Jubilee Weekend

It's a very long weekend here in the UK. Thanks to the Diamond Jubilee we have Monday and Tuesday off and the whole Country has been in celebratory mood since Friday evening. God save the queen! 

Last night Rob and I started the celebration with the Coldplay concert at Emirates stadium. We bought tickets a very long time ago, way before I got pregnant, and even if I was very excited to go, I was a bit concerned about the thousands of people walking to and from the stadium. Nevertheless, we decided to go. We saw on the Coldplay website that they would start playing at 8.45pm, so around 6.30 we left the flat and slowly made our way to Arsenal. 

Once we got there I spotted at least two or three other bumps and the girl queuing in front of us was pregnant too and due in just two weeks. Well, this is what I call a brave mother! She gave me the courage to go to the women's volleyball semifinals at the Olympics in mid August, for which we have tickets (I am due on August 29th...we will see...!). The concert was ok but definitely not Coldplay's best show; however we enjoyed it and I loved the glowing wristbands that they handed at the entrance. 

Today was the big Jubilee pageant, the highlight of the Jubilee festivities. A thousand of boats and vessels sailed through the Thames from Wandsworth Bridge to the Tower Bridge for the grand finale, right where we live. We hosted a little afternoon tea party with our friend Amy and her parents and I got very patriotic with the decoration of the table and the cake. 

We watched the whole parade on the telly for over three hours and from time to time we went out on the balcony to look around. 

Despite the horrible weather there were people celebrating out on the balconies and waving their flags. It was a great day to be in London, something to tell Baby O one day...

Honey, does my bump look big in this?

I have just got back from an all-day workshop and am exhausted. Let me just say that with this heat we were in a room with no windows and a very poor functioning air conditioning. Everybody was suffering but I suppose things are worse for a pregnant lady. Anyway, I toughened up and thankfully got to the end of the day in one piece

What I loved about the workshop was all the attention by bump got. At lunch and tea breaks we were all talking about babies and being pregnant. One common comment from the attendees was: "Wow, your bump is very big!" Now, as soon as I got home I decided to take a picture (Rob is not in town so I had to use Photo Booth, hence the poor quality) so that you can judge. I think this bump is literally growing day by day. I am now 27 weeks pregnant and officially in month 7; and for the curious ones, I have put on 7 kilos. What do you think? Does my bump look very big? Too big even? 

By the way, this is not a maternity dress, so I am thinking: if I can still fit into this dress, which I have bought years ago and wore it so many times in my skinny days, I am still fine, right? :) 

And for those of you who are not on Facebook and therefore haven't seen these pictures already, here are two pictures I had fun taking. I needed some fun activities after a long day in a boiling hot cage, you see!

Poor Feet

As I have mentioned already, my feet are suffering these days. They get super swollen and the heat and all the walking are definitely not helping. No matter what shoes I decide to wear, at the end of the day I end up with new cuts and blisters. 

I saw these gorgoues plasters online a couple of days ago, if only I could find them in London...they would make my feet look less miserable! :)

UPDATE: I have just asked Rob to buy them for me. He is in NYC these days. Will he get them? I seriously doubt, but I figured it was worth a try! 

What to expect when you' re expecting

Today Rob and I went to the cinema with our good friends and parents-to-be Steph and Andrew to see What to expect when you're expecting. 

The movie follows the story of five couples who are facing the challenges of becoming parents. Given our situation, we had to watch it! Each story is different but the main topic is the same: preparing to be a parent is no pic-nic. From the very first moment you find out to be pregnant, life changes. During pregnancy couples go through a roller-coaster of emotions until the most powerful day of their life: the birth of their child.

I am not going to lie to you, the movie is not a masterpiece and perhaps I expected more. However, it was lovely to watch on the big screen what is happening to us now. It made me smile, laugh and even cry. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

And once again we had amazing weather in London. The sky was super blue and the temperatures as high as 28 degrees; in fact, it was nice to sit inside the cinema with air-conditioning for a bit. 

On our way to the cinema I asked Rob to take a picture of the bump with one of our favourite London landmarks, the Tower Bridge. This is where Rob proposed and this is where we live now. As you can see, Baby O grows day by day and mummy is getting bigger and bigger!

P.S. After yesterday's fiasco, today I wore flip-flops! :)

Steph's baby shower

Today was the day: Steph's baby shower! 

I had been looking forward to this for quite a while, my first baby shower, and what a lovely day it was. London was beautiful today, the sky was very blue and it was sunny all day, perhaps it was even a bit too hot for a pregnant woman. I can't believe a beach-town girl like me can't take the heat anymore. Pregnancy, what are you doing to me and my poor feet??!! :) 

I left my flat late in the morning, faced the heat and headed to Natalie's place. By the time I got to Barnes, where Natalie lives, my dress was full of sweat patches and my feet adorned with many blisters and cuts. Sweet! It will be nice to have my body back in a few months, or at least I hope so. 

When Amy and I got to Natalie's the other girls were already there. The first thing to do was to take a picture with Steph, bump by bump. Steph is ten weeks ahead of me but for whatever reason I look bigger than her. Gosh, I am really getting big! 

When Natalie invites you to a cupcakes and tea event you know you are going to get amazing cupcakes. She is just too good at making them. Rob loves them and actually asked me to bring him some back, which I forgot (pregnancy brains?!). 

It was such a fun day. We first ate and then we all gave Steph our gifts, which she really seemed to like. It's always nice to open gifts but I think it's even more special to open gifts for your new baby!

In truly WI spirit, we then got crafty and decorated onesies for Baby Girl. We had so much fun!

And here are the results, aren't they lovely?

I had such a great time, I love spending time with the girls. Now, I am looking forward to my baby shower!

A Nursery for Baby O

As I mentioned yesterday, this morning Rob and I went to visit a nursery close to our flat. I don't know what I expected, but I left the place with mixed feelings. You know when you think: This is not good enough for my little sweet daughter? That kind of feeling. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the place and the members of staff were all incredibly sweet and nice. All kids seemed to be having a good time and enjoying being there. However, we were not super impressed and we have decided to keep looking. The very good thing about this nursery is that it's very close to both our flat and Rob's office, so in terms of convenience, this is a winner. It's still kind of pricey though, so it makes sense to explore other options. There are two nurseries that we are touring in the next couple of months and we are also considering the nanny option. We will see what we end up doing. One thing for sure is that we need to feel happy with the place where we will be leaving our 5-6 month old baby! The search continues. 

Also, I give you a little update on the bump. It's finally warm enough in London not to be wearing tights. It's sunny and warm, it really feels like Summer. Rob and I have been sitting on the balcony these last few evenings after dinner just chatting and enjoying the view. Everything is so much nicer when the weather collaborates! 

So, I am now in week 26 and Baby O keeps growing and growing. I feel like my belly is getting bigger and bigger every minute and she moves constantly. Here is a couple of pictures taken this morning. Go ahead, you can say it, I am huge! And I have still got three months to go!

Apart from being tired and sleepy all the time (the heat is not helping!), I am actually doing ok. A bit of swollen feet and legs and an annoying back-ache, but I certainly cannot complain. I can still sleep fine and still manage to fit into my normal clothes. I can't wait to open my Summer clothes boxes to finally start wearing proper Summer stuff, which I plan to do next weekend (it's a long weekend over here, the Diamond Jubilee weekend, so I will be able to take my time and wash and organise everything between Saturday and Tuesday). 

This weekend will be rather busy but I am very excited for both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday I will be going to my friend Steph's baby shower. She is 36 weeks pregnant at the moment and still looks amazing. I can't wait to be with the other girls, showering her with gifts and attention. And then Sunday Rob, Steph, her husband Andrew and I will be going to the movies to see What to expect when you are expecting. They couldn't choose a better time to release this movie. It will be fun!

What are your plans for the weekend?

Antenatal classes booked

This is probably something I should have done a while ago, but better late than never, right? And thankfully we are in England and not in Italy, the Brits are a tiny bit more organised and quick than the Italians. 

A few days ago I applied for two antenatal classes and yesterday in the mail I found the timetable for the classes I had been assigned to. Very efficient! The classes start at the end of July.

1. So, the first class I chose is the Labour, birth, pain relief and relaxation class. Both Rob and I will attend this. It's a three-hour class that covers the following topics and more: Signs of labour, stages of labour and coping strategies - Comfortable positions, basic massage, relaxation and the role of your birth partner (this is why Rob is attending too! He needs to know what to do.) - Coping methods and options for pain relief in labour - Induction of labour, assisted births with vacuum or forceps and Caesarean section. Just reading and writing these things make me anxious! 

2. The second class, instead, will be just for me. It's all about Breastfeeding (breastfeeding, expressing and storing milk, positioning and attachment of the baby at the breast, as well as where to get help and support for feeding the baby).

All my friends who have had babies before me, or are in the process of having babies, have told me how useful these classes are, so I decided to give it a go. It will be interesting to know a bit more about what I will be going through, but also it will be nice to meet new parents like us who live in our area. Perhaps, we will even make new friends!

Both classes will be held at the Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre, which I love. It's a modern, very well designed place not too far from our flat. The centre also has a cool nursery which we will tour later on this Summer.

 

And speaking of nurseries, we are visiting one tomorrow at Guy's Campus. I know it may sound weird to you that we are already looking into this but in London you need to be prepared. Getting into the nursery you want may be very competitive and there are long waiting lists for the good nurseries. The Guy's Campus one is a King's College London nursery, so only King's members of staff are eligible to apply for a place (for those of you who don't know this, I am a Research Associate at King's, hence, I can apply). If we like it and they have availability, it will be the best option for us. Fingers crossed! As always, I'll keep you posted.

To Buy List

Yesterday Rob and I sat down and drew a list of essential, big things that we need to buy for baby O. So far I have been buying mostly clothes and little accessories, but it's now time to get down to business and start with the real stuff. 

So, here is our list of essentials for the first few months. We are talking about medium-to-big stuff, we haven't included things like nappies, for example; we know we will have to buy plenty of those! Please have a look and tell us if we need more.

So, what's the situation as of today:

1. COT: We are pretty set on buying the Stokke. I love the grey option with the white bedlinen and canopy. Now we just need to take a big breath, make the order, and pay! :)

2. PRAM (or Stroller, for the Americans): This will be my mum's personal gift to the baby. Phew, one big expense avoided! Thanks mum. I know we want the Bugaboo Cameleon, I have known this since the very moment the Bugaboo made its appearance in London. We just need to agree on the colour combination. I am thinking dark grey base and limited edition soft pink cot. But we want to check the new jade green as well as Rob is not too keen on the pink.

3. CHANGING TABLE: As we are trying to fit this into one of the two bathrooms, we are a bit limited. Most changing tables available are too big. However, if you search, you find. This one, for example, is lovely and would fit in our en-suite bathroom. The problem? A bit pricey. But I am thinking...once the baby doesn't need changing anymore (hopefully soon!), we can remove the mattress and use it as a nice storage table in the bathroom. 

4. WARDROBE: Done! Yesterday evening I ordered the unit I mentioned before. Not amazing, but practical. And I found it with a grey linen, instead of cream, which I like better. I also ordered fabric and leather grey boxes, as well as a couple of white baskets, and a set of glittery pink and lilac baby hangers. We are ready to store all Baby O's clothes!

5. CAR SEAT: This is Rob's job. We don't have a car in London but as we will need to use the cab from time to time (especially to go back home from the hospital!), we figured it would be good to buy one. I saw a sweet one in black and white polka-dots from Mamas and Papas and kindly passed the info to Rob. However, this is his project...we will see what he finds.

6. BOUNCER CHAIR: My biggest enemy. I am still not able to find one that I like. Most bouncers are very colourful and with lots of toys and other things hanging. I'd like something a bit more discrete but still sweet. Will keep looking.

7. BATH TUB: Found one shaped like a duck (less cheesy than you'd think, believe me!) which I love but it won't be good for the first few months. So, what do we do at the beginning? Just use the toilet sink?

8. NAPPY DISPOSAL SYSTEM: Evaluating different brands but we definitely want one!

9. BABY CARRIER: I think we will go with the Baba Sling, but we are still deciding.

10. CHANGING BAG: Still to look into this. For those who know me well, I like bags. So I may take my time here to look for a fashionable, but still functional, one :)

11-13. PUMP/MILK BOTTLES/BINKIES/STERILISER: No idea yet.

14. ELECTRONIC BABY SCALE: Not even sure we need one. In Italy the doctor makes you weight your baby multiple times a day, before and after she has been fed. Here nobody has mentioned the scale. I'll investigate.

This should be it for now, I hope! We are aware that with time we will need other big items, such as a high chair and a play mat, but for now we should be able to survive and provide Baby O with all she needs. Right?

Wicked

Yesterday evening Rob and I headed to the Apollo Victoria theatre to see the musical Wicked. As I mentioned before, this was one of my gifts for Rob's birthday this year, and I knew he would love it.

We hadn't been out on a Saturday evening for quite some time, so we dressed up a bit for the occasion. Here are two pictures of me and the bump. Thankfully, I managed to fit into one of my dresses. I still haven't bought proper maternity clothes and am trying to use my own as much as I can. Of course, I will need to buy some maternity clothes soon as the bump is getting every day bigger and bigger.

At the theatre we bought a bucket of sweets for a craving mum-to-be and then headed to our seats, which were in a quite good position, in the stalls, right in front of the stage. Overall the musical was very nice and powerful and we enjoyed it. I can't say it's the best musical I have ever seen but it's definitely worth a visit. Baby O seemed to love it as she literally went crazy kicking all the time. This was a good test as we have a Coldplay concert in a couple of weeks and I want to make sure she can take the loud music! Of course there will be thousands of people at the concert and the music will be much louder, but if she is truly our daughter she will just love it! 

Also, Rob got another gift in the mail yesterday. It's a book he wanted to read but he had not bought it yet. I was quicker than him and ordered it for his birthday. It's the Commando Dad book. When he mentioned that he wanted to read this book I melted, I thought it was very sweet of him and I know how much it means to him to be a good father. I have no doubt he will and am sure this book will just give him the confidence he needs :) Of course, I am going to read it too, I too need to know how to survive the first 24 hours!!

Baby O in 4D

This morning Rob and I visited the Baby Scan Clinic on Harley Street for our 4D scan. We had been looking forward to this since the moment we made an appointment a couple of months ago. We knew it would be very exciting to see Baby O again, and this time in 4D, and we were also aware of the fact that perhaps it could turn out to be a bit freaky too. 4D baby scans are very similar to 3D scans except that they are video scans, not static pictures like the 3D scans. As a souvenir we got ten 3D images of the baby and a DVD that captures all the nice moments of Baby O yawning, smiling, opening and closing her mouth, kicking, moving, and blowing kisses (at least, that's what it seemed she was doing!). By the way, they also confirmed Baby O is a girl! At some point Rob and I saw *something* that looked very suspicious but the technician understood straight away and was quick to assure us that that was a foot (!), and she showed us all the girlie bits instead. Phew! I was already thinking what to do with all the clothes that we have bought and received...

The pictures are not amazing, to be honest, but I have scanned a few for you to see anyway. Who do you think she looks like?

The whole time we were *filming* her she was moving so much showing us her chubby legs and froggy feet. It was very cute to see her in action. It would have been a magnificent experience if it wasn't for the fact that her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck and she clearly didn't seem to like it. She tried hard to get that thing off her neck (she is a trouper!) but she was only able to lift it a bit, up to her nose. Rob and I got a bit stressed by this but the sonogram technician assured us that this is quite common and since the baby moves a lot it is more than possible that by now she is totally free already. In any case, I am going to inform my midwives about this to see if we can have another scan to keep things under control. It was incredible to see how both Rob and I reacted the same way, with a very strong parental instinct: we both wanted to do something to take the umbilical cord off our sweet baby but of course we didn't know what to do, so we just kept asking questions. This is just the beginning, one of the many concerns that attack a parent's life! I wonder: are we ready for it? :)