Sophia 🔮Tattooed Tealady

Hadley started showing signs of teething around 9 weeks old and I had seen Matchstick Monkey reviewed a lot, so we decided we'd give it a go to see how she got on. Matchstick Monkey isn't cheap, I definitely went for the 'dip my toes in' approach by going for the cheapest teether they had; I didn't want to spend an extortionate amount on a teether and then find out Hadley didn't get along with it. The design of the teether itself makes it very easy for babies to hold it and move around, it's a fun shape and I think it's more practical and logical when it comes to something a baby will chew until they're soaking their chops with dribble. Babies want something that's easy to grab, easy to hold and easy to chew relentlessly, and Matchstick Monkey definitely ticks the box on that one.

I'm less concerned with milestones and spend much less time thinking about them with Hadley than I did with Willow, it helps to take off some of the obligatory stress that accompanies motherhood. She watches Willow's every move, she's a little quieter than Willow was at this age but once she gets going, she has the most glorious bursts of baby bubble and belly laughs and it makes me feel exceptionally content. It's definitely more of a juggling act trying to sort lunch out for two, and your own, whilst watching Hadley like a hawk as she learns to eat and Willow, as she tucks into her lunch too. Whilst Hadley is a very easy going baby, I've still had my hands very full over the past 6 months!

Whilst I do have the time to read at night, I don't like to turn on the bedside lights to read physical books, as the lights disturb Hadley; our almost 6-month-old who is happily still in our room (until she outgrows her crib! ). There will be a mix of genres, selecting one book per month to read and at the end of each month, we will be sharing blog reviews featuring our thoughts on that month's read. You won't be expected to share a review and you certainly don't have to have a blog to take part; we decided that to help make our book club as inclusive as possible across platforms, we would use a hashtag, #TheLiteraryAdventure, where we could share, check in and chat about each month's book. That means either free or super cheap books will feature in The Literary Adventure, and, if a special book comes along that is slightly more pricey than usual and not something you want to purchase, you can skip that month's read.

I spent too much of Willow's first few months trying to juggle too many balls and I didn't want to make the same mistake this time. It's given me the time I needed to concentrate on my mental health, to work on managing my mental health in a more positive and, ironically, healthy way. I've re-evaluated what matters to me; interests I want to invest more of myself into, goals I want to reach, that have nothing to do with numbers as is all-consuming online, but things I want to do and experience in 'real life'. April marked 7 years of Tattooed Tealady and I cherish the opportunities and experiences writing on this space has given me over those 7 years; but it's time I write more for me, writing what I want to share,