oct, 18th - before you do....

[at 37 weeks]

day 249:

i don't believe that there is one way to do things (unless it's about eating corn-on-the-cob/ aeros, in which case seriously, there is only one way!)....this doesn't mean that i don't have strong opinions...STRONG opinions! but i try to be open-minded to everyone's approach, no matter how different to mine.

so when it comes to living life, celebrating birthdays, raising babies, I have my views on how I want to attempt it...but hey, I can also see that for some people, an approach like the strict Gina Ford schedule is the way to go....and if it works for them then I say 'do some happy high-kicks' (there's been far too much Cabaret in this house this week.....but anything to hear those baby giggles!)

i also try not to be the person who kills someone's future experiences with statements like: 'just wait and see, you'll get sick of eating Burritos every day for lunch soon'.....or 'you better get your sleep now because you certainly won't get to sleep until 10am in the future'....or, 'you think that this is hard, just wait till she's teething, walking, 2....'.....these been-there-done-that statements....i mean, why emphasise the negative in the future?

anyway, as i said on day 101, as soon as you get pregnant, from then on it's suddenly free reign on telling you how to live your life, drink your coffee, eat, sleep, not sleep.....people (strangers even) love to tell you how different your life will be after the baby comes and generally how tough it will be....so a common statement  that you hear is 'make the most of [insert anything to do with happiness here]'......

anyway...that was the longest intro ('Shine On You Crazy Diamond' has nothing on me) to say that I'm about to do just that....give some gratuitous advice....see in my opinion (STRONG of course), waiting until you're pregnant is too late for people to start telling you about things that you should do......i mean once i was pregnant, everyone said to me: 'get as much sleep as you can' ....but that's WAY too late....how can you sleep when you have a watermelon strapped to you and you suddenly have an insatiable desire to sleep on your pre-watermelon stomach.....(it's a bit like that obsession to lie down that you get on a long-haul flight). so.... these are my:

Top Tips to do before you get pregnant (and this is not just for girls):

• Sleep in....forget early bird catches the worm.....in fact i resent every morning that i woke up before 8am
• Stay out late.....because those early mornings are a cure for any desire to stay out late and dance your socks off 
• Drink coffee....once you're pregnant, those limits kick in and after that, any desire for caffeine beyond 11am will have you worrying that you won't sleep
• Wear high heels (more aimed at the girls this one)
• Wear silk (again more aimed at the girls...although you know, i won't judge....)
• Enjoy hangovers (okay, probably not a sensible recommendation...but you know what i mean)....

and finally,

• Fly away for a weekend with one small carry-on bag.....once pregnant, flying becomes less enjoyable and after that it will be a veeeeeery long time before you fly away as a family without loads and loads of gear.