Away in a manger...

Today I have been to Immie's first Christmas performance. The performance was in the primary school that her nursery is attached to.

I don't often get to go in to a primary school. The furniture is a million times smaller than secondary.

I decided to sit a few rows back because I feared if Immie saw me we'd get "Muuuuuummmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyy" in a really quiet bit or she wouldn't sit where she was supposed to. Also I thought the parents of the school kids might want a better view because their children had bigger parts (Immie just had to sit, look angelic and occasionally join in with some songs) So I strategically sat 3 rows back but on the end of the row in the middle of the hall, I thought I'd a get a perfect view and a perfect view was what I got......just not of Immie! From where I was sat I couldn't see any of the babies from the Little Acorns room. GUTTED!

The performance was lovely, not your traditional nativity (I'm pretty sure penguins were not present at the birth of baby jesus!) but there were lots of donkeys, sheep, shepherds, angels and stars all waving at their parents, being cute and saying their lines.

I am assured by the nursery staff Imogen did fab and was really well behaved. This could be a big fat lie because I didn't see her start to finish. But I am taking the fact that I couldn't hear her being naughty as a good sign.

I was really looking forward to the performance, but if Im honest I am very disappointed I didn't get to see her. But I guess we have a few more performances to come, probably where she will be 3rd shepherd with a tea-towel falling over her eyes.

Daddy is going to watch the performance tomorrow morning, so I have told him not to be polite and sit near the front. Hopefully he will get a better view.

Mama x

Yoghurt? - No! Fruit pouch? - No! Choc-choc? YES!

Not that ill then!

Imogen has a nasty cough and cold. To be fair, we've had a fairly decent run recently of no bugs, so it was only a matter of time. The problem is nursery aren't keen to take them if they are off their food and a cold is guaranteed to put Immie off her food.

We have tried everything, porridge, toast, pasta, tatoes (Immies fave!) Fish fingers, chippies, fruit, yoghurt, fruit toast etc All of which she has turned down or tried a few mouthfuls then said "done" but I guarantee the easiest way to tell if she is really poorly is to offer choc-choc.  If met with an enthusiastic "YES!" then you know she isn't too bad!

The choc-o-meter. It is for parents, what the lie detector test is for Jeremy Kyle.

Mama x

A little creature has pulled a clump of Immie's hair out

When I went to pick Immie up from nursery today, her lovely keyworker was filling in the accident book. I assumed Immie had had a bump whilst excitedly toddling about. But no. Today's "accident" was that whilst playing another child pulled a clump of Immie's hair out!!!!

Her lovely keyworker, felt it wasn't a malicious act but that Immie's little blonde curls were just too inviting to the other child! Apparently Immie screamed for a second (as you would!) then turned round and said "No childB!" (Not sure which child did it, assume they won't tell me in case I launched a revenge attack on the parents! LOL)

Her lovely keyworker assured me there was only a tiny bit, but when I got her home, her scalp was a tad red and I'm sure that is a bald patch! Poor little tortoise. This is when the working mummy guilts kick in. At least by the time she starts school she'll be able to kick some ass!

Mama x

Lack of blogging time

Being a mummy who works full time = no time for blogging :(

will update soon

Mama x

INSET days, Halloween Dress up days and Christmas plays

Today we received the Children's Centre newsletter for Immie's nursery.

On it was a list of dates. Many of these things excited me.

1) INSET days, ok these aren't so exciting, they just cause a childcare nightmare. But I hope the nursery staff at least get a nice lunch! ;)
2) Nursery photographs, the photographer is coming next month, Immie missed her photo last time as she was poorly, I REALLY hope she makes it this time!
3)On the 31st October, they have to dress up for Halloween! haha. Immie has a cat costume that her cousin Daisy donated to her, so I think she can wear that, she'll look supercute!
4) Towards the end of the Christmas term, Immie will be in the Christmas performance (yes even the babies take part!) I wonder what she'll have to do? I hope she conforms and I REALLY hope I can wangle the afternoon off school :)

So many exciting things to look forward to YAY!

Mama x

Survival of the fittest

It is well documented that I LOVE taking Immie to her Puddleducks swimming lessons. It is possibly my most favourite half an hour of the week. Danielle our lovely teacher has gone off and had a baby (Congratulations Danielle!!!) and now we have a new teacher, Kerry who is just as fabulous as Danielle and Faye before her.

We have moved in to the kickers class, everything is a lot more serious now. We swim round with the babies clinging on to our backs (including swimming underneath the water!) and today Kerry stood one side of the pool I stood in the middle and Kerry flung Immie in the air and we let her flop in to the water (to simulate falling in!!), amazingly Immie didn't cry! PHEW!

However, there is one bit of swimming that I don't like and this is the same whether it is a lesson or you have gone for a fun swim at the local leisure centre and that is GETTING CHANGED!

Getting changed has to be the worst thing EVER. Mainly because at all pools there is a distinct lack of baby changing facilities. Not the fault of the pool owners, it is just the way it is.  But what makes this experience so stressful is changing-hoggers! The parents who lay all their towels, wipes, creams and talc out on a changing station, hogging it and preventing anyone else from using it. So today for example we had 5 children in the pool, with 4 changing stations. 2 parents got out the minute the splashtime starter (bit rude I think!), Immie and I had a bit of a splash and at 10am precisely we got out and were 4th out, so you would think we'd have got a changing station, but oh no, some pushy individual had hogged a station! So poor Immie had to sit on the side, shivering in her towel, even though we weren't the last out. Getting a changing station is definitely survival of the fittest!

There will always be someone last out and waiting, but it annoys me that we weren't last out but still had to wait. If Id have realised we had a changing-hogger in our midst I would have let Immie have a bit more splash time, I wouldn't have been so quick to get out! If I was that way inclined I would have thrown the woman's towels etc on the floor but I did the incredibly British thing of getting Christopher to try and change Immie on the floor!

Then another parent left all her stuff on a changing station even though her son was changed and happily in the play pen! At this point I shouted across to Christopher "Oh just chuck it on the floor!" she then realised her error, tried to blame her husband and sheepishly moved the offending items.

So mummies and daddies next time you are at the pool, don't be a changing-hogger and once you have dried and changed your little darling, MOVE YOUR CRAP OUT OF MY WAY!

Mama x

"Imogen enjoys climbing, especially where she shouldn't... i.e. the sink in the play area"

Last week we got Imogen's first full report from nursery. She has been going to nursery for over 6 months now. The reports are like a school report. Divided in to areas of learning and written a very familiar style.

I read Imogen's report sat in my classroom after school. If you had walked past the door you would have wondered what I was doing as I sat there and howled with laughter.

"Imogen enjoys playing with her friends" Now I always think the other kids at nursery are her acquaintances , she sees them, but do they really register as friends?

"Imogen enjoys climbing, especially where she shouldn't.... i.e. the sink in the play area" hahahahaha this cracks me up as I can imagine her doing this and getting stuck.

"Imogen enjoys being creative and playing with custard" hahaha so that is what her cardigan was caked in last week!!!

So the report made me laugh but it also made me realise how fast she is developing. They have got a new baby in the little acorns room now, so Immie isn't the youngest! This makes me a little sad that she is growing so fast but also very excited as I can't wait to see what she does next. Apparently Imogen likes the new baby as she walked up to it (sorry I don't know its gender or name yet!) this morning, said "hello baby" then toddled off to play!

In other news, nursery announced an INSET day on the one day OH can't rearrange his teaching. Looks like I'm gonna have to beg school for the day off :( ARGH!

Mama x

Hello, yep, bye!

This happened a few weeks ago but I've only just got round to posting about it.

Immie was up drinking her milk at 7am, waiting to go to nursery. She was playing with our house phone. We have those silly roaming phones, you know the ones that you always lose down the back of the sofa? Anyway, she was playing with the buttons and making them beep, then holding the phone to her ear and saying "Hello, bye" then putting the phone down.

I didn't think too much of it, I just kept checking she hadn't dialled 999. After about 5 mins, she picks the phone up, presses some random buttons and says "Hello, yep, bye". 2 minutes later I get a call from my Grandparents. Wondering why my Grandma and Grandad's number could be flashing up on my phone at 7.10am! (My parents were away, so I started to panic that something had happened!) When I picked up the phone I heard my Grandma on the other end. She asked if she had just had a call from Immie? She then preceded to have a fit of the giggles as I apologised profusely for my daughter making an early morning (She swears blind they were already up and Immie didn't wake them!)

When I relayed the story to Immie's lovely keyworker at nursery, I was asked to write the story up as evidence of Immie using her ICT skills. haha Like mother, like daughter :)

Mama x

Well it looks like we now have a toddler

So after the few steps back on the 6th of August, we have finally got a toddler, not totally consistent but wanting to walk.

As it was GCSE results day on Thursday Immie had gone to nursery so that I could go to school to see my lovely ex-pupils collecting their GCSE results. The OH picked her up as I was busy ironing and packing to go on a trip to Grandma and Grandad's.

As the OH walked past the outside play area the nursery practitioners ( apparently that's what nursery nurses are called now!)  all exclaimed excitedly "Ooh Imogen's daddy is here, Imogen's daddy is here!" When he got in to the building (after going through several security doors) 4 members of staff gathered round excitedly. Imogen's keyworker whipped out a camera and showed him a video of Imogen managing 8 whole steps (a record!) Christopher said "ooh that's good!" the keyworker then said "Oh no, that's not even her best attempt!" She then showed him another video of Imogen walking, bold as brass across the school hall! (20 steps apparently) She then excitedly told him how Immie had started to walk. Apparently Immie's lovely keyworker was quite emo about it all :)

Yesterday at Grandma and Grandad's and Nana and Grandad's she spent all day attempting to walk. No where near twenty steps but a good 5 or so each time, sometimes falling on her bum.

So there you have it, she has started walking, not for us, but for the lovely nursery staff. Am I sad? No way!! For 3 reasons 1)It means I might not have to carry her so much, so maybe my back ache will go! 2) It will stop people asking if she is walking yet and 3) she has so many firsts every day I, as a working mummy, can't expect to be there for them all and that is the compromise I have to make BUT I love it when the nursery staff are equally as excited and proud as I am, and I look forward to Immie showing me all the new things she has learnt and can do. So you see there really is no need to be sad :)

(Oh and incase you are wondering, the deedee is now well and truly dropped, she even slept all night at grandma and grandad's without it! Infact she is only just stirring now (8.30am!!!))

Mama x

Ditching bottles and deedees!

Before Immie was born I had this grand plan. She would be breast fed and would not have a dummy. I don't know where this idea had come from but I was adamant she would be breast fed, afterall it is cheap, easy, better for baby and a total breeze. Of course she wouldn't need a dummy as she would be contented and I didn;t want her to rely on it, bad for teeth etc.

Of course, reality bit. After 3 months we switched to bottle feeding (a total doddle after breast feeding!) and after a month we gave in a used a dummy, only at night of course and we took it away once she dropped off (this quickly changed to letting her have it in her cot all night, in the car and if screaming in Meadowhall!)

So 2 weeks ago we asked the health visitor when Immie should stop having bottles. (To be fair she only had them first thing in the morning, last thing at night and in the middle of the night if needed). The HV looked in horror and said she should have dropped them totally at 1, oops Immie is over 15 months (why had nobody told me about this magic number 1!?). We also asked about ditching the dummy as Immie was starting to show signs of being dependent on it (asking for her deedee when tired, going to bed etc) Again the HV looked in horror and said we were already past the point of no return so we'd have to just bite the bullet and be harsh.

So that night we started to ditch the bottle. We gave her milk in a sippy cup. This resulted in a huge paddy and demands for "bot bot" being uttered between sobs. eventually she gave it a try, only 1 oz was drunk but it was a start. The next day was much the same. Saturday morning saw a full on 30 minute paddy with screaming and slamming legs and arms down. Eventually she fell asleep for 5 mins, woke up tried the cup and she hasn't looked back since.

After several days of visitors to the house we decided to try operation ditch the deedee (her word for dummy). I was dreading this one more, I felt like she loved her deedee. Weirdly though, after 2 days this seems to have been easier than ditching the bottle. Yesterday she had a nap no problem, only asked for it once in the car, then went to bed and after 10 mins of whinging she dropped off to sleep. She cried out a few times for it in the night but quickly settled herself again and slept through till 7.30 am this morning!!!

Today she has had another good day, she hasn;t really asked for her deedee (despite being a bit miserable with her teeth!) and only cried for 2 minutes at bed time. She is now (touch wood) asleep!

So far it seems to be going ok. Not too sure how she will cope at nursery tomorrow, am a bit worried she will try and steal deedees from other children. Hopefully though the nursery will be strict with her.

Mama x

So she waited till I wasn''t there.....

We always assumed Immie would start walking at nursery. She spends a large amount of her time there, they give her lots of encouragement and practice, it seemed inevitable. I am sure she has lots of firsts there. It doesn't bother me and I certainly don't let it upset me. She will do lots of firsts without me when she starts school, nursery is no different.

Saturday 6th August, I went to a wedding. The wedding of my lovely friends Hannah and Tom. The wedding was in Rugby, 2 hours away from where we live so I drove me and a few friends from work. We statyed over in a hotel, lovely, a whole 24 hours to be a grown up. Imogen stayed at home with her daddy, a bit of father/daughter bonding.

Between courses at the reception I received a text from the other half "Just dones 2 steps. Holding on to walker then let go and went for it to grab the bath". My first reaction was that OH was winding me up but the response was "Nope, just done it again".

So the little madam had waited till I was away to have a go at independent walking, needless to say she hasn't done it since!! But far from being sad that I missed it, I am chuffed that she is finally beginning to have a bash at walking. Might mean all the old women in shops might stop looking at me like I'm a bad mother because Immie isn't walking ;)

Mama x

Effing chicken pox!

So the first weekend of the school holidays and Immie has come down with chicken pox.

To be fair she has been off colour for about 2 weeks, last weekend the doc at out of hours said she had a sore throat and that was what was causing her to cough. However, the doc today (after rolling her eyes that I was back yet again with Immie!) gave me a sheet, on that sheet it told us the symptoms of chicken pox, lo and behold this included a sore throat, dry cough and general misery. It also said you can have these symptoms (plus headaches and limb ache etc) for up to 20 days before hand. This would definitely fit with the timescales that Immie has been feeling under the weather.

So for the first proper day of my summer hols, instead of getting on top of my washing and ironing (yeah right, or at least watching Jezza Kyle in peace) I have been confined to the house watching Thomas the Tank Engine, Mister Maker, Show me Show me and Waybuloo! I was alowed a small break when Immie let me watch Loose Women and Neighbours!

As with all things itchy, because I know Immie is itchy I am convinced I am itchy and have been scratching like mad all day!

Lets just hope the Chicken Pox goes soon!!

Mama x

Immie, she's a bit like a famous A List celeb

It doesn't matter what she is doing at nursery or what she wears I can pretty much guarantee Immie never comes home in the same outfit she went out in, in the morning! My washing pile is ginormous!!

Immie is a bit like one of those celebs on the Brit Awards or the Oscars or something. You know the ones who have several wardrobe changes in 3 hours. The only difference is an A list celeb probably isn't dressed head to toe in Asda George!!!

Mama x

Mummy is off to London town!

Today I am going on my lovely friend Hannah's Hen Do. We are going to the big smoke. There will be lovely food, seeing a show, shopping and lots of laughs. We are staying in a 5* hotel, I have never stayed in a 5* hotel before. I am beyond excited.

Today is also the first day I am going to be away from Immie overnight. She is staying at home with her Daddy and Nana and Grandad have come to stay.

It will be strange not seeing her for over 24 hours. I'm ok with it at the moment, there have been occasions when I haven't seen her before bedtime when I've been stuck in meetings and times when I haven't seen her in the morning because she's had a lay in and I've been off to work. So I don't think I'll be a blubbering mess but who knows. I've no doubt that Daddy can cope either. So I know she will be safe and happy, she probably won't even notice I'm not there!!! I just hope he feeds her more than fish fingers and potato waffles!

So now I'm off to have some fun with friends and a chance to be Helen, not Mama!

Mama x

Yesterday Immie got told off at nursery!

Up until yesterday Immie has been brilliant at nursery. Mostly happy (except when ill), joins in activities, learns lots of new stuff, gives lots of kisses and cuddles etc.

Yesterday, however, they saw her naughty side. When I went to pick Imogen up, her key worker said that she'd had to tell her off. Apparently she had thrown her tea all over the floor. By the sound of it, it wasn't a tantrum or an accident, she just decided it was a good game!

Her key worker said to her (in a stern voice) "Imogen, we do not throw our food on the floor". Imogen was apparently quite shocked by this and looked at her key worker  and just said (in an overly dramatic voice) "Uh oh!"

I just hope she has learnt a valuable lesson and does not throw her food on the floor, I can just imagine the conversations in the staffroom "ooh and her mum;s a teacher too!"

Mama x

Being a full time working mummy...

is sometimes flipping hard.

When we're all 100% well and everything goes to plan it works like a dream.

I get up at 5.30am (well 6am by the time I've hit snooze a few times), OH gives Immie a bottle, watches TV with her etc while he has his brekkie. At 6.40am I take over, get her washed and dressed, we leave for nursery at 7.06am (precisely!) and I drop her off at nursery about 7.25am. She happily goes to one of the nursery practitioners for cuddles, lots of smilies and off I go. I usually pick up some lunch in Tesco on the way and arrive at school about 7.55am. I work all day, my lessons go like a dream, my  pupils all make progress, I have the odd meeting, do some paperwork leave at about 4.55pm, pick Immie up at 5.20pm. She will have had a great day, eaten all her food, had lots of naps, said a few new words/done some walking with a walker, possibly jumped in the water tray and got soaked, making her key worker laugh. We go home, she plays with her toys till about 6.30ish then its bath, bottle, bed. She drifts off to a deep sleep, doesn't wake up. We get dinner in peace, I do a bit more work (AKA watch Corrie) then its off to bed all ready to do it again the next day.

Then you have days like this

I wake at 3.30am because I don't feel well, Immie wakes around the same time boiling hot due to a reaction to her MMR jab (see yesterdays post!) I cant get back to sleep to go and watch TV and do some ironing. Immie wakes again inconsolable, this time its teeth, so after a bit of bonjela and lots of mummy cuddles she goes back to sleep, at this point I feel guilty because I realise sometimes she just wants her mummy and today she will have to settle for daddy as mummy is going to teach other peoples babies :(

I then decide to cut my losses and get ready for work (after  updating my blog) I decide to go to work early to catch up on paperwork. Then the realisation that I've only had about 4 hours sleep hits home and today I will be teaching 2 Y6 classes full of kids I've never met before, as well as one of my own classes. I've got to get 3 sets of reports written just incase Immie is ill tomorrow (because it will be my turn to stay home!) then I've got to rush for a docs appointment, back to school for a governors meeting followed by my yoga class.

Well looks like I'll be sacking off yoga tonight, I'm just not up to it. Governors is hanging in the balance too, but I'll see how I get on at the docs.

Phew, with any luck I won't fall asleep teaching.

Mama x

MMR

So there has been shed loads of press about MMR and how safe it is. One doctor wrote an article in a medical journal and now people are convinced it leads to autism, deafness, watching porn etc

We're quite practical parents in this house, we take the opinion that the "research" which kicked off all the controversy was scientifically flawed (well this is what the OH reckons), that the press misinterpreted it and over-hyped it and the diseases that MMR prevents are far worse than any side effects. Therefore we are of the opinion that modern medical intervention is good and Immie will be having all her jabbies.

What we didnt bank on was that the MMR is what they call a live vaccination and therefore you can display some of the symptoms of Measles, Mumps and Rubella. So today, 6 weeks after the jabbies, Immie has started to experience the symptoms of mumps. I get a phone call from nursery saying that her temperature is sky high (40!) and that despite being given a dose of our favourite branded paracetamol suspension, she's not well and I need to pick her up. Fortunately, I wasn't teaching this morning so I rushed across town to pick her up.

On arrival at nursery I find her stripped to a nappy, laying on a beanbag while her keywork mops her brow with a damp flannel and takes her temperature. Immie is doing her best 'I'm ill please look after me" look.

She clearly wasn't well, so I took her home, arranged a doctors appointment, then OH turned up to take over.

Doctor was mystified to the cause, she was only sent home from nursery a few weeks back with similar symptoms, but after a while he deduced it was probably a reaction to the jabbies which we had forgotten all about (despite being told by the practice nurse you can get symptoms for up to 8 weeks!)

So prescription for ibuprofen has been written so nursery can give her that as well as paracetamol.

I'm very lucky work have been so understanding. Hopefully the symptoms will go tomorrow and we can get back to normal, or maybe this is part of Immie's cunning plan to get out of sports day at nursery tomorrow!!

Mama x

Anabelle's Angel Day

So today has been an extra special Saturday. Today was Anabelle's Angel Day! The culmination of tireless fundraising by a very special mummy and daddy, Caroline and Jon.

Caroline and Jon are Mummy and Daddy to their beautiful angel baby Anabelle. Anabelle was born sleeping at just 32 weeks. Caroline and Jon have had to deal with possibly one of life's cruelest twists but they have done it with courage, love and honesty. A support to each other at the darkest of moments.

They have focussed their efforts in to fund raising for SANDS (The stillborn and neo-natal death charity). There has been an online line donation page, a fundraising walk and today, a special fete in honour of a very special angel baby. With the support and kindness of friends, family and total strangers they have well exceeded their target! An amazing achievement!!!!

If you want to find out more about Anabelle, Caroline and Jon then check out the following links

Anabelle's Angel Day on Facebook
After Anabelle, Caroline's blog

And now I have a favour to ask, if you have any spare cash, anything at all even just a pound, then donate it to Anabelle's Angel Day Just Giving Page!

Help support mummies, daddies and families just like Caroline, Jon and Anabelle.

Mama x

Why is my baby mute around other people?

When Immie is at home with us she is a right little chatter box. She says a variety of words, some very clearly now including -

- hello
- bye bye
- Beans (the name of our cat!)
- Beebies (CBeebies!)
- Gone/Done
- Papa (Papoose, this is what OH says when he wraps her in a towel after bath time)
- pappy (nappy)
- Beh (Book)
- Mama/Dadda
- B (beddies/bedtime)
- Shush (shoe)
- Fsh (Fish)

And so on. So why if we see people out and about, even people she knows does she go mute?? Once upon a time she used to smile at EVERYONE! Not anymore, now you only get treated to smilies if you are very special!! (Or if you have milky buttons to offer!)

Mama x

Stuff work, your baby comes first...

I hear this a lot, usually from well meaning friends and family.

Immie has been poorly again this week. Which has resulted in OH taking a day off work, me taking 2 days off work. And of course people are right, Immie DOES come first. But it isn't as simple as people think to be able to just walk out of work/not go in to work and not to worry about the impact on my job/OHs job.

My job in particular relies on continuity with my classes and completing lots of other tasks like learning walks (thats an observation to most people), work scrutinies, department meetings etc. Yes they can get a supply teacher/cover supervisor in to cover my classes and I can set appropriate cover work but there comes a point where you need a subject specialist, there is only so much appropriate cover work I can set. For example year 9 are creating videos, yes they can do all the planning and scripting etc but there comes a point where they actually have to video something, and when you don't know who is covering your lessons you cant leave some poor unsuspecting soul the job of managing a class of teenagers and video cameras!

The learning walks and work scrutiny are done by me. I have to be physically in school to watch someone teach, I cant observe from my sofa.

There is also the fact that after 5 days off with Immie, they won't pay me (OH doesn't get paid at all!), so far I have had 2 & 1/2 days off and Ive not managed a full week at work, how would that look to my employer/potential employers, all this absence in a short space of time??

If you are lucky you might live near family who can share the childcare, but we don't. So it is literally me and OH sharing it between us. I'm not moaning, it is our choice to live where we do (well it's down to OHs job but you know what I mean), but it does make life complicated. All my friends locally are teachers so they can't help out.

So yes, Immie does come first, of course she does, but that doesn't mean there aren't massive impacts elsewhere in my life. This is certainly all stuff I didn't consider before we had Immie, not that it would make any difference though!

Hopefully Immie's immune system will sort itself out soon and we can get a proper routine going!

Mama x

The best thing in the world ever...

is when Immie is tired and crawls over, puts her head on my chest, looks me in the eye and drifts off to sleep. She isn't normally a very cuddly baby, too independent, so this is a rare treat. I'd quite happily go off to sleep like that with her cuddled up but I fear I may squash her in the middle of the night so at some point she has to go back to her own little bed.

Sleepy baby cuddles FTW!

Mama x

Praise, praise and more praise

As a teacher you are always told that children respond well to praise, this weekend we have seen how even at the age of 1 Immie loves praise.

Immie has one of those stacking rings toy. We bought it after nursery sent home a bunch of learning stories for us to comment on (basically they are observations that the staff have done on Immie when she does different things, they get written up and go in her file - I swear we get loads of homework from nursery!!). One of the stories talked about how Immie had been placing curtain rings on a kitchen roll holder. So the OH bought her a set of stacking rings. She loves them! She is very good at taking them off and putting them on again. When she manages to get the rings on, we clap and cheer. Her little face beams with pride and she continues to 'show off'. She will play with the stacking rings for a good 30 minutes if you keep the praise up. While she is playing she looks to you, just to check you are watching and paying attention. She is waiting for the praise.

I hope this love of praise continues when she is at school.

Mama x

The worst bit about being a working mummy....

is when your baby is ill.

Today at lunchtime I had a phone call from nursery. Immie's temperature was sky high, she'd slept all morning (unlike her), refused food (definitely unlike her) and generally wasn't right. They'd stripped her down to her nappy, given calpol and just wanted to let me know. 10 minutes later they called again as she was now beginning to shake and her temp just wasn't dropping.

At this point I had to ask to leave work, set cover work for my year 9 class, grab some marking and drive across town to pick her up. Whilst driving I called the doctors (hands free of course) to see if they thought they should see her, they decided they wanted to see her.

When I got to nursery she was sat there nudey, with just her nappy on, bright red and boiling hot. I took her to the doctors on the way home just to get her checked. He suspected earache and told me to keep giving her calpol and keep an eye on her.

And this is the most difficult part of being a working mummy. It is difficult for 3 reasons

1) having to ask for time off to look after your baby, catching up on the work you have missed etc
2) the logistics of who will stay home with your baby if they are sick over a number of days
3) the guilt of wanting to stay home and look after your baby Vs the guilt of having a day off work

It isn't easy.

Mama x

Calamity Jane and the pressures of being a working mum

Today when I picked Immie up from nursery I had to sign a bump form (to say I was aware she'd had a bump at nursery). This is the 3rd bump form either me or OH has signed this week.

Immie is sporting a rather nice red mark under her right eye, she looks like she has given Vinny Jones a run for his money and Im sure by tomorrow it will be a nice bruise! Apparently she was playing with "another child" (I love how they cant name which child, incase you have a demented mother revenge attack LOL) and some big tubes and toy cars, apparently she got a bit carried away and the tube whacked her in the face. After a cold compress and a cuddle she calmed down and has been fine all afternoon!

Bumps are all part of growing up, but I do hope she'll work out where her limbs are in relation to other objects soon!

This week has been a disaster week. After feeling crappy last weekend and Monday, I went down with the most hideous mouth ulcers and sore throat. I have been off work ever since. I can't believe Im only on my 3rd week back and already had to have time off for illness. I'm sure a lot of it is because I've lost some of my immunity since I've been off, my immune system needs to get back to full strength. But also I am tired and run down. The pressure of going back full time Vs the guilt of not being a SAHM is unbelievable.

I'm sure some people at work think I'm swinging the lead but I'm really not. I'm finding it hard to be back at work and not be the same work-a-holic I was BI (Before Immie!) I want to be a good teacher and do my job well, but I also have my family life to balance and suddenly I can't be doing all the extra's I was before. Some people have been very supportive. But I'm sure some people don't get it.

Being tired and drained also makes you paranoid. The lack of a text or email, sends your mind in to overdrive. Why haven't they responded? What have i done wrong? etc

I knew it would be hard going back, but I didn't envisage it would be this hard. I've worked in my current job a long time now. I know the staff and pupils pretty well. But since I have been on maternity leave I feel like everything has changed and it's not that easy to just snap back in to place. I don't think it's anyones fault, just the way life is and Im sure it would be the same in any job, doesn't make it any easier to swallow though.

Mama x

I think she's beginning to understand things

Immie has always been very good at copying things. You blow a raspberry, she blows one back, you poke your tongue out, she'll copy. Recently we have noticed her doing lots of new things, which she has learnt at nursery, presumably by copying.

We noticed a few weeks back that if you sing "Row row row your boat" she will rock back and forth chuntering "row row row". If you sing the bit about "if you see a crocodile, don't forget to scream" she puts her hands up and screeches "aaaahhhhhh". The other day in the car "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands" came on and she started to clap, in all the right places.

This is of course very cute, but last night I noticed something different, something that wasn't down to copying or learning by rote. She was in her cot and had a few books. I said "Imogen, pass mummy the book please" (accompanied by the makaton sign for please, which she has learnt at nursery!) and low and behold she crawled over, picked a book up and passed it to me. I let her play for a bit, then tried again with a different book, again she passed it to me.

I think she actually understood me. She knew I wanted her to pass me the book, she could have picked up anything in that cot, dummy, cuddly toy, mussy but she knew I'd asked for the book! Amazing!

In the last week nursery tell me she has been counting to 4 (I cant get her past 2 at home though LOL) and she now knows the makaton signs for please, thank you and rabbit!

We of course think she is a genius! Im sure most babies do these things, but the speed she is picking stuff up is astounding. She's growing up way too fast. Already she doesn't seem like a baby anymore, this makes me a little sad, but Im also very proud of how fast she is developing.

Mama x

Mr Bump and Little Miss Bump!

For her birthday, Immie received a cuddly Mr Bump from her Auntie Alex and Uncle Chris. Weirdly today, Immie also got her first bump at nursery!

Immie's latest obsession is to kneel up to do EVERYTHING! Apparently she was kneeling and another baby toddled over to give her a cuddle (ahhhh), took her by surprise and they both toppled over bumping their heads. When I went to pick her up at 5.15pm, I had to sign an accident form. Apparently they put a cold compress on as it was a bit red, gave her a cuddle and she was fine.

It is difficult as a working mum not to feel guilty about stuff like this. "Oh if only I was a stay at home mum, she wouldn't have accidents!" This is of course, total rubbish!!! Immie is forever clattering in to things at weekends, infact last night she slipped and took a bump against her trike. Doesn't make you feel any better though! Least I have total confidence in her nursery to deal with such things.

So I have come to the end of my 2nd week back at work. I feel tired, run down and no less guilty than I did last week! Next week is a full 5 days, it's going to be a killer!

Mama x

1st Birthday

This weekend saw Immie finally reach the age of 1!

Saturday we had a BBQ party for some family & friends, Sunday all 4 grandparents and us went out for lunch. Today we have been to the lake district to visit our friend Steve who is over from Boston and who finally got to meet Immie!

The BBQ party was ace! Lots of party food, party bags, a hello kitty cake made by the OH and a pinata which resulted in my OH hoovering the garden! (He objected to the pinata glitter I filled it with!)

Immie received a ridiculous number of lovely pressies (I got a few too!) and we are very grateful to be able to spend her special birthday weekend with lovely friends. OH and I bought Immie a swing for her birthday, this has proved to be a big hit as she grins like a loon when in it!

Then the meal with the grandparents yesterday was lovely. We all went to the Lord Nelson in Hoylandswaine. It was the first time we'd all sat together for a meal since our wedding! Immie had popcorn chicken and chips (just as a special birthday treat!), she loves sitting up at tables being all grown up.

Today we took a trip to the lake district. Steve (who was best man at our wedding) was over from Boston, Massachusetts for a conference. So we drove up to see him & his parents who were staying in the Lake District with him. We went to the house where Beatrix Potter lived and wrote her children's books. Immie loved meeting her Uncle Steve, and gave him a cuddle (whilst trying to snap his glasses!) She was also pretty taken with Steve's dad (especially when he blew raspberries with her!) Uncle Steve bought her a Mrs Tiggywinkle book and a peter rabbit buggy book. We bought her a Peter rabbit book and a Jemima Puddle-duck book. The weather was fantastic and the scenery was stunning.

Immie despite teething has been brilliant all weekend. She loves hanging out with lots of people. I am sure this is because she goes to nursery and likes lots of social interaction!

So now I have a 1 year old. It is scary how quick the time has gone. I keep remembering what I was doing this time last year. It is fair to say I wouldn't want to repeat those first 3 months in particular, but I wouldn't change them or Immie either!

Now I'm off to pack my bag for school tomorrow. I really am back to reality!

Mama x

Back to earth with a bump

No not a pregnancy bump!!!

Tomorrow is my first proper day back at work after just over a year off. I have tried to come up with every possible excuse under the sun to get out of it, but short of divine intervention, tomorrow I will be back to school.

Immie is in bed, her nursery bag is packed ready to go. My school bag is packed and my lessons prepared. Immie has been going to nursery for a few months now and the last 2 weeks she has done full time with no probs. I know she will be totally fine. But somehow tonight feels so much more depressing :(

So I'm going to sit down, order a takeaway and try and refrain from eating an entire box of ferrero rocher, I need to fit in to my work trousers tomorrow!

Mama x

Capture a moment

My good friend Ally at Cancer and baby equals chaos has laid down a challenge, each week on a Tuesday I am going to post a photo from the previous 7 days where I have captured a moment. I will explain about the photo and why I have picked it. So who wants to join in?

So here is my first photo

This weekend we built Immie's trike and trailer. She recieved this as a gift for Christmas from her great grandma and grandad Scott. She is just about big enough to sit on it now, although she is a little too short to "ride" it, she loves sitting on it and being pushed up and down the hallway. The trailer is brilliant as she can put her sheep, Freebie (because he was free!), in the back and take him with her. We added the Imogen number plate, which was a present from a friend. It cracks me up seeing the little trailer disappearing off up the hall!

Mama x

I won't be one of those parents...

...who does their child's homework for them!

Last week we received a note from nursery. There were two things that stood out

1) On Thursday 21st April, they will be celebrating St George's day (early because of the bank hols) and will be having a traditional English meal -what on earth will that be I wonder? Pie and peas? Roast beef and yorkshire pud? Tikka Masala?? ;) And children are invited to wear red and white. Paaaaannniiiccccc Immie only seems to wear pink! Thank god for Amazon!

2) Children are invited to decorate a hard boiled egg at home and the best one wins a choccy egg! Sorry, did someone say choccy egg?? Im there!!!!

So last week I bought card, wobbly eyes, paint, fluffy pom poms and PVA glue. I swear I haven't used PVA glue since I was 12! Sunday we set about decorating our egg. Sorry I mean Immie set about decorating her egg!

Immie was given the task of finger painting the card and a cup from an egg box. A simple enough task for an 11 month old... wrong! 10 minutes later she had produced what I consider to be a work of art but she also had blue and green teeth from trying to eat the paint!!!! I hard boiled the egg. I wasn't sure how long to boil it for, so I boiled it to oblivion for about 45 mins!!! Must be rock hard Im sure.

OH was given the task of cutting out rabbit ears and feet

We then assembled it all together. The result I think is pretty good. But it got me wondering, would Immie be disqualified for having way too much help!?

I must remember not to be so enthusiastic when she is doing her maths homework when she is older!!

Mama x

Anyone know how to get tomato soup out of baby clothes?

This week at nursery, Immie has decided she doesn't want the staff to feed her, she wants to feed herself. Great, heading towards another milestone.

All sounds fab, except this week they decided to feed her tomato soup. She came home in her emergency change of clothes and with soup in her hair. Apparently the soup went everywhere during her bid for independence.

I've tried washing at 50 instead of 40 and using a stain remover in the wash but I'm admitting defeat, her vest is still covered in orange stains. Anyone know how to get tomato soup out of baby clothes?

Mama x

Ssshhh, Shhhhh, Bo, Goh, ba ba

Translated: Fish, Shoe, Book, Gone, Baby

Today when I went to pick Immie up the nursery worker asked me "Does she say 'words' for certain things?"

Apparently today Immie has been saying "Uh oh" quite a bit and this surprised the staff, at first they though it was a fluke but then she did it several times (bang goes my theory about her getting that from nursery then LOL). Later on they took her and the other babies to look at the fish tank and Immie said "ssshhh", everytime we go near a pet shop OH takes her to look at the fish, so she must have started to pick the word up. She can also say 'Bo' for book and 'Goh' for gone (this is usually accompanied by a shrug of the shoulders!)

So the nursery staff told me her "speech" is pretty advanced for her age as she is linking sounds to objects/things/actions. Also apparently the shhhh sound doesn't come till later and normally for shoes a baby would say "oohs" first. So they were quite surprised.

I always thought Immie would be a talker, apparently OH was good at talking as a child and I dont think I was too shabby either.

No matter how much a parent says they're not bothered if their child is bright/clever/advanced/gifted, they just want a happy child etc, nothing makes you feel more smug than a "professional" saying your baby is advanced at something!

I wonder what her first fully formed word will be? Oxbridge maybe?? hehe

Mama x

And so it comes to an end

Today has officially been the last day of my maternity leave. As of tomorrow I am a paid employee once again. Technically I am not in work tomorrow though as it is the Easter holidays but I have so much planning and prep to do that I will be working.

Tomorrow Immie starts nursery full time. 7.15am - 5.15 pm. She normally has her tea at 5ish, so by the time we get home (5.30ish) she'll be wanting tea, bath, bed. This makes me sad. For 5 days a week I will hardly see her. Life is about to become very different. I am used to seeing her all day most days. Sure she has been going to nursery 2 days a week for about 2 months now but she always finished at 3.15, giving us a good hour and a half to play together before tea.

I knew this day would come eventually, my return to work date was set down by my employers about a year ago. I just didn't anticipate it would come this quick. There were times in the first 5 months I felt it couldn't come soon enough, but I have settled in to being a mummy. I certainly don't feel ready to return to the daily grind.

A lot of mummys worry about sending their child to nursery/childminder, I'm not worried about Immie going to nursery. She loves going and the staff are fab. But I do worry if I'm doing the right thing by going back full time for myself. Work used to be my priority and now it very much isn't and Im not sure how I feel about that. Will I be able to cope and stay on top of everything I need to do, to be the teacher I want to be?

I guess the positives are I get lots of holidays (yes I'll need to work some days but I can work shorter hours, part time if you like.) Also I can in theory finish at 3pm most days, I could be at nursery by about 3.20pm. However, I am conscious that I want weekends to be work free, Immie days. So in order to do that I will probably work till 5, pick her up then work some more when she is in bed so that I am able to do that. Before Immie, I would have worked most evenings and at least 1 day at weekends, this now has to change. It is going to be a different way of working.

So it has been a long year, exhausting, at times frustrating and upsetting. But it has mainly been enjoyable, fun and lovely. I'm still holding out for a lotto win in the next two weeks though!!!!

Mama x

Milk

So this week I busted Immie out of nursery early on Thursday and took her to see the health visitor (felt so naughty for picking her up early, like she was skiving or something haha).

When we got to the Grimethorpe baby clinic the room was heaving! Mainly full of mums with babies younger than Immie, judging by the babies Id say most were only a month old. Me and Immie sat quietly and waited our turn. I didn't dare speak to any of the other mums as being a southerner in a room full of locals (who all seem to know each other) often gets you funny looks! When it was our turn we went in and sat down. It wasn't our usual health visitor but I have seen this one before. Immie wasn't due to go but after all the lurge she's had I wanted to get her checked. So we weighed her (around 19lb, bang on the 50th centile!). Then we got to why I was really there, milk!

Immie is fast approaching 1 and I know that from 1 you switch them to cows milk. So I asked the HV if you just woke up on her birthday and gave her cows milk or if you introduce it gradually. The HV said I was right and that gradually is probably the best approach. She asked me a few questions about how much and what type of milk Immie has, when I said we gave her pre-made formula she raised her eyebrows and said we might struggle to move to cows milk as its very different (BAD MUMMY ALERT!). We only used pre-made because powder only lasts a month and we were binning loads because Immie doesn't drink much milk.

So this week we have begun the transition. Immie is having cows milk in her porridge/cereal and then as her elevenses. So far she hasn't batted an eyelid to the different milk. She has never been much of a milk drinker, even as a tiny baby so god knows if she is getting enough! I might try and give her red meat twice a week to up her iron intake just to make sure.

The other thing we are beginning to try is giving her milk in a sippy cup rather than a bottle. She didn't seem to mind for her elevenses this morning and she is used to drinking water from a sippy cup. With a bit of luck soon we can ditch the bottles and free up some space on the top of the microwave!

Mama x

Proud mummy alert 2!

So today we went swimming and it was a good lesson. Immie loved it. I feel like she is back to her normal happy self now the lurge is just about gone. I've already blogged before about our swimming lessons with Puddle Ducks. Today we did jumping, bouncing, "swimming" and submersions etc

Whilst we were getting changed, the poolside assistant gave me 2 little sheets to say that Immie had achieved her STA Starfish level 1 & 2 badges! I am very excited about this. Immie has only ever had one certificate before and that is her birth certificate, so not really a huge achievement. But she has gained her starfish awards for things she can do at swimming (like submersions etc). So I am pretty chuffed, I'll do anything for a certificate me!

So the badges will be sewn on to her swimming towel (if Grandma wouldn't mind!?) and the certificate will go in her keepsake box probably (I've managed to restrain myself from the idea of framing them for the wall!)

So tonight I am one proud mummy!

Mama x

Uh-oh!

So Immie's latest party piece is to say "uh-oh". She appears to know to use "uh-oh" when she drops something. I have no idea where she has picked this up from, I tend to say "oops" if I drop things, so I suspect she has learnt it from nursery, I must ask them today!

The only problem is, she seems to think by saying "uh-oh" this gives her the right to throw things on the floor. The other day she threw a cheesy puff ring on the floor and said "uh-oh", when I said "No Immie!" she then carried on, throwing them on the floor and saying "uh-oh", whilst looking at me to see if I was watching! Ten cheesy puff rings later, mummy ended the game! Little madam clearly knows she shouldn't throw them but was waiting for me to react!

A few days later I was preparing lunch in the kitchen while she played with the OH in the lounge, I dropped a saucepan on the tiled floor, after the almighty crash I just heard a little "Uh-oh!"

But yesterday she took this new phrase to a whole new level. We are currently having new wardrobes, bedside units etc fitted. The bloke fitting them accidentally drilled through our ensuite wall and straight through 2 tiles! When I took Immie upstairs to survey the damage and the poor bloke explained what had happened, Immie sat in my arms and just said "Uh-oh!"

This little phase creases me up, I wonder what the next phase will be!?

Mama x

Mother's day

So today is my first mother's day. My day has consisted of some lovely pressies and a card but more importantly some big kisses and cuddles from my beautiful baby girl. Lots of my friends are also experiencing their first mothers day too. So I hope you all have a lovely day with your nearest and dearest.

I am one of the lucky ones though. I have my baby girl with me and whilst my own mum is 240 miles away she is still here. But I know for others today is extremely painful, whether they are trying for their own baby and finding that journey tough, or if their own baby isn't with them in their arms or if their own mother isn't with them. Today should be about celebrating ALL mummies, past, present (including those with beautiful angel babies!) and future.

So today I am sending lots of love to all those people who are finding today a difficult one.

Happy mothers day.

Mama x

Playing the lotto

So with just over 3 weeks to go until the dreaded back to work, I've begun to buy lottery tickets. This is my only hope of not having to work.

£250k would pay off the mortgage, our debts etc and allow me to give up work. Not too much to ask is it?

£250k would allow me to stay at home with Immie and not spend my day teaching other people's kids.

Fingers crossed everyone!

Mama x

Nappy rash: Satan's ailment!

Poor Immie has nappy rash, not just a little bit, but really red raw! The doctor assures me it is as a result of the antibiotics she is on for her ear. I can't wait till she has finished them, so her bottom returns to normal.

At antenatal class and just after you have had your baby, midwives will tell you "Don't use a barrier cream, they don't need them" blah blah blah.

I have always used a barrier cream on Immie ever since she had a sore bottom when I was still breastfeeding and I had been drinking orange juice, not realising it would effect her! So anyway ever since then I have used a barrier cream, Bepanthen to be precise (tried sudocrem but it didn't suit Immie's skin) Up until now we have never had a problem, not even a hint of nappy rash. But oh lordy now she's got it, she has well and truly got it. Poor little mite, looks really sore :(

One thing they don't tell you is in extreme cases the rash will spread down the legs and on to the tummy! So having spent 48 hrs convincing myself she had chicken pox, I now realise it is just this evil bout of nappy rash.

The doctor prescribed metanium, but all that did was stain her clothes. So the doc has now prescribed some cream with antiseptic in. Hopefully that will clear it.

If it doesn;t work I may have to resort to what my Grandma reckons they used when she was a baby, LARD!

Mama x

Mummy top tip #2

Buy a decent thermometer!

Before Immie was born we were confused about different types of thermometers. Digital in ear, digital under arm, forehead thermometers, dummies with thermometers built in etc

We settled on the digital one that goes in your arm pit. It came as part of a baby grooming set which included a hair brush, tooth brush, nail scissors, snot sucker (aka a nasal aspirator!) and a few other items. For some reason we were being skinflints and decided any other type of thermometer was a luxury and not needed.

I can safely say at 11 months, we have decided we were clearly being ridiculous. Trying to get an unwell baby to let you put something cold in their arm pit is ridiculously difficult and Immie has never let us, choosing instead to pull it out and fling it across the room!

I then tried a dummy with a thermometer built in, quite expensive but I figured Immie loves a dummy so it'd be ok. WRONG! The digital bit is so heavy she just pulls the dummy straight out.

So today after having been to the docs AGAIN (I even said to the doc we need our own parking space now!) and being told her temperature was up (even though she felt ok to me!) we decided to bite the bullett and get an in ear digital thermometer. We opted for a Braun one, expensive but got good reviews and is very easy to use!

Ive taken all our temperatures (Makes me feel like a doctor or something LOL). Mine and OH both had temps of 36.6 but poor Immie's was 38.4, so yes she has a fever. So Ive dosed her up with calpol and put her in her cot, I'm hoping she'll sleep it out. She didn't even bat an eyelid with I stuck the thermometer in her ear.

So my top tip is if you are looking for a thermometer, if you can afford one, get an in ear one, they seem a lot less fuss!

Mama x

This time last year

This time last year I was 36 weeks pregnant. I was about to embark on my last week at school before the Easter Holidays started and therefore my maternity leave. A whole year off spanned out in front of me. I was knackered but excited, excited for a year off, excited for a year of not marking coursework but most of all excited for the imminent arrival, this time last year I had no idea if I was having a boy or girl, although my gut feeling was a girl. The nursery was ready, my hospital bag was packed (just incase I went in to early labour!) and I was spending much of my time sat on a gym ball as my back and hips were aching beyond belief.

So here we are a year later and Ive still got back ache and the occassional hip pain, I'm definitely knackered. But I'm having to psyche myself up to going back to work after the Easter hols, excitement has been replaced with feeling daunted and fearful. Instead of a hospital bag, I now have a changing bag, packed and ready to go if we go out.

But the biggest difference is Immie. The little person who frustrates me beyond belief sometimes, who cracks me up regularly, who gives me kisses and cuddles, whose every little development surprises me on a daily basis.

Ive mentioned elsewhere that I struggled to adjust to being away from work and being a mummy but the last 6 mths have been fab and are making the thought of going back to being Helen Stokes, Subject Leader and Teacher very difficult to get my head round. To say I'm torn is an understatement. But I'm sure I'll be fine when I get back in to it, but for now, its time to enjoy my last 4 weeks off!

Mama x

Sometimes you just know

Immie has been having baby swimming lessons since she was 3 months. On the whole she loves them and they go without a hitch.

Due to the dreaded lurge for the past 6 weeks (her and me!), we've been a bit hit and miss in going. I really wanted her to go this afternoon as after today there are only 2 more sessions left before the Easter hols. (After Easter we will be going on a Sunday morning, lovely but there is something special about going on a week day when I'd normally be at work!)

Anyway at about 12.50 Immie was getting grizzly and decided she wanted a nap. This was not ideal as we have to leave at 1.30pm to get to the pool in time. So I just knew, that today's lesson was already on the back foot. While she slept I frantically packed the swimming bag after spending 20 mins trying to find the bloody swim nappies! At 1.35 I finally bit the bullet and went and woke her. She was absolutely zonked and therefore was none too impressed with me for waking her up. I hoped she would drop back off in the car but that was wishful thinking.

When we got to the pool, she got changed ok but the minute I passed her to the instructor she started to cry, "here we go" I thought! Fortunately she was fine throughout the lesson. She grizzled when I got her out the pool. Then I put her in the play pen while I got changed. I'd just got my cossie off when I hear this almighty wail! Quickly followed by the poolside assistant trying to calm her down. I knew it was Immie. The hollering continued. I then heard the instructor yell from the pool "My goodness is that Imogen making all the noise!?" How embarrassing, she was disturbing everyone! When I went to pick her up there were big fat tears rolling down her cheeks and little sobs. By the time we got to the car she was over it.

As I drove home I thought, I knew she was up to going this week, when she was so desperate for that nap I should have just left her and cancelled the lesson. But then if I cancelled everything every time she wanted a nap we'd never leave the house! It just goes to show though, mummies always know their child inside out.

Mama x

PS She screamed in her bath tonight too (this is unheard of, she loves her baths!) so I suspect a big bad tooth is on the way!

Ooh a blog award!

I started this blog as a bit of release for me, but every now and again I check out the stats to see if anyone was reading. Imagine my surprise when I noticed traffic was coming via another mummy blogger, the rather fabulous wouldliketo beayummymummy

So headed over to check out what the reference was and imagine my surprise to see she'd given me a blog award! To say I am excited is an understatement! I am just chuffed that anyone reads my blog because I absolutely love reading other peoples, especially when they are mummy blogs, you learn so much from fellow mummy bloggers and as it says at the top of my blog, my family live miles away so mummy bloggers are my support network!

Anyway enough of the oscar style speech, I'm now going to nominate my own set of bloggers for the Liebster Blog Award.

The Liebster Blog award is for people with ‘little’ blogs (less than 300 subscribers) to share blog love and spread the word.

The rules are:

1. Post displaying the award (Its over there! ------>), linking back to the person who awarded you (check!)
2. Choose your own blog picks (below) and let them know they’re awarded
3. Hope everyone discovers some new favourites
4. Revel in the blog love!

I choose to award the following wonderful mummy bloggers:
1) After Anabelle
2) Cancer and Baby equals chaos!
3) Finding my new normal
4) Working mum on the verge
5) A juggling act

There were some overlaps with wouldliketobeayummymummy's so went for some different ones so we can spread the love :)

Hurrah for blog love! and thank you wouldliketobeayummymummy for my award! Mwah!

Mama x

Proud mummy alert

So far we've been pretty lucky, there haven't been too many tears from Immie when I have dropped her off at nursery. She's always been pretty calm.

But today was different. Still no tears but something had changed... her confidence.

When we got there I had to sign a form as I had to leave some amoxicillin there for her ear infection. Last time it took a while and because I put her down she started to grizzle. So today I thought I'll hold her until I'm ready to leave. Except Immie had other ideas. After a minute she started wriggling to get down, so I popped her on the floor, fully expecting a whinge but she didn't. She crawled off to a basket of toys, searched for a specific toy she wanted to play with, pulled it out and amused herself. When I went to leave she didn't even give me a 2nd look! haha

But I wasn't sad, oh no I was proud. Proud that my baby girl was confident enough to be able to make a decision for herself. Albeit a small decision to me or you but in her world a big decision, what she wanted to play with.

This is why I am happy for her to go to nursery because I know it will make her confident, it will help her to progress and yes I would love to be a SAHM but I actually believe nursery is good for her!

So today I am a proud mummy. I'm also a pleased mummy as I obviously made a good choice in the nursery as she clearly feels safe, happy and relaxed enough to be able to be confident. Today has been a good day.

Mama x

Why can you never push a pram round a shop that is aimed at kids?

Today Immie and I have been to Wakefield, I needed to get some door spongy things to stop her trapping her fingers in the doors, as apparently doors are fascinating, especially if you open and close them multiple times!

Anyway I put Immie in her pushchair as I knew I'd want to look at things and we then went in to Mothercare. Now Mothercare (Im surprised the EU allow that name given that it discriminates against fathers etc!) so the whole focus of Mothercare is children, babies and their parents. Primarily children under the age of 10, but particularly babies and toddlers, so why on earth to they put their display units so close together and put things in aisles making it a nightmare to push a pushchair or pram around? My pushchair is fairly small (I've seen some massive ones!) and it is very easy to move so I shouldn't really have any problems, its like they haven't thought of their customer base at all!

Mothercare aren't the only ones either. The branch of Next I like to visit has its baby and children's department at the back of the shop, but to get there you have to walk through Womenswear where the display units and racks are packed so close together and at a jaunty (presumably arty) angle that it is a nightmare! If you manage to make it to the back of the shop, then you are faced with all the kids racks packed so close together you have no hope!

It drives me crackers, I wish they would just consider their customer base a little more.

Mama x

Breast Feeding is hard, FACT

Ok it has been a few months now since I stopped breast feeding but I was watching a program today that was talking about breast feeding and it stirred up some emotions i'd rather it hadn't.

Before I had Immie I was very philosophical about breast feeding, I thought "I'll give it a bash, see how it goes but if it doesn't work I can always switch" then I got sucked in by the breast feeding nazis.

Now don't get me wrong, if you can do breast feeding and find it straightforward I'm sure it is a lovely experience. But this wasn't the case for me and it made the first 3 months a lot more upsetting than they needed to be.

You see it all started on the post-natal ward after birth. I had no idea what I was doing, Immie didn't really feed that well and nobody really bothered to ask me how it was going. I've since found out CSection mummies can find breast feeding more tricky, something to do with hormones. Anyway, non of that was explained to me. I was discharged on the Monday afternoon, got home and Immie wasn't really feeding. I begged my OH to go and buy some formula but he wouldn't. Instead he insisted on phoning the hospital. At that point they said I had to go back in and pack a bag because I'd probably be staying over night. I was gutted, I cried and cried. I didn't want to go back to the hospital. I was shattered and just wanted to be home with my baby.

So we got back, I was stuffed in a room on my own (with lots of propaganda breast feeding posters on the wall!). That night, the nurses still didn't show me particularly well what to do (one old bag was particularly stroppy with me, I don't think she could see what the problem was!) Over the course of 2 days I had a variety of nurses touch my boobs and squeeze my nipples, now I come to think of it, not one of them asked me if it was ok to do that and not one of them actually asked me how I was feeling or gave me options, it was just expected that I would keep breast feeding.

The next morning, they sent in a breast feeding link worker who bought a long a knitted woolly boob and attempted to show me what to do, she then left me with a DVD player and some crap DVDs where women who loved breast feeding, basically went on about how marvellous it was. (Not what you need when you're struggling) I have to say this did not help one bit!

That night I had a mini-melt down and an auxiliary nurse found me sobbing in my little room, cuddling Immie but with no idea what to do as I just couldnt manage to feed her! Eventually the nurses took my baby away for a few hours so I could sleep and calm down (I've no idea where they took her, still a bit pissed off they could have taken her anywhere and I wouldn't have known!)

Eventually a rather lovely nurse just gave me lots of gentle encouragement and told me if I managed to get Immie to feed off both boobs I could go home, this cheered me up, and eventually I just about managed it.

So we came home and I managed to breast feed Immie for 3 months. However, I was never totally happy that I was getting the correct position. She fed ok, but never for very long and never more than one side, but I was feeding every hour or so. It wasnt the growth spurt either, this was all the time.

Things came to a head when my mate was round and I was expressing so I could go out that evening and she commented that I was hardly getting anything out at all and she'd have filled up 4 bottles in the time I'd expressed 2oz!

About a week later I came down with a cold and so did Immie, at that point I was exhausted and made the decision to open the emergency carton of formula milk. Immie gulped it down and wasn't bothered at all. From that point on I gave up breast feeding. Immie was happier, I was happier, I only wished I'd done it sooner!

Despite my relaxed attitude when I was pregnant, I felt under so much pressure by the nurses etc to keep going, in hindsight, I would have bonded with Immie more quickly and enjoyed the early months a lot more if I hadnt had so much stress feeding! But I didn't have the guts to stand up to the nurses.

When I next saw my Health Visitor and explained why I had stopped etc but that Immie was like a different baby she said "Well you made the right decision then". This is what I needed to hear. I felt like a weight had been lifted.

Everyone assumes breast feeding is easy because it is natural. It isn't. It is a skill, that takes good teaching and lots of practice. But most of all, you shouldn't be made to feel bad if its not for you.

So if and when we decide to have another baby, I am a lot clearer in my mind as to what I will do. I will definitely give breastfeeding another go, I've got a sneaking suspicion I know where I was going wrong, but I certainly won't be flogging a dead horse. If it doesn't work, I'll have the confidence to make my own decisions earlier.

Mama x

My daughter, the Olympic swimmer!

Since she was 3 months old, Immie has attended swimming lessons.

It's the one thing we've stuck to doing together (Baby music class got canned due to lack of interest, shame as I liked it and baby massage and baby & mummy yoga were 6 week classes, didn't enjoy baby & mummy yoga at all, I felt incompetent because my baby was the only one who screamed and wouldn't keep still!)

Anyway, Immie goes to Puddleducks for her swimming lessons. It was recommended to me by a friend and I have to say it has been brilliant! She loves going. She is happy as larry in the water. She has no problem being dunked under, she kicks her legs, splashes about. We are currently encouraging them to jump in, "swim" (I hold her, she kicks!) turn in the water and hold on to the side, so if ever they fall in they know what to do. Immie is now very confident in the water and never screams in the bath, even if you dump a bowl of water on her head and it gets in her eyes.

Some would say that babies don't need swimming lessons, that you can teach them yourself etc Personally as I can afford it, I'd rather she learnt from a proper teacher who can teach her correctly (I could probably teach her to swim but Im not sure she'd master the strokes correctly) and sees it as a fun but serious thing, swimming is a valuable skill. I also find because its a lesson, the pressure is off me and its something we enjoy together. Not an opinion shared by others I know, but my opinion.

So I renewed her lessons for the summer term, she's going to have to switch to a Sunday as I'll be back at work, I'm so relieved they offer Sunday lessons. Puddleducks aren't the cheapest but in my experience they are the best. The staff (teacher and poolside assistants) are fab and I think it is worth every penny. If you're in the market to sign your baby up to swimming lessons, I'd really suggest having a look and seeing if there is a Puddleducks franchise near you

Click here to visit the Puddle Ducks website



Before long, Immie will be giving Rebecca Adlington a run for her money!

Mama x

Bi-weekly bin collections and nappies = disaster!

So a few years back, Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, like many other councils decided to switch to bi-weekly bin collections. Each week the bin collections would alternate 1 week = grey bin full of household rubbish, the following week = Recyclables.

Now when it was just Me and Christopher this was just about manageable. But since the arrival of Immie it has been a nightmare. Nappies take up space, no matter how much you squash em! On average we get through about 7-9 nappies a day, sometimes more. We're finding that by the end of the first week and with another one to go, our grey bin is full! General household rubbish and nappies can fill a grey wheelie bin easily. We're very good at recycling now, we recycle card, paper, plastic, glass and tins. But since the nappies started, we're finding we end up stock piling black bin bags in our garage for a week or so till the bin gets emptied. This causes 2 problems 1) There is nothing like the smell of week old stinky nappies in your garage to give it a pleasant aroma 2) When the bin is empty we fill it straight back up again! Meaning the stock piling starts again.

We asked the council for a bigger wheelie bin but apparently you need 5+ ppl in your house to get one and the cat doesn't count! (No wonder chavs pop out the sprogs, its prob so they get a bigger bin!)

So I have had to start doing mid week tip runs with the stinkies. I hate going to the tip. It's like going to the West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum, no one appears to have a brain cell. But anyway, it got me thinking, we can't be the only family with this problem. Our estate for example is chocca with families. So if every family on our estate has to make 1 tip run per week to keep on top of the rubbish, I wonder how that effects the environment in terms of pollution??

No amount of recycling initiatives can avoid the fact that a bi-weekly collection isn't enough for your average family, so if we're having to bin stuff anyway, why not go back to weekly bin collections on top of the recycling program, thus creating more jobs (more bin men needed) and cutting down on the pollution of everyone driving their cars to the tip. I can't imagine it would put the council tax up a huge amount to add that extra collection back in.

Oh and yes I did look in to reusable nappies BUT they use up so much energy having to wash and dry them it negates any environmental benefits of using them.

Hmmmmm time to write to my MP maybe.....

Mama x

Mummy top tip #1

Before your baby is born you will buy/get given loads of baby toiletries (baby lotion, baby wash, baby shampoo, talc etc etc)

When you attend antenatal classes you will suddenly be told these products are the work of the devil and should not be let anywhere near your squidgy little bundle.

Mummy top tip: Don't bin them, use them for yourself! Baby talc smells lush and Baby top to toe softwash is excellent for shaving your legs!

Mama x

Little Bunny Foo Foo and other assorted crap I sing to Immie

Poor Immie has just woken up inconsolable. Proper big fat tears, hysterical crying. I think it is those pesky toothy pegs, combined with her fighting off this virus, it has made for one miserable little tortoise.

One way I find really works in calming her down is to lay her on our bed with me and for me to sing to her. The only problem is, I really can't remember the words to many nursery rhymes/children's songs. It is amazing how something you knew inside out as a child is confined to the bin in your brain!

So my current repertoire consists of

- Little Bunny Foo Foo
- 10 green bottles (really tedious by the time you reach 6!)
- Baa Baa Black Sheep (Yes I am pretty non PC)
- Hickory Dickory Dock
- Hey Diddle Diddle
- Twinkle Twinkle litte star

And thats about it.

I did attempt teddy bears picnic the other day but that resulted in me singing over and over 'At 6 o'clock their mummies and daddies will take them home to bed because they're tired little teddy bears' because I truly couldn't remember the words!

I really need to find some lyrics to more nursery rhymes and children's songs!

Mama xx

I'm not a hypochondriac honest!

Before I became pregnant I hardly ever went to the doctors. I'd soldier on and self medicate.

When I became pregnant I swore I wouldn't be the type of mummy who is at the docs every 5 mins with their child over every little sniffle.

Since I'd had Immie all this has gone out the window. Some months we seem to be at the docs every week. (not always for Immie, but for me too!)

I can't work out if we're picking up every sort of illness going or if I just worry more?

Poor Immie hasn't been well for a month. She's had a nasty cough and cold that she just can't seem to shake. We have been to the docs a couple of times and had amoxicillin a couple of times (1 for ear infection and 1 because I think the doc wanted to get rid of me for a week or so!)

But last night her temperature was up and down. One minute boiling, the next shivering. Calpol didnt appear to fix it, so I phoned out of hours doctor. I was told to give her Ibuprofen instead, then take her to the our of hours surgery at the hospital.

When we arrived Immie insisted on waving at every poorly person in the waiting room, then she did some clapping, which had the whole waiting room giggling. I passed her, her Emily toy (that crinkles and rattles) she grabbed it in her arms and said "ahhhhhhh" at which point the whole waiting room said "ahhhhhhhhhh"! She wasn't doing a very good job of looking ill. But right on cue she did a nasty cough, so I felt justified in being there.

After a 45 minute wait we saw a very lovely doctor (according to my husband his badge said he was a paediatric specialist which was good). He examined Immie (who was of course the perfect angel and didn't look ill at all! See http://mamastokes.blogspot.com/2010/08/why-do-babies-behave-for-doctors.html) He concluded she had a lot of fluid behind her ears which was pushing on her ear drums (hence she was pulling her ears), the snot and cough was all linked to this too. He said he thought she'd probably had a couple of colds, hence it was lasting so long but that as it was viral, there was nothing he could prescribe. Just keep giving paracetemol and ibuprofen and ride it out.

So there we have it, the magic words that all docs seem to be obsessed with "Viral". I am convinced viral is a code word for "The NHS needs to save money, so you're not getting anything on prescription, its just a cold, go home, give them over the counter stuff and ride it out."

At least I know I'm not making it up now or being a fussy mummy. I just hope my poor baby shakes this soon. Apart from anything else, Im having to wash her snot caked bedding twice a week!!!

Mama xx

Poonami!

Poo.

Everyone does them. Men, women, children, young, old, the super intelligent, the not so intelligent, cats, dogs etc even the queen does a poo!

Babies do particularly stinky poos. It all starts with that 1st black poo when they are born that looks like tar. Then as they get used to breast milk (if you are breast feeding) its like korma with little seeds in, I'm reliably informed this is fat or something, I thought Immie had been eating sesame seeds!

If your baby is unwell they can go all manner of colours, green, brown, very dark brown almost black etc. In Immie's case when I was drinking orange squash and still breast feeding hers went green! (Something to do with additives in orange squash, even sugar free stuff!)

Then when you move on to weaning, it is a whole different ball game. Meat produces particularly stinky poos, and lentils well I'll leave you to imagine.

So we all know pooing (or passing stools if you are a little bit shy about these things) is a normal fact of life, so why do I feel so mortified when I pick Immie up from nursery and they describe her poo to me?? Apparently today's was explosive (I blame the amoxicillin!) or as I like to call it, a poonami! I can only think its because as a mummy you don't mind changing your babies nappy, it doesn't bother you but the thought of changing someone elses childs stinky nappy makes my stomach flip. I just feel really sorry for all the girls who work at the nursery who have to change lots of stinky nappies. Bleurgh. They deserve a medal!

Mama x

Nudey crawling

So after several weeks of commando crawling, Immie has done her first proper crawl. Christopher noticed she was doing proper crawling in the bath and decided she might try it on dry land if she didn't have a nappy on.

So after some negotiation that he would clean up any accidents (as letting Immie do anything with no nappy on is like playing Russian roulette!) he closed the stair gate and all the doors upstairs and gave her free run (or free crawl) of the landing. Sure enough she did a proper crawl from one side to the other. No more commando crawling, our baby girl has finally cracked it.... until you put a nappy back on then its back to army style commando crawling. Sigh. Now I see the point of active fit nappies. Might be off to buy some later!

Mama x

Mummies don't have time to be ill!

So I've been awake since 1.30am. My cocodamol & 8hr cold and flu tablets wore off after 3hrs. I feel cheated. 

Immie has been struggling with  a monster cold for weeks now (she caught it from nursery I think) so much so she has missed 2 swimming lessons (plus half term, means no swimming for nearly a month). Every time I think she's getting a bit better she seems to take a backwards step. 

I too had a cold a few weeks back but I seemed to shake it after a couple of days, I knew that was too quick and it would come back to bite me. And so here we are a few weeks on and it has reared it's ugly congested head. Sore throats are quite possibly the worst thing ever :(

But I can't be ill, because at 7.10am precisely the other half will swan out the door to work. I'll be left to bathe Immie, get her dressed, give her breakfast and entertain her till lunchtime. When fortunately OH should be home but only so I can go to work to eyeball the candidates for the headship of the new school. To be honest all I'll want tomorrow is to curl up in bed & sleep but it most definitely won't happen. 

Tuesday will be ok as Immie is at nursery. So once she's there I can come back to bed, except Tuesday was going to be my day to make podcasts for work & go to the gym. Oh well, can't podcast when you sound like a bloke. 

And what about Wednesday. I was going to take Immie to her swimming lesson. I've got to be better by then, she can't miss another one :(

So all in all I have no time to be ill. Too much to do. I hope I shift this soon :(

Mama x


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I wonder if we can get a mortgage to buy a wooden wendy house?

Immie is cracking on towards 10 months and I've been wondering what we could buy her for her 1st birthday. The 1st birthday is a massive milestone, the one where you really want to throw a little party with cakes and cheesy wotsits. The one she probably won't remember but you can bet your life we will.

So after much thinking, I've some to the conclusion we want to buy her a little wendy house. A little wooden one to go in to the back garden. I will make little curtains for it (I can't sew but I'm sure Grandma will help!) I'm sure we have some spare carpet knocking about to carpet it, it will of course have little window boxes too for pretty little flowers to grow in (This is what all the pictures tell me anyway!) It doesn't need to be palatial but anything to cut out a bit more lawn to mow is fine by me!

So, I've been Googling to try and find a little house for my big girl. OMG some of these wooden Wendy houses (who is Wendy by the way!?) are A-MAZ-ING! Some have multiple levels, with little ladders (a health and safety nightmare surely?!) I've seen felt roofs, tiled roofs and even a THATCH roof!!! Then there is untreated, treated or even painted. Some have little chimneys and some of those chimneys even have pretend smoke!!!!

Of course all these are RIDICULOUSLY expensive, to the point that I am sure we would need to apply to the bank for a mortgage to buy them. The cheapest I have seen is £180 but some go up to £8000!!!!! Who spends £8000 on a wooden Wendy house!?

Anyway, with me going back to work just before Immie's 1st birthday I can't see us being able to afford a wooden Wendy house, even a cheap one without a thatch roof. :( Maybe that will have to be for birthday number 2. This of course leaves me with a problem, what on earth can we buy her for her birthday!?

Mama x

Skint Skint Skint

Maternity pay in this country is rubbish.

This month is the first proper month (thanks to KIT days etc) where I have received 0 pay! It is not something I like at all!

Just before I went on maternity leave I cashed in some savings, cleared my debts (overdraft, credit card, Dorothy Perkins store card etc) I also put the remainder of what I cashed in, in to my flex account. I knew this day of 0 pay would come, so I managed not to blow the cash on Fancie cupcakes and I am now paying myself a "wage" out of my savings. It is no way near what I would normally earn, but it is just enough to cover my half of the mortgage and bills etc I am really lucky to be able to do this (thanks Nannie Marker for the money you left me, it's come in useful!)

I do wonder though, if we would have the same anti-social behaviour issues in this country if women did have such financial pressure to go back to work and could raise their children. In Germany for example they get a massive amount of maternity leave by comparison and I can't remember ever hearing about anti-social behaviour problems there (but maybe I've never been too interested!) I wonder if women could stay off work until their child was school age, without any financial constraints whether we'd be in a better position socially???

Still, least I am lucky to be going back to a job, my money should right itself soon, oh actually scrub that because then there are the nursery fees!

Mama x

Simon Cowell ankle swinging trousers!

Today is Immie's 2nd proper long day but not quite a full day at nursery.

I have come to the conclusion I am not a very good SAHM (Stay at home mum)/housewife and it is probably for the best that I will be returning to work. I have reached this conclusion because today I have sent my daughter dressed to nursery in her new very hungry caterpillar top. No worries there. Its brightly coloured and she looks very cute.

The problem is what is on her bottom half. A pair of light weight jeans embroidered with flowers that match the colour of her new top. Again, no problem I hear you say. Except these trousers are a tad on the short side! Every time you pick her up the trouser legs are around her knees, not a good look! They are for 6 - 9 months and Immie is now well and truly in the 9-12mth bracket.

So why didn't I put some more appropriately sized trousers on her? Because I am such a poor housewife I haven't managed to keep on top of the washing. So her jeans and jeggings are currently in the 'to be washed' pile in the spare room, covered in last weeks carrot puree (possibly even the week before!). This monster pile of washing has been there so long, I'm sure a family of spiders have set up home there!

Now, sure the weather has been rubbish recently, no outdoor drying, but I could have tumble dried the items. However, this usually ends in disaster and I don't want to turn all her trousers in to ankle swingers! Or pedal pushers as my Grandma would call them!

At least when I am back at work I will have an excuse for being behind with the washing!

Mama x

Dog poo and pram wheels

So in a bid to try and shift Immie's lurge I thought I'd take her for a walk in the fresh air.

Now don't get me wrong, I love our pram. It's light, easy to push, easy to fold, Immie seems comfortable in it etc But it has a slight downfall. On the front it has swively wheels to help you manuveoure it round Tesco and avoid ramming people's ankles (Although sometimes that is a disadvantage as a good ram wouldn't go amiss!) But it also has proper tyres on the back to make it a comfy ride (you can also buy off road tyres for the front too, ideal for walks in the forest etc.

But the tyres have a massive disadvantage. They have grooves in them, not dis-similar to car tyres, I assume this is to channel the water away when I am out running at high speed in the rain with the push chair, I'm sure it stops me aquaplaning when Im jogging!!! :S

Anyway the huge grooves are not ideal when you encounter a dog poo. Because the poo gets stuck in the grooves, not dis-similar to when you wear a pair of doc marten boots and end up stepping in something gross. You then have to make the decision, run the pram through a grass verge in the hope the poo will come off the wheels, try and find a puddle to wash said wheel in, go in to Sainsburys and run the pram over the door mat or ignore it and hope the other half notices before you do.

Today I went for the Sainsbury's option.

I really wish people would clean up after their dogs though!

Mama x

Today I am going to be a lady that lunches

So this is it. Today little tortoise is doing her first long day at nursery. (It isn't quite a full day but near enough!)

I've packed her off with her new Rapunzel bag (She has no idea who Rapunzel is but I love it!)

In her bag is a change of clothes, dummy, hat and mittens. Oh and a cuddle cat comforter. She did take an Igglepiggle one the other day but turns out one of the other babies has that one and I predicted a disaster when they get mixed up/one gets lost, so cuddle cat it is!

She has got her new coat and hat on. She was none too pleased with her new hat this morning as it is a little mouse one and has ears and everything! But I loved it (as did the ladies at nursery!).

She started crying when I left, I think this is more because she had got up early, I wouldn't let her go back to bed and then when she fell asleep in the car I woke her up! So think she was a bit grumpy tbh.

Anyway in my usual efficient mummy mode, I smiled, waved and walked out the door. As I was leaving I hung her coat and bag on her little peg, it has her name and everything! Very cute, although I was disappointed it doesn't have a picture like in the Topsy and Tim book me and my sister used to read all those years ago.

So what to do today. Well I was going to clean the house a bit, but decided to do some podcasting for work instead. Unfortunately my Internet connection is about as slow as a 3 legged tortoise, so I am being distracted by Facebook and blogging. (Hi to all my new followers!)

Anyway, so at 12pm I am going to pick up my good friend Kenners. (Now known as Auntie Kenners!) We are going to head to town and grab some lunch. This is good because I always enjoy a catch up with Kenners. However, it will also be a little strange. Last time I had lunch with Kenners I was about 39 weeks pregnant, MASSIVE and unusually felt I couldn't fit much food in, due to Immie taking up valuable real estate in my tummy.

So I'm not sure how I will feel. I have got used to eating out being a MAJOR military operation. Nappies, wipes, snacks, bibs, mussys, toys, dummys, teething rings, bottles, milk, scissors to open said milk, change of clothes. Making sure Immie has had her lunch first so she isn't grumpy, ditto nap. This usually means we don't eat till gone 2pm!

So today all I have to worry about is car keys, handbag, oh and mobile incase its all kicking off at nursery! We can go to somewhere without worrying if they have a highchair or if the staff will be bothered if Immie is chucking cucumber and rice cakes on the floor.

Will I feel different? I'm sure I will be thinking about Immie, whilst enjoying being able to eat without having to share my side salad! Or will it feel like before I was a mummy?

One thing is for sure, my tummy is still about the same size as the last time I met Kenners for lunch!

Mama x