You're Not Old!

Amount of dishes I've washed since starting this blog (12 days) :    1269

I've actually counted and I have to say it has helped me get through. Plus I finally bought washing-up gloves which are proving successful. (Yes, I admit you were right Mum!) Not only am I sparing my hands from being constantly under water, I also save up the dishes and do one big wash a couple of times a day as opposed to washing up every five minutes.

Life does not get better than that!

Especially as we have just made our way out of our baby's first year. I may not have thought I'd be without a dishwasher at 43 but I certainly didn't think I'd have a newborn. That wasn't part of the plan at all.

But there you go. My husband and I met late in life. We had daughter No. 1 when I was 37 and then after three heart-breaking miscarriages we were lucky enough to have daughter No. 2. I was 42 when she was born. And although it has been an exhausting year, I think I'd be tired out, whatever I was doing at this age so why not be tired having a baby!

In last week's Sunday Life was an article on the beautiful Collette Dinnigan who is pregnant at 46 which is fantastic. Although it makes me feel absolutely exhausted just thinking about it but that's because I have my second already. If I hadn't, as hard as it has been, I'd probably still be trying to get there. I wouldn't advise it over 40 but I wouldn't stop anyone from giving it a go.

I certainly had my fair share of opposition from doctors because of my old age and was told such things as 'Well, it's a bit like a 60 year old man with a triple bypass trying to climb a mountain, we have the technology but...'

...but I didn't really listen and thanks to blind faith and a few disgusting Chinese herbs, things fell into place. And I have to say although it feels like I've run a marathon, it has been a truly wonderful year.
But that's it for me. No more. When I was going to the hospital for my check-ups last year, my lovely midwife kept asking if I was planning on another and I would revert back to those doctors with their bad advice. 'Do you know how old I am?' I would say to her. 'Do you know what I've been through to get here?'

'You're not old,' she would say to me - I told you she was lovely.

And I'm not. Just a bit tired but extremely thankful for the opportunity to run the race.