Strong upward trend...

Reality check:

1 gallon = 3.78541 liters

1.45 €/liter x 3.78541 liters/gallon = 5.4888 €/gallon

1€ = $ 1.23

so...

1.23 $/€ x 5.4888 €/gallon = 6.75 $/gallon

That’s right folks, we're already paying almost $7.00 for a gallon of gas in France and that's only going to go up. See, that's really why 'French Women Don't Get Fat'. It's because they walk everywhere. Of course they do it with class and sophistication in their ultra-pointy-sure-to-give-you-bunions fancy shoes. But France is set up for that isn't it? Small town village feel with grocery stores and butchers’ and post offices all within walking distance. You take your little rolling grocery basket and head into town and do your banking and shopping and posting and then head home. A cardiovascular and weight bearing workout all in one 45 minute outing. Something to think about folks. I'm thinking of a slogan like "Feet! The alternate fuel!"

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I took Aidric to the doctor on Thursday for his first round of vaccinations. In France the doctor writes a prescription for the vaccinations and you pick them up at the pharmacy and bring them with you to the appointment. Also prescribed are little analgesic pads that you put on the area to be injected an hour before hand to numb the area. So a pain relieving pad on each thigh and Aidric was set to resume his long forgotten role as human pin cushion.

He still screamed bloody murder though. And they make you hold your kid while they needle him so he looks at YOU with that eloquent look that says "Mommy, how could you do this to me?" Quivering bottom lip in full pout and actual tears streaming down his adorable little face with that hurt, bewildered and unbelieving look in his eyes. It's enough to reduce any mortal to tears...so you know me, I was crying too while trying to tell him it was all alright. He didn't seem convinced by my unconvincing stab at bravery. All this to be repeated again next month.

Anyway, current Aidric stats: He now weighs 13 lbs 11 oz. this is a gain of 4 lbs. 12 oz. since birth. He is 24.4 inches long which is a gain of 3.6 inches. This places him in the 90% range for (French) boys his age for height and weight. He’s a big boy by French standards. You wouldn’t think he’d be this big if you judged him by how hard it is to get him to eat.

He’s like his mom, he just can’t be bothered to sit still for a meal, or rather how I was when I was growing up. Eating was too time consuming and I had better things to do. Like read!

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We're spending the afternoon out on the back porch today for the first time this season. S is asleep in my 'chaise longe' and Aidric is dozing in his swing. I'm sitting at the table typing this and soaking up my 10 minutes of vitamin D. Well, considerably more than 10 minutes from inception to post of this (and every other) blog entry, but considering how pasty the winter has made me, I could use the sunshine.







P.S. For those of you waiting for return e-mails I appologize, I'm working on it. Shelly, Pete, Em, Tris, Ky, Shannon and 'handsome stranger' I'm not ignoring you I swear. I still love you.

Long Live Whats-her-name!

So I have to say first of all, I don't know who invented the 'Cradle Swing' but whoever did deserves every penny of the millions she's surely made off of the idea.

When my mom was here she said we should get one, that it would free me up a bit and that Aidric would love it. I said I'd look into it and then fate came into play by way of S's co-workers who gave us some cash for a baby gift. So we went out on Saturday and we found a really nice swing from Fisher-Price.

It's the Ocean Wonders Aquarium Cradle Swing and it is fabulous! It plays music or ocean sounds or rain sounds or babbling brook sounds and it rocks side to side or front to back and it has six speeds and it has a mobile that lights up and turns AND Aidric loves it. He falls asleep in it and he likes watching the fishies turn on the mobile. It is the greatest thing since sliced bread I tell you.





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Daddy took Aidric to the park today for a guys bonding day out. As you can tell from the photos below Aidric was really impressed and had a great time ;)







I guess some people are just really hard to impress

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On Friday Aidric and I met my friend Ellian for lunch in downtown Toulouse. Friday was the first day of the Easter Holidays and starting at noon everyone was trying to get out of town. Traffic was IMPOSSIBLE and downtown was a sea of people.

Now, these days I hesitate to go out much because of having to tote the diaper bag and stroller and all the stuff that comes with traveling with a baby.

Our stroller is one of those all inclusive mondo strollers where the baby's car seat snaps into it so I don't have to take the baby out of one seat and transfer him to another. The thing is so big that it takes up most of the room in my trunk. The basket underneath carries the diaper bag and my purse with room to spare for shopping and it's double canopy keeps Aidric warm and out of the weather. It's heavy and cumbersome, but let me tell you that after Friday’s adventures I'll never complain about its size again.

We had a great time just bulldozing down the sidewalk behind the stroller. I tell you what, at one point I was cutting through the crowds like a hot knife through butter, I was making such good time that there was a another mom drafting me with her tiny umbrella stroller it was great.

Aidric loves company

Since birth Aidric (and Mommy) have had a string of visitors dropping in to tell Aidric how adorable he is and to help mommy deal with His Highness.



Many photos have been taken, here are some of Aidric and his adoring public.





Aidric's first visitor was his sister. She tried to take him home with her. Aidric adored her and I caught them whispering together several times. I just know that J was filling him in on all the things that drive mommy crazy. The two of them plotting against me and getting that brother/sister bond going.




Maggie came to say hello and...





...she brought Vincent with her. He was really, truly afraid to hold Aidric, but offered to teach him the finer points of rugby when he's older.





Grandma Rosella came for two weeks at the end of February. We dragged her away from Florida to the cold south of France to be with us. It was fun to have her around. Aidric enjoyed every moment of the attention and mommy appreciated the company.




Paula came by to meet Aidric and he fell absolutely in love with her. He couldn't take his eyes off of her even when we dragged him away from her, he continued to follow her with his eyes. S thinks it was Aidric's first crush, I think he was just drawn to the contrast of her dark hair and light skin; he still loves mommy best.




Mita came in mid March for a month of total spoiling. Aidric visited the doctor while she was here and was prodded and measured. By mid March he had gained 4 lbs. and grown 3 inches.

Mita brought along...



...Aunt Charlotte. Aunt Charlotte was great for horsey rides and rocking Aidric to sleep and taking care of the daily exercise sessions.

We visited a few sights in France and we went to Andorra. In the middle of the visit Mita and Aunt Charlotte went to Rome for a few days. They went home this morning and boy do we miss them. There is no one there to pick Aidric up at the first sound of a whimper and he's a little ticked about that. It'll be a few days of adjustment, at least I hope it's only a few days.




Daddy came home from two weeks in the US to find that baby 'Cal' was bigger and more alert than when he'd left. Aidric was so happy to see dad and enjoyed some quality time with him.




Currently accepting applications for position of spoiler in chief sooo...who's next?

Hello

Aidric sits in his little bouncy seat and watches me play on the computer. His hands are still too small to use the mouse, but we're working on it. I figure by 2 he'll be using the mouse and we can start working on his keyboarding skills. By 4 he'll be posting to his own blog.

I'm thinking of getting him his own iPod for his first birthday, and then maybe a Blackberry for his 2nd.

Too much?

Booger

When J was little I had a really cute nickname for her. Well, she doesn't think it was cute now, and I guess it wasn't terribly complimentary, but it was used with all the sentiments behind a mother’s pet name for her child. I won’t tell you what I used to call her though, because she would be embarrassed.

Anyway, I've been trying out some nicknames for Aidric but haven't quite hit upon the perfect one yet.

One of them is 'frog boy' on account of the way he looks when he lays on my chest with his little legs pulled up under him. He looks like one of those little rainforest tree frogs. See here is a picture of him at a few days old in his frog pose.



I know huh!!!!! What a cutie!!!!!

Yeah, well, anyway, ‘frog boy’ seems too long for a nickname. The other one I’ve been using is also too long, it’s ‘lizard boy’ because of the way he sticks his tongue out repeatedly when he’s hungry, as if he’s testing the air for the nearness of his next meal.

Of course there are always the obvious favorites like ‘Poopie Pants’ or the more generic ‘stinker’, but they seem to lack the cuteness and charm called for in a nickname, not to mention that, like J’s nickname, they’re not something you want to own up to when you get older.

Oh, well, I’ll keep looking.

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Sometimes when I’m feeding him or changing his diaper Aidric seems to focus on something just over my right shoulder. He coos at whatever it is he sees there and sometimes smiles or even laughs; sometimes he makes that knitted eyebrow concerned look too.

I imagine that he sees my grandmother there watching him from over my shoulder. When he laughs and smiles I imagine that she is singing that tune she used to sing to us when we were small, the one she sang to every baby she ever held. Do you know which one I mean?

When he gets that concerned look I think she must be doling out all of those words of wisdom she used to pepper us with as we were growing up.

I know she would have been absolutely nuts over Aidric and I’m sorry that she never new him or off him. And I’m sorry that Aidric will never really get to know her like all the rest of us did.

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I need an English speaking baby consultant. I mean if I need advice I can call the midwife who I went to for birthing training, but it’s hard to really ask questions and fully comprehend the answers in French.

Stuff like how do I get the little monster to burp? He hates to burp, it takes longer to burp the kid than it does to feed him. Is it normal for him to get so red in the face and work so hard to poop? While we were still in the hospital they insisted that I bathe the kid every day, but Margaret always told us that it was bad to bathe a kid every day because it dried out their skin to much, that every other day would suffice. Who’s right?

Do you think that Laverne would move to France to be my personal baby consultant/nanny?

Well, that’s all for now. I have to move quickly during the times that he sleeps. So much to do and so little uninterrupted time.

Dude!

Who knew that my best days would be spent in my favorite chair by the window watching the world go by with a baby sleeping on my chest for hours on end.

Who knew that a baby could produce something so foul smelling I want to call a haz-mat team to come deal with it.

Who knew I could talk non-stop to someone who's only response is to fall asleep in self defense.

Who knew you could fall so totally in love with one person so quickly.

Who knew you could fill a 256 MB memory card with pictures of one person in so little time.

Hello Everyone

Ta-da!

News and updates – the beginning (end) is in sight.

Let’s see I left off with ’I have an appointment with the new doctor at 8:30 (yes in the morning!) on Tuesday.’ Well, we went to see the Dr. on Tuesday and all with Jr. is going fine, pelvic exam showed however that there was no progress in that area and so I was to come back in a week.

Then he took my blood pressure and that’s sort of where the wheels came off of that plan. It was high, too high. He sent me over to the Obstetric Bloc where they would monitor it for a few minutes to see if a little rest and change of venue would bring it down. It did but only marginally. So, I was told to come back in two days for more monitoring.

Well, we have been over to the clinic every other day since last Tuesday. Every other day I go to the Obstetric Bloc where they hook me to monitors for about an hour or so, do a pelvic exam and take some blood. Always the same thing, the cervix is not yet ready for delivery so they don’t want to induce yet, however my blood pressure and blood tests are bordering on ‘bad’ and ‘not good’. So I get the same instructions each time ‘come back in two days and we’ll check again’ if you develop a headache, see spots or have ringing ears, come in right away.

On the bright side I’m getting to meet all the Sage Femmes (Midwives) and some of the trainees too. I don’t remember their names but I remember them as ‘The heavy smoker’, ‘The nice one who speaks ‘a leetle’ English’, ‘The scared looking trainee’, ‘The Crabby One’, and today’s version ‘The unnecessary roughness wench’. Let’s hope I don’t get ‘The unnecessary roughness wench’ for the delivery because we may have to have words. I go back again on Thursday, Thursday, however will be my last visit for monitoring, ready or not they will induce labor on Monday the 30th, which by the way is the actual due date. So Jr. will arrive on Monday, on schedule, which seems weird after all of this craziness.

So, we’ll get you some news on Monday just as soon as there’s anything to report.

In related news, we have decided on a name… you don’t seriously think I’m going to tell you what it is right now do you? No, you’ll just have to wait for the full announcement post birth. And don’t try that ‘but I’m your mom – sister – brother – best friend – etc.’ routine cause it won’t work. You already have the benefit of knowing the sex of the child, something has to be a surprise. Suffice it to say it isn’t ANY of the names ANY of you have heard or suggested.

Ok, so that’s all the news for now. More news and possibly photos to follow.

The Count Down Continues

The moon has waxed to full and is on the wane and no luck. 15 days to go and still here, still huge and getting crabby. If you ask S he'll say I've been crabby so maybe just getting crabbier.

On the bright side, looks like my sciatic problems have eased up and I'm sleeping a little better at night, and at nap time and any other time of the day I doze off for a bit.

I have an appointment with the new doctor at 8:30 (yes in the morning!) on Tuesday. Who scheduled that appointment? Man I really have to pay closer attention when French people talk to me. I'll post more news after that, if there is any.

The semi annual sales started last Wednesday and so this weekend while driving over some of the bumpiest roads we know, we went out and bought the stroller that matches the car seat we bought before. It's made so that the car seat un-locks from the car base and then locks into the stroller. Pretty cool to not have to keep moving the kid, though I'm thinking that the whole thing will get a bit heavy after a while. Anyway, with discounts and sale prices and other circumstances beyond our understanding we got a 298€ stroller for 125€, we stole that stroller. S and I just kept looking at each other with that 'something’s not quite right' look as we paid and then booked it out of the store as quickly as possible.

The glider that we ordered (from the same store) and were supposed to have by Christmas Eve has yet to arrive though. We asked about it at the store and were told that yes technically we should have had it within 4 weeks but that since the factory gave its employees three weeks off for the holidays, they're running a bit behind on orders. So now we have 3 more weeks before it will arrive. Mind it was probably a 3 week PAID holiday too. Doesn't it just make you want to move here?

That's all the news for now.