Sixteen and Seventeen weeks

Oops we missed a week there, so at 16 & 17 weeks Eve:

- Weighs 13lbs 7oz, for the first time she's dropped just below the 50th centile (due to being poorly last week). she's 2lbs lighter then her brother was at 16 weeks.

- Had her 2nd lot of vaccinations and was poorly with a fever for 3 days culminating in a loss of appetite and raised red rash on her neck. We took her to the urgent care centre just to be sure it wasn't anything more serious.

- Rolled over from her back to tummy for the first time, though she's not repeated it again! She can also get her head up now, so is enjoying tummy time much more then previously.

- Started having 200mls of formula in the evenings, she seems extra hungry then just as my milk supply is getting low, so we've introduced a bottle.

- Having some bad nights, possibly because it's gotten really cold, but for the last 4 night's she's not settled when I've put her in her cot, she wakes back up and shouts. She has also started waking up throughout the night, 4 -5 times (7 times last night!) so Mummy is v tired.

- Wearing Charlie's old 6-9 month snow suit, she's so long it fits pretty well.

- Finished our December term of Boppin' Bunnies, with lots of nice Christmas songs. We've put our names down for the Spring term as she (and I) both enjoy it and she has a gigantic sleep afterwards!

- Met Father Christmas (again), this time a traditional green and white Father Christmas as William Morris' Red House, a National Trust property just round the corner from our house.

- Loves staring at the Christmas tree lights, she's completely fascinated by them.

Fifteen weeks

At 15 weeks Eve:

- Likes Mama, Daddy, Charlie, milk, napping on someone, watching other babies, bouncin' bunnies song time, her mobile, kicking on her play mat, watching, being snuggled up in the sling, warm baths, going fast in the car and rolling from side to side,

- Dislikes the bouncy chair, getting stuck in traffic, being left too long on the play mat, sudden noises, brotherly pokes, not getting milk on time (all the time), Baxter walking across her and being put in the cot awake,

- Three and a half months is all about learning new things. Every time I put her on the play mat she gets more active, rolling on each side and grabbing and chewing on toys.

- Baxter cat followed us to Boppin Bunnies this week, he came so far with us we had to go back home to get him to stop following.

- We had three baby friends over yesterday for a film afternoon. We watched Frozen and ate popcorn and natchos.

- We've had a couple of Christmas shopping trips to Bluewater. E got grumpy v quickly and a lot of time was spent feeding and soothing her.

- We watched the Christmas parade and saw the lights on the tree turned on. E slept but Charlie got to meet Santa.

Fourteen weeks

At fourteen weeks Eve:

- Is chunking up, she's getting chubby little legs and arms, a kissable round belly and is quite solid when she sits up on my lap.

- Recognises the word 'milks'. If she's grumping and I say 'do you want some milks' she brightens right up. I then have to feed her!

- Getting lots of hair, she has a little fuzzy bald spot at the back from sleeping, but the rest is getting quite long and lightening up.

- Still fully breastfed and she gets really excited about eating!

- Smiles a lot and recognises people. She gives me a lovely good morning smile when she wakes in the morning.

Thirteen weeks

At thirteen weeks Eve is:

- On the move, after watching the older babies last week she rolled from her back to her side.

- So alert, she's always watching everything that's going on.

- Too big for the moses basket, she almost fills it and with night time kicking it was beginning to rock v. dangerously. So the basket is out and the travel cot is in. She'll sleep next to our bed in the travel cot until she's big enough for her own room.

- Wearing lots of new clothes, we're having fun putting on the new 3-6 month outfits we've been given for her as well as the hand me downs from cousin I and C's old clothes.

- Being a naughty sleeper at the moment! She keeps waking up once put into the cot and really only wants to sleep on me. Last night she wouldn't go back down after waking up at 3am, so we spent the rest of the night in a cycle of feeding, burping, sleeping on me, placed in the cot, crying, feeding etc. - grr.

A day in the life - Monday 3rd November 2014

An example of our routine with Charlie at four and a half and Eve at three months. I'm on maternity leave and Tom's office has moved to London Bridge.

4.30am - Eve wakes for a feed, this is good, she's slept for over six hours. I burp her and she falls asleep I put her back in the moses basket, not so good she won't settle. I burp her again, feed her again, burp her again and she's asleep in her basket at 5.20am.

5.45am - Charlie wakes up and comes into our room. I shush him so he doesn't wake Eve, give him a hug and take him back to his room with the Kindle. He's been wetting the bed recently but is dry today which is good. Charlie plays on the tablet and I go back to bed. Tom gets up at 6am and gets ready, then gets Charlie dressed at 6.45am.

7am - Eve is still asleep, so I get washed and dressed whilst Tom gets Charlie's breakfast. T then leaves for work and as the baby is still asleep I'm able to put the washing on, continue unpacking our bags from last week's holiday and polish Charlie's school shoes.  I also eat a banana and make a coffee.

7.50am - Baby still asleep so I wake her to give us enough time before the school run. I change and dress Eve then bring her downstairs for a feed. Charlie is playing Rayman on the PlayStation.

8.20am - We pack Charlie's reading bag with his reading book, contact book, completed homework sheets and toy dragon. We put on coats and shoes and I put Evie in the sling.

8.30am - We walk through the drizzle to school. On the way we see a missing cat poster and I chat to the mum who put it up and promise to look out for the cat, she got spooked by fireworks and not come home. At school we wait for the gate to be unlocked and I talk to another mum about the half term holiday. When Miss K unlocks the gate C rushes through and waits to say goodbye at the classroom door.

9.00 - Back at home I grab an orange juice and oat bar and feed E whilst watching the new David Attenborough wildlife documentary on iPlayer. We have 2 hours before we need to be at E's music class. Baby is grumpy before epically filling her nappy, so I change her then put her back in her cosy cow suit and into the sling. It's raining outside so I put my parka on around both of us and get out the brolly. We have a walk through the park and although soggy, it's nice.

11am - We arrive at the nice pub in the park for our Boppin' Babies music session. I meet my friend K with baby C and she introduces me to some of the other Mums. The session is brilliant, lots of songs, instruments and props including a parachute, bells, rubber frogs and scarves. Eve is the youngest there but likes taking it all in and is tired out by the end. We stay for a coffee and a chat, E falls fast asleep.

1.30pm - We walk home through pretty torrential rain, E is snug in the carrier under my umbrella. At home lunch is a mishmash of canapes and salad leftover from my brother in law's photography exhibition launch. I feed and change E whilst watching TV, then it's time to collect her brother.

3.15pm - Charlie bursts out of school brimming with excitement from the day. It was  little Miss R's birthday and she picked him to help her make cupcakes for the class. He also got his very first reading book with words in which he is v proud about. At home he eats his cupcake and has some juice. He has an hour and a half before tea to choose what he wants to do. Whilst I feed Eve he watches a little of The Busy Town Mysteries on Netflix and then plays Rayman.

5pm - C's tea is ham sandwiches, a babybel, cucumber and a couple of mini sausage rolls. After tea we go upstairs and C helps with E's bath. He selects a sleepsuit for her and washes her tummy with the sponge. I dry her in the cot whilst C plays with his 6 plastic Halloween rats in her bath water. We then tip the baby bath into the main bath and run more hot water and bubbles for C. He can undress himself but needs help getting in and out of the bath. Once in I leave him to play and rescue a screaming Evie, I take her through to watch her big brother and she calms down enough to go back in the cot with the mobile on. I wash Charlie's hair and he begs for 10 more minutes, we settle at 5 and I entertain E whilst sorting through her baby clothes, she's into 3-6 months now so the things she's grown out of need to be packed away. I help C get dried whilst holding a crying baby, then we all head downstairs. E has another feed and reads his books to me.

6.30pm - Daddy's home and he chats with C and gets a smile from the baby. It's bin day tomorrow so Tom sorts the recycling and cleans the cat's litter tray whilst I finish reading with C. At 7pm T takes C to bed where they clean teeth and read a story. I continue to feed E.

7.15pm - T takes E whilst I get my tea, she starts grumping so I have to eat fast then take her back for a feed. She feeds and snoozes on me until we go to bed at 9pm.

9pm - Bedtime, I'm exhausted, E's woken up as T took her upstairs whilst I got changed. I feed her in bed and get her fast asleep in her moses basket at 9.45pm. I fall asleep pretty much immediately ready to do it all again tomorrow.

Three months old

Some big changes this week, maybe it was the Wiltshire air from spending half term with Granny and Grandad.

Eve at twelve weeks:

- Has suddenly grown out of her 0-3 clothes. Vests, sleep suits and leggings are a no go, some dresses can now be worn as jumpers, dungarees and socks are still ok.

- Weighs 12lbs 10.5oz so still tracking a tiny bit above the 50th percentile.

- Is interacting with the world more. She turns her head to see who's speaking, is fascinated by the TV screen and will happily watch Charlie and the cat as they play or sit near her. She'll also grasp my hair and is just beginning to hold onto toys.

- Continues to be vocal, more coos are being added to her repertoire. We can have v long chats with her replying to me at the end of each sentence!

- Mostly sleeping well at night, usually 6 hours with a 10 min feed and back to sleep for a couple more, though if she wakes earlier she's likely to wake 2 or 3 times more and will stay awake for longer periods.

- Was worn out by our music lesson on Monday, stayed awake throughout and kept looking round at the other babies.

- Fed for the first time on a train when we went to Woking to see a friend and her 4 month old. It was fine, no one in the carriage really noticed.

- Still grumpy in the evenings the HV has recommended we start putting her to bed earlier, so we'll begin tonight.

Eleven weeks old

At eleven weeks Eve:

- Is on her first holiday, we're in Wiltshire with Granny and Grandad.

- Was an angel on the long car journey, sleeping for most of the time, even though it took SIX hours due to traffic jams.
- Continues to grasp and bat at things.
- Still feeds a lot of the time.
- Takes her longest naps in the sling or car seat or someone's lap, is now tricky to get to sleep in the moses basket during the day.
- Growing more aware, she'll hold eye contact for longer and will chat back (when she's in a happy mood).

- Loves looking at trees blowing in the wind or the clouds in the sky.

- Super loves her Daddy playing 'Pitter Patter, Pitter Patter' with her.

And here's Charlie at 233 weeks old!!!!

Ten weeks old

At ten weeks Eve:

- Weighs 12lbs, still just a little bit above the 50th percentile.
- Moving more, she can now roll onto her side from her back and pushes herself to the side of the Moses basket at night.
- Very chatty, she loves cooing at her mobile which broke yesterday so we need to get a replacement.
- Starting to hold onto small things, the muslin, my hair, the toggle on my hoodie.
- Still fully breastfeeding, roughly for 5 hours a day spread across 8 or 9 feeds. A short feed around 5am, a long feed around 7am, a short feed around 9.30am, a long feed around midday, a middling feed around 2.15pm, a long feed around 4pm, then on and off  short feeding and snoozing from 6pm onwards until a final middling feed before bedtime at 9pm. Occasionally a super short feed at 3am.
- Her naps are getting into a pattern too with a short one in the baby carrier when I take Charlie to school, a long one around 10am, a middling one around 1pm and another long one from 3pm which starts off in the carrier when we collect Charlie, she then snoozes on and off in the evening before 9pm bedtime, when usually she'll sleep at least until 3am and quite often through till 5am.
- Has a super sad looking pout, I've yet to photo this because when she does my immediate reaction is to comfort that sad sad face! Usually when there's a sudden loud noise or if she wakes suddenly.
- Is a member of the library, we signed her up last week.
- Had her first visit into central London to Mummy and Daddy's offices in Piccadilly and London Bridge.

Nine weeks old

Eve at nine weeks is:

- Continuing to put on 1lb each fortnight, on Wednesday 8th October she weighed 11lbs 2oz.
- Has slept through the night for the first time and will generally sleep for 6 - 8 hours.
- Very grumpy in the evenings. Wanting to feed and snooze on Mummy from 7pm onwards and shouts and cries if passed to Daddy or put in the moses basket.
- Smiley and vocal, will often chat back if you talk to her.
- Trying out some baby classes, we had Bouncing Bunnies on Monday, a music class for babies and toddlers using real instruments and we have a baby sensory taster today.
- Seeing baby friends, the four girls met at Helena's house for lunch on Monday.
- We had Christine and Sam visit yesterday, then went for dinner at Bluewater with Daddy.

A full night's sleep

Eve slept through for the first time last night. At eight and a half weeks old sleeping eight hours straight is amazing and a surprise boon for me! Yesterday she was really agitated, she had signs of teething, dribbling and chewing on her fists, so spent a lot of the evening feeding. She also missed out on her usual afternoon sleep, napping later and for less time than normal, so I think this helped! Fingers crossed she'll do it again tonight...

Two months old

Eve at eight weeks is:

- Growing so big, it's hard to believe my sweet newborn is already two months old!
- Chatty and smiley, the doctor commented on her social skills at the check up last week.
- Feeding a little less, we now have more time to play as she's not constantly hungry.
- Generally wakes to feed twice a night, but we had one night where she fed at 9.30pm then only woke up once at 2am, then slept until 6.30am.
- Lifting her head during tummy time for short periods.
- Still taking long naps throughout the day.
- Getting over her first cold, saline spray has been much in use so she can breathe whilst feeding.

Getting washed

I used to have a shower daily and I knew that would stop once the baby arrived but the number of showers I've had in the last 7 weeks can be counted on one hand. 

Our shower is downstairs and our bath (sadly without shower attachment) is upstairs next to the nursery. Tom leaves early for work most days so finding time to shower or bathe in the morning is a skill I've yet to master. Ideally I'm looking to wash my hair every other day.Things that stop me are:

- Baby waking up early, this is a game killer once up I have to feed her and then usually she refuses to go back to sleep on her own, either she sleeps on me, or will be wide awake.

- Wide awake baby should be fine, she'll settle on her play mat happily, but 2 mins into my bath she'll be howling.

- Or I'll put her in the cot with her mobile and soft toys, which is fine for 5 minutes but after that she's howling.

- The boy waking up early and waking up the baby.

- The boy waking up early and so I help him get ready in the time I'd normally get ready and baby waking just after he's ready and I'm not.

- Baby awake most of the night, so I opt to lie in rather than shower.

I am so looking forward to Eve getting a little bigger so we can get a routine in place!

Seven weeks old

At seven weeks Eve is:

- Much more vocal, she makes 'ahh goo' noises when she is happy.
- More aware of what's around her, she loves looking up at the sky and watching her Daddy and big brother play.
- Moving more, she kicks with her feet and grabs out with her hands, she is beginning to love spending time (5 mins tops!) on her play mat.
- Sleeping well, usually waking up for a feed twice a night around 12pm and 4am.
- Wearing 0-3 month clothing and it fits well now instead of being too big - pink dungarees, denim pinnafore, leggings (a LOT of leggings), white 'Love' and pink and purple polka dot long sleeved T-shirts, pink and blue cat socks.
- At weigh in last Wednesday she was 10lbs, 2oz, a full 1lb put on in weight since the fortnight before.
- Her eyes have lightened and are blue like her Daddy's and brother's. Her hair is light brown, much lighter at the front than the back.
- Went for her first day trip to the seaside on Sunday.
- Has had play dates with baby friends Chloe, Poppy, Olivia and Lenny.

Family day out

Yesterday we went for our first family day out since Eve was born. We wanted to give Charlie a final summer day out before the weather turns colder and we were lucky, it started off misty but became sunny with blue skies when we reached the seaside.

We went to Hastings and Eve was so good (sleeping, feeding, no crying!) that on the way home we stopped off at Bodiam castle which Charlie really enjoyed.

Apart from meals, petrol and parking our day out was free! We played Crazy Pirate golf at Hastings with the 3 tickets we won the last time we visited and used our National Trust passes for Bodiam.

Bodiam had special events on, we listened to a talk about armoury and Charlie got to try on a 13th century style iron helmet.

Eve behaved beautifully, I fed her in the car a couple of times (front seat is much comfier than a bench for feeding) and she seemed to enjoy being on the beach in the carrier.

Six weeks old

Time is flying by so quickly, we are doing lots, I just don't seem to ever have the chance to record it!

At six weeks Eve is:

- Smiling a lot and making eye contact, she coos and gurgles and is generally a happy baby.
- Except on some of the evenings this week she's had trapped wind which has made her inconsolable until she burps or fills her nappy!
- She loves her Mummy, Daddy and big brother, all of us have been rewarded with smiles when we talk and play with her.
- Continuing to grow out of her first clothes, this week a long sleeved top and a whole set of short sleeved vests she never got to wear.
- Looked smart for cousin Isabel's first birthday party in a denim pinafore with bunny design.
- Was perfectly behaved on her first shopping trip. Her Nana and I took her to Bluewater yesterday, we used the useful design of the pramette to clip the car seat to it and she slept for most of the trip, fed, smiled and slept again.
- Feeds every two hours or more in the day time
- Sleeps well at night, generally waking at midnight and 4am for feeds.
- Holds her head up much better, not fully there yet, but getting sturdy.
- Meeting 2 week old Olivia for tea and cake later today.

Five weeks old

At five weeks Eve:

- Is becoming her own little person, with a generally laid back personality and a gorgeous smile.
- Continues to feed loads and for the past couple of days has needed Infacol to get rid of some very painful wind.
- Yesterday we met with three other baby friends, Chloe, Poppy and Olivia.
- So long she's already grown out of the newborn clothes, the Boots newborn nappies and a gro bag.
- Awake for longer periods of time, a few hours awake (and mainly feeding) before having a big long nap, rather then the regular sleep/feed pattern of a newborn.
- Has more control of her head, she still can't lift it up during tummy time, but she looks around a lot and is less floppy.
- Is a pretty good sleeper, after a big feed and burp she'll happily sleep in the moses basket rather then on me - unlike her brother!

First day of school

Charlie's started school, he's no longer a preschooler he's a schoolboy! His first day was Thursday 4th September 2014 from 9am - 11.15am.

He's in squirrel class and already loves his teacher Miss M and support assistant Miss K. He was excited and scared on his first day, complaining of a stomach ache and when I said it was probably butterflies in his stomach he said "the butterflies are biting my tummy Mummy!". As soon as we got to school and he saw all the different toys his tummy was fine. Eve and I stayed with him for 10 minutes, we found his peg and hung up his bag and book bag and went round the activity tables as he chose to play with a toy farm and a little people train track, he gave the Lego a glance but settled at the farm.

On collection he was still excited but noticeably tired. I brought some apples and grapes for him to eat on the way home and he told me about his day. That he'd answered his name at register but couldn't remember his teacher's name, that they'd played a game - throwing a ball and saying their names - and he was 4th to get the ball and that they'd been out in the playground.

The next day he got a special sticker because he counted to 100 in front of the class with his teacher - he (and we) were so proud!

Our week - 1st September 2014

This week has been mixed, learning to look after two children at once is very hard. Charlie has been really good, but it will take a while for him and me to get used to our days with a little sister to look after!

[Point of note, I've been writing this post over the last two week and have only now completed it as I just haven't had the time to sit down and do it all at once!]

The lowlights

My Aunt died last week and we'll be going to her funeral on Monday. This was her 3rd time fighting cancer and she had just reached her 70th birthday before passing away. I am so sad, she was spirited, quick witted and interesting and will be greatly missed.

Sickness has been rife in our household, Charlie caught tonsillitis at nursery, so missed his last day. He was pretty miserable for a few days with a high temperature, big swollen glands in his neck and gunky eyes, then the antibiotics kicked in and he was fine again by Tuesday.

Tom also caught it, but refused to go to the doctors, so he's been ill for over a week. I caught it a week after the boys, my throat swelled up but luckily on the day I caught it I also started a course of antibiotics and they seem to have started to clear it up. The only one not sick is little Eve; she's getting antibodies through my milk. Needless to say everyone has been grumpy and tired all week.

Monday, my first solo day with both children was a bit of a write off. Charlie was sick and Eve had kept me awake from 2am - 5am, I'd finally got back to sleep and Charlie got up at 5.30am! We pretty much stayed in the living room all day watching TV and playing snakes and ladders. Eve wanted to feed constantly and Charlie just wanted to be hugged.

The highlights

Thursday was Charlie's first day at school and he loved it. After a couple of months of him worrying and not wanting to start school he had a brilliant time. Plus he was completely over the tonsillitis so able to attend and enjoy his day.

Eve has just about started to smile, mostly it's wind but a few times it's definitely been because Tom and I have been talking and smiling at her :) She's also looking around much more and loves staring at her black and white books as I change her.

Tuesday, my 2nd solo day with both was much much better, Charlie was feeling more like himself and Eve had had a better night.

Poorly boy playing with a sticker book

Four weeks old

At four weeks Eve:

- Continues to grow, at the health visitor weigh on 10th September she weighs 9lbs 2 and a half oz.

- Loves looking at black and white baby books.

- Feeds a LOT.

- Her hair is turning lighter and her dark blue eyes are also lightening up.

- Finally getting to wear some of the summer dresses we've been given - with long sleeved vests and tights!

- Getting used to our new routine, taking and collecting her big brother from school.

Three weeks old

At three weeks Eve:

- Has put on the weight she lost, at the 29th August health visitor weigh in she was 8lbs exactly.
- Is now signed off from the midwife team as they're happy with her weight gain.
- Is slightly less floppy, she's losing that newborn helplessness and moving around much more.
- Is less sleepy, she's having longer and longer bright eyed periods.
- Loves looking at Mummy, Daddy and Charlie.
- Is increasing her range of noises, lots of squeaks and growls and cries.

Two weeks old

At two weeks Eve:

- Takes big long sleeps, only really waking to feed
- Has had two baths, the first she enjoyed, the second she hated
- Spends maybe 15 minutes a day being bright and alert, looking around, looking you in the eye and taking everything in
- Prefers the sling to the pram
- Doesn't cry often, but when she does she gets furious really quickly
- Is official, we took her to Greenwich registry office yesterday
- Will hold your finger in her hand really tightly
- Likes to scratch her face, she's already had her nails trimmed twice
- Will focus on a teddy if you hold it about 10 cms from her face
- Still sleeps in the foetal position with her knees tucked up

5 things about Eve

1 - She's a rainbow baby!

2 - She's super long, born at 58cm, she's 11cm longer than her brother was at birth and is in the 98th percentile.

3 - Her name, Evelyn Katherine Grace, means 'To Breathe', 'Pure' and 'Lovely, Graceful'.

4 - She sleeps a lot, almost ALL the time, only waking to eat. Her brother,who had colic, was never comfy sleeping for long, but Eve will happily sleep for hours, sometimes I have to wake her to feed her.

5 - Her hair colour is an enigma, at the moment it's a very pale brown, but seems to change every day when the sun is on it she has auburn and blonde tints, it's very dark brown at the back and light at the front.

Evelyn Katherine Grace

She's here, Eve arrived at 5.45am on Tuesday 12th August 2014.

Nursery Graduation Day

Last week Charlie graduated from nursery. Tom took a half day and I kept C home in the morning to enjoy some more mama/son time before baby arrives. The three of us walked over to the nursery in time for the ceremony, it was a hot hot day with a brilliant blue sky and a few wispy white clouds.

The graduation was a little OTT, they are only 4! But lots of effort had been made to make it as much fun for the kids as possible. The temperature didn't help, with a lot of people sitting on child size chairs in a hot marquee, but otherwise it was a lovely afternoon.

It started off with the nursery choir singing some songs, then each child was called up by his/her key carer to 'graduate' and collect their goodies - certificate, teddy bear, photo of them in a cap and gown and a medal. After we'd got through all the kids, they all went up to the front to sing a special song - it was the goodnight song from CBeebies, but with the words changed to say 'The time has come to say goodbye...' Then it was time to release some balloons and a general melee at kids and parents were released from the hot marquee!

Charlie is actually staying on at nursery until school starts in September. We felt it best to keep his routine as similar as possible with the new baby arriving, as we didn't want to hit him with leaving his friends at nursery (only 3 are going to his primary school and he doesn't play with any of them...), new baby AND new school in just one month. Some of his friends with older siblings on holiday have now left so this last week he's been having fun helping out with the new 3 year olds who have joined the class! I'm also taking him out of nursery at least one day a week to spend some time with him before the baby arrives.

- Drinking Daddy's water in the hot marquee
- C&T with graduation pic
- Proud boy with his medal
- Collecting his medal from carer Daisy (and nursery manager Mandy). Another carer, Ana is on the left and the little girl on the left is his very best friend from nursery, little miss M.
- Admiring his medal and teddy bear
- Released balloons

39 weeks pregnant

Woah, one week left. I'd love it if she came a little early but suspect she'll be like her brother and arrive late.

Baby is roughly 50.7cm long and weighs 7.2lbs, the size of a mini watermelon. She still moves around a lot, but has run out of room to kick too hard, so she tends to push and squirm rather then jab, it's fun to watch my stomach move all over the place on it's own accord! She reacts to sounds, particularly when her big brother comes and talks to my tummy. At the 38 week midwife appointment her heartbeat was lovely and loud, she's in the correct position though not engaged and probably won't be until actual labour starts.

Mama is fed up of being pregnant in the middle of summer. The heat makes my feet swell and it doesn't help that I have toe infections which the doctor says won't heal until after I give birth due to my low immunity at the moment. I'm tired a lot of the time so taking things pretty easy (or as easy as you can with an energetic 4 year old). Only occasionally getting heartburn and indigestion, this has eased up a lot over the last few weeks.

Today is the official start of my maternity leave as the last few weeks were taking up unused holiday so I'd be very happy if she came soon. The nursery is ready and the study (where we put all the junk that was in the nursery) is now completely tidied thanks to a blitz my mother-in-law and I had yesterday. This weekend T and I will be taking things to charity shops and the dump and then everything will be pretty much ready.

I've also met up with some other Mums and Mums-to-be through NetMums and have a couple more meet ups in the diary for next week.

C and I have spent the day together today, doing all the things he wanted to do to make the most of time without baby. We got out the easel and magnets, we read stories, played with the aquadoodle, made a lego castle and watched How to Train Your Dragon (again). We also had lunch at our local Pizza Express, it's just a 5 min walk from home and it was fun to eat out just the two of us.

What's in my... hospital bag

Today I packed my bag for the hospital, I'm 36 +6 so it's beginning to feel close (though Charlie didn't arrive until 41 weeks).

Here's what I've packed:

(1) Clothes for Mama:
Bath towel (hospital requested I bring one)
Clean clothes for leaving hospital in
Maternity pads
Maternity briefs
Slippers
Dressing gown
2x nighties - one old one to give birth in and one in case I have to stay overnight

(2) Wash bag - toiletries, make up and wipes

(3) Hospital notes and birth plan

(4) Clothes for Baby:
2x small blankets and a muslin
3x long sleeved vests/sleep suits
2x short sleeved vests
Socks and scratch mitts
Newborn nappies
2x newborn hats
Cardigan

Other things I'll be taking are my phone and phone charger, maternity pillow, lots of £1 coins for the car park, bottle of water, snacks and a gift for Charlie from the baby.

The hospital supplied me with a check list in my pregnancy notes, but there's also a couple of good ones on the mothercare site and NetMums.

36 Weeks Pregnancy Update

Things not to forget about pregnancy at 36 weeks

- Hot hot hot, the first day of my maternity leave (17th July 2014) saw the hottest day of the year so far, 28C! With a huge thunder storm in the night the second day started off cool but reached 30C in the afternoon. Baby is like a permanent hot water bottle around my tummy, so lots of ice drinks, foot soaking and sitting in the shade is in order, but there's so much to do. I overdid it on that first day, by cleaning, cooking, baking and mowing the lawn.

- Heartburn is a daily chore, Gaviscon tablets work well when I'm out and about and the liquid works immediately if it hits at home. The little travel pack is a permanent feature of my handbag.

- Baby manages to be pressing hard down on my bladder whilst also kicking into my ribs and lungs.

- Breathlessness, the heat isn't helping, I now get breathless just walking up the stairs!

- Thirst, the heat is making me crave sparkling cold water with ice and lemon.

- Little pushes and kicks. She is just so active, I love having the reassurance though worry she's going to be way more hyperactive then her brother ever was! It is rare that I panic that's she's not moved for a while. The midwife and the maternity guides say that if you're worried to drink a glass of cold water and lie down, but I've not had to do it once, she pretty much moves every couple of hours. Even when she wakes me at 3am, I can't help but smile because she's healthy and well.

- Bio oil, it now takes two squirts from the bottle to cover the bump. I love the smell, it reminds me of my first pregnancy with Charlie.

- Nearly new, now that I'm on maternity leave I'm getting together those final last bits. This week J and I went to pick up a great fisher price play mat from a netmum, we got this along with a scramble bug and leapfrog play table for £45 (saving about £100 on the RRP). They're in almost brand new condition as used at grandma's house. We're lending the bug and table to my 10 month old niece as we won't need them for a while!

- Nursery artwork arrived this week, I now need to get some dusky red card to use as a backing frame so both pictures match the nursery.

- NetMum's Nearly new purchases, bump now bigger than the cat, icy drink and a good book, boy cat bump, cat bump, beautiful baby clothes rolled to look like roses (a present from my work) and the too hot bump in my old beach kaftan!

Pregnancy update 35 weeks

Only 5 weeks to go!

We had the midwife appointment on Wednesday. She's officially no longer breach - yay - and has a nice strong heartbeat. It was beating really fast at first and then slowed down, the midwife explained that this was normal as she'd been pressing down on her head to determine the breach status only half a minute before listening to the heartbeat.

Baby is currently about the size of a honeydew melon, 46cm long and 2.3kg.  She's reacting to sounds and really active with her kicks and jabs. I'm using the 'Kick Me' app to record her movements and her average per day is 555! Charlie is talking to her lots, he often wakes her (and me!) up in the morning, demanding to kiss the bump and say hello to her. He also kisses her goodnight at bedtime and calls her a good girl. His latest name choices are Spanner, Hammer or Elsa (from Frozen).

Mama is having a lovely quiet day today! T is having to work on a Saturday (he's managing his office's move from the Southbank to London Bridge) and C is with the grandparents. I slept until 9am today, something unheard of, I can't recall ever sleeping in that late since C arrived 4 years ago. My bump continues to grow, it's still high and I'm having to sit with my legs slightly apart - not good on the commuter train! I have 3 days left at work before maternity leave and am looking forward to less rushing around. As I don't know anyone expecting in the same area I put an ad on the NetMums Meet a Bump and so have arranged to meet up with two other mamas in the first week of Mat Leave. Both live nearby and we'll be meeting in the park, one has a six week old girl and the other has a 4 year old girl a month younger than C and is expecting her baby in September.

Last weekend we got a few more bits and pieces, a changing mat for the changing table, a newborn bath sponge and a couple of sheets. We have also picked out the gift the 'baby' will bring for Charlie and C chose a soft toy to give to the baby from him.

Pregnancy update - 33 weeks

The little kicks inside have turned to pushes and jabs as baby runs out of room. I don't remember her big brother ever being this active, she reminds me of her presence every couple of hours with a squirm or a push and the outline of a foot or elbow, head or behind briefly appears and disappears on the surface of my bump. She reacts to taps and strokes and is most active when I sit down for dinner in the evening.

I'm not sure if she's still breach, I hope not. I kind of think the jabs I'm getting up in my ribs are more likely from teeny feet rather than little hands or elbows, but we'll see at the midwife appointment in a couple of weeks.

I took a labour ward tour last week, something we didn't bother with for Charlie. It's not necessary but is certainly calming to visualize the walk from the car park to triage and then onto the room where we'll meet our girl. Queen Elizabeth's is nice, the rooms are bright and clean, much newer looking than Lewisham and with less of a clinical feeling than Chelsea & Westminster. If everything is straightforward they will let us leave between 2 - 6 hours after the birth, if we need to stay, the maternity ward is good with only 3 beds per room. I stayed at C&W with Charlie for 3 days and shared my section of the ward with 7 others, so 3 per room is really good.

I have just 12 working days before starting maternity leave, suddenly after an incredibly long wait, we're almost there! Next week's diary is hectic as I try and cram in as much planning as possible. There's publisher meetings, autumn activity planning and a 2015 brainstorm session, thankfully the following week is less hectic, I'm already beginning to slow down and suspect having 4 or more meetings a day every day is going to be tough.

This bump is definitely bigger than at the same stage with Charlie. We're quickly running out of room for the cat and the boy to sit on my lap. Baxter has come up with some interesting positions, curling up around the bump or using it as a pillow! Charlie prefers to sit to one side and stroke the bump and talk to the baby. He's very good at kissing her goodnight and feeling her kick in the morning. 

Plus I got some nice baby things in the Emma Bridgewater sale, including a lovely patchwork blanket and a teeny vest with lambs on.

Flashback 4 years

Looking back at the boy on 21st June for the last 4 years...

2010 - sleepy boy in moses basket

2011 - Lying down for a drink

2012 - Nap time

2013 - New hat

2014 - First time in the new paddling pool

Days Out - Kew Gardens

For Mum and Dad's Christmas present this year we gave them each a day out for 2014. In May we joined up Dad's day out with Charlie's birthday and had a lovely day on The Watercress Line and at the start of June we went to Kew Garden's for Mum's. My brother, his wife and baby I came too.

Kew Gardens in Surrey was a perfect day out for an energetic 4 year old. There was so much space to run around in and so many things to explore. The tree-top walkway was a big hit, lots of steps to climb and then a wibbly wobbly walkway which blew in the breeze - T was not a fan! C also loved a little tunnel near the walkway which was filled with mechanical insect artwork.

There were peacocks throughout the garden and we were lucky to see one displaying it's plumage. Charlie and Grandad snuck around to get a better look!

Baby I is now 8 months old and full of smiles. C was entranced by her and kept on going to say hello or stroking her face or giving a hug.

Pregnancy update - 31 weeks

After waiting so long to get this far, I can't quite believe we're well into the third trimester and only 9 weeks to go before we meet this little one.

Baby is currently the size and weight of a large coconut, from head to toe she's 41cm long and weighs c. 1.5kg. She is much more active then C ever was, with long periods of time at the start and end of the day spent kicking and pushing and generally moving around. At the 28 week check she was breach, but she made a massive movement the following week, so I'm hoping that now she has turned around.

Mama is getting a bigger bump every day. This bump is much higher than with C, little feet (or head) is high up pushing into my chest so I'm getting lots of indigestion this time around. Beginning to get tired again, feet are swelling a little in the heat and uncomfy at night. But I know that it's all worth it and every time she kicks it's reassuring that everything is all ok.

We're getting the nursery ready, all C's baby equipment has come out of storage and the first set of newborn clothes are washed and into the drawers. I've been given some extra things from a mama friend who's 2nd baby is now 6 months, plus we have a few more feminine items picked up over the last few months so she's not totally in boy's clothes! The nursery has some pretty terrible wallpaper, cream with red fleur de lis all over it and the carpet is dark red, so we're going for more of a red and white theme this time around. I'm putting together some ideas on this Pinterest board - Nursery for a Girl.

- Bump shadow on the beach
- Baby girl clothes
- Boy, bump, cat
- Baby clothes washed and ready
- Bump on the beach

Charlie on the beach

Beachy gems from the last 4 years...

Aug 2010 - 3 months - Lyme Regis

July 2011 - 1 yr, 2 mnths - Selsey

July 2012 - 2 yrs, 2 mnths - Isle of Wight

Aug 2012 - 2 yrs, 3 mnths - Greatstone

July 2013 - 3 yrs, 2 mnths - Pagham

June 2014 - 4 yrs, 1mnth - Broadstairs