The rest of Baltimore

It has been a bit over a week since we got back to London and we are slightly getting over jet lag. I have to say, this time it has been particularly rough on us and even last night I was up late and struggled to fall asleep. As we are slowly getting back to routine, I flipped through the pictures I took during the trip and thought to share some more with you. We spent most of the week visiting friends and family, took lots of nature walks, blew lots of bubbles, chased rabbits and birds, anxiously awaited for the mailman to come, and relaxed at home as much as we could. Here is the rest of the trip in pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flying with a toddler

We are back to London. In the last ten days we have taken two transatlantic flights with our little toddler, that's probably why I lost a kilo! I have read many blog posts about flying with a toddler before and everyone has their flurry of tips and suggestions to give. However, in my opinion, at the end of the day it all goes down to the child's mood. By now Emilia is used to flying but you never know how she is going to behave. We had good flights and we had bad flights. She took her first flight when she was just three months old. It was a short flight from London to Pescara, but you'd be surprised at the amount of stress and preparation those two hours on air required. If you have never flown with a little baby, you'll be shocked to see the amount of gear you need to bring along. Since then, Emilia has been on ten flights, not bad for a 22-month-old little girl! Things are a bit easier now, no pram, no steriliser, no baby food and the list goes on and on and on. Flying with a toddler, however, still requires some organisation, preparation and an injection of a super dose of patience! 

As we have developed some experience in traveling with Emilia, we have learned to make our life easier. First, we do not take public transportation to the airport. It is much easier and stress-free to hire a private car and have a driver do all the job for you. Sure it is more money but it is absolutely worth it! Emilia is fine to sit in the car, look around, and enjoy the view, as long as her friends are with her, of course! This time she picked Peppa and Hello Kitty for the ride. She also often falls asleep on the ride to the airport, which is great. So, the first leg of the trip is covered.

At the airport, we try to be as organised as possible, especially with her food and toilet needs. As Rob is a BA gold member, we usually take a visit to the BA lounge, which is much more relaxing than any other area at the airport. In fact, we have just discovered that the gold members' lounge at Heathrow 5 also has a kids' play area which we will definitely use on our next trip. 

Once on the plane, there isn't really much you can do apart from trying to be prepared, anticipating any issue and praying that everything goes well. We always bring a lot of snacks and drinks and always select the ones she likes the most. Now that she is a bit older, I also pack a trolley just for her and fill it up with books, stickers and all sorts of favourite activities to keep her busy! 

One thing I would definitely recommend is buying an extra seat. Little ones are free to fly on their parents' lap up to the age of two but if possible, it makes a huge difference to have a seat just for them. Seven hours on a plane are a long time and it can be difficult to keep a child happy. Emilia is not really into cartoons and tv at the moment and doesn't really play video-games, so it is quite challenging to find something interesting, stimulating, and time-consuming that would keep her glued to her seat. She was attracted by the monitor in front of her and kept touching every single button on the remote on the arm seat but these things can only take you so far. Everntually, after reading her favourite books to her twice, she did fall asleep. And that's when you realise how relaxing flying without a toddler actually is! 

All in all, both flights went reasonably well. Our next flight is in just over a month, until then, we can relax...

Up In the Air

Emilia's record of flights as of April 2013: Six flights in seven months. George Clooney, eat your heart out! (cfr. Up in the air).

On Thursday the 4th of April we took Emilia to Pescara. We had a short but intense stay, surrounded by the love that only family and good friends can give you. Details and pictures of the trip, especially the christening, to come! Stay tuned.

Baltimore Unpacked

Today I am home with a bad cold and since my head is so heavy and my brain so slow that I cannot do anything challenging, I have decided to finally unpack the extra bag we had to check in containing all Emilia's gifts and the things I bought while on a shopping spree in Baltimore.

The trip was good on many levels. First of all, Emilia was an absolute angel. Rob and I complain about this poor child too much, I think, but I must admit, she was very very good throughout the trip. The seven hours on the plane went by faster than we anticipated and apart from some grumpiness at take off at Heathrow, she behaved herself. The flight back home was even better as she slept all the way. Too bad mummy and daddy couldn't close their eyes, but that is our problem. Surprisingly, Emilia didn't get jetlagged. I don't know how she does it but both ways she adjusted to the new time zone IMMEDIATELY. One day, she will have to share her secret with me. Also, we subjected her to so many new things, she met loads of new people, went on several car rides and even left her alone for one night (of course with her grandparents though, so she was in good hands!) and she didn't say a thing. No complaints. All in all, she was an absolute delight. 

Ten days went by pretty fast and we had a quite packed schedule. We introduced Emilia to the American side of family and friends, Rob and I spent one day in Washington DC, went out for dinner (compliments of Rob's parents - thank you!), and even attended a wedding. 

 

 

 

The trip to DC was supposed to last two days but we were forced to cut it short due to a snow storm that in the end never arrived. Nonetheless, it was good to be relaxing and wandering around the American capitol. While Rob was in the office, I took the chance to visit a couple of sights I hadn't seen before. First, I made my way to the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress occupies three buildings but I only toured the Thomas Jefferson one. The building is lovely and worth a visit. It is the centerpiece of the library and was opened in 1897. Its artistic decoration, relating to learning, literature, knowledge, creativity, and intellectual achievement, is quite impressive. I really enjoyed walking around the building, I only wished I could spend a couple of ours in the main reading room...next time I'll try to go with a letter from King's and pretend to be doing some research there. 

After visiting the Library of Congress I made my way to the Botanical Gardens. I loved to immerse myself into the diversity of plants and flora from all over the world, from jungle to desert to primeval paradise, the indoor gardens and gallery offered the perfect scenario for an indoor break. And then, I felt so re-energised  that I walked all the way to Georgetown, passing by all the museums forming the Smithsonian, the Monument, and the White House. Once in Georgetown I treated myself to a nice lunch at Dean and De Luca, cupcakes from Sprinkles, and of course some shopping. In fact, the word that summarises this trip the best is shopping. As I said at the beginning of this post we had to check in an extra bag, but it was worth it. Judge it for yourselves...

Emilia's shopping:

Vale's shopping:

Car Rides and PlayDate

We don't have a car in London but we should think to get one. Emilia absolutely loves her car rides, she enjoys looking around, she relaxes and ALWAYS falls asleep!

Here we were on the way to meet little Chase. Emilia enjoyed her playdate and loved using all of Chase's toys!

 

 

 

 

Our transatlantic adventure

So, we made it, we are in the big Country!

On Friday morning, at 9.30am, we got picked up by our taxi, destination Heathrow Airport. We were on our way to Baltimore. Needless to say, Rob and I were a bit concerned about the trip and the way Emilia would react, but thankfully the day started very well. Emilia slept through the night before, allowing us to get a good night's rest, woke up in a good mood and made us have breakfast and get ready for the trip. She slept all the way to the airport (she really likes her car rides!) and was in a jolly mood at the airport. This time we decided to travel with the Maclaren and even if it is a bit big for her it is so much easier to fold and lighter than the Bugaboo, it's great for traveling! And Emilia seems very happy and comfy in it.

All the staff at the airport were super sweet and played with Emilia, and she appreciated all the attention. I must say, it is so much nicer to be dealing with smiling, lovely people, they make the trip much less stressfull.

Time at the airport went by very fast. I got to visit the BA lounge for the first time and it was very nice. Rob and I enjoyed lunch there and Emilia slept in her buggy. All in all, a quite relaxing experience, I would say. And then it was time to board. This time we decided to fly premium economy in order to have more space and be a bit more comfy with the baby. However, believe me, not even a private jet would be comfy and big enough! It's crazy how much stuff you need when traveling with a little six-month-old baby!

The first twenty minutes were an absolute nightmare. Emilia didn't want to be sitting down and be costriced in a small place, with the seat-belt fastened. You can imagine how bad we felt to be bothering people and of course we thought: "it's only been twenty minutes - this is going to be a VERY LONG flight!". Thankfully, however, once the seat-belt sign went off and Emilia could start moving around, she was an happy baby again! We tried different positions, used both the bassinet and the bouncer, walked up and down many times and tried to keep her as entertained as possible.

 

Overall, apart from one major accident, our first transatlantic experience wasn't too bad!

P.S. Curious about the major accident?? Emilia had a HUGE poo in the middle of the flight and I had to change her in the tiny toilet on the plane. We had to throw onesie and leggings...and I'll leave the rest to your immagination :)

Asking too much?

I am very relaxed about Emilia's performance these days. I am not that kind of mother who checks what she should be doing and what she shouldn't be doing every week. I do admit, I receive monthly emails from babycentre and I do have a week by week booklet on my bedside table but I must say, I am rather bored with them. I was more into checking what was happening inside my belly during pregnancy as I was eager to know what was going on with my body, what to expect and how the baby was developing but with baby I have learned that you can't really generalise and shouldn't be focused on these *guidelines*. Every baby is different. I am sure Emilia is worse at certain things and perhaps better at others but really, who cares? I certainly didn't feel prouder when people were amazed at the fact that she could hold her head strong when she was as little as three months, and I certainly don't love her less if she fails to grab things or sit down unaided. In this, I am just a different kind of mum, I suppose.

One thing, however, that does make me proud is that Emilia seems to be more attracted to books than toys. I grew up with the concept that two things are worth spending money on in life: books and travels which I consider the real-time education! Only traveling you get to experience and understand the world. And that's how you learn history, geography, art, just to mention a few....

In her short life Emilia has already been traveling a little bit. She had her first short flight to Italy when she was three months old and she is going to experience the joy (!?) of a long flight to the US in just a few days. I am also thinking to bring her with me on a work trip to Barcelona in May...let's see if this materialises (am I asking too much to a little baby?). And she will travel and explore the world as much as possible, I will certainly encourage her to do so, with us first, and then on her own. 

As for books, she has one in particular she loves. It's one of those fluffy books with lots of creatures, bright colours and different textures. Simple stuff for babies, basically. However, when my mum was here, we moved to a complete different dimension. My mum bought four educational books that I find very useful. Perhaps it is asking too much (again!) to a five month old baby but she certainly seems interested and follows our instructions and hands while we explain and show how to button, zip, tie and snap! 

These books will come handy in a year or so!

Given the popularity of books with Emilia I am always on the hunt for something cool and new for her. I recently spotted the new Orla Kiely books for children and, you know me, I love everything Orla Kiely related and had to have one. There are four books in the series: Numbers, Creatures, Shapes and Colours. I bought the Numbers one but I predict all the others will be in the house soon! Of course, the book is great. I love the colours, the patterns and Emilia really enjoys it too. Who doesn't love Orla?!

 

 

 

 

We made it. We are in Italia!

Today I am writing from my parents' house. I can't believe we are in Italy! I had been waiting for this moment since we booked the flights and was so excited to take Emilia to my motherland for the first time.

So, here is a little account of our adventure yesterday. Rob and I only managed to go to bed around 1.00am after we packed everything, Bugaboo included, and checked that we had all the documents needed. Emilia woke up at 3.45am and you can imagine how tired and sleepy we were. But, it was time to wake up for our flight anyway. So, we fed and dressed her and then took care of ourselves. The taxi came to pick us up at 6.00am and drove us all the way to Stansted Airport. This was a great idea, it made the trip so much easier. Emilia slept the whole ride and Rob and I were able to close our eyes and rest a bit. Once at the airport we checked in very quickly and then fed Emilia.

The airport was basically empty and it took us no time to check in and go through security. Meanwhile, we decided to check in the pram too, and I carried Emilia in our baby carrier, which turned out to be VERY useful (thanks Ila and Cri!).

Emilia was very calm and attracted by the novelty. She kept looking around and loved being in a new environment. I even had time to have a nice breakfast! We then moved to the gate and boarded very quicly. Again, we were shocked at how smooth everything went. Once on the plane and ready to take off, we started feeding Emilia again and she was so happy to eat that didn't realise what was going on. The first half hour I had to get up and walk with her a little, but other than that, she was an angel! We arrived in Pescara a few minutes early and of course my mum, dad, and grandmum were waiting for us.



My dad even took a picture of the plane we were on for future memories (in the end, it was Emilia's first flight, something to remember!).



It was great to see them. Emilia loved the car ride and once home started exploring her surroundings. My mum has made an amazing Christmas tree in Emilia's honour this year (pictures to come) and Emilia was in heaven with all the colours, the glitter and the lights. In the afternoon Emilia got the first visits from Ila and Cristian and uncles Max and Luciano joined us for dinner. And then, after a day of travelling and entertaining friends and relatives, Emilia fell asleep like a little angel in what used to be my crib.

She is enjoying the new environment and is loving all the attention. This morning she had her first ride on the swing...and loved it! Thanks Emilia for making everything so easy on us. We love you!

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.

I am legit!

Following our successful trip to the American embassy, this morning we received Emilia's American passport and consular report of birth abroad. She is now 100% legit and most importantly she can fly!!! Pescara, here we come!!