A Long Weekend

It was wonderful to see everyone in Morlaix but such a sad occasion! Of course Juliet was the one bright spot of the weekend. Everyone talked about how beautiful she was, and the new parents beamed! She is such a good baby, and in fact slept through the entire after-funeral luncheon, which is amazing considering how loud it was in the small bar/cafe.

We were with family for dinner Saturday evening. Stephane and Marie were there sans kids, and Monette's husband, Danny, and children, Caroline and Erewon, were there. It was really good for them to have a time to laugh and think about something other than the death. It was a family time, and I felt privileged to be there.

This morning at the train station it was really hard for Jeanne to leave her family. Juliet did well on the train. Like most of us, the train lulled her to sleep more than once! She had a very stressful weekend, being held by lots of different people, and with her sleep cycle probably disturbed, but she did very well. It seems she has grown during the three days I've been here; today she graduated from "new-born" to "one-month" size!

I seeJuliet

My flight was uneventful and I even got five hours of sleep. When I got to Jeanne and Matt's apartment, Jeanne opened the door with Juliet in her arms. Beautiful mother, beautiful baby! And I got to hold her for the first time.

You forget how small they are. Matt was the same size baby, yet it seems to me he was never this small. I've spent the better part of an afternoon studying this tiny human being, and although small, she seems to be perfect in every way. She has her mother's ears, pretty ones close to her head, and seems to also have her mother's hairline. Which would be good, compared to her father's non-existent hairline! As Tom noticed in her pictures, she does have a pronounced frenulum (that thing under your nose) and she definitely has Tom's chin cleft. I'll have to check out Jeanne's family this weekend to see what their chins are like...

Unfortunately we have to go to Morlaix this weekend for the funeral of Marylise's sister, .Monette. She died of a heart attack and of course the family is devastated. Jeanne wants to be at the funeral to support her mother and cousins, as well as the rest of the family. So I am going along to help with Juliet, during the funeral and on our train trips to and from. Juliet's first big trip; a sad occasion but I'm sure Juliet's presence will cheer everyone. Life is a circle.

Paris minus 1 1/2 days

I leave for Paris Thursday and will arrive Friday. I'll hold my granddaughter, Juliet, in my arms for the first time. I wonder what that will feel like? Everyone tells me there's just no other feeling like it, and I will be forever changed. I'm excited about seeing Juliet and my son and daughter-in-law, and I'm also excited about having my own apartment. I have never lived "on my own", and even though it's only for 30 days, I think that, too, will change me. Life is beautiful.