A Full Week Of Sickness...

... has imploded the house this week. Both Nahla and myself, as well as our visitors that went home Tuesday afternoon, have all been crazed with fever, stomach bugs, coughs, snotty noses and just general yucky illness. Which explains my dreadful blog absence.

And in the midst of all the sick-and-snot galore, I find that I am very thankful for the following:

1. Tesco online shopping and free-of-charge home delivery. Without which, we would all have starved to death by know, for sure.

2. E4's constant re-run of old episodes of Friends. It is just the easiest thing to rest your eyes on when you are not feeling your very best. How YOU DOIN'?!

3. Kleenex with added conditioner. My very sore nose would have looked even worse without it.

4. Youtube. For their constant supply of Mickey Mouse videos, making sure toddler was entertained when Mummy was flat out on the sofa. Because toddlers, funny enough, can have a temperature of like 40 c + and still have tons of energy. Go figure.

5. My on-the-large-side collection of super soft Juicy Couture bottoms. Just because the thought of having had to wear something else this week makes me shudder.

6. Nahla's stream of millions of questions. I think it kept my brain from melting away with all that fever. Fat chance though with a two-year old in the house.

7. Toast. Dry, buttered toast. One of life's little pleasures. And the only thing we could al stomach this week. That and 7 Up.

Now, here's to healthier next week!

Because TODAY I Deserve It

I am having ice cream right now. Full fat, stuffed-with-sugar-calorie-laden-proper-ice-cream. And not only because it is Saturday, but because today the following things happened:

1. We were surprised by a hail-storm when out shopping - and the only nearby Starbucks was so full we could not even get in the door to heat up on lattes. WTF.

2. Nahla - for the second day in a row - decided to skip her mid-day nap. Resulting in a very tantrum-filled afternoon indeed.

3. We got locked out of the house. For two very long cold hours.

4. I had to drive to no less than 4(!) ATM's before finding one that was not out of service and would give me money for the locksmith.

5. Mr. Locksmith cost 120 euros(!). Note to self: Never EVER get locked out again.

6. My planned-and-shopped-for homemade lasagne had to yield for a quick-and-not-so-nice order of Thai food. (And I LOVE Thai food, but this stuff was vile)

7. I have deadlines closing in and NOBODY I need to talk to will answer their e-mails.

8. I have paid no less than 7 different bills on my online banking and my balance is a sad state of affairs. Which again makes me think I seriously need to get these new articles in by their deadlines.

9. There is nothing on TV.

10. Even if there was, I couldn't watch it, and I really REALLY have to keep writing...


See?? You would have ice-cream too! Now; just one more scoop...

You Know It's Cold...

... when you are absolutely CRAVING some chocolate, but it is so cold that you settle for an old box of raisins lurking in the bottom of your bag - just so that you don't have to venture out!

Words To Live By

Just had to share this sweet quote - as I think it really is important words to try and live your life by. Other than that I am really sorry about the recent lack of posts and blog updates. This mummy has been very under the weather with a really bad summer cold - seriously; sniffles galore. And fever. And sore throat. And just generally feeling horrible. And to make matters worse, so has my little munchkin, whose nose was so stuffy last night I was up 17 times to comfort her and try and administer nose-spray into her little nose. Words of motherly advice: Getting nosespray into a hysterical baby is NOT EASY and really a job that requires two - if not three - adults...

The Heat...

... is driving me crazy! Stuffy, clammy, sticky heat is all well and good when you can spend your days at the beach, but not so much when you are locked in an office all day. So therefore, heat, just go away! At least during the week. On the weekends, however, you are more than welcome to resurface. Cheers.

Frustrated Munchkin...

... is fed up too with the lack of broadband! No Skype calls to everyone we feel like talking to, no private YouTube screenings of In The Night Garden; sure it's no wonder we are a bit stressed out!

Today We...

... reunited Nahla with all her "Irish" toys...


... stayed inside and just snuggled as my princess was still not well...


... bought a card for brand new Baby Lily (congrats to E and A with a beautiful princess!)...


... and just enjoyed some Mummy and Nahla time, AKA The Best Time Ever...

Despite Being Up All Night With A Stomach Bug...

... Nahla was in flying form again today. Mummy, who was naturally also up with her sick princess, not so much flying form and more dead than alive. The joys!

Vitamin Water...

... is a lifesaver on days when you have deadlines looming, are cross eyed from having been up with a coughing baby all night and feel like you are coming down with a cold as well!

Blair and Serena...

... makes me long for summer in this picture! The dresses, the colors; seriously, I CANNOT WAIT! I am so sick of winter at this point. So the fact that it is only mid January worries me slightly, as it is still weeks and weeks to go before the arrival of warm days, balmy nights and some serious summer fashion statements. New bikinis from Victoria's Secret. Huge Tom Ford shades. Freshly pedicured feet, brown and lovely clad in nothing but Havaianas. Nahla in little dresses and bare legs. The smell of cut grass. The taste of strawberries. Relaxing on a sun lounger. Can you tell I am not really a winter person at all?!

Snow, Snow, GO AWAY!

Please please, keep all fingers crossed that the snow that is currently coming in over Dublin subsides and that Dublin Airport will reopen sooner rather than later. BF, due to fly out here to us at 07.45 A.M. this morning is still stuck in the airport waiting to be allowed take off. And we are sad and anxious girls, just wanting our little family to be together for Christmas! Say a little prayer! xxx

The Snowmageddon Continues...

... and continues and continues and continues... and.. you get the picture. It is snowing tonight. Heavy. Again. Meaning we probably won't make it to Cork in the morning to admire our brand new little beautiful nephew. For the second week in a row. Hands up who is getting a bit snow-sick at this stage?!

To Us Norwegian Girls...

... this may just look like a little bit of, well, wet slushy sleet on the road, in other words, nothing major to, say, make a country come to utter standstill. But amazingly enough, here in Ireland, that is exactly what it did today. It was a funny scene that seemed to repeat itself over and over outside the bay windows in our living room today, where cars skidded around, got stuck in the slush, went off the road and were abandoned there, waiting for some- clearly overworked- AA guy to come save it.

I had plans today to make it in to the city, meet an old colleague for some brunch, drop some cash in Reiss and Topshop and in general just have some pre-Christmas Dublin fun, but that all went up in smoke- or snow, more like it, as the weather got progressively worse as the day went on- and frankly, seasoned as I may be in wintertime driving, even I would not attempt these roads with no snowtyres on the car. And so we were confined to our local area for the afternoon instead, where we went for a lovely snowy walk, sipped (organic) hot chocolates at the healthfood café, browsed the lovely bookstore and stocked up on yummy dinner in M&S before we headed home to defrost in front of the fire, enjoy a relaxing night in- and make sure BF/Daddy was surviving his man-flu!

Alive, If Not So Well

SO very sorry about the recent lack of blog posts. Not only was Sunday a looong day (did I mention the 3.45 A.M. start?!), but since arrival in Ireland, princess and Mummy have been feeling a little under the weather. Which last night turned to a lot under the weather when the two of us was up all night getting sick.

Poor BF/Worried Daddy was run off his feet getting tissues, changing bedlinens, changing princess' PJ's (a total of 3 times!), getting apple juice (the only thing we could keep down- sorry about the over-sharing!) and in general just keeping us sane in the midst of all this drama. And much as I HATE being sick myself, having to witness my precious little heart being ill was far worse. My Mummy-Heart ached! And so after having first got sick all over her own bed twice, little Nahla was swiftly moved into our bed- where she got sick again (mostly on me) and then eventually (thank God) fell asleep across Mummy's belly.

So as you can gather, it has been a yucky couple of days. And it is only tonight, after yet another day spent mostly in PJ's on the sofa, that things are starting to look up. Fever gone. Food intake: Better (how nice is toast when you haven't eaten in two days?!). Food coming back out again: None as of yet. So all in all, a clear improvement in both mummy and baby's conditions. Hopefully by tomorrow things are looking even better, as we are more than ready for some Starbucks, Christmas shopping, playdates and other fun and fabulous things! And sure if not, then it will be another day on the sofa for Mummy and Nahla- and in all honesty, there are far worse ways to spend a day if you ask me!

Mummy-Flu And Baby-Flu...

... surely is worse than any man-flu I have ever encountered. I kid you not. Mummy and Nahla have both been sick since we woke up Monday morning, fever, sore throat, nausea, headache; the full seasonal flu I suspect. And this is the part no-one shows in you in the movies when people have babies and it looks all heartbreakingly sweet. I am talking barely being able to drag yourself out of bed to get sick in the bathroom, with a screaming baby attached to your leg. An apartment that looks like a DISASTER. A baby, that normally sleeps like an angel all night, suddenly standing up in her cot shouting at 3 A.M- to a point where sobbing Mummy saves her and both fall into a fever like coma in Mummy's bed. Total and utter mayhem in other words. With a few harsh truths learned along the way the last couple of days:

1. Fever affects children and adults in COMPLETELY different ways. While I was more dead than alive with a temperature of 39,4
C, Nahla was in flying form when the thermometer showed 40,2 C, wanting to play, be carried and generally just get on with her day.
2. It is amazing how exhausted two days with absolutely no food and just apple juice will make you. This is me, by the way.
Nahla had a close-to-normal appetite, it just all came back up afterwards.
3. Wiping up mashed chicken, sweet potato and broccoli when you are feeling not your best is, at best, challenging.
4. Embracing mess and chaos becomes inevitable, as worrying over dust and unwashed laundry on top of taking care of sick
more sick would have been the end of me.

So there you go, the reason why I have been less than good at updating this blog. Basically at doing anything apart from sleep, trying to sleep, make sure Nahla slept, trying to eat, realizing I couldn't eat, make food for Nahla, wipe up all the food that resurfaced again- and then repeating the circle over and over again. But I am happy to report that we are slowly resuming somewhat of normality here chez Mummy and Nahla. Fever down. Appetite on the up. No sign of sick since yesterday lunchtime. Apartment still a mess, but will get better. We have both showered. We have changed form pj's to normal clothes. Here's to health!

Poor Colleen!

Colleen Rooney was surely one of the yummiest pregnant women there ever was. She dutifully did her WAG chores, dressed the part and was nothing but a glowing example of impending motherhood. And yet her husband, and childhood sweetheart, footballer wünder kid Wayne Rooney, felt the need to play away (hah!) when his wife was pregnant with their first (and hopefully only!) child Kai Wayne, now 10 months. When the scandal broke last week about Wayne's "indiscretions", Colleen apparently escaped to her parents house with the couple's son, and what happens next remains to be seen. Colleen, doll, you can WITHOUT A DOUBT to a million times better- so now go do just that!

(Photo Credit from here)

Stressful Sunday...

You all know how much I LOVE Sundays, right? They are usually my favorite day of the week; just made for long lazy mornings, brunches with friends, either around your own kitchen table, or out in some lovely restaurant, walks in the park, window-shopping, and in general just blissful lazy evenings in front of the TV, cuddled up with your family. This is the way all Sundays should go down, nothing but fun, family and friends to make you high on life, and ready for the week ahead.

But this Sunday, much as I still enjoyed a nice day with my beautiful baby, and had a lovely dinner in my auntie and uncle's house, where I got to spend time with my adorable cousins, today was just filled with angst and stress. Europe is still engulfed in black volcanic ash from Iceland and their stupid erupting volcano, and air-travel is still pretty much at a stand-still, with only little pockets throughout the continent open for travel. Which sucks. For me personally- and for all the other thousands of people who are stuck and can not make it home, or on holidays, or both. Trains are full. Buses are over-crowded. Taxies are making money like never before. And hotels in all the major cities have upped their prices with thousands; knowing that people will book rooms anyway, they don't have a choice at this stage. I spent the day glued to BBC News, as well as catching all the Norwegian news broadcasts. There is no real reason for optimism in sight. A little pocket of clean air tomorrow, but then more ashes throughout the week. The UK remains closed too. Which means my Tuesday morning flight to London is looking a bit unlikely to happen at this stage. Which upsets me greatly. Not only does it mean that I won't get to see BF, it also possibly means that my parents flights for Friday and Sunday- as they were to join us in Bristol and London for a few days- is also hanging by a thread. We had all been looking forward to this trip for ages, I know they miss Nahla so much, not being able to see her every day, and I just know they will be so disappointed if everything falls through at this stage. Please please Weather Gods, blow that ashes in a totally different direction!



(Photo Credit from here)

A Black Cloud...

Having spent the last two days in the company of Lise, who by no choice of her own is stuck in Oslo for the time being due to the Icelandic volcano eruption, I have now started to fear for my own flight to London this Tuesday. According to most news agencies the lock-down of British airports is set to stay the same until lunchtime Monday- at the earliest, meaning that my Tuesday morning flight from Oslo to Gatwick is starting to look like it might not happen. Which would be upsetting to say the least. Stupid mean volcano, playing havoc with peoples' holiday plans like that!


(Photo Credits from here)

Mastitis. Again. F**K.

Last night as we went to bed I must admit I breathed a not-so-small sigh of relief. First set of vaccinations were behind us, and Nahla seemed to not have gotten any nasty side-effects from them. No fever. No crying. No fussing. Nothing. My little lioness, so little and yet so brave. And so I thought: "Yeah, all is good, Easter holidays, Ireland and BF/Daddy; here we come!" And as we are leaving EARLY Thursday morning, I had every intention to spend today packing. I used to be The Best Packer in the World. Seriously. For a girl I was AMAZING. I could get away with packing nothing but hand-luggage even for 2 week breaks in the sun. City weekends, family holidays, work trips; you name them, I could pack for them. And pack well. Organized, thought out and efficient. That was until Nahla came along. Now, having to pack for us both, I feel hopeless. I over-pack. I pack and then unpack, trying to figure out what we really need. I mess up my outfits, bring too much for us both; all in all am pack to packing square one. So believe me; I needed today.

And then disaster struck. For the second time. I woke up around 7 am with a now familiar ache in my right boob. And I mean ache. My whole breast was red and hard and full of lumps. I knew without even checking that I had a fever. I felt horrible. And then upon getting out of bed, I felt both dizzy and sick. So with Nahla on her playmat on the bathroom floor, Mummy took a long hot shower accompanied by her breast pump, then got sick into the toilet with the pain of it all. Not a great morning. Then Mummy reluctantly popped a paracetamol and took Nahla and went to bed for another couple of hours. Then rang GP for my second antibiotic prescription in two months. One word: YUCK.