Mom in France

First Blood!

Last fall when my mom was here for Boo's baptism she brought with her a bunch of toys, clothes, memorabilia from when we were younger.  In the stash was a 1st-year calendar from my youngest brother, Jay, who is 13 years younger than me.  The calendar was blank and you fill in each page with the month and days and in the back were sheets of stickers with major milestones (Dr's visit, first tooth, first step, etc.)  The calendar is filled in with my adolescent handwriting in turquoise blue ink.  I guess I took it upon myself as the keeper of the 'Firsts.'  I generally always loved those kind of cataloging things (and journals in general).

Along towards the end of the year, in my stepfather's handwriting, is "First Blood."  There was no sticker for that.  We tried to remember:  We think Jay fell off the sofa.

Now, in Boo's first year (10.5 months) we had our own first blood. My normal reaction to little bumps and tiny falls are to reassure him that he's not hurt.  Last week he tried to crawl to me as I filed papers.  He had to negotiate a step and didn't quite make it, smashing his nose.  I picked him up and began my usual comfort, sympathizing with the fear and trying to reassure him that he was alright when I noticed that there was blood all over my sweater.  Oh.  Not alright.

So we had the fun of cleaning the bloody nose.  Since then there's been another and cut lip this morning.  A friend warned me that once Boo becomes ambulatory that we'd see a lot of blood (and to expect trips to the ER).  In a strange way it was a good feeling knowing that I could take care of the wound fairly easily and without panic.  Two minutes later Boo was on to something else.

Jet-set Life and Finger Puppets

Boo and I went to Paris on Sunday -- for the day.  We flew at 10am and were home, in bed, 12 hours later.  We went for a special occassion.  An old friend of mine from college-aged days was visiting for a long weekend with her husband and daughter who is one week older than Boo.  We hadn't seen each other in 10 years and had only reconnected 18 months ago.

J brought us these most awesome finger-puppets and a beautiful blanket. The puppets were great in keeping Boo entertained while waiting for our return flight and kept him distracted enough from trying to lick the terminal floor.  I was in good form and didn't think to bring anything (duh.)  But now that I've met I, I know what to do for birthday!

Paris was in grand form.  There was early spring weather and the city seemed joyful.  We walked through the Luxembourg Gardens with its iconic fountain and chairs and all the sunny open spaces were crowded with sunseekers and no one was seeking respite in the shade. I didn't take a single picture of this amazing day but J's husband E is a genius-photographer and was snapping pictures throughout the day so I'm hopeful some will find their way to me.

When in Rome...

Boo and I went to Rome last weekend to meetup with friends, one living in Naples and another visiting from LA.  Our original plans included me bringing Boo, but after the Christmas trip I began to have doubts.  A couple of weeks ago I decided it would be less disrutive if Boo stayed home with Papa and this would turn our weekend into a real girls' weekend.  At the last minute, on Thursday, I changed my mind.  I just couldn't bear the idea of being away from Boo for three days. Funny how that attachment thing works!  I think I could handle a day and an overnight, but the thought of three days and two nights was just too much.  So in a hurry on Thursday night I began packing for the two of us.

We arrived in Rome with really no trouble.  Although I had a lot of bags (checked suitcase, weekender, handbag, stroller) I managed the airport ok.  The only trouble was the airport to city center train (big stairs to embark/disembark) but people were really helpful.  Also, overall, I found Italy to be the most baby-friendly place.  So many people made a fuss over Boo that he was never bored!

Of course, the food was yummy. Here is the remains of my first day's lunch:

Just after that lunch we suffered from the most fantastic poopslosion!  It was a good thing we were three -- it took all hands to disrobe, clean and bathe Boo while avoiding to get poop everywhere.  We also discovered a good use for the European hotel bidet (though I bet we're not the first):

The whole weekend was a success.  I found that cities are great baby places because there is so much to see and do just walking around. And no car required.  We arrived home sunday evening tired but happy.