Victor took his first flights in May when I took him to France to introduce him to my family and my friends... 10 days by myself with my sweet and easy baby touring around and seeing so many people!!
Mark took some time off to stay home and be Mr. MOM while I was away... Mark handled things very well, cooked, cleaned, did laundry, managed to get Adam to school and Antoine to his various activities (Joyschool and REC Center class)... He told me that it was A LOT of work and that it was certainly a FULL time job! =)
I think he has a better appreciation for my job now!
Back to my stay in France... My sister came and picked me up at the Paris airport (she took a huge detour to go to Brittany from Normandy - for those who know a little bit of French geography - just to spend more time with me! =). Unfortunately, my flight left 1h30 late (in the middle of the night - Victor was exhausted and so hungry but I was waiting to be seated on the plane to feed him for the night...) so when I finally met Emmanuelle it was the beginning of rush hour traffic and we had to go all around the Parisian beltway to get to Brittany... a much long trip than expected but we were so happy to be together again...
We arrived in Penestin at my parents' beach house for the week end and my brother and family as well as my best-friend from Junior High Esther joined us... We had a fun weekend together mostly around the table eating my Mom's delicious food and enjoying each others' company...
Here are some pictures of the week end:
Victor at almost 8 months did not want to eat solids... I tried over and over at home before we left but he refused to eat with the spoon... My mission while in France was that someone would get him to eat baby food! Everyone tried even with different techniques, more or less successful! =)
We then left for Nantes for a couple of days where I had so many people to see... It was a marathon and I loved every part of it!
First we went to see Pepe my grandfather (without my grandmother who passed away in Nov 2011). He has changed so much since the last time I had seen him... He is 98 years old and he can barely see or hear... He feels so lonely without his wife, it is heartbreaking to hear him talk about it. He is grateful for his children and grandchildren who are taking care of him but it is definitely not the same for him. It was sweet to see him holding Victor... We had tender goodbyes as I am pretty sure this is the last time I will see in this life...
I had lunch with my cousin Isabelle who I had not seen since 2006... It was wonderful to catch up with her and her family. Then off to a short visit with another cousin Jacques and his family (one of the few cousins I have on my Dad's side) - it is always wonderful to see them!
I had sent an email to a couple of good friends from back in college and I was really hoping to see them since I had missed them in 2009 on my last trip... I had such a fun night at Samuel and Claudia Jube with Christophe and Valerie Favreau and their respective "crew"... Again, I had not seen them for at least 6 years and it was great to catch up with them. It is a real bummer that I was so busy enjoying my time with them that I forgot to take pictures... =(
One more stop that day but for the night this time at my cousin Marika who opened her house to us. We spent hours talking until the early morning! =)
The next day, I met with my best-friend from College Sonia and her family. Her parents even joined us for lunch and we had a great time... Her daughter Julie is getting so big! Her baby Chloe is just a few months older than Victor.
Victor would going from one place to the next with a smile, sleeping wherever when he was tired...
What a trooper!
We came back to Penestin for a couple of days and had a wonderful visit from my aunts Maite and Ginou whom I love to be with...
This is how I found Victor after his nap... kind of stuck and not sure what to think... =)
We took advantage of a sunny afternoon to go to the beach and
introduce Victor to the sand... He was intrigued at first but it was a
hit!
It was then time to leave Brittany behind us and drive to Normandy to spend my last four days in France at my sister's house. On our way there, we stopped by Rennes to have lunch with Aline and Joel, some other relatives that I love spending time with. While there, I took off for a couple of hours to visit with my dear friends Mary and Cindy and their adorable babies... a short visit (and no pictures) but I was grateful to see them though.
Normandy is so beautiful and picturesque... I love it!
My Dad and Carlo worked on the boat while we enjoyed being at home, cooking and enjoying watching Zelie interact with Victor.
I also spent some time helping my sister organize her office (she has recently started her new business as an expert accountant and now works from home).
It was sad to say goodbye but I was soooo glad that I was able to have an amazing time in France!!
