2017

So it’s been a while since I have added to my blog
Since the last time 

We have enjoyed my littlest loves first birthday 

I have got an another job as an Eva Educator which is the colour brand we use in salon

Enjoyed a hectic and joyful Christmas which was more exciting as Isla was a little bit more involved this year

And celebrated my wonderful husbands big 30th birthday with friends and family!! 

To be honest I do find it difficult between working, being a wife and mother to find the time to post on this… though it’s something I really enjoy and fingers crossed 2017 brings me a little extra time to add to this 

Wedding hair

Tags

bridal, bridalhair, Hair, Stylist, weddinghair

Most people that know me know one of my favourite areas as a hairdresser is bridal.. I absolutely love styling a bride and her bridal party for the most exciting and most important days of her life.

The hair to me is extremely important as everyone attending a wedding or scanning Facebook for pictures Is looking at 

• The dress
• The hair
• The makeup 

Everything else follows, I try and excel myself and go above and beyond to make the bridal party happy, comfortable and relaxed. I love interacting with everyone and being apart of their special day. 

Few recent images

All images can be seen on my Facebook and Instagram pages 

https://m.facebook.com/samsurgenorhair/

https://www.instagram.com/samsurgenorhair/

Maternity is over….

So… Since the last time Iv posted.. Isla is now 9 months I’m back to work and have clocked a massive 30 hours(5 shifts) although I miss my kids and hubby and my little bubble at home that surrounds us I’m actually glad to be back to work.

I can not describe the nerves and anxiety the night before… Would she be ok? Would she settle? Would she feel abandoned? How would I feel? The night more I was bathing my little girl and realising the last 8 months had flown in she was sitting, laughing and splashing!! Smiling at me not having a clue I would be away from her for a whole day!! The tears flowed all from me… I felt awful.. But trying to catch myself on I was only going back two days a week and she would be fine.. 

I’m all for stay at home mums, part time or full time working mums! Which ever one your path is its your choice for yourself and your family.. Though I do not consider my work a job… It’s a career which I absolutely love and always have its exactly what I was suppose to do.. And I really believe the saying “if you love your job you will never work a day in your life” Iv always put my family first and consider the affects of all our actions. 

The second i stepped into the beautiful log cabin to pamper my bridal party I felt relieved and in the zone… I had missed my job, I loved the rush and the buzz of running around working the ladies hairs and them admiring their styles and being thrilled.. I love the feeling when I look at someone’s face and see how happy they are with their hair.. And knowing I am the reason… I loved being in the salon and feeling like and adult… No shit snot or vomit over me, makeup and hair done for the day… Being Sam not just wife and mummy!!! 

I love the fulfilled feeling of contributing and providing for my family… Setting a good example for my kids knowing mummy and daddy worked hard.. I’m lucky financially I can afford to go back just two days… Sure I would like more money who wouldn’t? But I wouldn’t sacrifice my time and attention towards my kids for more hours away from them and more of the missing out.. 

I feel like when they are little time needs to be treasured and not to waste a moment.. 16hours of a week are enough for me for now.. I will always aim high and push myself and career… Once they are older… But for those 16 hours I love getting a little part of myself back in the most unselfish way I know how 

Brothers and sisters

Expanding the family can be a hard time on all but especially for the only child at the time, I  was so nervous giving Alfie a brother or sister. Alfie has always been number one, first child, first grand child, great grandchild etc it is an understatement to say he was spoilt rotten and demanding attention from every family member.

I for certain I never wanted him to be an only child, I felt like an only child most of my life as my baby brother is severely disabled, being 21 now for the best part of his life I helped care and nurture him. I did feel lonely at times and that I had a huge responsibility. I would of loved more siblings or someone to play with at times though I never missed out having plenty of friends and family.

My brother was diagnosed at 19 with a genetic condition therefore leading to question of wether I carried the gene that could pass to my children, at the time believing it was 50/50 chance and that the disorder only affected men but could be carried by woman.. Either I didn’t have it or Alfie was extremely lucky to be born completely fine and no trace of the disorder. 

I had the blood tests done but deep down I think I knew all would be fine, we longed for a baby after we were married, the wait was Killing me and the gap between Alfie and the next child was getting larger and making me more uneasy. I never wanted a large gap but life got in the way at times. I rang nearly every two days for roughly 2 months waiting for the results and the go ahead… They came it was fine… Straight onto baby making!!!! 

We tried to prepare Alfie as much as possible about how life would be when the baby came etc and how he could help and be involved and how fun it would be. I was extremely nervous and really didn’t know how Alfie would react. I felt like for 9 whole months I was continuously saying “when the baby is born” this and that I’m sure he was starting to get sick of it. 

The night before the baby came I was all over the place so many mixed emotions, how would Alfie feel? Would he be jealous? I felt bad he had to share me and his dad with this new person. 
All the bad thoughts I might of had about the situation soon faded with Alfie’s reaction to it all, Iv never seen the look on his face before that he had peaking round that hospital curtain the day he came to meet his sister. 

We had 4 hard months after Isla was born that was extremely hard on the family, she had silent reflux and we were exhausted I felt I was endlessly telling Alfie in a minute and I can’t play right now all the things I said I would make time for before she was born I found myself having no time for at all, fast forwarding 7 months and my son is no longer the baby he has grown over night and matured to an extent I didn’t see possible at 6, he adores his sister, nearly mothering at times asking if Iv put sun cream on her etc, he plays with her holds her and kisses her. All this off his own accord and not being asked, last night the three of us lay in bed I nursed Isla and he rolled over pecked her on the back of the head and rolled over again, he doesn’t bother with her because he has to or for attention of others but because he loves her unconditionally, the way they look at eachother I could never fully describe its magical, he is her hero and protector. I believe and hope they will always be close and look to eachother for friendship and times of need.

Sunny days

As we all know In sunny Northern Ireland we really do need to make the most of this fabulous weather this week…. So far it has been all go from cutting the grass and weeding to supervising power hosing( not my kind of job) for them few short hours after school and before dinner we’ve been trying to keep a hyper 6 year old entertained.

Today we went to buttermilk bridge with the kids, auntie and cousins. The kids deciding to do a nature trail and collect insects, whilst some of us jumping at the birds and trying to dodge them along the trail, I am not a bird person I do not like them I am actually quite scared but needing to remember who’s watching and not installing a fear in my children. 

So feeding ducks, rabbits etc then ourselves with ice cream finally deciding to finish up at the park hoping to tire the kids out… Realising I love these days the simplicity of it all and the happiness it brings to children and the good for the soul natter and laughs for the adults, I realise that Children do not need money and expensive places to go all the time, I for one love taking my son bowling or zoo etc, but these lovely walks and company Is sometimes all they need. 

Seeing a smile continuously on a child’s face is the confirmation we need to know they only want your time and ears. Always having time to spend and ears to listen. The older I am getting I’m trying harder to stop what ever I am doing either cooking dinner or tackling an ironing pile that resembles a tiny slemish mountain and look at my child when he talking to me and telling me something. 

Alfie is extremely random in the sense he will just ask me everything I know about sea turtles or who do I think would win in a fight between two of his latest favourite characters, then my lovely 7 month old who’s started enjoying her walker following me about shouting and demanding my attention 99% of the day, I try hard to have in my head the housework can wait it’s not worth it relax cuddle and enjoy your children stop stressing… Sometimes easier said than done but when they are grown and not wanting my attention or play time il have the house work, the young years can not be relived, we really do need to make the most of it.

Writing this whilst getting a cuddle of my daughter sleeping in my arms I really should of put her down 15minutes ago, hoovered the floors, moped, straightened the bedrooms etc but who cares 😉

Labour pains part 2

Tags

Labourpains motherhood babies birth

So as I carry on talking about my labours I move onto child number 2 Miss Isla Faye… Who is currently  hanging off my diddy and kicking the life out of me.. In search for Isla you can be sure she is never more than a foot from the milking machine.

With my Wee bird me and my husband were trying for 4 months, I always thought it was six but after talking about it recently I realised I misjudged time…

So I thought I was pregnant pretty much every month, one month late one month on time which I soon learned was because I had two different cycles….. In those 4months I genuinely spent a fortune on pregnancy tests, it got to the stage I had to lie to my husband about how many I was buying 😂 I eventually bought what I would consider as bulk!! I was doing them in the morning, lunch time, dinner time, night before bath and before going to sleep…. I near enough bloody dreamed of pregnancy tests..

The day I found out my bestfriend was with me we both knew I was but i told my hubby and mum and they weren’t convinced… I had become that obsessed they near thought i was imagining the lines as they were so faint … Though I was right i was with child.

My pregnancy with Isla was awful I did try to not moan too much!! Who was I kidding anyone that asked heard about it.. And I would be the first to opinionate when someone pregnant moaned I detest pity parties and am probably the most unsympathetic person you will meet but I felt shockingly sorry for myself lol towards the end they were back and forth between a c-section and natural because I had pregnancy diabetes there was too much fluid around her which caused her to keep rotating.. I hated the thought of a section I must admit I was petrified, it was the unknown for me I wanted natural all the way I knew what to expect.

Because of all the factors I was booked in for induced labour with Isla on the 10th of October 2015 I was due the day after.. Friend of mine had been induced so I thought I knew what I was in for… I was checked around 9:00am having been there from 8:00am but they could not get a fetal heart Monitor for a long enough period of time as Isla decided she was in a horse and jockey race.. Her being the horse!! She wouldn’t keep still!! I was 3-4cm and delighted obvious slow labour as I had pains for a week maybe something to do with deciding to decorate 3rooms a week before I was due 🙈

Skimming over irrelavant details the midwife decided on inserting a pessary which Is basically like a tablet one in 5 pregnancies in the uk are induced, a lot of inductions can last 24hours and can lead to adding other pessaries or gels… Mine however didn’t get that far. At about a10:15am this was inserted the midwife told my husband could be hours before any activity and to go and grab me some food etc she couldn’t have been more wrong within 10-15mins the pain was unbareable I knew instantly I wasn’t suppose to feel like this something was wrong… She checked me again and I could see panic all over her face whilst she kept a professional composure I was having no breaks like regular contractions just constant pain to the extent I though the baby was clawing out of me..

Whilst all this was happening my husband had went and got me a fry and took a Wee stroll to the shop and having a flick through a mag or two! The midwife flipped me over and round every angle of that bed to get a heart rate on the baby from the outside looking in I’m sure I resembled a drunk baby whale and I sure felt like one.. She whipped the pessary out and nothing improved doctors nurses etc rushed round.. The decision was made to have a preform a section… Panic filled me with all thoughts firstly WHERE THE FUCK WAS MY HUSBAND!! I begged them to find him whilst they flipped and pulled me like a rag doll, bra whipped off earrings yanked out!! It was literally 2 minutes what had passed I didn’t have time to absorb the information or prepare myself and I do not like surprises…

Chris arrived back and the dread that filled his face is an expression il never forget. I was petrified but I couldn’t show him my husband is the biggest softie and worrier I had to be strong for him our marriage is based on my reactions if I worry he worries if I’m sad he is sad!! Nothing prepared either of us for this I kissed him quick and was whisked off.. The run to the operation theatre was seconds.. I had a swarm of people gather round me id say about 8 and all I could think was oh my what if I die and leave Chris with these two kids by himself… It was never an option in my head whether my baby was ok!!!it had to be!! I already loved it so much the tears filled my eyes and my body shook I couldn’t look around I stared at the ceiling… The most amazing midwife I could have asked for noticed this fear whilst the rest did their jobs preping me, she placed two hands on either side of my head and looked me in the eyes told me I was ok my baby was ok but the baby needed out now…. I felt like a weight was lifted off my chest and I could breathe the relief those words from a stranger gave me prepared me for this moment.

In total I was in theatre for 10 minutes… Amazing a team of people can do something so skilled so quickly… I don’t recall much after just coming round and asking if my baby was ok and what sex was it?? When I heard it was a girl I just cried and cried.. I looked and Chris holding her and cried some more…

I those short moments i proved to myself that the old saying was true “I’d die for my kids” I was never in a position to experience the feeling before but being wheeled away from my husband I was prepared to give everything so that my baby was ok… And that she was all 6lbs10 and 53cm of her 💕😘

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Labour pains

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Labourpains follow like

One thing as women we enjoy discussing our pregnancies births and children all conversations one way or another seem to steer on the road to here.

In a way it’s nearly like a competition who had the longest, who had the worst, who can shock with their tale the most!! And this competition should have a statement, like a medal around our neck so people stop and ask oh what’s that for? and we tell another.. It goes back to these simple points:

• We made them
• We carried them
• We birthed them

And these gruelling processes made us accomplish something amazing…. There is nothing like it…. We are shockingly proud

My first birth with my son was pretty straight forward he was due on the 10th of February 2010 I went into labour on the  7th of February, just little niggles to start every two hours or so that was in the morning!!! I started getting excited then extremely nervous… Then near into a panic in my head I was screaming NOT Ready… I decided to go to bed around 12:00am as not much was happening within an hour I was contracting every 15minutes, il never forget Christopher’s(hubby) face went I poked to say “I think this is it” I’m sure that is a sentence that most men dread to hear when the due date is insight.

I decided to ring the hospital and my mum as she was going to be my birthing partner… I was completely prepared in every sense eg Hosp bag everything for baby etc but I was not prepared for the long labour and everything after lol I wish I knew then what I know now but everything we learn we “learn from life” and experience.

At 2:00am I made my mum come to my house whilst I paced the floors, had baths and made her and my husband rub my back whilst shouting insults and inventing curse words every now and then!🙈 this went on till 5:00am till I couldn’t stick the pain… Made our way to hospital and low and behold they slowed to a near stop! I will admit I was gutted though slightly relived lol fast forward 12hours and not much had changed had bits of visitors and text messages all anticipating the new arrival… I felt as if it was a surprise party and I was bringing the guest of honour … Things kicked off a while later a lot of which was a blur as I was high as a kite on pethodine and Gas and air.. They put me on a drip to bring on labour though I still felt it was never going to end.

I read my pregnancy book quite well which seemed to not be well enough as I had no clue what was happening to me and I felt like the silliest girl in the ward,nothing prepared me for his process.

Fast forward again and my son was born at 4:20am on the 9th of February after actively pushing for not too long but also pushing wrong, as a natural reaction I thought I had to push from my front and not actually the bottom as if I’d been constipated for a month… he arrived safe and sound all 6lbs 49cm of flawless baby!! I could never describe the feelings that all stabbed my heart at once, it felt like a pin cushion being pinned thousands of times over the sheer joy I have never experienced before that moment and didn’t again until my daughter was born.

To add Alfie just spotted me and said are you writing a story?? I said yeah sort of he said wow mum that’s incredible if it’s in a book can I buy it lol is it strange I already know my 6year old is proud of me… I hope he knows one exactly how proud I am of both of us starting from that day of labour pains 😘😘

Labour pains to be continued …

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Quote of the day

“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try”

So I have been toying with the idea to start a blog on and off for a few years 

As a child I loved to write in a diary, my daily happenings, although the love of a journal format was short lived when other activities got in the way 

I Find myself now engrossed reading other blogs on various subjects and thinking to myself I could write a blog !!then no!! maybe not, would people like it?? Is it cheesy?? Do i have time?? The answer to all these questions in my head is I DONT CARE!! 

Iv always enjoyed writing stories or participating in discussions on social media etc so why not have my own little online diary to share with the world and what better time to start whilst on maternity leave!!