To my Mummy :)

So this year is my first 'proper' Mother day. I've been reminising about last Mothers day- Nemo managed to use our wifi to send me some flowers and chocolates. 

Last year we had recently had our 20 week scan. I keep the scan photo on our mirror in our living room so I can remember how excited we were and how to never take Nemo for granted (even when he's being grumpy!) 

I've been thinking alot about my own Mummy and how being a Parent to your children never ends. Although you leave home and slowly need your Parents less and less I am lucky enough to have amazing Parents and still go to them for support (a fair bit if I'm honest!). Since becoming a Mummy this year I've found I needed my own Mum more. 

Nemo's birth... well it could have gone better. Long story short, it was a 3 day ordeal which ended in an emergency c-section. It was a last minute decision for my Mum to be there but we were so glad she was. She was so supportive during the birth (she even sat in a cold car for 4 hours at 4am one day outside the hospital!) After I was discharged me and my husband were at home for a couple of days on our own. We were totally unprepared for me being so unwell and were totally overwelmed- I don't think we ate anything other than toast! My mum came down again for the weekend and was was brilliant. She was our cook, my breastfeeding teacher and our housekeeper! I've been reminded as I thought about Mothers Day of how one morning Mum made us breakfast in bed just like me and my siblings used to for her on Mothers Day when we were little.

Every time we visit my Parents my Mum spoils us with her amazing cooking and baking- there is always a cake (often lemon drizzle) made for us! My Mum has made a brilliant Grandma and it has been lovely to see her with a baby (I was too young to remember her when she had little little children). 

 So very Happy Mothers Day Mum and thanks for showing me what a super Mum looks like!

P.S here's photos of a sunflower, a Swiss cow, a boat and sheep because I know how you love them :) 

Visiting the leprechauns

It's been a month since my last blog- a bit of a symptom of how hectic things have been. At the end of February we went to Northern Island to visit my big sister and her husband. 

They have a beautiful house bordering on countryside but within a couple of miles of a town. We arrived on the Thursday night. Nemo was really good on the flight- he just fed for the entire flight. I heard this is a good way to stop the pressure building in their ears. 

On the Friday we went to the local town to look around, leaving my husband to sleep as Nemo had a bad night! My sister went all soft and got me 2 tops and a cardigan from a charity shop- they wee good finds! We went back for lunch then went to the beach in the afternoon. This was Nemo's first trip to a beach :) 

My husband showing off his pram skills (Nemo's not in it!)

On the Saturday we went to St George's market in Belfast. It had lots of lovely stalls the highlight probably being a jewellery stall run by a lovely woman who upcycles things. Here website is here: http://www.strayjewellery.com/

Not only is the jewellery very reasonably priced but she also does free delivery- insane! 

Here are a couple of things I bought:

We had cake in the market, whilst a man played some music. Apparently there's often live Irish music being played. Nemo had his first taste of cake and it certainly made him happy! 

Here he is making a grab for another taste! 

Afterwards we went to Victoria Square shopping centre where you can get an elevator to the top of a glass roof and look out over Belfast. 

On the way back we stopped by an insane Irish tourist shop almost entirely filled with amazingly cheeses Irish tack. It was so over the top I found it humorously charming and could not resist getting a few things including a top for Nemo:

 

I also got a new pair of Irish socks, a little family joke as me and my husband got married in Irish socks and my sister got Nemo some baby Irish socks when he was born. 

We had a weekend of lovely food- particularly some banana and walnut cake with chocolate orange spread which was so yummy! Also were Jamie Oliver mountain meatballs and beef casserole-hummmm!! It was so lovely to spend time with my sister and her husband in their beautiful home. 

Unfortanately Nemo slept terribly that weekend and tired everyone out. On the flight on the way home I let Nemo suck on my finger and felt that a sharp little tooth had cut on the bottom on the gum which explained his bad sleeping!