onlyemma's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (20)16 going on (20)17
1. What did you do in 2016 that you'd never done before? Had a baby girl called Ruth on 31st December 2015. So that, and everything that comes along with that really. Celebrated my first wedding anniversary (I think we high-fived, we were tired). 2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I usually secretly vow to chew my food more. I even thought about it about an hour ago while I was shovelling down cheese on toast. It’ll never happen. 3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes, me. Well it was new year’s eve 2015/16, so I’m counting it. 4. Did anyone close to you die? No. 5. What countries did you visit in 2016? None! I pretty much stayed inside all year. 6. What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016? More sleep, more money and less unruly hair. 7. What date from 2016 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? If I’m going to play by the rules and actually make it a date from 2016, it’ll have to be 1st January 2016, my first full day as a mother. Terrifying! I was still in hospital as I’d had an emergency c-section and I was so tired, scared and in pain and I had never felt more lost. My skin and hair were gorgeous though. And I enjoyed the morphine (raspberry flavour). 8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Ruth - everything about her. Breastfeeding. No –one tells you it’s so hard or emotional. Making new friends in a new place, anything to do with sleep, driving without stalling, finally learning how to properly poach an egg. 9. What was your biggest failure? Allowing my emotions to get the better of me sometimes. Eating too much (sugar). Being terrible at replying to texts, phonecalls, emails and any other communication that requires a response. 11. What was the best thing you bought? One of those plastic cling film boxes with teeth that properly cut your cling film. It’s changed my life. I can’t think of a situation where I would ever regret buying one of those, and in the same vein, I will never regret buying a cellotape dispenser. 12. Whose behaviour merited celebration? Keith. My family and friends who kept me going when I found motherhood tough. 13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? Donald Trump, the wanker. 14. Where did most of your money go? On baby clothes and baby accessories, petrol, and I’ve also started buying big packs of fruit pastilles too frequently. 15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Food, and if a good drama is on TV (mainly Happy Valley and The Bridge) 16. What song will always remind you of 2016? Secret Love Song by Little Mix, Keith sang it to Ruth when she was 3 weeks old. The words and sentiment are immoral but the tune is very nice. i. happier or sadder? Much happier. 18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Sleeping. 19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Worrying, googling, crying. I mainly did those things in that order. 20. How will you be spending Christmas? We spent it at my mum and dad’s. It was Ruth’s first Christmas and it was lovely. 21. How will you be spending New Years? It was Ruth's first birthday so we went for a walk at Chatsworth with family and ate cake. We spent it at my mum and dad’s and our run up to new year was playing board games. I fell asleep on the floor 10 minutes before midnight. 22. Did you fall in love in 2016? Over and over again, with Ruth and with Keith. 23. How many one-night stands? None. 24. What was your favourite TV programme? It’s a tie between Happy Valley and The Bridge. 25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No. I don’t hate anyone. 26. What was the best book you read? Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty. It is the ONE book I have read all the way through this year. 27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Little Mix. They remind me of girls in Sixth Form but their songs are really catchy, I don’t think I can actually drive if I don’t listen to them. 28. What did you want and get? Lots of small achievements. 29. What did you want and not get? I wanted to win the lottery and to have more sleep. 30. What was your favourite film of this year? Interstellar. Surprisingly, as it had my two least favourite genres in it – sci-fi, and space. 31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 31. Went to Giraffe with my mother in law and Ruth. I had a stir fry and Ruth had a poo and sick explosion. Great day though. 32. What one thing that would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? A bit more money would’ve helped. Definitely a lot more sleep (it’s 8pm and I’m currently writing this in bed and Keith just said he’s going to make himself ‘a midnight feast’). 33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Still in maternity clothes. 35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Probably Chris Pratt, if it isn't illegal now I'm married. 36. What political issue stirred you the most? The Tory bastards winning the election, Brexit, Trump magically winning the Presidency. 37. Who/what did you miss? My parents and sister, as they weren’t close by, and my grandparents because I always miss them. I also miss my friends in London now I’ve moved to Suffolk, and my friends who don't live nearby (Kirst). Oh and the gym in Ealing. I miss Virgin Active so much, I feel sad in my soul that I’m no longer doing Body Attack on a Monday night then going to Tesco and eating a whole pack of quorn cocktail sausages on my way home. 38. Who was the best new person you met? My friend Margaret. She and her son Jan are a God-send. She’s my wonderful mum-friend. We mainly go to eachother's houses or to various soft play areas and toddler groups and talk a lot about sleep and how much we miss it, how we can get our babies to sleep more, and how tired we are. 39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016. Having a baby is the most monumentally life-changing thing you can ever do, I had no idea that it would be so hard. I had no idea that I would hate it for the first 5 months, that sleep deprivation would feel soul-destroying, that I would feel crushed by self-doubt, I would lose and gain both friends and weight, and that my relationship with my husband would go through so many phases of suffering and strengthening on such a regular basis. I also had no idea that suddenly when I wasn’t looking, everything would fall into place and I would be happy. I learned more lessons this year than I have done in my whole life, but the main one has to be to enjoy the moment, because I wish I had done that from the beginning of Ruth’s life instead of being so scared. I also learned that my capacity for love is more than I could ever imagine, and that there isn’t a single bodily excretion that I won’t wipe on my pyjama bottoms. 40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. Isn't she lovely - Stevie Wonder What a year. 9:16 p.m. - 2017-01-24 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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