January through March 2009 Update

The first 3 months of 2009 have flown by. Yet, despite Robert's travel schedule (London, Madrid, and upcoming Miami trip), a few illnesses, and countless sleepless nights on my account, we have indeed taken some time to stop and smell the roses. Weekly, my mom friends and I meet on Wednesdays for an outing of some sort with the kids, which in 2009 has so far included a hike and picnic, a play and picnic on the beach, a trip to the indoor amusement park in Cannes (called FUN CITY...and boy did Andrew have fun!), a nature center/miniature zoo in Nice, various playgrounds, and when weather is not permitting such lovely outdoorsy events, a trip to Playland and lunch at McDonald's will suffice, or a playdate and lunch at one of our homes works too. On Friday mornings, we do my favourite mom/tots baby group (which I ran the last two weeks, together with another friend, as the usual girl was away on holidays) and Friday afternoons always include a swim at the nearby pool. On the weekends, so far this year we have gone to the grand Carnaval event in Nice (a definite highlight and Andrew was fascinated by his first parade), many family pool swims, have entertained friends for dinners and games night, have also been entertained at said friends for dinners and games night, have celebrated many of Andrew's friends' birthdays, and have sampled some more fantastic French lunches at various restaurants in nearby villages. Robert has had the good fortune of heading to the local mountains for some ski days but I've had to pass this year due to my current state. Robert's French studying is now in force, and though he still has a long way to go, I have confidence that he will pass the required exam in June. I can say for sure that France has definitely become more "home" to us than ever before, and the three of us adore it here and currently cannot even imagine moving away anytime soon. I must admit that a highlight for me this year was the surprise purchase by Robert of a clothes dryer for me when I returned from Christmas in January! It has felt like SUCH a luxury after a year and a half of hanging every single item on the clothes line!

Les Petits Chaperons Rouges

This is usually the look I find on Andrew's face whenever I pick him up from "school". He absolutely loves this daycare center and talks endlessly about his new friends there. He is particularly fond of the young ones, and to this day, his obsession with babies continues. The instructors all get a good kick out of his pronunciation of all the kids' names: Isaac (pronounced Eezak in France) is called "Attack" by Andrew. Liam is "Yam". Jethro (his best friend outside of creche) is called "Go-go" by Andrew. Pierre is "Bear". My first consultation with the instructors there included a rather indepth "analysis" of Andrew, his habits, temperament, routine, etc. Their philosophy is to make each child feel as much at home as possible. Therefore, if they normally eat lunch at 11:00am, lunch will be served to that child at 11:00am. Conversely, if they usually eat at 1:30, then their lunch will be served at 1:3o. If they usually eat on mom's lap, then they would be seated on one of the instructor's lap for meal time. Fortunately for me, I advised them that Andrew eats everything, any way, any time of the day, with lunch usually around the noon-ish hour. What they were astonished to observe was how much the child can consume! They just recently notified me that they cut him off at two big servings of each course, even though he often says "encore", they know he had enough! (lunch is of course a four course meal...appetizer, main entree, bread and cheese, then followed by dessert!), and then "goute" aka snack, just a few hours later which consists of a yogourt and apple pie or something to that effect! The lunches themselves are gourmet meals...for example, tomato and fresh mozzarella salad, followed by chicken curry with mixed vegetables and rice, then some Camembert cheese and fresh baguette, and usually some sort of fresh fruit and/or treat (i.e. chocolate eclair) for dessert. I also notified the instructors of his "limited" napping behaviours during the daytime in my initial consultation. (at home, he virtually never naps during the day anymore, except on the very rare occasion) Well, he must tucker himself out REAL good at creche, because I've been advised that he is ALWAYS the first child asleep (and usually the last one awake) with naps averaging 2.5 to 3 hours every single time! Andrew no longer cries when I drop him off there, he is often singing new (french) songs he learned there on the drive home, (and speaking more french words in general) and we just recently made the decision to bump up his schedule there from two days per week to three days per week until August at which point the daycare closes for the month and then in September, he will begin school, as do all children born in 2006. Day cares in France are extremely difficult to get into (we were extremely lucky), however they are also highly subsidized and the cost of three days per week is equivalent to HALF of what I was once paying for a babysitter for one day per week.

Driving...and parking in the Riviera

This is our family car, a 2005 Peugeot SW 407.

This is some of the damage I've done to it since I started driving it!

Admittedly, I was deathly afraid of driving around here my entire first year in France. The narrow streets, the crazy round-abouts, the reckless drivers (especially those on motorcycles) had me paralyzed with fear. As a result, Andrew and I walked or took the bus everywhere we went and I actually enjoyed it. However, this year, the need for me to drive became essential. Many of our activities now involve places that are too far or too inconvenient to take the bus, and I was getting a littled tired of my dependency on Robert to come along on the weekly grocery shopping, etc. Upon arriving here and purchasing our vehicle, we learned that we had one year from the date of our visas, to obtain a French driver's license in order to maintain our auto insurance in France. At the time, I held an Ontario driver's license and Robert held a Florida driver's license. Fortunately, Florida is one of 7 states, and Ontario is one of 4 provinces, with which France has a reciprocity agreement, thus allowing us to "exchange" our driver's licenses, without having to go through the otherwise required 80 hours of driving lessons and passing the written and driving exams! After the expected long waits in the Driver's License bureau, commonly known as the dreaded Prefecture, we received our new licenses, and simultaneously had to give up our American/Canadian ones. Surprisingly, it did not take too long for me to establish my confidence on the roads around here, however, I continue to struggle on a daily basis with the parking situation. In most cases, finding a tight spot to squeeze into on a narrow side street is the only option. Where parking garages exist, the spaces are so tight that I cannot open the door on the passenger side wide enough to get Andrew out and therefore have to crawl over to the back seat, take him out of his carseat, and we both kinda shimmy out on the driver's side. If Robert is with us, we have the good fortune of being able to get out of the car before he pulls into the parking spot. Fat people would have no hope of getting out of a car in most parking garages in France! To make matters more difficult, the entrance and exits to these garages (including the entrance to my apartment building) is so narrow that there is no room for a car to enter at the same time as a car exiting. Therefore, one car must reverse back out to a point the other can get through, before moving forward. These parking lots would NEVER receive permits in North America to even exist, yet it is just a completely accepted situation over here, where the concept of personal space means sitting right on top of your neighbour. The scrapes and dents on the photo above all resulted from rather unsuccessful parking attempts into tight spaces! Although our family car is not one that you would consider "large" in the US/Canada, it feels like a bus when driving it here, and in hindsight, I probably would have opted for a car much smaller in size, like what all our friends have, though it would pose some difficulties anytime you want to go somewhere as a family. In any event, we are otherwise very happy with the car, and now I have it every day (and cannot imagine life without it!). Robert generally takes the bus to work (the bus stop is right outside of our apartment building and it is an 8 minute, 1 euro bus ride to his office) and I usually pick him up at the end of the day.

We both learned the hard way about speeding tickets in France, me first. I opened the mail just the other day to discover a speeding ticket, in Robert's name, for a time and date at which I was driving the car. Doh!...photo radar is everywhere and I did not know it. Although Robert seems to think I have a rather heavy foot, I believe I drive rather cautiously around here. Anyway, after several difficult phone calls, I learned what was required to modify the ticket such that I was the named offender (tickets are automatically issued to the registered owner of the vehicle, Robert in our case). After some not unexpected lecturing from Robert about slowing down on the roads, I got the ticket paid and vowed to drive under the limit going forward. Less than one week later, a ticket came, again in his name, but (thank GOD) for a time and date at which I did NOT have the car!!! Unlike in the US where you can go to some kind of school to save your points and stuff (fortunately I never had a speeding ticket in Florida), no such option exists in France. You pay the fine within 15 days, you lose points, end of story. The rather lame part is that both of our tickets involved speeding LESS than 10km/h over the limit (mine was 9km over and Robert's was 7km over the limit) both of which are LESS than 5 miles an hour over the limit...and no chance to dispute, no warnings, nothing but a ticket for 45 euros which would become 168 euros if not paid within 15 days (and at least one point loss from our driving record).

Sunny Days and Citrus Trees

Even here on the Riviera, where the sun seems to shine for days on end, the winters can begin to feel long. "Jacket weather" usually begins in November and with the exception of a few odd days here and there, usually doesn't end until mid to late March. With the gorgeous beaches just minutes away, we begin to get antsy for that first splash in the Mediterannean each year. The last couple of weeks have brought a significant change in the weather, and the feeling of spring is definitely in the air. The air temp is still a tad cool and brisk (but I am ADORING these temperatures, especially with the little "heater" that is growing in my belly). Tulips are beginning to bloom, the smell of fresh cut grass is in abundance, and citrus season has arrived! In our backyard, we have a young lemon tree and an orange tree, and I snapped this photo, before "harvesting" the five lemons that consist of this year's haul. Tonight's menu will include salmon with a lemon sauce and Perrier with fresh cut lemons in the glass!

We're having a baby!!!

This was my first ultrasound (approximately 10 weeks) and I am now in my 5th month and cannot believe how fast the time has flown by. Even though I worked full time up until the day Andrew was born, I still found time (almost daily) to update my pregnancy journal. Lately, I'm feeling lucky if I manage to get in a shower each day! However, I must admit, although this pregnancy is almost identical to my previous one, I am feeling significantly more tired this time around. And that is in large part due to the fact that I haven't been able to sleep well. For the first 4 months, I was averaging about 4 hours of sleep per night, and despite my exhaustion during the day, I was still unsuccessful at taking a nap, even on those days when Andrew was in daycare. In reading through my pregnancy journal from Andrew, it did surprise me to read that my sleeping habits were almost as bad as this time round but I know I did not feel this tired...but then again, I also did not have an energizer bunny named Andrew in my life at the time!
So far, I guess you could say I am somewhat satisfied with my experience in the prenatal France system. Here's what I've experienced so far:
I first informed our family doctor of my pregnancy while I was in his office for Andrew's 2-year appointment. I asked him who and where he recommended I go to, and rather nonchalantly, he suggested I go to the hospital, where there is a large OB/GYN department/practice. Since it is really the closest place to home, I went with his recommendation without doing too much additional research. One of my best friends here just had her baby there, and had a positive experience, though supposedly, this hospital does not have the greatest reputation in the world. So, I got the phone number and made a call or rather attempted to make a call for my initial visit. What I got was a busy signal the first 20 attempts (no voice mail options), finally, I got a person and scheduled my first appointment, but she was very clear that it had to be after I was 12 weeks pregnant! (or it is not covered! I suppose if there were any problems it would be but she didn't bother to question me on that in any case) I settled with that, but since I was anxious to have an ultrasound, and was advised they were covered, my family doc wrote me a prescription and I went to the closest radiology lab and got to see my little angel #2 for the first time (photo above). I did learn a lesson though: leave Andrew with Daddy (or daycare) when I go for my future ultrasounds!!! He at first stayed with the receptionists upfront, but after some intense screaming, they let him back with me, and he did nothing but scream, as he sat in a chair beside me and observed (sort of) what was going on. I tried to explain the whole baby thing but he was too wound up to even listen. I think it freaked him out to see me lying down in the chair in a dark room.
My initial prenatal visit with my new doctor at the hospital kinda took me for a loop. I went directly to the OB department and waited in this long line-up just to check in. The receptionist was in a closet-looking room and there was a sign at the door that said to stand behind the entrance of the open door for confidentiality reasons. (I could hear every word being spoken to every patient ahead of me!) Since I had been running around all afternoon, I was really feeling kinda woozy, and would have much preferred the American way of writing my name down, finding a chair, and then being called when they are ready to serve me. However, no such luck...I just stood there waiting behind about 10 other women, mostly pregnant, until it was my turn. I had arrived about 20 minutes early, thinking there would be multiple forms about my health, family history, etc. Nope, she just took down my name and address and sent me back to the hospital entrance (where I had to wait in another line) to provide my health insurance information. Back to the OB department I go, and finally, Dr. Magnaldo (my OB) calls my name. There was no peeing in a cup, no being weighed or blood pressure check in advance by an office nurse, there were very few questions about my own health history, no reference to any prenatal vitamins (fortunately I purchased some in bulk on my last visit to FL). I told her about my sleeping problems and very unsympathetically basically just said sorry about your luck but there's nothing she can do about it! Next thing you know I'm up on the table for an ultrasound, which I always love, it's sooo cool to see that little baby inside of you, and always gives me a feeling of reassurance that things are going fine. Since I feel quite strongly this time around that I do not want to know what it is, (though Robert would rather know, so he is not invited to the ultrasound appointments cuz I know he'll peek if he can!!!) I asked her if I should refrain from looking the whole time (and just look at certain images upon her direction). She immediately responded with a comment to the effect that it is way too early so don't worry about identifying the sex. However, less than a minute later, she pipes up and says that she sees what it is but she'll refrain from telling me! Instantly, I was angered. I think she must have seen a penis, and therefore could tell the sex. Some friends of mine say she could have easily seen female genitalia, etc. but nonetheless, if I told her I didn't want to know, she should have kept her damn mouth shut! I wanted to say something, and let her know that I did not appreciate any comments at all about the sex of the baby, but was at a loss for words, partially because the whole appointment took place in french (she doesn't speak english). Anyway, once I got down from the table and put my pants back on, she writes up an invoice and takes my cash (no debit/credit cards accepted...and this is a department in the HOSPITAL!!!), gives me a receipt (to send to my insurance company) and sends me on my way with prescription for bloodwork. I subsequently found out that I must go to the lab for my bloodwork (and it is also here where I do the pee in a cup thing), return to the lab a few days later when the results are ready and bring said results to my next doctor's appointment one month later! Since France requires that pregnant patients who are not immune to toxoplasmosis be tested on a monthly basis, this is the drill I will have to pursue for the next 5 months. Since I have a tendency to faint after I have blood taken, I have to get Robert to take me to these monthly blood tests! Before leaving the appointment, I did remember to ask my doctor what steps to take in the event of any questions or concerns I may have along the way, and she very nonchalantly said to just call here, but advised me to be aware that the lines are usually busy!!!
I do realize that I was very fortunate to have had such an amazing doctor in the States, and by the end of my pregnancy, almost felt like I could call her a friend. We knew personal things about each other, etc. I know that that will certainly not be the case with Dr. Magnaldo!
I have since learned that there are a total of 7 prenatal visits in France: once at the 12 week mark, and one a month for the remainder (none of this once a week thing in your final month like in the US). There are 3 ultrasounds, one at 12 weeks, one at 20 weeks and one at 32 weeks. (I assume you are having a problematic pregnancy, the rules would differ accordingly) The federal insurance system (what everyone who lives in France has) covers 70% of your health care costs up until the 5th month and 100% of all costs thereafter, until the baby leaves the hospital. (our supplemental insurance through Robert's work covers everything that the fed insurance doesn't so fortunately, our out-of-pocket costs are zero)
I was sharing my personal experiences to date with one of my American friends who lives here and who is also pregnant with her second child. She totally empathized with everything, but did share that although the "customer service" part is significantly lacking, that the quality of health care is superior, and that her experience with her first pregnancy (which happened to be high risk) was outstanding, and her baby (in ICU for the first week) was well looked after and thrived ever since. I have enough mom friends here that I have a huge resource of information available to me through them, and they've all had babies in France with great experiences. However, I must say that I, personally, am very happy I had my first baby in the US, we did all our birth classes and baby classes there and we now know fully what to expect this time around while going through it in a foreign country.