10 weeks

My little Princess is growing up fast! She has received so many beautiful outfits as gifts that I decided to play dress up a bit yesterday and take some photos of her. Thankfully she always wakes up from her naps with a smile on her face and very tolerant of mommy's whims! 

 

First Holiday

We are just getting back from Juliette's very first Holiday to Provence (Southern France). Andrew's family has a lovely home in Pont Royal and so we packed up our stuff (with the essential help of our vacuum bags), hopped on the Eurostar and headed for sunshine! 

Summer Clothes! Thanks Auntie Steph!

True to her style, Juliette was amazing. The first leg of the trip was London to Lille, France - 1 hour, 30 minutes - piece of cake. Once in Lille, we boarded the second train that was going to take 5 hours to Avignon in Provence. We bought tickets in the Standard Premier cabin to give ourselves a little extra room and we soon realised this was a VERY good decision as the cabin was empty for most of the trip and the seats were big enough to keep Juliette in her carseat in between the two of us. 

Blurry but cute :)

Like I mentioned earlier, she was amazing even though she didn't sleep a wink for the majority of the trip. With about an hour and a half left, Juliette started getting a little hysterical. Andrew put in some good time calming her down, but with not much luck, so I took over with the "magic bounce" that my new friend Helen (and mother of 3) showed me. Worked like a charm and Juliette was asleep within 15 minutes for the remainder of the trip.

Andrew spent the first week with us in Pont Royal and then Juliette and I spent the second week with his family on our own. 

The first week, we went to lunch twice in near by villages and then spent the rest of the time lounging by the pool and eating gourmet meals made by Dea and Hubert! The most unique thing was that we made ice cream (more like sorbet) every single night with all the gorgeous local produce. No flavor was the same even if we used the same ingredients. It was such a wonderful treat! 

Most days were too hot for Juliette to be outside even in the shade (found out by Juliette not pooping for almost a day which of course freaked mommy out to no end). So when she wasn't napping in her cool, comfy bed, we were playing in the house on her new princess play mat! It was hard not doing the pre-mommy thing of baking in the sunshine all day long, but my baby needed me inside. It was way better for my skin anyway... that's what I'm telling myself at least!

She acclimated quickly to the sunny, laid back lifestyle getting on her first consistent routine! We went to bed for the night at 10:30 - 11:00 pm, waking up between 4:30 and 5:30, and then again between 7:00 and 8:00 am. This is when I would usually get up, but she would go back to sleep until 9:30/10:00 AM. Then there was a morning nap for an hour, a 2-3 hour nap around lunch time, and then another catnap before dinner. My baby loves her sleep! 

She really blossomed while we were there - interacting with all of us, talking up a storm, rolling from side to side (not quite all the way over on her belly yet), and conquering the bath - she loves it now! She watches faces intently when she's being talked to and is batting at her toys. She's got the cutest little personality developing and always wakes up with a smile on her face. It's amazing how much can change in two weeks! 

It was such a lovely and relaxing time and a really good first holiday. It's given me the confidence to do just about anything with my mini! 

We will tackle our first plane ride next week for Jill's wedding. I hope it's as positive of an experience!  

Mommy-ing On My Own, It Seems..

Today is a sad day - my entire family left London to head back home. It's been quite a busy summer. I've been fortunate enough to have my mom here for the last 7 weeks, arriving the day after Juliette was born, and then my brothers and dad arrived on the 29th of July for the Olympic Games. 

 

 

It has been absolutely wonderful having my mom here not only for the help, but spending so much quality time together since I've hardly seen her in the last 2 and a half years as result of our move to London. 

I have always been a kid lover, but when it comes to having your own child and being completely responsible for their early development, I had no idea what I was doing. My mom was amazing. She had Juliette on her tummy from day 3 it seemed and "goo-ing" by two weeks. This last week or so, I got a lump in my throat every time Jules saw my mom for the first time in the morning because Juliette would just smile away and coo at her. I'm not sure who will miss Bia (Bia is what my mom would like Juliette to call her - this is what I called my grandmother, her mother) more, me or Juliette!! 

 

My mom has been part of so many firsts for my baby - her first bath, her first bottle, her first tube trip, first bus and taxi rides, her first coo, her first intentional smile, her first shots. I can't even think of all the things she's been here with me to see. It's freaking me out to think about doing this on my own (well, between the hours of 7 am and 6 pm) every single day going forward. Motherhood, while incredibly rewarding, is overwhelming and A LOT of work!

Luckily, Andrew has been more supportive than I could've ever hoped. He's great with his baby and my secret weapon for putting her to sleep at night. I am only successful 75% of the time with putting her down, the other 25% of the time, Andrew's magical sleep hold knocks her right out. 

I've walked into the empty second bedroom of our flat multiple times today, each time tearing up despite my best efforts. I know Jules will keep me super busy in the days ahead, but today...today I just want to be sad.  

But on a more positive note, and switching gears completely, the Olympics have been amazing! Non-stop, commercial free TV coverage. There's a great app for London 2012 Results that shows exactly what is on and when, who is competing, medal counts and more. The most surprising revelation for myself has been my love of archery! I mean,I am a legendary archer for Milton Somers Middle School record books, but it didn't matter who was shooting, if archery was on, I was watching! The US didn't do amazing, but the guys team won a silver medal! 

 

I've been fortunate enough to see the Women's Team Archery Finals at Lord's Cricket Grounds, Women and Men's Beach Volleyball Quarter Finals at Horse Guards Parade, and Volleyball (USA Men and Women) at Earls Court Exhibition Centre. I could potentially go to Gymnastic Finals on Thursday and Athletic Finals on Saturday with Andrew, but I am not sure that I can part with my baby just yet (we are giving our babysitter recommendation a trial run tomorrow while I'm here). Andrew and my family have been to a TON more! What a once in a lifetime experience we've had. 

The fun part was having my entire family stay in our flat with us! We have been 6 adults, one baby and a dog for the last 10 days in a two bedroom, one bathroom flat. BUT it was surprisingly easy! We all haven't been together on a vacation since I left for London - we all went to San Fran the month before I moved. 

When we weren't at an Olympic Event, we were watching everything on TV. Everything seems a bit more exciting/fun when my brothers are around. I didn't feel too different being a mom... I could still be silly and laugh with them. 

So now, it looks like all the mommy-ing I do from this point onwards will be on my own! Andrew will obviously help in the evenings, but I will not lie - I am daunted by the responsibility of that challenge! I made a tiny human... that is mind blowing to me! What an amazing gift!

I'm sure I am going to love every second of it, but today I can't stop crying. It's worked out well for me actually because Juliette can't stop sleeping. She got her first "jabs" today ("shots" for the American readers) and I guess it was a super traumatic experience because she refuses to stay awake for anything other than eating. I was surprised I stayed strong through this as I thought I would have a panic attack leading up to her appointment.  Good thing I did though because I was the one that had to brace her for the shots, my mom couldn't watch!

She took the 5 in 1 like a champion. She didn't really notice the needle prick in her right thigh, but when Dr. Malik pushed in the vaccine, she was NOT happy about it. Although, she did quiet immediately afterwards. The second shot, however, she was not interested in being brave for. She screamed bloody murder! Again, though, as soon as I held her up to my chest, she quieted - proving for the millionth time that she is a great baby. 

Anyway, I feel like summer ended today. Everyone went "back to school" and I am still here, waiting for my turn to go. I have been looking at flights home for the fall to give me something to look forward to. Hopefully I'll have something on the books soon...