Cabin Fever

Cabin Fever was my greatest fear in the first few weeks of being a mum! I had always been extremely active with a busy social life! It had been important that Jack started to fit in with our lives as well as us having enough time to support his development.

Things were going so well - until the ' beast from the east' hit this week! Snow snow snow everywhere! Not the ideal combination for a buggy and a baby! Especially when our only trip out resulted in a buggy wheel falling off! This only meant one thing! Hibernation and lots of plans being cancelled! Even Jack was looking for a window to escape to the outside world.

Filled with disappointment and a rising level of cabin fever I thought I should look back on what an incredible first six weeks we have had with Jack in our lives. It has been crammed packed full of adventures, exploration, challenges, socialising and family time!

Now don't get me wrong - things are not quite as straight forward keeping busy when you have a Jack in tow, but it is possible! You just need to be a little bit more prepared and stay relaxed when things don't quite go the way you expected them too!

Preparation may have gone to an extreme as in December I wrote a list! For those of you who know me well you will laugh, as there is always a list for everything! This list however was to combat the impending fear of cabin fever during maternity leave. I didn't want to waste a minute of this precious time off and I wanted to have lots of tales to share with Jack as he got bigger! With so many beautiful places in Suffolk and Essex I wanted to use my time to get out exploring and enjoy the fresh air!

The list has already started to be ticked off - despite the recent snow fall! As many of you know I undertook a walking challenge in February. This got me out and about quickly in the local area - Holywells Park, Rushmere, Landseer Park and Christchurch Park just a few of the places visited so far.

The streets near our house have been well trodden already, but it was vital that I expanded my horizons and ventured further afield. It was also important for us to keep in contact with friends and family! What a better way than to drag everyone out to be active with us!

The last two weekends in particular have been fun filled!

WOODBRIDGE WARBLING

With Josh and Lisa in tow we ventured out for our first walk in Woodbridge! We picked the location due to it being buggy friendly! We were not quite up to speed with using the baby carrier yet! Have always loved this walk! Beautiful views of the River Orwell.

Now our walks are not of any significant distance yet, but it was lovely to get out in the fresh air for two miles, have a great chat with our friends and see some amazing views out over the river! The route was super busy! I think everyone had had the same idea to embrace the sunshine on a Sunday morning! The sun may have been shining, but it was still chilly - what a great excuse to then pop to costa for a coffee and a warm up!

Woodbridge had been such a success with us all - including Jack having fun we decided to do it all again the following week - just with a new location.

MAYBUSH MEANDERING

The last Sunday before the snow saw us embrace the cold winds and venture out to Waldringfield. There is a beautiful pub called the Maybush and some stunning walks alongside the river!

We embraced the baby carrier today! No idea how people make putting one on look so easy! It took three of us to connect it all and get Jack safely inside! Am feeling we will need some more practice before trying this solo!

Once safely secured the walk was super easy carrying Jack! With such a contraption in our lives we could now venture out and tackle lots of walks on my list (the ones not so buggy friendly).

Jack seemed so snug and content that he slept the whole way and through our post walk coffee down the pub! All this socialising seems to make Jack very sleepy. With a Jack happily sleeping the boys decided to investigate the breakfast menu! The full english looked amazing and would thoroughly recommend it to any breakfast lovers!

NEEDHAM NAVIGATIONS

The lakes were firmly on my to visit list - so when we decided to venture out for lunch with the Southgate clan at the Needham Red Lion we thought it would be a great opportunity to don the hats and scarves and get out for a family walk!

It certainly was cold - but great to look around. Am looking forward to taking Jack back to lots of these places when he is a bit older! So many cool things to play with - including wooden toadstools and lots of ducks to feed.

The first six weeks have also seen us embrace visiting people! It isn't all about keeping fit and active physically - but also about keeping the brain working. As fun as having a baby is - it can be very lonely not having anyone to talk to while stuck at home! Visiting people for adult conversation is the only solution.

I have been quite good at taking photos, but I certainly have not managed to snap everyone who has had a cuddle or supported me - so apologies if I have missed any of you off. The photos below will show just a glimpse of the great support and love we have experienced in just a short period of time.

With a combination of outings to peoples houses, the Suffolk Food Hall, Hearts Delight Cafe, Coffee Cat and Cult - Jack has managed to meet so many lovely people. We feel very lucky to have such lovely, amazing and supportive people around us! Even in this period of cabin fever friends have turned up on the doorstep to keep us company whilst we couldn't get out in the snow.

Looking back I feel proud of what we have achieved already. Getting out and about has made me feel human again. Life certainly doesn't need to be over just by having a baby in your life - its just about finding new ways to take him along for the ride!

Now if we can just get this 'beast from the east' to do one and get this snow melted we can crack on with having fun and tackling our next challenges..... after all what else do you do when you are stuck in the house due to snow..... yup book in for running races!

Watch this space for how the return to running goes..... we have two months to get 10km race ready! GULP!!