Sunday in the Park

A summer-like Sunday morning, and both Matt and I slept too late to go to the market with Jeanne and Juliet. Matt had gotten up early with Juliet, then gone back to bed. I had no excuse. We missed going to the market, but Jeanne bought a beautiful sea bass for dinner, among many, many other things. When she came home she had three or four huge bags of groceries and supplies, plus Juliet and the stroller. I don't know how she does it!

Juliet seemed much better today. She spent the morning and early afternoon catching up on her sleep and her formula intake. We had planned to go walking in the Bois de Boulogne, but mid-afternoon Jeanne started to feel crummy. So we changed our plans, and Matt, Juliet and I headed to Parc Monceau instead. The Bois de Boulogne is a great park, but it's a little further away and much larger. It was a very hot day and we decided to go to a closer, smaller park. I was amazed when we got there; there were hundreds and hundreds of people! Families with children of all ages, young people, old people, people everywhere, laying on blankets on the ground, walking the paths through the park, kids playing soccer, throwing tennis balls, riding scooters and tricycles and bikes, families picnicking, sleeping, reading, talking.

Even with all the people there, it was quiet. No one was playing loud music on a radio, there were only occasional high-pitched squeals from a child or two, and though the blankets were not that far apart, you couldn't hear the conversation of the people nearby. I really like this about the French culture; they are quiet and respectful of others.

Juliet was in her element. She loved feeling the grass tickle her feet and hands (see above photo), and she loved laying on her back and watching the wind move the tree branches back and forth. When that happened she would just giggle! She also loved watching other small children playing nearby. We fixed her stroller so that she was almost in a sitting position, but even then she held her head up off the stroller the whole time. She has gotten really good at that. She's not close to sitting up by herself, but she's really good at holding her head up if you support her back.

We stayed at the park for a long time, since Juliet was having such a good time. Matt and I were, too, as we had a chance to talk and enjoyed the cooling breeze on a hot day. By the time we got Juliet home, she was good and tired. She made it through bath time and her bottle, but she had a little trouble falling asleep. I think she'll sleep well tonight though, because she had a lot of fresh air today. Jeanne barely made it through dinner because she wasn't feeling well; I hope she feels better because she says she has to go to work tomorrow. Matt has the day off for the holiday, so he and I will take Juliet shopping and out to lunch. My last day in Paris for a few months, but I get to spend it with two of my favorite people. Then I'll have to see if I can fit everything back in my suitcase for the trip home. I better not buy too much tomorrow...