even more besotted and our boys just can't get enough of their nonna.

Each one lights up when they see their Italian grandma shrieking at them. And my goodness does she shriek. We are very lucky to have a devoted nonna in their lives.

Although there will always be a special place in her heart for the newest boy, here is my yummy Ted. I reckon its because they can't wriggle away from her cuddles.

Jesse adores his cousins, he looks up to Luca and is already terrorising Brandon.

He seems so taken with little Ted, they babble away together already ignoring us mamas - a sign of things to come...

..Bell tent testing

I've always wanted a bell tent and after years of Sam refusing I was so surprised when he bought me one for my birthday.

And not just any old bell tent, a strawberries and cream one that looks like a circus tent!

Sam admitted that now we have Jesse the way we camp is going to have to change too. No more pop up tent that barely fits us two, an airbed and Badger but can be popped up and down in seconds leaving valuable time for drinking.

He has resigned himself to the fact that we need to bring more 'stuff', cue the furry covers, lanterns, oh and the baby stuff so we need the extra space.

Next summer festival season is going to be a different kind of fun...

...baking Cadbury's creme egg brownies and cookie slabs

It could be this breast feeding lark is making me hungrier but mamahood is turning me into a bit of a baker... 

Creme Egg Brownies
For Easter, I baked these decadent creme egg brownies with a recipe found on Precious Little Worlds blog.

Recipe:

185g unsalted butter 

185g best dark chocolate 
85g plain flour 
40g cocoa powder 3 large eggs
275g golden caster sugar
6 Cadbury’s Crème eggs cut in half

Preheat the oven to 160C and grease a 20 cm square baking tin.
Melt the butter and dark chocolate together either in the microwave or in a bowl over boiling water.
Break 3 large eggs into a large bowl and tip in 275g golden caster sugar. With an electric mixer on maximum speed, whisk the eggs and sugar until they look thick and creamy, like a milk shake. This can take 3-8 minutes. You will know it's ready when the mixture becomes really pale and about double its original volume.
Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the eggy mousse, and then gently fold together.
Hold a sieve over the bowl of eggy chocolate mixture and sift the cocoa and flour mixture, shaking the sieve from side to side, to cover the top evenly. 

Gently fold in to the mixture.
Pour into the baking tin and cook for 15 minutes then take out of the over and gently press the cadburys crème egg halves into the mix, spacing them apart evenly. 

Put back in the oven for another 10 minutes.

Leave to cool before removing from tin and cutting into squares.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Slab

I love this Chocolate Chip Cookie Slab recipe because it is so simple to make and so addictive.

Recipe

220g (7 3/4oz) butter, softened

200 (7oz) brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

300g (10 ½oz) plain flour

200g(7oz) plain or milk chocolate chopped into chunks

Preheat the oven to 180 °C/ 350 °F /gas mark 4.

Lightly grease a 38x25 in (15 x 10 in) baking tin.

Beat the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, (no less than five minutes!). 

Beat in the vanilla extract. 

Stir in the flour and chocolate chunks.

Pat the dough into the prepared tray.

Put in the oven and bake for 28 minutes. You know its ready when the edges go slightly crispy.

Cool and then cut into slabs.

Another incentive to bake more is that the sound of the electric mixer stops Jesse crying...

Chilling while I'm mixing

...Six weeks later

These last six weeks have been like nothing I've known as Sam, Badger and I get to know Jesse.
Needless to say we are completely in love, and as time is short (he has just filled another nappy), here are some of my favourite photos from the last few weeks.

Love that little face x

...introducing my son Jesse

Our son Jesse Ron Reynolds was born on Monday 10th February at 7.54am.

My waters broke at 5am on his due date, Sunday 9th February - very punctual, must get that from his father. 

After labouring on a yoga ball for seven hours, Sam took me to St Mary's maternity hospital in Poole where we got to work in delivery room number nine.

By midnight I was still only 8cms dilated. The midwife told me they were going to induce me to hurry it along (they don't like to leave the baby in for too long after your waters have broken) so I opted for a spinal block. Jack, the fab anaesthetist, took my pain away and at 5am I was ready to push. 

After a lot of pushing and no baby, the doctor decided on a forceps delivery. So three pushes and a little help later out came a screaming Jesse Ron. The coolest part was that one of the nurses had told me to keep my hand on my bump, so when he came out I actually felt my bump disappear.

Even though the little dude didn't appear stressed on the monitor, the cord had been around his neck which was why we weren't getting anywhere. But here we are...