My Month In... November

With Baby L due early December, November was always going to be the month of as much relaxation as possible for L and I. We cleared out a fair amount of our social diaries to re-focus on down-time and final baby prep from mid-November. We still caught up with close family and friends, but in moderation as we've been told that this is the time to really stock up on energy!

With this in mind, here's what I've been up to this month:

1. BONFIRE NIGHT

I grew up just outside Lewes, where the biggest Bonfire Night celebrations in the world occur on November the 5th. It's a huge event in our calendar, but this year needed to be toned down due to bump (he's the size of a watermelon now!). So instead, L and I had a movie night in followed by sparklers in the garden. It's not the usual celebrations we're used to but we had to prioritise this year in the knowledge that we'll have so many more opportunities in the future to celebrate with a bang. It was still a lovely evening and our last bonfire night together just the two of us, which was special in itself.

2. NURSERY COMPLETION

We completed our nursery! See the full nursery tour here

3. VISITORS

Early November consisted of visits from family and best friends who wanted to say a last good luck before Baby L arrives. We're really lucky to have so many fantastic people willing to make the effort to see us - turning up with the most amazing cakes and pretty flowers (like these ones!):

4. RETRO MOVIES

I've been building a list of movies to watch during my maternity leave - mostly consisting of recommendations from friends and colleagues following an 'I can't BELIEVE you haven't seen that' conversation..! Now's the time to start making an indent into my lengthy list. November saw a couple ticked off, mostly cheesy 80s movies including Some Kind of Wonderful and Baby Boom (naturally).

- I've only just discovered Baby Boom was produced by Nancy Meyers - my all-time favourite director / producer / screenwriter. Meyers always creates the prettiest interiors for her films - I've shopped the style of a number of her films over in my ScreenStyle section.

5. AND RELAX

I've really enjoyed a number of classes and exercises that relax my mind/body - from my weekly pregnancy yoga to a hypnobirthing taster session at our local hospital. Mama B and I have also been sewing a baby mobile (below), which I've found so therapeutic! It's all about finding ways to switch off and chill before a busy life period approaches (!). For me it's the above (plus baking) but for others it could be absolutely anything!

What were your November highlights? Let me know over on Twitter or in the comments below...

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