Friday 30 August 2013

The Arrival of Baby Bishop

Mrs Bishop is pleased to announce the arrival of her gorgeous baby boy Albert Kenneth Bishop  - who was born on Thursday 22nd August 2013 at 1:32pm, just 4 days late. The little monkey didn't keep me waiting for too long, and arrived safe and sound (after a traumatic delivery) to the proudest of parents. We are totally smitten with the little fella, and have taken hundreds of photos of him already! 

He is such a little character, and we cannot believe he is already a week and one day old! He's gotten into a lovely routine, and is a very chilled little man at the moment - long may it continue!! 

I'd love to share with my readers some pictures from Albert's first week....he is already the most photographed baby ever! 

newborn Albert, just a few minutes old

Albert - 10 mins old

skin to skin with mummy just after he was born 

the BIGGEST feet you've ever seen??

Daddy cuddles! 

My handsome little fella

the perfect yawn shot! 

wind face

wind face

wind face

Albert's first walk out in his pram ... 5 days old

in his Hawaiian outfit from his Auntie Susie


his feet are so big we have had to cut the toes out of his newborn baby grows so his toes don't get squished - hehe!!

His kung fu/superman pose, cute! 

Cuddles with his Nanny Seaside! 

My little cutey! 

Monkey outfit 

4 Generations of family...Flossie aged 91 Great Nan, Nanny Ruth (Liam's Mum), Liam, and Albert. 

I've never seen baby feet quite like it! 

stompers! 

Mummy snuggles! 

excuse the tired faces! Mummy snuggles this morning! 

So sorry about the lack of posts on the blog-front, but I've been a pretty busy lady! Not a lot of time for baking or banter I'm afraid. 

I've even had to resort to shop-bought baked-goods for the constant lovely flow of visitors... I'm sure they'll all excuse my tardiness on the baking-front...I'll no doubt get a cake in the oven some time soon! 


Bye for now

Mrs B

xxx

Monday 19 August 2013

Awaiting Our Arrival...

So today I'm officially overdue. 

40 weeks + 1 day and counting...

This is where the impatience kicks in & I realise that only 4% of babies arrive on their due date & although I've been focussing on this date for 9 months, I've now got to be prepared to be patient & wait for him to make his appearance. 

I'm pretty nervous about the impending labour... I think that's totally normal...I'd be weird or naive if I wasn't worried. I'm trying hard not to have any strong or definite expectations as such, I just want to be open minded about the whole birth process. 

What I'm hoping for....

•him to come naturally without an induction 
•to stay at home for as much of the early stages of labour as possible 
•to have an epidural to ensure no complications with my slipped disc during labour
•to have Liam and my mum there with me at the birth, and Liam's parents waiting nearby/outside! 
•I want to try to preserve my energy and not waste it on screaming/swearing/shouting too much  ... Haha I know this is easier said than done & I'll prob laugh hysterically when I read this post-birth!
•to be able to breast feed my little one once he's arrived. 

My birth "expectations"...

•am expecting a lot of pain! 
•a lot of boredom/waiting/frustration 
•to feel very hot & uncomfortable in the delivery suite (cue Magicool spray!) 
•to be frightened but will try my hardest to stay calm, and focus on what is the best way to get bubba out! 
•to be highly emotional & probably cry an awful lot! 

Apart from that I think it's best to stay open minded & just see what happens. At the end of the day I just want my healthy bubba in my arms & to get on with the new challenge of being a mummy! 

Liam is getting really excited too & I know he's going to make the most amazing daddy! He has recently started writing a very funny & heartwarming blog all about being a first-time daddy, and it's well worth a read - he is hilarious, honest & basically has the mental age of a 7 year old...check it out over at Child, Man Child 

Here's some pictures of my developing bump over the past 40 weeks to leave you with... 

wow....look how I've grown! 

My due date bump! 

from 8 weeks to 40 weeks ... what a change! 


I wonder if the next time I post I'll have my baby in my arms? Or will I be writing some more overdue frustration posts before then? 

Big bumpy hugs to all my lovely readers...

Mrs B xxx

Sunday 11 August 2013

First Wedding Anniversary & a trip to a Buddies USA Diner

This time last year I was getting ready to marry Liam! 

I cannot believe how fast a year has gone, and I cannot quite take in all that has happened in one short year. Our wedding day was absolutely magical, and I will never quite get over just what an amazing day it was - such happy memories! 

Outside the farmhouse

in the barn during speeches

me outside the registry office

me and my lovely mumma! 

the beautiful barn

my four gorgeous bridesmaids, and lovely hubby! 

I treasure my wedding photos so much, and have regularly looked back at them over the last year to reminisce. 

After the wedding Liam and I went through a really tough time when we lost our first baby due to a miscarriage at the end of our honeymoon, it was such a sad time for us. but ultimately made us stronger,  and made us fight harder for what we wanted, a baby.

And now, a year down the line our Little Mr is one week away from being due, and I look like a beached whale! Exciting times!

the beached whale look

We nervously anticipate the birth, and I have absolutely everything crossed that we soon get to meet a healthy little bouncing baby boy, and all our dreams come true. 

One Year Anniversary

Everyone has been telling Liam and I to enjoy our 'last chance' to go out alone as a couple - encouraging us to go out to eat, go to the cinema etc before the baby is here and we will apparently have no social life, or sleep ever again! Lol. So, not one to turn down advice, we headed off last night for an anniversary celebration meal to a Buddies USA Diner in Northampton.

We had the place recommended to us by my lovely friend Liz, who knows that Liam and I love a fun night out, good hearty food, and are big fans of American food culture (think Man vs. Food). The diners are spread all round Northamptonshire, and boast a huge menu full of American-esque cuisine (burgers, waffles, donuts, fries, soda floats etc!)...this place is SO American you can even opt to have your burger served in a donut. Yes, a donut!




Liam and I arrived to the hustle and bustle of a true 'diner' atmosphere - the only thing that was missing according to Liam was that the waiting staff weren't on roller-skates! 

I could literally only JUST fit into the booth with my very large bump, and had to sort of sit sideways for the duration - the booths certainly aren't made for American waist sizes (if you know what I mean!) 

hubby gearing up for his feast

my 'please don't take a photo of me' face

Firstly, we ordered drinks - American-stylie!

a coke float for me :-)

and a coors light for Liam

Next, we studied the amazing menu at great length ... this is just a snippet of the hamburger menu...amaze...


After taking advice from Liz, a well-seasoned Buddies visitor, we decided to skip appetisers, and head straight for a burger and dessert. Liz recommended the medium size burger for me, and she was spot on - Liam went for a large, with loaded fries (he's far more Adam Richmond than me!)

There is so much choice it's overwhelming, but again after seeking advice about whats best we chose:

LIAM: The Large AMERICAN MAC Burger (loaded with Mac & Cheese), with cheese and bacon loaded fries and beans

LUCY: The Medium Donut burger (a burger loaded with cheese and bacon, served in a donut instead of a bun!) with fries and a corn cob. 

Liam's FEAST

Lucy's FEAST

The food was insanely good - proper stodge! Haute cuisine is lovely - but sometimes you just really fancy a great big dirty burger, right? I loved having mine served in a donut - the bacon and cheese went really well with the sweetness from the donut (think bacon and maple syrup) and the beef burger was so juicy and meaty. I'm glad I stuck with plain fries instead of loaded, as I wouldn't have been able to eat any more. 

Liam devoured his plate, and was more than happy with his choice - creamy mac & cheese, in a burger, with chips and more cheese with bacon - what more could any man ask for?

Believe it or not, after that we still had room for dessert - and I'm sooooo glad we did! 

Liam's choice: The BIGGEST piece of Banoffee Pie I've EVER seen.  

it was literally a quarter of a pie! 

and the scrummiest hot Bourbon & Pecan pie for me, with Vanilla ice cream....words cannot tell you how scrumptious this was. 

dessert heaven

We joked when we finished that at least if I went into labour that night I would have eaten the biggest carb-fueled energy-boost sugar-filled meal to give me the energy to get the baby out! :-)

I think the photos speak for themselves, but I honestly can't recommend Buddies enough - they are incredibly family friendly, with a full children's menu, fast, friendly and efficient service, and very good value for money - our total bill came to under £36 last night. We will definitely be returning - with Baby Bishop in tow - if for no other reason than to sample their extensive breakfast menu, and to try another awesome burger combo! 

How do you celebrate your anniversaries?

Would Buddies be the top of your list?

Mrs B

xxx

Friday 9 August 2013

Competition Time with Red Spotted Hanky - A Family Trip to Cornwall.

Hello Lovelies, 

Just a quick one today to share with you a fabulous competition from the travel site Red Spotted Hanky. They are currently running a competition over on their Facebook page to win a family weekend adventure in Cornwall. 

As most of you will know from reading my blog I absolutely LOVE Cornwall, and had a holiday there this year at Easter - I stayed in lovely Looe, visited Polperro and The Eden Project, and just generally had a whale of a time! 

Here are some pictures from my break at Easter to whet your appetites...


The beautiful Polperro

Tulip garden at The Eden Project

The marvellous Eden Project

Looe

Cream tea @ The Eden Project - oh yes! 

Cornish Pasties! 

Looe beach

Me and my lovely Mum enjoying a drink & meal together in Looe


To enter all you have to do is visit the Red Spotted Hanky Facebook page (http://bit.ly/1c2YC8o) and choose from three family activities you'd like to win...either surf lessons in Newquay, biking along the Camel Estuary with Bike Smart or a trip to the Eden Project. Travel & accommodation is also included and Red Spotted Hanky will even try and send the sunshine along too! What are you waiting for? Go and enter right now! 


The Camel Estuary

The Eden Project

Surfing in Newquay

For those who don't already know...Red Spotted Hanky is a great travel website for booking up to 80% cheaper train tickets, hotels, flights and car hire - basically it's your one stop shop for travel in the UK & Europe. Also, there are no booking fees. 

Why not follow @redspottedhanky on Twitter, or find them on Facebook. 

Red Spotted Hanky on Facebook

Good Luck Lovelies- I hope one of my lovely readers wins! 

Mrs B 

xxx