British Drama in The States

I have a confession.

Come closer.

*gulp*  I've never seen Downton Abbey. [cue gasp]

Who doesn't love a period drama?!

With the Downton Abbey craze sweeping the US, I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never watched it.  Tons of my US friends are raving about it on Facebook and it feels wrong that I live in the UK and haven't seen it.  Don't get me wrong.  It sounds really good.  It's right up my alley and people I like and who's taste I respect have said it's awesome.  I just sort of missed it when it started.  I have a hard time figuring out scheduling of British television and just never got on board when it started.  And I refuse to start a series in the middle.  I mean, a sitcom is one thing, but a series drama requires investment and background.  If you miss the beginning, you miss out on all the little nuances and story threads that are hinted at and woven together over time.  So I refuse to watch until I can start from the beginning.  I'll get around to it.

Though, I have missed Downton, I can give you a heads up on another British Drama that is headed to the US via PBS this fall.

Call the Midwife

Call the Midwife aired while I was pregnant, so I was really interested to watch it.  It follows a group of midwives and nuns who are charged with caring for the women in the east end of London during the 1950s. The main character was actually the least compelling figure, in my opinion, but the show is based on her memoirs.  The supporting cast and the look at the public health conditions of the time are really fascinating.  Especially good is comedian Miranda Hart as an awkward midwife named Chummy.  She was nominated for a TV BAFTA (the equivalent of an Emmy) for Supporting Actress and I found her performance really compelling.

This show really gives a great look at how far the practice of childbirth has come and could spark some great discussions.  Issues of abuse, miscarriage, forced adoption, and post-partum depression are all covered in thoughtful and interesting manner.  The relationships between the midwives and their charges makes for a good watch.  If you're into British stuff, baby/childbirth stuff, public health stuff, 1950's stuff, and human drama I say it's certainly worth a watch!

CALL THE MIDWIFE, Sundays, September 30 to November 4, 2012, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET– Based on the best-selling trilogy by the late Jennifer Worth, CALL THE MIDWIFE is a fascinating portrayal of birth, life and death in a world drastically different from ours. This six-part series offers an unconventional twist to Sunday-night British dramas and brings mid-20^th-century London to life, focusing on the joys and hardships of a group of midwives working in London’s East End. 

Oh Snap!

Sometimes the difference in word meaning in the US and UK is too complex to be covered in a Word of the Week post.  Let's talk about the word "snap".

snap crackle pop

When Ross and I were dating, we had a conversation about a phrase that didn't translate from America to England.  I believe an American friend had commented on a Facebook post of Ross' saying "Oh snap!".  Ross was confused as he didn't think that the response made sense in relation to his original statement.

After some discussion we learned that someone saying "Snap" as an interjection means very different things.  In America it is generally preceded by "Oh" and means the equivalent of "Oooh, burn" or "You told him/her".  It's generally used with no small element of humour.  In England, however, "Snap" means "Me too" or "Twinsies!".  Definitely a difference in meaning and I can see why Ross was confused!

Another difference is one that I've noticed in relation to baby wear.

Linus' Tigger Onesie.  I think I can squeeze one more wear out of this before it gets retired as too small.

What would you call the 3 little fasteners at the crotch?  I would call them snaps, but here in the UK they are generally referred to as poppers.  Both names make sense in an onomatopoeic way.  Poppers sounds a bit cuter, I think.

Who knew there was so much to say about the word snap?

Do you know of any other phrases with differing meanings? 

NEWS FLASH FOR NON-UK READERS!

I've just discovered that blogger has changed things up in an irritating way.  (Seriously, I'm thinking it may be time to find a new platform)  Apparently, blogs now redirect to a country specific url based on the reader's location.  That means that my blog is now www.ameringlish.co.uk.  BUT!  If you are reading from America, you will automatically be taken to www.ameringlish.com, whether you type in .co.uk or not.

No big deal, right?  Wrong.  Because the comments are hosted at the .co.uk site.  So my American readers can't see comments on posts or add their own.

But there's a way around it.  If you visit my blog (or subscribe) at www.ameringlish.co.uk/ncr you will get access to full content.  Google explains it if you want more info.

Sorry for the confusion and I hope you'll join in the conversation!

The Wall (Mommy-style)

I'd expected to be a bit frazzled and over-emotional in the wake of Linus' birth, but was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't the case.  I think in part because my recovery was so awesome, I felt really great in the early weeks.  I was sailing on new mommy adrenaline and Linus was pretty easy.  He slept a lot and only really cried when hungry.  I was able to get good chunks of sleep and was keeping up with the laundry and dishes.

Early days

Some of my mommy friends had talked about their husbands coming home and being unsure who to comfort first- their crying wife or crying baby.  I just couldn't relate.  I'd never really felt tearful or weepy.  I mean, sure, I'd been frequently tired and occasionally stressed, but overall I was doing really well.  I'm sure Ross' non-traditional schedule and amazing helpfulness helped.  There were a few times when he'd sense that I was nearing the end of my rope and would step in to give me some extra time.  (Sadly, because I'm breastfeeding a bit of extra time is the most he can give me as it always comes back to me/my boobs!)

But then this weekend.  Oh, this weekend!  In the last week or so, Ross and I both noticed that Linus seemed to have made some big strides developmentally.  He was a lot more smiling and interactive.  His personality was really starting to show and he was just SO FUN.  I'm fairly certain it was related that his sleep also went to hell.  He was eating frequently and doing little catnaps.  Up and down.  Up and down.  All. night. long.  Add to this the fact that Ross came down with a horrible cold that just wiped him flat out and you had one exhausted mom.  I was so tired.

Pouty face

I still didn't think it was that bad, until two nights ago when Linus woke up in the middle of the night after being asleep for only a very short while, I started to sob.  Not little misty tears.  Big, full out crying.  It just hit me all at once.  Something Ross had said earlier in the evening just kept looping through my mind.  He asked if I was ok to make my own omelette because he "didn't think he had anything left" to do it for me.  Now, he's not a jerk.  He was really, really sick.  But his words resonated in my exhausted brain.  I just kept thinking that it didn't matter if I had anything left to give or not, because I didn't have a choice.  I know I always have the choice to switch to formula to give myself a break, but I'm just not willing to do that.  Breastfeeding it really important to me.  I hate mommy-martyrs (or really martyrs of any kind) and that moment was the first time that I'd felt a martyr to it.  It was an awful feeling.  I felt the bed spin as I cried- like it had after parties in college when I'd had too much to drink.

Ross quickly snapped out of sleep and hugged me and asked what was wrong.  I was unable to answer him and just continued to sob.  He pleaded with me to talk to him.  I managed to get out "I'm just SO. TIRED."  He got out of bed and got Linus, comforting him and giving me a few minutes.  All in all, I think my little meltdown lasted less than 10 minutes.  I managed to pull myself together and feed Linus and put him back to sleep.  Ross stayed awake for awhile to rub my back and offer moral support.

We made it through the night and Ross gave us strict instructions to spend Monday sleeping as much as possible.  I wasn't to leave the house or try to accomplish anything.  I slept whenever Linus did and managed to crawl my way out of complete exhaustion.  By then end of the day I was back to my usual self.  Still tired, but in no danger of bursting into tears.

Then, Monday night, something magical happened.  I started Linus' bedtime routine at around 8:15PM.  I massaged him with coconut oil, put him in his PJs and nursed him.  Then I put him in his crib an swaddled him.  He started to fuss and I wasn't convinced that he'd go to sleep and prepared myself to have to go back in and try again.  I took the monitor into the lounge and within a few minutes he was asleep.  It was just after 9PM.  I went to bed at 10:30PM.  I woke up momentarily a few times during the night to tell Ross to roll over so that he'd stop snoring and probably out of habit, but was quickly back asleep.  Linus didn't wake up until 5AM!  He then had a diaper change, ate and was back asleep by 5:45.  He then slept until 9:15AM.  And so did I.

Happy boy

And it was glorious!
AMEN.

(I'm hoping that this is the start of something good, but also trying to remember that it might be a fluke.  Fingers crossed that it is a sign of things to come.)

When did your baby start sleeping through the night?
Did it happen all at once or gradually?
Did your baby ever cut you slack just when you really needed it?

Cheerful Sunday

A few nights ago I was making dinner.
I was preparing Jersey Royals and found the most awesome potato ever!

It made me almost irrationally happy.  I summoned Ross to view it with great excitement.  Luckily for me, he thought it was just as cool as I did.  We sure are dorks.

So our dorkiness and my love of heart shaped carbs is a great reason to be cheerful!

Word of the Week

soccerfootball

(How have I not done this one before?!?)

Old Timey Sportsman Stanley Matthews

definition:  A game played with a round ball and teams and stuff.
used in a sentence:  I've never really understood the rules of soccerfootball, but it can be very exciting!

Homemade Cards, Expat Style

We celebrated Mother's Day (or Mothering Sunday) back in March, but when American Mother's Day rolled around, I knew I wanted to send personalized cards to my mom and my G'ma.  I ended up running late with getting the card done and was scrambling to make cards when Ross had a genius idea.

I was putting the card together by hand when Ross pointed out that there must surely be a company that would do a custom card on the internet and mail it straight to my loved ones- and all for less than just mailing a card from here would cost!  A cute professional looking card that would get there more quickly and for less?!! Well, duh!  So I hoped on Shutterfly...

(Sidenote:  I've looked all over the internet for a company that does similar stuff in the UK to no avail.  I love Shutterfly and there doesn't seem to be an equivalent here.  I wanted to order birth announcements, but couldn't find a company that would let me upload to an existing cute template.  There's Vistaprint, but their templates aren't as good so you have to do the design yourself and I'm not that gifted...  So does anyone know of a great resource that I'm missing?)

...and uploaded some cuteness.

I started with this image for the front of the card.

I used some red paint to do Linus' footprints and joined them at the bottom so they looked like a heart.  I wrote "I love you!" across the bottom and Ross scanned it in for me.  For the inside top of the card, I wrote a little poem:

I've got two bright eyes,

a sweet mouth, and a nose.

But I've got one thing that's better

(as every boy knows),

and that's a Grandma/Great-G'ma who loves me

right down to my toes!

See what I did there?  I tied in the footprints with the "right down to my toes" thing... clever, right?  What can I say.  It's a gift. ;)  For the inside bottom of the card I uploaded three super cute pics of Linus and put "Happy Mother's Day!" across the bottom.

The on the back I included a little picture of all 3 of us and the words "Lots and lots of love from Meg, Ross, and Linus".

From a little photoshoot we did when Linus was one month old

Needless to say, the cards were a BIG hit!  Both Grandma and Great-G'ma loved them which made me so happy.  I was able to send them quality cards with a personalized touch and for just about $4 each- including postage.  Ross and I discussed it and I think we may well send a monthly update card to my G'ma.  Since she doesn't have the internet ("It's too dangerous to go on the internet in San Antonio because it's so close to Mexico."  She's hilarious!) it would be a great way to update her with pictures and Linus' development and I'm pretty sure it would make her exceedingly happy.  

So, hooray for having a great option for sending awesome cards and for finally having a reason to use Shutterfly!*

*It goes without saying that I am not affiliated with Shutterfly and they don't know a thing about little old me. I just get excited about cute custom printed stationery :)

How do you keep in touch with non-internet savvy family members when you're far apart?

The Hump

It's that time again...

This year's Eurovision competition will be held in Azerbaijan, as they won last year.

Eldar & Nigar sing Running Scared

The big news is that the UK has pulled out the big guns.  The Hump will be representing us.  Who?

The Hump

Why, Engelbert Humperdinck of course!  Hopes are high and his effort has been getting pretty heavy airtime on the radio.

Love Will Set You Free

And because I can't talk about Englebert without thinking about this bit of funny from the hilarious Eddie Izzard.

What's in a name?

It's a pretty good song (at least as far as Eurovision goes) and the star power doesn't hurt, but I still don't feel like I have an accurate grasp on Eurovision voting...

Do you think the UK stands a chance this year?

Birth Story Part 3

Part 1
Part 2

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Ross and I arrived back at North Manchester General Hospital (still known locally as Crumpsall) at around 4:30PM, 24 hours after my waters had broken.  We made our way to the Antenatal Ward to check in and get assessed.  They walked us into a large room that contained four curtained cubicles, each containing a hospital bed, nightstand and chair.  The curtains between bays were open at the time and I remember a woman across the way was moaning loudly through her contractions.  A midwife pulled our curtain closed and check me out.  I was not quite 3cm and mostly effaced.  My contractions were still slightly irregular so they encouraged us to do some walking to see if we could speed things along.

And walk we did.  We roamed the halls and walked up and down stairs.  Any time I had a contraction, I stopped and breathed through it.  I was still coping pretty well, but was starting to get anxious that things weren't further along.  I remember laughing and joking with Ross during this period which was a great way to keep my cool and manage the pain.  My contractions were getting closer together and stronger, so we knew things were going in the right direction.  We headed back to the Antenatal Ward and the midwife checked me out again.  I was now completely effaced and a good 3cm.  At this point, Ross got on his phone and googled some ways to speed up labor.  I snacked on some fruit and cheese that we'd brought with us and Ross used pressure points on my hand and foot to try and move things along even more.  I think it actually worked because before long we were off to the Birth Centre.

(Tangent: Now, I didn't blog about it, but I raised a pretty big stink about being allowed on the Birth Centre.  My pre-pregnancy BMI was ever-so-slightly too high for me to be officially allowed.  I wasn't told this until about halfway through my 3rd trimester.  I was really upset given that I had been told all along that my health was "perfect" and that I was an excellent candidate for the Birth Centre.  I used the fact that I hadn't really gained any weight during the pregnancy and a sternly worded letter to get my way.  From the moment I got approval, it became my fear that I would end up not being able to hack it on the Birth Centre and would be begging for an epidural.)

We got to the Birth Centre at around 8PM and were shown into one of the mack-daddy birthing rooms with the giant birthing tub and twinkly ceiling.

Mid-contraction in the Birth Centre

Twinkly ceiling and tub on the left

The midwife on duty talked to us a bit and told me that I wouldn't be able to go in the birth tub due to risk of infection since my waters broke more than 24 hours previously.  It was at this point that I remember snapping at Ross to stop rubbing a spot on my lower back because it felt like he was rubbing it raw.  (In the days after the birth, I had a huge patch of really dry skin in that same spot, so I guess I was right!)  I'm glad to say that it was the only slightly unpleasant moment in our interactions.  I certainly never experienced any animosity or movie-style "You did this to me!" anger.  I mostly remember thinking how awesome he was and how much I love him.  I do remember getting irritated that the midwives would stop talking to me when I went into my zen place for contractions.  I told Ross to tell them to keep talking to me through them if they had something to say, as I found it distracting to have them awkwardly waiting for my contraction to stop before resuming the conversation.  

The midwife examined me and said, with regret, that I was still just around 3cm and that I really needed to be on the Labour Ward.  Given the fact that I wasn't going to be able to labour in the water anyway, I wasn't too distressed by this.  The midwives were really great and tried so hard to give us the birth experience that we really wanted, but it just wasn't to be.  

I had prepared going into the birth to be flexible.  I knew that if I was rigid and uptight about how things "had to go" I would only be in for disappointment.  After all, the process of giving birth isn't one that we can control.  I figured that I could certainly have a Plan A, but that if need be I was prepared to abandon it and go with whatever needed to happen.  To that end, I never developed a formal birth plan.  I'd discussed with Ross that my plan was:  "I want to have zero interventions that the baby and I do not need and any interventions that we do", but that was it.  Nothing formal or written, just an understanding between me and my husband.  This is one of the most important preparations I think that I made.  Once it became clear that I wasn't progressing quickly enough, I was ready to change course.  I didn't spend my time regretting that things weren't going as planned or fretting about the loss of control.  I knew that I could trust Ross to help me advocate for as little intervention as possible and that we'd do whatever we needed to to get our baby out safely.  In fact, as the labour went on, I found that the midwives were still apologizing that things weren't going as I planned, when I had totally moved on and was over it.  

And with that, we gathered our things and they put me in a wheelchair to ferry me to the Labour Ward.  I was still coping well, but it clear that we weren't getting our baby any time soon and that our Leap Day baby was unlikely.

On Baby wearing

One of the items I most wanted in terms of baby gear was a baby carrier.  I think sometimes attachment parenting can be a little hippy dippy wackadoodle, but there are elements that I like. Mostly, the idea of having our baby close to me, but still having the use of both hands was very appealing. I'd read that it was a great way to calm babies. Also living in a third floor (2nd floor English style) flat meant that not having to haul our stroller around was a big plus too.

I did some research on the various available styles.  Ross had some strong opinions on carriers. Namely, he really didn't like the traditional style.

Like this

As he put it, he wouldn't want to be carried that way, so why would he carry the baby like that.  Add to this the fact that most of the people we would see wearing them looked incredibly awkward and uncomfortable. I can only assume they are wearing it incorrectly because the baby dangles down between their legs by their crotch, rather than up on the tummy.  

So I set out to find something different for us to use.  I knew friends that had tried the Moby and loved it, but was put off by tales of it being complicated.  I knew that we'd both be less likely to use something that was hard to use.  Eventually I found the Babasling.  I added it to our wishlist and hoped that it would be a good solution for us.  I didn't want to be one of those mommies that ended up with several discarded baby items before finding "the one".  I was so excited when my aunt and uncle purchased the sling for us and looked forward to using it.

One month photo shoot

Now that Linus is nearing 3 months old, I can say that this sling is easily one of our most used pieces of baby gear.  I LOVE using it for quick trips to the grocery store.  I walk to the store and then can carry the shopping home and up the stairs without wrestling a stroller too.  I've worn it around the house too when Linus is a bit fussy and I need to get things (like dishes, laundry, or even eating lunch) done.  I have worn it on longer trips too, but haven't quite figured out a great way to carry the diaper bag along with the baby in a sling as it's a bit awkward.  

One of the most fun side-effects of baby-wearing is one that I hadn't anticipated.  Other people LOVE it!  I get such reaction from people- of all ages- when I wear Linus.  People coo and smile at us when they see his little head sticking out.  They ask to peek in when he's nestled up sleeping.  It's a much bigger reaction than I get when we're out with the stroller.  Some of my mommy friends were complaining that people weren't oohing and aahing over their babies whilst out and about and I told them that slings were the way to go!  I don't know if it's the novelty of it (you don't see many people wearing babies here), or just that it's more visible than if the baby is nestled out of the way in a stroller.

Waiting for the tram, on the way to the Duck Race

I wore Linus when we went into town to see the Duck Race this year and I've never seen so many smiling faces.  Ross and I were joking that we should take pictures of people's reactions because it's just so much fun.  It's great to know that Linus brings a little bit of joy to the world at large- and not just to his two love-struck parents.  

I have so many people ask me about the sling- and not just mothers!  A man about my dad's age was totally fascinated by it the other day, asking me all kinds of questions about how it works, the safety, the comfort, etc.  I've turned into quite the Babasling Ambassador*!  

I'm looking forward to trying a few different positions as Linus gets older-especially the outward facing ones.  I'll be intrigued to see if it continues to be a good solution as he gets bigger and heavier.  For the time being it's great and I only get a sore back if I wear him for exceptionally long time periods or distances.  I'm so pleased that something I anticipated loving and using a lot has worked so well for us.  

I think my favorite reaction I've gotten so far was when I walked past some students getting out of class.  A young boy- about 12 or so- who should have been too cool to notice a little baby saw us.  He cracked a huge smile, and yelled out to me "That is well cute!"  (For my American readers, "well" is a British slang/slightly street way of saying "very, super, or totally".)  

Do you baby-wear?

What's your carrier of choice?

Have you ever had high hopes for a product?  Did it meet the expectation or let you down?

*Just to be clear, this is a made up/self-given title and Babasling do not know who I am.  My sling was purchased by my awesome Aunt and Uncle as a gift after we'd put it on our Amazon UK Wishlist.  I just am really happy with it, and like to share what works for us.

Birth Story Part 2

When we left off, Ross and I were on our way to the Birth Centre.

The last bump shot I have.  From Feb. 25th

Tuesday February 28, 2012


We arrived at about 7:15PM and (after some comical searching due to poor signage) were shown to a room.  The midwife on duty was very nice and asked what had happened.  She examined the pad I was wearing and asked me to disrobe from the waist down so I could be examined.  As I stood up I was leaving puddles of amniotic fluid on the floor (nice!).  She returned to the room and declared that it was convincingly amniotic and expressed that she was impressed with my puddles.  I joked that I'd had our special effects department whip it up.  She seemed confused.  I got the feeling she wasn't used to women cracking jokes about amniotic fluid.

She said it was pretty obvious that, while my waters had definitely broken, I wasn't really in labour as I wasn't having contractions.  She didn't even do an internal exam, saying that there was no reason to do one and it was better to skip it to keep infection risks down. She did take my temperature and blood pressure and listen to the baby's heartbeat, as well as examining 2 seperate pads.  Since that was all fine, we were sent home with orders to return in 24 hours or if my contractions started coming regularly.

We went home by way of Asda (the UK equivalent of Walmart) where we picked up sheets for the crib, a blanket (We didn't have a single baby blanket!) and food for dinner.  I was suddenly STARVING so I selected  a hearty beef ravioli and garlic bread.  I decided that my plan was to let the night pass normally and then do some kick-starting exercises in the morning if we needed things to get going.  I ate dinner,washed the sheets and blanket, and sent an email update to my parents to let them know what was happening.  Ross did a bit more tidying up and we headed to bed, hoping to get some rest.

At around 10pm I was having some rippling feelings down low, but nothing with an identifiable start and finish, but during the night things definitely got more intense.  I remember at some point in the night getting up on all fours and rocking.  We made it through the night and even got a fair amount of sleep, though Ross said in the morning that he was surprised we were still at home.  Based on my behavior, he could tell things had gotten going and he thought I'd be ready to head back to the hospital.

Wednesday February 29, 2012

We slept a bit late and had an extended cuddle as we laid in bed together and discussed our imminent arrival. We got up and spent some time puttering around, making final preparations. My contractions continued, but still weren't very regular.  I was managing them fine by employing some things I'd read about in my hypnobirthing book and from my prenatal yoga class. The only way I can describe it is that I went very still and quiet, closed my eyes, slowed my breathing, and focused in pushing my mind through the center of the contraction. I don't really know how to describe it better than that, but it was a feeling of focusing my consciousness into the very center of the pain until it dissipated.  I say pain because I'm sure it hurt, but I couldn't describe how contractions felt now if I tried.  I have absolutely no memory of the sensation.  Also, the concept of time became pretty hazy around this point.  I've had to refer back to chats and ask Ross about timing of things because I just find that my memory of large parts of the labour is fairly blurry.

Belly and Birth Ball back in late November

I know I spent time on the birth ball, but other than that I'm not sure what I did until it was time to head back to the hospital.  Ross was a great support and put to use his skill of relaxing me and finding the places that were most helpful to rub.  We updated my immediate family and some close friends and existed in a strange bubble of excitement and anticipation.  At around 3:30PM we headed to the car with all our gear, ready to welcome our baby.  I remember running into a neighbour as we got in the car.  She made some comment about me being nearly ready to pop.  I replied, "It's time!  We're going now."  We got in the car and drove back to the hospital and headed for the antenatal ward to be checked over.  By this time my contractions were pretty regular and coming in about 5 minute intervals, but were still totally manageable.  I was really proud of how I was coping.

It was a good thing we'd slept late because we were in for a LONG night!
To be continued...

Cheerful Sunday

I realize I've been pretty repetitive lately, but when just looking at this sweet face makes me literally teary with joy I have all the reason to be cheerful that I need.

Two Months

Dear Sweet Baby,
I cannot believe that you are two months old today.  You make my heart smile every day and I can't imagine my life without you (and millions of other lame cliches)!  It seems impossible that we've only known you for two months as I feel like you've always been a part of our family.

morning smiles!

Your sweet face makes me laugh and smile and burst with happiness.  You've been smiling for a few weeks now, but you've gotten really generous with them in the past couple of days- especially in the morning.  You're almost laughing, but not quite.  We can see it trying to well up and bubble out and can't wait to hear your little giggle.  You're also starting to interact with objects more.  You weren't into the things that hang from your play gym, but now you're looking at them and starting to reach out for them.

checking out the butterflies

Your daddy absolutely adores you.  He makes silly faces and dances around just to make you smile.  He cuddles you sweetly and gives you lots of kisses.  The other night he had a dream that you told him not to kiss you on your "bopper".  Apparently your bopper was the side of your forehead.  So now we love to give you bopper kisses.  Daddy is also The Burp Whisperer.  He's so good at getting your burps out- way better than mommy!  Daddy is a real softie, so try not to take advantage of him too much.

making pouty faces together in your hoodies

I look at you in wonder and can't believe that we made you with our love!  You always hear people say that you can't understand this love until you have a child on your own and it's true.  I find myself telling you how much I love you throughout each day.  I look at daddy and say "Look at this awesome baby!  I quite like him!"  We love to have family snuggles in bed in the morning before we start the day.  

There are times when you try my patience- mostly when you are having a growth spurt and want to eat constantly.  You'll eat and then fall asleep for just long enough for me to get settled and then wake up and want to eat all over again.  Sometimes it drives me crazy, but a few seconds later you look up at me and my heart just melts.  We're very lucky that you only really cry when you are hungry.  You're a pretty easy baby so far and for that, we thank you.  You are super snuggly and sweet and I love to hold you close.  I hold you on my chest and rub my face on your soft soft hair.  When you hang out with Daddy you like to lay in the crook of his crossed leg and look up at his face.  

Cute face

You're growing so fast.  I just packed away your newborn clothes and you're moving up to clothes that were huge when you were first born.  It makes me sad to say goodbye to your sweet newborn days, but excited to see what lies ahead.  I know that the fun is only just beginning!

Our first family portrait

We've decided we'll keep you.  Well done!

Love,

Mommy  (I'm sure you'll wind up calling me Mummy eventually, but for now it's Mommy.)