On the steps of Santiago de Compostella

  

A few hot days

Heatwave temperatures all over Europe and the first 2 days of our trip. We spent the 2nd day trying to cool down in the national park next to our hotel before we were caught in a huge thunderstorm. Luckily the temps dropped to something more reasonable.  

Lots of laughs

  

Daddy time

Thomas even got to see her turn over - back to front - for the first time.   

bath time in the sink

A beautiful hotel but I forgot to ask for a bathtub.   

A few quick pics

A quick pit-stop back at the house so we can get clean clothes and post some pics. One of us eating tapas. We always had the best service thanks to Mia's cute smile.
  

Galice here we come!

The car is over-loaded with baby stuff and we're almost ready to go. We're just waiting for Mia to finish her bottle, then we're out the door for a week in Spain. Ole! So the blog will be silent for awhile but when I'm back in contact I'll be sure to post tons of cute pictures of Mia eating tapas, dancing flamenco and flirting with the locals.

Hasta luego!

In other news

After the World Cup, it's the Tour de France. Their departure was from Bordeaux this morning which was a source of intense joy for those commuting to work: http://www.letour.fr/2006/TDF/LIVE/us/900/D.html

More immunizations

For almost everyone this time -- even Thomas had his tetanus shot this morning. Mia had the third series of everything: DTaP, Polio, Hib, and PCV7. I swear this time she recognised where she was and knew she was going to get a shot, even if the patches help with the pain. Our next visit will be better and shot-free for once. The doctor teased me again about not wanting to use a suppository form of Doliprane (aka Baby Tylenol) because she says it will help bring Mia's fever down faster. I know it's the preferred way to administer medication to kids here in France but I've never seen a kid enjoy getting a suppo. Generally there's a lot of screaming involved and some pretty funny smelling dirrhea. Besides, she likes Doliprane and smells like sweet strawberry flavored bubble gum afterwards.

At any rate she's 61cm long (75%) and 5k4 (25%) and the doctor said she's just fine. She got all OUI for the development tests: playing with her hands, turning her head to follow an object, (on tummy) lift her head 90 degrees, keep her head level with pulled to a sitting position, and hold her head steady when upright. En bref, tout va bien!

Poor Zidane

It's finally over and life can get back to normal. France lost, Zidane has now retired on a red card, and the entire team is having lunch with Jacques. I'm just glad I won't have to clean peanuts up off of the floor for awhile... Apparently sport turns men into pigs regardless of their culture or education background.

First beach trip of 2006

Our aim was to have a calm, quiet day, but if we get a nap after lunch we're always looking for a little adventure. So today we put Mia in the car and drove out to the beach. Nano and Bomp were out at their vacation house so we were able to leave Mia with them for 45 minutes while Thomas and I went and cooled off in the ocean. It was the perfect time of the day: no one was there, the water was warm, and the sun wasn't too strong. There was even a young couple next to us on the beach with their 4 month-old baby decked out in sunglasses, hat, beach chair, wind shield and parasol. For the moment I'd rather leave Mia with her Nano.

Nap time

Here pictured in her new feet-jammies -- a present from her grandparents and youngest aunts. I tried to sneak into her room just at the end of her morning nap but she was already awake and playing with the shadows.

More pictures to come of Dad, Wendy, Kira and Kelsey's visit as soon as they de-jetlag. Everyone loved having fresh chocolate chip cookies around (especially Matteo) and Kelsey was even brave enough to try pate her last day here. They did lots of sleeping, shopping, cuddling (Mia), and horn honking as France got into the World Cup finals. Allez les Bleus!
  

Penguin suit and heels

I know one of you will ask for this and Dad was there with his camera as we were on our way out the door...

Ketchup, again...

Wedding season, sorry, SUMMER, is finally here: yet another invitation in the mail today and temperatures in the 90s. Yoopie!

Dad, Wendy, Kira and Kelsey arrived Thursday and have turned my Mia into a cuddle-spoiled-party-girl. They babysat last night when Thomas and I went to the Fete de la Fleur dinner party with the creme-de-la-creme of Bordeaux. Tux, heels and the blisters to go with them. Tonight we'll have a much more relaxed atmosphere while watching the match with family and friends. That is, the Americans will be relaxed but the French (notably Thomas) have been stressed all week long about Ronaldo vs Zidane.