The little man is now ONE!!!

Boy what a busy few days we have had!

It was the little mans first birthday on Monday, and the other half's birthday yesterday so we have been busy celebrating :)

I still can't believe a whole year has passed since the little man entered the world!

On Saturday we had a little tea party at our house with a few bits to eat, nothing too much, there were 5 children and 5 adults, I put on a spread of some butties, fruit, salad, crisps, drinks, cake etc..Then after we had eaten we headed off to the local soft play where the kids had a play (an the adults too he he) It was good fun, and the kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

The little man was so over excited when we got home bless him, took him ages to wind down.

The next day we went out for a meal with some of my family which was really nice as some of them hadn't seen the little man since he was a few months old. Then Monday (The Little Mans Birthday) we had my Mum and little sis come over, and he opened all his presents!

OMG you would not believe how many pressies he had in total, he got so much from everyone! He's such a lucky little boy! It took us about 2 hours open them! (we did have a dinner break in between though)

When I first brought him down from his nap and showed him all the pressies he cried, bless him, he didn't have a clue what was going on, but he soon got stuck in :o) He got some really nice gifts! Myself and the other half have had such fun playing with them...oh and of course the little man too...he he!

It seems to have gone by in a flash, but I'm totally worn out now! I'm very much looking forward to chilling with my little man tomorrow.

......So, my baby boy is now a one year old, and not so much of a baby anymore, he's taking more and more steps each day so I guess we're now into toddler hood?....

Anyway I thought I'd share a link to a montage that I made - Enjoy :o)

http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=83d16ea941008451af3f14&skin_id=701&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

..the next day!

So after feeling a bit fed up that the pineapple hadn't work, I decided to waddle up to bed! Not that I got much sleep!

I had the worst nights sleep ever! I just could not get comfortable what so ever, I was getting quite annoyed as I tossed and turned, I felt like I had no room to move, although I practically had the whole bed (ha sorry love!!) I was also getting braxton hicks contractions which were quite annoying, I'd been getting them for weeks so I didn't think anything of them, they were just pissing me off! ha!

It got to about 6.45am and I'd had enough and I decided to get up, it wasn't as if I was getting much sleep anyway! So up I get (which prob took me about 10 minutes to do in itself ha ha) and off I toddle to the loo. On my way to the loo my waters went!

Wow what a strange feeling that is!

OMG I was sooo excited and nervous at the same time!!! Wooohooo! My waters had gone! My baby boy is on his way :o)

I go back to our bedroom and poke the other half and let him know my waters had gone, and to tell him that I'm going to phone the hospital. I phone the hospital who asked me to come in so they can check that my waters had actually gone (well I hadn't frigging peed my pants!). I think it was about 8.45 when we got to the hospital. I had spent most of that 2 hours putting things in place ready for me bringing home our little baby, I was soooo expecting for them to keep me in, but no!....After they checked me and monitored me for a while they sent us back home. I was having contractions, but not strong ones, so they said it was best if I went home.

So off we go back home, feeling slightly disappointed that we were returning home with no baby, but hey he was on his way which was all that mattered!

I was OK, the contractions weren't hurting, they were actually making me laugh ha ha! It's such a shame they didn't stay like that!....

Hours & hours had passed, it was about 4pm, and I was starting to feel in real pain so I called the hospital back and asked if I could go in, I was finding the pain quite hard to deal with by this point, and was hoping to go into hospital and get an epidural. I needed to be 4cm dilated to get an epidural, and after contracting for about 7/8 hours I was sure I must have been there....
Well I wasn't!!! :( I was only flippin 1cm!!! Well that was it! I was gutted and started sobbing, 1cm after all that time and pain, they couldn't give me anything and sent me back home!!! I was not happy one bit! I was in sooo much pain!

We get back home and I try to have a bath which was suppose to ease the pain! Did it help? Did it buggery!!! If anything it made it worse!!! I think I managed a whole 5 mins in the bath, before trying to climb out (which is not easy when your the size of a whale and in agony!)
I decide to lye in bed and we put my fave film on (Mrs Doubtfire) hoping it would help a bit.

The other half was doing so well trying keep me focused on breathing correctly and rubbing my back, but the contractions were one after another, I was actually vomiting the pain was that bad!

Enough was enough I really couldn't cope any longer, I called the hospital again and told them I was coming in, not that they could probably understand me and I was crying hysterically! By the time we arrived back at the hospital it was 11pm (ish)

I remember being stood outside the maternity doors just sobbing waiting for them to let us in, I was a complete mess! So they do more checks only to find i was only 1.5 cms!!!

WTF!?!?! 1.5 god damn cms!!! HOW ON EARTH WAS I ONLY 1.5CMS??? I had been contracting for about 15hours! ALL THAT PAIN!!!

I was begging the midwife to give me some pain relief, so she said I could have some pethidine. She explained that it wouldn't get rid of the pain completely but it would take the edge off. I really didn't care by that point, I was willing to take anything if it helped me with the pain! So she gave me the injection, and within a few minutes I felt like I was having an out of body experience! It was so surreal! The pain was certainly easier to deal with, but I was totally out of it due to the pethidine.

When the midwife gave me the pethidine she also put monitor on me to monitors baby's heartbeat. Within minutes his heartbeat had dropped so low, she pressed a buzzer and some more people came in, she kept saying it was all OK but we knew something was up, we weren't stupid!!
They had to do some quick tests to check his oxygen but that was dropping too. The next thing I know I'm getting forms shoved in my face to sign for me to have a C-Section, I'm being wheeled through a corridor into a prep room, and the other half's was given some scrubs to wear.

To be honest it was all happening so quickly, plus I was totally out of it from the pethidine, I was really not taking it all in, it was like I was watching an episode of casualty!

I vaguely remember the anaesthetist giving me a spinal block, and I remember them trying to insert a drip into my hand but they kept messing up with my left hand so it ended up in my right one, that hurt a lot! The drip actually hurt a lot more than the spinal block. I then got moved onto the surgery table. The anaesthetist kept spraying my belly with ice cold spray to see if I was numb yet.

Once I was numb they started the section, it was such a weird feeling! I couldn't feel any pain, just pushing a pulling. It also felt like they were crushing my lungs, I felt like I could hardly breathe..moments later the boy was out, I knew he was out but they didn't show him to us! I kept saying to the other half 'he's out, he's out, why can't we see him?' the other half was trying not to worry me and kept saying that he wasn't out yet but I knew he was.

After what felt like a lifetime, we heard a little squawk! I couldn't see him but hearing that little noise from my baby boy was amazing!

Sunday 19th October 2008, 1.05am our little boy entered the world. He was perfect, and a very healthy 8lb 11oz.

I later found out that the reason I felt I couldn't breathe was because he was too long for my body and was quite far under my ribs, they had to scoop him from under them, he had to be revived at birth but thankfully the doctors did an amazing job and revived our little boy!

52 weeks ago!!!

Exactly 52 weeks ago today, I was a heavy overly pregnant lump! Eagerly awaiting the birth of our baby boy!!

I had read lots of old wives tales about how to get labour started as I was getting a bit impatient he he! I was 3 days overdue, and the induction date was looming...

There's lots of different things that are supposed to help bring on labour like hot curry's, walking, Castor oil, pineapple,the list goes on..but I was way too tired to go walking, I really didn't fancy a curry in case it worked and started labour but with a bad tummy... so I had decided to try a bit of pineapple...OK well it was actually quite a lot, I ate that much my mouth burnt....Oops!

That was at around 3pm, the afternoon and evening passed, but still nothing, no contractions, no twinges, nothing!

Little did I know what the next day would bring......

His little face....

So one good thing about going to work is getting chance to miss the little man. It honestly makes me appreciate every minute I get with him.

Coming home to a happy smiley little boy who's excited to see us home is something you simply can not beat!

His little face lights up when he sees his Mummy and Daddy peer through the window and he comes crawling towards the door. When we open the door he gets to his knees, and he usually starts clapping and waving, he then raises his arms for one of us to pick him up. I love that moment, those hugs, those kisses, the smell of my boy, his beautiful little smile!

My heart just melts thinking of his gorgeous little face. These moments are ones I will cherish forever, such precious hugs, such precious kisses, such precious times.

Today has been a lovely day with my gorgeous little man and my darling other half.

The other half let me lye in today so I staying in bed till about 9.30 - BLISS!!! It was much needed, I was absolutely shattered yesterday!

Anyway once I got up I started to get ready to take the little man to the park, it looked really sunny so I thought we could go while we had had chance, so off I go to get showered etc - but by the time I had finished getting ready it was 12 noon and it had started raining! TYPICAL!!!!

No - It doesn't usually take me 2.5 hours to get ready, but as I was getting ready I was also cleaning the house as I passed each room!

Gutted - I can't believe its raining just as I have finished getting ready! It was the time to give the little man some dinner anyway so we gave him his dinner and luckily the rain had passed - It only ended up being a short shower :o) So we made it to the park after all. We had fun swinging on the swings, the little man loves the swings lots and giggles his little head off!

After we left the park we nipped to the local supermarket for some bits. I managed to get some wrapping paper too, so I've now managed to wrap the little mans birthday presents - Yay!
I'm sooo excited! Next weekend will be the weekend we celebrate his birthday! I can not wait! I hope next week doesn't go as slow as this week did! And after this week I'm off work for a week!

So lots to look forward too :o)

Yay - The weekend is here!

Well last week I was off work sick :( I was really unwell, in fact all three of us were unwell last week! It was not good! All I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and recover, but the little man was not having any of it! Even though he was ill he was still getting into mischief! Little monkey!
I don't know what it is with babies, but they just seem to be attracted to everything dangerous - like trying to mess with plugs, or plug sockets, or climbing the sofa and trying to dive off! I'm sure the boy thinks he's indestructible! So we spent the whole week chasing around after him, keeping him away from harms way.

Anyway with having a week off work, it meant I had a lot to catch up on at work on Monday. I hate having time off work and trying to get on top of it all! To top it off my team was changing this week, it changed from me managing 2 people to 15, which is just a little bit of a bit of a difference ha! I'm not complaining though! To be honest I've been lucky to have only had 2 people since I returned from mat leave, it's eased me back in nicely.

Despite the busy week, it seems to have gone bloody slow!! It prob didn't help that I kept thinking Monday was Tuesday, which set me back the whole week! Whats that all about? And I did two long shifts this week 7.15am - 6.00pm.

So I'm pooped now, but the weekend is here, the little man is asleep, and I'm just about to enjoy a nice glass of wine :)

I'm looking forward to spending the weekend with the little man and the other half though! It's amazing how much being at work makes me appreciate my time with them more!

It's Birthday Time!!!!!! Woooohoooo!!!!

OMG - October is such a busy month birthday wise for us! Seriously! Just look at the list of birthdays we have this month!

9th October - My Dads birthday

9th October - My Nana's birthday

9th October - The other half's cousins birthday

11th October - MY BIRTHDAY - WOOOHOOO

13th October - One of my close friends birthday and her little daughters birthday is the same day.

18th October - Our nieces birthday

19th October - THE LITTLE MANS 1ST BIRTHDAY - WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!

20th October - THE OTHER HALF'S BIRTHDAY - WOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!

30th October - My Aunties birthday

So we have lots of celebrating going on this month :o) it's all very exciting!

But the one I'm most looking forward to is my little mans!!! OMG he's going to one!!!

I honestly can not believe how quick the last year has gone, or the last 20 months for that matter! It only feels like yesterday I did the pregnancy test! I know every Mummy probably says the same thing, at every birthday, but it really has flown by!

Then once this month is out the way I'll be getting all prepared for the festive season! OOOHH I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!!!! Its soooo exciting and Happy :o)

Anyway I best go! Got lots of pressy wrapping to do.......

Ooh I love cosy nights in!

I love this time of year, I love the dark nights, the cold air, the clothes - Just everything about this half of the year! I'm much more of an Autumn/Winter kinda girl not a Spring/Summer kind. I hate being too hot, but I LOVE being cool and getting all snug and warm :)

You simply can not beat being sat at home all snuggly, when it's really dark out, cold, windy and raining, hearing the rain hit the windows and the trees blowing in the wind, your all curled up on the sofa with a nice warm drink and the heating or a fire is on....Ooooh its just the best!

I love seeing houses lit up, and the cosy warm feeling it gives me.

The clothes are the best, nice chunky clothes, that you can layer on and snuggle into. Some nice warm boots and comfy thick socks keeping your toes nice and warm.

You simply can not beat this time of year - I love it!

Snot, Snot & more Snot....

When I arrived home yesterday from work, I was greeted with a whingy baby, Oh No! The poor little man is ill! - Runny nose, cough, high temp the works. It seems to have appeared quite quickly as he was fine when I left in the morning....
So, last night wasn't the best... we tucked him up for bed with the recommended dose of calpol, hoping this would help the little man feel a little better. He went off to sleep fine which was good but ended up waking about 3 times, twice before the other half and I went to bed and once at 3.30am :(
I'm not used to the night waking anymore, he's slept through since about 10/12 weeks so it kills me when he does wake in the night now. I won't complain though as he went back to sleep easily once I gave him his dummy :) plus hes got a good excuse, he's ill the poor little thing.

He was good though and then didn't wake till 8.00am for his bottle,and then went back to sleep till 10am! He's a good baby isn't he!

I have to admit I thought we were in for a day of whinging today with him being ill, but hes been such a pleasant little boy, even with the nose full of snot and the cough. Luckily his temp is OK now. The only downside is whatever he has, I've now caught.... my throat is killing, my body was aching this morning, I just hope it passes quickly. I've not been very lucky sickness wise since the little man was born. I was ill about 5 times in the 1st 4 months after he was born, which was not good!

The other half went to the chemist for us though, so were all dosed up on drugs today haha! I just hope they work! I hate being ill! but I hate it even more when the little man is ill. You can't help but feel soooooo sorry for him, poor little thing!

Here's hoping whatever we have passed nice and quickly! :)

Weight Loss! Yay!!!

So during my pregnancy I put on a lovely 3stone! It wasn't a surprise though as I think I ate enough for the whole of Manchester ha ha!

Eating for two...Pah! I was following an eat whatever, whenever rule!

TBH I didn't really worry about my weight during my pregnancy, I decided to enjoy eating and not feeling guilty about eating too much!

Well..OK...I might have worried a little when the stretch marks appeared, but there wasn't much I could do about them by the time they appeared. It was like one day I had none, the next day tonnes appeared on my Legs! NICE! No creams or oils helped them (although I have to admit I only tried them for about a week and gave up haha!)

I think I just tried to remember that the food I was eating was helping my baby to grow and develop, I remember once I woke up with my belly rumbling and I panicked! I was worried that if I was hungry then my baby must have been too, so I just ate and ate instead.

9 Months and about 3 stone later, my little man arrived weighing a healthy 8lb 11oz! I knew he was going to be big, because at all my midwife checks I was continuously measuring big for my dates.

So my little man was out, but my appetite had not changed at all! Eeek!!! I was stuck in maternity clothes still as none of my old clothes would fit!

I couldn't continue to eat as much as I had been doing, there was no baby to take some of it from me. It was so close to Christmas though and I refused to started dieting just before Christmas, I wanted to enjoy it, so that meant eating all the lovely christmassy foods - Yummy yummy :o)

My Plan was to start dieting in the new year! Such a typical new years resolution!

To my surprise when I weighed myself at the beginning of the year I had already lost about 2 stone since the birth, which I'm guessing was mostly baby and fluid...

So my first aim was to try and get to my pre pregnancy weight, which was only about 7lb away.

It took me about 4 weeks to do that by following weight watchers (weight watchers is fab, it really does work!) But I wasn't happy after that, I still couldn't fit in my old clothes despite weighing the same as I had done before...Humph! Whats that all about?!

I then set a new target, I wanted to loose an extra 10-14lbs, so I carried on with weight watchers and over the next 2 weeks I managed to loose an extra 5lbs - Yay!! This is going good!!

So in 6 weeks I managed to loose 12lb, I was very pleased! I hadn't done any exercise, and I find Weight Watchers very easy to follow, but after 6 weeks I got stuck!

That was mid Feb and for the past 6 months I've been losing and gaining the same 2lbs! Grrr! Maybe I'm just meant to be this weight? Or maybe I'm just not trying hard enough! If I'm honest I did stop following weight watchers properly, mainly because I had started weaning the little man and I didn't have time to worry about what I was eating as I was concentrating on giving him a good diet, but I was finding that I was also eating his leftovers, which really wasn't helping, most of the time I'd do it not even realising! Ooops!

Anyway - since I've been back at work I've stopped being the leftover eater ha, which has helped lots as I've now lost a further 4lbs! WOOOOHOOOOO!!!!

I'm very very pleased, and its given me motivation again to get to my goal! Only another 5ish lbs to go :o)

I wonder how long it will take me?

My Clever Little Man :o)

I'm such a proud Mummy, the little man has achieved another milestone - YAY!!!!

So far he can

• Roll Over
• Sit Up
• Crawl
• Pull himself up to standing
• Climb on to the sofas
• Climb the stairs
• Wave
• Clap
• Walk whilst holding onto something (cruising)
• Stand alone
• He has 16 teeth!!!!!
• He can say Dada, Baba and sort of says hiya (still no mama! Humph!)

There is prob some more, and then today he added walking to the list!!!!

The other half and I finished work early today, so we have just been relaxing for the afternoon with the little man....

It's funny - Just before My Mum left today I said to her I reckon the little man will be walking and saying Mama when you see him again next Tuesday, and I'm feeling so proud to say hes taken 4 unaided steps, which he has done a few time now this afternoon :o) I'm so pleased!

He was just walking along the sofa, the other half was sat on the rug and held his arms out for the little man, and the little man walked to him!!! We were both so shocked, excited and pleased that we were both around to see our precious little boys first steps!!!

I was so worried I would miss milestones like this with working full time, but I saw it all!!

Very proud Mummy moment!

I wonder if he will end up saying Mama too?? If he does then I'll be doing the lottery for sure ha ha ha!

Oh.... Me thinks that I'm a bit pants at this blogging lark....

OMG - How long has it been? 2 weeks maybe?

God I really am rubbish at keeping my blog upto date aren't I?! But to be fair I have been a very very busy bee!

Take the past few days for example....

Friday I was at work 7am - 6pm and still ended up bringing work home :(
although though I don't mind working late Fridays as I know I have the full weekend to spend with my little man :)

Saturday morning I had a hairdressers appointment, I took the little man with me whilst Daddy enjoyed some 'me time' but he wasn't feeling too well and didn't really get to enjoy his quiet time...

As you can imagine, taking a baby into a hairdressers full of women leads to a lot of attention, and the general comments and questions I always get..

'Oh isn't he a big boy, how old is he?'

'Yes he's a big lad, he's 10 months'

'10 MONTHS!?!, Wow, what was he born?'

'8lb 11oz'

'Oooh, Ouch (followed by a screwed up face)'

'Yep, but I ended up with a section'

This same conversation has been repeated so many times over the past 10 months, amazingly I still don't get bored of it, ha ha, I'm one of those annoying Mums who could talk about their baby all day :)

It's then the usual 'Ooh he's cute', 'Can he walk?' 'Aww give us a smile' etc etc while I sit and respond or proudly beam at the little man.

After we had got back from the hairdressers, the other half and I decided to take the little man to Heaton Park, the weather was beautiful so we decided to make the most of the sun. We had a lovely stroll round the park, and took the little man to see the ducks and the animals, there was some sort of Asian festival going on so lots of music was played. We had a really nice day, apart from me being attacked by wasps and running about like a nutter trying to get away from them.

It's funny to watch if your not the one being attacked, especially me, I'm not discreet, you'll just see a blonde girl waving her arms in the air, screeching 'has it gone, where is it? has is gone?' over and over again whilst running in a circle..the other half usually stands there rolling his eyes and shacking his head at me, and the little man watching, wondering what on earth his Mummy is doing ha ha!

After we got home from Heaton Park,it was time for me to get ready for a night out with the girlies :o) there was suppose to be 7 of us, but over the last week or so some of them dropped out!
It was a good night out though, a good ol' gossip, some boogying & alcohol, a giggle with the girlies and a maccy d's to finish the night off :) Perfect!

Then we get to Sunday, I wake up a tad queasy, not hungover, just a bit queasy (nothing a bit of food didn't sort out he he).... The little man was good to his Mummy and slept til 9am, so I managed to get some sleep. We then got ready to go out with My Dad and Step mum.
We planned to go to Manchester Airport Pub, it has a fab beer garden and you see the planes so close up! There is a bouncy castle, a play area, little kids rides, a stall that sells balloons, food..Well... the works really! So, another good day showing the little man more of the world and just enjoying my time with him and Family.

I then had another long day at work yesterday, 7am - 6pm - So, as you can see I haven't even had time to fart, let alone blog :)

But tomorrow I finish work early, and then I'm not back in until next Tuesday - Yay!!!!

I'm so looking forward to relaxing and spending quality time with the little man, I'm going to pretend I'm on maternity leave again ha ha!

Urgh.......That feeling.....

Come on.....You know the one I mean! I'm positive I'm not the only one who feels it!

It usually comes on a Sunday evening, when you know you have to start getting prepared for the working week ahead!
The working week doesn't start on a Monday morning, it starts on Sunday, preparing lunches, ironing work clothes etc,etc...

Every week the same feeling of sadness hits me, and the same question gets asked...why oh why can't weekends be longer?

Well, this weekend was longer due to the bank holiday, which was fab! 3 day weekends are the way forward! You actually feel like you've had a sufficient break from work, you get chance to do things, see family - as well a fitting in a lazy day he he... Well that's what we did :o)

But now I have that sad feeling again, only it's on a Monday rather than a Sunday because of the bank holiday, and because I've had longer away from the work place 'that feeling' is a whole lot worse!

Urgh! Work!.........Can't I just stay at home with the little man? Please?

.....No!

OK - its a silly question, I know! I need to work, bills need paying... Blah, blah, Blah!

Gone are the days of me lounging about with the little man, not needing to set the alarm for the next day....

Anyway, I know 'that feeling' will go once I'm in work! Plus it's a nice short week now! I just wish I didn't get that feeling every week!

Motherly Love!

Becoming a Mother has been the most amazing,wonderful thing to have happened to me! I feel complete now I have my little boy.

Sometimes when I look at him it actually hurts because of how much love I feel for him.....

Here is a small selection of things I love about the little man.

• I love to watch him play, and watch how he studies his toys or get excited when he throws a ball.
• I love seeing his proud smile when he has done something for the first time.
• I love it how he always has a quick glance at Mummy and Daddy to check we are still there.
• I love it when I give him his bottle in the morning, hes still half asleep, just snuggled up in my arms.
• I love how he understands certain words and now kisses and waves when asked. He also gives cuddles now too but not when asked, just when he wants one.
• I love the scent of my beautiful little boy, I wish I could capture it and bottle it.
• I love that when hes told no, he gives us his cutie pie face and a kiss (he knows how to get us round his little finger already he he)
• I love seeing his gorgeous smile when I go to get him from his nap, or when I come in from work.
• I love to watch him sleep and him looking so peaceful.
• I love to hear him giggling his head little head off.
• I love the way he pats his mouth to make the cute 'ow ow ow' sound

I could honestly go on forever and ever, as I'm sure is the same for most parents.

Everyday I feel truly truly blessed to have been given such a little miracle, he has changed me and my life in such a good way! I now have totally different priorities, and I have a totally different outlook on life.
I'm also truly grateful for each and every minute I get to spend with him.

I thank you - My dearest other half for our gorgeous little boy, I feel such a lucky lady to have you both in my life.

LOVE YOU BOTH XXX

I'm so excited... Wooohooo.... and I just can't hide it....

Yay!!!! My dress arrived today!!!!! Wooooooooooooohooooooooooo!!!!!! Its gorgeous! Pink satin, with a black tie around the waist and I got some new sparkly shoes too!

What for you wonder?

Well in a few weeks time, myself and 6 of my good friends are heading into town for a good ol' boogie and a cracking girlie night out. We're going to celebrate one of 'the girls' birthday and I can't bloody wait!!!

It's been soooooo long since I've been into town for a proper night out! It's been...er,....well....too long!!! Seriously, well if you think the little man is now 10 months and my last night in town was well before I found out I was pregnant! You do the maths....

Don't get me wrong - I've not been house bound for the last 19 months ha ha, me and the girls have met up for tea and a good gossip a number of times, and us who have children often meet up for a play date which is all good fun, but I need to dance the night away :o)

I can't wait for the excitement of getting ready (oh I do love that bit) getting the music on whilst getting all done up and starting the night of with a few cheeky glasses of rose....Yum Yum!

I'm just hoping my body will be kind to me and not give me a hangover the next day.... Pretty Please!

I don't think the little man will be very sympathetic towards Mummy's hangover do you?.....

A lovely summers afternoon :o)

Today has been a lovely summers day!

We actually had a full day of sun, and no rain!!!!!!!! So we decided to make the most of it......Well you have to! We live in Manchester, and seeing the sunshine is a rare sight! We usually get 2 nice weeks of sun a year, and if were lucky maybe 4 weeks! 2 weeks in the spring and 2 weeks in summer! (well that's how its been for the past few years!)

It's actually quite funny, the slightest glimmer of sun and out come the shorts, the BBQs, and most of us end up red raw as we have soaked up too much sun, and we end up sporting some very fetching white lines too! Ha!
I don't think that's just us Mancs though, I think that's us Brits in general!

Our neighbours are no exception, they were out in the garden from about 9.30am, shorts on, sun loungers out, ready for a day of sunshine!

Well - Due to how rubbish the weather has been recently, our garden isn't looking its best, so spending a day in it really wouldn't be much fun at all!
Gardening is the other half's chore, and as he was working for the morning there was no chance the garden would be in a nice enough state for us to enjoy the afternoon....

So I spent the morning chilling with the little man, which was nice, we had a morning of playing and dancing about the living room.
The little man is a right little mover ha ha! God knows where he got that from, I dance like I'm wrapped up in cling film (the other half calls it the worm dance) and the other half dances like he belongs in an 80s music video ha ha ha! (Sorry love!)

After a nice Mummy and Son morning, the other half arrived home from work at about 12.30, and we head off out for a lovely family afternoon :o)

We head to Lymm where we have a lovely stroll by the canal, there were tonnes of boats on the canal. It seems one of the local cruising clubs had something going on....The other half actually used to be part of the cruising club as his parents used to have a boat, so as the boaters go past he lets on to them all and tells me little stories about them while I give them a polite smile.

During our nice afternoon stroll we fed the duckies and fish, as well as eating ice cream, what more could you want from an afternoon?
I reminisced about some of my childhood memories. (My Grandad lived in Lymm before he passed away and we had many happy times feeding the ducks, nice walks... although sadly I didn't appreciate it as much at the time..... I even lived there for a while.)

Afterwards we decided to go for a drink which finished off our day nicely!
The little man seemed to really enjoy the day he was so excitable when we got home :o)

Just a perfect summers day.........

I could get used to this.....

So today I was due to work til 8pm again, but after how hard I found doing the 8am-8pm last week I decided to do a 12noon til 8pm rather than working extra hours to claim back.

Yay!!! A full morning with the little man, plus a little lye in, WOOOHOOOO!!!!!

Ha, a lye in who am I kidding?....

Well, you would be forgiven for sat there thinking I didn't get my much needed lye in because my gorgeous little man woke me up early! But No! - It wasn't the little man who woke me up, it was my other half! (Thanks Love!)

8.15am - OK, so yes I know this is a little lye in, I do usually get up at 5am so I did get an extra 3 hours sleep :o)

Anyway 8.15am my phones goes, and in my sleepy state I actually think it was my alarm as I use my phone for my alarm, I then realise its someone ringing. It was a withheld number which usually means work! Damn!
I bet I need to go in earlier than planned, so I clear my throat and say hello politely just in case it is work but its not, the person replying is the other half!..
He was surprised to hear I was still in bed, but you see, we are very very lucky parents and even though the little man goes bed in between 6.30 - 7.00pm every night, he happily sleeps until 6am the next morning, when he will wake for a bottle and then if offered he will then go back to sleep until 9am (sometimes 10am!) which I'm sure you will agree is fantastic for a 10 month old.
Usually though on a work day I will wake him at 6am and keep him up so I can see him before work, but weekends we let him go back to sleep, which was my plan for today...

Anyway as I was speaking on the phone to the other half, the little man must have been disturbed and woke, so up I get to start my day...

I had a lovely chilled out morning with the little man, it was like being on maternity leave again, but instead of slowly getting ready to go to a baby group I had to get ready for work.

It did beat the rush of a normal week day though......

Ahhhh I could get used to these late starts.....

6 years of happiness and many more to come :)

Today is mine and the other half's 6th anniversary!!! And what a happy 6 years they have been :)

It's hard to believe it was a whole 6 years ago when he asked me out! 6 years!!! That time has just flown!!! I still remember clearly the day he asked me to be his girlfriend! It feels like it was a few weeks ago not 6 bloody years!!!

I was a young 16 year old (aw www) and it was the summer I had left school, I was at work at The Deli - it was my little part time job that I had started when I was 15. It was a Thursday (I remember that because I used to work til 10pm on a Thursday) and it was time for my break, so off I went to my locker to get my bag. I first checked my phone as I always did when I started my break - I still do actually....

Anyway there was a text from who is now known as 'the other half' which wasn't unusual as we were always texting each other, so I sit down in the break area and start to read the text, well my heart starts thumping hard, it was as if it was going to burst out of my chest! You know the feeling!....
......No, I must be reading it wrong! Surely I'm imaging these words! so I re-read the text a few times over before it sinks in, I then realise its nearly time to get back to work! SHIT!!!! OK what should I say back? I mean, yes of course I wanted to be his girlfriend, but I can't just say yes, I need to write something nice back but I don't have to much time to write a message back, but I also can't keep him hanging on for an answer, he might change his mind ha ha....

I can't remember exactly what he text me now, nor can I remember what I text back but, what I do know is he asked me out and I said yes :)

6 years on were now engaged with a son and totally happy!

We moved in together after 13 months, it wasn't the nicest of flats but it was our first home -well you've gotta start somewhere don't you :o) ....and over the years we have gradually upgraded.
In 2005 we moved into a gorgeous apartment (I miss that place) and then in 2007 we bought our house! Yes 2007! The peak of the housing market! Not that we knew that at the time :( We were desperate for a house and a garden though, and we knew that one day we would have a family, so getting a house was the next natural step for us.

Just months after moving into our house we decided to start trying for a baby :o) and in Feb 2008 we got our positive pregnancy test! WOOOOOHOOOOO!
9 months later our gorgeous son arrived - the day before his Daddies birthday (and no I really couldn't wait the extra day ha ha!) this then made us grow from a couple to a family! A very happy family. About 6 weeks after the little man was born, the other half proposed! It was such a shock! I honestly never expected him to propose! Of course I am happy he did though :)

So now here we are....
I'm a very happy girly, I have my dearest other half, my 9 1/2 month baby boy, were due to get married (one day), we are all healthy and love each other dearly, and most of all we are happy!

I'm soooo looking forward to all the happy years we have ahead of us.

I honestly know that before we know it we're going to be the old couple sat on Blackpool promenade, our walking sticks will be placed at the side of the bench and we will be sharing a bag of chips reminiscing over the past 60 odd years we have shared, talking about our beloved children and grand children..........(OK, OK! we might not share a bag of chips, we might have a bag of chips each instead! I don't share food ha ha) but nether the less reminiscing about our wonderful life.......

....................HAPPY TIMES :o) xxx

Happy Anniversary Babe! I love you with all my heart!!! xxxxxxxx

Lets end the day on a high :)

Well I don't like to leave my blog feeling a bit low, and I hate to end the day feeling sad, so lets end it on a high :o)

Yes, I may feel guilty leaving my son to go to work, but lets face it, I'm doing it for good reasons! I am doing it to make our life comfortable! I can't think of anything I'd hate more than us having to stress about money because I'm not working, with me working full time we eliminate some stress from our lives....

The time I do get with the little man really is so precious, and I appreciate every minute I do get to spend with him! Seeing him smiling and happy when I come home from work is enough to make make me the happiest girl ever... well that and the fact I have an amazing future hubby to be!

I have a good life, we are a happy little family, we are healthy and we have each other! What more could I honestly want!

I mean lets be honest, I'm not the first Mum to have gone back to work full time, and I certainly will not be the last!

If I wasn't feeling guilty about this, then I'm positive there would be something else to feel guilty about!

That's parenthood and I wouldn't change it for the world! x

The guilt sets in.....

So yesterday was my 5th day back in work, and it has been going very well :o). I have surprisingly really enjoyed being back at work - (that is not something I ever thought I would say!)
When I started my maternity leave I was adamant the life of a Stay at Home Mum was the life for me - but after almost a full year off work I now know I am the working type!
Despite knowing I am a working gal, I spent all of the Monday prior to returning to work in floods of tears at the thought of 'my 1st day back'......Eurg! The thought had made me feel like vomiting, it had filled me with dread for weeks and weeks and I was so scared to leave my precious little man.

Anyway the day came, tears were shed as I left the little man, but once I was in work I was fine, I actually really enjoyed being in work. It was great to realise I had not forgotten how to do my job (not all of it anyway) and it was fab seeing and speaking to everyone again! The days have been going quickly, so I'm home before I know it! This is how my first 4 days had been - Happy days I thought! Being a working Mum isn't as hard as I thought it was going to be......

WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!

Well yesterday started well, I was all set to work late (I usually work until 4pm, but was planning to work til 6pm with the other half)
Anyway halfway through my day that had changed, I had to stay and support until 8pm. That then meant that I wouldn't see the little man as he will be in bed by the time I get home :(
That's OK its only once! It's not as if I do it everyday, I'm usually home by 4.30 and get a good amount of time with him. I'll be OK, I'll be strong! I'm sure the little man won't even notice......

So I get home at about 8.25pm, I decided it will be a takeout for tea, as I knew I wouldn't be in the mood for cooking. Takeout was ordered to be delivered at 8.30pm.

I had just had chance to take my makeup off and have a peek at the little man before it arrived. (he looked so peaceful asleep - I could watch him for hours!)

Food was eaten, then time to think about what needs doing for the next day....

- Work clothes need ironing, the little mans stuff needs sorting for my Mum, lunch needs preparing, a bit of time to chill,then off to bed! Normally I'd have a lot of other things to do but the other half had done most of it :o)

So that brings me to today!

I decided to get the little man up a bit earlier than normal so I got extra time to see him!

5.45am - I go into his room and start rustling about..... His head pops up and a he then beams a HUGE grin my way :o)
I give him his bottle, and just enjoy having him in my arms for a little while. After he had finished his bottle he stayed on my knee, but he kept looking at me and then burying his head onto my shoulders to give me hug, he did this over and over again, it was as if he were thinking Mum your here, please don't go again! :(
This really got me! I had to fight back the tears as I really didn't want him to see me upset... he then hears movement for our bedroom as the other half get up, he gets excited and climbs down my leg to go see Dad...

6.20am - The other half leaves to pick my Mum up, so I get the little man to myself again - YAY! We have a little play and story time.......the other half and my Mum arrive, but My mum arriving now signals to the little man that Mum and Dad are about to leave which made him bursts into tears! This then makes me nearly burst into tears but again I fight them back......for a while anyway!.....

I had fought the tears back all the way to work, I even make it until about 9am, but my friend came over to my desk and asked how I was - I bet she didn't expect me to burst onto tears!

Why is it I manage to stay strong all morning, but then the minute someone sees if I'm OK i crumble?

So it's official the guilt has set in........

I hope it gets easier, as today had been hard! Very hard! But hey, tomorrow is a new day!

Monday...Monday....

OK, so the week starts here!

So a typical day for me should start with the alarm going off at 5am, me getting out of bed and sleepily wandering into the bathroom to get showered, dry my hair, straighten my hair, put on my makeup and get dressed, all before 6am when I should then go into the little mans room with his bottle in hand and feed him his first lot of calories for the day.....

Well I say 'should' - That did not happen today! - The first bit happened (well that's good start isn't it?)...My alarm did go off, and yes, I clearly remember me telling myself to 'get out of the bed' I obviously didn't listen though, as I then suddenly jumped up from our bed to check my phone, only to see it was 5.23am! WTF! Where did those 23minutes just go?!..... SHIT!!! I must have dozed back off!!! NOOOOOO!!!!!!!

OK so I know its not the end of the world and it could have been a lot worse! It could have been 6.23am instead of 5.23am, but those 23minutes are very precious! Those 23minutes I just wasted by dozing means I'm going to have to sacrifice something......

My mind quickly remembers the list of things I have to do before I leave the house at 6.50am...

Normal Day -

5.00am - 6.00am
- Shower
- Dry hair
- Makeup
- Dressed
- Make the bed
- Tidy up my crap (makeup/brushes etc...)


6.00am - 6.50am
- Feed the little man
- Take him downstairs..
- Change his nappy
- Pop him in his highchair
- Put kettle on
- Brush little mans teeth while kettle boils.
- Play with the little man
- Mum arrives
- Tell Mum what food to give the little man, and give any general advice...
- Cuddles with the little man and a story
- Me and the other half leave for work....

As you can see it's quite a lot to squeeze in before I leave the house.

OK...So what do I sacrifice?....I refuse to miss out on the 50 short minutes I do get with the little man in the morning, and I did have a bath last night...so........no shower for me today! That's that decided!

I then start to try squeeze in all the other things I have to do!

Isn't it funny.... do you ever notice that when you get up late, you end up panicking and rushing about so much your usually ready with extra time to spare...Why don't I manage to get ready this quick on a normal day?

Maybe I could have had my shower after all....

Yes - Another one jumps on the blogging bandwagon...

Well Hello!

Here I am jumping on the 'bandwagon' as they say, but I've been so inspired by reading such fantastic blogs that my Mummy friends have been creating, that I thought I'd join the world of blogging too!

So welcome to the 'Tales of the Working Mother' - That's ME! :o)

Hmm...where do I start?... Well maybe I should tell you a little bit about me first?

OK so I'm a young Mum to our gorgeous little man! Well, I say 'young mum' I'm 22 almost 23, but I certainly do not feel very young, but hey that is what I am classed as in today's society! My dearest other half proposed about 9 months ago, and I recently re entered the working world after 50 weeks maternity leave - So, in short, I'm an engaged, young, working mother...Yes! that sums me up quite nice.

Our little man is almost 10 months old, and wow, you would not believe how much one little boy can change so many peoples lives - Especially mine!

Becoming a parent is the most amazing thing to have ever happened to me, I feel like I have finally found my 'purpose' in life, but believe me, it can also be very challenging too!


I'm one of those you call the 'lucky ones' the little man has been a very easy baby! He has 3 regular naps a day in his cot, sleeps through the night 12hours or more, eats fantastically and seems to be quick at reaching his milestones, you know, crawling, cruising etc....Having said that, there is one milestone he just doesn't want to reach! He just doesn't seem to want to say the words we are desperately waiting to hear..'mama' and 'dada' instead we get a 'rarara' or the general baby babbles....Humph!

Maybe I should thank myself lucky, as most parents spend months teaching their children to walk and talk, but then spend the next 18 years telling the to shush and sit down..

I wonder if i will become one of those parents?.......