Do not panic, I’m not pregnant, this is the start of my baby diaries, the baby in question is now 15 years old and I’m referring to my old diaries to take you through my pregnancies. I thought this was an interesting idea based on the fact that my new book 500 Baby and Toddler Foods is published next week by Apple Press and these diaries are where I drew inspiration for the recipes from. So here goes.
It starts in December 1995, I found out was pregnant the week before Pete and I were due to go skiing for two weeks over Christmas and New Year. The advice from my GP was to go and just take it easy, this was probably biggest waste of money on a holiday ever. In hindsight we should have cancelled and gone somewhere on a beach instead. The diary is written to the baby, now my Big Girl.
Christmas Day 1995 – 5 weeks and 2 days pregnant
Chalet Cornelia, Meribel. Just got back from the Carol Service outside La Tavern Pub, excellent. Already in your short life you’ve skiied and encountered my singing, sorry. Now listening to Nat King Cole Sings Christmas Songs.
Anyway, I finally found out about you last Monday (officially anyway), 18 December 1995, lunchtime at work with a Predictor Kit, first thoughts were:
– Oh God, I drank alcohol yesterday (sherry and green ginger wine)
– What am I going to drink at Christmas and my birthday (5 Jan)
– What am I going to wear.
I announced to Pete that evening that we’d have to buy a Volvo, “why?” he asked, “‘cos we can’t get Daisy (our mountain bike tandem) and a baby in my Rover turbo!”. He didn’t believe me (about being pregnant not about getting stuff in the car) and thought that the test was faulty.
Tuesday morning another test was positive, he then went totally soppy and has stayed that way since, bless him.
I’ve felt you around since Monday 11 December, the weekend before I felt very emotional with other symptoms (not going into that on the blog).
My Mum burst into tears on the phone, started knitting and talking about prams. Pete’s Mum started on about knitting, my best friend Nadene went gaga and said it was her best Christmas present.
Well, no alcohol and only decaff tea and coffee, cutting down on chocolate and sweet stuff (that’s hard, very hard) although chocolate makes me feel very weird, dizzy, spaced, so I don’t think you like it that much (hah, should see you 15 years later, that is so not true).
Anyway, you can tell your friends you skied before you could walk.