Lampshade

hi son,

this is what we’ve been up to the last two days.

Yesterday, which was Labor Day in the US, we spent the afternoon visiting a danish friend, L, and her adorable new baby, M, at their gorgeous apartment off the Place François Ier.  L was in the preparation class at the British Hospital with me and M was born at the end of July. (her due date was two weeks after mine). She had baked a chocolate cake and we spent the afternoon paying attention to the two of you, and I was also drooling over her huge terrace overlooking the courtyard and her full-time housekeeper. Afterwards, we walked up the Champs-Elysees to catch the bus home, because I didn’t want to try to get the metro at that hour. We walked from the Rond Pont all the way up to Etoile, passing my echographiste’s office, which reminded me of the first time I saw you, when you were but the size of a little pea pod at seven weeks gestational, and how I walked up the Champs-Elysees with the light blue folder containing your first photos in one hand, my black Charlotte handbag in the other, and called your papa to exclaim excitedly that I had “SEEN a heartbeat!”.  I will tell you more about that day soon.

Today, I had to take the dog to the vet in the morning because she had a smelly, bloody thing on her face. We met D at noon, then had sushi, then we went to the park and sat for a while, then D had to go to work, so we sat some more, you were napping and I was reading a book (re-reading, actually, L’ecume des jours, curious if you will ever read it and what you will think of it). We met another little baby who was born on 16 June. Then we picked up Emma from the vet, and had to walk verrrry slowly home because she has to wear a lampshade for a few days. She is having a lot of trouble walking around the house, poor dog, and can’t get behind the couch. I had to hand-feed her, pouring croquettes in the palm of my hand, and hold up her water bowl so she can drink. She is a trooper, that dog.

Today you are three months old.