2 (a.k.a. We MADE it!)

On Friday we stopped at the boulangerie and bought birthday treats...







And opened a few presents...



Then Maman went a little crazy...

...trying to get these done for the party on Saturday.



Here's our new home! Decked out for the birthday/housewarming:





So the guests came! Stéphane works with these lovely ladies:





The birthday girl had a blast.





The cupcakes went over well.

Yep, definitely my kid.



Our friend Jonathan hangin' out with some blonde babes


This is what happens when I say "smile!"

L is not so clear on the concept. Maybe next year.



So many more things to say, but at least you're up to speed on the celebrating around here.

Hoping to post more often now that life has gone back to normal...

Other big news - Liliane doesn't use a soother anymore! We were fretting for weeks about when to cut out the su-su and we finally decided to do it after her birthday. As of Sunday morning, we explained that she was a big girl now and didn't need her soother anymore. It worked! As I write this it's been 36 hours and no meltdowns. The Baby Guru TOLD me it would be easy, but like every new parent, you can't believe that it'll be easy with YOUR kid.

I'm so relieved. Plus it's fun because she talks a lot more! I still can't understand half of what she says, but at least there's nothing in her mouth to block her cheerful chatter.

Still loving fall, going through a big baking phase. Which is leading to a big butt phase, but I'm trying to give away as much of it as possible! If you're in the Montréal area, please let me know. Pumpkin muffins are next on my list and my thighs are begging for mercy...

Housewarming and Pregnancy Bonding!

Yesterday we did some running around during the day (I picked up the new Harry Potter book!) and we headed out to a housewarming party in the evening. Our friends Jean-Michel and Laurence bought a duplex with Jean-Michel's brother and they moved in last month. They did an enormous amount of work - cleaning, painting and laying their own floating hardwood floor! We were impressed to no end. We had a good time catching up with them and hanging out on their lovely backyard patio. The weather yesterday was PERFECT - clear, breezy, maybe 25 degrees. Today is the same so we are thinking that we might have to stop working on the baby room project and do something nice outside! We'll see...

Here are some photos from last night:


The sun was setting through the windows of this nearby Orthodox church so Stéphane took this photo from the patio.

Us with the proud homeowners!


This is Isabel - she and her husband Sylvain are expecting a baby girl on October 6th! We haven't seen them since we found out that they are also pregnant, so I was super excited to chat with Isabel and compare notes. They haven't finished their baby room either (phew!) but since they got married only two weeks ago (congratulations!) they've had a few other things to think about... Note that Isabel has a gorgeous round belly that I envy. I know no two bellies are alike, but I wish mine would get with the program and start to look like that... If that's all I have to complain about, that's pretty good!

Off to pack now for a my NYC-Vancouver pre-baby tour getting underway tomorrow... Can't wait to see everybody!