We're celebrating lots of first birthdays at the moment, plus some new births. Many congratulations to everyone, we're cheering for you! If you're coming along to
BellyTots family on 22nd June or 20th July (see photo on the right for the fun we had at the last session) and will be celebrating a birthday near that time, please do let me know - I know of 2 so far. We love to celebrate birthdays, especially 1st birthdays, at BellyTots! As I say, the next BellyTots Family sessions are on 22nd June and 20th July.
I'm sad not to have a Daddy & Me session this June, unfortunately I just had too much work scheduled. However, there is lots of interest for the 13th July one. Do let me know if you'd like to reserve a no obligation space before I advertise more widely.
Shock and horror...... our masseuse Jeanette cannot make the July 13th session - I don't think we've ever had a session without her! But - amazing how these things happen - Alison, a wonderful mobile Pregnancy Massage Therapist, who works with a Chiropractor in Wembley, has asked to work with us too. She has happily stepped in to offer massages on 13th July - phew! She is something of an expert in massage for pelvic/lower back pain pre and post pregnancy which I know will definitely be of interest to some of you. We'll also have the lovely Beth of Bloom with Beth offering manicures and our very own Lisa giving wonderfully relaxing and skin-soothing facials.
I have a few spaces left in the Monday night Relax, Stretch and Breathe Pregnancy Class and the Thursday morning Mum and Baby Strengthen and Stretch Postnatal Class. Please do spread the word if you can. I'm very excited to have Cheryl, a wonderful, local midwife hoping to pop in to the Pregnancy Class to answer some of the less obvious questions.....like: 'Is there a psychological aspect
to the timing and duration of birth?' - she would give a resounding 'Yes!'. She is very experienced in all types of birth from Home Birth to Ceasarean Birth. Also Alison, our new Pregnancy Massage Therapist, will be popping in to say hi too.
On another note entirely, I am thrilled to have been invited to run a stand at Mothercare Hayes on Sunday 2nd, 9th and 16th June at their Expectant Parent Event. I will be giving nappy changing practice (dolls only!), and explaining the different uses of a birth (gym) ball for pregnancy, labour and birth. Do pop in and say hi if you're in the vicinity. Finally, for pregnancy updates, the next short Birth Partner Course is coming up too, on Thursday 6th and Friday 14th June. Again, please spread the word if you're able.
I have been busy with my own babies lately. Here is Becca after finally
finishing her Maths GCSE. Maths has been somewhat of a nemesis for her....so this is a picture of sheer relief from a little celebration walk we took to destress from the paper. I offered to buy her lunch, but the poor thing was still too stressed to eat! She's fairly confident she's passed, and insists that this is the very last time she will ever study maths :). She's off to Uxbridge College in September to study A Level Politics, English Literature and either Psychology or History.....still to decide......
My other daughter is also finishing up exams and is hoping to go to Amersham College to study Creative Media (Radio, film and TV). Her subjects have been decidedly different to Becca. Would you believe this is a photo of me! Not what I had in mind for my first ever modelling shoot on a beach!!
The above is Laura's amazing GCSE Art project photographed on Brighton beach. An incredible creation based on deep sea creatures. Her piece was titled 'Threatening and Threatened' to contrast the threatening appearance of these amazing creatures but also how they are threatened themselves by our plastic pollution of the ocean. The robes of the creature are tangled with fishing net and waste plastic. It all sounds amazing on paper but what you can't tell from the picture is that my wellies were filled with sea water. I was trying not to breathe in the solvent smell of resin inside the fur head to ensure I wasn't too intoxicated to drive home! Becca was on life guard duty in case I got knocked over by a wave and couldn't get the head off (which I couldn't see out of) and we were all screaming in horror as bits of the waste plastic began to detach from the costume and drift out to sea. Oh gosh, even at the time we couldn't stop laughing - and, yes, we did manage to recapture the plastic and dispose of it properly. This was my STRANGEST mothering job ever! Please, please, please send photos and example of your own strange mothering jobs....it would make the best blog :D.
Do stay in touch with your news in general, especially those who have 'graduated' now - I'd love to post your updates and pictures here to encourage and cheer on all the new mamas joining us at the different stages of their own mothering journey.