Pardon My French

Back on Track

Ha -- it's Monday and I do not have to start work at 8:00 a.m. and I do not have to finish work at 8:00 p.m. Let me just take a minute to sing some James Brown for you, because I feel good. [short pause] Okay, I'm back.

There's only some minor hammering going on downstairs, so right now it's not a problem. I managed to sleep through the night and still had a nice lie-in. Today I'm not sure what I'm going to tackle, if anything...I might try just to rest up and see if I can stop having so many (still little, just uncomfortable) contractions when I am upright and walking because that can't be good. On the positive side, I have a good excuse not to iron. Score!

The best part for me is that I am mentally feeling great and genuinely delighted to be in France once more. I find our apartment tolerably pleasant once again, I'm eager to read books and watch films in French again, and life in general is just good. On Saturday we picked up our stroller system as planned and visited the in-laws for a bit. My MIL has knitted me very, very cute sweater-and-bootie sets for the baby, PLUS she bought some warm newborn pyjamas as well as a knitted coat for her to wear home from the hospital (pictures will follow, I promise). My husband was completely blown away at how much she's really gotten into the baby thing now.

The best part about the Saturday visit was that she gave me a green notebook in which she kept a diary of my husband as a baby, all the way until he learned to crawl, after which we assume she was too busy to keep a journal. It was very, very sweet and I will guard that preciously for him and our baby girl. That was a wonderful unexpected gift. My MIL is not especially sentimental due to her background as a policeman's daughter (long story, won't go into that), so I saw a tender side of her that I hadn't seen before. She's normally quite reserved, and I guess the only other time I've seen her a bit emotional like that was when she gave an impromptu speech at our US wedding. (My friends have since called that speech the "Although I was cold to you at first, it wasn't personal" speech, but my husband -- the translator -- swears it came across that way because he wasn't prepared to translate on the spot. Anyway, it does make a funny story and maybe I'll blog about that some day).

So, all of these things help me to feel at home here again. The birth prep classes help, my friends are supportive, my in-laws are great, and my husband has been helping out like a champion. I'll be getting my suitcase ready soon...it's a little early, I know, but helps me feel better and washing all the new baby clothes and putting them away. In approximately two months we'll have a new member of our family that is half him, half me. I can't wait to meet her.