I've been writing a parenting blog since April of this year - starting later into motherhood than planned, but blogging was pretty far from my mind in those early days of little sleep, breast feeding traumas and swaddling techniques. Anyway, maybe when baby number two comes along I'll be better prepared and will blog at 2am while rocking an unsettled newborn, or manage to tweet whilst sterilising bottles...hmmm.

So, being new to the OT website, I thought I'd start at the beginning, rather than launching into what is the chaos of our happily frantic life - me, Mr Dad and The Bear - how can there possibly be a dull moment when your son has numerous owl impressions, delights in trying to post things into the freezer/bin/oven depending on which happens to be without a parental guard at the time, and has the naughtiest laugh you have ever heard - reminiscent of that formula milk ad on TV with the chuckling babies.

I fell pregnant whilst Mr Dad and I were away travelling. Thai hygiene, the heat and seeing that little strip turn blue while being so far from home didn't instil me with the greatest of confidence but once safely back on home soil I had an easy pregnancy. There were however a number of things that I didn’t expect (and no book, not Jo Frost, not Gina Ford and not any of them really prepares you for)...

1. The nesting instinct can absolutely take over (and try to ruin) your normally sane life. Lying on the lawn at 6 months pregnant because belly is too big to bend forwards is not a good look. Balancing on tip toes trying to touch up paint around the picture rail is not a safe option. And moving paving slabs from shed to garage is not a logical exercise, even if you have been blessed with superhuman strength as a result of being with child. Thank goodness for the Ground Force team (aka parents) who appeared at the penultimate moment.

2. Hosting a dinner party for eight female friends is not do-able, even with husband acting as kitchen hand behind the scenes. Especially when the salad draw refuses to come out and you're hell bent on serving a garnish with the lasagne. And even more especially when said eight friends haven't got together for a girly catch up for some time and are all shrieking - a lot.

3. Trying to remember the simplest of to do's, and even trying to remember to write down those to do's before they vanish into a black hole forever is hugely challenging and frustrating. Occurring on a very regular basis, approximately hourly, this annoying pregnancy related hormone imbalance is enough to tip you over the edge (and cry and irrational things, resulting in remainder of morning on sofa sobbing at Phil and Fern).

I have to stop at three, for the sake of those currently reading with cuppa balanced on bump, or feet elevated to relieve swelling.

On a positive note, most women bloom during pregnancy - hair becomes thick and glossy, nails strong and long, and skin radiant and blemish free. For the really lucky, you get to eat and eat and eat (minus the shellfish, soft cheese and runny eggs, boo), and it just goes onto the bump (if it goes anywhere else, who cares).

So, that was the very, very start for me. After a quick whiz through the labour and early bleary eyed days I hope to get up to present day pretty damn quick and blog about day to day life with Mr Dad and The Bear.

Today for example we mainly practiced sneezing, got the all clear from the physio on the wobbly ankles and had a bit of a late night after Armageddon like traffic brought Oxford to a stand still and I picked The Bear up late from Grandma and Granddads’, where he was still busily practicing sneezing. Bless you.