Thank you guys. I think you're all right.

Jodie - WOW! That's fantastic. I'm sure your two will get along. Sorry to get all astral on you but your kids will be a Gemini and a Sagittarius, both of whom are meant to have excellent senses of humour (and very active minds). I think they will keep you busy but VERY entertained!

Caro - yes, I hear what you're saying. I'm sure the angel child phase won't last!

I convinced myself once I hit 35 (having just been through a marriage break-up with no significant other on the horizon) that children were now out of the question. When I did get pregnant, I also convinced myself that I'd have to grit my teeth through the newborn/baby stages because I thought I'd only really start enjoying a child when they started to talk/doing stuff. Boy how wrong could I be.

Hoobley - yes I know what your mum is saying re finding it easier when you're older. I certainly don't regret having my first at this age (only the fact that I'm pushed for time to have number two, if that makes sense).

I may have had more energy when I was in my twenties (though TBH I think I would have found it very hard to give up my sleep-ins) but I have a much better sense of who I am now and trust my own judgement a lot more. We are bombarded with so much advice about what's right and wrong that I think I would have been beside myself as a younger mum. Plus, I'm very well aware that I MAY not be able to have another one so I really treat every moment with her as precious. I tried doing the 'don't talk to them in the middle of the night when they wake up' thing and found it great in theory, totally ridiculous in practice. How do you not respond to a baby who is giggling and grinning at you even though it is 3am? So now, I just think 'stuff it'. She's only this age once and I think my happiest moments currently are when we're playing away in the semi-dark in the middle of the night. Anyhow, enough happy mummy talk!

I did ask her yesterday whether she'd like a brother or sister and she looked most unimpressed!