One of the best things about working at the OECD is that it closes for a full week over Christmas and New Year. Which means that email traffic grinds to a yuletide halt as the whole organization collectively agrees to give our blackberries, laptops and brains a much-needed rest. This is one of the greatest gifts you can get at the end of a long and stressful year of work. But the real gift for me and Michael this year is celebrating Christmas with the promise of a little baby man headed our way in February! Our journey has not been as long as some to get here, but it hasn't been easy either, and there so much to be thankful for. At almost 8 months pregnant, I am grounded from traveling anywhere, which gave us a great excuse to stay close to home and enjoy this time together before we become a family of three. For Christmas eve dinner, we ventured out to the local Ramen joint to enjoy a steaming warm bowl of noodles - this picture doesn't nearly convey how happy Michael is at this moment, but trust me when I tell you that nothing I cook will ever make him this happy. Ever. Christmas day itself has also been nice and quiet. My big gift from Santa Michael was a gramophone and a few starter records. I have been eyeballing gramophones for a number of years now, and it's already a great addition to our apartment - time to break out the Ella and Louis! Right after I let go of the Christmas tunes... :)
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Christmas trees (sapins de Noël) have taken over the prime real estate at the flower shops on Rue Cler. These particular beauties claim to come from Norway, and will cost you a pretty penny or two. Although we didn't buy a real one this year, our allergy-free and apartment-sized artificial Christmas tree is up and shining, decorated with a few more ornaments from our travels this past year. The best part of this picture is obviously the handsome guy sitting next to it, my best gift ever. Motorcycle Santa has been spotted on the streets of Paris, attempting to spread Christmas cheer to frosty Parisians stuck in rush hour traffic. Results are inconclusive. And last but not least... fire wine!
For the third year in a row, we have partaken in the most excellent German tradition of lighting a rum-soaked sugar cone on fire and allowing it to drip sweet alcoholic goodness into hot mulled wine below (in German called Feuerzangenbowle). It is really as amazing as it sounds. While I could not partake this year, the smell was almost enough to bring back the memory of last year's cup(s) of fire wine. And combined with a successful gift exchange and lots of laughter with good friends, the evening was an excellent way to officially launch the Christmas season! When my good friend Joumana offered to throw me a baby shower, I was super excited to officially celebrate the upcoming arrival of Baby Hogge with my girlfriends here in Paris. But as we talked about the guest list and who I would want to be there, I quickly realized that many of my closest girfriends and all of my family would not be able to join in the celebration. This would also be true would the party have been hosted in California or DC, which is the downside of calling a number of places 'home'. The solution? A "virtual baby shower", made possible by Google Hangouts, which allows up to 10 sites to join one video feed at a time. The setup on our side looked like this: And for guests calling in from afar, it looked something like this: In total, we had groups of ladies join from San Diego, Orange County, Ontario, the Bay Area, New York, Washington, DC, Charlotte NC, and of course Paris. Our time zones ranged from 9am to 6pm, so while some were drinking their morning coffee (or mimosas, way to go Corissa!), others were sipping champagne - or in my case a nice glass of non-alcoholic champomy (like Martinelli's sparkling cider). We were connected online for about 1.5 hours, and apart from catching up and getting to see all the smiling faces, we played a few shower games so that everyone had a chance to participate. My mom won 2 of the 3 games, which I guess means that she knows what she's doing when it comes to babies. Good thing she'll be out here to visit in April! After we disconnected from the virtual part of the shower (yes, I teared up a bit - hormones, ok?!), the ladies in Paris had dinner, played a few more games, and decorated some onesies. The evening was one of the most amazing and special things that anyone has ever done for me. Here are a few more photos from the party: Thanks Mémère and Pépère for the new stroller (and baby swing, not pictured)! We are going to get so much mileage cruising around Paris in this baby :)
Other than the crib, which is serving double-duty as the baby storage space, this is the first big baby item to enter the Hogge household. Starting to feel real! |
AuthorBecause why not get married and move to Paris to really kick off your thirties? Archives
December 2016
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