I have been lucky to find a great OB/GYN here that speaks English and several of the other expat ladies have had him deliver their babies.  His office is located at the private hospital where I will deliver, which is about a 10 minute drive from where we live which is great.

One of my favorite things about the prenatal care in France is that I get an ultrasound at every appointment.  Not every doctor does this, but a lot of them do.  Not only do I get an ultrasound, but the doctor also does a 3D ultrasound.  In the US women only get 2 ultrasounds and you have to pay extra if you want 3D.  The doctor is very thorough and he is never in a rush to move on to the next patient.

Because the doctor does an ultrasound at each appointment, he was able to tell me the sex of the baby at 13 weeks!  There is still room for error at that stage of pregnancy, so I waited until my next appointment at 17 weeks to be sure he was right.

The thing I dislike about prenatal care here is the lab work (blood, urine samples) is not done at my OB appointment.  In the US, when you have an OB appointment they do the lab work in the office at the same time.  Here, I have to go to a lab once a month with a prescription for whatever lab work the doctor requires for that month and give a blood and urine sample.  Then I have to go back a few days later to pay (I’m not sure why they can’t bill me right away, but I can’t pay online like some people can because we do not have the national health insurance).  When I pay for any type of healthcare, I get a form that we submit for reimbursement which is great because we pay very little of the total cost!

Another difference is the way they calculate due dates.  I’m not really sure how it’s done but my US due date is September 6th while my French due date is September 20th.

Lastly, midwife services are more available and affordable.  During pregnancy, women can use midwife services such as prenatal yoga and exercising in the pool and get reimbursed for it.  There is a midwife present during labor, and a midwife will come and check on your after the baby is born (at your own home!).  The doctor also prescribes another midwife service (that I will not go into detail about here) for every woman that gives birth.

My American friends that have given birth here have told me it’s a better labor and delivery experience than they had in the US.  I will have to blog about that later this year!  They also said that you are able to stay at the hospital longer here if you want to/need to- 5 days versus the 2 or 3 days that are standard in the US.

Although I really enjoyed my prenatal and hospital experience in the US, I’m looking forward to going through this experience in France!

We have some very exciting news to share!  We are expecting another sweet baby Pawlowski in September…and it’s a boy!! We cannot wait to add another little one to our family, and this is the perfect time since I am not working and can be home with the baby for about the first year (depending on when we are sent home).

I don’t the Makenna quite understands what’s going on, but I think she’ll be a great big sister.  She loves to help with anything, and she loves taking care of her baby doll and lovey.  I got her a shirt that says “big sister” and a book about being a big sister, and she always requests to wear her shirt and read the book.

Now we just need to decide on a name for this little boy!

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One of the things I love most about our time in France is the unique experiences we have.  I had the opportunity to go with the IWC (International Women’s Club) on a tour organized by local students as a project for one of their classes.  Our first stop was at a pottery shop in the center of town.  Behind the shop was a workshop and we were able to watch a demonstration and learn about different types of pottery.  Then in the shop we learned about enameled lava stone, because the Auvergne area of France (where we live) is home to inactive volcanos.  Some of this stone is turned into art with enamel, while others use it as countertops.

After the pottery shop we went to visit a lace maker in the neighboring town of Ceyrat.  It turned out to be the woman’s home, not a shop.  The woman showed us different types of looms used in different countries and how the lace can vary.  She also demonstrated how to make lace and we were able to purchase items she makes.  I was impressed because her items included necklaces, bracelets and other items you wouldn’t typically think of being made of lace.  While we were shopping, the lace maker disappeared and came back into the room playing the accordion!  She played a traditional Auvergne song and taught us a dance that goes with the song.

We ended the day with having a small lunch in her kitchen which included a traditional Auvergnat dish called Pounti.  It is a loaf made with prunes, meat (usually pork) and parsley.  It was very different from anything I’ve tasted but I liked it!  This tour was really an experience to remember.

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Makenna’s birthday was on a Monday this year, so we wound up celebrating her birthday a little on Sunday (Ryan’s birthday) so that we could FaceTime with Ryan’s parents and let them see her open her presents.  On her actual birthday, we FaceTimed with my mom so Makenna could open her gifts and then we had her birthday cake (which was Funfetti thanks to Nana sending some mix over to us!).  She was spoiled with lots of great gifts including some Doc McStuffins and Peppa Pig toys because those are her favorite shows.  Then on Saturday we took Makenna to a petting farm in a nearby town, Montpeyroux.  They had goats, sheep, rabbits, horses, ponies, pigs and chickens.  We were able to feed some of the animals bread, but Makenna was afraid of most of the animals.  She liked to baby pig, so she had fun feeding him some bread.  Then we took her for a pony ride and after her being afraid of the animals I didn’t think she would get on it, but she did!  Ryan was told to lead the pony around while I held onto Makenna (which unfortunately made it impossible to get a photo of her riding the pony).  She was really enjoying it until the pony started to neigh and then she wanted to get off.  As we were walking back, a horse in front of us had to stop and go “caca” and for the rest of the afternoon Makenna kept saying “cheval (French for horse) caca, pee-yew!”.  The farm also had a bouncy house so she tried that out for the first time and loved it!

After the farm we walked around the small village and found a tea room, so we stopped and had tea and cakes.  It was a great way to celebrate her birthday as a family!

February 2nd is La Chandeleur in France, which basically means it’s a day to eat crêpes!  Ok well technically it is “a feast to commemorate the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of baby Jesus”.  It is also a superstitious day, because many French believe that if you are making a crêpe while holding a coin in your other hand, and the crêpe successfully lands in the pan when you flip it, you will have good luck for the year.

Makenna and I could no miss out on the crêpe eating tradition, so we stopped at a café and ordered 2 crêpes: nutella with banana and lemon with sugar.  Of course, they were both very good!

One of Ryan’s coworkers, Mathieu, invited us over for dinner and we had the chance to try the traditional French dish raclette (although it’s history stems from Switzerland).  Raclette is a soft cheese that is melted over a grill and then scraped off to be eaten with potatoes, gherkins, pickled onions, and dried or cooked meats.  There are different types of raclette grills.  Some are smaller, less expensive grills that can sit on a dining table and there are several small “dishes” that each person can individually use to melt their cheese.

Other raclette grills are more traditional and much larger (like the one Mathieu had).

As you can see in the photos above, there was a half wheel of cheese under the grill!  Mathieu is from Annecy and he served a cheese that is from that region, it was delicious!

It was a really fun experience and Mathieu’s apartment had a great view of the city.  Makenna had a great time as well!

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This year we decided to take a trip during Christmas to feel a little more festive for the holiday and not feel as alone as we did last year.  We heard a lot about the Christmas markets in Germany, so we knew we wanted to go to Munich.  Another family here told us about their stay at a hotel in Schwangau, where the Neuschwanstein castle is, so we planned to stay there for Christmas after we visited Munich.

We arrived in Munich and after checking into our hotel, we headed straight to the famous Hofbrauhaus for dinner.  It was HUGE and it was different than most restaurants we are used to as you seat yourself at a large table with other people.  There were waitresses walking around selling soft pretzels and gingerbread cookies.  Of course, we had to try their beer and Ryan had to get the pork knuckle.  I got the wiener schnitzel and it was very good.  There was a band playing traditional German music and Makenna loved it!  After we finished eating we went to watch the band play and Makenna danced in front of the stage.

After dinner we walked around the main Christmas market in Marienplatz for a little which just to see where things were, as we planned on spending more time there the next day.  We heard all about the hot wine, or Gluhwein, so we had to try it.  When you buy a mug of wine, they charge you about 2 euros extra for the mug and if you decide not to keep the mug they will refund your money.  We didn’t like the wine that much but it was very popular with a lot of other people, as there were many booths selling it and they were all busy!

The next day we went to a toy store I read about called Obletter Spielwaren which is the largest toy store there with 2 levels.  I was imagining something like FAO Schwartz, however, it wasn’t really anything special.  They did have a big selection of Steiff teddy bears which are handmade in Germany, so we had Makenna pick out a bear as her Christmas present that she would receive from Santa on Christmas Day.  We walked around Karlsplatz which is another square and it had a big ice skating rink set up for Christmas (and of course there was a booth for Gluhwein).  We made the obligatory stop at Starbucks and then checked out Viktualienmarkt which is a little farmers market.  There was a wine vendor that had some nice international wines and since we can’t find wines that aren’t French in Clermont we picked up a bottle of Tempranillo.  Ryan had a beer at a beer garden where the mugs were already full of beer and you just walk up and they push you a mug of beer and you’re good to go!

We spent most of the day browsing the Christmas market in Marienplatz.  There were a lot of booths selling gingerbread cookies in all shapes and sizes, most of them looking so pretty you wouldn’t want to eat it!  We got a small one for Makenna and I don’t know if they were all the same but this one was so hard you could barely bite into it and it wasn’t very flavorful either!  Other booths included glass ornaments, wood carved ornaments and decorations, nativity scenes, wooden children’s toys, nutcrackers, Christmas pyramids and food.  For lunch we ate at Augustiner which is similar to Hofbrauhaus with traditional German food.

After lunch we went to check out the Medieval Christmas market that we heard was nice.  Most of the booths were selling food and some had medieval-type items like swords, jewelry and handmade items.  At certain times they had plays going on.  When we were walking around we saw Santa so we stopped him to get a picture.  In Germany, they aren’t as into having a Santa sitting in a chair taking pictures with children and I unfortunately didn’t know this ahead of time so I didn’t get a typical Santa picture with Makenna this year….but who can beat a picture with a German Santa!

That evening we went back to Marienplatz to see the Christmas carolers at the town hall.  Every evening at 5:30, a group of carolers would sing from the balcony of the beautiful town hall and it was so festive and special to hear carols sung in German in a big square!  For dinner we decided to have bratwurst and sauerkraut from one of the booths.  When I went to order and asked for bratwurst, the lady told me all of the different sausages in front of me were bratwurst and I had no idea what the difference was so I just pointed to one and hoped for the best!  (and they turned out to be delicious)

The next morning we picked up a rental car and drove to Schwangau.  The drive was very scenic and was mostly through the countryside.  We arrived at Hotel Rubezahl and were greeted with a glass of sparkling wine that we enjoyed in front of a fireplace in the lobby.  Afterwards, we checked into our room and we were so impressed with the room and the view.  The room was large and had a sun room type area with rocking chairs and there was a curtain to separate that area.  This was great because we were able to put Makenna’s bed in there and close the curtains when she went to bed so we could stay up and watch tv (and enjoy some wine)!  Our view was amazing, with both famous castles and the Alps.  The toilet was separate from the bathroom and we loved it because it had a picture of a crown on the wall above the toilet.

We scheduled a tour of the Neuschwanstein Castle so we headed to the castle shortly after we checked in.  There were horse and carriage rides up the mountain to the castle, but the carriage was already full when we got there so we had to walk.  The sign at the beginning of the path said it was a 40 minute walk, but we were walking fast to get there in time for our tour and we did it in 20 minutes.  Some of the path was pretty steep so it was tiring, but the views were beautiful!  Unfortunately we couldn’t take pictures inside the castle but we really enjoyed the tour and the history behind the castle.  After the long walk down we headed back to the hotel.

That night at the hotel they offered a great buffet dinner.  The restaurant area was split into several different rooms that each had a different theme.  Each guest had a table that was reserved for them for each meal during their stay.  I tried a lot of different hors d’oeuvres that I had no idea what they were but they were all delicious.

The next day was Christmas Eve.  We had a very nice buffet breakfast and then drove to the nearby town, Füssen, where we walked around and did some window shopping.  Then we returned to the hotel for lunch where they served beef goulash.  Later there was a children’s choir that sang German Christmas carols in the hotel lobby but we didn’t stay long because Makenna hadn’t napped and was overtired.  That evening the hotel had a very festive Christmas Eve dinner and when we entered the restaurant Santa was there to greet us.  Makenna was so excited and yelled “Tanta!” and she was given a chocolate Santa.  The options for the main course were duck or goose, and I decided to have the goose as I have never had it before.  There were a lot of fancy hors d’oeuvres and desserts and we really enjoyed the dinner.

Christmas Day was really nice and relaxing for us.  Makenna woke up and opened her teddy bear that “Santa” brought her.  After breakfast we decided to take a ride to find a good spot to take pictures of the castle, and we noticed the horse and carriage rides were still running even though the castle was closed.  We decided to hop on and head up to the castle to try and get some photos from a vantage point near a bridge across from the castle.  The bridge was closed, but we snuck up a closed path that we found and were able to take some amazing photos.  We went back to the hotel for lunch where they served lamb and then spent the afternoon in the outdoor heated pool.  It was so nice and Makenna had a great time!  Dinner was another gourmet meal including terrine de lapin (rabbit).

This trip was really nice and definitely a once in a lifetime experience!

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Makenna normally goes to the nounou (nanny) on Thursday mornings, and even though Ryan is on vacation we still took her to the nounou so we could have a date morning.

We started off by going to the gym together because we used to do that all the time before Makenna was born!  This would probably happen more ing we were in the US because the gyms usually have child care, but our gym here doesn’t have that luxury.

Next we went to Paul, a boulangerie/patisserie chain that makes delicious bread, sandwiches and pastries.  We enjoyed a latte and a gingerbread macaron.

The weather was beautiful, sunny and about 60 degrees, so we walked around the square for a little while.  Ryan noticed an animal on a rolling cart and as we got closer we noticed it was a baby goat with a rabbit sitting next to it (yes, very random).  We went to see it and the man with the cart said they were animals from a circus in Paris, but the circus is having a hard time because people are scared to go to Paris right now following the recent attacks, so he was trying to raise money to take care of the animals.

After petting the goat for a little while, we decided to take a ride on a large ferris wheel.  We have been talking about going on the ferris wheel but didn’t want to take Makenna on it, so this was the perfect time!  From the top of the wheel there was a beautiful view of the city.  It was so neat to see the cathedral, Puy-de-Dôme and the square form above!

We window shopped a little and walked down a few streets that we haven’t seen before, and then went to pick up our little lady.  It was a Christmas present to have some time for just the 2 of us!

Today I discovered something amazing – this caramel spread that is oh so so so delicious.  There were a few different flavors but I chose the nougat flavor.  I bought some thin crackers and as soon as we got home I had to try it.  It has a consistency similar to honey, more like the creamy honey that they have here, and it is (did I say this already?) so so delicious.  This has been added to my “I don’t know what kind of food we can take home with us but I’m going to find a way to smuggle this….lots of this… back to the US” list.