Apologies for the severe lack of posting in November. It was an absolute blur and although Juliette is getting easier as she gets older, she is also requiring more engagement from mama! So here is a brief summary of our November: 1. Auntie Jill's Wedding: We went to Luxembourg the first weekend in November for Jill's wedding! It was a HECK of a time getting there with just about everything going wrong that could, but we made it safe and sound in the end. Takeaway #1 - do NOT bring a baby to a wedding. We didn't have much of a choice though if we we. Takeaway #2 - always have a back up nice outfit... No one saw Juliette's beautiful wedding outfit due to the blow out poo in the car ride over.
2. Baby Lab: One of my new post baby friends, Helen, introduced me to the Baby Lab through Birkbeck college. We were called to participate in a study looking into how a baby's short term memory develops. They played a series of peek-a-boo games on a tv screen and tracked where Juliette looked and if she expected something to pop out after she had seen it happen a few times. It was a really fun experience and she dominated - didn't even need a break! Before leaving she even received a "Baby Scientist" T-Shirt!
3. First Pediatrician Appointment: Juliette broke out with a rash on her chin, neck, back and a little on the upper chest. It was dry and bumpy like pimples and not overly concerning, but the patch under her chin was quite red and got worse so I went into nervous mom mode. The GP said it was a spot of eczema, but after a day or two of E45 cream it still wasn't getting any better. So I asked for a referral to a proper pediatrician because we have BUPA private insurance, we are about to travel for a month and that's how the system works here.
So after I booked the appointment, obtained an authorisation number from BUPA and picked up my referral letter from the GP, we went to the outpatient Pediatric department at BUPA Cromwell Hospital. I LOVED doctor O'Connell. He started out by asking if I had family close by and if she's met her grandparents - just getting to know me a little better and our situation. He was like a sweet little youngish grandfather. Then he looked at me and said, "Well, there's not much to say other than she is absolutely delicious," which I absolutely loved! Nothing better than a doctor that loves his patients!
Then Dr. O'Connell gave her a head to toe examination, something that hasn't happened since the day after she arrived since they only treat the specific issue at hand at the GP appointments. He said on a scale from 1-10 her rash was a 1. It wasn't eczema either, which is good news since eczema is a reoccurring condition. Instead, she had some sort of an allergic reaction that would go away on its own...eventually. Since then, we have washed everything in really hot water and changed our laundry detergent. It's gotten so much better!
Stats from the appointment:
Length: 68 cm (95% percentile)
Weight: 16 lbs (just under 75% percentile)
Head Circumference: 42.5 cm (50% percentile)
She's perfect! The doctor predicted that if Juliette continues on this path, she will be about 5'8" when it's all said and done. "Definitely taller than [me]" either way he said!
4. First Aid Class: We have a wonderful baby clinic near the house that offers an array of courses each month. It took me two months to get into the first aid course, but we finally got accepted for the November course on the 16th given by London Ambulance!
Darya - my NCT friend - came, and I also saw Tess and Henry from baby massage class. The guy giving the class was hysterical in a very blunt kind of way. It focused on choking and infant CPR - both excellent skills as Jules will be officially starting solids in the next couple of weeks.
The best part of the class (after being throughly freaked out at the thought of my child choking) was that Juliette LOVED the CPR doll. I held it over her and she would reach up and grab its face with her hands and lift her feet to give it an airplane ride, then shriek with delight into its face! It was soooo super cute. She will absolutely be getting a doll for Christmas!
5. Starting Solids: Juliette started on a little rice cereal this month! She was doing all the signs my health visitor told me to look out for - staring intently at me while I eat, seems hungry all the time and is able to sit up well when supported. I got the cutest video of one of her first efforts :) Now she literally helps me put the spoon in her mouth...little piggy :)
6. Dinner with Andrew's Bon papa: Andrew's grandfather reached out to us saying that he would be in town on the 21st. The restaurant at their hotel was randomly closed so they arranged a private table in a cozy little room with a fireplace (and fire) and a Christmas tree! This was our first proper evening outing with Juliette and she was good as gold and charmed the group!
7. Thanksgiving: Valentina was gracious enough to host Thanksgiving again this year so Andrew, Juliette and I headed over to Rob and her flat last Thursday for dinner. We brought our standard Whole Foods Pumpkin Pies. They were a huge hit last year and while I thought about making my own this year, I was worried they would be a let down. They were a huge hit again!
Valentina had the most gorgeous set up, a Thanksgiving quiz with prizes and looked absolutely glamorous all while having a 2 month old at home. I envy those kind of moms that can do it all... I have NOT reached that stage yet!!
8. Babysitting for Juliette: On Juliette's 5 month birthday, Juliette was babysat for the first time by someone other than family! They were friends though so it wasn't TOO much of an effort for me to leave her. Andrew and I went to Westfield in Shepherd's Bush to celebrate and buy each other belated third wedding anniversary gifts! 3 years is the Leather anniversary apparently so I went with lovely baby pink ugg slippers and Andrew got a fancy new belt. Thanks Natalie and Dave for hanging out with our nugget!
We also met Diana this month. She came highly recommended from Andrew's cousin's wife and I am absolutely desperate for a few baby free hours a week to get a few things done. So starting Thursday, we will have Diana come over for the morning and look after Juliette and I will try to squeeze everything I need to do that week into a single morning! I get on normally with Juliette in tow, but sometimes, you just need a little adult time! This week, I am looking forward to taking my time to pack for our holiday in the good ol' US of A!
We also met Chiola through my friend Helen who we will use for evening and weekends where we need to go out! Juliette absolutely LOVED her... I have had severe anxiety in the past at the thought of leaving Juliette with anyone, so this is a huge win for me. Hurdle jumped!
9. Blast from the Past: We had a lunch last weekend with Dan Strosnider and his expecting wife! Dan and I went to High School together and he now lives in Manchester. We always have a great time when we get together and they wanted to meet Juliette. Again, she was very easy to have with us! I also highly recommend Brown Cow on Fulham Road! 
10. Winter Wonderland: Winter Wonderland opened last weekend for the winter season and that being the last weekend we are in town for Christmas, of course we had to go and take Juliette! It was one of the coldest days of the season as of yet, but it was just a fun as I remembered from years past! This year, things were set up a bit differently, but it seemed to flow better. We took Juliette out of her pram for a few pictures (that she wasn't too happy about) but that was it for her! There was an entire Haribo stand that I LOVED but the mom that keeps coming out of me was horrified by all the rides and their potential danger. I'm so glad I have a few years before I have to REALLY thing about the rides... 
So those are the November highlights! I hope to post more frequently in the upcoming weeks since I will have an abundance of babysitters in the form of my family members. Saturday can't get here soon enough. I can't WAIT to go home for the holidays!!!!
