Family

Now you are two

Florence

Florence

I thought I’d tell you a bit about my little wonder woman, who turns a great big two today.

Florence was born on a hot day in July 2013, at the same hospital her dad was staying in after he’d fallen ill two months before. You could say she already knew a bit about stress, as I was seven months pregnant when Roger suffered a portal vein thrombosis and was admitted to intensive care in May. It was the point in my pregnancy when I remember thinking right, I’m going to try to wind down a bit now, take it easy and enjoy this part, when catastrophe happened and our world was turned upside down.

We hadn’t found out she would be a girl, but my amazing midwife had offered me a late scan in case I wanted to have a peek and tell Roger to cheer him up a bit. Tempted as I was, we really were dead set on keeping that a surprise and I am so glad we did.

The weeks leading to the birth were worrying, as I was spending every day at the hospital with Roger and was really stressed about when our baby would arrive, whether Rog would be able to be there and who would look after Sam while I was otherwise engaged.

My contractions started very conveniently on the afternoon of my due date, so I had a bit of time to warn my parents to come over that evening before I had to go to hospital the next morning. My mum and my fab friend Caroline helped keep me calm through the trip to the maternity ward and through the birth – which was in no way as calm and serene as my first, but it was quick so I am thankful for small mercies!

Unfortunately Roger wasn’t able to be there in time, but was brought down from his ward a few minutes later just in time to give me a huge hug and a kiss and have a hold of his beautiful little girl.

Florence Martha, you have given us hope, joy and completion. You are our longed-for second child and the sister Sam always asked for. You hug me when I cry, make me laugh when I’m blue, and wake me up when I’m tired, but without you in our lives the past two years would have been a much darker place. You’ve been a ray of sunshine for us and a friend to Sam.

Your life will not be the one we would have chosen for you, as your dad won’t be here in years to come to hold your hand, but his love for you – along with ours – will never leave.

Happy Birthday gorgeous girl.

Oh and because I don’t want to forget, at two, you like to…

– Call yourself ‘Forrie’ but have finally mastered how to call your brother ‘Sam’ rather than ‘Bab’.

– Call Granny and Grandma ‘Gary’, to our amusement.

– Ask ‘What you doin’ mummy? What you doin’ daddy? And what’s that noise? a lot.

– Say every single rabbit you see is Peter Rabbit.

– Pretend to use your toy phone to ring around asking who has daddy’s paper.

– Drink your milk from a bottle (I know, it’s bad but this second child has got away with far more for longer than her bro. Anything for an easy life).

– Accessorise up every outfit, and more recently, demand you always have pockets, and say ‘I don’t like it the dress/romper suit’ before immediately changing your mind and saying ‘Yeah, I like it romper suit!’. A woman’s prerogative.

x Julia

Flo glasses

Me and Flo

Rog and Flo

1507_flome

Sam and Flo

Previous Story
Next Story

You Might Also Like

18 Comments

  • Reply
    Beth Twinderelmo
    July 11, 2015 at 7:33 am

    Happy birthday little lady. Hope you all have a lovely day together xxxx
    Beth Twinderelmo recently posted…[Giveaway] Bolts and Blip DVDMy Profile

  • Reply
    Laura
    July 11, 2015 at 8:08 am

    Gorgeous post – Happy Birthday to a lovely little lady. She’s a smasher, Jules. Lucky you for having such a beautiful, funny, clever girl xxx

  • Reply
    Tara
    July 11, 2015 at 8:26 am

    And what a bundle of mischievous fun she is! Xx

  • Reply
    Vicki
    July 11, 2015 at 8:55 am

    Hope Florence has a magical day x
    Vicki recently posted…Mavala Jelly Effect CollectionMy Profile

  • Reply
    Mini Travellers
    July 11, 2015 at 9:01 am

    Jules what a gorgeous post. She will always know her Daddy loves her so very much. Photos show people so much and its clear from all the posts and photos what a wonderfully close family you are. It will be very special for her to look back on all this for time to come. Happy Birthday Florrie.
    Mini Travellers recently posted…Longlands – Unplug Reconnect ReviveMy Profile

  • Reply
    Anne
    July 11, 2015 at 9:31 am

    Happy Birthday Florence, what a lovely post xx happy memories
    Anne recently posted…Toyz World BeBop Fun – Our Bouncy Day!My Profile

  • Reply
    Potty Mouthed Mummy
    July 11, 2015 at 9:35 am

    oh I’m weeping. You write so beautifully. What a darling girl xx
    Potty Mouthed Mummy recently posted…Five Films About Getting MarriedMy Profile

  • Reply
    Mummy Tries
    July 11, 2015 at 6:34 pm

    Beautiful post for a beautiful birthday girl! She shares her special day with my eldest (who turned six).

    Sounds like Forrie has been a proper ray of sunshine for you all. Hope you had a lovely day xxx
    Mummy Tries recently posted…A Lesson in Trusting my GutMy Profile

  • Reply
    Lindsay @ Newcastle Family Life
    July 11, 2015 at 9:20 pm

    Happy birthday little one, i hope she has had a lovely day, she sounds like such a character xx
    Lindsay @ Newcastle Family Life recently posted…Slimming World Week 13My Profile

  • Reply
    Cath J
    July 12, 2015 at 11:01 pm

    I think all Grandmas, the world over, should henceforth, be known as Gary. Amen.
    Happy 2nd Birthday Florrie.xxx

  • Reply
    Tinuke
    July 13, 2015 at 3:20 pm

    Happy belated birthday to your daughter. I love how your love for her permeates every word you write.
    Tinuke recently posted…PRIDE week 7 aka the sucky editionMy Profile

  • Reply
    Tim
    July 13, 2015 at 11:34 pm

    A belated happy birthday, Florence. May you continue to bring joy to your family. 🙂
    Tim recently posted…Not forgottenMy Profile

  • Reply
    mummyofboygirltwins
    July 14, 2015 at 9:09 pm

    Oh happy birthday lovely lady 🙂 She’s just beautiful and a credit to you. I know she’s your bundle of happiness and joy. I hope she had a lovely birthday xxxxx
    mummyofboygirltwins recently posted…HomeSense supporting Western UgandaMy Profile

  • Reply
    sarah christie
    July 15, 2015 at 8:40 pm

    Ah Happy Birthday beautiful Florence, I hope its been lots of fun for you xx
    sarah christie recently posted…5 Steps to Positive ThinkingMy Profile

  • Reply
    Lisa@intotheglade
    July 15, 2015 at 9:07 pm

    Happy belated birthday sweetheart! I love this post Julia she is gorgeous. I can’t believe that is her full name , it is beautiful and so meaningful to us too, who would have thought! A lovely letter that she will love to read in years to come xxx
    Lisa@intotheglade recently posted…An oversized clock and a duck egg throw!My Profile

  • Reply
    Gina M
    July 15, 2015 at 10:10 pm

    Beautiful post.

  • Reply
    Kat | Beau Twins
    July 16, 2015 at 5:46 am

    Oh Julia. I’m so sorry I missed this. Happy belated birthday to your beautiful girl. I hope.you had a wonderful day. I love the fact she still drinks from a bottle – mine do too. Xxx
    Kat | Beau Twins recently posted…Before I Had A Child…My Profile

  • Reply
    Florence turns three - Rainbeaubelle
    October 3, 2016 at 10:35 pm

    […] one of the worst times in my life. You can read a bit more about that in the post I wrote for her second birthday if you don’t already know, although this time last year Flo was lucky enough to still have […]

  • Leave a Reply

    CommentLuv badge

    Read previous post:
    Petit Fernand name label
    Win name labels from Petit Fernand

    It's nearly the end of the school year and time to start thinking about buying new uniforms and shoes for...

    Close