A Matter of Choice

Now that Leo has turned one I find myself looking back to his first few weeks with us, it was a surreal time, wonderful, tiring, amazing and much more that I could never find words to describe properly. I was told over and over to really cherish the early days as they go so fast, sounds like a cliché but for good reason. So I did. I remember leaving the hospital, walking slowly and painfully down the corridors to the car park, AJ carrying Leo in his black and yellow car seat. I think it was quite a hot day and I was unsure how to dress Leo, all the babies seemed so wrapped up and I felt it was too much but didn't know what to do, a dilemma that stayed with me for most of his first year actually especially arriving in Cyprus where the local babies are often still wearing coats and its over 30degrees. I had planned to breastfeed, however it didn't end up happening (I'm not having the breast versus formula debate now, I may come back to it if the mood take...

Happy Birthday Leonidas, You are one whole year old today! I don't know where that little baby (you were never tiny being born weighing 9lb 9oz) went, you were born with a mop of dark hair which disappeared as you rubbed your head on the cot every night, in fact I used to have to hold your little hands onto your chest to stop you fussing with your head. Your hair came back much lighter and now we spend every day in the sun you are going a lovely shade of blonde. You still have "happy feet" you used to lie on your playmat and kick your feet around with such enthusiasm, this has now been replaced by your foot clapping that you love so much - and making "sand angels" with your feet in the sand. You love to talk, (you definitely got that from me) you say Mum mum a lot but I'm not entirley sure it is directed at me. Your first sound was Daddaddad but you often forget to say that for several days at a time. The saying has stuck and I think your Daddy will b...

I feel have have officially joined the blogging world by being tagged  in my first  meme ,  What's In Your Bag?   So, thanks to  rock and roll mummy  I now feel like a propper blogger!    Before we delve in, I just feel the need to explain the bag.... while pregnant I realised that I rarely carried a bag so could justify having a posh changing bag as it would be also my handbag for quite a while. Although realised that if I had a pink changing bag or suchlike it would lessen the likelihood of AJ taking said bag to change litte'un. I brought a lovely changing bag with matching bottle bag  which I used for all of a week before I realised how annoying it was with straps that wouldn't stay on your shoulder or go over the buggy, as a temporary measure I started using the free boots bag that everyone gets with the nappies.... 1 year on and guess what? Yep still using the freebie bag, although being out here I've ...

Wow, we've been in our new home 6 months already! Time confuses me, how can it seem that we've been here forever as well as feeling like it's happened in the blink of an eye? It doesn't really feel like 6 months since I've not seen people I saw every week but I can hardly seem to remember being anywhere other than here! I love it here, both our home and our adopted country. It took me longer than AJ to get it, it was a bigger change for me though once he started work. I went from being surrounded by people to help with Leo and friends I could ring and visit when needed, to having no car, no friends nearby and dealing with a baby for the first time on my own in a country I'd hardly spent any time in. AJ on the other hand was going to work and playing pool on a Wednesday with the boys and living in his own place for the first time in nearly two years. I did have a few low days, no regrets though even at the time, I knew I had to give it time but the days can ...

I really don't want to forget Leo's first few weeks but already they are hazy, saying that I think they were probably hazy at the time! Yet again I listened to the advice of people telling me to savour the early days and just like my wedding day, and last weeks of pregnancy I am glad that I did. I do feel that I need to record them in some way so here goes.... Leo was born at 11.30am on May 29th, AJ was reluctantly at the birth, a fact that I thought he would be grateful for afterwards...NOPE! If we ever have any more then I know there is absolutely no chance of Daddy being present! In the end it was an assisted delivery with Leo needing some encouragement in the form of ventouse, not that it was Leo's fault - I only really got the hang of how to push very close to the end and by then it was 12 hours in and they needed to help. Looking back now it seems almost like it all happened to someone else, as he was born the midwife took him to be cleaned up, something I had asked ...

Something you should know about me and AJ....... we don't do late! It is one of my biggest pet hates! I feel at this point I must also add that many people told me to wait until I had a baby, then I would change....NOPE, still don't do late! I get ready earlier! Now I admit there have been times where I have been late, due to unforeseen puking or nappy incidents but nothing that a text or phone call apology doesn't cover! Sorry, I digress..... back to my story. Leonidas (or Bob as he was known at the time!) was due to make his appearance on May 16th 2009, now despite reading and hearing time and time again that first babies are usually late I was completely convinced that this did not apply to us! I found out that 38 weeks (not 40) is classed as full term so a baby born at this time is not early, therefore was expecting an arrival any time from the start of May. I was asked a lot towards the end if I was getting fed up, I really wasn't... I was getting a little unc...

Oooh, what a big decision, what to name your baby! So many things to think about.... what do you like, what does the hubby think? Do you both agree!, does it go with your surname, what can it be shortened to, what will it sound like on an adult! I'm not brilliant with decisions at the best of times, you know, what shall I have for dinner, what do I want to wear today! One day before I was even pregnant AJ annouced that if he had a son he'd like to call him Leonidas, I believe I wasn't too impressed at the time! He had just watched the film "300" with Gerard Butler and not only that had always been a fan of Greek Mythology and suchlike. I thought no more of it really as it was not a revlevant converstaion being that we had no baby on the way The conversation obviously came up again once we found out we were having a boy..... and after MUCH debate we did decide on Leonidas. It grew on me so much but I was still worried about having an "unusual...

I never realised how much of a reaction you can get when you answer a simple question, a question that everybody asks, I'd asked it previously, it's the natural follow up to... When are you due?, Is it your first? and sometimes comments such as Aren't you big? Are you sure there's only one in there? Yep, you must have guessed... are you going to find out what you're having? I had always assumed I would probably find out as soon as I got the opportunity unless AJ really didn't want to and then I might have been persuaded otherwise, but I'm not good with suspense! However he definitely wanted to know, and even said he would try and find out and not tell me if I didn't want to know! After posting my first scan picture on Facebook and commenting we would find out at the next scan I was surprised to see the replies saying I shouldn't find out. I had similar reactions in "real life".... apparently it would be something I'd really regret and ...

Perfect pregnancy or good old rose tinted glasses? I feel I was very lucky with my pregnancy compared to so many people I had such an easy time, I was never actually sick just felt a bit queasy for a few weeks the main downfall of that is now the smell of ginger ale makes me feel sick! I had no dramas at all and it generally went very well. The early days where no-one knew where very surreal, as you could possibly guess I'm not good with keeping my life private! I totally understand why people wait until the scan to go public but 3 months.....was never going to happen! Told both sets of parents, so then obviously my sis-in-law. Best friends... and work (a small office of 3 of us) They all know me so well so even if anything had gone wrong I would have had to tell them all anyway. All through my pregnancy I made an effort to appreciate each moment, obviously I didn't actually do that as I'm sure AJ will confirm! However I generally loved it and even with the aches and pains...

Bit of background... In 2008 AJ and I had been married 4 years, we were slightly differing on the baby plan, Although we both wanted one, he wasn't as impatient as me, so for a year or so we had been "not trying not to" if that makes sense! Not a bad way to go as in theory it takes some of the stress away of trying to get pregnant, it does however give you a monthly dilemma of "Am I or aren't I?" I was very chilled (compared to many) about the whole thing, trying to not think too much about why I had not instantly got pregnant, something I spent my early 20's being terrified about! But as each month passed I was very slowly having doubt about if it would happen. Saying that, I was also worried about it actually happening! I had never spent muck time with babies and really had no idea what to do with them, we were also in the planing stages of our move to Cyprus and I did wonder if it was a good time. Over the months I did several tests, and reacted to ...

I've been reading some lovely posts by "Mummy bloggers" this morning - I never knew that they made up such a huge proportion of bloggers. Although makes perfect sense when you think about it, so much to write about and a great record of a really important stage of life, one you are unlikely to remember exactly as it happened. As my little dude is fast approaching his first birthday (where did that year go?) I'm starting to forget the small details of my pregnancy and the early days so I hope to revisit them in my blog and record them for prosperity. I was undecided for so long on what to theme my blog on...being a Mum, living in Cyprus or Leo's growing up etc., before reaching the conclusion that it's my blog so should be about my life which is all of those things and more.

My name is Emma and I am a facebook addict.... and I do not care! Is that a bad thing? Why, I wonder do I always feel the need to under exaggerate how often I go on FB? ok, I'm sure you are wondering now.... honestly I would say on an average day maybe 10 times. When asked I usually play it down a bit then go on to explain starting a sentence with "in my defence....." Why do I feel I need a defence?? Just so you know, my defence is usually something to do with living in Cyprus and staying in contact with friends/family or being at home most of the day with Leo, not knowing that many people here. BUT, I sometimes was on it almost as much in England! I really struggled when we first moved here with no phone and internet, we has no TV either but I can live without that much easier. I really did feel like someone had cut my arms off, when we finally got connected and AJ had to take the laptop to work I could have cried. I struggle to remember what I did online before FB, i...

I feel that so far my adventures in blogging have been slightly less than successful, partly due to a lack of posts, but mainly due to my indecision of what to blog about. I read many other blogs and enjoy them but I've come to the conclusion that I possibly think a bit too much about where I'm going with it. So, this is no longer a blog just about our move and new life in Cyprus - too restrictive a subject for the random thoughts that jumble around my head. Onwards and upwards, prepare for random waffling and insights (hopefully interesting ones but that would depend on your opinon!) into anything and everything that clatters through my brain.

It looks like summer is on it's way, I feel like I want to add at last with that comment which is ridiculous in March, I think it's just an English habit I have! Each year I would be so excited at the start of summer, well spring even but also knowing that it's quite possibly a waste of time to get excited about the "blink and you'll miss it" English summer! I think I'm safe to get excited about summer here though :)

Sunny Cyprus has not been so sunny at the moment! After what looked like a change in the weather we've had some huge storms and so much rain. We were lucky with the weather for the week that Di and the boys were out, it was nice every day and we spent time at the beach and by the pool. Far too cold for most normal people to go in the pool, Tomas got over the cold and enjoyed it, James not so much! In a moment of madness I did throw myself in but not for long! The day after they left it started raining and boy did it rain! We had some drama on Thursday when my Mum came upstairs and told me there was water coming through her ceiling. It turned out the the drain holes on the balcony of the apartment between us and hers were blocked and the balcony flooded into the apartment! All is ok now though as we called the developer and they came and swept all the water out. We then had a day of sun -handy as I managed to get 3 loads of washing done - if the sun's not out it takes days for...

I find it hard to believe we haven't yet been living here for 3 months! I assume it is a good sign that it feels like we have been here forever? So much has happened in such a short time that our first few weeks here appear to be such a long time ago. We had our first visitors this week, (Aaron'sMum and his two of his nephews) and it was great to show them around, it also makes you see the place in a slightly different light. The weather has also changed in the last week or so - there is a definite feel of spring (summer to us!) in the air. In the last week we have been to the beach three times! It's not yet sunbathing weather - not that it would be easy to sunbathe with a mad 9 month old baby, but it's so lovely to be out and about in the sunshine. I have a car now which is making a world of difference to me as I was getting cabin fever being stuck indoors while Aaron was at work. I love my car - it's a Mitsubishi Mirage - I had never heard of that model before...

We are here! In fact we've been here nearly 2 months already, although in many ways it seems like we've been here forever - I assume that is a good sign! It's been so long since my last post that I don't really know where to start, there's lots of things that won't be nearly as interesting to write about 2 months after but the biggest thing is Aaron getting a job :) He's got a very good job for Cyprus, and unusualy for here has managed to do the same thing he did before. It's Kitchen desiging for a large property developers in Limmasol which is just over an hour away but the drive actually takes less time than it took him to get to East London, even though that was half the distance! We have settled very well into our apartment, everything was unpacked within 2 days and we (I say we, I mean Aaron really!) spent the next couple of weeks putting up pictures/mirrors/furniture. I then spent the next month rearranging the kitchen cupboards, and...

It's been a while since my last blog due to a combination of chaos and lack of internet ! We are currently in between homes, having left my parents but staying with my very lovely friend Nic (she might be reading!) We have been to the apartment - (more on that later) and been busy sorting stuff out here and tying up lots of loose ends. This weekend will be busy, we have a leaving party at our local and also Christening / Leaving do on the Sunday. While I am looking forward to both I'm worried I'll be really upset saying goodbyes :( I almost feel it would be easier to just go now as it seems like I've already left, but obviously I wouldn't as I'm never one to miss a party! Our apartment is lovely, I suppose sounds like a strange thing to say after months of looking at the photos which of course look lovely but it's still not the same as being there. I am so pleased that we made the trip even though we'll be back there for good in a week as it gave ...

Well, we are another step closer - quite a big one in fact as our belongings are now somewhere between here and Cyprus! Yesterday morning the shipping company arrived and took all our loving packed (by Aaron who has done almost nothing else for weeks and weeks) boxes and packages. They are due to arrive about a week after we do, so plenty of time to get sorted out and get the Christmas deccys up! It was a very strange feeling watching the van drive away, it's starting to feel a bit more real but I still don't think I really "get" the fact that in 6 weeks time I will be in my new home, and new country! Very excited, slightly terrified but really want to get on with it now as living out of suitcases with a 5 month old baby isn't really ideal!

I always said a plan would present itself and I was right! It was always going to be a big debate as to when exactly we should go permantly but after much discussion - well an hour or so in the pub! (we did continue the conversation for several days after but I think we had really both decided on the first one) we have finalised our moving plans. My parents have a buyer for their house, and A has no more work on his contract so we are off next month!!!!!!!!!! Everything is in action, we are packed for shipping, and they are picking up on Wednesday, from that day we will be living out of 3 suitcases as that is all we can take on the plane, well that a puschair, car seat, travel cot, 3 hand luggage bags and a baby of course! We are having Leo christened before we go, and it will also be our leaving do as we have booked our flight for 2 days afterwards. I can't promise I won't be crying by the end of it! We are going out for 4 days on our own at the begining of Novembe...