This is our last full week in Paris so we tried to spend as much time out in the city as possible. The weather was beautiful so Annabelle and I went to the park a lot and went for a couple of long walks!

Annabelle had a bit of a rough week sleeping. She didn’t want to nap at all and when she did it was only for short spurts. And she’s waking up at 5am.  We’re taking turns again, getting up with her for a couple of hours. And then the other getting up while the first takes a nap.  This trip has really helped me appreciate that Annabelle has her own bedroom at home and that it’s very dark! I just hope she transition back to Nebraska time alright. I’m a little afraid of what might happen with the 7-hour time difference.

And then of course, the day after the doctor leaves (our friend Allison) Annabelle falls and cuts her tongue. She cut it just enough that it looked almost like snake’s tongue. It wasn’t bad enough to go to the hospital but for the first few days I was a little worried it wouldn’t heal correctly and she’d have a little slithery tongue. But of course, it healed just fine and you would never have known she was sticking part of her slithery tongue between her teeth!

It’s been 4 weeks since Annabelle started walking and she really is becoming quite good.  Here’s a video to show you how fast she’s getting.  She’s still a bit wobbly but she’s got the basics for sure!

It’s either time to go home or time to go shopping for new clothes! I brought mostly size 6-9 month clothes and now that she’s almost 10 months, they’re a bit tight. It’s fun to see how much she’s grown since we’ve been here. I feel like we’ll leave next week and she’ll be a new person!

There’s so much to catch up on and so little time! Even though we’re back in the States I still have weekly updates from our time in Paris. I mentioned it last week, but Allison stayed with us this week and Annabelle, Allison, Dusty and I did a lot of walking/strolling! We went to a couple different parks, toured the Louvre, and pretty much walked across Paris!

With all the walking this week I’m happy to say that Annabelle has no problems sleeping in her stroller. In fact, Dusty and I can predict (with some degree of accuracy) when she’ll go down for her nap and we’ll plan our meals out and drinks at a cafe around her naps. She goes to sleep and we find a spot outside at the closest cafe. I know this won’t always be the case, so we’re taking full advantage of the time we have when we can take her with us!

There are so many adorable things (or at least things I find adorable) that Annabelle does that I want to remember. One of them is that Annabelle does this funny thing we like to call “poop shakes”. When she gets done pooping, she’ll give a little shimmy shake and it’s the cutest thing. She’s no longer doing it just when she poops though. She does it when she gets up in the morning or from a nap, after she gets done eating, and after she gets out of the bath.  If you’re wondering what it looks like just watch this video I found on Youtube. Her shimmy shake is adorable!

We tried to celebrate Father’s day but it ended up being a complete mess. By Sunday Annabelle was fed up with our erratic schedule (having friends in town really messed up her schedule) and she was a complete wreck! Dusty and I were both exhausted and Annabelle was too. She cried most of the day and fought all of our attempts to get her to take naps.

My only other Annabelle update is that she tried salmon! She ate it but I can tell it’s not her favorite! And do you see that bruise on her eye and chin! She loves to try and climb on everything!

The weather has been really great while we’ve been in Paris, which means nice outings for Annabelle. The first half of the week was a bit rainy so spent some time in doors but the weekend was beautiful (even a bit warm for Paris at this time of year). We managed to go on lots of walks and check out some more parks.

She’s becoming quite talkative! She jabbers on and on. She’s also getting louder! She’s realizing her voice can carry. No words yet but we’re working on mama and dada. She does give us “smooches” or at least we like to pretend. When you blow a kiss you make what I call a “smooching” sound. Try it. You make a sound, right? Well, she makes that sound to us. She’s really just imitating what we do to her when we kiss her, making that “smooching” sound but it’s so adorable. She looks at one of us, makes the sound and then gives the biggest grin.

Annabelle has officially gotten her sixth tooth, so now she has four on top and two on bottom. This tooth didn’t seem to give her too much of a problem. We’re still working on not biting though! With these new teeth of hers, she likes to munch on everything, including us. I can’t blame the girl, she’s just trying to figure out how those little teeth of hers work but those mighty bites hurt.

Funny thing in the past week or two is that Annabelle’s started “tasting” her food before she eats it. Before, she’d pretty much inhale anything I put into her mouth but now, if I put a spoonful of something in her mouth, she’ll spit it out into her hand, look at it, and then put it back in her mouth, slowly chewing. You can tell she’s trying to taste what she’s eating and deciding if she likes it or not and if she remembers eating it before. After a few tastes she’ll eat everything just fine but it’s fun to watch that little brain of hers as she deciphers what she’s eating.

And we officially have a walking machine on our hands! It’s crazy that just a little over two weeks ago she started to walking and now she’s strolling across the apartment like she’s been doing it for months. Did this child ever crawl? We’re seeing very little crawling and fewer stumbles. When we go to the park I have to chase her around because she loves walking over to our neighbors and try to steal whatever they have laying out (food, bags, etc.).

One of the best things about being a parent, being able to dress your daughter in adorably cute French inspired outfits. I’ve been searching all over Paris (at all of those souvenir stands) and finally found a beret that (almost) fits Annabelle. I’m still trying to get her to wear it long enough that I can take a good picture of her but until then, here she is, my little Parisian!!!!

It’s been way too long since I’ve written an Annabelle weekly update. We’ve been in Paris for over two weeks now and we’re getting into a pretty good routine but that doesn’t include much time for blogging.  We have been taking pictures but I just haven’t gotten the chance to sit down and write anything. So here I am, trying to catch up on the last 3 weeks.

She’s walking even more and she’s getting much better at it.  She’s not going to be winning any races quite yet but she’s falling less and able to take more and more steps every day. I’m taking her to the park as much as possible and she’s getting a lot of practice at walking on the unsteady terrain of the grass. We’ve had lots of other people at the park stop and ask how old Annabelle is and that they’re so amazed at how she’s walking already.

Annabelle’s sleeping like a 9-month old but it’s still an adjust for us, mainly because we want to sleep in since we’re not on a regular 9-5pm work schedule and Annabelle’s not into sleeping late. I mentioned on our last update that we let her cry it out and since then things have resolved themselves for the most part, which is true, but Dusty and I are still adjusting to having a child at home. Annabelle goes to bet at 7pm but has been getting up anywhere between 5 and 7am. She’ll wake up twice in the middle of the night but it’s usually at 2am and 4am.

Sometimes if she wakes up at 5am we can get her back down for a bit longer but there have been quite a few days where Dusty and I are trading off, and getting up with her way too early. We have a system where one of us will get up with her for an hour or so while the other one sleeps and then trade off so that the person who got up with Annabelle can go back to sleep for a bit. And then we both take a nap when she takes her morning nap. It would be okay if we just went to bed earlier but even when we tell ourselves we need to go to bed, it’s still not happening.

We’ve been having a lot of fun at the park. It’s so great because Annabelle is always meeting a new friend or two while we’re there.  It’s awesome to see her play with others her age as they explore together. Since Annabelle is walking we have a few extra reminders for going to the park. One, always have her wear dark pants or jeans. Two, don’t forget snacks! It’s important to give her a snack to hold in each hand so she doesn’t go after the cigarette butts or trash laying around (the parks is pretty darn clean but our little lady can find a needle in a haystack). If she already has her hands full she’s less likely to go after something in the grass. And three, keep her as far away from the rocks/sand as possible because she likes to eat it. Oh, our adventures at the park.

This week we found an awesome babysitter. She’s wonderful! I was a little nervous about finding someone; first, because we really haven’t had anyone, outside of our families, watch Annabelle and second, being in another country makes it even more terrifying.  But after doing some research, including asking friends who live in the city about finding someone, and reading as much as I could on Message (a group who’s goal is to provide support and a network for English-speaking parents living in Paris), we’ve found someone great and I’m excited to have a little time without our lady and go on some much needed dates with my husband!

Annabelle’s transitioning out of pureed food and into bite-sized bits. She really likes eating on her own, especially now that she’s up to five teeth (and the sixth one’s on it’s way–no more fangs). She’s eating steamed carrots, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, sweet potatoes as well as eggs, pureed chicken, avocados, bananas peaches, nectarines, pears, and apricots. It’s awesome having an outdoor market right outside our door twice a week to get fresh fruits and veggies for Annabelle.  And as you can see from the picture, she loves having one foot on the “table” as she eats.

Annabelle’s outfit is from Zara. Her hooded sweatshirt dress says “La vie set belle” and means “Life is beautiful”.  It’s a bit big for her but I had to get a picture of her in it while we were still in beautiful Paris!

This week was a momentous week! Annabelle turned 9-months old and then promptly started walking. It’s amazing to me how just one week or even a few days can mark huge changes. Annabelle is developing by leaps and bounds. On Sunday of last week she took just a couple steps on her own and it was really hard for me to say that she was walking on her own but this week, it’s happened for sure and here’s a video to prove it. Love that tongue of hers hanging out!

Our bambino has 5 teeth now (click on the picture below to see her teeth up close).  For the last week or so I could see that she had another tooth getting ready to come in, top and center, but this week it finally broke through. I knew it was coming because she was gnawing on anything she could put her hands on. It’s so crazy (and a bit annoying) how as parents we spend a small fortune on all kinds of baby gear and then what do they do, not use it. Annabelle wants nothing to do with teething rings but would rather be gnawing on one of her socks. And toys, we brought some great toys for her to play with but we’ve found that she’d rather be playing with a plastic Fanta bottle, our laundry and other random things around the apartment.

Oh how I love to hear Annabelle laugh. I think it’s one of the best things; to hear a child laugh and when it’s your own it’s even better. She’s been laughing for a while but in the past month it’s become so much fun to tickle her or toss her in the air and listen to that wonderful sound.

I didn’t mention how Annabelle was sleeping last week just because there were so many factors affecting her sleep; being sick, us waking her up every 4-6 hours for her breathing treatments, and the 7-hour time change. But let’s just say, Dusty and I are exhausted. She goes to bed around 7pm, sleeps until about 11pm (if we’re lucky) and then is waking up every 1.5 to 4 hours and wakes up at 6am. Most nights she’s waking up 4-5 times. This week I’m remembering what it was like when Annabelle was a newborn and we were so sleep deprived. I’m so exhausted that I’ve been taking naps when Annabelle naps and so is Dusty on occasion. I know we should be going to bed when Annabelle goes to bed at 7pm but I’m also trying to adjust to the time change myself so there have been a few nights that I go to bed early and then wake up at midnight wide awake and not able to go back to bed until 3am.

We’ve tried to have her cry it out a time or two but we’re a little hesitant to let her cry at the top of the lungs for long periods of time when we don’t know our neighbors and it’s an old building so I’m sure the walls are thin. (Last year at our old place, a week or so after we arrived there was a note on our door asking that we not stomp around the apartment late at night. It was me, getting up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, being 7 months pregnant and not so light on my feet).

In addition to this, the apartment is so small and there isn’t a door to our bedroom that when she cries we can really hear her cry. Waiting it out is torturous when I know nursing her for a minute and laying her back down will enable us to go back to sleep. Tonight we’re moving her crib to the wall farthest from any of our neighbors (and farthest from our bedroom) and we’re doing some sleep training because Dusty and I can’t survive this much longer.

A quick note, one night of letting her cry for 30 minutes and then crying again when she woke up a second time has solved all of our problems.  She’s remembered that she can sleep through the night!  In fact, I think she might be sleeping better than she did when we were at home.

And here are some other Annabelle updates that aren’t so cute, she likes biting us, pulling our hair, and climbing on things. Dusty and I have said “no” to Annabelle more this past week than we have since she’s been born. With all of her newfound teeth, she’s biting us, and it hurts! I mentioned a couple weeks ago that she’s working on giving us kisses and now they’ve turned into kisses that end with a bite to the face! And there’s hair pulling. She’s so good at picking things up now that it’s not just toys that she wants to grab.

And then there’s the climbing. Being in a new apartment meant that it took us a couple of days to baby proof everything and even with the baby proofing we still can’t stop her from trying to climb on and then stand up on the coffee table. We can’t decide if the climbing is because there are things in the apartment that are low enough to the ground that she can do it (we don’t have these kinds of things at home–at least not this low to the ground) or if it’s just that time in her life where she’s climbing on everything. I’m quite positive it’s the latter but I wonder if it would have started sooner if we had more things she could climb onto at home. I can tell you there is more baby proofing that will be done when we get back to Omaha now that she can walk and is such a good climber!

Annabelle’s outfit and shoes came from Paris H&M.  It says, “I am a little mouse” in French! And she’s not wearing her shoe because if we didn’t give her something to chew on she wasn’t interested in sitting still for a picture!

I didn’t mention it last week but my sister babysat Annabelle Friday evening while Dusty and I were at Big Omaha and she mentioned to me that she saw Annabelle tugging at her ear a few times (a sign she has an ear infection). Over the weekend I saw her tug at it two more times and was pretty skeptical that this meant she was sick. I know that it is a sign but I was expecting a large amount of tugging and lots of crankiness. Then on Saturday and Sunday she had a small temperature on and off. We’d give her ibuprofen and her temperature would go down. Then later on she’d feel hot again. Otherwise, Annabelle was her pleasant self all weekend.

Well, by Monday, knowing we were leaving on Wednesday, and I not wanting to discover I had a sick child on the plane called the doctor and got an appointment. I didn’t want to be one of those overprotective moms who call the doctor at the smallest sign of illness but I felt traveling overseas was a pretty good excuse. My worry paid off, she ended up having double ear infections. The doctor said the medicine took a couple of days to kick in but that by the time we left on Wednesday she should be getting better (although I sure didn’t see any signs that she wasn’t her normal self). The next couple of days went by fast, Annabelle started to have a bit of a cough but nothing too concerning. Annabelle and I spent the days packing and cleaning our place while Dusty was trying to tie up any loose ends at work.

Wednesday we left for Paris. We flew from Omaha to Newark and had a 6+ hour layover. We planned it this way though.  We’ve been flying enough to know that many, many things can go wrong, and with an 8-month old we wanted to try and prevent as much from going wrong as possible. Our first leg was great.

Dusty had a business meeting in NYC during our layover so Annabelle and I hunkered down for a nice afternoon/evening in the airport. Annabelle played, slept a bit in her stroller and then woke up a bit out of it. I fed her and she was still looking a little off. She felt as though she had a small temperature so I gave her some baby ibuprofen. She wasn’t happy about the medicine and threw up all of the milk I had just fed her. I’m sitting in the airport with Annabelle in the stroller with milk all over her. Annabelle was a trooper. We ended up getting everything all cleaned up (but not before Annabelle was being strolled around the airport with just her diaper on, sitting on gobs of paper towels). I called our doctor just to make sure they thought everything was all right. Dusty got back. Annabelle started to look better. And we got on our flight.

Shortly after our flight began Annabelle started wheezing and was short of breath. She was pretty lethargic and slept almost the entire flight. Needless to say, it was a long 6-hour flight. So, after getting off the flight, getting our luggage and getting to the apartment our first mission was to get her to a doctor.  And while this was all going on there was more throwing up, baby crying, lots of wheezing, and a panicked mom! And below is the first picture we took while in Paris.  At the hospital getting a breathing treatment.

I had some contacts in Paris and with their recommendation was able to get in to see a pediatrician at the American hospital in Paris. Annabelle was diagnosed with bronchiolitis. I had heard my friends talk about it with their kids but had completely forgotten about it until the doctor mentioned it. She had all the symptoms. She had a breathing treatment in the doctor’s office and then we got a prescription for a nebulizer and medicine. It took no time before she was back to her bubbly self. I had done my research and had prepared for taking Annabelle to the doctor in Paris, knowing that we were here for 6-weeks and something might happen but it happening the moment we arrived was a bit of a shock. Thank goodness for an awesome husband who was able to navigate a worried mommy and sick little lady.

So, we’re in Paris for the next 6 weeks! What a momentous start to our journey. We spent the rest of the week and weekend getting settled in to our place as well as resting from the flight and the bronchiolitis. The weather was beautiful, 70s and sunny. Sunday we tried out the bus system for the first time (we’ve always used the metro) and went to the Eiffel Tower for some family time at the park!

Then on Monday Annabelle and I went to Luxembourg gardens to meet an American mommy and her youngest son for a play date in the park. It was so much fun! While preparing for our trip I did some research on expat parents in Paris, knowing I would need some advice navigating the city with an infant. I was also hoping to meet some wonderful mommies and their children that Annabelle and I could get to know.

And here are just a few more updates about Annabelle this week. Being sick hasn’t slowed her down at all. A while ago our little lady figured out how to bend her knees and how to sit after standing but now she’s getting really good at standing from a sitting position without needing to hang onto anything. It’s not Facebook official yet but we almost have a walker. She’s doing a lot of walking while gripping onto our fingers.

Annabelle’s outfit and shoes for this week came from grandma Jane.  She’s our little Parisian baby! And if you can believe it, these pictures were taken on Friday, just 24-hours after getting treated for bronchiolitis.

This week was a bit crazy.  We’re leaving for Paris next week (and I haven’t started packing), I’m finishing up teaching for the semester, Dusty has Big Omaha, it’s Annabelle’s last week at daycare for 2 months, I’m hosting a bachelorette party, attending a baby shower and it’s Mother’s day this weekend.

I know staying at home with your child is supposed to be the ultimate wish for a mother but I really like Annabelle going to daycare.  The people there are great and all the evidence I see from Annabelle shows me that it’s really great for her. So needless to say, I was extremely sad when Friday came around and we had to say goodbye to all of Annabelle’s teachers.  I got a little teary-eyed.  I know Annabelle will have a lot of fun with me this summer but I know she would have had a lot of fun with her friends at daycare as well.

Annabelle has started walking. Okay, not exactly but she is walking with the help of a push toy she has at grandma Jane’s.  Here’s a video from last weekend of her new walking abilities. Just a couple of weeks ago Annabelle and I were at a friend’s house who has two kids and brought out her push toy for Annabelle to try.  It wasn’t a huge success. Annabelle was able to push it but it was too fast for her little feet and she was getting pulled right down.  Now, a few weeks later, she’s maneuvering that machine like it’s nobody’s business.

Our little lady is really cruisin’.  She’s moving from one piece of furniture to the next for support. And on occasion she even lets go and stands without support.  She’s not standing for too long, just a second or two but she’s most definitely getting some strong legs and growing in confidence.  Annabelle’s also doing a lot of squatting in between her cruising. Her current challenge is how to squat, scoop up a toy, stand back up and start to cruise again.

Speaking of walking, I get weekly email updates about how my baby’s growing and what I should be expecting.  In one of the last emails it said that it’s normal for baby’s feet to look flat and turned out and her legs bowed when she starts to take steps.  And that I shouldn’t worry about shoes quite yet, that walking barefoot actually helps strengthen the muscles she needs.  I wasn’t worried about Annabelle’s legs and feet but I have stressed more than once about what kind of shoes she should be wearing or if they were a must for learning to walk.

And how was my first mother’s day? It was like any other day with a child in your life, busy! I slipped away early Sunday morning to visit my grandma and aunt with my sister. Then came home to a beautiful card and gift from my lovely little lady and awesome husband. Annabelle also got me a hat that she painted at daycare that says #1 Mom. It’s adorable! I’ve become one of those moms who love anything that their kid makes, even if it’s ugly. We spent the afternoon at home and then picked up some take-out before heading over to Dusty’s family to celebrate with his mom and grandma.  Last weekend we celebrated Mother’s day with my family.  It’s still a little weird to think that this holiday is for me too.  As the day was approaching and we were getting cards for our moms it actually didn’t even cross my mind (well, not for a while).

And my last but maybe favorite update for the week, she’s working on giving kisses. Annabelle’s kisses involve her opening up her mouth and pressing her face against our lips. And these are the reasons I love our little lady. Her kisses are a bit wet and slobbery but it melts my heart.

It’s fun to watch how just a week can make such a huge difference.  Annabelle has started “walking” from one object to another.  Really, what it is, is Annabelle holding on to one object for as long as she can while walking to the other and then eventually letting go and gracefully falling into the other object to hold on to.  It’s mainly from the coach to the ottoman or from the coach to one of us.  She’s not officially a walker yet but she’s getting more confident and stronger as the days go by.

This week Annabelle had pears and scrambled eggs for the first time.  Now that she definitely has four teeth in that little mouth of hers I’m trying to find more finger foods she can eat on her own.  She most definitely loves eating on her own. She’s become an expert at eating with her hands.  With squishy things like bananas and pears she’ll push the fruit around until she either gets one in the palm of her hand or she pushes them off her tray. Once she gets it into her hand she squeezes it so it moves up the inside of the palm of her hand and it pops up by her thumb and pointer finger. In other words, her piece of banana is sitting on the top of her closed fist.  After a few attempts, she’s ready to get it in her mouth.  Most of the time it ends up in her mouth but there are plenty of times she looks at her hand, sees that it’s gone but can’t figure out where it is because it’s not in her mouth.  It’s often on her chin, cheek or ended up in her lap.

This weekend was the first time Annabelle was without both mommy and daddy!  Dusty and I have each been out of town over night and left Annabelle home with the other but she’s never been without us both or never slept over at someone else’s place over night. So, two firsts for Annabelle. Dusty and I were invited to come to a weekend long Founder’s Retreat, meant for founders of startups and their spouses, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce.  I was a little skeptical on what would actually happen but it turned out to be a great weekend of spending time with each other and meeting new people!

Annabelle stayed with Dusty’s mom and I don’t think she missed us at all.  It was a bit hard being away from her for 48 hours but knowing that Dusty and I were spending quality time together and knowing she was in good hands made it just a little easier.

Annabelle did a little painting this week for a present for Mother’s day. And no worries, she didn’t really eat it, even though it might look like it. Our little Picasso.