Izzy at 18 months, Squishy at 24 weeks Gestation

I literally cant believe this is the first post I've done since announcing that we have a little 'Squishy' on the way!
This pregnancy is flying by, its been pretty straight forward this time really, compared to how I was when carrying Izzy.
The first 12 weeks this time were pretty difficult. I had terrible sickness and was absolutely exhausted the entire time. I think having the lack of energy that comes during those few weeks anyway, together with the energy an adorable little toddler takes up, meant I was pretty much running on empty for the entire first trimester.
As soon as I hit the end of the 12 weeks, things immediately started to get better, the sickness subsided and my energy levels picked up. Having said that, I could still easily have a little nap most afternoons, but I'm getting through the day a great deal easier than I was.
So I feel almost like I'm sailing through it all this time. I've actually almost forgotten I'm pregnant a few times, as awful as that sounds.
I am  24 weeks today, which means Squishy is officially viable! It's going by so quickly it's scary.

Squishy at 12 weeks!

 

On Thursday 7th March, we found out we are having another beautiful little girl! Which we were both secretly hoping for! She already has a name, we are just trying to make a final decision on her middle name, but she will be known as 'Squishy' until we can introduce her to the world properly.

Squishy at 20 + 5

 

I'm feeling some pretty strong movements, and she tends to dance all over the place whenever I'm in the bath, just like Isabelle used to! I did wonder whether I would regret us finding out the baby's sex, as it was so lovely to have a surprise last time. However, I don't regret it at all, I love knowing that its a little girl growing and wriggling in there, my little girl! It's made life so much cheaper, and easier that we are having another girl too, as we still have all of Isabelle's clothes, some of which she has never even worn!

I think Izzy's starting to understand a little. We are talking a lot about babies with her, and we keep telling her that Squishy is in mummy's tummy (we use her name though, and don't refer to her as 'Squishy' when talking to Isabelle). She's started playing a lot more with her' baby' , pushing her around in a pushchair, and pretending to feed her, which i think will really help things. She'll be able to copy what mummy does with Squishy, with her dolly! She knows exactly where her little sister is now, and even gives my tummy kisses and waves to it. (adorable!!)

I do feel a little overwhelmed with a complete mix of emotions with this pregnancy. As excited as I am about welcoming Squishy into the world, and our family being complete, I cant help but feel utter guilt towards Isabelle. I love her so much, its hard to imagine having to split the time I spend with her, with another baby. I'm so worried that she's going to feel replaced, or pushed out, I cant bare the thought of that! Which is why we want to involve her as much as possible.

Isabelle is such a little character now! She's 18 months old and the cheekiest, most adorable little monkey I have ever known! I couldn't possibly be more in love with her! She's very nearly walking. She's got a big cuddly toy bunny, and if we hold its hand on one side, she'll hold its other hand and walk all over the place, so its just a matter of building her confidence now.
She's coming out with a lot of new words now too, the latest ones are 'Knee, Bye, Wee wee, Peppa, and Baby'.
She is fantastic with sign language now, and can do the following signs:

* Milk
*More
*Hungry
*Tired
*Hot
*Cold
*Bath
*Nappy Change
*Clean
*Pig
*Sand
*Water
*Hat
*All gone
*Baby
*Book
*Carefully
*Bye
* Pain
*Monkey
*Sorry
*Eat
*Please
*Thank you

She's picking new ones up all the time! Its brilliant to be able to communicate with her before she can speak to us properly. She's a fantastic little lady and she has truly brightened our lives!

We are looking forward to a lovely family holiday in three weeks time. We're having two weeks at the seaside, our last holiday before Squishy arrives. I cant wait! We're really going to make the most of it, and spoil her rotten for a couple of weeks. My sister and brother in law are coming to join us for a couple of nights too, which will be lovely!

I bought Isabelle and Squishy's first matching outfit yesterday. We don't really need to buy any clothes, as we have so many, but I do just want them to have a couple of matching outfits :)

We have also set up our payment plan for a fantastic brand new pram! I'm completely in love with it! Choosing a double pram was something I had to think very carefully about, as I still struggle a lot with my back. It needed to be one that was reasonably easy to get around, and fold up etc.
I fell in love with the Obaby Zoom, as soon as I set eyes on it. It comes with a carrycot, and two seats, so Squishy can be in a proper little 'moses basket' style carrycot when tiny. Then when they are both in seats, they can both face either way, which means they can face each other if they want to! I love it, and its actually even easier to push than my single!!

So, that's my update for tonight! I'll try and get back on track with blogging a little more now :)

Love love love x x x