Anyway, in a very left-brained kind of way I like making resolutions and setting structures and routines for myself. Today started very well, in part because I had a shower before Luuk left for work. It's before he leaves or after Louis goes down for his morning nap - which feels like a very slow start to the day. We got the pushchair out of the car (might venture down to the Les Ulis town centre after lunch) and then Louis ate his morning tea - that biscuit lasted him at least half an hour - while I had my coffee. I think this might be a good routine to get into: sitting down together and having a chat (of sorts) before he has his morning nap.
Louis' morning tea time.
Then I did a little tidy-up, but just enough so that I could sit still, un-harrangued by the chaos around me, and do some french. Looked at comparatives and superlatives for adjectives, and looked up a few useful phrases...
It's true! - Vrai(e)! or Exact(e)! I suspect the equivalent phrase here is 'Vraiment' which means 'really' and would work in most contexts I can think of, but then I'm a bit of a novice. French-speakers feel free to correct me. All help would be much appreciated.
It depends on the price. - Il dépend du prix. This would have been a good one to know when asked if I wanted unlimited internet on my cell phone.
What a good idea. - Ce une bonne idée. As Sabrina said, Paris is always a good idea.
In my opinon - à mon avis. If only I knew how to then voice my opinion in intelligible French.
In a moment - tout à l'heure. Useful because I need a moment to figure out how to say something in French!
I also did some more research into living in Paris - found a few blogs written by American expats, who all seem to have just left... Actually, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed looking at all the info online, and partly/mostly because I can't yet do much. We are staying quite a long way from the city, and it is difficult to get to the train station. Navigating the trains with Louis in a pram, on my own, is going to be challenging, especially being 5 months pregnant, which limits my ability to lift the pram. One of the blogs I looked at, American Mom in Paris, posted this image, which reassures me that I'm not missing the elevators, but in fact there are none.
Until we have moved into our apartment, it is difficult to set up an obstetrician, which is a top priority, and get Louis into a playcentre or something similar, which is not quite so urgent but would be good, I think. If I took him to an outdoor playground I fear he'd stick to the ice on the slide.
Was feeling overwhelmed and helpless so I gave up on the Paris research for today and picked up my writing folder. Was also starving, all of a sudden, so I made myself a croissant, avec fromage et jambon, and another cup of coffee. Fortified, I did a quick edit of my query letter and then started reading over my notes/plans for a new novel. Got quite excited about it, so I think I will keep working on that - filling out the details about some of the minor characters and writing some more of the first draft. Back home I had a week plan that went something like:
Monday - housework day
Tuesday - writing day
Wednesday - reading day
Thursday - art day
Friday - whatever you like day
See what I mean about left and right brained. Might pick this up again, for now. I do have a bit of a plan for Friday - a friend is in Paris! So Louis and I will be taking the metro rail, by ourselves (sans husband), to go and meet her. Pushchair or backpack? That is the question. Pushchair is leisurely - no weight on my shoulders and even my purse goes underneath in the basket-bit. Backpack will be much easier on the train, but then I'm stuck carrying King Louis and all our bits and bobs around Paris. Plus he'll sleep in the pushchair. Tres important.
Hm... may have to give the push-chair a go. It might take me half an hour to get up and down some of those stairs, but I suppose I could practice my french by asking strangers for help.
Pourriez-vous m'aider à porter la poussette, s'il vous plaît?
Louis woke up while the housekeeping ladies were here - it was time anyway - so I'd better go attend to him. He is playing rather contentedly with russian-doll style eggs and some stacking cups. I managed to communicate to the housekeepers that I only wanted one sheet on the bed, and that I didn't need the baby pillow for Louis' cot.
Time to go: he's starting to bang his head on things.
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