Artists, Churches and More

We took it easy and had a late breakfast before starting out for sightseeing.  Our first destination was Sacre Coeur.  It is a beautiful, thought not very old, basilica on the top of Montmartre.  We rode the Metro to the neighborhood and then climbed a million and one stairs to exit from the station.  Note to self, there is a large and convenient elevator that we walked right past.  We rode the funicular to the church itself to avoid another million steps.  I was feeling great but that many stairs is enough to wind even the non-pregnant tourist.  After swinging through the church, we went to the nearby Place du Tertre.     

This touristy little square is full of artists and cafes.  Tessa was fascinated with the painters and happily sat on the curb to watch one work with oil paints.  She had been so looking forward to seeing the artists in Paris.  You never know what's going to strike the fancy of a six year old.  We ended up buying a silhouette of Tessa because the guy started snipping even while I was saying no, no merci.  I said no enough times that he ended up giving it to us for half price.  I can work with that.  We settled in at an outdoor café for lunch where Tessa could continue watching the artists at work.  I had the French onion soup that I have been craving and Ryan had a pizza.  Tessa was not thrilled with her classic Croque Monsieur, but happily shared pizza with her Daddy.  We strolled through the Moulin Rouge, which is much seedier than I remember, and then caught the Metro back to the historic center.         

We went to Sainte Chapelle which I think is one of the prettiest churches in all of Europe.  It has 360 degrees of stained glass windows all filled with Bible stories.  Cloudy days like this are perfect because the indirect light illuminates all of the windows.  This altar, and whole church really, was built by St. Louis (IX) to house the Crown of Thorns.  Tessa asked me when we would get to see the king and I explained that we are about 800 years too late.     

We walked on down the Ile de la Cite to the famous Notre Dame.  They have put a terrible temporary grandstand right in front of the church to commemorate it's 850th anniversary.  Maybe it's nice to have a place to sit and admire the church and yes, I did climb the bleachers for a photo op, but this modern addition is annoyingly distracting.  Too bad they didn't ask for my opinion.     

The church has a beautiful pieta on the high altar, a gorgeous rose window of stained glass and an abundance of side chapels.  We did a circuit of the whole church and Tessa was thoroughly bored. 

 

Lucky for us, there was a playground alongside the church.  Ryan and I rested while Tessa played with little French girls.  The gardens around the church are beautiful too, everything was blooming creating a riot of fall colors.  From the outside, you can see the flying buttresses that define this church in Gothic style.  Unfortunately, I wasn't up for climbing the bell tower to get up close and personal with the famous gargoyles.     

We crossed over to the Left Bank on this bridge with all the love locks.  As the story goes, you buy a lock from conveniently located nearby vendors, write your names on it, attach it to the bridge and throw the key in the river.  This symbolizes that your love will last forever.  Maybe I'm just getting old and cynical, but I think this makes the bridge look terrible!  We did get a kick out of looking at some of the locks.  There is everything from a TSA baggage lock to a heavy duty engraved lock attached to this bridge.  The ones that made us laugh the most are the high school combination locks.  Change your mind about someone?  No problem, just dial in the combination and remove your lock of love.  The bridge may be ugly but Tessa sure is cute.   

We ate dinner with a view of Notre Dame.  I used my caffeine allowance to have an after dinner espresso, I really love espresso and would normally drink at least two or three a day while in Europe.  But, for Baby Brother's sake, I limited myself to just one precious cup a day.  After dinner, we took a river cruise on Bateaux Parisien.  We launched from just in front of the Eiffel Tower and it started to sparkle just as we left the dock.  We listened to the narrated tour as we floated past some of Paris' most famous spots.  Tessa played with a little British girl who was "on holiday."  Pleasantly worn out, we walked back to our hotel and crashed.

Disneyland Paris

I can't believe this is our third Disney trip in one year, that is a record we will probably never beat.  But how could we be so close to Sleeping Beauty's castle and not visit?  Prior to our trip, we purchased combo bus and park tickets to make things easier.  I now know, the train would have been just as easy.  After breakfast in the hotel, which included at least three pastries for me, we took the Metro to the Place de l'Opera to meet our bus.  Our bus was a few minutes late, just enough to make me stress, but we arrived at the park only minutes after opening time.  Of course, we stopped for castle pictures.

Our plan, you know I had one, was to first hit all the attractions that are different than the ones in Florida.  Naturally, Fantasyland was our first stop.  We hopped on Pinocchio's Voyage and then the plan pretty much went out the window.  No wait for Peter Pan, sure let's go!  Oh wait, pregnant mamma cannot ride.  France is a fabulous place to be pregnant because the French are very protective of pregnant women.  In fact, at Disneyland's City Hall I was given a pass that let us all cut in lines so I wouldn't have to stand on my preggo feet all day.  Awesome, except they were also strict about which rides I couldn't ride.  I wasn't expecting to ride Space Mountain but I was a little surprised Peter Pan was off limits too.  Oh well, Tessa had fun with Daddy.  We rode Winnie the Pooh and then moved on to Alice's Curious Labyrinth which ends with a Merry Unbirthday Party.

It really is a small world!  This ride is just a little different with scenes from America included.  But the song still gets stuck in your head.   

Our next stop was Adventureland where we explored Aladdin's Passages and Captain Hook's Pirate Ship.  There was a fun playground at Pirate Beach where Tessa played before she and Ryan rode Pirates of the Caribbean.  Then we found Captain Jack Sparrow.  He was awesome.  Tessa didn't want to meet him alone, so I got roped into going on stage too.  I'm totally impressed that the characters speak both French and English, although I guess I'm not surprised.  When I introduced myself and Tessa, Jack asked if I wanted to speak French or English.  I'll take that as a compliment on my accent, but let's stick with English.  Captain Jack straightened my necklace for the picture and then tried to decide if he should steal it and add it to his treasure.  Ha!  Tessa warmed up to the feisty pirate and I was able to hop down to take pictures of the two of them.

We made our way over to Frontierland next.  They were already starting to decorate for fall so we got a few pictures with the pumpkin people.  Tessa wasn't interested in riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and I thought the Phantom Manor would be too scary for her.  So we went searching for the Pocahontas Indian Village only to discover that it was under construction.  Oh well.  We needed to hurry to the castle for lunch anyways.  Yes, we did all of this before lunch!

Lunch was fantastic!  Unlike booking Cinderella's Royal Table here in American where you call six months ahead of time and cross your fingers for the coveted, secured with a credit card, reservation number, it was relatively easy to book a table at Auberge de Cendrillon.  Ryan called a few months before our trip and they said just show up and tell them our name on the day of the reservation.  Really?!  Really.  We did a costume change, we have to be dressed appropriately to dine with royalty, and were seated immediately.  The food was outstanding, of course it would be in France.  I had scallops with truffle risotto and Ryan had veal and pumpkin soup.  Tessa's kid dish included an appetizer of salmon mousse, she wasn't so interested but Ryan said it was good, and baked chicken with mushrooms.  No chicken nuggets here.

More important than the food were the characters.  Suzy and Perla, Cinderella's mice visited our table.  Tessa can tell them apart which tickled Suzy who came first.  I wasn't sure which princesses we would be seeing but we got lucky and saw Aurora, Snow White, Belle and the Beast.  Sleeping Beauty spent the most time talking to Tessa.  I'm not sure what all they talked about because I was busy taking pictures of the two Auroras.  I do know they talked about dress color and that Merryweather was currently getting her way.  This explains why the princess was sporting a blue version of her dress.  But, she told Tessa, it had been pink just that morning.  I love the magic.  Belle and Prince Adam danced their way to our table where Tessa immediately started chatting with the prince.  Move over Belle, this is Tessa's first time to meet the Beast in human form and she wants him all to herself.  Snow White visited too and talked with Tessa for a long time.  She asked who Tessa's favorite princess was.  Tessa diplomatically responded "all of them!"  It's true, this girl loves her princesses.      

After lunch, we went across the square to Hollywood Studios.  That's a big thing that is different here in France, the parks are literally next to each other.  I hear this is how California is set up, will need to check that out someday.  We strolled past the iconic statue of Walt with Mickey and headed for Toon Studio.

While Tessa drove cars in the Race Rally with Daddy, I stood in line for Mickey and Minnie.  Oh wait, I forgot, I don't have to stand in line because I am pregnant.  As soon as Tessa and Ryan joined me, we went straight to the front of the line.  I like this!

Want to see Pluto too?  Sure!  We don't have to stand in that long line either.

We had to take a picture in front of this stack of tires.  After all, tires are what's paying for this trip! 

Then we head to Toy Story Playland where Tessa and Ryan ride the Slinky Dog Zig Zag.  Ryan rides the RC racer by himself.  There is a huge Buzz Lightyear and TRex as well as other fun details from the movie. 

Most of the other rides in Hollywood Studios were a little too intense for Tessa.  So we went back to the castle to catch the parade.  It was nice that we had special seats, again thanks to my condition, and were able to show up just five minutes before the parade.  DLRP is celebrating it's 20th Anniversary, very cool.

After the parade we went to the as yet unvisited DiscoveryLand.  It's Paris' version of Tomorrowland.  With some quick line cutting, we got to ride Buzz Lightyear.  The ride stopped right at the end and we really racked up points with our laser guns.  Ryan, as always, had the most points.  We made a boring trek through 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and gave Tessa a chance to ride Space Mountain, which she declined.  We then realized that the train stops running before the park closes so we walked back to Fantasyland.  There we had a little time left for a few favorites.   

I am amused that Ryan really thought we would get out of the park without a ride on Dumbo.  As Fantasyland was closing down for the night, my two sweethearts took a spin on the flying elephant. 

On our way out of the park we stopped for a few more castle shots with our very own princess.  I had thought we would have time to grab a quick dinner in Disney Village but we ended up having to run to catch our bus.  Oh well, a late dinner of candy bars from our backpack didn't bother our sweet little girl one bit.  It was an extravagance to use a whole Paris day for Disney, but it was worth it.  Tessa tells us this was her favorite day from the whole trip, she is just six after all.  

First Day in Paris

We're in PARIS!!!  After a long overnight flight, during which Tessa and I did not sleep at all, we headed directly to our hotel.  Thankfully, they could check us in early and we headed up to our lovely room.  Tessa had fallen asleep in the taxi and wasn't really awake.  We all laid down for a nice two hour nap.  It took a little convincing to get Tessa up after just two hours, but if we let her sleep longer she would never adjust to the jet lag.  Our first stop was the iconic Eiffel Tower which was within easy walking distance of our hotel.  Our little photographer-in-training started snapping pictures immediately.

A nearby tourist offered to take pictures of all of us.  The weather was beautiful with sunny skies and a warm breeze.  Since it was Tuesday, the Champs de Mars park was delightfully uncrowded. 

I laughed when Ryan asked me to pose for a baby bump shot.  I am so glad he did though, this is my favorite picture!    

Of course, we wanted to go up the Eiffel Tower.  We bought tickets to go all the way to the top.  The first elevator stopped on the second floor after an unnerving diagonal ascent.  This floor is plenty high all by itself and offers the best views of Pairs.  We walked around and gazed out at the surrounding buildings, trying to get oriented.  We debated not going to the top because we were all a little tired and hungry.  But if we didn't, I was afraid we would regret it.  I remember Ryan and I went to the top last time and I wanted Tessa to have that experience too.  So we stood in the long line waiting for the small red elevator to take us to the top floor.  Ryan and I reminisced about how our lives have changed since the last time we were here.  Back then we were struggling to start a family.  Now here we are with a precious daughter and a son on the way.  I cry a little because in those dark days of infertility I never dreamed my life would turn out so wonderfully.  I blamed the tears on jet lag and hormones.  Holding hands on the elevator, Tessa turned to me in surprise and said "Momma, your hands are sweaty!"  Well, yeah, heights aren't my favorite and we are way high at this point.  The view from the top is stunning though.  We took pictures and tried not to notice how the tower swayed a little under our feet.           

Once we are safely back on the ground, we head across the street for a snack.  We orderd a delicious strawberry and Nutella crepe.  This is my new favorite kind of crepe, we had several more during our trip. 

Tessa spotted a merry go round and so we sent her for a whirl.  She is such a happy girl.  An ice cream cone completed this joyful experience.     

We crossed back across the park to a little playground.  By this time, school was out and there were French kids playing everywhere.  Ryan watched Tessa play on the playground, and I lounged on the grass enjoying the chance to rest.  We told ourselves that we would take it easy on this trip and not try to rush around doing everything.  For this first day at least, we held to that thought.     

We made our way back to our hotel and decided we were all too tired to even sit in a café for dinner.  So we popped into a little corner shop that sold pizza, hot sandwiches and fries.  Then it was bathtime and bedtime, we needed to rest up for our trip to Disneyland Paris the next day. 

Baby Bump 24 Weeks

Here I am at 24 weeks.  As you can see, Baby is growing and so am I. 

I am feeling so good these days.  I have random moments of tingly happiness all over, kind of like the feeling you get after you have a massage.  It's wonderful!  My energy has returned and I'm actually able to do more than sleep all the time.  Baby Brother is kicking up a storm these days.  One night, after eating Taco Bell, he gave such a swift kick that Ryan was able to feel it.  That was a cool, if unhealthy, moment.  I am craving all kinds of savory & salty foods.  Sausage biscuits and gravy have been at the top of my list lately.  Tessa thinks it's hilarious that the baby doesn't like broccoli (it gives me horrible indigestion) since she doesn't like it either.  She claims that she is allergic, ha!  Cottage cheese with fruit is hitting the spot as is Captain Crunch cereal.  I'm trying not to go too crazy with food, but I am hungry all the time.  At least I am still able to exercise.  I walk Anabelle while Tessa is at school, I spin and I do yoga.  My yoga instructor told me this week that I'm still doing really good with balance.  I can pick things up off the floor without a problem but I find when I squat down it takes longer to get back up.  I never noticed how often I do these deep knee bends, especially at work.  But I notice now when I have to give an extra oomph to stand back up.  My doctor gave me a good report at my check up today.  I will go back in four weeks.             

Concert Night

Last night we were playing dress up and Tessa decided that she wanted to star in a concert.  She looked at me, very serious, and asked if we had a guitar.  Actually we do, and we have my grandpa's ukulele that is more size appropriate for her.  So I grabbed the camera and the concert began.  Too cute!

I taped several of her numbers and played them back for her.  I won't torture you with the videos where I was singing along.  This is a clip of her doing Rapunzel's song.  Her southern accent when she says hair just cracks me up. 

Apple Farm

We made our annual trip up to Sky Top on Labor Day week-end.  Tessa is getting so tall!

And this is Baby Brother's first trip to the apple farm so we took his picture in front of the sign too.

 

The weather was beautiful, finally we are having some sunny days.  We went out in search of apples.  Galas and Honeycrisp were ready for picking.  Honeycrisp apples are delicious and we soon discovered that those trees were picked clean.  But there were plenty of Galas for us to pick.  This was fun because we just read a Fancy Nancy book where she picks Gala apples.   

Daddy and Gampa took turns boosting Tessa up onto their shoulders.  The best apples were up high.  We picked two buckets before heading getting tired.  

 My cute little apple eater, um I mean picker. 

We paid for the apples we had picked and grabbed a bag of the precious Honeycrisp apples.  Then we settled down on a blanket in the shade to eat our picnic lunch.  For dessert we bought fresh cooked apple donuts, yummy.  Tessa played on the playground for a long time before we went on a hayride.  This is such a fun family tradition.    

Baby Bump

Here I am at 20 weeks pregnant, my first official baby bump picture!  My plan is to take pictures periodically while wearing this same shirt so I can really see how my belly grows. 

I have been wearing maternity clothes for weeks now.  Friends have shared their things and my mom took me on quite the shopping spree.  The jeans especially are so comfortable!  Why don't they make regular clothes like this?  Now that I know I am having a boy, I have an excuse for my enormous appetite.  Unfortunately, indigestion is kicking in making my afternoons a little uncomfortable.  I have never had indigestion before, I can usually eat anything, so this is an adjustment for me.  This baby is strongly opposed to pizza, one of my favorite foods.  Peanut butter, my go to staple for the first trimester, is also causing problems.  According to an old wives' tale, my indigestion means he is going to be born with lots of hair.  That one might hold true since Ryan and I certainly both have thick hair.  And that hair is probably going to be totally straight too, we don't have a single curl between us. 

 

Sometime after my 16 week appointment, I felt the first movements.  It felt like champagne bubbles in the left side of my belly.  At first I wasn't sure what I was feeling but my friends assured me that it was the baby.  I can feel him kick pretty regularly now and it's amazing.  His little flutters are too gentle for Ryan to feel yet.  But it's sweet when Ryan puts his hand on my belly and we both hold our breath trying to feel something.    

 

Overall I feel really good and am enjoying this pregnancy tremendously.  I tell Ryan all the time that a lot of that is due to him providing me such a pampered lifestyle.  He's a big help around the house and lets me get plenty of rest.  I thought my energy would return in the second trimester, but I am still sleeping all the time.  My coworkers pamper me too, making sure I don't lift too much or work too hard.  While I love all the attention, I don't want to be one of those annoying handicapped pregnant women.  With a few adjustments, like going to bed at eight o'clock and drinking tons of water, life is continuing in a fairly normal way.  

First Day of School

Who's ready for the first day of school?!?!?  Tessa is!!!  But first, you know Momma has to take a few pictures.

I can't believe my baby is going to kindergarten at "big school."  Last week we went up to meet her new teacher.  She has almost thirty years of experience and seems really nice.  Tessa and I did a little scavenger hunt together to get oriented to the classroom.  For this week, I will be able to walk Tessa into her classroom.  After these first few days, she will be navigating the halls by herself.   

A couple of days ago I had a good cry about school starting.  This marks the end of my time with just us two girls at home.  Next summer, my attention will be divided between Tessa and Baby Brother.  I have treasured these sweet years, but they have gone altogether too fast.   

Ryan came with us for the big first day.  We walked into the school, Tessa holding hands with each of us.  This was the only sign she gave that she was a little nervous.  But with Daddy on one side and Momma on the other, she bravely marched in with all the other kids and families.  She found her classroom and then her cubby where put up her backpack.  Then she took a seat at the table, ready to start the day.

Even though we are going to the nearest public school, we don't know one single kid in her class.  All of our neighborhood friends got different teachers.  With eight different kindergarten classes I guess I shouldn't be surprised by this, but I am.  Tessa is a social kid and I know she will make new friends quickly.  I can't wait to hear all about her adventures at school.

It's a....

BOY!!!!!   Look at our handsome little guy.

We brought Tessa to this appointment with us so that she could see the baby.  I ate a Snickers and drank my one Diet Coke to ensure this baby would move around during the exam, which he certainly did.  The ultrasound tech didn't make us wait long to find out if we are having a boy or a girl.  One swipe over my belly with the ultrasound wand and it was very obvious this baby is a boy.  I burst into tears, not because I'm sad, just because it's such an emotional moment.  Then he gave this cute wave and we caught a picture of his sweet little hand.  The tech continued with the ultrasound taking all the necessary measurements and checking everything.  There was a tense moment where she thought something was wrong with my placenta.  But, it was just a bad angle.  Upon further exam everything looks great.  Tessa was unimpressed with the whole process but I am still glad we took her.  My doctor stuck his head in to check on us.  He had already predicted that I was having a boy.

We let the grandparents know our news and then, after all the excitement, we went out for my birthday dinner.  How fun that this appointment was on my birthday.  As we sat in a sports bar, munching on fried pickles and hot wings, Ryan assured me that I am going to be a great boy mom.  He pointed to his blue shirt and told me that he really didn't wear blue on purpose.  I looked down and was amazed to see that I was wearing a blue shirt too.  Coincidence?

Momma's Birthday

In honor of our upcoming trip to France, I had a French birthday this year.  I love all things French and may even decorate the nursery in a pink and black French theme if we are having a girl.  We celebrated at my parents' house on Sunday where my mom had this great cake and little French books and treasures for me.  Tessa loves the poodle on my cake.  She wants our next dog to be a poodle but this is not going over so well with Ryan.  Maybe a cockapoo, they are really cute dogs. 

Ryan shopped for French cheeses that I could actually eat.  Apparently, pregnant women are not supposed to eat unpasteurized cheeses.  Surprisingly, not all cheeses in the US are pasteurized especially the imported cheeses I love.  But the ones he found for us were delicious and we munched on cheese and crackers.  Tessa is quite adventurous when it comes to trying new cheeses.  She is going to do just fine in France.

I had a little helper when it came time to blow out candles and cut the cake.  Tessa wanted to take no chances at missing any of the icing. 

Tessa served me my cake.  She is sweeter than any icing I have ever tasted.  I do love this precious little girl.

Notice who else is nearby, just in case any food hits the floor.  It's my lovable furry vacuum cleaner.  Now that I am almost 20 weeks I am really starting to show.  More baby bump pictures coming soon.  While I don't want to admit to being another year older, I enjoyed celebrating with my family.