Une nouvelle copine

After the traditional Wednesday outing to the Jardin Public with Emanuelle and her daughter Nina, we continued on to wander around downtown a bit before heading home. I wandered a bit longer than I had planned and Mia decided she was too hungry to wait until we got home. So I went to one of my favorite squares, Place du Parlement, and installed the buggy on the terrace of a little cafe. There was another mom feeding her little girl and we made the comment on how "Quand c'est l'heure, c'est l'heure"*. We started chatting, baby behavior and the adjustment to motherhood, when we realized the girls were the same age: little Agathe was born just two days before Mia and in the same clinic! Had I ever left my room I could have met Agathe's mom two months ago. As it is, they're moving to our section of town and our chances of meeting at another cafe will be greatly increased.

Quand c'est l'heure, c'est l'heure When it's time, it's time

Bath time

And her younger sister Charlotte awaiting her turn in the tub.
  

Bathtime

Maelis taking a bath with her youngest cousin.   

Friday lunch

Lunch in Pau upon our arrival at a nice restaurant in the countryside. The bottle being held by Thibault is a 1929 Jurancon that Thomas found on Ebay and we opened for the occasion.
  

Thursday night

Our friends Joanna and Jerome came for dinner.  

On the way to Pau

She was so happy to leave on her first road trip.
  

Ketchup

The week of May 22-28 in review...

Monday: visit with the osteopath for Mia. He said not to worry but Thomas has now taken to calling her "flat head", very endearing.

Tuesday: the workers came for the finishing touches for the studio downstairs. Thomas had spent all Saturday putting in the wood floor (and then twisted his ankle in an unrelated stroller accident) and was glad to see the room finally finished. Just a few things to paint and then we can move the furniture in this weekend.

Wednesday: appointment with the US Presence Post downtown to declare Mia's birth, file for her SSN and her first US passport. It felt very strange to write "Mother" in the "Relationship to" box.

Thursday: National holiday. I think Thomas spent the day painting and I got things ready for our trip to Pau.

Friday - Sunday: Mia's first weekend trip. We had a relaxing weekend and Mia spent her days watching her cousins in awe and doing her best to play along. Pics to follow...

A slip of the langue

I made a gaffe tonight at dinner when I told Thomas that this summer we'd have to change Mia's cradle for a crib. He suggested taking her cousin Paola's bed (the daughter of his brother David and Elodie) and I said that they would most likely prefer to keep her bed for the second child. As soon as the words were out of my mouth I bit my lip and he knew: Elodie is 3 months pregnant. I managed to keep the secret for a whole week and one glass of wine ruins everything. At any rate, another cousin for our little girl!

Add her pregnancy to my friend Rachel and her husband Shawn who are expecting their second little munchkin... Thomas and I have some catching up to do. I shouldn't joke like that or my mom will get too excited. ;)

Ca fait mal!

We had our first series of vaccinations today at the doctor's office. Poor Mia cried during the second shot even though we had the special anti-pain patch. She didn't cry for long and had a shot of Tylenol before her afternoon nap to avoid a fever.

Dr. Forucade also suggested that we have another visit with an osteopath for her head. She likes to sleep with her head turned to the right and her skull is getting a bit deformed...

PS. I forgot Thomas' carte vitale (universal health card) when I went to the pharmacy to get Mia's vaccinations. 100 Euros! It was the first time I had paid so much in a pharmacy in France. I'm reimbursed but still, Vive la Secu!

Thank you Charlotte and Emmanuelle

and little Nina who provided the comic relief. Our girls apero on the square downtown was a much needed break after a long hot day. It also gave Thomas some time alone with his little girl who, I'm sure, enjoyed having her daddy all to herself for an evening.

All smiles

It's hot hot hot here today - almost 35! But as long as Mia gets enough sleep, she's a very smiley little girl.
  

Politics

Maybe someday Mia will become president of France...or the EU.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/14/magazine/14royal.html?ex=1148356800&en=ba4af83e398adb98&ei=5070

A bath with Dad

Thomas' parents came over for an apero tonight and decided to stay for Mia's bath. I left the 4 of them in the bathroom together but stayed outside the door to listen to the conversation. Bomp (grandad) said nothing but Nona (grandma) had all sorts of comments and suggestions for her son! On this Mother's Day, it's a reminder to us all that Mother always knows best.

Une bonne nouvelle

Thomas comes back to us one day early! That's one less meal I have to prepare for myself!

Merci Tata Sophie

Mia just loves the play set Sophie passed to us. Especially that yellow bird on the left... She lifts her hand, makes a fist, and whacks away. I think she'll have a great overhand volleyball serve one day.
  

Getting bigger every day

The nurse at the PMI weighed her yesterday -- 4kilos already! And she measures 53cm from head to toe. And still soooo much cuter than all the other babies in the waiting room.

She also rolled over - back to front - for the first time today. She looked a little surprised when she did it but then got a huge smile on her face and let out a big "Gluh!" of happiness.

We're enjoying our week without our Papa, even though we'll be very happy to have him back home next Monday. After all the excitement of the last 6 weeks I'm in need of some quiet time with my little girl. I think Mia could care less, she's always happy, but when she's in the bathtub all she does is stare at the bathroom door waiting for Thomas to walk in. I can't wait to see what her reaction will be when he comes home!

Exercise

It's a rainy three day weekend without Dad. We're doing our Pilates to keep our girlish figures. Hopefully the sun will peek out later today and we can go for a walk on the waterfront.   

Elle a trouve son pouce!

Yes, that's my little girl sucking her thumb! She'll wear braces one day but if it makes her happy now I can accept that outrageous orthodontia bill to come. She actually pushes away the tetine to get to her thumb. We've also noticed the first appearance of smiles, featuring two dimples. She's started making cooing noises and sometimes seems like she's laughing. Such a happy baby! It must be all the sleep she's getting -- from 9pm to 7am every night. And such happy parents!

*tetine pacifier