Our Co-Ed Baby Shower

Last Sunday, July 26th, was our co-ed baby shower celebrating all things baby club-sandwiched between great company, wonderful food and lots of wine for everyone but me. I was luckily enough to have my mom, sister and grandma (who would also appreciate me mentioning that she was not drinking wine either) flew in for the occasion and we were also joined by Antony's aunt Margaret, cousins/friends Nick and Jess, and friends Annie, Phillip, Inigo, Matt, Leonard, Stephanie and Kristin, who kindly hosted the whole soiree.

We had a wonderful afternoon looking at baby pictures of the guests and a mocked up photo of what our Peanut may look like using a combination of our baby pictures (it is hung on the wall above the photo of the ladies). A few wagers were also made as to when it may arrive and so now there is a 50 buck pot riding on it. Kristin also outdid herself with nibbles of freshly made pesto, fresh Italian bread, cheese, olives, nuts, fresh fruit, berry pie, chilled squash soup and freshly squeezed lemonade with mint from the garden. I have included this because I know some foodie friends of mine like to know these things (Jos!).

The guests were also asked to bring their favorite childhood book so now Peanut's library is beginning to be fairly established and now has no excuse about not going to college and such. Thank you everyone!

Decorating the Nursery

I am incredibly impressed with Antony's skills. I have to admit that I was a bit concerned about putting together the three pieces of furniture (crib, dresser and bedside table) kindly purchased by the four grandparents-to-be. My fear came from previous experiences of putting together Ikea furniture - the end result being a slightly knackered piece of furniture and bad moods all around. But not this time! Fatherhood has revealed a new superpower called 'patiently following the instructions' and the result is a beautiful nursery custom-made for our Peanut.

We still have some things to do and a luxurious 9 weeks to do them but the video should give you an idea as to what we have been up to.

Pre-Peanut Festivities

We now have just 12 weeks before our new arrival is fully cooked and ready to come out of the oven. Given that seems like both a very long and very short amount of time, we have been doing our best to maximize our last child-free summer.

We have had several wonderful guests visit during the last few months including: Howard & Vicki, Dan & Grania, Luke & Marni, Mom & Ed, Jos and currently Bobo. We are going out for dinner, visiting museums, having weekends away, spending time with friends and spending time with each other. No one can say that we aren't trying to make the most of it!

Now in the final stretch, we are busy trying to set up the nursery and preparing for imminent arrival. Our co-ed baby shower is scheduled for July 26th and our childbirth and baby care classes start soon afterwards. So check in again in early August for another update!

Peanut's First Picture

This is Peanut at 12 weeks. We couldn't believe that there was really something actually growing inside there!

There have been scans since then, but none as good as this one.

When one blog dies, another one begins.

Maintaining our 'Pereiras On Tour' blog was a labor of love but it gave us a way to capture our adventures and share them with our friends and family all over the world. Given that, we are setting out to start another blog - this time recording the adventures of pregnancy and parenthood. This will give us the opportunity to share with you ups and downs of having a baby and raising a family in the heart of Manhattan.

Currently, our little 'Peanut' has been cooking for 23 weeks and has another 17 to go. In this short time, you can expect updates on getting the apartment baby-ready, our co-ed baby shower, our last summer of baby-free fun in New York City, Rachelle's big belly and her struggles with our 5-floor walk-up.

As always, we hope that this helps to keep us connected with all of you.

Love,

Antony, Rachelle & Peanut