Terry & Caroline's wedding

On May 4th 2012 my brother married his childhood sweetheart - the gorgeous Caroline. It turned out to be a fabulous day even though we had a very shaky start! It was Grace's first big family occasion so I wanted her to look beautiful. I had an appointment to have my make up done about 2 hours before the wedding. The make up artist ran over time and so when I arrived back at the house I had 10 mins to get dressed and into the car to go to the marriage ceremony. I hoped and prayed on the way back to the house that Seamus had dressed Grace and that they would both be ready to walk out of the house. As I opened the front door I was greeted with Grace having a complete meltdown. She was screaming, tears running down her face. Her hair was stuck to her face from crying and she was wearing her nappy and nothing else. I tried to comfort her but she was having none of it. She didn't want to wear the dress and when her daddy had tried to put it on she went crazy. I looked at the clock and we had 5mins left until we needed to be in the car (and I still wasn't dressed)! I finally got the dress on Grace and we put her in her car seat (she was still in meltdown) Her hair was a mess and her face tear stained and full of snot - not how I'd imagined her to look on the day I bought the dress! But at least her wee outfit was still lovely. Anyhow, her dad took her into the crying room in the chapel so she wouldn't disturd the ceremony. My brother in law and his daughter (who is 7 months older than Grace) were also in the crying room. When the ceremony was over I took Grace in my arms and all I could see were brown stains all over dress and bolero. I was fit to be tied! My brother in law had given her chocolate buttons in the crying room!

And then it gets worse...

On the way to the reception we were going to call in to my parents house so that I could change Grace's outfit. Seamus asked me to stop at the shop so he could get a drink. As he walked through the shop, one of the shop assistants dropped a bottle of Lucozade just as Seamus passed and he was covered from head to toe with the horible sticky stuff. I could not believe it. It was a brand new suit that he'd bought especially for my brothers wedding, brand new shirt and tie, shoes, everything! I felt really sorry on him. So we went back to my parents house, I changed Grace's clothes and Seamus tried his best to clean up his suit (and thankfully one of my dad's shirts and a tie fitted him).

Anyway, we finally made it to the reception and after a while we relaxed. It was a wonderful evening. I hope Terry and Caroline have a lifetime of happiness together...

Just do it!

Ok. This is it. I'm taking the bull by the horns! This is not much of a memory bank for my family if I do not dedicate the time to writing my posts. So I'm going to recall the last 10 months now with great gusto (before my baby brain kicks in and I forget a lot of what has happened!) So here comes the first post or the first memory after Easter last year :-) x

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