ALLO ALLO! I have returned! Almost 2 weeks after my first post i know! I imagined myself to be on the laptop most days writing something of some sort, big or small, however, it would seem things don't quite work out the way you imagine when you have a small human to look after. Absolutely wonderful as it is. Not complaining in the slightest...
Hope you are all well and enjoying the month of May, we've seen some rather lovely sunshine haven't we...bloomin glorious some days down here in Devonshire. In fact yesterday morning was so beautiful i decided it would be a good idea to take myself and baby for a walk from Braunton to Barnstaple along the Tarka Trail...i did ask hubby to check the weather for me before setting out as this walk is probably a good 6 miles (at least) and takes a good 90 minutes. So i thought it would be super smart just to check the weather was going to last. Its not the kind of stroll that offers much cover should a storm hit. Now, i'm not going to go on and on about it because for the best part it was absolutely charming and my last post was mainly about a walk so i don't want to become repetitive However, about 35 minutes away from Barnstaple, as if from nowhere a massive rain cloud passed. I did that thing that happens in blockbuster movies where i kept looking up at the sky as if i was about to get attacked by an oncoming space ship or something. Pushing Harvey in his pram my happy skip turned into a brisk walk, which (still looking over my shoulder at the rolling clouds) turned into a light jog...by the time the rain AND hail stones came crashing down i was in full sprint trying to get away but it was no use. Down it came and yes i was pretty much soaked from head to toe within a matter of seconds. Looking back on it I have absolutely no idea why i ran as there was nowhere to get to...just a long trail to Barnstaple, still healthily in the distance. Perhaps it was the thrill of the chase that made me take haste, i do like to live on the edge... Harvey remained safe, warm and dry in his pram thank goodness, i dont think he really realised what was going on, perhaps he thought 'Oh goody, mummy's making me go fast!'. Lucky for me, the sun came back out almost instantly and the wind was pretty strong so i dried off by the time i got to town, almost like a bed sheet hanging on the line. I did get a few sympathetic smiles from the cyclists that past by (one of which I could have sworn was Michael Crawford!!!). I had to do that half smile have tut face in exchange for their efforts. That look that says, 'Yeah i know! Should have put a rain jacket on! Silly me! I'm a knob head!'.
Just as i was getting into town the flippin rain cloud approached behind me once again can you believe! So right outside the POLICE STATION with a pram i had to sprint for cover under some random bridge..can you imagine what that must have looked like??? Dear oh dear! Still, we made it to baby sensory class, which was 'French' themed this week, and Harvey had a marvelous time! Ahhhhh OUI OUI!
Poor Harvey has been suffering with a spot of constipation the past few days, so in fact he couldn't actually let go and fully enjoy baby sensory quite as much as he normally would. As a new mother its quite overwhelming to discover how much it pains you to see your little one suffering. Needless to say i've done some things to help Harvey today that i would never have imagined having to do to anyone...and that in itself is probably saying too much! If you Google 'baby constipation' i'm telling you there are some straaaaaaaange suggestions out there! Its a whole new world when it comes to baby constipation i'm telling you! Yup yup! Don't go there unless you really have to...On a positive, Harvey seems to be feeling much better! Ill remind him of my efforts on his 21st birthday in front of his friends, and his girlfriend...perhaps ill reenact the situation via the medium of puppetry and song!...HA! I JEST! I would never do that...ahem...maybe i would a little! BUT Harvey is now sleeping soundly in his cot after all the exhaustion of pushing, rather like a woman after giving birth. As for me, i'm happy he is OK, although i cant seem to shift the smell of sudocrem from my hands! OK OK enough enough...Seriously, i have talked more about poop in the past 3 month than i have done in my entire 27 years on this planet! POOP POOP POOP!
Awwww, so Harvey is starting to make more and more baby noises now. Its the most adorable thing. Sometimes i think he surprises himself when he chortles some loud gurgle and wonders how he managed to do it. He has me giggling A LOT! But, he can really natter hey, he'll lay on his play mat and delve into a world of gurgling and giggling for hours at a time some days. Its great. Sometimes i like to lay on the floor next to him and have a little chat about stuff, hes such a good listener. It would seem sometimes i might take the conversation a little too far as i notice Harvey looking at me as if to say 'Mother, i don't know exactly what language you are speaking, nor do i care because quite frankly i don't want anything to do with it!' At which point i know its time to wash up and leave him alone with his Moo Moo and Sophie the Giraffe. They all seem to have a pretty good understanding of one another that i am unable to connect with at this stage.
Baby TV! Now there's a phenomena...its fabulous, i was dead set against having our babies watching too much TV when they came along. I thought children's TV these days was too violent and too old and nothing like the 'nice programmes we used to watch when we were kids'...BUT i have been mistaken. Baby TV is lovely and very educational...following the daily routine, everything from waking up to having lunch to getting ready for bed, amidst some lovely songs and brightly coloured imagery to captivate the developing mind of a newborn. Wonderful...my favourite is this short cartoon where jigsaw pieces skip around making different shapes and they sing this song which doesn't actually have any real words, but if you can imagine what a mouse would sound like if it could speak...right? Got that? And then use that voice to sing the following sounds... 'Ne na ne na na na na na ne....ne na ne na na, na na na ne. Ne na ne na, nam na na na neeeee, ne na ne na, na na na ne noooooooo.'. Its awesome, i sing it all the time. Baby TV is so good i've learned so much all ready. AND there's this cartoon about bugs, and its called 'The Big Bug Band' and they travel around on a little train type vehicle and stop and play songs, sometimes its classical and sometimes its more poppy. Again they don't use real words but they're really cool and the lead singer is a big bee. Really cute...its truly inspiring. When Harvey is old enough i will let him watch Baby TV.
So, i used to belong to an amateur dramatics society in Bath before i headed north to go to university. The group is called Zenith and its just celebrated it's 50th anniversary. To mark the occasion there was a big ball at The Guild Hall in Bath which was open to all current and ex members. So, being that Zenith marked quite a significant time in our lives, my darling friend Dora and I decided we would attend. As we were members from the age of 16 to 18, so we did a lot of growing up during that time (or not) and have some very vivid and fond memories of the shows, the friends we made, the antics...Now for me, finding an outfit for the ball became a bit of a THING...you know, 3 months after having a baby its not worth beating oneself up about the fact that your body is a different shape/size. I'm smart enough to know it takes time and its totally worth it. However, i am guilty of occasionally having a moan about the whole weight thing, as i think its fair to say we all do from time to time. So i went about trying to put together a suitable outfit...leaving it until 2 days before the event i decided it was time to try on a dress from my wardrobe...on went dress number one...NO! Too tight hate it, i'm going shopping! Went shopping and do you know what i've started doing! And this is quite sad and it makes me laugh now actually is that i've started telling shop assistants quite randomly that i've just had a baby...its like i have to tell them. I found 2 dresses in one shop which were both lovely, and i decided to get them both and take them home to decide which one i would keep. But at the till i was explaining to the shop keeper that i had just had a baby...'So you see, i do have dresses at home, but i'm going to this ball and i've just had a baby, and i do have dresses, but they just look a bit weird right now, but its because i've just had a baby you see, give it a month and i probably wouldn't be here buying these dresses you see. Because i've just had a baby...you see, baby, dress, just had...'. Sooooo very sad! And the poor young girl just looked at me despairingly as if to say...'That's nice, i don't really care, can i have your credit card please.' Alas, i must be honest, i've done this in several shops now. And it must stop. Before i am sectioned to the denial police. I must say though, i had a wonderful evening at the ball with my beautiful friend Dora and everyone else that was there, you know who you are lovely people, it was a really special evening, i will never forget it.
I am my own worst enemy, Dora will tell you that. I put it down to an extensive imagination but perhaps, if i'm honest, that sounds a bit too complimentary. I'm just a bit mental. I do get paranoid about things that haven't actually and probably never will occur. They are just ideas created by my confused and somewhat scatty mind. Recently, for example, this has been focused upon my husband. I was winding myself up about the fact that my husband will in fact at some stage trade me in for a younger model. Almost like a hatch back that you have grown tired of. In my case, hubby will trade me in for a 15 year old lanky gal with long golden locks and barbie figure. However, on serious reflexion and wise friendly words from some key people, i may not look like a Cindy doll, but i do know how to make hubby laugh and boy oh boy do i know how to make a mean curry! I thank you! (The audience applauds).
But seriously and on an end note. Since having my little Harvey Balls, i do in fact, despite all the wackiness and paranoia, have a new found confidence. You do learn quite quickly as a parent that its not all about you anymore. Its about your children, your family and friends. It's about recognising what is important and who is important and finding a balance to keep all of that together. Even if you don't always get it right, you can feel damn good for trying. The things that i used to worry about and think were important seem almost laughable to me now. And with all the crap that's going on in the world, sometimes it is hard not to feel the stresses and the strains that the big bad world can bring and the things that are beyond our control. But really, when you take a step back in and look at whats close around you its not hard to realise the things that make us truly happy and often they are so very simple and staring us right in the face.
Goodbye for now my friends and remember...SMILE AND THE WORLD SMILES WITH YOU! xxx
