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Happy Memories

Posted by cafebebemama on Sep 6, 2009 in Uncategorized | 4 comments

I’ve been tagged by the lovely Babyrambles who has honoured me with the “You’re a Great Read” award.  This means a lot as I always hope that people enjoy what I write and better yet, READ what I write.  Someone must be! 

So, here’s the challenge that comes along with this award: you have to list 10 Happy Memories.  I will do my best to get 10 and then pass on the torch to some deserving others.  These memories are not in any particular order…randomly extracted from my increasingly muddled brain.  So as not to totally forget or irriate anyone, I’m limiting my happy memories to the last 4 years as so very much has happened to me in the last four years.  Ready, steady, go!

1) The Moment I Saw My Daughter For the First Time:  I had a rather long and slightly traumatic labour and delivery of my daughter.  When I finally heard a muffled cry and someone say “It’s a Girl!” I began to cry.  When my Hubby held my Little Miss up to my head (c-section) and I gazed into her deep blue, wide eyes I knew that everything was worth it and that I had never seen such a beautiful thing in my entire life.  I’ve never been happier.

2) Home:  When my husband and I brought our daughter home, I wasn’t 100% well, I was exhausted and shaky.  But when my husband fed her her first bottle in the rocking chair in the nursery with “Songbird” playing on the iPod, I felt complete.  We were a family.

3) Arrival: 3 years ago my dog took a very long, very scary plane ride from the US to the UK to be with his Mummy.  I hadn’t seen him for a year and my Mom had taken very good care of him in my absence.  We should have had him with us on a Saturday morning but a snaffle in a vaccination meant that he had to stay in quarrantine over night.  At 6am, we arrived at Gatwick Animal Control and waited for his kennel to be wheeled out to us.  Opening the gate, out rushed my boy!  He was so happy to see us and we were so happy to finally have him with us.  He’s just celebrated his 13th birthday this weekend…happy birthday boy! 

4) Guess What: Another happy memory was finding out I was pregnant and telling my husband and later (11 weeks later) telling all of our family.  We webcammed with my American family and put up the first scan image to the camera so they could see their future grandchild.  It was a very happy moment for everyone in our family!

5) London Eye:  When sitting beneath the London Eye in 2005, my then boyfriend and I were discussing our future.  He said, “Well, I want to marry you!” and I said “Well, are you asking me?” and he said “Well, I guess I am!”  So I said, “Well, ask then!” and he did and I said YES!!!  It was a gorgeous, unseasonably warm evening on 18 March, 2005 and the London Eye was rotating above our heads.  Parliament was glowing in the background and I was the happiest girl on the planet at that moment.  I was engaged…to the love of my life!  One year later, to the day, we were married. 

6)  Our Wedding:  As my family and friends are American, there were a lot of visitors coming to England for our wedding 3 years ago.  My husband and I operated a shuttle service collecting our family at the Peterborough train station and transporting them to Stamford to the hotel.  It was so thrilling picking up all of these special people and knowing they were here for our wedding.  They had made great sacrifices and financial commitments to attend our wedding and it was very heartwarming to know how much they cared.  We had the most amazing rehearsal dinner (a decidedly American tradition) where everyone ate delightful food and drank too much wine and got to know each other.  Our wedding day on 18 March, 2006, dawned a bit overcast and bitterly cold (3 degrees Celcius) but I didn’t feel a thing!  I was sooooo happy!  And I had all of my family and friends around to see it.  What more could I have wanted? 

7) First Weekend:  I had travelled from the US to Paris in 2005 to begin a study abroad term in Caen, France.  It was a stressful and exhausting trip where I barely knew who I was much less where.  I had met my future husband, courtesy of my friend Julie who happens to be his twin sister.  We had communicated by phone for a few months before I came to France and had arranged for me to fly to Luton airport the first weekend that I was in France.  I slogged back from Caen to Paris to take an Easy Jet flight to Luton airport on 4 February, 2005.  We had never seen each other…only vague pictures and even then I wasn’t sure who I was looking for.  He knew I had a bright pink suitcase, I knew he was tall and I thought he was blond.  It turned out that he wasn’t blond but he was definitely tall and he found me before I found him.  I’ve never been so happy to see anyone in my entire life.  That weekend was the start of what our life is now.  It wasn’t romantic, as such, as we didn’t really know each other but it planted the seed and allowed me to dream.  I knew that I could fall in love with him and very soon after that first weekend, I did just that!

Paris: 3 Weeks after first meeting the love of my life, I made arrangements for us to meet for a weekend in Paris.  He flew over from England; I took the train from Caen.  We stayed at my favourite hotel in Paris (the Hotel Elysee-Union…I highly recommend it) and had the most amazing weekend getting to know each other better and exploring a city that I love.  We fell in love that weekend and have never looked back.  I give Paris a lot of credit as well.  What better city in the world is there in which to fall in love? 

9) Family Visits: I’m not going to pick any one family member or any one visit but it’s so special when my family and friends have come over from the US to see us.  It’s so far away and so much money and they readily do it just to be with us.  Every time we’ve gone to collect them or meet them, it’s such a happy occasion.  The leaving…not so much.  But to have them here means ever so much.

10)  This morning:  As I’m being given time to write this post, my husband and Little Miss are out in the garden.  Hubby is running the lawnmower and I just looked out the window to see hubby holding Little Miss as he mowed.  He’s the most amazing Daddy and loves his Little Miss more and more every minute.  They are best friends and I can’t believe how lucky I am.  I have a goregous Little Miss who makes me smile and laugh every day and I have a Hubby who does everything he can to make our lives special and secure.  We are a family and I can’t imagine my life without them. 

So, there, 10 Happy Memories!  Phew…I’m emotionally exhausted now.  Should go lie down in a darkened room but I have my family to tend to.  Thanks for reading and please check out the blogs which I am passing the torch on to:

And 1 More Means Four , Life with a Little Dude, OMG, We’re Pregnant, A Place of My Own, and Chronicles of Squidgy Boo

These are some amazing bloggers who write brilliantly and make my day some days!  Please do go to their site’s for a read.  How about you?  Can you think of 10 Happy Memories?  Maybe you can write a post about it too!  It’s a great exercise and makes everything a little happier!  Cheers!

Let’s Be Selfish

Posted by cafebebemama on Sep 3, 2009 in Uncategorized | 10 comments

The last 15 months have been all about one Little Miss.  I have forgotten all about myself in the last year and a bit.  I’ve let myself go!  Dare I say it?  I do believe I have become a Slummy Mummy!  If a gun was put to his head, my husband would probably agree.  The real problem is, Little Miss doesn’t care or know any different!  She has no knowledge of my former self!  She likes me just the way I am (thank you Bridget Jones).  This is part of why I love her so!

But, I think it’s time to reclaim a wee bit of me.  Just maybe.  I have a special awards ceremony to attend next week and a few exciting things in the coming weeks plus, we’re traveling back to the US in October for my brother’s wedding.  I think I need a bit of pampering, don’t you?  I really need a hair cut and a good soak in the bath.  And boy, wouldn’t I like to have a whole afternoon to myself to read a book and focus on me?  Yes!  I would!

I’ve come across a solution!  Radox, the shower and bath gel, has launched a “Be Selfish” campaign.  They are encouraging all women to take time and have a selfish hour.  They have teamed up with writer Kathy Lette who has written the novella ‘All Steamed Up’ which is a brand new, water-resistant book that women can read whilst letting off some steam in the bath.

To download the audiobook, click on this link:

http://ad.uk.doubleclick.net/clk;217686289;40879814;d?http://be-selfish.co.uk/its-good-to-be-selfish/kathy-lette/

I, for one, am really looking forward to the chance to read a WATER RESISTANT (they’re not just for kids!)  book in a lovely bubble bath and block out the sounds of the house.  I am blessed to have my Little Miss and my wonderful husband in my life but every once in a while, it’s nice to do something for yourself.  I need to remember this…please remind me if you see me on the street in my track suit bottoms and worn fleece.  At least I’ll smell nice and have smooth, soft skin!

Make a commitment to yourself!  This month, take at least ONE hour a week to do something for yourself.  I know I’m going to try and that’s a major accomplishment for me.  Step number one…run the tap, squirt some Radox, grab my Kathy Lette water-resistant novella, ‘All Steamed Up’ and relax.  What are you going to do?  Please let me know and don’t forget to click on the link above to download an audiobook of ‘All Steamed Up’.   Good luck ladies…let’s be selfish!

Practical Parenting

Posted by cafebebemama on Sep 2, 2009 in Uncategorized | 6 comments

A few months back, I got an email from Practical Parenting magazine here in the UK.  You see, I joined their Practical Parenting & Pregnancy Parent Panel (that’s a lot of P’s!).  They send out emails periodically which ask for quotes and tips on a variety of parenting issues and subjects.  When I was contacted, there were two subjects that I felt I could respond to.  One was pregnancy side effects…namely an expanding chest and what that meant to you!  My quote is below accompanied by a picture of me and Little Miss:

The second quote came concerning the subject of decorating and stocking a nursery for baby.  My quote appears in the section about accessories (number 4):

Little Old Me…I’m in print!  Woo hoo!  It’s not Café Bébé in print (one day, maybe) but it is me and that’s pretty cool!  If you live in the UK, pick up a copy of the October Practical Parenting magazine for yourself.

Wordless Wednesday Before Baby

Posted by cafebebemama on Sep 2, 2009 in Uncategorized | 9 comments

Before We Were Three

Add Captions Below!

Blogger Carnival

Posted by cafebebemama on Sep 1, 2009 in Uncategorized | 2 comments

Another fab British Mummy Blogger Carnival is up at the lovely ClareyBabbling site.  You’ll find some amazing reads there and wayyyy down the list (I was late in getting my entry in), you’ll find a wee post about British Mummy Blogger Love.  Go there now to read some of the great women that I follow!

Clareybabbling- http://clareybabble.blogspot.com

See you soon!

Blast from the Past

Posted by cafebebemama on Aug 30, 2009 in Uncategorized | 5 comments

Happy Bank Holiday Weekend!

Just thought I would bring a bit of sunshine into your Sunday with a blast from our past.  This is Little Miss when she was only 9 weeks old and it’s one of my favourite photos of her.  The light in her eyes, the grin on her face and oh, those dimples!  What a beautiful girl!  But I might be a bit biased.  We’ve come a long way in since this photo and it’s hard to believe at times.  Yesterday we bought Little Miss a new pair of trainers- Skechers!  They light up when you walk!  They’re so “grown up”.  A UK size 4 as well.  How did this happen?  If you’re a new or expectant Mum, everyone says that the time flies by and you know what?  They are right.  You will blink and they’re 1 year old!  So treasure all these moments and keep them close.  Journal, blog, photograph…it’s so important!  So enjoy a bit of Little Miss from about 13 months ago.  We sure are proud of how far you’ve come Sweetheart…Mummy and Daddy love you.

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