An Organic Pregnancy

So, Wanna here the story behind this one?

I thought you'd never ask.

How many pitiful times did I allude to being "so sick lately" in the last months on this blog?  

I hate to think.  

And I told myself I would "be grateful" for being sick... see, very early on I thought I was going to loose this sweet baby.  I was frantic and heartbroken.  I lost my very first and leaving out the details... all the signs were there that I was going to loose this one too.  But, praise God for midwives, I had my Progesterone checked and it was dangerously low, she put me on Progesterone cream, told me to tone down the Turbo Jam for a few weeks and the "signs" stopped.  

Praise God.

I am now 13 weeks along.

An "Organic Pregnancy" it has NOT been.

Hardly.

Let's just get it out of the way.  I get sick.  Really sick, all day and night from about weeks six to sixteen and then it tones down to a few times a week.  I mean so sick I see stars if you know what I mean... this time.. (TMI WARNING)... my esophagus actually started to bleed!  YIKES!  So now, I am on medication.  It's actually helping.  Not every day but most of the time I feel slightly human, I can converse without running away mid sentence, I can run a load of laundry, even prepare meals.  It's a bonified miracle.  

I am actually eating healthy again too!

For those horrible weeks I was without my beloved Turbo Jam... my thighs immediately turned to eewy, gooey, jiggly, raspberry jam!!!  I was eating restaurant food "like" every other day.  IT WAS HORRIBLE.  Panera, Chiptole, Tacos El Norte, more Chipotle, Pizza... oh my gosh...  carry out... it was the ONLY thing that sounded good.  The only thing I could stomach... even if it was only for an hour.  The was no way in H- I could make the 40 minute trek to my favorite grocery stores for food and with my appetite I ate us out of house and home within days leaving us all staring at carry out menus!  The spicier, the hotter, the better... even more than my normal "gringa" ways. 

 Gross.  I was out of control.  

It's so weird for me to be on a prescription.  I haven't taken medicine since 1997.  But there's a line and that was the whole esophagus thing!!!   I am back on the mend... actually Turbo Jammed yesterday!  WHOOHOO!  I am sorry about the whole lag in the whole Potager series (though some blog booster website the other day said never to apologize to your readers - whatever!  I am sorry!)  There has been a definite lag on PF and I gonna be steppin' it up here girlies!  Potager post in the works, I just have one more photo to take in the morning.

Thanks for stickin' with me and P.R. le Quatrieme!

Juliette...Days 2 & 3, the Name Game Winner and Home Birth Questions!!!

On January 13th I was stunned to get an email from Jennifer C. with the correct guess of the girls name, I am anxious to read how she came to such a spot on conclusion but here are the answers to the clues...

Clue No One:

First: A historical reference for this name can be found on the shelves of almost any grocery store.

Answer - Julius Ceasar, (Ceasar Salad Dressing)

Middle: Due to my known admirations, this is not a name someone would expect me to go with.

Answer: Longtime readers and friends know of my cult like admiration of Princess Diana so I imagine, using a form of Elizabeth as the name could be a surprise.

Clue No. Two

First: "I'll come 'round sometime and get that squeak out of your door."

Answer: Sexy statement made my Johnny Depp's Character to Juliette Binoche's character in the film "Chocolat" - I think this is what lead many of you to choose "Josephine" as your guess.

Middle: Though he loved BJ just as she was, the original amour of MD.

Readers, friends and family surely by now know my love for British comedies and Jane Austin. Here, BJ stands for Bridgette Jones and MD stands for Mark Darcey...Bridgette Jones is a modern version of Pride and Prejudice thus Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice is the answer to this clue.

First: Baz Lurman

Answer - the film Romeo and Juliet

Middle: "I'm not living with you! We occupy the same cage, that's all."

Answer - Now I dropped a big hint for this one even before the contest during one of my "miserable" posts before the baby was born by mentioning Tennessee Williams - This is a quote by Maggie the Cat in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (a favorite in this house) played of course by, Elizabeth Taylor.

And there you have it. I had SO MUCH fun writing those clues I could do it all day long. Congratulations to Jennifer C. (what's your blog name Jen? I don't feel right putting your last name on the internet in case that is something that you don't do) Your prize will arrive by Valentines Day.

Here are some more photos...I can't stop taking them. Can you blame me?

BTW:

Lots of you inquired via email or comments about Home Birth, I LOVE the subject and would be THRILLED to answer any questions you may have - shoot me an email and I will post on the subject in the very near future.

Proud, enamoured brother.

TROIS!!! Can you stand it???

Today was the a March for Life in Washington.

Beyond blessed.

The SPITTING image of her brother.

"It has hands!" Was the first thing Amélie said about her sister.

I could not resist the can can prop - I'll have to do it again when she is not so newborn and splotchy.

Sepia baby.

Bisou.

Aidan brought in one of his favorite "peluche" Mr. Lapin le Petit to share with Juliette. Here Amélie is showing her.

Juliette Élisabeth

Well.

Elle est la.

She's here.

This morning I drank my magic potion.

The Internet articles said it was horrible but I really did not see what the big deal was. I put on my Amazing Race attitude and I plugged my nose and pounded 8 ounces of orange juice, a shot of vodka and three tablespoons of Castor Oil. I figured that someday I could at least say to my sister and sister-in-law,

"Go ahead, try it honey, I did."

I was willing to risk the rumored horrible side effects (the turbo lax scene in Dumb and Dumber) to get this baby in my arms.

and then ...Nada. (and I don't mean Farm)

I talked to my midwife at noon and asked if I needed to drink the stuff again and she said it's never happened. So, that made me feel good but I still felt nothing. No stomach gurgling, not even a "toot." We thought four hours would be long enough to know if Joel should leave for work but you can't say,

"Call in and tell them your wife drank Castor Oil."

Joel had to leave for work, a Chicago route tonight. I did not expect him before Midnight.

Then I tucked Amélie in bed and gave her a few moments worth of MeeMee's and instantly the contractions began!!! Like a freight train, three minutes apart. I did my best to get Girlfriend tucked in without alarming her. I so badly wanted her to take her nap. Then I took a deep breath, called Joel who had left for his downtown Chicago delivery schedule an hour before..."Come home."

Thankfully he had not pulled out of "headquarters" yet or else he would have been on the Kennedy unable to turn around...

-Called this midwife and said "You'd better come now."

-Called Momma, said, "I just gave Amélie her MeeMee's, you better come now."

My first contraction was at quarter after one,

"It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now..."

And by 3:17 Juliette Élisabeth was born. Into the hands of her Daddy.

We are elated.

There is so much more to say...the gentle tender reactions of the siblings...the wonder and AWESOMENESS of Homebirth...But I'll save some for tomorrow and close by saying

THANK YOU JESUS!!!

Last Boy Clue...Baby Naming Giveaway!!!

UPDATE: 8:15 Wednesday morning and I can't take it, I slept like crap but I washed my floors last night, I washed my hair...

I am taking a glass of the Castor Oil concoction.

Bring it.

I am not liking some of the side effects I am reading about (like becoming one with the toilet) but I want this baby...in my arms...now.

Say a prayer.

Saw the midwife this morning and she gave me a fun little Castor oil concoction of C.O., Vodka and Orange Juice to take this evening...says this baby will come tomorrow! I am a little nervous to try it so tonight I am trying drops of another herbal tincture she gave me and if by the morning nothing has changed then I will get brave and try the vodka combo....

The baby is posterior, meaning instead of his/her back facing my belly the legs/feet are. I have been doing excercises all day to get it to move. Please pray that it works, posterior births can be rather painful.

Good grief. That's almost funny.

My family is all excited cause they love the sound of 1.20.10.

So, since the girls name has been guessed correctly here is your last "boy clue"...

Last night while Joel and I were watching Part II of the 24 premiere we noticed a new character, though now obviously playing a different part- he happens to be the original inspiration for our boy name (see clue number one).

We thought that was VERY ironic indeed.

And if you MUST have a middle name clue...

"Aston Martin"

Please note, the boys first name has been guessed a couple times already but if someone gets the first and middle name they would win over the first correct first name that came in last week.

My 4.5 year old son and two year old daughter are arguing...all the time..."It's a boy...it's a girl...it's boy....it's a girl....

And would you believe that tonight as I tucked in Amélie the last thing she said to me was, "It's a girl."

And the last thing Aidan said to me was "What if I make a joke out of Amélie and it's a boy?"

Hopefully we will know tomorrow.

Gramma's and (The Almost) Labor Inducer...

Today, the due date I had given myself (tomorrow is when the midwife says I am due) we went to my moms...

Because sometimes you just need to have good conversation

Eat someone else's food

Let your kid's mess up someone else's toys

And do it all without having to wear your bra.

Thanks for the distraction Mom.

Katie,

Whoever you are...I just read and published you comment, and I have had a lot of funny comments in the last 4 years of blogging but yours takes the cake. I laughed so hard I thought the baby might fall out.

Here's Katie's comment from a post down below...

Katie said...

I HAVE A MOST BRILLIANT GUESS FOR YOUR BOY NAME!! Is it? Could it be? I'm sure it's french, yes: sure of it! Wait. It's Barack. Right? Am I right? Thank you, I know. The guess was nothing short of inspired! And the name for a girl is Michelle? (Sorry, I just couldn't resist a really, really, really BAD joke. You ARE bored, aren't you?) Hmmm... okay. I'll go wash my mouth out with soap now and (ouch!) bite my tongue!

Bored.

Can you believe, it's a word my kids don't even know???

(Nothing irritates me as much as a kid whining, "I'm bored.")

Friends and family are "forbidden" to say it around us lest they pick it up and incorporate it into their vernacular.

But, since they can't read...

I'M BORED!!!

I never liked to be ready too early for Prom...I hated sitting around waiting for the evening...I never wrote a speech for speech class...I would rather wing it...I am not a total last minute person to the point where I inconvenience other people...cause that is just plain irrigating and rude...but, I hate too much "spare" time.

And yet, here I am.

Just about everything on my massive to-do list that I wrote back in September is done. And here I am.

Nary a Braxton Hicks,

nary a cramp...

right now what I would take is a good old fashioned,

"Clean up in aisle four!"

Like a typical soap opera-esque water breaking all over the place!!!

I guess it's my own fault for having expectations. Number one was on his due date, number two was two days early, so, silly me, since I am due on Monday (or Tuesday says the Midwife) I thought for sure by yesterday...

I hate the mall but I would sure love to go walk around Nordstrom right now.

Target isn't going to cut it and the girls at our little Sephora are so obnoxious.

(They just can't stand it that I walk in there with no makeup and try everything myself.)

They always want to do my makeup and I want to say,

"Have you seen YOURS? Get away from me!"

This blog has turned into more of a journal as all I do is blog about ME and that is bugging me too,

but I am afraid I don't have the energy to go after Obama this week or...even more fun, that dork Robert Gibbs.

I've have massages, I've had ankle rubs, girlfriend nurses 3 times in a 24 period,

I eat killer spicy food,

I've watched some of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time and YouTube clips of Conan O'Brian dogging NBC and laughed til I thought my water would break, yesterday we went on a big family walk outside...

The baby goes from so still for hours to full blown spastic freak outs and I "yell" at "him",

"Well, if you would just COME OUT you would have more room!!!"

Obviously I need to trust God and his timing but that is easier said than done when you feel like a walking land monster who can't sleep and has worked herself out of a job. Never mind that if this baby would join us my brother and his wife could actually come for a visit this weekend. Today is Joel's day off...there are a million reasons why

RIGHT NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME.

Are you sick of me yet? I am sick of myself.

The only thing I have to do is blog (I think I have done 6 posts in the last 6 days!)

so try to keep up with me if you dare...

The naming game is still open for boys...scroll down to previous posts...

Girls Name Guessed!

Sheer perfection!

The girls name has been guessed!

WOW - I must say I am impressed.

So, Entries for the girl are closed, you can keep guessing on the boys name! See previous posts for rules and prizes.

& ...

If you all would pray for a tomorrow morning delivery that would be so lovely! I know God has a plan but in my little mind tomorrow would be perfect, hubby has Saturdays and Mondays off anyways on his new job that means he would only have to take off two days to get in some quality time with us. He has not accrued any real time off.

Never mind that I am so D-O-N-E it's not EVEN funny.

French Names Sound Better

'Scuse me, Can I ask you something? It's Luke isn't it?

Luc.

Louk??

No not Louk, Luc.

Luuc??

You want to ask me something or non?

No, forget it.

I forget it already.

(Found at 5:45 below)

What IS in a name anyway?

Sometimes, not much without a lovely accent.

And I can't help it, I am drawn to all things French including French names...there are so many lame English names that sound so cool au français...

Take "Matilda" for example

- yes, cool I suppose if you are some Hollywood baby decked out in the trendiest, poshest of clothing tout le temps...but consider the French form -- "Mathilde" - sounds like "Mat-ild" only really pretty. I love it, I love to hear it in movies, and in French it is not just suitable to a little darling girl like it's English counterpart.

Or a boys name like George.

And pardon me if this is hubby's or son's name but what do most of us conjure up when we hear the stark "George" ?

But to hear it in French..."Georges" - no the "s" is not pronounced but it's that soft, subtle "g" sound that about puts me over the edge and the almost "ah" sound at the end..."Gshorgsha" - don't laugh at my phonetic attempts.

How about Yves and Pascal - there aren't even English equivalents for these wonderful names!

A few more ...

Some girl names there are not equivalents for -

Anaïs - pronounced "ann-i-eece" - a lovely name.

...and if you've been reading this blog for awhile you know how much I love the name Mireille (as in French Women don't get Fat). Pronounced "Mer-ray" only with that beautiful French accent. C'est parfait!

Oh, and don't forget "Annick" - "pronounced "Ann-eeek", throw in that accent and you have another beautiful name that you aren't gonna find in Parents Magazine. (Not that I would ever read Parent's Magazine)

Françoise VS Frances

Laetita ... as in Costa, pronounced something like "La-tee-see-ah" - I am sure Joel has forgotten about this name, I don't dare remind him because he might want to change our plans...

Veronique VS Veronica

I've probably made my point. I am sorry, but our language has such a hard, dreadful sound to it, if I could pop a pill for a British accent I would and if I could hear and speak French all day, I would probably melt into a pile of goo I love it so much.

Here is what you really have been waiting for though - The third round of clues...

Voila-

Boy:

First: Billy Crudup

Middle: Gadgets

Girl:

First: Baz Lurman

Middle: "I'm not living with you! We occupy the same cage, that's all."

Taunt your opponents with a comment (like Life in the Burbs is doing, she says she KNOWS the boys name but won't even tell me what it is) and email me your guess at:

angelovesparis@gmail.com

Be sure to check previous posts for the other clues, rules and prizes. You can guess as many times as you want - hurry, hurry, saw the midwife today and things are already on their way if you catch my drift.

and

Pray for Haiti.

Name Clues # 2 - Baby Naming Giveaway

If you didn't read yesterday's post quickly read it for the rules and giveaway goodies...

Gettin' the feeling that some of you would rather email me your answers ... you don't want anyone "mooching" as you develop your answers. That's fine, we'll make a new rule, leave a comment of some sort, just to taunt everyone that you think you "got it" and shoot me an email with your best guess. Here are your next clues-

Boy - Clue number one.

First: A historical reference for this name can be found on the shelves of almost any grocery store.

Middle: Womanizer.

Girl - Clue number one.

First: A historical reference for this name can be found on the shelves of almost any grocery store.

Middle: Due to my known admirations, this is not a name someone would expect me to go with.

Boy Clue #2

First: Though a bad guy, you could never bring yourself to call him "evil" and you could not help but swoon, just a little, every time they brought him back.

Middle: Saint.

Girl Clue #2

First: "I'll come 'round sometime and get that squeak out of your door."

Middle: Though he loved BJ just as she was, the original amour of MD.

BABY NAMING GIVEAWAY!!!

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

No, I am not going to do anything tacky like let you name my little one. but let's make this fun!

Since, Joel and I have a standing rule that we tell NO ONE our baby names I thought, since the big day could be any second within the next ten days, that it would be fun to have a contest.

The goal? To guess, or come the closest to guessing what we will be naming our baby. As you may have noticed in posts we always refer to our babies in belly as "P.R." Aidan was just P.R., Amélie was P.R. le Deuxieme and this one...obviously, "Le Troiseme"

P- standing for Petit(e) and R standing for our last name. But...will this little ones name really be????

So, this will not be a drawing but a bonified challenge.

Every few days (if gestation allows :) I will give a clue for the boy and girl choice we have selected - both first and middle name. They will start out, well, not very helpful and become easier as I get closer to my due date (I say the 18th, midwife says the 19th). All previous clues will be posted on future posts.

We do love both our boy and girl names and we do not know what this baby is so, if it turns out, say to be a boy, I will not be reveiling what the girls name was, even if someone gets it just in case we are blessed with a girl in a couple years...and visa versa...sorry.

The winner will be announced with the announcement of the baby and here is what the winner will receive:

1. My all time favorite beauty product - Caudalie's beauty elixer, a recipe from the 17th century queens of Hungary. I swear you'll feel prettier after a few squirts.

2. My "new" Bain par Main Lavender Sugar Scrub. Loaded with organic almond and lavender oil...you may never need a manicure again! This scrub will be for sale in time for Valentines day in my shop but the winner will receive a small size perfect for keeping by the sink for when the dishes are done. Packaging my vary as I work out the kinks of the oil leaking!

3. A stack of reproduction blank dinner menu's from Paris' Marches aux Puces. Service for ten. Perfect for that Valentines Day dinner party you have been dreaming of hosting!

4. Chocolate! I mean, what says, "I love my readers" like chocolate!

EVERYBODY WINS!

All "contestants" who copy the first image in this post with a link to Parisienne Farmgirl on their sidebar for the duration of the contest will receive a special thank you treat! Just let me know in the comment box if you do.

Shameless, I know. Just love to build that reader base!

I reserve the right to add to or change the prizes. There is something else I know I wanted to include but my pregnant mush brain won't access that memory! :)

Prize will arrive by Valentines Day. I have to be realistic, I won't be running right out to ship a Giveaway days after having a baby.

In trying to cover all my bases, let's say that, should this baby come tonight or before a couple clues have been given I will come up with some creative six degrees of separation type deal to connect the closest contestant with the babies actual name.

Here are your first clues - remember, they are going to start out pretty vague just in case this little one is well done:

Boy - Clue number one.

First: A historical reference for this name can be found on the shelves of almost any grocery store.

Middle: Womanizer.

Girl - Clue number one.

First: A historical reference for this name can be found on the shelves of almost any grocery store.

Middle: Due to my known admirations, this is not a name someone would expect me to go with.

I know, dreadfully unhelpful.

Mais bon chance.

Just submit your comment with your best guess. I will accept any spelling varieties and the first person (if any) to get it or get close will win. Remember, the winner will be announced in my first post about the baby!

Let the naming gaming begin!

Tick Tock

Place for Mom to sleep when she stays with us - CHECK!

(God bless her, cause unlike some of my friends I am NOT someone who can walk around and do "stuff" on day three!)

Homebirth stuff - CHECK!

(Which is so funny to me to have on hand cause last time it was me, Hubby, Aidan and a mirror. I pray it's that way again!!!)

Crystals windexed - CHECK!

All baby paraphernalia clean, put together and ready to go - CHECK!

Fun new dining room look - CHECK!

Floors "Murphy's Oil Soaped" - CHECK!

Place for the midwife to hang out - CHECK!

(Cause I don't want her around 'til the last 10 minutes and even then, she better let Joel deliver this baby!)

I am well aware of how neurotic I can be.

I am looking for a state of perfection in this house that just can't exist with people living in it but I have been working towards this moment since about October. Every chance I get, tearing into a closet, cupboard or drawer. Cleaning, cleaning and cleaning but those days really don't matter cause life goes on and I found myself cleaning again today like a madwoman.

"Just in case I go into labor tonight!"

The kids are spit shined, nails trimmed, hair washed...you know,

"Just in case I go into labor tonight!"

There is still so much I could do to move towards that imagined "perfection", there are a couple lower cupboards in the kitchen that are an abomination to the title "Domestic Goddess" (Which is what I fill out on forms under: "Occupation"), they have gotten so bad in the last 6 weeks as bending over causes a surge of firelike heartburn at any time of the day. Pots and pan just thrown ascue...and at one point my "junk drawer" spilled over the back and down into my Cuisinart cabinet - I have yet to clean it up.

People keep saying, "You should be resting."

Hilarious.

I rest on my "bad days" but when I have the energy I can't seem to stop myself from accomplishing something - tomorrow the kitchen cabinets are getting washed if I didn't overdo it today...

I mean, what else can I do with my time? It's all I've got these days. There is no way in "H" that I am leaving this house - just packing up those chickens and trying to strap those ^%$&*(% car seat belts OVER their winter coats is enough to put a NON pregnant person into labor! Suppose I could paint my nails again - with all this work I can't get my polish to stay on for more than 10 minutes.

Tonight this baby feels like it's practicing that head spin breakdancing move on my cervix.

Grind down little one, grind down...come to Momma!

I've never been more than two days early so my hopes are set pretty realistically...

tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.

Sigh.

I swear this won't be the subject of all my posts forever...it just feels like it. If you are a birth junkie - you might really enjoy, "The Business of Being Born" - I did.