KELLY BROWN Mum's the Word...With a second one coming, it's time to explain to my little man

Yes, I’m expecting my second little bundle of joy and I’m so glad everyone finally knows because it is a secret so hard to keep.

It’s a truth universally accepted that when you have one child everyone asks you when you are having another!

Well, at 16 weeks pregnant my little bubba is expected at the end of March next year. (Which if the first child is anything to go by means April!)

Until a couple of weeks ago, only a selected few knew of our exciting news but now the news – and my little bump – is out there for all to see.

I’ll admit the first time around it was a bit easier. Although I had some nausea I had quite a bit of energy and was able to easily hide my ‘symptoms’.

But this time round I’ve felt totally shattered (a by-product of running around after a toddler), felt really nauseous (made worse by the tiredness) and my bump was showing a little earlier.

So baggy clothes, evasive answers to questions and crashing out at the end of the day has been a staple part of my routine.

Telling friends and family has been lovely and easy.

But then my husband and I had to broach the subject of how and when to tell our little boy that he would no longer be the centre of our world.

If you read the books and advice most say you should leave it for as long as possible because a few days seem like forever to a tot, so nine months is an eternity.

All sounds good in theory, but then how can we make sure our munckin was a little more careful around mummy, doesn’t throw himself on me in the mornings and understand why I can’t run around and roll on the floor with him like daddy.

So our little man knows there is a baby in mummy’s tummy (in my belly button to be exact) and will come up to me and give the baby a kiss and a stroke.

He is very excited by the prospect, but needless to say I’m sure in five months’ time he will get a nasty shock when a baby in mummy’s tummy translates to a baby in our house. And yes, he is here to stay.

But at the moment we will concentrate on continuing to get him excited about being a ‘big boy’ while at the same time raiding the loft for those boxes of baby things we squirrelled away for the next baby.

Now where did we put that Moses basket?

* Just who is shopping for Christmas yet?

How depressing. The shops have got their Christmas decorations out, their selection packs on the shelves and advent calendars by the till.

Not that I blame them, because the ONLY reason they would be doing it before bonfire night is if people were buying them. So somebody has to be getting them stupidly early!

Seriously, do some people really think the shops will run out of the overpriced chocolate or something?

Absolutely crazy!

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