life lately - fourteen loves of the last fortnight

Sometimes I just don't feel like writing and at other times I can't stop myself. I have all the time in the world at the moment, but having all that time with a baby can seem like no time at all! It's been an exhausting couple of weeks because Hugo is rolling and needs constant attention. He doesn't like being on his back, rolls to his front, doesn't like being on his front and so on. He loves to be stood or sat up, so it's a bit of an awkward transition stage while he builds his strength (and I build mine). I'm borrowing a jumperoo soon so that will hopefully be a breakthrough!

Because Adi is working quite a few weekend days and that's when most people spend time with their spouses, I've had a few days where I've felt a bit fed up. Most of the people I know up here are friends of Adi's, so it's odd trying to create a life when Adi's at work and I'm the one with the free time. I'm really trying to make more of an effort to get out of the house so that's my plan for the coming week.

Here are the best bits from the last fortnight:

1. Seeing Hugo roll over again and again and again and get very frustrated apart from the odd occasion when he rolls back
2. Watching the live screening of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'
3. A visit from my Auntie Christine who hadn't seen Hugo since he was a tiny newborn
4. Discovering the canal and it's lock in the next village to us on a walk with an NCT friend and her new baby
5. Hugo not crying during his second jabs! I had written off a good few days but he didn't react at all like he had for the first jabs
6. Surprising my mums year 10 class and walking in with a baby! (Don't blame me when there is an increase in teen pregnancies in the year group). It was good for my mum to be a proud Nanna at work and show him around
7. Seeing both my Nanna and Grandma on our trip to Nottingham
8. Taking Hugo swimming for the first time with my dad to the pool where I went growing up. He was unsure at first but loved being in his float. Then taking him swimming for the second time and daring to dunk him under! 
9. Saying a quick happy birthday to Adi's friend's daughter at her 1st birthday party. They live 10 minutes from us yet we've only seen them once since moving back up here, and we've only met Quinn twice in her first year! We must sort something out.
10. Meeting all of the babies at our NCT reunion and realising just how much Hugo has grown compared to the younger ones!
11. A walk around Nostell Priory on Adi's day off. We try to get out on his midweek days off and it was wonderful to have a national trust property all to ourselves without the weekend crowds!
12. A visit from Adi's friend Jen who I haven't seen in a good few years!
13. Putting Hugo in his bumbo seat at the dinner table with Auntie Layla and Uncle Rich and seeing him a little bemused
14. Going to the new cafe in Rothwell Park twice, just because it's in such a good location and somewhere I will frequent lots while walking with Hugo

life lately - overdoing it in Nottingham

The week started off pretty rubbish. I was feeling rough with hayfever and Hugo was under the weather as the result of his jabs. We picked ourselves up for a lovely day out at Swithen's Farm and then headed off to Nottingham for a long weekend on Thursday while Adi did a few evening shifts in a row.

I keep saying this and never learn, but I overdid it again.

On Thursday we headed straight from Babybuds down the (very slow) M1 to Maggie's to visit my old colleagues, then on to my Nanna's, followed by my brothers. I finally ended up back at my mum and dads but it meant we'd missed Hugo's normal bedtime. I don't see a problem with that on the odd occasion, but I want to stick to a routine as much as possible. It's amazing how tiring it is simply lifting Hugo in and out the car, especially while trying to dodge some heavy downpours!

Saturday was similarly tiring, I visited my oldest friend Rebecca on Blake Road, headed straight over to my grandparents picking dad up on route and arrived back at Hunky Dory for an evening with Layla and Rich.

Sandwiched in the middle was a trip to Loughborough with mum. She's been making significant improvements so I took her out for the first time in weeks so that she could return something to a shop. I'd always had Loughborough in my mind as a lovely little small town but I was very wrong. Like most small towns, it's struggling. We did manage to pick up a couple of cheeky charity shop bargains though (my new favourite pastime).

Being away is more tiring because Adi isn't around to help with any of the feeds in the night and as much as my parents offer to help, I don't like to put that on them when they are working so hard or ill. I also feel like I need to see everyone every time. 

(19th - 25th May)