Cable Cars and Ice Cream

We had a really enjoyable last weekend.  I was delighted to be home, and to have my stomach back in normal working order.  Really, it's easy to take your health for granted!

On Saturday, Lola went to Maggie and Rose and then we went to the Central waterfront to ride the cable car.  She used to love it but now she has gotten scared of heights.  She kind of panicked when we were in line for it, and then her panic grew into full-scale fear when we got into the cable car and started to ascend.  She kept saying, with tears in her eyes, that she wanted the cable car to go down.  Unfortunately for her, the cable car has become a better deal in that you get 3 cycles with your ride.  So we had to distract her two more times before we were finally let out. 

 

 

 I had resorted shamelessly to bribing so that the other patrons in our cable car were not treated to Lola sobbing and shrieking the entire ride - so when we finally emerged from our glass cocoon, we went to the ice cream stand.  It was a day full of perks - the cable car ride was free because we were within the first 1000 people to queue, and the ice cream was buy one get one free.  I had to avoid it,  sadly, but Lola picked strawberry and Jovie chose a cherry almond fudge and indulged freely.







We then went to dinner at the Forty Niner in Exchange Square, Lola's first time in the American Club's town location.  We drove the car there, a first, and figured out the parking situation (pretty convenient).  Lola ate (nibbled on) a grilled cheese sandwich with broccoli and carrots while rugby and golf played in the background. 

On Sunday, Lola went to Maggie and Rose in the morning again.  Do you see a pattern here? 
 
In the afternoon we went to the American Club Tai Tam location because Lola was clamoring that she wanted to go slide "by herself".  She is very independent, she would have you know.

We parked our car in their on-site lot for the first time - it was SO tight.  The lot is so narrow that you don't have enough room to fully pull out and turn, rather, it takes a lot of tight maneuvering and K-turns galore.  Also, no one pulls in here, everyone backs into the space so that they can just pull out when leaving.  I repeat as I've often repeated: I don't think I can drive in Hong Kong, and I certainly don't want to!

Lola went down the long slide at the Eagle's Nest probably 10 times, twice with Michael and then multiple times by herself or with a few older girls who were very kind and gentle and took her with them.  She had so much fun and was squealing and cackling as she went down the slide - I have to say, it's a pretty long one and sometimes can go very fast, so I'm glad it was manageable this time and she managed to stay almost upright nearly all the time.


We then had dinner on the lawn, where Lola enjoyed a pepperoni pizza for the first time, paired with an entire ear of corn and a bowl of edamame.   She eats well when she eats with us because she will say, "Mama eat" (and I take a bite), "Daddy eat" (and Michael takes a bite), and then, "Lola eat!" (and enthusiastically chomps down her food).
 
It was a really nice night and evening overall.

Rest of My London Trip and A Safe Return Home

So my first day in London sounded all rosy and lovely, but actually that night there were some horrors that awaited me - apparently I contracted norovirus, which is also known more colloquially as the "winter vomiting bug" and it erupted on Monday night with a vengeance.  It was pretty horrible if I'm to be honest, especially because I was by myself in a hotel room.

I was pretty much incapacitated for all of Tuesday, relying on the concierge to get me some crackers, bananas and over the counter acid relief medication, and relying on room service to bring me bowl after bowl of chicken broth soup.  I managed at the end of the day to choke down some mash and rice.  The doctor that I saw in London (yes, I had a GP pay a house visit to my hotel room like in olden days) was a bit shocked at how raw my nose and throat were from the force of my projectile hurling.  The only good thing to come of this was that I was given the freedom to indulge in carbs and fruit, GD notwithstanding, because it was more important to keep myself hydrated and not slipping into a hypoglycemic state.

I knew I was in bad shape because I gave up my chance to see Hamilton that evening.  Yes, that's right, a chance to see Hamilton!!  I can't remember the last time I have willingly flaked out such an exciting and thrilling opportunity - and I had so been looking forward to it also.  Hong Kong lacks the vibrant theater and arts scene that London and New York has and it felt sad to let the opportunity slip through my fingers.  I am also not going to think about how much money I spent on that ticket, although I have spent a lot of time thinking about it already.

By Wednesday morning I woke up feeling almost like a new person.  I was able to eat a hearty breakfast of eggs and toast with butter and a plate of fruit.  I also managed to go to Selfridge's to pick up my shopping items, have a nice lunch, and get some shopping done at Heathrow duty free before hopping back on a plane.

I ended up with two suitcases and a bread machine in my checked baggage. I bought a huge Jellycat rabbit, a London taxi and bus set from Hamley's and a flowered dress and pink cardigan for Lola, this light gray wool coat from The White Company, this blazer from AllSaints, and a Gucci super mini Marmont bag in nude for myself, a bottle of Bowmore 18 for Michael, and a TON of tiny size baby onesies for the twins, including hopefully their coming home outfits. 

I dreaded being on the plane for the long return flight given how poorly I'd been feeling, but it actually was a much better flight than my trip out.  On the way out, I binge watched the entire second season of Big Little Lies.  On the way home, I just read a little and then passed out, bypassing all of the movies and TV entertainment.

It was so nice to come home and see how happy Lola was to see me.  I'm still trying to take it relatively easy since being back, because long-haul travel is exhausting and also because I think my body needs a bit of a rest!

(I Was) In London!

So I started this post on Monday morning this past week, exactly five days ago.

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I'm now 26 weeks!  And in London!

The flight here was a little more difficult than I expected - my memories from traveling long haul during my previous pregnancy must have been severely rose-tinted or else it really makes a difference to be pregnant with twins and nearly two years older.  I thought I'd be good because my last long haul flight previously occurred when I was 29-30 weeks (and after an absolutely insane working schedule also).

But my compression stockings at one point felt like they were amputating my legs right below my knee, and I stupidly didn't pack enough GD-friendly snacks.  Also, I didn't pause to consider how long the flight is from Hong Kong to London - I had the vague idea that it was a little over 10 hours - but actually, it's more like nearly 13 hours!  That's 3 hours longer than a flight to Sydney which is when I took comparable flights for work previously.  My flight landed late Sunday night, which apparently is prime time at Heathrow because of all the business travelers getting in in anticipation of meetings on Monday, which extended the flight time even more.

But no matter, I'm here!  Let's see how the days go.  I have managed to come here during an interminably rainy and gloomy and cold period, but strangely that doesn't dampen my spirits at all.  I love London!  It's a city steeped in such history and beauty, truly one of the great cities of the world.

The big party is tonight at the Spencer House, London's "most magnificent 18th century aristocratic palace" which is apparently the only one in the city to have survived fully intact.

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That's as far as I managed to get on Monday, because I had to go into the office to do a little bit of work, and then I went to John Lewis to get some baby clothes shopping done, and I also was hoping to run to Mackage to buy a winter coat, but I ran out of time.  I did manage to scope out a bunch of dresses and bags at Selfridge's online (they have a great click and collect next day service if you're ever in town for just a couple of days) and to score a ticket to Hamilton (!!!) for the next evening's performance (Tuesday night). 

I stayed at The Ned in the city, two blocks' walking distance from my firm's London office.

It's probably not my first choice of hotel but it is still very nice, and I decided to go with it for convenience and because it was on our office list.  The decor is really fun - you feel like you have stepped into some early 20th century hotel room, with lots of Art Deco and vintage finishes like a (faux) rotary telephone, heavy draperies, a small dressing table, a tiled bathroom, and beautiful crystal goblets.

 

 

 When I was in town, the streets were occupied by an Extinction Rebellion (people protesting cars and carbon footprints and shouting about climate change) and also mainly shut due to the Queen's speech and the ongoing mess of Brexit.  It made getting around pretty challenging but thankfully I had my Oyster card and re-acquainted myself with the tube.

 I feel like wherever I go nowadays I meet with protestors and street closures!

 

 Sloane Square, where I engaged in a frenzied 2-hour bout of shopping, was beautiful.

 The Spencer House turned out to be as incredibly well preserved and as beautiful as touted.  I have come back with a copy of the book on the house, as a memento.

The chandeliers alone... and just every detail on the walls and the ceilings - so overdone, yet so elegant.  I didn't really manage to capture or do justice to the glories of the rooms, as I was trying to avoid getting any people in my shots!

I took a surreptitious selfie near the end.

 We had drinks in the retiring room on the ground floor, which looked the most "normal" if you will.  But I mean, this was in the bathroom!

Pictures of Playtime and Our New Car

So while I definitely was in a slump last week and this weekend, I feel a bit better today and thought it would cheer me up to put some pictures of Lola which I haven't done in a while.  She is so energetic and opinionated that we really need to take her out two, three times a day.  In addition to her class at Fairchild, some of her favorite haunts lately have been Maggie and Rose (she went there twice yesterday!), Baumhaus (her music classes), the American Club, the playground and public library.

At Baumhaus:

At the club:

 At the playground:

 We got a new car and finally went to pick it up about two weeks ago.  I think the verdict is that Lola likes it!  Michael told her it was her very own minibus (let's face it, it practically is the size of one) and she has her very own special seat.  She resisted car seats before but this one she seems relatively satisfied with - mainly it provides her a nice boost up and the windows are so big that she can really look out.

Going slightly further back, just around that time Lola also got a haircut.  She is very well behaved during a hair cut (I'm sure the Peppa videos don't hurt) and sits very still like she knows something important is happening.  Doesn't she look so grown up here!

 Afterward, she went upstairs to play, likely relishing the freedom of her newly shorn 'do.

 Not sure how it started, but lately if you ask her to smile for a picture sometimes she will reward you with a loud fierce roar!

At MyGym:

 

 Playing in school:

Her sunglasses finally fit her now and she has taken to wearing them at random hours of night and day.  How funny is she!

 And finally, one last picture of her so happy at Maggie and Rose, her first love (currently) - she just loves everything there, from the ball pit to the cars to the kitchen to the slide!