Granny and Grandpa's

 cuddles with Grandpa

selfie with Granny

snoozing in the shade

First weekend at Granny's house

We took B to Granny and Grandpa's house this weekend and she has loved it! She will have SO much fun there in the pool and in the beautiful big garden, playing near the fields, the path is perfect to learning to ride a bike, we are so close to the beach there too :) The dogs are getting more and more used to her too, We will continue to do the introduction CAREFULLY and SLOWLY to be safe but (touch wood ) so far so good...The last 2 days she has been SO much calmer and happier and even though she is taking less food she is happier at thats whats best. The dr is being great and we will see him again this week and I know if needs we can always turn to the Paedatrician if it gets bad again.  We love our little punk so much, she is also now called baby burrito  as she looks a bit like a burrito in her swaddle! We had the NICEST 2 hr cuddle on saturday morning she was sleeping in bed with us all snuggled and soft!
We had our first "poo up the back through the clothes yesterday" I was laughing so much as well as being equally grossed out? Straight in the bath she went....And she LOVES the big girl bath at G and G's ..She could do her "zen state" and float up and down at the same time...Also at bedtime last night she did her infamous "fountain wee" where she wees AFTER nappy change and cream, but did it TWICE in a row and peed all over herself and us, even in her hair...oh the joy! I think we grossed out Auntie Helen pretty well...Cant beleive she turned 5 wks on friday, We have tried a skype with r but B was having a mini melt down and we will try again later this week but I have sent R lots updates and pics to keep her amused and up to speed with punkys growth, looking forward to a good catch up though.

back to the doctors

We have now been prescribed another medication for her milk to add, If that fails we will swap milk, if that fails we will add another medication, If that fails we will try a soy milk, if THAT fails she is off to Dr Douek in london...poor little mite....Im hoping that her issues are largely her being prem and that she will "grow out" of most of it. Thank God we have a great Gp though!!!! He has been an angel for me too. My baby is such a happy little soul and its not nice when she is in pain.

Look at the lovely pic Ta and Tess Tess gave us of B

YIPEEEEEEEE and BOO HOO!!!

SO B has silent reflux and we have had ten blissful days since she went on gaviscon, problem sorted happy normal newborn baby back....we thought...NOPE, squirming all over again and screaming....is it wind? is it the reflux ? is it colic as well? constipation? is it a allergy? should we use infacol, colief? change the milk? WHAT the FUDGE do we do??? This is Hellish. the poor babe is so unhappy with it...HOWEVER...Sleep wise the last 2 nights she has pretty much slept 11pm-4/5 !!! Although I dont actually sleep then as Im always listening out, daddy has had his ears cleared today as he is so deaf and I have to been listening for the both of us, but now hopefully he will have supersonic hearing too! Amazing....The dogs have been VERY good (touch wood) Tyler especially, Roo is a bit wary and jumpy so we are watching him like a hawk but he is being much better than we hoped. Mummy and Daddy cant wait to start aquatots with Bella. Im going to look into baby massage too.

My views on Americans!

SO BEFORE...I thought they were loud, arrogant (in general, Im making a very sweeping generalisation here) and had a HUGE sense of entitlement and it has always hugely irked me how they think they won world war two single handedly. Either grossly fat or stupidly thin.

However they again -in general  are VERY efficient, have miles better customer care than we do in the UK, The people in Chicago were amongst the warmest and friendliest bunch I have ever met, not for them the eyes downcast and silence in the lift (elevator) ALWAYS you were smiled at or greeted warmly. The 2 BEST hotels by FAR I have ever stayed in for genuine customer care are the Four Seasons Chicago and the Ritz Carlton Chicago. Yes sometimes It was annoying to be asked about our accents and told how "cute" it was but Americans (well Chicago dwellers) interact so much more than we do here in the UK, how we bustle about head down and ignore what our fellow man is doing.

But most of all their LAW on surrogacy. In the states WE are Bella's parents, done..dusted. As soon as we touched down in the UK? Nope....old antiquated law dictates a lengthy and stressful process of making her "ours for keeps" and British. I understand rules are rules and there are "bad" people who could slip through the net who have gone about things in the "wrong way" but we have not, We CHOSE to do it the RIGHT way even putting ourselves in debt instead of picking say India(which would have been a fraction of the cost) so we KNEW our surrogate was being treated right and protected and of course so were we. One just wants to get on with being a family but we have to jump through so many hoops, You would think the country that INVENTED I.V.F would be at the top of the game legally...Its frustrating to say the least. But hopefully as surrogacy is becoming more common we will pave the way to make it easier at least for others in the future. So for that alone, The American legal view on surrogacy I will try and not get annoyed the next time I am lying on a sun lounger and a bunch of Americans are talking very loudly at each other, and just be grateful America and Americans exist, because fact is regardless of the fact our R was from NZ and our IVF doctor was from South Africa, without America my beautiful little girl would not be here. And for THAT I will always be thankful.

My family come to visit and Bella is 4 weeks old :)

so my side of the family descended on mass today, what a LOVELY day full of Bella being "papped", cuddled, the cousins arguing over who held her the most, yummy wine and lovely lunch in the sun.

B got bought MORE gifts and had ALOT of lovings :)

Been a while

So we arrived home HURRAH, not so hurrah was poor B has been diagnosed with silent reflux which is quite common in preemies and those born with polyhydramnios mothers (or surrogate) can have babies with tummy issues, she was FINE in Chicago but also its normally developed at about now so....We had 4 HORRENDOUS nights of arching and screaming and the poor little mite was in terrible pain, We were beyond shattered with that and the jet lag but since being put on infant gaviscon she is back to the normal babe I know :) She is growing well and 7.11 now :) Now she is loving baths and going for walks in the sunshine...Silent reflux can go on for over a yr but hopefully we caught it early. We may have to faff about with meds and she may have to see the paediatrician but....She is getting constipated from the gaviscon so we are doing lots legs cycling and tummy massage etc...I cant wait to start baby massage and baby swimming...Feel a bit more human now we SEEM (touch wood ) to know whats wrong.  We have had some visitors too, Granny and Grandpa are smitten, So is Uncle Paul and Auntie Helen, and my sister and brother are coming at easter. We have also started having friends over too. B is on a bit of routine now which is helping alot too. Doggies get introduced this weekend and we are doing that VERY carefully so everyone is happy and settled.

LOVING bathtime now :)

Granny Alison

 Godmummy Emma

 Grannnnnnnnnnnny <3

 Grandpa

Seem

 Godaddy Will

uncle Paul

Auntie Helen

Sa and B

Bella's Belly Button :)

Her cord stump has fallen off! At 2 weeks and 1 day....So when we get home she can have her first bath :) Its quite poetic how it has fallen off the night before we fly home.... I think she will love baths and swimming after probably screaming the place down the first time ha ha. We are 3/4 packed up right now, had our last mall dinner, about to finish Breaking Bad (boo hoo) before we go we will finish packing etc and then take a trip down to the lake for a blast of fresh air and stretch our legs before the flight. We have been using Weleda nappy change calendula cream and it does seem pretty soothing. I think Im getting a cold and sore throat which should be fun for the journey home....We are also using Infacol which seems to help get the burps (and farts) going. Anyway I have to change a pooy nappy...bye!

I am 2 weeks today!!!

2 weeks today! Time has flown....in a haze of nappies and milk and burps and sterilising and fatigue and smiles and love and laughter. Today we have seen Dr Dan for the last time, he told us to "chuck the baby monitors out". So long as you can hear a loud cry thats all that matters, you don't need to be on RED ALERT to every whimper. Bella was 6.13 pounds which he said is excellent :) Poor little mite has nappy rash though so got some cream for that...ouchie...We all went shopping (again) Bella got a chicago bulls onesie (bit big 3-6mnths) Again everyone LOVES Bella, loves her hair and her "stroller". If im not really careful I will be saying stroller instead of pram, diapers instead of nappy and elevator instead of lift. Also welcome to the world of disabled exits and lifts no longer can one nip up on an escalator! Properly feel like a grown up now people say "oh I love your baby"...I don't feel very grown up! Really happy to get home but also really scared of when M goes back to work and also "the journey" home. Once we are all settled after a couple of weeks I hope it will be ok. Granny and Grandpa are coming to pick us up, Granny is very excited!! I cant wait until she can swim, I keep on seeing some really cute swimming costumes but I guess at Granny's she will just be naked.

Dr Dan Weissbluth Top American Paediatrician

He told us he had "really good monitors outback" and when we opened the box it said this!!!!

And here I am 2 weeks old in my rather huge BULLS bib :)

Getting ready to go....

On one hand CANT WAIT to get home, see family and friends and doggies and HOME....On the other hand sad to leave our little hideaway and all the people that have been so good to us in Chicago at the Ritz, Caitlin, Ashley...Back to the real world which is good and bad lol...ANOTHER settling in to be done but we can do it....not looking forward to the jetlag etc.....It was really nice to spend the afternoon and eve with R and family.....We had pizza and chilled and everyone snuggled a very chillaxed Bella. It was actually quite hard saying goodbye to R, how do you say goodbye? More like farewell than goodbye as Im sure she will be part of our lives forever in some capacity. How do you say thankyou and goodbye enough or "properly" to the lady who changed your life and made your dreams come true, you cant really find the words, or actions, anything you DO say just seems somehow not enough, I have to say I left with a lump in my throat. R bought B some cute little headbands which is perfect as we bought a little tutu for B yesterday and were looking for headbands small enough :)

We have alot of packing to do and a few jobs....3 more sleeps and then we will be on the plane!

I Have an American Passport

SUPER quick. We cant quite believe it!!! Birth Certificate came through so quickly, and then the passport, We went to the federal building and did the forms etc and they said pick it up the next day, we were like pick up what?! But the passport was ready!!! We can go home!!!

I will have dual citizenship LUCKY me!!! Two of the most coveted passports in the world. I feel like singing "oh say can you see da da da da da da...." I even had to swear an oath (well mummy and daddy did) I'm not quite sure how I sign my passport though! I look pretty funny in my picture (well I was only 8 days old and squirming about and milk drunk so it was pretty hard to get a pic of me with not just one eye open) and I will have this until I'm five which is funny as I will not even look like my picture in 5 months ha ha!!!

At less than 2 weeks old I have already achieved more than what 55% of the USA population have achieved in getting my passport :)

We are going to see R and family as we are now going home and I want to see bye to my tummy mummy and tummy brother and sister :)


Mummy and Daddy and I went shopping today and hit up the sales, We bought cousin Nou a sweet 16 gift too, lucky Nou. I got a tutu pair of knickers, Im going to look mega cute in those I can tell you!