A Mother and son were born

Many of you will read this, having followed me on Instagram for a while, so will know plenty about my gorgeous son. Some of you may be completely new, and know nothing of him... Or me yet.... But you will. 

See... My reason for starting this blog isn't just to document the life of my son and look back on the details with joy and happiness. As well as the beauty of parenthood, I want to be brutally honest about motherhood and family life, and that doesn't always include sunny skies and white clouds. Ultimately... The life of Sid can only bring me joy, as i am his Mama, and I adore him. But it is nice to know you are not on your own when it comes to the trials and tribulations of raising a small human that belongs to you. In the early days, I honestly felt that I was the only one who couldn't quite 'get the hang' of being a Mama. I felt as if everyone was nailing it, and I was failing it. It was only when I made other 'mummy friends', that I realised that everyone has their struggles, and I became to love (and succeed at) being a Mother. The trick was to stop being so hard on myself and I nailed it eventually. Well and bloody truly!

A little bit about me for those who don't know. I'm Christine, I'm 26, I'm an English teacher on maternity leave, and Sidney is just over 6 months old. I thought I could tell you a little about my life, pre-Sidney and my feelings on his creation. 

Sidney was completely unexpected. COMPLETELY. Now, I know what a blessing that is. I know that there are many who would give limbs to fall pregnant so unexpectedly, and that I am very very fortunate. But, with that said, the timing couldn't have been worse! I had just got back from a fairly 'free spirited' 6 week long trip to Uganda, doing voluntary work, and was already planning my next 'adventure'. I had just started out in my teaching career, and most problematic, was I was also just starting out in a new relationship. I went to my GP complaining of stomach cramps, and sickness, thinking I had picked up some kind of exotic Lurgy from Uganda. When he made me do a pregnancy test 'just to rule it out' I couldn't have felt more confident. I'd been on the pill for ten years, and 'accidents' just didn't happen to me. When my GP told me I was pregnant, I asked him to stop joking with me and get to the bottom of what was really wrong. He wasn't joking. GP's don't joke. What the hell was I thinking?! I raced home in the car, made Gianni buy some pregnancy tests, and I did them. 

 And that was that! I was pregnant. 6 weeks pregnant to be precise, and I was going to embrace it. I kissed goodbye to future adventures around the world (for the time being), I kissed goodbye to an 'easy' life, I kissed goodbye to focusing solely on my career, and I kissed goodbye to living a life just for myself. At the time these felt like big sacrifices, and don't get me wrong, they were. But oh.... What I have gained. What I have gained means so much more than any of those things, and no it has not been easy, or a smooth ride, but it has been a ride that I wouldn't want to miss out on, if someone paid me all the money in the world.

Sidney was born, and so was the Christine I will be for the rest of my life

I'm still learning who she is.... Those around me are still learning (some are struggling but maybe that's my fault) to learn who she is. But ultimately, me, my partner in crime, and Sidney are learning who we are as a family, and finding our feet in our home and in our lives.

When a baby is born, of course lots of emphasis is placed on the NEW life, but the baby is not the only new life that is born during a birth. A Mother is also born. And that journey is just as epic as the journey of the new baby. This blog is my journey. My honest, explicit and non edited journey. I hope you enjoy it.