this week

So I'm in the final countdown stage of this pregnancy, because we have a sort-of induction date coming up soon.  Last week it felt like I saw all sorts of doctors, Sam submitted a load of job applications (and has two interviews lined up), and did his best to readjust to being in the US at the beginning of the week.  On Wednesday Sam went to try on his tuxedo for the wedding, and it was a good thing he did, because his trousers were about two inches too short.  We'd submitted the measurements ourselves because we were in England, and clearly I am unable to measure things properly.  Luckily they were able to fix it the next day, so everything was fine in the end.  We had dinner with his family on Thursday night, after several doctor appointments at the hospital where everything looked fine, so we all got caught up and learned about his brother's plans for the next few years.

Friday my new phone arrived and I played with that until we headed out to the wedding rehearsal, which was interesting.  The woman in charge was a bit intense, and apparently their rules are pretty set -- only the best man was allowed to stand next to the groom, so the other groomsmen are supposed to just sit in the front row, even though the bride wanted them all standing.  Afterwards, we put up a few decorations in the chapel (because no one was using it in between the rehearsal and the actual wedding the next morning) and then went to the rehearsal dinner, where Sam and I got to sit with another friend of his from high school and the friend's wife, along with the sister of the bride and her boyfriend.  The boyfriend had his cute four-year-old son with him, and kept warning us of all the fun of parenthood that lies before us (i.e., never sleeping).

Saturday was the actual wedding day and it was lovely.  Sam got up pretty early to go eat breakfast with other wedding party people, and then they got ready together, since the photographer was going to get some shots of that.  I got to sleep in a little more because the best man's fiancee offered to give me a ride to the wedding when it actually started, as opposed to like four hours early, which was really nice of her.  The wedding was gorgeous and we really enjoyed the reception.  Afterwards, we went to another friend's house to play games and eat pizza.  One of Sam's friends brought his three-month-old baby along, so we got to play with him and pick up some tips.

moving and adjusting

Sam and I are now officially leaving England and moving to Boston, something we've been discussing for months and trying to figure out the timing of.  Being 35 weeks pregnant (today) does not really make me excited about changes in our living circumstances, but as Sam would continually point out, moving is probably easier pregnant than it is with a tiny newborn.  So here we are in Boston, seeing new doctors and finding out that I will probably only be pregnant for 2 or 3 more weeks.  I can't quite make myself believe that I only have two weeks before we are both officially parents, and that this baby is actually going to be born.  It feels like I've been pregnant for so long, it's just my normal state of being, and so it is hard to remember that oh, right, this whole things ends with an actual baby joining our family.  And that baby might need a few things, like a car seat.

I've spent the last few weeks making lists but suddenly I realize I need to actually commit to a few things.  I still have no idea where to begin, and somehow I'm expected to take care of an actual newborn in two weeks?  I am adjusting to the idea and the earlier delivery date and the induction process (while still holding on to the hope that maybe I will go into labor on my own) and am actually mostly just exited, of course, but here it is...the last few weeks on my own.    

I have a long list of things to do before the baby comes, like get myself a US cell phone plan and find this baby a paediatrician (because you need to do that in this country) but on the other hand, babies don't need a lot, so two weeks should be plenty of time for us to get mentally prepared. 

this week

This week included: hospital checks, baby preparation, visits to friends, walks by the sea, pretending that it's autumn already, and wondering how much longer I'll be able to see my feet. We got to take home an ultrasound picture of our baby's face (and chubby cheeks!) which manages to be both cute and creepy.  (Or am I the only one that sort of thinks ultrasound pictures are a little creepy?)  We did some deep cleaning of our flat, in preparation for baby and our eventual move.  I'm trying to enjoy the last of the summertime but since autumn means baby, I'm really ready for it to just be autumn already.

Next week is bringing major changes.  Sam and I have been trying to work out the details of the next few years of our life, now that he is essentially done with his course, and we finally decided that the best plan was for us to move back to the US sooner rather than later.  So now we are selling our things and finding out that moving at the end of a pregnancy is pretty awful, although perhaps not so difficult as with a brand-new baby.  In any case, I am really sad to be leaving England, and I'll miss the sea and the rain and the pier and all the small things, like pound coins and cream teas and the way the land stays green all year round.  I am trying to find all the positives about our new location, but I think it is OK to be sad about leaving somewhere, too.  I will miss our friends in particular, the ones who won't get to meet our baby right away, and who will miss the very glamorous last month or so of my pregnancy.  Having done plenty of moves in my life, I will say that it is so much easier moving with my husband, rather than alone.  It is nice to have him with me, to reminisce about our shared experiences and the places we've left behind and where we're heading, and it makes it a bit easier not to feel alone.  

34 weeks

Some thoughts about 34 weeks.  Only 6 more to go, which feels slightly like an eternity, and slightly terrifying that this baby will actually arrive sometime.  I got a scan last week to check growth, and he is still doing fine.  They said he was almost 5 pounds, which sounds huge to me, but apparently puts him in the 38th percentile, so maybe not.  Then they pulled out their fancy 3D equipment to try out, and took some 3D shots, which are terrifying.  They make it seem like we are having the world's ugliest baby, but I think 3D often gives you weird distortion, so I mostly find it funny.  Or we will have a horribly ugly baby, but that's OK, too.  Babies change a lot in their first year, anyway.

The baby also does plenty of kicking, though not so much rolling and jumping around.  He was pretty squished in there, and likes to keep his hands up by his face.  My feet have started swelling a bit at night, which is weird looking but not really that awful yet.  My back hurts sometimes, I get some weird pains, and I've had leg cramps a few times at night, but really, none of these things have been too unbearable yet.  Even in the heat.  Someone I know who is also due in October (though maybe a week earlier than me) had her baby today, so apparently that can happen mostly safely now.  We've practically made it to September, so soon I'll be able to say that I'm having a baby next month.  Except really he could come in September, which I am half-expecting, so my mother says I will now go up to 42 weeks just so he can prove me wrong.  His official due date is 10/10 and that would be an excellent birthday to have, really.

My aunt bought me three new maternity shirts this week.  I may not have much longer than a month left to wear them, but it is so nice to suddenly have some new options in my wardrobe.  I was getting pretty sick of rotating through the same few tops.  I am also hoping for real autumn weather sometime soon, but late August isn't exactly anything other than summer, I know that.

Our crib should be arriving soon (and just needs a new mattress and maybe a paint job) and we need a car seat, and then I'll feel pretty prepared.  The list is getting pretty small, now, and this lucky baby has plenty of family who are looking forward to his arrival and getting to spoil him.

getting ready

Since I was clearly feeling a bit negative about the whole pregnancy thing after spending all day in hospital last Friday, I've since been doing some preparations that are definitely reminding me that I'm overall pretty happy and excited about this pregnancy.  First up: the hospital bag.  Sam's response to my suggestion that we make a list of things we'll bring to the hospital was that he'd be able to think of them all at the time.  But since any appointment could end with me having a baby (hopefully not for at least another month though), I thought it sounded nice to be prepared.  Plus, putting baby stuff together is exciting when it's your first.  (I can't speak to any other time, obviously.)  

Other people have put together hospital bag packing lists which I read obsessively before putting together my own. Sam even did his best to participate, so we got to have fun conversations like what size baby things do you bring to the hospital (newborn? 0-1 month? 0-3? Tiny baby?) or do we need to pack snacks for Sam? At first we both thought it was funny to be packing snacks, but then we decided it made sense, so onto the list it went. (But what snacks?) (And seriously, what size clothes?)  Now there are two different bags ready to go (one for me, in case I go into hospital for a bit before having the baby and one that is full of baby things) and things got a little more real.  I feel like I've said that a lot, but it's an odd process, realizing that pregnancy will (hopefully) result in even more huge changes for us.  This week has been much better, and I even got a growth scan on Tuesday that showed our baby is getting big.  We got to see his chubby cheeks and find out he's already weighing over 4 pounds.  Hopefully my new medication won't cause any more complications or bad side effects, but at least for this week, everything is OK and we're feeling a bit more prepared.     

up to date

 32 weeks

Sometimes it feels a little like this pregnancy is killing me, which is very dramatic, but oh, well.  A few weekends ago I got to experience my very first hospital stay, for example, and now I am on medication and getting monitored all the time and more worries keep popping up.  It's been a bit weird suddenly having health problems this pregnancy, because I am used to being categorized as normal and healthy.  I really miss those five minute long midwife appointments where everything looked good and  I was sent away happy.  Of course, I'm glad they catch health problems now and I can get treatment and know that the baby is growing well, but it still makes me feel a bit like failure, to need medication and hospital stays and extra appointments and talk about induction and hopefully you can make to at least 37 weeks.  Pregnancy is a bit isolating, anyway, because the person who is going through it with you doesn't really understand it at all, and sometimes you feel jealous that he can have a baby without getting fat and the hundreds of other pregnancy complications there are.

Being at the hospital was horrible, too, because you are surrounded by other women who are having difficult pregnancies, and so you worry about the woman going into labour at 24 weeks or the one on an IV because she cannot take even one bite of biscuit without throwing up which makes her cry all night and you just want to be declared healthy and allowed to go home.  Yesterday, I spent from 9-4 at my day unit after what was supposed to be a quick check turned into more possible complications and lots and lots of waiting for doctors to appear.  (Most of it was waiting, actually.  And people telling me to relax, like sitting on an uncomfortable waiting room chair for 5 hours was helping with that.)

Yesterday I was ready to declare that I was not sure I could ever do this again, but now I am feeling a bit better, and maybe I can.  Today we focused on happy baby things, like putting together a list for the hospital  (at which Sam declared, I will think of all these things at the time!) and buying our first package of diapers.  It's starting to feel slightly more like there might be an actual baby around here sometime, and I really can't wait. 

oh july

So it is basically August, which is a month I've been looking forward to and dreading for what feels like years.  But it obviously has not been that long.  Partway through August, Sam will have to hand in his dissertation, which means that early August will basically be dedicated to writing and editing and stressing and hating being a student.  And then it will be all over, at least for a little while, while we put it out of our minds and wait for the results. 

But it's getting hard for me, because basically all I think about right now is being pregnant.  I can't help it.  I've sort of passed the enjoying pregnancy stage and entered the when will this end stage, which is a bit worrying as it isn't actually August, yet, and I have to make it to the beginning of October.  Or maybe the end of September.  Right now, that sounds like a long time.  There is still a lot to love about pregnancy, number one being that hopefully at the end I will get a baby, bu the heat is definitely hard for me.  This morning we had cool temperatures and plenty of rain and it was glorious, but now it is over and it wasn't really that long.  I guess I should remember those endless rainy days early in the year and be grateful for the sun, but I really love rain.  Especially when pregnant in July. 

Over the weekend we attended a little BBQ with some friends, and the views were amazing. There were animals roaming everywhere and delicious food and ruined castles just around the corner and even the heat was almost nice.  (Except on the endless bus ride there.)  I get a lot of comments from random women about the one time they were pregnant in the summer, and it was the hottest summer on record, etc etc... so clearly, I am not the only one who sometimes wishes it was timed differently.  But my complaining is all light-hearted, I swear, because mostly I am so happy to be pregnant and excited for this little boy.  I love how much he moves around, even when it freaks Sam out, and I have happy images of an active little boy running around and enjoying the outdoors a few summers from now.

open windows

In the summertime, we open all our windows to let a breeze in and try to keep our flat from being completely miserable.  (Being pregnant in this heat though, I'm not sure it's really working.)  Letting the breeze in lets all kinds of other things in, though, like our neighbour's music or another neighbour's cigarette smoke and conversation.  I sort of love lying in bed at night hearing our neighbours gossip away.  It makes you feel a bit more connected to the rest of the world, even when you're inside.  We constantly hear the birds, who are all incredibly loud, the trains pulling into the station, station announcements, and other traffic noises.  (And as I was writing this, an alarm somewhere started going off... and it is really annoying.)

I sort of love this about summer, how open your house is and how loud the rest of the world suddenly becomes.  (Although I do miss having screens in the windows to keep bugs out.)  There's not a lot else that I love about summer... I find myself daydreaming about being pregnant in the winter, when being hotter than usual might actually be an advantage and I could pile on the layers.  Instead I drink lots of ice water and take cool showers at night and remind myself that it isn't really long to go at all, in the grand scheme of things.  I can make it through. 

third trimester

 (somewhat blurry picture taken around 27 weeks)

It feels a bit like the home stretch.  This pregnancy has sometimes been long (that first trimester, really) and then suddenly I was left wondering where the time had gone.  (Still plenty of time to go, though, right?) Suddenly, I am huge, the end is sort of in sight, and the baby kicks hard enough that sometimes it wakes me up at night.  When I am talking to people, they sometimes start stroking my stomach, which will never not be a little odd to me, and every day I think October is so far away  and then (if he came a little early) I could have a baby in ten weeks... so. The third trimester, it is a little strange.

I know newborn clothes are supposed to look tiny, but I stare at them at them and wonder how I'll give birth to someone big enough to fit into such a giant babygro.  Then I remember that this baby is only a little over 2 pounds now, and become slightly horrified at all the growing I still have to do.  I mean, I am huge already...how exactly am I supposed to get any bigger?

Today I got to hear the baby's heartbeat again, and the midwife felt around and found his head, so he is nicely head down for the time being.  He likes to kick and sometimes startles us with how strong he is.  It'll be weird once he's born, maybe missing all those inner baby kicks and movements that are sort of just for you.  We cleared out a drawer just for him, and somehow putting things in small sizes away made it seem the tiniest bit more real... like maybe he really will join our family and wear those clothes eventually, and though I can't quite picture it now, I can't wait to meet him.         

preparations

On Saturday I went with a friend to a nearly new sale at a nearby school, where bundles of baby things were being sold off quite cheap.  She was definitely better at spotting things than me (she found me a sleeping bag and a swaddle blanket for £1 each!) but I rummaged through person after person's cast offs and thought, do other people really buy this much for their baby?  I could count the clothes we had for this baby on one hand, before today, and if I want to do a proper count now, I'll need to wait until they are finished washing, but it really isn't much more (though it felt like a lot as I was buying them). 

We have various lists and discussions about what things a baby actually needs, like special baths or breastfeeding pillows, or little shoes when clearly he won't be walking.  Mostly we decide these things are unnecessary, but then I'll be in a store trying on maternity clothes from the clearance rack and Sam will find a cute fluffy blanket that we clearly don't need but buy anyway, because it is so soft and cute. 

Often we find ourselves discussing, how would we do this with a baby? Can we still sleep in (no), go for walks (probably) or stay up late talking or playing games or watching movies (maybe)?  I'm told (over and over) that you can't really prepare, so I've decided not to feel guilty when I sleep in that extra thirty minutes, because that won't last forever.  I think I've perfected smiling and nodding to random advice, but I know that will just get worse once the baby has actually arrived.  Mostly we are really excited and hoping nothing goes wrong.  And sometimes I go and stare at our small pile of baby things and think about how strange it is that a brand-new person will soon be joining our family. 

right now: 24 weeks

These days the baby moves quite a bit, and is definitely getting stronger.  Sometimes he'll roll around for what feels like hours at a time, and sometimes just give me quick kicks, like he wants me to remember that he's there.  I catch glimpses of myself in mirrors and remember how huge I suddenly am... like, oh, that's right, I'm still pregnant and growing.  Then I see someone on the street who is clearly closer to the full 40 weeks and I get a little scared at all that there is to come.  We don't have very many baby things around the house yet, and things are sort of messy here right now, so in a lot of ways it feels like we are pretty far from being ready.  Then I think of all the months between June and October and decide that we have plenty of time, but I'm pretty convinced that it's going to fly by.

I think about next year, and enjoying the autumn and winter with our baby, then get worried about all the things that can go wrong between now and then.  I eat two chocolate bars and feel guilty, so have salad for dinner to try to make up for it.  We joke about introducing the baby to sounds and tastes right now, while he's still growing, like what I eat or listen to will somehow influence him.  I point out babies when I'm outside with Sam, guessing their ages and wondering where we'll be when our baby is that old.  We imagine our different futures: where we'll live, how many other babies there will be, that sort of thing. 

summertime

 Last week the heat was really overpowering.  I'm not really a summer person, so I was sort of dragging myself around, hating everything and complaining a bit, and wondering how on earth it could be so hot in June, until I finally checked the temperature and was shocked at how low it was (only like 20C)!  Sam says I can blame pregnancy (as I do for all things now) but seriously, how will I ever move to somewhere with actual hot summers if temperatures that low make me want to lie in a dark, cool room by myself all day? 

I managed to almost enjoy myself this weekend, though, especially when it got a bit cooler on Sunday.  I told Sam his pre-Father's day present was me not wasting money on a present or a card, because he really hates wasting money on cards, so there you go.  It was a fun day, anyway, especially when some friends has us over for fajitas and then a few hours later made scones and we had a nice cream tea (minus the tea or any other beverage, really).  Sam thought the clotted cream was a bit gross, and eventually just ate his scones with jam, but clotted cream is one of those things I might have cravings for once we're back in the US.  I think it's delicious.  We've also spent plenty of time watching the World Cup, or at least (for me) listening to it while trying to fall asleep at 12 o'clock.  I did stay awake for yesterday's US-Ghana match, which was a bit excruciating.  It's so much easier watching teams you don't care about at all.  Sam is definitely enjoying it all, though, except when I talk about how by the next World Cup we'll have a little boy who'll be almost four.  Scary stuff.  For now we're still hoping for a good job opportunity, and starting to get sick of filling out applications.  He'd make a really good employee, if someone would just hire him.  So that will probably be our summer: trying to enjoy the heat and pregnancy without worrying too much about our future and where we'll be one year from now.  It has been really nice to be here for two years, and I can't wait to be settled somewhere a bit more permanently.  (Moving is awful.) 

halfway

I reached the halfway point in my pregnancy last week, something I've been looking forward to.  I'm so excited for this baby to arrive, but right now I'm realizing I shouldn't wish this pregnancy away.  The next few months hold all kinds of challenges and stresses -- dissertations, job hunting, moving -- and right now I'm happy for time to move slowly.  I want to use time well, and I'm torn between reading all the books everyone tells me I won't have time for soon and getting things accomplished.

We found out that our baby is growing well and is definitely a boy.  I'm so excited and pleased to be having a son.  It's kind of surreal honestly, to think of an actual human person that will join out family in October, but that's another kind of freak out.  I also vacillate between being excited to be finally looking pregnant and being a little depressed about it.  It's something that will forever baffle me, that becoming pregnant suddenly allows people to comment on your weight and size like it's normal and socially acceptable.  I wish I were more confrontational because I always just let it slide and laugh when people say rude or awkward things.

Our time lately seems to be spent arguing about what to name this boy.  It's sort of ridiculous being unable to compromise, but I think we might (sort of) be getting there.  Last night Sam felt the baby kicking for the first time, which was fun.  Sometimes the baby moves so much it's sort of bizarre...I hadn't realize how strong it was, when it's still so tiny. 

so far

Lately, I find myself staring at blank pages, sort of wanting to write about pregnancy and sort of feeling like I have nothing to say.  Here I am, at 18 weeks, and part of me feels like I've been pregnant forever, and part of me is shocked that I'm almost to the halfway point.  I always wondered why pregnancy was counted in weeks instead of months, because nobody who isn't pregnant has any idea what a certain amount of weeks meant.  When people would mention being 28 weeks pregnant, it meant literally nothing to me.  Like, that's sort of far into it, right?  But months actually means something.  Now I see that counting in months gets a little complicated, so I'm constantly doing my best to approximate a conversion into months so that when people ask (and they always do), I can give them an answer that might make sense to them.  Or I just say, "I'm due in October," and they can figure out the rest if they're interested.

My other theory is that no one really cares about your pregnancy, even when they ask you questions, so I just give quick answers in case they want to change topics quickly.  I do this with most things in life, I guess, because nobody really cares about your new job or haircut or classes as much as you do, so why bore them with details they're not really listening to?  Still, something about being pregnant does bring out the awkwardness in acquaintances.  I was shocked at the number of people so far who have asked me if this pregnancy was planned, and still don't really know what to say to that.  I think it's just about as bad when people ask if I'm happy/excited, because what if the answer is no?  Do they really want to hear that?  I think it's just people making conversation, but the first time somebody asked me casually if me pregnancy was planned, I was too surprised to answer at first.  I think I just stared. 

The other question I already hate being ask is how I feel.  I always say "fine" without thinking, and then I'm usually subjected to stores of their pregnancy and illness and how very lucky I am.  Which I am, because I haven't been horribly sick, but I was sick enough at the beginning that I understood why people complain about pregnancy, and thought about never wanting to do it again.  Now I do mostly feel fine, but even when I feel like I might be sick at any minute, and just want to go home and take a nap, I don't usually say that.  Maybe I should, just for fun.

Anyway, Sam and I are doing our best to stick to our resolutions, and not show random friends our ultrasound pictures, or tell them detailed pregnancy stories, or carry on our arguments over baby naming in front of them.  I'll admit, sometimes baby names come up, but it's never started by us.  In two weeks, I have an anomaly scan, and hopefully everything will be OK and we'll find out whether we're having a boy or a girl.  We'll be happy either way, and mostly are just really excited to finally know.  At least, I am.  For now, we mostly try to look forward to each small pregnancy milestone, because October feels like another lifetime away. 

lately

 (photo from my trip to France)

I really love April.  How can it already be almost over? Friday was Sam's last day on his final placement, so that is a little sad.  As much as he hates taking the bus for an hour to and from work every day, he enjoyed his placement and liked his co-workers, and placements are sort of the best part of his course. It's sort of surreal to think that this is our last year of student life... exams and essays and classes and all that.  I know Sam won't miss it at all, but I might.

I had my 16 week appointment with my midwife today.  I think it lasted somewhere between five to ten minutes, but that's OK, because I'll happily take straightforward appointments over anything else.  Basically everything was great, except for the weird news that I'm not vaccinated against rubella.  I even got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time, which was exciting.  It took her a little bit to find, because the baby is so low, but then there it was, all loud and quick.  I won't be seeing the midwife again until I'm 25 weeks, so hopefully everything just continues as it should.  Now I'm getting excited for our scan at the end of May, because it's another chance to see the baby. 

Easter

 We had fun celebrating Easter this weekend.  It's a holiday I sort of forget about, and then really enjoy once it's here. (And this year it took forever to arrive.)  I spoke at our church, which I always hate because I don't like speaking in front of big groups, but it gave me the chance to really think about the real holiday we were celebrating.  That's always nice, especially with Easter, which should be a religious holiday first. 

The rest of our Sunday was spent eating chocolate and roast lamb (not together) and it was perfect.  We haven't really started any of our own traditions for celebrating holidays yet, because it's just the two of us, but I kept thinking that this is the last time we'll be celebrating that way.  Next year we'll have a baby, and even if babies don't understand Easter, it'll be fun to start family traditions.  So that was our holiday: good food and friends and lots of anticipation of next year.  Really, we spend a lot of time right now anticipating things, but mostly the arrival of our first baby in October. 

avignon and provence

So, OK, just a little bit more about my trip to France.  We spent the weekend in Avignon, and since my mother had rented a car for some of her meetings the following week, we got to go explore lots of gorgeous small towns.  The first one was Gordes, which is this amazing hill-top stone city.  We sort of missed out on the view, though, because it was pouring as we arrived.  The rain continued off and on all day, and at one point, as we ate our lunch looking out over the countryside, the sun suddenly came out and we actually see!  Everything looked even lovelier after that.  As we drove away, we got one terrible picture (through the car window) of how lovely Gordes looks from a distance. Afterwards we visited this old stone village (of Bories) which was completely bizarre.  It was still raining as we explored stone huts and wondered how they knew which ones were where people lived and which ones had animals.  We visited a couple more towns, including Roussillon which has amazing, vibrant red cliffs and lots of ochre.  The town itself also had really bright buildings and an old church with amazing views where you could look over the countryside.  (There were lots of great views in Provence.) 

That evening we went to a nice restaurant in Avignon, where we each had three courses.  The best part was probably my starter, mushroom soup that was incredibly delicious without being too rich or too much.  Dessert was also incredible.  Our hotel was right next to the Palais de Papes in Avignon, so it was really easy to get anywhere in the city.  The next day we visited more towns, and some old ruins... Greek then Roman.  Kind of unbelievable.  There was a hill next to it that we hiked up to look out over the old city (which no longer exists) and then towards Avignon.  It was a beautiful day, so you could actually see for miles.  We ate a picnic dinner while we hiked around the area (trying to find a specific hike and not realizing that we'd actually begun at the end of it... but oh well).  That evening we explored Avignon a little and drank hot chocolate in our hotel room. I had the next day to myself in Avignon, wandering around, visiting museums, and enjoying the views.  It was perfect weather, nice and sunny but not too hot.  I'd definitely recommend March as a lovely time to visit the south of France, because it was a little bit miserable there in August, but just perfect in the spring. 

paris

A few weeks ago, I got to go to Paris to see my mother.  It was a really nice visit, and the weather was gorgeous and spring-like and perfect.  There were leaves budding on the trees and sunny days just perfect for walking around parks and visiting museums.  My first day there, I went to the Luxembourg garden, wandered around Place des Vosges and visited my favorite free museum, the Carnavalet.  It houses one of my favorite paintings, and I like to go visit it, although this time the painting was off on exhibit somewhere else, which was disappointing.  It still is fun to look around the museum, which is all about Paris, and then spend some time wandering in Le Marais, with its ridiculous shops and crowded streets.  It was fun spending time with my mom, too, and in the evenings after she'd finished work, we'd ride the metro somewhere and go walk around some more. I think that night we tried to go to to Tuileries, but we got there about half an hour before it closed, and of course they weren't letting anyone in.  So instead we just wandered in various directions and eventually ended up on the Champs-Elysees.   The next day I spent almost entirely at the Louvre, which is ridiculously huge, and somehow exhausting.  I kept looking for places to sit down because for some reason I just couldn't handle standing up for hours on end.  Afterwards, I wandered through the Tuileries garden and then met my mom at the train station to catch the TGV down to Avignon.

top: Paris metro / the puppet theater in Luxembourg garden / trees in the garden
middle: beautiful day in Luxembourg garden / people enjoying the sun at Place des Vosges / at a cathedral
bottom: last one from Luxembourg garden / inside the Louvre / in Tuileries garden

The end of March is definitely a perfect time to visit Paris.  It wasn't too busy, the weather was perfect, and everything was really beautiful. My mom had rented an aparthotel in La Defense so we got to cook breakfast and dinner.  I also picked up some random desserts from a patisserie near Saint Germain and they were obviously delicious.  It might be one of the best things about visiting France: eating baguettes and going to patisseries and all the other delicious food.