Being Loving

i'm beginning to wonder if being loving is the most important thing in life.
Not success, not having lots of stuff, not being funny or pretty.
I find it a bit harder to think its more important than being wise or being right.
But thats where im getting to. So where does that leave searching for the truth?
Should I just not bother?

sharing

so it's been over a year since I committed any thoughts to blog. i have read lots of other peoples blogs and kept some pics up-to-date on Rach's blog but not really bothered with this one much.
Cara did indeed have puppies - 7 of them. Rach is now running around and learning new words. Im still at CH 2 days a week but with training and annual leave it feels like im hardly there at all. i enjoy it when i am though and am looking forward to getting back into it tomorrow.
I'd like to use this blog to share a bit more of my thoughts on life but theres a big part of me that doesnt want to share my innermost and heartfelt thoughts on this blog because I have no idea who's reading it. I guess thats silly because if Im embarrassed by my thoughts then they need to be changed not hidden. Still... not sure if i'm quite ready for that level of transparency so you will have to cope with the mundane and share-able information until I overcome myself.

not worth the wait

oh well... trees! i'm sure you have been anxiously awaiting to find out what was happening in gracemount huh?! ok maybe not - apologies for not blogging sooner to replace the boring picture. i've been busy. not hugely busy but enough to tire me out. i'm working 2 days a week at Cunningham House. Rachel is crawling really fast now and into everything (mainly things she shouldnt be!). Cara is hopefully pregnant after finding her a suitor and putting her through the most unnatural mating i've ever seen. i think she is - she's acting very weirdly and seems wider. Time will tell. Puppies due 1st june.
have lots of other things to tell you ... but i'm too tired sorry!
will try better next time

X marks the spot

So the council have been spending money making Gracemount beautiful.
The park has had benches added, lights fitted that sometimes even work, trees and shrubs planted - they even planted what looked like a million daffodils.
Last week these lovely X's appeared.
They could be the work of very symmetrical vandals... or the council are planning another charm offensive...
I think I like the suspense the best...

tall and thin

saw our shadow as i was walking the dog and thought i'd take a pic seeing a its probably the only one i look tall and thin in :-)
not for long though... I went to pilates last night and am hoping to go regularly. maybe with a bit more toning and stretching i'll stand tall and thin before the year is out... well... one can hope!

a womans work...

so you wont be seeing me for a while... i have a little ironing to catch up on!
we had a lovely christmas day with jamies folks yesterday and were off to ireland at the weekend. will hopefully have more time to write and tell you all about it... if i ever finish the ironing :-(

Lounging by the pool

We're on our holidays! Rach and i are waiting for the pool to open so we can go for her first swim. Poor jamie is back at the apartment with the flu :(

Kate Rusby

So Jamie and I left the house last Thursday... together... without Rachel (and no we didnt forget her). With Jamie's mum and dad (gran and grandad) babysitting we went off to hear Kater Rusby sing her wee heart out. It was a fab night. Good banter inbetween songs and an amazing voice. She also had one of "those guys" - you know the ones - the side kick able to play every instrument under the sun... whistle, violin, guitar, stringy thing, and backing vocals. Made me want to learn some form of musicical instrument, until i remembered how utterly frustrating it is to try and learn - all those hours of playing badly.
Here's a snapshot of Kate - the recordings pretty bad, she doesnt have a lisp in real life!

great ambience

i had my friends from Whitehead over yesterday. it was really great to see them and to introduce Rachel to them. We wandered about town a bit lunching and coffeeing etc. In the evening I abandoned the hubby and child to go out with the girlies. We ended up at a tapas restaurant (after much deliberation and voting!). The food was lovely and much laughter was had :-)
It was so good to have them around... makes me miss them more though!

reclaiming the land

so i have managed to reclaim my blog back from the wee one. it seems like i might be emerging from the constantness and overwhelmingnessosity of being Rachel's mum. Last night i went out for drinks with a friend... on my own... without the baby. She had fun at home with her dad while i went out on the town. That sound sa bit glamorous but it was really great to meet up with kath for a few drinks down on grassmarket. the place is completely different and deserted now the festival is over. Just wait till the students get here and it will be mad!
Been listening lots to yvonne's new album - a thousand questions why - its mighty fine. would recommend it to a friend! if you want a copy you can get it at YvonneLyonMusic.com
Got a bbq on the beach tomorrow - i love BBQs! hope the weather is good :-)
sorry no pics to share with you today.

A new blog

I have been really bad at updating you all on little rachel. i realise that lots of you will be missing out on her little developments so i thouhgt it only fair that she starts to tell you a bit about it. She's got 3 months worth to catch up on so it'll take her time to get caught up. its very hard to fit round all that sleeping and eating!
Anyway... have a wee look and add her to your favourites page.
i dont know how to add links to posts so click on the link at the side.

the address is www.WeeRachel.blogspot.com

what next?

so im a little confused about what to do with this blog. i have lots of news about rachel and very little of my own. should i let rach start her own? give mine over to her? or just give up blogging all together?
answers on a postcard... or the comments section whichever is easiest :-)

cousins

iain (my eldest brother) majlinda, alban and emma are up in edinburgh this week. theyre staying at a caravan site round the corner from here. its not great weather for a caravan holiday but its so good having them nearby. rachel has been having lots of hugs and kisses. cara has been enjoying the extra attention too.
iain has been trying to explain what a cousin is to alban with the aid of a, now very detailed, family tree. its a pretty complicated concept for a 4 year old... im only just getting to grips with it


uncle iain

uncle alan

my brother Alan came to visit today for a wee while. It was great to see him and Rachel loved his singing! Hope it wont be long till we see him again ;-)
Rachel had her first trip to ikea today - i could tell she was gutted she was too wee for the ball pool. she had a shot in one of the cots though!
The health visitor was round today an she has put on weight - she's now 3.44kg (thats 7lb 8 to the rest of you). im so pleased shes been putting on weight despite vomiting most of her feeds.
As for my news... I have my mum over for a few weeks so the house is being kept tidy and clean. its great to have her around. Jamie started back to work yesterday :-( poor Jamie.

ickle feet

i have put some pics on my bebo site - http://bebo.com/weeali8
i havent worked out how to turn them round yet or how to upload from the proper camera so im afraid you're stuck with my phone photos. this is one taken when in hospital. Rachel loves to lie with her feet in the air. its very bizarre but very cute.
we're getting more used to having her around although her recent hobby of projectile vomiting after every feed is getting a little tiresome - especially at 4.30am when shes chucked her milk all over her bed. great!

yay! she's here!!

little miss rachel hope wilson has arrived in the world

apologies for the lack of blogging (although i know you have all loved looking at the pic of our car!).
i will try and fill you in on what you've missed another time when im not so tired - give it 18 years or so.

she was born on the 1st june - 2 weeks early because of my preeclamsia. we got out of hospital last wednesday. granny wright came to visit for the weekend (and she did lots of housework too :-) Aunty Elaine (Jamies sister) was over form switzerland for a day or two. Rachel also had her first visit to church which was a little overwhelming... for me!

jamie is off work for another week and a half. he's got a gig on monday in glasgow so he's practising for that.

i have lots of catching up to do with lots of people - will hopefully get more sorted soon - just managing from feed to feed at the moment. thankyou to everyone for their love and prayers and cards and pressies

the era ends

so this is the new car... very sensible dont you think?! poor jamie hs to hand over the keys to his celica on thursday. the end of an era - no more sports car - no more 6th gear :-(

an end of another era... i finished work on friday. i had a lovely send off with homemade cakes and a really cool card and pressie. went for coffee with some of my colleagues after. its just really hard to realsie that i wont be back in the place for the forseeable future. it'll be good to have time to get some stuff done around the house.

jamie has started a new job despite his recent bout of shingles :-( the gigs went well though. 5 weeks to go... maybe :-)

33 weeks... and counting!

we had a scan on Friday. The baby is lying in a good position and moving around lots. We were able to see its face. I dont know if you can make it out on this pic - i think it looks a bit scary. It stuck its tongue out at Jamie - the start of cheeky antics to come no doubt.
now only 7 weeks till d-day. Its all coming a little too fast in some ways - but not soon enough in others!!!

im glad this week is over. I have never had so many appointments in my life. Anti-natal classes were a bit dull. I was assessed for a disabled parking badge and got one - dont know whether thats something to be happy about or not?! On the whole the docs are pretty pleased with how im doing. Surprised even. I like to shock people :-)

im away round to Dr Sarahs for a coffee and to disturb her revision. It really will be my fault if she fails these exams!! Jamie's busy practising for his gig tonight. Hope lots of people come.

the legendary cactus and chocolate pizza

on saturday night some of us (us being "the group with no name") went to mamma's pizza place. What a place! It took us at least 30mins to decide on toppings. They had everything from marshmallow to banana to - yes you guessed it - cactus and...chocolate. we decided it was worth going for it and ordered half a pizza of the most random mix - cactus and chocolate. I have to say that cactus tasted pretty normal. I think it had been pickled or something. The chocolate however was very difficult to eat. A big pat on the back to Stephen who managed to eat several pieces.


ben enjoying his cactus and chocolate pizza

after pizza we went to the lot to see jamie play. It was a good night. jams set went well despite attempted sabotage when stephen kicked a bottle of beer over... narrowly missing the edge of the balcony and the amps below! neil was entertaining as always. Looking forward to acoustic cafe on saturday.



jamie on stage - photo by Stephen Naismith :-)

I'm off work this week on annual leave. Got my first antinatal class tomorrow. Im pretty nervous about going. Will keep you informed!

general mutterings

its been a funny old week. It started with conjunctivitis - an annoying itchy/goey eye thing. I then developed a cold - a head cold. I ahvent had one in years so i really cant complain. This is the first tiem ive not been able ot take decongestants or other medication though so i'm still feeling bunged up. Then at the start of the week I developed a chest infection. It shouldnt take long for the antibiotics to clear it up - but in the meantime breathing is an annoying neccesity. So all in all feeling a little under the weather. It is nice to have normal diseases mind you.
Not much new on the baby front - im getting big! And bulky. Cant cut my toe nails so hoping to talk jamie into that one :-) nice!
Have been getting requests for bump pictures - will see what i can do.
Jamie's got a couple of gigs lined up - one this Saturday supporting Neil Alton and a longer set at the Acoustic Cafe the following saturday - so he's busy practising and has had his hair cut (image IS everything).
As I type the TV is being hung on the wall. Some of you will realise the momentus occasion that this truely is. Lets hope it doesnt fall off :-)