Tuesday, March 26, 1996
Preggy Fatigue
Dear Mum and Dad,
Thanks for your last three letters and of course your phone call on our wedding anniversary. I was incredibly busy all that week, getting up to date with all my jobs and having lots of naps, without having to worry about Kevin, who stayed with Méemée and Pépé. In fact I didn’t go to Versailles after all as my friend's baby was very ill with a nasty viral infection which was also very contagious, so it would have been too risky for me to come into contact with her. I may go next weekend, just for one night, then I will have used my expensive ticket and that will definitely be my last trip anywhere, I’ll stay put from then on!
P. is to go to Chatou on 5th April for the sale of our apartment, but he’ll sign for me so I can stay here. Even in the comfortable Mondeo I think the trip would be too much for me, I seem to be exhausted all the time these days. I don’t actually do much during the day, but I’m still tired and feel so heavy. The main problem is lack of sleep. I go to bed early, but wake up between 4 and 6 a.m. every day, with a bursting bladder. After that it’s impossible to get back to sleep, so I’m just having to get used to it.
I have a new English friend in our village! She’s been here for over a year, now has a six month old baby, and we both find it incredible that our paths didn’t cross earlier. She was feeling very lonely, so I took her to playgroup and she was delighted with that. Isn’t it typical, for me to have all these friends here just as we’re about to move away?! Still, it’s not far, and most of them have cars, so they can come and see me after the baby’s born.
It’s a beautiful warm spring day today and we took Kevin up to the château this morning. He loved being able to run around, persecuting pigeons, peacocks and swans, and of course we didn’t have to worry about keeping him away from the traffic.
Thanks for your last three letters and of course your phone call on our wedding anniversary. I was incredibly busy all that week, getting up to date with all my jobs and having lots of naps, without having to worry about Kevin, who stayed with Méemée and Pépé. In fact I didn’t go to Versailles after all as my friend's baby was very ill with a nasty viral infection which was also very contagious, so it would have been too risky for me to come into contact with her. I may go next weekend, just for one night, then I will have used my expensive ticket and that will definitely be my last trip anywhere, I’ll stay put from then on!
P. is to go to Chatou on 5th April for the sale of our apartment, but he’ll sign for me so I can stay here. Even in the comfortable Mondeo I think the trip would be too much for me, I seem to be exhausted all the time these days. I don’t actually do much during the day, but I’m still tired and feel so heavy. The main problem is lack of sleep. I go to bed early, but wake up between 4 and 6 a.m. every day, with a bursting bladder. After that it’s impossible to get back to sleep, so I’m just having to get used to it.
I have a new English friend in our village! She’s been here for over a year, now has a six month old baby, and we both find it incredible that our paths didn’t cross earlier. She was feeling very lonely, so I took her to playgroup and she was delighted with that. Isn’t it typical, for me to have all these friends here just as we’re about to move away?! Still, it’s not far, and most of them have cars, so they can come and see me after the baby’s born.
It’s a beautiful warm spring day today and we took Kevin up to the château this morning. He loved being able to run around, persecuting pigeons, peacocks and swans, and of course we didn’t have to worry about keeping him away from the traffic.
Sunday, March 17, 1996
Moving House: 7 Months Pregnant With Pauline
I had a very quiet birthday on the actual day, but this week Kevin has been staying with his French grandparents, so P. and I went out for dinner once and the movies twice, wow what a buzz! Made me feel young again, even if I do tend to plod along, with my 9 extra kilos weighing me down. One of the films was so long (Casino) that my feet swelled up like balloons! It’s been lovely being able to sleep late in the mornings and have little rests when I need them during the day. I’ve also caught up on all my sewing jobs, photo album, letters, etc. However the flat is horribly quiet without Kevin and I can’t wait till he comes home this afternoon.
Have I already told you that we sold our flat in Chatou at long last? Our really exciting news is that we’ve found a beautiful house with garden and we’ve signed on the dotted line! We are hoping to move in at the beginning of May, a few weeks before the baby comes. P. will do the actual moving, I won’t need to lift a finger, and when Mum arrives on 19th May, I’m sure there will still be a few cartons to be unpacked. I’m so glad we can get settled in before the baby comes, it means that Kevin will have time to get used to the new house and he can safely run around the garden, which is completely fenced off, all summer long. The best thing of all is that we’ll have 4 bedrooms and a small study, so there’s plenty of room for everyone, including guests. The house was built in 1983 and is in excellent condition, so we won’t need to do any renovating. The entire bathroom is a horrible dark pink colour however, we’ll have to fix that one day! There are loads of cupboards, a big S-shaped lounge with a fireplace, a modern kitchen, and a huge basement. I think there are even some fruit trees in the garden - my dream come true! Our neighbours should be pretty quiet, we’re just across the road from the cemetery! The forest is just 50 metres up the road. This should be our last change of address for a long, long time, which will be a great relief to all my friends and family who have managed to keep up with me over the years.
I’m now 7 months pregnant and the Little Wriggler is getting very heavy and slowing me down a lot. I can’t wait till Mum gets here. Kevin is now climbing onto chairs and this is actually an advantage for me at lunch time during the week when P. is at work. Instead of me having to lift Kevin into his high chair, he climbs up and sits on a normal chair all by himself. He is very proud to sit at the table like a big boy. He can run quite fast now, and talks non-stop all day, but most of what he says is still incomprehensible to me! He loves to walk down steps holding both my hands, and we count them as we go. He is much more sociable and less shy now, even with strangers. I’ve been able to leave him with my neighbour Anne, just for an hour, when I needed to go to the dentist 2 or 3 times recently. He played happily with her two children, which was a big relief to me. We still go to play group twice a week and he especially enjoys the music and dancing.
Have I already told you that we sold our flat in Chatou at long last? Our really exciting news is that we’ve found a beautiful house with garden and we’ve signed on the dotted line! We are hoping to move in at the beginning of May, a few weeks before the baby comes. P. will do the actual moving, I won’t need to lift a finger, and when Mum arrives on 19th May, I’m sure there will still be a few cartons to be unpacked. I’m so glad we can get settled in before the baby comes, it means that Kevin will have time to get used to the new house and he can safely run around the garden, which is completely fenced off, all summer long. The best thing of all is that we’ll have 4 bedrooms and a small study, so there’s plenty of room for everyone, including guests. The house was built in 1983 and is in excellent condition, so we won’t need to do any renovating. The entire bathroom is a horrible dark pink colour however, we’ll have to fix that one day! There are loads of cupboards, a big S-shaped lounge with a fireplace, a modern kitchen, and a huge basement. I think there are even some fruit trees in the garden - my dream come true! Our neighbours should be pretty quiet, we’re just across the road from the cemetery! The forest is just 50 metres up the road. This should be our last change of address for a long, long time, which will be a great relief to all my friends and family who have managed to keep up with me over the years.
I’m now 7 months pregnant and the Little Wriggler is getting very heavy and slowing me down a lot. I can’t wait till Mum gets here. Kevin is now climbing onto chairs and this is actually an advantage for me at lunch time during the week when P. is at work. Instead of me having to lift Kevin into his high chair, he climbs up and sits on a normal chair all by himself. He is very proud to sit at the table like a big boy. He can run quite fast now, and talks non-stop all day, but most of what he says is still incomprehensible to me! He loves to walk down steps holding both my hands, and we count them as we go. He is much more sociable and less shy now, even with strangers. I’ve been able to leave him with my neighbour Anne, just for an hour, when I needed to go to the dentist 2 or 3 times recently. He played happily with her two children, which was a big relief to me. We still go to play group twice a week and he especially enjoys the music and dancing.
