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!