Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

So as advised to me by some very brilliant knowing other mummy bloggers, I have popped across to Britmums to be prompted on what to write...

Changes... what’s happened to me over the past year? Now I could go on for ages about this because quite frankly this has been the most exhilarating year of my life, really it has…

Therefore I will opt to cover a few of the bigger events that have taken place during the big 11, I did all the grown up things you’re supposed to do pretty close together really, not one to do things by half.

So in 2011 I got married, had a baby and moved house… I’d started my new job in December so I was the newbie of the ward, naturally this meant I was really supposed to impress everybody... Show my skills as such! So dropping the old bombshell “by the way I’m pregnant, also can I have time off to get married and please can I start my maternity leave early so I can look for a house” went down superbly as you can imagine…

My boss is no longer working there, I’m afraid I may have led her to leave with the copious amounts of paper work I produced in the short time me being there! Risk assessments, mat leave forms, annual leave authorisations blah blah... To round it up I was a bit of a hindrance I suppose!

Nevertheless I tried my best, I worked through my baby bladder kicks, my horrendous all day sickness in the attempt to convince at least one person, that I was worth employing...

Although I don’t feel completely guilty, because I was clearly punished by what I’d caused by being made to work all through Christmas... let me tell you, arriving home from work on Christmas eve at 10 only to go back to work for 7 on Christmas day, then again boxing day, right up to new year’s is no picnic. I adore my job but by golly that was pretty dismal. And I know I am to expect bad hours as a Nurse but nobody can deny I received the short straw on that occasion.

So I got married in January, a winter wedding! Which was ideal really, I had red roses and lots of red things, perfect January sale buyage!! We managed to leave most of the purchase buying until after Christmas so we could bag all the bargain red Christmas stuff for the big day! 

It was a delightful day, despite many a disagreement with the family... Arguments over the guest list and such sort. I was extremely emotional as if you’ve managed to work it out... Yup I was a pregnant bride! Sickness, stress, new job and wedding planning are a brutal mix! I pretty much lived off chocolate during the months running up to the wedding as I couldn’t drink so it was a desperate attempt of a substitute.. It worked, a little! But not really! What I needed was wine!! 

Well I got all married and became a wife and stuff, I’d sort of settled in to the new job… next thing on my list was to get a little house for a little family to live in…

The little house didn’t happen, all a bit heart-breaking really but I won’t go into that. We ended up staying in our little student flat that we rented whilst my husband and I were studying together, I won’t lie... this was hard! All I wanted was a little room for our baby, to be able to decorate and not have to live amongst the crazy amounts of baby stuff, and wedding gifts we had building up in our living room. Being pregnant and all crazy and sensitive meant I cried about this a whole heap. 

I believe at one point my husband probably didn’t want to return home from work, as he’d usually find me in a ball sobbing over something or other and being all negative! I ended up making a corner in our room dedicated to our baby; it resembled a crazily crowded fairy grotto, I was determined to get as much pink and sparkle into one corner as humanly possible. Poor kid.

So there we were in our little flat when I went into labor, early stages I must say… but nevertheless I was on my all fours, ready to push. Little did I know those contractions were the twinges and I in fact had a long old heavy-going ride ahead of me. That told me.

Out popped our daughter Cassie, at 13.59 on Saturday the 18^th of June. She looked very confused and almost elf like, she was tiny… weighing only 5Ibs 13, her skin was way too big for her but she was positively the most charming little person I’d ever seen… and I adored her instantly.

Off we went home with our new car seat all proud, seriously holding up traffic of course. I remember every speed bump being torment and all I wanted to do was hold her! I still believe that every new family should have two days locked away, just them so they can fully enjoy what they’ve created! But of course I know we all have families and excited Granma’s are not to be messed with.

Now everything was honky dorey, life was all lovely from then on really! We found a place to move into in September and we’re all settled now... Our daughter has her own room which she doesn’t go in but that’s not the point… and I’m now able to walk into Windsor with ease, which pleases me greatly as I make no secret of my hatred for Slough…

So yes, those are my changes this year… pretty impressive year I’d say!

The only thing I would change if I could to be honest would be the fact I had to wear a bloody maternity wedding dress bleurgh! All I ever wanted was an ivory fishtail, blasted water retention… but after an emotional year I’ve learnt to remain positive and think well a maternity wedding dress wasn’t so bad, as it of course meant I could dance freely, eat masses of cake and whip it up nice and easily for toileting! Every cloud has a silver lining.