I’ll be completely honest, I have found myself in a bit of a slump when it comes to fashion this pregnancy. I loved dressing my bump last time around but I’ve really lost my confidence this time and so I tend to just opt for the same old outfits. When Debenhams got in touch about their Autumn wardrobe refresh campaign, I decided enough was enough, it was time to ditch the baggy tops & slightly sagging maternity leggings and step out of my comfort zone a bit. I’d never even thought about shopping the Debenhams maternity range so I was quite intrigued as to what their range would offer. I was fully expecting to find the same old, slightly frumpy, stretchy fabric cliche maternity wear but I was pleasantly suprised to find just how refreshing & diverse the range is.

The first item that really caught my eye was this Red Herring Maternity Leopard print dress. Now, I am not a regular leopard print wearer as I find it really hard to wear it without feeling like Kat Slater, but as it’s so on trend at the moment I thought I would go for it. When it arrived I was really excited to try it on and see how it looked. On first impressions, it worried me if I am completely honest. It was incredibly low cut and as I am not exactly lacking in the bottom department the shape and pattern really made my behind look enormous and definitely nothing like the woman wearing it online.  I think this is something a lot of brands could learn from — use actually pregnant models!!   Determined not to be put off, I turned to my friend and fashion guru Mama, Renee for some advice on how to style it and not feel like a member of the Slater Clan/ an incredibly overweight leopard. She showed me a whole bunch of different ways to wear it and I felt a lot more confident

Keeping with dresses I also opted for a slightly safer, more ‘me’, tea dress. This has been a lot easier to style and I’ve already got so much wear out of it. It looks great paired with thick tights and heeled boots but can also easily flats too. I  / sandals when it’s a bit warmer as it’s a good length.It has pretty loop tie details on the arms and cinches in above the bump.  The shape is really flattering and not anything like the cliche styles I mentioned earlier on. The pretty floral print just tops this dress off for me!

I chose some black skinny maternity jeans but had to send them back as I needed to size up so I am just waiting on those to arrive. I lived in black skinny jeans last time and while they’re super comfortable the ones I had before are so worn they have holes in! I am really looking forward to getting back into black skinnies and teaming them with all the cosy Autumn knits when the right size arrive.

Having not been so heavily pregnant throughout A/W with Florence I only had a couple of quite light-wearing coats so I was drawn to this Khaki Luxe Parka as it looked so so warm and snug and who doesn’t love a Parka? I absolutely love this coat, it’s as cosy as it looked online and unbelievably comfortable. I cannot wait for the temperatures to drop a bit more so I can wear it every time we go out!

Then there’s the bag. Oh my goodness, the bag!  Now that Florence is that bit older we can risk going out with just a couple of nappies and a pack of wipes for short trips which means I can leave the house without lugging everything but the kitchen sink in a big changing bag so being able to choose a regular sized, actually leather designer handbag was such a luxury! This Jasper Conran rel=”nofollow” bag is big enough to hold all of the essentials for a Mama & toddler trip out while being perfect for a heading out for dinner with the girls or hitting the shops too.

And then, when the day is done is there anything better than slipping into fresh pjs and cosying up as night falls? I have been finding it quite difficult to find something comfortable to wear to bed and so I thought I would test out something from their nightwear. I opted for this checked night shirt-dress because the colours just screamed A/W and I liked the idea of not having to wear anything with a waistband to sleep in. I’ve worn this almost every day since it arrived – it is SO comfy and made from an almost furry linen (is that such a thing?). It’s roomy so there’s loads of space for my bump to grow too. My only criticism of this is that the buttons seem a bit small for the holes so they do come undone quite a lot which is a bit annoying!

All in all, I am really impressed with the variety and quality of all of the clothes I bought from Debenhams maternity and will definitely be keeping an eye out for new additions to their range as my pregnancy progresses.

*I was sent a gift voucher to spend at Debenhams.com rel=”nofollow” in order to refresh my wardrobe and share my haul here on my blog. All words and opinions are my own.

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It’s bee a while since I wrote your last update and my goodness, as I look back we’ve had quite a few months! You have come on leaps and bounds over the last twelve weeks and are becoming more toddler and less baby by the minute. You’ve also become a cousin for the first time and while you’re not quite sure why you’re having to share the limelight suddenly, I think you’re both going to grow to be the best of friends.

Not only are you crawling at speed, you are a pro stair-climber and spend hours each day waddling up and down the room with your walker. When you first mastered it, each time you’d reach one end you’d promptly sit down and applaud yourself with such pride. Now though, a few weeks in you have finally sussed how to reverse and turn yourself around. This last week you have even started to let go and just stand casually unsupported babbling away to anyone who will listen. 

I will be completely honest, I have been a bit worried about your speech and your lack of words, but suddenly you are singing out ‘Mum, Mum, Mum’, ‘Nan, Nan, Nan’ and of course, ‘Dad, Dad, Dad’ over and over again…. And breathe. You also take great pride in your ability to tell me what noise a cow and a fish make! You chat away constantly making all sorts of sounds, and eagerly wait for us to reply so we can have a proper chinwag. I have no doubt that you are going to be a bit of a chatter box!

Your sense of humor is really growing and you are becoming such a funny little thing. You have us in stitches every single day and certainly know how to play a crowd. You are at your best in a room full of people where you can really show off your cheekiness and blow kisses to everyone with such gusto that sometimes I wonder if you’r cheeks are going to implode! You’re finding us quite funny too, and I’ve caught you really chuckling at Peter Rabbit & Mr Tumble too which is just the cutest thing. 

Despite us all getting pretty much all of the glorious winter bugs over and over plus a delightful visit from the Chicken Pox, we seem to have fit in so many firsts and little milestones through over the last few months. You’ve seen and played in your first snow, we finally took you swimming, and we’ve celebrated your first Easter with an insane amount of chocolate! Now that we are all feeling better we made the decision to move your cot into your nursery, just after you hit 10 months old. It was such a huge thing for me that I just hadn’t been ready to do until right then. You’ve taken to it SO SO well and seem so completely unphased by it all. You just go with the flow! 

When it comes to play, you have learned a few little games that you love. You would play our own little version of catch all day long if you could – you squeal with glee each time you roll, throw or pass a ball to one of us and clap every single time. I have lost count of the amount of times I have sung If you’re Happy and you Know it, Horsey, Horsey! and Twinkle Twinkle after your constant requests. I love how much you love music and singing and dancing. But most of all, you adore books. Every morning, I pop you on the floor in the living room while I get your morning bottle ready and come back in to find you sitting among a sea of books that you’ve pulled off of the shelf, casually flicking through your favourites, lifting the flaps, fiddling with the feely bits and leaning forward to kiss the characters. Your love of reading and stories just makes me so proud. You are a girl after my own heart! 

Your relationships with your ‘people’ are just becoming stronger and stronger. You and your Daddy are becoming quite the mischievous pair. Whenever I turn my back I can hear you both getting up to all the things Mama doesn’t let you do – take Easter morning for example when I found you chomping your way through an entire Easter Egg before you’d even had your morning bottle! Hearing you both play and giggle together is simply just the best sound and your excitement when he walks through the door each day fills me with utter joy. 

We still see Aunty Libby almost every day and she seems to top the list when it comes to your favourite people, possibly only just missing out to the dog. She wears her badge as your aunty with such pride and absolutely wraps you in love every time she’s here, and trust me, you’re the only person on this earth who can get away with getting mucky handprints on her trousers and systematically messing up her make up brushes every time we go and visit her and Nanny. 

Alfie, oh poor Alfie. He’s doing his very best to accept your totally intense love for him. You seek him out at any opportunity and crawl at him with such conviction and yet he just lays there, gives you a quick lick on the hand when you reach him and promptly gets up and moves out of your reach. However, he is also your little shadow at times, checking on you every now and then just to see if you’re okay and getting a quick bunch of kisses on your cheek before I shoo him away! Which by the way, you find hilarious! 

I am sure there is just so much more that you’ve learned and accomplished over the last few months that I haven’t managed to fit in here. Little girl, my little Florrie Bum, you amaze and inspire me every single day and I am so happy to be able to call myself your Mama. 

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