On maternity clothes

At 7 months pregnant. Topshop dress.

Let's be honest, Maternity clothes suck! Most of the time there is no style at all, and we are supposed to wear that for more than a year? Because except if we are lucky ones with an amazing metabolism – some do, I know it ^^ - we definitely won't be back to our pre shape or pre-pregnancy clothes just after the birth of our baby. C is now 5 months old, I am a bit under the weight I was when I just got pregnant, but I still have this floppy belly and don't fit well in my pre-pregnancy clothes. I simply don't have the shape for it. So why maternity brands don't do a much bigger effort??

Of course some brands are trying to make it easier on pregnant women, such as Topshop that does a section with maternity clothes, or ASOS. And they are much more wearable – I actually got all of mines from Topshop – and have more the look of “normal” clothes and less like styless women. Why should we suddenly have a non style year only because we got pregnant?

Some designer, such as HATCH are doing some lovely clothes that can be worn before, during and after pregnancy. I just fell in love with some of them (see pics), but all nice designers for Maternity are really expensive..

Some of my favourites from the current Hatch Collection:

The question would probably be then, if it's something like HATCH that could be worn after pregnancy as well, that looks really nice and stylish, maybe it would worth it to put some more pounds in it... But we don't always have that amount of money.. Especially when we usually would whether spend every penny we have for our new baby to come :) But still a question to meditate for next baby :)

Would you spend more money on maternity clothes if you can wear it after pregnancy? Where are you buying your maternity clothes? Which is/are your favourite brand/store for maternity clothes?

On greeting people.

I've always find it quite difficult when I was meeting new people as I never really knew how to say “hello”. But at least it was just a question of “how many bises is he/she doing?”.

Coming from France I am used to “kiss” people to say hello and goodbye. Every single person present in the room or with your group of friend. Obviously you probably wouldn't do la bise to your boss, teachers, etc. But otherwise it is really common, and was so much easier for me. I mostly just needed to figure out if that person was making 2 or 4 kisses.

Now that I am living in London it is completely different. Not only that I don't know what is the way in UK to say hello or goodbye to people – do I shake hands? Hug? Kiss? One kiss on cheek? Two? - but London is also so diverse in nationality and cultures that it makes it even more difficult. I honestly probably met – when I say met I mean met in a way that I've been hanging out with the person for several times - only a couple of person purely british since I arrived, about 2 years and a half now.

Even with my family in law, who is from Latvia, I never know how to say hi. Do I hug them? Kiss them? Once on the cheek? Twice? - as it doesn't go so well it doesn't make those decisions easy either.

I usually have this awkward moment for quite a while when I just start to get to know people where I will just wave my hand awkwardly saying “hiii” and then would figure out how to say goodbye xD

Does anyone of you feel the same way when meeting new people? Or from a different country? How do you usually react? How do you say hello and goodbye from where you are from? - in the action, not words obviously :)

(Pic: Henri Cartier Bresson and Agnes Varda)

On our trip to France

My baby girl on her first trip - playing and sleeping deeply <3

Oh my god I can't believe it's been already 3 weeks we came back from France with Chloe and I didn't have time yet to write a post about it! After being ill for a bit more than a week – I thought I'd never feel well again xD – I then needed to prepare my portfolio for an interview I had for a school. Let me tell you that it was far from ready, or even started lol And with V at home to help me with Chloe, I just wanted to spend time with them instead of doing my portfolio job. Anyway, I'll post some pictures about those couple of days later. For now, let's talk about that trip that scared me xD

So on 3^rd of March we went to France with Chloe for Grandma's day. V couldn't come as he thought at first it would be difficult for him to take holidays and as I had my short courses on Saturdays I couldn't go before than Sunday and going to France for just a day doesn't worth it. Anyway, it was Chloe first trip, during which one she would need to stay at same place for an hour and half and have this thing in ears for more than half hour. Let me tell you that I was completely panicked. Travelling with a 4 months old, luggage, big backpack and no pushchair as I was alone and couldn't imagine folding it for security by myself with Chloe in one arm, unfolding it after and probably folding it again once in the train.

People were really helpful actually, ready to help me when needed. And Chloe, Oh My God! That little girl doesn't stop to surprise me. She was an ANGEL! We went in the family room, which is basically 2 pairs of those 4 seats in front each other, separated from the others. Our train got 45 minutes delayed to arrive to Lille, so we basically were on a train for 2 hours. Someone in our coach realized there was a baby 15 minutes before we arrived!! Even when my ears were bothering me she wasn't saying a thing, just sucking on her dummy or fingers. She fell asleep as soon as it became dark and woke up 5 minutes before we came out of the tunnel.

That trip relieved me SO much! And I was so impressed with Chloe! She's been just as good on the way back. I'm really looking forward for our next trip to France in May as now I know she is good. Even though it is still a pain to travel with an infant, luggage etc and all by ourselves.

Our short week went so quickly there, and once again Chloe impressed me by falling asleep in my bedroom all by herself in this unknown bed as soon as she was down. She was all happy and calm with people she was meeting for the first time – and we met knew people EVERYDAY! I was really happy to be able to introduce her to one of my dad's best friend, his “wife” and their twins; to my aunt, her ex-girlfriend – who was like my aunt when I was a kid, probably even more than my real aunt xD – and my aunt's current boyfriend; to my cousin who I used to consider like my sister – I even asked her to become my twin sister when I was 7 years old – and with whom I've been raised, and her dad; to a really close friend of us and her 5 years old daughter that I deeply love and who is Chloe's cousin in my heart – and Chloe's one hopefully.

I also took her to Lille. I was so happy to take her there. I couldn't explain why exactly but having her in the city where I'm from... when we arrived in France, even in the train, I had tears of joy coming xD  Anyway, we took her to my favourite restaurant and then walked around in Lille, we got lucky as it was a really sunny and warm – 19 degrees!! - day. It was just lovely. The only down side was how non kid-friendly France is as I mentioned in the previous post. Even in the restaurant some people – business or working people that came for their lunch – were looking at her with a look saying “I hope she won't start to cry and bother us”. And nowhere to change her nappy or breastfeed her.

But except that it was amazing, she was amazing, and we enjoyed it SO much!

On Bensimon tennis shoes.

Paris, 2008

It's been a couple of weeks that I keep thinking about buying a pair of Bensimon, I guess the fact that it was so nice in France when we went we reminded me how nice it is to wear them in Spring/Summer - not ideal at all for rain though! I found them so cute and comfy to wear. And big plus, the original ones are really affordable. Now I just need to figure out which colour to choose xD - I have time though with the weather we got lately in London..

Here is a selection of the colours I love, don't know yet which one to pick. I already had white and khaki so I prefer to have an other one that I already had.

Turquoise, Watermelon, Yellow, Mint, Orange, Neon blue, Coral.

And Oh my god, they do it for kids as well!!! How cute are those tiny teeny little shoes??!!  Can't wait to get some to Chloe!! :D  Will need to wait for next spring though I think, they start at size 23.

Neon blue, Lemon colorpiping, Dots, Pink.

On my first Mother's Day :D

Well, this mother's day wasn't quite like I imagined it to be honest. As I said in the previous post, Chloe and I came back ill from France. Chloe was much better, but I woke up on Sunday with my voice completely broken and not feeling well enough at all to do what I planned. Because I planned my mother's day a couple of months ago xD  We were supposed to go to the V&A, my favourite museum in London - also one of my favourite area, the first one where I lived - , have lunch there and spend the afternoon in the museum. I'm sure Chloe would have LOVE it as well. Unfortunately I didn't feel like taking the tube for more than half hour.

However, V was really sweet!! He did all the cooking the whole day, took Chloe for a walk so I got to get a bath for almost an hour!! I got viennoiseries in the morning - including a croissant!! - , freshly bought in store, and candies :p  We then went to Spitafields market for a couple of hours to get lunch and wander around - even though I didn't feel like go all the way to South Kensington, staying at home felt a bit boring and Westfield just as much. I even got a Starbucks on the way there - you will quickly notice how addicted I am to Starbucks xD.

I also got an amazing present: a tripod and remote. So now Chloe and I can take pictures together without needing V to come home and ask him to take pictures and end up feeling awkward xD

Even though I have those moments lately where I feel already nostalgic of tiny teeny little Chloe and think she is growing too fast, I can't wait to the mother's days to come when she will prepare things like drawings or handmade things :D

I hope you enjoyed your mother's day! What did you do? How was your very first mother's day?

On breastfeeding / kid-friendly places

Chloe and I came back from our trip to France on Thursday night. Unfortunately we are both sick.. I think she is getting better already and I thank breastfeeding and her new amber necklace for it xD
As I don't feel like doing a long article to tell you guys about our trip, I thought about talking of something I noticed: the difference way people sees breastfeeding, how places are differently kid friendly..

So as you probably know I am french, all my family is still living there - excluding two uncles. I am now living in Uk, London to be more precise. I first notice the huge difference on breastfeeding and stuff when Chloe was born, as here in UK they put a huge pressure on you to breastfeed. The other thing was my mum starting to put a pressure on me to start giving formula to Chloe when she turned 3 months old and now starting to talk about solid food. But I have to say that I noticed a bigger difference when I went to France with Chloe: France is so not kid friendly AT ALL!! I haven't been in a lot of restaurant or cafes, but where we went there was no place for changing babies.. The only solution to change Chloe was outside - what seemed to shock a lady, which is weird when you think that she probably isn't shocked by topless women on beaches during summer or of nudist camps, but changing a baby nappy that has only pee outside when it's sunny and 19 degrees seems shocking.. - if we didn't want to go in McDonalds' dirty toilets. I also realised that over there you don't see any women breastfeeding in public, that would be shocking I guess. In UK this isn't uncommon to see women with nursing scarves breastfeeding their babies in restaurants.. You have lots of places where you can also breastfeed them in special places, such as in Westfield and their parents rooms, places where to change your babies etc..

I just thought I would share it with you and see what you guys think?
Are the places where you are are kids friendly? Is it shocking in your country if you see a woman breastfeeding her baby in a public place with a scarf or something?

On Chloe and how she turned 4 months already!

So 2 days ago Chloe turned 4 months (or was it today? As there is no 30th on February this is not an easy thing to know..) and she started to act like she never did, I don't know what came to her xD  First, she started by ignoring my mum on Skype, what she never did before. She usually is so happy to see her, staring at her image on the computer, smiling and trying to "get in the computer" lol And that pretty much since my mum left and that Chloe gave real smiles.. - so when she was about a month old. But suddenly she turned 4 months and she decided to look everywhere else than the screen. And not only that, when she looked at the screen she gave a look like "what are you doing here, leave me with my mum alone", before to pretend being hungry.. She acted a bit the same with V in the evening. She is doing this thing of putting her arms up so I could say "WOW you're s taaaalll!!" and yesterday when V was doing it she was either looking at him with a look saying "YOU don't say that, it's MAMA's thing" or starting to cry xD  Our little princess is becoming possessive and jealous and wants me only for her xD  Let's hope that it is just a phase :)

Yesterday Chloe did the cutest thing in the bath: laughing - with her fingers in her mouth in the same time xD - for almost 10 minutes!! She's been laughing before but is was quite rare when she was, even though she is such a smiley little girl. And when she was, it was just a couple of times and then she would stop. Yesterday I would just say "Papa" in a high pitched voice and she would just keep laughing. Such a cutie! :)  Everytime she turns one more month she comes up with a new thing, it's like she's been waiting for that exact day to show it to us :)

Tomorrow afternoon we are going for about 4 days to France for Grand Mother's day. Yeeeaaaay!!! I can't wait to show my little girl to everyone and show her the city where I grew up and lived so much things!! I am so excited... and nervous in the same time!! The longest that Chloe stayed in "trains" is 15 mins!! We'll have a whole hour and half, plus the ear blocking thingy for quite a while.. Hopefully she'll stay for a while on my breast or the bottle and will behave! We will be in the family area so people should be more understandable, plus Chloe loves babies/kids, people in general actually. Doing a trip by train with luggage and all by myself with such a young baby is really stressing me out. But hopefully I'll come back with some tips to share with you ;)  I wish V could come with us.. :(


Anyone has some tips on how to travel with a young baby? Whether it is by train or by plane? I'd love to hear them! How old were your baby/kid(s) the first time you took them on a trip? Was it by car, train or plane? How was it?