From Aunt Ila, With Lots of Love

Last week Rob and I came back home from a long and tiring day out to find a nice package waiting for us outside our door. The package was addressed to *Baby Otremba*. We got excited! Baby O had just received her first package, completely addressed to her. That's exactly what we needed to cheer us up!

As soon as we got inside our flat, we went to the bedroom and opened the package. Inside there were several presents all nicely wrapped. It was an explosion of colours. A pink note read: *If Baby O doesn't go to her baby shower, the baby shower goes to Baby O*. I thought it was incredibly sweet, you all know how sad I was to miss my Italian baby shower. 

Rob and I both chose which presents we wanted to open and the fun began. Inside, lots of lovely clothes for our little princess and sweet notes from aunt Ilaria, her mother and our good friends Mario and MariaPaola.  Thank you all, you made our day. 

London Baby Shower

Today was the day of my London baby shower and what a day that was. I had such an amazing time.

I had been looking forward to today since the moment Natalie set a date for my baby shower but when my Italian baby shower got cancelled (oh well, postponed) for the reasons you already know, I got even more and more excited about this London do. So this morning I woke up and after a lovely breakfast with Rob I got ready. I tried a couple of outfits on and finally went with this one. I wanted something sweet and with pink touches, of course! So I picked a blue dress and pink accessories, shoes, cardi and bracelet.

When my girlfriends saw me they were all kind of shocked at how big I am. The bump keeps growing and growing, I wonder if Baby O will be a big baby or this is just a fake :)  One thing for sure I hope to get my body back as soon as possible after the big event. 

The baby shower was simply amazing. We ate lovely food, chatted as only good friends can, had fun playing a game, opened gifts and took a stroll around Barnes. 

Natalie organised such a fun game. She printed photos of famous people when they were babies/kids and we all had to guess who they were. Some were very easy but others took some time to identify. It was so much fun! 

And after playing the game, Baby O and mama had the most fun opening the gifts! Look at all the wonderful things we got: a Dior milk bottle with its case (how chic is this??!!), sleepsuits with union jacks and tea-cups, stickers to mark every month birthday, a clay baby prints kit, cardigans and a super sweet pink and blue dress. Also, my lovely friends brought gifts for my recent birthday; I got a mother-to-be set of organic body products and a book of the best tea houses in London. My girlfriends and I have already decided to use this book to start a new series of monthly afternoon teas around London. I can't wait! I feel so fortunate to live in a cool city like London and most of all to have such amazing friends.

To thank my girlfriends I made little thank you bags with white, pink and black cupcake cases. And ladies, if you are reading this: Thanks again for such an amazing day, you are the best! 

Italian Baby Shower Postponed

Today was the day of my Italian baby shower.

If I were in Pescara, I would now be getting ready to go to my manicure and pedicure appointment to be all nice and ready to go to Ila's and join my girlfriends for a nice evening of good food, games, chats, laughs, and of course gifts opening! Needless to say, I am very sad this is not happening. I know Ilaria had planned a lot of fun things for us all to do and I was really looking forward to a nice and relaxing evening with my girlfriends. Last time I saw them was back in April and my bump was rather little; I know they were excited to see how big this belly is now! Oh well, we all know why I am not there. 

Ila, however, has decided to postpone the celebrations and next time I will be at home (sooner or later I will be able to go home!) we will all be together again, eating and chatting, and I will be introducing Baby O to everybody. I can't wait!

Modern Moses Basket

Rob and I are not going to buy a Moses basket, even if it's such a lovely thing. When you don't have a lot of space, you need to think carefully what to buy and what to avoid. Hence our decision. However, if we could get one, I would seriously be considering these stunning Moba baskets. Their bright colours, ergonomic, eco friendly design with its fully recyclable, wipe clean, breathable material that doesn’t degrade over time are just the kind of things I like.

Perhaps for Baby O #2!

A Pink Package From Denmark

Today Baby O and I got a lovely package from Denmark full of pink sweet things. The gifts come from my very good friend and former flat mate, Anya. I got so excited when I saw the box and so did Baby O who started kicking harder than usual. I think she can sense when I am happy and then she behaves accordingly :) 

All the goodies were packed in a nice pink, white and green bag and inside it was an explosion of pinkness! Bright pink doilies, pink heart balloons, pink and yellow confetti strips, polka dots napkins and pink and purple cards. Everything you need to throw a nice, little party! In the package Anya also included some sweets for mummy-to-be. I am particularly looking forward to the liquorice and coconut candy! She knows what mummy likes. 

Thanks very much my friend, this was such a lovely surprise!

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?