Heatwave

It’s cold outside but inside our house it’s verging on sub-tropical all because we have a new boiler and new radiator controls and I still can’t find the setting I like in all the rooms, so I keep walking into rooms and turning the radiator up or down. Maybe by spring I’ll have the hang of it.

I was planning one of those 2006 review entries as we’re off to my mum’s on Saturday and I don’t think I’ll write again before new year. It was gonna be all well written and everything but then I found out my smear test was abnormal and I have to have a colposcopy next Thursday. It’s not the thought of (presumably only slightly) possible cancer that troubles me, it’s the thought of one more person with their hand in a place where it really shouldn’t be. I’m still not recovered from the student midwife who didn’t seem to know what she was doing. Ho hum. So instead, I’ve swiped the below from Mrs B (and changed the answers obviously!).

Five things that 2006 taught me:
1. Pain is relative. If it can have a good outcome, I can cope with any pain
2. There is nothing more embarrassing than being pregnant and childbirth
3. That it is possible to survive on 5 hours sleep (or less) a night and still function the next day

4. There is far more to life than working
5. How unbelievably much I love my husband and daughter

Five personally significant events of 2006:
1. Giving birth

2. Buying and moving into our own house

3. Getting pregnant in the first place
4. Joining the union at work
5. Organising the Bookcrossing UK Unconvention

Five things I want to do in 2007:
1. Watch my daughter grow
2. Go some significant way to paying off my debts

3. Lose more of the weight I was working on before getting pregnant

4. Focus more on my family
5. Take Zoe to meet her South African family

1. What did you do in 2006 that you’d never done before? Gave birth
2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make one this year? I don’t make resolutions, they’re too much pressure.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Hmm, let’s see. A couple of friends, the rest of my NCT class and, oh, yeah, me!
4. Did anyone close to you die? No, I’ve been lucky enough not to lose anyone this year 
5. What countries did you visit? None
6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? Money
7. What date from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory? 9th September
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Getting through the first sleep-deprived weeks of life with Zoe
9. What was your biggest failure? I don’t think there’s anything I really failed on, although I do get moments where I feel that having the c-section and not giving birth how I wanted to was a failure.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nothing beyond usual pregnancy stuff

11. What was the best thing you bought? Technically, I didn’t buy it, but our house
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration? Duncan’s, he’s the best husband in the entire world, as far as I’m concerned
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? My dad’s behaviour depresses me on a fairly regular basis.
14. Where did most of your money go? Living
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? The arrival of Zoe
16. What song will always remind you of 2006? Can’t think of one
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or Sadder? Happier
ii. Thinner or fatter? The same (which I think is pretty good)
iii. Richer or poorer? Poorer, maternity pay sucks
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Saved more money
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? nothing
20. How did you spend Christmas? We will be visiting my mum over Christmas, so Christmas Day will be waking up early (but I do that every day) and lots of presents (for other people) followed by a big dinner and then a lot of sitting around and doing nothing.
21. How did you spend New Year? We will be staying in for New Year and having a nice dinner (assuming Zoe plays ball and sleeps), something we’ve always promised ourselves we’ll do.
22. Did you fall in love in 2006? Yes, with Duncan every day and with Zoe.
23. How many one-night stands? None, I’m a good girl, don’t you know!
24. What was your favorite TV program? I can’t pick just one so – CSI Miami, ER, Cold Case, 24, Bones, The Daily Show
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No, I’m too exhausted to hate anyone
26. What was the best book you read? Again, I can’t pick just one. I loved The Time Traveler’s Wife, Possession, Atonement, House of Leaves, to name a few.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Probably ages behind everyone else but I currently love the Fratellis
28. What did you want and get? A daughter
29. What did you want and not get? A lottery win
30. What was your favorite film of this year? Hmmm, I can’t even think that I’ve seen a film this year. Certainly nothing jumps out.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I was 29 and had friends over for the afternoon. The day before, however, Duncan took me to watch Blackburn vs Newcastle, which we won 1-0.
32.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Definitely a lottery win
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006? I was pregnant for most of 2006 so anything that fit was fine with me!
34. What kept you sane? Duncan
</font>35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I went through strange periods where I fancied all kinds of weird celebs (am blaming the pregnancy hormones for that!) Currently it’s David Caruso and David Boranez
36. What political issue stirred you the most? Again, I don’t think I can pick just one. Immigration and the environment are guaranteed to get me started though.
37. Who did you miss? Melissa and Helen. I have, shamefully, just not found the time to call/visit them anywhere near as often as I’d like to.
38. Who was the best new person you met? Apart from Zoe, who’s a whole brand-new person in herself, the ladies of my NCT class have been wonderful new friends.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006: Anything is possible.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. I can’t even think of a song, let alone a lyric!

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas/Yule/etc, filled with everything you wish for and a happy and healthy 2007.

Until there is a next time…

xx