Mike and I had our first date on Saturday night! It was 9 weeks since our 'final date' when I was 40 weeks pregnant and it felt amazing to be out together especially after our week of being at each other's throats (which I talked about in Baby Blues - Mike has since been dubbed the man child because of his tantrum over not being allowed to go to the football!). We got Reuben settled at my mum and dad's house, got ready (that was a trauma in itself, what the freak do I wear? Maternity clothes don't really work and everything else is too small - not conducive to feeling romantic and attractive, let me tell you!) and then headed out for our 9 o'clock reservation (a full 1 hour past my bed time!).

It was weird to be out, all I do is think about Reuben (he needs a feed, please

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I am conscious that it's getting on for the middle of February and I'm now 14 weeks pregnant. It's nearly a month since I wrote my mission and time to revisit it to see how I'm getting on (before I start pretending I never wrote it)...

My top priority was to concentrate on being healthy and happy. I think I'm doing pretty well on this (apart from chocolate gate at the weekend), which is probably due to the life of luxury and unemployment I'm currently enjoying.

I'm exercising for at least 30 minutes about 5 or 6 days a week;

I am doing something I like most days, although I'm so shit at actually sitting down to do the pampering things like paint my nails - I've been meaning to do my fingers for the past couple of nights but have ended up doing my blog late. And, my toe nails? I'm too ashamed

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As the second part of our Love, Hate, Avoid pregnancy diet, now we come to hate...As I mentioned previously, I'm with the NHS on most things and if they say there isn't scientific proof that something will harm baby, then the rule isn't going in my list of things to hate. It will probably go in my Avoid list, which is when you can make your own mind up. As a result this list isn't too long...

HATE

Unpasteurised dairy or some types of cheeses - I LOVE blue cheese, squidgy cheese, smelly cheese, etc. But it is all out of bounds. Now I have never become ill from eating cheese, and I mean never. However, IF you were to become ill from this type of cheeses or unpasteurised milk/dairy, you would be in big trouble (baby-wise), and for that reason I don't mind giving it up a jot. Plus, I also

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Yesterday was a busy day, with school pickups and seeing a lovely friend of Alex's and mine through the business but still I would have thought I had time to do all the things I had wanted to. Instead I seemed to have lost the day to CV writing and Lamb Tagine - which was gorgeous but, man, it took an age to make! If anyone has any tips for preparing butternut squash quickly, please pass on. It is now my nemesis.

Anyway, so TUI eating... I wanted to start with the dos and don'ts of eating for a healthy pregnancy because a) babs comes first in all of this, so we must follow the main principals, and  b) there is so much advice out there it's hard to keep up with everything so I'm compiling it together into my own Love, Hate and Avoid pregnancy diet, starting today with LOVE.

LOVE

Protein -

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January 2012

My name is Hannah Parker, I'm 28 and I live in Blyth, Northumberland (originally from the midlands, if you'd told me 10 years ago - or 3 come to think of it - that I'd be living in a small, fairly rundown seaside town in the North of England, I wouldn't believe you) with my husband, Mike, and step daughter, Gabriella, who is 5.

I have recently found out I'm pregnant and I have (about a week ago) decided with my friend and business partner, Alex, to close down our business. It is for exciting reasons but nevertheless I am also unemployed.

In true New Year fashion, my mission for the next few months is to sort my life out so that...

a) I am healthy and happy in time for Bday (mid-August);

b) I have made some money/got a job so we are not completely skint; and

c) I have streamlined my life

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