A trip to Yorkshire

Daniel and I headed over the Scottish border last week to visit his family and a few friends from his home town. A week filled with laughter and love is all I can expect from Dan's family and that is exactly what we received. The week started off with two days of scorching sunshine and me moaning that I didn't pack the right wardrobe for the weather so I mainly sat it the shade to prevent from over heating. We took a wander into Bakewell which has to be one of the cutest little towns I've ever layed my eyes on with the little market and a charity shop on every corner. There is a little antique shop with lots of vintage goodies from funky furniture to silverware and jewellery. In one glass cabinet my dream engagement ring is waiting for me, it's bloody gorgeous! We visited the shop for the first time in December 2017 and I've not stopped thinking about that ring!!! I couldn't go to Bakewell and not pop in to see if the ring was still sitting and after a sad couple of minutes desperately looking for it and not seeing it anywhere, I spotted it....In a new cabinet and still just as stunning as before, maybe even more so. Im not one for subtle hints or playing the game so I've told Dan on multiple occasions about how in love with the ring I am and Im pretty sure he's got the message loud and clear!

A walk round a gorgeous park filled with families and dogs gave us a look into our future and gave Rolo a chance to run around and sniff different bits of grass. After a long but not so long walk we headed to yummy Yorkshire for one of the best ice creams I've ever had....Banoffe pie ice cream in a chocolate cone....What!!! I ended up being too full to finish it off so Dan the man stood up to the challenge after finishing off his own. 

I think it was sitting around 24 degrees so an ice cream was a great shout! 

The following few days we chilled at dans parents and watched a movie on one of the evenings. On the Thursday we visited one of dans chums and had a look round his lovely new house! Grey and mustard everywhere accessories in every room! its was dreamy! Daniel's grandparents then came round for dinner and we got caught up on all the family goss! The last two days were spent just lazing around, we always have great intentions when going away but we always end up being to lazy to pursue any exciting activities. For us its a holiday and there is nothing worse when you've got a big long list of things to do and never actually get a spare second to sit down and relax! 

On the Sunday morning we made our departure and began the 8 hour trip home with 5 different houses to stop at on route. With dan being a game keeper his friends are pretty well spread across the country but it made the journey more scenic thats for sure. We left Dan's parents around 8:30am and got home at 12:30am ish! fair to say the journey took longer than 8 hours. We did try to cut our visits down to an hour at each house but you can't say no to a cup of tea and an abundance of food! 

There is something to satisfying about getting into your own bed when returning home. Id cleaned our sheets just before we left so we had a fresh bed to come back to which only makes the feeling better! 

I think everyone enjoyed meeting our little bump and they are all very excited for her arrival as are we! It's crazy to think that the next time we visit Yorkshire we will have a little person to take with us! I can't wait for the family holidays to Yorkshire and all the gorgeous places we can show our little girl! 

Im gonna go and tidy the house now,
peace out,

Amber Elizzy 
xox

Baby names I love

When it comes to choosing a name for your little baby it is not an easy task. Growing up with lots of pets I've been through a lot of weird and wonderful names. My dogs are called Bacon and Spider (Spider was Dan's idea, but I loved it)....as far as naming animals go, I like to be original and a bit wacky.

Naming a baby is very different. My dog doesn't care that his name is Bacon, his friends don't make fun of him or judge him for having a ridiculous name. I said from day one that I don't want my child going to school and having 5 other kids with the same name. I'd want their name to represent who they are and that they are an individual. Im a strong believer in names playing a role in the kind of person your child will be. I wanted something that was easy to spell and pronounce, wasn't extremely popular (in the top 100 baby names) and was unique but not bizarre. 

The names I am going to share are names I absolutely love but won't be using. I have a variety of names from unique to more common. When naming our first baby I wanted to bare in mind the possiblitiy of having more children and I didn't want the names to not sound good together. These are names that I couldn't think of sibling names or they didn't match the middle name we had picked.

Top 5 Boy names

1. Carter - This name sounds super American to me and reminds me of a cowboy or a country boy that plays guitar. It's a name that is creeping up in the top 100.

2. Arlo - This is a name that when I first heard it I instantly loved it for a baby boy but I struggle to see a man called Arlo. With naming a baby I often forget that this is gonna be there name their whole life and they are and adult a lot longer than they are a baby.

3. Curtis - My friend is having a little baby boy and this was a name on her list and oh my god, I love this name. It's a name that most people have heard of but very few know someone with this name. This is obviously my friends potential baby names so I couldn't steal it but I do adore this name.

4. James - My grandad's name and my dad's middle name which obviously gives this name a lot of meaning. Two of the most influencial men in my life, this would be a definite option for a middle name if Dan and I were to have another child and of course if said child was a boy. 

5. Grayson - This name as it is super unique but is becoming more popular. Dan's dad is called Raymond and I love that this name has Ray in it, We liked the idea of incorporating a family name into our choice without straight out naming the baby after a family member.

Top 5 Girl names

1. Prim - Prim without the rose part, I really liked this name from the very beginning of my pregnancy but every time I said it the response was always "aww yeah like primrose" which put me off of it. The name primrose although very beautiful, Im not a fan.

2. Nellie - I think this is such a cute name and suits all ages throughout life. My only concern was that she would get called "smelly nellie" or constantly be asked what it was short for.

3. Quinn - I feel this name has a super nature vibe, boho princess rocking a flower headband. A very different look from what most people think of which is Harley Quinn who I can't imagine anyone would want there baby girl growing up like.

4. Lily - A very pretty and simple name. I am a big fan of flower names and I think this name is gorgeous. The classic example of a really nice name that you don't like because you know someone with this name and you don't want your child to turn out like them.

5. Nova - This name is very different and I'm unsure if you'd suit it when you're 40 but non the less I really like it, so much so that last summer we named one of our little brown cocker spaniel Nova.

I hope you have enjoyed having a read of some of my favourite names and maybe even found the name that you want to call your baby. 

Over and out,

Night night,

Amber Elizzy.

Getting to know Pregnancy

It doesn't matter how many people you speak to during your 9 months and even after everyone has something different to say about being pregnant. No ones experience is exactly the same, I've constantly been reminding myself of this every time someone tells me about a bad experience because it can be terrifying but some people do sail through pregnancy and labour is a breeze for them so really you just have to sit back and wait till its your turn.

For me the first 4 months were spent in shock and constantly nipping myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Before you feel little kicks and start showing it can be quite hard to get your head round. Even after my 12 week scan, seeing our little baby on the screen right in front of us, I was still in disbelief.

I have spent a lot of my pregnancy smiling and laughing more than I have ever done before but at the same time I have also cried and felt so lost in a body that doesn't look or feel like mine, a body I have spent so long learning how to accept and love.

There are a lot of people out there who tell you how you should feel about your pregnancy, they also tell you that it is going to be one of the most magical and memorable times of your life, and to some extent that is true but it's not all sunshine and rainbows like some people like to make out it is.

I also deal continually with the fear of not offering our baby the best life we can offer or the fear of not being the perfect "mum". These feelings change day to day, our child is going to be so fortunate to grow up amongst lots of animals and have the freedom to wander around in the countryside. She may not get all the latest gadgets and tech but I can't really claim that to be a negative. I'd much rather have a daughter that can hold a conversation than unlock a smart phone at the age of 3.

I took a long time while growing up to accept and love the body I was in and even though I now look in the mirror and see a very different figure, I’m proud of my body and how amazing it is for creating this new life but that doesn't take away from the fact that it doesn't look like my body and I don't know if i'll ever get my old body back which some people may say doesn't matter and that looks are irrelevant but it's almost laughable that I spent so many years not being comfortable in my skin and now that I’m not the skinny mini I once was I want it back.

I’m not going to sugar coat it and say that I’m not tired and that my body doesn't ache, because it does. Growing a little person is no walk in the park and it definitely takes it's toll, you're constantly reminded that you'll be even more tired when the baby arrives, being told that pregnancy is the easy part. I’ve found that you're almost looked down on for not having the energy or even the willpower to be doing all things you'd do before.

Im full of love and joy for our future and I cannot wait to meet our little person.

Im now sitting between 6 and 7 months so the kicking has become a lot more apparent and the heart burn is like nothing I've ever felt before. However the fears and worries have started to take a back seat and the excitement and anticipation is shining bright. Feeling our baby moving and wriggling about is one of the best feelings but seeing Daniel's face light up every time he takes a hit from a tiny foot on the palm of his hand is something that cannot be replaced.

We are definitely getting a sense of our babies personality. Already she is letting us know that once she is here we will well and truly be kept busy.

We are happy and from what I can tell from all the dancing so is our little baby girl.

Night night,

sleep tight.

Amber Elizzy