~ ~ LIVING OUT LOUD ~ ~

Birthday + Christmas = STRESS!!

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 21:01:00 +0000

It has been a long stressful week. My mom was meant to get here early in the morning on Saturday the 20th but because of severe snow storms in Canada and the States was delayed 24 hours in Chicago and finally made it on Sunday morning. She was pretty tired so we spent most of Sunday at home playing with Annie and napping!

Monday the 22nd was Annie's birthday and it was a wonderful day. I was busy all day long getting everything ready and was on my feet most of the day, but I would do it all over again for my baby girl. She is a year old and was spoiled rotten. We had a big party for her and she took great joy in demolishing her cake and eating every inch of icing off of it. She was awake until almost 10:30 at night (sooo close to her exact birthday -10:37pm) and crashed out when we put her to bed.

I had to work Tuesday so Andy, Annie and Nana hung out all day and played. We had our first mad dash to A&E too (ER for those of you over the pond). Just before bedtime we noticed a rash on her neck and assumed she was too hot so we stripped her off to just one layer. We then noticed the rash was down her back and tummy too. We decided to get her in the bath to try and cool her down but within 10 minutes it had spread up on to her face and down on her legs. She was scratching like crazy and Mummy went in to panic-mode! My first thought was allergies (my mom was thinking measles - there has been a recent outbreak in my area). So Andy and I bundled her up, loaded her in the car and drove to the hospital, by which time her face was covered in red blotches. We only had to wait about 20 minutes and were sent straight in. The doctor checked her over thoroughly and decided that it wasn't an allergic reaction or measles. It was something called Nettle Rash which can be caused by about a million different things. She had some new pyjamas from my mom which she slept in Monday night and was in all day Tuesday. I was naughty and didn't wash them before putting her in them (bad Mummy!) and I think it was the perfumes and starches in the material that caused the reaction. But there's no way to know for certain what caused it. She was given some medicine and was absolutely fine the next morning (phew!). It was the first time she has ever been sick (besides the 1 cold she had in September) and I was a mess! hehe...I'm such a softie when it comes to my girl.

Christmas Eve was spent at home. Annie had to have her next round of immunisations in the morning but they didn't seem to affect her and she spent most of the day playing and laughing with Nana and Nanny while Andy and I snuck out to have some time to ourselves.

Christmas Day started out absolutely lovely. We opened presents and had french toast. Annie didn't like the french toast but LOVED the Canadian maple syrup! Then we went to the cemetry to lay a wreath for Andy's dad and on to Rachel's for Christmas lunch. We spent the afternoon with Rach and her sister and then went home to meet up with Andy's Nan and Mum. As usual it ended up in an argument (I swear the women in Andy's family cannot spend more than 10 minutes in a room together without arguing). They were shouting and bitching at each other in front of Annie and I was tired of dealing with it. I shouted back at them that I was tired of this happening everytime we all got together and if they couldn't stop arguing they could both leave. Nan went off in a huff after calling me a "dirty liar" and Sue eventually left after I refused to speak to her. Everything is fine with Sue now, but Nan has still not spoken to either of us and I have a feeling it may be a very long time before we see her again. She comes round every Tuesday to visit with Annie and she didn't come today, so I am guessing she is still angry. That is fine. I know the way I spoke to her was wrong, but I won't apologise for what I said. I will not have Annie raised around arguing. Simple as that.

My mom left early in the morning on Friday and we then went on to Andy's Uncle Ian and Aunt Trish's house north of Manchester. We spent the day visiting with them and then stayed the night. The heating was turned off before bed and it was incredibly cold in the room. Annie woke up at 2am screaming and was absolutely freezing. I ended up bringing her into bed with me while Andy slept sitting up to keep Annie from rolling out of bed. We all dozed off and on but it was nearly 6am before Annie finally settled again. We were exhausted. We then hit major traffic heading home and an hour and half drive turned in to over 4 hours!

Now we are just trying to get Annie back on schedule and caught up on all the sleep she has missed in the last week. It was nice having my mom here for Christmas and Annie's birthday, even if it was just a quick visit. We've booked our tickets to Canada for 11 - 24th February. I'm not sure how much of a holiday it will be as we have loads of paperwork to get sorted for Andy in readiness for our permanent move over there, but hopefully we'll find some time to just relax.

I think I've blathered on for long enough. That's it for now!

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Bits and Bobs...

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:55:00 +0000

Again, I have neglected this blog. But if you have been reading long enough you would know by now than I am bone idle when it comes to things like this. :)

We have another buyer on the flat. He came to view last week and put an offer in later in the afternoon. It was considerably less than our original asking price but not too far off our current price. So I guess that is good. The sale price doesn't allow us to go back to Canada straight away. But our buyer is a landlord and has agreed to give us first refusal when it comes to renting it. So it looks like the deal with close/complete at some point in January, but we will continue living in it as tenants rather than owners. It will allow us to save until we are able to move to Canada. The earliest we'll be able to get back will be July (6 month tenancy agreements) but I think realistically it will probably be around September or October. It's a little longer than we were hoping, but at least Canada is still on the cards.

My beautiful Annie-bean will celebrate her first birthday on Monday and I can't believe it. While I love how independent and social she has become, I sometimes miss my tiny little baby. She is so much fun to be around now I laugh so many times a day as she learns how to make silly faces or she tests me to see how far she can push. She has perfected her "innocent angel" face and turns it on when she is caught doing something naughty. Her current favourite thing to do is to take the pebbles out of the pot plant and stick them in her mouth (they are too big for her to swallow, but still - naughty). It makes me howl with laughter how she looks at me with her innocent angel face when I tell her no and the entire time is still slowly reaching towards the plant. I think I may have to leave the discipline to Andy as I crumble when she turns those big eyes on me. :)

We have planned a party for Annie for Monday night and I am starting to wonder how we are going to cram 20 people into our little flat. It's only for an hour or two so we'll manage. Luckily most of them are smokers so they'll probably be a handful of people outside at any given time. I'll post pictures as soon as I can. :)

My mom is coming over for Christmas this year and should (current snow storm permitting) arrive tomorrow morning. It'll be nice to have her here for Christmas and for Annie's first birthday, especially as I can put her to work on Monday getting ready for the party! It's just a quick visit, but it's long enough to squeeze in a birthday party and Christmas morning.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

A New Start

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 09:27:00 +0000

I had a call from my doctor yesterday. About a week ago I had routine blood work done to test my blood glucose, hormone and cholesterol levels. My blood glucose and hormone levels are fine, but my cholesterol level is at 7.8mmg which is too close to being classed as VERY high cholesterol. I have a history of heart disease in my family and I need to sort myself out. I have put on a lot of weight since I had Annie and it's time to grow up and start taking care of myself....both for me and for my family. Andy needs to grow old with his wife and Anya needs her mummy to always be there for her. Unless I cut out all the crap food and start taking care of myself that isn't going to happen.

So I'm joining a gym that is close to work and offers a 30 minute circuit. It is just round the corner from work, so I have no excuse not to go. I also have to sort out my diet and start eating more fruit and veg and drinking more water. I'll get myself in shape...if only for my baby girl and my hubby.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

House Sale Has Fallen Through

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:26:00 +0000

Yep, we're right back to square one. We went in to our solicitor to sign contracts on Wednesday and he rang our buyer's solicitor while we were there. Her solicitor said that there was going to be a delay as our buyer's mother is ill and she was unable to make any decisions then. We still signed everything but left the office confused and worried about how long the delay was going to be. Then our estate agents rang yesterday to tell us that our buyer had withdrawn as she wanted to remain at her parent's house to take care of her dad. We were absolutely gutted. I can't believe after all this time she has withdrawn. Our lives are back on hold again now.

It is so frustrating living in limbo like this and not knowing what is happening and when or if we'll get back to Canada. I would love to be in Canada, but for me, Canada is not the issue. This move represented a new start for Andy, Anya and me, both as a family and financially. But as that is no longer an option right now, plans have had to change. We are still selling, but we are going to sell it to a Homebuyer's Association. They will give us well below market value but it should be enough to pay off the mortgage. Unfortunately it won't be enough to pay off the loan and the other debts we have built over the years. So after we sell we are going to have to move into rented for 6 months or more to try to save some money. Hopefully at the end of that time we will be able to reduce our loan amount significantly, if not entirely and will then move back to Canada, possibly taking a small debt with us.

Andy will have to fly to Canada in March in order to validate his visa and apply for his permanent resident status. I don't know whether it will be 2 weeks or a month but it is our only option at the moment.

So everything is still on hold for a couple of months, but we'll make the best of it. We'll sell while we still can before the market completely bottoms out and then will just wait in rented until we are able to clear debts and emigrate. Not the ideal solution, but the only one available to us at the moment.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Short Break in the Lakes

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 13:34:00 +0000

Andy, Anya and I spent three days in the Lake District this past week and it was absolutely beautiful. It was so nice to have time with my family without thinking about work, or the move or anything else like that. It rained quite a bit while we were there, but it didn't really cause too many problems. It didn't really start raining hard until we were on the M6 on the way home (I white-knuckled it all the way home).

We spent some time in Kendall and Keswick as well as Windermere and Bowness-on-Windermere. We also went to Hill Top Farm which was Beatrix Potter's home and where she wrote most of her books. I absolutely adore Beatrix Potter and it was so nice to visit her home and gardens and see where she got the ideas for her books.

Annie was as good as gold while we were away too. She was sleep deprived but still stayed fairly happy the entire time. She also was measured and fitted for her first shoes at Clarks. They are absolutely adorable and they keep her socks on too!!

I've put all my pictures up on Facebook. Click the link on the right to view all of them.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Finally!!! We're Canada Bound!

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:16:00 +0000

Well we finally negotiated a sale on our flat today! We are so excited! It was a very long wait, but finally we are on our way. The selling process takes a little longer over here (usually 6 weeks) but this means we will be back in Canada in time for Christmas and well before Andy's visa expires. We are aiming for completion by the end of October. We will then stay with a friend for a couple of weeks so we can save some extra money and will have time to close our bank accounts and get money transferred back to our Canadian account. We will probably be back around the 24th or 25th of November...just two months away! I can't wait!

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

RIP Alan Cashmore

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:18:00 +0000

Our family suffered a loss last week. On Wednesday 13 August 2008 my father-in-law passed away at Douglas McMillan hospice. He was diagnosed with lung cancer less than a month ago and, even though we were told to expect the best, he was unable to fight it. The funeral will hopefully be some time this week although we still don't have any formal arrangements made. It came as a complete shock and none of us were ready for it. He was only 61 years old, he should have had years left...not weeks.

This is our only picture of Anya and her grand-dad. It was taken just a few days before he passed away.

Wherever he is, I hope he is at peace. You will be missed Alan.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Well Slap My Hands....

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:15:00 +0000

I have been a very very naughty blogger. It has been AGES since I was on here last. Oops...so sorry.

So much has happened since I last posted. The biggest news is that we are now Canada-bound. Andy's immigration was approved at the end of June and we received his visa a few weeks ago! We are so excited. So we have been extremely busy for the last few weeks trying to get our flat ready to go on the market. It has been a really tiring month, but we are finally there. As of yesterday, our place is up for sale...and we already have a viewing booked for this coming Saturday! I can't believe how quickly that happened. The flat looks absolutely beautiful though...almost sad to let it go. I know that our main priority is to make sure we get the best price for it that we can, but a part of me would really like to see it go to someone who is going to love it as much as we have. It would be nice to have a young couple in here, starting their family together and filling our home with as much love as we have tried to fill it with. I have absolutely loved being here - it's the first place in a very very long time that has felt like home to me I will be sad to leave.

My maternity leave has come to an end as well. I started back to work at the beginning of July and, although I miss Annie while I'm away, I feel so much more like myself again since going back. I'm only part-time. I work Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday all day while Andy is home with Annie (works well for us...no childcare fees!) As much as I adore my little girl, I needed some adult time away from constantly being in "Mommy mode". She is such a little sweetie. She changes every day and I love watching her laugh and giggle at the smallest things (especially the cats). As much as I like my time away, I almost speed home at the end of every day just to see her.

We've also had some bad news recently too. My father-in-law was diagnosed with lung cancer last week and we spent most of last week at the hospital visiting with him while he waited for test results. The results came in on Friday and although it's cancer, they believe he'll respond well to treatment and have given him a high chance of survival. He's at home now waiting for the first round of chemo which should start in a couple weeks. Fingers crossed, he'll make a quick recovery.

I think that's it for now! I promise it won't be 2 months before I update this again!

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Canadian Invasion...

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Tue, 20 May 2008 20:42:00 +0000

Well we're back from Canada and we had a great time. Annie is an absolutely amazing flyer and made it virtually stress-free for me. It was great! We spent time with Nana and Papa, Grandpa, Uncle Jeff and Kate as well as Sherrie, Nick and Jorja. It was so much fun hanging out with Sherrie and Jorja, although I still have trouble believing that we are both mums. When I think of the two of us, I still see us as were were 10+ years ago.

It was nice to hang out with my mom and Annie on Mother's Day and especially nice to have time to shower!! :) I also got to meet my brother's girlfriend Kate and she is brilliant! After meeting her, I understand completely why Jeffy is so happy. Hopefully next time we're over, we'll get to spend a little more time together but this was just a quick visit.

I've put all our pictures up. The link is on the right.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

One Step Closer...

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:09:00 +0000

I cannot believe it! It was just 5 weeks ago when we sent off our immigration forms and already things are moving! I received a letter yesterday confirming that I have been approved as Andy's sponsor and that his application for permanent residence has now been forwarded to the Canadian High Commission for processing. I'm amazed how quickly the decision was made. If I'm completely honest, I wasn't worried about Andy being granted a permanent residency visa - I was more concerned about being approved as his sponsor. I am so relieved that hurdle has been overcome. I haven't really allowed myself to get too excited about moving back to Canada just in case we weren't successful. But I can't help it now...I'm excited! I can't wait to get back there so Andy, Anya and I can have a fresh start. I'm still not going to plan anything though...best not get ahead of ourselves. But fingers crossed, we're on our way.

Anya hit a milestone of her own this weekend. Last Tuesday she turned 4 months old and Friday morning she had her first taste of baby cereal and loved it! She has half a bottle when she gets up, followed by cereal and then the rest of her bottle. And she is gobbling it up! My little piggy. She'll only have baby cereal until we get back from Canada and then I'll start introducing her to fruit and vegetables as long as she continues to do well on the cereal. She's changing so much now and is quickly becoming more like a little girl and less like a baby and I'm not entirely sure whether or not I like that. I hate that she's getting so big so quickly, but I love how social she now is. She laughs and chats to me all day long and it makes me smile every time she squeals at me. I am tired and worn out for the bulk of every day and I have never looked worse in my life, but I AM so happy with my little family and wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Outdoor Pursuits

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 20:29:00 +0000

My friend and I took Annie to Amerton Farm today. It's a strange sort of place, sort of a cross between a petting zoo, a craft centre, a garden centre and a play centre. We wandered through all the shops and she had very little interest in anything there. She actually slept through the craft centre, the shops and the garden centre. Then we went outside and headed towards the farmyard. There were chickens running all over the place and she didn't seem to mind too much. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of the chickens, pigs and lambs but she was especially perplexed by a particular old white horse. They stared at each other for ages so I had to snap a picture. I can't wait until she is a little bit older to take her back so she can pet and interact with all the animals. I think she would love it! The poor little girl was so tired after her day out, she passed out in the car on the way back. It's hard work being so damn cute. :)

I've added more pictures as well as the video for March...click the links on the right.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Homeward Bound...

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:41:00 +0000

It's been awhile since I posted anything, but life has kept me pretty busy recently. My darling little Anya is getting so big now. She was weighed a couple days ago at baby clinic and she is 14lbs 10oz! She my roly poly baby and I love her to pieces. She's slowly starting to get more of a personality as well. She loves chatting and laughing with mummy and daddy and it melts my heart every time she starts giggling. She is a beautiful girl and I couldn't imagine being without her.

Anya and I are going on our first flight next month too and to be honest, I am NOT looking forward to it. I am looking forward to seeing my mom, dad, brother and Sherrie and Jorja but NOT being on a plane for 7+ hours with a 4 month old baby. Oh lord! I am really looking forward to hanging out with Sherrie and Jorja though...our babies are only 3 weeks apart and I can't wait to see them playing together. I've waited 14 years for this and am SO excited!

We're all doing well though....just busy at the moment.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Oh Canada....

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 23:25:00 +0000

After months of filling in forms and gathering all the necessary paperwork, we finally sent off our completed immigration application on Wednesday!! Yay!! We're so excited. Now the hard part starts though. There's no guarantee that we will be approved and we may have to wait up to 9 months to find out. Apparently, most applications are completed within 3 or 4 months but it could take as long as 9! I really hope we don't have to wait that long though...I think I would go mad! So now we need to get our butts in gear and get this flat finished off so we can sell it. Even if we don't get back to Canada, we are going to sell the flat. It's fine now, but once Anya gets mobile it'll quickly get too small for us.

Just a quick one tonight. Applications are in...please keep your fingers crossed for us!

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Mummy's Little Angel...

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 23:21:00 +0000

Nothing new really happening, just felt like posting a new picture of my lovely lil' bean and having a quick mushy moment about her. We are all doing brilliantly and are finally starting to settle into being a family. I know that sounds odd, considering Anya is 12 weeks old, but it's just now starting to feel comfortable and natural. I look forward to waking up in the morning so I can go into her room and laugh with her. She wakes up in the morning and chats to herself and then cracks the biggest smile when I go in and greets me with a laugh. I love her 11pm feed because she is sleepy, warm and cuddly and still smells of her bath. I love sitting her on my lap and having a "serious conversation" with her one minute (I swear, she talks to me) and then erupting into fits of giggles with each other. I love changing her nappy and letting her lay naked on the change mat. She loves this and kicks, smiles and laughs for as long as I let her stay naked (may prove worrisome in her teens!). But my absolute favourite part of being a mum is bathtime. My little girl is a fish at heart and is never happier than when she is in the tub. She has a quick wash and then she kicks and splashes for as long as she is happy to do so. I invariably end up soaked but it doesn't matter because it makes her happy, and that makes me happy. At 30, I finally feel like I know why I am here and what I am meant to be doing. It's simple really, I am here to be Anya's mum and all I need to do is love her. And that is so very simple to do.

When you become a mother you stop being the picture and instead become the frame.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Well Hot Damn, the Girl Can Sleep!

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:01:00 +0000

Our little Anya is now 11 weeks old and has been going through a few growing pains lately. She is getting very difficult to settle and we have found that the only way to calm her is to let her sleep on my chest. May not sound like that much of a hardship I know, but it means I am stuck on the sofa all day every day. The housework has been piling up and we needed to find something that would settle her. So today we went shopping and I used my birthday money to buy her a new bouncy chair. It bounces, it rocks, it vibrates, it has a pressure sensitive foot rest and a light up toy bar that attaches as well. It plays music and nursery rhymes but more importantly...SHE SLEEPS! Yay! Best damn birthday present I ever got! LOL

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

First Mother's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 21:08:00 +0000

Well, in the UK anyway. My first mother's day...I can't believe it. It still sometimes shocks me that I am a mum and Anya is 10 weeks old already...surely it will sink in soon. :)

We're all doing beautifully though. Anya is rapidly piling on the pounds. She was 7lbs 8oz at birth and is now 12lbs 2oz...and it shows too! She almost out of her 0-3 month clothes already. Although that is partly due to her length. She's grew 8cm in the first 8 weeks! Or for you Canadians out there...that's just over 3 inches. It looks like she's going to be tall...thank god she inherited the Cashmore genes rather than the Phillips genes! :)

She had her 8 week check on the 21st and everything went well. The doctor was happy with her progress and amazed at her growth! She then had her first immunisations and mummy cried almost as much as Annie. It was horrible and the poor little lady was so upset. It broke my heart and I have to take her back for round two in another two weeks. :(

We're also finally getting moving on the immigration forms. Andy's police check came back last week and we have been filling in all the forms and getting all the necessary paperwork together. What a bloody job!! I can't believe how time consuming it has been. I have to do some photocopying tomorrow (and by some I mean hundreds of pages...eek!) and then hopefully it should be getting sent off by Tuesday or Wednesday. So please, cross fingers, toes, legs AND eyes for us that everything goes through ok. :)

I've also posted February's video on YouTube. The link is on the right.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Fat Bottomed Girl...

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 21:04:00 +0000

...you make the rockin' world go round!!

It's official...our daughter is a fatty! We were in to baby clinic today and she weighs in at a hefty 11lbs 4oz!! That's a gain of 1lb 2 oz in two weeks. I can't believe it. The midwives at clinic were impressed with her progress though so I guess she's still within the normal range.

She is doing beautifully though. She smiles and chats and is more alert every day. The colic is still fairly bad though and she spends a good portion of the day grumping and crying. But she quickly settles with a cuddle. We bought a sling last week too and she loves being in it while I potter around the house getting work done. Although the biggest news is that she is now sleeping through the night!! For the past week and a half - the day after my last post actually - she has been sleeping from 11pm until around 7:30am. It is amazing and I am finally starting to feel human again. :)

I've added a couple more pictures, mostly off of my mobile phone. Click the links on the right.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

6 Weeks Old...

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 11:21:00 +0000

...and her personality is starting to come out. She has been chatting and smiling for awhile now but she's finally looking at us like she knows who we are. It's so nice to go into her room in the morning and to have her look up at me, crack a huge grin and start cooing at me. It makes my heart melt every time she does it.

I think we're also getting close to sleeping straight through as well. She used to wake every four hours through the night, but she's now going almost 6 hours. A couple more weeks and she may even go a full 8 hours! Ah sleep!! :) I cannot wait.

She was in to baby clinic last Wednesday for a weight and health check and she is a little porker! She was 7lbs 8oz when she was born and she's now 9lbs 15oz. Almost 10 pounds!! Good lord! I knew she was getting bigger though...I had to pack away all her newborn clothes last week. The health visitors were all really happy with her development though. She's holding her head up for longer each day, looking at her hands and feet and focusing on toys when we hold them up to her. She's doing great and Andy and I are loving having her with us.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Our Girl Smiles!!

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 12:12:00 +0000

And it is the cutest little smile ever! She's been smiling for about a week now, but she'd only do it if we smiled at her. Now she just smiles for no reason at all. And she's talking to us as well. She grunts and grins and I adore the lil sweetie! I've put a video of her grinning up in the video section on the right as well as a couple more photographs as well.

AND...she's 5 weeks old today!! :) I can't believe how quickly the days are passing.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Blog Updates

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:02:00 +0000

I've been a busy girl today and have finally managed to create a video section on my blog. You can click through each individual video through the menu on the right or go direct to my YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/profile?user=summcash

Go have a look!

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Four Weeks Old...

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 12:54:00 +0000

...and she's growing like a weed!! The health visitor came by on Wednesday and she weighs 9lbs 5 oz. She has gained almost two pounds in just under four weeks! The health visitor is happy with her progress though and has discharged us to clinic. That means they won't come to the house anymore but we can still pop in to the clinic whenever we want if we have any concerns about Anya. We do have to go about every two weeks though just to monitor her weight and progress.

She is growing so quickly...it amazes me! She is getting really good at holding her head up and can support it for longer and longer every day. She also is starting to focus on me and Andy. It's so nice when I'm talking to her and she looks right at me. She's also grinning as well!! My little girl makes me so happy. She's my little star.

Although...I have to ask...how the hell does the government expect you to take a passport photo of a baby and STILL conform to their strict photo guidelines?? Andy and I spent almost an hour trying to get a decent picture of her the other night and it was virtually impossible. Although the pictures we came out with are HILARIOUS!! I have to put them up here...they are too funny not to share.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Three Weeks Old....

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 21:17:00 +0000

....and colic has settled in.

Piss.

On the plus side:

I quit smoking 1 Year, 18 minutes and 11 seconds ago (365 days). I have saved £1,157.99 by not smoking 5,475 cigarettes. I have saved 2 Weeks, 5 Days and 15 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 12 January 2007.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

Two and a Half Weeks...

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 11:28:00 +0000

...and we're exhausted! But absolutely loving every second of it. Anya is growing so fast and is putting on weight with every health check she has. She is doing really well and we are finally starting to settle in to being parents. It's only just started to feel real to us. For the first week and a half it felt as though we were her babysitters and her real mum and dad would be coming to collect her soon. It's nice to finally feel like she is ours forever.

My mum, dad and brother got here on New Year's Eve for a visit and I think they fell in love with her. Andy and I hardly held her the entire week they were here as they had to cram a couple months of cuddles into one week. They spoiled her rotten (which we were expecting...first grandchild/niece) and left on Sunday. Hopefully we'll be moving back to Canada in a couple months and they will be able to see her whenever they want.

Anya is a little darling and I am loving being her mummy. I have a hard time looking at her and not smiling. We are finally a family now and I have never been happier with my life. I have put up loads more pictures of my little girl. Click on the "Photos" section to the right.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

A Week Ago Today....

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 09:47:00 +0000

Andy and I were blessed with our daughter Anya. I cannot believe she is a week old already. It just seems like yesterday when we were bringing her home from the hospital. She is slowly settling into a routine and is a very happy baby. She sleeps...A LOT! She sits in her little pillow on the sofa with daddy or in bed with mummy most of the day and then sleeps in her cot at night...and she usually only wakes once or twice during the night for a nappy change and a feed.

She's wonderful and she is quickly becoming a daddy's girl. It is so adorable to see the two of them cuddled up together. I have never seen Andy happier! He looks at her sometimes with such love that it makes my heart ache. He was born to be a daddy and he will be great at it I am sure.

Speaking of which, it is time for me to wake him up so I can grab a quick nap before Anya needs feeding again. I have added quite a few more photographs as well. Click on "Anya at Home" to the right.

Lots of love
Summer
xXx

She's Here and She's Perfect!!

noreply@blogger.com (SummerC) — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 10:22:00 +0000

Anya Jane Cashmore
Saturday, 22 December 2007
10:37pm
7lbs 8oz
20 inches/51cms

Well she was 10 days late but she was worth every moment of waiting! On Saturday, 22 December Andy and I were given an early Christmas present....Anya Jane Cashmore! She is absolutely perfect - although it was an incredibly difficult journey for her as well as for Andy and me:

Saturday, 22 December 2007

8:45am - My waters broke as I was just going to sleep (yes...hadn't yet been to sleep from Friday). Rang Andy and work and brought him home.
9:15am - First contraction (OUCH!) - they then carried on for the next hour at roughly 8 minutes apart. I have a nice long soak in the tub and put on my TENS machine (nerve stimulation machine thought to interrupt the pain signals to the brain and release endorphins to fight pain naturally -- useless piece of tat!)
10:15am - Contractions get longer and start coming every 5 minutes. Time to get ourselves to the hospital...and quick!
11:00am - Booked into the hospital, contraction are now 2-3 minutes apart although they felt like they are one on top of the other. Examined by midwife and find out I am already 6cms dilated! Bring on the entinox/gas & air (laughing gas to those of you across the pond)!! It takes the edge of the pain but makes me feel like I'm not in the room. Didn't like that. Start pacing the room and leaning on Andy.
12:00pm - Given an injection of pethidine for pain relief in addition to the gas and air. Still feeling the pain, but just don't really care anymore! Although Andy is looking a little bruised and his thumb may be broken. Do you think the midwives would give him some drugs? :) I'm still standing and leaning on Andy.
2:00pm - Examined again and I am now 8cm dilated. Midwives tell me I will be ready to start pushing soon. STILL have not sat down...still leaning on Andy.
4:00pm - Examined again. The magic 10cm mark has been reached but baby's head is still quite high up. Told to push with each contraction if I have the urge but not to force it. Given another dose of pethidine and begin to gently push the baby down. Still standing.
7:15pm - Baby's head is down and I am told to begin pushing with everything I've got! Given another canister of gas & air and begin pushing standing up, leaning over the bed.
8:00pm - Contractions begin to be less regular and baby's head still hasn't even crowned yet. Change position and get on the bed on my hands and knees. More gas and air and more pushing.
8:45pm - Midwife decides that I need to be moved to the obstetrician-led section of the maternity unit so I can be given a drip of oxytocin. This will make the contractions stronger and more regular. She leaves the room to get the paperwork and arrange for the transfer. Baby however, is doing very well.
9:00pm - Midwife returns mid-push and oddly my contractions are now very strong and very regular. She decides I don't need to be transferred and I continue pushing.
10:00pm - The baby's head still has not crowned and the midwife tells me she will have to do an episiotomy to allow room for the baby to come down. This means I will need to get on to my back...ugh...which I really didn't want.
10:15pm - After a few minutes on my back and a couple pushing, the baby finally crowns (without the episiotomy)!! After a dozen or more really strong contractions and even harder pushes.....
10:37pm - IT'S A GIRL!! She is alert and calm and quite possibly the most gorgeous little thing I have ever set eyes on. They place her straight on to my tummy (one definite advantage to being on my back) and we have about half an hour to bond and cuddle and then the midwife takes her to be cleaned up and weighed. Then it's time for daddy to get his turn as well before he has to leave for the night.
12:00am - I head to the bathroom for a much needed soak in the tub and Andy gets some one on one time with his new daugher.
1:00am - My sister-in-law Jane arrives to take Andy home and Anya and I move from the delivery room to the ward to settle in for our first night.

We had two nights in the hospital and came home to be with Daddy on Christmas Eve around 6:00pm. Anya has already settled in well and is sleeping and eating well. I actually managed to get around 5 hours sleep last night which amazes me! She is a wonderfully calm and quiet baby and we are completely in love with her already.

There are plenty more photographs, just click on the links on the right side menu.

Videos

"Moments After Birth" (2.77MB)

"Being Weighed" (1.23MB)

Lots of love
Summer
xXx