The One for Bear’s Birthday

/ Laura Dunk / 7 Comments

happy-birthday-cupcakeHello, it’s been a while…

I’m a bit rusty and out of practice with this blogging business, but I can’t keep putting it off. Which is what I have been doing because I always wanted the blog to make people smile, and I haven’t felt very smiley.

Tomorrow Bear turns 4, and a month today The Boy turns 1. Both massive milestones that I reckon need to be documented somewhere, because amidst the chaos of the last 12 months I am still standing. I have more grey hairs and I definitely drink more gin than ever before, but I am definitely still standing (or sitting on my backside with a glass of wine, but let’s not go into details).

A year ago today I was SO pregnant, massive, waddly and all sorts of moody. Little did I know that the proceeding four weeks were going to be the most normal me I would feel for quite some time. Because last September, things went a bit weird… Continue reading →

Going swimming: How not to do it

/ Laura Dunk / 2 Comments
dory

Chance would be a fine thing.

When it comes to our weekends, it’s often temptingly easier to chill out at home. The chaos of a normal week, and the usual sleep deprivation of having a newborn, has made us a bit lazy. Or, as we like to call it, sensible. But the same four walls get a bit…well…samey after a while, and although some trips we live to regret (or at the very least want to cry about) we’ve decided new year, new rules. Continue reading →

2016: A mixed bag

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2017

This time last year I didn’t really feel like gin. I know, shock horror.

While it was too early to do a test, and too early to get our hopes up, I had an inkling that I was pregnant. I was unjustifiably tired, I had heartburn from a glass of water, and I didn’t fancy gin. Something was definitely amiss. Continue reading →

And then there were 4…

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image

Tired, happy, pyjama-clad family life!

Waters went, 13 hours or so of contractions, 2 doses of Pethidine and the all-important paracetamol (just to make you feel like you’re helping the pain, when really it’s not even touching the sides). After all that time, all that pain, you can imagine my delight at being told I had reached the dizzy heights of…ahem…4cm.

Then things became a bit lot of a blur. After an epidural, people started getting a bit panicky. Lots of rushing around, lots of flashing lights and monitors going nuts. A midwife hurriedly removed my nail varnish (she didn’t even file and buff, so I knew things were getting serious). Then I was in theatre being prepared for an emergency c-section. I honestly don’t remember much more than that – any recollections I do have are what Mr D has told me, and his memory is notoriously rubbish anyway.

That was first time around. I wanted #2 to be different. I wanted a natural birth. Turns out, though, you don’t always get what you want… Continue reading →

A (sort of) open letter to me

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ILoveLists

When we went along to our first NCT meeting when I was pregnant with Bear, they asked us to each list 3 things that we like or enjoy. One of those “let’s all get to know each other” things (at a pretty sensible and respectable level, unlike 3 years later when us 8 Mums know WAY more than we probably need to know about one another).

On my list were 3 things I like – gin, chocolate and lists. Yes, lists. Continue reading →