Three Month Check

I'm here, I promise! I've just had a look at my blog and noticed that I've only posted four times since Baby C was born. Four! This has got to change.

So from now on, I vow to post more regularly. I can't promise you I will post weekly, but certainly more than once a month. So here goes, a quick catch up...

Baby C is about to turn three months old; I can hardly believe it. She changes every day, and I look back at the first photos of her, and she doesn't even look like the same person. She started smiling when she was siz weeks old, and now you can't stop her grinning back at you. You can just look in her direction and she's already flashing a mad grin your way; she's incredible.


And she chats more than ever. It's getting to the point where you chat to her and she responds. She clearly has a lot to say; if only I could understand her!

She's much more aware of things around her now, and she would much rather be sitting up looking around than lying down all the time. So I try to sit her up on the sofa, and then this happens:


I guess it's a bit too exciting for her after all! She's also paying more attention to her toys, which is good. We bought her a toy cow, which she seems to love, so that was a good investment. She was given three comfort blankets when she was born, so I pulled them out of storage and gave them to her, only to find that she preferred her muslin square


I can tell she's going to be one of those kids that prefers to play with the box, not the toy. Never mind. I suppose I can always pass them on to a friend in the future.

Her head control is getting much better. She doesn't take too well to tummy time unless she's lying on someone's chest, at which point she's looking around at everything, her eyes wide and her mouth open in wonder. We bought her a doorway bouncer a few weeks ago, and while her head control isn't completely there, we put her in it for a few minutes today; just long enough for a couple of photos:


It will be at least another month until she's able to use it unaided, so for now she'll have to make do with her activity mat.

In other news, we went back to Homeland # 1 to introduce Baby C to the rest of our family and friends. We had such a great week, even if it was chaos from start to finish. We were zipping around the country trying to see as many people as possible in the limited time we had. My mum, dad and younger brother had already met Baby C, but for my stepmum, older brother and sister-in-law it was the first time, so I made sure I got lots of photos for her when she's older.

We also made sure we saved enough space in our suitcases for a shopping spree. I'm actually a little ashamed of how much we brought back with us...



And that's just the baby stuff. But in my defence, we bought an entire bed-in-a-bag, bath towel, rucksack, and we were given a whole pile of clothes from a friend, so I guess it's not as bad as it looks! I only bought myself a top, and that was only because Baby C threw up on me when we were out, and I had nothing to change into, but Hubby bought a couple of things for himself, and we bought some DVDs, which we ended up having to leave behind with my mum until next time because of the weight restrictions.

Travelling with an infant was harder than I thought it would be, but in a way it was also easier. Dealing with a baby and an airport was hard work, but she was so good in the plane, I can be nothing less than proud of her. She cried a little during take-off on the flight out, but we gave her a bottle and she went to sleep. Landing in Homeland # 1 and the return flight, we didn't hear a peep. She was as good as gold.

the rest of it is just day-to-day stuff which, for now, can be forgotten. Now that I hope to post more frequently, you will be hearing about a more varied selection of events, opposed to the baby updates all the time!

I jsut want to add that if you're still reading along; thanks for being patient with me. I'm so busy, but haven't stopped thinking about all my fellow bloggers, and I really hope to be back here properly now.

Chips

I don't know what the latest news is on Swine Flu in your area, but it's getting pretty widespread here in the UK. So widespread in fact, that people are now freaking out and overdosing on antibacterial paraphernalia.

As I keep trying to tell them; if you're going to get it, you're going to get it. There's little you can do to prevent it, except running for cover and not coming out until the spring. I on the other hand, have come to the conclusion that I'd rather get it now, than in five weeks' time when we're supposed to be going on honeymoon.

Don't get me wrong, I am not, repeat NOT about to hold a Swine Flu Party and rub up against every sick person I can find. I'm simply saying that I'm going to be careful, but I'm not going to change my lifestyle in order to specifically avoid it.

On Monday I elected my "Flu Friend". On Tuesday she called me to tell me she had Swine Flu.

I choose my timing well :)

Seriously though, she lives 100 metres from me, so I would have offered to help her anyway. So I left work early on Tuesday and collected the Tamiflu from the pharmacy. You should have seen the reaction; it was like they thought I was sick. I had to stifle a giggle.

But despite what people are saying, I feel useful, and I like being able to help her. She's housebound for 5 days, so the least I can do is buy bread and milk for her while she's sick. Which got me to thinking; if the same happened to me, I would have nothing in the house to live on.

Hubby and I ended up doing an emergency shop on Tuesday evening in the event that we both get taken down sick with it. So now our freezer is fully stocked with ready meals, and most importantly, chips.


If I'm gonna get swine flu, I'll deserve a big plate of chips :)

Come to think of it; I'm not feeling too great today. That'll be because I decided to make the switch from Diet Coke to Diet Coke - Caffeine Free. What was I thinking?

What happened to this place?!

I was so excited when I left the office on Friday evening, because I was going to a pub re-opening. But not just any pub; the pub I've been going on about since the beginning of this blog.

For those of you that are new, you may not already know the story, but for my long-standing readers; you may remember that Hubby and I were made redundant from this pub, where we had both been working for a number of years. It was Hubby's main job, where he was working as Head Chef, but for me it was simply an additional £4,000 per year, because I already had my office job, but I was working all the hours under the sun to save up for our wedding.

Anyway, this all happened in November 2008, because the owner, who was like a second father to us all, decided to skip town without a word to anyone. You've probably realised that I try to avoid going into too many details on here, because I try to stay largely incognito (not that it always works). In this case, I'm avoiding the details because there's no point in opening old wounds; and these wounds are particularly raw.

But back to Friday's event; in June it was announced that the pub had been bought by four young entrepreneurs who already owned a couple of fancy wine bars in town.

Except this isn't a fancy wine bar in town. This is an English country inn.

We've spoken to one of the owners through Facebook (he contacted me, because I created the staff group on Facebook; I wasn't some crazy stalker). He said from the beginning that he wanted to keep it largely the same, with the same homely, comfortable atmosphere it was renowned for.

So, with baited breath, we went to the official re-opening. I should start by saying that I had an amazing evening, largely because I got to spend time with old colleagues and customers that I hadn't seen since my last shift at the pub - the Tuesday before the sh*t hit the proverbial fan.

But the pub?! Well, the shell might be the same, but it's a completely different place. Picture fancy tables, a fancy-worded menu (after all, a burger is still a burger) and fancy prices to go with it. Then picture staff who don't know a beer pump from their elbow, and four equally dim managers who think that flapping around is a good way to get something done.

I know I'm being overly critical, but I can't help it. I arrived with two guys that used to work there with me, and we all ordered the hamburger; which the manager informed us was the best thing on the menu by far. I guessed the chefs love their pepper, because I couldn't taste much else. But we soon learned that they don't even make the burgers on site, but they get a farmer to make them up to their "own private recipe". Fine, but you're the chef; he's the farmer. Surely the chef's supposed to make the burger. If he's just cooking it, then surely he's a cook, not a chef.

The guys then left, and I sat with more old workmates. This is when I ordered the fruit crumble, and they had their main courses. One of which ordered the fishcakes. The manager's response was "oh gosh; that's the tastiest dish we have!" - Are you kidding me? I may not have been the best barmaid slash waitress ever, but even I know you should stick to having one favourite per day.

I reckon the fishcakes were better than the burgers, so perhaps she was right on that one. But when we worked there, Hubby made a wicked burger. These ones, quite frankly didn't measure up. I know I'm biased; but wouldn't you be?

We had the dessert menus on our table for two hours, waiting for someone to take our order. In the end they went off the idea of desserts altogether. It was probably a good thing, since my custard had the consistency of water.


I guess what I'm saying is; I don't like change. Or perhaps it's because I feel like someone's torn it apart and tried to turn it into something it can never be. I'm protective over it. I know that's silly, because I know the old owner will never come back to run it. I wasn't the only one to have this opinion., but in the end it's down to the public to decide.

But enough of my tirade; in other news...


Would you believe it's taken me three months to figure out how to reinstate the "compose" mode when you're composing a post? I think that rates me one of the slowest bloggers on here! But I'm glad I've finally got it sorted; I was missing it...

I've spent the entire weekend uploading wedding photos to our wedding photo blog. My laptop has an issue with internet connection, so I literally have to disconnect and connect again each time I upload a photo. Phew, but it's done now, and I can sit back until I get more through the post.

Life is largely back to how it was before the wedding (and it's taken two weeks, ha ha). I'm immersed in my work again, though now I don't have anything interesting to distract me ;)

I'm now looking forward to our honeymoon in Hawaii, which is in... 6 weeks tomorrow. It sounds like a way off, but the last six weeks of the wedding countdown went really fast, so I'm not impatient... yet.

Yay for Wedding Season!

It's official; the next wedding I'm going to will be mine.

The wedding I went to last night was really fun. Admittedly I did take advantage of the open bar (first time I've ever experienced one of them, because in the UK we normally have cash bars), but I loved seeing my workmates out of work. The bride, a colleague of mine, looked absolutely gorgeous. I didn't manage to get many nice photos, so I've only added a couple of her in her beautiful designer gown:


The photo doesn't do her justice though, because she was absolutely stunning, and she looked so happy and relaxed. This was also the first time I've been to a wedding where the bride and groom leave on their honeymoon straight away. They left the reception in this:


They're taking five weeks to tour the country at their leisure. That's how a honeymoon should be done. It's got me thinking now...

One Dress Down; One To Go...

Happy Saturday everyone! First off, I want to say a big THANK YOU to Rachel, who nominated me to receive the "Keepsake Blog Award".


Ahh! My first award; I feel so special! :)

Thanks so much Rachel, and sorry it took me so long to realise. For anyone else reading this, my email account decided to put Rachel's message to me straight into my spam folder. Not helpful, Yahoo!

When you receive this award, you're supposed to post a funny or sweet keepsake that says something about you. Well, this is mine:


This is the wooden and ivory jewellery box that my grandfather left me in his will. He died in 1998, when I was thirteen, and since he lived in Homeland # 2, I didn't realy get a chance to get to know him as well as I would have liked. This jewellery box means I have a constant reminder of him, and it's like I can take a piece of him with me; though I guess that sounds weird. My grandparents used to live in Africa, and they brought this back with them when they moved to Homeland # 2 in the 1950s (when the transportation of new ivory was still legal). And since I want to travel the world, but haven't yet been to mainland Africa, it's like having a piece of Africa, and it reminds me of my hopes to visit the continent in the future.

And part 2 of receiving this award is to pass the award on the 10 other bloggers that I think are keepers. So here goes:

C. Beth Blog
From This Day Forward
Gorgeous Footsteps in the Sand
Grab A Drink And Pull Up A Chair
Make Mine a Mojito
Misadventures of a Newlywed
Perfectly Imperfect
Smile Steady
Somethin' to Talk About
The Ratpack

Thanks again Rachel; I shall display my award proudly on my blog!

Something else I'd like to mention, is Blogger's very strange sense of humour when providing text for word verification:

Enough said.

Now today's been a busy day. I went into town with one of my bridesmaids and went looking for a black dress for her to wear to my wedding, which by the way is in THREE WEEKS TODAY!!!

Ahem, mini celebration over. Anyway, we did find a dress, which we thought was black until we read the label, which said it was "chocolate". It's actually a really dark brown, but I maintain it still looks black. Here's the dress we bought:

She's going to accessorise with hot pink so it doesn't seem so dull and plain. For those of you that don't know; our colour scheme is black, cream and red. One of my bridesmaids doesn't suit red, and to prevent them wearing white (or the wrong shade of cream), and clashing with my dress, we settled on them wearing black. It also makes it easier for them to match one another, since one of them is studying overseas, so with flights and her exams, it's been impossible to get them both together to go shopping for dresses.

I've emailed the bridesmaid that is abroad, and asked how she's doing finding her dress. I hope it all comes together...

But my busy day's not over yet; I'm fresh out of the shower and after I finish posting on here, I'm getting ready to go to another wedding; that of my work colleague. I can't wait to see what she's got in store, because we've been comparing notes throughout our wedding planning, but she's been pretty hush hush on the reception front. So, armed with my camera, I'm heading off out in the hope of a great evening...

Our Joint Stag & Hen Night

Last night we celebrated our Blues Brothers themed Joint Stag & Hen Do, and we had such a good time. I literally had to race home from work, jump in the shower and squeeze into my little black dress. I teamed it with a fedora hat, stockings, heels and a red and white garter. Hubby wore a black suit with white shirt and a fedora hat.

Not everyone managed to dress up, but it was good to have everyone there - even my brother and his wife came out, and I've never been out with him before! We started out at a bar in town, and moved to a club at 11pm, staying there until 3am. It's a good thing I booked the day off work today!

It was such a fun night though, and great to see everyone again. Most of the people that came worked with us at the pub that closed down in November, and it's been hard to find time to meet up recently, so it was good to catch up too.

Anyway, I thought I'd post a few photos of our fantastic night:

How I Love Fridays!

I was cleaning the house until 10pm last night, but I finally got everything sorted. Just in time too, because our friend is coming to stay tonight. He's on the train at the moment, so I'm passing time until he arrives.

I met one of my bridesmaids for lunch today, and it was great to see her again. I haven't seen her in about 2 months, because I've been so busy with the wedding, and she's been busy with her new man too. She was made redundant 4 months ago, but what I didn't realise was that her partner was also made redundant shortly afterwards, so they're having real trouble paying the bills at the moment. There just doesn't seem to be any work around. It's hard seeing your friends in that position, because you can't do anything to help them, despite wanting to more than anything. But there's a hint of work somewhere, she just doesn't know when. I really hope things work out for them soon.

This friend that's coming to stay tonight is photographing a wedding here tomorrow, so we offered him our settee to sleep on. He's actually one of the photographers for our wedding, so Hubby and I will take the opportunity to talk to him about photos on the day. I'm not sure what he's going to say though, because he hates posed shots with a passion, and favours the reportage style. When I was photographing weddings, I would find that the best photos were indeed the reportage shots, but you need some posed photos too, so he's going to have to be flexible ;)

When he arrives I'm going to meet him at the train station and then we're gonna hit the town and get some grub. I did offer to cook for him (somewhat uncertainly since at one point he was a Michelin Star chef), but he's well aware of my lack of culinary skills, and he's suggested going to a restaurant for dinner.

I can't wait to see him again, because it's been so long since we last saw him; possibly a year. He used to be the head chef in the pub that closed down last November (although at that point he wasn't working there), so Hubby and I both know him really well, and he's such a great friend. He makes me laugh too, so I know tonight's going to be great fun. Unfortunately Hubby's working, so we can't talk about the photos until later on tonight, but never mind.

I'm really looking forward to this weekend. The sunny weather has diminished, leaving us with grey skies and threats of rain, so I don't expect I'll be able to sunbathe tomorrow (trying to top up my tan before the wedding, so I don't look too pale), but if it's horrible outside I might just kick back with a couple of DVDs and rest. After all this cleaning it's well deserved!

Brain Like a Sieve

Oh, the shame!

At 5:00pm today, I headed out with a few of the girls from work to celebrate our workmate's hen night. She's having a grand total of six hen nights in the run-up to her wedding, so this one wasn't intended to be a wild one. We spent five hours eating, drinking and chatting; celebrating both the end of the week and the fast-approaching wedding.

Only when I was getting up to leave did a guy from the next table along look at me and smile. Now, I did question it for a moment, because he gave me one of those beer goggle stares, and for a moment I could have sworn he was about to wink at me. But then he cleared his throat and said "we went to school together".

You can imagine my surprise. Not only was he coherent; he was saying he knew me. I managed to reply, "did we?"

I think he laughed, and then he said my name. Damn. This guy must really know me; but who the hell is he?!

Now, I'm not the type of person to go along and pretend I know who they are, and before I could think about it, I asked him his name; admitting I had no idea who he was.

At this point I feel it's fair to mention that I went to a number of different schools when I was growing up. In fact, I think it was six - not that that's an excuse!

He was polite (and probably assumed I was far more hammered than I actually was), and humoured me enough to tell me his name was Joe.

Now the cogs in my brain are working overtime. Joe, Joe... Joey, Josiah, Joseph... It must have been Joseph.

And then it hit me. Of course! This guy was in my class (grade); I sat next to him for a year - how could I have not recognised him before?! Honestly, brain; you're failing me in my old age.

I'm only 24.

I made up for it by mentioning that I'd heard that he was running a bar somewhere. I don't think I got away with it, but it was worth a shot. He probably went away thinking I would have spoken to a lamp post if it had claimed it knew me.

Oh, and note to self: Guys from school seem to be really hot these days...

The Hippo and the Tortoise

Last night I went to Weight Watchers - the first time in two weeks. When I go on holiday, I forget about my diet and I eat what I want to eat (within reason). When I was in Hubby's Homeland, I got a little carried away with the lovely foods, and of course having a Burger King in such close proximity; and let’s just say, I ate too much.

So all through work yesterday I was dreading stepping on the scales, and I actually had butterflies in my stomach when I was about to go on them; but I was pleasantly surprised. I’d lost half a pound. Unfortunately I don’t think it’s going to stay that way; I suspect my body is going to go stealth on me and pile on the pounds for next week instead. But for now, I’m basking in my success!

I wanted to share something with you all though, because I thought it was heart-warming. And we all need a little pick-me-up every now and again, so here’s what greeted me in my inbox this morning:

“Much of life can never be explained but only witnessed”

A young hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing 650lbs, was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean, then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on 26th December 2004, before wildlife rangers rescued him.

Owen has since formed a strong bond with a male giant tortoise. The tortoise, thought to be 100 years old, has adopted this young hippo, and seems to be very happy acting as a surrogate father.

'After Owen was swept away and lost his mother, he was traumatised. Fortunately, he and the tortoise have established a strong bond. They swim, eat and sleep together,' Mr Kahumbu, a local ecologist said. 'The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it would follow its mother. If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting its biological mother.'

'The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and by nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their mothers for four years,' he explained.

This story shows that our differences don't matter much when we need the comfort of another. We could all learn a lesson from these two creatures. Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk the path together.

If you would like to see this story in a short video, click here.