Blog Catchup!

**Warning: VERY long post. This is my journal for the trip for my scrapbook so you know you are getting many details.**

Our nuclear family went to Venice the weekend of September 21st and we had an amazing time. Brian ended up going ahead on Thursday because of "business" with some fellas named Luigi, Franco, Alberto, and Luca. I don't THINK they were the mob...

Anyways, I flew by myself with Michael on Friday and arrived in Venice that afternoon around 5:00pm. We took a very slow water taxi from the airport to Venice proper, and I got splashed in the face by a "fast boat." Maybe I shouldn't have had my head sticking out the window. After checking into our hotel (and walking past the alley it was down twice), we headed out to eat dinner. We feasted on grilled fish (with the head and tails still on), gnocchi in 4 cheeses, spaghetti in pesto sauce, and carpaccio. It was delightful! And the staff just LOVED Michael. In fact, all Italians loved Michael! He got his fair share of "AHH! Bambino!" and "BELLISIMO!" I just got a "Momma Mia" once and that made MY trip!

Well, the next day, we set out to sightsee after a very nice breakfast buffet. We finally made it out of the hotel at 11:00am...un-Rick Steve's style and headed out on his Rialto walk. We went by St. Mark's basilica, Doge's Palace, and Campanile and discovered huge lines! YIPPEE! So instead of stopping to see these sights, we continued on the enchanting walk towards Rialto bridge. There were dozens of delightful little stores selling opulent masks (for Carnival), and other touristy types of things. We finally made it to Rialto and took a picture after being pushy and getting our spot on the bridge. A set of nice Canadian tourists took the picture for us who we continued to see throughout the day. That's the Grand Canal behind us:

After an unsuccessful attempt to get a table canalside and JUST drink coffee, we wandered on to Frari church. Along the way, Brian and Michael got some gelato while waiting for me to finish shopping. It was not the first or last cone these two would have! Don't worry...Michael's didn't have gelato...he just got a cone. But it was still good to him all the same!

In the afternoon, we went back to the hotel to feed Michael and let him roam around a bit. Later at dinner, we would find out that THAT wasn't enough time to keep him from fussin' up a storm and INSIST on getting on the floor to play.

We DID however, introduce Michael to the GABILLION pigeons around. Surprisingly, it didn't smell like bird funk at all! Texas A&M REALLY needs to find out how those Venetians keep that square from being stinky because they could really use the tip for the sidewalk next to the Chemistry building. Anyways, here's Michael in a picture I name, "HELLO...BIRD."

Anyways, in the afternoon, we went to St. Mark's Basilica because the line had died down. Brian checked our huge baby backpack and my diaper bag (MISTAKE...as you'll later find out) and we made it into the basilica after only waiting 15 minutes or so. At which point, Brian got this AWFUL nosebleed. And we had no tissues or wipes ANYWHERE because all of our stuff was checked. I tried unsuccessfully to find ANYONE with a tissue but alas, not one person would help. Even this woman with her HUGE purse didn't have one and she didn't even check. We had to use the Rick Steve's book. And finally when it wouldn't stop, I headed over to the baggage check (which was a bit of a ways from the actual church) to get wipes, burpcloth, and tissues. Eventually, the nosebleed DID go away. And we proceeded into the Basilica. The mosaics were quite impressive as was the view from the top! Here is Michael practicing standing on top of St. Mark's Basilica:

And we got a family picture up top too!

After this, we visited the Campanile, which is a huge bell tower before dinner though and didn't time it very well because the bells went off. DOH! Brian tried his best to shield Michael's ears and ran away from the bell we were standing under. Michael just stopped eating his wagon wheel for a minute but didn't seem very scared! TROOPER! As you can tell, we made it through A TON of things...so it's no surprise that Michael went beserk at dinner.

The next day, we did not make the same mistakes! We spaced our day out quite well and went back to the hotel often for Michael to play around, eat, and relax. We started the day a bit earlier today at 9:00am and went to Doge's palace, which was amazing. There was an ENORMOUS line, but it was for pre-paid tickets and tour groups! SURPRISING! And our line was super short and we went straight in.

Doge's Palace was VERY cool. For those who don't know what it is, here is a definition:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doge%27s_Palace

It is important for it's role in housing the Doge as well as it's perfect example of Venetian architecture. Anyways, it was pretty neat and Rick Steve's tour was awesome, of course. There was a room full of battle gear and torture devices too! What a NICE surprise!

Then, we headed off to Accademia art museum, which was a HUGE flop, but the Accademia bridge over the Grand Canal was pretty neat. We rode the river taxi up and down the Grand Canal to admire the architecture and buildings. From Rick Steve's, I learned that many of the buildings are actually rotting and aren't inhabited. So sad considering how beautiful they are.

We ended our pretty leisurely day and had a delicious dinner by a canal. We sat next to another bunch of Canadians and a table full of nice older people from North Carolina. They said they were all missing their grandchildren so we let them hold Michael for fun. And we sure didn't mind the 5 minutes we got to eat without having to keep Michael out of everything! Since they were from the South, right next to us, and we probably could have taken them down if they tried to take Michael, we felt it was little risk. ;o)

We then took a stroll over to St. Mark's square at night and it was really magical. We didn't sit at a cafe to enjoy the dueling orchestras, but we did just stand there and bask it in it. Venice is really such a magical place and so romantic. We plan to go back just the two of us so we can take a gondola ride!

After this, we grabbed a gelato and walked along the riverfront to our hotel. It was unbelievable to me. I remember studying Doge's Palace in art history and seeing it as this flat picture in a book. And here I am, a decade later...walking right next to it. In the moonlight. With my husband and son. Life just can't get any better than that.

Love,

P

After nearly a week of Ferberizing, Michael went down in his bed and seemed like he knew he was going to bed...that it was ok...and he did in less than 2 minutes. Now, the 1st couple of nights were a bit tough, but after that...it wasn't that bad. 5-10 minutes of fussing max. But Michael just seemed upset about it.

Today, we did our standard bedtime routine. Feed, bath, lotions, pajamas, reading fun stories, and prayer book. We spent a little extra time hugging him and each gave him two hugs since he was clinging a little bit more than usual. And Brian put him down...he cried a little but he looked like he knew what was going on and he just went to bed. Like a big boy.

We finally figured out his naps. After a week of trying different things, we just let him nap on the couch or stroller and he's fine with that. We tried the crib for 3 days for his naps and Michael spent 2 of those without a single nap and one day, he only slept for 30 minutes. So I just said this isn't working and we're gonna do something different. He needs his naps.

Ok. Sorry we haven't posted in a while! We will try to be more diligent.

Love,
P

People are going banana nuts right now b/c France just won in the rugby quarter finals. It's 11:10pm and they're honking down the infamous avenues des Gobelins (aka our street) and yelling like hooligans. Hope they don't wake the boy!

Last Saturday, I walked by the Eiffel tower and noticed a ball hanging in the middle of it. I said to my friend, "What the heck is going on over there in the Eiffel Tower? Did it grow an ovary?"

To which she said, "Rugby World Cup is here Phuong."

DOH.

Love,
P

Today, we had the most awesome day in Paris. The weather was GORGEOUS...highs in the upper 60s, sunshine, little to no humidity...absolutely awesome! It's fall weather (in OCTOBER...*gasp*) and fall is my absolute favorite time of year. So our nuclear family took advantage of it and went to Invalides to sit on the lawn!

Michael had his first croissant. He's had little tiny bites before from mine, but today, we gave him his own. Stop worrying, he still only got about 2 bites before his dad and I took it from him and ate the rest. It IS easy to steal from little kids! ;o)


After getting some very good constructive criticism, I decided to take this opportunity and beautiful day to work on directional lighting in my shots. Here's what I came up with:

And this is my FAVORITE shot of the day:
Just gotta love the depth of field and my SON!!! ;o)
Brian and I layed on our blanket staring at jet streams in the sky. Michael played around us with his toys. It was truly a happy day for all of us! Lately, Michael zerberts me all the time. Somewhere along the way, he associates zerberts with an expression of love. Wonder where he got THAT idea? BRIAN!!

Hope your weekends are grand!

Love,
P

Yesterday, I did my first photoshoot for my friend Mary's son at SQUARE RENE LEGALL! Only the best square in ALL of PARIS! Maybe not...but Brian certainly thinks so! Got some cute shots of George only of course but I got a couple of cute shots of him and Michael too. Voila:



Geo was just so cute. REALLY photogenic! Well, we went to Venice and I've been meaning to post those pics and recap! Will SOON! If you can't wait, pics are up in our smugmug album. Link is in the right menu.

Lots of love,
B&P&M

Look what Michael did today at lunch.

Yes, that's POOP.

Want to Lose Some Weight?

For the price of the cheapest airplane ticket you can find, hurry yourselves over to Paris for the ultimate in weight loss success. The Parisian Diet Plan. We guarantee that in 2 full weeks, you will find yourselves 1 dress/pant size smaller*

DAILY Drills and Exercises Include:

• Running half a mile to the grocery store and then carrying 20 lbs of groceries back while pushing a 20 lb baby in a stroller (that incidentally has another 10 lbs of groceries in the bottom basket).
• Wearing a 20lb baby in an Ergo baby carrier up 6-10 flights of metro stairs, then down 6-10 flights of metro stairs, then walking half a mile home.
• Running to catch your bus
• Running down the metro steps to catch your metro
• Carry 9 liters of water in each hand while walking half a mile back home.
• Another variation, carry 9 liters of water on your shoulder while pushing your 20 lb baby in his stroller back home
• Carrying 20 lbs of groceries and your baby while putting away your stroller in the "stroller garage" which is incidentally across the courtyard and 4 flights down from your actual apartment

All this can be done with breaks for water and fruit tartes. However, it has been proven that if you eat French cheeses, this will negate all the work you will do for your fitness routine.

Don't believe us? Check out these testimonials of some of our clients:

"I went back to the U.S. for 3 weeks and went up an entire pant size. When I returned to Paris and followed their fitness regiment, I was back to my pre-wedding pant size in less than 3 weeks! Thanks Parisian Diet Plan!"

"I could eat whatever I want (omitting stinky French cheeses) and STILL lost weight! Now, I just make sure I have a fruit tarte already in my mouth while I'm carrying my 18 liters of water everyday!"

Hope this inspires some of you to visit! Funny thing about the exercise regimen? I do some of those things at least once a week! ;o)

Love to all,
P

*Rules and Restrictions apply. Success depends actually more on your genetic metabolic rate. There is a possibility that you may not lose weight at all while here. So in other words, we don't really guarantee success. But stay an entire month or more and you WILL see results!

Found this gem while going through pictures today. He is my husband and I ADORE him:




Now...let's see if he reads the blog...and sees the pictures. Hope everyone is having a good weekend! I realized I need to re-cap August because Brian's family came to visit so I will do that...some day! ;o)

Have a restful weekend,
Phuong

Hey Everyone!

Here are the pictures from our Family pictures and Christening! There were over 600 pictures so I narrowed it down to 120 (ouch still! I know!) of my favorites. Here is how to access them:

Click on this website:
http://www.millersalbums.com/



Click on: Besancon Family and Christening

Click on: Your Favorites Tab

You can scroll down the screen and look at all of them or you can click on "View Slideshow" in the left menu.

Hope you enjoy! And if want to order any, let me know. And please ignore my wrinkles and face fat. Apparently, they are here to stay.

Love,
P

Welcome back!

Here we are, back in Paris, and the city is all a-buzz with "la rentree." What is it exactly? August is such a huge vacation month that they actually have a word that is used to mean returning back to normal life after a huge season of vacations. So I see all sorts of correspondence such as :

• "oh gosh...just getting used to la rentree"
• "I'm booked all September with activites for la rentree"
• "Hope everyone is having a good rentree"

And I'm not making it up. The quotes are not exact but you get the just of it right? So we too are getting used to "la rentree," which to me means holding Michael at 4:00am when he's trying to go to sleep due to jet lag. Vive La Rentree! :)

Today, I was walking back from the park and I saw a mother with her 2 girls walking down the same sidewalk in front of me. One of her girls was fussing something awful and I saw her mother do the following:

• Put her daughter on the sandy part of the walk near the trees
• Pulled her daughter's panties down
• Held her daughter in a position so she could urinate on the side of the road in front of everyone to see.
  
  Her daughter was about 9-10 years old I am guessing. And I wasn't walking down a back alley or anything. This was right next to the park.

DOES ANYONE ELSE FIND THIS DISTURBING? OR IS IT JUST ME?

Bienvenue a Paris.

Love,
P

August in Paris is a huge vacation month. There is a mass exodus of Parisians to the French beaches/countryside and many cafes/boulangeries, etc are closed for many weeks or have reduced hours.

To celebrate this tradition, the "Besancon Life In France" blog will also be taking a hiatus in August!

See you in the States and come back in September! We have a trip to Venice planned then!

Much love,
B&P&M

Brian realized that Paris is dirty and noisy. There are many things he still enjoys about it. Phuong just cannot eat stinky cheeses like me so she is being a sourpuss.

After visiting Germany, we both realized how much we don't like Paris even more. Ibid, Brian realized he didn't care for Paris much either. I have not liked Paris for a while now.

In Germany, there are excellent changing facilities everywhere, the streets/public places are just SO clean, there are ELEVATORS in the metro (!!!) and it was not so crazy busy everywhere. However, German strangers are not as helpful as Parisian strangers. Parisian strangers will help me with my stroller while German ones just stare at me while I struggle.

While we were in Munich, Brian asked me: "Do you think we'll like Paris before we have to leave?" And I said, "AHA!!! YOU DON'T LIKE PARIS EITHER!"

Love,
P

P.S. Brian still has a good attitude about Paris. He just admits that it's not as clean here as elsewhere and that it is a bit busier.

P.P.S. I don't really know what ibid means. I just wanted to use it.

Last weekend, we made our first big trip since we arrived here! We set off for Munich on the new TGV with a change in Stuttgart. Our train left at 7:24 from Gare de l'Est, a good half hour from us. But we mobilized quite well and made it with time to spare. Michael like the first leg to Stuttgart because we were in this isolated compartment alone and he could play. We didn't like the purple seats though. A bit strong for our tastes.

We got to Munich, settled into our Hotel Uhland near the Theresenwiese where Oktoberfest is held and went to get a Doener Kebab. It was delicious. Doener's in France, aka the Sandwich Grec, are simply awful in comparison. And they're awful, period.

Then we headed to Marienplatz using the U-Bahn. Compared to Paris, I think they have an army of after-hours workers who go in there and clean it with a toothbrush. Of course, the network is not nearly as comprehensive, but it was fine for our purposes. We exited on the backside of the Rathaus onto a lovely little park.

Michael has a strong aversion to grass and whenever he is forced to touch it, he minimizes his contact with the grass by standing like a flamingo. If he is forced to sit or be on his all-fours, he just cries. It's pretty funny.


Then we went around to the front of the Rathaus and took some pictures. My mom has a photo of me in maybe 1979 or 1980 in the same spot, so I always like to give her an update whenever I go to Munich. Now she has one of her grandson too. Maybe we can get a better one next time.

Then Phuong went shopping. Dad and son went to a little cafe in the middle of the street. Dad got a Franziskaner Weissbier. Michael got to touch the cold glass and pretend to have a drink with his dad. Only 20 more years, caveboy. I only had like 3.5 liters of beer while I was there. I can do better, I know it.

The next morning, we had lunch at the Augustiner cafe and Michael got to try a pretzel. Phuong and I shared the sausage plate. Four different types of sausage, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. Delicious! We ate at 11, but the Germans were already downing their beers at 9:30. That's what I'm talking about. Michael got a pretzel to slobber on! Dad ate most of it though.
Then we went to the train station to meet the real reason Phuong came. I came to take care of the boy but I knew that. Shravi was having her bachelorette party. She's the one in the veil and is also leaving Germany in about three weeks. She was working at the Max Planck Institute on photolithography and went to grad school at tu with me. Her we are at Augustiner Biergarten with the other members of her party.

After downing ein Mass (1L, there's one in the bottom middle of the picture) of delicious Augustiner beer, I took Michael over to the playground inside the biergarten. Evidently, this palace of beer and sausage was intended for family outings. We saw a 4 year old drinking beer out of a huge beer mug that his mother was holding for him to drink out of. The Schunks later told us that the Bavarians consider beer a "food group" not a drink. AHA!

The weather was lovely and there must have been 20 kids running around and playing on the swings, slides and rocking animals. Michael had a great time. I put him on the slide and the rocking horse. He tried to imitate the older kids, but I think he needs more time in P.E. with dad to quicken his reflexes and reaction times.

We had to go back home after having a nice Kaesekrainer plate, sausages with cheese on the inside. After feeding the beast, Phuong left again. She got to go to Hofbraeuhaus with the girls and experience a true beer hall. Then she came home and didn't wake Michael. I was pleased with that.

The next morning, we went to Bonn on the train to visit the Schuncks. I stayed with them in 1997 for half a summer and came back in '99, '02, and now in '07. They remind me a lot of my family and it's nice to be able to see them every now and again. They really liked Michael and thought he was "toll", "klasse" and "prima". He's teething so he was kind of a putz, but interesting nonetheless. Reinhard came home too, to see us and to help clean out the house. They're moving after 25 years to a smaller place without stairs because Mrs. Schunck's hips and knees are ailing.

Benny, Reinhard, and Renate were all great. We were especially surprised how much Reinhard liked playing with him. We suspected Mr. and Mrs. Schunck would like him but usually 28 year old single guys think of babies as radioactive species. We think we set him back at least 5 more years from making grandchildren though. Poor Mrs. Schunck!

Mrs. Schunck made us great food and we were very happy to eat it. Phuong was happy to eat three times more than anyone else because for once she didn't have to cook. They took us into Bonn to walk around downtown and have some ice cream and a coffee. It was a nice change from the constant hustle and bustle of Paris to visit Bonn, what guidebooks would describe as a sleepy town. But it still has the infrastructure from being the former capital, so it's actually quite pleasant. They also took us to a restaurant to have Pfifferlinge mushrooms. Yummy! Here we are. Renate thinks Michael is a delight.

Benny took us up to Drachenfels, the ruins of an old fortress. All along the Rhine are castles and vineyards, and it makes for a charming sight. It is really pretty at the top and you can see the entire Rhine valley. On clear days, you can see the Cologne cathedral. Not this one. This was the type of summer day we've had all year, 65F and drizzly. Only now in Paris is the weather improving. 75 and mostly sunny today. Very nice.

Testing a code. My ghetto high school has a network similar to that of like My Space. So I created a profile and uploaded some pictures and it made a slideshow with a code I could copy/paste here. My ghetto high school reunion is SO high tech!


Find more photos like this on Eisenhower Class of 97 Reunion

I forgot to post this on July 4th, our Independence Day:

I went to my British friend's house for fun on July 4th and she offered me some tea. I told her that if she gave me any, I'd dump it in the Boston harbor and yell, "No Taxation without REPRESENTATION!"

Love,
P

One HUGE perk about living in France? Le Creuset at a HUGE DISCOUNT.

Today, I bought this Le Creuset grill pan in brown for 45Euro. This pan retails for $150 in the U.S. and it is on sale at Williams Sonoma for $100!!!! I am so excited for this savings! The reason it is on sale is because the color is no longer being made!

I am headed back for some other deals. My friend bought the 5L oval dutch oven for 45Euro. It retails for $290 at home! I am off to buy one for my father and one for my mother-in-law if she wants one! I just have to figure out how to get it back to the U.S....

Plus, the nectarines are in season right now and they are DELICIOUS. The sweetest nectarines I have ever eaten in my life.

Love,
P

I went into the boy's room to check on him this morning after he fell asleep again...and I found him asleep next to the crib railing closest to the door. He must have crawled over there yelling for me and just fell asleep where he was. Made me so sad...

Funny memory:
Yesterday, while I was cooking, Michael crawled into the living room to play with his toys. I look over there and he's on his back playing with his sippy cup (gnawing the handle, etc). The next thing I see, he's got the sippy cup spout in his mouth and is sucking away happily at the water inside! It's the sippy cup that is easy to get water out of!

So I go over there to hug him and tell him what a good job he did and I find a huge puddle of water on the floor and his back is all wet because he was just laying around in the water that leaked from the cup.

He didn't care. He was happy. So I was happy for him.

After taking 3 days to watch Swiss Family Robinson in its entirety, I think i am prepared to be a mother of 3 boys.

What Michael is Doing Right Now

Michael is getting his 5th tooth. Bottom, lower right. Our right. He is sleeping funny and eating funny so it is no surprise. Tonight, he screamed every time we put him in bed so I had to hold him until he became a lead weight. We don't normally do that but I figured he needed it for now.

He is also going through a bit of separation anxiety. Today, when the nanny was holding him, he screamed and screamed and screamed even though I was right there in front of him. So I played with him a bit with the nanny and got him good and distracted and he didn't even notice that I left for my French lesson. Funny Fat Little Baby.

Grandbaby Michael spends many a day charming the French. Today was no different as the boulangere tried to make friends with Michael. Unfortunately, Michael only wanted to buy bread and go home. Oh yes, and get a croissant for maman too. We stopped at Franprix (little supermarket) and bought about 8 lbs of fruit for our fiber intake.

Now, off to study Swiss Family Robinson so I can better prepare myself for life with 3 boys.

Love to all,
P

Yesterday, Michael and I had pretty crazy days.

I was in Zara and Michael started to fuss as usual. So I am carrying him around the store while I shop and push around the stroller. Good thing Michael is helping me as he is apt to do. He likes to push the stroller too. Anyways, I look down and I see this kid, who OBVIOUSLY has the chicken pox and is rubbing his little toy ALL OVER MIchael's stroller and Michael's toy. I AM LIVID and look around for his Mommy which, no surprise, is NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. Thank GOD I was carrying Michael.

So I high-tail it to Champion where I buy anti-bacterial wipes, even though Chicken pox is a virus. I wipe down the entire stroller, throw away Michael's toy and wait for the stroller to dry. *sigh* I had to go to the pharmacy to get Brian a prescription so I asked the pharmacist about it and he said it hopefully will not be a problem. He said that the chicken pox are contagious BEFORE the pox appear so hopefully, the boy will not cause any harm to Michael. Plus, I am breastfeeding and have had the chicken pox before so that will protect Michael a little bit. Pray that he doesn't come down with a Fever or pimples!!! AAHHHH!! *&A*@(& FRENCH AND THEIR WRETCHED SICK KIDS!!!

Then, we were walking back from the pharmacy and I decide to cross the street early, even though it means I have to wait for a green walking guy. Usually, I save time and just walk to the next crosswalk instead of waiting for the nearest crosswalk to turn green. Anyways, as I am walking down the street, this huge accident happens across the street IN THE EXACT SPOT I WOULD HAVE BEEN had I NOT decided to cross the street. This car pulls out in front of the ambulance and the two end up colliding. The car ended up hitting the poll in the median. The ambulance ended up colliding into the poll and crosswalk where I undoubetdly would have been with Michael.

I swear I HEARD the accident, looked immediately to my right, and saw the wreck occur, RIGHT where I would have been standing with Michael.

I thanked God over and over yesterday for making me cross the street for whatever reason. It would have been Michael and I in that wreck too and we wouldn't have had any car protecting us. It makes me sick to my stomach to think what could have been. And it makes me be even more aware as I walk around. I stay far away from the curb and am even more aware of the cars going by.

You never know when an accident will happen. I know accidents happen in America too, but I wouldn't be on the street walking around very often like I am here in Paris. I'd be in a car, with airbags and my son would be protected in his carseat. Instead, we are walking around, hoping that God keeps those crazy Parisians from harming us. I know God means well, but those Parisians sure don't like listening to Him.

Love, P

Yesterday, Michael and I had pretty crazy days.

I was in Zara and Michael started to fuss as usual. So I am carrying him around the store while I shop and push around the stroller. Good thing Michael is helping me as he is apt to do. He likes to push the stroller too. Anyways, I look down and I see this kid, who OBVIOUSLY has the chicken pox and is rubbing his little toy ALL OVER MIchael's stroller and Michael's toy. I AM LIVID and look around for his Mommy which, no surprise, is NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. Thank GOD I was carrying Michael.

So I high-tail it to Champion where I buy anti-bacterial wipes, even though Chicken pox is a virus. I wipe down the entire stroller, throw away Michael's toy and wait for the stroller to dry. *sigh* I had to go to the pharmacy to get Brian a prescription so I asked the pharmacist about it and he said it hopefully will not be a problem. He said that the chicken pox are contagious BEFORE the pox appear so hopefully, the boy will not cause any harm to Michael. Plus, I am breastfeeding and have had the chicken pox before so that will protect Michael a little bit. Pray that he doesn't come down with a Fever or pimples!!! AAHHHH!! *&A*@(& FRENCH AND THEIR WRETCHED SICK KIDS!!!

Then, we were walking back from the pharmacy and I decide to cross the street early, even though it means I have to wait for a green walking guy. Usually, I save time and just walk to the next crosswalk instead of waiting for the nearest crosswalk to turn green.

Anyways, as I am walking down the street, this huge accident happens across the street IN THE EXACT SPOT I WOULD HAVE BEEN had I NOT decided to cross the street. This car pulls out in front of the ambulance and the two end up colliding. The car ended up hitting the poll in the median. The ambulance ended up colliding into the poll and crosswalk where I undoubetdly would have been with Michael.

I swear I HEARD the accident, looked immediately to my right, and saw the wreck occur, RIGHT where I would have been standing with Michael.

I thanked God over and over yesterday for making me cross the street for whatever reason. It would have been Michael and I in that wreck too and we wouldn't have had any car protecting us. It makes me sick to my stomach to think what could have been. And it makes me be even more aware as I walk around. I stay far away from the curb and am even more aware of the cars going by. You never know when an accident will happen.

I know accidents happen in America too, but I wouldn't be on the street walking around very often like I am here in Paris. I'd be in a car, with airbags and my son would be protected in his carseat. Instead, we are walking around, hoping that God keeps those crazy Parisians from harming us. I know God means well, but those Parisians sure don't like listening to Him.

Love,
P

I come home from work today, hug my woman, and play with Michael a bit. Then I have to go to the bathroom so I place the boy on the floor outside. As I'm going to the bathroom, I feel a tugging on my boxers and look down and see Michael behind me on his knees grabbing my shorts. Then he proceeds to pull himself to a standing position on our hard tile floor. Phuong had to come rescue him from himself because I couldn't get to him in the position I was in without him pulling my shorts all the way down and cracking his skull on the ground.

Today the three of us set out for Reims, a small town northeast of Paris that is a nice base for exploring the champagne region of France. We didn't explore by any means but had a good time in Reims. We left Paris around 10h35 which was good because that meant that we got to feed Michael on the train. We switched trains in Epernay so he had milk on the Paris to Epernay train and we stuffed him full of solids on the short commuter train from Epernay to Reims. I also got to change his soggy diaper in the train and the air hand dryer came on all hot and loud and made Michael cry. Anyway, here is the boy with his dad at the Reims train station. He's not terribly impressed but it was a nice, clean station with elevators. Not that I don't like carrying the stroller up and down the stairs.

Since we now work around the boy, we decided to go to Martel's Champagne Caves. The tour was kind of silly. We got to see their old bottling instruments and learn about how champagne was made and bottled. The boy liked to touch everything and not even the Bjorn could stop him.

After the museum of old instruments, we went up and got to sample 4 different champagnes for only 7 Euro per person. So only 14 euro total for the both of us! At the Mumm and Taittinger caves, it cost 7 Euro per type of tasting. Here's the old English folk that were on our tour. There were also two Swedes to our right who were very amusing. Here's our guide. He was good at pouring the champagne.

After drinking four glasses of champagne, Phuong fed the boy at the sparkling bathrooms, the best in France. She only had 1/2 glass of champagne equivalent, which must mean that I had 6 1/2 glasses. Good thing I had an hour to sleep while Phuong was feeding the beast. Unfortunately I had to stay awake and guard our stuff.

Then we headed into town to see Reims' grand cathedral. It' s been the coronation site for 26 French kings. I think Sarkozy went there when he got elected this past May. It was very large and the square in front of it was under construction. It has something like 2000 statues arranged around the west portal (the doors at the bottom of this picture). You can climb the towers but Phuong told me no.

There was a lot of stained glass inside, but these windows are somewhat distinct. Marc Chagall designed them in 1974 and they are in his fluid style. Quite a bit different from the traditional stained glass you'd find at Chartres. I think I would have liked this one better if Malcolm Miller, the old English dude who does the tours at Chartres, were there. He's very knowledgeable and witty and enhances the visit tremendously.

Reims actually had a nice city center with a couple of large pedestrian only areas. We were running a bit late but Phuong had time to run into Kookai to take a look at their clothing sales. France only has sales in January and July, so it's pretty much of a madhouse. The boy and I were not as excited as P was. Here's the entrance to a square with lots of cafes and restaurants and a few shops. I think everyone who lived in or was visiting Reims was hanging out here. P's looking lovely.

We headed back the same day using the new TGV that connects Paris to Strasbourg in 2 hours. Our particular train was delayed about 1 hour and 15 minutes by some accident due to a signal malfunction or something. We found out up close and personal how fast the TGV trains go because they did not stop at our station. When the first one went through, it was incredibly loud and Michael started crying but we calmed him down quickly. The next four trains that whizzed through, we covered his little ears.

We finally got onto our train after it was due to arrive in Paris. Michael was well behaved on the train but wanted to touch everything. Here he is looking out of the window at 120mph. At the end of the ride he was sitting on the table and a woman from Hong Kong was playing with him, but since he's scared of strangers sometimes, he just stared at her for like ten minutes. But finally he started playing with her and the Spaniards next to us. Quite the charmer this one.

Nope, he just ran his head into the bathtub and cried.

In his Cage

We have to put the boy in his playpen every now and then so we can do something. Michael doesn't really care for it. He tries to climb up the side to look at us, but usually he stops in the middle and looks at us longingly through the mesh windows.

And then he eats the mesh windows.

Recently, Phuong was letting him play near the vacuum, the Rowenta Dymbo, so she could eat and he was pressing the on/off button but couldn't depress it completely to turn it on. It would rev up just a bit every time he touched it but not too loudly. Then he turned the stupid thing on completely, and it was really loud. He started bawling and Phuong said when she tried to pick him up, he was trembling.

That is the end (hopefully) of a bad run of luck for the boy. This morning, I was playing a game with him that he likes where I click my teeth real fast. Then he stuck his miniature little pinky finger in my mouth and I bit it. He cried like the little baby he is. Before lunch today, he had an attack of separation anxiety when we left and bawled for us to hug him goodbye. Two days ago, he fell off the couch and did a faceplant on the parquet. Then during his bath, he burned his little midget hand on a stream of hot water. He's really hastening his development!

Tomorrow is our 5th anniversary so I took today and tomorrow off. To celebrate, we went this morning to the Arc de Triomphe and for a walk down the Champs Elysees. It was really nice to get away from the daily grind of life and remind ourselves that pretty Paris is right next door. Phuong dressed up really cute. Me not so much.

We bought our tickets to climb the tower and Phuong realized she was wearing heels. 283 steps later, her feet weren't feeling so good. But at least it was probably 60 degrees out so we weren't at all sweaty. We went up and took some great pictures of us atop the Arc.

By the time we got down, Phuong's feet were on their last legs. Somehow she made it over to Lancel to look at handbags. The crazy woman followed us around the entire time guarding her commission that was never to come. P could only make it to the George V stop and we headed home to change shoes and have lunch.

We had a recommendation from someone about a good restaurant near us, Au Petit Marguery on Blvd. Port Royal (http://www.petitmarguery.fr/). So we went. And it was delicious. We both got the menu, but Phuong shirked the dessert. Mistake. For starters, Phuong got ravioles stuffed with the shellfish coquilles de Saint Jacques and cheeses in a light bisque style sauce but not nearly as overpowering as the kind you get in Boston. I had some and it was delicious. I had foie gras, a staple of my Parisian restaurant diet. Nothing like buttery liver. Phuong got a quarter (leg and thigh) of duck. It was in a light cream sauce and really delicious. But it was probably cooked to medium at best, true to the French style, and Phuong had some qualms about eating it due to breastfeeding concerns. I got "Noisettes d'agneau" little lamb nuggets also cooked to american 'medium'. Normally in France, lamb has an incredibly strong meaty flavor, but this lamb was delicious. You could still taste the lamb flavor but it wasn't overpowering. The vegetables I had, broccoli and green beans were also well cooked. Typically the French leave the meats undercooked and really overcook the vegetables (to a mush) by our standards. But this place cooked the vegetables really well. They still had their natural color, texture and flavor while being thoroughly cooked. What more can you ask for? I finished my plate and a quarter of Phuong's duck with about 30 cl of red wine, but still had my dessert.

Unfortunately, our nanny called (she had to leave at 13h00) because Michael was hungry and crying so Phuong had to walk two minutes home to feed him. I had ordered the souffle Grand Marnier which had yet to arrive, so it was "not possible" for me to leave. You should have seen this thing. It was huge, only mildly tasted like the Grand Marnier and absolutely melted in my mouth. I wish Phuong had been there so we could have shared it. I think I was full about halfway through my lamb, but there was no stopping me! I ate it all, probably 5 inches in diameter and 3 inches deep.

That meal was what we had been missing in Paris. On our honeymoon, we had eaten awesome dinners, but this was only the second time we'd eaten so well since we've been here. And not having to worry about the beasty boy for the entire main meal made it even more satisfying.

Now we're off to tour Opera Garnier...I think Phuong secretly has some shopping plans in mind, but that's ok. I just hope I can walk after my lunch. Then it's off to Cirque du Soleil tonight in (uggh) Saint-Denis just north of Paris' Montmarte area. Then to Reims on Saturday for some champagne tasting, majestic cathedral and a break from Paris.

My Favorite Pics RIGHT now!

Knick Knacks

During Phuong's French lesson, Michael and I hung out. He kept crawling over the to TV stand and pulling himself up to a standing position using the shelves and then he would eat the tallest shelf. It's glass, a little bit dusty, but that must make it all the more tasty. Then he tried to attack some knick knacks we'd bought in Germany so I moved them to the nearby coffee table. So he got really good at moving over the other table from the TV stand and he would hold the TV stand with hand while reaching for the other table. All in the name of getting these knick knacks. Yes, I was spotting him.

If standing, he could get over to the table still standing, but then he would fall down. He tried to get back up, got both his hands on the table top, but then decided to chew on the table top so he couldn't lift his torso because there wasn't enough room. After moving the knick knacks a few more times, I took them to his room and put them on a shelf five feet high. He tried to climb up Rawhide, his bouncing horse, to get them, but he just wasn't tall enough.

I felt sad for him so I took him down to the bar on the street below us, and we had a beer.

You know it's summertime in France when
a) I wore wool pants, an undershirt, a long sleeve button up shirt, and a light merino wool sweater to work on July 2nd.
b) I get to the bus stop but they've decided to go on strike and there's no bus and it's raining. A colleague of mine complained that the bus had operated last summer, but there was no schedule posted yet for this summer.
c) The "L" bus is also on strike.
d) My coworker is only working half the month and the German guy I know, Golo, won't be in this month.
e) I work 3 days in all of August.

It made me sad today when an intern addressed me as "vous", the polite form of "you" reserved for your elders and people you don't know.

Happy 4th of July, everyone!!!!

We are having hamburgers, potato salad, ranch style beans (I found a can in our pantry from the US), and brownies for dinner!!!!

Love,P

The Reason I Have Not Blogged Recently:

The boy is JUST CRAZY. I have to watch him ALL the time!!!

This weekend, Shravi came to visit and it was SUPER fun. We SHOPPED SHOPPED SHOPPED until we dropped...or rather until I had to come home and feed Michael! It is sales season in Paris so we hit up some boutiques in the Marais area, popped over to rue de Rennes for some normal Parisian shopping, and hit Opera for some upscale, tourist shopping! It was awesome. Shravi reminded me that I still need fun/hip/stylish clothes and just because I am a mom, doesn't mean I have to dress like one! It was a reminder I definitely needed!

Sunday, Shravi went to Sacre Couer while Brian and I went to market and cooked dinner. It is zuchini season so we've been eating a lot of stuffed zuccini here in the Besancon house. I absolutely love cooking whatever is in season here! It is so different than in America b/ when something isn't in season, it's either 1) not available at all or 2.) ridiculously priced. So it forces me to cook whatever is in season. This is a really great challenge b/c it makes you cook outside your normal meals and experiment with different flavors/spices. And since i love to cook, it is really fun for me to go to the outoor market 2-3 a week and see what to buy! Wait a minute...maybe I just like to buy stuff....PERIOD.

Love,

P

There is absolutely NO TIME to post anymore! I am following Michael around making sure he doesn't hurt himself and even then, he STILL does! And then there's the 6-8 hours of French homework I have a week, which doesn't even include time to really study and let it sink in. That's just the HOMEWORK part! And don't even get me started on cooking dinner, cleaning, and keeping up with my other "yummy mummy" friends here!

Anyways, here are some highlights/lowlights to catchup in the last couple of weeks. Again, my deepest apologies for not keeping up with my end of my promise:

Highlights

• Michael said "Daddy" and "Dadda" for the first time.
• He started to army crawl...
• Then he started to really crawl.
• And now he is doing a bit of both. Whatever gets him where he wants to go the fastest
• He discovered how doors work and shut our kitchen door.
• When Shravi came and then went to the bathroom, she shut the door behind her. Michael crawled over there and yelled at her until she opened it back up.
• He started pulling up this past Sunday so now he's even crazier than before.

Lowlights

• Michael has NOT said "Mommy" or "Mama" yet. :o(
• Michael bites your shoulder/arm sometimes when you're holding him.
• Michael has fallen off the couch twice. Each time, either Brian or I were there and we still don't catch him in time. Yesterday, he fell head first onto the floor. EEK. The distance was less than his height, onto the rug, and there is no swollen fontanelle and he's normal (knock on wood) so we hope he's ok. ;o)
• Brian turned on the water for Michael to play with during his bath, but we have TERRIBLE temperature regulation on our water and Michael burned his hand a bit and cried.
• It's sales season in Paris and Mommy drags him all over the stores.

I think that's it! 9 month checkup in the coming weeks before heading off to Munich/Bonn. I doubt he's gained weight because he hasn't outgrown his clothes or his diapers...but he's eating well and developing so I'm not gonna stress out about it.

Love to all,
P

P.S. I updated our pictures in our album FINALLY. Only a month and a half late. AND I haven't done ANY scrapbooking! How am I gonna remember his childhoood??!?!

We had a fantastic fun weekend!

On Saturday, we popped over to the 6th arrondissement near Odeon and went boutique shopping! Tres fun! And Tres expensive! Some stores, I felt a bit out of place, but then I didn't buy anything and felt fine about it. We had a great lunch at a cafe called Cafe Six. We had some delicious tomato gratin as an appetizer. Brian had a duck casserole with French fries; I had a steak with vegetables; and Michael had apples/prunes and potatoes with leaks. I think Michael got the short end of the stick! Afterwards, we went home and hung out. I went to Crea, a craft store which was not that great. But I did find a street with cute little home decoration boutiques and some outlets! Woot woot!

Sunday, we started our day by going to church for the first time in like MONTHS. We finally decided just to go to the French Catholic church by our house and attend the mass in French. The English speaking church is too far away and we just need to learn French anyways. The church itself is beautiful and small. Out of all the people who were potty trained at that church, we were easily the youngest by like 30 years. The funny thing about the French, is that many of their holidays are centered around religion...yet many of the younger generation and population are not even practicing any religion.
Afterwards, we checked out a garage sale at Buttes aux cailles and then went to market to pick up some basil. I spent the afternoon cooking Michael's baby food and freezing it and then cooking our dinner of Emeril's Chicken Cacciatore! Mmm!!

I made Michael this dessert for fun, but he wasn't keen on it at all. However, that worked out fine because Brian and I loved it! So hope you like it too. It was pretty easy and is great with ice cream!

Baked Bananas

Ingredients:

1 Banana

1 tspn Maple Syrup

Butter

Cinnamon

Steps:

1. Cut bananas in half lengthwise
2. Place in a baking dish (I used a nonstick one)
3. Sprinkle cinnamon over each banana and drizzle maple syrup over it too.
4. Dot with butter
5. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 4-10 minutes.

Is it too early to be serving this to Michael? I have this great book by Annabel Karmel called "The Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner" and it was listed under the 6-9 month feeding section so I assumed it was ok! The French introduce butter rather early here and I'm sure the maple syrup has too much sugar for Michael? Any opinions?

Love,
P

Why have we not posted in almost a week? Because Michael is becoming more and more mobile and I can't just let him lay somewhere. He will, within minutes, get into something he's not supposed to in our apartment, AKA Dangerous Baby Land. We are BEHIND in the babyproofing!

So I am spending most of my days making sure Michael does not eat the wires, pull down the fan, or eat the rug in front of the toilet.

P

Why have we not posted in almost a week? Because Michael is becoming more and more mobile and I can't just let him lay somewhere. He will, within minutes, get into something he's not supposed to in our apartment, AKA Dangerous Baby Land. We are BEHIND in the babyproofing!

So I am spending most of my days making sure Michael does not eat the wires, pull down the fan, or eat the rug in front of the toilet.

He started really crawling on Tuesday, although not for a long time! He takes about 2-3 bonafide crawling steps, but then goes back to the army crawl.

Michael's favorite toy is paper and books. Give him a sheet of paper, and he's entertained for quite some time! The other day, I had to dig a piece of paper out of his mouth after he ripped a piece off with his teeth.

About a week ago, I put Michael in his pack and play while I cooked. It was amazing because he played with his toys in there for like 20 minutes. And then, the time he would stay in there decreased exponentially. Now, he'll last 3-4 minutes max before crying uncontrollably. Yesterday, I let him cry for 3-4 minutes while I made my sandwich for lunch (and to start teaching him how to deal with a little frustration) and then felt terrible when I picked him up and noticed his entire face was covered with tears and snot. I had to get a washcloth to clean him up. I won't be doing that again.

Love,
P

A preview of things to come: Michael and I have differing tastes on food.

Michael likes: Frozen green bean puree, apples with prunes, apples with vanilla flavoring.

I think the frozeen green bean puree is disgusting, the apples with prunes revolting, and the apples with vanilla flavoring tastes like cough syrup to me.

On the contrary, his homemade butternut squash and pumpkins are delicious. However, he does not much care for them!

Mchael's still on mushy food, but we are trying to introduce some more lumps, and combination tastes. I am hesitant because he is such a picky eater. I don't think he's gaining weight and has actually shrunk because he's wiggling around so much and not too interested in eating. And his clothes are loose again when last week, I was contemplating going into the next size up!

So I am afraid to try new things with him. But I need to! And he needs to eat! But I don't want to push food on him lest it makes him to hate meal time. *sigh* I guess I have plenty of time when he's a teenager to push food on him.

Someone tell Michael's mom to stop freaking out?
P

Curious about the difference between French Mommies and American Mommies? Click Below:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/portal/2007/06/15/nosplit/ftmaman115.xml

You know...everyone thinks living in Paris is oh-so-romantic. But the reality is...living in Paris and VISITING Paris are two entirely different things.

Visiting Paris, you see all the beautiful monuments in the good parts of town (ignoring Sacre Coeur). You usually are without your kids and are enjoying fun-filled days full of sightseeing, delicious French food, and 3 hour late night dinners. Vive le France! C'est MAGNIFIQUE!

However, living in Paris is an entirely different experience. The incessant street noise, dog poop in the street, billions of stairs in the metro with your stroller/child, occasional refusal of service in restaurants BECAUSE you have a child...I could go on and on and on. It is far from thrilling and most definitely far from romantic. Not to mention all the kids who are always sick and touching everything, including your baby. YUCK.

But despite all this and numerous transitional hardships (culturally and emotionally), this is turning out to be an enriching experience, albeit difficult. I just wanted to clear up any misconceived notions that living in Paris is always romantic and always wonderful, because it really is not...ALWAYS. But then there are the moments when I am enjoying a book in the Luxembourg Gardens while Michael rolls on the picnic blanket that I look up at the clear blue sky and think...We are sure lucky to be here, all together, enjoying life.

You know, I think it is more realistic to post once a week. Frankly, we just don't do so many interesting things to warrant multiple posts a week. I hate to disappoint, but life in Paris is just normal, everyday life...except it's in Paris instead of say Austin or Houston. The only thing really different is that I go to the boulangerie EVERYDAY for a baguette and usually a tarte or something delicious for my waistline!

This Sunday, we visitied an antique market that was by our house and looked at all sorts of old junk, I mean antiques. Now, don't get me wrong. I think antiques are neat but I just doesn't really care for antiques because I just doesn't know what is cool or not. It is MY ignorance, nothing else!

HOWEVER...I did find a stand that sold old postcards!!! We purchased 4 old postcards with pictures of Besancon on them. One as old as from 1912. VERY COOL. I am going to frame 1 for Michael's room and save 3 to frame for our house when we get back to the States. Yes, it is 3 years from now, but we'll have more wall space to fill than here and you can't get anything like this back in the States.

B also found a very old postcard that has the edge of the Manufactures des Gobelins AND...OUR BUILDING THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY LIVING IN IS ON THE POSTCARD! Is that not crazy? We recognized it RIGHT away. AWESOME. I only wish there was a date on the postcard so we could know when the picture was taken.

We are coming home in August!!!

Tentative Itinerary:

8/13: Fly into DFW

8/16: Fly into Little Rock

8/19: Fly into DFW

8/21: Drive to Austin

8/24: Drive to Houston

8/31 or 9/1: Fly back to Paris

If you want to get together, send me an e-mail and I will get you booked on the calendar!

Love,

P

One more huge thing. Michael took 2 naps today. Each nap was 1.5 hours EACH. AMAZING.

The boy NEVER sleeps more than 40 minutes at a time. Most naps are only 30 minutes long.

The first nap was great. I got a ton of stuff done, answered e-mails, got ready for the day, put on makeup, and prepped dinner. THe 2nd nap I couldn't take advantage of because I was at French. My nanny got to enjoy that one! She too was surprised.

Love,
P

By Crawling...I don't mean really crawling.

Michael has mastered the body drag with his arms.

And he can propel himself forward using his legs.

He can balance himself on his all fours and rock back and forth but not move forward yet.

And he can move his arms and legs together like he's crawling but then he's not on his all fours, he is on his stomach.

And his left leg definitely does the right movements but he just drags his right leg along with (no surprise there..this kid is most likely going to be left handed).

So he's ALMOST to crawling. Just needs to put it all together. Right now, he can get to practically everything!

If I could wrap a Swiffer cleaning cloth around Michael, my floors would be SPOTLESS. The boy is CRAZY.

Today, he bit my arm and left teeth marks.

He doesn't like to be carried around anymore. Instead, he wants to be held standing or crawling around on his own. It is better on my arms, but now, I follow him around and keep him out of things! We are BEHIND with the baby-proofing so I have to watch Michael a LOT.

Today, Michael discovered echoes. I held him at his bedroom window which faces the courtyard and he yelled and looked surprised and kept yelling/talking and would wait to hear what it would sound like and smile. Like that run on sentence? I do!

Michael can officially climb over my legs to get to a toy/remote control/book.

Michael LOVES to turn the pages in his books by himself. Unfortunately Runaway Bunny should have been a board book because it is a bit of a mess now. I will post pics of it later.

Love,
P

Notice:

Just wanted to let you know that I started a blog just about Michael about a month ago. I only invited the grandparents/great-grandparents to the blog because it is filled with all sorts of mundane everyday information about Michael that probably only the grandparents/great-grandparents would be interested in.

So if you would like access, let me know (via e-mail or comments) and I will invite you to that blog too.

I just didn't want to bother everyone with ANOTHER blog!

P

I forget that the French do not have take-home boxes for food at restaurants.

Today, at lunch, I could not finish my meal. The conversation went something like this in ENGLISH:

B: Could we have a box?
Waiter: A what?
B: A box to take this food home that we did not eat
Waiter: I do not understand what you are asking for.

I love it here!
NOT!

Love,
P

Michael LOVES:

• His parents
• The subway entrance by our house
• The cable box
• The DVD/CD wallets we have on the floor
• Any wires/cables he can find
• Books
• Standing while we hold his hands
• Playing peekaboo in his crib
• Rolling on his changing mat when we are trying to change him.
• Touching EVERYTHING
• The cable remote
• My pink cell phone
• Pigeons

And by LOVES, I mean that he will do one or all of the following:

• Drag his body wildly until he can get to the item (DVD wallets/cable box/wires)
• Shrieks
• Bounces up and down
• Smiles
• Stares intently at said object.

He is a funny, albeit itchy, baby!

Today, Michael had a regular type of day. We visitied an antique market that was by our house and looked at all sorts of old junk, I mean antiques. Now, don't get me wrong. Michael thinks antiques are neat but he just doesn't really care for antiques because he just doesn't know what is cool or not.

HOWEVER...he did find a stand that sold old postcards!!! We purchased 4 old postcards with pictures of Besancon on them. One as old as from 1912. VERY COOL. Mom is going to frame 1 for Michael's room and save 3 to frame for our house when we get back to the States. Yes, it is 3 years from now, but we'll have more wall space to fill than here and you can't get anything like this back in the States.

Dad also found a very old postcard that has the edge of Manufacture des Gobelins AND...OUR BUILDING THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY LIVING IN IS ON THE POSTCARD! Is that not crazy? We recognized it RIGHT away. AWESOME. I only wish there was a date on the postcard so we could know when the picture was taken.

Then, we had lunch at Pizza Caesar with a terrible waitor and now we are watching Roland Garros on the Tele.

I like going to the Cave des Gobelins, which is a shop devoted solely to selling wines. We also have Nicolas and another Cave, but they are much further away. And then the supermarkets. Our French teacher came over, looked skeptically at the wines I had picked at random from Monoprix (Target-lite), and said, "when I was younger I could drink crap wine like that but now my stomach won't let me". Thank you for your insight, kind sir.

So I've gone to the Cave of the Gobelins a couple times now. It's great because it serves the double purpose of getting a good wine, but since I don't know much about wine, I also get to practice speaking and hearing French. I ask for a recommendation or advice and they ask me what I'm eating, if I'm eating tonight, what price range I'd be willing to pay. Yesterday, the guy told me I spoke very good French. I told him not to worry about being nice, I would come back again. But both times, his recommendations have been very good including a nice Chardonnay, a variety I usually don't like. Coupled with the fact that chicken is a poor man's food, I usually don't drink much of it.

Crawling

Michael is not crawling yet but he is close. He can get up on his all fours and then he doesn't know what to do with himself. He rocks back and forth and then either launches his entire body forward, cries out of frustration or lays back down. It is really very amusing. He'll just have to figure this out on his own because I won't do it for him. I think it should not take him too long; there are only a few possibilities that he must try out before he can really crawl.

That is not to say he is immobile. Quite the opposite as he is now moving everywhere and becoming a true terror. He used to roll everywhere, spin by some angle and then roll again to get where he wanted. Then he tried to crawl but he could only move backwards. That lasted about two weeks, and now he is able to drag his body across the floor like a soldier. And he is actually quite efficient at moving himself around. I put him on the floor this morning while Phuong was out buying breakfast, and he crawled to the cable box and manhandled it before I picked him up and put him back at his starting point. Then he repeated the exercise 6 times before I picked him up and held him.


Michael is also terrorizing Phuong and I at the dinner table. He wants to touch, feel and eat everything and there is little stopping him from getting what he wants. We have to move everything into a little island in the rear-center of the table where he cannot find it but he keeps getting longer and it's only a matter of time before he is banging pots all day and breaking everything we own.


I don't know where Michael got that ridiculous hairline of his, but judging from both of his grandfathers, he probably won't have to worry too much about how to cut it.

I want to blog about one my first French moments that happened before we even moved out of our 1st hotel room.

I went in search of Le Temple du Scrap, the scrapbook store in Paris. I ventured forth and was met with the strongest winds I have ever walked in. At certain points, I actually could not walk because I had to brace myself and the stroller against the wind. I have never walked through anything like that before. The next day, I hear on the news that a fierce winter storm had ripped through Europe and Paris was met with high velocity winds. OH yeah? Makes sense THE DAY AFTER. Should have watched the weather that day!

But I digress.

When I get to Le Temple du Scrap, I am elated to find out that 1.) I actually made it there by myself and 2.) it exists. So I get to the handle on the door and I pull and I pull and it just won't budge. So I check out the store hours and I notice that it is closed for lunch. But it's not lunch time so it should not be closed. So I look inside and I see people wandering around in there! So it MUST be open. So I try the handle again and it STILL won't budge. I stand there, sad and dejected. Lustily watching the people inside.

And a little African boy wanders by, sees my plight and stops. As I walk away, he gestures to me to follow him where he shows me the door to my lovely Le Temple du Scrap and proceeds to PUSH the door open for me. PUSH not PULL.

French lesson for everyone:

Tirez = Pull
Poussez = Push

And I don't want to hear any jokes about the "Far Side's" Midvale School for the Gifted.

P

Today, Michael had a very busy day. We headed over to the 15th arrondisment for lunch with two nice ladies. After an hour and 10 minutes, we finally made it over there. I think it is about 6-10 miles away? Not quite sure. Either way, it seemed so far away.

Then, we hurried home to eat and make it to our play date this afternoon in our area. I am afraid to announce that Michael is a bit of a baby. There is another baby in our play group that is only one day older than Michael, but 6lbs heavier. A miniature rugby player. Today, they were near each other and the Rugby Baby proceeds to be friendly with Michael. Smiling at him and trying to reach him and touch him.

Michael is not too happy about it overall. Last time, Michael cried. This time, he just stared at him and ignored him. Then, Rugby boy took Michael's toy that he was playing with away from him and all Michael did was go on with his business and found another toy. I am not quite sure if this means Michael is getting picked on and just taking it or if he is content avoiding confrontation and going on with his life because there's no point in reveling in something that's not worth worrying about. Or he's just a baby and forgot he had the toy in the first place.

Then, we headed home and Michael had a bit of difficulty with a piece of bread that he chewed off that was a bit too big for him. He's just not used to the texture so he thinks he's choking so we freak out. But then he just smiles at us. He watched mommy have french lesson for about 30 minutes before Dad came home.

This was the busiest day we've had in a long time. We are tired and not going to overbook like that again. My nanny was supposed to watch Michael today so I could go to the 15th by myself (much quicker by metro) and have lunch and some time away. But she is sick.

Love,
P

Sunday, Michael went to WH Smith (English bookstore on Rue de Rivoli) to find a mini French/English dictionary for Dad for Father's day. He really wanted this Good Morning and Good night book from the Sandra Boyton collection but they didn't have it. Michael also likes Oh The Places You'll Go but Dad said it was a bit early for that book. But Mommy likes it A LOT!

Then he went to the Palais Royal metro stop and found a mini festival promoting the Alsace region in France. There were about 30-40 booths giving out free pamphlets. Then, back home for play time and some R&R.

Monday, a whole lotta nothing! Michael bought a baguette, took Mommy out to lunch at the boulangerie, and rolled around the floor.

But TODAY! I saw Michael get on his hands and knees, hold his entire body up off the floor and rocked back and forth!! PROGRESS!! DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRESS!

We had another good French moment the other day. The company who helped us with our move emailed and asked if it would be possible for Gaz de France and EDF to come out and take a look at our gas and electricity meters, respectively. They could only come from noon to 3 or something like that on Tuesday but Phuong had French class at two and didn't want to be bothered so I told them it wouldn't be possible.

Later we get another email asking us to read off the values from the meters, which I did and returned back to them. Then we get a final email saying that it was unfortunate that they couldn't come out that day because the next time they have available is in 6 months. Then we received a letter in the mail asking us to write down our meter readings and send it back to GDF/EDF. Gotta to love the French efficiency.


Today Phuong and I got dressed up and went out to lunch at L'Entracte, a nice little bar up the road near our bakery that has good salad and good basic French food like my favorite Confit de Canard (duck preserved and then cooked in its own bountiful amounts of fat). They do not have Blanquette de Veau but we'll ask them to make it soon. I had a really good andouillette there the other day with a mustard sauce. I usually don't like andouillette and I'm sure I am not alone in the american community since it's some weird kind of intestine sausage. Maybe they made or labeled it wrong and ended up with a good result. They also have Steak Tartare, which I will get soon. It's raw beef that is seasoned with spices and usually has an egg mixed in, then you eat it. Every French restaurant has it so it must be popular enough to stay on the menu which means it's popular enough for me. Maybe I will get it at a really nice restaurant to be sure of the quality.

I already mistakenly had beef kidneys at lunch the other day at work. I thought it was just beef tips in sauce, but it was absolutely not. I did avoid the beef tongue at work, but only because for the display they picked the largest one they could find. It encompasses the entire plate, kind of wrapping around the edge and wasn't very appetizing. The Dutchman who had come on a business trip from England chose it despite my warnings. He seemed very pleased in the end with his decision.


Now we're off to W.H. Smith, the English bookstore on Rue de Rivoli near Concorde metro. It open on Sunday so that's incredible in its own right. I lost my midget French dictionary a couple weeks ago so I need another one and Phuong just likes bookstores.

Today, Baby Michael went all over the Centre commercial (mall) called Italie2. He got a bigger trashcan for our kitchen, diapers, and yogurt at Champion. In fact, he liked the yogurt so much, Brian let him hug it in his stroller. Guess he liked that cold feeling on his belly.

Then, he went to Darty to find out why the samsung tv with integral TNT will not play Grey's Anatomy for Mommy in English. He was really upset when he found out that we can't get it with our cable box, Orange.

Michael played on his mat and in his crib while Mommy talked to Gina on skype and Dad went to get a beer with a friend at the Academy of Beer (yes, it is called that). Afterwards, Michael hung out with dad, dropped off some dry cleaning, got a baguette, and went early to bed.

Only 1 nap today, 2 mini solid meals. What to do with this kid!

Love,
P

Add yogurt to that list. And almost pears now, his favorite food.

So I guess you could say he is on a solid food strike.

And I have no idea how I'm going to discipline him because he's already smarter than me.

Let's just say he has already figured out how to keep his mouth closed when I am nearby (and not necessarily near the bowl/spoon) and open it when I am far enough away.

P

VERY FRUSTRATING:

Michael is on a rice cereal and vegetable all out STRIKE.

P

Michael and I went in search of baby swimming lessons at a pool nearby and ran into the hotel where Brian and I stayed at for our honeymoon: Hotel des Grandes Ecoles! It still looks exactly the same with the huge green door and the charming entryway.

As I passed by, it made me smile to remember how we started our marriage there and now we are here starting our family. I remember I took a picture of Brian standing in that very cute entryway and now I want the same picture there with Michael too. It feels so weird to walk by and see our honeymoon metro stop and the streets as part of the neighborhood in which we live.

On our honeymoon, the streets all look so strange and the metro stop is the only familiar thing around. Now, I walk by and I see the Naturalia where I buy Michael's BabyBio babyfood. I see the bus stop that I wait at to take me home. I see the boulangerie that isn't very good and I shouldn't go back. I see all the things that make Paris my home now and not just a place to visit. And it is a strange feeling to come across.

Well, Bank of America notified me of some possible fraudulent charges from my Texas A&M Credit Card!!! HOW DISCONCERTING! I had to call my bank today and clarify things and everything will be ok. But it is absolutely REVOLTING to me and makes me boil! I want to find out who it is so I can...I don't know...leave a bag of burning dog poop on their doorstep like in Billy Madison! Since I am in Paris, there is no way I can be making charges in Texas so I am glad the bank is going to rectify the situation. What I think is funny is I wonder how they can recognize that there is unusual activity. Probably because my charge statements on that card (which I rarely ever use) looks a bit like this for an example:

5/12/06 - Jcrew online
8/25/06 - Apple online
4/05/07 - Mpix photo development online

And all of a sudden, in one week they get:
05/25/07 - Walmart
05/25/07 - Kroger
05/28/07 -Walmart

Somewhere in there, something went "Ding Ding DING!" thankfully! This girl never buys FOOD or necessities with this card! She just buys stuff online and things she doesn't need! And rarely ever so for there to be food and necessities within a week is absolutely ABNORMAL.

So that cracks me up about myself that I used that credit card for absolutely unnecessary stuff.

And I love the fact that Bank of America has a 24 hour line 7 days a week that I can call. Gotta love America.

Can I come home now?

Love,
P

So many things happening and I have not yet had chance to blog!

Monday
Not much happened on Monday. Michael went to the bank to drop off some W9 forms only to find it closed for some kind of government holiday. Shucks. Discovered that Michael can now turn the pages in his book by himself. SO cute. Also, discovered the beginnings of a new upper tooth! We now have 2 teeth breaking through on the top!

Tuesday
Sarah, our nanny, came and played with Michael all day. She witnessed him turning around in circles on his belly.

Wednesday
Michael went to drop off the bank forms finally and went in search of Piscine Jean Taris, where they have baby swimming lessons. After looking at nearly 3 pages of typed instructions, I realized it will be crazy to get him into it! I have to make sure he has all his immunizations, then provide proof of it, get a doctor's note to say he can participate and provide photo id for the both of us. Not to mention the fact that the pool has about 20 steps leading down to it and a non-working elevator! And a bum screaming profanities from across the street from it! EEK! Back home we go!

Thursday
Michael woke up and watched 5 minutes of The Majestic with Mom. And then Sarah came and played with him while I readied the house for our playdate.

Two moms came:

• Sarah and her son Ilyo: Born 1 day earlier than Michael and a full 3 kilos heavier. The boy is destined to be a rugby player. Seriously...look at a rugby player on TV and then pretend he is 74cm. Also, he is about 1.5 months ahead of Michael physically speaking (ie crawling, sitting up, etc)
• Julia and her daughter Stella: Germans! Very funny pair! We have hung out outside of playdate too and I find Julia quite funny!

Hopefully, we'll have more some other time! But the 2 here were a good break for all of us.

Ilyo tried to be friendly with Michael and patted him and pulled on his shirt a bit and Michael just cried. Just not used to it I guess!

Hi Everyone!

Just wanted to say Thanks for creating a g-mail account to see this blog if you had to! I know it is a pain, but I do appreciate it!

Phuong