Merry Christmas!!!!!

All I got for Christmas was my two front bottom teeth and loads of lovely presents from friends and family! Thanks to everyone and here's a few snaps...

Football, Soccer, whatever you call it, I'm too old!

My first game back after having Rebecca was at a local high school against 16 year olds...not what I call fun. I spent the entire 90 minutes as Captain (yes, I said 90 minutes) watching the back of some skinny stiker after she toasted me numerous times! Rebecca and Wayne came to watch, fortunately, we drew 2-2 so I wasn't entirely humiliated. (Just couldn't walk for two days)

Finally!!!!

We finally managed to catch a giggle on camera! We think it's because she was deliriously tired (as were her parents), but she found her swing particularly amusing today for some reason.

Halloween

Well, without a trick or treater in site, we ate all our own candy (sweets) and dressed Rebecca up for pure parental comic value...I don't think she is a big fan of this particular American tradition, but as a 4th of July baby, she doesn't have a choice!

Back in England...

...back to reality.

...back to baby groups.

...back to coffee mornings.

...back to work - oh wait, thanks to Socialism I won't be back till December - YIPPEE!!!

Goodbye Yankee Stadium...

Wayne and Rebecca made it to Yankee Stadium for the first time just before it closed. We got high fived and God Bless You for taking the baby to the game. Becks wore her pink Yankees outfit that Auntie Sarah gave her. I hope I didn't offend Wayne by telling everyone around us when Derek Jeter came up to bat that he was supposed to be Rebecca's daddy:)

Boston and Maine

We had such a great visit with the girls in Boston and in Maine. Thanks to the Revettes for hosting us all weekend, and for Thursday nights after work drinks, mostly because it was the first time Lucie and Becks got to meet not on a computer, but also because Wayne and I desperately needed a Blue Moon after being lost in Boston for 1 and a half hours!

Thanks Alyce for having us up to Portland, loved the baby chat, comparing scars and sharing the fact that we can't sing nursery rhymes properly thanks to good old Phi Sig! We were all knackered on Saturday, but had so much fun with Nick, Auntie Kelley and the coolest kid on the block, Colton. It was hilarious to hear him call me Chucky!

Last thanks to Zids and Doug for Pizza night, we had a great time but I'm still thinking that cupcakes are meant to be eaten stump first, although the frosting sandwich is a good idea!

Ithaca

We took a quick trip to Ithaca for the day and had the most amazing weather. We went to Ithaca Falls (where my brother Pete proposed to Mary) and Taughannock Falls (30ft taller than Niagra Falls) just after Labor day so it was nice and quiet.

Pennsylvania Schuchmans

Labor Day consisted of an old car show, Pennsylvania Dutch food, Root Beer floats and fulfilling Wayne's lifelong dream of hiking the Appalachian trail (ok, so hike is stretching it, but you get the idea).

Off to America for the first time!

Thanks to the British Government for allowing up to one year maternity leave and lots of "holiday" time so Wayne and I could take Rebecca to New York for 4 whole weeks! We spent a lot of time hanging out at Nana and Opa's pool which was heaven! I met all my cousins Andrew, Emily, Katie, Peter, and Annie. My Uncle Matt and Aunt Lisa and my Uncle Pete and Aunt Mary...it was really fun!

Do I look spoiled much? My Aunt Lisa and cousin Emily cuddled me loads and spoiled me rotten! I can't wait until we meet them in Ireland in June!

5 weeks old already?!

Well, I think parenthood is really just a bunch of cliches come true...especially time flies when you are having fun! Here is Becks at 5 weeks and a photo of my mate (and possibly future husband) Sam in his Yankees outfit.

The boys are all in shock, it's normally a pint that they are holding on a Saturday afternoon, oh how life has changed...

Nana arrives to save the day!

My mom landed on July 8th to help us in our sleep deprived cluelessness. Nana was such a huge help, not just for the shopping and the cooking (yes, those of you who know my mom, she came out of her cooking retirement and kept Wayne and I fed and watered her whole visit), but mostly for the endless answers to all our first time parent questions. Nana seemed to enjoy her daily walk, aka break from us, as she wandered around enjoying village life. She came back daily filling me in on who she ran into and who said congratulations on the baby - I suppose the accent may have given her away... With mom's jetlag and our lack of sleep, we did have a few laughs, but Rebecca is really missing Nana's magic shoulder - guaranteed to get her burping!

Fourth of July 2008

Welcome Rebecca Hilton! Forget bbq's and fireworks - this 4th of July brought us Mary Rebecca Hilton. (Although my parents did go out and buy a birthday cake for the bbq they were having in New York when they found out I was in labor!) Rebecca weighed in at 8lb 1oz and was 22 inches long.