Surf and priorities December 8, 2009

Five years ago, I don’t think Mathieu or I could have ever imagined not wanting to surf.  This was during the time of driving two hours from Nantes out to Quiberon or some other windblown rocky outcropping in Brittany, suiting up in copious layers of neoprene to surf in near-freezing temperatures, braving 50F water, for a couple of mediocre waves.  To exit the water with the dreaded crawhand, unable to manipulate fingers or car keys or zippers, not thawing out until an hour later in some brasserie over a pint.

Today, surfing is no longer a driving force, a “we have to go out against all odds,” a near addiction.  It is still important, very important, but it is a release, a moment of tranquility away from diapers and strollers.  A pelican gliding along the face of a wave, a dolphin piercing the surface with a dorsal, the color of the water beneath a duckdive.  And surprisingly enough, we surf less but gain more.

ELEONOR!! December 8, 2009

Oh boy has it been a long time since I put any updates on here.  We’ve been completely caught up in life, Eleonor, and work.  Mathieu and I have been essentially trading off between our jobs and the baby, although we do get some quality family time in every now and then.

 

Mon dieu ca fait un bail que je n’ai rien mis sur ce site.  Nous sommes bien débordés entre la vie, Eleonor, et le travail.  Mathieu et moi nous croisons entre nos boulots et le bébé, mais nous avons quand même du temps tous ensemble.

July 17, 2009

Et voila.  Nous nous retrouvons à deux mois avec Eleonor.  Et qu’est-ce que la vie est belle.

Nous avons établi notre rythme quotidien, de couches et de rots, de crachouille et de rigolades.

Nous sommes épanouis devant notre petite fille qui, elle, est complètement epanouie devant un tout nouveau monde dans son tout nouveau corps.

Nous avons trouvé qu’elle est chatouilleuse sous le menton, qu’elle adore les bains et son petit jouet “Crunchy Bug.”

On dit que la vie change complètement avec un enfant.  C’est vrai, la vie s’améliore

Life rolls on… July 17, 2009

Well here we are.  Two months into a whole new world.  Eleonor has forever changed our lives.

We are now settling into the routine of diapers, carrying a twenty-pound car seat, carrying an eleven-pound little girl, breastfeeding in public, bouncing a fussy baby.

Spit-up, changing clothes five times a day (and that counts for Eleonor and me), loads of laundry constantly drying on the patio.

Singing songs, running with a stroller, balancing baby to avoid sand salt and sun.  Surfing with the constant glance toward shore wondering if she’s screaming her head off.

Laughing at her curiosity, her faces, her burps, her neverending wonderment with a brand new world in a brand new tiny body.

Discovering that she’s ticklish under her chin, that she loves face massages and baths, that she can stare for hours at her “Crunchy Bug,” that she loves no-pants parties.

It’s true that life will never be the same again, but all the crazy things we did as a couple, camping on remote beaches, jumping out the door in a split second, sleeping in tiny cars, are still possible.  We just have to plan on that third person.  So we’ll pack another hammock, some extra diapers, and lots of little clothes.  Because life is almost the same, it’s just better.

notre petite puce June 25, 2009

  Life with Eleonor is amazing…she is the most wonderful baby in the world.  Observant, curious, mellow, she has graced our lives so sweetly.  She hardly cries except when really hungry and Mom is still surfing before coming in for boob duty, or when the diaper needs a change.  It is really true, that a parent’s love for a child is something so incredible and strong.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aaah la vie avec Eleonor.  Magique.  Elle est la plus mignonne du monde.  Elle ne pleure pas beaucoup, elle est plutôt observante, curieuse, très tranquille.  Elle nous a donné a notre vie une grace et une patience.  Elle ne pleure que quand elle a faim et sa mère essaie de surfer une dernière vague avant de l’allaiter, ou quand sa couche est bien pleine.  C’est vrai, l’amour qu’un parent a pour son enfant est vraiment le plus fort et le plus magnifique.