Life, Flowers and Boobs

The summer heat has come and what is better than waking up in your own bed, balcony door open and hearing the seagulls talking loudly?

I'd say nothing. (Well, almost if you don't count the new chocolate addiction. Fine, the re-appearing chocolate addiction that I'm trying to drown with healthy foods like strawberries covered in healthy sugar and a dash of healthy whipped cream.)

This weekend has been marvelous. We've just done many chores like cleaning the boat, putting up the new wooden fence around the house, shopping for boxes in IKEA so I could rearrange the wardrobes... but it's been hot, sunny, jazzy and I've had a handsome husband to look at all the time.

I'm not taking many photos lately as my inspiration goes as far as to study the next meal menu and finding curtains, gadgets and pushchair for the baby. For those of you who know me, please don't panic, I'm still me!! I think... Is this what they call the nesting syndrome?? I'm not sure it's a syndrome but I'm glad the inner brain knows what to do because my conscious self is not so confident in all these changes. And this sounds very superficial but...

...I just had to buy a size 44 trousers. Nothing shocking apart from this being 3 hip sizes bigger than what I'm usually buy. Bye bye body, I hope you will return to your former self one day.
BUT, a major good news is that for the first time in my life I have a cleavage - Cleavage!! Me!! My mama who created and made my national Norwegian dress when I was half this age, reassuring me that she had to leave some extra space around the bosoms seeing how the family heritage was fortunate on this point. You guessed right, I apparently took everything from the other side of the family :) Lol... I should have enough to fill it in now though, and a little more.

Anyway, life is good with this growing belly, new clothes, a job and a flower explosion happening in the garden... and with some cutting of branches we'll be able to see the sea again from our balcony. And soon I'll get some pictures back into this blog. That is a promise.

PS:
I don't even dare think of what google hits I'll see the next few days with this post up...

And the Point is...?

Sometimes I have so many things I'd like to say but when I get to the empty post page my brain goes blank. Totally. My pregnancy books say I can blame anything and everything on the pregnancy and that's why I'm now walking around in new beautiful leather sandals with a matching handbag...

So back to the point, or lack thereof...

I just realised that it's been over two years that we are sleeping in the only room in the house which has not been repainted. Well, I tore down the awful wallpaper when we moved in and then something happend - the motivation ran out. We've done the kitchen, livingroom, laundry room, bathroom, guest room, toilet and left our bedroom looking pretty grim. Not very Feng Shui I'm sure.
However, realising that we won't have much time over the summer to do these things I have now called 3 companies to gives us a price estimate for doing it for us. Finally. Realistically though it will be done in August, though I would have loved for it to be finished in June.

And speaking of renovations: I CAN'T BELIEVE I MISSED THE EUROPEAN SONG CONTEST!! Norway won with this song while I had ate Chili con Carne with some friends. I'm a bad Norwegian expat, especially since they aired the whole show on french TV. For Italians this would be like the San Remo festival, for non-europeans have a look in wikipedia.

Thoughts thunk during the day

• I spent the afternoon with the long lost twin brother of the previous Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi! Incredible how much he looked and behaved like him. Twins separated shortly after birth??

• French food is just average.

• Anti road rage campaigns are useless unless the French learn how to drive first... Some days you just meet "cons" on the road. I have to admit that after some provocation yesterday I didn't behave very ladylike.

• Got some sad news over the weekend. I'm sad it's happening again.

• Baby is kicking!! It took some time to realise that the strange feeling I had was actually our little "micino".

• Two days down, three to go before the weekend. Home sweet home is some much sweeter when I can't be there all the time :)

French Doctors

Spring is here with nice sunny warm days! It's about time as I'm fed up with the rain and all the people complaining about the weather - including myself!! :) But the spring brings the pollen which brings the itchy nose and strings of sneezes. Long live my allergy specialist who gave me a new prescription without an appointment. He's Italian which I believe is the reason for his generous service.

While I had taken some days off last week I also had made sure to book yet another gynecologist appointment - the 4 this year!

I don't see myself as very fussy but I never compromise on hygiene which seem to be the case with all my so far chosen doctors... I'd love to hear other people's experience on this.

When I go to the doctor I expect a clean and uncluttered office, a doctor who use gloves and disposable equipment whenever possible. Not unreasonable demands I think.

Gynco no 1: had clean, new offices but a bucket full of used equipment from previous patients in plain view. I will refrain from any other descriptions here...

Gynco no 2: had an office so old and unkept that the wallpaper was falling off the walls, and had no modern equipment. The gynco chair must have been from the 50s although the doctor was fairly young. And she had used surgical equipment from preivous appointments in a bucket under my chair.

Gynco no 3: had a new office, with great equipment but turned out a little racist. That's what my French friends told me after I told them about the visit. And he kept all the patient files on the floor. ON THE FLOOR!! How hygienic is that?? There where piles all around us, though in that moment he seemed as the most competent so far.

At this point I was loosing hope of ever finding a decent doctor. Then I had to do a check-up in a different medical facility and I asked the doctors there for advice on a gynecologist and they sent me to Dr. L.

Gyneco no 4 : I booked an appointment for last week with Dr. L. It was a relief to see his clean office, a drawer full of disposable equipment and new and modern facilities. And after having talked with him for 5 mintues I almost cried. He took his time to explain and to listen to any questions. He was reassuring, caring and he came across very competent.

I was so relieved! So far I have learned that by waiting over a month for an appointment means that the doctor is popular. A popular doctor charges more but I couldn't care less. Don't stop looking for a doctor you feel you can trust with you health. And never compromise on hygiene - the decent doctors are out there somewhere and they are hiding but sooner or later you'll find the right one.

The One with the Announcement...

It's taken some time to get used to this news that I am about to tell you. So many years of avoiding this, fearing this and suddenly it happened and we felt lost, in shock, happy, weird and all other emotions possible.

L. had such a shock that he had to lie down on the sofa while his thoughts eliminated his future plans. I couldn't stop my hysterical laughter. Then we calmed down with an apple cake and cappuccino, took another test and another cappuccino and started realising that OH MY...

... we're going to be parents in October!


Image is taken by and belongs to Daniel Hurst Photography