It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Well, a lot like Christmas since it's 2 weeks away.

Here is Wiley at his school's Christmas party. They did a dance that followed the plot of the Snowman, and they sang sweet songs complete with jingle bells. And then Santa came and sang about how busy he is and did a little rap. Yeah. 5 brownies were later consumed by Wiley, and we crashed hard later that day.

Our Christmas tree! Nothing feels more like Christmas time than when you have your lights on, Christmas music on and you are with your little family.

In other news, we are just waiting. I need to get in the mindset of "December 29th" is the day. (It is, by the way). I'm currently in "Any day now!" mindset which while true, kind of just makes you more crazy than is really necessary. My bag has been packed and re-packed and I'm feeling good about that. I had Wil take a picture of me with my belly so that I could remember the end of it/I think there are maybe 5 pictures of me being pregnant this entire past 9 months. After looking at them, I was reminded why we don't take pictures of ourselves when 9 months pregnant.

Hope you and your family are enjoying the season!

Pregnancy in London

I'm 35 weeks. Still have 5 weeks to go until the baby comes! But I feel like it has kind of whirled by, and I want to remember a few things from this pregnancy.

Read this:

Not this:

Let's just take a look at the Mum on the Expecting book. She looks miserable. Like she is about to go through torture--wait, she sorta is. But that is not particularly encouraging for any pregnant woman. On the other hand, check out the Yummy Mummy in book 1--on the go, nappy bag on shoulder, latte in hand--nevermind that the baby is with the nanny. She is hilariously British and tells it like it is. Not to mention she has some great tips from Kate Winslet and other well-known hair, make-up gurus. You might should still get Expecting, I mean it is a classic and might be more medically reliable. But if you want to laugh and have some humor while your uterus expands to 1000 times its size (says babycentre.co.uk this week), read about becoming a Yummy Mummy.

Wear this:

A yummy mummy turtleneck (it's freezing here) from Isabella Oliver. Thanks to hand-me-down maternity clothes, I have loved this shirt. It's ridiculously comfy, it's got stretchy material, so unlike my 100% cotton turtlenecks, it doesn't stretch at the end of the day. I'm much more into the tighter shirts this go around compared to the tent like flow from beneath the breast area shirts that I wanted to burn after the last go. I think they are comfy regardless of the fact they accentuate my bump and possibly bum that has also expanded to off-set the front.

Walking.

I have walked a ridiculous amount this pregnancy compared to the first. Probably because we live in London and are car-less. But despite the fact that I curse the school run every morning now (You would too if it was 8:30 and 30 degrees outside and you have to walk a mile and a half--total.) I really think it has kept me in better shape (it is all relative, of course) and feeling better. It might have curbed some excessive weight gain, but since they don't weigh me at my midwife visits I guess we will never know!

Footwear.

Maybe because of the loads of walking, my feet seem wider than they did with Wiley. Not necessarily swollen around the ankles, but some of my flats are too tight and I certainly can't wear my black boots anymore. Leaving me with Uggs, clogs, and my trainers. Trainers are winning out today and I unashamedly wore them with black cords last week. It wasn't cute, but neither is pregnancy.

Cravings.

I have eaten an unreal amount of peanut butter, but I probably would have done that anyway. No real cravings this go. I am to a point where eating isn't the most fun thing but I attribute that to lack of space. Coffee and tea don't sound nearly as good as they used to, although I still drink both.

Healthcare in Britain.

I will be thankful to have BCBS again. They love a natural birth here which is not the way I'm going. However, despite some frustrations along the way, the care has been really thorough and good. I have seen one midwife twice, Celine from France who is kind and wonderful. The others have been good, too, but Celine is just so nice! I have seen a doctor for a routine visit once, and it was slightly disastrous. Here's hoping today's goes better! My hospital has a new maternity wing, so it feels much more modern than most buildings in London.

Wiley.

He is actually excited about the baby. He says he is thankful for the baby. He also thought there were two (a boy and a girl). There is only one. He now thinks there are four. (2 boys. 2 girls.). There is only one. Unless the ultrasound scanners are completely incompetent. We will also see how thankful he is for the baby when he realizes what this baby means to our family life. But I'm betting that Wiley will be a very sweet big brother even if he does get a bit frustrated at having to share everyone's attention with a crying baby after 4 years of having everyone all to himself.

Baby Gear.

We found a new stroller that is London-friendly (ie, I can take it on the bus, tube and the baby can be flat and nap on the go if needed)--the Bugaboo Bee. I salvaged a Moses Basket for the bed (funny story, but I have some pride, so I won't divulge that one). We have clothes from Wiley. And we will borrow a couple of other things for the first few months. Needless to say, this is a bare bones operation due to lack of space and not wanting to buy things we already have for just a few months. It is bizarre to not have a nursery to set up, and I think that has prevented me from truly nesting. It is difficult to nest in a tiny flat because no matter what you do, stuff is everywhere and you don't have a place to lay out all the baby things and say to yourself, "Ah yes, I am ready now." But amazingly enough, we don't really need all that stuff, do we?

Readiness.

I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Wil says this will be like riding a bike--we'll remember what to do when the baby comes. I'm a bit more nervous that I will have lost nappy changing abilities and will have no idea how to hold a newborn.

The lingo:

diaper=nappy

pacifier=dummy (I can't get used to this one)

sippy cup=beaker

junk that baby accumulates=bits that baby accumulates

mom=mum

stroller=pram

So there is a bit of a brain dump on the pregnancy. I'm totally shattered (exhausted in Brit) by the end of the day, and thankfully Wil arrives to save the night. We watch TV and put my feet up on pillows until our bedtime arrives around 9 pm. Yes. Cooking is lazy. Sleeping is hit or miss. My eyes have that "I'm heavily pregnant and tired and puffy" look that just stinks. Braxton Hicks contractions are the most annoying thing at this point. Doing breathing exercises while trying to continue to have a life with your 4 year old is not fun. Who knew that with the second baby, the rest of life spins on instead of stopping so you can nap and rest? And taxis. Those rides are happening more and more frequently. Thankyouverymuch.

I still can't wrap my head around being a family of four. And that we will have two children soon. I'm so thankful. And I can't wait for all the adventures to come.

(PS: Sorry to my sister, mom, and dad for calling Brooke multiple times Saturday morning at 7 am her time, 12 pm mine. I forgot about the time change. I just wanted the Lake phone number to get help with the dressing I was cooking from Mom (I also didn't realize it would be 6am at home). I didn't mean to alarm you into thinking I was in labor. You can obviously tell my head is in the clouds. I'll repeat call at odd hours less frequently from now on.)

Gaucho Pants

First of all, weather was fab down here for Labor Day weekend. Especially if you were lucky enough to be lakeside. Sunshine and a nice breeze. Heavenly.

Second of all, last night I was desperate for some comfy clothes (the night before I was desperate for a Sprite). Like ones that won't make me feel even tighter than I already feel. And not tight as in--wow, you've been working out--but tight as in, my skin feels way too stretched in the mid-section. This makes no sense to my friends my age who have stellar bods but to the mamas who have, or well, are moms and have thus been stretched and such, you know that feeling. Uncomfortable tightness that results in you telling your handsome husband that you just wish he could carry this mass around for 24 hours to give you a break. And I'm only 23 weeks. Let's talk about how much worse this is going to get.

Or let's not.

But the point is, I pulled out these uglies from my "maternity clothes" rubbermaid storage box.

Yes, Gauchos.

You might love them. But I vowed after having Wiley never, ever to wear them again. And frankly, I'm surprised I didn't actually burn my 2 pairs.

Thankfully, or maybe not, I didn't. So, I put on my gaucho pants the other night and a large WFU t-shirt in bright gold (Screamin' Demon t-shirt to be exact), and looked like an enormous, rotund vision in black and gold.

Here's what I learned:

1. Gauchos are not flattering when your back end multiplies in size exponentially. They just aren't. Nor do they do much for short, rather stub-like legs.

2. Gauchos make me think of cowboys, but they aren't cowboy-like at all. Why do they make me think of cowboys? Or Mexico? Maybe Cowboys in the war with Mexico a long time ago? Texas history help anyone?

3. Gauchos are comfy and as long as you don't look in the mirror or wear them out of the house, they might be okay on preggo days when you just don't really care anymore. Again, a low point must be reached that calls for desperate measures.

4. If you like gauchos, I'm sorry to offend. But if you wore gauchos almost everyday for 9 months you would hate them too.

5. Hate is a strong word. Pants is also a (strong?) word that causes me to hesitate because in London/the UK, pants=underwear. So part of me thinks I'm saying gaucho underwear, and thus wants to say gaucho trousers instead. Yes, trousers.

6. I'm thinking British and now wearing gauchos. Stick a fork in me. I'm done.

Adios, Y'all, Cheers!