La Vie de MK

Two years and a day...

2010-03-07T08:20:00.004+01:00

...is exactly how much time we spent in France.

Now that we're back home, it often feels like it was all a dream. But then Mark will meet someone who speaks French, and he'll take off full speed speaking French, or I'll be visiting the (comparitively tiny) cheese section of Trader Joe's, and recognize every single cheese imported from France, and it all comes rushing back. Unpacking our possessions (that we stored in my parents' attic while we were living abroad) was like opening up a time capsule, and it only highlighted the ways in which we're different. We've changed, and the America we left is not the America we came home to.

You can follow our adjustment back to the USA at the new blog I've created:

http://butlersonthebay.blogspot.com

It's good to be home, and it's even better to be with our families again.

So long, France, and thanks for all the french...

We miss you!

2009

2010-01-02T11:58:00.034+01:00

So, so much to be grateful for...

January

Febuary

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

...and two weeks from today, Evan will begin to meet the rest of his loving family! Almost home... Happy New Year!

Moving made easy!

2009-12-26T09:05:00.002+01:00

Reader comment: "...you guys have done it again! What an ingenious way to streamline your moving and packing all at once!"

(Thank you once again, Bjorcks! You totally understand!)

Evan's first Christmas...

2009-12-25T22:00:00.003+01:00

...was filled with moving boxes! This is our third Christmas in a row where we have been moving, and so Christmas has felt more far away than ever this year. Somehow, the Christmas spirit still found us today, though, and we took the time to take the following photo...

We can't wait to be back in the USA soon. The best Christmas present of all will be to introduce Evan to our family!

A few things Evan can do for his first Christmas: crawl (I predicted he would be crawling by Christmas, and he's officially moving forward on hands and knees this week), sit up on his own, pull himself up to a full stand, and talk baby talk. His favorite thing to say today was "mimmimmimmimm..."

We hand over the keys to our apartment on Wednesday, then we're in a hotel for a bit, and we fly out on January 9th. With 3 large duffels, 3 carry-on items, 2 cats, and Evan, Mark, and me, we'll be a traveling circus! Wish us luck!

Evan and the Carousel, the sequel...

2009-12-02T21:39:00.005+01:00

What I didn't tell you last time about Evan's first ride on a merry-go-round...

As our friends the Bjorcks (the people who snapped this photo) put it, "...and then, Mark showed Evan a REALLY good time by magically freeing his stallion and taking to the skies!"

Evan at the Christmas market

2009-11-29T14:39:00.006+01:00

Yesterday we had a very fun afternoon at a Christmas market here in Lyon. Evan had his first ride on a Carousel...

Mark and I were the only two adults on the merry-go-round, and I think we were smiling more and having more fun than any of the kids (including Evan, who kept a dead-pan face the entire time)! Evan bounced on Mark's knee during the entire ride, so combined with the up-and-down of the carousel horse, he had a fun ride. He definitely required bouncing, though, because it was too tame for him without it!

I must say....Christmas is twice the magic when you have a little one to share it with!

There was an exhibit at the market of characters from various children's stories. They had a cast of mannequines there, dressed up as various characters. There was a distinct difference in how the characters were portrayed, though. In America, the male characters would have been muscular and have a heroic posture, and the female characters would have had an appearance of kindly innocence. That's not what we saw yesterday!

First, we have Spiderman, with really bad posture and anything but super-human strength.

Next, let me present the tall, leggy, and lost Alice-in-Wonderland.

Here we have the sassy and not-so-little Red Riding Hood.

And finally, my favorite, here is a sexy Snow White, who is seducing the dwarves with her apple...

Mark and I walked home with a great big "HUH???" in our minds...

One final photo...Mark and I noticed the following billboard yesterday and thought it was hilarious:

They sure didn't let Evan have a passport photo like this!

Evan's first Thanksgiving...

2009-11-22T23:16:00.003+01:00

...can be seen on Kari's blog!

http://jkmassonfrance.blogspot.com/2009/11/le-thanksgiving.html

...and more phtoos here:

Thanks to Kari and Jonathan for hosting such a great meal! Some of those recipes will go down in history, I know it. I can't wait to make Kari's sweet potato recipe for all you Baxters/Butlers! Mark and I were sad going home, knowing this would be our last Thanksgiving with our expat "family." There is no other community like it, and I think that will be the thing I miss the most about France. Thanksgiving is extra special, living in a foreign country, because people have to come together and create it for themselves. That's the perfect petri dish for thankfulness!

We're deep into our moving plans, but I still have a ton of blogworthy stuff to post. Be back soon!

A whole new level of mess...

2009-11-17T00:11:00.005+01:00

Evan and I sat down to have lunch this afternoon. I prepared some squash for him, and he spit it out faster than anything else I've seen (I was quite surprised he could spit something out with such agility, actually). I wanted to enjoy my lunch, but I knew I would have no hope of that unless I found something else for Evan to munch on too. Otherwise, Evan would loudly tell me all about his displeasure. So, I took one bite out of the perfectly ripe, juicy pear I was saving for dessert, and then handed it to Evan, thinking he would only nibble a bit. Oh dear, was I wrong!!...

The pear was so ripe, that it was perfectly sweet and perfectly squishable at the same time. This was a magic combination for Evan!

He loved squishing the pear his hands, putting his hands in his mouth, and then spreading the rest all over his high chair.

Evan's wearing both squash and pear.

Content

Round two...

...fascinating...

Where did it go?

Over the edge...

...and onto the floor (barely missing the file with important documents that silly Mommy put there).

After a half hour of scrubbing the floor and furniture and a change of clothes for Evan, life was back to normal (whatever that is)!!

Evidently Evan...

2009-11-12T00:00:00.004+01:00

Evan has been growing by leaps and bounds, even though I've been behind in blogging. Last week Mark and I weighed him on our scale at home, and he was 1/5th of a pound shy of 22 pounds! Yes, our 7-month old bouncing bundle of boy is nearly 22 pounds! He's making very good progress on crawling too. He lunges forward and reaches far with his hands, often resting on his hands and knees for a few seconds. When on his tummy, he pushes with his hands, which causes him to go backwards. These things, in combination with rolling, can usually get him where he wants to go (and quite far from the starting point). I'm scratching my head, wondering how our house can be baby proof when we're trying to move! Argh!

Here are a few exerpts of Evan's adventures...

Here is Evan wearing an outfit from his Grandma and Grandpa Baxter. The tag says "12 months" on it. Most of Evan's clothing now is 12-18 months, with the odd 9-months here and there.

The hat his cousin Jenna made for him still fits (barely)!

He likes clacking blocks together, but even more, he likes playing with the container!

A new winter coat

So cute in his overalls!

Superman pajamas!!

Evan was born on the exact same day as this beautiful baby girl (about 8 hours later, in fact). I am friends with her mother, and we would have never predicted that we would have our babies on the same day. Evan met her for the first time yesterday, and as soon as he was in close proximity to her, he immediately started trying to take off her socks (something he does multiple times a day with his own socks).

Evan looks like Santa Claus with his white "beard" (only dressed in blue).

Photo taken just today with our friend Xavier. The last time Xavier saw Evan can be seen if you click here. Xavier was impressed with how much Evan had grown since the last time they saw each other!

In other news, we bought our plane tickets back to the USA recently. We fly out of France on January 10th. That will be exactly 2 years and 1 day since the day we landed here.

Up next, Michelle and Dan's adventures in Lyon!!

Germany

2009-11-08T00:13:00.001+01:00

At the end of September, we flew over to Stuttgart, Germany to visit some good friends. We had a wonderful time!

We were greeted with a glass of my (now) new favorite beverage---carbonated water mixed with apple juice. So refreshing. Evan loved swinging in this swing, and we passed a couple of hours catching up with Valerie and Denis. (Photo taken by Valerie)

The next day we went into town. This is part of the old center of Stuttgart.

A family photo in front of the New Castle.

Evan smiles at Valerie...

Valerie smiles at Evan... I met Valerie during my junior year of high school. She was an exchange student who came all the way to Glenns Ferry, Idaho (of all places on this planet!) to live for a year. She gave Glenns Ferry a much-needed dose of the outside world, and Glenns Ferry gave her a second home in return. It was an incredible treat to see her in the context of her own original home, and I like Germany and Valerie all the more because of it!

Evan bounces on castle cobblestones.

The next day we went to the super sleek and modern Mercedes Museum.

There were SO MANY awesome cars there (enough for 20 blog posts!). These are just a couple of my favorite.

Yes, it was one of the cars used in the movie.

I loved how this car drove. Very smooth handling... :)

Next we went to Oktoberfest! Here we are in front of one of the beer tents.

We took turns going inside to see what was going on. When I was in, half of the people in the tent were on tables dancing to the song YMCA!

The next day we went to the old town of Esslingen.

We loved this church.

In the choir stalls we found a face carved into each of the armrests.

Valerie snapped this shot of us trying to entertain our little boy.

In the town square with Val. I'm ashamed to say that we somehow left without getting any photos with Denis (Val's husband). Scandalous (please give him our apologies, Val)!

Evan discovers the fun of bouncing in fall leaves.

We met Tiffany, Patrick, and Nicola the next day. They were our next door neighbors in Altadena. We had such a great time with them, commiserating over the joys and heartaches of living in a foreign country, and reminiscing about our time as neighbors (we have some pretty funny stories). Tiffany cooked a delicious dinner for us too (thanks, you guys!!!).

When Tiffany was holding Evan (photo above), we gazed out at this perfectly situated church.

We remember when Nicola was born (just before our 1st wedding anniversary), so it was quite a moment to see him holding Evan!

On our last day, Val gave us a tour of her university. Years ago, when she visited us in California, she gave us t-shirts with this building printed on them. It was quite fulfilling to see the actual building! It overlooks a beautiful botanical park.

Thanks, Val, for making us feel so welcome and for taking us everywhere. You were an awesome host!

Just a taste...

2009-11-06T01:19:00.002+01:00

I'm working on a long post about our time in Germany last month. Here's a taste of what's to come (hopefully tomorrow)...

2009-11-01T21:50:00.002+01:00

Yesterday we received a the following congratulatory greetings (thank you Jeff and Sharon---you totally made our weekend!!!!). I thought it posting it on here would be a perfect way to announce our next destination...

Coincidentally, Evan has recently honed his clapping-feet skills. He can clap them together exactly, and he produces great clapping sounds. I often say around him, "Evan, if you were an American Indian, then your name would be Clapping Feet!"

I've been MIA on this blog, but more is coming soon!

London

2009-10-19T23:38:00.008+02:00

As usual, I'm so behind on posting! I've got so much to report about (Germany, visits from close friends, first foods), but first I want to finish posting about our trip to Great Britain.

We spent our last few days in London, generously hosted by Curtis, Maren, and Aella (Curtis and Mark are cousins). They did a fabulous job of showing us the amazing city that is London. Looking back at the photos, I'm still wowed by it! It left us wanting much more!

We loved this sign.

The Museum of Natural History (this place was amazing, I'm still speechless)

Evan and Aella, second cousins

Inside the Natural History Museum

First cousins holding second cousins (while the wives are shopping!)

British taxis are so cool!

Buckingham Palace

Entertaining Evan

Evan likes to take his lunch in spectacular places.

Evan still eating...

Houses of Parlaiment

Big Ben

Yes, Mark is making a real phone call in this phone booth.

Maren was a genius at entertaining Evan!

CJ and Maren babysat Evan for a night (THANKS GUYS!!!!!), so Mark and I had an evening to ourselves. We enjoyed a stroll along the river and a nice dinner out. It was soooooooo wonderful!

...ahhhh.

I haven't posted any current photos of Evan lately, so here are a couple:

This weekend, just after buying Evan his first winter coat (it got cold here very suddenly).

Taken just this morning...he's getting so big!

Up next, Germany!

Wales

2009-10-04T16:49:00.005+02:00

We just came back from a wonderful trip to Germany, but I'm still in the middle of blogging about our trip to the UK. Hope you don't mind that I'm usually a month behind...

So, back to Wales. In short, WE LOVED IT! It really is as beautiful as in the movies and in our imaginations. See for yourself...

We visited a tiny town named Aberdaron, located on the tip of the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales. Many centuries ago, Bardsey Island, found just off of the peninsula, was dedicated by the church as a pilgramage site. Three trips to Bardsey was the equilivant of one trip to Rome. Aberdaron was the final town the pilgrams would see before making the treacherous ocean crossing over to the island. This cafe has been serving pilgrams for the last 800 years (it serves great sandwiches, scones, and tea)!

Ancient church in Aberdaron

Welsh is a challenging language!

The beach in Aberdaron

The church graveyard. According to the minister (a very nice man), said that, over the centuries, 1/3 of the graveyard had been washed away by the ocean.

Another old stone church, located just inland from high cliffs above the ocean.

View from the road by the church. You can see Bardsey Island in the distance. Bardsey is also a thought to be a possible location for the Isle of Avalon, named in the King Arthur legend. The remains of an old abbey can still be seen on the island (or so we read in the guidebook).

The Welsh countryside, as seen from the tiny church.

Grazing with an ocean view

The view, as we drove through Snowdonia National Park.

Ruthin, a small town in north central Wales, had some of the best vegetarian food we've ever had. We were quite surprised!

This building, nicknamed the "Eyes of Ruthin," is known for its many gabled windows.

Bell tower of Ruthin's church

Mark and both agree that this photo was taken in Rivendell.

A view into Evan's world...

2009-09-24T14:28:00.002+02:00

As all parents know too well, naptime is really a race to get as much done as possible on a time clock (the time clock being that moment when your kid wakes up), only you don't know how long the clock is set for. On this particular occasion, Mark was trying to finish an exciting chapter in his novel. Evan woke up crying during the climax, and Mark went to fetch him from the dark, scary bedroom...

Evan was pretty groggy, so Mark hopped on the chance to read a few more lines...

...but it was no use.

#@!$%%#, Evan is crying and awake from his nap! Be back later...

A milestone...

2009-09-23T12:26:00.005+02:00

Evan has been developing this ability gradually over the last few months, and I think we can safely say that he can sit up on his own now! Hooray!

...soon more photos from the UK if I can get a minute!

We might be moving in November...

2009-09-20T20:53:00.003+02:00

We might be leaving France earlier than we thought... I will tell the story in more detail when we have our exact moving date (i.e. in the middle of October). For now, I wanted to post the address of our moving blog. I created the blog to show the list and photos of things we are selling or giving away. Most of you won't be helped by this blog, but I wanted to post it for the few of you that live here and might want to see it:

http://mkbutlermovingsale.blogspot.com/

Driving in the UK

2009-09-16T23:58:00.003+02:00

Driving on the opposite side of the road was an adjustment that we survived (barely!). The most difficult part was that the steering wheel is also on the opposite side, and we both had a tendency to drift to the left because it changed our usual sense of the dimensions of the car.

Anyway, it was so difficult that we just decided to let Evan do it all...

Caernarfon, Wales

2009-09-13T22:26:00.004+02:00

We rented a car and drove into North Wales for the next step of our adventure. The first destination was the town and castle of Caernarfon. This is a castle of fairytales if there ever was one! It was a step into my childhood imagination...

Evan practices his fancy footwork in the trunk of the car.

The King's Gate (a.k.a. the front door)

Caernarfon at night

I saw several fireplaces like this one. The floor is long gone, but the fireplace on the wall is still hanging on!

Mark tries to keep Evan asleep.

The view from the tower...

2009-09-12T22:27:00.001+02:00

In the countryside...

2009-09-10T22:53:00.008+02:00

We spent the first few days of our vacation in the countryside near Stoke-on-Trent, staying with Lindsey and John's family. Thank you Linds, John, Margaret, Di, John, and Malcom for such a wonderful time! It's some of the best humor and hospitality we've ever experienced, from the very first moment of waking up on the farm!

Evan asleep on the plane

Father and son; taken at Margaret's house.

Cieran playing with Legos (the same that his dad played with when he was a kid)

John and Evan

Evan meets a cow

John, Cieran, Evan, and Mark outside Shrewsbusy castle
The old and the new

Shrewsbusy had gorgeous gardens!

The castle was made of beautiful red sandstone.

Inside was a military museum where we found a redcoat (like what would have been worn in the Revolutionary War).

Evan did more bouncing than looking in the museum.
The view from the tower

Gorgeous

Walking on cobblestones

The countryside, between thunderstorms, near Margaret's house.

Lindsey and Evan (and Ceinwyn, who is due sometime in October!)

A photo a day, from the UK!

2009-09-10T00:04:00.000+02:00

My little Frenchman...turned Englishman!!

Back from the UK, and Evan's first food!

2009-09-08T12:02:00.004+02:00

We're back from a magnificent trip to the UK. We had a wonderful time. Our time there mainly consisted of taking care of the world's cutest baby and glancing at Britain, but those glances were amazing, and Evan did great! I took enough photos for a year's worth of blogs, so it will be an endeavor to sort through them and get them on this blog.

Evan had a fun surprise while we were staying in the countryside. We went to visit our friends Lindsey and John and stay with their family. One day we were eating ice cream. John's mom (Margaret) was holding Evan, and she gave him a clean spoon to play with while she ate her ice cream. Evan dropped the spoon, and as Margaret reached to the floor to pick it up, Evan grasped the spoon that was in her bowl of ice cream and brought it to his mouth. We'll never forget the look of shock and happiness on his face! We all paused for a second to see what he would do, and he immediately lunged for the bowl! It was awesome!

I always dreamed that Evan's first food would be something like carrots or bananas, but no, it was ice cream! Lol!!

Here are a few photos taken about a week after that. Mark was eating an ice cream bar...

Stay tuned for more photos of our adventures!

Super smiles...

2009-08-25T00:19:00.003+02:00

Mark and I are headed out of town to explore the UK for the next week and a half. Before we take off, I want to leave you with a few Evan smiles...

Tonic Boy!

2009-08-22T18:30:00.003+02:00

We were sitting at a cafe this morning when we met a family who had a baby who was just a little bigger than Evan. At the time, Evan was bouncing on my lap. The mother noticed this and asked how old Evan was. We said 4 months, 3 weeks, and she responded in surprise, saying "Il et trés tonique!" ("he is very tonic!). Evan's doctor has said this about Evan as well, and it's definitely true that Evan has been interested in his body from the very first day. He has a very strong and agile body, can hold his own weight on his feet for long periods of time, and will soon be sitting up on his own I think.

When we got home this afternoon, Evan took one of his moves to a whole new level. For a few weeks, he's been jumping off the edge of the couch (Mark taught him this). Today, he added a few steps to his jump. With our help for balance, he's already taking his first steps! You can imagine our pride!!!

Here is some video I caught of the moment. I took it sideways, and once I loaded it into the computer, I didn't know how to edit it to make it right side up. Any advice you may have to right it would be appreciated! For now, I suggest turning your head sideways! Hehe! Enjoy!

2009-08-20T16:50:00.000+02:00

The hat post...

2009-08-14T23:16:00.004+02:00

I've been meaning to do this post for a very long time. Evan was given a very nice English cap (thanks Sara!!) as a birthday present. He wears it as handsomely as his dad wears his!

Like father like son, such a handsome duo! This was taken in May...

These pics were taken just two days ago. Alas, the hat was a little tight... I will miss seeing Evan wearing it!

This hat got some very fun attention around town. My favorite was when, as we were disembarking from the tram, an elderly French gentleman with a tan cap very similiar to Evan's, gave a big chuckle and pointed out Evan to his wife, who also smiled hugely.

Thankfully, Evan is a very lucky boy. He may have grown out of this cap, but thanks to some other admirers (thanks Jean, Monina, Naoko, Esther, and Virginia!!), Evan has another hat that's just beginning to fit him.

The blue brings out his eyes.

Three generations!! It's in Evan's genes to look so good in his hat(s)!

Before and after...

2009-08-11T23:37:00.005+02:00

I was recently going through Evan's clothes, sorting out the stuff he's grown out of. The hat in the following pictures is a good example:

One week old:

Yesterday:

Here's another before and after, this time with Evan's swing.

Two weeks old:

Evan would only tolerate his swing for short moments, and we were wondering if our purchase was worth it (baby swings are expensive here).

Two days ago:

Evan loves his swing now! I like the intense look of concentration in the last photo, like he's trying to land an airplane or something.

Random bits of cuteness...

2009-08-09T23:32:00.003+02:00

A fun moment from earlier today (this is probably my favorite Evan-smile ever captured in a photograph!).

He loves to suck on his feet while he's getting a bath!

He stands like a pro!

Freya standing guard over a sleeping Evan...

Could this be a sign?

2009-08-09T01:08:00.002+02:00

Observe:

Does this mean that I am destined to be a soccer mom?

Mark's away at a conference again this week, so you will probably see my blog-posting rate increase dramatically in the coming days!

2009-08-06T13:31:00.000+02:00

What four months can do...

2009-07-30T11:19:00.007+02:00

Evan is four months old today! Hooray for our strong, good-natured, and intelligent little boy!

A professional photographer took a few photos of Evan at the hospital when he was just a wee thing. Of course, when we saw the photos a couple of weeks ago, we couldn't resist not purchasing our favorites. Here's one of those photos of Evan, taken at just 4 days old:

And here's a photo, taken just this morning, at 4 months:

My, what time can do!!!

Here are a few of the many things Evan can do now that he couldn't do 4 months ago:

Stands up, using only our hands for balance
Smiles big, toothless smiles
Laughs!!
Rolls over
Eats his feet
Grabs at everything within reach
Quivers with excitement as he is reaching
Discovers Freya, and the thrill of fingers full of fur
Grew out of his Cocoonababy
Understands games like "Throw the Pillow at Daddy's Face" that Mommy and Daddy like to play with him (and laugh when the pillow hits Daddy's face)
Sucks on his fist
Puts everything he can into his mouth
Aims at and kicks swinging toys and send them flying
Starts babbling when Mommy and Daddy are having a serious conversation
More than doubled his birth weight (I weighed him yesterday, and he's a whopping 18.2 pounds)!

And a few things that haven't changed:

Looks like an angel when he sleeps
Looks at objects with big eyes and an 0-shaped mouth
Loves taking a bath
Tolerates the swing only for a few minutes
Is calmed by music
Loves lullabies
Melts Mommy and Daddy's hearts

Here are the rest of the professional photos from the hospital (I took photos of the photos, so pardon if they're a little blurry):

And last but not least, here's our little boy (not so much a baby now!), enjoying the morning with his dad...

Bundle Butler

2009-07-23T23:08:00.006+02:00

We have several nicknames for Evan. Lately, since he has discovered how great his feet are, we often see him tucked up into compact positions. He grabs his feet, and then he sucks on hands, feet, or whatever he can get his mouth on. He really is a little bundle (see photo below)! And so, we've recently begun calling him Bundle Butler.

I even made up a song for our little Bundle. It goes like this...

Bundle Butler
[To be sung, as a round, to the tune of Three Blind Mice.]

Bundle Butler
Bundle Butler

See how he rolls
See how he rolls

He is the sweetest little boy
He sees the whole world as his toy
He brings much happiness and much joy

He's Bundle Butler
Bundle Butler...

[Keep singing as a round, until you are too tired to sing anymore or Evan is too tired to listen, whichever comes first.]

Our Bundle at his best!

Scenes from the last few days...

2009-07-22T23:52:00.004+02:00

This post is especially meant for Mark, who is in Colorado right now. He hasn't seen Evan since last Saturday morning, so I wanted to catch him up on a few of the happy moments Evan and I have had, thinking of Daddy.

First, click here to see what we did last Sunday (thank you, Kari and Jonathan, for the wonderful picnic and friendly gathering!).

Evan, surrounded by his stuffed zoo, in his new outfit (thank you, Sara!)

Playing with his new Mind Shapes (thank you, Grandpa!)

Evan didn't do this nearly enough this week!

Don't worry, Evan's hand isn't blurry like this all the time.

Evan did lots of this (smiling, that is) in the last few days.

Evan, looking in the direction of Colorado, thinking "come home, Daddy, come home!!!"

Household Toys

2009-07-22T00:04:00.003+02:00

Evan often "helps" me cook dinner in the evenings. This includes me showing him what I am doing (chopping, slicing, tasting, etc.) while I give him various kitchen utensils to play with. His favorite is the colander...

Two Right Feet

2009-07-21T00:01:00.006+02:00

Evan has recently discovered his feet and sometimes even prefers them over his hands! He has long toes, and he uses them to grab at things all the time. There is one toy (named Manny the Monster) that he loves to grab with his feet first and then pass to his hands.

When we give him our hands to play with or suck on, he will grab our arms with his feet. We really do have a little monkey on our hands!

...and of course, Evan has learned that feet taste good too!

ps...so far nobody has claimed to share Evan's toe, though Aunty Audrey says Tyson (he isn't genetically related to Evan) has that toe! That's good enough for me! Ahhhh...I can just see that future moment, when Evan and his "Uncey" Tyson are comparing who's toe bump is bigger!

Baby yoga

2009-07-19T22:23:00.003+02:00

The other day I was sitting with Evan on the couch, and he kept leaning forward towards his feet. Before I knew it, he was content to sit in the yoga-like pose captured below...

Fun times with Daddy...

2009-07-18T14:01:00.003+02:00

Mark is away at a conference this week. It's the first time father and son have been separated for more than a few hours, so it was a difficult goodbye to say. They had some very sweet times together the day before Mark left, as you can see below...

Calling all family members!!

2009-07-14T23:26:00.002+02:00

Where does this big toe come from?

I know I have seen this toe, bent at the knuckle, on somebody's foot, but I can't remember where! Neither Mark nor I have this toe, and we are trying to figure out where it came from. So, if you share any genetic material with Evan, take a look at your big toe and tell me if it's similiar!

In France with the Bjorcks!

2009-07-10T11:34:00.007+02:00

Our friends Jeff and Sharon came all the way from California to see us earlier this week! It was such a pleasure catching up with them and a privilege to show them around our side of France. We enjoyed each other's company immensely, and we are sad that they had to go back home. :( Thanks for coming, Jeff and Sharon (and thanks for all the treats, joe-joe's, and kitty toys too)!!!

Jeff was the principle photographer for our time together, so all of these shots are from him:

This is our best photo of Evan smiling! It's very hard to capture our sweet son's smile (pull out the camera and the smile disappears), so this is extra special.

Two smiles, amazing!

Waiting for the tram...

In the park at Vienne

Exploring ancient Roman ruins at Vienne

Evan is a happy traveller!

Sharon, Evan, and I share a happy moment.

Enjoying the gardens at park Tet d'Or

Eating lunch at Toutes les Coleurs. This is a vegetarian restaurant that we waited to try until Jeff and Sharon came (they are vegetarians too).

The food was SPECTACULAR!

Walking an ancient Roman road

Jeff and Evan, after some Karate Chops (see below)...

Jeff helped Evan discover his inner karate master, as seen in the videos below.

Evan thought this was quite a hoot, but as soon as we pulled the camera out he put on his straight face. Argh! Wish you could have seen the smiles and giggles! :)

A happy rainy day...

2009-07-07T23:09:00.003+02:00

Our wonderful friends the Bjorcks have been visiting this week from California! We've had a fabulous time with them (to be documented soon), and it has been such a pleasure to share this corner of France with them!

Here's a little video footage (thanks, Jeff!) of fun times under a Lyonnaise thunder shower:

Adventures in Annecy

2009-07-04T14:31:00.007+02:00

Here are a few snapshots of our time in Annecy last weekend...

I've breastfed in several creative places, but this probably tops it. We found ourselves in the middle of a very intense thunder storm, so we ran for cover in the covered driveway to an underground parking lot. Evan immediately got hungry, of course! It was a very heavy downpour, and we were soaked!

We happened to be sharing our refuge from the rain with another couple (see in background of photo). There were lots of public displays of affection coming from them, and we pretended not to notice each other's presence. I couldn't help but snap this photo, though, and think how they were on an earlier spot on the same path we're following!

Making silly faces while waiting for the rain to stop...

When the clouds cleared, we set out to explore the town.

The bum of a swan...

The next day, walking up to the chateau...

Chateau d'Annecy

Evan gets his diaper changed in a 13th century chateau...

Mark walks with a sleeping Evan to see the view...

Nature walks around Lyon...

2009-07-03T14:44:00.003+02:00

Our friend and neighbor Celine has invited us to explore the countryside surrounding Lyon on several occasions (thank you so much, Celine!!). We've gone with her twice to beautiful little villages that are not accessible by train, and we've had an incredible time! It's amazing what nature can do for the soul.

Here are a few photos from a trip we took 2 weeks ago...

When we came home from this outing, the next day we found a tiny tick on Evan's arm. This resulted in Evan's first real visit to the doctor's office (for anything other than a checkup). He did great! He was much less scared than Mommy!

This was taken on one of our outings about a month ago.

I have a lot more photos of these little adventures of ours, and hopefully they will make it up on the blog sometime soon. Up next, Annecy!

Evan had his 3-month birthday this week. Hooray for Evan!

At the doctor's office, he weighed in at 7.4 kilos (16 lbs., 5 oz.).

2009-07-01T16:22:00.001+02:00

Passed out with pleasure...

Naptime in Annecy

2009-06-29T22:57:00.005+02:00

We arrived home yesterday evening from a very enjoyable weekend in Annecy, a town in the foothills of the Alps not far from here. I have a gzillion (I'll never catch up!) photos to share, but for now I will leave you with images from a peaceful moment we experienced there.

Evan chose Annecy's 13th century château as the place for his afternoon nap. What a life this little boy has!

The Aquarium

2009-06-25T00:06:00.004+02:00

We went to the local aquarium for our birthdays a couple of weeks ago, and we had a wonderful time! Evan was interested in the fish! We were all kids in a world of discovery that day!

This fish is local. I don't know what his full story is, but I know he lived in the Rhone. He was big!

Every boy loves piranhas (at least every boy I've ever known)!

I never appreciated how cute clown fish are until this trip.

Evan and the octopus checked each other out.

It was such a fun encounter that we bought a stuffed octopus from the gift shop for Evan.

2009-06-24T00:06:00.000+02:00

2009-06-23T00:32:00.001+02:00

Deeper every day...

2009-06-22T01:36:00.004+02:00

That is, deeper in the hole of having sooooo much to share, and no time to share it! We added to the list of great times we've had with Evan this weekend, and I even sat down at the computer a few hours ago to blog about them. Alas, it wasn't to be... What a game of catch-up this is turning into! So for now, just a few of photos...

It was my birthday last week, and the following two photos capture very well what amazing and wonderful changes have happened to me in the past year:

June 14, 2008 Place Bellecour

June 14, 2009 Place Bellecour

The last two photos are some random moments of cuteness from Evan:

This morning Evan contemplated his first French pastry (pistachio chocolate yumminess).

Playtime with Daddy

Happy Father's Day, Mark, my wonderful husband! I knew the moment I met you that you would be an amazing father, and you have even surpassed my dreams. Thank you for throwing your entire heart and soul into fatherhood!

Naptime

2009-06-18T20:28:00.003+02:00

I have so many photos I want to share with you. Evan has been exploring the countryside and he's been to an aquarium since I've posted much, but I have had very little time! Soon, soon, very soon... For now, here he is in one of his more peaceful moments:

Just about 11 weeks old...

2009-06-13T22:28:00.003+02:00

It's been a very busy week, and I have not had internet access for most of it, hence the lack of photos from MKE! Sorry to those who I know check often. I just have time for a couple right now, but I hope to add more tomorrow of recent adventures we have had (including from an outing last weekend to the country surrounding Lyon).

Me, multitasking...

Evan, 10 weeks and 5 days, in all his cuteness...

And last but not least, it's our birthday weekend (happy b-day to my wonderful husband today!!!). I feel like tomorrow I should really be celebrating my mother more than me. Now that I've given birth, I'll never think of birthdays the same way again. Thanks for getting to the hospital on time (barely), 31 years ago tomorrow, Mom!!

Yet another laundry post...

2009-06-06T00:28:00.004+02:00

I seem to post about laundry a lot, but I couldn't pass this up. The following photos are a good example of how my days seem to go. I have short bursts of productivity around the house while Evan naps, and my various projects can easily take all day long to finish (or several days, as is the case with the load of laundry pictured below)...

A really great day...

2009-06-04T12:45:00.005+02:00

Last Sunday was SUCH a wonderful day! We got out on the town, and though we saw sites we've seen many times before, seeing them with Evan was like seeing them with a new pair of eyes.

The day started with another size comparison of Evan and Freya (Freya looks bigger, but Evan wins the weight contest...it's all muscle for Evan, but it's all fur for Freya).

Then Daddy and Evan had a little play time.

Then we sauntered over to a café, a hangout in our old neighborhood. We both did a lot of pacing and dancing to keep Evan entertained.

While Mark was doing the Evandance, he noticed our little boy staring up with wonder at the ceiling. Naturally, Mark looked up...

...and found reflected a site he'll always remember.

We've been to this café a zillion times, but have never noticed the mirrors on the ceiling! Thanks for pointing them out, Evan!!!

Back outside, Evan still only wanted to look up!

We strolled some more, admiring the beautiful day.

Then in the evening we had a picnic in the park with Kari and Jonathan. Click HERE to check out her post and all of her brilliant picnicking tips!

After being showered with attention and love by les Masson, Evan fell into a deep sleep as we walked home, the sun setting behind us...

Random bits of cutness, at 2am...

2009-06-02T02:06:00.002+02:00

Rainbow legs (taken just this morning)

I think Evan looks a bit like his Uncle Brian in this photo. :)

Some extremely cute moments from our wonderful weekend ahead...stay tuned!

It's official: Evan is bigger than Freya!

2009-05-30T15:21:00.003+02:00

...though Freya (a.k.a. Bellycat) would still be ahead in the weight race if we left her to her own devices.

Yesterday Evan had his 2-month doctor's appointment, and he has continued growing at an exceptional pace! He weighs 14lbs 8oz, is 23.6 inches long, and has a 16.5 inch head circumference. This puts him at about the 75th percentile for his height, but he is literally "off the charts" for both his weight and head size (above the upper line)! He is one big little guy!

Unfortunately Evan had his first immunizations yesterday (soooooo hard for a mother to watch!!), and he felt sick for the rest of the day. He just wanted to be held and to sleep. This photo was taken soon after we returned home from the doctor's office.

Thankfully he was feeling much better this morning, after a good night's sleep, and he woke up cheerfully on his 2-month birthday!

Fun times with Grandpa...

2009-05-29T21:44:00.003+02:00

Peacefully asleep in Grandpa's arms...

There aren't words...

Paradise in Provence...

2009-05-28T14:08:00.006+02:00

We had a wonderful time in Aix-en-Provence! As can be expected with an infant, we had to modify our usual travel style a bit (i.e. not see everything), but overall Evan did great! We did lots of strolling and eating. We think he has the travel bug just like his parents, and we're already dreaming of the next trip...

The food was great at this little cafe, and Evan fell asleep while we enjoyed it.

Ready to stroll

Strolling with a stroller

You can't tell from these photos, but it was HOT!!

I used this cloth to help shade Evan, and all you could see of him were his little feet.

He's soooooo handsome!!

He's soooooo handsome!!

Evan had his first encounter with another baby while we were on the train home.

He wasn't quite sure what to think...

Happy times on the train...

Sadly, we said goodbye to Grandpa last night. He's on an airplane right now, headed half a world away. I won't ever forget how Evan looked at him when he left, his eyes pleading, "Grandpa, won't you come back, please?"

More photos of their happy time together up next...!!

Jungle Friends

2009-05-26T18:21:00.002+02:00

Evan and Grandpa are "Jungle Friends" (or so Evan's shirt says)!

We had a great time in Aix-en-Provence last weekend! Photos to come soon...

Evan meets Grandpa Butler!!

2009-05-21T17:54:00.004+02:00

Grandpa Butler has been with us the past week, and it has been magical seeing the relationship between grandfather and grandson develop. They absolutely love each other, to put it mildly! So many new things (new toys, new experiences, new songs, new ways of being held, the list goes on...) have come into Evan's life since Grandpa came, and we treasure each of these.

Evan waits for Grandpa to arrive.

Grandpa sees Evan for the first time.

Three generations

The first of many wonderful conversations these three will share...

Grandpa holds Evan for the first time.

Thank you, Grandpa!

One of the great lessons of parenthood I have learned is that each person in our family gives something different and unique to Evan, and the combination of all of these is vital for Evan in his development. I am deeply grateful for my community (my family and extended family especially) for this, and I see more than ever how important it was for me. I am so happy to see Evan discovering all of these amazing people who love him so much! It's only the beginning!

We're off to Aix-en-Provence in the morning for our first out-of-town adventure with Evan!

Dancing

2009-05-20T00:03:00.003+02:00

It's been a busy and a wonderful week (Evan met his Grandpa Butler)! There's so much to post about here, but a couple of photos will have to suffice until I can do justice to the week's events.

Evan has two mobiles that I made for him, and he loves to look at them. He never seems to tire of them. In the last week or two, when he looks at these mobiles, he starts waving his arms and kicking his legs energetically, like a little dance. He smiles and coos while he dances too, and the cuteness of it just melts our hearts every time we see it!

BTW, Evan celebrated his 7 week birthday on Monday. Incredible! Whenever people ask us how old he is, they always say "how many months is he?" A couple of guys had actually made guesses (one guessed 6 months, the other 4, if I remember right) before they asked us on the metro. We love seeing the surprise on their faces when we tell them just how young he actually is!

How does the time fly?...

2009-05-12T10:40:00.003+02:00

My my, it's been a week since I last posted anything! I was doing so well...

I don't have time for much, but wanted to give at least a couple of photos I took yesterday:

Evan gazes at some hanging toys (he's just starting to be interested in such things)

Evan sucks his thumb! I feel very proud of this little guy. We saw him sucking his thumb on the last ultrasound we had of him, but when he was born, he seemed to have trouble finding his thumb. He found it for the first time yesterday (the 6-week anniversary of his birth)! Yea for Evan! My sister Tonya and I sucked our thumbs to ripe old ages, and I remember Mom being concerned about this and encouraging us to stop (don't worry, I did eventually stop)! Hopefully Evan won't take after me in this regard.

Picnic in the parc...

2009-05-05T15:40:00.004+02:00

On Sunday we took Evan on his first picnic...

Mark shows Evan his first manicured garden

Evan smiles after eating his first course.

The 2nd course...

Mark and Evan gaze at the sky.

The trees provided a beautiful mobile, which Evan found fascinating!

Mark takes Evan on a little walk.

Evan waves good-bye...

Before and after...

2009-05-02T12:52:00.003+02:00

This photo was taken by ultrasound about 5 weeks before Evan was born:

And in this photo, taken in the hospital, he strikes a very similiar pose (though he is lying on his other side)!

I recognized many of the same movements Evan made once he was outside the womb because he did the same things inside the womb! It's one of the many things that makes me feel like I've known him forever.

It's been a very busy week. I got all set up to donate my milk to the lactarium for premature infants, Evan had his one-month doctor's appointment, and we took him to the US consulate and signed him up for a social security number, passport, and American citizenship! Tomorrow, we hope to take him on his first picnic!

2009-05-01T17:09:00.002+02:00

Evan dreams of a future 6-pack...already well on his way as a baby with a tummy in the 90th percentile for size!

Happy 1-month Birthday!

2009-04-30T11:36:00.001+02:00

Today Evan is one month old. I took him to his one-month pediatrician appointment, and he is 11.7 pounds now, and has grown 3 cm in length. He is as healthy and as strong as can be. Hooray!

I was doing pretty well with my picture-a-day goal, but then things got busy (appointments galore this week). We managed to capture a few moments, though...

Mark's colleagues gave us a surprise baby shower this week! Evan was quite colicky at the time when we were going to go, so we ended up staying home. Later, when Mark came home with all the gifts, I couldn't believe we had missed it. Awful! :( This is a play mat that was given to us that day.

He immediately fell asleep as soon as I placed him on the mat. Good sign!

A moment from yesterday afternoon...

2009-04-26T19:45:00.002+02:00

Zzzzzz... Last night and today have been hard. Evan was up until 3am last night with a tummy ache, and he hasn't slept much today either. Around 6pm, we both finally succumbed to our tiredness, and Mark snapped this photo of our exhausted little duo.

Random photos of cuteness (by Ruth)!

2009-04-25T16:49:00.002+02:00

This is Evan (unlike yesterday's passport photo). The look on his face is one we see all the time and is a major part of his personality!

Ruth snapped this scene on a walk by the Rhone. The cat inhabits this house boat, and the duck with her ducklings were just passing by. Poor frustrated kitty (lucky ducks)!!

No exceptions, not even for extremely cute babies...

2009-04-25T00:03:00.005+02:00

Today I took Evan to have official photos taken for his passport application. The usual rule with any official photo is that it must fit specific measurements and also be a bad representation of the person (am I right, or am I right?). Who doesn't have a collection of awful offical photos, whether for passports, drivers licenses, etc.? Well, apparently the rule holds for babies as well, and Evan got his first today!

Our handsome little guy, minutes before leaving for the photographer...

It took me 20 minutes to wake Evan up once we arrived at the photographer's, and it was a huge piece of luck that a photo was taken where his eyes were open. Neither Mark nor I think this photo looks like Evan at all! He never makes this expression, and yet this is how the U.S. government will know him. No exceptions to the rule!

On another note... we enjoyed dinner with our friend Xavier tonight. He and Mark have spoken a lot of French and English over the last few months, but now he's moving to Paris and then to Houston to continue his studies in medicine. We'll miss you, Xavier!

Xavier and le bébé orange

This is Mark and Evan, just moments ago. Evan often eats too much for his little stomach to handle, and he gets stomach aches at night. Mark always takes him until he falls asleep (Evan has an awesome dad). This position, on the exercise ball, is the newest we have found to help give Evan some relief, and it is the result of many nights of improvising. Evan likes the combination of pressure on his belly, sitting upright, bouncing, and sucking on Mark's pinkie finger, while hearing French TV in the background. Compliqué!

3-week stats...

2009-04-23T18:00:00.005+02:00

Well..... we took Evan to be weighed today, and...

...here's what a 3-week, 5 kilo 70 gram (11lbs 3 oz) Evan looks like!!!

Yes, our son gained 1.5 pounds in the last 9 days. I think I have enough milk to feed triplets! We're looking into donating to the local "lactarium" to help feed premature infants.

And a few of photos taken by Ruth (we miss you, Ruth!!):

A family portrait...

Mark impersonating a face Evan makes a lot

My favorite...

A picture a day...

2009-04-22T13:17:00.003+02:00

In a perfect world, I would post a photo of Evan every single day. I can't make any promises, since he always seems to wake up hungry just when I am sitting down to the computer. Here's my best try for today (sure enough, he's beginning to make those sweet little sounds that let me know...):

Evan in his super-cute baseball All Star outfit (thanks, Sara!), about to strike a home run.

Mark trying a new position to help soothe Evan's tummy during a late-night (wee morning, actually) crying session. This way of holding him calmed him down for awhile and seemed to give him some relief!

Tomorrow we go to have him weighed again. I predict over 10 pounds! We'll see...

Evan has a belly button!

2009-04-17T19:18:00.005+02:00

Just moments ago, during a routine diaper change, I saw that Evan's umbilical cord had fully separated from his little belly. Being the proud mother that I am, of course I think that his little belly button underneath is the cutest in the world! Hooray for Evan!!

Evan is now 18 days old. We can't believe how fast he is growing up already. Soon he'll be 3 weeks, and I know 3 years is just around the corner, then 30... Just like everyone has been saying would happen, life is indeed accelerating.

A few photos...

little feet...big foot (well, not that big)...entertaining myself late at night at the hospital...

This was taken just a few hours before we left the hospital...

Still getting used to bath time...so far, 3 baths down, and he only cried during one of them

Evan tries to decide if he likes the swing his parents got for him

Naptime (look at his cute little fingers!)

Relaxing with Awnt Ruth, who is visiting this week. They love each other!!!

Dancing with Awnt Ruth...

And this photo taken just this morning, modeling the hat that was made for him by his cousin Jenna (thanks, Jenna, we LOVE the little hat!!! He's the only baby in France with a hat so cool!!)

More photos to come...Ruth took some of the best photos yet...so excited to share!

Nighty-night...

Introducing Evan Marc Butler

2009-04-04T18:55:00.026+02:00

Evan Marc Butler was born at 4:47 pm on March 30. Here he is, almost three days after his birth:

Kendra and Evan were just waking up from a nap on the second morning after the birth, and I'd been watching Evan gaze outward like that for a two or three minutes when I realized with a start that this was the image that I wanted to use to introduce Evan to our friends and family.

Another shot that shows the personality expressed through his eyes:

This photo was taken when he was about 20 hours old. I saw that expression many times in his eyes during the couple of days after his birth. Since the end of his second day, I've more often seen in his eyes an activity, energy, and interest in the world. This photo shows him just trying to deal with the overwhelming experience of being bathed for the first time. (In this picture, I'm holding Evan, and a sage-femme, or trained midwife who delivers babies in hospitals, is teaching me how to bathe him.)

Another step back in time, to a moment just after we have moved from the birthing room into the room where Kendra and Evan stayed for four days (the standard length of time for a mother to stay in the hospital after a delivery in France):

What an accomplishment for the two of them!

A picture of Evan that was taken just a few minutes after we arrived home from the hospital on April 3:

I got to spend a fair amount of time doing my best to comfort Evan during the first couple of days after his birth, and it seemed that he never stayed asleep for long. Once Kendra's milk arrived, things changed a lot, and now it sometimes seems impossible to wake him up fully during the day. Here's a picture in which he is sucking hard on my index finger just a few hours after his birth, trying to comfort himself:

and here he is about 12 hours later, during a short nap:

And here he is two days after the birth, finally sleeping deeply with a full stomach:

What a relief it was to see him sleep like that!

Here's one last photo, which captures a very characteristic expression in which Evan is waving his arms and looking around energetically:

Kendra is recovering well and expects to get back to blogging soon. In the meantime, you can look at Evan's personal blog, created by our friend Kari Masson:

http://evan-marc.blogspot.com/

The gift of time...

2009-03-28T16:36:00.003+01:00

So, here we are... We thought our lil' g would be here by now, but it appears that he is very comfy inside Hotel Uterus and in no hurry to come out.

So many times in life I struggle with having too little time, and yet here I am now, waiting for those life-changing moments I know are soon coming, 5 days past my due date and counting! I honestly never thought he would take this long to make an appearance, and I find myself feeling a bit unprepared for how to spend my time. It's not that I have a lot of time, mind you. I still have to go to the hospital every 48 hours for monitoring, which takes practically all day for this car-free expat (hehe!..there's a good pun here..."car-free" = carefree...well, sometimes). Also, my body's shape and agility are more like that of a turtle's than a human's, so it's difficult to get much done. My mind has a lot of time just to be with itself, though. It hasn't slowed down at all, which makes the waiting all the more challenging. This is quite an exercise in living in the moment!

I like to think that babies make the choice of when it's best for them to travel from womb to world. So I keep asking myself, "what can I possibly do to make my world a better place for lil' g? What is he waiting for me to do?" It's definitely true that daily something has happened, either for me or Mark, that makes us feel better prepared. Today, I think there's a better environment for lil' g than we could have provided last week, so he probably knows what he is doing.

What would you do, or what have you done, during a time like this (please comment!)? This is whole post is inspired by my cousin Jeralee, who sent me a list of things she has done or would like to do while waiting to go into labor (thanks, Jeralee)! For me, I'm going to do some baking, take a walk, play the piano, and a few other things, but first, I'm going to blog. Can you believe it? For the next few hours, I am going to attempt to record the happenings of the last several months that haven't made it onto the blog, but should have. You can think of it as a year-end review (you know, like all the ones you see on TV on New Year's Eve), only done in March and lasting 10 months rather than 12.

Read on...!

First, an update on lil' G...

2009-03-28T16:34:00.004+01:00

I've been to the hospital three times this week for monitoring. Lil' g is doing very well. I get to listen to his heartbeat for 30 minutes straight every time I am monitored, which is the most beautiful music I've ever heard!

Yesterday we had another ultrasound. They estimated that he is now 4 kilos (that's roughly 8 pounds, 13 ounces)! We also got to see him sucking his thumb, which was too cute for words. So, he's nice and cozy, sucking his thumb, contemplating the nature of the universe... Who'd want that to end?

And a photo...here I am on my due date. Wow--40 weeks pregnant and nearly a 9 pound baby inside!

It looks like I've overshot everyone's guesses on the guessing game I set up. Feel free to guess again, if you want!!

Mom and Dad's European Extravaganza, part...I don't remember...but it happened last May!

2009-03-28T15:00:00.000+01:00

We had two more days than what I blogged about with Mom and Dad when they traveled here last year. We enjoyed one day visiting Halstatt, Austria, a beautiful little town on the edge of a lake that has thrived on coal mining for thousands of years, according to archeological evidence. The next day we went to Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart.

A photo tour:

On the boat, crossing the lake to Halstatt, Austria.

Picture perfect..

The town center

Posing in my new hat...

An art exhibit on the lake

Mark inspects the funicular tracks that will take us up the mountain

I loved Austria!

Absolutely gorgeous!

Dressed to go into the mine...

We walked far into the mountain, and then took a slide deeper down still. The slide was used as a quick way to get to different levels of the mine. They clocked our top speed at 34km/hr. Quick indeed! Here's Dad getting off the slide at the bottom. That was fun!

Streets of Salzburg

Mozart's birthplace

Inside one of the cathedrals (can't remember which one)...

Saying goodbye (this was a sad moment)... Mom and Dad went on to England after this, and we drove the car back to Lyon.

Another laundry post...

2009-03-28T13:10:00.004+01:00

I really get a kick out of the amount of laundry we see drying in beautiful places (though there's a lot more of it in Italy). Here's a view from our old apartment, taken last June...

Yummy food I made (before the morning sickness hit)...

2009-03-28T13:00:00.000+01:00

So, it's hard being a vegetarian in France! I miss all the veggie options I took for granted in the States. I got all courageous one day and tried to make veggie chicken strips. I mixed 1 kg of flour and enough water to make a soft dough, and then I rinsed the dough to remove the starch, leaving only the gluten. I then boiled it in veggie broth and salt for 30 minutes. I cut it into strips and fried it up with veggies and sweet and sour sauce. It was pretty good, but not as good as Trader Joes. Oh well!

Ginger Cookies

These ginger cookies were excellent (should make them again)! Here's the recipe...

1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmet
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated (you could use powdered ginger too)
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 cup oil
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 - 1/2 cup molasses
1 egg

Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately, then combine to make a stiff dough. Knead the dough for a few minutes, then roll out and cut into shapes. Dip in sugar, then bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes.

Fête de la Musique

2009-03-28T12:30:00.000+01:00

Every year on the summer solstice, something magical happens in Lyon. Musicians of all genres and abilities come out onto the streets and play. The air is filled with music. You can walk, munching on street food, and enjoy performance after performance, or you can simply stay in one place and enjoy a full concert. That's how our evening went; we started out walking, enjoying the pleasures of several bands and music styles, and then we found one ensemble that we couldn't tear ourselves away from, so we stayed there for the rest of the evening.

Kari and Jonathan introduced us to this Lyonnaise tradition, and we roamed the streets together. She put together a wonderful and much more detailed blog posting on the event, but I'll give you a taste here...

1st band of the night, at a pub in Vieux Lyon

Crossing the river, musique in the air...

Big Band Bonanza!

On the banks of the Rhone...

These guys were the hit of the night! We could not pull ourselves away from the artistry of these 4 musicians. They played fast and furiously, definitely some of the most accomplished musicians we've ever heard!

Not a fan of the second-hand smoke, but you've gotta admit, this takes coordination (smoking and fingers flying over the guitar strings)!

...and when we came back to consciousness, the light of day had descended.

A day of hiking in the Alps...

2009-03-28T12:29:00.006+01:00

Mark's lab has a yearly ski day (this pregnant lady missed it two weeks ago) and hiking day. These photos are from a hike we took with them, high in the hills behind Grenoble, last June.

Those aren't clouds you see on the horizon (well, there are a few)...those are the high Alps! Mount Blanc is in the horizon, off to the right.

You have to see it to believe it...

2009-03-28T12:00:00.000+01:00

I had always heard about hail the size of golf balls, but it's a difficult concept to grasp when all the biggest hail you've seen is the size of a blueberry. Well, last July, my perception was changed. We suddenly got a huge summer storm, and the hail that came crashing down was approaching golf ball size (though still not quite there). We grabbed this piece from our balcony, and it was melting fast when we took the photos.

Freya always finds the funniest hiding places...

2009-03-28T11:50:00.000+01:00

Fresh air works wonders for morning sickness!

2009-03-28T11:40:00.000+01:00

The morning sickness hit its peak in August. If you look at the number of pictures in our photo folders on our computer, you can see that life slowed wayyyyyy down.

Kari and Jonathan invited us out to the house the in country where they house-sit in the summers. Kari's incredible cooking combined with the fresh air was the best remedy I could find for my nausea!

During a walk along the river...

Picking blackberries (really really tasty)!

Kari did a much better job of documenting things (I wasn't taking many photos) here and here.

Thanks for the rescue from nausea-world, Kari and Jonathan! Those weekends did us a world of good! Plus, thanks to your fabulous and nutritious cooking, Lil' g is made of something more than saltine crackers, potatoes, and a few refried beans!

A fun new game...Untangle the Cat!

2009-03-28T11:30:00.000+01:00

I caught Misha sleeping in this funny position sometime in the middle of September. Can you identify her feet from her legs?

She's all paws to me!

A cooking demonstration...

2009-03-28T11:00:00.000+01:00

At the beginning of October, we went to a conference especially for English-speaking expats living in Lyon. During lunchtime, they had a cooking demonstration from chefs at the Paul Bocuse Institute. They made Fois Gras with some type of mushroom sauce (made from expensive and delicious mushrooms). More than anything, it was fun to watch professional french chefs...

The tall skinny guy is the award-winning chef...

...but it was this guy we liked, with the mustache, hat, and big belly.

I've been published!!

2009-03-28T10:30:00.000+01:00

Kari surprised me during the summer by publishing some of my photographs in Bien Dire (we're big fans of this magazine)!! These were photos I took of the traboules during a tour we took on my birthday this year.

Imagine my excitement and surprise when I saw my name in print...copyright, Kendra Butler!!!

I feel seriously cool...

Speechless in Venice...

2009-03-28T10:00:00.001+01:00

I never posted anything about Venice, other than what an amazing place it is to hang one's laundry. This is for two reasons: 1) laziness, and 2) I'm still trying to find words to describe it! It's simply incredible and full of magic, another world, a living city and a ghost town at the same time...

Our first night there...gondola parking along the Grand Canal

Venice has no cars (well, there's one tiny part of the island where you can park). There's no room for them! So, your transportation options for getting around the city are by foot or by boat. This is a typical "street" in Venice, though they get much narrower than this.

Flower shop by our hotel

A little portico off the canal

The Rialto Bridge

Gondolas on the Grand Canal

So many places in Venice, you can take narrow passages that seem to lead to nowhere, and then you suddenly find yourself in open courtyards with a well in the middle, all alone...

The Rialto Bridge from the other side...

Old carvings, statues, and stone reliefs can be found all over the city, over doorways, on walls...anywhere your eyes wander. According to our guidebook, this relief depicts a helmet and a shield and refers to an ancient story about a knight who was travelling back from the Holy Land, carrying an important relic to be delivered to the provost of Cologne. He was swinded out of his relic, and "...it is said that the knight roamed endlessly, wailing in the streets, until one day, in this courtyard, the people found empty armor and a helmet."

We loved this door. We want one like it someday.

Our favorite church in Venice. It's made of white marble and just seems to float on the water.

Our favorite well...

This is Kronos, the Sire of Time. We really liked him--he's completely covered in hair and holding a sun disk. He had personality!

And on this coat of arms....a duck!!

Knock, knock...

One last post...

2009-03-28T09:00:00.003+01:00

It was about this time (October-ish) that I started posting again, so I will leave you with just one more posting...

Mark is going to be doing a lot more cooking once the baby arrives. He is starting to practice for it now... His first recipe was vegetable pot pie.

Directly from Mark: "This is only the first skirmish in a war on poor cooking that promises to be long and relentless.

And so it begins . . ."

And I must say, it was DELICIOUS!!!!

p.s. I never posted pics from our trip to Dijon, but this is getting ridiculous today! If Lil' g decides to continue camping out, then you'll see photos of Dijon. If not, then you'll see photos of him next! How's that for a deal??

p.p.s. If you've made it this far with me, it's a major accomplishment! Thanks!!

What's your guess??

2009-03-13T19:15:00.003+01:00

I've set up a guessing game for lil' Garbanzo's birth stats. You can guess his date of birth, weight, length, etc. I already entered my guess, and you can see that I think he's going to be a big baby. According to an ultrasound three weeks ago, he was already 7 pounds, and I'm much bigger now! What do you think? Is the ultrasound believable?

To play: go to http://expectnet.com/index.php

In the box on the upper left, under "Invited Guests" enter the words: GarbanzoButler

This will take you right to the game, and you shouldn't have to register or anything like that to play.

Can't wait to see who's closest!

My Blessingway...

2009-03-08T16:31:00.004+01:00

Flowers brought by guests, small blooms of which were woven into my hair.

Yesterday was a truly special day for me. I was given a Blessingway. It was a celebration of the soon-to-be rite of passage I will be taking into motherhood. A blessingway is similiar to a baby shower in that it is a gathering of friends that takes place at the end of a pregnancy, but it is different from a baby shower because the emphasis is more on wishing and giving the mother strength, and is an expression of the support of her community.

My doula, Yanick, suggested I have a blessingway several weeks ago during one of our meetings. I didn't know anything about blessingways at the time, and she explained a little to me. We spoke of it off and on, but it was only a week ago that I began to think seriously about what I would want to have happen. Being so far away from home and from my native language has been a big challenge, especially since I am experiencing pregnancy for the first time. [Note: An example is that all my doctor's appointments, meetings, lab tests, etc., have been in French, which means I'm missing about 70% of the words that are spoken! Mark makes up for the rest by attending the most important appointments and translating.] Pregnancy has caused in me a desire to be around my family and community more than ever, and yet they are farther away than ever! So, naturally I wanted to include everyone back home in this experience as much as I could.

I came up with two ideas: 1) to have a prayer flag, of sorts, on which would be written the hopes, prayers, and poems of loved ones, that I could bring with me to the hospital to read when I need it most, and 2) to have a phone/email "tree" to spread the news when I go into labor, and each person finding out could light a candle, say a prayer, or send good thoughts my way. I sent out an email to friends/family, asking if they wanted to participate and to send thoughts for my flag.

This entire week I have been receiving beautiful expressions of strength and wisdom from so many wonderful people! Thank you all, so so much! My little flag is turning into something I will treasure the rest of my life.

Yesterday at the Blessingway, I was given the royal treatment, and the support I felt from the women who came, combined with the flood of good wishes from my far-away community, has given me the final ingredients I needed to feel fully ready and prepared for what is to come.

Kari, Ngan, Maryline, Claire, and Yanick all joined me at our apartment. Mark kept us well-fed, bringing out appetizers periodically, and joining in on the festivities as well. Kari and Ngan braided my hair and wove in fresh flowers (so beautiful). That was followed by an amazing foot rub and nail polish, a hand massage, and then my pregnant belly was painted! Maryline started the design, and then each person added to it. My belly turned into a huge flower (my belly button was at the center of the flower), with vines curling around. Every time I laughed, the shape of the flower would change a little, almost like a face. It had a life of its own! Each person took a turn writing on my flag too, and the rest of the time was full of wonderful conversation.

Mark and I are both still glowing from the experience!

This afternoon, Kari surprised us with a blog she created especially for the blessingway! She took exceptional photos, perfectly capturing the emotions we were feeling. She designed an absolutely beautiful blog, loaded up the photos and links and such, and then sent it to me. We will be spending many happy moments gazing at the blog in the coming weeks and into the future!

Click here to see my Blessingway Blog

And so the wait for the birth begins... "Lil' g, we love you! We can't wait to meet you! You can come anytime..."

Baby's first...laundry!

2009-03-06T19:43:00.002+01:00

The coming years will be full of "firsts." We experienced one of those today...the incredible cuteness of baby laundry!

Lil' g's vegetarian parents are amazed they found this shirt in France!

Thank you so much to all those who have helped with baby butler's wardrobe! With what we have now and with a few things I know are in the mail, I think we're going to be prepared. This is so much fun!!!

More photos...

2009-03-05T09:55:00.004+01:00

We finally found an impact drill, and Mark spent a good part of a day drilling holes in our super-hard concrete walls so we could hang our last few pictures and finish our tiny nursery. Yahoo! We're finally moved in, so now I can post some pics of our new apartment (sorry to make you wait so long, Mom)! There have been some other happenings captured on photo too, so I'll just explain as I go...

Mark has discovered a new talent--pregnancy massage! I benefit from his amazing skill almost nightly, and I usually fall into a deep and peaceful sleep by the end. It has the same effect on our kitties as well...

Ngan came over last week, and she taught me how to make lentil eggrolls (soooo tasty). Then she helped me make 80 of them! Wow! So, our freezer is nicely stocked up for postpartum eating. My prediction is that we'll have 48 in our freezer by the time I go into labor--we've already started eating them. :)

36.5 weeks

Welcome to our living room...

Mark's office (attached to living room)...
Our apartment is roughly 450 square feet, which is very different than most American standards! It works surprisingly well, though, thanks to smart design.

Hallway
Sorry, no pics of kitchen. It was kind of messy at the time. :)

Bedroom/nursery

I'm so proud of our little nursery. I'm in love with the canopy! I made the mobile myself, after reading that black and white (or deeply contrasting colors) are good for newborn development.

My belly as of last night, 37 weeks, 1 day. I really feel like lil' g had a growth spurt the last couple of days!