blogging the good blog

well, i have been tempted to drop the ball here a little bit, using moving house and fat pregnant fingers as my excuse. But I think we all agree that if I do that now, well.... an 8 month hiatus might seem short.

So just a short one to say, yes, I'm alive and in the new place, and no, I've not yet had Number 2. Though we are within 4 weeks of being due, so start those predictions rolling. Mine is for a 7lb boy on 11 July (so 2 weeks early). We've settled on names, and I must say that the male name is an absoulte corker that none of you would ever guess. And although I've always been partial to having a little girl, I've got to say that lately, I've swung to wanting a boy,- purely becuase I prefer that name. It's THAT good people (though i'm pretty sure conversations outside our earshot will question mine nad Dave's sobriety).

The house.... well.... it's amazing. I LOVED the Tabard Centre and know that it's probably the coolest place I will ever live - but this new house is a proper family home. And already life is so much easier and I feel so much happier. To wheel a pram in my front door (as opposed to going up 52 stairs) is a bliss i cant describe. To be within a 5 minute walk of every ammenity I shall ever need (train station, post office, supermarket, chemist, cinema, library, liesure centre with pool, a Primark....) is a revelation. For Fred to have his own bedroom and a wonderful backyard with lawn and sandpit to explore for hours on end.. is how a childhood is meant to be.

The actual moving into the house is a work in progress. We left a fair chunk of furniture at our old place (which we are renting out to a women's shoe designer) and much of what we have brought does not exactly fit in the smaller spaces of the new place. We are without some essentials (dining room table and chairs) and fixtures we took for granted in the last place (bathroom cabinets, bookshelves) will need to be sourced. So we are still some way off unpacking many boxes, and with baby number two beginning to take my full attention, I'm not too sure when this will happen. (perhaps when mama and papa anders get here in a couple of weeks! mwa ha ha).

Fred is marvellous. Each week gets better and better. He adds daily to his vocab and collection of bruises nad scratches. Last week, in an incident involving a potplant and a chair, he got his first (and I doubt last) black eye. It was an awesome sight to behold and one with I will exhibit when I locate the cord which connects my camera to the computer. He also has started properly cuddling me, which is just about the nicest thing I have ever experienced. It has taken Mr ActionMan 18 months to figure out that snuggling into mum for 10 minutes, with head on sholder going 'mmmmm, mmmmmm' is one of life's great pleasures. Although I'm not sure he's aware how hard it is for me to resist squeezing him too tight. Mmmmmm.