The Grandparents Join Us

One consideration for the arrival of Child #2 is what to do with Child #1 during the birth. We had every intention of a hospital birth, and we knew that Junior could not come with us - if I'm really honest, I didn't want him to be there either. Local friends offered to watch him if I went into early labour, which was a huge relief. But even better than that, the grandparents came.

S's parents arrived a few days before my due date, and Junior was thrilled to spend time with them.

While they adjusted to Junior's routine and our toddler-oriented lifestyle, we kept ourselves busy and enjoyed the sunshine.

Cannizaro House, Wimbledon

The 30th of March was British Mothers' Day, the start of British Summer Time, and my due date. It came and went; still no Juniorette.

My parents arrived on the 1st of April, increasing the house count to six adults, one toddler, and one bump.

Days passed. I had picked my ideal birthdate for Juniorette: April 4th, 2014 (4.4.14) but still she kept us waiting.

And then...

Preparing for Juniorette

Funny how priorities change when you're awaiting the birth of your second child. Before Junior was born, I started maternity leave at 35 weeks and used the time to research and buy all the baby stuff I hadn't had time to acquire until then. With Juniorette, we already had most of the things we needed. The biggest purchases were a used Phil&Teds double buggy, and a new travel cot. I didn't buy many clothes in advance - I was overwhelmed by the proliferation of pink - and it didn't even occur to me to buy any new toys. It was unclear until the very last minute when my maternity leave would start, but I was again able to stop working at 35 weeks.

So I relaxed as much as possible while Junior was at nursery.

I booked a facial.

I had my hair cut, coloured, and blown dry.

I finally organised my office after living here for nearly six months. We prepared the house for visitors by buying a new sofa as well as a new dining table and chairs.

We put frosted film on the windows to give us privacy in the living room without sacrificing light - nice for breastfeeding without feeling exposed.

I finished reading The Cuckoo's Calling, which S had given me for xmas. I watched a few films that had been on my list for ages.

At 38 weeks, I finally packed my hospital bag. I felt better prepared in terms of what to bring/not to bring, but even still I didn't pack enough clothes for Juniorette, and S had to bring some on the first day.

I also started to panic about the birth. What if she came early? Who would watch Junior? Would it be better if she came during the day while he was at nursery, or on a weekend when friends would be more likely to be available to watch him? What if she came in the middle of the night? What if S had to stay home with Junior? Would I be prepared to give birth alone? Would S be prepared to miss it? How would Junior handle the sudden disappearance of his parents? And the appearance of a whole new person?

News

On the 16th of September, nine years and three days after I first moved to London, we got the keys to our new house!





Buying a house in England has been a learning experience for me. (Actually, buying a house at all has been a new experience for me...) Offers are not legally binding until exchange of contracts, and in our case, that took six months. We were relatively certain throughout the process that the sellers would not back out, but it still took much longer than we had hoped it would. We hit a few bumps along the road - negotiations on repairs and price, delays while the tenants moved out - but we are very pleased with the result.


And in the same week, we got to see Junior 2!





It feels different being pregnant the second time around. I have better knowledge of what to expect, which has been alternately helpful (I feel better prepared and relaxed) and scary (I know what I'm getting into this time!) It has been harder chasing after an energetic toddler while battling the ups and downs of the first trimester. But ultimately I am relieved that the pregnancy is going well so far and I'm looking forward to watching my growing bump.


The big question is: will be it Junior 2 or Juniorette? We'll find out in November...