Bits & Pieces : November

How is it already DECEMBER tomorrow?!?!?! See that little ticker thing at the top of my blog... it says  50 days to go!!! That is less than 2 months folks.... wow this is getting close :)  Here are a few peeks into our November.

1. A foggy morning pic of our log cabin. 

2. Stella's new outfit from Pappa and Mimi! Spoiled already ;) 

3. LOTS and LOTS of French classes and required Saturday courses. 

4. A snack for the baby... of course! 

5. The changing leaves. 

6. A reason why you don't buy Maternity clothes in France... where is that arrow supposed to be pointing? My baby's head is currently right under my rib cage! Haha

7. Getting instructions from Uncle Logan on how to paint Stella's nursery furniture. 

They did a GREAT job! 

8. My Little T-Rex is getting so big! 

9. Half time. 

10. The HIGHLIGHT of my November- Having Mere come visit us :) 

11. A GORGEOUS rainbow over The Colorado. 

12. A French Thanksgiving... this year with TURKEY!!!! 

13. Nursery progress & Nesting. 

7 month Appointment

Our doctor's appointment last Tuesday went really well.  I am not dilated at all and seem to be within reasonable weight gain according to my doctor - 19.8 pounds at this point? Sounds pretty big to me, but I'll take his word :) I guarantee it would be more if we were in the US with fast food and TCBY at my fingertips- this countryside France thing has kept my eating habits in check for sure!

The 7 month sonogram was on Wednesday and folks- we have a 4.3 pound baby ALREADY!!! Our doctor said we are hugging the upper line on the French average charts.  Granted, studies show that overall, American babies are larger than French babies for some reason? So if we keep at this pace and make it full term, we will have a baby in the 8+ pound range JUST like her Mom :) Everything looks good - she has NOT turned yet, but we were told at this point that is nothing to be worried about. Little Stella has decided to practice her best "V sit" by sitting smack dab on my bladder! No wonder even 1 sip of water makes me have to go to the ladies room! So her head is on my upper right side, her bottom on my bladder (haha), and her feet up under my left rib cage! All the movements I feel on my upper right side are her very active arms- she loves to keep them up by her face, making it very difficult for our doctor to get a good picture of her! We saw her hiccup, suck her thumb, and open and close her mouth... she is looking more and more like a baby.  It is magical.  The 3D picture we got was a special treat that I requested - My doctor said that they rarely do them in the 3rd trimester because the baby is too big and there is not enough amniotic fluid to make a good, clear picture.  He made an exception and took 2 quick pictures of her face... She definitely has beefed up and has cheeks that go on for miles :) Love them! After my Dad saw the picture he sent me a picture of my preemie sister who weighed in at a mere 4 pounds 8 ounces!  He said he thinks both are pretty cute.... (aliens)! Crazy to think she is almost already Katy's size at this point!


Thursday we had our second birthing class and this one was on breastfeeding.  Logan was nervous because none of the men attended, but he needed to so he could translate... it ended up being okay and not awkward at all.  There are only 3 of us in the class (1 girl even has my SAME due date!) and because it is so small, I feel like I am less of a burden when I need to ask a question or Logan needs the teacher to pause and translate.  I LOVED the midwife today- she was so nice and even though I did not understand everything, she made eye contact and smiled at me so that I felt like I was still a part of the discussion and class.  THAT made all the difference! I hope by some miracle that Cecile is our midwife on D-Day! Another fun fact: We get "prescribed" electric breast pumps from the pharmacy.  Granted, you have to return them once you are finished, but its a great cost saver for us right now! 

So far so good.... I am still having really bad upper back pain when I sit for long stretches of time, but it is manageable and I have little else to complain about, so I feel lucky!  Stella is a complete spaz in my belly sometimes and it makes me laugh to watch my stomach contort into these weird conehead shapes or literally shake a few times - UNFORTUNATELY, this girl is ALREADY camera shy because every time I try to get it on video, she stops.... Hmmmm this could be a problem for her picture-happy Mama :) 

Thankful

This holiday season we have SO MUCH to be thankful for.

The health of our family... especially the baby girl growing bigger every day in my tummy.  What a miracle... The little ripple I watch move over my stomach when she moves - that is the SAME baby we will eventually hold, raise, and watch grow up before our very eyes.

My husband. The fact that someone wants to do life with me and loves me unconditionally still blows my mind.  I pray I never take it for granted.  He is too good to me, so patient (especially during the hormonal mood swings),  and is seriously going to make the BEST Dad! This man can make me laugh on the WORST of days or just be there when I need to have a meltdown and cry.  And somehow he still chooses me every single day. 

This experience in France.  I know I am bipolar about living here at times, but to have this lifestyle, this flexiblity, this opportunity and quality time with my husband... it is something completely aggravating and beautiful at the same time. 

My friends. I don't really have friends here but my friends from back home and my fellow expat friends have done such a good job at encouraging me and keeping in touch- care packages, cards, emails, phone dates.  It has soothed this lonely heart of mine so thank you all! 

My family.  I am so lucky to have such a wonderful, BIG family that just keeps on growing! Little Stella is going to have a ton of cousins to grow up, play, and become friends with :) So far we will have 14 all under the age of 7!!!! Crazy, right?!??! 

TURKEY!!!! Guess what... THIS YEAR, we were able to order a TURKEY!!!! We are having our Colorado Thanksgiving meal on Friday night since we have clients today.  (Turkeys here are a seasonal item found only around Christmas- unless you order them in advance...and by that, I mean we ordered ours in OCTOBER! haha) 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!! 

"the real problem of life - in my life - is lack of thanksgiving. thanksgiving creates abundance; and the miracle of multiplying happens when i give thanks - take the just one loaf, say it is enough, and give thanks - and He miraculously makes it more than enough." - Ann Voskamp

Random Updates

Warning: Lots of words and not a ton of pictures... I know I lost half of you now ;) haha! But believe me, you do NOT want a picture of Ramble #2! 

French Class:

So I am still going to French class 10.5 hours per week. (All day on Monday and every Thursday afternoon) As much as I hate to admit it, it has been VERY good for me and I actually sort of enjoy it once I get there. The Turkish girls have subsided in their bullying I think in part to my Father-in-Law and Sister-in-law having a chat with their local Turkish friends... It is a VERY small town, so word gets around! As of today, I kind of have a friend - We don't talk during class... we pass my iPhone back and forth translating in Turkish and English... it is kind of humorous. She thinks I am really cool because she watches the show Dallas :)  Today, she even drew stick figure sketches of some stretches that I can do to help my back.  Hey, where there is a will there is a way! 

Country Living: 

If you follow me on Twitter, you probably have heard about the "critter" we had living in between our walls.  Logan claimed it was a cute little country mouse but if you HEARD the thing, you would know it sounded more like a RACCOON! It completely freaked me out and we couldn't for the life of us figure out where it was coming from, but I was convinced that due to its dedication to gnawing at our walls, at some point it was going to make it through! THEN one night Logan had a stare down with it.... ON TOP OF OUR KITCHEN COUNTER!!!! (How it got up there, I have no idea and don't like to think about it.) This was no mouse, it was a RAT!!!! (Which my SIL and FIL told me don't live in this area- FALSE!) It was eating my leftover pain chocolat.... SO Logan went out and bought heavy duty RAT TRAPS at the store.  For about a week, the little rat would eat the cheese and beat the trap.  This trap was legit and almost ruined the handle of our broom when we tested out the trigger. I lived in a constant state of fear of hearing that thing SNAP and Lord knows what kind of sound escape that rodent's mouth.  EW. 

Fast forward to LAST NIGHT... We had a guest over for dinner and she was using the bathroom downstairs so I ran upstairs to use Stella's bathroom.  I walked in without a care in the world and THERE IT WAS.  In the trap.  Upside down. Sprawled out on the floor. THE BIGGEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!! I screamed, gagged, ran downstairs, and was hyperventilating and crying for about 10 minutes.  Our poor house guest ran out of the bathroom thinking I had just gone into labor.  You can probably visualize the scene that took place.  Her and I then locked ourselves in the downstairs bathroom while Logan did the clean up.  We did not want to risk him "joking" with us by holding it by the tail or something... Gag me.  I am not sure I will be able to use that bathroom... maybe ever again. 

Nursery Update:

We have now purchased a rug, changing table, mattress, AND crib!  So we are finished with furniture :) Yesterday we had our nieces and nephew help us paint the dresser white and Logan put on the second coat today.  My mom is currently sewing our bedding and I am about to start washing all the baby clothes.   Logan and I will hang pictures on the walls here in the next few weeks as well.  A nursery tour is in the works, but clearly we have a ways to go! Other than that, we just have small purchases to make such as bottles, pacifiers, and a play mat.  All fun and easy things :) 

VISA Update:

Well I have now completed all but ONE of my requirements for a permanent working Visa.  The past 2 Saturdays I was in class all day learning about the French healthcare system, politics, history, laws, etc.  It was hard because it was pretty long to be sitting while 7 months pregnant, but honestly it was pretty interesting.  The BRAG part is that there was one other guy in my class who spoke English and so we sat together, ate lunch together, suffered together.  He is from Fiji but just got recruited to play on the professional Rugby team in Brive from New Zealand.  I didn't think much of it until I noticed people were coming up to us shaking his hand, asking for pictures of him, and one girl asked for his autograph.  His name is Dominiko and he is apparently a mini-celebrity here in France.  He came in as the top recruit this year and is the "talk of the town." Since he is new to France, he wants to bring his wife and son to The Colorado for a weekend to hang out and Logan was like a little schoolboy when I told him :) Lets just say I am glad I waited to "Google" him until after class because otherwise I may not have played it as cool. 

The ONE part I have not completed is passing the Level A2 French competency test.  BUT get this... the exam is on JANUARY 16th in Limoges!!!! That is 1 week before my due date and a 90 minute drive away.  We aren't quite sure what is going to happen with this exam... we are going to talk to my doctor about it this week! Clearly, I will be excused if the baby has already come, but what if she hasn't? I will be big, huge, uncomfortable, and probably NOT in 4 hour test mode... eek! Bad timing.  Stay tuned... 

If you are still with me... I am impressed! Now... get back to work ;) 

5 :)

1.  Charles Hatch Bowen arrived early at 34 weeks!!! Mom and baby are doing GREAT  :) So happy for Allison and Blake and can't wait to meet him in April! This Christmas baby's early arrival means that ummmmmm.... Stella and Baby Cunningham are UP NEXT! 

2. This picture of my little Lola Kate Houston just puts a HUGE grin on my face.  I miss her so much and I love that she's already being brainwashed to become a Chi Omega :) 

3. As you have probably noticed from my pictures, I am currently LIVING in leggings.  Although I would not look like this, I love the mixing of plaid and pattern.  And can I mention that an H&M just opened in BRIVE... 45 minutes away vs. the 90 minutes away that it currently is in Limoges! GOOD news for ME, BAD news for Logan :) 

 4. This made me smile.  I think Stella is going to be Daddy's girl for sure and my Frenchman sure sets the bar high - good look fellas!

5. We are in the 30's people... This is a picture of me at 30 weeks. SUNDAY starts Week 31! It is crazy to think that in the next 10 weeks we will finally be holding this little girl who is wriggling around and taking up SO MUCH space inside of me :) We are getting SO excited! 

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I will be in class ALL DAY (again) tomorrow BUT its the last required Civic Service Duty Day- yippee! Then we work a dinner Saturday night and a luncheon on Sunday... so not really a relaxing weekend, but its good to have business right now since December and January are typically pretty slow.  

NEXT WEEK we will basically be living in Tulle- my 7 month appointment, 7 month SONOGRAM, and 2 birthing classes! Bring. It. On. :) Can't wait!!! 

Mere came to visit!

My lifelong friend Mere came to visit me this past weekend! We have been friends since KINDERGARTEN!!!! We did Indian Princess with our Dads, cheered together in Junior High and High School and even went to Texas A&M together :) Mere actually knew Logan before I did in college!

 

NOTE: When I saw this picture I was even taken aback.... HOLY 3rd Trimester BELLY!!! WOW! 

We had such a great time... we picked them up in Limoges on Friday at the train station and took them out to our FAVORITE dinner spot Jardin de Ventadour where our family friends run the place.  We were not offered menus, the chef just cooked for us... an 8 COURSE MEAL!!!! It was honestly one of the best I have had and a real treat for Logan and I since we do not go out to eat very often.  We all left exhausted and stuffed!

Saturday I sadly had a mandatory Civil Service Duty class that lasted from 9am - 4pm to help me get my permanent residence card (terrible timing, right?). Logan took the group to Beynac and Sarlat - our favorite Medieval Castle and town. They had a BLAST! 

Saturday night we had a very FRENCH dinner experience called Raclette. If you like meat, potatoes, and LOTS OF CHEESE this is a dream meal! Everyone loved it and we ended the night with the amazing TEXAS A&M vs. ALABAMA GAME!!!! And if you don't know our Aggies, we are new to the SEC and beat the #1 Team in the NCAA on Saturday.  I cried... call it hormones or school spirit... probably a mixture of both :) SO very proud to call myself an Aggie, GIG 'EM! 

 Sunday morning Mere and I watched highlights and read commentaries about our beloved Aggies and had girl time before the guys woke up.  Then we headed to the train station to drop them off  :( The trip was short but SO good for me! It was nice to have one last slice of home before Stella arrives!

Thank you MERE for coming to visit me in our little magical slice of France.  You have no idea how much it meant to me :)

29 Week Pictures + PicMonkey

I used to use a program called Picnik to edit my photos but they went out of business and were replaced with "PicMonkey." I am obsessed! Considering we dont have the saturation of aspiring photographers in our area like we had in Dallas, we have tried our best to take some great pictures with our Baby Canon and really make them look cool with this program.  It is an online website (no downloading necessary), it is FREE, no registration required, and very easy to use! (And NO I was not paid to plug them although if they would like to pay me, I wouldn't object! haha) 

Here are a few of my 29 week bump pictures that I edited yesterday using the program.






You can play with finishes, frames, cropping, cloning, and adding text in a variety of fonts.  Hope you like it as much as we do! Now you know my SECRET... I am FAR from a professional :)