On Sunday some of my closest girl friends threw me a little shower for baby number two, in the cutest of venues. Café Julia is a hidden gem in Barnoldswick, Lancashire, and is owned and run by my friend’s Mum (Julia, if you hadn’t already guessed). The café was perfect for our intimate gathering, and Julia put on an amazing spread of afternoon tea; there was so much she even packaged up all our leftover cakes so we could take them away as they were too good to leave behind!

It was lovely to see the ladies who could make it (the ones who couldn’t- you were missed!😘); it’s always nice to all get together from time to time as it’s increasingly difficult these days when everyone is so busy. The shower was much more low key this second time around; perfect as I didn’t want too much fuss, and I was very lucky to get some gorgeous gifts for both myself and baby girl!

Update

I did plan on documenting this pregnancy lots on my blog as I hadn’t started it back when I was pregnant with Dexter, and thought it would be nice to look back on and share with any future mamas. Of course that didn’t happen though, and I didn’t actually share my pregnancy with ‘the world’ until almost half way through anyway.

Overall I have been pretty lucky with both pregnancies, with no major problems in either, aside from the the usual pains and aches and the odd infection of the old water works. 🙄🙈 The main difference between this pregnancy and the last one is that I am a lot more active this time as I spent the majority of my last one sat at a desk and the majority of this one chasing around after a toddler…so there ain’t no need for the gym! (Which is a good job really as I have shamefully done zero ‘real’ exercise during either pregnancy).

My skin has been a dream in comparison to when carrying Dexter when I don’t think I woke up a single day without a new friend gracing my face. My back has only been sore towards the end of this pregnancy whereas last time it started around the 3 month mark when there wasn’t even a bump in sight, and it lasted the whole bloody way through.

How far along? 37 weeks +3! 😱 So technically I’m full term now.

Total weight gain? Not 100%…at 34 weeks I had put on just over a stone and a half, but I haven’t been weighing myself.

Maternity clothes? ‘Maternity Mum Uniform’ of jeans, long tops and cosy jumpers have been my biggest saviours; I have one pair of black Topshop jeans with an under bump band which I have practically lived in for both pregnancies. Can’t wait to chuck them in the bin once I can fit in to something normal again!

Stretch marks? Didn’t get any on the bump last time apart from a big weird one where my teenage belly piercing used to be. I don’t know if it’s because this is my second shot or because I have been waaay less OCD about moisturising this prego, but the other day I discovered some bump stretchies for the first time! I think I’ll just look at them as a souvenir from that time I had an alien living inside me.

Sleep? Not very good right now. Really difficult to get comfy and regular trips to the loo are keeping my eye bags in business.

Miss anything? Wine, gin, rare steak, smelly cheese, scallops, being able to wear more than the same few jumpers and jeans in varying combos.

Best moment this week? Not really specific to this week, but my most precious moments these days are Dexter’s love for the bump. He regularly cuddles, strokes, and kisses it whilst saying “baaabaaa…aw-awwww” in the cutest little voice. It makes me melt every single time, and is a memory I will treasure forever.

Symptoms? Sore back and ribs, intermittent pelvic pain, and the odd bout of heartburn (nowhere near as much as last time though).

Movement? Masses of it! I remember loads with Dex but this girl is crazy!

Food cravings? Allll the puddings! Just basically anything sweet like chocolate and ice cream, but that does include fresh fruit too, so that balances it out, right?

Gender? Girl 🌸

Labour signs? Braxton hicks all day every day. A false alarm featuring real (read: painful) contractions, pelvic pressure, nestling baby aka lots of shooting pains in the faloola.

Belly button in or out? Weirdly flat until baby girl moves and pushes it out.

What I’m looking forward to? Having a tiny baby to cuddle again (who is going to feel like a featherweight in comparison to Dex), experiencing the differences (or not) between girls and boys, girly stuff, seeing how Dexter handles his new big bro status, and watching the love and bond in our family grow stronger.

Happy or moody? I like to think a ‘healthy’ mix of happy and moody 😏 but my hubby may say otherwise. Also I had a major meltdown the other day and sobbed the day away…but thankfully I’ve been way less teary overall this pregnancy.

Mostly I feel a little more prepared for what is to come (though you can never really be, right?), and a lot more aware of all the love that we are soon going to experience as a family. I’m super excited to see how Dexter takes to his new sister (good and bad I expect), and the whole thing has gone so much more quickly this time round. Having Dex to keep my mind and body occupied has been a great way for this pregnancy to fly by, and I feel a lot more chilled (read: unorganised but not bothered) than I was last time.

Come at us baby girl! We can’t wait to meet you.

A.x