Pick Me Up! 24-Jan-2019

Growing up, I felt a bit lost at times, what kid doesn’t? But, for me, my worries were focused on food. Terrified of being fat, I was obsessed about whether I was eating too much. By the time I was 17 years old, I’d dropped down from a size-12 to a size-6. ‘You have anorexia,’ my GP told me. ‘If you don’t start eating you’re going to end up in hospital.’ I was really scared. But I needn’t have been. ‘I’ll help you,’ my mum reassured me gently. She never judged me, didn’t ever lose her temper. Just let me know that she was always there for me. That didn’t mean my recovery was easy. But with Mum by my side, I was sure I could do it. And sure…

I’d heard of hungry hungry hippos but I didn't think that would mean they’d eat my son Rhys! Eek! Joanne Aitch, Ellesmere Port My daughter Tayha Rose found enough conkers to make her own conker forest, but we'll settle for this tree. Ria Spilling, Leicester I think Skyla, 4 months, was having a swinging good time at the local park. Lauren Duffy, Paisley Hugo, 5, can't keep his eyes off his new baby bro, Hunter, 5 weeks. They're two peas in a pod! Callum Wright, Warwick I quite literally took a leap of faith when I went paragliding off a mountain on my recent holiday. We were flying high and it was awesome. Karen Hill, via e-mail My wife Lesley looks positively green here – but don't worry, she’s OK!…

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Glancing across the kitchen at a mate’s party, I saw him. Who’s that? I thought, locking eyes with a tall man with floppy dark hair. Suddenly, he was striding towards me, can of beer in hand, a huge grin across his face. ‘All right,’ he winked, shaking his dark hair out of his face. ‘Hi,’ I squeaked. It was the summer of 1994, I was 15. I looked up at this handsome man in awe. He told me his name was Lee Rousseau, and he was eight years older than me. I couldn’t believe he was interested. He soon had me in stitches, getting out a nail file to do his nails as we chatted away. ‘I’ve never seen a guy do that,’ I laughed. ‘Got to keep myself looking…

When I told Lee that I was expecting twins, his face lit up. ‘This doesn’t mean we’re back together,’ I told him firmly. But I think he was still hoping we would be. Alex and Emma were born in November 2013. Like with Josh and Nathan, I allowed Lee to see them, as long as he was supervised. Only, half the time he didn’t show up. And when he did, I could see he was spiralling downwards. He’d turn up late, always picking arguments. I knew I’d made the right choice in finally ending things with him. But it broke my heart thinking of how all this was affecting the kids. Then one day in March 2018, I was at home having a cuppa in the kitchen when I heard…

Gazing down at the baby in my arms, I felt my heart swell with love. ‘She’s so beautiful,’ I gushed to my friend, voice squeaky with longing. It was August 2015 and, aged 26, I was desperate to start a family. Luckily, Simon - my husband of four years - was just as keen. In the meantime, whenever a colleague at the cosmetics company where I worked brought in their newborn, I’d be the first in line for a coo and a cuddle. Then a month later, in September 2015, a positive pregnancy test turned my longing into reality. ‘This is the best news ever,’ I said, flinging my arms around Simon, 34. Excited, I sprang into action, buying all sorts of equipment like prams and car seats, cute baby…