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!

NHS versus the World

To date, I've been privileged to experience two different types of healthcare from life overseas. Dubai healthcare is similar to the US in that private insurance is required but the similarities end where pharmaceuticals are involved.  Some commonly used medicines (i.e. inhalers) that are available by prescription only in the U.S. are available over the counter and they are cheaper in Dubai. But there is a big difference in insurance coverage in Dubai, and we were very lucky Ram's company supplied us with the best. My entire pregnancy, delivery, private room hospital stay for 10 days plus Riya's 14 day stay in NICU was completely FREE. When we saw the "bill" we were thankful we didn't have to shell out a dime! There is no way we would have had that luck in the U.S.

The UK's healthcare, known as the National Health Service (NHS), is funded by taxes and available to all at no cost. Now free healthcare sounds and is lovely, but as with anything, there are drawbacks. The focus is not on preventive medicine, like in the US, rather they treat your current condition. This also means a trip to the ER can be a nightmare if you need immediate attention. If you go to your GP and ask for that annual checkup with bloodwork and all, it ain't happening. They will not order any tests unless you have a compelling reason. Along the same lines, if you want to see a specialist, you have to see your GP first and convince them you need to see a specialist. For non-urgent matters it can take weeks to see a doctor and you have no choice on the date and time of the appointment. They set the appointment for you. Although it may take a few weeks to actually see the doctor, when you arrive at your appointment the waiting time is minimal, like 10-15 minutes, so the system can be efficient:)

Since I've had a baby under the Dubai healthcare system and will now have one under NHS, I thought it would be fun to compare the two experiences:)

1. Appointments: for first time pregnancies you have 10 appointments, only 3 of which are with a doctor, 6 are with the midwife and 2 with an ultrasound technician (your first midwife appointment is combined with an ultrasound appointment). For second time pregnancies, its only 8 appointments and again mostly with a midwife. In Dubai, all appointments were with a doctor and we had a few where we would go to a speciality clinic to do specific ultrasounds to test for abnormalities. But I definitely got more than 2 ultrasounds! My biggest disappointment was not being able to hear the baby's heartbeat on the first scan (which wasn't until 12 weeks) and I still have no clue as to why. I didn't get to hear the baby until 15 weeks! I'm also hoping my next scan isn't my last (gasp) till I deliver, cause there is no way I can handle that. I will go to a private clinic if I have to. I need to see my baby growing!

2. Snail Mail: all communication here is done by mail. That is also true if the hospital has to reschedule your upcoming appointment. I came back from Paris the day before my doctor's appointment only to get a letter in the mail saying it was rescheduled. I was so annoyed cause I could have stayed a few more days and come back with Ram! Needless to say in Dubai, they had no issues picking up the phone and sending you email/text.

3. Conservative....to a fault: when I found out I was pregnant, I immediately made an appointment to see a GP and requested a blood test to confirm. That's normal in Dubai (and US). But I was shocked when they told me they don't do that. They just take my word for it, will refer me to the hospital where I will get all my pregnancy care and wait until my 11-12th week before I get any formal confirmation of my situation. Say what?! I don't understand the refusal to do a blood test. I guess it's money they don't feel the need to spend. But that's just cruel to make a pregnant woman wait that long.

They are also very anti-intervention. I've heard many stories where doctors refuse to give a cesarean to a women in labor for 12 hours begging for one or where minor complications arise. Nor will they even think about inducing labor until you are almost 2 weeks overdue. YIKES.

4. Postcode Lottery: every city and hospital in the UK is different on certain matters such as cesareans and revealing the gender. We are very lucky that our hospital has nothing against revealing the sex of the baby at your 20 week scan. Just sucks that they make you wait that far into the pregnancy. In Dubai, I knew by 16 weeks and I hear in the US now you can get a blood test confirmation at 12. Boo.

5. Free healthcare = no private delivery. This is something I'm going to have to figure a way out of! In Dubai our insurance afforded us a spacious private room with a bathroom and sofa bed for Ram to sleep on. Over here, I'm told I can forget having any privacy and warned that Ram may not be able to stay with me. The second part is not as scary this time around because we have Riya to consider. But I don't think I could handle a newborn along with 6 other moms and their newborns! (Laine, I still don't know how you did this). Google has given us private insurance, so I am going to start making some enquiries on what we can do to resolve this issue!

Countdown to Houston begins! T-10 days...