We had fun catching up with all our Italian relatives in Torino over the Easter weekend. We flew there last Thursday as Daddy had a meeting with Fiat on Friday. That meeting got bumped to Tuesday instead so Daddy could work from home which meant time on the computer and phone off and on all day while Frunty and I enjoyed the nearby markets.

I love Italian markets. They are so full of beautiful, fresh produce. Tons of fresh fruit and strawberries galore this time of year. We ate strawberries everyday at least after one meal if not two. The cheese stalls are amazing and there are also many stalls with beautiful, cotton products like undergarments for children and adults. Of course, tons of leather and in particular, shoes. Visiting the markets is definitely a highlight of visiting Torino.

We enjoyed seeing many relatives and one very big treat was the fact that we were given an apartment and car all to ourselves. So we had a chance to re-cup between parties and that was particularly great for me as I need a bit more rest and quiet time than usual. And Frunty also loves some time to just play quietly with his toys and so this downtime made our holiday much more enjoyable.

The apartment building we stayed at was also wonderful because of the beautiful marble stairs that I could use for exercise. They were deep and wide so I had no problem going up and down safely and did so two mornings for 30 minutes each time. Here we have very narrow, steep stairs and I feel like I have to tiptoe up them sometimes. I will check out my friend's nearby apartment to see if her stairs are better and then go there. (My Asian pre-natal team has encouraged me to do 30 minutes of stairs a day!)

Another highlight was discovering the giant "kinder eggs" which I had never seen before as this was my first ever Easter in Italy and just watching Frunty open his and the other kids too, was so much fun. Wrapped in a crinkly, silvery paper come these big, chocolate Easter eggs about the size of a human head! Once you open the silvery paper and crack the egg with your fists, you find inside a toy! Frunty got a motorcycle (which he told Gramma and Grampa all about that evening on the phone), a car with a track and other fun stuff. It kept him busy on the flight home too. I will have to include a picture or two so you can see what I am talking about.

I am happy to say that I completed all my plane travel before the Tiny Baby is born without any problems. No one asked me for my medical letter (attestation) permitting me to travel which is a requirement here in Belgium at any stage of pregnancy and which I got my neighbour to write the day before Egypt. (it was a Saturday and my own doctor unavailable.) Better to be safe than sorry. In Egypt, they did ask me how many months pregnant I was and believed my answer which was true, by the by! Anyway, I now will spend the rest of my pregnancy securely on the ground!

We had a busy day today with a doctor's visit in the morning and Frunty enjoying a "stage" at the Little Gym in the afternoon while I went to do errands.

Here is a photo of us in Egypt. We enjoyed our week at Makadi Bay and Frunty is still talking about it and wants to take the train back there right now! We got back from our Italy trip last night but I'll write more about that later.

Why not go out on a limb? That is where the fruit is!

We just got back from Makadi Bay, Egypt. I was nervous about going...traveling alone, pregnant and with a pre-schooler. But we had an amazing time and received help from many very friendly people and enjoyed the simple joys of life like building sand castles surrounded by, of course, train tracks not moats and playing tag with other kids on the beach. (I always had to run too to keep my eyes on my speedy gonzales.) And no cooking or cleaning for a whole week. And sleeping 10-12 hours a night and dancing at mini-disco. We didn't get sick or sun burnt either.

A big thank you to Daddy for sending us on a holiday down south while he worked in Washington. I will include pictures eventually of our lovely time on the red sea.

We just got home from doing a practise run to the airport by train/bus and took our luggage too and put it in a locker so that tomorrow, Frunty and I can take the train/bus with free hands and will know the route. Daddy will be leaving a few hours before us and we don't want to hang out at the airport all those hours before our own flight. Daddy printed out the schedule for train/bus and it includes walking time from our home to the station and so we know exactly what we have to do.

The only hard part was on the way home when Frunty wanted his Bob the Builder knapsack with his little baby inside and we told him he'd get it tomorrow because it is safe in a locker. Frunty cried but we had to be selfish . It would be too hard for me to carry everything tomorrow since I am already carrying Tiny Baby.

We are going to miss Daddy but going to Washington would have been too hard for just one week what with the jet lag and all. Our trip won't be as fun but at least we will get a change of scenery and some sunshine and hopefully there'll be other kids to play with too. And Daddy's colleague and wife are at another hotel near Hurghada the same week so if we have any problems, we can call them on their cell. They know we are there as well and this gives me peace of mind.

Hope all of you are experiencing some spring weather as it is about time! Even here, spring has been slow to come with us waking up to some snow and ice on our deck even this morning. Cheerio!

We had a fun day yesterday as we hosted an Easter Egg Decorating Party and invited all our Baby Time/English Time/French Time friends. There were too many to count! Everyone was asked to bring a hard-boiled egg to decorate. A few eggs arrived broken but Frunty and I were prepared with extras. The children made beautiful designs using markers/crayons and Japanese, origami paper that I got from...you guessed, a Japanese garage sale.

The Moms brought lots of goodies and I feel like we could host another party today and feed everyone again! One Mom made a special pork dish for "Tiny Baby". I was really touched and grateful for the support I am receiving here during my pregnancy. My latest order coming down from the top (my Asian nutrition and exercise team) is to do "stairs" 30 minutes a day. I tried 5 minutes yesterday and could hardly walk!

After the party, we had our neighbours over from upstairs for dinner and enjoyed seeing their photos of Cuba and Senegal. Frunty was so excited to see beach photos and told them we were going to a beach next week. Then he got us all beach hats which we wore. (they were really winter hats!) Then he showed us how he can spin on one foot, his new, self-taught party trick. He asked us to try too. Although we were all reluctant to get off the couch at first, we gave in (who can say "no" to that big, beaming smile?!) and found ourselves spinning and laughing and having fun!

And now for some photos. One is very blurry and I add this on purpose! You'll see why.

Frunty and I just got back from the mall where we picked up our plane tickets to Egypt! We are excited about going. After we got our tickets, we played for a long time at the nature shop. One of the workers said that we could try all the toys. It is nice to find a child-friendly place to visit. Frunty sat on a motor boat and the next thing I knew, he took coins out of his pocket and put them in the slot. I was surprised! The problem was that he didn't have enough but worse than that, the motor boat was out-of-order.

I got in a run as well as I pushed the jogger stroller to the mall but on the way back, the wind was too strong and I was too tired! Frunty wants to call Daddy now so I had better go. Happy Weekend everyone!

P.S. Gramma phoned with exciting news yesterday as she and my aunt B. will come to help when our Tiny Baby arrives and my Dad will come later on. We are so lucky.

Happy Birthday to our favourite Canadian friend over here, K.B! Today Frunty and I took K to our favourite creperie for lunch and afterwards we all went on a tram adventure to the Petites Riens shop and bought sunglasses and some pants for Frunty and K got a dress next door at another secondhand shop. It was fun. One can find brand new items in secondhand shops and when I do, I think that it is so silly paying full price for clothing at other shops.

We had some more snow this morning and a light snowy drizzle on and off throughout the day. This weather is supposed to last until the weekend and then hopefully, spring will be here...finally! My Spanish friend said that she saw snow on the beaches of Spain which is very astonishing.

Time to skidaddle. Hope the snowstorm is over in Toronto and hope you are all well.

We woke up to more snow this morning and cold, blustery winds. It is only about minus 5 but still, very un-Brussels-like. J&J came for lunch and the kids played air hockey while the Moms prepared a Chinese lunch. After that, the Js had to go home and so I took Frunty to the musical instrument museum. On the first Wednesday of each month, the museums are free in the afternoons and so we finally took advantage of this special offer.

Frunty liked wearing the headphones for awhile as we walked around and listened to various instruments. We really liked the harp music. A performer from Mexico had just finished a live performance during which he demonstrated several different instruments. Everyone left just as Frunty and I arrived. I asked the man when his next performance would be and he said that that was it for today. But he was very kind and gave us a little private concert nonetheless. It was wonderful and even Tiny Baby kicked along with the music. A photographer came by and took pictures of us. She left before I could ask why she was taking our picture!

One of the highlights was taking the train there and back. On certain days, when it is really raining, I wish I had a car but mostly, I am actually very happy that I don't. The joy that Frunty gets from taking trams/buses/trains and just plain walking, is really worth everything to me. He gets so excited everytime and it almost seems like the first time for him each time. Frunty makes "choo choo" sounds and asks questions about different sounds he hears. Like when the metro doors are closing, there is a chime sound and when the train gets to the station, there is a sound of the brakes. And sometimes there is a busker playing on the train and Frunty puts a little coin into his/her pouch.

If we had a car, we would have different experiences and perhaps fun singing along with Raffi. But because Frunty's car seat is too low to really see out well, I feel that these other modes of transportation where he can see so well, provide much more fun and entertainment for the little guy whose got so many questions and whose eyes are open wide. He is joyfully taking his world in during these journeys and it seems like they are often as fun as the final destination! (that may sound all a bit sappy but he really does love these trips and so do I!)

We woke up to a blizzard this morning! It looks like Toronto and I know from Gramma and Grampa that it is snowing back home too. It is very beautiful outside and I just hope Daddy makes it to work okay since we don't have snow tires and neither does anyone else around here!

Frunty and I have booked our one week trip to Makadi Bay, Egypt for while Daddy is in Washington, D.C. Yesterday I started packing and that meant trying summery clothes on Frunty. He wanted to wear his "superman" wetsuit around all morning! I think we'll have to order a new one for this summer as well as a new "second skin" anti-uva/uvb suit. Take a look at:

www.lemeridien-makadi.com

In the afternoon, we enjoyed our Mandarin lessons. We are finished with fruit and have moved onto animals. Our teacher made a cake which was delicious and afterwards, all the kids wanted seaweed snacks...again! And once again, I got sent home with yet another bag of seaweed which is "very good for me and the baby." Apparently I am to eat seaweed everyday while pregnant and after delivery, a wakame soup for at least thirty days. I feel like I have my own, personal nutrition team helping me out and it feels great.

We also purchased a bag of homemade dumplings that our teacher picked up for us from an elderly gentleman who is now retired from the restaurant business but who makes them in his home and sells to the local, Chinese community. We are very grateful to be part of the Asian world here as we would never know about this gentleman and his small business otherwise.

We have The Little Gym this afternoon. I don't think we'll go running this morning though as it looks pretty slippery out there. Hope you're all fairing well with the two-day storm in Toronto.