The present from my aunt & uncle has arrived!

Now I can take a nap in the living room, surrounded by butterfiles… And soon I’ll be able to amuse myself all day long in my fantastic playpen.

Thank you Aunt Liher & Uncle Jérôme!

Juliette wanted to say a big thank you to Alexis for her wonderful presents. She wore the green-and-white polka dot outfit home from the hospital, but Mom & Dad were too preoccupied that day to snap a photo. They hope you understand.

They’ve had some sleep now, and had the presence of mind to take a picture of me wearing my new floral outfit. And so they should. Because I look fantastic in it!

Check me out in my outfit with flowers!

We woke up today to a beautiful, unseasonably-warm day today – the perfect excuse to try out the new stroller. We all took a short walk up to the local bakery to get bread, passing by the Dom (the big church in the centre of town) on our way back. Juliette seemed happy enough, all bundled up, and slept through the whole event.

Check out our new wheels!

Totally underwhelmed by her first outing, Juliette slept through the entire event!

Aude’s work mobile rang. “Who the hell is calling me on my work mobile in the middle of the holidays?” she asked, diverting the phone to voicemail.

Two minutes later, the doorbell rang. Standing outside was a delivery man, holding a huge bouquet of flowers sent over by Aude’s colleagues. We’ve got plenty of flowers in the house now!

Another flower bouquet arrived from Aude’s colleagues

This is how it all starts. Four days old, and she’s got my finger and my heart.

And with that, I’ve captured my Daddy’s heart forever…

We don’t normally have flowers around the house, because the cat’s favourite pastime is eating the flowers in the house and leaving us brightly-coloured pools of barf. But a new baby is an exception to the rule, and merits roses.

Roses for a new mother…

Juliette wanted to say a big ‘thank you’ to Auntie MG for her stylish new top. She also wanted me to point out that Daddy was all wrong, and that style is important, even if you’re only four days old. It always pays to look your best. You never know who you might run into.

Juliette enjoying a few minutes of afternoon sunshine in her new threads

Looking pretty in pink!

Finally put the finishing touches on the nursery and managed to get everything ready. It’s quiet and calm now, but I guess it won’t stay that way for long.

We’re in real trouble if the ultrasound is wrong and we find ourselves with a little boy!

The rocker is an antique we found in Dusseldorf, and is just like the one Matthew was raised in. The bassinet is on loan from the neighbours — Juliette is the 12th child to be raised in it. Aude’s mother stitched the cushions in the bed and on the rocker.

Butterfly mobile, from one of the craftsmen on etsy.com

A creative solution to a practical problem. The window in the nursery looks onto the winter garden, and is impossible to cover with a blind. So we improvised and had this wall hanging made for us.

A Dachshund. Because every little girl needs a sausage dog, right? Another etsy.com find.

And flowers. Every girl needs flowers, especially on her birthday!

The nursery is ready and the waiting game has begun. All we need now is something to fill it!

Not long now…