Guess Baby O's birthday!

If Baby O is like her mama, she could be born as early as the 22nd of July (due date August 29th). Yes, that's right, I was born a month and a week before the due date. One night, while my mum was peacefully sleeping, her water broke and a few hours later baby Valentina was born. And this is why I have tried to get organised in time, you never know. Of course, she may decide that she actually likes swimming in mummy's belly and wants to stay in there for a bit longer than the due date too. Who knows, only time will tell us. One thing for sure is that they usually induce you to labour if baby doesn't have any intention to come out and is still in mum's body one week after the due date. So the potential dates post/ante quem for us are: July 22nd and September 5th.

In the meantime, we can only guess when this will happen. If you have a feeling, or a favourite date, or simply would like to play a game, please participate in the poll below. And there will be prizes for the winner(s)!

Guess Baby O's Birthday

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!

Week 34: We are growing!

Yesterday I entered week 34, only six weeks to go (or hopefully less!). Time doesn't really fly when you are pregnant but it's good to see that it still goes by. And if I think of the first four months and all the nausea and sickness, in all fairness, it does seem like ages ago and I have kind of forgotten all those bad moments. People did tell me I would, but I never thought I could forget how sick and bad I felt for three-four months...well, the good news? You do forget and I suppose that's why you end up having more than one child! 

A little update on the bump and how mama and baby are doing.

As you can see from the pictures, we are growing! I have just weighted myself and it looks like I have put on almost 10 kg! Everybody told me that from month 7 we (me and the baby) would have grown and grown and grown, and I guess they were right. The bump is definitely bigger and heavier; however, I must say, I can still walk fine and my back doesn't hurt too much. My legs are chunkier and the face is a bit swollen too but otherwise I don't feel terribly big and bloated, let's hope I don't *explode* in the last month! I am still able to wear some of my normal clothes. This stripey dress, however, is a maternity number which I think, and hope, to be able to wear even when I won't have this bump anymore. I hate wasting money on maternity clothes.

I am off work at the moment as I took days off thinking to be able to go to Italy (sad face!) but I am not really doing much. I get tired quite easily and need to rest often, so I am mostly at home trying to sort a few things out. I have had a long to-do-list on my desk for quite some time and am glad to be finally able to scratch some of the things off the list. Still a way to go but it's a start. 

I do try to go out every now and then though, it's good to get some fresh air and a little bit of sun. This morning, for example, I took a nice little trip to Earl's Court and visited my friend Steph, her mum and lovely baby Juliette. I had a great time, we chatted as only girls can, went to the park for a bit and ate delicious chocolate croissants. I got to hold Juliette for a bit and for a moment I imagined to be holding my own baby girl, it will be amazing to finally have her with us!

The annoying bit of this week is that I am quite nauseous; this morning I woke up and the nausea was so strong I thought I was going to be sick straight away. But it looks like the "four-month training" I had at the beginning of the pregnancy is helping me to cope with it now. I was strong and went to the kitchen and still enjoyed a lovely cappuccino and two chocolate muffins instead. I must say I am not very hungry these days but I try to force myself a little because I know that baby O needs nutriment and I am her only source of energy at the moment. I mostly crave fruit and sweet treats, I have been devouring so many ice-creams lately!

As for my mood, apart from the little disappointment for not being in Italy at the moment, I am very happy and excited to see this little girl. We are ready for you love, whenever you are...

Hospital Bags Ready!

Today I am 33 weeks pregnant and have finally finished packing our hospital bags, one for mama and one for baby. I will be full-term soon and there was really no need to procrastinate this any further. In theory, Baby O may decide to come any time soon and I doubt I would be lucid enough to pack while in the middle of contractions. So here we go, these two bags are now at the entrance of our bedroom, ready to go. 

I followed the list provided by the hospital, but please let me know if you think I am missing something.

RED BAG - for mama: 

toiletries

towels

sanitary pads

underwear

nursing bras

breast pads

nightwear

dressing gown

slippers

comfortable clothing to go home

personal effects (e.g. ipod - camera - book - games) - to be added, actually. Still need them these days.

snacks (not too bothered by this as there are shops in the hospital but I put some cereal bars in it, just in case)

BURBERRY BAG - for baby:

cotton wool

nappies

wipes

vests

nightdress/babygrow

hat

socks/booties

clothing to go home (I selected three outfits for hot, warm and chilly weather)

blanket

Is this all I need?

Jack n' Jill Natural Toothpaste

With the baby on the way I now get attracted by even more things on the web. Before when I was browsing online for some healthy shopping, it was all about clothes, accessories, toiletries for me and Rob as well as furniture and home decor. Now it's also stuff for babies and kids. Thank God we don't have a pet, yet. 

This morning I discovered this wonderful line of natural toothpaste for kids. It won't be a while before baby O will need to brush her teeth but I am making a note here so that I won't forget.

I really like the packaging and the flavours sound delicious, raspberries and blueberries may be my favourite. I think I would be tempted to try it too! And of course, apart from the cute packaging, the real important thing is that these toothpastes are free of unnecessary chemicals and additives and 100% safe for little children to swallow them. Love at first sight!

First Day of Summer Holiday

Yesterday I was supposed to be flying to Pescara, instead I wandered around London. I suppose there are worse places to be stuck in. Since the doctor didn't approve my flight to Italy, I had to come up with a plan B. 

Rob and I had had tickets to see the British Design exhibition at the V&A since April but we hadn't found a suitable time to go yet. So yesterday afternoon Rob was able to leave work a bit early and we ventured to that part of the city. I love the V&A, it's such and eclectic and interesting museum and I am always happy to go there. 

I must say, the exhibition was a bit disappointing. Despite the fact that I really didn't expect much, it was even less impressive than I thought. Such a shame, it had so much potential and they could have definitely done a better job. Oh well, who am I to judge. We still enjoyed it and made up to the disappointment by visiting the stunning cafe' of the museum. If you have never been there, make sure it's on your list of things to do in London. It is absolutely gorgeous, the ceilings, the chandeliers, the glass windows...stunning! We rested at the cafe' and enjoyed a refreshing apple juice and a tasty lemon cake. Exactly what I needed!

We then took a stroll in the courtyard, another favourite spot of the museum and sat on the rocking chairs. The kids love them and so did Rob! 

I was a bit more careful, given my big belly! I felt quite unbalanced :) Otherwise, I loved walking around the little pond, it was very relaxing.

P.S. Steph, do you recognise the dress?

We had a lovely time and headed back home before the madness of rush hour. After dinner, however, we ventured out again. Last night they opened the Shard and they announced a big show of laser lights. So, although exhausted and with an horrible backache, I walked with Rob to the Tower Bridge park, literally two minutes from our flat, and enjoyed the view. The atmosphere was wonderful, all the locals brought blankets and glasses of wine and sat on the grass admiring the new tourist addition to the London skyline and taking loads of pictures. I am glad I went. 

My first day of *holiday* wasn't too bad, in the end...

Practising

Yesterday evening we headed to Earl's Court to visit our friends Steph and Andrew and meet their baby girl, Juliette.

Juliette was born two weeks ago and is simply adorable. The whole time we were there she was sleeping, with a peaceful smile on her face and making cute little noises every now and then. She is a very mellow and calm little girl, she touched my heart. I hope Baby O will be as relaxed and good as Juliette!

Steph, on the other hand, is doing great! (I know you are reading this, Steph, and it is absolutely true!). She had a C-section just two weeks ago and you would never tell. She is in great shape and in great spirit. I am sure all the loving care and help from her mum have something to do with it. So I am glad my mum will be able to come and stay with us for a couple of weeks during the *action days*. It was very encouraging and inspiring to see her.

I got to hold baby Juliette and it was such a lovely feeling. Seeing and spending some time with the new parents and the baby made me even more impatient to welcome our little princess to our home. Less than two months to go now...and Baby O, if you want to make mummy and daddy happy, you can even come out a couple of weeks early...will you, love?

Baby Changing Bag

After looking and looking and looking, I have finally found, and bought, my ideal changing bag. 

I wanted something practical, of course, but also cool, modern and that would suit the style and colours of our Bugaboo. The bags I saw around were all either too dull or hideous with silly patterns and unsuitable colours. Thankfully, this morning I spotted this beauty on the Anorak website.

I have been a fan of Anorak for quite some time now. I love the simplicity of their patterns and their colour choices, in my opinion, are spot on. I really like the picnicware, especially the blankets. And if I'll ever go camping (or glamping!), I'll get one of their sleeping bags!

Red Light

I have just got back from my GP appointment and boy I am bummed!

As I mentioned before, I was supposed to fly home this Thursday but the doctor gave me the red light.

I am in week 31, entering week 32 on Wednesday. This means that I would have been in Pescara during weeks 32 and 34. After week 28 you need a letter from your doctor in order to be able to fly and after week 36 it is no longer legally allowed to fly.

Normally, if your pregnancy has been quite straightforward and you are fine, it would not be a big problem to fly and the doctor would sign the form with no major hesitation. This is what I expected. So when he asked me where I was flying to and when, and he started filling in the form, I was super excited. And then the bad part. I told him about the current heat wave that is affecting Italy at the moment and asked him if the heat could affect me and the pregnancy in any way. The expression on his face changed. It's currently less than 20 degrees in London (versus the 37 in Pescara) and he told me that this change may cause a lot of issues (e.g. lower blood pressure, exhaustion, swollen ankles and feet...). The baby herself would not be in any particular danger but I would be very uncomfortable. Therefore, he has strongly advised me not to fly, wrote these exact words in my maternity notes (for the record!) and didn't sign the letter required to fly. He told me that he leaves it to me to negotiate with the airline company but in reality I have no option. How could I even try to go to the airport and convince the crew to let me fly when the doctor strongly and clearly advised me not to? What if anything happened to me? Or worse, the baby? So, I can only unpack my suitcase and spend my ten day holiday in London. 

I will miss my cousin's wedding, my Italian baby shower, early birthday celebrations as well as chats with friends and family and relaxation at the beach. And was I looking forward to all these things? Hell yeah!

Gettin' Tough

The last couple of days have been quite tough. Entering the eight month has been a challenge and I have definitely noticed a change with my body. 

The belly is getting heavier and it is more and more complicated for my body to deal with the new weight. Hence backache. It's not unbearable but it's there. Surprisingly, however, I can still sleep fine at night, both on my back and right side (the left side, the recommended one, doesn't work for me!). I wake up a couple of times per night to go to the toilet but that's normal and I have been dealing with it for the last seven months, so I am used to it. Last night (well, morning really) I woke up at 3.30am and was so out of it I couldn't even open my eyes. By the time I reached the bathroom and turned the light on all I could think of was: get ready for this, you'll have to wake up to feed the baby multiple times during the night, this is a pic-nic in comparison! 

Also, the nausea is back. Who would have thought?! It's not as strong as the first four months but it's constant and particularly annoying in the evening. I spent the whole day yesterday being in bed reading and trying to rest. The result? I was so bored that I couldn't even enjoy resting. When I was not in bed, I tried to do something useful. I finished packing the hospital bag, well almost, and started packing the suitcase for my upcoming trip to Italy. Speaking of which, I am now very concerned about facing the heat in Pescara. It's a bliss here in London with temperatures not going any higher than 20-21 degrees at the moment; today is even a bit chilly! I love this London weather, here is a sentence I would have never thought to say! 

Anyway, I have a doctor appointment later on today and am looking forward to it. I want to make sure Baby O is doing well and can't wait to hear her heart beat again, it's always so precious! She has been a very active baby since the very beginning of this pregnancy but now even more. She literally moves from one side of my belly to the other, causing some pain every now and then. But she makes me smile, it's so adorable to see parts of her body and guessing what that bump may be: her butt? her head? Who knows.

I know there are still two months to go but I am so impatient to meet her. I dream about that moment, it will be one of the most special days of my life, I am sure!