Immense gratitude.

 

Doc and I have been completely blown away by the amount of well wishes and thoughtful gifts from kind friends near and far since Miss Oswin Jade's arrival almost 3 weeks ago, and we can't express our gratitude enough.

 

 

From offerings to pick up groceries for us, or to just come by and hold Oswin for an hour so I could sleep or take an uninterrupted shower, we truly are lucky to have the people in our lives that we do. One of our friends even brought us over a full Mexican dinner of tacos, refried beans and fixins, and prepared it for us in our home, and held Oswin while we ate. Tasty hot food, a cold beer, and good company while juggling a newborn's schedule is a premium that we didn't think we could afford for another few months, so the meal (and gifts of a bottle of cerdon and an adorable wooden puzzle for baby girl) were greatly appreciated. As Tom Robbins said in one of my favorite books, Jitterbug Perfume, "Never underestimate how much assistance, how much satisfaction, how much comfort, how much soul and transcendence there might be in a well-made taco and a cold bottle of beer."

 

 

In addition to all that, since when did all of my friends become such master knitters? One of my sorority sisters from back at Penn State, and owner of the etsy shop PRIMknits, sent us an adorable raspberry colored turban for Oswin, and fellow expat buddy Angie from over at "How to Eat Stale Bread" and "When in Rhone" made her a pair of booties, a hat, and a little wrap sweater. I love knowing such talented people!

 

 

Our friend Sara blogging from over in the LPV (of Sara in Le Petit Village fame) gave us a shout out as well on her Expat Escapades! A shout out in the blogosphere at only 19 days old? You're on to big and amazing things my little girl!

 

 

So, for all those who have wished us well, sent your good energy and positive thoughts our way, we thank you.  You've truly warmed our hearts and made this transition to parenthood smoother than we could have hoped.

 

A la prochaine friends...

 

Honey

Family Boulangerie Walk.

 

If you remember from way back when I was pregnant (ehem, less than 3 weeks ago that is), I loved to go on boulangerie walks with Doc...

 

 

...because what better motivation to get a pregnant woman to walk a little over two miles than to promise her buttery, sweet, nutella filled boulangerie treats?

 

 

Well today, we went on our first boulangerie walk with little Miss Oswin Jade.

 

 

We said hello to the neighbors...

 

 

...looked at the pretty leaves...

 

 

...and waved at the cows grazing on the Jura.

 

 

Ok, I did all that.

 

 

Oswin, the little bugger, slept the whole time.

 

 

Not even the smell of fresh baguettes and croissants would rouse her from her little cocoon of comfy-ness.

 

 

But that's ok, I know it's gotta be hard work being a baby.

 

 

And even harder work being a papa who takes the night shift so that mama can sleep. He really is a keeper.

 

 

How's the weekend shaping up in your neck of the woods? It's sunny and 73 degrees F today, so I'm hoping to get out for another walk to pick up some fresh cut flowers for little Miss Oswin's room...

 

 

...because all little girls should have fresh cut flowers in their room, don't you think?

 

(And I think that their mamas should as well. Hashtag that one "we deserve it." )

 

A la prochaine friends...

 

Honey 

Little people clothes.

 

I can't get enough of little people clothes right now.

 

 

I mean, they're just so little.

 

 

And adorable.

 

 

And make my little girl look like an old man with his pants pulled all the way up.

 

 

It rained chats et chiens all day yesterday, so I essentially spent the day obsessing over potential Chrismukkah presents for little Ms. Oswin Jade, with my focus primarily being on leggings from different etsy shops, jeans in various colors from Petit Bateau, and hair accessories/headbands. That is, until she became little Ms. Inconsolable. Yesterday was the first day in awhile that she's been SO fussy, (awhile being not that long, since she's only been around for a little over 2 weeks), and by the time Doc got home from work I was in need of reinforcements. BIG TIME.

 

Thank goodness Doc can read me like a book, because his reinforcements came in the form of a Nutella filled beignet from my favorite boulangerie and some yoga time for mama (because obviously the two go together so well), and papa-daughter time for him and Oswin. We've always been a good team, Doc and I, but I feel as if we've leveled up in the last two weeks. I feel that tag team wrestling can't be too far off in our future. I mean, if you can wrestle a newborn into a nap whilst in the middle of a 4 hour crying fit, you can pretty much take down a grown man who fake body slams you, right?

 

And with that I think it's just become blatantly obvious that this mama needs a little sleep. Or maybe some wine. Probably both. Yes, definitely both.  

 

A la prochaine friends...

 

Honey



Mama and Oswin: First Solo Walk

 

Let me be the first to say that this may seem like a small feat, but it was actually a big deal to me. Oswin is the first newborn I've ever been around, let alone caring for, so every new thing takes a bit of planning for this new mama.

 

 

For instance, today was the first time I've ever had to put her in the stroller. I think I've got some work to do.

 

 

Those straps just don't look 100% right to me. I didn't realize it until looking at these pictures. She didn't seem to mind though as she slept the whole walk.

 

 

Oswin being my only experience with babies/newborns also causes me to overthink other aspects of everything we do, including our walk today. Does she need a heavy blanket? A light blanket? Is that hat warm enough? Is she going to be too warm? What if it rains? Etc etc etc. Things veteran mamas probably don't have to think twice about, but I spend 30 minutes trying to decide between two different hats for homegirl. Hashtag that one "new mama problems."

 

 

Delayed or not, we got out for an almost 2 mile walk, and it felt great. Something I hadn't really realized? Postpartum recovery is hard. Between recovering from labor and delivery and taking care of a newborn, I'm just exhausted. I felt it on this walk, a walk which is typically a very easy walk for me. Patience is something that does not come easy for me, and getting back to my active pre-pregnancy self is going to be a major test of exactly that.

 

 

Also, pushing a stroller is hard work.

 

 

It's been unseasonably warm lately (today was a high of 72!), so our leaves are only starting to change colors. I really hope that we get the full fall effect on our landscape this year, despite the lateness of our cold weather getting here, because I really want some yellow, orange and red leaf goodness, rather than the leaves just turning brown and falling off.



 

I think Oswin wants that too. C'mon mother nature, let's give baby girl a festive first fall, ok?

 

A la prochaine friends...

 

Honey



Two weeks with Ms. Oswin Jade.

{Leggings: Candy Kirby Designs; Onesie: Bobo Choses (old)}

 

Yesterday little Oswin Jade turned 2 weeks old. {Insert sappy cliché here about how fast the time has gone by over the last two weeks, etc etc...} It's amazing to see the changes in her over that time though, from the little snippets of her personality that we're starting to see come through (this girl is all me), to her ability to sleep through any noise, such as the oompa band from this past weekend, (a trait she gets from her papa).

 

 

Those long toes and fingers? All papa right there. Hopefully she won't end with size 15 feet like him though...

 

 

Over the last few days we've noticed that she's more alert and observesant of what's going on around her. I don't know how much she's taking things in yet, but she definitely becomes transfixed on different objects. When she's awake she's constantly looking around and turning her head to view different things.

 

 

She's also started sucking her thumb over the last day or so...

 

 

...has started smiling more...

 

 

...and has fallen in love with her sleep sack and pacifier. (And so have mama and papa for that matter.) I think we're starting to get a decent schedule down with her when it comes to sleeping and eating, though that doesn't make it any less exhausting. Doc and I are a good team though, and we each know when the other needs a break, which is so important right now. It's easy to go a little batty with a crying newborn, but when you have someone to laugh about the laser poop incidents with, it makes it all worthwhile.

 

And the snuggles from little Ms. Blue Eyes aren't too shabby either...

 

A la prochaine friends...

 

Honey



10 Things: Our Weekend.



 

1// These eyes get bigger everyday.

2// Post bath baby snuggles.

3// Clean baby.

4// Yawnnn,

5// Little tuss.

6// Little girl in blue.

7// Go for a walk.

8// Stripes are always a good idea.

9// I can't get enough of how cute she is when she sleeps.

10// Probably my favorite picture of the last almost two weeks: The Thinker and The Stinker  

 

A la prochaine friends...

 

Honey