Baby O, you have got mail!

Since we announced that we were expecting a baby we have received so much support and excitement from everybody, it has been amazing to see how much loved we are. And Baby O is going to get all this love, and more. A few days ago my mum told me that now Baby O has the priority on everything and that I come second, not something an only child like me is used to hearing! :) But it is true. When I was sick and couldn't move from either my bed or the bathroom, all I could think of was Baby O's health, not mine. It's incredible how things can change when you become a mother, or are close to become one. 

My mum is dying to start buying things for her little grandchild but until we know the sex I have asked her to wait. I am getting impatient too but hopefully in just a couple of weeks we will know whether we are having a boy or a girl and then we can go crazy shopping. This, however, hasn't prevented our sweet friends from sending us some gifts. 

The first gift came from the parents-to-be Steph and Andrew; they bought us a lovely book to help us decide on the baby's name. I have to say, so far we haven't been successful. We have a rule, namely that the name must sound nicely both in Italian and English, but other than that, we cannot agree on anything. Also, Rob refuses to talk baby names until we find out the sex, while that's the only thing I want to talk about these days. It won't be easy! 

And then a couple of days ago we received a lovely package from our good friend Jen. The package came from the MOMA Store and in it we found a gift for mama and one for Baby O, sorry nothing for you Rob...if I come second, you definitely come third! For me Jen picked these lovely teaspoons that I had on my Dear Santa list. Aren't they super cute? I was actually hoping Rob could collect them in one of his trips to NYC, but Jen came first, thank you friend! And for Baby O there was a set of cool animal cards. I have played with Rob already and we had fun, let's hope Baby O is just as silly as us. When I called Jen to thank her, she told me that she wanted to send something to make me feel a bit better given all the sickness I had been going through. I thought it was an amazing gesture.

It's great to have friends like you and baby O is lucky to be spoiled by all of us!

Spring Has Sprung

We have been having amazing weather here in London, I love Spring, but this is not really what I am referring to in the title of this post. 

Week 17 has brought a little bit of a bump explosion, at least that's how it feels to me. You the judge:

And I am slowly starting to feel better and therefore more energetic. Today I got in the mail the prenatal fitness DVD that I ordered on Amazon and that my good friend Steph highly recommend. Perhaps I can give it a try this weekend together with some long strolls at the park! I will let you know how it goes...

Week 16: The week of butterflies

Every week brings something new and the 16th week for me has been the week of the butterflies. I entered the week on Wednesday and that same evening I started to feel something in my belly. It's definitely not the baby kicking yet, too early for that, but after some reading I understood that it's not just air in my stomach but it is indeed the baby moving, and I must say, Baby O moves a lot! It's an interesting feeling, as anything with pregnancy. It feels like my stomach has been filled with water and there are things floating in there. It's not painful at all, perhaps a tiny bit uncomfortable. But then when you think that that is your baby having fun in there, it all becomes acceptable! 

This week I have also learnt that unfortunately I haven't said goodbye to nausea for good. The last couple of days have been atrocious. Oh well, it's part of the game, I guess. One thing, however, that I have decided to do, is to give some more thoughts on what I am going to wear. I have to say, it is not easy to dress up when you feel crap and don't look good. But if you pay no attention to what you are wearing and you don't look after yourself, you are just going to look even more miserable. 

So tip number one for Vale: add some colour to your wardrobe (hopefully the transition to Spring will help as my Winter clothes are all navy, grey and black!) and wear a little bit of make up if you are too pale or your eye shadows are just too big!

I am still not wearing tight clothes so my belly is not that visible...but that's my style in general. Maybe I'll get better at that!

Vale 16 weeks + 4 days (front)

Vale 16 weeks + 4 days (side)

And a bit more...

People have been asking for new pictures of the bump. I didn't realise how attractive a pregnant woman's bump can be! Anyway, I am happy to oblige. I must say, my little bump is still quite little and doesn't grow as fast as you people would like. However, you can definitely start to see something. My tummy is no longer flat, if it has ever been.

You also tell me that the shape of my bump will help you *determine* whether I am expecting a girl or a boy...so here are two very recent pictures. What do you think?

Vale 16+2 (front)

Vale 16+2 (side)

Make sure you vote, time is ticking :)

Boy or Girl?

In a month time hopefully we will find out if Baby O is a bambino or a bambina, a sweet baby boy or a sweet baby girl. And I can't wait! And not because I particularly want one or the other, but simply because I want to start buying things for this little bundle of joy. Someone has got to spoil baby O!

Since the very first moment I started telling people that I was pregnant, I have been hearing all sorts of reasons why I am definitely expecting a girl, or why there is no doubt that I am having a boy. The sickness, the hormones, the cravings, the shape of the belly...I find all these feelings and thoughts quite funny and cute. 

Now, I thought it would be fun to play a little game and see what you all think. Are we having a boy or a girl? Cast your vote. You have time until April 13th. The satisfaction of knowing that you got it right is priceless! :)

Is Baby O a girl or a boy?

COS is the word!

After getting a bit frustrated with maternity clothes and panicking on what I will be wearing in the upcoming months, I have finally realised that I don't in fact need to look for maternity clothes, or at least I don't need to limit myself to the boring and dull maternity clothes available in shops these days.

As I am slowly starting to feel a bit better, last Saturday I ventured a shopping trip to Covent Garden with my friend Ilaria. We mostly did some window shopping but then we stumbled across COS and I decided to give it a try. With its Marni style cuts (at a much lower price!), there were quite a few things I could try on and I even ended up buying two dresses: a half-knitted half-silk navy midi dress and a knitted blue and white dress. There were many other things I could have bought but I want to wait for my bump to expand a bit more to make sure that I will indeed be able to fit in these lovely dresses.

The following items are on my wish list at the moment:

I actually tried this on and loved it. However, I tried the Medium and it was a bit too big. They didn't have a Small. But I will go back! And who knows, maybe I will need a M in a few weeks....

It looks like I may be wearing a lot of navy stuff!

And these are some of the looks I may still be able to rock, even with a bigger bump! Thank you COS!

To be continued....

From Nothing To Something

Two weeks have gone by since we made our little secret public. Not much has been happening, really. I am still struggling with nausea, at this point I fear I may be one of the *lucky* ones who have it for the entire pregnancy. But, life goes on and thankfully I am still able to be happy and appreciate how blessed we are.

I have started to have the urgent need to show a bump, even if little. And, very slowly, I guess, we are getting there. Before you say anything, I know that my bump is still pathetic but it is growing a tiny bit a a time. And let's not forget, I am not used to this at all. My weight has been the same (=52 kg) since I was a teenager! So, my body needs its time to adjust to the new status!

 

Vale 14 weeks +1 day

Of course, I am still wearing my normal clothes. Dresses are a bit more comfortable these days, but otherwise there is no need to invest in maternity clothes yet. Also, I am so disappointed at designers. I cannot believe in 2012 maternity clothes still look so dull. I will stick to normal clothes for as long as I can. My concern is the two weddings I have in Italy between the end of June and mid-July; by then I will be almost seven months and I am assuming the bump will be a little bit bigger than now :) I need two cool dresses. If you see anything out there, I value any suggestion!