vivi meets a wise woman

Here's a brief update of my six month check up and meeting the midwife here in Tiny Town this morning:

First of all, French Fry is doing great, has all his parts, and is right on track for where he's supposed to be right now. Plus I lost about six and a half pounds last month, which is great because I gained about double that the month before (yes, I took the "eating for two" idea and ran with it!). Apparently glucose tolerance tests are not mandatory for all here in France, as the doctor told me I didn't have to have one. Cool with me as long as we're keeping an eye on French Fry's growth (which we are, with a quick ultrasound at every visit). The funny part is that the doctor didn't want us to drive to our vacation destination this weekend, which is about four hours away, saying that we should take the train instead. I understand the concern of "long car trips" but telling an American that a four hour drive is too long is like telling a Frenchman that bread will not be available for a meal - it's simply laughable.

Even though we were determined to go, we brought it up with our new sage femme (which translates to "wise woman," which I know I mentioned in the last post but I just love that), or midwife this morning. She told us that the concern is for women that are experiencing contractions or if their cervix isn't totally closed, since the car is often a bumpier ride than the train (personally I beg to differ but whatever).

Anyhoo, speaking of the midwife, we had a really great meeting with her this morning and I am so, so glad to have someone like her in my corner! I can't believe we got so lucky, as she has tons of experience, having previously worked at the hospital at Reims before starting her own practice, and is also a lactation specialist. Her classes are really small, scheduled around the lives of her clients, and her classic course consists of six sessions which last an hour and a half each. I could not be happier with her program if I'd made it up myself!

So all is well on the baby front. Now we're just getting ready to head up north for a week. We'll be staying in a gite (furnished rental) for a week with the in-laws. There is sure to be fishing, market browsing, beach combing and site seeing to be had. Pas-de-Calais is still my favorite region to visit in France (I know, call me crazy but I love it up there!) and I'm really looking forward to it, even if it will be at an even slower pace than usual. Hopefully I'll have some pictures for you (if my camera battery behaves - stupid Kodak rechargeable battery keeps giving me drama) when we get back!