At long last, an update..

Well, I've been away for ages.. it's pretty hard to find the time between raising a child, loving a woman and working to get on here to right something. I currently have about 6 draft posts that I've started over the last few months and never got around to finishing / posting. 

I'm currently trying to 'be a better person' so this includes stuff like actually do the washing up, hoover, not have an over flowing washing basket, get Lia into a bit of a routine, go for walks, but most importantly eat better. 

Last week we had friends over, two nights in a row, we had Pizza Hut pizza 3 nights in a row.. tut tut tut. Katy's been under the weather for a couple of days now so I took Lia out the other day, we went for a long walk and home via M&S, I bought steak and ancillary items (frittes, beans, mash, greens..) and I was passing through the spices section Turmeric caught my eye, a few days earlier I'd been browsing around the internet aimlessly and found this recipe for Red Pepper and Bacon Risotto by and old school friend, whose blog I've occasionally drifted through. 

Risotto is one of my all time favourite meals, usually at home we'll do a pretty simple chicken and thyme risotto, occasionally I've thrown fried potatoes, butternut squash, lemon, black pudding, sausage, left over christmas dinner... so when a new recipe came along and had 'health benefits' I thought it was well worth giving it a go. 

I love the process of cooking risotto, the way in which your mind just drifts away after the first 10 minutes of just stirring, adding stock, stirring, adding stock, stirring, adding stock... etc.. throw in a bit of background passenger and the kitchen becomes my own little world.

Maybe I was a little timid with the Turmeric, having never cooked with it myself I was slightly anxious, but when I make this again, which I'm sure I will, I will throw in a bigger pinch. 

But thanks to Mikki (myroadaheadblog.blogspot.co.uk and mikaelarobyn.blogspot.co.uk) 

for the inspiration this week, may you continue to share many more! 

In other update news; 

We still have Lia! She's nearly 7 months now, and is crawling backwards like a trooper, any day now she'll lurch forwards (or so we've been saying for a month!) she's loving discovering new foods and drinking water with meals. 

Our wedding date is set, and invitations will start to go out, which is insanely exciting, very soon (or so we've been saying for a month.. noticing a theme!?) 

Our house is nearly done, just 2 more rooms and a corridor to go and I'll get to that really soon (you know what comes here...) 

Anyway, I really should be getting up, but I'll leave you with a few recent photos to give you an idea of what's happening this end... 

clinky clunky cups

Do you ever get those ideas you just know will work, and it's like reaching for something on the very top shelf, you can feel it with your finger tips, and if you kind of stroke a corner of the box you may just edge it down (probably crashing into your face as you dislodge it from the shelf) I am currently experiencing one of these ideas. 

It seems like the more I look into it the more I can make it work, the more we talk about it, the more plausible it sounds. The more I think about it the more I realise it's exactly how I want every bit of my life to be!

Slightly worried I'm a bit too invested and just setting myself up for another 'nearly, better luck next time'

Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside..

Am I a bad person? I was so certain I would keep up with writing this to feel like I had some form of creative outlet. Anyway, here I am... 

On Sunday we went to visit Seaton & Beer, a small coastal town in East Devon and an even smaller ancient fishing village, which still is running commercial fishing trips in traditional boats on a daily basis. We went to visit another store in the chain of coffee shops in which I work, as the manager has recently transfered and so creating a vacancy. 

Katy and I both seem to somehow be small town people, strange considering most people rebel from their hometowns, but something must have become firmly routed in us. I feel so much more at home amongst small streets, indie shops, little cafes (odd, seeing as where I work..)

However we had always been quite sure we wanted to stay in Exeter for another couple of years, but I guess there was something about standing just above the beach and looking out across the beautiful coastline that just made us know it was the right thing to do. 

So we are off to view a beautiful 3 bedroom townhouse today, we really shouldn't get excited because it says on the listing that they might not be keen on having a baby there, but I'm hoping she'll like us to much, and our enthusiasm for the house and village will make her buckle and let us in with good grace, if not we'll try to bribe her with decorating work, new kitchens and more money. 

Since I first saw the house it's been so easy to picture friends popping in, local Beer families nipping to the shop and calling in for tea on the way back, people watching from the bay window in the living room which over looks the high street, having family and friends coming to stay for weekends for devon holidays by the sea, and one day in a few years time, having another little sprog to fill all the bedrooms. 

It feels like I'm on the brink of our future, it feels like this is where we will be a family, make memories, buy our first home, start a small business, make ever lasting friends, and spend more time seeing the beautiful ones we have dotted around the country. I really hope it works out! 

Just to prove I'm not making it sound better than it is, here's (someone else's) photo of what sits at the bottom of fore street (the road the house is on)...

Who wants to visit?

Sunny Sunday of Vintage Books & Shabby Drawers.

Hello all, 

I thought I'd take this oppurtunity of my two top girls sleeping on the sofa in front of QI on a sunny Sunday evening to just give you all a small update on what's going down, down here.. 

As some of you might know, and others may not, I recently started collecting the old fashioned ladybird books, I saw them several months ago at a car boot and they instantly took me back to being little and gazing at the pictures, I bought a couple for 20p each and later my Mother saw them on one of her visits. She told me how they also reminded her of her childhood, and as I was about to enter fatherdom I thought about how nice it would be to have a collection for Lia, to one day come across and get that same feeling. SO, for a few weeks I dug through car boot sale boxes of books and charity shop bookcases trying to find cheap nice copies. But the other night curiosity got the better of me and I decided just to see what the value was for one of these old books, so I could be sure I wasn't being over charged, I found a specialist website for ladybird books which had a feature where you could type in some of the details from your copy and it would give you the value. The collection you see in the photo cost me no more £15 to date, two of my books are worth £45 each, and also that sellers wanted them, and many others in the region of £15 - £30. I have decided not to sell, if now I have a collection worth a few hundred pounds imagine what a gift it'll be for my daughter, if ever she did decide to sell it...

Other books that are upon my vintage library shelf include some 1950's Beatrix Potter books and Observer Guides.. Plus a few less well known children's stories published by F. Warne & Co (who published Beatrix Potter's delightful children's stories, they really did have an eye for good classic stories) There are also reference books on Growing Herbs, The History of London to the 'current day' (which was.. 1920) and a book of compiled essays on Shakespeare. 

And moving on... 

I have also today finished this little set of drawers, it's hard to gage the size of them, but they basically stand somewhere just below my knee, they are a lovely piece I just don't know where they'll live. I have distressed these further than I usually go, but I am quite happy with the result. They've been painted in my usual Nutshell Organic Paint, which is produced down the road and is entirely free of unnatural and harmful products. The Gold trim around the bottom is another locally produced paint by a different company which I've been meaning to try for ages. I think it has created a lovely finish and I'm really looking forward to using them again, also a nice little fact is unlike many paints which are acrylic, chalk etc based this one is milk! and I don't even like milk...

So I'll leave this there, I apologise to those who are only interested in this blog for stories about Lia, but I want to keep some aspect of my blog about me! But I have included a photo for you! Here she is in her Aunty Gloria's arms... (yesterday)

Week 3.

So, as absolutely expected somewhere between the birth of my child and working a full time job whilst trying to also maintain some aspect of previous hobbies and start planning a possible business venture this blog has been slightly neglected. But I'm here now, and what else do you expect me to talk about other than Lia, who arrived safely at 00:19 on 25th April, and well, a fair bit has happened since then.

There are so many things that you are told, read or just believe before you have a baby but then the moment it's happening all of that just vanishes. The fear they put in you about co-sleeping, they pretty much make it out that if she touches the bed when we're in that's it we might as well order the coffin now. I think since she's been alive she's spent one night out of our bed (this was the first, when we both hadn't slept for more than a few hours each in a 72 hour period and so thought it best to try and get some solid sleep in (ha. as if that happpened)

The scheduled feeding times, the hourly gaps on different stages of her growth - babies get hungry, feed them, it's pretty simple. Why the NHS insist on giving you times you should feed because it builds the habit is just bollocks. Do what you feel is right and natural. Baby knows best. 

Do you have those days where you arrive to work and just feel like you don't want to be there? Like you'd genuinely rather be at home cleaning out the shed and cleaning out the under sink cupboard you want to be there so little, well if you've had one of those days before, imagine it again, times it by 1000 and it still isn't in the same league as the first day back after having a baby. Something I thought would ease with time, but every day I walk out the front door, I feel so alone for about 10 hours before I come back and see my family sitting on the sofa ready for bed. Every bit of me screams for me to quit work and find a way to spend every passing moment with my child as she grows, but every bit of my knows I need to work to support her. The biggest incentive for me to stay just happens to be the only reason I want to leave. She's a clever girl, has me wrapped around her little finger (and my god are her fingers little) already. 

When you become a Dad there's one thing you should be prepared for, people are no longer interested in what you've done at the weekend, what you'll be doing that evening or really how you are in general. Your conversations will revolve around your child's health, how often they cry, sleep, eat, poo, wee... Your partner's health, how often she sleeps, if she's lost the weight, how is she feeling, is she still knackered. Occasionally you'll be asked how you are, but this'll be the last question and they are for more likely to be thinking about your baby than you're predictable reply of 'yeah, I'm alright, pretty tired but think I'm Blah blah blah blah blah baby blah blah her little smiles and sneezes blah blah'

The hardest experience of all though is watching the person you love go through labour. Watching someone scream with pain, hit walls of dispair and cry and howl is so harrowing just think know, and really take it in, NOTHING you do will prepare you for that, no matter how often you watch one born every minute, or, don't just stand there, you wont feel it until you are there, the whole labour process though is good for translating across to those first nights with your baby she lies in your arms screaming, little red face all scrunched up and big weepy eyes occasionally opening to look at you, and you have no idea why she's crying, you can't make her stop. the patting on the back is doing nothing and everything you've seen other parents do has jumped from your head. you're on your own.

But eventually, the crying does cease, these tired little just off blue eyes open up and gaze in to yours and a sign of relief and silence falls across you and you look into this raw beauty that loves you without knowing you and you love without knowing. Her head bounces on your chest in beat with your breathing and it feels like you are alone in the world, living only for this moment. You look at the clock, 2 hours have passed since you got in to bed, you close your eyes and focus on the way her hands grap at your finger and you notice the skip in her breath as she inhales, and starts to scream all over again. Have a good night!

My Questions..

My Questions. 

So how it works is that you are tagged and answer a set of questions given to you by your tagger. Then you choose  your favourite bloggers, and you give them a new list of questions to answer, and then they choose eleven of their favourites, and so on and so forth.

1. If you had to describe your life in the title of a film or song which would you pick and why?
2. Who do you feel has had the greatest impact on your life so far, you can say up to three, again, why?
3. Your favourite recipe is.... 
4. What is the next big life goal you want to complete? 
5. The best gift you ever received was from ____ and it was ___ (fill in the blanks)
6. Your favourite memory with us both in was? "That time...."
7. If you could teach my soon to be daughter one lesson it'd be.. 
8. Where is 'your happy place'?
9. The moment you looked at your life and felt 'proud' was just after you _____ 
10. The last time you laughed so hard your sides hurt was because... 
11. If you could go back in the last 5 years and change something what advice would you give yourself?

Liebster Award: My Answers

So I got tagged by my dear friend Ella in this blogging thing. I'm not much of a social blogger and really just post what I want but I'm sat waiting for my baby! So need things to do.. So here it is.. 

So how it works is that you are tagged and answer a set of questions given to you by your tagger. Then you choose eleven of your favourite bloggers, and you give them a new list of questions to answer, and then they choose eleven of their favourites, and so on and so forth.

1. Why is your favourite person your favourite person? (You don't have to name names but you can only pick one person!)
As I just mentioned, I'm not that social, and the people I do have in my life are all equally fantastic. But my favourite is of course my other half. For anyone who knows me the boyfriend/girlfriend label is something I avoided with a barge pole. I was always so reluctant to put it on my relationships. It was common for me to be with someone for months before I was comfortable to introduce them as a girlfriend, it was something of a joke amongst my closer friends, but then I met Katy, and well my whole opinion swung drastically. It really didn't take me long to realise that she was something special, and together we just clicked. I think it's somewhat cliché and I'm sure pretty 'cutesy' to read. But we are 2 peas. I have this attitude where I blaze through life, I make rushed decisions and I make them boldly, throwing myself into the unknown and seeing where it takes me, it's really nice to have someone that just goes with it too. She sometimes looks at me when I suggest something as if to say 'really?' but I know that wherever I am, or have decided I have her support, and that support is what's led me to where I am today, on the year anniversary of our meeting in a life 100x better. In a beautiful house, doing a job I love, having hobbies I enjoy, not being out every night drinking and smoking, and ultimately.. having a child, the single greatest experience of my life, since mine and her's first kiss.

2. Favourite memory?
I'm impressed if I can remember this mornings events, my memory is awful. But when we found out I was having a baby Katy and I went for dinner, we spoke about it and afterwards we rang Mimi, my best friend, the first person to find out we were having a baby. As I told her I felt a tear gathering in my eye and slide down - all sly like - my cheek. It's the first time I ever had 'tears of joy' since this I welled up a bit at the first time we heard the heartbeat, and the first scan. 

3. Somewhere you haven't been to yet but want to?
There's quite a lot of places, but I really want to go to a romanian market. I'm looking for enamelware and I hear it's quite the hotspot. This isn't a joke.

4. Somewhere you have already been but are aching to go back?
My experiences of exciting trips abroad and submerging myself in other cultures are pretty limited, as I've never had that desire, my aims and goals have always been fairly close to home but there was this beautiful restaurant I went to when I visited Rome when I was 18 and I went alone, sat outside and watched the traffic filtering by, little Fiats and Vespas and men in suits going home from a long day at work, and I sat on an incredibly comfy chair with a large glass of Pinot, and it just felt like I was in heaven, and I would love to be back there, with someone by my side this time, sat in quiet and just taking in that moment. 

5. Top five favourite films?
Simple. In no particular order: Vanilla Sky, American Gangster, Fight Club, Seven, Airplane, Oceans 11, 12 & 13, V for Vendetta, Trainspotting, Yes Man, Body of Lies, Man on Fire, Shaun of the Dead, Kings Speech, Lord of War, Weatherman, Donnie Darko, Everything Must Go, Arthur, Garden State, Taken, Last King of Scotland, Ladder 49, Zoolander, Sweeney Todd, The Green Mile, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest..... oh, you said 5? Fuck off.

6. Why you study what you study at uni, or alternatively if you don't go to uni, what would you want to study if you did?
I didn't go... If I had I'd have enjoyed doing something with Business, I don't know if such a degree exists but the legal side of business, contract law, employee rights... that sort of thing, I think it'd be really useful and I'd love to start it online once I'm not so 'about-to-have-a-baby-and-a-full-time-job-and-set-up-a-business-and-be-a-boyfriend-y'

7. A song lyric that resonates with you?
'it's better to fall on your face than to live without knowing' it's from The Art of Falling by Greg Holden. I listened to it on repeat when I was leaving school, deciding if I should move to Bath and when I found out I was going to be a Dad. It's an inspiring song, by a great artist with a lot of memories for me.

8. Do you prefer being casual or dressed up?
Casual. It makes getting dressed up that little bit more special. (Sound more like Gok Wan Derry, it's all about the confidence)

9. If you could meet any actor/musician/historical figure, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
Whoever I met I'd try and act cool like it was no big deal which I'd then regret forever. I really have no interest in meeting celebrities, but I'd be willing to meet anyone who's 'shaped' the world.

10. Three reasons you like blogging?
To let people know what I've been up to. To read back in the future to remind myself of what I've done. To feel vaguely like I have an artsy-creative side.

11. Something, an event or person or film etc, that's changed your life?
My Birth was pretty life-changing, second to that was probably finding out I'm going to be stood next to a woman giving birth to my child. 

I'm going to do my tagging and questions in a new post as this is already pretty long! 

9.30 Hoovering.

There have been a few things today that have caught me thinking, oh, am I now old? 

1. I went out to go and buy something from a hardware shop on the other side of the industrial estate, I left at about 9.30, and strolled down, it's a short walk and we found out last week that you can walk across a public footpath that runs by the river, suddenly I found myself a bit taken a back by how much I was enjoying a saturday morning walk alongside the trickling water. Not as much a taken back though when I initiated an awkward 'good morning' to a passer by. 

2. A little while later and I was washing up and I looked out the window and thought oh it's stayed dry for a little while, I'll do the grass whilst it's sunny, whilst I was doing this and mulling over of important things such as; stocks, politics and whether I'm more of a Guardian or Times man, I thought our rock garden area was a little weedy, so I started to pluck those and admire my lawn. 

3. Back in the house and at the kitchen sink, whilst waiting for my washing up to dry before I did some more I decided to clean the hob, grill and even oven. I'm not even moving out and trying to get back my deposit!

and now heres the clincher..

We've been worrying lately that the house is too messy to have a baby in, and so we've been occasionally doing frantic clean ups so that when the midwife turns up she says something along the lines of "oh with a house this tidy you are going to be the best parents, this birth will be a walk in the park because your glasses are all very straight inside the cupboard" so, back to the story.. 

9.30 I'm hoovering through the living room, straight into the kitchen and then I begin the stairs and suddenly I realise, it's 9.30pm on a saturday and here I am hoovering the stairs. Is this where my gosh I'm so mature nowadays moment ends? No. My mind then jumps to 'Oh god, I hope I'm not annoying the neighbours'... I know what you're thinking, surely this is where I just stopped thinking. but here's the final thing. Katy suggested I did it tomorrow but my reason for doing it tonight, was this.. 

If I did it know it'd be done tomorrow so we could get up without worrying about it, and go to the car boot and when we got back the house would be nice.

As if a 20 year old fella thinks like that. Im going to start separating milk lids soon I know it. 

www. done . com

So over the last couple of days excuse my absence I've been working on a couple of projects. 
One of which was to put up a website. 

If you fancy a look hit HERE. or go to www.derrytydeman.com

привет, Hallo & Hola

I have just seen that I've had a few views from around the world this week, whether this is true or not who knows! But Hello to you joining us from Russia, Venezuela and Germany!

Old Hammers & Dusty Chairs

Yesterday was such a lovely day, this probably sounds terrible, but it was really nice doing something for us. Katy and I went down to the car boot sale, which is about a half hour walk from the house, and we browsed around for a while and picked up a few bits and bobs, I wanted to get rusty tools and fun projects to do over the next little while. But it was just nice to be doing it for us, we didn't even go through the baby clothes, or look through toys. We spoke a little about Lia, but really we were just hanging out like a couple of friends, and I think that's what makes this relationship so great.. at least for me anyway! 

In other news, today is my last day at work for 2 weeks, it's crazy to think our baba is due in 2 days time!! I don't know when she'll actually be born, and I've decided to stop trying to guess, my sister said the other day; "she won't come until you stop thinking she's going to come out" which I guess follows the old rule, a watched kettle.. but we are getting impatient now little Lia, we so want to meet you. 

I got my food for the Live Below The Line challenge, it's started to worry me slightly now! But I am making the most of drinking Coke and eating junk food now, whilst I still can. 

I almost forgot, Katy surrendered what was our 'breakfast area' (basically the strange hallway from the kitchen to the garden) but totally unused since we moved in, so I now have a workspace, it's a bit small, but it's bright, I'll upload some pictures when I can!

I'm very excited about my life..

Living Below The Line. £5 for 5 Days.

• Everyday Value Spaghetti 
• Everyday Value Long Life Semi Skimmed Milk
• Everyday Value Noodles x2
• 1.5KG Everyday Value Veg Pack
• Everyday Value Red Kidney Beans
• Everyday Value Small Potatoes
• Everyday Value Oats
• Everyday Value Rice

I'm more than aware that I have quite a few student followers, and so this just looks like your every week shopping list. But this is actually what I'm going to live off for 5 days between 29th April - 3rd May. 

I'm taking part in the 'Below the Line' challenge, which was created to raise awareness and a greater level of empathy for those who live on less than £1 a day. I know it's not realistic, and that £1 would have to also cover rent, education, medicine... etc.. 

But I haven't even started and it's already started opening my eyes to just how much I spend on food. I said to Katy half way through, I'm going to have to get rid of the chickpeas they are just too expensive (at 40p) and I had to pick between the spaghetti (19p) and milk.

So the rules are, I can only eat those things I mentioned earlier, and only drink tap water, from 00:01 on 29th to 23:59 on May. 

to find out more visit... Live Below The Line See if you want to get involved yourself, or just find out a little bit more. 

or of course, if you would like to and I'd be really grateful (and it'd make this whole thing worthwhile) you can sponsor me a couple of quid here. 

Tydeman's Trunks

So, here it is..  

2 days of chopping, banging and painting..

and here we have the trunk our baby will grow up with (I hope).

Tonight, find out what all the mess is about...

Growing up Jesus' breakfast area was probably a similar sight.

Recipe #2: Spanish Omelette

So heres lunch, the photo is actually from easter sunday, but we had it again today. Such an easy enjoyable dinner... and heres how its done.. 

Ingredients (to make enough for 3): 

• 5 Medium Eggs
• Dash of Milk
• Bacon
• Masture Cheddar
• Parmesan
• 6 King Eds / Maris Ps / Irish Cobblers.. etc..
• 1/3 of a Red Pepper
• 10 Fine French Dwarf Beans (or similar long green bean)
• 10 Mange Tout
• Salt & Pepper

1. Chop up your potatoes and boil till fully cooked.
2. Once ready start frying finely sliced peppers in with your bacon.
3. Once the meat has started to appear cooked add the rest of the veg, move around the pan for approximately 2 minutes. 
4. Add in the cooked potatoes.
5. Mix the eggs in with the milk and salt and pepper and pour over the top of all the ingredients.
6. Sprinkle more salt and pepper on the top and jiggle it around the pan so all the ingredients are covered in egg.
7. Once the egg is cooked firmly along the bottom (test by trying to slide omelette around the pan)
8. Sprinkle parmesan and more salt and pepper and put the pan beneath the grill and allow the top to brown.

I've not forgotten you!

Dear those who read these, 

I know there are some of you, despite what I originally believed that nobody would read this, bless you all for still checking my blog daily despite the fact I haven't posted for a while. 

But just so you know, soon I will do a good post! I admit it will probably be shamelessly promoting my most recent woodwork, and trying as hard as I can to get you to buy it! However, I'll also talk about baby items, recipes, our cat and various other things likely to make you still enjoy this blog!

So, catch you all soon..

I'm going to come up with some sort of pun / alliteration title for this..

Wednesday is my worst day of the week, it's a pretty simple reason - Saturday and Sunday are the weekend, Monday and Tuesday you're thinking about the weekend just gone and Thursday and Friday you are getting excited for the weekend, so, obviously Wednesday is the worst day where you've forgotten about the weekend and you are too far away to start getting excited. 

So, in order to try and improve them, each wednesday I am going to try and think of 5 things that I'm happy about, either that's happened so far this week, or I have to look forward to.. 

1. Today marks the start of the 14 day countdown to the due date, I think she'll be here before then, but it's so nice to be 2 weeks to go! Here is the light at the end of the tunnel, oh, and what a light!
2. Yesterday I was walking to work, and was about to cross a road when I noticed an ambulance coming down the road sirens going and lights flashing, I stopped to let him speed through, however, he did the same - and let me cross over, I hope nobody died because I was walking over, but at the same time it was a small gesture that I appreciated the rest of my way to work.
3. Me and Katy have been talking about buying property, not today of course, but in the next few years, and we've spoken about what kind and where and how etc, and it's just been so nice, to plan a future with her, such a nice thing that I'm getting to do... 
4. ... this kind of follows on from 3, but we've been finally finished unpacking boxes, the nursery / 2nd bedroom is clear of all our old junk, and we were sat in there last night discussing where things were going and what they'd be like in a couple of years and I just realised, this is the house we'll have our baby in, our toddler, our child. pretty special. 
5. I no longer feel like the new guy at work, I'm getting the respect of the staff, I think! I'm starting to get to know peoples quirks and the way they work, and just generally settle in. Makes me feel like moving all the way down here on a whim was the right thing to do, it's a great relief. 

So that's my first five. hopefully by next week I'll have a better snappier title, but who knows!

The last 2 weeks is the longest..

We basically have 2 weeks to go until the due date, if we make it to that.. It feels like forever! I just wish there was something to distract me, everytime my phone goes off in my pocket I automatically assume it's Katy and I start to think..

this it, t who I need to call first, should I just calmly walk home to her or run, maybe on this occasion it's worth getting a taxi, oh god I wonder how hard the birth will be, I should have bought more nappies, I wonder if I could get a pack on the way home, should I turn up with flowers, oh imagine what it's going to be like when our daughter goes into labour, god I don't know if I'll cope! 

I eventually get around to reading the message 'can you pick up milk?' 

It's nice to be this excited about something, but this waiting is like nothing I've ever had, at least usually theres a rough date, the day you're going on holiday, 2 - 3 day delivery, dinner at 8pm.. but with this, by the time I publish this post her waters may break, or in 3 weeks time, there's just no knowing. 

Perhaps this is the first lesson of parenthood - learning to go with life, from inside the womb my daughter is already her own person, she'll come when she's ready, and although I can sit by Katy's belly in the evenings and whisper in for her to hurry up, she's going to do things her way, and this is something I need to be prepared for as if she's anything like her parents, I can't see her conforming any day soon. 

and as impatient as I am, I love her for it. 

I'm sure to the more natural and cool blogger this is no major achievement, but this blog just reached it's first 100 views!

oh, and.. 

Happy Easter!

A day in bed.

Katy and I have been thinking for a while of things we could do before the babies born, stuff we might not have the chance to for a while afterwards, and I guess as the old saying goes 'life is what happens when you're busy making other plans' we've ended up staying in bed all day, talking about what we could do, having a nap in the middle of the day, eating, just generally being pretty lazy. 

It's been good, and to anyone out there who may be about to embark on a similar adventure, you should do it! Forget the fancy meal or the day at the health spa, instead just lock your door, get a boxset out or films you've been meaning to watch and just devote a day to being together. 

Because if it's true what they say I think that's the thing you'll struggle most to do again, just doing nothing. 

Falling asleep with your legs hanging off the end of the sofa

Occasionally now I will find myself doing things I never used to, the title of this post for example, at half 8 my work team will be meeting outside the bar for bowling, they have money from christmas and are celebrating the hard work they've put in, but at 8 I found myself with my legs dangling over the edge of the sofa asleep in front of the telly. I have no intention of joining them for a night on the town, despite the fact I have the next 2 days off to recover. I'd way rather be in my own house, crashing out at an insanely early time, and if that doesn't make me ready to be a father, I don't know what more I can do! 

It is tiring this stage, I think thats the thing you aren't warned about, being constantly surrounded by the excitement of a birth. It seems to now be the first thing anyone says 'are you a dad yet', 'how long now'.. 'are you excited' at times I want to shout at them... 'Yes! Of course I'm excited, I'm doing something out of this world exciting, but I'm also really tired of constantly feeling excited and telling everyone how excited I am!' 

I remember the first time I went abroad, I was about 6 years old and we were going to France, the whole time driving down from Sheffield to Plymouth to get the ferry I was trying so hard to stay awake to see the boat, I think I failed at that for the most part, and then I just about managed to keep my eyes open as we drived into the car storage and the moment we were on board, I fell asleep under my mums chair and slept right the way across the channel, exhausted by the days excitement. 

I think this is how I feel now, every day I'm wearing myself out, by the pure excitement bubbling away inside me! It's such a lovely feeling, the never knowing when a gush of water may come and our baby decide she's ready to see the world, but at the same time it's so hard trying to keep your eyes open so you don't miss it that by 8PM you are lying there out for the count. 

And somewhere in the distance I can hear that husky voice of an old woman saying 'Oh bless, he's warn himself out' 

Everything is normal...

Following an appointment Katy had with the midwife we had to venture up to RD&E for a growth scan, visiting a hospital twice in a week isn't fun - but at least this time we were there as a planned visit, and we were excited to see our little girl again, as we didn't think this would happen until she was born. 

The short of it all is that she's fine! Her growth is actually right where it should be, she's not going to be a big baby but she's also not a midget, so we're relieved. Her heads in the right place, and is 2/5s engaged. So she's a coming!

A midwife is about to visit us so we've been cleaning and tidying and making our house look like we are the exact right people to be bringing a human into the world. Which, of course, we are. 

Must dash to polish the mirror, real families have clean mirrors.. 

Recipe #1 : Rice Stir Fry

Anyone who's ever been involved in a pregnancy will probably be as sick as me about talking about diets, so many times I've been asked what cravings Katy's had, things she hates, what's good to eat, bad to eat.. it goes on.. 

It started making me feel bad that we weren't eating good healthy meals so we started to think about what we could do, working late or long hours often, not having enough money to constantly be cracking out Jamies 15 minute (£15,000) meals, and since leaving Bath (and therefore waitrose) we are finding it hard to find bok choy and fresh saffron. 

So we came up with a couple of our own meals, so I thought I'd share one of them with you, a really tasty, incredibly simple, and pretty cheap meal to make. 

Chicken & Bacon Stir Fry with Rice. 

1. Firstly arrange all of your ingredients in a tv chef manner;

White Rice, Chicken Breast, Bacon, Carrot, Broccoli, Mange Tout, Fine Green Beans, Garlic, White Onion, Basil, Mint, Soy Sauce, Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper and Chilli & Ginger Oil

check out this website for
 great oils and ingredients. 

2. After choosing the pointiest carrot, peel, top and tail and finely slice lengthways. 


3. Repeat for all other veg, and cut the broccoli into small pieces (this will give the illusion of that posh broccoli that has long stalks and tiny heads which you can buy for around twice the price of normal broccoli.  I just saved you money, you're welcome)

4. Chop finely a clove of garlic, about 1/4 of a white onion, a few leaves of fresh mint and basil.

 5. Begin to boil the Rice, we have never got our rice quantities right, but we are working to the idea you need less than a cup per person... at the same time put all the other ingredients into a hot wok, with the hot chilli oil, a sprinkling of salt and pepper and a splash of olive oil. 

6. Serve.

 Not the only ones who enjoyed it this evening..

Lock & Load.

At midnight on Monday night we opened our door, shovelled what might be considered food down our throats and collapsed into bed, holding each other tightly and feel asleep, exhausted by the days events. 

When we woke on Monday morning Katy (this is the Mum-To-Be) was having some pretty intense cramps, and a lot of severe back pain, we put it down to the pregnancy and I dragged myself off to work, not really thinking any more of it. As I sat 5 hours later drinking a cup of coffee and admiring the view from outside the coffee shop in which I work I rang her up, the pain hadn't gone away and she had had her show, things all of a sudden got very real. I tried to keep calm and told her to ring the doctors and find out if we could go in earlier, which I thought would just help keep on top of everything. But inside my heart was racing, and whilst it may have been down to the copious amount of coffee had already drunk I suspected this news wasn't helping! 

Hours later I was venturing home, flowers in one hand paracetamol in the other, walking down the high street that I took in a deep breath and it hit me, it's starting. It might not be very long at all until I'm a dad. 

The paracetamol were taken and we sat there, waiting for the pain to subside, an hour later nothing, an hour later again we were trying to navigate the never previously visited corridors of RD&E 'Women's Health Centre'. Eventually finding the Labour Unit and being offered a bed. 

As she lay on the bed and I awkwardly sat beside her on a horrible grey hospital chair I was once again struck by the beauty of it all, how magnificent it is creating this lovely little being inside of her. 

... Some prodding, poking, beeping, feeling, monitoring and talking later, we were advised to go home and relax. She wasn't coming out tonight, the chances are she'll be earlier than we all anticipated, but not tonight. She's cooking for just a little bit longer. 

And so we sit, and wait. I go to work where I wait, I wait for a bus to come home, and wait with my beautiful family, for our next member to join us. 

And when she does there are a couple of things that are certain, it will be scary, it will be exciting, she will be beautiful, she will be fresh, she will have an excellent mother and a loving father, she will be cherished, and it's almost 100% certain that she will never miss an episode of H I M Y M or The Big Bang on E4 at 5pm Daily. 

So as I left the maternity ward that night I was struck by the idea that I'm ready, for all of it. That, and how many men are carrying ladies handbags in a 'Women's Health Centre'