A Wonderful Day...

It's funny how one great day can totally lift you up and give you strength to cope with life's challenges. In all honesty, I know that I don't have much to complain about, and have always been good about counting my blessings, but in the past several days I have experienced some homesickness, some food poisoning (puked my brains out after eating a ham sandwich on a baguette that I purchased from my previously favorite bakery!), the commencement of temper tantrums by the little Budda, an annoying doctor's appointment (it wasn't really that bad, but I get easily offended by a doctor who totally cuts me off, and tells my husband to hurry up when undressing our boy yet receives ten thousand phone calls throughout our 30 minute appointment), two weeks of non-stop rain (and in a brief period of sunshine, I hung the wet clothes on the line only to have them soaked and worse, splashed with mud within hours thereafter), and overall frustration in dealing with French bureacracy and inefficiency.
And now everything seems all good again. We started the day off with a wake up at 7:30 am, which happened to be yet another continuous 12 and a half hour sleep. Andrew willingly wolfed down a complete breakfast of cereal and pears (he is back to being a happy little eater again and seems to like everything again except avacodoes and anything pureed, particularly baby food. We then washed and hung a load of laundry (which was dry when we came back home...yay!) The sun was shining, the temperature was crisp, but clear, the beautiful snow covered mountains in the background were glistening and we headed off for a walk into old town to play at the park. Andrew is now more interested in running around the playground and trying to climb up the slide than in eating every little thing on the ground. While at the park, I heard my name and bumped into a friend (and her two little girls) I met in May while I attended the "mom's night out" event with the Riviera Tumbletots. We had a nice chat (turns out her husband works at the same company as Robert) and she also gave me a great reference for a babysitter, who coincidentally happens to be Andrew's swimming "instructor's" daughter (maybe we will have date nights once again after all!) From the park, we headed to the pool for a swim and we made our first French friend. (i.e. does not speak English) I happened to meet her quite easily as Andrew was fixated on stealing all of her little boy's pool toys (her boy is the same age as Andrew) It was really the first time that I actually socialized 100% in French and I felt really good. We exchanged phone numbers and have made tentative plans to meet again next Wednesday. (In France, most working moms choose to work 4 days a week (with Wednesdays off) which happens to be a law here, i.e. that after you have a baby, you have the option to go back full-time or 4 days per week for a period of three years after your baby is born and your company has to hold the same job, position, etc.) From there, we headed back home for lunch and a nap and as we entered our building, we met two more of our neighbours. The woman upstairs (70 ish) introduced herself, asked me all about how things are going here and offered her assistance with anything I may need from an egg to a carer for Andrew. Then we met our seasonal neighbours down the hall who are from England. They, too, were super friendly and Andrew was quite fond of their dogs. After lunch, Andrew napped for 2 and a half hours, while I watched the Young and Restless (embarassed to admit that I am following that show again, but hey, it's great French practice!) and caught up on some bills, emails, etc. After dinner, and a phone call to Daddy who is in Germany right now, we read some books and Andrew was asleep by 6:55 PM. So...feeling very inspired and relaxed, I sat down and completed the remainder of our health insurance claims that have been weighing on my shoulders for the longest time. Life is good!

Back in France...after "Home for the Holidays"

It's been quite some time since my last update but we've had a busy and wonderful holiday season. On December 2nd, we boarded our flight from Nice to Barcelona, and on December 3rd, we boarded our 2nd family transatlantic cruise. Robert, once again, scored big time, in planning out every last detail of our trip. The only thing he couldn't have anticipated was Andrew, and himself, coming down with yet another gastro illness at the outset of our journey. For Andrew, it happened the night before we left. We were devastated to experience his first real vomitting (nothing like the little nursing burps when he was an infant, rather solid chunks of totally undigested food coming up endlessly from his poor little belly all night long). Robert got online immediately and purchased cancellation insurance. We took Burbujitas (or little Budda as aunty Susie and Kara like to call him) to the hospital the following day as it was a Sunday and we wanted to get a prescription for hydration medication to take with us on our trip. After spending what seemed like an eternity at the hospital, we got the prescription and our next challenge was to find a pharmacy here in France actually open on a Sunday, purchase the meds, pack up the car and get to the airport in time to catch our flight. Stress, with a capital S. I was worried sick that Andrew was going to be sick on the plane but fortunately, he slept in my arms the entire flight and all the way to the hotel in Barcelona. The hotel was beautiful and comfortable and Robert negotiated with the lady upon checking-in to include the buffet breakfast for free...which was absolutely delicious...and mine was served to me in bed from my wonderful husband. Andrew ate some baby cereal, only to subsequently puke it all up. We were Worried, capital W. We made it to the ship seamlessly, but as soon as we entered the cabin, Robert began barfing his brains out. I'm thinking this is going to be the greatest vacation of my life...not! As it turned out, the first day was the worst and each day got progressively better. However, Budda decided to boycott eating for the remainder of our journey and basically nursed exclusively for 9 days straight with exception to oatmeal muffins and banana bread (the only two foods he ate on board until our very last day when he decided everything on the buffet was delicious). I was previously so excited about not having to prepare a single meal for 9 days straight...I even contacted the Ship Coordinator well in advance of embarkation who assured me that all of Andrew's favorite foods (i.e. diced, well-cooked carrots, peas, whole wheat pasta, yogourt, broccoli, pears, bananas, apple sauce, Cheerios, etc.) would be waiting at our table, upon arrival of whatever restaurant we so choose to eat each meal. Andrew turned his head at every piece of food offered to him, and even worse, through it on the floor, rubbed it in his hair, basically everywhere but the mouth. The wait staff were amazingly gracious, and the little Prince Charming remained his adorable, flirtatious self, even despite his tummy issues, flirting with every single person that would glance his way. He was once again, a HUGE hit on the ship and by the time we disembarked, I would say that at least 2/3 of the passengers and crew knew his name. So things are going much better by Day 5, when Robert decides to let loose and join in the "Activities Crew vs. Passengers" basketball game and severely sprains his ankle. A visit to the ship's doctor and an x-ray later, we were glad to learn nothing was broken, but his ankle was the size of a baseball and he couldn't put any pressure on it without excruciating pain. Despite our family ailments (for once Momma remained healthy all the while), we truly had an absolutely wonderful and relaxing vacation. The ship (Norweigan Gem) which was only 2 months old, was unbelievable. The food, the restaurants, the staff...outstanding. We've discovered that a Transatlantic cruise is our favorite way of taking a relaxing vacation. Upon arrival into Boston, we were well rejuvenated and excited to be flying to Ft. Lauderdale to visit with the rest of the Chamberlins, friends and also Grandma and Grandpa Smith in Naples. Robert had to take a "quick business trip" back to Nice but was back in Florida just in time to celebrate Andrew's FIRST birthday. Abuelita and Tia went all out with the decorations, all in Winnie the Pooh theme, and we had a wonderful celebration, complete with two birthday cakes (one was Pooh of course and the other was provided free from Publix for Andrew to make a complete mess with, which he was a little on the reluctant, cautious side. While in Florida, we did lots of shopping...Christmas shopping, car seat shopping, things to buy in the US that we can't get in France shopping, etc. I discovered how much I MISS shopping. Not so much the meandering through the shopping malls shopping, but rather the kind where I can go to one of a dozen different stores in a 5 mile radius to purchase something I need, find a parking space for which the car will fit in that is less than a 30 second walk away from the entrance of the store, use a debit card to pay for it, and have it bagged for me while I'm holding a baby in one arm, and where I didn't even have to purchase the bag. That kind of shopping.
On to Christmas Eve. We had a wonderful celebration on Christmas Eve, Colombian-style, with a wonderful meal prepared by Abuelita, Christmas carols provided by me (of course), and lots of presents exchanged, especially for the little Prince. My favorite present was that which I am typing on right now...my new laptop from Robert. Christmas Day, we were very sad to say good-bye to Daddy, who had to go back to France, and to Abuelita and Tia, but were equally excited to be heading to Toronto to share our second Christmas celebration with Mommy's side of the family. I discovered that the best day in the year to fly is Christmas Day. The plane was EMPTY, the meal was amazing and the movie was great. Andrew had his own seat and slept or entertained himself the entire way. Auntie Susie and Auntie Lo were awaiting our arrival at the airport, and we made it back home in time to exhange yet even more presents and eat a yummy traditional Christmas dinner, complete with turkey and all the fixings and of course Christmas crackers, for which we cannot celebrate without. Although it would have been perfect had Daddy been able to join us, we had an amazing time in the great white North. On Boxing Day, we were happy to finally attend the "annual" Tuckers Marketplace event in celebration of Auntie Susie's, Nicholas', Don's, and of course now, Budda's birthday. We visited with Auntie Tara in Niagara Falls for a couple of days, and spent the rest of the time at home or at Auntie Lo's and had lots of visits including Pam and Beckett and Jen. Auntie Susie spent lots of time with us too and Budda got quite comfortable in her presence...so much so, that he didn't even notice when I went out. On January 5th, Andrew got his first haircut. It was much more difficult for Mommy than it was for baby. I took him to a special Kid's salon, where he sat in a Jeep and pushed buttons, watched cartoons and was so well entertained by the hairdresser herself that I'm not sure he even knew someone was even cutting his hair! We got a special certificate, a "before" and "after" photo, a collection of his freshly chopped hair, and a special balloon.
On New Year's Eve, the Toronto area was dumped with a considerable amount of snow so New Year's Day was another first for Andrew: first time playing in the snow. Kara and I bundled him up well, and took him out to play...at first he was very unsure of the stuff, then he touched it, tasted it and rolled around and decided it was kinda fun. Mommy had fun capturing the moments on camera (as I always do!)
On January 3rd, after returning from our visit at Auntie Lo's, we had a nice, quiet day at G & G's house, and that's when Andrew took his first, REAL steps! It was a bittersweet moment, as I was so excited but was home alone and had nobody to share the news with, (especially Robert), and couldn't even call him as mom and Don cancelled their land line for the winter.
On January 6th, it was time to say good-bye and although we had a wonderful visit, we were very much looking forward to reuniting with Daddy. The flight home was smooth as silk; Andrew was a saint, and I was very comfortable, even despite the fact the plane was completely full and Andrew was on my lap the whole time. I was able to eat a great meal (Air France has the best airplane food!) and watch two movies. The layover in Paris was a bit on the challenging side however. Typical of France, they don't take out the baby strollers at the gate, so I was forced to carry a very sleepy and heavy baby 20 thousand miles across the airport and down a thousand stairs, together with my carry-on luggage and back-pack. My arms felt like they were going to fall off by the time I actually boarded the plane to Nice, but I must say that I was given priority service, didn't have to stand in a single line all the way through security, customs, etc.
Robert was anxiously awaiting our arrival at the airport and I decided to wait until Robert sees Andrew's steps for himself before saying anything. It only took a matter of hours before he came walking over to the couch where Daddy was sitting and the expression on Daddy's face was priceless. It was so pleasant to come back to our "home" in France. Robert had cleaned the apartment inside and out, and fully stocked the fridge and cabinets with groceries. He even set up my new laptop and downloaded the remaining episodes of Survivor that we had not yet seen. All we had to do was settle in and relax...which proved to be the most trying part of our entire journey. All I can say is that I wish I could take a 9 day cruise every time I cross the Atlantic as jetlag with a baby is pure Hell, capital H. After 5 days of not sleeping, I was so exhausted I fainted and took a crash landing on the marble floor and gave myself a pretty goose egg in the middle of my forehead. Robert took over Andrew duty on the weekend, I moved into the den, and FINALLY got some sleep. Miraculously, on Day 6, we moved Andrew back into his own room and he actually slept through the whole night, yes the whole night, one more time, the whole night!!! I'm afraid to say it anymore in case it changes, but it's now been 3 straight nights of uninterrupted sleeps and Mommy feels like a new person again.