15 Weeks/Mother's Day/Cyril's Birthday

A lot happened last weekend. The bump turned 15 weeks, it was Mother's Day and we celebrated Cyril's 2nd birthday.

I'll start with the bump ...

This is a day late and we got in so late last night that we never got a chance to snap a bump pic.

                            

Total weight gain/loss? I really am bad at weighing myself this time around, either I can't bear to see all of those chocolates in numbers or I just don't care. I would guess I've gained about 4 pounds. So far it seems to be just bump and thighs but if I don't get back to my exercises soon I'll be sporting some chicken wings as well.

Maternity clothes? Yes. I finally got my maternity jeans out of storage. Unfortunately I'm at that awkward stage where my regular pants aren't comfortable but my maternity jeans are too big for my baby bump so back to stretch pants, no complaints here.

Stretch Marks? No, but I'm way less neurotic about rubbing shea butter all over my tummy this time, I blame it on having little time with a toddler around.

Sleep? Absolutely fine. I still go to the bathroom 2-3 times a night but if I keep my eyes closed, and don't turn on any lights I can fall asleep again easily, that is if I don't fall down the stairs in the process, nearly happened twice now, not joking.

Best Moments this Week? Watching Cyril try to blow out his candle for his second birthday and learning that the baby is low risk for Down's.
Worst moment this week? I can't really think of anything.

Miss Anything? Guinness, but I had a few delicious sips of Josh's pint last night.

Movement? Yes but only at night when I am very still.

Food Cravings? Salad, can you call that a craving? Unfortunately, really yummy salads are hard to come by in England but I managed to have 2 this weekend, result.

Anything Make you Queasy or Sick? I can't think about fish and chips, pulled pork, Mexican, or anything BBQ.

Gender Prediction? I still think it's a girl. On Friday I poured over the scan photos trying to find the nub to make a more accurate prediction. If you're dying to know the gender of your baby, like I am, look up the nub theory online. Unfortunately my photos aren't the clearest so I'll just have to wait until April to learn the gender.

Symptoms? I'm starting to feel pregnant. The little bump is getting in the way when I bend over and it's getting more difficult for me to lift Cyril. I'm trying to be really careful as I don't want to aggravate my pelvis. Unfortunately, Cyril has been more clingy than normal and constantly wants "mama" to pick him up. It's actually very cute but I have to be careful.

Belly button in or out? In 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy

Looking forward to: A meal out with some ladies from the village on Friday and my spa day that Josh booked for me on Saturday complete with afternoon tea and a glass of champagne. And yes, I will be having that glass of champagne, the midwife said it was absolutely fine! Can you tell this is my second pregnancy?!

On to Cyril ...

His birthday was absolutely perfect and just as I imagined it to be. Don't get me wrong, I had an amazing time last year hosting a really cute, pinterest worthy 1st birthday party, but it wasn't exactly relaxing and the clean-up left little to be desired. This year we opted for a low-key theme and only decided a week or two before to head down to Lytham to celebrate. There were no invitations, and we decided on food the day of the party. I made a cake and cupcakes but as it was just family I knew that even if that failed we'd just bust out some ice cream and chocolates and all would be OK. In the end we held it at Granny Bron's flat in Lytham. Josh and I ordered 3 pizzas and 1 salad for me. My sister-in-law made the most amazing sangria, and yes I had a tiny glass.

After we ate the main course Cyril opened his presents. This year he actually participated in ripping the paper off and somehow he knew there would be goodies inside. His favourite toy was definitely the fire engine that his cousin Eli handed down to him, yay for used toys! Others that piqued his interest were a fun but somewhat complicated puzzle from his aunt and uncle in Singapore. He mastered the puzzle immediately but the pegs left him a little confused. After some help from mar mar he learned to twist the various shapes to get them over the pegs at just the right time. He's far from mastering this task but it does hold his attention for a while and I think it'll make a great airplane toy in the future! He also received the sequel to his favourite book and his eyes lit up when he saw that little owl and proudly announced "uh-oh!" I can't wait to read it to him tonight. We didn't have time this weekend because his days were full and he was too exhausted at the end to read anything.

The cake wasn't as pretty as those fondant covered ones made at the bakery but it was no less delicious and turned out to be a huge hit for everyone except my nephew Eli, he was a little wary about the appearance and isn't a fan of blueberries but I told him that's OK more cake for me! I forgot to buy Cyril a second candle but he was none the wiser and was fascinated when we carried it in with the lights off. He kept shouting "Candle!" over and over again and when I placed it on the table in front of him he actually tried to blow it out. I suppose I do have a candle obsession so he's seen me blow them out plenty of times before. In typical Cyril Soper fashion he ignored the yummy cake and frosting opting instead to pick off all the blueberries and raspberries to his cousin's disgust.

After a few more jogs around the living room, one large tower built with his Uncle Nick, and a couple of raspberries to go we decided it was past his bedtime. Clean-up took all of 15 minutes and then we were on our way back to my sister-in-law's for some much needed peace and quiet.

Thank you to everyone for making it a special day for Cyril and our family!


and then we have Mother's Day ...

Blast from the past, 3months old. Didn't get a mother's day photo this year!

Apparently Mothering Sunday is a church event in England, and Marilyn said it's a really lovely celebration. I haven't had a chance to read up on it but as you will have no doubt guessed it's become commercialised just as every other holiday has. Usually when a holiday rolls around I tell Josh I don't want anything and often he still gets me a little something just in case I wasn't serious. It's definitely nice to be appreciated, or thanked once in a while, but I don't usually need a gift for this. For Christmas he gave me a spa day, which I think is the perfect gift, no wrapping paper and no clutter after it's finished, just one relaxed mama! For Mother's Day he actually did buy me a card, and it was a pretty cute card so I felt the waste was worth it. Sometimes I frame cards with interesting art work and this one might just be frame worthy.

My favourite gifts are homemade and hand me downs which is why the card Cyril made for me in nursery was extra special. I photographed it above so after it's hung on the wall for a week I will take it down and let Cyril do as he wishes with it. Usually this consists of him pulling off all the glitter and stickers before he rips it into shreds and then it gets recycled during nap time. I'll always have the photo to look back on as a memory and Cyril thoroughly enjoys destroying his previous masterpieces.

Mother's day was equally as low key as Cyril's birthday. Really it was just another day for this Soper family. I went out with Cyril, Josh's mum and Granny Bron for a drink (non-alcoholic this time) while Josh watched his beloved United on TV. When we returned we decided at the last minute to go to the county to finish the United match and eat pizza with a few adult beverages (apple juice for me). We managed to get a large table in the packed pub and it was so much fun. Cyril ate all of his pizza and then played quietly with his fire engine and snuggled on my lap. I love unplanned events, they always turn out to be so much fun. At 6:15 we decided it was time to head North. Cyril fell asleep as soon as the engine started and we had a peaceful 90 minute drive home.

It was a weekend filled with love, laughter and plenty of relaxation thrown in for good measure! Happy Mother's Day to all of those hard working mama's out there but in my opinion everyday is mother's day so don't forget to be grateful every day not just once a year :)