Me and Mine February

February has been a month of change, as Archie turned 2 and celebrated with Peppa Pig and cake and as we welcomed a fifth member into our family.  Pretzel was born in the early hours of February 25th and it was love at first sight. Things haven't gone as smoothly as we have liked following his arrival and I will post more once we are sorted and at home but I couldn't not share a family photo for this month.

Due to being in hospital still I am left with my phone and questionable Internet signal but here is our family in February, all of us.

Mummy is loving her beautiful boys (all 4 of them), the anticipation of baby's arrival, being able to sleep on her tummy again and her wonderful friends that have brought cake and listened.

Daddy is loving his baby son, watching Peppa pig at the cinema (yes, really), cutting the cord and listening to Dylan tell stories.

Dylan is loving that the baby has 'popped out', sleepovers at Grandma and Grandpa's,  birthday cake and singing 'down in the jungle'

Archie is loving pointing out baby's features, telling people he is 3 and not 2, going to nursery on a Tuesday and his lovely birthday gifts.

Pretzel is loving snuggly cuddles on mummy,  when I sing twinkle twinkle, having a good look around and sleeping. 

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Turning Two

Turning two is a pretty big thing and we got to celebrate with Archie this week as he hit that milestone.  He may have been mostly unaware, but his big brother was not, and with the impending arrival of a new brother, we wanted to make sure Archie had a day just for him.  We didn't plan too much, but we did manage to fit in three of his favourite things - Peppa Pig, Balloons and Family.

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The Third Baby

The first baby gets spoilt - New clothes, toys, furniture and of course lovely gifts from family and friends.  Dylan had so much we didn't have to shop for the first year and cards came in from people we had never even met as it was the first grandchild for my parents and a special occasion.  With him being our first, we had a disposable income that allowed us to choose the pushchair and nursery furniture of our choice and everything was new.

The second baby does well - especially when he is born not long after his sibling and Archie was treated to all new furniture as Dylan was still in his cot and a new buggy as we needed a double now.  He got bought beautiful things from family and friends but the visitors didn't queue at the door as they had the first time and we were not inundated.  We were happy and he was loved.

With the third, I am not sure what to expect.  To us, it is still just as exciting, his arrival will be as amazing and life changing as before, and he will be new in every way, but with this being our third in as many years, will everyone else still be as interested?  Pretzel still has some lovely new bits and I have had more fun shopping for his clothes than with either of the other boys as we know we are pretty sorted for a lot of things.  We have a nursery set now that Dylan has outgrown his, although we do need to buy a new cot mattress.  We have baby toys and books in every room of the house and more importantly, we know what we need - what we like and what we didn't get on with.  

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Waiting for Baby

As my due date fast approaches I can honestly say that this pregnancy has flown by.  Even the past few weeks which are meant to drag seem to be disappearing and I know that in the next 4 weeks I will have a third baby boy.  It is strange to think that Dylan was born at this gestation, yet I feel no signs that our little Pretzel is coming anytime soon.

The last few weeks of pregnancy are precious, even more so if things are straightforward.  Every day my swollen tummy takes me by surprise, but every morning I look at it in the mirror, in amazement at what my body is doing, how it is growing and supporting a little life and at quite how stretched my poor skin is.  

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My Little Duckling

I have a pair of hat obsessed children at the moment, and I am rather happy that they are both wearing them voluntarily after spending their first year pulling them off their heads the moment they got close!  We were sent a gorgeous pilot hat from My Little Duckling for Archie and it has fast become his favourite.

My Little Duckling are a brand new company and their hats are currently available in sizes up to 3 years, with the biggest size being pretty generous as Archie has a big head!  I love the design and the style keeps Archie's head and ears warm.  It is super soft and thick without being bulky.  We took to the park as the weather this week has been glorious and Archie had fun exploring with his new headwear.  We love the little details, the bright red inside, the badge on the side and the little flaps.

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Before You Turn Two

As I kissed your head tonight, I thought back to two years ago - a situation I am finding rather familiar as I carry a large bump in front of me, and I remember the excitement, the anticipation, the wonder as you came into the world.  This time two years ago I was clueless that I was soon to meet the boy who would make me the mother I am today, but by the time you wake up tomorrow, it will be two whole years since the first time I held you in my arms and told you I loved you.

This year has seen you change from a baby to a toddler - from a crawling babbling little person into one who walks, runs, jumps and talks.  Every week at the moment we see changes in you as you learn more words and string them together in more complex ways.  Last week we realised that you really did know all your colours now after months of declaring everything to be either yellow or blue.  You have never had a problem communicating what you want, but you are growing up to be polite and confident as you step on to every bus with a 'ticket please lady' (even if the driver is most definitely a man).

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37 Weeks Pregnant

I have made it to full term, which means in the next 5 weeks my little Pretzel will no longer be in my tummy, but in my arms.  It seems crazy to think how fast 37 weeks have flown and I still can't get my head around the fact he could arrive any day now.

I am mostly still quite comfortable with this pregnancy, although I am getting a lot of Braxton hicks, they really aren't painful.  At my 37 week check up, the baby was head down but not engaged at all, which is probably how I am managing to avoid the familiar waddle at the moment.  The midwife wasn't bothered as their heads can pop in and out quite frequently by the third baby.  All was looking well and I am not measuring too many weeks ahead so they aren't worried about his size (although they did confirm that he feels big still).

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