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.

In One Month Today...

We will be leaving the UK and moving abroad to start a new life in Hubby's Homeland. One month! I'm anxious, I'm scared... if I'm honest I don't really want to go, but I'm an adult and I'm about to be a parent. I have to get used to doing things I don't want to do.

Anyway, ignore me. I'm sure things will work out well in the end.

I've been back in the UK for 4 days already, but only just had an opportunity to update you all. The trip to Hubby's Homeland went well. We didn't manage to sort out all we had hoped, but we got the basics sorted.

First of all, it was great to see the in-laws. We hadn't seen them since the wedding in July, so we had a lot to catch up on, and I had a belly to show them. Hubby's Homeland is a place where everyone knows everyone, and good news travels fast, so it seems that wherever we went, someone was congratulating us.

The situation with the house is still not settled, but I don't think it will be for a while. We've probably got a temporary base in the one-bed flat, but it's so tiny it really isn't practical for 2 people with a baby. I think I measured the bedroom at 3m x 3.5m; it will fit a double bed if you have nothing else in the room. For that reason, we would need to swap the bedroom over with the lounge, which is slightly bigger, so we could get the cot into the room, and have a really small lounge. It will be okay for a few months, but certainly nothing long-term.

After that, we have the possiblity of Hubby's grandmother's house, which is a 2 bedroom flat near the town centre; but she would be living there too. That's not such a big problem until the baby needs its own room. Oh, and she doesn't speak English. And I only speak English.

Cue major awkwardness.

That's the only thing I'm worried about, but I know that it's the most likely eventuality, so I need to get used to the idea. Trouble is, while we would be buying the house from her, and paying the mortgage, I would feel like it wasn't our place, and would feel like I feel when I live with the in-laws - like I can't be myself. It's not ideal in that respect, so I'm not totally happy, but it's a house, and it's the baby that matters.

Hubby's Homeland is also a very hard place to get a house, so I am grateful we've been offered something. We know a couple who applied for housing when they got engaged. They've had 2 weddings, a long TTC journey, and their baby is now 5 months old, and they are still waiting for a house of their own. So I can't complain.

I've asked Hubby if we can stay in the tiny flat for at least a month after the baby's born. While it will be tight, I think it's important that we have time together as a family unit, without other relatives around. I know Hubby's grandmother would be really helpful to have around, but in the first month I will probably be going out of my mind with stress and exhaustion, so it's the worst time to have people around that you can't say goodbye to at the end of the day.

If we have a month alone with the baby, we can at least get to grips with being parents before thinking about living with someone else. I don't want her to have to walk around on eggshells for fear of upsetting me, and most of all, I don't want to unleash my hormones on her when she's only trying to help. I don't know if I'm explaining myself properly...

Hubby's heard of a few job opportunities. The one he's holding out for still haven't got around to releasing their applications yet, so he can't apply until February. We don't like that it's so uncertain, but it's a good opportunity, and because of Hubby's experience, he's very employable, so I'm sure he'll find something. The recession hasn't affected Hubby's Homeland, so there are no job shortages there, which makes things that little bit easier.

Hubby's mum took me to see her old colleagues in the maternity department of the hospital, and arranged for me to have a look around the ward etc. She also got me in with the community midwife who took a look at my notes and took my blood so she can get me processed before we move back over in February. I'm glad we went over this week, because when we go back in February, I will be thrown straight into appointments and checkups, so I won't miss out on anything.

They've already booked me in with a specialist to discuss the heart condition my grandmother has, which they ignored in England. I'm glad they're looking into it. They've also booked me in for what they call "parent craft", which I think is where they coach you through the labour process. I also have a dentist appointment booked (which I'm not especially excited about) and my 4D scan booked for the first week in April! I can't wait for that one!

On the return flight I got fantastic treatment! The lady at the check-in desk noticed I was pregnant and gave us priority boarding, which meant we got to sit right at the front with extra legroom. And we had great luck with our luggage; the second we got to the luggage belt, our bags were there for the taking. And they say Easyjet is crap; I beg to differ!

And on the baby front, it's spent the week kicking up a storm, but now I'm back at work I'm hardly feeling anything. It's moved now though, because up until 24 weeks, I only ever felt kicks up to the level of my belly button, but now I feel them just under my ribs. It's moved so much in a week, and the kicks are harder now.

I had my first bout of heartburn on Monday. This is going to be too much information, but throughout my life I've had those moments when you have a little sick come up, but then you have a swig of a drink, and it's gone. I thought that was heartburn.

Nope; heartburn is worse.


I went to see the midwife for my 25 week appointment yesterday, and she seems happy with how everything's going. She advised me to start counting the baby's movements, and if I have below 10 per day, I should get it checked out. She also advised me to take off my rings in the next few weeks. I was deliberating yesterday, and I've taken them off for good now. My jewellery isn't insured, and there's no way I'm having them cut off me!

Baby Update

Since the Christmas period got away with me, it occurred to me that I haven't updated anyone about the baby since our 21 week scan. As you know, the baby was kicking since I was 19 weeks and 6 days, but since then the baby has been visibly kicking in my belly. If I time it just right, I can see my belly moving with the baby, which is a very weird experience.

Since the 21 week scan, I have realised I'm actually glad we didn't ask the baby's gender. While I was going crazy with curiosity at the time, the moment has passed and I'm actually quite looking forward to the birth, because that's the first time I will know whether we have a son or daughter.

One New Year's Day we hit the sales; not for the usual things (clothes etc), but for the baby's buggy. We have been shopping around over the last couple of months, and finally found this one in Toys R Us. And even better, it was in the sale, costing £150 ($240). It's the Graco Excursion travel system, in black and champagne. The buggy comes with a car seat, which can be attached to the buggy for when the baby is small, and a footmuff for the colder days (not that we will be having many of them in Hubby's Homeland).

This is the basic buggy, with footmuff:


The car seat:


And the car seat attached to the buggy (I couldn't find any photos of it online, so you have to bear with me while I show you my skanky flat!):



I turn 24 weeks tomorrow, which is an important stage in any pregnancy, because it marks the point where, should the worst happen and I go into early labour, doctors will do everything in their power to help the baby. In a way it's a weight off my mind, because although the chances of survival are still low, at least you can be sure that every possible effort will be made for the baby. This is also the last point a loss is classed as a miscarriage, and from now on it would be classed as a still birth. I believe this means the baby would have the birth recorded.

I won't be online until 16th January now, as we're off to Hubby's Homeland to sort out a few things before the big move in February. We're hoping to get Hubby's job prospects more secured, meet with the midwives at the hospital, book a few birthing classes, inform healthcare etc that we are moving back (because I need to have medical support as soon as we arrive), and sort out where we will be living. It's going to be a busy week, but it will be good to get it all sorted.

Random Thoughts

* I'm beginning to think getting pregnant before emigrating was a bad idea. If we move abroad in mid-February as we intend to, we only have 11 weeks, or 77 days left to tie up all of our loose ends. That may sound a lot, but there's Christmas in the middle, and we're taking a trip to Hubby's Homeland in January, so in reality we have far less time to sort everything out. I was actually lying awake last night wondering how it's all going to slot together in time; we just have so much to do!

* I can't wait until we go for our 21 week scan. 21 days and counting...

* We've seen a buggy we want already. Scary, huh? Well, not totally scary, because my mother-in-law popped into a couple of shops in Hubby's Homeland to ask how quickly items would arrive into stock after ordering them, and the result is 12-16 weeks.

It means that even if we shop for things when we go over in January, it still might not be there when the baby is born in May! Because of this, we're looking into buying at least the buggy in the UK and taking it over with us. This is the one we've found, and we think it's a bargain at £199:

I know it's blue, and we won't know whether we're having a boy or a girl... but since when have I been traditional? And I'm bored of shopping for gender neutral colours.

* And finally, I paid a whopping £900 ($1,400) onto my credit cards today. I know, what was I thinking? I can't really afford to part with that kind of money, but I found a crazy balance of £1000 on a card I thought I'd cleared, so the debts I need to clear before we move have doubled. I would cut up the cards, but with a baby on the way I'm sensing it could be wise to keep hold of them...

I've had a busy couple of days, gluing and sending out our thank you cards, picking up our honeymoon tickets and ironing on fabulously blinging "Mrs X" transfers onto my honeymoon clothes:


Don't be alarmed, I've only got the one, and I've only ironed it onto one black T-Shirt, which I plan to wear on the plane.

I am getting more excited by the day, and I can hardly contain myself. And we still have over two weeks to wait! I'm slowly starting to pull a few things together that I know I will need to pack; like travel detergent, shorts, dresses, sun cream, books... I'm only packing these things because the Great British summer has, once again, been a total washout this year, and I doubt I'll be needing many of my summer clothes before we leave.

But there's always hope, and I would love to be able to top up my tan before we leave - there's nothing worse than being pasty on the first day of your holiday; trying to disguise your milk bottle legs. I'm not as pale as they come; I generally classify myself as having a European colour - perhaps like those in the south of France - opposed to pale colour of my fellow English roses. Having said that; I'm well versed in holidaying with Hubby's family, who are lucky enough to live on the Med and soak up the summer sunshine from April through to October.

I'm also breaking in my white flip flops; the first of 2009, and I stepped in bubble gum already. Sad but true!

And on a final, rather sour note, my laptop has decided to re-acquire the virus it had on 11th July, and therefore is out of action again until Hubby can work out how to get rid of it. Pfft. I'm seriously unimpressed, because all of our wedding photos are on it, and I hadn't managed to get around to burning them yet! Nevertheless, I knew the signs this time, and as soon as it started happening again, I came offline and started a series of gruelling virus scans, which have continued through to this morning when I had to leave for work.

I just hope it's sorted before Saturday, because I'm not spending my birthday without an internet connection...

Skinny Minnie

I'm pretty happy with myself, because at my Weight Watchers weigh-in last night, I was 142lbs - I'd lost 2 ½ lbs since last week! I'll be looking like this in no time -->

I'm sure you remember how disappointed I was last week, to have put on weight after having pointed all of my food, deprived myself of the foods I loved, and been so confident about having lost weight. The weird thing was that I felt my clothes getting loose, so to have put on weight was a genuine shock.

But I was determined, and I kept at it. This week I made a point of eating a more varied diet. So where I might have had toast for breakfast, soup for lunch and a low fat dinner every day; I spent the past 7 days varying my foods.

I also discovered a range of delicious salads from Marks & Spencer, which I've been tasting and actually really enjoying.

And it paid off, because I saw the results this week. I think the weight loss must have caught up with me, but either way I'm glad I've finally seen results.

So now I'm 9lbs from my goal weight. With three more weigh ins until the honeymoon, I still don't think it's realistic to expect to get there before then, but my new intention is to be 133lbs by Christmas.

I'll be a Skinny Minnie by the end of the year...

A Month of Marriage

Well, we've officially survived one month of married life. It feels weird to say that it's been a calendar month already. Some days it feels like only a fortnight ago, and other days it feels like it was six months ago.

Traditionally, the married couple would drink mead for one calendar month after their wedding, and after this, the honeymoon period would be over.

Looks appetising, doesn't it? I hasten to add that this isn't our kitchen, and this isn't our mead (I hear your relief).

But of course 4th August marks our one month, which means that our honeymoon period is technically over. I might have been a little disappointed about that if I didn't have our Hawaii trip to look forward to at the end of the month. Yet another reason to be untraditional!

A lot has happened to us during the past month; some good and some bad (but mainly good). However, essentially life is much the same as it always was. Part of me expected to feel a little different on becoming a married woman, but I guess I knew we would continue on as we always had done.

The main perk of course is being referred to as a Mrs. In fact that's the only real difference at the moment! But despite feeling no different, I'm happier than I've ever been. We have a lot of things to look forward to, and therefore I have many reasons to be happy.

So here's to our one month, and many more to follow! I am living on the wild side and toasting my achievement with a bottle of Diet Coke and a punnet of cherry tomatoes...

Honeymoon Shopping!

And so it begins...

I found this gorgeous bag by Roxy during my lunch hour on Friday, and I just had to buy it:


Now, let me explain, because unlike most of my spends; I can justify this one. I'm intending to use it as my in-flight hand luggage for the honeymoon, and when we're there, it can double as a beach bag.

Our flight to San Francisco will take 11 hours, and our ongoing flight to Honolulu will take a further 4.5 hours. That's a lot of time to get bored, so I figured that if I have a bigger cabin bag; I can take more things to entertain me!

*pointing at head* - Not just a hat stand!

Other than its 32-litre indigo magnificence, it was also in the sale! Originally selling for £30 ($49); I bought it for £23 ($38). It would have been rude to turn down such a good offer. It is Roxy after all...

Hmmm. Now, what to take with me...

One Month to Go!

I woke up this morning with a spring in my step, because as of today; our honeymoon is only a month away!

I'm so excited. This will be the first time I've ever been to the United States, and it will mark the furthest I've been from home. It also means I finally get to spend three interrupted weeks with my new husband. I can't wait!

We normally go back to Hubby's Homeland for a week here and there, or we go on holiday with his family. Hubby and I have only been on one "couple" holiday in the entire time we've been together; and it was complete shambles.

We were in the middle of a heat wave, and Hubby and I went down to the west coast, to a town called Newquay. If you aren't familiar with it; Newquay is the place you go when you finish school (a bit like Tijuana I suppose).

But despite the reputation, we weren't going to mingle with the underage drinkers, because Newquay is also famous for its clean beaches, and it's possibly the best surfing location in the UK. And for anyone who's seen Roald Dahl's "The Witches", the hotel it's filmed in is located here:

I'd been to Newquay twice before, but Hubby had never managed to go, so we thought we'd go camping in Newquay for a week; soaking up the sun, chilling out. We had originally been considering going to the Dominican Republic for a week, but in the end the price was just out of our reach, so we settled on a "staycation".

Well, at the end of the week, we'd spent more than we would have done staying at an all inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic, so we've since decided that staycations are very pricey!

Unfortunately it was wet and stormy all week, but still lovely and sunny back home (grr...). Nevertheless, we had a lot of fun. We walked along the cliffs, and you can even walk along a strip of coves that lead straight to the town centre. It's a beautiful place; even when it's raining!

On the way back we stopped off at the Eden Project (the world's largest greenhouse):

After leaving, we were on the home straight; or so we thought. The car broke down twice, and the second time we were still 100 miles from home, and Hubby's breakdown cover will drive you home, or to a hotel within 10 miles of the breakdown location.

Unfortunately that left only one option; find a hotel. The mechanic took us to the repair garage, where I put the £800 ($1,400) bill on my credit card. The bank subsequently blocked my account, leaving us penniless in the process. It then meant we had to rely on the goodwill of a nearby hotel to give us a room for a knock down price, and no dinner!

Anyway, enough of my trip through Memory Lane. Hawaii will be our second "couple" holiday, and the best by far. This time next month, I will be on a plane to San Francisco with hubby asleep on my shoulder :)

Scales Are Not My Friend

I don't even have words for how disappointed I am in myself. I went to my weigh-in this evening to find out that after my dedication and hard work, I'd put on half a pound. What is going on?? It's so disheartening.


My only consolation is that next week my good behaviour will catch up with me, and I will have lost a couple of pounds. This is my fourth week of floating around the 144lb mark, and it's really getting to me. Even when I cut out all the nice food, I'm still static in my weight. Pfft.

But you know what? I'm going to flip this into a positive, because I can't sit around being disappointed in myself. Or at least, if I am disappointed in myself, I'm going to use that and make it work for me.

I'm going to work even harder this week, and I'm going to achieve something next week; even if it hurts me. Although I don't have any more diet tricks up my sleeve, so I'm hoping whatever's wrong with my body works itself out sharpish.

And I just realised that if I still want to get to my honeymoon goal, I now have to lose a frightening 3lbs each week, without fail. I think it's safe to say that my goal of being 133lbs is out of reach, so I've now decided that I'm going to focus only on getting into those surf shorts. Even if I weigh 144lbs on my honeymoon, I'm going to get into those shorts.

Don't ask me how, because I may need a miracle!

What a Good Girl I Am!

I've been caffeine-free for five days now, and in all honesty; I don't feel a difference in my energy levels. I thought I would have had some kind of reaction by now, since I've spent the last ten years drinking Coke on a daily basis.

I'm the only person I know that can pop four Pro Plus, wash them down with 4 cans of Red Bull and STILL not feel anything. Now, before you warn me that that's not a sensible way to live; I should highlight that I was revising for my final exams, working from sunrise to sunset, and I'd finally cracked.

But my insensitivity to caffeine and taurine is probably a good thing, I realise now; because at least I'm not bouncing off the walls after one sip. I'm not about to complain.

I'm feeling super slim today, which is great considering it's THAT time of the month (sorry T.M.I.). I normally feel like a right fatty at this point, so when I saw my now-almost-flat stomach in the mirror this morning, my heart actually leapt with joy. It's put me in such a positive vibe.

You may remember that I stayed the same at my Weight Watchers weigh-in last Tuesday, and I complained that my honeymoon goal was getting more and more unobtainable. Well, this week I've stuck to my points like a trooper. I'm not going to pluck figures from the sky, but let's just say I'll be VERY surprised if I don't lose weight this week.

I have to admit that I've been pretty hungry this week though. I'm hardly an advert for Weight Watchers, I know, but normally I'm quite content on the diet, because I eat filling foods, or foods with little or no point values. But this week has been a mission. Probably because it was the first week I've really stuck to it since March.

My basic pattern has been to either have Coco Pops with skimmed milk (and I'm not talking the 1%, I'm talking the 0.1%, which is basically white water), or toast and Marmite for breakfast, some kind of tinned soup with a bit of bread for lunch, and a low fat dinner.

I'm telling you; at zero points, Marmite is a godsend. And what makes it even better is that they sell it in the squeezy bottles. I'm not quite sure about the point of these, because you would think it would mean you get less messy, but you still have to use a knife to spread it...

The hard part of the diet comes when Hubby has his nights off; tonight being one of them. My will power goes out the window when he's home, because he orders take out - yeah, he's not about to spare my feelings and eat something halfway decent, but he'll go overboard and order an entire bucket of KFC and then leave half of it.

The choice I'm then faced with is to either sit and watch him tucking into his mountain of lovely mouth-watering, colonel's recipe chicken breasts as I make a plate of cous cous; or I can join him and be on Cloud 9... if only for ten minutes.

Those heavenly ten minutes are always worth it; even if I put on weight because of it.

The worst thing I did this week was to have popcorn for breakfast on Sunday. I know why I did this too, and I'm not proud of it. Hubby decided he wanted some popcorn at midnight on Saturday. I helped myself to a few, since I had 3 points left for the day, when he turned around and said "should you really be eating that?"

That gets me angry even when I know I shouldn't be eating it. But when I've spent the entire week depriving myself of every scrap of niceness, I feel I deserve my measly little handful of popcorn. But whatever; I got all stroppy and when he offered me some more, I refused on the principle of it.

So on Sunday morning, I woke up and decided that, to get him back, I would eat a bucket of the popcorn myself. In all fairness, I did point it, and I held back from my food as a result. But it didn't get him back because he didn't even realise I'd eaten it; and even if he had, he wouldn't have cared. The only person who feels the consequences of my actions is me, and believe me; I felt it.

I was starving for the rest of the day. I don't know what possesses me to eat to prove a point, but at least I'm aware that I'm doing it, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that does it.

I compensated by having a Weight Watchers ready meal for lunch (the chicken and lemon risotto; which I would not recommend if you have any taste buds at all). The only problem came at 9pm, when I had 5 points left, and a belly that was now threatening to consume me from the inside out.

I gave in, primarily because I wasn't prepared to go to bed with such an unruly belly, and because I had only eaten one real meal so far. And in my moment of weakness (read: starvation), I threw four fish fingers and a (rather large) handful of chips in the oven. It was good, but I was now officially over my points.

Well, you can't be perfect all the time.

But today I'm being good again, and I've only had 6 points for breakfast and lunch combined; since I'm saving space for whatever scrumptious sustenance we choose to eat tonight. Yum; I can't weight ;)

Stayed the Same

In Weight Watchers terms, staying the same can be a good thing or a bad thing. For me, I'm taking it as a bad thing, because since the wedding I've put on 2lbs, lost 2lbs and stayed the same; so effectively, three weeks later, I'm exactly the same weight.

I know, I know; I should be happy I haven't put on weight. I am happy, but I can't help feeling my honeymoon goal slipping through my fingers. I had 8 weeks to lose 11lbs, which in itself was a mission, but now I only have 5.

I haven't been tracking my foods, but I've been eating decently. Decently enough to lose weight; or so I thought. But now it changes; from today I'm properly properly tracking my foods. I've made this declaration before, but this is a proper promise.

I've had a bowl of Coco Pops with 0.1% milk, and at mid morning, I cut up an entire cucumber (zero points), and ate it at my desk. For lunch I'm about to have Butternut squash, parsnip and ginger soup with some Weight Watchers bread. I have no idea what I'll be having for dinner, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it!

I've also brought my supply of Neuzekes (traditional Belgian sweets) to work and shared them out, because if they're at home; they're tempting me...

This week I intend to lose a minimum of 2lbs, although secretly I'm hoping I lose 11. If you have any Weight Watchers (or general low-fat tips), be sure to let me know!

Good News!

I have two bits of good news to share today.

I mentioned in May that there may have been an offer for a house in Hubby's Homeland, but that we wouldn't know for certain for a few weeks. Well, weeks turned to months, and we had almost given up on the idea until yesterday. The house is ours whenever we're ready to move over there. The conditions are different to what they were, in that we won't be buying the house, but renting it from my father-in-law. It's only a one badroom apartment though, so we would only need it while our first child is young enough to sleep in with us; and afterwards, we can look for something else.

It's such a weight off my mind. I don't know about you, but I've spent my adult years struggling just to make it through to the next pay day. I see friends buying houses and I wish I could be like them, but the reality is we've never made enough money to be able to put anything into savings, and the money we spend on rent is effectively money down the drain. But even before the recession it was near impossible for us to get a mortgage, even though the payments would be less than our rent.

Anyway, I'm not the only person in this situation, and I'm sure that if you're not in the boat; you know someone who is. But we're now lucky enough to have been offered a get-out clause, and it pretty much changes everything, and it means we can start thinking about the family we want to start so much.

Which leads me onto my next piece of news...

I don't know what the etiquette is on this one, but Hubby and I have agreed to start trying for a baby on our honeymoon. I'm so excited! I've been broody for so long now, and it finally seems that things are working in our favour.

Now that we're married, and now that the house is agreed; it just seems like the right time to be thinking about children. So we've set the start of our Hawaiian honeymoon as the point at which we start trying to conceive.

I know I'm jumping the gun here, but if it happens straight away, we could be parents in June. I'm not naïve, I know it might take a while, and I know we may face problems - My mother had trouble conceiving, and went through lengths just to have my brother; so she's always made it known that I might have trouble too. But they never did tests on me, so I won't know until we start actively trying to conceive. I think that's part of the reason we're not holding out much longer to have children... that and the fact that Hubby wants them before he's 30 (in 2011).

So we have six weeks to go, and I'm going to take this opportunity to get my body into shape for then. I'm going to concentrate on my diet and getting to my goal weight, and then it will just be a case of toning up and eating healthily. I've been taking pre-natal vitamins for about a month already. I just need to start reading up on the science of it all...

Phew - getting married, travelling further than I've ever been before, getting a house and trying for a baby... 2009's turning into a great year for us.

Our Mini Honeymoon

Things have been so busy recently, so I'm sorry for not having been online. I've got so much to catch up on, but I'm looking forward to reading the latest of the blogs I'm following.

I had hoped to be able to rest a little after the wedding, but now my work is busy, I have to tidy up the house (since when we got back from our mini honeymoon, we just dumped everything and went to bed), and working through all the wedding photos is proving to be very time-consuming. FUN, but time-consuming.

Anyway, today I thought I’d tell you a little about our mini honeymoon in Bath. We left my dad’s house on Sunday morning (5th July), after helping a little with the clearing up. It took us about 2 hours to get to Bath, passing Stonehenge on the way. The only reason we didn’t stop was because there seemed to be at least three coach loads of tourists there, and we didn’t fancy negotiating the crowds.

Now, if you haven’t yet been to Bath, I strongly recommend going. It's home to the Roman Baths, a beautiful abbey and those fantastic houses. If you ever come to England, it’s a must see. The city is absolutely stunning, and every time I go, I’m enveloped in the history, the culture and the awe of the beautiful surroundings.



We stayed in a little flat about 5 minutes walk from the city centre. The flat had a kitchen, a bedroom/lounge, and a bathroom; just the right size for us.



Within 10 minutes of arriving at the flat, Hubby had fallen asleep on the bed!


I passed some time watching one of the DVDs that were available, and nibbling on pork pie, chocolate brownies and wedding cake. But in a bid to find a proper meal, we headed out at 9pm. Unfortunately we had forgotten was that it was Sunday, and that the majority of the restaurants had closed early; so our first meal as a married couple was pizza, from the only place still open!


We enjoyed another two days in Bath, and although the weather was bad (non-stop rain), we still had a lot of fun, and we were able to catch up on our sleep - I can’t tell you how great it was to get some rest!

Returning home on the Tuesday night was bittersweet, because it meant that our wedding weekend was over. While married life itself doesn’t feel any different; you’re completely loved up straight after the wedding, and I didn’t want to ever lose that feeling.

But then it was back to the daily grind, and what I thought would be a little more relaxing, has proven to be a little more hectic! I spent last weekend trying to relax as much as possible. It was my first weekend to myself in I don't know how long. I largely managed it, but when I found a virus on my computer and accidentally gave them my credit card details; I had a day of stress. But this weekend's going to be different; I'm going to clean up the house and then have a calm Sunday.

But that's not all my news; I also lost 2lbs this week! I'm so chuffed to be back on the Weight Watchers Wagon. I have 11lbs to go until I reach my goal weight, so hopefully I can get there before Hawaii. Remember you can see my weight loss progress at any time by clicking on the button to the left.

I'm Married!

I can't believe I'm married. We've been planning this wedding for 18 months, and it felt like it would never arrive. But it came and went, and Hubby and I (because I can now actually refer to him as that), have had three blissful days away on our mini honeymoon.

But first; the wedding...

Where do I start? Our wedding day was incredible.

Hubby and I woke up at 7:00am to spend a little time together before the chaos of the day began. But it didn’t really work out like that, because we’d had a late night before, so we just pressed the snooze button until 8:00am came around.

By 9:00am I was at the hair salon, but they were running late, and didn’t see me until 9:40am. My dad, brother and one of the photographers picked me up, and would you believe it was raining!! We’d had the most fantastic weather in the two weeks running up to the wedding, so this wasn’t expected.

But anyway, I got back to the house, and my mum helped me into my dress. We didn’t have time for any pre-ceremony champagne, because the car; a cream and red Morris Minor referred to as "Millie" had arrived.


Hubby and I weren’t worried about seeing one another before the wedding, because we’re not very traditional. But because I was running late, there was barely any time for him to see me anyway, and as I came downstairs, he was getting into his car and leaving.

It was still raining a little as my dad and I got into the back of the Morris Minor. One of the bridesmaids (Hubby’s cousin, but like a sister to him) came with us, and the other would meet us at the register office.

We arrived at the register office and the rain was pouring down on us. The driver of the car was prepared with an umbrella though, so I hitched up my dress, and looking rather unladylike, dashed towards the building.


I was almost thrust into a meeting with the registrar while Hubby was still in there, but luckily he didn’t see me, and I was sent into a different room to wait. I was in there with Hubby’s aunt, who by this point was all emotional. She told me how happy she was that I was marrying him, and that she couldn’t have imagined a nicer person for him to marry.

I had my meeting with the registrar soon after, and then it was time to get married. I entered with my dad, to silence, which was weird, but there was a problem with the CDs we had made, so there was no music. But it didn’t matter, because there was Hubby, and he was wide-eyed as he saw me coming. He later said that my dress was similar to what he expected, but so much nicer than he ever thought possible.

We got married, and we had photos outside on the steps as the weather was now clearing. We had three photographers snapping away; my uncle, a friend I studied photography with at college, and an old workmate that went off to study photography at uni. It allowed them to capture the day from their own perspective, and give us such a varied collection of photographs.


After the group photos, the guests then disappeared off to town for a few hours, while Hubby and I got into the Morris Minor and headed back to the house with a glass of champagne each. We had some photos taken outside the house with the car, and our photographers navigated the traffic, as we were in the middle of the road at this point.


The car left, and this is when I realised that I had dirt all over my train! I was upset about it for a few moments, but the photographer assured me that he could photoshop it to look clean, and that it would be dirty later on anyway.

We headed off to our photo venue shortly afterwards, and got some absolutely incredible shots:
















We also stopped for ice cream, and I tried very hard (and managed) not to spill it on my dress:


And this is Hubby trying (and failing) to bustle me while I held my ice cream and bouquet:


More updates later...

Reasons to be Happy

I'm giddy in a good way today. There's just so many good things happening around me!

* The weather is incredible at the moment, and I mean incredible. There hasn't been a cloud in the sky; it's been beautiful. The weather's set to continue until at least Sunday, and they say it's going to be a hot Summer.

* At work today a colleague of mine received an award for all of her hard work in the organisation. It's about time she was recognised, because she goes above and beyond to help people, and on top of all that; she's a good friend of mine.

* Lots of people around me are expecting babies. I'm not sure if it's just because it's Summer and all the bellies are out, but it seems there's loads of them around at the moment.

* I'm getting married five weeks tomorrow! Five weeks!! Now, that's very scary, but so exciting. I have to pinch myself because I quite literally can't believe it. This day has been so long coming, and it's now a matter of weeks. Awesome; in the original sense of the word.

* I've been learning about HTML tags, and found out that:

you can do cool things like this on your blog
* I'm watching "Britain's Got Talent", and it's getting more and more camp. I absolutely love it. These are the Dream Bears:



* Also on BGT, there was a little girl called Hollie Steel, singing "Edelweiss" (which, by the way, is one of my favourite songs in the world, because I'm a sucker for The Sound of Music), who started crying in the middle of her performance. Simon Cowell has assured her they will let her sing again. Pfft, and people say he's mean!

* I paid the final installment of our honeymoon this afternoon. I have a slight sick feeling now, because I only realised today that we booked a "room only" holiday, meaning we have to find more money for food. I'm sure I specified that we wanted all inclusive. Now I just have to admit my mistake to Hubby...

* Before finding this out I bought a really cute denim dress from Oasis (pictured right). I'm ashamed to admit that even though I have absolutely no spare cash this month, and the fact that I was looking for a "little black dress", I found this denim one and I loved it. I don't have many dresses for the Summer, and this was perfect. And what's more; it makes me look really slim! You don't need to know how much it is; because it was too much. I've already cut off the tag and washed it, so Hubby will never know...

* I did also find a "little black dress" (pictured left), which I needed for our joint Stag & Hen party, which is on 8th June. Our theme is "Blues Brothers", and I had the hat, the heels, the stockings and garter, but no dress. Panic over though, because I've found it, and managed to squeeze into a UK size 10 (I'm normally a 12). Unfortunately there's no space for my bra, but the tightness of the material will keep me in check, haha. Me = Cloud Nine.

* I received a letter from my great aunt today, who lives in Homeland # 3. I contacted her a while ago in a bid to find out what she knew of the family. I read her letter when I got back from work today, and she said some really nice things. I was just left feeling like I was flying. There's something about receiving letters from family and friends that can instantly lift your spirits.

* And last of all; it's Friday, which means I don't have to set my alarm tonight :)

The Best Things in Life

• The feeling of the sun on your back

• Waking up with someone you love beside you

• Weekends

• Photographs

• Summer

• Meeting up with old friends

• Catching up over a glass of wine

• Feeling an irresistible urge to smile

• Blue skies

• Finding a fiver in your pocket

• Realising that everything is perfect; if only for a moment

• Counting down to your birthday/holiday/wedding/Christmas

• Losing yourself in a good book

• Not having to keep to a schedule

The Best Job in the World

I'm only posting quickly this evening, as my tiredness from travelling all weekend seems to have caught up with me, and I've go a persistent migraine. There are times when my miracle tablets have no effect, and unfortunately; this is one of those days.

But before I do I thought this was worth a mention:

A British man has been chosen to be the new caretaker of Hamilton Island, off the coast of Australia.

He will live there for six months from 1st July, in a three bedroom villa equipped with a private pool, ocean views and even his own golf buggy.

Ben Southall's new job requires him to explore the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, swim, snorkel, make friends with the locals and generally enjoy the tropical Queensland climate and lifestyle. I don't know about you, but I could do that job.

It's been dubbed "the best job in the world", and it generated much interest the world over, having over 130,000 applicants. And since the job is part time, asking a mere 12-hour working month, the salary equates to an astonishing £972 (US $1,462) an hour. It gets better and better!

The Best Lemon Cake in the World

So, I'm off to Homeland #2 today (which is why I'm blogging early) for a family get-together. My grandmother's family in Homeland #3 have a get-together on the first Sunday of August. It's such a success, my grandmother's cousins' great grandchildren even go. There's so many of them!

So our family (my grandmother, aunts, cousins etc) decided we would start one of our own in Homeland #2. We thought it would be a good idea, because the cousins are all now leading their own lives, and we're scattered across Europe. If we know we are scheduled to meet on the first Sunday of May, then we know to arrange leave from work, and travel etc. Whoever can come, comes. There's no pressure, and no bad feelings for not turning up. It's harder for us, because it's more than simply jumping in a car; but we have the English Channel to cross; but we're going nonetheless. So 2009 is the first year, and everyone's really excited.

We agreed that my grandmother (now 85, but likes to fuss) shouldn't be allowed to worry about anything, so my cousin's offered to have the event at her house for this year, and we've all agreed to bring a little something with us. Since I'm notoriously awful at cooking, and we will be on the road for 7 hours without a fridge, the only thing I thought to make was this amazing cake.

I've made it twice before; for my 24th birthday. It's the only cake I've ever made, but it's so easy and so scrummy; I couldn't care less if I never tried another cake in all my life. You couldn't get a more lemony recipe than this: layers of lemon-flavoured sponge, filled with home-made lemon curd and then a lemon icing for the finishing touch. It's wonderful. So I'm sharing Delia Smith's recipe with you all:

ICED LEMON CURD LAYER CAKE

INGREDIENTS:

* Grated zest of 1 lemon
* 1tbsp lemon juice
* 175g (6oz) self-raising flour, sifted
* 1 level teaspoon baking powder
* 175g (6oz) butter @ room temperature
* 175g (6oz) caster sugar
* 3 large eggs
* 3/4 jar lemon curd

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 3 (170°c).

Prepare two 7 inch (18 cm) sandwich tins, 1½ inches (4 cm) deep, by greasing them, lining the bases with silicone paper (baking parchment) and greasing the paper too.

Measure all the cake ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk until you have a smooth, creamy consistency. Then divide the mixture evenly between the two tins and bake them on the centre shelf of the oven for about 35 minutes or until the centres feel springy when lightly touched with a little finger.

When the cakes are cooked, remove them from the oven and after about 30 seconds turn them out on to a wire rack. When they are completely cold, carefully cut each one horizontally into two using a sharp serrated knife. Now spread the curd thickly to sandwich the sponges together.

Then to make the icing, begin by removing the zest from the lemon – it's best to use a zester to get long, curly strips. Then sift the icing sugar into a bowl and gradually stir in the lemon juice until you have a soft, runny consistency. Allow the icing to stand for 5 minutes before spreading it on top of the cake with a knife, almost to the edges, and don't worry if it runs a little down the sides of the cake. Then scatter the lemon zest over the top and leave it for half an hour for the icing to firm up before serving.

YUM!

Source: Delia Smith Online