Ollie is wide awake and on my lap playing…

Today was the first day we put Ollie down at a semi-sensible bedtime.  Until now we have been having him up with us until his 12.00 feed and then putting him down when we went to bed.  This is not good.  We decided we had better get him used to going to bed on his own with us not i the room and also him going to bed at around 8 gives James and I some time in the evening on our own to be a couple for a while.  It’s hard to cuddle closely with a baby on your lap.  It’s now 8.30 and there hasn’t been a peep!  Fingers crossed this doesn’t affect the hard work we have been putting into to helping him sleep longer during the night!  He normally sleeps right from 12 until nearly 5 and then aftera feed goes back to sleep for 3 more hours.  His night is getting longer :)

Emma xx

So… the weeks are flying by and before we know it James, Ollie and myself will be moving 100 miles back home to Belfast.  I’m so excited… I had not really thought about the move back recently because I have had my hands full with Ollie (and oh how the 4 weeks have flown!!) but now that we have seen a house we like… I’m really starting to plan!

House prices in the UK are very high… but currently on the decrease.  It still doesn’t take away from the fact that we need at least a 10 - 15% deposit on a £160,000 - £180,000 house… it’s hard going saving so much.  Anyways… we hope to have this saved by January and we have found our little dream home.  We have arranged with the owner to let us rent it until we have enough money saved to get a mortgage in January.  Because it’s hard to sell houses at the minute, because of the interest rates etc etc etc (blah blah boring stuff), she was very agreeable to waiting.

Were so excited.  It will be our first property… and it’s a house… not an apartment which will be a relief.  Apartment living is doing my head in!  As soon as we saw inside the house I immediately realised it was exactly what I was imagining our first home to be like.  It is not massive… but it’s cosy :)  Here are the pics…

I am so pleased with it… it’s a great find… and it’s away from the main road… in a little lane!  The garden is gorgeous and Ollie’s little room is the perfect size.  Our bedroom is big enough for a kingsize bed… something weve never had but have always wanted… and the dining room leading onto the kitchen is MASSIVE.  The other big bonus about moving into this house is that we will be back in the north and near all our family again… my mum works nearby so will be able to call in on her way home from work! :D

Join in Talk About Tuesday

Emma xx

Today I made Oliver ‘official’.  Hehe.  He now exists properly.  I took him to be registered in Lombard Street, Dublin and here is his birth certificate :)  I was so worried I would spell the name wrong or something…

6th July

Ollie and his cousin Conor playing on the mat… this was the first time they played together… it was so interesting seeing how they interacted with one another.  Both seemed quite excited!

7th July

This is the blanket I knitted for Ollie :)  I’m very proud of myself for knitting it as I’ve never knitted anything before.  I have to admit I had some help from my mum and my mother in law because I was very slow at knitting and then Ollie came 2 weeks early so I didn’t get a chance to finish it until last week!  Today and yesterday were the first days Ollie has used it and he likes it a lot! :)

My best friend Charlene and her husband and little boy Josh all visited us today.  She lives in Belfast so I haven’t seen her since she visited us last time when Ollie was just born.  I miss her loads all the time and am so excited to be moving back to Belfast in August!  We can have a girly night every week instead of just once a month!

Emma xx

The theme for this week’s Photohunt is ‘Pointed’.

Hubby and I adore going to music festivals and the above photo was taken at Electric Picnic Festival held every September in Stradbally, Ireland.  It’s my favourite festival… the bands that play are always brilliant :)

Anyways… the above photo was taken when hubby and I were both quite drunk, coming to the end of one of the nights (it’s a 3 day festival)… we were just lying on the grass, watching whoever was playing at the time, from a distance.  We didn’t know this man, but here is a photo of him pointing at us!  I’d say he was probably drunk too.

Emma xx

Ingredients

500g lean mince
1 generous teaspoon of mustard
2-3 good handfuls of porridge oats (just to make it less wet)
1 egg
80ml of coke
2 finely chopped onions
4 minced cloves of garlic
Splash of tobasco
1 teaspoon of cumin
2 teaspoons of fresh finely chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon of dried oregano

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix well using your hands to squash the ingredients together.
2. Make into small balls (or whatever size ball you like) and then flatten into burgers.
3. Fry in a dry pan or grill… there is no need for oil.
4. While frying brush the side that is facing up with some coke… and then when you flip it brush the other side.

The coke makes the burger kind of carmelized on the outside and adds such a good flavour… this is also probably the garlicky-est burger you will ever taste…. but that’s how we like em :)

Emma xx

As hosted by Lazy Cow Designs

This week’s theme is umbrellas and, being a lover of all things pink… I chose just the pink umbrellas :)

Emma xx

So… after a fussy few days with Ollie… we decided that the infacol was not working for his sore little tummy.  he was getting very fussy after almost every feed so we decided to try something else and the above drops were recommended to me by my friend who was having the same problem.  I think they work a little better…  the only problem is they smell of dill (there is dill oil in them).  You know that herb… dill… that you put with fish or in tartar sauce or something… well Ollie was sick the other night and his vomit smelled of DILL… the smell really turned me and I started to wretch… now ever since… I can’t put the drops in his bottle… because the smell makes me feel so sick.

I don’t remember ever having a problem with the smell of dill…

Emma xx

For this week’s Love Thursday I chose an old photo.  This is a photo of my mum and I.  I was born a month early after a hard pregnancy.  I love my mum loads and she has done so so much for me over the years.  Were best friends and I’m lucky to have her.

Emma xx

Join in Love Thursday

My mum came to visit Ollie and I for the day.  She normally gets one day off during the week and she spent the whole day with me.  Because she lives in the North of Ireland, it takes her 2 and a half hours to drive.  I am soooo thankful to her coming down today because I missed her so much and it was nice to get out for lunch and have some girly chat!  She oooohed and aaaaahed at Ollie the whole time too which was nice :)

Emma xx

After Ollie had been crying for what seemed like forever this morning… I put on the tv to see if music would calm him down.  I had the volume up quite a bit and was surfing the music channels… MTV, MTV Hits, MTV2, MTV Base… Ollie still crying… MTV Dance… Ollie stopped crying and looked at me in amazement.  This was the video that was on.  I am not particularly keen on club type music but Ollie was happy so on I went about my business, only to look at him a minute later to find the music had put him to sleep!

At least I know now what will work in future but seriously… how strange!

Emma xx

Look at Ollie’s “Oh me Oh my” pose here.  I should be the one “Oh me Oh my”!  I have never been this tired before and I just don’t have energy to tidy the house.  Poor Ollie I think has been having a sore tummy because he has been crying non-stop and up quite a lot during the last couple of nights.  i didn’t go to bed until after 4am this morning!  He seems settled at the minute though… no wonder… he did the most almighty yucky poop earlier and while changing his nappy, he proceeded to stick both his feet in it.  Sigh.  He hadn’t been in 2 whole days so you can only imagine how bad it was…

Maybe his tummy is settled now!

Emma xx

MY BIRTHDAY MONTH!!!! o0o0o0oh!

1. My Son Oliver.
2. My Husband.
3. My Mum.
4. My Dad.
5. My brothers.
6. Music (and ipods!).
7. Colours.
8. Email.
9. Blogs.
10. Good surprises.
11. Friends.
12. Books.
13. Ability to learn.
14. My 5 senses!
15. Telephone.
16. Hot baths.
17. Kisses.
18. Hugs.
19. My good health.
20. My camera.
21. Air.
22. Memories.
23. A roof over my head.
24. Being able to be a SAHM.
25. Dogs.
26. Ability to think for myself.
27. My limbs.
28. My brain.
29. Rain.
30. Sun.
31. Beaches.
32. Airplanes.
33. My cosy bed.
34. Laughter.
35. Motherhood.
36. Being a woman.
37. Marriage.
38. Sex.
39. Money.
40. Being able to smile.
41. Doctors.
42. Coca Cola.
43. Salt.
44. Dessert.
45. Chocolate.
46. Fast Food.
47. Clothes.
48. Internet.
49. Movies.
50. Walking.
51. Fruit.
52. The colour pink.
53. Comedy.
54. Long meaningful conversations.
55. Sleep.
56. Ikea.
57. Hair cuts.
58. Blog comments :)
59. Text messages.
60. Calm quiet moments.
61. Pesto Pasta.
62. Prawns.
63. Indian Food….
64. White Zinfandel…
65. Electricity.
66. Pay day.
67. The ability to entertain myself.
68. Surviving high school.
69. Jeans.
70. Healthy teeth.
71. My mum’s cooking.
72. Microwaves.
73. Mashed potato.
74. Summer.
75. Freebies.
76. Baby smiles.
77. A good cook for a husband.
78. Social networking sites.
79. My mum’s husband and how happy he makes her.
80. My dad inspiring me to take photos.
81. Flickr.
82. Nice breezes.
83. Flowers.
84. Parcels in the post.
85. The crispy skin on roast chicken…
86. Any roast dinner.
87. Pretty things.
88. Having a loving family.
89. People that care.
90. People that listen.
91. Birthdays.
92. Opportunity.
93. My hubby’s job.
94. The money we have in savings.
95. My granny and grandad.
96. The park near our house.
97. My mum’s support.
98. My new Wii Fit.
99. My crappy job where I met my hubby.
100. Lists!

O0o0o0oh… I like this… It’s called Tweet What You Eat and it’s for Twitter users.. something I am becoming increasingly obsessed by!

Anyway… in TWYE you input each thing you eat during the day from your Twitter account and the calories etc and it stores it for you as a food diary… I’m going to use this in my attempt to lose baby weight :)  Once you enter an item and the calories, if you enter that item again, the calories automatically get filled in.

It’s a nice site and a shame it’s not in the Twitter website… the only downside is going to the TWYE website to check your diary.

But… everyone should sign up :)

because… it’s 11.43pm… Ollie will wake for a feed in approximately 3 hours… it will take half hour to feed him and another half hour to settle him then he will sleep until approximately 6ish… I didn’t sleep more than 2 hours last night… I had a nap today for just a couple of hours so I am shattered…

…so I’m super shattered and have settled Ollie, but the apartment above us is playing their tv too loud and hubby is snoring! (I need silence).

What to do? :(

…and so my full time job as a stay at home mum begins (and how exhausted do i look!). I know I’ve been home the last 3 weeks but this week is the first week since Ollie was born that James is working 5 days. I’m a little nervous… but a bit excited too. After the last 3 weeks having people down, visiting people and settling ourselves into a kind of routine, I’m looking forward to it getting into the swing of how it is really going to be from here on in. Just the 3 of us at night and just Ollie and myself during the day.

Today was mad because Ollie had a bad night last night and he cried so so much. I’m knackered from last night and didn’t get a chance to sleep today because Ollie didn’t really nap much. I even forgot to eat, only remembering that I had not had breakfast or lunch when hubby came home and started the dinner!

Fingers crossed for sleep tonight and a better day tomorrow!

Emma xx

When I was making up bottles today look what shape some water droplets made!  Cute!

Emma xx

Thought maybe you might like to see a super quick video of my gorgeous boy… :)

Emma xx

So down here in Dublin nappies are expensive… you get about 27 newborn ones for about 10 euro.  Well today I was in Boots Chemist and they had an offer on, if you bought the large packs you got 2 for 24 euro (in each pack there were 80 nappies)… I thought BARGAIN! Instead of getting 27 for a tenner, you get 160 for 24 euro!

I took the 2 packs of nappies to the till to pay, along with a 13.99 box of formula.  The total came to 21 euro!  I asked the cashier if she had scanned in all the items and she said she had.  It just so happened that the mini nappies (the newborn ones), there were only 2 packs left of them and they had been reduced to 3.50 euro each!  I could not believe it… I just got 160 nappies for 7 euro!!!!

Hope this makes sense!  I just had to share my joy!

We have been credit card frauded :(

We don’t go online to check our statement everyday because we hardly ever use the card.  Our last transaction was £42 sterling (like I said we hardly use the card but when we do it’s usually for little things)… and today when James checked when it needed to be paid… there were nearly £4000 worth of transactions!!  All signature verified (which, when James rang customer services, made them think he had purchased the items!?) and made in USA.  In the space of 5 or so days the transactions took place in Brooklyn, Illinois and Texas…3 different places!

It took a bit of questioning from the customer service people for them to be convinced it wasn’t James (who never left the country!).  We have card fraud protection so this should be taken care of now…

Sigh… how mean can people be!

Emma x

Ollie has been a big grouch all day today!  There is nothing more stressful and heartbreaking than hearing that painfilled, annoyed and frustrated little cry come from such a tiny little thing.  Neither James and I knew what was wrong with him.  He stopped when he was picked up and cuddled tightly.  Because we are knew to this still we are sometimes bewildered as to what could cause him so much discontent…

We are still unsure why he had a bad day today.  We think he might be colicky because it got worse in the evening so we have given hi infacol with every feed since.  During his last bout of crying I swaddled him… sometimes he loves it and sometimes he hates it… but right now he is sleeping soundly all wrapped up on his sheepskin rug.  Something worked.

Emma xx