I had all of these grand plans for my blog for maternity leave but Dylan is now over 3 months old and it's only now that I'm finding time to start a routine with blogging and vlogging. Tuesday is Ethan's nursery day so I am now using that day to catch up on writing posts or editing vlogs while Dylan is happy kicking on his mat beside me. 

Now, one thing I am particular about is feeding my family a well balanced diet and touch wood Ethan is a fairly good eater. It will be interesting to see how Dylan reacts to food when we start weaning him in December. A few weeks ago the lovely folks at Baby Led Spreads got in touch wanting to know if we wanted to try out their new spreads. As much as I enjoy cooking from scratch, using pouches or the odd golden breadcrumb dish from the oven isn't the end of the world. 

For the most part we eat together as a family but on a Friday or Saturday night Tom and I like to order a cheeky takeaway or cook a nice steak dinner after the boys are in bed. On these occasions Ethan will eat separately from us earlier in the evening where I usually give him a little pizza or a picnic plate style of dinner. 

I was sent two packs of Baby Led Spreads and I've set one pack aside to use for Dylan when we start weaning in a few months. I tested out the other three jars with Ethan in a variety of ways. First up we tried the Green Pea, Rocket & Dill mixed in with some pasta for a simple lunch. He loved helping me make it and demolished over half of the bowl. Ethan's not great at lunch time as he often doesn't have a large appetite or is too tired and needs his nap so I was pleased with how much he ate.

Finally we tried the Carrot, Apple and Hummus spread with some crackers as a post nap snack. Once again Ethan tucked into it with gusto leaving very little on his plate. He demolished it so quickly that I didn't get a chance to snap a photo of him eating it.

Overall I'm pretty pleased with these spreads. They are an ideal size for little appetites (meaning minimal waste) and the glass jar is perfect for recycling. Ethan enjoyed helping me cook with them and I liked that I was exposing him to more new flavours in a quick and easy way. Let's be honest, as busy parents we don't have the time to spend steaming and pureeing but with these spreads I can store them in the cupboard and reach for them when time is short, rest assured that I'm feeding my little men food that is nutritious and not loaded with hidden salt and sugar.

I can't wait to see what Dylan thinks of them when we start weaning.

To find out more about Baby Led Spreads please click here.

***Product sent for review, all opinions are my own.***

Dear Dylan,

I can't believe I'm sitting down to write your 3 month letter, it seems like no time at all since I was doing the same for Ethan.

I prefer doing these letters every 3 months rather than monthly but it's also a stark reminder of how fast time really does go.

I remember when you were born looking forward to having the whole summer in front of us but it's gone in the blink of an eye and here I am debating about putting the heating on. It doesn't look like we will be having an Indian Summer this year.

Dylan, you were born on the 11th June 2018 in the middle of the hottest summer in years and therefore spent a lot of time in vests or simple rompers. It was just too warm to dress you in anything else. Even though the weather has turned cooler now, I'm enjoying dressing you in snuggly sleepsuits so you are nice and warm. Just like your brother, I am in no rush to dress you in proper clothes, comfort is key at this age (well any ages if I'm honest) and is there anything comfier than a soft babygro?

You were a big baby at birth (10lb 2oz!) yet your delivery was so much better than Ethan's - fast, no time for pain relief and a quick recovery even though my stomach muscles split afterwards. Born on the 98th percentile, you have continued to follow this line and now at 3 months old you weigh 17lb 6oz and are well into 3-6 month clothing. You didn't even wear newborn and were out of the 0-3 stuff within 6 weeks. Your baby cousin Willow was born 10 days after you and she was only 6lb 4oz, such a dainty little thing. Dylan, my darling, there is nothing dainty about you; you're a proper little chunk and I just adore your rolls. You are also super strong and love nothing more than standing up on us locking your legs to look around. Ethan was just the same, I think I make big, strong boys.

Milk wise, you are a total boob monster. Breastfeeding to start with was so much easier than it was with Ethan but then around 4 weeks you went through a really fussy period arching your back during feeds, screaming out in pain and refusing to latch. I didn't doubt my supply as I could see you were gaining but I did start to wonder if you were suffering from reflux or was something in my milk causing you bother. A few friends suggested that it might be your digestive system developing as your body uncurled from it's newborn state and I think they were right as within a few weeks you were back to feeding normally again.

Family wise both Daddy and Ethan adore you. We have been so lucky that Daddy has had so much time off since you were born, he had his 2 weeks Paternity Leave and then he was only back at work for a few weeks before being off again for 6 weeks for the school holidays. It was wonderful having that summer together to get to know you and enjoy quality time as a new family of four.

We were both worried about how Ethan would react to you but he loves you and we often joke that he will kill you with kindness. He's constantly kissing and cuddling you, bringing you toys when you are upset or patting your tummy to comfort you with a "there there Dilly chops." It's so cute (and yes you may have ended up with the nickname Dilly...).

Sleepwise you are yet to get into a routine and we have had one night where you slept through but I reckon that was just a fluke. Like with Ethan, we embraced the Fourth Trimester and were happy to follow your lead. Now the summer is over I am going to try to encourage a good nap routine but I know you babies set your own agendas so time will tell how that one works out. Most evenings you seem to be ready for sleep between 6:30 - 7:30pm so we bath you both together then Daddy gets you ready for bed and I sort out Ethan. We then swap and he puts Ethan to bed while I feed you and lay you down in your Snuzpod. Some nights we don't hear a peep from you until 1/2/3am but other nights you waken every two hours, it's total pot luck. The past few nights have been rough but we have all been suffering from colds and I can hear you snuffling away in your sleep so it's no surprise you keep waking up. You do end up in bed with us most nights too. Even though the Snuzpod is attached to my side of the bed with the side panel removed you are still at your happiest sleeping snuggled into the crook of my arm. I don't mind though, you might be my last baby so I'm enjoying the cuddles while they last. 

At the start of the summer when you were only 6 weeks old we made the trip back to Ireland to meet the family and you new baby cousin, Willow. It was a hectic and busy week but lovely to see everyone. You did brilliantly on the ferry but hate your car seat. Even though it's less than 2 hours to Liverpool we still had to stop a few times to feed and comfort you as you were so upset in the car. Even now you still kick off in the car no matter how long the journey is.

The first month with you was difficult but you have now settled down and are such a happy little thing. You love to be cuddled, will smile at anyone and are happy to be plonked on the floor under your play gym or in your bouncer (sorry but that's second baby problems). Ethan is at nursery on a Tuesday so that's my day with you where we take things at a slower pace and generally just have a cosy day at home. When you get a little older I will enrol you at some baby classes but for now it's just us on a Tuesday. You do get lots of interaction with others though as you are always there when Ethan has a play date and lots of his little chums now have younger siblings, hopefully they will become your little crew as you get older.

I know I could keep writing but it's time to draw this letter to a close. We all love you so so much, our beautiful baby boy.

All my love Mama xxx

Dear Ethan,

It's been a long time since I wrote to you, looking back it was your second birthday in March but you've hit some major milestones recently and I felt the need to put pen to paper (or key to screen but you get my drift).

This summer was the summer that you left the baby days behind and became a little boy.

The summer you started talking in full sentences

The summer you became a big brother

The summer you potty trained

The summer mama became mummy

The summer you gained a new bedroom

The summer you started sleeping in a single bed

The summer you learned imaginative play

The summer you discovered the love of a morning cup of tea

The summer you learned your colours

The summer you learned to count

The summer you learned to jump

The summer your hair started to curl

The summer you showed us how much love you have to give

The summer you became a little boy

When Dylan was born you suddenly seemed to grow up overnight but over the past 3 months your development has come along leaps and bounds and as much as it pains me to say it, you really aren't a baby any more. Moving out of nappies was the final step and now I feel like that door is firmly closed. I am sad to say goodbye to your baby days but I'm more excited to watch you grow into a little boy and see your future unfold.

All my love,

Mummy xxx