How wonderful life is now your in the world...

It has been so long since I posted on my blog. And I've missed it! Life has been busy with the arrival of our gorgeous little boy, baby Michael. Isn't he adorable! I will be back soon to tell you a little more about him. x

Easter Egg Hunt!

We all had a fab time at my parents house on Easter Sunday. It has now become something of a tradition for the Easter bunny to hide lots of eggs in my parents garden. As you can see from the photos the grandchildren including little Grace are so excited during the hunt :)

My little farmer Grace

I guess it goes with the territory and Grace seeing tractors and farm animals a lot from living in the countryside - she is OBSESSED with cows (Moo's) and tractors - especially the cows and tractors on her uncles farm! I am sure that it is just a phase so I am enjoying her enthusiasm until it passes and she moves on to a love of all things pink and girly! :) Her dad was pleased to add to her fascination by letting her sit in her uncles tractor - I think it's fair to say she enjoyed the experience.

I saw your little heart beating...

Yesterday evening, I saw your little heart beating for the first time. Hanging on and fighting hard to survive :) You are only 5 weeks and 5 days old but you are strong. I was filled with the same utter relief that I had when I saw Grace's little heart beat for the first time - I am so thankful to God who has given you both to me.

Although I cannot see you,

I still know that you are there.

You are warm and snug inside me,

and require gentle care.

 

Although I cannot hold you,

or give you a hug goodnight.

I know you are a part of me

and that you'll be alright.

 

Although I cannot kiss you,

or show you how I feel.

I know you share my feelings

and that our bond is real.

 

You are with me all the time

and always on my mind.

Already I have fallen in love

with my precious gift from up above.

Grace has a secret to tell you...

She’s going to be a big sister!

Yeh! Hip Hip Hooray! I just found out over a week ago that I am pregnant with my second baby :)

Seamus and I are absolutely thrilled. I estimate that I am about 5 ½ weeks,  so baby Barron #2 is due at the end of October / beginning of November, all going well.

Thankfully, I have none of the nasty early pregnancy symptoms yet, although when I was pregnant with Grace the nausea, fatigue and soreness didn’t kick in until around week 7. I’m being optimistic and thinking that maybe this time I will avoid all the horribleness – yeah right!

I need to get my diet in shape again – for too long now it has been easy to make an oven dinner in the evenings when we come home from work. Today sees the start of me making fresh dinners with lots of vegetables every night. I was very healthy during my 1^st pregnancy so I’d like to be the same again this time around.

I have not weighed myself yet – too scared! I know I put on a few pounds at Christmas and I did not lose them. When I found out I was pregnant with Grace I weighed in at 11lbs 10. Hopefully I am not too far of the same mark!

As before, I am obsessed with knowing every detail of my baby’s development as and when it happens. The copy of ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting' has been dusted down and takes pride of place on my bedside locker again! I love this book! It is so detailed and such a useful guide for every stage in the pregnancy.  

Week 6

My baby's jaw, cheeks, chin, eyes, ears, and nose are beginning to form what will eventually become one adorable little face. In addition, her ( I have a feeling that this is another little girl) kidneys, liver, and lungs are developing, and her heart is now beating 80 times a minute (and getting faster every day). All this and she's still no bigger than the length of a nail head (about a quarter of an inch) from crown to rump!

As for me,  I’m already falling head over heels in love with this new little life forming inside me :) x

For a wonderful granny!

I've just had this made for my mother in law from http://www.scratchycatshop.com/.
She is a very special lady in our lives. Her heart is as big as the ocean! She cares for Grace on Mondays and Tuesdays when Seamus and I are at work and I know that she totally spoils Grace with hugs and affection! I hope she likes it. x

Songs for lighting candles

I love candles. I love their scent and I love the flicker of soft light they produce in a room. But I am a hoarder of candles - I rarely light them.

Last night I decided to light a candle for the first time in months. I turned off the light in the living room and as I lit the candle I could hear this little voice suddenly sing ... "to you", in the air of 'Happy birthday to you'.

Grace - you are the cutest! Your little voice at the moment brought more warmth to the room than the flicker of any candle ever could. x

At play...

Last weekend we had so much fun with Grace. She is so busy and inquisitive about EVERYTHING!

For the last few weeks I've been trying to introduce structured activities such as time spent outside, time spent singing & dancing, time spent reading etc. She has a very short attention span and so any activity lasts for 10 minutes max. (except stirring saucepans - Grace would happily do this for hours)!

It's lovely watching her develop. x

Little book worm x



An aspiring Delia Smith perhaps?



Getting hungry?



Yuck, these crayons don't taste so good mummy!



Gorgeous handmade artwork for the home

I have taken a real interest in handmade pieces for the home. I think that handmade crafts bring a really warm, homely feeling to a house. I recently bought the items below. How cute are these!

This one is for my parents home :)

Couldn't resist!

I cannot wait to hang this from the garland next Christmas!

At the creche

I must say that nothing has made me feel as guilty in my whole life as the feeling I get when we drop Grace into creche before we go to work. It is a horrendous, gut wrenching feeling and I find it very difficult.

I always wonder is she happy? Does she fret?

I have no worries whatsoever about her carers, they are wonderful women and I know they work very hard.

Because I find it so difficult to leave her, Seamus takes her into the creche and collects her while I wait in the car.

Yesterday, Seamus was working late, so I went ahead to collect Grace from creche.

When I walked into the room, I spotted her straight away among the other six or seven kids. She didn't see me. I asked the carer not to make her aware that I was in the room. I just wanted to watch her.

She was busy inside a playhouse that had a cooker with an oven, a few teddy bears and a gate. I watched her open the oven door, lift up a Winnie the Pooh bear, sit down and pretend to feed the bear. She was lost in her own world of imagination. Then she opened the gate of the play house and set Winnie the Pooh bear outside the gate. She closed the gate and went back to the cooker. I could see from her face that she was completely content. She was happy. She was not fretful. She was a beautiful little girl who was having a brilliant time playing with toys and interacting with the other children.

Those few minutes that I absorbed myself watching her were the happiest few moments of my year to date. I was so proud of her, so in love with her. And then she saw me. And from the smile that filled her little face I knew that she loved me too. x

I love you daddy x

A picture paints a thousand words!

"I adore you daddy!"

 

These shoes were made for walking

It has taken me so long to write about your first steps little Grace but just like you, I didn't want to rush it :)

It all began on Sunday 18th December (14 months old). You and daddy were visiting Granny Barron when you took three little steps. Back at home that evening you took some small steps again. I was so excited. I was thrilled that my baby would be walking for Christmas Day.

Below is a video clip of those first unstable tiny steps - very cute little one. x

We had to wait until you could confidently take 20 independent steps before you could wear your first walking shoes. So ten days later, we went to Clarks shoe shop in Derry to have you fitted.

You grow more independent every day. Now you want to sit by yourself in the evening to have your bottle before bed rather than snuggling up on my lap.

Stay my baby....I love you.

Five in the bed and the little one said "Roll over"...

Chilling out on a Sunday afternoon with teddy bears x 

I hope the magic of Santa Claus stays in this house for a long, long time...

We have just taken down all the Christmas decorations for another year.

For the first time ever, I feel sad that they have to come down. Grace is crazy about Santa Claus and Snowman - or 'man' as she calls him; Santa is called 'Ho ho' :) For the last 4 weeks she has sustained our Santa and Snowman figures in the living room with drinks from her bottle and dinner from an empty spoon and bowl. She has really enjoyed caring for them both. When her daddy puts on music for him and Grace to dance (Little Drummer Boy is her favourite song), Grace calls for Santa and Snowman to be lifted up into daddys arms to join in the dance. Each night before she goes to bed she bids them 'Bye bye'.

I truly hope that the magic of Santa Claus remains in this home for a long, long time! x