Sunday, September 27, 2009

Sick

Everyone in our house is sick. I'm getting over brochitis. Anthony and Oliver have bad colds with high fevers. Oliver has been running a 103 fever on and off since yesterday. It just breaks your heart to see him like this. He is so sad. He keeps saying "help mama help" and "done done". After he coughs he points to his throat saying "ouchie". Poor thing. I hope it doesn't last another day.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Thursday, September 3, 2009

recharged

I didn't realize it, but I was completely burnt out before our vacation. I know this is dumb and obnoxious, but I didn't think I could get burnt out as a stay at home Mom. I know I work really hard. I also know that if it's gross outside I can stay in my pajamas all day. I guess part of me thought if I didn't have to put work clothes on I had less of a job here at home.

I realized this with a conversation with someone in Belgium. I thought there english was just bad and I was misunderstanding them when they asked if I worked at home. I thought they meant I had a home office. I kept saying that I use to work as a lawyer, but now I'm home with Oliver. She kept saying so you work at home. I finally realized what she meant and it all kind of hit me that I needed a break.

I was stretched a little thin this summer. It was all good things, but we were so busy. I feel like I was a bad friend, wife, mom, relative. Not the worse, but I could have been better. The summer flew by and I don't want the fall to be the same.

Taking a break from everything has made me excited to me home and to get back into the swing of things. I'm really in the mood to start cooking and baking. The markets in Europe are so much better than here. Why can't we get amazing cheese and meat? If I was a real go getter I would open up an amazing store. But I'm still me.

The pastries in Paris were incredible. There are a whole bunch of new things that I want to try to make. The first is orangettes. They are chocolate covered orange peels. I think I could make them and they would be nice for Christmas.

I know what you are thinking. Christmas. She is being way too ambitious. But you are wrong. Whether I was recharged or not I would be thinking of Christmas now. It's labor day weekend so Christmas is around the corner.

home

We are back home. Our trip was so great and it went so fast. It feels like we just left.

Oliver did so great. He liked traveling. He enjoying going down to the lobby and getting all kinds of attention from the hotel staff. I think he thought we were living in the hotel. When we would be leaving a restaurant he would start saying "hotel hotel". On the way home yesterday we told him we were going home. In the airport I asked him where we were going and he said "hotel". But now he's happy to be home and playing with his toys. He's asking for the cats too.

I could completely see how he could pick up the language if we were staying there longer. He was trying to say everything. He picked up a couple of words. He is talking up a storm. Stringing all kinds of sentences together. It's great, but he doesn't stop talking. He is always babbling something. Yesterday we were all exhausted, but he was still talking and talking away. It's funny to really see his personality. He is so not a baby anymore in good and bad ways. Mostly good. I think.

The trip was so fantastic. I had a great time everywhere we went. I really loved Paris. It was cool to be somewhere that I had been as kid and be there now as an adult. I know Anthony felt the same way about Paris, but especially about Belgium.

One downer of the trip, but in the end no big deal was that Oliver had his second visit to the hospital. Our first day in Belgium he fell off the top of a slide and cut his head so we went to the emergency room. Thank god for our family. They handled everything. I don't even know how Anthony and I would have found the hospital.

It ended up being a funny story because when we got to the hospital Emmanuel told them that Oliver was his son Hugo. No big deal right? Emmanuel has a son Hugo. He did it because they have socialized medicine and he figured it would be easier. He also said I was his wife and that Oliver was almost 4 years old. The real Hugo was there, but had to be taken to another room because everyone was afraid that he would tell that he was actually Hugo.

Oliver didn't even need a stitch. They did that glue thing. When the doctor came in speaking French to all of us I just looked at Emmanuel. He handled it all. The doctor kept asking both of us how old Oliver was. Emmanuel told him almost 4. The doctor said he was very small for his age. I wanted to say small for his age and he doesn't speak any French. Oh well. I'm sure they knew what we were doing.

I can't post any pictures right now because I need to download the rest. Also most of them are on Anthony's work laptop.

I'm happy to be home and can't wait to catch up with everyone.