Merry Christmas from the Aiyers...

...a few days late. I'm sure you can understand why :)

At just one week old, Rayan celebrated his first Christmas in London. It wasn't our best day, as baby and I were very sleep deprived and Riya is still miserable from teething her 2 year molars. But Riya enjoyed opening presents this year at least! We spoiled her this year and bought her new pajamas, another train set (this one is girly), 2 more lego duplo sets, her first doll, a gear puzzle, table hockey, and stickers. From her grandma, she got a homemade chair kitchen and kaleidoscope. Her aunts/uncles bought her some clothes. I guess you can say we all went a bit overboard:) But the smile on her face was worth it!

Rayan has arrived!

I cannot believe I had a baby one week ago...

Rayan was born at 6:45am on December 17th at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. He was 4 days early:) He weighed 6lbs 7oz and 16.9 inches tall. After 25 hours of labor and delivery, we happily welcomed our newest addition to the family.

My pregnancy experience in London has been very different than my experience in Dubai. But I have to say, overall I was very pleased with the treatment I received. For one thing, I am in a country where they embrace the concept of VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean). Typically, once you've had a Cesarean, most doctors won't allow you to have a VBAC. While there is strong support that VBACs are the safer alternative, not all countries adopt this way of thinking. Luckily for me, I was in the right place at the right time. I was still at high risk for having a cesarean if complications ensued, but the system here was willing to let me have a VBAC.

The role of the midwife is central during your pregnancy. They supervise your pregnancy from start to finish. Obstetricians exist but they are specialized and address only high risk cases. So if you are having an uncomplicated pregnancy, you may only see the doctor once or twice throughout your pregnancy. Unlike the US however, you are assigned to a team of midwives, so you may not always see the same person at every appointment. So that means, you have no way of knowing who will be in the delivery room with you. Since this was not my first pregnancy, that fact didn't bother me much. But repeating my pregnancy history over and over again was exhausting (because they can't be bothered to take a minute to read your chart).

Not surprisingly, when I showed up at the hospital at 2am on Thursday morning, I was under the care of a midwife I had never seen before. But she was awesome. And in case you were wondering, the doctor came in twice. Once at the beginning to check my vitals and then again just after the baby was born.

Under NHS, you have a private room for delivery and then you are moved to the recovery ward where you recuperate in a room with 5 other mothers and their newborns and a community bathroom. Some hospitals have a private wing and offer a private room with private bath but the price tag was an astonishing $450 per night. Oh, and you cannot reserve a room ahead of time, its available on a first come, first serve basis. Moreover, if you have a normal delivery, you are expected to discharge anywhere from 6-24 hours after delivery. If you have a cesarean or gestational diabetes during your pregnancy (I had the latter), you are allowed to stay 48 hours. The length of stay came as a shock to me, especially if things didn't go my way and I needed a cesarean. Remembering how it was the first time around, 2 days seemed too soon.

After giving birth, I had a few hours alone in the delivery room (we got lucky) to enjoy our baby boy before we were rolled out to the recovery ward where I stayed for 2 days with 5 other women and their newborn babies. That was an interesting experience.  I was lucky to have a sleepy newborn, but a few other women did not. And I became privy to nasty arguments between spouses, which at first was entertaining but then got old really quick. I wanted to yell out, "get it together people! and shut the hell up!!!"

But as I said, overall I was very pleased with the care I received. I wanted a true London experience and I got one!

Now without further adue, here is a snapshot of week one with my cutie pie. Riya wants to hold her baby brother all the time which is challenging but oh so cute:)

Hive Five! 

He looks just like his daddy:) 

Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park

I'm so glad we are not moving and can actually enjoy all things Christmas this year! The minute Ram told me about the Christmas Market and Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park, I marked my calendar and was determined to take Riya. The event opened the weekend before Thanksgiving but since I don't believe in doing anything Christmas related until AFTER Thanksgiving, we waited till the following weekend.

It got quite cold/windy/cloudy that week but I didn't want to wait since we have no way of telling when baby plans to make his debut (T-2 weeks!). So we rode the bus for 40 minutes to South Kensington and then walked another 10 to Hyde Park. The event was well planned and thought out. Much better than the one we attended in Dubai. I know its not fair to compare, but I couldn't help myself :p

They even had little open cottages with big fires for you to sit and enjoy a cuppa or some yummy belgian waffles. There was a heated carousel bar, which I thought was pretty cool. They also had an ice skating rink, Santa's Grotto, and an indoor ski slope type thingy amongst all the carnival rides and food.

Fire pit

A few minutes in we spotted a Reindeer roller coaster ride for Riya and she immediately wanted to get on....and round and round she went. SIX times. It was her first roller coaster experience. The girl was obsessed.

Whilst waiting why not take a selfie?!

After we peeled Riya away from the Reindeer, we walked around a bit and enjoyed the cosy fire pit and food before heading back home for nap time. When we got home I realized we didn't make time for Santa (DOH!). 

Giving Thanks

At a time like this, I have to remind myself that although I am heartbroken, I have a lot of blessings in my life. To focus on the positives. I have so many things to be thankful for...

I'll get straight to it.

1. Though I miss him dearly, I am extremely thankful that Luca was part of many happy milestones in my life and that he led a full life and is now at peace;

2. I am thankful that I am carrying this baby to term. We got a peak at baby boy Aiyer this morning at the doctor's office and he is happy and healthy; 

3. I am thankful that my mom is able to fly out and spend the holidays with us and will meet her second grandchild as a newborn;

4. I am thankful for all the joy and light that Riya has brought into our lives, she is such a character these days; and lastly,

5. I am very thankful for my husband who continues to exercise patience and unconditional love, especially now when I need it the most. And I'm thankful for the experiences and opportunities he has afforded us to live a dream life in another country.

ODE TO LUCA

After nearly 11 years with us, today we lost our beloved Luca. Due to serious medical issues, and seeing him in pain, we decided to put an end to Luca's suffering.

Loyalty and compassion are the words that come to mind when I think of Luca. He came into my life at 5 weeks old on my 25th birthday. I will never forget how he took his first steps in front of me a few days later. I will never forget how he accepted Ram as the man in my life with open arms. I will never forget how he loyally followed us around the world to experience life on the other side of the pond. After all, our home would never be complete without Luca.

The images of Luca sneaking back scratches on the rug, dragging himself from one end to the next, and snoring his way through each and every door bell ring (because lets face it, he was never a guard dog), are still fresh in my mind.

And now...all there is is deafening silence.

I already miss hearing the pitter patter of his paws and the tail wagging waddle that awaits me every time he sees me. It didn't matter if he had just spotted me 10 minutes ago in another room, he was always happy to see us. His heart was full of love. These coming days and weeks will feel empty without our Luca by our side but we know that he is finally pain free and that's all we ever wanted for him.

Keep smiling Luca...we will always remember you.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween marks the start of the holiday season, in my opinion, but overseas, Halloween is marginally celebrated and then its straight to Christmas (or Father Christmas as they call it here). Even though we have spent 4 Christmases away, and it's one of my favorite holidays, I still can't wrap my head around seeing Christmas decor out for sale in October. OCTOBER. It just doesn't make sense!

With everything we have going on, I let Halloween almost slip through the cracks this year. We weren't even sure if we were going to take Riya trick or treating. Even though Halloween was born in Scotland and is widely celebrated up north, its not a big deal here. All week at Riya's nursery they were making Halloween related crafts. So when we got a note from Riya's nursery that the kids are welcome to come in costume on Friday, I panicked. Having a family themed costume was definitely out of the question. Luckily I found a last minute costume for Miss Riya that was super cute!

Here's our lil mouse:

Halloween was such a beautiful day over here and uncharacteristically warm (70's). Only a few houses on our street participated in handing out candy, but our little mouse was too shy and overwhelmed to actually trick or treat. After going to 2 houses, we stopped. But she enjoyed watching us hand out candy:

Dancing on the street as we hand out candy <3

Yes we let her have the 2 pieces of candy she trick or treated for :) 

And we actually got invited to an American Halloween house party which required a costume as well so being as pregnant as I am, I just decided Ram and I would have to throw something together with accessories. When I saw nerd gear (aka suspenders, glasses and bow tie) at a store, I just went with it:) Ram did a much better job than I did. That hat made all the difference :p

Meetup.com

So apparently this app is the best way to meet people abroad now. I learned about this app when I first moved to London, courtesy of Debbie:)

It operates in a similar manner as Facebook, in that there are groups you can search for and join and they host weekly/monthly gatherings. There's just about a group for any type of expat, so you can easily meet like-minded people. I've joined several groups but haven't been able to attend the afternoon wine tastings or midday breakfasts and coffees because my toddler just doesn't like to sit still. Imagine that. Well all that's changed now that she's in school part-time and I actually have 4 Riya-free hours, 3 days a week...that is until baby boy is born (9 weeks left)!!!

So my goal has been to partake in at least one coffee or breakfast a week and spend one day exploring an area I haven't experienced yet. And the third, resting, because all this moving about is exhausting on my pregnant body:/ So far I've attended a few coffees and have a breakfast coming up this week. Its been so nice to get out and do adult things and connect with people (it only took 10 months).

I still struggle as a mother of a 2 year old with a baby on the way to find a group that I actually fit into, but that's what happens when you live in such a big city that is so spread out. I have discovered a group that meets weekly in my area for pregnant and new moms, so that has been helpful. Hearing stories about delivering here has also been, lets say, interesting. Although it doesn't look like I will build everlasting friendships with a lot of these new people I am meeting, I am thankful for the opportunity to get out and be me. 

September happenings

August and September have just flown by! I cannot believe its October already. That means, my handsome hubby is about to join me in the 3-5 club!!!! Time to be on the wrong side of 30 with me babe :)

Sorry my posts have been non-existent lately, but I haven't exactly had any inspiration for writing when I've had to deal with teething for the greater portion of the last 2 months:/ Mostly, I'm just trying to catch up on sleep whenever I can!

Anyway, I love September. Its the start of the school year. The start of football season. And most importantly, the start of fall. Everywhere I go I see the leaves changing color. I'm fall-ing in love with London all over again.

View from our patio

Fall weather is picture perfect and suits me well. The sun still provides the warmth you need to keep that coat stashed away and its a lovely 60 degrees outside. Riya and I love our afternoon strolls where we both quietly observe the beauty around us.

Riya is on her 3rd week of school and staying for four hours on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. I'm still working on making sure I don't spend the entire time at doctor's appointments or doing my chores. But so far the time apart has been so good for my soul. Having this alone time before baby boy comes is so precious to me and I'm thankful for it. I'm determined to devote at least one of those days to exploration each week. I plan to discover new areas and places and get caught up with this beautiful city.

Riya is 2!

We blinked and she turned 2. Such a momentous year for her. New country, new accent.

Although the last half of the year has been incredibly challenging, it has been so awesome to watch her personality shine through this year. She is shy, sweet and stubborn. Laughs with her entire being. Booty shakes Dances with all her heart. She confidently waves says "Hi" to all passersby, something I didn't see my shy girl doing anytime soon.

Unfortunately, the last 3 months have been burdened with teething and poor girl has gotten 7 teeth in that time. The most painful ones all at once (molars and canines). And just when we thought we were getting a break, she started teething her two year molars the week leading up to her birthday. The two year molars are no joke. They have been the most painful of them all and causing Riya to not be herself for way too long. Sadly, her birthday was hugely affected by her disposition.

My brother and his wife came in town to share her special day since my baby has no friends. It broke my heart to think about last year how we had a house full of friends on her first birthday. But in hindsight, if she had a party planned, we would have had to cancel, so I guess its all the same.

We spent the morning trying to get her to go through the balloon wall (no luck), opening presents and playing with her new toys. After she attempted a nap, we decided to brave the Children's Zoo in Battersea. We were hoping seeing all the animals would distract her from her pain. No such luck. It was so bad that we had to skip cake that evening:/

The next day we had a small window and she was able to enjoy her cake and it was worth the wait and smile:)

Birthday Stats: 23lbs, 34" tall, and 16 teeth
Obsessions: Balls, Balloons & Bubbles
Fav Foods: Berries, Mango and Squash
Fav Song: Wheels on the Bus
Fav Book: Mamas Little Ducklings
First Sentence: I see you!