London 2012: Volleyball

Yesterday, Rob and I headed to Earl's Court for the Women's Volleyball Quarter Finals. But first, we stopped by our friend Steph, who leaves just few minutes away from the Exhibition Centre, and spent some good time with her and baby Juliette. Both Rob and I held Juliette and even got to see a diaper-change in action. Rob is freaking out at the idea of changing diapers and really appreciated seeing it first hand. He feels more confident now. We will see, as he will most probably be the first one to change baby O at the hospital. I loved chatting with Steph, it's so nice to have a friend who is experiencing motherhood for the first time like you, and it was very nice to see Juliette who is growing so fast, she is just adorable!

After an hour with the girls, it was time for us to head to the Exhibition Centre. Outside it was packed but thankfully my 9th month bump got on the way and everyone was super nice and attentive. We were allowed to take lifts instead of stairs and they were all so sweet telling me that if anything happened that night, there were loads of doctors on site. I felt ok and protected. I must confess, I did have some shocks (I don't think they were real contractions) during the games but nothing to worry about. Two people voted for the 7th of August on the Baby O's birthday poll and I was ready to make those two people the winners last night...but, I am afraid it didn't happen. The next guess in the poll is August 10th. Wouldn't it be nice if Baby O was born on San Lorenzo's Day? Instead of admiring the falling stars I may be staring at the ceiling asking for help from above!

Back to yesterday evening: we watched two games: America vs Dominic Republic and Italia vs Korea. The Americans won easily, 3-0, while the Italians made me suffer quite a bit and lost in the end, 1-3. Despite the loss, we had a great time. I really enjoyed the games, the atmosphere, and all the attention me and Baby O got. Also, the sausage baguette we ate was delicious too! 

America vs Dominic Republic

The Italians entering the field. Nice memories of me playing...not at the Olympics, though!

Italia vs Korea

So, our Olympic experience ended yesterday and we loved it. I am sure we would have gone to more events if I wasn't so heavily pregnant but I am still quite satisfied with myself. I didn't think I was going to be able to make it, but I did and it will be nice to tell Baby O that somehow she was at the London 2012 Olympics. I am happy with the way I have been throughout this pregnancy, no major freaks out and no silly panic so far; I am sure the British motto *Keep Calm and Carry On* has played a big role here! Hopefully, I will stay strong throughout the final leg of this journey! Fingers crossed!

London 2012: Beach Volleyball

Yesterday Rob, the bump, and I went to the Horse Guards Parade to enjoy some beach volleyball. We tried to get tickets over a year ago back in the first wave of tickets sale but we failed. Back then, we applied for many tickets but we only got two for the Women's Volleyball Quarterfinals. Nonetheless, we felt quite lucky. When I was younger (and fit!) I played volleyball and beach volleyball, so for me these were the two disciplines to watch. 

A few days ago we found out that every evening new tickets are released. We have tried a couple of times but without success until we finally got two tickets for beach volleyball. If I wasn't in my ninth month of pregnancy I would try to get tickets for every single event, I am really loving the Olympics this year! I suppose it's different when your hometown is hosting them! But I am every day slower and slower and more out of breath, so more than often it is sensible to just stay at home.

I don't mind telling you, it was a bit of a struggle for me to get there yesterday, despite the fact that we booked a car; however, as soon as we entered the stadium and we sat down I started feeling better and I truly enjoyed the games and the entertainment. 

The location is simply stunning, right next to St. James's park, Downing street and with the London Eye in the background. The park was packed. We strolled a bit and admired the statues and the sand sculptures before entering the actual stadium. 

The atmosphere in the stadium was glorious. All the flags were on display, good music was being played and the crowd was really into it, singing, dancing and playing with the waves! 

Unfortunately, we didn't get to see either Italy or the USA; the first match we saw was the men's where Germany literally destroyed Latvia. The second game, the women's, was a bit more entertaining, with Check Republic sending Brazil home.

Overall, we had a blast. I am glad we went, I had fun watching the games and really enjoyed the dancing parts! Now we are off to see some good Volleyball on Tuesday. Stay tuned.

Your Olympic Games Tickets

This morning we were just about to sit down to have breakfast when the door bell rang. Delivery. There are several packages we expect to be delivered these days, mostly baby stuff (e.g. changing table and storage boxes, changing mat, baby clothes) and a few other things (e.g. gifts for upcoming friends' birthdays, shoes for me and some other stuff for the house) but we were definitely not expecting this! And you can imagine our excitement when we opened the package and saw what was inside:

A year ago when the first round of tickets went on sale, Rob and I applied to as many tickets we felt comfortable with. At the beginning you could just apply for tickets, hoping to get something. Millions of people frantically visited the London 2012 website that day and so did we and many of our friends. Naively, we thought we were going to get something but then with time we realised how hard that would be. A few months went by and one day I received an email with the notification that we had been allocated two tickets for the Women Volleyball Semifinals! I was so happy as this was one of my favourite events to attend. Having played volleyball when I was younger and being a big fan of the sport, this was a special event for me. Unfortunately, not all our friends have been lucky getting tickets, at least not at the first round. So we feel blessed.

Now the *problem* is the game will be on August 7th, just three weeks before my due date. Will I be able to go? How big will I be then? London will be a mess to get around those days and I will certainly be less tolerant than usual. However, as of right now I still plan to go, it doesn't happen every day to go to an Olympic game and I would hate to miss this experience. And who knows, perhaps baby O will get so excited, will let me enjoy the game, and then will try to come out a bit early! Everybody wins!