Birthday Girl

One year ago my precious little Catherine Grace was born.

After contractions all day on the day 24th, D and I packed our bags and headed to the "Clinique de la Chataigneraie" convinced that we would be holding our daughter soon. Alas, I was sent home and told that I was not in "real labor" yet. Well, "the not real labor" continued and "real labor" started at around 4 AM. I was pretty sure that this time it was for real. D, however, was unconvinced and having just taken the day off the day before for the "not real labor," headed off to work at around 7:30. Unbeknownst to him, this is when my contractions were kicking up to notches that required intense prayer and an MP3 player with songs loaded for labor- you are listening to some now, by the way. "Well, here we are, just you and me, Lord, how are we going to do this?" I asked Him. Shortly afterwards, my water broke just as SA was waking up and asking for breakfast. I tried to convince her to do the hula dance with me that I had learned with the sage femme (midwife) in order to manage the pain and work with what was going to happen in my body whether I "worked with it" or not. For once, SA didn't want to dance. .. I found myself on the phone to my friend asking her what it was like when one's water breaks. Assured that I was well on my way to delivering a baby, she promptly instructed me to call D to come home and she rushed over to be with me and SA. To make a long story short, we barely made it to the hospital and CG was born in under an hour. I was actually allowed to reach down and "catch" her as she was born! Then I held her skin to skin for two hours that seemed to pass in 5 minutes. She and I stayed in the hospital for six days- the norm for France plus one day since my milk came in slow. She is my "petite francaise" as she was born in France, has only ever lived in France and is more petite than her sister. We are so thankful for her. I was reminded of these verses today as I was writing.

"You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed
How precious are Your thoughts about me, O God!
They are inumerable"

Psalm 139:16-17

10 Things I Love About France and the French Today

1. I love the market that is in our town every Monday morning where I can go and buy fresh everything!

2. I love going to the boulangerie to buy fresh bread!

3. I love that there is a Foire aux Vins (wine fair) at our local grocery store this week!

4. I love that the French know how to cook and that when you have no ideas for dinner, you can just go and buy a new cut of meat to try and ask the butcher what to do with it. He gave me a whole meal plan complete with instructions in about five minutes!

5. I love walking SA to our local preschool and watching her jump and cheer because she is so excited to go to the "school with the belltower".

6. I love chitchatting to the French moms at school each morning and at lunchtime.

7. I love that my husband has this week off and there is school and the garderie for CG tomorrow so that we can go and have coffee together "just us".

8. I love that it is fall and time to cut up the fresh pumpkin from my friend's garden and make soup and chocolate chip pumpkin bread!

9. I love that I live in the region of delicious cheeses!

10. I love it that the French do not treat me like an ignorant foreigner because I have difficulty with their language. They have always been and continue to be kind, patient, and gracious to me.