23 Monday Jun 2014
Posted in Pregnancy
Before I begin, this is not a post about Ed Miliband, or indeed any member of his party.
I wish. For that explanation would be far, far, easier.
“Mummy, how is your baby going to come out of your tummy”, asked my almost-four year old the other day.
Like all questions of this nature, she threw it in casually when we were doing something totally unrelated. A bit like, “Can I have some chocolate buttons? Oh – and where do you go when you die?” Continue reading »
14 Wednesday May 2014
Posted in Family, Motherhood, Pregnancy
After settling my almost four year old back to sleep at 3am this morning I found myself lying awake staring into the darkness. I could hear my child’s soft snores and feel this new life wriggling around inside my belly. And it hit me: how the hell will I cope with two?!
Have you ever noticed how everything seems worse in the middle of the night?
My mind raced. My breathing grew shallow. I could feel myself on the verge of a full blown panic attack – I haven’t suffered one of these in the last seven years. Continue reading »
10 Wednesday Apr 2013
Posted in Family
Tags
Just over three years ago, when I became pregnant with my little girl, I had a plan. It was so refined that it even had capital letters: The Plan.
I became a mum at 26. We didn’t own our own home and we weren’t married. But that was all OK, because that was part of The Plan. We moved from our town centre flat to a little cottage in a village, with the intention of saving and enjoying life as new parents. We had always discussed having two or three children, about four years apart.
The Plan involved buying a house before another child came along, getting married at some point and continuing with my career as a journalist. That evolved along the way, as we realised that childcare is blooming expensive and my meagre salary would barely cover the cost of a morning at nursery. So we made some adjustments and Ta Da! The Refined Plan was born. Continue reading »
04 Wednesday Jan 2012
Posted in Uncategorized
My Mum and Dad have been decluttering recently, before an escape to The Good Life and selling their home of 25 years. This means a few hidden gems have turned up, which have been gathering dust for a very long time. Like a letter from my sister, aged 6.
Reading this letter now, as a mum myself, makes me hope Frog will one day have a younger sibling. There’s nothing quite like sisters and brothers for bringing you down a peg or two… Continue reading »
06 Saturday Aug 2011
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
birth, Bonnie Tyler, family, Kylie Minogue, labour, siblings, sisters, Take That, tap shoes
When I was little, there was one person in the whole world who had the ability to send me into a rage. She was about 3 and a half foot, had a wonky fringe and very much enjoyed doing handstands in front of the TV – while it was being watched. She also liked to steal diaries and do loud kissy noises when any boys were around.
Meet my sister, circa 1992.
There are nearly four years between my sister and I. So I was firmly used to being Number One Diva in the house by the time she arrived. To soften the blow, I was given a pair of roller skates and a pair of tap shoes the day my sister was born. Apparently she was a wonder child, who miraculously exited the womb to pop to the shops and find presents worthy of buttering up an older sister. Of course I was won over the instant I saw her – those were some very special tap shoes.