Learned another new word today - les jumeaux. When I went to the doctor at my 13 week scan (also my first appointment - already knew I was pregnant and prefered to wait beyond the 12 week period because of the last time), she informed me that it was imperative I receive an ultrasound (echographie) immediately, this week. This was after listening to the heartbeat(s) about an inch apart. I remembered from my first time around that the doctor had a difficult time finding the heartbeat, the location had to be exact. But this time it was a bit curious to see that it could be heard in two places. I didn't think much of it at the time and my doctor only raised an eyebrow, didn't even mention the possibility...
I went in for the ultrasound and when we looked on the screen, we saw two heads. This was interesting, and I wondered what kind of new technology they were using so you could see a mirror image. That's when I learned what "les jumeaux" means - twins. Holy shit! I've always wanted three kids, I already have one, so this was perfect. I love working/teaching orchestras but don't really have the option (internally) to work while my children are little. I tried the first year when mon petit fee was four months old, but I had such a hard time even though it was part time, I quit after eight months and haven't looked back. I still teach in the evening/after school one day a week so that keeps me satiated and my brain working. This has worried me a bit wondering how long I would not be working, so getting the two for one just couldn't have come at a better time. And especially after the miscarriage in October it is almost like I am getting my baby back. These two are due in October.
Anyway, I'm not sure what is recommended in the US, but here with twins, I have to visit the doctor every month and get a sonogram every month. Everything is on track, both babies are healthy and growing normally, or as normal as can be seeing as I'm carrying them! I'll keep you posted.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
stand partner
I will have my first official concert this next week with my French orchestra. They are really a great group of musicians, and very different than many of the French people I have met. If I had been in this group when I first arrived, my impression of the French people would most likely be quite different. I have actually made friends from this group. This has been the most difficult challenge here, more difficult than the language. But I'm not sure if it's the music that brings us together, or the kind of people that play an instrument, specifically the cello, or if it's that they think I'm good and respect me (I'm sitting third chair!!!!!)???? At the first rehearsal my stand partner asked me if I was Russian. Russians are known for being virtostic and, well I did practice my part, was confident, and played quite strongly. But I wasn't sure of this compliment as I thought he was referring to my body odor. I sweat so badly when I'm nervous and it was a nerve racking day. I stunk so bad I didn't want to sit by me!
But as we have had several rehearsals together, I have had a chance to overcome my insecurity of talking with people and have had a few nice conversations. One cellist will be going to California this summer for three weeks. One guy had been to New York and Boston and someplace else on the East Coast. I think both of them speak English but I haven't heard them yet. Another girl is a fluent English speaker so we talk a mix of English and French. And my stand partner, I think he knows a little English, but we always talk in French. I think that he is nervous to speak English to me as I am nervous to speak French to him, but he is so nice and there is something about playing music together that you can get a sense of someone's soul. So we have made a convivial connection without many words. And ok, after last rehearsal, he is now my hero!
Just in the past few months they have started a new thing in Paris. The city provides bikes at certain locations, usually by metro stops. They are there to cut down on car/bus/metro usage and to promote an energy efficient mode of transport. And so you can rent a bike, though I think it's free if it's within a certain time, and ride from one location and drop it off at the next. Well, my stand partner did this - with a cello in a hard case ON HIS BACK while riding the bike!!!!! This is not easy as the cello itself is heavy, plus the weight of the hard case. And then on your back! The weight is tough, but also the coordination of it all. Though I guess he is pretty coordinated to play the cello, so guess this shouldn't be too big a deal. I don't know though. All analysis aside, it's still pretty cool. Now I need to find where my drop off location would be!
But as we have had several rehearsals together, I have had a chance to overcome my insecurity of talking with people and have had a few nice conversations. One cellist will be going to California this summer for three weeks. One guy had been to New York and Boston and someplace else on the East Coast. I think both of them speak English but I haven't heard them yet. Another girl is a fluent English speaker so we talk a mix of English and French. And my stand partner, I think he knows a little English, but we always talk in French. I think that he is nervous to speak English to me as I am nervous to speak French to him, but he is so nice and there is something about playing music together that you can get a sense of someone's soul. So we have made a convivial connection without many words. And ok, after last rehearsal, he is now my hero!
Just in the past few months they have started a new thing in Paris. The city provides bikes at certain locations, usually by metro stops. They are there to cut down on car/bus/metro usage and to promote an energy efficient mode of transport. And so you can rent a bike, though I think it's free if it's within a certain time, and ride from one location and drop it off at the next. Well, my stand partner did this - with a cello in a hard case ON HIS BACK while riding the bike!!!!! This is not easy as the cello itself is heavy, plus the weight of the hard case. And then on your back! The weight is tough, but also the coordination of it all. Though I guess he is pretty coordinated to play the cello, so guess this shouldn't be too big a deal. I don't know though. All analysis aside, it's still pretty cool. Now I need to find where my drop off location would be!
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
renoncule
These are my favorite flowers of all time. If anyone asks... They are called: renoncule.
I learned that today (after living here 4.5 years!) at the market. I love the flower man. He's always so jovial I wonder if he's really French. Maybe one day I will ask him. He gave mon petit fee a rose and then proceeded to tell me he was Rambo. Where that came from I don't know. "Where's my knive, where's my knife" he kept saying. Good golly. Definitely was a good laugh though, that's for sure. He was so kind to write down the name of this flower for me so I just had to take a photo of it. Even the color has to be my favorite, too. And at only six euro a bouquet, I can afford them weekly!
And I need all the cheer I can get as I am in need of a little sensual stimulus (not sexual - something to stimulate my senses, because Paris doesn't do it anymore - been there, done that, seen it. Ok that's not really accurate as there are many things I still enjoy, but the honeymoon is over). These days I leave the tea pot on for so long, all the water boils out of it. Or I put the tea pot on the stove and forget to turn the stove on. I had some raw milk that was going to expire the next day so I thought I'd be clever and make a delicious custard out of it only to forget that I had put it in the oven. "That's what timers are for" you say?!?! Well smarty pants, I did set the timer, listened to to it buzz and then just went about my evening like la de da. Is this mommy brain? I need another good long sniff of those flowers.
Friday, February 1, 2008
too long
You know you've been living outside the US too long when....
a family member has cancer and you send a sprout tray and broccoli seeds for sprouting.
But hey, there's good reason for that. Check it out:
http://www.mercola.com/1997/archive/broccoli_sprouts.htm
a family member has cancer and you send a sprout tray and broccoli seeds for sprouting.
But hey, there's good reason for that. Check it out:
http://www.mercola.com/1997/archive/broccoli_sprouts.htm
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
back to normal
This season the weather has been so fantastic I have forgotten what city I am living in. Blue skies and no rain puts anyone in a good mood. Maybe that's why I am feeling so well. But the last couple of days, it has gone back to normalicy for this time of year. Yucky, gray skies, rain, toe freezing weather. Today was no exception. Mon petit fee and I went to the jardin des poetes just to get out of our three room apartment. (Three rooms meaning, one living area, one dining area, one bedroom - literally, three rooms). Of course it was drizzling, so the playground was wet. But they have these beautiful greenhouses, one of which we entered. There we found another American expat! She had three kids and we had such a nice time chatting while the kids played together and watched the fish in the little ponds. With them an hour went by faster than a minute alone and all too soon it was time to say goodbye.
We were to take the bus home and ended up waiting a good ten minutes for it, standing out in the light rain. I stopped carrying an umbrella as it is just one more thing to carry and ok, really, it is just so much effort to carry it open while pushing the stroller. They need to make a stroller with an attachable umbrella for mommy. How on earth am I supposed to push the thing with just one hand over cobble stone/rocks/bumpy pavement with the full weight of mom petit fee and a load of groceries??? Come on entrepeneurs, here's and easy one for you. Donc voila, I did have the stroller with a bag and some odds and ends I purchased at the store just before going to the playground/greenhouse. School had just gotten out - it's only half days on Wednesdays - so there were about 20 kids waiting at the bus stop. They all got on and I stood there looking at a bus full of people, ready to get on. The driver took one look at me and informed me that I would have to fold up my stroller as the bus was full. I understand the bus driver does have this right, and legally the passengers are required to oblige the driver. But it was raining, I had a lot of loose things in the stroller of which what was I to do with? It's not like there wasn't ANY room for us. People would just have had to move back a little. But it's this mentality that "pfff, oh la la, c'est trop difficile..." So I just told him never mind and walked in the rain with mon petit fee the rest of the way home. It was only about a 15 minute walk the way I walk (you know, one foot in front of the other), but did I mention that it was raining, I was cold, and mon petit fee was hungry??? Guess there are worse things though so I shouldn't complain. I do have feet to walk with in the first place. Good grief Charlile Brown. Where have you done and gone?
We were to take the bus home and ended up waiting a good ten minutes for it, standing out in the light rain. I stopped carrying an umbrella as it is just one more thing to carry and ok, really, it is just so much effort to carry it open while pushing the stroller. They need to make a stroller with an attachable umbrella for mommy. How on earth am I supposed to push the thing with just one hand over cobble stone/rocks/bumpy pavement with the full weight of mom petit fee and a load of groceries??? Come on entrepeneurs, here's and easy one for you. Donc voila, I did have the stroller with a bag and some odds and ends I purchased at the store just before going to the playground/greenhouse. School had just gotten out - it's only half days on Wednesdays - so there were about 20 kids waiting at the bus stop. They all got on and I stood there looking at a bus full of people, ready to get on. The driver took one look at me and informed me that I would have to fold up my stroller as the bus was full. I understand the bus driver does have this right, and legally the passengers are required to oblige the driver. But it was raining, I had a lot of loose things in the stroller of which what was I to do with? It's not like there wasn't ANY room for us. People would just have had to move back a little. But it's this mentality that "pfff, oh la la, c'est trop difficile..." So I just told him never mind and walked in the rain with mon petit fee the rest of the way home. It was only about a 15 minute walk the way I walk (you know, one foot in front of the other), but did I mention that it was raining, I was cold, and mon petit fee was hungry??? Guess there are worse things though so I shouldn't complain. I do have feet to walk with in the first place. Good grief Charlile Brown. Where have you done and gone?
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Wow, been a while. Been busy. l got a very nice compliment today. A man said l had a "little" accent, l was from there? He was surprised l was American, and he said he loved my accent! Wow, ok. That was much needed for me today.
l actually went to a cafe and had a glass of wine. Normally l would not do this as most cafes are often very smokey. But the ban on smoking in cafes was put into effect, so now l can go. And l can take mon petit fee with me, too (if necessary)!
This holiday season, we didn't go home and l really felt it. Tickets are so expensive and we don't have a money tree. lt would be thousands of dollars that we don't have. lt was quite lonely without the chaos of my family. Living here is great, so many things l like about it, but l really need a bigger and more regular dose of the nest l flew from.
Next week l begin playing in a real French orchestra. The first three l played in before were French, but many of the players were other nationalities. One conductor was American, one British, and one Spanish. This one will be almost all Frenchies and the director, French. Good for my language acquisition.
l miss the US. Especially now when history is being written - the first African-American president! They talk about it over here - is America ready or not? l am making sure that we are registered to vote for this one, though l have done so for, gee, every election since l was 18.
Allors bonne sante a tout cette annee 2008.
l actually went to a cafe and had a glass of wine. Normally l would not do this as most cafes are often very smokey. But the ban on smoking in cafes was put into effect, so now l can go. And l can take mon petit fee with me, too (if necessary)!
This holiday season, we didn't go home and l really felt it. Tickets are so expensive and we don't have a money tree. lt would be thousands of dollars that we don't have. lt was quite lonely without the chaos of my family. Living here is great, so many things l like about it, but l really need a bigger and more regular dose of the nest l flew from.
Next week l begin playing in a real French orchestra. The first three l played in before were French, but many of the players were other nationalities. One conductor was American, one British, and one Spanish. This one will be almost all Frenchies and the director, French. Good for my language acquisition.
l miss the US. Especially now when history is being written - the first African-American president! They talk about it over here - is America ready or not? l am making sure that we are registered to vote for this one, though l have done so for, gee, every election since l was 18.
Allors bonne sante a tout cette annee 2008.
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