Thanks for the reply.

Oh, I know what you mean about the energy levels! Especially when it comes to grandchildren later on - I'm so pleased my parents were more active with me than DH's parents were with him, and so pleased my mum can get down on the floor and play with Liebling, something the in-laws can't do. Although that's not an age thing - my 80-year-old grandma is younger than my in-laws, and my favourite great-aunt has lupus, so could never get on the floor and play, but she's still younger than the in-laws who mostly choose not to have fun rather than are too old for it.

Whilst I know "younger" parents, they're not our age now! All our friends are either single or happily child-free, although I noticed one of my friends had a book entitled Taking Charge of your Fertility on the bookshelf when I was visiting her and her husband, so fingers crossed we won't be the only ones for long! All DH's friends are still single and out drinking most nights, which DH has never liked doing.

He's mostly upset about the fact that he's not earning as much as he would have liked. When would he ever have earned that amount? We put off having babies over a year longer than I wanted anyway (I wanted to start a few months after our wedding, and would have pushed the wedding forward if I could have!). Oh, I'm just getting upset with him again because he is so... well, he's just so grumpy about everything. He'll suggest we go baby shopping, then get mad that I get excited about it while we're in the shop. He even got so upset that I put together some furniture on my own (because he was grumping about it) that he's doing the cot by himself when he gets home from work, before I get in. DH's dad also put off children until he was "financially secure" then was made redundant when DH was young and found his age a barrier to getting another job. At least we don't have that problem!

I reckon it's because his brother was 29 when niece was born. I don't get that argument though, because DH got engaged at a younger age to his brother (20 compared to 24), married at a younger age to his brother (23 compared to 25), bought a house at a younger age (24 not 25) and even got a permanent job at a younger age (23 not 28). So what's wrong with a baby at 25, not 29? *shrug* I know it's a thing about his brother, but he hates it when I know it's that (part of the reason we were engaged so quickly, I believe, was because we met a week or so after BiL announced his engagement - I also think that's the reason DH suddenly decided that renting for two years wasn't an option and we HAD to buy the summer after we married).

I am really hoping there's a nice couple about our age on the antenatal course we're doing. The only chap I really know IRL who's having his first baby around the same time as us is in his mid-late thirties, so not much of a back-up! We really don't know anyone our own age who is having a baby, which I don't think helps, but I do know my uncle was very young when he had his three so we'll see him at Christmas and I know my DH thinks that his three are sweet, even though two are teenagers now, so maybe that will help.

Oh, I'm just sick of having to be happy to chivvy him all the time cos whenever I get upset he just tells me off. He's always been like this, just I can't be doing with it right now! Sorry, I guess I just needed a whinge - but I would love as many ideas as you can throw at me!