Two centimetres and counting...

As of Monday July 20th, my cervix has dilated 2 cm and despite my due date of August 15th, I'm feeling like labour day is right around the corner! Although I haven't been sleeping well of late (back to getting up again countless times to empty the bladder), I am now feeling a little more prepared for the new addition to our family. Robert has helped tremendously at getting the things crossed off the list, and I'm now at the point where I feel like I can get some resting in on the days Andrew is in creche. However, the annual closure of the creche begins on Friday, so Andrew will be at home full time, but I hope to have active mornings in the pool or beach, and long naps in the afternoon, for as long as I can. My biggest concern of late has been where Andrew will go if the baby wants to come in the middle of the night. Fortunately, my next door neighbour has graciously volunteered to come sleep over should that happen and Andrew's babysitter will be happy to take him during the day. The only hiccup is that my neighbour is away this Thursday through Sunday so I am keeping my fingers crossed that the baby will chill out in my belly for at least another week. I'm now feeling much less anxious about finding out the sex, and more anxious to learn that the little baby inside me that I am already in love with is healthy and "normal". I can feel that the baby has already dropped, and although I feel a lot of movement and poking, the turning and kicking seem to have subsided, as I think the baby is running out of room. As of July 20th, the baby weighed in at 3 kilos (6.6 lbs) and the doc suspects this baby will be smaller than Andrew. Andrew asks me all the time if my baby is sleeping or up, and is an avid little helper when it comes to assembling all of the baby stuff Robert has put together over the last few weeks. We read books about waiting for a baby, etc and though I know he knows there's a baby coming, I am still confident it will be a big adjustment for him to have to share Mommy and Daddy with someone else. (though I know to continue to give Andrew most of the attention when the baby comes, as the newborns require very little at first) Robert and I have yet to agree on a name, particularly for a boy, and will have only 3 days to name the baby once born, so I hope Robert sees the light soon and agrees with at least one of the cool names on my list!!! The next doctor's appointment is scheduled for August 10th, should we make it that long.

Andrew and his big boy bed

Despite all the activity in the last couple of months, two very important milestones have been achieved by Andrew...potty training and the transition from crib to big boy bed. In hindsight, it almost seems like the potty training was the easier of the two. With respect to potty training, all of a sudden, it just clicked...and he began to tell me every time he had to do a pee-pee or caca (poop in French!). I was a little concerned, as the "click" happened just two days before we left for Canada in June, but my concerns were unfounded...he stayed dry the whole time we were there, airplane rides included. I was SOOOO proud of him. He still wears a diaper during the night, though it has often been dry in the morning. With respect to his new bed, I was delighted to find a bargain online from a Canadian couple relocating and selling all of their furniture. We decorated his room in new Thomas bedding, Thomas decals, and several new toys including his new fave, his beloved tool box! The first few nights were surprisingly a breeze. We laid down with him for a few minutes and he was out in no time. Then he came to the realization that he can get OUT of the bed...and so the pattern began...Andrew getting up, and us putting him back down. We did some research on how to best handle this, and it seems the best advice so far has been to simply explain to him that his new bed is for sleeping and for having nice dreams (and now we talk about what he wants to dream about each night...usually Karl's car or fixing things with Daddy) and that the rule at bedtime is that Andrew stays in bed. Knock on wood, but it's been two days now, and it seems to have clicked...he has not gotten out of bed when he's been put down. However, he has started a little pattern of waking up at 2 or 3 am, walking over to Daddy's side of the bed, and Daddy returning him to bed after a short snuggle. The next challenge will be to get him to stay in the bed all the way through the night...but I'm feeling positive that it won't take too long to achieve that goal.

Aunty Susie and Uncle Billy are married!!!

We arrived in Toronto on June 2nd and had an amazing time visiting with everyone, in addition to preparing for Aunty Susie's big day. June 13th was indeed a special day for us all. Susie was an absolutely stunning bride, and she had the most handsome ring boy and most beautiful flower girl in the world! The wedding was beautiful, and we had an absolutely amazing time. The day was also very emotional, and the hormones running through my pregnant body certainly did not help. I managed to get through my speech, but not without a few tears! Here it is:

When Sus first shared the news of her and Bill's engagement, I can't truly say that I was all that surprised. In fact, even though Bill took his sweet little time in proposing to my sister, I knew early on that their relationship was meant to be. I could tell by the way her eyes lit up every time she talked about him and told me about the most recent thoughtful, generous, and very romantic gestures he had done for her. I could tell by the way she laughed at all the funny things he did and said, and how that quirky sense of humour of his was a perfect match for hers. But mostly I could tell by the solidity of their friendship, that began long before they started dating, and developed into a union of love, trust, respect and an endless list of shared interests, hobbies, and goals.
Although I have always been Susie's older sister and perhaps role model in some ways, it is she who is my hero and from whom I have perhaps even learned the most in life. For example, she has taught me that it is impossible to get a chipmunk out of a toilet with a spatula. And that swallowing a Tim Tam (an Australian cookie) without chewing it (on Christmas morning) would result in my mom performing CPR. I also learned that I'm not really a very good hairdresser (after numerous attempts with her as my guinea pig), that I'm not really a very good gymnastics coach either (after countless times of dropping her on her head) and that I'm definitely a terrible driving instructor (after she drove through the front lawn in Dad's Monte Carlo on Dunvegan Rd and came to a screeching halt only inches away from the house). But perhaps most importantly, she taught me how to get away with things, namely using a little sister as a scape goat!
In all seriousness though, Susie is someone I've looked up to and admired for years. She has always excelled at everything she sets out to do; she started off as a star gymnast, then triathlete, was a top student in her PT programs and now has a brilliant career, where her patients so obviously adore her.
She doesn't just talk about plans and dreams like many, she follows them through to fruition, like her whirlwind travel adventures through New Zealand and Australia.
No matter where she goes, she makes an endless amount of friends, and she is indeed the type of friend anybody would be lucky to have. She has always been there for me, no matter what time of day or distance between us, and sometimes I feel like she understands what I'm telling her before the words even come out of my mouth.
And she has a very unique way of finding humour in nearly every situation; she has cheered me up in my darkest of moments and is one of the wittiest people I've ever met.
She is also one of the strongest women I know. Susie has overcome challenges and experiences in her life that many could not even imagine, but which have shaped her into the strong, independent and courageous person she is today.
On top of everything else, she is the best aunt in the world, and her 4 nephews and niece (soon to be 5) are so lucky to have her.
Susie, I love you and I am so grateful to have you as my sister. Billy, I welcome you to our crazy family and am so grateful to have you now as a brother-in-law. Words cannot describe how happy I am that this day has come and that you have found a man as wonderful as Bill to share your life with. Although I'm apparently no expert on marriage myself, I'm confident that yours will be a very long and happy one. And Andrew told me to tell the two of you that he'd like some more cousins in the very near future!
I'd like to close off by reciting a little poem I wrote for Susie:

Susie:
I first met you when I was only nearly 3
I was so proud to have a baby sister, even though you only came up to my knee

For many years we shared everything, your tears felt like my own
I've always been protective of you, even now that you are fully grown

I've loved you since the day your were born and that love will never fade
I'm so fortunate to have you in my life, what a wonderful person mom and dad have made

Thanks for putting up with me and all I used to do
In spite of it all, you've always been so loyal, so kind, so honest and true

I've always admired you, and the type of aunt that you have been
But now that I have a child myself, it means the world to me

We've shared happy times and sad ones, all our secrets and our fears
Thank you for giving true meaning to the word SISTER and for sharing these last 34 years

And now I turn today to see you walk up the aisle
Leaning on mom's arm, your face beaming a smile

To Bill, I just want you to know
Make her this happy always and you will forever be my hero

May in a nutshell

Our cruise ship sailed into London, where we hopped on a quick flight directly back to Nice and re-settled into French life once again. Because we had returned by ship, we had no jet lag issues to deal with (the ship changed the clock on 5 separate occasions, which is MUCH easier on a toddler, than one 6 hour difference all in one day). Fortunately, we arrived back to a very sunny and warm Riviera, and began frequent beach outings and picnics. The highlight of the month was most definitely our annual Mother's Day trip to Italy where we had a beautiful walk (see photo above), meal and playtime at Andrew's favourite park and merry-go-round. But May was a particularly busy month too...in addition to the usual catch-up of being away for a month, I had an endless list of baby prepping stuff to do, French taxes to do, US taxes to do, (neither of which are in the slightest bit straightforward anymore), doctors appointments, ultrasounds, and of course packing and preparing for our June trip to Canada!

Back from my blog hiatus

With only days to go now before baby comes, I thought I'd give an attempt at a blog update of the previous 4 months!

APRIL ADVENTURES

On March 30th, Andrew and I flew to Miami to join Robert on his 2 week business trip in Florida. Despite our lengthy itinerary (Nice to Frankfurt-2 hour flight, Frankfurt to Dusseldorf-1 hour flight, Dusseldorf to Miami-10 hour flight), Andrew was truly an angel on the trip, was well entertained by the in-flight entertainment system, and the new books, toys and puzzles I brought along with me, and especially enjoyed our hourly trips to the bathroom so Mommy could empty her bladder (Andrew got to hang out with the flight attendants who often gave him special bonbons while he waited for me!). I've officially declared myself to be an expert traveller with a child (and one on the way)! In Miami, we had the good fortune of staying at a beautiful hotel with a room overlooking the intracoastal waterway. Andrew became quite a fan of all the beautiful yachts that passed us by all day long. While Robert was in his conference/meetings, etc., Andrew and I spent hours by the pool, often with the company of Tia and Abuela who came by frequently to visit. Although we didn't get the opportunity to visit all our Florida friends, we had a very relaxing and enjoyable time.

On April 17th, we boarded the NCL Jewel for our fourth transatlantic crossing. It was an incredible vacation, and one that we perhaps savoured even moreso than the previous three, knowing that this would likely be the last big trip for a while! On NCL, the kids camp accepts children from the age of two, so Andrew spent some time every day with his friends at camp and enjoyed it immensely. Robert and I got to enjoy many nice evenings of dinner and showtime, while Andrew was busy at camp...and picking him up every time was always a thrill for me, to see what costume he was in and what theme they had celebrated that evening. One of my faves, was Prince and Princess night (see Prince Andrew above).