Hello Bear,

You’re into your ‘surprises’ at the moment. Generally they go down a storm when you’re running out of steam at meal times, and are used to coerce you into finishing the boring bits so that you can have a not-so-boring ‘surprise’. Granted, to most toddlers that would be a chocolate- or cake-based something, but you consider those the work of the devil and are chuffed to bits with a pack of raisins or bowl of strawberries, so we just smile and sneak back to the kitchen to finish our Dairy Milk join in the chorus of “Hurrah! Fruit!”

Well it’s a good job you’re into surprises, and that they don’t have to be in chocolate form. Because we have a little surprise for you…and it’s not a lifetime supply of Pom Bears, I’m afraid.

Instead, it’s a baby brother or sister! (Honestly, if Bear could read this now her reaction to this would be “What?? No Pom Bears??”. I guarantee it.)

Yep, joining us in September will be Bear #2 (in time for the rugby Autumn Internationals – your father has already prepared the kit in case Wales need a couple of totally inexperienced, easily distracted (and…ahem…half English) subs. I’m not going to tell porkies, I am both really excited and really bricking it in equal measure; at this stage of the game with you I was blissfully unaware of the hard work side of things, and just figured that a cute new addition was going to be less ‘whirlwind’ and more ‘gentle breeze’. Ahh, how deluded I was.

But this parenting lark makes us very happy, so we’ve decided to go in for round 2 – only this time with a little inside knowledge. And you know what? I CAN.NOT.WAIT to see you as a big sister. That, right there, will make me proud (and I’ll cry, obvs).

We’ve already talked a bit about what’s in Mummy’s tummy (or pocket, as you insist), and you say that it’s a baby sister. Your shortlist of names is currently Baa Baa (of black sheep fame), or Peppa (who needs no introduction on this blog, most annoyingly). Over the next few months I’ll be getting bigger, eating weird things, being way too emotional (I know! more so than normal!) and (hopefully) spending less time in the bathroom being sick. The 3 of us will go through it all together, but it’s probably best that you and we keep different baby name shortlists if the route you’re going down is firmly set in nursery rhyme/annoying pig cartoon territory…

Lots and lots of love,

Mummy & Daddy (and ‘the baby in Mummy’s pocket’) xx