Birthday Celebrations

Last year, we took Felix to the zoo for his first birthday. We had a little family birthday party at the weekend, but on the DAY of his birthday, he, daddy and I went to the zoo all day and ate ice creams.

We'd like to do the same thing for his second birthday (especially if the weather is as amazing as it was last year) but this year his birthday falls on a Tuesday (as does mine the week before) and Tuesdays are his nursery day.

I have already managed to change one of my baby signing classes so that it doesn't take place on Felix's birthday and plan to bring my other Tuesday class forwards by half an hour so that we can be setting off for the Zoo at around 10am. Daddy has also booked the day off work in preparation.

Well, I contacted nursery to ask if we could swap his day for one week only. They told me they couldn't do the day that I wanted and didn't usually allow day swaps at all, but could maybe do a one off for me. I don't like being cheeky in these situations though. My natural instinct is to tell them, no it's ok, I don't want to take advantage.

But they did offer... What do I do? Does it really matter if we celebrate ON his birthday or should we just go to the Zoo the day before? He'll never know will he? It's just for our own memories that it would be nice. Would be really interested to hear what people think and what they would do themselves. Thanks.

Sharing the News

Finally, most people have been told about the little baby in my tummy. I've had a few stunned faces (my preferred reaction) and many immediate 'congratulations'. A few remarked that they didn't know we were trying - well we weren't, so you wouldn't have known - and one complete non-reaction. Poor bugger doesn't do emotion.

There were a couple of people I struggled to tell, one good friend and one friend of a friend who I knew was going to find out at the party on Saturday. Both have been trying, unsuccessfully for over a year. The latter made me feel a little uncomfortable too as she wanted to know lots of details. I just wanted to tell her (before she heard from someone else) and run away.

Really loved telling one of my mummy friends as she revealed at a 2nd birthday party that she is expecting. I managed to snatch a quiet moment with her to whisper the words "me too". Her number 1 is only a week younger than my number 1 child and they were both premature. So with approx 3 weeks between us on this pregnancy, the race is on to see who actually gets to the birth first!

I still have a few friends to tell and work-related announcements are going to be delayed until post 12-weeks/post first scan. It feels very odd to be congratulated when it still doesn't feel real. Roll on that little picture from the sonographer.

What's in your bag?

I have been tagged for my first meme, to tell you the contents of my handbag... thank you Serenity Now. And apologies that I can't work out how to copy the sunshine award badge over!

For me, the handbag situation is still a story of two different lives. On a normal day, I use my lovely Yummy Mummy nappy bag. The items within this that actually relate to me, instead of the child, include: one lip balm, one purse, a pack of tissues (for both of us), a spare hair bobble and clip (only there for mummy-related emergencies though) and some emergency sanitary items - which could now be discarded for a time.

On the rare occasion that I get to use my own handbag, well, it's a very small handbag these days with very few contents. Having a child and not having the space in the nappy bag to carry around anything I like has made me realise how little I can cope with. Sometimes, if husband and I have an evening out, I don't take a handbag. And then I spend the whole evening freaking out that I have nothing to do with my hands!!!

So, my absolute essentials for handbag inclusion are fairly dull. Tissues, you know if you go out without them, you'll end up with something green and sticky on your top lip for everyone to point and stare at. Lip balm, I'm a firm believer of not fixing a problem that isn't there. Unfortunately, I hadn't adopted this philosophy when I was younger and started covering my lips in vaseline every day. Now, I have to use something stronger morning and evening to keep my lips moisturised (and sublimely kissable) and a stick style plain lip balm is my choice item for daytime top-ups. I have two on the go so that I don't have to remove from the nappy bag and add to the handbag on each outing sans enfant.

Keys, an obvious statement but vital handbag addition. They just roll around in there, loose, which is why my iPhone stays firmly in my pocket wherever possible. We don't want nasty scratches ruining its beautiful contours. If it's going to be a long outing, there might be a bottle of water. A business outing, maybe a pen and for evening sociables, a lip gloss.

I just checked as I wanted to give an accurate picture and at present, there is also some chewing gum in my handbag. Not a regular visitor. My parents wouldn't let me have gum as a child and despite this causing a little rebellion of me eating as much as possible for a few years as a teenager, it does mean that I'm not really very interested in it these days. It's not nice seeing someone chewing away, is it? This pack was an odd impulse buy and will probably be kicking around for another couple of months yet as I'll forget to eat it.

With regards tagging others with this meme, as I feel a little silly for being so late doing it myself, I'm simply going to tag my 7 google followers. And eventually I'll work out how this all works a tad better and I'll be a bit more creative, or demanding with my tagging! And I'll attempt to add a photo too!!

Real morning sickness

So, now I know what it's all about. And I am SO glad I didn't experience it last time and am not having too much of it this time round either.

Last night, at 2am, I woke up feeling terrible. I thought maybe it was just my full bladder making me feel so sick, so I dealt with that and sensibly collected myself a 'sick bucket' whilst I was up. But for the next hour or so, I lay in bed focussing on my breathing and rubbing my painful stomach. I couldn't help but think to myself "hmm, 9 weeks... this could go on for the next 7 days until I reach the peak of morning sickness at 10 weeks." What an awful thought. It gave me a new sympathy for friends who have been in and out of hospital with such bad sickness and the subsequent dehydration it causes.

Of course, this sickness was entirely to be blamed on pregnancy and not at all on the number of haribo I ate at my evening meeting.

Busy and sicky

I keep wanting to blog but then I choose a midday nap, or an early night instead. Probably the sensible thing to do but it's bugging me as I've only just started blogging and I don't want to slack off so soon. Am feeling a little bit sick all of the time too. Hurry up and pass please first trimester.