This week I finally went to the doctor without my husband! This was a huge accomplishment since I usually drag him everywhere as my personal translator. But not this time. I went alone and spoke to the doctor only in French. I understood everything he said, and even better, he understood me.But I know I did not communicate perfectly, so I must finally put into action the tips I have received for learning French in France (below).When I moved to France I thought I would be nearly fluent in French within a year. I am nowhere near fluent. I got lazier over time. My books are collecting … [Read more...]
Jul 30, 2011
Best Online Baby Stores in France for Selection, Price and Convenience
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Most of these websites listed are in French. Do not be intimidated if you only speak English! Open the website in one window and Google Translate in another window. Then copy and paste snippets of text, or even the URL, for Google Translate to translate the entire page.This is a great way to brushen up your French and learn new vocabulary. By doing this, I can now check out easily when using any French online store without Google Translate. We all have to start somewhere. :) … [Read more...]
Jul 25, 2011
Finished Crocheting a Newborn “Coming Home” Dress and Bonnet Outfit
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While it does not seem very popular here in France to have a special "coming home" outfit for the baby, I just could not help but to make something cute for my little princess for when we take her home from the hospital. I also wanted something bright and chearful to counter the grey skies of Normandy for her debut.I purposely made it a little big. I figured it was better that it was too big than too small since she could still wear it and grow into it later. I have only ever crocheted blankets using a simple single stitchet - so this was quite a project for me. I learned a lot and cannot … [Read more...]
Jul 25, 2011
Le Livre Bleu is Valuable to First Time Mothers
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A sage-femme (midwife) at the hospital I will be delivering at recently provided me with a little book called Le Livre Bleu: L’Enfant du Premier Âge. It is published by the Comité National de L’Enfance for public distribution.I started reading this book and am finding that it is loaded with heaps of useful information. It is divided into three segments: avant la naissance (before the birth), la naissance (birth) and aprés la naissance (after the birth). Each part discusses important issues or questions that new mothers may have, like how to choose a hospital, how to prepare for … [Read more...]
Jul 25, 2011
How to Calculate Your Pregnancy Due Date in France
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One of the first things I did when finding out I was pregnant was calculating my due date. In the US and UK, the due date is calculated by counting 40 weeks from the first day of the woman’s last menstrual cycle. This includes 2 weeks until conception and 38 weeks of gestation.When I went to see my doctor in France for the first time, I was confident that my due date was October 3. To my surprise, he said that it was October 10. After disbelief that my French doctor was wrong, I knew there had to be a logical explanation why he was calculating 41 weeks instead of 40 weeks of pregnancy. … [Read more...]
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