Joseph at Chester Zoo on New year's Eve 2008 (aged 6 months)

Happy New Year everyone!

Since I last updated, my parents came to visit, and we said a tearful goodbye to my mum, who is working in New Zealand for a few months. She flew out to South Africa on Boxing Day and is currently staying with my brother in Cape Town. She'll then spend a few days in Sydney before making her way to NZ. It's a wonderful opportunity for her, and she will have a fabulous time, but we will miss her very much.

We've also had an enjoyable festive season with ups and downs. I managed to pick up a tummy bug, which laid me low for a few days, Adam had flu, and Joseph got his first tooth for Christmas, which made him a bit cranky and put him off his food. We're all fighting fit now though, with the exception of Adam, who always an ailment of some description.

Joseph was thoroughly spoilt on Christmas Day, and had a mountain of presents to open. Santa was also very kind to Adam and I. We are currently drowning in a sea of chocolate! We saved Christmas Dinner for Boxing Day, as Adam wasn't up to eating it. It was quite nice to do things like that as it meant that we could focus more on enjoying the festivities without stressing about the food. This year we had roast duck, potatoes, parsnips, carrots and sprouts with pancetta and chestnuts. Joseph had the same (without the chestnuts and pancetta), just blended up, and he loved it.

We also travelled back to Leicester for the weekend, and spent some time with my dad, and Adam's mum. We also took the opportunity to do some shopping, and I treated myself to some underwear now that I am no longer breastfeeding during the day!

New Year's Eve was a quiet affair. Joseph was in bed, and Adam and I played Singstar and watched a bit of TV. We toasted the New Year in and then went to bed, after settling Joseph who had been woken by the fireworks.

So, 2008 was about as life changing as it gets. We started the year having just moved into our new house and then spent the next few months trying to make it a bit more habitable. Mum took me on holiday to Tunisia in February, as I was shattered from working too hard, doing too much at home, and being pregnant! I started my maternity leave in May, and spent the first few weeks putting together flat pack furniture and madly organising things. I then twiddling my thumbs in the blistering heat for a few weeks. Finally, our amazing baby boy was born on the 20th June after a fortnight of contractions and 4 consecutive totally sleepless nights!

We spent the next couple of weeks getting used to our little bundle of joy. Then Adam contracted food poisoning and I found myself with 2 boys to look after. How did I find time to work? September was a hideously busy time for me as a new mum - Joseph and I started Rhythm Time and Baby Massage, and along with Buggyfit and baby clinic visits, there was little free time. October saw our first family holiday, which was a bit of a flop. The weather was awful, the accomodation dire, and the location dismal. Still, we got to spend some time together, and that was lovely. The rest of the year continued to fly by, and culminated in a wonderful festive season.

So, what does 2009 bring? Well, I'm back at work in February, and will be working once a week in January leading up to that. I'll be working 3 full days; Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and Joseph will be coming in to nursery with me. This means that I have every other day at home with the little guy, and it's never a big deal to go to work, as there's no long period off. I'll be starting my NVQ when I start back, and my aim is to be qualified and promoted to Senior Nursery Nurse before the year is out. This may sound optimistic, but is definitely acheivable. I want to focus a little more on my career before we hear the pitter patter of any more tiny feet.

We also intend to start living a healthier lifestyle. We both need to exercise more, and our diet leaves a lot to be desired at times. I also still have around a stone of baby weight to lose. I want to acheive this by Joseph's birthday, which gives me plenty of time to do it slowly and sensibly. I have started to come to terms with the fact that my body shape has changed, especially my tummy after the caesarean, but I am definitely still carrying extra weight. Finally, we'd also like to move house, but it won't be easy, especially in the current economic climate, but it's certainly something we'll be looking in to.