It has been ages since I caught up here.

We had a baby.  Aria.  Her arrival wasn’t how I imagined it, but she is here, healthy, and already 7 months old.  Mom to 3 suits me.  I’m secretly hoping MrB decides he is on board for “just one more”, somehow it seems strange to me to be 100% done with this phase in my life.

We’ve moved.  Au revoir, Metz.  Bonjour, Strasbourg.  My first impressions after 3 months is that I really like it.  The people are nice, the villages are beautiful.  The wine is good.  The only bummer so far is MissL’s school.  It is nowhere as great as the school she was in last year.  The classes have lots of students (27 in a class of four year olds!), and her maitresse (also the directrice) just had a three week absence, which I hear from other Mom’s happened several times last year.  It isn’t a huge deal, but it is a bit of a shame.  I really loved getting her projects and art last year and this year it seems to be a lot less organized, and so far, we’ve gotten nothing home from school other then drawings on paper she’s stuffed in her backpack.  She comes home for lunch every day, on the bus, which she loves. 

I’m really enjoying this period in my life. My New Years Resolution is to live ‘healthier’.  Hopefully better meals, more exercise.  I’m also hoping to get better at speaking to my girls in English.  Because lately that has really gone to the wayside and it is too bad.  Evie is almost 100% ‘French’ if I can say so.  I know it is largely my fault, but I wish it were different.  

Sigh.  Lesson learned.  English only from here on out!  🙂 

Where I come to the Internet to moan… again

So, had my ultrasound.  This baby is breech.  Cue very frustrated me.

MissL was breech and I had a C Section.  I’ve already been warned that if this one is breech it’ll be another C Section.  I really, really do not want another C Section and staying at the hospital 5+ days would be really hard on all of us. 

I’m doing yoga, going to see the oesteopath, and am going to start looking for a acupuncturist.  If anyone can spare some ‘head down baby’ thoughts my way I’d really appreciate it though.  I am really pretty stressed about it, my C Section was rough, the first few days were horrid and I didn’t have other kids at the time.  Evie was so, so, so easy in comparison…

In addition to trying to get ready for Little One #3 to make his (or her) big appearance we are also bidding our time waiting to hear about another potential move.  MrB’s company is again reorganizing, and while we have a fairly good idea of what it will mean for us, we’re waiting for the ‘official’ word before making plans.

Of course this all happens, again, while I am pregnant.  It seems to be a catalyst for change for us in more way then one, pregnancy.

I’ve been soaking up my girls while they are just 2 of them.  Like I mentioned I feel a bit bad about Evie being the baby for so little, before giving up her spot.  I am just hoping that this little one goes head down and has an ‘easy’ a birth as his (or her!) sister so I can get home asap.  I’m worried about my girls while I’ll be gone, even if I know their Papa will take good care of them.

I had a longer test for gestational diabetes today, 2 hours spent at the lab people watching and getting blood draws.  Hopefully I don’t test positive for diabetes!

I have to remind myself it will all work out as it should, though I’d appreciate any positive thoughts that it all goes ‘easy’…  A long hospital stay would be really rough on all of us at this point.

I’ve also been debating quitting my work at home job as I have no idea how I would even begin to juggle that with 3 kids.  In Fall Lily will be going to school, coming home for lunch, then back to school and then I’ll have to go back and pick her up again.  I am not sure I can handle 4 trips to and from school a day, lunch, baby watching and working 4ish hours per day…  Sigh.

Breathe.  It will all work out somehow.

And then they were 5…

Well, the new year rings in a big change for us…  In a few months we’ll be a family of 5 (and 2 dogs!).  It is a bit scary, thinking about it.  I will have 3 children, 3.5 years and under, but I’ve been trying to have faith that somehow it will all work out.  And I know that it will.  I am actually still nursing Evie, as well, so I’m not sure how that will work out, but again, I’m just trying to take it day by day. She is still so very much my baby and I feel bad that she’ll have been the ‘baby’ for such a small amount of time.  I’m going to try to concentrate on spending some special time with each of the girls before BB’s arrival, and to continue to do so after the birth as well.

We’re excited for BB#3 to come, and I secretly think it is another girl (yay!).  We had an ultrasound Thursday and as far as my untrained eye could tell there were no extra ‘bits’ floating around.  This makes me laugh as my MIL is hoping that we are going to have a boy and my SIL a girl (she is pregnant and due a month after me and at the moment has 2 boys)… 

I had to take for the first time during a pregnancy the O’Sullivan test that is for checking people to see if they have gestationnal diabetes.  From what I can tell after drinking their horrible, nasty glucose ‘drink’ I was over the limit by a tiny bit, though my first draw was fine…  So I think that I am good to take the 3 hour test, and any good thoughts that anyone can send my way that I pass I’d greatly appreciate it!  I am going for another VBAC so don’t want to be risked out!  (I can’t be risked out, a 5 day hospital stay would be horrible to manage with the girls at home etc…)

 

Busy days

So, we’ve survived la rentrée, our first 2 week break, and today was back to school.

I’ve gotten pretty used to the “school rhythm” and am starting to find having mornings with only one child quite nice even if that one child keeps me busy on her own!  It ended up being a good thing that I’d decided not to put Lily in school on afternoons, as there isn’t any more room!  I guess the kids nap in a different room (makes sense as she is in a mixed PS/MS class), and the extra room only has room for 10 little beds.  Which are obviously given to families with 2 parents that work out of the home first.  At any rate Lily has yet to figure out that other kids stay, or she has and just doesn’t care, which is nice.  I like our afternoons together and soon enough, (next year!) she’ll be going in afternoons as well.

Lily turned 3 a few weeks ago, and we had a lot of fun.  MrB was stuck in Paris until fairly late due to the SNCF and some panne, but he made it home in time for cake and, Lily’s favorite part, blowing out the candles.  We baked a cake for her maternelle which she was more then excited to take in.  We still hear about it.  Almost every morning is dedicated to talking about birthdays, and who’s is next, and singing the Happy birthday song.

Little Miss Evie turns One in a few days.  I am back in Mama denial.  How is it that I can already have a 3 year old and and 1 year old!!  Destiny worked out that MrB will be gone her birthday night.  He was invited to a big press release and is seated front and center so can’t miss it.  We’re going to do a birthday lunch, which is fine.  Pictures will be better!  (Our living room here is a horribly ugly and dark orange color and makes all my pictures not so great.  I’m desperately needing some time to play with my camera there so I can figure out how to make it work.)

I am going to try a lot harder to blog to keep some sort of journal.  Days go by soo fast it seems but I’d like to keep a log of our days.  I know that before long, my girls will be big and I’ll have more free time but will greatly miss these days.

And for a friend I know that loves the fur-babies…

My Big Girl

Yesterday, I finally called.  I think it broke my heart a little.

My ‘big’ girl, who still looks so little to me is going to start pre-school, maternelle, as they say here.

So, I had to call the directrice, get a list of documents I need.  Go to the mayors office for a piece of paper attesting to the fact that we do live at our address, photocopies of her vaccination record, and today, a Doctors appointment with a piece of paper that proves she is apt to participate in ‘la vie en collectivité’.

Sigh.  I am happy for her, I think that she is going to love it.  And I am also a bit sad.  My baby!  In pre-school!  I am only going to put her in mornings though to start.  I figure it is easier let her stay later if she wants to, then it is to back off later.  The afternoon in petite section they mainly nap though so I figure she might as well nap at home.

I’ll update when I’ve met the Directrice (alone!) on Thursday and I know more.  I also have to figure out exactly where the school is, as the primaire and maternelle are right next to each other and I am not sure which is which…

Communion

(Twice in one week, I think I deserve an award of some kind!)

Saturday we are getting up and the way too early hour of 4:30am to leave at 5:30am for a communion waaaayyy over on the west side of Paris.  We were invited back in February, and agreed to go as we really like the family that invited us.  The mother also happens to be MrB’s godmother, so it was kind of one of those things where you can’t refuse.  Not that we wanted to.  These people are a lot of fun and have friends that are great as well so we like heading over to their neck of the woods for a fun day.

Anyways, the whole ceremony (mass?) starts at 10:30am in a smallish village with horrid parking, so we need to get there around 10am I think so we aren’t late.  Google Maps is annoncing 3 and a half hours, with no traffic, which is unlikely around Paris, especially if the weather is nice.  Worse case it only takes that long, we’ll just have a coffee and croissant before entering the church. There is no way we’ll get there early as I have to do the driving, MrB lost another 2 points the other day and is down to just 1…

After the church part I hear we are all going out to a restaurant for lunch.  Sounds fun.  But this is where I get a bit stuck.  The girls of this family, both have their birthdays in July.  The older one, doing the Communion, mentioned to me at one point that for her birthday and her communion she is getting a laptop.  And I need a gift as well.  She is around 12-13 I think, and we aren’t the god parents so jewelry dosen’t seem right…  I was thinking, given the computer gift, of buying her a Swaroski USB key (those funky manga type ones).  They are pricey, if I had a cheaper idea I’d go for it, but I can’t seem to think of anything.  I am also not sure that she really needs one, but like I said I am coming up with NOTHING for an idea and it is the only thing I can think of…  For the younger sister I am going to get a bracelet or earrings or something for her birthday and so she isn’t left out.  Anyone out there have a better idea then me?

And, my girls were gifted ‘party’ dresses in the US this past trip.  MissL is dying to wear hers, is it ok attire?  They are basically Easter dresses, I don’t know if they are too dressed up or not…  I also have a baby still nursing, so will likely nurse in the Church, after the 4 hour drive I imagine she’ll be hungry…  I guess we can always duck out if we need to, might be a nice break really, as it sounds like the service will be at least an hour long, if not longer.

Clearly, this blogging thing is hard for me.

Clearly, this blogging thing is hard for me!  At least finding the time to do it.

Evie is doing great, and is now 6 months old.   I can’t believe it.  My baby!  She is very active, trying to crawl already, and wants to keep up with her sister!  We’ve just started offering her a bit of solids here and there, but only a tiny bit every few days as she isn’t that into it yet.  I think that she looks more like me then her sister, who is a girl version of her Papa.

We also welcomed a new member to the family…  Shelby, a mini dauschund.  Shelby is fun, great with MissL who she loves, a total cuddle bug…  and a nightmare to train.  She runs outside for an hour, then promptly runs inside and within 15 minutes, poops.  She is lots of fun though, and I have hope that one day, she’ll get it.  In the meantime she lets MissL love on her, which is not a lot of loving but a lot of rough hugs…  She wears the santa cape MissL found for her (a gift to the chihuahua that he’ll never wear), we can dress her up with necklaces, baby clothes, clips, bracelets, she doesn’t mind in the least.  So, we’ll deal with the rest, she is still young in the whole scheme of things.

Metz is okay.  We’ve been here 6 months, and while our house is big with a decent yard, I am a bit nostalgic for our house with our large yard, fruit trees…  Logistically I know as a family of four it would have been a squeeze, but it has proved to me that we do need a house with a good fenced in yard, and my heart is holding out for a farmhouse, where I can garden some, maybe have a few chickens etc.  I am also hoping when MissL starts school to meet a few local people.  The good news, I guess, is that we have someone that left a note in our mailbox at our house that is potentially interested in buying it, and we also have a plan b, that I prefer, which is to rent our house.  It is in Ile de France, on a nice plot of land, I think in a few years we could either sell it for a profit (since someone else would be paying for the majority of it for the next few years), or, try to hold on to it.  If the girls go to school in Paris they could live there and commute in, we could keep it and add on as a secondary home if we end up living elsewhere.  The other possibility, is that at some point we end up back in Paris, as most jobs cycle back to Paris at some point.  I guess if that was the case we could add on and live there.  At the end of the day, my personal thought is that we have more possibilities later, in keeping it, then in selling it.  We aren’t going to purchase a place here yet, as we may move again in the next few years, so we want to be sure we’re staying, before purchasing a family home.

Voila, hopefully more soon, but no promises…  😉

Evie

As I am sitting here with the baby, waiting for my ‘big’ girl to wake up so we can do the Christmas gift opening thing, I thought I’d catch up on the end of the year chez nous, in a series of posts.  This one will be all about my second baby, Evie.

Evie.  My second baby made a quick arrival into the world.  I woke up the morning on November 19th having contractions about every 10 minutes or so.  Somehow I knew it was ‘the’ day, despite having had regular contractions in the evenings for a week or so before.  I gently woke up MrB to let him know today was the day and he ‘hmmpffed’ and rolled over.  I got up and starting puttering around, cleaning things up, packing a small bag for MissL, threw together a suitcase for myself.  MrB and MissL woke up a few hours later, likely around 10am or so.  We all watched tv, and just hung out the three of us.  At around 3pm my contractions we about 5 minutes apart and we now painful.  We decided to go to the hospital to see where things were when I could no longer walk through them, and hand to basically drop to all 4’s to get through them. 

We got to the hospital at around 3.30pm.  I was checked by the midwife that came down from the maternity ward (her collegues were all buzy birthing babies at that moment), and said to be at a 3-4.  We had MissL with us still as my sister in law was on her way but from Paris it was kind of a drive and there were a lot of people on the road that day.  She told my husband that she thought I’d have the baby at some point in the evening/that night.  MrB headed off with MissL to take  her home and meet my sister in law.  Less then 5 minutes after he left, my water broke in a giant splash all over the pre-birthing room, on the bed, the floor, all over.  All of a sudden the pain was way more intense.  I pushed the call button frantically until someone came in to check on  me.  The water was clear, but the pain was strong.  The midwife came to take me to a birthing room, and asked if I wanted an epidural.  I said I did, even though I wanted to birth this baby with no pain medication, and it was clear why I said yes just a few minutes later…  I started feeling like I had to push, and I was having a hard time getting up on the bed.  When I finally got up, she checked me again, and, yes, I was having the baby!  No time for an epidural, the midwife was running around trying to get her gloves on etc.  I had someone call MrB. who didn’t answer to tell him to get over there now.  And all of a sudden the midwife was telling me to push when I felt the need…

MrB literally showed up for the push that brought out Evie’s head.  One more big push later and her body slipped right out, and she was placed on my chest.   I seriously couldn’t believe it.  It was a lot of work, but not as bad as I thought.  We both stared at our second girl (tears of joy when MrB checked and told me it was a girl!), while I got cleaned up and a few stitches (though no muscle or skin tears, thankfully- the stitches were internal).  Evie was weighed, 3.665 kilos, almost the same as her sister.  The most unpleasant experience was when the midwife had to do an ‘uterine revision’ as my placenta came out no problem, but some membranes wouldn’t detach.  Since I didn’t have any pain medication, and have a scarred uterus from my C Section with MissL, it was important that she get the membranes out soon, so, that wasn’t fun, but it wasn’t that bad either.  I’d do it again any day over a C Section.

Evie was born at 4:55pm.  MissL was watched by the midwife from the maternity ward, who felt bad for telling us we had more time then we did.  MrB took MissL out for dinner while Evie and I got taken up to our room.  Everything went the best it possibly could.  With MissL I felt like my body had betrayed me, let me down.  Breastfeeding was really, really difficult, and a lot of work.  Everything this time around was about as perfect as it could have been.  If I had the assurance that all my future births would be that easy, and the follow up just as good, I think that I would have half a dozen kids.  it was really healing for me compared to the first time around.

Anyone considering a VBAC I would highly, highly encourage it, if all factors point towards things being possible.  I ended up having a scan done of my pelvis to see if baby would fit (according to the head of the OBGYN/Maternity dept I have an ‘excellent’ pelvis for having babies), a 4th ultrasound, I spend an overnight in the hospital to watch my high blood pressure (pregnancy induced, isolated high blood pressure), and a nice 8 lb baby, but I was able to have my baby via a VBAC.  Any future kids we have, I hope things go as well as Evie’s birth!

An update

Since it appears that I am incapable of actually regularly keeping this up, (because my life isn’t all that exciting!), I thought I’d run by and do a quick update…

We are moving!

MrB got an offer he can’t refuse, so we are packing up from the Ile de France and heading over to Metz.  We went this past weekend to look at a few rentals for the time being while we sell our place, and to check out the town since I’ve certainly never been and MrB either.  We ended up signing to rent a house, with 3 bedrooms and a small yard at the end of an impasse.  The yard kind of gives on a parking lot for the halte garderie, but we can put up some wooden panels to block the view if we want.  At the end of the day we are hoping this is temporary, with a little luck in 18 months time our place will be sold and we’ll have found what we want over there so it will hopefully be short lived.  (Plus not to mention that both our house payment and renting is pricey, but we don’t want to split up!)  Looking at all those rentals made me realize just how lucky we are to have our current house, and how much we’ll miss it despite its shortcomings and the fact that we’ll have basically outgrown it in 6 months time.

We made it back on Wednesday and I am really glad we foud and signed for a place, since I don’t think I’ll be making many more trips until this new babe is born.  Because, yes, in the midst of all of this we are also having a baby at the end of November.  We signed for our new place from December 1st, and are thinking we’ll move sometime between the 8th and the 15th of December…  Thankfully his new job is paying for movers so we don’t even have to pack boxes, I think they are doing it all for us.  With a new baby, and my toddler I just don’t know how we could have done it all!  That said it looks like MrB will be ‘mise au jardin*’ from the 15th of November, so he’ll be around to help out!

I am also worried about another breech baby.  MissL was breech which ended up in a CSection for me.  With all that we have going on, and just because I hated having a CSection, I am really hoping for a head down baby this time around, and a successful vaginal birth.  Plus we’d like to have 3-4 kiddos we think (though maybe this will change once we have 2!) so, if I can avoid a CSection it’d be great.  I’ve gone to the osteopath, and I have the name of an acupuncturist in Paris that I’ll go to if baby is breech at my next appointment.  So, things are, well, really busy, but looking good.  I am a little nervous about leaving here and moving on to something else, but our quality of life should increase, and, you don’t know if you don’t try!