Wonderful WeightWatchers

Good morning all. I'm back on track and blogging on a Sunday....and in the morning!

With everything that is going on with the family at the moment I have neglected to go on about the fact that youngest daughter and I are on a mission of sorts to lose weight and become more active. We had the usual post Christmas meltdown about how much we had eaten and drunk over the previous couple of months, lamented the fact that our usually comfortable clothes were visibly less comfortable and decided that action was required.
For myself, as someone who has only been on two diets of any kind in my 55 years, I knew that going to a weekly meeting was the way to go. I have done the Rosemary Conley diet and the Weightwatchers plan with good results and it's always the thought of stepping on those scales and being weighed by someone else each week that keeps me focussed.
My daughter is getting married next year and so has lots of time to get fit and trim before the big day but she was aware that she had put on a lot of weight and that she was generally feeling uncomfortable. And so it came to pass that, on a cold, dark Thursday evening in the middle of January this year we headed off to our local Weightwatchers meeting which was being held in the hall of a college.
We were warmly greeted as we joined the queue of (mainly) ladies who had taken the same decision as us to improve their health and fitness. We were given some forms to complete, we paid our fee and then we approached the scales for the first time. We were both feeling very self conscious as we took off everything that we could sensibly remove such as boots, cardigans and, in my case, even my watch! Anything to reduce the amount of weight that was about to be revealed to me.
My daughter made me step on the scales first and has continued to do so every week since then and when I did so I was more than a bit embarrassed to see that the scales revealed my weight to be 13st 9.5lbs. When I first went to Weightwatchers about 9 years ago my starting weight was 13st 1lb so that shows how much I had put on.
As a consequence of that weigh in I knew that action had to be taken and so now I eat sensibly as often as I can, I exercise more than I did and I try to keep things in perspective where food is concerned. I don't want my weight loss or gain to be the only thing that I talk about but I do need to keep it in mind every day.

Last Thursday evening at the meeting I, once again, approached the scales with dread. The previous weekend I had been away with hubby to Exeter where we ate out each evening and we had margaritas a plenty. I refuse to let diets impact on my life so much that I can't enjoy such treats. When we were away I had breaded mushrooms among other things which I knew I shouldn't have had really but I was really good with my breakfast choices. That was easy because I can have bacon, egg and tomatoes for breakfast daily if I want to!
We did do a lot of walking and I did go for a swim when we were away so I wasn't lazy I promise.
I should also mention here that daughter and I attended our first Zumba class on the Monday after my weekend away which we really enjoyed but which was hilarious as neither of us are the most coordinated of people.

Anyway, back to the scales and Thursday....my weight -  after 6 weeks on the diet and with lots of slip ups along the way - is now 12st 9.5lbs! Yes, I have lost a whole stone and I'm quite amazed.
Now, I do always lose weight at times of stress and this has been a fairly stressful time but I have still been eating sensibly and I have definitely upped my exercise although, to be honest, my general fitness levels are usually pretty good because I walk the dogs most days and always try to get in my 10,000 steps every day.
Sharing this experience with my daughter is proving beneficial to us both. Her body shape is changing almost daily and she has started jogging! She is really focussed and determined and she tracks her food intake daily. We motivate each other to keep going. When I fancy something sweet she will make me a banana pancake or give me options on how to not succumb to a biscuit. We have walked the dogs together and been to an exercise class together and she is going to sign up for a 5k run which her brother, his girlfriend and I are taking part in next weekend. If you had told her, or me, that she would be doing that this time even 2 weeks ago she would have laughed in your face. At the moment she is noticing daily changes in how she feels physically and mentally. She is positive. Her skin looks and feels better. She is developing curves in all the right places and she is loving it. I'm very, very proud of her. Her determination to do this is there for all to see. She has another 1.5lbs to lose before she, too, has lost a stone and I have a very strong suspicion that this Thursday could see her achieve her first goal.

I hope you all have a good week. Stay happy, stay healthy, stay strong and be kind.xxxx

Love Actually

Hi and welcome to this very late blog post. I usually post on a Sunday and today is Wednesday. It's been a bit hectic just lately.
Also, just before you read any further and think that this is about the wonderful film featuring the brilliant Emma Thompson and much missed Alan Rickman among others you will be disappointed. The film Love Actually is a firm family favourite and is watched religiously by one of my daughters every Christmas Eve and at many other times throughout the year and I could probably write about it quite well but I won't. No, this blog is about love,actually.

After the excitement and the worry of the last months I have found myself waking at ridiculous times of the night and not being able to get back to sleep. Whilst being very annoying, and ultimately exhausting, I have had a lot of time to think about events of the past...not just the recent past either.
Anyone that sees my various facebook updates and other social media outlets that I am associated with will have seen a lot of the word 'pride' and 'proud' used by me and there is no doubt that I am a very proud Mum and Nanny and am happy to broadcast it loud and clear to anyone who wants to hear it. I am also very aware that it may be a bit annoying to see constant mentions of how proud I am of x,y,z but I am.
I'm proud of my husband, my children and my grandchildren. I'm proud of my brothers and sisters and all of my extended family for everything that they achieve every single day without bragging about it. I'm also proud of myself for being the person that I am. Yes, I have faults, plenty of them, but I know that I am a good person and I do try to do my best 'almost' all the time!

Being proud is one thing but giving and receiving love is a whole different thing and not something that I have ever found easy. However, it is love that has got me thus far in my life. The love of my parents kept me safe when I was young and guided and supported me as I grew up and had to face the challenges that life threw my way. The love of my friends has provided me with a constant support network and the inevitable shoulder that we all need to cry on from time to time. The love of my brothers and sisters has seen me through many an emotional wobble. The love of my husband has made me realise what strength I actually do have despite my own doubts about the matter. The love of my children gives me strength every day in ways that they will never know. The love of my grandchildren gives me immense joy.
The love that I have in my heart for all of the above mentioned people is returned to them in my own way and from the bottom of my heart every second of every minute of every hour of every day. I am not very eloquent when it comes to the spoken word but I feel so much love for them all that sometimes I could just cry....not sad tears but happy tears, tears of joy.

I have always loved my family - every single one of them - more than I will ever be able to show. What hasn't always been there is the love that I now have for myself. That might sound like a strange comment to make but, for me, it's true. I have always been riddled with self doubt, anxiety and fear and not for any reason other than I think it is just the way I am. It's how I'm made. Some people breeze through lifes ups and downs with very little stress. I am not one of those people and never have been and it has made me question and criticise myself at every turn for many, many years. Now, however, and I guess it's something that comes with age and experience, I know that I am a good, kind person and I know that I'm nice. What's not to love about that?!

I know that I am very fortunate to have the life that I now have. Many, many people are far worse off than me and I am thankful every day for my health and wellbeing. I hope never to take that for granted. I am thankful for the love in my life, for the love that I feel and for the love that I am given.

Thanks for putting the love in my life you lovely people.

xxx

Running InThe Family

Good morning all.

It's a beautiful Monday morning here this morning although it's a bit on the chilly side. Still, blue skies and sunshine are always welcome, especially when it comes to walking the dogs. Give me frozen ground and a cold wind than grey skies and mud any day.

This will probably be a short and sweet blog post. I tried to blog yesterday evening but I was so tired that I gave up. I was also trying to change the photograph that I use on it as well but I couldn't do that either. Frustration and tiredness got the better of me I'm afraid.

It's been a busy week again. I have seen all of the grandchildren and all of my children too I think which is always lovely. The twins continue to do well - even with Phoebe pulling out her feeding tube twice in 4 days! They seem to be night birds too which is a little tiresome for the already tired parents. I have been sent a list as long as your arm of dates for various appointments for the babies which is reassuring because at least that means that they are'in the system' and that various hospitals and departments are aware of them.

Yesterday was my middle daughter's 31st birthday as well as being Valentine's Day. Youngest daughter and I drove over to see the birthday girl and took her out for coffee and cake for an hour which was nice. The older grandchildren have all been poorly over the last week or so - the usual seasonal coughs, colds and sickness - but it was, as ever, a joy to see them. I had lovely cuddles with a groggy Poppy and Robyn played 'Happy Birthday' and 'London's Burning' on the piano while we were there.

Earlier in the day I was very happy to be given some beautiful red roses and some coconut oil-based goodies from my hubby. It was very thoughtful of him as usually I would receive chocolates which i love but which I'm trying not to eat at the moment, I am also very fond of the smell of coconut and am a devotee of Lucy B coconut oil which I use daily for all manner of things but mainly for cooking with.

It seems that most of the family have got the fitness/running bug which is great. Youngest daughter and I are dieting with Weight Watchers and doing well even if I do say so myself. We have lost 10lbs each since we started in mid January and we are very happy with our progress thus far. As part of the diet and fitness thing we have both had a jog out for the first time in ages. I plodded yesterday for half an hour and actually feel ok today which is a good sign as I haven't run for absolutely ages. My son and his girlfriend have also started running and they and I are now signed up to do a 5km run/jog in March at our local country park. We will be using it as part of our training as son and I are signed up to take part in the Guildford Triathlon at the end of May! It's discipline that neither of us have attempted before and the thought of it actually scares me...a LOT!

The birthday girl and her husband are signed up to run the Brighton Marathon in a couple of months time too although quite how they find the time to train when they have 4 young children and a dog to look after is beyond me but anyone can/will do it it will be them.

I'm incredibly proud of how my offspring are keen to challenge themselves with fitness and challenges. I like to think that the years of Race For Life meetings, the  Moonwalk events, the Silverstone half marathon and the wonderful London marathon that I have taken part in over the years have, in part, inspired them to give these things a go. As a family we love sport but do little in the way of actively taking part in anything regularly. We all love our food and drink and we are physically 'well built' as in tall, sturdy and, in truth, prone to carry a little too much weight. Anything that we can do to stay active, fit and healthy is an excellent thing and I do try to encourage them all as much as I can. Obviously the new Mummy won't be joining us at the moment. She is otherwise engaged! However, she and I have done nightwalks before and she does love walking in general so I'm sure that she will be joining in with us as and when she can. No pressure love!!

                                                  Just a few pics from the last few years to prove I'm
                                                   not a total novice at this fitness lark!


So that's it for now. Loads to do. Best get on and do it. Bye for now!

xxxxxxx

Phoebe and Sam (contd) /Stickler Syndrome/ Weight Watchers/ Family/ Love xx

Hi all,

I hope you have all had a good week. After the drama, worry and excitement of last week and the arrival of two more grandchildren for me things have continued at quite a pace.
I'm thrilled to say that today, Sunday, and just 12 days after they were born, both Phoebe and Sam are about to spend their first night together at home tonight with their Mummy and Daddy. Sam went home with Mum and Dad last Monday and has settled really well. Mummy, Daddy and Sam have made daily visits to the special care baby unit  at the hospital that the twins were born in to spend as much time as they can with Phoebe who has made really good progress but who has needed a little more monitoring before she too was allowed home.

Yesterday the family were able to spend their first night as a foursome together in the transition room at the hospital and then, this morning, I got the call to say that Phoebe has been discharged and they were all going to go home. I got into the car and drove to the hospital and, along with my daughter's Dad and his wife, we got the babies to their new home. Yes, we needed two cars! Transporting two babies in car seats with all of the paraphernalia that goes with them - and with the added bits and pieces for Phoebe's extra care- plus their Mummy and Daddy is more than one ordinary car can adequately deal with.

                                          On their way home - together!

Once at home, Mummy took no time in getting things organised and within the hour both babies had been changed, Sam bottle fed, Phoebe a mix of bottle and tube fed, and in their Moses baskets and settled for a couple of hours before they do it all again.

It is a massive responsibility to take a baby home from hospital who still requires special care - especially when that little baby has extra problems with feeding etc. I remember the feeling well from 32 years ago. However, my daughter and her husband have proved their capabilities to the medical specialists who are confident that the couple are very able to look after their daughter and her brother. I take my hat off to them both. The new parents have grown in stature and confidence over the past 2 weeks. It is quite amazing to see how they are coping. When you hear the noises that a tiny baby makes when she has a cleft palate it can be very frightening. I am sure that my daughter made the same noises when she was a little one but I don't remember them very clearly. To hear my granddaughter spluttering whilst feeding was very disconcerting for me today. It was the first time that I have seen her bottle fed or, indeed, heard her cry but my daughter and her husband just got on and dealt with her as if it was the most natural thing in the world. I felt in awe of them both, especially as they also have a second baby to look after as well.

                                           Brother and sister.


Last week when I blogged, the news had been announced that Terry Wogan had died earlier in the day. Following so close on the heels of the news about David Bowie, it was a piece of news that really shook me. Yet again I was reminded of my Mum. She adored both Bowie and Wogan and when we were younger Wogan was on the radio each weekday morning. Mum used to laugh out loud throughout the hours he was on and she really enjoyed the handover between Wogan and Jimmy Young. We all used to laugh at his Janet and John stories that were so full of innuendo that it was amazing that they were allowed to be broadcast at all!
Mum loved Terry so much that she had a golden retriever that she named Wogan. We used to feel foolish when we called him back when we walking him. 'Come here Wogan!', 'Good boy Wogan!', 'Wogan! Heel'. You can imagine I'm sure!
Mum had her vinyl copy of 'The Floral Dance' which was played regularly and every year I used to buy her the TOG's (Terry's Old Gals/Geezers) calendar at Christmas. I remember thinking that something must be seriously wrong with him when he pulled out of presenting last year's Children In Need at the last minute but then it was reported that he had severe back problems and that was that. To hear that he had died was just really very sad news and yet another reminder of our lovely Mum and how much she influenced our lives.

In other news, my attempt at Weight Watchers is going fairly well. In my first week I lost 4lbs and the second week I lost 7 lbs so that's 11 lbs in 2 weeks. A bit extreme I feel. However, last week I actually put on 1lb which I was not perturbed about to be honest. I'm in this for the long haul so we will see what our coming Thursday night weigh in brings. A steady 1 or 2 lbs a week loss would be very welcome.

It has been lovely to see the love and support that has been received by my daughter and her husband from family and friends over the past week or so. They have been inundated with presents, cards and good wishes from many, many people. They have a wall full of cards - 8 of which are the same as 'twin' cards aren't that usual it seems- and the babies have more clothes than they will ever wear. My daughter was very concerned about how people would react to Phoebe and the news that she has a genetic condition that will need ongoing treatment but she needn't have worried. Every single comment about the babies has been positive, supportive and loving. I have been so happy and proud that my other children have been on hand and provided love, support, laughs and even food for their sister and her husband and I know that their support and love will be ongoing. To see each of my children having cuddles with their new nephew Sam and, while not being able to cuddle niece Phoebe, actually being able to go into the special care unit and see her was very touching and made me feel very proud of all four of them.

I know that it must seem to many who read this that I have made a superhero out out of my eldest daughter and not mentioned my other three and that is truly not how I want it to seem. This has been a highly emotional few weeks and my daughter deserves every bit of love and support that has come her way. My other three have been amazing during this period. They have provided me with a shoulder to cry on at my emotional moments (and there have been a few), they have given me support and an ear to bend when I've  needed it and they have been nothing but loving towards their big sister and towards me and I love them very, very much.

So, that's it for now. Let's see what I have to feed back next week.

I wish you all a happy and healthy week. Stay safe and look after each other. Be kind.

xxxxxx

                                               Night night xx

Phoebe and Sam

Well, where to start?! What an emotional week it has been.

When I put up my last post it was on the Sunday before my daughter was due to go to hospital for a planned caesarean section to deliver her twins. Only family knew about it and so, although I was bursting with excitement, I managed to refrain from announcing it to everyone via this blog.
On the Monday morning (January 25th) I drove the 30 miles or so to pick up my very weary 37 and a half weeks pregnant daughter and her excited husband and drove them to hospital along with various bags of baby paraphernalia of both pink and blue as we knew the twins were one of each, a changing bag full of nappies, wipes etc and my daughter's bits and pieces.
They were welcomed onto the ward, observations were done and then my son in law changed into his scrubs and my daughter put on her gown. They were off.......or so it seemed.

From there on everything slowly ground to a halt. There was obviously some kind of emergency going on in the operating theatre. After a wait of over an hour the anaesthetist came and spoke to my daughter and her husband to say that all remaining planned maternity surgery for the day had been cancelled following an incident and we would all have to go back the following morning.

You can imagine the disappointment that was felt. However, the expectant couple got re-dressed into their 'day' clothes, we repacked the bags and I took the weary couple home where my disappointed daughter went to bed to try to get some rest before going through the routine of the previous night again. She had repeat pre op meds and preload drinks to take and, again, nothing to eat from 10 pm.

The following morning, Tuesday 26th January, I retraced my journey of the previous morning, picked up my passengers and their luggage and went to the hospital. There was an hour or so of waiting where we didn't have contact from a single member of hospital staff and then, all of a sudden, things started happening. The obstetrician came in, then the midwife, then the anaesthetist and then, at about 10.45am my daughter and her husband, re gowned and re scrubbed, walked around to the operating theatre where she had an epidural sited before she underwent the surgery.

She had asked me if I would wait in her room just in case anything went wrong and she had to have a general anaesthetic as her hubby wouldn't be able to stay with her under such circumstances and she didn't want him to be on his own. That, right there, tells you everything you need to know about my eldest daughter. She is undergoing surgery and carrying twins and she is worried about how her husband is going to be.

Anyway, the longer my son in law didn't appear the more likely it was that everything was going to plan. I put on some music, did a little more knitting and drank a few cups of water before starting to get a little anxious. I went along the corridor to get yet another cup of water and saw my daughter being wheeled along towards me with a bundle wrapped up in her arms and with my son in law giving me the thumbs up and grinning from ear to ear. I'm not sure that I have ever been so happy to see my daughter. She looked shell shocked but was well. She had, of course, been sick during the surgery. She has been plagued with sickness throughout the whole of her pregnancy so she sort of expected it!

The bundle in her arms was their son Samuel. He weighed 7lbs 1oz and has blonde hair. Samuel was born at 11.22 am just 2 minutes after his sister Phoebe who weighed in at 6lbs 12ozs and who made her entrance at 11.20 am. She is different in every way to her brother and her head of dark brown hair is quite spectacular!

Phoebe, as we suspected, was born with an inherited genetic condition called Stickler Syndrome. Previous ultrasound scans had detected some possible complications but we wouldn't know how the baby would be affected until she was born. In Phoebe's case, Stickler Syndrome has affected her facial appearance and she has a small cleft of her soft palate. Because of her condition, Phoebe was taken to SCBU (special care baby unit) where she could be monitored. Initially her breathing was very laboured so she was given antibiotics which made a big difference very quickly.

As I type this I am delighted to say that Phoebe is making great progress. She has been able to take milk from a bottle alongside being fed through a nasal feeding tube which is quite something for a baby with a cleft palate. Her brother Sam is thriving. He is doing so well that Mummy, Daddy and Sam are going home this afternoon. Phoebe will need to stay at the hospital for a little while longer just to make sure that she is stable and that everything is in place for her when she does go home.

This past week has been quite incredible for me. To have been just a little part of such a life changing event has been a total privilege and one that I didn't expect. My son in law has been an absolute star and has been by my daughter's side every step of the way. He's changed nappies, he has bottle fed his son and has learned how to tube feed his daughter! He is, undoubtedly, my daughter's rock and he is already beyond proud of his new family. He's going to be a super Daddy. As for my daughter, well I can't really begin to put into words how very proud we are of her as a family. To have carried those twins whose combined birth weight was just under a stone, to have endured almost 9 months of sickness, to have continued to work for as long as she possibly could, to have remained active and positive throughout her pregnancy, to have kept the worry of Stickler affecting her babies to herself and a few trusted people for the whole 9 months, to have endured a nasty epidural and major surgery and to now be the mum of twins and to be going home as well as she is is totally inspirational to me. Just when I think that she can't surprise me any more she does something amazing and I have to stand back and look at her with immense pride. Pride in her resilience, pride in her optimism and love of life, pride in her as a human being and pride in her because she is my daughter. I'm not sure what I ever did to deserve her!

On that note, the proud and happy new parents have given me permission to share a few photographs of their babies with you. Ladies and gentleman, please welcome Phoebe and Samuel.

These two little treasures are going to enrich our lives and the lives of many, many people I feel sure and the extended families and friends of my daughter and her husband are going to give them and their Mummy and Daddy all the love and help that they need.

xxxxxxx