Would you like to read a little bit about the trip Mimi and I took to London? It was our first time seeing the city and thanks to your recommendations, I really think we had the ultimate London getaway. We stayed at the Grange St. Paul’s and it is literally across the street from St. Paul’s Cathedral — such a dramatic way to greet the city each morning.
There were loads of great restaurants nearby and even an adorable candy shop right down the street. We used the Big Bus Tour as our transportation (we could hop on right outside the hotel) and saw everything we hoped to see. We took a boat ride down the Thames to the Tower of London. Waved at Big Ben. Rode on the London Eye. Tasted our first Turkish Delight at Harrods. Took afternoon tea at Kensington Palace. Wandered around all seven stories of Hamleys toy shop. Ordered breakfast in bed. Took bubble baths in our swanky hotel room. And loved seeing Wicked.
We took so many pictures!
An unexpected treat: We’ve been working so hard on our French since we moved here, that it was a relief to be able to speak English freely — even for a few days. Can you believe how challenging it is to communicate in a new language? Makes me sweat!
P.S. — When Maude was very little, her nickname was Mimi, but in New York it sort of faded away. Here in France, she’s taken to introducing herself as Mimi again. I love it. It’s so cute and it feels so French, don’t you think? Do any of your kids use nicknames?
What a splendidly lucky girl.
Wonderful!
My daughter has a nickname! BUG. :)
I love the photos! It’s always great to see London through the eyes of a tourist!
In the 6th photo, of the sweets (candy) on the shelf, I spotted ‘Maldon Salt Caramel’ – Maldon is a town very close to where I live! Maldon Sea Salt is world famous, but I’ve never seen it used to make sweets before!
I’m glad you and Mimi had a fabulous weekend!
You took some stunning photos. It makes me yearn for London (again) though! I so want to go back there. It does look like you had an amazing time (how could you not?!) but you’ll definitely have to go back – there’s so much to do in that city. :)
Beautiful Pics!
I’m curious if you liked Turkish Delight? I found it a bit disappointing the first go. But it carries such an aura of indulgence!
What a memorable trip! My favorite thing in London is Sunday lunch and the Globe Theater.
Looks like so much fun. My daughter Savannah goes by Savvy most of the time.
Looks like so much fun! :) I call my 3 yr old son Buttons, but he’s getting too old for it, I think!
I have had London on my mind all weekend after receiving the Boden Spring catalog. What a nice treat to see all these pics and places.
Ever since about 4 months old, Baby Claire, now 10 1/2 mo., is affectionately called Cha Cha. She responds to both names so we take that as acceptance. Yeah! I love unique nicknames that are born from a reason. In Claire’s case it was because she was a little sassy at that age. It still fits – she loves to dance and is the happiest, sweetest little baby.
Oh, I love it! The photos are fabulous. Ivy is probably called “Lulu” by more people than “Ivy”!
Steph
What a lovely adventure she will always remember! Such a treat. My name is Amber Joi but have always gone by AJ. In my teenage years most thought my name was a male until they saw me!
What a great trip for a mother and daughter! I absolutely LOVED London when I went there…I would love to live there some time. Thanks for sharing your great adventure and gorgeous photos!
cute. I love Maude :)
my daughter’s nickname is Olive. It’s down to two syllables instead of four…Olivia.
How fun! Love the photos :) Looks like you both had a fabulous time together.
My daughter’s only nickname is Luv. It started when I was pregnant actually, my sister said “Charlie Luv” and it was permanent. :)
London is my favorite international city! What a great M/D trip!! So…is there any wedding fever there?
Tons! During the tours, as we passed Westminster Abbey (where the wedding will take place) it was all anybody talked about. So fun.
I love these pictures! Since I lived in London as a teenager, they feel somewhat like home to me. I miss it!
My daughter’s name is Bria, but she often calls herself “bri-bri.” For some reason I’ve taken to calling her Bieber– I didn’t even think about Justin Bieber until a friend pointed it out, but it’s become too much of a habit to quit now. Poor thing!
I enjoyed looking at your photographs. What a wonderful memory for your daughter. I like Mimi as a nickname. My oldest daughter is named Talia. We often call her Tals. My second daughter is named Lauren. We often call her Lowee. My third daughter is named Catherine and we call her Catherine, Moo or MooMoo. I don’t know how or why that nickname stuck when she was a baby–most of our friends and relatives find it distasteful. It has absolutely nothing to do with cows–and only sounds endearing when we say it. My husband’s nickname when he was young was Toadie–he’s not too fond of that. Mine was and still is, Jack.
It looks like you had a great time! I love that you shared with us, and your photos are amazing. I bet it was nice to speak English freely. :)
Love all the pics, and your trip sounds divine! We love nicknames — in fact nicknames are a big part of our discussions as my husband and I are trying to pick out a name for this new baby.
Gabrielle, what a wonderful trip! I love special one-on-one parenting times. I also am from a large fam and those times are truly memorable. I have a daughter named Savannah and we call her Savvy. It fits her like a glove. Happy birthday, Mimi!!:)
here in france, Michaela is hard to pronounce. So I use Mikki. I did use it when i lived in england but definitely more so here.
What a wonderfully unforgettable treat for little Maude (or should I say Mimi) and you! I’m from a family of eight so I cherish the memories I had of one on one time with my mom or dad. We’ve already started calling our baby Oliver (whom we will meet a week from today!) “Ollie”.
Twinkles is my eldest daughters nickname (Hinckley)
My youngest daughters nickname is Percy (Persia)
That last photo of the two of you is so beautiful and not a little haunting — it’s the eyes, I think.
Oh, what a wonderful time! How special for Maude to have spent such a momentous birthday in such a wonderful place, with her mum all to herself. Looks like you guys rocked London!
What a lovely birthday treat! Love the photos.. Mimi is such a sweet nickname. My daughter’s nickname is Kiki. : )
My 1 and half year old daughter Jillian has called herself Giggy since she first started talking. We love it and hope it never stops. She makes up new names for everyone. Too cute.
I wouldn’t think they would have trouble pronouncing her name, at least the French way. It’s actually a French name!
http://www.linternaute.com/femmes/prenoms/prenom/546/maud/
By the way, when I looked it up, it turns out that TODAY, March 14, is St. Maud’s day. In France they celebrate name days like birthdays. Happy name day Maude!!!
That’s what I was going to say! How does she/you say Maude? In France it rhymes with ‘Ode’ (or like saying ‘old’ with a head cold and not pronouncing the ‘l’.)
I love London. I also started going to get away from speaking French all the time (I live in Grenoble), and it’s my favorite city in the world. I now take my kids there several times a year to get their dose of English.
(BTW- if you ever want to come to Grenoble, I’d love to show you around! It’s where the French Revolution REALLY started!)
My son’s name is Lorenzo but he only goes by Enzo. In fact he says that Lorenzo is his nick-nac-name and not his real name. My daughter is Maria Aurea but we call her “mamas” or “nenem” for short.
I love the nick name Mimi. It’s the Palmer’s grandma’s nick name. her full name is Mildred.
My daughter Naomi is called Mimi, mostly because her older sister couldn’t pronounce Naomi when she was younger. I love it as a nickname, and it’s great because it’s a name that anyone can say. She becomes a favorite with any small children she meets, mostly because they can all say her name.
I’m jealous of your London expedition. It looks and sounds like it was loads of fun.
I’m so glad you had a wonderful time in London! and I’m so glad that you did go to tea at the Kensington Palace Orangery… I love that place!
Catie
Living vicariously through you! As many times as I go, I can never get enough London. Favorite place on the planet! Glad your kids got to experience it.
Our nicknames right now are Maggie Moo or Mama for Maggie and Char-Char or CharlyBoo for Charlotte. Constantly evolving!
My favorite pic is 42 of 42!
What a wonderful birthday (the memories)! I love the name Maude, so I dint think a nn is necessary! Those French can pronounce Maude!!! :). But, whatever works for your daughter.
I am hoping we have a nn for our daughter. So far her full name has stuck though. Her 2 yo brother has no problem pronouncing her name either!
That first picture of Maude/Mimi opening the door to the telephone booth while wearing a beret is absolutely classic.
cute! I’m curious if your June has any nicknames yet? Our June is frequently Junie, Junebug (obvious, I suppose), or Junimal (like animal, except June-imal).
: )
Going by Mimi is perfect when you’re living in France! And I see she’s taken to wearing her beret with typical Blair flair – adorable.
My seven year old’s name is Sophia, but somewhere long ago, I nicknamed her Bird, and it’s stuck. We have a Mimi in our family, too, though, a cousin named Milah.
Oh what fun! Happy birthday dear girl!
I’m tucking your itinerary away in my “dream” folder for some day. So many great ideas…thank you!
During the long stretch of time between deciding to adopt our youngest daughter and actually “meeting” her and learning her real name (Ai Li) via e-mail, we needed something to call her. My aunt started referring to our unknown child as “lilypad” and we got so used to it that we had to name her Lily Ai Li.
My youngest daughter’s name is Adriana (pronounced like Adri-anna) but we have been calling her Annie since her older sister couldn’t pronounce her real name. Now it seems as if Annie is her only name because it fits her so well.
My husband was intentionally thinking of names with few or no nicknames when we had our first. His name has lots of nicknames, most of which he didn’t like… Anna doesn’t really have a lot of nicknames, so I wanted one. :) We went with Adam and even though his initials, AC are a bit of a family tradition, we haven’t called him that at all.
Looks like a great mom/daughter trip!
What a fun mother-daughter adventure just for the two of you. I bet you treasured your time together in this amazing city!
Wow, how I remember living in a country were I didn’t know the language. My parents sent my brother and I to boarding school in Argentina. Neither of us knew the language! Don’t you hate the accents in the grammar: the rules and knowing where to put them. It is hard in Spanish but I know in french you can have up to three accents in a word. Good Luck! The children will pick it up easier. This opportunity comes once in a life time. You are giving your kids a second language, a fluent second language to be correct and an experience that will change their lives for ever. Congrats!
Nice pics, am glad you like our London Town : D
My 3 1/2 year old, Naomi, called herself Maymay/Mimi for a few years. When she finally could pronounce her real name I almost cried. I miss Maymay.
I’m sure it wasn’t because of my recommendation but I’m delighted that you had tea at the Orangery. So wonderful.
Your daughter is beautiful and looks exactly like you!!! My oldest daughter’s nickname is Tater-tot!
What a wonderful trip! All four of my kids have nicknames and my younger two are probably called by their NNs more than their given names!
I absolutely love that you and “Mimi” (love it) took this mother/daughter trip together. I truly hope my daughter and I will remain as close as we are now and do things like this. You look like you had so much fun. Great pics too:) Oh and my daughter’s nickname is Bear ’cause she used to growl a lot when she was a baby.