life lately - going it alone

This is the second life lately post. I'm going to aim to do one weekly to give an overview of what I've been up to. One day this will mean that (if he's at all interested) Hugo will have a diary of his life! I'm a very nostalgic person so I'd have loved to be able to read about my early years, regardless I will enjoy looking back myself. 

Although I've entitled this post 'going it alone' it really was far from it! Adi's paternity may have been over, but I had two visits from Layla, two visits from mum and my uncle also came over with his family, which marked the last if my aunties and uncles to meet Hugo. 

Hailstorms and hearing:

Adi's first day back coincided with Hugo's audiology appointment to check his hearing. My sister was on her Easter break so offered to come up for moral support. We headed out to lunch a little late so rushed around Wakefield. We ended up at a tea room called Marmalade on the Square that I thought looked pretty when I'd passed the week before. It has the style I love, with mis-matching chairs and tables, a French country, shabby chic edge, with a few items for sale and of course lovely food. Although we really had to rush our lunch I'll definitely be back. 

A run around Wakefield and wrong turn later we finally ended up at the hospital 15 minutes late. I am never late for anything and absolutely hate the feeling! Just as we'd got Hugo out of the car the heavens opened and there was an incredibly dramatic downpour of rain and hailstones! We couldn't wait in the car or under shelter like everyone else, so were forced to make a run for it. We were absolutely drenched and everyone was bemused at our drowned rat look as it literally lasted for the 3 minutes it took for us to get from the car to the entrance. We had luckily managed to throw the rain cover over Hugo and he just slept through it, absolutely oblivious to our ordeal. He even continued to sleep through the audiology test, which involved the nurse inserting something into his hear. Thankfully he has perfect hearing and being late had it's upside as we were seen straight away and were back at the car before our 20 mins free parking finished!

Ending up in Thirsk:

Mum was also on her Easter break so came up to spend a couple of days with me. We headed out in the car aiming for somewhere around North Yorkshire. Mum has a way of letting the car take her somewhere, just going with the flow without too many plans. This is wonderful usually, but not quite as easy to manage with a 2.5 week old baby!

We ended up in Thirsk for what we thought would be a quick stop-off before heading on, however Hugo had other ideas! We parked up and popped in to a vintage shop but Hugo made it clear that he needed feeding, so we headed to a lovely cafe called Olivia's Bakery and Cafe in the heart of the town. It turns out that it must be the place for mums of Thirsk to go! About 5 other families with babies were in the cafe and I felt completely at ease to breastfeed, especially as we were seated in a corner right at the back. By the time I'd fed and winded Hugo, eaten a lovely chicken and pesto panini and brownie, fed, winded and changed Hugo again, we'd been a good few hours! 

We had a quick wonder around the shops, purchasing a book for Hugo's pram and curtains for my living and dining rooms before heading back to the car (via the vintage shop of course). Thirsk is a pretty town around a square with cobbled streets. It's definitely a good place to stop off if in the area.

We'd intended to head somewhere else, but by that point it was late afternoon. Instead we decided to pop in to Laura Ashley in York to pick up wallpaper for my dining room while it was in the sale. It should have been just a slight detour, but we ended up following signs back to Leeds on the way home that took us north rather than south, so what should have been a smooth journey ended up with me and Hugo being overtired and crabby. 

I love that the location of my house means that we are so accessible to so many pretty places. I can't wait to explore them all properly. 

Stumbling upon St Aidan's:

Mum was really unwell and had pushed herself with our Thirsk trip. The following day we had a lazy morning to build some energy before heading out for a walk along the river. I'm so glad we managed to get out as we came across the most wonderful discovery - St Aidan's! 

Adi's first night away:

At the weekend Adi headed up to Newcastle to go to his friends stag do so mum and dad came to stay overnight, as it would be my first night alone with Hugo. We went for a walk to show dad St Aidan's and then via the Rose & Crown pub in the village on the way home. The pub is under new management so I'll keep my eyes on how it progresses. The main benefit of having them over was for some extra sleep in the morning when Hugo was wide awake. 

Adi arrived home in the morning with plenty of time to make it over to his cousins daughters Christening in Pudsey, yet we still ended up leaving later than planned and arriving with only a minute to spare. I often feel like I have two children to get ready and out on time, Adi is notoriously slow and late for everything! I shouldn't have written this in the same post about me being late for an appointment, but it's true and infuriating!

(7th - 13th April 2014)