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