As part of this, W (and any future children) will also have dual citizenship and all the rights and privileges that come with it–mainly the chance to live wherever we/they wish within the European Union (as well as the UK). In fact, W will be granted his British citizenship this fall! Well before G and I.

So, today’s a big day for us. Who would have dreamed that this would’ve been true. Me, a Virginia farm girl, having never traveled outside the US (not counting Canada) before 2004. And G, who decided to be a Bradley Scholar over applying to become a Rhodes Scholar as he ‘didn’t want to live in the UK’.

We’re quite literally an ocean apart from the McMansion and stead which we might have dreamed for ourselves upon our marriage 10 years ago. Just goes to show that ‘life plans’ are made to change…thank you to our family and friends for being so supportive as our plans have evolved.

I expressed milk every 3 hours at every turn along the 72 hour jaunt. Fun, fun But, if anyone ever needs tips on pumping in the loo in flight, I’m your girl…

In all seriousness, it was a lot of fun! My sister and her husband had a small wedding on the beach and everything went as planned. Upon returning to the UK, some said that I seemed surprised that my sister had pulled things off…in hindsight, I was! To my mind, she’ll always be the 9 year old that I left behind upon moving off to college…

Well done to Kellie & Patrick Johnson…may you find marriage to be a true treasure and never-ending pipeline of fun [interspersed with only enough worry to make you appreciate the good times]. We love you!

Going in, I wasn’t sure of what to expect, but knew it would be a huge party and a fun day out. Unlike protestant ceremonies which can be done within 10-15 minutes, many Indian ceremonies last for DAYS! In India, my understanding is that they’re typically 3 days…and up to 500 will attend. Imagine?!?!?

This ceremony was abbreviated to just shy of two hours, but still quite long by comparison to more typical western standards. Traditionally, Indian wives would leave their families and be joined to their husbands upon marriage. Given the difficulties of travel, etc, wives would seldom, if ever, be able to see their own families again and, hence, many of the traditions of the Indian Hindu ceremony are a tad solemn.
While I’m sure to get loads of the details wrong, here are a few things I noticed:

• Bride’s Presence: A huge portion of the ceremony takes place before the bride even enters the room. Presumably, this is because the soon to be husband is negotiating for the bride’s hand?
• GORGEOUS Costumes: The bride and groom’s ivory, gold and red costumes are absolutely stunning!
• Best Reception Food Imaginable: Either Indian food naturally lends itself toward catering for the masses, or our friends found the most incredible Indian caterer to be found. YUM! Our table even requested seconds!
• Photobooth: What a cool idea?! The happy couple hired in a photobooth to take photos which would accompany each’s guest’s signature in the guest book.

Our friends have been together for 3 years +/- and they’re are a really handsome couple–and a perfect match. And though my sleep deprived mind made conversation a bit difficult, I was honoured to attend the festivities.

The last 3 months have gone by so quickly…and we now more fully understand the statement ‘they grow up so fast’. Upon our last post, W was still rather new and we were all still just getting acquainted. Now, we all have grown comfortable with one another and are venturing closer to the ‘new normal’.

So, I’ve been humbled in motherhood. Upon reading the books last winter, we felt that we had it all figured out. We would:

1. Have baby on a schedule within the first month

2. Resist the temptation of co-sleeping and feeding the baby to sleep

3. Never, ever let baby sleep on his tummy

4. Pump enough milk within the first weeks in order to feed baby during the 3 days I would be away in early July (for my sister’s wedding)

These and countless other rules/goals were pushed to the wayside when reality set in. Apparently, rules are meant to be broken and parenthood has a way of humbling us all into knowing that we are no longer in control. We feel confident that we’re making the best choices that we can under the circumstances, but it’s not as easy as the books would make it seem.

That said, we feel so blessed to have little W as part of our clan…he’s a little treasure and we wouldn’t trade him. Just this week he’s found his hands and feet…and, of course, he’s a smiley boy. We’re loving life as a family of three…

How surprised we were on Sunday when Walker whinnied like a horse! He’s a good mimic and we think he was attempting to copy our laughter, but it sounds just like the pony ‘he begged for in utero’…and makes me giggle every time. Now, because he’s gotten positive reinforcement from us, he makes the sound ALL the time. And it melts us to the core. Ahhh…motherhood.

In other news, he also copies our facial expressions. Moulding a little person is a crazy, new (and fun) experience for us. So far, so good.

Surprises

• Who needs a diaper bag? Everything we need for a few hours out will fit in the pram basket.
• Logic and parenting books go out the window when your baby cries at 4am. At that point, baby gets what he wants.
• Breastfeeding is hard work. And just when you figure it out, someone ‘moves your cheese’.

In denial, I had chalked up all the various early labour signs and signals to my imagination throughout the weekend. We had just returned from our friend Lottie’s bank holiday barbeque at 10:30pm and gone to sleep at 11:30. Then, at 1am, I felt that I needed to go to the loo (not abnormal). Only, when I stood up, my waters gushed out! G had to grab a bucket.

At 36 weeks and 6 days (1 day short of term), G and I stared at each other, still in denial, I tried to convince myself that I had simply wet myself (I think this is the ONLY scenario that could conceivably cause me to think that wetting myself is the possible upside ). Once we emerged from denial, I took a shower and tried to convince myself I could go back to sleep. After an hour of contractions, they were nearly 2 minutes apart and we decided to call the hospital. They advised us to come in immediately…we waited until 3am to call the taxi.

He was stuck in my birth canal for many hours, attempting to come down with his hand by his face. 29 hours of labour later (and 45 hours since waking from our last night’s rest), W was born at 6:20am on the 27th. Delivery was tricky…and, as a result, he was a bit battered and bruised upon arrival. The poor little guy was swollen and a bit grumpy whenever anyone went near his head or neck, for good reason.We’ve since had a cranial osteopath in to adjust his head and neck and W is now much happier.

Luckily, hormones have led me to forget the details of labour and delivery

Since arriving home on the 29th of April, we’ve gotten to know one another. Though we generally stick close to home,we have ventured out for the odd meal out and a few other jaunts. And getting out has really helped me to recover–I feel more like myself when out and about and able to walk around the borough. Without our walks, I would have been miserable.

So back to the theme for this post. Motherhood has brought many surprises. Amongst them:

1. W has a mind and strong will all his own. Our job is to guide him, he will not allow himself to be tightly controlled.

2. Though we’re not currently working, there’s no free time. Tending to W takes about 8-10 hours per day and we cram whatever we would normally do into the remaining time. So much for leisure reading and cafe breaks…for now.

3. Breastfeeding is hard work! Though I realise it’s different for every person, I’ve found it to be overwhelmingly difficult. Building one’s milk supply takes so much focus and dedication that it leaves little time for anything else.

4. W is noctural and transitioning him to our cycle is nearly impossible at such a young age. We’ll get there, but have had to reset expectations that he may get to where we want him to be in month 1, not week 1.

5. They advise that you pack your hospital bag 4 weeks early…and it’s for good reason. I honestly thought he would bake until June! (Ha!)

6. A smile from W makes it all worth it (trite, I know…and yes, I realise it’s just gas )

While in the past this site has been devoted, generally, to our travel adventures and life abroad, it’s become clear over the last few months that we’re transitioning. Our wings have been clipped and we’re now those stereotypical ‘Baby’ people. Most of our free time is spent reading books about what to buy, where to buy it, how to care for Baby, what to expect… and at classes about the same… Baby First Aid, HypnoBirthing (kind of like Lamaze) and NCT (the UK’s leading non-profit for parents).

Of course, we’re still making time to have nice dinners out, picnics in the park, evening walks through the borough, drinks with friends (though my drinks are decidedly boring) and nights at the theatre. It’s just that my travel planning, travel, blogging and Facebook time have now been replaced by baby-prep. And my ‘pleasure reads’ have now taken a turn toward non-fiction babycare (i.e. how not to raise a maniac ).

Most of folks’ questions seem to center around 5 themes… so to bring you up to speed on what we’ve been up to and how things are going, I’ll address each…

1. Baby (Specifically Names) Baby would seem to be a happy, healthy little one (28 weeks in photo). We’ve had loads of scans and everything seems to be going as it should. He does still have a large head, but the rest of him would seem to catching up these days and he wiggles and nudges loads these days making it all seem way more real. The short of it is that we haven’t a clue of what our little guy will be called (It’s a Boy!) We do have a short list of 10ish names and plan to whittle it down to 3ish by the time Baby arrives next month. The plan is to announce Baby’s name once we meet him next month to ensure a good ‘fit’.

2. K: K’s well and has so far gained 20ish pounds (photo from today at 34 weeks 5 days, at left). She recently finished her 3 month agency contract and has returned to working with her small start-up clients independently from home. It’s a double-edged sword, really, as she misses being in a social work environment, but loves life without the rush hour commute into the City. Knock wood, she’s had no swelling, but she has suffered tinges of sciatica and acid reflux/heart burn as Baby’s still sitting very high. This week, she was able to go to the gym more and also had a pregnancy massage (Yay G! It was a Kim Appreciation Day Gift!) which together have provided a reprieve from the sciatica, making it possible for us to go for long-ish walks to the park and otherwise. We’re definitely feeling more ourselves…may the relief live on

3. The Nursery: Thanks to our parents, it’s coming together. Though we’re unable to paint the walls, we’ve made good progress and found ways of bringing in a bit of colour. The goal is for the room to be functional by the time we reach 36 weeks (t-minus 1 week 2 days). Then, we’ll just be left with the final bits of decorating… namely, making a floor to ceiling curtain to add a bit of colour and disguise the printer cart, finding appropriate artwork to replace that which is currently sitting on the cubby unit, and some sort of a fabric underskirting for Baby’s cot in order to infuse a bit more colour.

4. Due Date & Delivery: Baby’s due 18 May, though we’ve deemed the whole of May to be Baby’s Birth Month… who knows when he’ll decide the time is right. We’ve decided to have a natural birth (both our moms did it) at Whittington Hospital. Though we loved the idea of walking to the Royal Free from our flat, we didn’t love our experience there and decided to make a move. The Whittington’s a 10 minute ride away, the people are LOVELY and cheery (though still very professional) and we just feel more at home there. And, perhaps best of all, provided we’re able to have a natural birth with no complications, G will be able to stay in a private room with K & Baby up until discharge.

5. G: As you would likely expect, he’s beaming from ear to ear these days. We’re both very excited to meet our little guy come May. He has been a model partner, picking up the slack and being uber supportive when its needed most.

Struggling to break a sweat or raise my heart rate after the first half of the course, we were put into pairs for a few exercises. When making small talk, my partner who was 28 weeks said “Wow, this is quite the workout, don’t you think?”. A moment earlier, I had just been thinking that the whole thing was a bit surreal…a cake walk, really, and a tad pointless. But to fit with British custom, I did my best to be polite and find something to agree with…but it was hard.

A few minutes later, the only other person in the class who was 20 weeks laid down instead of carrying on with the exercises. They were too hard. Meanwhile, the rest of us carried on and finished the class with a 5 minute ‘healing nap’ complete with pillows between the legs…the whole shebang.

It felt a bit like a candid camera sketch. I got more exercise walking uphill home than participating in the class and opted to go to my usual gym for a ‘real’ workout later in the day. I felt pretty smug.

Though my trainer and I chalked the whole strange pregnancy yoga experience up to my being in the midst of the anorexic Primrose Hill set (there are two ways to stay fit…workout, or don’t eat…), I think there was something more at play. Now, eleven weeks on and 31 weeks’ pregnant myself, I’ve come upon a dawn of understanding. Our little guy’s growing up a storm these days, but as he’s a large baby, his weight and position is beginning to do strange things to my body. Within the last week or so, Baby’s begun to sit on nerves leaving me with a numb bum and achy tight thigh. And he’s crunching my lungs, making breathing a bit of a challenge. And eating enough for us both is a challenge due to my near constant heart burn and my stomach’s confinement, or so I would assume based on the position of Baby’s tickling toes…

I’ve continued to workout with my trainer once a week to ensure Baby’s safety and we’ve dialed things down to about 50-70% of what my routine used to be. But I feel that I now need to eat a bit of crow. While I’ve sailed through the first 7 months and really have little to no room to complain, bring on the pregnancy yoga and my nap

We hopped in our taxi at the airport and found this sign on the door. I don’t think the driver was kidding — we didn’t try to find out.

Thai massage uses hard pressure and is generally offered for head, foot, or full body. Let’s hope they go easy on this one.

Bathroom, restroom, powder room. Everyone wants to give the toilet a more pleasant name. What could be more pleasant than happy?

Somehow not as graceful as the stone versions you might see in Europe.

And finally, not directly related to Thailand, but found posted in one of the ‘happy rooms’ — in case you aren’t sure if you are a member of the Taliban. (Click to enlarge for easier reading).

Railay is a short drive via longtail boat (5 mins) from the Krabi pier. A thin peninsula, rather than an island, there are two sides of the beach which are 5 minutes’ walk apart: the western resort bit with a white sand beach and the eastern backpacker bit with a muddy beach. We stayed on the eastern side as the room rates are easily half…and the walk to the other side is literally 5 minutes and were so happy with our choice. By the end of our time there, we were spending our beachy days on the western beach and our nights (for dining and drinks, etc) on the more authentic eastern side.

It worked perfectly for us as we don’t spend much time in our room and are more keen to spend our time and money on food and activities (coconut smoothies being the key splurge in Railay ).

Comparatively, the views make Railay, and Krabi unique. The way in which the landmass has formed has created mammoth undercut mountains which tower near and at a distance, off shore. These towers of rubble make the region particularly picturesque and colourful with threads of orange clay and various greys running through. Combined with the crystal clear emerald waters, the traditional longtail boats on shore and the traffic free status, the backdrop couldn’t really be any lovelier.

The only shameful point is that the snorkeling is a bit rubbish. Sadly, overfishing, the use of dynamite fishing in previous years, anchor damage on the coral reefs, the fall out from the 2004 tsunami and general ocean health issues have led to a near empty sea with bleached coral fields. We did go out for a day of snorkeling and spent about 4-5 hours in the water, but what we saw around the Phi Phi islands and Railay saddened us. The fish that were there were ADORABLE and oh, so friendly and curious…they would literally follow you about, almost like puppies. But, after visiting a healthy and thriving reef in the Maldives last year, we did become a bit sad that the fish weren’t more numerous and that the coral reef was so incredible damaged. No wonder the fish we saw were curious and friendly, they were lonely…

On our final day, we rented a kayak to make our way around the peninsula and to explore some of the towering offshore mountains. It was fun to explore the caves, deserted beaches and crevices that we found. And, I was pretty impressed with my nearly 6-month pregnant self. We were out for two hours on the kayak in waters that were, at times, choppy and rough. Not only did we hold our own, but we passed two other kayaks, each with two grown men paddling. Not bad for a preggo /big strong man combo

Though it doesn’t fit nicely with any of the above, I also feel it worth mentioning our FAVOURITE restaurant and our FAVOURITE splurge in Railay. While during the first day or so, we stuck close to the western beach resorts for meals, we ventured a bit further by the end and found cheap, simple, delicious food in a stellar location on the East end. Like a tree house towering above the Eastern beach, our favourite place served Indian and Thai curries for about 1/3 of the price of meals on the other side. All served piping hot, the food is perfectly safe and absolutely delicious…and they even give you popcorn as an appetizer, free of charge! This, paired with an after drink (smoothie) at a chill overwater, open-air loungy place below and a banana rotee (kind of like a crepe) made for a perfect night, all for a total investment of under £10. So good, in fact, that we decided to repeat it…and we aren’t ones to repeat these types of things.

And our splurge…afternoon tea during a rainstorm on our final day (in the ‘Posh’ resort next door to our own). Not only was the food lovely and the surrounds in my favourite colour palette (plum, scarlett, harvest yellow, terracotta, lime), but they sent us away with a parting gift…a couple lovely fish origami made from palm leaves just before our eyes. We took our baby books and lounged, making us the first to arrive and the last to leave. Thereafter, we lingered alongside their koi ponds and made our way to their private beach for some sunset photos. Heaven, and a perfect end to our perfect stay! Hopefully, Baby will like Railay…as we may well be back…

Now, going big picture, our recent favourite beach destinations (Maldives, Croatia, Goa) are hard to beat. So, we kept our expectations suitably low during planning. But, while the competition is fierce, Railay has found a sound place in contention at the top of the list.