Three months!

How Old:   Three months!

Weight:  10 pounds

Likes:   Bright lights, baby swings, grandparents and being held so she can see everything!

Dislikes:  The car (she HATES getting in her car seat and melts down if she even sees it!), being held close (sweaty baby) and mum and dad "not doing it (being anything) right!"

Eating:  We are still going strong with breast feeding although formula is just not happening. She vomits everything - even the special hydrolyzed stuff from the doctor. I wish I could just give her breast milk forever, but I can't pump enough to sustain her - especially when I go back to work.  I think I detect a problem! 

Sleeping: I always feel like I'm getting somewhere with sleep and then we take a few steps backwards. Emma is getting much easier to put down for naps and can go anywhere from 20 minutes to two and a half hours. At night she is AMAZING!  She's gone stretches of five hours and usually only feeds once now. Of course we have massively screwed her up by giving her jet lag but she still managed to sleep for nearly eight hours the other night!  Victory!! 

Routine:  I've totally got this. Up by 7- feed for 35 min, play until 8:30, mini melt down, nap. Repeat!!   I read the book Secrets of the Baby Whisperer (and let me say - it's the best baby advice book I've read to date) and it described the different types of babies - Emma is a "spirited" baby to a T!   I really listened to the advice in the book and suddenly I started to understand her -- I would recommend that book over and over again!

Sizes:  WELL. Emma wears a three month Carters onesie but SIX month leggings as she is just all legs! She's still in one month Mothercare onesies. I keep saying her shape is more American.  That's my girl.

Milestones:  Oh, the smiles...they just melt my heart. She's even started to cough while smiling - we know it's the start of her laugh!  She's cooing away and will have a nice little conversation with you if you're lucky!

Mum's favourite moment:  Flying from Newark to London and sleeping.....the WHOLE TIME.  When people compliment you over and over for how awesome your baby was - you just can't help but beam with pride!

Dad's favourite moment:  My mom and sister bought Emma the little pink skeleton outfit (sold out, but similar here). We dressed her in it one morning at about 5am and then propped her up in bed with my sister (who had drawn the short end of the stick and was sleeping in the corridor on a blow up mattress. The glowing skeleton in bed with Erin was truly hilarious.

We had an AMAZING time in America and we are so grateful for having the opportunity to go.  B's parents are so generous and I cannot thank them enough for taking us to see my family!

Emma's first plane journey was a success!  

She enjoyed loads of cuddles and did really well on the first leg - it was on the way home that she really REALLY slept though!

We wanted to Baptise Emma, but thought it was really important to do so in Ohio.  My brother and sister are her Godparents and the dress was the same dress all three of us wore and originally was worn by my Aunt Rose.  We had so many family and friends come to celebrate with us!

She changed so much over the two weeks we were in Ohio - I thought she became far happier and much more settled.  It's probably due to all of the brilliant people she met!

Mom and Dad were obviously smitten, but so was the rest of the family!  Obviously!!

  

Cutest Owl ever?  I think so.

My brother, Brian, and his girlfriend, Deepika, joined us all the way from Texas.  Emma was only a little peanut compared to Uncle Brian.

Auntie Erin was particularly in love - fortunately she didn't cry too much in the night and wake her up (seeing as she was the only person who had to leave us and go to work during the week - poor Ron needed her sleep!)

Aunt Rosie also had Emma cuddles - I love this photo of them, although I wish Em would grow some hair already!

We took Emma to the nursing home to see my Grandpa and she started kicking off and crying - Grandpa immediately reached out to comfort her and she calmed down.  She whimpered and he started to stroke her feet.  I know he has dementia and doesn't recognise me, but he recognised a baby and knew what needed to be done to help her.  

B and I did manage to sneak away for an evening and had our first DATE since Emma was born.  We left the grandparents with a bottle of breastmilk (which took me FOUR DAYS to express) and headed to Tremont for drinks and dinner.  We started out at Press Wine Bar for a much needed glass of wine and then had an amazing meal at the ever so trendy Parallax.  They specialise in sushi and fish dishes and they did not disappoint.  

Finally, we headed to Patterson's fruit farm for some apple cider and pumpkin fun with B's mum and dad.   I LOVE autumn in Ohio as the leaves are just beautiful and apple cider is probably the best drink EVER.

Emma was loving her stroll in the moby wrap - and then we decided to take a photo of her in the pile of pumpkins...

Nope.  Not having it.  (Seriously though - how cute are those PJs?)

All in all, it was an amazing trip to see some amazing people. Emma is so lucky to have so many wonderful people in her lives.  B and I are so grateful for the love and support everyone has shown and we can't wait to see everyone again soon.

 

Xx

Twenty Seven Weeks and reporting live from Ohio!

Good Afternoon, from Painesville, Ohio!

 

(I love everything about this photo.  Firstly, my sister holding the chalkboard.  Secondly, the chalkboard is the one we used to play with when we played teachers - and I was always the teacher.  Thirdly, the stairs are the ONLY location in the house for taking posed photos.  And finally, my dad took the picture on my iPhone and did a burst photo - taking nine shots of the same.  I LOVE being home!)
 
How far along:  Twenty-seven Weeks!

Weight Gain:  16 Pounds and counting.  I cannot believe it's not more than that with the amount I've been eating....

Maternity Clothes:  Mom and I went shopping in Legacy Village the other day and stumbled upon a HUGE Maternity shop (seriously - it was like the size of a normal shop with ALL maternity clothes.  My mouth was permanently dropped in shock!).  They had a huge collection of clothes from the brand A Pea in the Pod - totally adorable (and a bit out of my budget).  I got these jeans on sale and I'm practically living in them!

Stretch Marks:  I'm horrified to admit it....I've spotted some lines creeping their way across my chest.  Panic set in until B said "You worked hard for those stripes! Be proud!"

Belly Button:  It's starting to poke out of my shirt ever so slightly.  I'm not sure how I feel about an outie - but at least I know it goes back to normal eventually!

Queasy or Sick:   Mostly, I'm ok.  I was worried about the time difference, but that hasn't seemed to make a difference at all.  I have little flashes of nausea, but I'm fairly quick to take some B6 and eat some crackers before it gets too bad.

Sleep:  Also not bad!  I'm waking up early, but I don't mind as it gives me time to write a post or have first dibs on breakfast (Eggo Waffles......)

 Best Moment of the Week:  Coming home has been the obvious best moment of the week.  What made it even better was when my dad left the other night to help my Aunt out and returned with my brother, Brian, who is living and working in Texas.  I was shocked!  My whole family is back under one roof and I couldn't be happier!

Worst Moment of the Week:   I thought being a pregnant woman traveling on her own people would offer to help when I was struggling to lift my bag into the overhead bin....Nope.  I was barged into more than once, ignored when I was trying to lift things and even sighed at once when I was walking too slow!  There was one woman in Cleveland who offered to carry my bag up a flight of stairs after we landed - but she was it!

 Miss Anything:  B!  I hate being here when he is back home.  Baby McBerry went crazy kicking the other day when we were on Skype - I think it misses hearing his voice (although perhaps not his pokes and prods!)

 Movement:   Baby has been quite quiet recently. I'm not sure if it's the time difference, but I haven't felt it moving about nearly as much.  B said it's probably because I'm busier than I was in England, which could be the case.  Erin and Mom managed to feel a kick the other day, so they were happy!

 Cravings:   I've managed to polish off a Sam's Club punnet of Raspberries AND Strawberries.  I'm not even sorry about it.  You would believe the SIZE - nor would you believe the PRICE.  ($3.98 for 2 pounds.....!!!!)

 Looking forward to: The Baby Shower tomorrow plus visits with Family and Friends this week before I have to head back home.  I'm having an amazing time and it's making me want to stay forever.  I'm sure Mom and Dad wouldn't mind if B and I just move in here and stay?


I have had such a blast being home.  I've been homesick for awhile now, so this was exactly what I needed to help get me out of my funk.  It's been FREEZING compared to England, but luckily my grandmother's pink coat (circa 1940?) fits around my growing belly!

Aside from seeing my awesome family, the one thing I really love about coming back is the fact that nothing has really changed here.  I realised I've been living in England for nearly a decade.  That's a REALLY long time!!

But everything seems familiar - almost as though old fashioned values die hard.  People still talk to you randomly in the shop - just striking up conversation because they overhear you say something or see you looking at something they are also interested in.  You can still pay in shops with cheques.  You go out to socialise with friends after dinner in a bar.  You just drop in on people for a visit, unannounced.  Geeze - I miss it here.

I've had some proper bonding time with everyone - which is exactly what I needed.  The girls headed out for nails and a "light" lunch at the Cheesecake Factory (Have you seen their menu?!). I forget that when you order a half salad/pizza combination it's pretty much the size of a regular portion in England.

 
 (At Jack Aarra's Spa in Concord)


 (Casear salad and Margherita Pizza)

I feel like everything I've done so far has revolved around food.  Mom, Erin and I went to Menchie's - a Frozen yogurt bar which B was obsessed with when he visited here.  You get to fill your own cup with frozen yogurt, toppings and then pay by weight when you are satisfied.  We were very satisfied.



Gartman's Model Bakery in Downtown Painesville is STILL running, STILL smells the same and STILL does the best doughnuts I've ever tasted (since 1898 - Now, that's History to us Americans).  It was like stepping into my childhood when we went in there for a cheeky treat the other day.
 
 
Speaking of Frozen, we had a family film night watching it.  I saw it on the plane and pretty much cried the whole time and was more than happy when my sister suggested watching it the other night.  I'm in love with it!  Why hadn't I seen it sooner?  Best Disney film ever?  I'm thinking it could be up there.... 



Priceless time spent at home....I couldn't have asked for a better Easter Holiday.  I defiantly can't wait for the Shower tomorrow!

Xx