My 9 months of pregnancy

Everything started on December 18th, 2013, when I found out I was pregnant. The previous night, J told me he thought I was, {the reason being my boobs were unusually big}, but I totally didn't think so. Still, he asked me to take a pregnancy test first thing next morning, and so I did... He had already left to work by the time I woke up, so I was all alone, and ready to take a test that I was sure was gonna be negative. I read the instructions and off I went to pee on the little stick. I will never forget my shock when I realised a second bar was starting to show up on the test. Two bars meant positive for pregnancy, I was quite sure, yet I had to go and look at the instructions all over again just to make sure that was actually happening! There was no doubt, WE WERE EXPECTING A CHILD!!! OMG, I started shaking and didn't really know what to do next, I just thought I had to tell the hubby ASAP, so I sent him a whatsapp saying something like: "Guess what! We're expecting a baby!!!". He immediately called me asking me what I meant. I mean, it was pretty obvious, but I think he just couldn't believe it either after all lol. So I told him in plain English: I AM PREGNANT! It was such a joyful moment, OMG, I'll never forget the happiness I felt in the hubby's voice. It was so early in the morning, and I was already sooo looking forward to J coming back home from work to kiss him, hug him, and celebrate together!!!

Our Hong Kong wedding reception took place on December 29th, 2013. My parents, uncles and brother had made it to Hong Kong for the occasion, and it was the perfect chance for me to share the good news with them face to face. I told them on the day they arrived, which was December 27th, during lunch. I was oh-so-nervous before spilling out the news! We had ordered our food and the drinks had arrived, so I thought that was the moment I was waiting for. I said I wanted to propose a toast, because I had some great news, "I am pregnant!!!" My auntie was the first one to react, going all crazy saying congratulations and kissing me all over, my mom was more in shock and I could see she was starting to cry, but after seeing my enthusiastic auntie, she too came over to congratulate me. My dad, my uncle and my brother were still in shock, all I heard from them was "What!?" and "OMG!" but eventually got to process the information as well :D Unfortunately J couldn't be there when I shared the news with them since he was working. We had told his parents a couple days before that.

With our Hong Kong wedding reception and my family wanting to visit the whole city on the days that followed, I ended up exhausted, and morning sickness kicked in real bad. It all started on new year's eve, when we went on a yacht to watch the new year's fireworks from Victoria Harbour, and I got sea sick and couldn't help but throwing up. After that, I felt miserable every single day. I threw up almost every morning, and sometimes even throughout the day. On the 2nd of January we went to Thailand with my family, and I really thought I wasn't gonna make it, I was feeling just SO BAD that morning. The truth though, is that in Thailand my queasiness eased up considerably, I guess due to the fact that we went to Phuket on a total chill out plan, which is what my baby needed I guess, rest and relax. Once back to Hong Kong, morning sickness started again. I got terribly sick from the bus ride from the airport to home and the first thing I did when we opened the door was rush to the toilet to puke. Not the best arrival to "home, sweet home", huh? 

On January 28th, 2014, we saw our baby for the first time. It was my 11 week ultrasound, and he was PERFECT. Both J and I were amazed at how well formed he was already, we could see his pointy nose, big forehead, lovely hands and feet... I started crying the moment the first ultrasound image came up on the screen. It was seriously the most touching moment of my life! I guess birth is gonna replace that, but up until now, this is number one!

At that point in my pregnancy I couldn't even smell Chinese food. I HATED it. For some reason I just craved western food, more specifically food from back home, and it was really bad whenever we went to J's home and I had to eat Chinese, I just couldn't take it. Plus, I started dreading garlic to the point where I couldn't even smell it. It was not a nice month for sure. Luckily for me, we were moving back to Barcelona on February 25th, and I could finally had all the food I had been craving! Somehow my morning sickness stopped from one day to another some days before leaving Hong Kong, when I was 14 weeks pregnant. It was such a relief! I never threw up again, and started feeling my energy replenished and finally feeling a bit like myself again.

When I was 18 weeks 1 day pregnant, I felt my baby move for the very first time. I was having lunch with my mom and it was SO CLEAR! It felt like gas bubbles, except that they were not, they were lovely kicks! My 20 week ultrasound was really exciting, I saw he was a boy as soon as he appeared on screen. It was really obvious to me! So I told the technician and she was amazed I saw it that fast, but yes I did! Everything was good, and I was already half way through my pregnancy, so I finally announced it on my blog! We went shopping for clothes RIGHT AWAY. I had been so looking forward to knowing the gender of my baby and getting to splurge on baby clothes, yay! 

The second trimester was great, but the third has been even better. Liam has been a very active baby, and this is the main reason I loved this last trimester so much. I could feel him moving every single day, specially before bed time, and I LOVED it! Still nowadays he just won't stop moving, even though they say babies move less at the end of the pregnancy because they don't have so much room! I swear he could win the "active baby award".

I'm currently 41 weeks pregnant and so looking forward for him to come out. I'm one week overdue already... The hospital protocol is to induce labor at 41weeks 6 days, which would be next Saturday for me, but I so not want to be induced. You may not know this but I'm hoping to have a natural birth, maybe a water birth depending on how I feel at the moment, but definitely staying away from a medicalized birth. If they induce labor, you can basically say bye to a med-free labor... Because the natural state has been altered by artificial drugs, it is almost impossible to give birth the way nature intended. I don't know if this makes any sense to you but anyway, all I'm trying to say is I hope Liam will be here before next Saturday, or else I'll wait as much as I can. Hurry up baby boy, mommy and daddy can't wait to see you! I'll be announcing Liam's birth on Instagram as soon as he gets here, so make sure to follow if you want to stay in the know :)

Best Croissants in Barcelona : La Pastisseria

I made it! I found the BEST croissants in Barcelona. And the best ensaïmades, too! This place is so perfect it deserves the best of the reviews. It is a must try!

Everything started a couple months ago, when my mom mentioned a new bakery, La Pastisseria, had opened next to my parents place, and bought me an ensaimada to try it out. It was HEAVENLY. Never had I ever had such a delicious ensaimada in my life! This is starting to sound like a sponsored post, but believe me when I say it isn´t. After that first time, we started buying other pastries, namely croissants, enjoying each and every one of them. Plain, chocolate and hazelnut, cappuccino, crema catalana... lots of different varieties, and each just as delicious. There is a major winner though, it's the crema catalana-filled croissant. If you like creme brulee, you're soooo gonna love this!

A couple weeks ago, while buying some more pastries, my mom had the great idea of asking whether they served Spanish style hot chocolate {the super thick dark hot chocolate}, and they said yes! Plus, they said they make it on the spot, and you can choose between 60% or 70% chocolate. This was AWESOME news, because hot chocolate is like my favorite thing in the world {followed by sushi and the English afternoon tea}, and it is quite rare to have a place where they make it as you order. Usually they just make big pots of chocolate and keep serving from that one as people order. I was so excited I told my mom we were coming back to try this ASAP! And so we did! My mom, the hubby and I went back last week to indulge in a yummy feast! The hubby is not so fond of the thick hot chocolate, so he had a coffee and the superb crema catalana croissant, while my mom and I had hot chocolate with ensaimada. I had the 60% one while she went for the 70% one. Both were equally delicious mmmmmmmmm!!! 

Have I mentioned one of the best things of all this?? The price! OMG it's almost unbelievable. The whole meal for three was less than 11 euros! For this kind of quality this is really a bargain. In fact, the crema catalana croissant, elaborated a pastry as it is, is only 1.8 euros, exactly the same price you pay in other mediocre cafes for a simple chocolate croissant! 

It is no wonder that this bakery is so yummy, its chef, Josep Mª Rodriguez Guerola, won the 2011 worldwide best baker award. I'm sooo happy they opened in such a convenient place for me! This branch is the second one in Barcelona, it opened 4 months ago and... guess what! The first branch, which opened about a couple years ago, is very close to my home!!All of my pregnancy cravings at my reach =D

Visited on: July 23, 2014
Overall Quality: 5*
Price: 1.80 euros for the filled croissants, a bit over a euro for other not as elaborated pastries. 3 euros for the chocolate.
Value for Money: 5* {can I rate it 6*? :D }
Would I recommend it? Most certainly. It's heaven!


Closed on Mondays

La Pastisseria
Via Augusta, 166
Aragó, 228

Baluard Bakery Barcelona

The newest Praktik Hotel in Barcelona, Praktik Bakery, is a hotel with a great asset {not to talk about its superb location!}. Its entrance has a yummy bakery, the perfect spot for both guests and passers-by, with lots of pastries to choose from and a very nice sitting area. I'm talking about Baluard Bakery, which has its main branch in La Barceloneta, but has now opened here, next to Passeig de Gràcia, to my delight. 

I had a mixed berries pie, which was a bit bitter, probably due to the blackberries. I wouldn't go for it again. I paired it with cold Cacaolat, a chocolate milk drink from Catalonia.

This bakery is really close to the nice cafe I reviewed last week, yet the style of both places couldn't be more different. Baluard has a younger feel, with a trendy yet low profile decoration, perfect for a casual afternoon.

Visited on: July 16, 2014
Overall Quality: 3.5* 
Price: 2.10 euros for the pastry, and 2.10 for the Cacaolat
Value for Money: 4*
Would I recommend it? Yes, it's a nice atmosphere in a good location.

Baluard Bakery @ Hotel Praktik Bakery

C/ Provença, 279

Phone: 93.488.00.61

Jaime Beriestain Cafe - Barcelona

Next to busy Passeig de Gràcia is Jaime Beriestain, a cozy interior design store with nordic inspiration, a must for any lover of the trendy Scandinavian style. Connected to the shop, there's one of the nicest cafes you'll find in town. Jaime Beriestain Cafe is beautifully decorated and is a safe bet for a relaxing afternoon. 

If you want to go for lunch or dinner, bookings are in order. There is little chance of finding a table for dinner without a reservation, specially on weekends. For afternoon tea though, you can just walk in any time. On weekdays specially, you're bound to find plenty of available tables.

You can either access the cafe from the back through the concept store, or through the cafe's main door on C/ Pau Claris. If you choose the latter, you'll be delighted by the cafe's window display, filled with all the homemade cakes of the day. How can one resist to get in with goodies like that?!

J and I shared their lemon meringue tart, which I paired with a white tea from Mariage Frères, while the hubby went for a cafe latte. I'm not the biggest fan of meringue, but J did enjoy himself like a kid. He's the one who chose the pastry anyway and, let's be honest, it was superb.

In the hall that separates the concept store from the cafe, there's a floristry, which makes for an even more beautiful sight while hanging out in the cafe. 

You can also opt to sit outside, Barcelona people love to do this, and there is indeed a very cozy area for that purpose, as you can see on the picture below. 

The service was not exactly outstanding. I had to order the bill three times, all to no avail, and I finally had to go to the bar and ask for it there on my way out. Come to think of it, I'm quite positive I could have left without paying and no one would have even noticed. 

Visited on: July 10, 2014
Overall Quality: 4* {aww, this could have been a 5 if I hadn't had to ask for the bill so many times}
Price: Around 5 euros for a dessert, 3.5 for a tea, and 1.5 for a coffee.
Value for Money: 4*
Would I recommend it? Yes, it is a great spot for a relaxing break right next to Passeig de Gràcia.

I haven't been blogging much about cafes ever since I got to Barcelona, mainly because, honestly, I think they are not as good as in Hong Kong, but I'll try to keep it up! Hope you enjoyed the review!

Jaime Beriestain Cafe
Pau Claris, 167
08037 Barcelona
Phone: 93.515.07.82

My baby shower

I'm so super thrilled to share the amazing baby shower I hosted a couple weeks ago at home! I organized the whole thing {with the help of my supporting husband} and threw a party for my girlfriends I shall never forget! I set up a dessert table for a tea party, and decorated the living room accordingly {mostly in blue but also with hints of yellow}, and was so delighted with the result! I decorated the walls and mirror with a blue pram garland, put a couple balloons, and then... the masterpiece, the table! I used a blue tablecloth made of paper but which imitates fabric, it didn't look like paper at all! Then I threw some white confetti all over the table, and started setting up the food, which was all made by myself! Vanilla cupcakes, lemon tarts, brownies, oats cookies and berries smoothies. 

The centerpiece was the cake, can you recognise it??? It's our wedding cake!!! OMG, now it's when you think I'm totally nuts, but I was so deeply in love with our cake {mainly because I designed it myself from scratch and turned out wonderful}, that I decided to keep it after the wedding, which resulted in me keeping the cake in my room for... 9 months! xD Oh well, I said it, and now you can think whatever you want! Of course one of the layers was missing, it was the only eadible one, which we ate for breakfast on the morning after our wedding! The other three layers are made out of pure sugar, so you can't really eat them! And those are the ones I successfully kept in my room without any particular purpose, just because it was a too beautiful and meaningful a cake to throw it away! Well, as it turns out, my baby shower arrived, and I had this great idea of finally giving a use to the cake! You may remember it had light pink details, so what I did was painting those in blue {ok, my hubby did, he is such a handyman at home, I figured painting a cake wouldn't be much of a challenge for him, and I was right!}. The result was absolutely stunning. The dessert table would have never been the same without it. And, yes, you guessed it right, once again I just couldn't throw the cake away, so it's now in Liam's nursery and I have no idea how long I'll keep it there for...! 

On both sides of the cake I put a cake stand with 6 cupcakes on each. I was originally planning on doing carrot cupcakes but they require a bit more time than other more simple cupcakes, so with everything I had to do, I finally decided on easier vanilla cupcakes, with blue coloring for the icing. On top of each cupcake I put GORGEOUS personalized stickers with the message "LOVE, the Lau Vives family". These stickers are from one of the cutest stationery shops ever: Tiny Prints. Let me tell you more about this. About a month ago, I received an email from them, saying they'd love a collaboration with my blog, and asking me whether I had any special event coming up, seeing how their main business is event cards. And, of course I had something special coming up! Nothing less than my baby shower!!! I couldn't believe my luck. As soon as I looked more into Tiny Prints' website, I realized just how cute everything they have is, and how blessed I was to be given this amazing opportunity of working something out with them for my baby shower. We exchanged several emails and finally decided I would be getting baby shower invitations, the stickers I just talked about above, and baby shower game cards, everything personalized, of course! I chose which designs I wanted for each of the sets, and personalized the whole thing with their super easy to follow online application, which allows you to change text, colors, and much more, until the point where your card is totally unique! These are the gorgeous invites I came up with...

And these are the baby shower game cards I got...

And a close-up of the stickers, which I also used on the envelope I sent the invites with. I still have lots of these left, which is a good thing, since they can be used for whatever!

If you ever have an event coming up and want flawless invitations, announcement cards, etc., Tiny Prints is really one of the best choices out there. Their price is very reasonable for such good quality and lovely designs, and they do ship worldwide. All my friends congratulated me on the pretty invites, I myself actually liked them even more than my wedding invites, can you believe it? The stickers were a success as well, they really made a difference both on the envelopes and on the baby shower itself. The game cards were lovely as well and it was so nice to have all my friends fill them out with good wishes for my baby! Too bad I was too excited to remember to take any pictures!

We also played a very fun game, guessing how big my belly was! I gave each of the girls a blue tape about a metre and half long, and asked them to cut it so that it would fit my waist perfectly. Well, it turns out my belly may be quite small after all, because all of them cut the tape bigger than my belly was!!! The winner was my friend Carla, who almost nailed it, and is who had the shortest tape among them all :)

I got {or should I say Liam got} loooots of presents, I loved every single one of them! I even got presents sent over from the UK from Soraya who couldn't make it to the baby shower, and from Marta who couldn't make it either. It was such a lovely party, I enjoyed myself so very much! 

Thank you girls, I can't wait for our next party, how about for Liam's 100th-day celebration? The one-year mark seems way too far away :p