The time has come

Naive, deranged, hopeful, big headed, all of these words are applicable to my belief that i would (more or less) snap back into shape post baby. I avidly followed the weight gain of celebrities who were pregnant at the same time as me (Abbey Clancy, Victoria Beckham, Pink, Mariah Carey, Selma Blair, Jessica Alba to name a few) and compared my own bump/bum/bingo wing growth, at times i felt i was driving myself crazy, but it didn't stop me scrolling through endless pictures of them whilst munching my way through a slice of Battenburg or 4, the poor boyfriend had to sit through my running commentary, which generally focused on how their lifestyles were different to mine, how they probably had personal trainers/chefs/stylists to help them maintain their figure despite their burgeoning bump, i now know i was in denial that the extra carbohydrates i was consuming were the sole reason for my higher than average weight gain.

 For the past 3 months the biggest frustration i have had is still not being able to fit into any of my old clothes, particularly since the weather turned colder, i am itching to wear my J Brand skinnies, while now i can get them up over my thighs and bottom, but the button looks like its had a terrible argument with the button hole and they cannot bear to be in the same vicinity as one another, no amount of lying down to zip them up is going to work, its time for me to take action, sooner rather than later, as soon enough the "Ive just had a baby" excuse is going to wear extremely thin (excuse the pun) plus the afore mentioned celebrities have all had their babies and the majority are back strutting the red carpet wearing sample size frocks, which to me just signifies that quick weight loss is possible, if not easy, but also reminds me that there is light at the end of the tunnel, no need to reach for the velour trackpants just yet....

Some may say i am being too harsh on my self, but the fact of the matter is i am a secret snacker, i actually manage to convince myself that chomping on treat size Twirls isn't naughty, Devouring Cornetto Ice Creams whilst walking the promenade is customary and that Jaffa Cakes are 1 of my 5 a day.. its time to take action...




 .... i don`t wish to discuss exact stones & pounds as each woman's weight gain is relative to her pre pregnancy size, nor will i be uploading gross "before " pictures, no one wants to see that, not even me, so i have joined Fat Camp, or Boot camp to give it its official title, 3 times a week approximately 12 of us, including 2 of my friends (for me having friends to go with is essential, they provide encouragement and humour) congregate in a park and are put through our paces by a mild mannered instructor, who seems a little bemused by my pathetic approach to such tough exercise, its early days but am loving the challenge, after 4 sessions am yet to see any noticeable changes to my figure or weight, (i have decided not to follow the detox they recommended, i may live to regret this but i know i wouldn't stick to it, and then be forced to lie) but i feel very positive, full of energy and am getting used to having aching muscles 99% of the time....watch this space!!

Greetings

You hear so many conflicting opinions on exactly when a baby should be weaned that i decided to attend a weaning class to hear for myself both the medical and practical reasons for waiting till baby is 6 months old, so i could make an informed decision.

The class covered all the stages from baby weaning to advice on feeding young children, including food allergies, childhood obesity and food related behavior, it even covered Dental Health. We were told horror stories of under 5s having teeth extracted due to high sugar diets, of a 10year old who will live with dentures for life, and of young children developing heart problems from being overweight. Perhaps scare tactics are necessary in some cases but i found it all a little too much, i felt tearful that these precious little beings were subjected to what can only be described as negligence, as adults we can make our own decision of what to eat and when, we are provided with the nutritional contents of each and every product we eat, children don`t have this luxury and its the parents responsibility to ensure they give their child a balanced diet, to ensure their optimum health now and in the future...i will step off my soap box now....

One of the most interesting parts of the session for me was the discussion about eating behaviors and the long term effects these can have, i have already read about the perils of confusing hunger with comfort and running the risk of your child becoming a comfort eater, they also discussed the merits of eating with your child, preferably at a table, without the TV on, as in the same way as an adult, your child is unable to determine when they are full if they are distracted by their favourite programme, and can either over eat, or under eat and then need more food later on...generally something sweet.

Coming from a family that ate at the dining table every night (except on a Saturday when we had our dinner on a tray whilst watched Blind Date / Generation game) I have always favoured eating at a table rather than in front of the TV, i enjoy conversing about the day (whilst keeping my elbows firmly off the table, not talking with my mouth full and while definitely not sitting on my feet..table manners were strict in our house, my dad thoroughly enjoyed keeping a watchful eye on his brood during meal times) I have decided i wish to continue this tradition, i plan to adopt the Ma` Boswell (Bread) style of saying Grace...i may even invest in a pottery hen.

Tears for Fears

"They" ( "they" being the invisible experts that i often refer to when i am not sure of the source of my fact/statistic) say that we are born with just 2 natural fears, a fear of loud noises and the fear of falling, all other fears are learnt as we grow up. I recently read about a study which proves parents are the cause of their children's fears, that fears are passed down through our behaviour, which technically means my daughter will inherit my long list of irrational fears including the dark, spiders, flies, clowns, kitten heels and my own shadow, to name but a few, along with her dads fear of all things gory, he cant bear watching operations on television that feature incisions of any description (i on the other hand relish watching things like embarrassing illnesses, the lumpier and bumpier and more painful looking the patients complaint the better for me) the problem i have is i don't want her to be a scaredy cat like me, i wish i could manage my fears better so they wouldn't be so glaringly obvious to her, i have already had to deal with attempting to waft a wasp away from her while being terrified myself (its not just the fear of being stung, i don't like they have fur and i could possibly swallow them, irrational? i know) The theory of "hereditary" fears must entirely dependant on the individual as i don't recall my own parents ever being frightened of the things i run away from, in fact my mum used to calmly remove spiders from my room, encourage wasps out of the windows and even walk into dark rooms at night without putting the light on...ooooh the thought of such madness makes me shudder!

Luckily one of the only things i am not frightened of is needles (don't get me wrong if i was being chased by somebody wielding a dirty needle i wouldn't be cool, calm and collected, but as a rule getting a needle doesn't bother me) so when it came to Tilly getting her 12 week immunisations i wasn't scared, just upset that she had to go through the discomfort, i was cuddling her throughout, she must have been wondering why i sat back and let the mean lady push the sharp object in her thigh!

I have decided to make a conscious effort to become less fearful to ensure my little one never has to witness me being a wuss, first up i will brush my teeth in the dark...baby steps to a new me.

Pretty in Pink??

As soon as September rolls around my head automatically flicks into Autumn/Winter wardrobe mode, and now that i am responsible for Tilly`s wardrobe too, this means hers too. Its tricky getting an 11 week old baby to try things on, they kind of just want to get dressed, if i mess around for too long choosing an outfit she glares up at me from her horizontal lying position on the changing table and i know enough is enough, occasionally i hold her in front of her wardrobe and allow her to be part of the selection process, obviously now this is entirely for my own amusement, but i am hoping this will become something we will do together eventually *sighs wistfully*

As i was saying, as the weather turns colder from now on wards, i have been seeing which of her little outfits can be adapted and worn layered, as she still fits into them for now, and its not like me, i cant pack her summer wardrobe away and drag it out again next year, this is the one and only chance she will get to wear these clothes, thankfully she wont remember any of her beautiful frocks, it would be too traumatic for her to know they are all going to be too small very soon.

Today's outfit consisted of a pair of baby cord jeans, a long sleeved top with a peter pan collar and a super soft soft pink sweater (she was wearing two of this seasons biggest trends cord & knitwear not intentionally, but she was none the less) i thought she looked gorgeous, she did look gorgeous, cute as a button, comfortable and cozy, so off we went to visit a friend, to cut a long story short, the pink sweater was too warm and in the absence of a dress or the obligatory "shes a girl" headband, Tilly was mistaken for a boy by a coo-ing stranger, i was mortified, she is such a pretty little girl (the outfit wasn't intended to look androgynous, i was inspired by a recent trip to French children's wear store, Bonpoint, and then replicated it using Zara kids) whats worse within minutes we came face to face with another baby wearing a sparkly pink tutu  and a huge bow on her head, this to me was the equivalent of me coming face to face with a cast member of TOWIE, the way they dress isn't my cup of tea,  but thousands of girls aspire to their ultra girly spangly bandage dress wearing style, i have on occasion felt intimidated by glamazonians, usually when wearing something i deemed on trend which they no doubt would label frumpy......i was over whelmed with guilt...was i enforcing my newborn to dress down? should i dress her more frivolously? ignore my instincts and go for head to toe shades of candy frou frou complete with a baby fascinator?? What do i do until she is old enough to choose her own clothes, dress her how i choose and risk her backlash later in life ? Answers on a postcode please, as this problem definitely isn't the baby books.