But I don’t mean with another child, instead I found myself softening towards the idea of a pony.
For four years I had been firefighting requests for a horse but this summer I ran out of excuses in the face of extreme pressure from three children.
Soon a stable was under construction and teatime was dominated by discussions about saddle pad colours and the merits of different licks.
This was before we even had a horse.
Planning started in earnest for hacking routes and hat silks. Who knew we would need so many different rugs and brushes, or that there was such a range of jodhpurs and boots? It turns out buying the pony is the least expensive part of our new hobby!
When the call came that a suitable horse had been found, the house erupted and it was love at first photo.
So, you can imagine the reactions the first time they clapped eyes on her for real. It was meant to be an initial meeting to see if she was right for us but, let’s face it, there was no way we were going home without that pony.
Meanwhile, I was getting my head around how much bigger she was than all our other pets and that it was in fact a real pony. Cue nervous laugh.
It’s now been nearly three weeks since Honey B moved in and we’re all smitten, although the dog feels a bit put out.
Like having a new baby, pony care involves early mornings (for the children), lots of scooping up poop (for the children) and endless worrying (for me: is she warm enough, is she happy, has she settled, is someone going to fall off???)
But there’s also hours of fun in all weathers and lots of treats and nuzzles, as well as new friends from the local equestrian community.
Of course, we’re just at the start of our equine journey, with so much to learn.
My plan is that we will plod along and be ‘happy hackers’. I am ignoring whisperings of riding the marches, pony club and showjumping competitions.
But then I did say there would never be a horse . . . watch this space.
