Some photos

Finally I have been able to upload some photos. Blogger wouldn't upload yesterday and I've been doing these on and off all day in between feeding, changing etc.


Flynn about 2 hours old, back on the ward and dressed.


Ethan with Flynn, holding him for the first time.

The 4 of us, not all looking the right way and not a great photo of me but our first family photo!

Flynn asleep in hospital.

This photo of Flynn has the 4 little animal teddy bears Ethan got him.

A couple of cute photos of Flynn - I love how he's holding his hands in the first photo.


Flynn in his car seat ready to go home from hospital

Love these photos of Flynn, he just looks so peaceful.

Taken this morning, one of my favourite photos.

It's a Boy

Flynn Lucas was born on Wednesday 24th October 2007 at 10:24am weighing a lovely 8lb 3oz.

Will be back with photos and details soon.

Tomorrow's the day!

Well tomorrow's the day that baby number 2 arrives. After 3 years of trying and 39 plus weeks of pregnancy the day is almost here. I'm really excited and can't wait to meet baby and find out if it's a boy or girl. I was feeling a little nervous about it all after my pre-op appointment last Friday where I signed everything and they went over all the risks of the operation! I'm sure once tomorrow morning arrives I will be feeling very nervous again but for now it's more excitement.

I've had a lovely few days with Ethan just chilling out, meeting friends and eating out. Yesterday we went to Wollaton park with one of Ethan's school friends and he took his electric scooter with him. He had such fun on it and it was great for going up all the hills, it even kept it's charge the whole time. Today we have been for lunch at TGI Fridays and had a fab meal as we always do there. Ethan ate so much food including starter, main course and dessert! He did complain of a tummy ache after but it didn't last long.

The backroom is still not finished but it will be by the time I'm out of hospital. My dad has very kindly been round today painting and is coming back tomorrow to finish off. Then on Friday the fireplace and granite (which is what has held things up as we couldn't get it cut in time) is being fitted along with the carpet.

Hopefully I'll be out of hospital on Friday and back on here with some photos :D

House renovation!

Well things are progressing with the conservatory and backroom. The conservatory glass is ordered and we are hoping it will be fitted around the 10th/11th November. This should work out great as John will still be off from the babies birth plus it's a weekend I think. It saves me having to make all the tea, coffee etc.

Here is the conservatory brick work nearly done - will take a photo of it done and post soon.

The backroom is really coming on now and things are ready for the plasterer tomorrow. Yesterday John and his brother put in the new sliding doors which look great but took all day to sort as bricks needed to be removed and then some patching up. Today my Dad has come round to help too as the doors needed finishing, some boxing in doing and electrics sorting for the conservatory - this needs doing before the carpet goes down! I'm still trying to get hold of the carpet fitter as we need him to come next Monday so we can then put the furniture in on that Monday and Tuesday ready for the baby arriving on Wednesday.

Here are a few before and during photos of the back room, the top two show the door and window being replaced with sliding doors which will lead into the conservatory. The bottom two show the fireplace before and after it was widened and before and after with the built in cupboard.

We still need to go to Ikea to sort some of the furniture for the backroom. We had planned to go yesterday but as John didn't finish doing the doors till late we wouldn't have had enough time. Hopefully we can get there one night in the week so that everything is ready. Well almost everything - John is having a fully working cast iron stove in the backroom and we have the surround sorted but not the hearth and it sounds like it has to be in sections because of the heat. John is going to have to some how sort this out before next Monday as it needs to be in for when the carpet fitter comes!

Next weekend will be spent doing skirting, coving, painting, sanding and last minute fixings etc. This week I need to sort a curtain pole out along with curtains but we could use the old ones if I don't find any as they are fairly new and really nice ones, just not really the right colour.

I've got lots of shopping and appointments next week before Ethan breaks up for half term on Thursday. He has an inset day Friday so I get to spend an extra day with him although it will start with a trip to the hospital for my pre-op appointment. I want to make sure that all the shopping etc is done before Ethan breaks up so I can spend those last days with him and meeting with his friends, don't think he would appreciate going shopping for a nursing bra LOL

Maternity leave

I am now on maternity leave and I'm not sure where the time is going. Its already been over 3 weeks and I have just been so busy with one thing or another. I have felt a lot more tired recently and after a telephone call from the doctor at the end of last week I now know why - I'm anaemic! I really hate taking iron tablets and they just don't agree with me but it has to be done.
I have been doing quite a lot of baking the last week and have been trying out various loaf cakes from Nigella Lawson's the Domestic Goddess. I love this book and how it is laid out and a lot of the recipes are really quite simple with out too many fancy ingredients. So far the lemon drizzle cake has been the most popular with the chocolate one coming a close second.

Ethan lost his first tooth a few days after his birthday and was so excited after it had been wobbly for ages. He put it in his little tooth box and left it for the tooth fairy, who surprise, surprise left him some money :) The tooth next to that is is wobbly but think it will be a little while before that's out.

The conservatory is coming on and all the brick work is done now. We have ordered all the glass so once that has arrived we can arrange for the fitted to come and do it. In the mean time John is starting work on the back room and that should be done just in time for the baby arriving. That will give us more room to spread baby things and Ethan's toys around! Plus I can have a little scrapping area too :)

Ethan's 6th Birthday

Ethan had his 6th birthday last week and not sure where those last 6 years have gone. He had a great day and got lots of lovely presents, cards and money. He had thought he was going to buy an electric scooter with his birthday money but John's Mum and Dad got him one after asking us what Ethan wanted for his birthday. He loves the scooter and I have to say it's great, more than fast enough and a bargain at £25.99!



Out of some of his birthday money Ethan got a watch that projects the time. His friend has one and he loved it so treated himself to one. At the moment it goes everywhere and keeps telling us what the time is! The rest of his money has gone into his bank account - he must have more savings than us LOL

We went out for a meal when John got home and took one of Ethan's friends with us. He had wanted to take another friend too but because of where we were going he couldn't come (food allergy). We had a lovely carvery meal which is one of Ethan's favourites and Ethan and his friend had a ice cream sundae after.



He had his party on Saturday before and loved every minute of it. I was totally shattered after having catered for and supervised around 40 children!!! It did go well though considering how many were there and I had some great help from a few close friends and John.

Where did the summer holidays go?

I can't believe Ethan is back at school already, it doesn't seem five minutes since the end of term in July. It's been a great summer catching up with friends and not having to rush around in the mornings.

Last week we went away for a few days to my Mum and Dad's caravan. It was a lovely break and we had such nice weather, it was great to get away and relax. Ethan had a fab time and loved being on the beach, he had so much fun. Here are a few photos including one of me and Ethan :)

This week Ethan has been back at school, he is now year 1 and in a new class. Although he was very unsure about his new class he seems to have settled in and is enjoying seeing his friends again.

It's his 6th birthday in a few weeks and all holidays he has been excited about giving out his invitations. We did this yesterday and he couldn't wait to go to school and give them out. He is having quite a big party as we are hiring a function room so have said he can have who he wants - not sure this was a good idea but as long as he has a good time then that's all that matters!

I'm now 32 weeks pregnant and probably have 7 weeks left till I have my C-section so time is really flying by. I have been off work the last two weeks and go back next week for my last week. It's going to be strange finishing work but in some ways I'm looking forward to it and have some major sorting out to do in the babies room so that should keep me busy for a few weeks. I hadn't planned on taking so much time off before the baby arrives but as I've got 5 weeks holiday left to use that I can't carry over so I thought this would be the best time so that's what I've done.

Things are really progressing with the conservatory but I'll leave that for another post and include some before photos and where we're at now.

4D scan

Last Saturday we went for our 4D scan and it was great, it was such an amazing experience. We only got "fairly good" pictures/DVD as the lady put it but I'm really pleased with them especially the DVD.

Here are a couple of the pictures, we think it looks like a boy and very much like Ethan did as a baby. Baby forever had it's hands in front of their face and in their mouth and was even sticking it's tongue out at one point :)

Over the weekend will post some baby photos of Ethan so you can see the likeness.

House plans

Well the last few weeks have been spent making plans for the house and what exactly we want to do to get the extra space. When we bought the house one of the things we were going to do asap was extend the ground floor. We decided to go with an extension so we could extend the kitchen as it is very small, it would also give us an extra room. We got all the plans drawn up and had them passed by the council, spending a lot of money in the process! We have now done a complete U turn and are having a conservatory. It has taken lots of time deciding this weighing up the pros and cons and it is the right thing to do at this time. The main advantage will be that it will be up before the baby arrives which is something I really wanted but was never going to happen with the extension.


So we had a friend come round at the weekend and he has priced up what we want and we are getting really excited now. It's going to be quite a big space, around 5x3 metres so will be great room for us all. The only downside is that the small kitchen remains but we are going to make the best of the space available. Fortunately we have a utility area that already houses the washer and dryer so we don't need to have them in the kitchen. We went to Ikea last week and got some really good ideas for helping us decide how best to use the space and we have seen a kitchen we like there too.


So the plan is:


- Old garage is coming down this week

- John starts work on digging the footings for the conservatory at the weekend

- Get the brick layer in to do all the brick work

- Lay the floor

- Surveyor in to check sizing etc

- Order conservatory

- Conservatory up


Then we need to start work inside the house starting with changing the doors/windows between the rooms. I have decided that it would be best to do the Kitchen first then the back room and finally finsh off the inside of the conservatory. This way if everything is not done before the baby arrives at least I'll have a nice kitchen and probably back room completely done. The conservatory is closed off with the doors from th house so John can just go in and finsh that when he can. Plus it will only be a case of plastering, fitting radiators, flooring then moving dining room table, setee, storage etc.

Wedding

We went to a wedding on Saturday and had a lovely time. It's amazing how quickily these things creep up. It seems like only yesterday (last September) we were talking to our friend about it. The weather wasn't great but it did stop raining as she was arriving at the church and stayed that way till they were just finishing the photos. This is a photo of me that Ethan took whilst we were waiting outside the church. It's not the most flattering of photos but I think Ethan did a pretty good job (I have cropped it). I had to buy the cardigan at the Next sale that morning as I had nothing to go with the outfit I'd bought with the weather being so cold - it looked better without it.

Ethan had a great time and was really good in the church and he did have to sit there for about an hour. Once at the reception he was able to let off some steam and dance and play around. There were quite a few children there so he played with a few of them throughout the evening. I really don't know where he gets his energy from as he never really stopped all evening apart from food! Here are a few photos - the first two are Ethan on the dance floor (he liked the smoke machine), another of Ethan that I really like and one of me and Ethan that I really like.

Sports Day

Yesterday was Ethan's sports day and fortunately the weather stayed dry so it could go ahead. He was really excited about it and asked me in the morning if I could video him - I told him I would but was going to anyway. He was one happy little boy after winning both his races, he said he'd be the fastest and he was!!! Here are a couple of photos, the first is the running race and the second is the obstacle (not sure what's going on with his legs):

It was the summer fair after too so Ethan enjoyed having a go and the tombola and some of the little games etc they had. We then went and met his new teacher and I have arranged to see her next week to have a chat.

Then it was Ethan's football presentation so it was a quick change when we got home from school and out of the house again. They played some football matches before the presentation and then they gathered us all round for the presentation. Ethan was very pleased with his certificate and trophy and they are now on the fireplace where everyone can see them. Here is a photo of Ethan going up to collect his certificate and trophy and one of him holding them:

Sunny day

Well as the sun came out today we got the pool out for Ethan. He has been so desperate to have it out but with the bad weather we have not had it out this year yet. He was really excited and had his new swimming shorts on before the pool had been blown up! He had lots of fun with his dingy and ring in the pool and used his trampoline to bounce and jump in. He even managed to get John in by the end of the afternoon even though he had a headache!

I didn't get my camera out but got lots of footage on the video camera - we're really making an effort to use it more as it is great to look back at. We have recently put all our camera tapes onto DVD and have enjoyed watching them back especially from when Ethan was young. It has made us realise how valuable this is and we are so glad we used it. I'd have liked to have got more though of when Ethan was young so will learn and get plenty with this baby when he/she arrives.

Ethan enjoyed cooking tea with John this afternoon. Ethan loves to get in the kitchen with his apron on and help chop and mix food. They cooked Toad in the Hole, something Ethan really enjoyed when we had it a few weeks ago and asked to have it again. While they were at it they also cooked a Spaghetti Bolognese for tomorrows tea to save cooking - the vegetables are very chunky so I hope they cooked ok! This is a photo of Ethan helping cut the sausages just before the batter mix goes in :)




I finished a layout I started a few nights ago yesterday which I'm really pleased with. It's one for Ethan's album and I have almost caught up on this album which I started from when he was 5. I also did a layout for my pregnancy album today which is now up to date. Well with the photos that I had developed. I just need to get some more photos developed so think I will have another 3 layouts to do, so not too bad.

I have also had an idea for another album after finding some epoxy stickers I bought a while ago today. They are KI Memories epoxy stickers that have the months of the year, letters and more. I thought I'd do a 6x6 album for the first year of the babies life and try and get the pages done before October then I can just add the journalling and photos. I am waiting for the latest Sweetwater kit which I'm hoping will match with the stickers, if not then I'll need to find some patterned paper that would be suitable for a boy or girl.

School report and new class

Ethan got his school report today and found out that he would have a new teacher next year. There are going to be two classes with year 1 in and in some ways I'm a little disappointed in the one he's in. If I'm totally honest I don't think I would have been 100% happy which ever class he'd have been in. He will not be in the same class as one of his closest friends and I'm really upset about that. I think Ethan would have benefited from being in the other class as there are more of his friends that are a good influence. In the class he is going to be in it's the opposite but on the other hand maybe the teaching style of the new teacher may suit him better. Who knows anyway, Ethan is happy and it's never easy being a parent especially when you're not the one making the decisions - glad I got that off my chest!!!

Here is a photo of Ethan taken yesterday after his long over due hair cut, he looks so different.



I ordered a couple of scrapbooking bits from A Million Little Things yesterday and can't wait for them to arrive. I've been wanting to get some of the Making Memories Travel range after seeing Katy's. When they arrive I'm going to do a 6x6 album with everything for when we go on holiday at the end of August. We are going to my Mum and Dad's caravan for a weeks break before Ethan is back at school and the baby arrives. They will be selling it once we've been in so I thought it'd be nice to have a good record of being at the caravan as Ethan has had so many happy times and memories there. After seeing so many travel albums/journals (and doing my own for our trip to America) recently, including Katy's, I thought this would be a great idea. I'm planning on either buying a portable photo printer or borrowing my sister's so that I can complete the album whilst I'm there - will do the page layouts hopefully before I go so it will just be a case of putting in the photos and journalling.

Active baby

I had a midwife appointment today and all is well. Baby is very active and was kicking the doppler when she was trying to find the heartbeat. When she did find the heart beat baby moved out of the way! I can't remember Ethan being quite this active so early although he was very active later on.

Here is a photo of Ethan taken a few weeks ago in bed. He often manages to get himself into some strange sleeping positions and this was one of those. Fortunately my camera was to hand so after taking a photo we put him back into bed properly.



Off to have a look through scrapbooking magazines, stash and photos and get a few layouts done over the next few days.

Baby buying :)

I've been spending again and I'm loving every minute of it - even John doesn't say a word now, just lets me get on with it :) On Friday I went shopping in town and nipped into Gap as there was a few things I wanted to get along with a pressie for my cousin's baby (he was born on Friday and we're waiting to hear what she has called him). There was a sale on and I got some lovely things including vests, baby all-in-one, hat, teddy, plus a couple of pressies. I also went in John Lewis as they had the baby carrier I wanted with about £12 so thought I would get it whilst it's on offer.

I took some maternity cropped jeans back that I got a few weeks ago as they didn't really fit very well. They had a sale on so got a pair of combats and a top for less than the jeans I took back. I've just about got all the clothes I need to get me through till October apart from maybe a couple of tops depending on the summer weather! I've got a mix of maternity clothes and normal clothes, it just depended on the style of the clothes.

Yesterday I spent a lot of the day sorting the babies room out and Ethan's old baby clothes. We had to nip out to get a few bits so whilst we were out I picked up some underbed storage. I had decided on Ikea storage but with the sizes I wouldn't have got as much. Once home I put the clothes in two of the boxes, one with the older baby stuff and the other with the boys stuff ( if it's a girl then the boys stuff can then go). The other box is for bedding and bath towels, there are a couple of bits in there but will fill that up over the coming months as I get the sheets, blankets etc that we need. Here is the cot with the underbed storage, I think it will work really well.

I also had a little reorganisation of the drawers so that there will be enough space for everything i want to keep in there.

The white teddy is what I got from Gap on Friday whilst shopping, I will take this into hospital with me for the baby (Ethan had a teddy we took in too). The other teddy's are what Ethan has bought for the baby, they are so soft and suitable from birth.

We also picked up a baby swing last night as the one Ethan had when he was a baby broke. It was a real bargain and virtually as new plus it's Graco and almost identical to the one Ethan had. As you can see Ethan has enjoyed putting some of his teddy bears in the swing and pushchair.

Here is the pushchair (sorry not very good photos) - one with the carseat and the other with the pushchair seat on. There is also a hood and rain cover that comes with it and we need to buy the footmuff.

We then went to a party in the evening as my friend is back from Dubai for a few weeks where she now works. It was great to see her again although we didn't really get chance to chat as she had all her friends and family there. Hopefully we are going to meet before she goes back for a chat as she is not back then until Christmas.

Today I have been sorting Ethan's room out which is well over due but there is still lots of sorting to do just need some storage boxes etc form Ikea. He had too many clothes on his wardrobe hanging rail so I put most of his winter clothes in one of his drawers and got rid of any clothes that were too small. I also did a little sorting of his wardrobe shelves and drawer and they are now ready for things to go in and storage boxes. Once that is all sorted then it will be onto the toys - that is where I'm sure Ethan will have something to say as he hates getting rid of things!

New Look

I thought it was about time I changed the look of my blog and had a go at putting a photo on the banner. It wasn't easy getting it the right size and in the right place but with a little help from John I got there. I thought this photo was quite summery and hopefully Ethan will be able to go in the pool again very soon so thought I'd have this photo for a while!

We bought the pushchair earlier this week so it's seeming more real. We had decided on the Bebe Confort Loola pushchair after looking at several others - it was between this one and Silver Cross in the end. We managed to get a real bargain with it and basically got the car seat free which retails at £100. It is brand new and the colour we wanted, Oxygen Black, just need to get the footmuff for it now. Will have to take some photos and post.

Ethan came downstairs yesterday morning and tells me he has a wobbly tooth. I've been expecting this as when we were last at the dentist earlier in the year she said a couple of his teeth were loosening. He is really excited, especially about the tooth fairy and has a little wooden tooth pot to put it in so it can go under his pillow. It is one of his front bottom teeth but the one next to it feels loose too so it looks like they both might come out around the same time - must make sure I get a photo so I can do a scrapbook page!

Bits and Bobs

Still trying to catch up on all the time I haven't blogged!

Ethan had a lovely time at a party yesterday. It was a super hero party and they had a lady that came as secret agent Rose and did various games and tasks which the children loved. After that we went to my Grandma and Grandad's as it's ages since we last went and we usually go really often. We had dinner there which as always was lovely, Sunday dinner tastes so much better when someone else cooks it. Even though it was raining Ethan went out into their garden to look at the pond and things my Grandad is growing. We came back with some radish's, lettuce and bean plants all of which we haven't grown this year.

Ethan is really into planting and we have a little area in the garden in front of his shed that is taking shape. This year we have strawberry's, rhubarb, raspberry's, blackberries, tomatoes, peas and parsley. Ethan is especially enjoying going out to the garden and picking bowls of strawberries. The peas and tomatoes are doing well and hopefully within the next few weeks we should have some ready. The parsley has grown really well and it's great to be able to add to certain meals.

On Saturday Ethan started back at dancing and had a great time and really got into the dances. With me being ill then us having things on at the weekends etc he hasn't been able to go. I was so surprised how well he did as he went straight in and danced and even remembered a few bits from the dances and picked the rest up really well.

On the way home from dancing we stopped off at a new Gap outlet. It was great and I got a few lovely bits for the baby and Ethan - looking forward to my next trip there :)

This weekend John has been tidying the garage ready for us to take down and have the extension done. He managed to find all Ethan's old baby clothes so they have been sorted - some have gone to a neighbour, some to the charity shop and the rest are currently being washed. It's amazing how much there is, especially vests, sleepsuits etc - I'd forgotten about some of it.

On Saturday afternoon we met Katy and went to Cyril's Nut Hut so the children could have a play and we could chat. We always have a good time there and the food and drinks are really reasonable.

Last Sunday we went to see Katy and family and went out for a Father's Day meal at Frankie and Benny's. After me and Katy went shopping in Milton Keynes and the men took the children to a play centre. On the way back we stopped off at Martin's work and Ethan got to go inside the plane - to say he was gobsmacked and excited is an understatement! Here are a few photos: