my baby is perfect.

on Friday, 24 July little Eleri Ann Williams made her apperance. She was born at 8.08pm, was 21 inches long and weighed 9lb 7oz. (yes, she was huge!)

But she is perfect. beyond perfect really.

and i just cant get enough of her.



i know every parent says they have the perfect baby, but the little squirt really is perfect. just look at how precious she is.



she already has us wrapped around her finger and she isnt even a week old yet!



i really cant believe she ours and we get to keep her forever.

I WANT A BABY!!!

today is my due date. no baby. i want a baby. i want it to happen today. right now! i am tired of waiting. arughjkngaklghidagjnkl!! baby!!

the flat.

well, sort of. people have been asking for pictures of the flat and i keep promising them. i took some pictures of our room/baby's room the other day but i have been having too much fun being on maternity leave and hanging out with my mom, that the blog has taken a back seat. however, since my due date is tomorrow and i have been having regular contractions, i figure i better post these pictures now before i get distracted with other things. things like birthing a child and becoming a mom, you know, important things.

so here are the pictures that i have. granted it only shows one room, but that will have to do for the time being. a full tour will come later.

Our Bed


Eleri's Bed


Close up view of Eleri's bedding. Gotta love imported Pottery Barn!! (thanks mom)


Our bed and Eleri's. This gives an idea of the set up and space of the room.


and just for fun, a picture of me 40 weeks pregnant. Its not the greatest picture, but look how huge my stomach is! and i am standing in the living room, so its like another picture of the flat too.

tragedy

less than 4 weeks ago i wrote a post about two of my heros. Today I am saddened to again write about one of those men, but in the past tense.

Henry Allingham died yesterday. After celebrating his 113th birthday last month and being named the worlds oldest man, Mr. Allingham took his final breaths. and it broke my heart a little bit. i am deeply saddened that his life has come to an end. He was a brave and humble gentleman. words cannot express what a blessing and honour it was for me that i was able to go to the Rememberence Day celebrations this past 11 Novemember and see the 3 surviving WWI veterans. Now, there is only one.

None of my words can do justice to the life and legacy of Mr. Henry Allingham. So instead of trying I will end this post with his words. Whilst visiting the Somme battlefields in 2006, Mr. Allingham was asked how he wanted to be remembered. He response was simple. "I Dont. I want to be forgotten. Remember the others instead."

dick van dyke

dont get me wrong...i love maternity leave. but i have reached the bored point. the flat is clean, everything is ready for baby, everyone i know is working during the day; so what do i do?

today i managed to watch 4 hours of Diagnosis Murder. yup, 4 HOURS! whilst dick van dyke is fantastic, perhaps tomorrow i find a more productive way to spend my day.

some recommendations

1. The Low Anthem, anyone heard of them? They are an American band so I am not sure if they are popular over there and have only now made their way over here, or if Rhys' taste in music is just a bit strange and he has 'discovered' them. but they are great. i recommend them. go, listen and enjoy. i particularly enjoy the song To Ohio.

2. Starbucks Pomegranate Peach Juice Blend. its a little bit of a Spanish holiday in a plastic cup. just the right blend of tangy and sweet. When i take that first sip, i could just as easily be walking along the boardwalk in Barcelona instead of a random high street in England.

3. TK Maxx. Not sure why we call it TJ Maxx in America as the store is owned by the same people and it pretty much exactly the same in this country as it is in the states. but nevertheless, TK Maxx is on my list of things i recommend this week. I have been endlessly impressed lately with the quality in my local store. Sure you have to be in the mood to hunt through disorganised and scattered racks and shelves, but oh, the bargains to be had! I have recently purchased a new duvet cover and a diaper bag. Both of those are HUGE purchases in my world.

I have spent months agonising over which diaper bag i would get. which one would suit my needs and the baby's simultaneously? Stella McCartney answered that question for me in the form of a lovely, not too big, not too small, pale forest green bag. its perfect.

4. cleaning. don't tell my mom, but she was right. everything is better when its clean. remember all those posts a month or so back where i was really unhappy with the flat and wanted something with a garden? something bigger? well, i love my flat again! mostly because everything is tidy. everything is in its proper place and that makes the world of difference to a tiny flat. plus, when things are clean it seems a lot bigger anyway! i really recommend cleaning.

oh...and if i could figure out how inthe world to make my computer and camera work together, i would add some pictures!! you will just have to wait now...

i'm ready. seriously. i am

after my realisation on tuesday that nothing was really ready and the house was a mess...i got my butt into gear on wednesday. and everything is done. seriously. everything is done. i know, even i am surprised.

the flat is perfectly clean. perhaps not perfect if you are my mom, but pretty darn close. everything is clean. everything is washed. everything is put away. the only things missing are the baby bedding which my mom is bringing over next week, and the nursing glider chair which is being delievered next week. but if the baby came right now, we would be ready.

and that is a great feeling.

the only thing left is to get my hopsital bag together. I am having a bit of a hard time with this one. I am used to the american hopsital setting where they provide you with things. Whatever i want, i have to bring. that doesnt just mean food or my personal face wash, it means night gown/sleep wear, pillows, blankets, soap, towel.... besically everything for baby, everything for me. all in a giant bag. the bag is currently half packed, i have most of what i think i will need. but what if i dont think of something and i actually need that particular thing? i dont exactly what Rhys to run home and get it whilst i am in the middle of having a baby. i imagine by the time i am done packing the bag it will end up like every other bag i have ever packed. way to full of lots of crap i wont end up using. better safe than sorry i suppose.

once hopsital bag is finished though I will literally have nothing left to get ready for baby. its a very relaxing feeling. a wonderful feeling.

so until little eleri decides to make her apperance, i will sit back, drink my rasberry tea leaf, enjoy not working and just wait. but i will be ready!

a full week of maternity leave

1. Pool with Leah for 3 days straight. Enjoying the British Summer while it lasted

2. Camden with Leah. Ah...I so love Camden Town. It is my favourite bit of London.

3. The morning I drove Leah to the airport, Oli and Tuna (rhys' uni friends) came in to stay for the weekend.

4. Saturday 7's Rugby in Beaconsfield. Tournament, beer festival, live band. I liked to think that it was all for the 4th of July. sure it may have just been for the beer festival and rugby tournamnet....but i like to think that we were all celebrating America's Independence Day :)

5. got sick. nothing major, just a cold. but it sucks. especially now. As of last thursday I am officially full terms so the baby could come at any point. and i have a cold. My nose wont stop running, my throat hurts, my head hurts...stupid cold.

6. Rhys took a suprise day off and we hung out all Monday. sick or not it was fantastic. i love my husband.

7. sudden realisation that i have been off for a week and still have not gotten the house ready for the baby. Things are messy, not all baby clothes and sheets have been washed, loads to put away.... perhaps i need to spend my maternity leave actually getting ready for the baby!!

but all in all, i would say its been a pretty nice week off. The best part? Waking up every morning and knowing that i dont have to go to work. ever again. (well, for at least a year)

ah....a fan.

i don't think i have ever before been so grateful for a desk fan. due to the week of 90 degree weather in the UK, every single store is out of fans. i have spent the last 3 days trying to locate one.

today, victory was mine.

leah and i walked all over london...literally, ALL. OVER. LONDON. trying to find a fan. a tiny electrical shop down some back street provided me with my triumph.

a fan may not sound like a big deal to my fellow americans, but trust me, its HUGE. when it is 90 degrees and sunny, with no wind, and there is not a single building with air conditioning... a fan is a lifesaver. seriously. last night after hours of stifling heat, i resorted to putting frozen meat products and ice cubes all over my body to try and cool down. and even that wasnt every helpful. its times like this that you realise just what a joy air conditioning really is.

but now i have a fan.

so tonight i will be enjoying the luxury of said fan providing the oh so glorious circulation that my now 100 degree flat requires. two windows just doesnt cut it people. even now as i type this, sitting in my living room, i am basking in the new found glory of the oscillating fan. perfection people. perfection.