I don't know where the time has gone since I posted my last blog at about 27 weeks, but it has certainly raced by:  I'm now 30.5  weeks pregnant with twins, and grounded in London after a prolonged stay of 2 months in Gloucestershire.  

I look and feel enormous, and builders in the street (the cheekiest and least sensitive commentators of all) have stopped me and asked if my due date is tomorrow!  My much more benevolent friends, however, tell me I'm all bump and haven't yet acquired the pregnancy spread in my face, thighs and bottom.  Whichever is the truth, I'm now 100% reliant on my pregnancy wardrobe, whereas I was managing to get away with the odd non-pregnancy piece up until a few weeks ago. 

Favourite item?  My white Blossom jeans.  They instantly 'glam up' any outfit and I'm wearing them to death in these last embers of our so-called summer.  Teamed with Jimmy Choo strappy wedges (my husband has to do them up for me as I can no longer reach my feet) and roomy cashmere pieces from De Roemer, my favourite cashmere designer, the jeans have seen me to and from the school gates at my daughter's new school.  If they can pass muster among the style-conscious mummies of W8, they certainly get my vote.

My 4 year-old has now embarked on several months of major change in her life:  a new room, a new school, the prospect of twin sisters fast approaching, plus (though she doesn't yet know it) the awful reality of her wonderful nanny of three years leaving us at Christmas to have a baby of her own.  It's a lot to contend with, but the first two experiences - new room, new school - she has taken in her stride...  so far.  She was actually excited at the prospect of wearing a uniform, which is pretty out of character for her; and she positively raced out of the door on the first day. 

The second day, she was a little less exuberant about the whole thing; and I'm bracing myself for a possible refusal this week.  But so far, so good.  And it was definitely the right move to have settled her into her 'big girls' room' well in advance of the actual need:  she loves it.

The twins' room is shaping up nicely but at the moment dominated by our latest acquisition, the EsyWalker, double buggy (available from Blue Almond of Walton Street).  It's supposed to be the latest thing in double buggies, since it has that rare attribute of bassinettes, hard to find in double buggies, but essential for winter babies.  We did a test run to the local Starbucks at the weekend, and it fitted with ease through the door, so we've decided not to send it back!

In the 6 or so weeks until T-day, I'm trying to fit in as many outings as I have energy for.  Last night's was a date with my husband to see Julie and Julia (with Meryl Streep adopting the world's most annoying accent as she played Julia Child, the legendary American TV chef) and though the movie wasn't particularly exceptional, its central subject-matter was the influence of blogging.  Very appropriate, given my contributions to this website.  Like Julie in the movie, I'm now wondering if I have any readers out there...
 

A routine visit last week to my obstetrician brought the comforting news that the babies would have an excellent chance of survival in the unlikely event that they arrive any time soon; but also the sobering thought that I should not leave London from the first week of September, just in case they do come early.  Back in the English countryside, I'm now savouring every moment of the last few weeks of outdoors life while I can still move around with relative ease. 

I acquired the Blossom Mother & Child aubergine tankini I referred to in my last blog a couple of weeks ago, and am pleased to report that it has been whipped out at every opportunity.  It really does flatter a heavily pregnant figure, since it gives great support to the boobs, whilst also offering definition to the upper half in general.  The bump feels protected from the glare of the sun, but not shrouded.  I've worn the top with some cream Banana Republic (non-pregnancy) shorts when the weather has been a few sunbeams short of top-notch, or, for example, out to lunch at the glorious Daylesford in Kingham, then pairing it with the well-cut bikini bottoms when it's really hot and I'm lounging on our deck.  It's a great, glamorous and also comfortable addition to my twins pregnancy wardrobe.  I cannot recommend it too highly.

Whilst in London we moved our four year-old into her new, larger quarters, which I had revamped with the addition of some over-the-top girly curtains, a kitsch princess corolla over the head end of her Dragons of Walton Street bed, and some framed artwork of her own creation on the walls.  The look on our daughter's face when we showed her where she'd be sleeping from now on was worth all the back-breaking effort (on my poor husband's part) of shifting furniture about.  She was absolutely incredulous and totally ecstatic! 

That's the first hurdle overcome in acclimatising her to the new arrivals, who will occupy her old bedroom when they burst onto the scene.  Good to have it done a couple of months (I hope) ahead of time, and before she also has the major new phase of big school to contend with next month.

Now for the twins' room itself.  Do we really need two of everything - cots, Moses baskets, changing mats and so on?  It appears not, though, sorting through our daughter's baby clothes, I can see we will need to buy more now that we are to be parents of twins. 

I noticed on a recent dash to Blossom in Walton Street that - true to its name - the shop also has an adorable and really well-edited range of babywear, spanning True Religion jeans to lawn dresses, which I'm sure I will want to delve into when I'm confined to London next month.

For the meantime, I shall continue sunning myself in my tankini. 

Happy holidays!

My stay-cation in Gloucestershire is now in full swing, and we even managed to catch a few rays of sun over the weekend.  My 24 1/2 week bump is rounding nicely, thanks in equal measure to a growing appetite (and rediscovered taste for chocolate) and the slower pace.  In fact, having gained seemingly 4lbs overnight, I'm actually finding myself feeling guilty about missing out on my three or four swimming sessions a week at our local Virgin Active in London:  though we are surrounded by water here in The Lakes, it's pretty chilly and doesn't have me yearning to dive in just yet. 

The waterfront setting and our Californian-style deck do, however, inspire me to comb through my wardrobe for swimwear that looks a little more glamorous than the functional pieces I get away with to do laps in the pool at the gym.  In my non-pregnant state, whilst running Conde Nast Traveller magazine, I've had plenty of experience in sourcing resort-wear.  I usually favour bikinis by Heidi Klein and one-pieces by Liza Bruce, paired with an endlessly varying roster of Elizabeth Hurley kaftans, Juliet Dunn kurtas, or good old Top Shop or H&M halter neck dresses and so on.  Now that I have become a mini sumo wrestler in the boob and tummy area (although, unlike with my first pregnancy, this time I have managed to remain pretty narrow in the body), I have had to source out similar wardrobe items which will flatter my new maternity figure. This cotton kaftan from Blossom does just the trick.


The big question, when it comes to pregnancy swimwear, is whether or not to conceal the bump.

In my view, it can be quite alluring to sport a smallish bump sandwiched in between the top and bottom halves of a well-fitting bikini, but only if that bump is neat, tanned and toned.  With twins on the way, I already look like I'm about 8 months pregnant, so the only time I dare slip into a beloved Heidi Klein number is when no-one else is around.  Conversely, the problem with conventional swimsuits, if you are pregnant and your boobs are on the large side, is that they tend to give you a less-than-flattering boob-bump combo that looks like the two areas have united to become one.  Not a good look.

The last time I visited Blossom Mother & Child on Walton Street, my eye fell upon the selection of tankinis, specifically an aubergine-coloured affair that looked like it would do the trick of preserving my bump's dignity whilst also showing off my still just passable figure to best effect.  Aubergine also happens to be a brilliant hue for olive-toned skin like mine.  At the time I visited the shop, the rain was coming down in stair-rods outside and I wasn't in the mood for beachwear.  Now August is here and it's time to strip off - even if only for the one hour a day our British sun deigns to shine.  I think I'll have to have that tankini on mail-order...

There's no mistaking the fact this week (week 23) that I'm pregnant...  Up to now, some were afraid to comment on my burgeoning bump, perhaps thinking it could just be the result of a particularly heavy pizza-eating session; now, however, I'm fair game, it seems, to anyone who wants to pat the aforementioned tummy or marvel at its size.  What a difference a week makes! 

My growing body is beginning to demand more attention, not just in the extent to which it drinks up those Mamma Mio stretch mark cocktails I'm feeding it - but also because I now have to take action towards better support for my boobs and a proper strategy to protect my overburdened legs from the potential ravages of varicose veins.  The legs are now permanently encased in support hose, and the boobs are well on their way to being better upheld - though finding a comfortable, non-wired, bra in my new size has been a challenge.  Very few manufacturers, it seems, cater for the narrow back/enormous cup combo, which has been my lot in both my pregnancies.  However, I'm pleased to report that Blossom Mother & Child can help, and I'm now the proud owner of two pretty 34G bras and copious pairs of Spanx tights.

Having sorted out these all-important underpinnings, I feel more inclined to embrace the summer - or whatever passes for summer here in the UK, since I won't be leaving these shores until the twins are born.  Working in glossy magazine publishing, and specifically on Conde Nast Traveller, which is the ultimate travel title, I have had more than my fair share of long-haul luxury holidays:  now, however, I'm more than happy to winkle out those British gems and to be part of the 'stay-cation' movement that is sweeping the nation.

Stay-cationing also happens to make sense when you have little ones to think about:  my four year-old has travelled all over the globe, but she's just as happy, if not more so, to go on holiday in this country.  Her sisters will reap the benefit of our experience in this respect, and I should think our first trips with them will be to tried and trusted favourites such Calcot Manor as in Gloucestershire (which has a great kids' club)

The Grove in Hertfordshire (they open a 'beach' and all sorts of kids' activities in the summer)

Glenmuick in Scotland (an amazing hunting lodge next door to Balmoral which you rent out in its entirety - bring your friends and their families as it sleeps up to 30!), and to our own house which is in The Lakes, a stunning 650-acre development by Yoo, on the Gloucestershire / Oxfordshire borders. 

On balance, we have found that it's easier to go self-catering with tiny ones, as you have none of the constraints of hotel menus or restaurant etiquette (not to mention the disapproving glances of fellow guests) to worry about; plus, if you are staying in the UK, the potential pitfalls of not having your baby's favourite brand of formula/food items/nappies and so on, become non-issues.

It goes without saying that one of the beauties of staying at home is that the deliberation over what bits of kit to take, and what to leave behind, becomes less critical.  Just shove it all in the car and go... Which is precisely what I'm about to do right now!

 

I was at Conde Nast Magazines (first Vogue, then Traveller) for a total of 15 years before giving it up to expand my family. It was a big decision and a sacrifice for me to give up work as I know it.  I may return at some point, but I had reached the point where I had to set my priorities in order. 

I had my first child - without trying - at the age of 40...  then spent 3 years of heartache in the pursuit of the second (and, as it turns out, third).  Giving up my career was the final push in terms of trying to get things to happen - and I'm pleased to say it worked.

This is my first blog posting, and appropriately enough, it coincides with the first real squirmings of those two babies in my ever expanding tummy.  At nearly 22 weeks, I was beginning to worry that I wasn't feeling any significant movement in there, but the numerous scans one has to have as a carrier of twins reassured me:  there are really two of them and they are kicking up a storm.  As I slathered on a recommended cocktail of Mamma Mio stretch mark creams (tummy butter, tummy rub oil, & and boob tube) this morning, I could almost hear my skin thanking me! 

I already have a daughter, four in August, and the imminent arrival of twins (both girls, we just found out) in our tight family unit has thrown up a number of issues.  Luckily I have a surprising number of friends, several from my former workplace, who have recently had twins, and on whose experience I can draw. 

One of the first things we have had to do is rearrange our home so that the little darlings can be accommodated near a bathroom - and the only way of achieving this is by commandeering my daughter's room:  in turn, this has meant reclaiming the spare room and giving it to our firstborn, complete with a cosmetic overhaul to make her feel it's her own space.

I found the most gorgeous curtain fabric called Valombreuse at Lorca (distributed in the UK through Osborne & Little), and have covered a pair of tub armchairs in vintage rose velvet which picks out the peony pink in the curtains.

Then I took an edited selection of her artwork from her two years at Montessori School to be framed in perspex boxes (try Fix-a-Frame on the Old Brompton Road - they do it the best), and will be hanging these treasures on a panel of hessian which sits behind the bed.  Et voila!  The room is ready for occupation and any possible jealousy at the intrusion of twin sisters into her living space is mitigated... 

Turning my attention now to the little ones and their needs, at least no redecoration is required since they are moving into a ready-made, girl-friendly space.  But what about the kit we have to buy?  Another cot, certainly, a second Moses basket, yes, that too. Am currently thinking of the ones from Dragons of Walton street  

The biggest decision, and one which all mothers-of-twins-to-be agonise over, is the buggy.  Twins side by side or one in front of the other?  Definitely not double-decker bus style - that's just inhuman!  Current thinking is the Out and About Nipper, which passes through almost any doorway and is lightweight and easy to manoeuvre.  But it doesn't have proper bassinettes which, I remember from when my daughter was a baby, used to serve as an invaluable extra bed...  

Also, it's not easy to attach a buggy-board to; the buggy-board being a vital part of the "deal" with my daughter in bribing her to welcome her baby sisters to her world.  However, I'm almost convinced, with help from my Conde Nast network, that the Nipper's what we need. 

And this is just the start...