Sunday, 16 September 2012
Fun at Grandma's
During her 2 month visit back to England from Dubai, we went to visit Aurora's grandma in Darlington and had lots of fun!
Summer of Fun!
This summer we had our first proper holiday as a family with Aurora. We didn't go abroad or do anything fancy, we just went to stay with family, Giles and Beth and the kids, but we had great weather, a great olympics and great fun.
The first day we went to the Warner Brothers Studio Tour in Watford to see the Harry Potter sets as Tristram's late birthday present. We had a great time looking at the sets and the props from the films, being in the great hall and Privet Drive, having a go on Hagrid's motorbike, the Weasleys' Ford Anglia and the Knight bus. It was a lot of fun but it was a long day for poor Aurora who got very tired. We went into the shop on the way out and brought sugar quills for Jack and the girls and Honeydukes chocolate for ourselves. On the way back we stopped at Shirley's house. She was there with Riley, but sadly Dustin couldn't make it because he missed his bus. Lori was away that weekend too, but it was really good to see Carrie and Rob with their boys, including Tommy who was just a few weeks old and seemed so small and light compared to Aurora, but she had fun playing with her second cousins and the toys. In the evening, as we did every evening (and many mornings and afternoons) while we were there, we watched the olympics with Giles and Beth.
The second day we went to church in Basingstoke and saw the Toomeys. It was a shame we only saw Robert, Denise, Lee and Erin as all the others were away, but it was still nice to see them and spend time with them. We went back to their house afterwards as well which was nice as it meant we got to really talk to them. We also saw their great niece and nephew who came over as well, which Aurora enjoyed becuase there was a boy to play with and copy.
Monday we went to visit Michaela and the girls and see her new house. It was very noisy and hectic with so many children, but it was a really nice day and Aurora enjoyed spending time with her cousins.
Tuesday was Ebony's birthday, so we had a little celebration at breakfast and spent the rest of the morning just at home. In the afternoon Ebony wanted to go shopping to spend her money, so we had a nice girly shopping trip and ate lots of sweets.
Wednesday was mostly spent at home, the kids playing outside and on the trampoline. Aurora loved playing outside with them, especially Jack's tractor, which Jack wasn't very happy about because he was very attatched to it and didn't want to share. We also went geo-caching. It was a new experience, we'd never done it before but it was a lot of fun and good exercise.
On Thursday we went to visit an old abbey near to where they live. It was great weather so we had a picnic, then we all climbed a huge tree and played hide and seek in the grounds. After everyone was tired of the game we went to the river and some of them went for a paddle, not us! It was very tiring but very fun. It was so good to be outside in good weather with good company. We also met some friendly cows along the way which Ellie affectionatley named Daisy and Noisy.
On Friday we went to the play park. It was good but very crowded and a little too hot. There wasn't much Aurora could do because when the sun was out, a lot of the equipment was too hot for her to touch for long and the swings were very busy. It was nice to sit in the shade tho and have an adventure in the trees. That evening after a nice BBQ, we came home.
Aurora is 1!
We recently celebrated Aurora's first birthday (3 times). Yes she is 1 year old already, how time when you're having fun, and it has been a lot of fun so far, with a lot more to come I'm sure. The night before, we had a special family home evening with Seth and Hannah, where we sang to Aurora and ate muffins. The weekend after her birthday we visited grandma in Darlington, who had a special Princess Aurora cake, so we lit a candle and sang to Aurora.
The acual day was a lot of fun. We watched Aurora open her presents as a family, then after breakfast we went to a baby group where we played with flubber and sang songs, including happy birthday. On the way home we stopped at McDonalds and Aurora had her 1st happy meal with chicken nuggets which she loved, especially the Fruit Shoot. We then stopped at Asda and Aurora played on the moving car which she also loved. After sleeping off all the morning's fun she spent the afternoon playing with her new toys until daddy came home and we had a nice family meal and the special pink, sparkly cake I made her. It was a really great day!
Saturday, 21 April 2012
Friday, 20 April 2012
8 Months Old!
My baby is 8 months old tomorrow and what a great 8 months it has been. She has progressed a lot. She has 3 teeth, 2 on the bottom in the middle, which she got just before 5 months, and 1 on top on the left, which she got just last week, but she has been very good about teething up 'til now. She hardly ever cries, but recently has had a cold so hasn't been quite as happy as usual, especially when she's tired. But despite the discomfort with the coughing and finding it difficult to breathe at night, she doesn't cry about it and wake us up, she just lies there. Same when she wakes up early in the morning, if it's before 8am we leave her and she just talks to herself and toys or goes back to sleep. I love it, I love going in to get her in the mornings and seeing how happy and excited she is to see me, the way she smiles and waves her arms and legs around.
She's doing so many cute things now; she talks (kind of), she says dada, mama and Aurora. Sometimes she looks right at Tristram and it really sounds like she says 'hi dada', although I don't know if it's intentional, I hope so. Yesterday I said to her, "Do you love mummy?" and it sounded like she said "and dada." She has also started talking to the TV and her toys, sometimes I watch her when she doesn't realise I'm there and it seems like she's playing some sort of game with them and I find it so cute! She squeals a lot, usually with excitement, but has also developed another rather unique sound that can only be described as a growl. She used to only do it to show her disapproval, but because of the reaction she has had she now seems to do it for entertainment. Twice in the last week she has had an entire room full of people laughing with her comedy timing, making the noise as soon as the room goes quiet so she gets everyone's attention. It's not the most pleasant sound, it's quite irritating in fact, but she does make me laugh. She also has a number of interesting facial expressions. Many times she has had me laughing for a good few minutes, just by the way she looks at me. She doesn't properly laugh very often, but when she does I can't help but laugh too, I think she thinks I'm a crazy person. She can't crawl yet, she's very close but just hasn't quite figured it out yet and just gets frustratedwhen she tries. She's very good at standing though, she only needs very little support and can stand for several minutes. She's a little bit too ambitious though, she's determined to climb, which requires my assistance, but doesn't want to be held so doesn't get very far. Poor baby. She's such a good baby and I love her so much!
She's doing so many cute things now; she talks (kind of), she says dada, mama and Aurora. Sometimes she looks right at Tristram and it really sounds like she says 'hi dada', although I don't know if it's intentional, I hope so. Yesterday I said to her, "Do you love mummy?" and it sounded like she said "and dada." She has also started talking to the TV and her toys, sometimes I watch her when she doesn't realise I'm there and it seems like she's playing some sort of game with them and I find it so cute! She squeals a lot, usually with excitement, but has also developed another rather unique sound that can only be described as a growl. She used to only do it to show her disapproval, but because of the reaction she has had she now seems to do it for entertainment. Twice in the last week she has had an entire room full of people laughing with her comedy timing, making the noise as soon as the room goes quiet so she gets everyone's attention. It's not the most pleasant sound, it's quite irritating in fact, but she does make me laugh. She also has a number of interesting facial expressions. Many times she has had me laughing for a good few minutes, just by the way she looks at me. She doesn't properly laugh very often, but when she does I can't help but laugh too, I think she thinks I'm a crazy person. She can't crawl yet, she's very close but just hasn't quite figured it out yet and just gets frustratedwhen she tries. She's very good at standing though, she only needs very little support and can stand for several minutes. She's a little bit too ambitious though, she's determined to climb, which requires my assistance, but doesn't want to be held so doesn't get very far. Poor baby. She's such a good baby and I love her so much!
Sunday, 29 January 2012
So it's been a long time since I last updated and I've been pretty busy, but will try and do better this year. So I have a lovely daughter named Aurora who is now five months old and doing great. On last weighing she was 16lb and seems big for her age. We are currently in week 2 of the weaning process and it's a messy business! She is loving eating food though and gets very excited, which is part of the problem. She is very good, she'll eat pretty much anything, she may pull faces but if you persevere she'll finish it. She likes brocoli which is good, but looks like some kind of monter when she does as she gets covered in green goo! I take her swimmung every week which she also loves, she really likes her baths at home and loves to splash around, so the swimming pool is just like a step up from that. She tries to swim, sometimes I wonder what would happen if I just let go, but I couldn't do that. We have been doing a baby massage class together the past few weeks which is enjoyable and relaxing, but she gets upset when the other babis there cry. She is a very happy baby and is very sociable and good with people, even people she doesn't know and will smile at anyone who gives her attention and people always tell me how good she is. She is a very good sleeper and really suits her name, as she sleeps 8-8 every night and more than 2 hours during the day. I love the stage she is at now and part of me just wants her to stay that way forever, but I am looking forward to her getting bigger and being able to do more things. She's my little angel.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
August, what a month!
Where do I even start? So finding out I was pegnant was a big shock, but a great and miraculous shock. I thought everything was finally falling into place and just perfect, and that I was going to get the best thing in the world, the thing I've wanted most out of life since I was about 12. I thought wrong. I really enjoyed telling people the good news and seeing the looks of joy on their faces, even if it was a bit risky doing so early on. Some people it was necessary to tell, like instructors at the gym so that they could make sure I didn't do anything that might be harmful to the baby, but I enjoyed that too as I know them all pretty well, particularly my trainer Matt. He's been working with me since the beginning and knows what my goals were and why and how much it meant to me, and really helped me to achieve them. When I told him the news he was really happy for me. The other instructors who I had talked to, including one who's just had a baby herself, said to baiscally just carry on doing the same things, but just tone it down gradually and be careful, but not Matt. Knowing me better than the others, he knew how important this baby was to me and wanted to help me to feel comfortable and not do anything risky. So, he made me a special programme, which was a lot lighter and easier than what I was used to, but made sure I and the baby would be 'safe'. It was like he was being really protective of the baby, and as he went through the exercises with me we talked about babies and our plans, which I thought was really nice and a little surprising. He looks like quite an intimidating person; big, muscley, tatooed and shaven headed, but he has a real soft side and was one of my favourite people to talk to about the whole thing.
I got to have an early scan at 6 weeks because I was seen as high risk and they wanted to make sure it wasn't an eptopic pregnancy. I was nervous in case it didn't go well, but also excited to see the baby, even if it didn't yet look like a baby, just a blob and I just wanted to know everything was okay, and it was. They couldn't see very much with it still being so early, but they saw something and it was in the right place, which I was very relieved about, and they made me an appointment for another scan 10 days later, so they would be able to see more. Unfortunately, just 2 days later I started bleeding, which completely freaked me out, until I found out it was normal, as long as it was only light. Another 2 days after that however it got worse, and I freaked out again. That's when my amazing sister in law and friends stepped in. I tried to see a doctor, but with no success. They said because I was due for a scan in 6 days anyway I would just have to wait until then. It was like torture, having to wait nearly a week just to find out whether my baby was okay or even still alive! For the first 24 hours I was so scared and was dwelling on the negatives. I felt stupid for having gotten so excited and told so many people, when there's a very good reason why people usually wait longer to tell their family and friends. If things went wrong I would then have to go and tell everyone what had happened, which would be hard enough without seeing their disappointment. This didn't last long however. The morning after the problems started, 2 lovely sisters turned up on my doorstep. they talked to me, assured me that it wasn't necessarily as bad as I thought, and just to make sure I should rest. They made me lie down and not move while they made me lunch, sorted out my kitchen and arranged for meals to be brought to me every day for the next week. it even turned out to be a good that that so many people knew, as it meant they were able to help out, and even people who hadn't known were told so that they could help too. I think the whole ward knew in the end, but it was good because it meant they were all praying for us, and we really felt their love. We really felt like part of a ward family, they were all so nice. It was a really long and frustrating week, it's hard to do nothing when you're used to being so active. I also had to miss one of my best friend's weddings, a baby blessing (and of course the gym) which I was pretty gutted about, I so wanted to be there and had looked forward to it for ages. I was also lucky enough to have my mum come and stay for the weekend and help out. When I finally had my scan my fears were confirmed, we had lost our baby. I felt sad, but not upset and surpisingly really calm. Even in the days leading up to the scan, despite fearing the worst, I was okay about it and the night before Tristram and I had a really good discussion about it, the possible outcomes, what they mean for us and how we felt about it all. I think that really helped in dealing with it. I also thought back to the blessing that he had given me a few days earlier, which is I'm sure why I was able to react so positively, despite it being such a devastating thing.
When I first found out I was pregnant I was so excited because I wanted it so much, and when I thought about the idea that it may not work out, I couldn’t even comprehend it, I got upset just thinking about it because it seemed so unbearable. I thought if I had a miscarriage it would just be the worst thing ever and I really didn’t know how I would ever cope or get through it. After waiting so long and having my dream so close, only to then be taken away, to hear that I had lost a child would be the worst news anyone could give me, especially as the timing and everything had seemed so perfect. The reality however was very different. We had so many people fasting and praying for us that everything would work out, and even though it may not have worked out the way we had all hoped, it did help. I Feel that during this time I have been really blessed, strengthened unbelievably to be able to cope with a situation I never thought I would be able to handle, and cope well. I don’t just feel okay, I feel positive and optimistic, because I know it was still a miracle and that it will happen again. I know that I will see my child again one day and that they are sealed to us and my testimony of the plan of salvation has really grown strong. It was hard to tell people the bad news, but not as bad as I thought. I went to the gym the following day and Matt was really nice to me, and it also happened to be his last day there, which I found more upsetting. It was harder to say goodbye than to tell him about losing the baby. I’m really going to miss him.
A few days after this experience I had an interview with Key Stage. They accepted me as a supply teaching assistant, so I now get to be paid for doing what I love, working with children. I haven’t had any work yet but am very much looking forward to it.
I got to have an early scan at 6 weeks because I was seen as high risk and they wanted to make sure it wasn't an eptopic pregnancy. I was nervous in case it didn't go well, but also excited to see the baby, even if it didn't yet look like a baby, just a blob and I just wanted to know everything was okay, and it was. They couldn't see very much with it still being so early, but they saw something and it was in the right place, which I was very relieved about, and they made me an appointment for another scan 10 days later, so they would be able to see more. Unfortunately, just 2 days later I started bleeding, which completely freaked me out, until I found out it was normal, as long as it was only light. Another 2 days after that however it got worse, and I freaked out again. That's when my amazing sister in law and friends stepped in. I tried to see a doctor, but with no success. They said because I was due for a scan in 6 days anyway I would just have to wait until then. It was like torture, having to wait nearly a week just to find out whether my baby was okay or even still alive! For the first 24 hours I was so scared and was dwelling on the negatives. I felt stupid for having gotten so excited and told so many people, when there's a very good reason why people usually wait longer to tell their family and friends. If things went wrong I would then have to go and tell everyone what had happened, which would be hard enough without seeing their disappointment. This didn't last long however. The morning after the problems started, 2 lovely sisters turned up on my doorstep. they talked to me, assured me that it wasn't necessarily as bad as I thought, and just to make sure I should rest. They made me lie down and not move while they made me lunch, sorted out my kitchen and arranged for meals to be brought to me every day for the next week. it even turned out to be a good that that so many people knew, as it meant they were able to help out, and even people who hadn't known were told so that they could help too. I think the whole ward knew in the end, but it was good because it meant they were all praying for us, and we really felt their love. We really felt like part of a ward family, they were all so nice. It was a really long and frustrating week, it's hard to do nothing when you're used to being so active. I also had to miss one of my best friend's weddings, a baby blessing (and of course the gym) which I was pretty gutted about, I so wanted to be there and had looked forward to it for ages. I was also lucky enough to have my mum come and stay for the weekend and help out. When I finally had my scan my fears were confirmed, we had lost our baby. I felt sad, but not upset and surpisingly really calm. Even in the days leading up to the scan, despite fearing the worst, I was okay about it and the night before Tristram and I had a really good discussion about it, the possible outcomes, what they mean for us and how we felt about it all. I think that really helped in dealing with it. I also thought back to the blessing that he had given me a few days earlier, which is I'm sure why I was able to react so positively, despite it being such a devastating thing.
When I first found out I was pregnant I was so excited because I wanted it so much, and when I thought about the idea that it may not work out, I couldn’t even comprehend it, I got upset just thinking about it because it seemed so unbearable. I thought if I had a miscarriage it would just be the worst thing ever and I really didn’t know how I would ever cope or get through it. After waiting so long and having my dream so close, only to then be taken away, to hear that I had lost a child would be the worst news anyone could give me, especially as the timing and everything had seemed so perfect. The reality however was very different. We had so many people fasting and praying for us that everything would work out, and even though it may not have worked out the way we had all hoped, it did help. I Feel that during this time I have been really blessed, strengthened unbelievably to be able to cope with a situation I never thought I would be able to handle, and cope well. I don’t just feel okay, I feel positive and optimistic, because I know it was still a miracle and that it will happen again. I know that I will see my child again one day and that they are sealed to us and my testimony of the plan of salvation has really grown strong. It was hard to tell people the bad news, but not as bad as I thought. I went to the gym the following day and Matt was really nice to me, and it also happened to be his last day there, which I found more upsetting. It was harder to say goodbye than to tell him about losing the baby. I’m really going to miss him.
A few days after this experience I had an interview with Key Stage. They accepted me as a supply teaching assistant, so I now get to be paid for doing what I love, working with children. I haven’t had any work yet but am very much looking forward to it.
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