a family outing

On Sunday we had a proper family outing. Kristian , Lily and I do everything together so you might argue every day is an outing but on Sunday it felt like a proper one.
We went swimming you see. we had to get Kristian a pair of swimming shorts as he has none. Its taken lots of coaxing on my half to get him to the swimming pools.

We got ourselves all kitted out , lily in her little red and orange striped swimming costume. The pools were packed so we had to wait 5 minutes and then we were in. Our little girl loved it, she jumped in into her daddy's arms...alot, she put her arms out in front of her to swim and we zoom her around the pool, at times she seemed to want to swim away from us. We had 45 minutes of constant laughing and we all enjoyed it so much. when we emerged we were prune like.
It was a lovely day that continued as Lily's mood was just amazing , she kept us entertained the whole day.
I really needed it actually. I think at times we all need to be reminded of what we have and not concentrate so on what we don't have. I have a lovely little family of three who I love dearly.

crisis over

I have been offline for over 48 hours. When it began I was mildly irritated and started to fiddle with wires, pull wires out and jam in forcefully, swear and curse my limited computer knowledge. Then it continued , as many times as I tried to connect it would not work.

Now a slight sweat is breaking out, I have sweaty palms , shallow breathing, you know the sort of thing.

Since then I have spent 2 hours of my life on the phone to Bombay (again) and finally after much fannying about they have fixed it. when it connected the relief and joy that washed over me was immense.

how I missed you...

This has made me realise that I cannot live my life like this. The computer is my life line to everyone I love and care about. I connect with them on a daily or weekly basis. Even something small like receiving a photo of a friends baby or a little email from someone wondering how I am means so much to me. I want to be near these people to connect on a personally.

Even by being offline for 2 days I missed the run up to a dear friends scan . My mum missed her daily dose of Lily and Lily missed her daily dose of her mad singing nana.

I miss all these people and want to live my life along with Kristian and Lily near them. It must happen soon or I will be very , very sad.

Tonight I have had my fix of my mum and dad and a lovely chat with Caroline (until Amy woke up :( hope she went back down nicely) All is back to normal and for now my link is secure.

Lily and I had an hour at the park yesterday as the sun emerged from the grey skies for the day. We saw the ducks and ran around and then went to the playpark. I felt so sorry for Lily as she has started to show an interest in other children. She was going right up to them and even tried to touch the one little girls hand. I let her have a go on the slide and she loved it having many , many more goes after it. I must make an effort to find a toddler group I like so she can socialize a bit with other kids.

So thats me back with you all , I know its only 2 days but it felt like a lifetime to me. Technology is a fine thing indeed

kisses for baby

Lily with her baby doll

My life as a mum

After my adorable daughter pulled almost every book from my bookshelf today, I found a book I was given in pregnancy called the yummy mummy's survival guide. I remember finding it mildly amusing pre baby, however, yesterday when I was reading bits of it I found myself in fits of giggles. You see things change once you have tried this motherhood thing out.

I am so lucky to be a mummy and Lily's mummy to boot. I want all my friends to have the same experience as its the best thing you will ever do. I have moments most days where I can just kiss and cuddle Lily to death and 10 minutes later I want to cry in frustration as she has pulled all the books from the bookcase!

In one section of the above mentioned book she gives you a list of things to do while you are pregnant. To quote " Even if you don't feel like doing the things suggested below,please drag yourself off the couch and try one as it might be the last chance you get to"

here's a few that applied to me that I could not be bothered to drag myself up for.

read a magazine from front to back. no pauses

Go to the loo when you need to , and on your own. from now on you will only go when it suits your baby and you will rarely , if ever, be able to go without a baby in a bouncy chair for company. In my case I had that and now i have a toddler staring at me saying wee wee.

Go to the cinema. every day, go, go ,go. peace popcorn and pure escapism bliss
I have been 3 times since I had Lily

have a leisurely shower and wash your hair slowly

HAVE A LIE IN please, you may be uncomfortable and just want to get up but force yourself. just lie there..

shop very , very slowly. window shop , look at anything you want to. have a coffee and then carry on shopping. just because you can

there were quite a few more but those resonated with me. Never would I swop what I have now for a lie in. but at times I dream of my former, lazy life .

As for this week as a mum, its been quiet. Kristian is back at work and working hard so he is gone all day. After Christmas holidays its very difficult to get into the swing of things. For the first time in my life I get very lonely. I long to go for tea and a toasted sandwich with my mum, or coffee and a little cake with my friends and chat about things we chat about .I have gone the whole week seeing no one but Lily all day. The weather has been horrid which stops us doing things. We did have a nice sunnyish day on Wednesday and we went to the park and ran around, looked at the flowers and the ducks and deer.

Lily is becoming increasingly vocal and is saying so many words. No linking of the words yet but she tries to say most things I say. I have an inkling the terrible twos are on their way. Today we had the most awful 30 second tantrum with kicking and screaming only to be followed by hugs and kisses. If there is one thing Lily loves its hugs , kisses and blowing kisses.

We are very tired parents though as Lily has been teething terribly and is cutting her first molars. She has the bottom two already and this has led to her being very wakeful shall we say. waking at 6 this morning. I am not used to it since she has been sleeping till 7 :30 so I have lost and hour and a half !!
I wonder when children are old enough not to keep you from precious sleep?
I feel I have spent many, many hours leaning over a wooden cot patting her back to settle her.

My healthy eating is going very well and I feel really good. eating wholesome , unprocessed food has been brilliant. what has really surprised me is how much I enjoy not eating meat. I am not vegetarian but with cooking for Kristian its just not worth the hassle to cook some chicken for me so I have embraced the veggie. It feels like the meat was pulling me down in a way. I cant really explain it but I am loving it and the thought of chicken is making me feel a bit ill. I am sure all this will pass soon enough but for now I have discovered veggies and salads that I love. This week I am having celariac for the first time. Par boiled then tossed in some olive oil with salt and black pepper. We had the most sublime roasted butternut and beetroot tossed in honey and olive oil as well. veggie lasagne. large mushrooms stuffed with cous cous and veggies topped with goats cheese. Trout , salmon and prawns. Its all delicious. I highly recommend it to anyone.

So here hoping this coming week sees me making an effort to go out more and do things and more importantly here's hoping the weather perks up. I need that happy vitamin D.

I love my mummy and daddy's bed

yesterday things went quiet and I went to look for Lily. This is what I found.

She had arranged the pillows to her satisfaction, pulled the duvet up and snuggled up. 10 minutes later she was having her nap

Very tired obviously!

Im feeling virtuous

This past week has seen my little family begin a healthy eating programme and begin recycling everything.

On Monday we began eating lots of salads and veggies as well as eliminating meat from our diet. We have had some fabulous salmon and trout this week as well as a butternut roast veg patty thing that was divine. I am drinking water and taking vitamins so I hope my system will be on top form before I know it.

We also began recycling. this was not a decision I made but rather one that the council thrust upon me. I am very happy though as its something I have wanted to do properly for a while. We have a kitchen caddy for all our food waste and that will be composted by the council. All our plastics paper etc. will also be recycled leaving us with only polystyrene and waxed cardboard that is non recyclable. oh and nappies. Oh dear I am adding to the worlds destruction. If I ever have another baby I will invest in some nice shaped re usables.

Last weekend we went to Verwood to visit Kristian's mum for the weekend. Had a lovely time and on the Sunday we went to the marwell zoological park. It was really lovely and Lily had a ball looking at all the animals and birds and running around pointing. She is very good at her animal noises now and lots of psss psss and the like were flying about. I loved the giraffes the best and left the rest of my party standing when I saw them. I swear I broke into a run (not pretty) and knocked some small children flying. The park is really big and even though I am not a fan of captive animals , they have a large space and are working hard to preserve certain species via breeding.

The giraffes have some massive ground and an indoor bit and they are the most beautiful creatures with their huge eyes and long eyelashes.

Lily is growing in leaps and bounds. I can't keep up with her. She is just interacting like a child now not a baby. She copies everything we do from standing with her hands on her hips, crossing her arms , saying ssshhhh and putting her finger on her mouth. she astounds me with it all. I guess why we all believe our children are gifted is because we cannot believe that anyone elses child could ever be so clever.

her vocabulary is growing by the day. from just a few words she is heading towards about 10 I can hear. she says berries ( her fav fruit) ball, woof woof, daddy, dad dad (grandad) , yes (with a nodding head) tea ( oh dear I wonder why) boobs ( yes really *blush) and some I cant think of.

she is such a loving little soul and gives us kisses and hugs all day long. In fact she kisses everything at the moment and makes a lovely smacking noise as her lips hit the object...mwah

i could go on forever but suffice to say she is delightful. she has a new duvet in her cot now and is sleeping much better under it. she snuggles in and looks very comfy in there. She got a new book for Christmas from aunty Caroline and uncle Craig that arrived last week. Its a hit guys. I must have read it to her over 50 times. its got farm babies in it so we moo and baa baa. she fetches it and then must sit on my lap while I read. At the end I always close the books and say " the end" she always looks back at me and laughs. Its such a lovely thing to read to your children and I believe there is something you can read at any age.

This weekend has been quiet with us going into Greenwich for a look around on Saturday whilst Kristian did something at work and then today we did a bit of bluewater shopping. I got Lily some reins. One thing I have learned from parenting is to never judge others parenting choices. I hate those reins but I am in a situation now where I live in a big city in terrible times and I cant afford to lose her. she is desperate to run and walk and I need to give her that Independence and freedom whilst ensuring her safety. poor thing

I am also waiting for Laura Ashley to phone me re a cv I handed in but I waited the whole week and nothing, I feel quite disappointed as i would love to work there and I really need to find some work now. perhaps I will still have to resort to sainsburys.

I just want to give my congratulations to Nicola and Ewan and big brother Dylan on the Birth of Keiren Lewis Colin Urquart. I hear he is a lovely size . I hope he brings you much joy and the first weeks allow you a speedy recovery Nicola and little crying( the baby ,not you)

Also a speedy recovery to Craig who is very Ill in hospital. hope is passes soon and you can be back to yourself asap.

I will leave you with many photos as per usual...

xx

a new year , a new me?

So its that time of year again where we all come up with lots of resolutions to become better people that are forgotten by March . I have never once stuck to a resolution. It depresses me so.

I think its just my nature. I am not a sticker. This is made worse by the fact that I live with a sticker. Kristian has made many a resolution since I have known him and he sticks to them all. I really admire him for it.
He does not have one every year but when he makes one he follows through. admittedly some are more difficult than others. One year he gave up smoking and is still smoke free 6 years later bar a few social fags. 4 years ago he decided that he would wear more scarves. Yup you guessed it , he is still a serial scarf wearer to this day.
This year he has tentatively given up meat but is still eating fish. He is just trying it out to see how he goes as he has been mumbling about it for ages and he hates it when I make chicken and will not look at raw meat at all.
I know he will continue with it. I can just see it in his eyes.

So I have no new years resolutions but I do have a goal for the year. I must have lost weight to fit into my dress by august and with this weight loss I really want to eat ultra healthily . My immune system is not good at the moment so I need to feel well and full of energy. Lily and I are going to walk briskly every day and I am going to the health shop to get supplements. I need to feel healthy and good about myself again and what better time to start.

Before that though I must just finish that pesky tray of mince pies left from Christmas......so Monday then.

welcome to 2008

a very happy new year to everyone. I hope its going to be a good year for everyone full of fun, laughter and good things.

Already mine is looking good. I am feeling a lot better than yesterday so I think I am on the mend finally, and, after being very down after deciding I could not afford to come home in March, my fabulous parents have wheeled , dealed and sacrificed much to pay for Lily and I to come to Cape Town for 2 weeks in March.

I am over the moon as a whole year of them missing out on Lily was just heartbreaking. I have a pregnant friend as well and I need to see that bump and be there for some of it. I just want everyone to see Lily and for her to meet everyone again. She has her little friend Amy to meet properly as well , as do I.

YAY!!!!!

I have a very exciting year ahead of me as I am heading towards a much anticipated wedding on the 16 August. I am just so excited that it is finally happening for us. We have booked the most beautiful venue, Langverwagt, to have the ceremony and reception at. Its quite small and intimate which is just how I like it. We are only having a smallish wedding as i really want to know and love everyone who is invited and I want to spend time with them all on the day. Finances have also dictated that it be fairly small...oh to win the lottery.

I have chosen a fabulous menu for the guests and hope to have some great dancing as well.

I am sure as the year goes on you will be updated and then when you are at the wedding you will have a strange sense of deja vu.

Have any of you ever been first footed. Its something I want to do as my nana always did it. She was Scottish and its a Scots tradition to first foot on hogmanay. The custom dictates that the first person to cross the threshold of your home in the new year brings the luck for the year. Said person should carry some coal for the fire, whiskey, bread or cakes and a coin. bringing you all you need for the new year.

most excitingly the first footer needs to be a tall , dark stranger

theres a tradition I could get right in to..........................

view of table mountain from langverwagtwhere the ceremony will be heldthe pond where snacks and drinks will be served after the ceremonythe reception venue... the glorious wine cellar

pictures taken by the mother of the bride and the bridesmaid aka Fiona and Veronica