Trying to be a Mom in Paris

Having a baby changes your life.  The people who have them know what i'm talking about, the ones that don't...just trust us. So while I initially I wanted to start this blog for DIY ideas and decor, I think it will now turn into baby in France stuff.

As an American having a baby in the French system was very different from what you see back home. Not just the pregnancy process itself, but what comes after also. For example, I am trying to get my kid into a chreche (nursery school) starting September 2012. While this may sound like an easy task it seems that because the chreche's are run by the government and therefore much cheaper than hiring nannies the competition is stiff. First of all what was schoking to me was that you have to sign up at the Mairie (city call of your arrondissmont) before the baby is even born. The instructions say anytime after your 6th month of pregnancy. So I literally went to sign my unborn child up for nursery school when I was 6 month pregnant! The author Pamala Druckerman perfectly describes the system in her book Bringing Up Bebe, which is a great read by the way. You basically have to beg the director for a spot. Call her every week asking if spots open up, etc. It is basically insane and the kid isn't even 6 months old yet!

I have not fully delved into the creche situation so I will keep you updated on what happens. So far I have sent certified copies of my kid's birth certificate as well as letters of introduction to our top four creche's. I will begin the director stalking next week.

I Had A Baby!

So my latest DIY project was having a baby. Needless to say this definitely changed the decor of my apartment and my life in general. Even though you always hear people tell you how crazy having a baby is, you don't really feel it until you go down that path yourself. If the whole process was not physically and mentally hard enough...try doing it all in French!

I got lucky to have a very good pregnancy and birth. It breezed by and I even went on a baby moon to Los Angeles in my sixth month. The most annoying thing I had to do was get my blood drawn every month to check for what the French call toxoplasmus (some sort of stomach flu you can get from unwashed veggies/fruits and cat poop). Also because of this same toxoplasmus I had to wash my fruit and vegetables in vinegar to make sure there was none of this bacteria on it. My baby came late she arrived at almost 42 weeks. However, the birth itself was great. I got the epidural and basically felt nothing. The insanity all started after she popped out!

The first three months were crazy. She wanted to eat all the time and refused to sleep in her own crib. The only position she would fall asleep in is on mine or my husbands chest! My body felt like it was run over by a bus. I chose to breastfeed and that definitely takes a toll on a woman's body. The baby just sucks out all the good vitamins and you feel exhausted. My baby is 5 months right now and I still don't feel like I have fully recovered from the whole pregnancy/birth process.

 But she is really cute and fat.