My best buddy puppy dog

So early this year my parents decided that they really wanted a dog.... after much consideration off we went and picked up the gorgeous and very very friendly Jack Russell Dachshund male puppy dog... he was super stinky but super adorable...
Puppy dog literally could not get enough human attention... he loved to get in your hair.. lick your face... bite your ears... it was crazy.
A week or so later and after many sleepless night for Grandma and Grandad... and many puppy mints down, puppy dog still smelt terribly of pepperoni, took frequent toilet trips on the rug, and still bit ears lick faces and chewed hair... 
Puppy Dog howled all night long and liked a human knee to snuggle up on 90% of the time... The parents could not resist treating him like a baby. This was not going well... 
Two further weeks on came the text message...Please come over after work we need to talk to you... eeeeek... what on earth had i done!!?
So with an hour to spare before school pick up i promptly went round as soon as my shift was over.
Naturally when i arrived a certain puppy dog leapt on me... followed by the ritualistic face lick, ear bite... hair chew... you get the picture... 
"We have decided that we are not keeping puppy dog, its too much we can get it right, its not fair on him etc..." 
I knew straight away what was going to happen... off home i went with puppy dog and his bed, endless supply of food treats and toys... this guy had been very spoilt.
He howled the whole 11 mile journey home...oh gosh puppy dog really needs some training!

To be continued....

Back to blogging 4 years on....

So It has been several years since I have blogged... cheeky is now approaching 7 years old..in 3 weeks time. He is an amazing young man... and we have now added a very gorgeous puppy dog to the mix. Three house moves three pre schools and three primary schools later... we are blogging again... and it feels super.

Poorly baby eyes

In October of last year i began to notice that on photos cheeky's right eye was turning slightly inward. I was immediately concerned. I raised this problem at his 2 year development check. He was referred to opthomology. We didn't get an appointment until January of this year, which was pretty disappointing if i am honest. At the appointment the lady showed him several toys asking him to follow them, shone a few lights in his eyes, and then asked him to identify drawings up close, then from a far, and then from a far as they got smaller and smaller, he did really well, identifying them all correctly, apart from the final object, which was a house.... cheeky said 'i want to go get mummy's car' we were sure if he thought i was a car or if he was just ready to leave. Next the lady tried to put an eye patch on him, he was having done of it. So she gave up pretty easily, but said he has a definite 'squint' as they call it, and she referred him to hospital. She advised us of the options as she could see so far, which involved glasses, an eye patch and/or surgery. None of which i want to put my boy through, but will of course. We still haven't had our appointment through, and sadly i have noticed his right eye has got an awful lot worse and his left eye has started to do the same thing. I am naturally so upset for cheeky, it is his eyes after all, i don't want him to have difficulty with them. From another perspective, cheeky has always had the most beautiful big brown eyes, and i am so afraid of fickle children when he goes to school. Fingers firmly crossed that there isn't an issue with cheekys sight, and that his 'squint' is correctable.

x

'I want to go wee wee toilet'

So i have began the final stage of toilet training with cheeky. He has had nappy off time and used the potty for quite some time, but i figured that given he is nearly two and a half, the 'real thing' needs to happen.
Initially i went out and bought pull ups, thinking that if he did happen to have an accident i wouldn't have to be constantly changing his clothes etc. Unfortunetly these just didn't do it, although he and i were reffering to them as he big boy pants and i kept telling him, he must go wee wee toilet and not in his big boy pants, he kept mistaking them for a nappy, and instead of just having accidents that i expected, he was just using them in the exact same way as he did a nappy!! So off cheeky and i went to tesco to get some even bigger boy pants. He quite liked to have them on, naturally we had numerous accidents and still are having accidents, but he is doing so well. Cheeky still wears a nappy or pull ups at night, and each morning he takes his own nappy and off he goes for a 'wee wee toilet' followed by washing his own hands, and always a big 'hooray i did it'. He is pretty ace with it, and is very proud of himself. We have just had our first completely dry outing, and when we got home pretty much straight away he told me he needed to go. So proud of him, but pretty sure we have a long way to go. No going back this time, thinking, oh hes not ready!! He really is ready for his big boy pants!
x

Eczema...

My poor boy is suffering with his Eczema so much at the moment. Cheeky's Eczema first showed up when he was 6 weeks old, it was just a few red, dry patches on his face. I approached our health visitor who prescribed some Dipro base. It seemed to clear the eczema but made his face quite red. Cheeky's Eczema wasn't all that bad whilst he was a baby, the odd bit here and there, and one or two flare ups. It was as he got older that these flare ups were getting more and more frequent and each time not healing quite as well. We must have used every steroid cream there is and most Emollients and bath additives. Cheeky's Eczema was under control for quite a few months just adding Hydromol to his bath and hydrolmol ointment afterwards. He was always pretty greasy (lol) but i thought we had solved it, and gradually started to use the hydromol ointment less and less, whilst still always using the bath additive. However.... at Christmas last year he had a really bad flare up. I am still not exactly sure what it was or why it was so bad, we saw several different doctors, each saying something different, most importantly though we got some cream and some anti biotics and it began to heal, rather slowly. This did scar Cheeky's skin for a while, and sometimes if he gets too hot or too cold, you can still see it. After that we did gain control of his eczema for a short while, but unfortunately after that short episode of clear skin it has been visits to and from the doctors on a regular bases, using trial and error once again as a method of controlling his eczema. Nothing so far has completely cleared it again, and it really is having a huge affect on his life. Cheeky had recently started pre school, and was settling in really well, i was so pleased, as was he. This week however i have been called twice to collect him early as he just wouldn't settle. The pre school came to the conclusion that he wasn't ready (not impressed with this) i however was determined that there was no way he would settle just fine and suddenly hate it, and for them to give up entirely. I took him to the doctor yesterday and asked them to check him over, i knew something was not quite right, but i didn't know what it was. Initially i didn't consider that it could be his skin because we had been to the doctor just a few days earlier with it. I really thought it would be more likely to be his ear, he gets really hysterical if he has a poorly ear, and has had a few in his little life. Everything there was fine however, the doctor checked him over and said all seems well. At which point i mentioned his skin and asked if it could be that, he had already noted it and had a proper look, and then a look at what we were using at the moment. The doctor advised us that he does have a skin infection, cheeky scratches at his skin so much, hence the infection, he advised us this would absolutely affect his state of mind and the quality of sleep he was getting, advising he was probably exhausted. Cheeky has now been out on anti biotics again for 2 weeks and we have eumovate to apply twice a day. Cheeky took his meds and some piriton no problem yesterday and slept for 4 hours yesterday afternoon. Fingers crossed this will clear cheekys skin and he will return to pre school in 2 weeks, after an in depth conversation with his teacher, and try to settle him in again after this set back.

I do wish i knew the cause of his Eczema, and could figure out what sets it off.

x

Cheeky goes to pre school....

Ahhhhhhh my baby boy has gone to pre school. After the events of cheeky's 2nd birthday, and his reaction to a full house, i promised him and myself that i would address his 'seperation anxiety' as i believe it is called. Cheeky had it bad. His anxiety reared its ugly head on many occasions... and mainly occasions.. if that makes sense. Bless him he just looooovvvvvess his Mama! Anyway, i knew it was unhealthy and progressively getting worse as he was getting older. Most people advised oh, mine did it too, he will grow out of it, but i knew deep down he need a bit of gentle persuasion. So after a huge amount of research on how to tackle this i decided early pre school was definitely an option. We found a lovely pre school that takes children from age two and supports potty training.... for those of you who have looked at pre schools, you will know that many do not. So off we went for a visit! Cheeky would not even let me put him down when we were visiting he was really clinging on to me. The teacher was really unsure, and made it quite clear that she didn't think he would settle, but went ahead to arrange a 'settling in' day all the same. 

On our settling in day the following Tuesday, cheeky was once again clinging to me, but he did play, as long as i was literally sat next to him, he really kept his eye on me. After a little while one of the helpers came and engrossed him in some pretend play... a little pretend tea party (aw) he was really enjoying himself and allowed Mama to take a step back. Now unfortunately our first 'settling in' session did not get off to a great start given the confusing and somewhat different approaches of the teachers and helpers. I was told at this point that it would be a good idea to sneak away for 20 minutes and see how he goes. Off i went and waited outside. The confusion began here, but i won't go into it as its dealt with now. Cheeky realised i had left and started to ask for me with a touch of panic in his voice. He wasn't going to allow me to leave him just yet. We went back the next day after a lengthy conversation about the conflicting views and opinions, for another go. This time i was advised to take him inside, settle him with an activity, say goodbye and that i would be back soon and off i went. Wow, cheeky really flipped, screaming and throwing himself around, and i just had to walk away, i really bolted, desperate not to hear him upset, whilst knowing i was actually helping him. This time he stayed an hour. He didn't really settle down, and spent most of his hour with one of the helpers outside. When i collected him he was sobbing and stopped in and instant when  i cuddled him. He was elated to say goodbye 'bye bye pre school, bye bye friends' bless him. Off we went again the next day and then the first day of the next week. Just leaving him for an hour and then sharing the rest of the pre school session with him. He was really settling in. Still crying when i left, and liking to stand by the door for 10 minutes before he got involved, but each time i returned being told he had done better each time. Then came the day of his first full session!! Once again he freaked when  i left... but upon my return i was told he had done really well, he had be a little stand off ish with the other children but a definite improvement. Cheeky is on his third week at pre school now and although he still gets upset when i leave, he quickly calms and enjoys it. He tells me about it and even asks to go sometimes on a day when he isn't there. I am so proud of cheeky.... so unbelievably proud. He has completely changed, He is so much more confident that Mama will return and is so much happier to go off and play on play dates and playgroup visits. He doesn't feel the need to jump up or cry every time i so much as move. He is happy to go and play, even in other peoples houses without watching my every move whilst he does so. I love that he is still always so happy to see me. He always strokes my face when i am back to collect him, smiling, and cuddles and kisses me, 'its mummy, its my mummy'. Wow i love this boy, what an amazing, amazing little person he is becoming. Proud of you cheeky boy! You brighten every single day! xxx

Halo's N Horns

Hey! So a few weeks ago Halo's N Horns sent over a selection of products for cheeky and i to try. Including

-Baby bath, for angelic souls.

-Zingy Orange Hair and Body wash, for little devils.

-Mango Melon Mayhem shampoo and conditioner, for little Devils.

 

I have used one or more of these products on cheeky every night at bath time and sometimes in the morning, or when he was rather more mucky than a wipe could handle... for the last few weeks.

The first product cheeky and i used was the baby bath for angelic souls. The product is in a tall squeezy tube, with mostly blue and pink writing. Stating that Baby bath for angelic souls is Dermapaedic, kind to eyes and hypoallergenic. The baby bath comes with a little message from the founder and owner of Halo's N Horns which says as follows " As a mother i know how delicate and sensitive young skin is. That's why this product doesn't contain any scary chemicals still found in many baby shampoos and body washes, but will still leave your baby by smelling delicious. My sons eczema cleared up the moment i cut out SLS/SLES, inspiring me to launch Halo's N Horns, which he loves. I hope it helps your family as much as it has mine." I personally find this quite refreshing and encouraging. I have faith in many products as they are so professional, knowledgeable and well used. This gives me faith in the product on a different level. Its a personal touch, knowing that her own son was the inspiration behind the products is a nice touch. There is mention on the bottle or many chemicals that the product does not contain. The Halo's N Horns products DO NOT contain the following. SLS*Phthalates*MIT*Parabens*Triclosan*Propylene glycol*SLES. I must be honest, i hadn't heard of most of these so wasn't aware of the potential affect on delicate baby skin. The baby bath has a gentle smell, fresh yet subtle. Only a small amount is needed in the bath it does bubble pretty easily. Cheeky was happy to be in the bath with his new baby bath, and of course play boats with the tube. The first time i also used the baby bath as a body wash, which it doubled as really well. As a child that sufferer's with eczema i wanted to see if this helped my son and his poorly skin. So when taking him out of the bath i noticed that his skin didn't feel soft, but almost 'squeeky clean' i was a bit unsure of this at first. I applied cheekys usual moisturisers and figured i would see if/how it had helped him the next morning. The next morning i didn't really notice a change in cheekys skin, i was a bit worried about the 'squeeky clean' feeling but it didn't seem to have caused a problem. I decided to keep going with the product as i know that even with the perfect product, skin doesn't change over night. 

The next night i used the Mango Melon mayhem Shampoo on cheeky (and mama) as well. With this i found that you did need to use a medium sized amount, it is quite thick and i found it helped to add extra water once you use the product on your baby's hair, helps it to lather up a bit more. This Shampoo and Conditioner smells beautiful, which is why i ended up using it on my own hair =) and did a perfect job on cheekys curls. It smelt so lovely for ages, even when coming to wash it again the next night. The product is kind to eyes, cheeky isn't keen on having his hair washed so rubs his eyes a lot when I'm washing it, the product didn't bother his face or eyes at all. Cheeky and i really like Mango Melon Mayhem! Zingy Orange Hair and body wash was almost as great. Again smelling gorgeous. I was recommend this product 100% as a body wash, it even bubbles in the bath, not over keen on it as a hair wash. It just didn't lather enough, and cheekys hair was a bit tangled up afterwards. As a body wash though 'cheeky says buy it'! These two products also do not contain any of the above chemicals either, but no message from 'Leila' I'm afraid. Having used these products for a little while i have noticed some improvement in cheekys skin, we have had a flare up, which was a reaction to a biological washing powder, i am going to buy some more Halo's N Horns products and i will post on here if i feel it has helped cheekys skin and how his eczema is doing etc. 

I have noticed this product priced differently in many places. As high as £4.49, and as low as £1.00. So when looking for it, do your research.

Images courtesy of, babybudgeting.co.uk, price inspector and evergreen.ie.