So that time I was pregnant and fell off the face of the internet?

Yeah, so apparently working, being pregnant and moving house all at the same time is not a smart idea. Who would have thought?!?

I nievely thought that moving while 7 months pregnant would be a breeze. Yeah sure I'd be moving a little slower but in the end it would be no big deal and I would just take an extra long nap after the day was done. 

WRONG!!

I didn't factor in nesting. Or the fact that the rental market in Ireland is so freaking competitive at the moment (people kept saying it was a renters market...they are MISINFORMED). Or the fact that we had collected even MORE stuff in the year we had lived in our last house. (on that note, how in the world did I move over in 5 suitcases and manage to collect an entire house full of stuff in under 3 years...augh!) and the fact that everytime I try and bend down there is no gaurantee that I will be able to get back up, or even be able to bend all the way down. 

But after two months of house hunting, a nearly two weeks between two houses and cleaning more corners, toilets, floors and cabinents than I care to think about we are in the hew house. And its fantastic, and roomy, and it has everything on our wish list and more. And we have fantastic landlords who we actually like and get on with and care about thier property. 

So yeah, I'm never moving again.I've looked at the costs of hiring people to move your stuff and it is well worth every red cent. 

The bonus to moving was that I got a fresh start in a new house and was able to have my slave hubs set up the nursery

 I'm so happy to have it set up and now I can fill in the bits and ends. We are in total baby mode over here, im trying to have everything as ready as possible before november so I can spend the lead up to christmas, thanksgiving and hubs birthday enjoying that time and not having to fight the shopping crowds to buy baby stuff!

 These are some cardigans that James's aunt knitted us. I can't believe how great they turned out and she even did them in red white and blue since I'm American haha!


Also I have gotten very..."roundy". Thats the word I'm using since it sounds better to me than massive. I feel massive though. A little delusional as well. I tried to wear a pair of pre-pregnancy pants that were big on me the other day...didn't even make it all the way up my hips. sigh.

 

28 weeks along... I've gotten even bigger since this picture. Still don't have that "glow" people talk about. I think its a conspiracy. 

Annnddd I was saving the best for last....we got our 3D scan done in August (i know it was kinda early but I seriously couldn't wait any longer, I was worse than a kid on Christmas morning) and got to see our little baby and find out what we are having....

TA-DA!!

ok, not the best picture quality. Its a picture taken by my phone of a picture of something inside my stomach so forgive me for the poor quality. But thats baby taylor! and its a BOY! I have to say the 3D scan was worth every penny. It was so great getting to see him and see him move around and his face and the fact that he has my fingers and chin and his dad's forehead (yikes! that won't be fun come December). He was a really active baby which made it hard to get a great picture of his face, but it was probably one of my top ten cool moments in life. More of those to come no doubt! Its been 5 or 6 weeks since the scan so I know hes a lot bigger by now and I can't wait to see what the final product is gonna look like in a few months! 

Sorry this post is so baby-centric. Right now thats pretty much taken over my life. But thankfully things have slowed down a LOT for me and I'm looking forward to getting back on track and back into the blogging world (lets not even talk about how many blogs are on my reader at the moment...) and I'm also so happy to never move again. Did I mention that already?

Ten on Tuesday

I'm playing my favorite blogging link up with my favorite blogger Lin who is awesome and gets to drink McDonald's iced coffee whenever she wants. No, no I'm not jealous about that at all. (ok well, maybe I am.)

1. Speaking of McDonald's- I actually don't eat there...I think their food is disgusting and I'm not a fan of them as a company. BUT I do love their chocolate milkshakes in addition to their iced coffee and I'm not so high and mighty in my "values" to not give in to a thick and creamy milk shake every so often. Especially while preggers. I'm technically not meant to have any soft serve ice cream from a machine since it could have listeria but I'm pretending like milk shakes don't count. (Denial never tasted so yummy!)

2. Pretty much all ten of these things are going to be baby related. Already it seems that my brain power which was devoted to things like politics, art, business and other adult related topics (ok and lets be honest, a healthy serving of reality tv and gossiping) is becoming slowly replaced with questions like "Do babies use pillows?" and " What is this pain?" "Did I look this big yesterday?" and every time I hear a name I automatically pair it up with my last name to either make it a potential name or dismiss it. (right now the majority of names don't make it past the reject process) I can only imagine how bad this is going to get when I ACTUALLY have the child. SIGH.

3. I went to the doctor today. Here is something super frustrating about living overseas....not being able to directly access your medical records from childhood. I mean, I got copies of my records before moving to Ireland, but apparently they aren't as comprehensive or extensive as the doctors office would have. I got a card from the Maternity hospital saying that my bloods came back as type O negative, rhesus negative. But as far as I was aware I am blood type A negative. What the what? who is right?!? I tried calling my old doctors office in the states. They had no way of verifying I am who I am and wouldn't release any information to me and so the only way of resolving this mystery is getting more bloods taken. And it really hurt last time (whine whine whine!)...also I really hope I'm not O neg since that would mean I need those anti-rejection shots. Huzzah. (whine)

4. I found sour cream and onion Taytos today...they are special edition or something but that doesn't matter...totally made my day haha. That flavor is quite uncommon here...instead cheese and onion is the favorite. Now that doesn't sound like its much different but trust me it is. Way too oniony. Blech! (and for the record, the sour cream and onion taytos taste almost exactly like lays. NOM)

 

 5. We went to Dublin recently and got our baby room furniture ( I wanted to do it while I could still drive up and back to Dublin the same day without being exhausted). I love Ikea but NEVER AGAIN on a Sunday. It was like black friday. I nearly had to beat someone with an efficient Swedish kitchen utensil.

 

I took this picture while waiting in line to check out....I was trying to show how insane the lines were....I totally failed. And also inadvertently took a picture of this guy in mid-dig. Oops. I didn't notice it at all until after I had uploaded it to facebook and everyone was commenting on it. Poor guy (bwahaha) 

6. I've started showing. I probably was before but its more obvious now. I still don't feel like I look pregnant, but that I look more like I've had wayyy too much take out. Sigh. Its happening FAST though...I took these pictures 4 days apart...FOUR DAYS. 

 

 

 07/10/12

 

And a few days later...

 

 

 07/14/12

Maybe there isn't but I feel like there is a BIG difference in just 4 days. Pants that zipped the weekend previous don't even come close to closing now! I am firmly in maternity pants now...and yes, they are as comfortable as everyone says.  

 
7. What is this Magic Mike that everyone is going on about? I haven't seen a single commercial for it...only seen people talking about it on facebook. Hate it when I'm out of the loop like that!

8. The weather has been so crap here lately! No more rain....I protest! I have given up on summer for Ireland once again. Third time unlucky! Maybe next summer....hope springs eternal?

9. I heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time today. It was pretty cool...and so weird to think that was inside of me! Kinda makes it all the more real. I want time to slow down and speed up all at the same time so I can get a 3d scan and see what this little person looks like! (and if its a boy or a girl!)

10. I haven't been blogging much lately but I plan on getting to it as soon as I'm not spending every day off running errands all day long. I'm so over due for a sitting on the couch watching bad day time tv day. Must be more lazy. My bed misses me.

An expat grumble

Here in Ireland sometimes things happen that are absolutely unacceptable and ridiculous and the worst part is that people just accept it because, well, what else are they going to do? This part of the culture DRIVES ME MAD because these are things that typically would not be allowed to happen in the States....like for instance what is going on with the banking system.

Banks here are, well, not so popular at the moment. Banks are not popular universally but I think here in Ireland there is a special kind of highway robbery that the banks here get away with well, because "no one else is doing anything so why should I" kind of attitudes that exist here. The government fees and levy's on each account are insane as are the amount of money you need to keep in your account to avoid such fees (like the Bank of Ireland, I was told the amount I need to keep in my account to avoid charges was 1,400 Euros...seriously who in these days has that kind of money to keep lying around in their checking account?!? Not I friends, not I.)

Anyways, The bank I am with (Ulster Bank is the bank in reference...I am all for calling them out!!)  has been having a few issues...and by a few issues I'm talking about the total and complete collapse of their systems. They are having "technical issues" which mean that NO ONE is getting their money into their accounts, Their direct debits aren't being paid and basically your SCREWED. This started about 2 weeks ago and I figured that no bank would seriously let an issue that big extend beyond a day or two, at most a week. And since I only get paid once a month (Seriously. It blows the big one.) I wasn't worried about not getting my pay in my account.

 This means "Show me the money" in Irish

Well I haven't been paid. And I've been waiting close to a week now. Its been over TWO weeks and they still have nothing fixed! Last Friday we were told it would be fixed by Monday, over the weekend we were told it would be fixed by the middle of this week. This morning I heard on the radio it is not expected to be resolved by the end of this week. HOW FRUSTRATING. I know banks are having issues, but this is beyond ridiculous! And no offense to any Irish person reading this blog, but I know that it wouldn't fly in the States. Something would have certainly been resolved by now, maybe another bank stepping in or something, but it wouldn't have gone on two weeks extending into three! The banks have a bad enough reputation over here without a total and complete failure of its entire consumer base. And for some reason, we as a collective community are bending over and "taking it". There is nothing that anyone can do and it personally makes me want to pull my hair out sometimes!  This is the flip side of the laid back Irish cultural attitude which is so prevalent here. There are some great things to being to easy going and laid back (like getting pulled over by a Guarda and him giving you a wink and a smile instead of a ticket) and some things that for me, as a type-a American can make me feel enraged (and give the rest of the country something to complain about other than the weather)

Fingers crossed that our money (since James and I are both Ulster bank....how lovely!! That will be changing as soon as possible!) will appear in our accounts soon. I'll end my expat rant now...once I get myself started it can be hard to stop myself!

Taking out the old, bringing in the new(ish)

  Last month we finally crossed the first item off our to-do before baby list-
1. Buy a new (ish) car. (With airbags preferably)

So we went from this:

  Ah little red jellybean of death, you were a good car. You kept going long past your expiry date.

 And used a little bit of this:

 Seriously the most Euros I have held at one time...I had to take a picture to prove to myself that yes at some point I have had money.

And got ourselves one of these:

New shiney......its still over a decade old, but we are almost in the current mellinia with our cars now!

And its got all of this:

AIRBAGS! POWER STEERING! A RADIO!

Here in Ireland you can get cars that are 13, 14, even 15 years old and they will still be in great condition. Its a lot harder to get insane milage on cars since Ireland is only but so big. My '96 Corsa only had 83,000 when I sold her to the big car lot in heaven (scrapped!). We were able to get this car with only 103,000 miles on it and its 13 years old!

I have to say, I'm loving the new car. I HATED to drive the last car and I'm really enjoying the small things like a cupholder and listening to the radio. Who knew a 13 year old used car could bring so much happiness?!? One thing I am really thankful for as well is the airbags. Our last car was a basic as basic gets. I felt really uncomfortable driving it after finding out I was pregnant since there was no airbags...meaning if I got into an accident there was nothing between my abdomen and the steering wheel! Also I would have never put a car seat in the last car!

As much as I disliked my last car I felt pretty nostalgic about letting it go. It was the first car I bought in Ireland....we had NOTHING when I first moved here and I had to start over from scratch. Buying that little car (for 400 euro mind you!) was a huge step for me in making a life for myself here. I drove her back and forth all over the city, county (and once even to Dublin!) for nearly two years! I learned how to drive manual in her, and on the wrong side of the road/car. So I did feel sad as I drove off the lot and left the little red jellybean behind. But now I have a lot to look forward to and I'm hoping my new car (name pending!) will be able to deliver the same kind of durability that I got from my first car (and not cost me too much in petrol!)

And now next on the list....a DRYER!!

Baby brain....it does exist

Man oh man, I thought people were exaggerating about baby brain. Well they aren't. I have never been so forgetful and so slow on the uptake in my life. I forget what I'm talking about mid sentence....I am continually misplacing things (I discovered I put all the cat food in the fridge the other day) I'm mixing up my words in my sentences and if I don't make lists of what I intend of doing that day then its probably not getting done!

I've always prided myself on my sharp mind, memory and my quick wit....well for the next few months thats all gone to the wayside!

This is a perfect example:

This little silly internet meme....A silly stupid joke. That I didn't get. For 3 days. I finally said it to James after I saw a fourth person sharing it on facebook. And then it took him about 5 minutes to explain it to me. And then I laughed at myself for about 5 more minutes. And then cried, just a little.

Hormones...yet another awesome side effect.

Can't wait to share more of my baby brain moments with you guys...they are happening at an alarming rate!

Some Thursday tidbits

I really should be getting ready for work right now, but I really really don't want to work today. The one time in my life I should be feeling like working overtime to save money for the baby but I just wanna lay on the couch. Boo responsibility!

• I really gotta get James driving now that he has a job. I am having to wake up hours before I need to so I can drive him to the other side of town for work. Still super happy about the job, not loving my chauffeur duties though. 
• My neighbor is a bad guy gangster, for real. His job involves a lot of, lets just say illegal things. We've known about it for a while but here you keep your head down and mouth shut about these things. Doing other wise will get you in some hot water since the Guarda (police) have no real power to stop these gang families. Recently though he has gotten a lot more open about the entire situation. Yesterday the road in front of my house was full of cars with English reg plates (license plates) and several men watching the house. And all watching me as I got in my car to go to work. Seriously I hate being intimidated just trying to live my life. Can't wait until our lease is up and we are the HELL out of here. 
• I love fruit....I used to not be such a fan but I feel like some of the produce we get here in Ireland can be better quality than the stuff in the states (even if it is from Spain and Africa) There are certain things though, that you just can't get here. Like good cantaloupe (my fave) or a real watermelon. They are tiny here and cost a fortune! I must take a picture the next time I come across them in the grocery store! 
• I'm meant to go to Belgium in October for a Radiohead concert. I bought the tickets way back in February before little baby Taylor was even a zygote. Little did I know come October i will be somewhere in the 8 month mark. Yikes...I really hope I get to go...this may be my last chance for a very long time and besides, who doesn't want to see Belgium? I hear good things and am a big fan of both waffles and chocolate! 
• I just bought a groupon for a cruise around the Cliffs of Moher and a trip to one of the Aran Islands for only 15 euros....Freaking steal! I'm sure the weather will be crap, but hopefully the views will be so cool I won't care about it!
• Something that makes me smile every morning when I hear it....some of the radio stations here do traffic reports....for the entire country. I find this hilarious that the country can be so small that you can cover all major problem areas in under 2 minutes reporting. 

Sigh....back to the real world. Time to layer up and head off to work. Only one more day before my weekend though! woohoo! 

Ten on Tuesday

I'm playing my "Will always blog this on a Tuesday" blog along with Lin over at Linny's Vault....go check her out- 1. Cause shes awesome and 2. Cause its her blogiversay and shes the one giving away stuff. That's doubly awesome!!



 1. I have a head cold/sinus infection/something evil going on right now. So unfair. I think pregnant women should get a pass on all sorts of normal ailments since our bodies are pretty much in self destruct mode while carrying a mini human.
Anyways since I can't take most medication right now I've been suffering Au natural...they have this amazing stuff in Ireland called Olbas Oil...someone introduced me (or as the Irish would say, copped me onto it) this stuff last winter when I was sick. Basically its like an Altoid, in oil form, concentrated. Put a little on a tissue and breathe in. Its heaven...I reek of it right now, but I don't care cause I can breathe!

 2. One of our friends gave me an orchid when she found out that we were expecting. Super sweet and I LOVE orchids, I just happen to have a very bad habit of killing them shortly after getting them...I'm delighted to say I have kept this bad boy alive for 2 months now! Maybe I am ready to take care of a child after all! (baby steps rach, baby steps)

Look-it! Thriving and everything! 

 3. My sister sent this to me in an email the other night. She knows me and my love of all jokes in the bodily functions category too well.

 4. I went to my first sleepover in about 10 years the other night. Two of our good friends are getting married in July and the bride-to-be had her Hen (or as we call them in the States, bachorlette party) over the weekend. Those of us who couldn't afford the Hen (as they can run pretty pricey) decided to spend some time with her at a girls sleep over! We had pizza and watched bad chick flicks and of course, played the toilet paper dress game...where we had a 3 way tie so the losers won the prize haha! It was lots of fun and its so nice to do things in Ireland that don't involve THE PUB.

 5. Ok, so this no caffeine while pregnant thing? I'm calling bull-shit. There I've said it. I have given up drinking (no big deal for me), smoking (bigger deal, but I wanted to quit anyways) and I've gone off crisps (potato chips) and chocolate. I am drinking all the coffee and diet coke that I want. I mean, obviously I won't drink more than I would normally would but I'm not going caffeine free. This is a recent enough medical thing and I really don't think I am going to harm my child by having a cup of coffee. Its actually more of an American taboo anyways...here in Ireland people would think you were crazy if you told them they couldn't drink tea and coffee because they were expecting. (also my doctor is totally cool with casual drinking while pregnant....I nearly laughed in his face when he said that....obviously the attitudes are more relaxed in this country about these kinds of things...and No, I have no desire to casually drink while pregnant!)

6. My back is killing me. and my left hip. And both of my feet keep on getting charlie horses in them while I'm walking. If you saw me in the grocery store last night I may or may not have resembled Igor from Young Frankenstein.

 Walk this way.....No! This way!

7. Speaking of the grocery stores....Irish grocery stores can be extremely frustrating. It was super hard for me to get used to shopping here. I mean I have by this stage, but there are still things that I don't know if I will ever get used to. Like product disappearing and the chances of it never coming back likely. This is a common occurrence. I think I am going to dedicate a separate post to this one...I can feel a vent coming on.

8. James was in a village called Kilkee for a couple of days last week. Its the biggest "beach town" in the area and where everyone in Limerick goes for their seaside holidays. In the two years I've lived here I had never made it down to Kilkee so I was pretty excited to get to go down Saturday to pick James up and have lunch with some of the boys (who were on an "anti-hen" weekend).

 Me on the "beach"....don't judge....it was super windy and FREEZING outside. Perfect beach weather right??

 The view is pretty nice when I'm not in the way haha! Kilkee is like a small Inlet I'm guessing...I would consider this more of a bay than anything...but I was told otherwise. What do I know.

Annndddd this is pretty much the ENTIRE "beach" and a good majority of the village your seeing here in this picture. I will NEVER get over how small the beaches are here. I mean, they are TINY. Of course when I say this I always get scoffed at and told well "don't you think your just great with your big huge American beaches" and blah blah. I mean, I've seen plenty of beaches in England which are all small enough, but a hell of a lot bigger than the ones in Ireland! Not that there's anything wrong with that....I just wouldn't call it a beach, per se.
The village was nice, but very small. Big enough by Irish standards I suppose. I don't think I could spend more than one night there before going nuts. We had a lovely, extremely over priced lunch before we left. At least it wasn't raining! haha!

9. I broke the screen on my phone and I'm using my back up phone. I really miss my phone...I will not bitch about my phone anymore. I also didn't realize how phone-dependent I was. Thank god for phone insurance. Must not drop it in the future.

10. Its about 10:30 at night and still really bright out. Its the time of the summer where the sun doesn't set until around 11, sometimes 11:30 at night (on a really sunny day). I am loving the longer days, but I find it irritating when I have to wake up super early and its too bright to sleep in the bedroom....I really shouldn't complain since I will be craving this come December when its dark by 3:30 in the afternoon....

It all comes around...

Good things are happening folks.

I feel like my first two years living overseas have been very rollercoaster-y. It is not easy for anyone living overseas, but to move to a country right as the economy collapses, and even better, to one of the hardest hit cities...not the best timing or ideal situation. It's been pretty hard to for us to establish ourselves, for me to put down some roots and to feel stable on our feet. Lets just say there have been a lot of tear filled nights.

But finally, there is a lot of good on the horizon. I can finally see a viable future for my little family and see my time here in Ireland is going to turn a good leaf!

James finished college in May and has thrown himself into the job hunt...and after only a month on the market has landed himself a full time job! Finding a good job is hard enough, much less a full time job! I'm not terribly religious but that is nothing short of a blessing. Especially now that we have a baby in the very near future (is it just me or are these weeks just FLYING by?). I couldn't help but to cry when James called to tell me he got the job! I remember my job hunts here in Ireland and it was months and months of frustration, rejection and going in circles...so this was fantastic news all around! We can now afford things like decent housing and we can afford to replace things and buy more than just the essentials! We aren't going to know ourselves in a few months!

I also found out today that James has passed all of his courses and will be awarded his degree this August! To me that is the best news! I feel like all of James's hard work and sacrifice has paid off and my moving to Ireland has been worth it!

It totally feels like we are finishing this somewhat rocky chapter in our lives and starting a fresh, new exciting one with some huge changes! I feel so much happier than I've been my last two years here. I feel like I'm starting to fit in and accept my life here, and even, just maybe...enjoy some of the quirks of living in Ireland.

Good things people, good things.

Ten on Tuesday

1. First things first.....where did May go?!? seriously. That month freaking flew by. I'm gonna need these months to slow it down just a bit....I need more time to save and um plan and SLEEP. mostly sleep.

2. Speaking of sleep I'm tired. Pretty much all the time but not that I'm at the end of my first trimester I'm not nearly as exhausted as I was. I'm finding that I'm not sleeping through the night though since I'm getting up 5 and 6 times a night to use the bathroom. I thought that was something that didn't happen until the end!

3. Had a woman come into my work today...I've seen her a few times and she is a little mad and notoriously cranky. She is also in a wheel chair but in my mind that has nothing to do with her as a person. She came in while I was helping another person and she went right up to the counter and began talking to me as if no one was there. I said to her (in the nicest way possible) that I would be with her in just one minute and the woman freaked out- started screaming how dare I speak to her like she is vegetable and she is going to report me and blah blah. Both me and the woman I was helping just looked at her speechless....The woman then said she didn't want to deal with me so I got my co-worker for her. She then proceeded to tell my co-worker for 20 minutes what a horrible person I was. And its people like THAT which make me HATE working with the general public!

4. I finally saw this movie last night:

It was absolutely brilliant! I can't believe I waited so long to watch it! Colin Firth did an amazing job but I think I most like how Helena Bonham Carter pulled off the role as Queen Mother so well when she usually plays crazy spinster roles!

5. Despite how much I loved the movie I bawled like a baby for about 20 minutes after watching the movie....hurray for hormones! It was pretty funny though seeing the hubs frantically flipping through the what to expect for expectant fathers book though trying to figure out what the hell to do for an inconsolable partner who is crying for no reason at all! lol

6. I have such itchy feet....dying to take a trip! I really must go to some places around Ireland that are close enough to Limerick. I have a car that I can trust to take out of town now (woot!)

7. We are going to buy one of these next month:

 This, my friends, is called a condenser dryer. Its just like a regular tumble dryer expect no need for a vent. All of the water is condensed into a tank which I empty after a couple of loads...super handy because I can pretty much stick it in any corner with a socket! I REFUSE to not only live in a cold rainy country with no dryer, but to throw having an infant in the mix. no thank you. My days of having sandpaper texture towels are coming to a close!

8.I miss target. and wal-mart. really bad. damn....I'd even take a K-mart right about now. Never thought I'd say that.

9. I find that my priorities are starting to shift already. For the first time in my life working as much as possible is taking a back seat to a desire to actually take care of myself. Too bad we need money more than I need naps in the afternoon!

10. I'm a little bit ashamed to say I seriously still have st. patricks day decorations up in my kitchen. I mean, at first I was just lazy, but now I don't even notice them. I only realized it today because a friend called over for coffee and they made her laugh. I'm not ashamed enough to actually take them off the wall though...

I'm not good at withholding information...

Seriously I suck at keeping a good surprise locked away in my "vault". Now I won't spill a confidence or when I'm told that it must stay secret...but when I have a piece of good news I want the entire world to know.

That being said...it has been KILLING me to keep this fantastic tidbit to myself....without further adieu....

TADA!!!!

James and I found out last month that we were expecting....it was definitely a shock to me! I had a sneaking suspicion that I might be pregnant but steadfastly ignored it for several weeks. Finally curiosity got the better of me. I only took the one test and it wasn't even 30 seconds before I had two dark lines...no need to even bother with the second test! Excuse the crazy smile but I was more in a holy sh*t mind frame than the picture time mind frame! James took the picture and said "You better smile!!" before he took it- so this is my "Holy sh*t- what just happened" smile. HAH! 

I have to say, I've been pretty lucky, very little morning sickness (unless you count getting the stomach flu and an infection at the same time, which if that counts then I had 6 months worth of morning sickness in 4 days). Just mostly I've been tired and have had a sore back. So overall I have felt very un-pregnant. Which is great, but of course, me being me had me waking up in cold sweat during the night (between me getting up 4-5 times a night peeing ALREADY) thinking when they did the scan there would be nothing there. Between my paranoia and Dr. Google (seriously James nearly put child safety locks on my computer!) I had myself good and worried. 

All for naught though. Today we had our first Antenatal appointment (here they call pre-natal antenatal...why, who the hell knows, but when in Rome.) We finally got to see our little mini baby in all his/her glory! 

The Baby was kicking up a storm and overall quite active! We only got to see baby for about 30 seconds but that was enough. And yes, I did cry. Totally didn't expect it. And I cried for about a half hour afterwards every time I thought about the scan. Augh it makes me teary eyed now thinking about it. Totally blaming hormones on that one.

So here is Mini Baby- you can see his little legs kicking up a storm! (Can't feel a thing though- its so weird!)

You can just make out the thumbs up!

And another shot for you- Baby gave us the thumbs up during the scan- As James says- to calm down crazy Rach..."Everything is A-ok in here guys!"

So its a very new, scary and exciting chapter in my life over here. Its all starting to sink in and we are delighted! I promise I won't turn baby obsessed on you, but I will definitely be talking about the kind of care you get here and the differences (cause there are tons let me tell you!) between here and the states!

Snapshots

 I love the spring time....I feel like I'm waking out of my winter hibernation and the real world still exists beyond the confines of my fuzzy blanket and sofa cushions.

I've been trying to keep myself occupied between work and rainy days and have been taking a lot of pictures with my phone lately (and no its not a fancy iPhone, I've had one and I don't want one again, wasn't that over the moon about it...so BOOYA iPhone users! Just kidding, use whatever phone you want, I could care less.) mainly because I can't find the battery to my camera. I know its with the charger...somewhere...

I figured I would be lazy and instead of writing several posts I would gloss over the past couple of weeks with some snapshots from my phone...

The Great Limerick Run....I was so gutted I couldn't run it this year after all the training I had done! But my two girlfriends (and running buddies) ran it and had a great time! I'm looking forward to next year already!! I personally think its one of the best days to be in Limerick...There is such a great atmosphere in the city and so many events going on- even in the rain its hard not to have a smile on your face!

MMMM Cotton Candy...or Candy Floss as they call it here. I haven't had freshly made cotton candy in years and it was so freaking delicious! It was my birthday and even though I was stuffed to the gills with an amazing Chinese lunch James and I had just finished- I knew I couldn't walk through the French market without treating myself to a strawberry and orange cotton candy. (I wish it had been all orange though, seriously never thought it would be so good!) Lets just say that bad boy was demolished before I even got back to the car.

OK so I know this is kinda weird, ok really weird...but I always take pictures of my grocery shopping. Like when I do a "big" shop. We only do "big" shops about twice a month...sometimes less depending on how we are stretching out the staples. After we drag everything into the house I refuse to let James touch anything- I clear off the kitchen table and lay it all out...and take a picture lol! Its like I'm a hunter surveying my kill or something. A source of consumerism pride....look at what I've purchased! And at such a reasonable price! (btw all of the groceries we purchased on this trip came to like 42 euros. WOOT)

The escalator is out of order at work....except on the sign they put Travelator. Ummmm....that's NOT a word. Just saying. It made me laugh. (and that sign is still up by the way)

A lovely roast waiting for me when I got home from work. I have to say, I really lucked out in the husband department. I probably cook dinner about one night out of 6 a week. He is definitely the cook in our relationship!

This is what I am currently ignoring. A huge pile of laundry with my name all over it. Even the cat refuses to look at it. (I kid, he was distracted as I was taking the picture) I can feel the pile giving me the evil eye from the corner...I just have no desire to drag it down the stairs and begin sorting. le sigh. First world problems!

Ten On Tuesday

 

 

Actually this shouldn't be Ten on Tuesday because the majority of the time when I write this blog its on a Wednesday or a Thursday haha! Procrastinate much? 

1. I have been beyond lazy this week. Its getting a little ridiculous. I mean I haven't forgotten to brush my teeth or anything like that but lets just say if James wasn't around my house would look like its been hit with an H-bomb. My motivation for all things beyond my couch is very very low right now. 

2. I've got some big stuff on the horizon. Its a very need to know situation at the moment which is cool. Everyone has these times in their lives....It's just that I suck at keeping a secret.(well not so much keeping a secret as lying about something) So basically I've locked myself away from the world for the next couple of weeks. This is doing nothing to help with the getting Rach off the couch motivation. 

3. There is a full time position coming up at work and I would really like to get it....I haven't worked a consistent 40 hour week since I lived in the states. While part of me has learned to love the short weeks and days off another part of me hates it! I miss the routine and especially the extra money. Imagine supporting two people off a full time salary instead of a part time salary....we could afford name brand condiments! 

4. My cat follows me everywhere. Seriously. I can't even go into the bathroom without him following- he knows how to open the bathroom door. Right now he is sitting on my feet at the bottom of the bed as I type this. Its kinda sweet and kinda maddening. Seriously kitty why can't you be the type that hides under a chair for 18 hours? Gah! 

5. I had an amazing weekend! It was River fest in Limerick for the first weekend in May so that meant fireworks (woot!), boat races, a marathon and lots of yummy food! I think that the Riverfest weekend is the best time of the year to be in Limerick...the city centre is crammed full of people, everyone is in a cheery mood and even the weather cooperates! (sunshine woo hoo!) I even had myself a 99 on Saturday it felt so summery out! (a 99 is what they call a soft serve ice cream cone here...and they stick a cadbury flake into it...which is a type of candy bar. they aren't 99 cents though...which is misleading in my book....why else would they be called 99's?) 

6.  Ive started watching that show 2 Broke Girls (they just started showing it on TV here...) and it is so funny! I made James download the entire first season- I'm loving it. The one girl Max is just so snarky. I wish I could have her one-liners. I also like the fact that she is a normal size....not a zero! She is by no means fat, but normal! Nice to see that on TV! 

7. I have a ton of pictures on my phone that I would like to post here but I am feeling too lazy to email them to myself. So this post will be sans photos. sorry guys. 

8. I seriously lucked out in the husband department. I mean, he can drive me insane sometimes but overall? Best guy ever. If only I could get him to start noticing dirt and then I'd be set. haha He made me homemade biscuits tonight and was so delighted that I thought they were biscuity that he posted a picture of them on facebook saying they got the "Rachael seal of approval". I think I'll keep him around for a while. 

9.  Why are razors so cheap but razor heads to so expensive?!? 20 euros for 3 razor head refills? total ripoff! Its cheaper buying a whole new razor. grumble grumble grumble. 

10. I have to go to the Gaurda Station tomorrow to renew my residency...hoping that the picture turns out good. There is something about those official licensey type pictures that I tend to get all nervous and made the weirdest face. I end up looking frightened and constipated all at the same time. Not so flattering. Fingers crossed they have my information correct this year as well! last year they had down that I was married to my Father-in-law instead of James. Typical. Fingers crossed for smooth sailing!

Under my skin....

It's 2 in the morning and I should really be asleep by now, especially since I have to work in the morning but insomnia has got the better of me. As does something I saw on Facebook earlier tonight....

This person (who I will be deleting as soon as I'm done copying/pasting) is someone I used to work with...a little odd but seemed alright. We also graduated University together in the same program. I know he's a cop now and is pretty vocal about his political stance but I never thought he was this much of a....ugh there's not a nice word here so I'll let you fill in your own blank...

The woman in front of me in the grocery store struggling to breathe because she's so fucking fat from her 3 cart loads of Doritos and Ho Ho's had nothing to say when I leaned in and said "you're welcome". She said for what? and I replied "because I work 70 hours a week to pay my bills and yours...enjoy the Ho Ho's." I've never seen Wal Mart so quiet. And I'm out!

about an hour ago · · 3

 

 That was his lovely status I came across and it really disturbs me. Hes got plenty to say about universal health care and welfare and "Obamacare" but its one thing to have an opinion and its another to verbally harass members of the public. I mean...WHO DOES THAT?!? (btw...there were several more lovely examples of his "observations" but this was the one that pissed me off the most)

I'm pretty upset by what I read there- I for one hope that he is lying. That would be nice to believe. But he seems to be enough of an egotistical jackoff that he probably isn't. I mean, he doesn't know this person or her situation. What if she wasn't on welfare, and if she is- what business of his is that?!? NONE. This person could be on the verge of suicide, could have just lost a child, spouse or family member, could be terminally ill- or a whole host other other very personal issues. What right does he have to judge this person based on one shopping trip to wal-mart of all places? 

And for another thing...this is the REAL WORLD. Sometimes people need support, need welfare and housing assistance. That's why these programs exist. Why judge someone just because they have fallen on hard times?? He goes on about how he has worked since he was 15 and earned every single thing that he has had....well guess what buddy?? So have I!! But life isn't always simple and easy. When I first moved to Ireland I was on social welfare. It took me 5 months to find work and I had assistance for housing and groceries- my savings weren't going to be enough to feed and house us until I found a job. Does that make me a bad person? Maybe he would think so, but I know who I am and I know that every single person has their own unique situation and that I can't judge them for how they support themselves. 

I'm pretty thankful that Ireland has the social welfare system that it does. It is by no means perfect, but it means that James and I will never be homeless and I can go to the hospital or the doctor and not break the bank, and actually afford our prescriptions. It means that if he or I lose a job we are not up the creek with no paddles. By no means do I think that makes me lazy (Even though I complain I love working) or less of a person, or worthy of being JUDGED by someone who perceives themselves better than someone who needs assistance. 

He should be ashamed...I know I'm ashamed for him. 

 

 

Hubs is earning is stripes

Sorry I have been MIA as of late....

Recently I have had lots of changes (more on that later) and been picking up more hours at work (WOOT!) and also getting horrific stomach bugs and infections in the same weekend. (that I do not recommend friends. It is not a recipe for good times).

I was meant to go to Dublin on Saturday for a large company Ball that is hosted once a year-all inclusive stay in a lovely hotel, drinks, dinner, dancing....the nines. Unfortunately about 5am Saturday morning I woke up sicker than I have been in years. After spending about 6 hours throwing up everything I might have eaten in the last 2 weeks I decided that driving 2 hours from home wasn't a wise decision. Boo Hiss. I guess there's always next year!

Anyways I'm still in recovery mode...Its amazing how being sick can really reduce you back to the basics. Yesterday was my first day back eating solid food- after each small meal I was so worn out I proceeded to take a one to two hour nap. It was pretty awesome, I'm not going to lie. It was a small glimpse of the beauty that could be my retirement.

 I went back to work today which was fine but extremely tiring. After I got home I made the mistake of lying down on the couch...this made me completely useless...and makes me happy I married the person I did.

James has been a trooper this past week from running to the shop several times a day for more 7up and having to rebuy broth (seriously Swanson's...how hard is that!) to clean up after he ripped the puke bag (poor guy....if I wasn't so sick I would have laughed...and helped him clean up) to making sure I'm taking all of my meds.

Today was no exception...I was trying to eat dinner but I just couldn't seem to stand the thought of food. I started getting a craving for Motts applesauce...which of course doesn't exist here (and actually I don't recall seeing applesauce in the grocery stores...) so James googled recipes and started making me homemade applesauce. An hour and a batch of applesauce later...no dice. I couldn't eat it. By this time I had a hankering for pudding...you know the chocolate Jello kind. So James goes to the store, buys the closest thing here (Angel Delight) and whips it up....no dice. Poor guy, struck out on both accounts. Later on after he finished cleaning up the kitchen he made himself a bag of popcorn and settled down next to me. I then ate his entire bag of popcorn. Seriously, James had no chance of getting any. Either I am the world's worst wife or I married the most patient guy ever.


Side note here- First time blogging with new blogger layout....Don't like blogger homepage yet but I do like how the composition format is laid out! I will definitely be getting around to commenting soon- I've really enjoyed reading blogs while laid up in bed I just need to get the will to put words on the screen!

Ten on Tuesday

I'm playing with Lin over at Linny's Vault again today...come and play!

1. Today was another day off, but instead of like the last time with sunshine and visits with friends today mostly consisted of gale force winds, hale and cuddling with my laptop time. Boo Irish weather.

2. This may or may not make me a horrible person...and its also TMI big time BUT- Hubs has a colonoscopy tomorrow and is drinking that klean-prep liquid (which smells like a candy necklace strangely enough) and is running to the bathroom every 10 minutes (sometimes less). I burst out laughing every time he makes a frantic dash for the bathroom (I'm laughing as I type this)....mean I know, right? But for me... very funny. (as he yells from the other room "One day this will be you!!")

3. So Pottermore is open to the general public now. I have spent the majority of my day today going through the website. I'm a Hufflepuff....I don't know how I feel about that. In my mind I always thought I was a Gryffindor. (Could I BE more nerdy? lol) Anyways I'm really liking it...dissapointed that the second book isn't ready yet though! If your on it you should add me as a friend- GobletLeviosa16820

4. I really really miss having a dishwasher. Seriously.

5. You could also say and I really really miss having a tumble dryer as well. Its about equal to my desire to have a dishwasher. There is actually about a list as long as my arm of things that I miss having. Le Sigh.

6. Hubs will be done with school very very soon!! I'm super excited and nervous about this happening. The job market is still unstable and incredibly difficult in Ireland. I would love for him to find a job ASAP but I know that probably won't happen. Anything would be great though...I would love to know what its like to live in a two income household instead of a one income household supporting two people (and this is part-time work income peoples...IE we are broke the majority of the time....boo!)

7. I have really enjoyed being able to sit in bed today and listen to/watch the rain. Its nice knowing I don't have to go out in it as well!

8. I really need to start writing down my ideas for blog posts. I come up with these wonderful ideas at the most random of times (grocery shopping, washing dishes, at work, driving etc) and never write them down and rarely remember them! There is so much stuff about this city and this country I would love to share (some things cool some things absurd....must be better blogger!)

9. I watched the Oprah with Shirley McClaine the other day (really old one I know but this is Irish TV....its never got current shows on!) I love her as an actress...as a person shes a little eccentric. Her talking about UFO's over her hottub cracks me up...but if I had her kind of money I don't think I would give two craps about what anyone thought of me either!

10. My birthday is right around the corner and I have no clue what to ask the hubs for....any thoughts or suggestions? I'm terrible about asking for stuff for myself and then when I don't get anything or dislike what I get (could I be more selfish or firstworld sometimes...geez!) I don't have room to say anything! So people help me out...whats a good gift that doesn't cost much that would be fun for 27?

Well here's to hoping everyone has a great week! Wish me some luck for sunshine!