Paris Travels

After London, we spent 4 nights in the City of Love. It was a wonderful trip, I am very thankful that we got to go, especially before the baby comes. And seeing Mona Lisa was really exciting for me because it was on my bucket list. The Louvre was amazing, the Eiffel Tower was breathtaking and every corner you turned there was another building worth snapping pictures.

Here are a few of my favourite Paris pictures:

London England Travels

Posting a few of my favourite pictures from our trip to London, England. 4 great nights in an amazing city!!! Maddy's favourite had to be the London Eye, the London Aquarium, and feeding the ducks in the park by Buckingham Palace.

Six Months Down!

So we've now been here for six months! Hard to believe half a year has gone by. Although if I look back on the life we've made here so far, I'd say we're doing pretty well. Andrew is enjoying his job, I'm 37 weeks pregnant, our apartment is in good shape and we've made a few friends. We've also done some travelling, of course, to Estonia, Paris, and London.

Cindy, myself, and two other foreign mommies have formed our own little playgroup. Every Friday we get the kids together at one of our houses to socialize and watch the kids play.

My parents will be here in 10 days and will be staying for almost two weeks. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Baby Boy decides to make his arrival while they are here so that they don't miss out on the big event....plus we need them to watch Maddy while we're in the hospital, he he.

The weather has reverted to "typical Finland weather" and apparently this summer was quite rare to have such wonderful days. It's around 10-12 degrees every single day now, mostly cloudy, sometimes a bit of rain. I guess this is the typical weather. It's getting dark out earlier now, by 7:30pm currently, which is a big change from taking the dog out at 11pm and it still being light out.

Half a year gone by, it's been an adventure so far. And judging by the things we have coming up (a second child, a visit from Oma and Opa, and a trip to Canada), I'd say that the next six months are going to be even more exciting.

It's a beautiful day.
Kim

Lovin my Fam

Four more weeks until my due date and I find myself starting to think about the birthday gifts and Christmas gifts that need to be purchased.

For this, I am grateful to have lots of brothers and sisters. I can usually sucker at least one of them to go in on a gift together. All I have to do is mail a cheque and they have to do the dirty work like picking up the gifts, wrapping them and delivering them.

Hmm, suckers!

A Room Fit For a Princess

So Andrew left this morning on his business trip, which leaves Madison and I with the car for three and a half days. This is a rare treat for us because usually we are carless. It's not usually a big deal because whenever I do need the car for something, Andrew is usually willing to take the bus to work the odd day. But now we have the car all to ourselves!!

Girls Day number 1 - trip to IKEA! We left most of our nice paintings and pictures in Canada so that we wouldn't have to lug them back and forth. Plus our apartment here is temporary, we're only here for two years. But it's been bothering me in the back of my mind that her room is white. No paintings, no colourful blankets. Just white walls and her toys on the floor. So as a treat to myself, we bought her a rug, curtains, a wall flower nightlight, blankets and pillows, all matching (of course). Minimal damage was done, in my opinion, and her room is going to look fabulous.

It's funny how once you become a parent, doing nice things for your children can feel like you've done something great for yourself as well.

It's a beautiful day.
Kim

A Sigh of Relief

Today was a productive day in the Conley household, a big thanks to my hubby for getting his to-do list done.

The crib is up, the bedding is on, the drawers are organized, hospital bag is packed and we are basically ready for baby to come.

The bad news is that Andrew is leaving to the States on a business trip tomorrow morning for 4 days. I think I'm going to lay on the couch with my legs crossed until he gets back. Not only have I threatened his life but his boss' as well if this baby decides to come when he is gone. I'm pretty sure Maddy will not make a very good labour coach....

Golden Oldies

Maddy has recently expressed an interest in the Care Bears and I have to admit that it makes me happy to know that she gets joy out of things that brought me joy when I was a kid.

However, in my memory, the Care Bears animation was tip-top and now the Care Bear stare doesn't look as pretty as I remember :)

Finnish Maternity Leave

In Finland, the government will not allow you to begin your maternity leave any less than one month prior to your expected due date. Which means that every single expectant mother takes their last month of pregnancy off of work. Quite a different view from Canada, where most women I know, including myself, try to work as close to their due date as possible so that they can spend more time at home with the baby.

On the day where my sister Rose goes back to work for the first time since my nephew Jack was born, I officially start my maternity leave today.

It's a beautiful day :)
Kim

Back to Reality

Poor Maddy had the stomach flu in London for two days. Both Andrew and I were thankful that we didn't catch it when we were in Paris.

Unfortunately I caught it when we got back to Finland, which has interfered with my plans on cleaning the house, unpacking, and finally getting the apartment ready for Baby Boy Conley's arrival in the next 5 weeks. Have lost 4 pounds since our trip.

On a brighter note, my parents have finally booked their flights! They will be here on October 8th, staying until the 21st!!! Fingers crossed Baby Boy doesn't decide to make an early appearance, since Maddy's sitters won't be here yet and he might not yet have a bed to sleep in...

We Survived!!!

Happy to report that we made it back from 9 days in London and Paris safe and sound. It was a wonderful trip!!!!! I think Andrew and I both were surprised at the difference of travelling as a couple versus travelling with a child. We made sure we did things that would interest Maddy (London Aquarium, London Eye, Children's Museum, Hyde Park, Jardin de Luxembourg) as well as things that we could do while she was napping in her stroller (Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Louvre) and overall it was a fabulous trip.

Pictures will be posted on Facebook in the next couple of days. We got some really great shots.

Now that I'm 34 weeks pregnant, I think it's time to settle down, take it easy and get ready for the next addition to our family. So maybe we'll be done travelling until our big trip to Canada in December.

Pleased to announce that my rings still fit on my fingers, my shoes still fit on my feet, and I only happened to lose Andrew's passport once during our trip.....

It's a beautiful day.
Kim