Happy Mothering Sunday!

Happy Mothering Sunday Flyingpops! Lots of love from Poppy and Thomas, thank you for being such a good mummy! We chose all these presents ourselves (and made the rest, including a couple that came home from pre-school)... ;)

We're off to Brighton later for chips (Mummy's choice) and it's home-made cottage pie for tea (assuming all goes according to plan)...! ;)

Happy Birthday Flyingpops!

Happy Birthday Sweetheart! This morning has already seen lots and lots of lovely presents waiting on the breakfast table (which Thomas helped to unwrap, when he could keep his eyes off the) -

...lovely (hopefully) cake (thanks to Mum and Jamie Oliver for their help cooking it and thanks to Thomas for help filling it and decorating it - and not eating *too* much of it before it was finished)...

...and Thomas even sang Happy Birthday to Mummy...! Oh and everyone is looking forward to our lovely meal out later on...! Many happy returns of the day! ;)

What a lovely bank holiday weekend!

I think we got a bit carried away with Thomas starting preschool in a weeks time and went to Crawley to buy him a new bag, drinks bottle, joggers that will be comfy and easy to wash and then discovered his feet have grown so new shoes were also added to the list...he was so excited to be shopping...especially as he has a Lightening McQueen rucksack that is almost as big as he is from his all time favourite movie - "Cars"!

Fink and I pondered whether to buy the T-Shirt or Sweatshirt that goes with the Preschool and I've started to explain to him that Mummy will be leaving him with his teacher (Nicole) and then going home and he replies 'Thomas play with trains and cars, then mummy come collect me'. Having only left him with close friends or family thus far, it's going to be really hard walking out and leaving him there (especially as he will probably cry), but its all good for his independence and I consider myself very lucky changing career and being able to watch every step of his development since birth.

Late Saturday afternoon, a very tired, overexcited little boy fell over a toy train and hit his head on a dining room chair. Catching the bit just above the eyebrow, it bleed quite heavily so a trip to A&E was called for (thankfully we live so close and can walk there!). Here our wounded soldier, given some butterfly plasters and a Lion shaped sticker for bravery and was then discharged.

Sunday and Monday have been a lot more relaxed...we've almost cleared the spare room and the next phase will be stripping wallpaper ready for the new little one...exciting times!

Wonderful evening...

Well, despite what I said yesterday we actually did manage to celebrate (thank you to my folks for Thomas-sitting)! We ended up (it was Flyingpops' choice, of course), heading over to Dorking to (what she kept referring to as the "Watermill" for which she had a voucher, apparently), which had me thinking (pretty much the whole way) why on earth are we heading all the way to Dorking just to go there? I mean, as a place to eat it's *okay*...but there were plenty of places on the doorstep equally good...most odd...anyway, my confusion was rapidly dissolved when instead of stopping at the Watermill we pulled into the Arkle Manor car park (a rather special fine-dining experience which emerged, unexpectedly, from the ashes of (probably the worst) Harvester in England, when it closed down - death by dirty salad cart and sticky carpet)...

Flyingpops had a wonderful goats cheese tart to start, I had creamy french onion soup (with a jumbo garlic crouton topped with runny cheese floating on the top) and for mains Flyingpops had wild mushroom risotto (and then tried to convince me that the one I make her is better, but it tasted about the same to me) and I had probably one of the best rib-eye steaks I have ever eaten...absolutely melting, it didn't need the steak knife it was served with...*drool*...

Fantastic... ;)

Happy Birthday Flyingpops!!

Lots of love from Thomas and Fink! ;)

Proper celebrations to be conducted on Saturday, as today is a very busy working day for everyone (annoyingly), but many happy returns of the day!! x x x

Lucky Tower Bridge Day

We used to play this silly little game, Flyingpops and I, on our way into London Bridge each morning...if the zooming/waiting trains rushing in and out of the station aligned themselves absolutely perfectly *just* as our carriage hit the rail bridge over Tower Bridge Road it was, albeit extremely rarely, just possible to catch a glimpse of the uninterrupted view all the way over the Thames through Tower Bridge...

If we were that fortunate we used to exchange cheeky grins and smirk, and that day then became a "Lucky Tower Bridge Day"...like a "find a penny, pick it up and all day you'll have good luck" sort-of-thing... ;)

Of course, with my new journey, I go into London Bridge and then come straight back out again, heading almost exactly back the way I came, and thanks to the fact that the line to Lewisham comes out of platform one, there are, of course, no lines in that direction for trains to interrupt my view...which basically means every day is now a "Lucky Tower Bridge Day" - which sort of feels like cheating...(in fact, it's usually twice, once in the morning and usually in the evening on my way back - as that train comes in on platform 3)...

I always wanted to try and take the shot, but it was just too distant to have worked from the "normal" train (as it's a platform 9 affair), this shot I took with my 'phone as a proof of concept (yeah, sort of worked, sorta)...I'll try and remember to bring my proper camera in and have a go at doing it some justice...would be nice to capture those happy memories as an image...

Did learn one thing though, through doing this, the shop on the corner down there is called the "Cat and Cucumber" (had never noticed before)...which conjures all sorts of strange mental images, none of them particularly appealing... ;)

Happy 6 Month Birthday Thomas

I'm sat here (Wed evening) feeling a little emotional and after this post, I'm hoping it will all become clear in my head!

6 months ago I came home from work on the 16.30 having typed my handover notes and feeling smug that I had 2 more days in the office before a month of lazing around in the sun on maternity leave for 5 weeks. I had back ache, felt like the commute was getting harder, occasional tummy pains, but with 2 more days to go there was no way I wasn't going to finish the week. With an important meeting at The Wharf looming, I went to bed at 8.30pm in the spare room so Fink could also get some rest!

At 4am, life was thrown into chaos. Thomas decided he wanted to come into the world at 12.53 (or MJ as he was known then!). I was totally shell shocked to say the least, but somehow with the help of a very loving husband, fantastic family (especially my mum) and lots of good friends, we muddled through and I'm now thinking, what an incredible journey we've started and how amazing it feels to be a mummy. Thomas is simply adorable... he has the best smile, cute giggle and little arms and legs that get thrown everywhere when he is excited (or in a mood!). We went to London on Monday, just to say Hi to work colleagues and London seemed so busy, solitary and materialistic. Back home, life is slower, with lots of friends (or even strangers taking an interest in Thomas) and the small things like a smile after a feed, or little cuddle mean so much more than a designer handbag, or outfit! We're so proud of how well Daddy does every day commuting, as I'm definitely out of practice and for the time being anyway, I'm just loving being a mum.

Happy 6 month Birthday Thomas..

Happy 3 Week Birthday Thomas

Can you believe it? Thomas is 3 weeks old today! Time is going very quickly and we are all still trying to adapt to being parents... Thomas is changing all the time, we have good days where he feeds very well (has been an effort to learn how to breast feed, but we've done it) then other days when he'll go hours without waking at all and I dance around the room singing silly songs to wake him up - This doesn't work and we usually have to put him in a bath to wake him up.. cruel, but food is the only way to get him back up to birth weight and get rid of the jaundice. We've had weekly trips to hospital and were referred there last night by the doctor who thought he was too sleepy/floppy and jaundiced. Tests show he is below treatment levels...and the more and more I think about it, he is just like Fink and I...we can go hours without any food, then will have 1/2 big meals! He's a constant worry and being a mum is the hardest job in the world, but we are confident that if we stay calm, persist with the feeding, then he'll be big and strong and I'll be moaning about him not sleeping in no time at all!

Reason for blogging and not getting some sleep now, is to say sorry world if I'm not replying to texts/emails/phone calls. I promise, we'll catch up with you all individually in time...but for now, I'm going to get some breakfast, then sleep as I feel it will be another long day and night.

xxx

MJ

MJ and I had a midwife appointment today... the good news is that everything is still going well... all my checks are as they should be and I'm still moved to tears every time I hear his/her little heartbeat!

MJ is currently lying across my tummy - in a transverse fashion.. only 1% of babies like to lie this way apparently! The good news about this is that neither head, nor feet are pushing on anything so I'm avoiding a lot of indigestion and continual toilet trips that other ladies at my stage are suffering from. Apparently MJ has started to move a little into a birthing position, but they couldn't tell if it was bottom or head, so i've got to go back in 2 weeks for a check up. If it's still transverse, i'll be sent for a scan ... (Hurray! It would be amazing to see MJ again!) They really don't worry until about 36 weeks about position, so i'm not concerned.. however I will be bouncing on my ball to try and help the process a little (especially as Fink and I pumped it up at the petrol station earlier this week). My only pregnancy gripe is that I've just developed swollen feet, literally yesterday at work... it's not very attractive and I can only just get my feet into my crocs! But then again, this is very normal, is my only real symptom so far and it's forcing me to sit still and relax a little...

I have 7 days left working now, have attended the NCT mummy session and learnt how to bath baby and change nappies and with time whizzing on, I need to start planning my maternity leave and relaxing... currently thinking yoga, aqua natal, bumps n babes, coffee in priory park, catch up with friends, tidy house, prepare final bits in nursery, decide on babies name with Fink and clean! Watch this space!

22 Weeks Pregnant...

Found this on a website and thought it was interesting to share:

Dates and numbers:
There are 125 days until your due date on September 07, 2009.
You are 155 days pregnant.
You are 5.1 months pregnant.
You are in your 6th month of pregnancy.
Your 1st trimester: December 01, 2008 to March 01, 2009. (0 - 12 weeks)
Your 2nd trimester: March 02, 2009 to June 14, 2009. (13 - 27 weeks)
Your 3rd trimester: June 15, 2009 to September 07, 2009. (28 - 40 weeks)

Your baby's crown-to-rump length is approximately 7.6 inches and your growing baby weighs about 12.25 ounces now! Your uterus is about 2 cm above your bellybutton and you probably feel comfortably pregnant. Your growing tummy is not yet large enough to get in the way and you should still be able to bend over and sit without much trouble. You might be enjoying your pregnancy more than ever at this point if morning sickness was an issue in the early weeks.

Your baby's body continues to grow and develop every day. The organ systems in your baby's body are becoming specialized for their particular functions. The fetal liver produces different enzymes than it will produce after delivery. The liver is responsible for breaking down billirubin, which is produced by the breaking down of blood cells. Because the life span of a fetal red blood cell is shorter than that of an adult, a fetus produces more billirubin than adults do. Billirubin passes from fetal blood to the placenta and then into your blood. Your liver helps get rid of fetal billirubin. A newborn baby that has high levels of billirubin may show signs of jaundice. Jaundiced babies have a yellowish tint to their eyes and skin and are often treated with phototherapy.

Your baby's senses are developing daily. The fetus now has a full complement of neurons in the brain and is learning about her body and surroundings through touch. Touch is one of the first senses to mature and your baby may stroke its face or feel her arms and legs.

Your blood volume has increased more to meet the demands of your pregnancy. Most of the increase is in the form of plasma, the liquid part of your blood. This has the ability to dilute your blood and give you physiological anemia, which occurs during pregnancy. The measure of blood dilution is called Hematocrit and the levels reach their lowest points this week. You should check with your doctor to make sure you are not developing more serious forms of anemia.

Your baby now shows an extremely rapid brain growth (which lasts until five years after birth).

The ovaries of female fetuses contain primitive egg cells, all of the eggs a woman will have for her entire life. The uterus of female fetuses is also fully formed.

From my personal experience... I'm feeling great, get tired if I push it too much, but am loving being pregnant! Oh and I eat all the time! God help my weight after the baby is born!

First Scan - 19th Feb

Flyingpops posting, this is taken from my diary -

"We’ve got our first scan at 3 today (19^th Feb)...how do I feel?  Honestly, nervous, excited, worried, happy... such a jumble of emotions and I really can’t describe it!  For 2 months, I have felt sick, tired, emotional and at some points wondered if M. Junior (MJ, can't be AJ as we already have at least one of them) really does exist... and in about 2 hours I get to see for the first time.  I can’t help but wonder if its a phantom pregnancy - Am I really lucky enough to be bringing a child into the world?  I’m very excited, of course, but keep on thinking – what if it’s not healthy?  Followed closely by - what if its twins...?

I know my hormones are all over the place at the moment....  but I’m a very practical person and have to stay calm.... my mind can’t even think about what we do if something isn’t right!  In fact, my stomach is doing somersaults and I’ve got that feeling before going into a really big meeting that I have butterflies and need the toilet every few minutes...I must stay calm!

So, I’ve read all the books about what to expect, have my pink notes (issued by the hospital) by the door so I don’t forget them...I have £4 in change for the pictures (just hope Fink has a £1 coin) and I’ve just had a text so I know he is on his way home, I’m hoping to see him walk through the door at 2.30 – for us to trot over the road to the hospital at 2.40, for a 3 o'clock appointment...I like to be early!  ;o) 

Just had a thought – what on earth do you wear for a scan?!?  I’ve gone for a white VW T-shirt, jeans and jumper...had a nice bath so I’m clean and feeling fresh...Hopefully after this entry, I will have met MJ and can share with you how cold the jelly feels, what it really looks like on the screen, what the room is like, how the lady treats us and above all else - what it feels like to be a parent!  Oh and my final decision – where will we go to celebrate?!?

Update - Everything is perfect! We went into the scan 10 mins early and within seconds you can see MJ wriggling on the screen...my reaction – I cried!  But this made the machine wobble, so I had to stop!  Fink held my hand very tightly and just watched in amazement.  It’s difficult for me to see, but I could see Fink's smile – it was amazing!  The jelly was warm - What a nice surprise, my voice so nervous I could barely croak my date of birth.  They have to measure a few things, but MJ was lying on his side, so I had to roll over...still no joy! Then stand up and do some dancing, it worked for a minute but then he rolled over again!  So, I did it again and the nurse manages to get the measurements she needed...after she has conducted the test part of the scan, she moved the monitor to me and pointed out his eyes, ears, arm behind his head, legs in the air and another arm waving ‘Leave me alone, I’m comfortable in here’...she then gives us the pictures, a cloth to wipe the jelly from my tum...gives me a due date of 7^th Sep – I’m so happy - if it's a bit late, the DOB will be 09-09-09.  Fink and I are on cloud 9 – I’m going now to have a sleep to recover whilst he plays Xbox whilst he still can!"...

...oh and Fink didn't have a £1 coin...we worked it out though... ;o)

Flyingpops is Pregnant!

Sorry for not saying anything before, but we had to get through the early weeks (during which time all sorts of things can go wrong) and make sure we had told at least the nuclear families (with lots of Champagne and tears and hugs) before posting anything here...I'm sure you understand...although I have taken the very earliest (permitted) opportunity... ;)

So, let's do a quick catch-up...Wayback machines set to the 2nd of January please, and peer down from the evening sky as we drag ourselves (and all our bags of luggage) through the front door having just driven back from our New Year celebrations in Cornwall...Flyingpops vanished upstairs leaving me to sort out all our bits and bobs, so I began unpacking and re-assembling the living room (I had taken the Xbox down to the South West with me), when she returned she walked right over to me (I was on the floor struggling with the optical cable for the surround sound) and said that she loved me...nothing unusual in that, but considering my position I suppose I probably propped myself up on an elbow and peered up, arms covered in dust from the spaghetti behind the TV and gave her a slightly unkind "is this really the moment?" look, but seeing the expression on her face, frowned a little, dropped the cables and stood up, and that's when, as her arms reached out to enclose me, I spotted the pregnancy test in her hand (and I knew, but I waited for her to say it)...

I don't know why, but my mind spends all day long trying to save me from disappointment, I very rarely allow myself the luxury of excited anticipation, preferring to ground myself (just in case)...absolute certainties aside (of course) I'm just extremely cautious with myself, preferring to prepare myself for the worst and then be pleasantly surprised...So I don't know quite what my face looked like, and I don't know quite how the words coming out of my mouth were received by Flyingpops...of *course* I was over the moon, but something told me to keep the emotions carefully in check, just in case anything were to go wrong...and then I really can't remember what we did (so suppressing the emotions definitely did something to my memory), I do remember reassuring Flyingpops (about six times) that the little line on the test really did "mean it was true", and saying at least six times that she needn't worry about all the alcohol and cheese she had eaten in Cornwall, I have a funny sort of feeling we danced and then I know I did some half panicked reading on the internet...I can only remember wondering how on earth were we going to get all the nutrients required to grow a baby into a fussy vegetarian (ever practical)...oh and of course Flyingpops calculating that we had conceived somewhere around the time we picked up Poppy the Beetle...fairly ironic, if you read her blog post from around that time...it turns out that her calculations weren't quite right after all, but it amused me at the time...

That next weekend (she surrendered herself to the sickness *immediately* that it occurred to her that there were a reason for it, and not just in the morning either) I left Flyingpops to be miserable in bed and went to do the Tesco shopping by myself, and I freely admit here, I went a little crazy buying all sorts of pulses, nuts, fish, fruit (fresh and processed) and vegetables...a lot of it ended up in the bin as her tastes changed quite rapidly also, perennial favourites fell by the wayside (largely due to their texture now being deemed unpleasant), leaving us (even now) in a situation where *very* little will actually do...the only really good change is a new desire to consume lots of garlic, whenever we go out for a meal it's always Italian (which is a little annoying)...but one two cannot live off garlic bread alone...so it remains a bit of a problem (in my mind, anyway), not least because it's me that's doing all the cooking...

The other thing is the way the hormones have taken their toll on Flyingpops mood/behaviour, and we are at a "crying havoc" level here...emotional outbursts to rival the very worst ever "time of the month", weeping, bursts of anger, emotions flipping on and off like switches (impossibly positive and negative)...and not only that - extreme fatigue, sleeping nearly all the (available) time, and this constant nagging sickness (not throwing up, just feeling completely dismal), getting on the train to and from London has redefined the word "ordeal", just watching her turning slowly green (or grey) each time the train accelerates or rocks from side to side (even remotely) remains extremely difficult, and each time I take hold of her hand and ask if she is "Okay?" I'm aware it's a completely useless gesture (because I know perfectly well that she isn't)...but how do you stop yourself...?

I can't tell you how difficult it's been for the past few weeks...not being able to tell anyone, let alone forbidding myself from being able to talk about it (even in a roundabout or theoretical way, in case of a slip), nor even being able to vent my resultant frustrations (in my normal way) in this forum...honestly, when I think of all those puerile posts my dizzy brain managed to cobble together when quite different things were screaming around my mind, it sets me reeling...my poor tongue has practically bitten itself all the way through and the zip feels like it's now a permanent fixture...

..and so we get to the day of the first scan, the 19th of February, and the baby, yes... -my baby- ...appears on that little screen...they say a man doesn't become a father until his baby is born, whereas a woman is a mother as soon as she’s pregnant, but after that - it's real...

...and Everything has changed.

Happy Birthday to Flyingpops!

Flyingpops was 30 years young yesterday, took loads of photos of the cracking party we had to celebrate (my desktop machine had to be unplugged and the laptop was busy providing all the music so I couldn't post actually on the day) so they will follow in due course, but for now (a slightly belated, official blog - ) HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART!!

x

Update, a few of the pictures -

Poppy Matilda - Our New Beetle

Let me introduce you to Poppy Matilda ...

She was conceived on Remembrance Sunday (deposit paid), Born on Saturday 15th November (collected)  and Christened on 16th November (splashed with Holy water from Maria's christening).

The name 'Poppy' was suggested by Vodqueen so she has become Poppy's Godmother.  I chose the name Matilda as I thought it was a fun/happy name and reflected the personality of the car!

We have owned Poppy less than 48 hours, driven over 300 miles, have flowers in the bud vase and its absolutely fantastic! 

Oh and the best thing of all, if you drive past another beetle, new or old style, you wave and flash your lights...

Mr and Mrs FinkAngel - Wedding pictures

Sorry, we *know* everyone is desperate to see the shots, but there are rather a lot to go through, so here are just two professional shots from the wedding day to tantalise you - lots more to follow -

Perfect Wedding Poem - Readings

I went through books and books, and searched the internet for hours to find a suitable poem to be read during the wedding ceremony and finally found this one which I felt was perfect. So, just imagine Tim standing at the front of the church and reading this...

On Your Wedding Day

Today is a day you will always remember
the greatest in anyone’s life.
You’ll start off the day just two people in love
and end it as husband and wife.
It’s a brand new beginning, the start of a journey,
with moments to cherish and treasure.
And although there’ll be times when you both disagree,
these will surely be outweighed by pleasure.
You’ll have heard many words of advice in the past,
when the secrets of marriage were spoken,
but now you know that the answers lie hidden inside,
where the bond of true love lies unbroken.
So live happy forever as lovers and friends,
it’s the dawn of a new life for you,
as you stand there together with love in your eyes
from the moment you whisper, “I do”.
And with luck, all your hopes, and your dreams can be real,
may success find its way to your hearts.
Tomorrow can bring you the greatest of joys,
but today is the day it all starts.

Thanks Tim, well read :)

All that I have, I share with you (including this blog)

So, now I'm officially "Mrs.Flyingpops"...or should that be "Mrs.Finkangel"? I have been granted permission to post here, and it seems timely that I should write a bit about the wedding...

I came out of the shower on Monday night in tears - "Why?" - I hear you ask, well, I couldn't remember my vows (my head still spinning from the excitement of the day)... so I've put them here so I will never (ever) forget again...

I "Fink", do take you "Flyingpops"
to be my wife,
to have and to hold,
from this day forward,
for better for worse,
for richer for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish,
till death us do part,
according to God's holy law.
In the presence of God I make this Vow

I "Flyingpops", do take you "Finkangel"
to be my husband,
to have and to hold,
from this day forward,
for better for worse,
for richer for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish,
till death us do part,
according to God's holy law.
In the presence of God I make this Vow

We both then exchanged rings and said to each other...

I give you this ring, as a sign of our marriage
With my body I honor you, all that I am I give to you
And all that I have I share with you,
Within the love of God, Father Son and Holy Spirit

Then big round of applause and my husband kisses me!