frombrotherswithlove

I am who I am because of my Father and I will always be grateful that this apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree, not far at all. I am proud to be my Father’s daughter ever since I realized how much I actually admire and respect him. We are so alike it is scary. We have the same sense of humour, the love of sport, hard work and we are as stubborn as each other. My Father has taught me to believe in myself and my dreams, never to forget where we come from and be proud of your achievements no matter how small. Yet even He could not have prepared me for the heartache of losing him.

It has been over 3 years since my Father very suddenly died and I’m still struggling to comprehend that I will not be able to give him a hug or climb another mountain or play chess with him ever again. Every time I think of him, every time I am being reminded of him, I feel a stab in my heart. I long to speak to him, to see his wonderful cheery face and blue eyes, I long to tell him how his grandchildren have grown and how happy we are with our success of climbing the 3 peaks in the summer. I miss him, I miss him with all of my being, so I will write about him to keep him alive for me and for my boys.

Sunday at 8am in the morning my phone rang and my whole being shattered into tiny glass pieces, piercing deep into my soul. The time abruptly stopped, the air went eerily still and an incredulous pain engulfed my heart. My Father died. He is no more.

The tears came rolling down my cheeks and I couldn’t breathe. Why? How? No, that cannot be true. I wasn’t there. I wasn’t there in his last moments to hold his hand, to tell him I loved him beyond life, I wasn’t there to say goodbye….I…

My Father will always be my Hero, the man I looked up to, the man I deeply loved and respected. He taught me everything I know to live my own life, to be happy and fulfilled. I may not have appreciated his ways enough when I was very young but I have passed us onto my sons nonetheless. I truly am my Father’s daughter. Because of him, I am who I am.

The stars have aligned that night and His soul has been guided to the afterlife.. We will meet again…

It all starts with The Man. The Man who loved mountains, the wonderful outdoors. The Man who was as athletic as was intellectual. The great competitor who would not let you win but was gracious in losing himself. He was everything to me, to us and I will miss him to death.

The boys didn’t really crawl and they weren’t going anywhere on all fours. They sat on the floor and pushed themselves forward with one leg underneath them and hands for balance. Very funny, but I just let them get on with it and never pushed them to do anything else.

It was delightful, when the boys discovered their legs. The happiness etched on their faces when they made the first steps, realising that, they discovered a whole new world. So very exciting and there was no stopping them.

Leo’s first steps were at 15 months. It happened in a coffee bar, when he suddenly slid off his pushchair and almost ran after friend’s cocker spaniel.

Raph went a step further at 13 months. We were having a Sunday roast pub lunch with grandparents, when he got off his chair and walked straight out the front door.

Speechless is not the word!

Once it was time to introduce them to solid food, I cooked it all from fresh. The potatoes, parsnips, carrots and broccoli being their favorite. Gradually I added chicken, pasta, rice, cauliflower, all other mushy vegetables…Apple, pear and banana were great to play with and the boys loved it.

At first I resisted buying anything in jars or pre-cooked. But then I found HIPP! Creamy porridge breakfast, strawberry cereal with yoghurt, summer fruits with apple, mango and banana topped with yoghurt… They were great on the go, handy for snacks.. But I never went for the bolognese, or chicken or anything like that. Just the fruit and cereal ones. The boys really enjoyed it, and they still love all the fruit and yoghurt!

Lots of fun watching them enjoy the good food!

The ones I did not want to do without and glad I didn’t!

• Phillips AVENT Steam Sterilizer with Avent bottles!

Plug it in, put in the bottles, a little water and switch the button on. Does it all by itself. And the baby gets sterilized bottle to drink and sterilized dummy. Indispensable!

• PEG PEREGO GT3 baby stroller set!

I am very much outdoorsy person and this 3-wheel pushchair was absolutely perfect. Ideal for any terrain (off road strolling or snow ploughing), perfect for running with or rollerblading beside. Worth every penny.

• BABYBJORN Bouncer Chair &  BABYBJORN Carrier!

Great  bouncing fun. Babies own movements bounce the chair and there’s lots and lots of giggling. In case I needed to do something while the baby was awake I knew that he cannot get hurt, because he simply cannot fall out of it. And the carrier was one of the most comfortable things ever. Always there, always at the ready and absolutely no backache. Babies loved it , I did even more.

Heartly recommended!

What to eat when breastfeeding?                                                                                             Almost everything, but everything cooked.

My favourite breakfast was – oats cooked in milk with grated Bramley apple and few walnuts or flaked almonds on top. Loved it, still do. And toasted ham and cheese sandwiches with wholemeal bread with seeds.

After morning breastfeed I devoured the coffee, I just changed the espresso to hot and steamy latte. Green tea was still my preferable drink throughout the day, but always straight after the breastfeed. And of course lots of water.

Lunch and dinner were all sorts of brown rice risottos, wholewheat pastas, lasagnes, roasts, filled peppers, casseroles, all with lots of green vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, peas, spinach).

Snacks: I fell in love with chocolate or jam filled croissants, fresh fruit consisted mostly just of watermelon and bananas.

Food I avoided at all costs: citrus fruits, lemon and orange, strawberries, honey, cacao, shellfish, beans..

I am proud to say neither of the boys had colic problems, ever, and most importantly we have NO ALLERGIES!

Hope this helps and good luck! Keep it simple!

After both births, we had a three day stay at the hospital, where we already mastered the beautiful bonding experience of breastfeeding.

It came naturally. It was simply a case of, boob = food, and both boys just went for it. Amazing. I feel blessed to have had a very easy nursing time with both my boys.            The one thing I have never done was breastfeed in public. I didn’t want to share this lovely time, when it was just the two of us, with anybody, let alone public.

There was one grandmotherly advice I took to heart: “Stay at home for the first six weeks after birth, since you still have one foot in the grave!” And I did. I also discouraged any visits, I wanted to come out on my terms. The six weeks were heaven on earth and only ours.

No regrets there!

My precious and beautiful angel. Breathtakingly tiny miracle.

Born at 5.24pm one glorious Thursday afternoon with the full moon approaching, weighing 6.503pounds!

Love is in the air, everywhere! Again!

My precious and beautiful angel, breathtakingly tiny miracle!

Born at 11.03pm one glorious Thursday night with a full moon glowing, weighing 5.048pounds!

Love is in the air, everywhere!