Development Review

This morning Emilia had her development review. The doctor checked all sorts of things and everything seems to be going very well. Emilia now weighs a whopping 8.83kg (almost 9kg!) and is 73cm long. Staying consistent with her growth, she is 75 percentile. They checked her ability to grab things and pass them from one hand to the other, her eyes, her posture, and several other small things. At first, Emilia was a bit upset, in all fairness, the doctor had interrupted her morning nap, but then she was very curious of what was going on around her and looked around and interacted with the doctor. As a prize for being a good girl, she received a nice fabric folder full of baby books! What a nice touch that was. We will explore some of them tonight.

Also, the doctor gave us a couple of leaflets to read, one of which was about introducing drinking cups to Emilia. I actually did buy one a little while ago but never really gave it to baby. However, when we got home, I gave Emilia some water to drink and she showed us how good she is at grabbing the milk bottle by herself, even without handles...and, let me add, even with just one hand! Cute. 

Our little baby is growing fast!

P.S. The doctor complimented Emilia's eyes, so we asked her if she could tell us what colour she thinks they are, as we are struggling to identify it. And she said the same thing: a mixture of grey, green, and blue. Now, what will the poor child write on her ID cards???!

Hanging Out With Friends

I have mentioned our friends and neighbours Katharina and Elias before in this blog. Today, Katharina, her husband and Elias invited us to their place for a coffee. I had never met her husband before and Rob hadn't met any of them, so it was very nice to spend some time altogether. Katharina made a lovely chocolate and pear cake and we all enjoyed a nice cup of coffee that warmed us up. Sadly, it is still rather chilly in London, there is no real sign of Spring yet! So a warm cup of coffee is exactly what we all needed!

I really enjoy hanging out with Katharina and love seeing the two babies interacting. Elias was born only one week after Emilia, so both mamas and babies have a lot in common. We chatted a lot and played for a while on the floor. It was a lovely way to celebrate Easter Saturday.

 

 

When we got back home I felt full of energy and tried to make cornbread (again!). This was my fourth attempt - for some reasons, in the past I haven't been very successful at this recipe. In the last couple of months I tried three times to make it but it never came out good. In all fairness, I couldn't find the key ingredient (e.g. cornmeal) and had been trying to substitute it with corn flour and polenta flour. Not the same, I learned. But I was able to find semolina flour yesterday at Waitrose and gave it a try. Well, I am happy to say that the cornbread I made tonight is very close to the original I tried at my friend Steph's house a little while ago. Fourth time lucky! 

Limited Edition Bugaboos

About a year ago, this time of the year, Rob and I started looking into pram's options. As you may remember, we knew we wanted a Bugaboo Cameleon, we just had to decide the colour, and it wasn't easy. In the end we opted for a limited edition jade green. Sometimes I wonder whether we made the right choice or not and if we should have gone with something more neutral, say sand or cream. However, I must say, it is nice not to see many jade green Bugaboos around, especially in a city where 90% of the prams are Bugaboos. Last year there weren't many choices. This year, instead, the options are much nicer, I think. If we were expecting a baby now I would definitely go for the Sahara limited edition Cameleon.

I simply love the neutral and honeyed beige tones. And the details, such as the inside quilt and the leather handles are very stylish. Definitely a winner. 

Also, if money wasn't an issue, I would have loved to buy the Bee special edition in navy and neon yellow too. So cool, and so now with the neon accents.

Well, I'll never get the chance to get any of these puppies. So, this is for all the expecting parents out there...and if you are pregnant now, check out this dress from Madderson London, I wish they had it last year, it is simply gorgeous.

Busy Bee

Last week I officially went back to work. For now, and at least for six months, I will only be working three days a week to make the transition a bit easier. Also, mum and grand-mum are here, which makes leaving Emilia less painful! I have agreed to work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays however this Wednesday, today, Emilia's schedule was rather busy and I opted to work on Friday instead. When I told my boss that Emilia had a full day today he smiled, it's never too early to be a busy bee! 

The morning started with a lovely concert. Remember my posts (here and here) about the Bach to Baby concert last month? Well, we loved it so much that we had to go back! In January it was all about the piano, today Emilia experienced the sound of cello too. This time the whole family (well, Emilia, mummy, grandmum and great grandmum) went and our friends Steph and Juliette joined us too. Steph and baby came to our flat around 9.45am and then we all walked to Bermondsey street.

Like last time, the church was full of babies and parents. The youngest one was just eleven days! It was just lovely. I have taken some pictures and videos, of course. However, the light wasn't very good inside the church and the quality of the photos is therefore a bit poor.

Like last time, Emilia really enjoyed the concert but I think she is more into piano than cello. However, in all fairness, I had to feed her pretty much as soon as the concert started, which may have contributed to a little bit of crankiness when she heard the sound of the cello. But once her little stomach was full, she was all ready to listen and play! So who knows, she may want to be a cello player after all :)

Juliette, being Juliette, was super sweet and I love how the two interacted. Babies are so funny when they are together, they look at each other, they try to touch each other, they smile and "talk". They are clever things - more than we think!
And the adults loved it too. My mum and grand-mum had a wonderful time and kept thanking me for the experience.

Like last time the official photographer took some pictures too. I'll post them as soon as they are available.

As for the videos, here are a few that capture the beauty of the concert. 

The first video was taken during the Classical concert itself. Look at how interested in the music, as well as the other kids, is Emilia. Isn't she cute? 

At the end of the concert, the musicians take requests, Twinke Twinke is always a favourite song! I sing it to Emilia every night and she falls asleep with it, of course she liked it. 

And then all babies were invited on stage to sing along. Isn't it lovely?

And to end the morning in a super jolly way, we all sang Happy Birthday to a little girl named Lara who turned one today. What a nice way to celebrate a birthday!

All in all we had an amazing morning. We went back home around 1.00pm full of joy and happiness. And just an hour later we were out again. As I said, today was a hectic day for baby Emilia. At 2.20pm Emilia had her monthly check with the health visitor and I am happy to report that it's all going very well. She is now 7.780kg, between 75 and 91 percentile! Yes, she is a big baby. Well, she loves eating and thankfully she has been enjoying everything she has tried so far, although it's not much (only apple and pear). Tomorrow, we'll start with vegetable broth and baby rice. Watch this space!

I see you. I hug you. I kiss you.

Emilia received a new doll from our friend Silvana and her little grand-daughter Linda Paola and as you can see from these pictures, she loves her. Thank you! 

Peppa Pig

While in Italy for the Christmas break, my dad found a cartoons channel (Rai Yoyo) that had some English cartoons too. Among these, Emilia got hooked to the British Peppa pig. Back to London we had to find it on tv and thankfully there are episodes almost 24/7. 

Those of you who know me well know that I am not a big telly-watcher; if Rob is not at home I don't even turn the tv on, unless there is a documentary I am interested in, a good movie or it's world cup season! I know I will be one of those parents who try to limit their kids' tv-time as much as possible trying to teach her other ways to have fun and entertain herself. For now, however, I think it is very cute that she recognises the song of her favourite cartoon and literally gets hypnotised. Moreover, I love the exaggerated British accent of the characters (Emily the elephant is my favourite!).

Here is a photo of Emilia in trance while watching Peppa pig.

P.S. Funny fact: a couple of days ago, on my way home I stopped at the local newsagent to get a magazine. While I was browsing the fashion section, I heard the *oh-so-recognisable* Peppa pig song; I turned to the counter and saw the shop-assistant at the till (a guy on his late 30s, I'd say) watching Peppa pig on his mobile. It made me smile. When I went to pay I had to ask if he was really watching an episode of the sweet cartoons. Not only he said yes, but he also added that he does it every day since when he gets home from work in the evenings  his daughter questions him on the latest episodes of Peppa pig. I thought it was funny and super sweet. I can see this happening to us at some point...can you imagine me trying to watch an episode of it in the department? Or Rob pretending to be checking something important on his computer during a meeting, while actually watching Peppa?!!

Befana

In Italy we officially close the holiday season with the arrival of the so-called Befana, an old witch on a broom that brings you sweets if you have been good or coal if you have been bad. As tradition we hang the socks on the mantle before going to bed and then wait for her. It's Emilia's first Christmas and first Befana this year and even if she still doesn't understand what is going on, we wanted to celebrate and have fun. Perhaps she could sense that something was going on as she kept us awake almost all night...was she excited for the arrival of befana??!! 

Anyway, since we don't have a fireplace, we hung our socks on one of the windows in the main room. And then went to bed hoping that the old witch would pass by our home too....

Apparently, we have all been good kids, since none of us got coal! 

Rob received a very nice pair of Lacoste sneakers.

 I got Orla Kiely apron and tea towel.

And little Emilia got tons of things, such as:
* bibs and burpy bibs (always useful!):

* a Troizenfants hair bow (for when she'll have hair!!):

* Catimini black tights:

* and finally the cutest Juicy Couture boots on the market:

A good befana, I would say! Thank you.

And how about you, did befana come to your house too? Any coal?  :)

Emilia's handmade bibs: Xmas edition

Emilia's colletion of handmade bibs grows every day and she now has two beautiful Xmas ones. Arent's they beautiful? One is hand-painted (thanks, Fiorella!), and the other is embroidered (thanks Lucia's mum!). As always, thanks everyone for loving my little one so much!

Emilia and friends

Since we arrived in Pescara, Emilia has been receiving many visits (and gifts!) from lots of family members and friends. It is an absolute joy to see how many people love her and want to come and meet her for the first time. So, on Sunday afternoon we hosted a little tea party for my girlfriends who wanted to see Emi. We had a great time. I have known most of these girls since we were three years old and it is always quite emotional to spend some time together when I am home. Now that some of us have kids too, it is even more special! 

This is the gang: nine adults and three little ones.

My girlfriends and I are so close that even if I don't have any sister, Emilia has got many aunties on my side anyway!

Emilia was literally showered with gifts. Isn't she adorable while she looks inside the box containing all her presents?

Thank you very much, my dearest friends. Emilia and I love you very much!

Meet the Godparents

Saturday morning Emilia got to meet her godparents, our good friends Federica and Lorenzo. It was love at first sight. It was a short but intense visit and Emilia got all the attention and love she needs.

And that's not all she got. Lory and Fede gave Emilia the most beautiful and regal robe. We can't wait to bathe again! Thanks so much dearest friends.

And we are off (well, almost!)

Time has finally come. Tomorrow morning we will be heading to the airport, destination Italy. At the moment we are a bit stressed and overwhelmed by the amount of things to do and remember but I am sure it will all be worth it once we get to Pescara. And the good thing is that Rob and I will finally be able to nap; as soon as we are at my parents' house, Emilia will receive all the attention she needs and we will rest FOREVER! 

So, with Emilia's British passport in hands (it arrived a couple of days ago, did I tell you?) and everything packed, we are ready to start this new adventure. Getting ready for a trip with a baby is no pic-nic and there are so many things to remember to pack. Also, we are going for Christmas, so all the gifts and festive outfits need to be packed too. I usually pack all at once and make a list of what I have packed so that I have an overview of what I am bringing. It always works. This time, however, I have been throwing things into the suitcase over the course of a week and have no recollection of what I put in there. Let's hope the essentials are all in. 

So, wish us luck and pray everything goes well. I will update you from Italy.

A rattle or two keep the *booboo* away

Emilia had her second round of immunisation today and as a prize for being such a strong and brave little girl, mummy bought her this sweet set of two rattles. Aren't they adorable?

Before receiving the second 5in1 needle and the meningitis one, Emilia was weighted (she is now 6.14 kg!) and checked by our health visitor. She then fell asleep and didn't even wake up when the first needle went in. Perhaps all the rolls and fat in her legs helped :) She did, however, wake up and cried a little when the second needle went in. Thankfully, she is reacting well and is playing with her new rattles at the moment. Let's hope she'll stay clam and happy throughout the rest of the evening. 

An afternoon with Elias

This afternoon we hosted a play-date and had loads of fun. Emilia was great the whole time and showed great interest in books, more than toys. On the other hand, she didn't seem to care too much about Elias, she even turned to the other side when put next to each other! I am sure Rob would love if her interest in boys stayed this way forever!

Elias is a very sweet boy and lives very close to us. We are happy to have a local friend and will have another play-date at their place next Tuesday. It will be fun!

Morning Activities

Right after breakfast, there is nothing better than sitting in a comfy chair while reading a good book.



The next best thing is gossiping with mummy!

11 weeks

Today Emilia is 11 weeks old! Not long before we celebrate her third month of life. 

This week has marked several milestones. Emilia smiles on a regular basis now and makes different noises in an effort to communicate with us. This morning I watched her *talk* with her bear, which was too cute. She desperately wants to interact with us, which means playtime is always on. Boy it can be tiring! She already has loads of toys but I went out this afternoon to do some shopping and came back with a lovely cat-rattle which she fell in love with straight away. Pictures to come. 

But I suppose the most important achievement of the week is that now Emilia goes to bed regularly every night at 8pm and stays asleep until at least 2am if not longer. Our evenings have become much more relaxed and pleasant now that we can enjoy dinner together, watch tv, talk and even bake! 

Here are two recent pictures of Emilia:

Happiness is...

...playing and gossiping with mummy! 

After her breakfast feed, Emilia is so good to let me have breakfast too. So I put her in her bouncer in the kitchen, close to me, and she gets her free massage (she LOVES the vibration!) and plays with the monkey while I enjoy breakfast. She then has a nap, usually a 40-50 minute nap, an hour if I am lucky, and then it's playtime! 

And while we play, we also talk (well, we *aghuu*) and gossip like two good friends :)

A passport for Emilia - Part 1

On December 6th we will be taking our first fight with Emilia. If everything goes well (fingers crossed!) we will all be flying to Pescara as a family. For this, we need a passport for Emilia. As the daughter of American and Italian parents, Emilia is entitled to apply both for an American and an Italian passport. Moreover, being born in the UK and since Rob established permanent residence in this Country, she can also apply for a British passport. Rob and I are both very keen in creating as many possibilities as possible to facilitate Emilia's future. By having these three passports she will have access to many countries should she decide to study, work, and live abroad. You can never have too many doors open in life.

While we are very eager to have three passports for Emilia, we had to realise that applying for a passport is no fun, especially for a baby who was born in the UK but neither parents is British. There is a lot of bureaucracy and paperwork involved. The adventure started a couple of weeks ago when we took Emilia to a photographer to get baby passport photos. As you can imagine, it's not easy to have a picture of a baby that complies to all the passport regulations. The baby cannot cry, cannot smile, cannot be held by a parent...too many restrictions for a two month old baby! But, Emilia proved us wrong, she was incredibly good and the pictures were taken in a matter of seconds. On Friday November-2nd, then, Rob and I went to the UK Passport Office in Victoria to apply for a British passport for baby Emilia. My mum and grandmum were in town, so at least they could watch the baby while we were out, much easier than taking her with us. Getting there was super easy and the place was super organised, there were lots of people but it took no time to be called. The bad news is that our application wasn't successful. First of all, they thought the pictures were too bright and wouldn't scan. We were livid, the photographer assured us that they would be just fine. Second of all, they asked Rob to leave his passport for all the checks and verification. Of course, Rob had to fly to NYC in two days. So no deal. We had to make another appointment, the earliest they could do was November 19th. Let's hope it will work out this time. We need a passport in three weeks!

So, the British option is pending. Don't get me started on the Italians, since they are still processing my registration to be officially resident in the UK ( I sent the application back in July!) and then they will start processing Emilia's. By the time she turns 18, maybe, we'll have an Italian passport. Oh joy! So, the American option was our last resource. Rob made an appointment with the American embassy for this morning at 8am. He had to fill in not one but three applications and we spent most of last night checking that everything was in order and that we had all the documentation needed. We didn't want to make any mistake this time. The annoying thing is that the American embassy requires the baby to be present at the moment of the interview. So, Rob and I tried to schedule the feeds so that we wouldn't have too much trouble at the embassy but as you know, a baby's routine is very unpredictable. Also, to make things worse, at 3.15am, about an hour after we fed Emilia, the fire alarm went off. When we heard the excruciatingly loud noise in the middle of the night we couldn't believe what was happening. Of all the nights the fire alarm could go off, yesterday was definitely the worst! Oh well, I tried to laugh at the situation. I must say, I was amazed at the speed my brain worked at that hour, and in seconds I got dressed and grabbed all the things we may have needed for Emilia while out: dummy, formula, hat, blankets, toys. The impressive thing was that Emilia didn't wake up, not only she was still sleeping in the flat, but she kept still while we were going down the stairs in a super hurry, and outside when the fire brigades arrived. Now we know, when she is out, she is out, no need to lower the tv or whisper in the house! Anyway, despite the horrible start of the day, we made it to the embassy twenty minute early for our 8am appointment, the queue wasn't too bad and by 10.30am we left with another official American citizen in the house. I am outnumbered now! The passport should arrive by December 1st, which means that even if the British passport won't arrive in time, we will still be able to fly to Pescara. That will be another interesting adventure!

Friendship is...

This week Emilia has had not one but two play-dates, one on Monday with baby Juliette and the other on Tuesday with baby Elias. Play-dates are always a question mark, you never know how they go, it all depends on the babes! Sometimes they are pure nightmares, other times they turn out to be the best moments of the day. It also depends a lot on where the play-date occurs; by far, it is much easier to enjoy a play-date at home or at someone's house, and possibly in the neighbourhood. Traveling in London by tube or bus is not always easy with a baby. When I am out with Emilia I am always a bit on edge: what if she cries? I don't want to bother people. Well, I have learned that babies do cry in public and there is nothing you can do but keep your patience and try to comfort the baby. Going out with Emilia can be a bit of a struggle sometimes, especially in a city like London, however, I still try to be brave and do as much as I can to get out of the flat with her. 

On Monday we ventured to the city to meet with baby Juliette and her mama Steph to do some shopping, or so we hoped. I had never been to Mansion House tube station before and let me say it's the least baby friendly tube station I have ever been to. First of all, it's a maze with too many exits, second of all there are hundreds of stairs and when you think you are done, sure enough there are more steps to trouble you. Of course, I was with my Bugaboo so you can imagine the fun! I did try to lift it on my own but it was impossible with Emilia in it and the changing bag on top of the pram's weight. Thankfully people, mostly business men, helped; however, poor Steph had to help me out with a couple of stairs while carrying her own baby in the Baby Bjorn. So, the trip was a bit of a stress and then of course by the time I got there Emilia woke up and was starving. And when she is hungry she is hungry. I mean, zero patience! Steph and I had to find a cafe' and I quickly fed Emilia before she moved mountains. I don't mind saying that it was a bit hectic, but thankfully I was with Steph who knows exactly what I am talking about. Next time, we'll definitely meet at my place or hers, I only wish we lived a bit closer. 

The play-date on Tuesday, on the other hand, was a big success, just what I needed to feel a bit better and more confident. We met with baby Elias and mama Katharina just around the corner, at the Design Museum. Elias was sleeping when we met (I was so jealous!); Emilia, on the other hand was about to fall asleep. So we strolled a bit waiting for her to peacefully fall asleep. Once both babies were asleep we went to the Design Museum cafe' and we couldn't believe we were able to enjoy lunch and chat for two hours without interruptions. Phew! I suppose it wasn't a real play-date but it was a good time out with a friend. 

Play-dates can be hard but both Emilia and I need to get out and spend some time with our friends. 

And speaking of friends, Emilia has fallen in love with her bunny-angel, thanks Annalisa and Jacques! Aren't they cute?