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April, 2011

  1. To the future

    April 30, 2011 by Amy Hansford

    As many of you know, I have a dislike for the phrase ‘grown up’. When we bought a house and when people found out we were having a baby, the same thing kept coming up; ‘Ah, you’re a proper grown up now…’. No, actually. I’m an adult, but I don’t wish to be a grown up. That would indicate that I have to behave myself and lose my sense of fun.

    It wasn’t until I saw this post by the wonderful XKCD.com a few years back that I would even entertain the phrase.

    So what does my age and current situation mean to me?
    It means I am comfortable with bumbling along. I have a child – I am now a mother. I have a silly sense of humour entertained by my brilliantly grounded friends. It means security without feeling tied up. Being able to combine sponteneity with family timetables. It also means, admittedly, that I’m no longer just thinking about my future, but that of Alex and Little L.

    I had a moment today. One of those flashes where everything suddenly seems terribly important and, dare I say it, grown up.
    I was holding Little L and looking out the window at the swan and her newly hatched today cygnets, enjoying the quiet time. I started thinking about the circle of life, moving alarmingly from the joy of birth and babies to the horrible truth of death. How at the age of 59 my mum was taken by Cancer, leaving me to cope with it all (but thankfully at an age old enough to sort myself out and with wonderfully strong people around me). How cruel that she would not get to live her life, do the things she wanted to do and see the things she wanted to see.

    Immediately following this I had a realisation – I could not bear for anything to happen to me that would result in Little L not having her mum. The absolute terror that one day I could get Cancer or something else and be taken away from her.

    I’ve been putting off having that regular lady test we all get every couple of years. I say ‘I’. It was more Little L’s influence. But after that lightening strike of a ponderation earlier, I think I’ll be making an appointment with the doctor soon. And making sure I’m exercising at least a bit. And taking my vitamins.

    I now accept a bit of grown uppedness – taking care of myself so that I can take care of everyone else. How about you?

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  2. April update

    April 26, 2011 by Amy Hansford

    A quick round up of this month:

    It’s been a time of getting the hang of this whole parenthood lark, Little L meeting all our friends and family (still have a few of her aunts, cousins, an uncle and great aunts to cover) and us coping with the inevitable overstimulation once this has all occured.

    Momentous occasion last night – Little L slept in the big cot in her nursery for the first time. She was in the pram in our room for the first month. I don’t think she noticed. She actually slept better for not whacking her feet/hands against the side of her container, so it was good Zs all round.

    In other news, I’ve managed to find a local non-grading tap class! It’s only taken two years. Looking forward to starting that next week. I understand it’s a good idea to have something regular to get you out of the house when a babby’s born.

    Also, I’ve signed up with an online wedding forum, mainly to start stealing ideas from other brides to be. It’s fascinating for several reasons. The hatred these women have for so many people involved in their big day; some aren’t engaged yet and are already fantasising; the speed at which people flash (the practice of posting a picture on a themed thread, ie wedding venue, rings, shoes etc); the use of ‘STD’ to mean ‘Save The Date cards. So far we’ve come up with silly ideas that won’t be used, which is more fun actually.

    That’s the ho hum update for you – more interesting tales next time (one hopes…)

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  3. May I present… Little L!

    April 6, 2011 by Amy Hansford

    Been a while, eh?

    Last time I blogged, our baby was pretty much due. But there was no exciting birth for a good while – after a week of contractions, I was taken into hospital for the big event, waving goodbye to the inflated (and HUGE) birthing pool in the comfort of our living room. Wednesday night on the labour ward floated by on a bed of Epiduralness, followed by one heck of a heave ho on Thursday morning. Two hours, a wealth of contraptions and a fiance’s fully squeezed hand later and Little L was born!

    Little L was born at 10.03am on Thursday 24th March 2011, weighing in at 7lb 4.5oz.

    We were allowed home on the Friday to start life as a new family; The Hansfords.

    It’s taken me this long to blog for obvious reasons – babies are incredibly tiring. They wake for feeds at 2-3 hourly intervals, and while you intend to nap when they nap you often find yourself catching up on chores instead, making you knackered. Additionally, I was pretty poorly after the event and it’s taken me until now to be able to operate as a normal, mobile human being. Alex (my partner) has been looking after Little L and I for the past fortnight – an absolute rock. He is an amazing man and – sorry ladies – he’s mine.

    At two weeks, Little L is getting used to life with her slightly silly parents. Alex’s dad jokes are coming into bloom, as are his gurning skills. I’m enjoying cuddles and building up the bond with Little L that I didn’t quite manage to forge in the early days.

    I will try not to make this blog entirely baby/child-centric. Normal people lead normal lives and have things to talk about. I’ve been encompassed by babyness and little else the past month, so that’s my subject area of knowledge. The more inane and odd topics will resume in due course, I’m sure. But until then…. awwww, ain’t she a cutie?

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