An exciting delivery from the postman!

My TENS machine arrived!! I am really rather excited about this as I had been getting slightly concerned that the little one might consider arriving early and, God forbid, I should be anything less than totally prepared.  I'm hoping to spend as long at home as possible before going into the hospital, so hopefully this little purple fella will help me do that.  I've only heard good things about them but I will of course review its' performance after the event.  Watch this space!

Model Beauty and Fashion Tips

I just stumbled upon this girl's blog.  I actually went to school with her sister and remember watching a documentary on the beginning of her model career yeeeaaaars ago, so was very excited to find her.  She's gorgeous, writes well and you get a mix of ANTM/BINTM (the Next Top Model Series') and health & style tips in one place! What more could you want in those moments of cosmetic crises?!

.....the end outcome may not be quite as gorgeous but hey, you can but try! 

Take a Look - Model Beauty and Fashion Tips @ A Model Recommends.

A little home project

As a child I remember having Winnie the Pooh and Beatrix Potter featuring heavily in my room.  Even to this day both subjects fill me with so much nostalgia and now broodiness!  I decided that I'd love to try and replicate some of the original Pooh illustrations (before Disney got their dirty paws on them!), so I had a go at 5 of the more well known images, in black ink and am happy with the results!  

I would really love to do the same with some of the Beatrix Potter illustrations in colour, however our nursery is really not that big and I simply don't have room to hang any more yet!  Maybe in our next quarter, if we have room for a separate playroom (chances are slim!), I will do them then.

A visit from the breastfeeding counsellor...

Today I had a visit from the community breastfeeding counsellor.  A really lovely lady who also runs two 'drop-in' clinics in town per week;  I shall definitely make sure I make the most of those as they do say 90% of problems women face can be solved with a 5 minute counselling session.

A slightly more au-naturel approach to the crocheted boob.
From smeddley.com.
Apparently, according to Google images, this is
actually quite a common craze?!

The 'Pencils' bit....

I have always loved drawing and sketching.  It is something which has been a real hobby for me since a very young age and I suspect a godsend for my parents, as a guaranteed method of keeping me quiet and amused.  Although I have had a rather varied working life since finishing university, drawing has always been a constant and it was whilst I was living in London with my cousin that I accepted my first commission.  It was to do a drawing of three Springer Spaniels..... (excuse the bad photography!)

Two Weeks 'til D-Day!

As you probably know, we are expecting our first child within the next couple of weeks or so!  I'm afraid I shan't be one of those girls sharing all the grisly details of labour with a video diary of every contraction and swear word (my husband shall NOT be allowed south of my waist at any point and certainly with nothing possessing a lens!). 

A lovely stroll / waddle by the river!

Rufus and I had a lovely stroll by the river this morning.  Our walks are certainly becoming shorter and slower-paced these days!

He is already rather neurotic in the mornings if he doesn't get taken on a walk immediately after breakfast - sadly, for Rufus, he will soon have to get used to a new addition to the family interrupting his mornings even further.  But we are all looking forward to family day trips out with the Baby Bjorn or the Bugaboo around the park - at the moment I'd like to think we will be soooo organised that we will be doing this on a daily basis, preferably at a designated time perfectly timed to fit around the baby's flawless routine from day one. Something makes me think my optimism may have reached its' limits!?

Meet Rufus!

Rufus is a 17 month old 'Fox Red' Labrador.  He is still a puppy at heart, fulfilling all the playful, bouncy, excitable roles to be expected with a young Lab.  However he is rapidly developing 'old man' tendencies, becoming very keen on his routine and with a fixed idea of when is an appropriate bed time.  He will often take himself off to his bed if he has decided that we are staying up too late (normally anything past 10pm), and should you attempt to persuade him to go outside last thing at night  you can expect a rather reluctant glance from one eye only.  No other movement without further persuasion.  He loves his bed.

Wellies and Pearls

As I mentioned earlier, being an army wife seems to prompt a certain level of intrigue and preconceptions.  From my personal experience this has all been very positive, often just coming down to well-meaning curiosity and lovely, flattering comments of "well, I certainly couldn't cope with all that" or "I don't know how you do it".  Both of which are honestly great to hear when you're faced with yet another period of separation from your 'darling one'.  However, these comments may not always be entirely justified - if only they knew about the emotional breakdowns, foul moods and complete inability to function at times, which bubble under the surface and behind closed doors!!  

So! Here goes....

As my first foray into the world of blogging, I am somewhat unsure of what to share with the world, what to keep private and whether anyone will actually be interested in what I have to say!  But as the title says...here goes....I have to start somewhere so today is as good a day as any.

I have decided to start blogging primarily as a way to keep a journal for myself and my family to look back on in years to come and to serve as a reminder of family life throughout the years.  I also hope that by sharing my experiences of being an expectant mummy-to-be (2 weeks + 3 days and counting!) and being married into the British military may provide some interesting and potentially humourous / entertaining reading for anyone who stumbles upon this.