Hello, July.

Is that really you? I can't believe that half a year has come and gone already. Where's the pause button? Speaking of time flying, on Saturday I went to the hairdresser for the first time in eight months. Eight months! I think that's my all time record. My hair was looking pretty shabby to say the least but funny enough I got used to my crazy-long-root-showing hair and do not like my new look. I asked for a good trim and instead got half of it chopped off so I'm not too happy. Now I'll probably have to wait another eight months for it to grow back, ha. Tonight I am off to see one of my favourite artists play at the Salle Pleyel, a venue traditionally devoted to classical music concerts so should be extra special... that's if, she actually shows up and doesn't cut short her performance like she's known to have done in the past. Fingers crossed!  Hope you are all having a great weekend wherever you are. xx

{image via Natzfirefly}

Black Friday.

It has been one of those weeks. One of those long weeks where nothing really goes to plan. And I am ex-haus-ted.

Baby L. had been dragging on a cold for over a month and on Monday he had his very first session of kiné respiratoire (breathing physiotherapy). The "magic massage" worked wonders as he was immediately relieved from his congested nose and nasty cough but (and it is a big but) the massage was quite - what I am saying, extremely - vigorous. My friends who have kids told me that it was disturbing to watch but I didn't realise to what extent until I saw it being done. To see my little boy be "hurt" even though in the end it was for his own good, and hearing him cry out to us and not being able to help him was the worst feeling I have experienced so far as a mother.

Work has also be terrible this week, with so many things to do and so little time. Having a baby has strongly impacted on how I organise my day at the office because whatever happens, I now have to leave at 6 pm to pick up my boy. That means no more coffee breaks, hardly ever any lunch breaks (in France, you legally have to take 1 hour) and of course, no more drinks after work to drown my sorrows. Sadly, the whole networking side of my job has become almost non-existent and instead, I am sat at my desk all day long desperately typing away before the ticking time bomb goes off, telling me I have to leave. Of course, when I get home, there's a whole new job waiting for me.

Some days, keeping up with the pace of daily activities is really hard, not to say impossible.Trying to be a good mum, a good girlfriend, a good daughter, a good sister, a good friend, a good professional - at the moment, I can't keep up. I know that that I'm supposed to be a Wonder Trentenaires, that it's the weekend and that I should be happy, but I can't help it: today has been so hard, it's been my very own black Friday.

Anyone got a quick fix?

photo {via}

Home sweet home.

photo ©Vanessa Ribeiro

We have arrived back from our two-week road trip in the UK which I am sad is over, but all the same, happy to be at home sweet home. Altogether, we travelled 2 483 km, slept in six different places, visited over a dozen friends and relatives, explored 13 towns, attended two weddings, mended one punched tyre, enjoyed as much rain as sunshine, and ate lots of yummy unhealthy English food.

The happiest of us all to be back was baby L. The little darling was fast asleep on my shoulder right up until we arrived outside our builing when his eyes suddenly sprung open (some sort of sixth sense that we were home). As we entered our flat, he wouldn't stop smiling and bouncing about in my arms. His head was turning left, right, up and down times and times over as if in disbelief that we were actually home. A special moment I will relish for long.

More on our holidays next week. Till then, I am keeping busy organising things around the flat and catching up on everyone's blog.

6 mois.

My little man is already half a year into his life and is enjoying the English countryside to celebrate. We will be back in Paris next weekend so I'll catch you then as our Internet connections are fairly limited. Bye for now!

Summer holidays.

I am blogging from the car as we are on our way to Calais to catch the ferry to England. We've actually already missed our boat (good thing we bought flexi tickets) and have a flat tyre but my cousin is getting married tomorrow so by hook or by crook, we have to get to London tonight. If you don't hear back from me soon, it means I'm still stranded on the motorway, surviving on formula milk and a couple of mashed carrots.

Bonnes vacances!

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Monday morning at work.

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Award.

I have just received this award from my friend Vanessa at Coisas Minhas. I have to share nine things about myself, so here goes:

1. I love everything Brazilian (language, food, culture, music, fashion, everything!).
2. I am actually 3/4 English and 1/4 Welsh and my son is 1/4 French, 2/4 English and 1/4 Welsh.
3. Italian food is my favourite. If I had to eat one meal for the rest of my life it'd be pasta.
4. Rude people make me mad, therefore Parisians often make me mad.
5. I found out I was pregnant at 8 1/2 weeks! (I'll spare you the details of how come)
6. In recent years, I have developed an online shopaholic tendency (amazon, ikea, etsy, fnac, you name it).
7. I have also developped a phobia of flying, which is ironic for someone who loves to travel so much.
8. The sea is what I miss the most from living in a city.
9. I can play the piano.

In return, this award is handed out to:

• My Parisian blogger buddy (I realise I don't even know your name!) from Bright Lights, Big Cities
• Sarah from Koo and Poppet
• Randi from Eye See
• Mariane from A Brand New Baby
• Fer from Nina e Lili

Mon quartier.

My smiley boy.

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e-Living.

It is quite scary to see how dependent we are on computers these days. On Tuesday, life at the office came to a halt as we experienced a sudden power cut. Clearly, we live in an era where an office does not function without PCs, let alone without electricity. One fine example is simply the fact of not having any windows in our toilets at work, meaning that whoever had nature calling that afternoon had to do their business in pitch black or simply “bottle it”. And speaking of bottle, no water was available either as the vending machines were obviously down and so was our water fountain (which I found out, is powered by electricity). After an hour of twisting our thumbs at our desks, an announcement was finally made asking everyone to evacuate the premises because the power would not be fixed until another couple of hours. As the thousands of employees made their way out the building, it was amazing to notice how quiet the office actually was with all the machines on ‘off’. I realised, we work in an environment polluted by computers, printers, photocopiers, air con and the likes, and that on a daily basis we don’t even notice any of this machinery overuse. It makes you wonder how people managed before technology took over our day to day and whether in the end, it really does improve our quality of life.

Mind the bump.

A year ago today, I found out I had a bun in the oven and began my bumpy ride into motherhood. Funny how so much can change in one year.

5 mois

It feels like just yesterday I was writing about baby L. being four months old, but when I see how much he has changed since that last post, I realise how much time has passed. He is now close to sitting upright and - in his own way - manages to hold his bottle on his own. Squealing, giggling and rolling over are his daily fun, and he still loves chewing away on Sophie (we are waiting for those teef!). The funniest, is that after swaping the dummy for his thumb, he has now decided he prefers his big toe. As one does.

Love Hotel.

Do you know Hotel Amour in the 9th? It is an adorable little hotel on the rue de Navarrin with an amazing terrace/garden at the back of the restaurant. It has become one of my favourite spots for an afternoon coffee or evening apéritif. The waiters are always very kind (it is never a bother for me to show up with my pram) and I love the vintage furniture in the restaurant area. You may also be lucky enough to come across someone famous like we did this week. I thought it was cute how he was trying to be French with his Ricard in one hand and cigarette in the other. Yes, because if any of you are smokers out there you'll be delighted to know that the terrace is not smoke-free. Better enjoy it while it lasts!

[images ©Hotel Amour]

Where did the week go?

First post this week. Clearly I have lots to learn when it comes to time management with a baby on board. This first week back at work was much easier than expected. It was great to see all my colleagues again and work-wise, it felt like I had never left. The hard part is to get this killer look from my son when I leave in the morning which makes me feel so guilty and then again when I leave work, I feel the guilt when I see my boss' what-you-are-leaving-already face. At the end of the day, by the time I get to sit down and relax I am so tired I start nodding off on the couch like an old lady. Which explains my absent posts this week! I will try to be more organised in the future though posting may still be light in the coming weeks as baby L. will be staying with his grandparents outside the city, meaning that we will have to commute two hours every day to get into work. Oh joy! Re-experiencing the métro during rush hour this week has been everything but enjoyable and reminded me why I bought a scooter in the first place: I did not adhere to getting so near to another traveller that you are making awkwardly close body contact (or better yet, have their armpit in your face). Uh! I guess it's time for me to stop procrastinating and get my Vespa fixed asap.

Fête de la musique.

As every year in France, today is not only the first day of summer it is also the day we celebrate music. A great website has been designed for the occasion with all the musical information you will need to have a fun night. If you cannot decide where to go or what to listen to, I would suggest you make your way to the Cooling Irish Pub (15 Rue Clément, in the 6e) near the Marché St Germain where two great bands will be playing: from 20:00 - 21:30 it'll be pop/rock oldies songs and from then onwards, funkie blues jazz music. That's where I'll be enjoying my evening. Bonne fête de la musique à tous!

Retour au bureau.

This time next week I will be back in the office sitting in front of my computer screen for eight hours a day (huh!). Although part of me is happy to be returning to work because I have missed my job and my colleagues, it is nothing compared to how much I will miss my little monkey. I knew my maternity leave couldn't last forever but the thought of seeing baby L. for only three hours a day when I have spent almost 24/7 with him for the past four months is so heartbreaking. Then again, after a few weeks adaptation, I know I will be happy to be working again. It is important that my social life continues as it was and that baby L. starts one of his own. After all, isn't part of parenthood learning how to let go?

Oh, and I hope I will still have time for blogging...!

4 mois.

photo ©LaFranglaise

My little monkey is four months old today and is changing so much. He loves babling away, playing with his toys and feet and is ever so observant. He is always smiling and now giggles when we play tickling games. The little monkey has started teething so he puts absolutely everything and anything in his mouth. We are also working on the new crying fits at bedtime by reading him stories and singing lullabies. I have tried telling him how lucky he is to be going to bed at 8 o'clock and sleeping for 12 hours when his mummy only gets about 6 hours sleep every night but he doesn't listen. Naughty baby.

Happy Mother's Day.

photo ©LaFranglaise

Because in France we do everything differently, today is the day we celebrate mother's day, so here's bonne fête to toutes les mamans!

Are you an asker or a guesser?

photo©Alamy

Working in an international environment, I have often come across cross-cultural awkwardness. According to this article in The Guardian it is because as a guesser, I sometimes have to deal with askers, and that is when unpleasantness results. Are you an asker or a guesser? Find out more here.

"We are raised, the theory runs, in one of two cultures. In Ask culture, people grow up believing they can ask for anything – a favour, a pay rise– fully realising the answer may be no. In Guess culture, by contrast, you avoid "putting a request into words unless you're pretty sure the answer will be yes..."

Bon weekend.

It's gonna be a hot one... 29°C right now.

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