I want to do what you do, and more!

Emilia is growing up, and fast. Every day she examines us and tries to imitate us. It is so cute to see her entering the toddler's world. She is officially no longer a baby. 

First of all, she is done eating baby food. Well, in all honesty, we stopped buying baby food a little while ago already. Emilia watches us eating and wants to try whatever we are having. Everything looks good to her. And the girl loves to eat. And now, she wants to eat by herself, like mummy and daddy do. She makes a mess, of course, but she needs to learn, right? And I appreciate the effort. So, to make her happy, I try to cook for her something similar to what we are eating. If we are having brunch on Saturday morning, I'll make sure to make scrambled eggs for her too. The difference? No salt for her, that's all, and she doesn't know that nor can she notice it. Also, we graduated from little pasta (e.g. stelline, tempestina, anellini, sabbiolina and all the thousands of different kinds of pastina Italian brands have come up with in the last twenty years or so) to medium size pasta, like these maccheroncini in the picture. Emilia loves eating what we do, so if I am having a bowl of rigatoni with tomato sauce and Parmesan, she will have a copy of it. And she is happy doing what mummy is doing.

 

 

 

 She also wants to try and experience new things. She is very curious and enjoys novelty. It doesn't have to be big stuff, anything new would do. This morning, for example, Rob put her on top of the bookshelf. You should have seen her face, he made her day. She was so excited and happy and I melt every time I see her smile. 

Soft Play

I am always on the look out for some activities for Emilia. As she doesn't attend nursery, I think it is essential that she is around kids as much as possible. I don't want her to grow and feel isolated. Also, it is very important that she starts developing her social skills at this early age. Thankfully, as I said before, despite the fact that she spends most of her time with adults (babysitter, us, family, friends of ours...), she is quite sociable with babies and kids and I am very happy about this. When we are out and about and she spots some kids, she immediately smiles and screams *baby*, even if that *baby* is actually ten years old! I want to make sure that things stay this way and that she continues to feel comfortable around little human beings. So, on Monday afternoon I took her to a local play centre where three days a week some lovely volunteering mums organise soft play sessions for kids aged 0-5. The kids are free to run and play as they please using all the props and toys in the room. Also, at the end of each session there is a 15-minute sing and dance activity where the parents can join in and have some fun too. I must confess, I wasn't expecting much and thought this would be a one-off experience; however, I absolutely loved it and even asked the babysitter to take Emilia there again those days I am working.

The place is super modern, huge, very clean and with loads of activities. At first Emilia was a bit shy but as soon as she felt at home, she started cruising and exploring each individual activity. She particularly loved the slide and the little pool with the plastic balls (well, who doesn't!? It was one of my faves when I was little too!). This time we went with our friends Katharina and Elias and it was so cute to see Emilia and Elias looking for each other. Clearly, they can recognise each other and enjoy being and playing together. On the way back home they were even holding hands. Too too cute! 

 

 

 

 

Southbank Activities

The weather has been quite mild in London which is encouraging us to go out more and more. We live in a lovely area and we know we should make the most of it while we are here. We won't be in central London for the rest of our lives (sadly!). So, when Rob asked me what we could do this weekend, I suggested a nice stroll along the river, the Southbank, and a visit to the Royal Festival Hall. We had been there before but not with Emilia and it is a very baby friendly place. So, we planned our little day out.

Emilia is getting more and more excited to go out. When I dress her up, she knows it's because we are going out and she gets euphoric. She is a very sociable baby and I am happy about it. 

The riverside stroll from our flat to the Southbank is beautiful and still one of my favourite parts of London. There is so much to see and there is always something going on: food stalls, markets, musicians, street artists, skateboarders, eccentrics, weirdos, you name it. There is something for every type and taste. Emilia was particularly fascinated by the musicians and I have to say, some of them were really good. On the other hand, she wasn't too impressed by the Transformer guy.

 

 

 

When we got to the Royal Festival Hall it was almost lunch time and we were all getting rather peckish. So we browsed the options and eventually picked a Mexican restaurant. I brought fruit along for Emilia but she absolutely adored the tortillas. She ate four but could have had hundreds! And she was very good and well behaved. She even flirted a bit with our waiter :) Rob and I enjoyed our nachos and burritos and when it was time to go we had to convince Emilia that there was something else to do, equally fun, outside the restaurant. It's nice to see that she enjoys eating out and we are more relaxed about taking her out for lunch now. 

 

 

 

As I said above, the Royal Festival Hall is a very good place for babies to hang out. I love that even the cafe has a kid's corner and there are little tables for kids everywhere. 

And it's very cool too. There is always something artistic going on. We loved walking through the pink magic village. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Royal Festival Hall is hosting Imagine, a children's festival, in February. We will be back!

Something to be proud of!

Prepare yourself, this is kind of an odd topic. 

Rob and I are not the kind of parents who like to brag about their kids, in fact, we are quite the opposite. However, there is one thing in particular we are very proud of about Emilia. 

A few days after she turned one, Emilia started telling us when she had to go to the toilet. Literally, and the Italians will understand what I mean here, she would say *cacca cacca*. We were excited about the news but in reality we didn't do anything. Every time she told us that she was about to make a poo, we would look at her, encourage her, and say brava! I don't know why we behaved that way,  perhaps we didn't quite believe her or we were simply being lazy. Being a parent is hard work and sometimes it is just easier to be lazy and wait for things to just happen, whenever that might be. But thankfully, Emilia kept insisting. I credit my parents for this. They started showing Emilia where you are supposed to make a poo and what happens next (e.g. wipe and flush) since she was very very little. She was intrigued and it paid off. You think babies don't listen to you and are in their little, tiny, baby world free of any concern, but in fact, they do observe you and everything you do; they absorb what they have ingested and sooner than you know they try to imitate you. So, at some point I decided it was time to take action and it worked out very well for everyone involved. I can say today that Emilia has been making a poo in the toilet for the last month and a half, precisely since she turned 15 months old. And we even skipped the potty phase, which I personally think is disgusting! Why would you want to have your child make a poo in a pot, mess it all up, and mess yourself up, while there is something so genius as a toilet? Your child does her business there and with a simple flush everything disappear. Done, no dirt involved. I actually bought a toddler toilet seat before Emilia turned one and have been showing it to her since then. So, perhaps, I deserve some props too. It was hanging in the toilet and every time she saw it she would say the magic word, cacca. So, we haven't changed a dirty diaper in a long time and let's hope it stays this way. We live in a luxurious life now and it would be hard to go back! As for number one, I am not sure when Emilia will be able to understand that she is about to go pee pee, however, she knows what it is. My plan is to wait until Spring, when the weather will be a bit milder, and then I'll keep her in her undies in the house and start with the pee training. Fingers crossed. But for now, I am a very proud mummy.

The girl is alright!

As some of you may have heard, we had a little accident on Sunday evening: Emilia fell from her highchair. Needless to say, it was very scary and a big wake up call from Rob and I who will now try to be even more careful. However, certain things are about to happen anyway.

I was cooking and Emilia was in the kitchen with me, sitting and playing on her highchair, as usual. Rob was in the other room watching football. She was very close to me and I kept an eye on her until I turned for two seconds to throw the cherry tomatoes in the pan and I heard the bang noise. When I turned around, I couldn't believe what I saw, she way lying on the floor, crying. How did that happen? Thankfully, I keep very calm in these situations, so I immediately went to her and gently hugged her trying to console her. Rob came to the room and noticed that there was blood on the floor. Panic. Her nose was bleeding and some blood dripped while I lifted her to hold her close to me. We immediately put cotton and cold water in her nose. We moved to the bedroom and she comfortably laid on the bed. She cried for a bit but I have to say, she was so strong. Thankfully, the nose stopped bleeding very soon and Emilia started smiling at us, kind of to say: "I am alright, don't you worry". We checked that her arms and legs were moving fine, together with the neck and the rest of the bones and muscles. Sooner than we imagined, she was back to her usual self. 

After a quick check with the doctor over the phone, we agreed that it wasn't necessary to take her to hospital. We only needed to monitor her behaviour for 24-48 hours. For two nights one of us slept in the room with her just to check that she was breathing fine. Otherwise, I am very happy to say that she is absolutely fine. And funny, as usual. Yesterday morning she was brushing her teeth, right after breakfast, and look what she did to make me smile? The girl is a comedian!

Funfetti Cupcakes

On Sunday morning Rob woke up with a craving for something home-baked. I am always up for a baking project, so I immediately looked up at my Food board on Pinterest and the first thing that caught my eye was this Funfetti Cupcakes recipe. I showed it to Rob and he was easily sold. So, we checked if we had all the ingredients in the cupboards and sooner than we imagined we were all in baking mood! When I say all, what I really mean is that I did all the baking and cleaning, Emilia had fun with the sprinkles, and Rob watched us, impatiently waiting to put his hands on the cupcakes! 

 

 

 

In the end we had lots of fun and the cupcakes turned out quite yummy! Not as cool as the ones from the blog, but still quite nice. My dough was definitely less white than that one from the original recipe and so was the frosting. I wonder why...If you are intrigued and want to give it a go, here is the recipe.

 

And if you are wondering what is Emilia wearing, here is a shot of the full, crazy outfit. Doesn't she look like a rock-star? :)

The weekend begins

Weekends have always been great, something to look forward to after a long week at work. Now that I have a family, however, weekends have become more special. While Saturday and Sunday mornings are no longer days to sleep in (Emilia doesn't know the difference between a work day and a weekend day yet! And she always wakes up around 7.30am, no matter what day of the week it is), the weekend has become the moment for the three of us to enjoy some good, family time together. 

Last night Rob and I kicked off the weekend ordering some sushi in and watching a sweet comedy on tv, New Year's Eve. If you haven't seen it and are up for something romantic, easy and entertaining, go ahead and watch it. It's no masterpiece but you know, after a full week juggling between work and baby, you don't want to stress your brain too much! It was nice for the two of us to have a relaxing evening, everyone needs a rest every now and then. Today, instead, was all about the family. We had an amazing day in London, the sun was shining in the blue sky and we had to go out. Emilia was very happy to get out and brought her best friend Peppa along. So, in reality, we are a family of four! 

 

 

The highlight of the day out was brunch at Le Pain Quotidien at Canary Wharf. Emilia loved it and didn't want to leave.

 

 

And after a bit of food shopping we went back home where the three of us napped for over an hour! And then, Emilia was in full energy until bed time. She was all over the place and when she ran out of options, she jumped into her little baby pram and loved being pushed around the flat by her daddy. 

 

Life is definitely more hectic and more challenging now that we have Emilia but she fills our days with so much love that I could never imagine going back to a couple of years ago. It would be less chaotic, yes, but also rather boring!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

First Play Date of 2014

As an only child I have always surrounded myself with lots of friends. I like to be with and around people. When I had to go back to work after my maternity leave, Rob and I debated for a bit whether to put Emilia in a nursery or not. In the end, we opted for a nanny. There are pros and cons for both situations, as everything else in life. However, we felt more comfortable to leave our five-month-old precious little girl at home with a dedicated person who could look after her and give her all the attention she needed. Considering that she does spend a lot of time alone with her nanny, and otherwise with us, I think it is essential that she sees people, and in particular small people like her, on a regular basis to develop her social skills. I have to say, Emilia is a quite sociable baby and doesn't seem to have issues with strangers and sharing her things. But it's up to us, the parents, to make sure that things stay this way. 

So, while we wait until the usual activities start again (e.g. classical concerts, softplay, music classes, gardening, swimming...) we kicked off the new year with a play date with our local and very good friends Katharina and baby Elias. Emilia and Elias were born pretty much at the same time and have been regularly seeing each other since they were one month old. I love spending time with Katharina, we have so much in common (she is an academic like me and we both share a visceral passion for Libya), have a similar vision on how to raise our children, and can talk about pretty much everything; and I believe Elias and Emilia enjoy each other's company too. And they recognise each other now, which is very cute. When we arrived at Katharina's, Elias pointed at Emilia and Emilia looked at him and screamed baby! She was so excited to play with her little friend and I was happy to eat all of Katharina's delicious Christmas biscuits! :)