Santa Claus visits our home for the first time!

My new pram & baby doll! x

Oh my goodness! We had so much excitement on Christmas morning.

Santa Claus came to visit and leave presents for little Grace.

When we woke up, we brought Grace downstairs, changed her nappy and gave her breakfast. And then we waited while she crawled into the living room...I think it would be fair to say that she was fairly overwhelmed! The little pet sat in the doorway pointing for a good minute and then she didn't know which toy to go to first.

We had so much fun and it really was a magical start to Christmas day. x



Santa's gifts for Grace



Wow mummy & daddy! Look at all these toys in our living room!

Slowing moving in for a closer look...

Iggle Piggle

This is a great book daddy - "In the Night Garden".



So happy :)





My new Winnie the Poo push truck



10 years ago today I fell in love...

It is ten years ago today that I had my first date with you. We were so young, so carefree, so happy.

We still are!

On that date ten years ago, neither of us could have dreamed that we would embark on this incredible journey together. That the lives of two relative strangers would merge in such a way that it is not feasible to ever think of one of us existing without the other.
I am so proud of you and I love you more and more as each day, week, year passes. You still make me laugh out loud every day. You are an incredible father. A wonderful husband. Thank you for making me so happy! x

Weekend visit from my cousins

Little Miss Independent...

No one is allowed to feed Grace anymore, only herself. She is a stubborn little mule and will turn her head to the side and purse her lips tight when her daddy or I attempt to feed her. But Grace is having great fun learning this new skill. All she has to do now is figure out the correct way to hold the fork :)

Words with meaning

We find delight and beauty in the happiness of children that make the heart too big for the body...

 Ralph Waldo Emerson

Whoop whoop! Grace has done it! She has said her first word and that word is....(drum roll...)

'BAG'!

Not the most exciting of words I admit, but a word all the same.

I am super excited :) She has been saying mummy and daddy for a long time but we weren't sure if she knew what she meant when she said the words. But she definitely associates the word bag with the actual object.

I recently bought her a little girls handbag that she is very fond of. Now she points at it and says "bag" - woohoo!

Last night she stood up and opened the door of the living room, shouted "Bye" and crawled into the hall! It was so new, so unexpected, so grown up...at only 14 months old.

Me and daddy receive so much happiness from watching you grow little one. x

Grace with her lovely bag. x

First feel of Christmas magic!

Take a heap of child-like wonder
That opens up our eyes
To the unexpected gifts in life—
Each day a sweet surprise. 

So Seamus and I took the plunge last night and started to put up our Christmas decorations. We have three Christmas trees to decorate as well as the garland and the crib and so on! Two down, one more to go!

When I brought Grace downstairs this morning she was in awe. She took up position in front of the tree and sat there for 20 minutes just staring and pointing. Worth the effort? Totally! x

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... :)

Deep and Meaningful Conversations with Grace...

I love my chats with Grace. Yes, sometimes we don't always agree and she can present a challenging debate but one thing is sure - conversations with my 14 month old baby girl are always fun :)

Example:

Me: "Grace, tell mummy, what does the big cow say?"
Grace: " 'Moo'!
Me: "Grace, tell mummy, what does the big lion say?"
Grace: 'Rrrroar'
Me: "Good girl". Now tell mummy, what does the wee birdie say?"
Grace: 'Moo!"
Me: " No, the wee birdie doesn't say 'Moo'. The wee birdie says 'Cheep, cheep'.

Daddy walks into the room.

Daddy: "Grace, tell daddy, what does mummy say?"
Grace: "Moo!"
Daddy: "Exactly Grace! Well done!"

"Ta ta, ta ta...."

"Ta ta, ta ta".
"Ta ta, ta ta".

A little finger points towards the cupboard where the biscuits are stored.

"Ta ta, ta ta".
"Ta ta, ta ta".

And she gets louder and more feisty with each "Ta, ta"!

And I really have to fight the urge to give into her beautiful "Ta ta, ta ta's".

This is an adorable time in her life. x

Robb family ancestry

In the last few weeks I've taken a real interest in my own family history. My father's grandfather died at the Somme during WW1. He really wants to go and visit his memorial at Thiepval and I'm working hard on making that happen for him next summer.

I'm going to write down what I've learnt so far...it is not hard to do this research. The internet is a wonderful resource as are the online Census forms from 1901 and 1911.

The Robb family have been living in Randalstown for two centuries (probably longer). I've managed to date back as far as 1841. Hugh Robb was born (my great great grandfather). He was an only child - his father was also Hugh (my great great great grandfather).

My great great grandfather, Hugh Robb married Anne (Nancy) Wilson. They had four children - Patrick Robb (1883), Terence Robb (1885), John Robb (1887) and Mary Jane Robb (1888). Terence Robb was my great grandfather. According to the 1901 census, they lived at house 9, Maghereagh, Randalstown. According to the census this was a one room dwelling.

Terence married Elizabeth Fitzpatrick and they had five children - Terence Robb, Hugh Robb, Henry (Harry) Robb, Leo Robb (my grandfather) and Elizabeth Robb.

Unfortunately, Terence was killed in action during WW1. He was a Lance Corporal in the Royal Irish Fusiliers. On the 4th September 1916 he was killed in battle at the Somme. My grandfather would not have been just one year old when his father died. Below is a copy of my great grandfathers details. He is remembered at Thiepval Memorial, Pier and Face 15 A.

Memorial to Terence Robb at Thiepval

My grandfather married Kathleen McAnespie and they had 9 children including my father Leo Robb.

And the rest as they say is history! There is a lot more work to be done but this is a nice start. If anyone has any further information or can tell me if some of the information is not accurate I would be very grateful :) x

The Nursery

My favourite past time before Grace was born was picking out items for the nursery. I didn't know if I was going to have a boy or a girl so I kept everything neutral. I didn't buy the curtains until after the baby was born - this was going to be my way of introducing the pinks or blues :)

Every now and again when I was pregnant I would walk into the nursery and spend 5 mins looking at the cot or rearranging teddy bears. Sometimes I would turn the musical mobile on. I was always filled with lots of emotion in the room. I just couldn't wait to bring my little baby home.

This is the nursery as it is today. Nothing much has changed. I bought the cot and bedding from 'Babies R Us', the curtains from 'Next' and the wall prints from 'Dunelm Mill'. All of these stores carry really beautiful nursery ranges.

Little handprints

We got these handprints done just before Grace's first birthday. I hope they will be a lovely keepsake for her as the years go on. x

Her little hands play patty-cake
they play peek-a-boo and wave...
They catch her while she learns to walk
and splash her as she bathes.
Her little hands reach up to me,
for hugs before she sleeps....
and fold together when I pray
the Lord her soul to keep.
Her little hands are tiny now
but mine will serve to guide her ...
And when she's grown she'll still reach out
and know we're right beside her ...

Yes, my name is Iggle Piggle......

I have really grown to love this little character. His name is Iggle Piggle and baby Grace is crazy about him and his friends. I am amazed at how she focuses her entire attention on the programme they feature on 'In the Night Garden'. At the beginning I didn't get him but slowly I grew really fond of him. The show begins by showing Iggle Piggle drifting of to sleep in his little boat. And from that point on I am hooked. The combination of the imagery and the music gets me every time! He is adorable.

My husband picked up a life sized Iggle Piggle teddy bear (as shown at the top) in Argos last week. We are going to keep it as part of Grace's Christmas present. I cannot wait to see her reaction when we give it to her.

Below is a short video of little Grace's excitement at watching Iggle Piggle - I love this very cute floor dance that she does. She is crazy about music! x

Body Changes - One Year Post Baby

When I found out I was pregnant I remember vividly my mum and sisters commenting that it would be an end to my "good figure"! Now don't get me wrong - in my opinion the "good figure" was never anything worth talking about! I've more or less always come in as a size 12, my stomach was always fairly flat (and trust me, it was not the result of vigourous exercise) and I'm tall, so if I put on a few extra pounds over Christmas I generally got away with it.

When I was pregnant I gained 25lbs so I didn't have too much weight to lose after I had my 10lb baby! And with the stress and exhaustion of having a new baby in the house the extra few pounds fell away without me really noticing.

However, there has been one body change that will not fix itself. Any time I put on a few pounds now, it gathers and sits above my hips :(

There is no hiding it and no trousers or jeans will disguise it.

To fix this I think I would have to exercise. And I don't mean going for a few walks - this requires serious muscle toning! There is also the option to leave it as it is, to embrace it.

Like every person, I've always had some body hang ups, but when I was pregnant I was at complete ease with my body...my hair had a lovely shine, my skin glowed and I loved the ever changing shape of my tummy. I really loved my pregnant body.

And do you know what - a huge part of me secretly loves my new post baby shape - I'm proud of it. These subtle body changes are the result of producing my precious baby. That wobbly bit of fat above my hips proclaims my motherhood in the fullest sense (excuse the pun!).

So for the moment, I will be proud of my wibbly wobblies and be happy with the body I live in. x

Pots and pans!

I have learned a valuable lesson over the last month or two. I can buy Grace the most beautiful doll or the cutest toy but it is always something that an adult finds completely bland that will attract her attention the most. Examples include the following:

• Empty Pampers boxes are a favourite! She pushes them around the floor. Puts objects / toys in them and pulls them back out again and so on. Such fun from cardboard
• The remote control for the DVD player - to Grace it is a mobile phone which she babbles into held against her little ear
• A kitchen chair - where do I start! Crawl under it, try to climb onto it, push it around the kitchen floor like it is an activiy walker :)
• Pots and pans - oh dear - my least favourite of Graces objects to play with and explore! The noise of the banging goes through me! But Grace loves it as you can see in the video below :)

So as the say, the best things in life are free. There is no need to spend crazy money on toys to educate children - there is enough stimulation and exploration to be found in the simple household things that we take for granted :) x

One small step for man, one giant leap for little Grace!

This is definitely Grace's favourite activity at present! She loves strolling behind her activity walker. And her confidence is growing every day. It is very funny when she gets stuck after walking into a corner - she'll swing and lug the walker around until it is on the right path again :) It has taken her a couple of weeks to get the hang of it. For a while she crawled behind it and pushed it along - we wondered if she'd ever get on her feet!

I could watch her strolling around the house all day - soon she will no longer need the assistance of the walker, soon she will no longer roll or crawl either. Soon she will walk. And as much as I look forward to it, I also fear it. It will mean that another part of her baby days have ended.  But she will always be her mummy's baby girl - even when she is a stroppy teenager or an elegant career woman with her own family. She will always be my baby girl. x

Boo! It's a little witch :)

Today Grace will be going to a Hallow'een party at creche. As I dressed her this morning she knew that these clothes were different. She loved the feeling of the witches dress and adored her witches hat. I wish I could have captured her grin when I lifted her up to the mirror to show herself wearing her costume and hat.

When I took her into her playroom at creche it was fantastic. They have the little room brilliantly decorated for hallow'een with bats and spiders and pumpkins etc. And the babies were so cute! And they were all looking at each other in awe thinking how cool and different they each looked. Very, very sweet. So, I'm looking forward to collecting Grace from creche later today to see some photographs from her first hallow'een party : )

It's thirsty work being a little witch!

Baby Kisses

A big, wet, open mouthed kiss - the best! Bless her little cotton socks. She has recently discovered kisses. Her little sticky hands pull my face close to hers and I see a little tongue poke out...here it comes....the softest most delicious, most loving kiss in the world. It is incredible in its softness. It reflects the absolute innocence of this little soul - my angel. I hope my memory stores the feel of these baby kisses forever x

Reminiscing on the day Grace was born

Its' a strange thing, but lately I've been thinking a lot about the day Grace was born. This could be because several of my close friends have recently given birth to their first babies and I'm beginning to feel all broody again.

When I was pregnant, I asked my sister (who has three beautiful children) what labour and birth was like and she said to me that no one could adequately describe the physical or emotional feelings of the day you give birth...it was something that had to be experienced. How true that is.

I woke at 7:30am on Sunday 26th September 2010 with stomach pains (I was 7 days overdue). My body then decided to rid itself of all undesirable products :) After 20 minutes of this I went back to bed...but not for long! Ten minutes later I was back in the bathroom being violently sick. My husband woke up and knew that something was up. He fetched my sister who had stayed with us for the weekend. The three of us knew that it was time to go to the hospital but I was paralysed with sickness and did not want to leave the security of my bedroom. Eventually, they talked me around and my sister dressed me while my husband packed the bags into the car. My poor sister - I should explain that normally I try to maintain a decent appearance (I normally wouldn't leave the house without hair and makeup done!). Knowing this, Louise tried to run a brush through my hair but with that a contraction kicked in and I slapped the brush away - I still feel bad about that. Finally, I made it downstairs and into the car. The journey only takes 15 minutes but it was unbearable - I had a constant feeling that I had to go to the toilet and my whole body ached with every movement from the car. Eventually, we made it to the hospital. I rushed straight into the toilets again and I was sick everywhere. On assessment at 9:30am, they found that I was 4 1/2 to 5cm dilated. When my hubby had phoned through to the hospital earlier in the morning I'd told him to mention that I would be requesting an epidural on admission. In the assessment room, I heard him say to the midwife that I wanted an epidural. She dismissed it and said "Sure, we'll see what happens". He was brilliant and adamantly told her that I wanted an epidural straight away. My hero! As they brought me to the labour ward I was told that the anesthetist would not be available as they had two emergencies in theatre. I was devastated. I wanted to be alone in the labour ward and went into the en suite bathroom and closed the door. My poor husband - he felt at such a loss. At 11:15am he opened the door and said "Leona, the anesthetist is here. She has come to see you before she goes home". I couldn't believe it. And so I had my epidural...and then there was bliss! At 12:00pm I was 7cm and at 1:05pm I was fully dilated. I could feel the urge to push. The midwife told me to go with the flow and the baby would start to make its own way down with the force of the contractions. Suddenly, nearly 90 minutes later, (and this is all a bit blurry to me) there were three midwifes in the room all staring at the monitor. Although, they didn't say anything to me at the time, my baby was distressed and her heart rate was falling. Within a minute we were joined by a consultant, a pediatrician, and two more midwives. And at 2:56pm she was here! My darling baby girl, weighing in at 10lbs on the button was finally here!

The things that I remember most about first seeing you:

·         You had a full head of beautiful dark hair

·         You had lovely full lips (the midwife called you Angelina Jolie!)

·         You were very long! (57.5cm)

·         When I looked at your daddy, the tears were rolling down his face (at last, you were here!)

It all seemed so surreal - when I looked at you, I just could not believe that you had lived in me for 9 months...that it was you who had the little hiccups in my tummy; that it was you who kicked all night long when mummy tried to sleep; that it was you that we had dreamed of for the last 9 months and longer! You were here. And we loved you. And we knew that everything we did from that time on would be for you and our family.

....The nicest feeling - waking up in hospital the next morning from my sleep and seeing you lying in your cot beside me - God had sent a little piece of heaven down to earth just for me. x

Baby's first shoes

It was a horrible wet, windy September morning, just 8 days before her first birthday, when I decided that she must get her first pair of shoes. Grace is not walking yet, however she is cruising around the furniture like a real expert :) Now that the weather has changed, her wardrobe also needs to change. The summer clothes have been stored away and have been replaced with jumpers, warm dresses, tights etc And every outfit has the obligatory baby headband or baby hair clip from http://www.prettybabyhair.co.uk/ to match. All that seemed to be missing from the wardrobe was shoes!

As we opened the door to Clark's shoe shop in Letterkenny I noticed the pretty pink and purple selection of tiny shoes straight away - oh they are so cute! And so much choice! In the end I settled for a beautiful pair of purple ankle shoes - which will hopefully match most outfits in her wardrobe until it is time to buy her walking shoes. Grace is fascinated by these new additions to her feet. She is excited by them. This morning she found them on the floor and kissed them - very cute indeed...and so another little female develops her love for new shoes :)

 

I guess that shopping for Grace's shoes is going to be as much fun as shopping for shoes for myself - well, almost as much fun ;)

Mad about a girl. x

So there's this girl....She's stolen every piece of my heart. I totally fell head over heels...The best part is, she calls me 'mummy'. x