New Year, New Adventures
It’s the end of January already. On one had I feel this month has been long and cold and rather stormy. On the other, I can’t believe we’ve had a month of 2025 already. I still feel strange writing 2025. A bit like getting used to having a King instead of a Queen.
I’ve found this winter particularly challenging. The cold has been biting and our bedroom in the new house feels like the coldest room. I’m at the point in the season where I can’t wait for the sunshine to warm us up and I’m struggling to imagine feeling warm without being bundled up in layers.
As much as it seems a way off, summer will be especially different this year as I’m pregnant and expecting our arrival sometime after the summer solstice. I’ve spent months reading and researching pregnancy, parenting and of course gear. I am fully immersed in nesting. The baby isn’t going to have a dedicated, decked out nursery room but we’re getting as prepared as possible for the great unknown. It’s so strange to know your world is going to change overnight and yet not know how. As much as it’s nerve-racking (I certainly have my worries) I’m really excited. This isn’t like my usual challenge, a multi-day hike in a new place it’s going to be a much greater adventure. We’re going to be out of our comfort zones and probably pushed to breaking point. I have lots and lots of ideas about what life will be like with a small person in toe but of course I’ve no idea how any of them will pan out.
This is my first experience of pregnancy and it’s been pleasantly straightforward so far. The First trimester seemed to drag on but mostly because I didn’t tell many people and I was eager to have our first scan. I experienced cramps and other discomforts but nothing that different to my normal hormone cycle. One fun new experience is a less than enthusiastic immune system, every time I see my niece and nephew I develop a cold for the next week and a half. I’m currently on my second cold of the year.
My freshly washed baby clothes; a blanket, some onesies and muslin clothes. Some things I bought as gift ideas and others I’ve picked up recently
Friends advised me not to buy baby clothes suggesting I’ll be gifted them and of course I don’t know what size baby will be. I couldn’t resist picking up some things. One set of onesies maybe too small, but baby clothes are too cute to ignore. I have refrained from buying equipment until we know what we want. There’s a massive industry aimed at expectant parents with so called ‘necessities’, it’s easy to forget that people have been raising children without dozens of gadgets, successfully, for millennia. I’m a sucker for advertising so this is a good mantra to remember.
“Hunt, Gather, Parent” by Michaeleen Doucleff is one of my favourite reads at the moment, I’ve just started it again. Michaeleen explores parenting in traditional cultures around the world and how they differ to our American and European expectations. I’m also reading “First-time Mum” my sister lent me, as a good beginner guide to the world of newborn parenting. A few pages at a time is best for this one as there’s so much to learn it can be overwhelming.
We’re almost half way through and I’m excited for the next few months (hopefully spring will be on it’s way too).