BABIES THAT LUNCH

Every woman knows the importance of lunch date with her fellow females. It's where we put the world to rights; we comment on how well the other looks; discuss the failings of men; catch up with the latest gossip and maybe wear a new item of clothing that we pretend not to care about, but really we just want to show off. Yes ladies that lunch is very important. I feel if the leaders of the world, made all of those important decisions for humanity in the lady lunch manner, the world would be a lot happier place and they would probably be a lot wiser on what is a good skin care routine to have too!

I meet up with my friends Alex and Kym the other week. We have met up like this many times before, but this time it was different. This time we had a BABY!

It only seems like yesterday, that we were in Mexico last New Year, when I got out of the shower to find Alex also naked on the toilet (this wasn't a surprise, Alex gets naked a lot; she hasn't got a problem with nudity)!
"I'm late"! She informed me.
"Your late! But your never late! God! Imagine if your pregnant!" I replied.
It turns out she was and now nearly a year later, here we are with 4 month old Lyra.

I have come to realise over the years Alex is one of my closet friends, which is funny because when I first met her, I couldn't stand her. I even think I might have described as a rude bitch after our first meeting? Though to be fair I think maybe the feeling was mutual, but as time went on and with our years of living together we came to know each other and find our friendship, which usually consisted of her acting like a Jewish mother, me rolling my eyes a lot and telling her to calm down. It worked though our strange ways of friendship. Apart from when she used to ask me to take the recycling bin! That was never good for our friendship. Bloody hated that bin! Don't miss it at all! God dam bin! I hope it burns in Hell! Hell I tell you! Hell!
As I said the recycling bin was never good for our friendship.

It had been a year of great change for both of us and even our friendship. When I first left Hackney Wick I felt our relationship was strained. I was sad and angry about a lot things and I was finding it hard to give up the flat. Alex who was the ultimate party girl was coming to terms with the fact she was going to be a mother and her life would change for ever. It was not a good combo. We clashed and had some blazing rows. As fiery as I am, I hate arguing with anyone, and especially people I care about. I distanced myself for a while as to sort out my own unhappiness, but now that seems along ago memory. I'm happy now and Alex is too. She has the beautiful Lyra and she is a great mother. This mass of energy that she has always had now has this amazing focus: Lyra.

Alex will always be Alex, I saw this at lunch: bossing the waiter around; making loud comments about people staring at her breast feeding; and shocking the hell out of the manager by trying to change the baby's nappy in the middle of the restaurant! Buts that what I have always liked about her. She doesn't give a shit. She now just doesn't give a shit and has a baby too.

A couple of days later, we met to take Lyra on her first cinema outing, to see the Hobbit 3D at the baby showing (Yes they do parent and baby showings, can you believe it)? Alex who had invited me seemed genuinely shocked that I had turned up. To be fair so was I! Going to the cinema with 30 screaming babies is my worst nightmare isn't it? Well actually it isn't, because during the ladies lunch I realised I really liked hanging out with Alex and Lyra. We didn't get wasted, we didn't pull guys and we didn't roll in, in the early hours of the morning, but it was one of the best days I'd had out in ages. I guess we are getting older, but with that comes a calmness. Yes a calmness and its nice. I feel our friendship has changed, but for the better. Oli and Alex have always been like a london family to me, albeit a crazy one, but now there is a new addition: Lyra. She brings a great new energy to us all, and me and I know Aunty Kym as well, want to see her grow and be part of her life. This is why there will be many more Babies that Lunch days to come and many, many other things too.