Ma Belle Fille

Tom met his granddaughter today, and it was love at first sight! It was great to hear someone else expound on how beautiful Juliet is, how well she holds her head up, how her eyes are tracking movement already, etc., etc., etc. I thought I was thinking those things because I was her Grandma, but it turns out they're true! Her Grandpa thinks so, too.

It snowed in Paris again today, and snow is forecast for three of the next four days. This is extremely unusual for Paris, where they normally get snow maybe once a season. Climate change, anyone? At any rate, Juliet must have her daily outing, so off we went to downtown Levallois, to shop for a few things for dinner. Juliet in her stroller with her hat, her scarf, the stroller cover and her blanket, is nothing but two eyes, a nose and a mouth. Sometimes even the mouth gets covered up. She usually sleeps for the entire trip, but we think the fresh air does her good.

Jeanne takes Juliet out even when we're not there to help, and I don't know how she does it alone. There's just so much stuff! And some of it is heavy and/or unwieldy. She's a very determined Mom, and a very good one. My heart swells with love for both Jeanne and Juliet when I see them together. Jeanne is so competent and loving with our granddaughter. Like all new moms, she has times when she doesn't know why Juliet is crying or fussy. But she never seems anxious or frustrated with the baby. She always speaks to her in a soothing voice, or she will sing to her, and Juliet usually calms down immediately when she's in her mother's arms.

I never had a daughter of my own, so when Matt married Jeanne I was thrilled to finally have someone with whom I could shop and talk girl talk. We've spent a lot of time together because she and Matt dated for four years or so before they were married, and they've been married for five years this summer. I really thought I knew her quite well. An unexpected blessing of this trip has been getting to know my daughter-in-law even better; taking turns holding a crying baby, fixing a cup of tea for one another, talking about babies and all the mysteries that surround them, these things are bringing us closer. And we share the bond of motherhood; I suppose that's part of it. When I see the way Jeanne looks at her daughter, when I see how she talks to her, caresses her, sings to her, calms her down, laughs at her and plays with her, I feel so lucky that she is my son's wife and my granddaughter's mother. Ma belle fille. My beautiful daughter.