How Our Journey Began (continued)

From a very young age, I knew I wanted to be a mother. I was an only child until the age of seven when my sister came along and as soon as I could walk and talk I would spend hours and hours playing 'Mummy' with my numerous dolls, tenderly dressing them, changing them and 'feeding' them, then putting them to sleep in their prams.

Real broodiness kicked in at the age of 15 when my cousin was born and my mother and I often helped out with the tiny, pink new addition to the family. I was in total awe and even at that young age, started to feel those pangs  - the biological urge to create my very own little miracle.

Despite this, I enjoyed my teenage years and put it firmly to the back of my mind, confident that some day I would meet the right man, settle down and that dream would be fulfilled.

In 2003, at the age of 19, I met that man, and in January 2004, we began dating. The only problem was that this man didn't seem to like kids at all and made it very clear he had no intention of having them any time soon! It did worry me a great deal but we were both young; we had plenty of time. Perfect in every other way, I knew I couldn't let him slip through my fingers and I felt sure that one day he'd change his mind. Until then I would have to be patient and we would enjoy ourselves, finish education / build our careers and wait until we both felt ready...

The years slipped by and our lives were full and happy and in time, he did come around to the idea (phew!). But he wanted to get married first, do it 'the proper way'  he said. To be honest, I wasn't too worried about 'the proper way', and was there even such a thing these days?!  Of course I wanted to marry him - I'd wanted this for years, and I'd waited so long for babies that I might as well wait a bit longer; so I consented - we'd wait until we were married. After all, we'd come a long way - he now wanted babies and at some point in the near future: this was progress!

On Christmas Day 2008 he proposed! Wedding preparations left no time for thoughts of procreating, and in  the autumn of 2009, we were married!

Let baby-making commence! (To be continued...)