The first being, save up for a decent-sized double bed.
Don't
waste all your disposable income on over-priced large glasses of vin rouge and
clothes from Primark that you'll wear once and then give to a charity shop.
Get the
biggest bed money can buy. And make sure it comes with a hard mattress.
That
bit’s very important. Because you’re going to be spending hours, if not days,
hunched over in it feeding a hungry baby. And making do with a second-hand one
with about as much resistance as a marshmallow is only going to result in you walking
around doubled up and very bad tempered.
There
will also be four people sleeping in the bed. And not in a ‘Rita, Sue and Bob too’ kind of way. Think
more, Grandpa Jo and family in ‘Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory’. It will be hot, stuffy and there will be nowhere to
escape, so make sure the bed’s bloody huge or you will spend the entire night
being squashed by at least one human being.
My
suggestion would be: talk to your partner about anything and everything.
Make sure
you find out each other’s perspective on life. That sounds a bit heavy going,
but it will be worth it. Know each other’s likes, dislikes, opinions, what
films you’ve watched, favourite books. The works.
Because
you’re never going to be able to finish a sentence again. Every conversation
will be interrupted by a small person asking to go to the loo/watch Frozen for
the millionth time/ have a drink/ go to the park/have another peanut butter
sandwich/find a small bead that has become a hugely important hidden treasure that’s
wedged underneath the fridge.
And when
they have gone to bed, you’ll be too tired to talk. But that way you can guess
what you might say to each other based on memory instead of actually having to
say anything.
Third,
learn to cook. Properly. Not just following a recipe from one of the cards you pick
up for free on the way into Sainsbury’s. Learn how to bake, to make stews, to
cook by taste. Because otherwise your repertoire will be a Lazy Susan of beans
on toast, fishfingers and pasta and pesto.
Which is
fine for a couple of nights.
But
three years in, your daughter will be living on a prison-style menu of Weetabix
for breakfast, peanut butter sandwiches for lunch and pasta for tea. And when
you do try something a bit different she will refuse on principle as it’s out
of her comfort zone because it’s not beige.
If you learn
before children, healthy and varied eating will be a way of life, instead of an
expensive experiment that everyone thinks tastes disgusting.
But mainly,
don’t panic. Don’t freak out when you find out you’re pregnant. Because it’ll
be brilliant. There’s a massive trade-off, course there is. But it’s worth it.
Even if
you’re only going to have ten centimetres of duvet to sleep under for the next
few years, know that you’ll be sharing your bed with literally the best people
in your world.
Love it! My two are 13 and 11, but your blog brings it all right back
ReplyDeleteThanks Ingrid- it's a fab but bloody exhausting adventure, isn't it?!
ReplyDelete