From Paris to Parenthood

I wrote my last blog entry in early 2008 as we were re-adjusting to life in DC after a seemingly surreal whirlwind adventure in Paris. Our return to DC and the ensuing year and a half have has been reasonably uneventful, so I wondered if my time as a blogger had drawn to a close. Maybe it was the reduction in wine consumption, but life seemed more ordinary here and not quite worth justifying adding my voice to the crowded blog-o-sphere.

But, just as we were hardly the first idealistic Americans to unpack our hopes and dreams in the middle of the City of Lights, we are now joining the ranks of idealistic Americans who are happily rearranging life as we know it to become parents. And, just as our Paris adventure inspired me to write, the imminent arrival of our little one has sparked the writer in me. So, without further ado, "His and Hers Parigi" has a new subtitle: "From Paris to Parenthood."

As I was laying in bed the other day, propped up by a series of pillows that would make any systems engineer pleased, it occurred to me that picking up and moving to a foreign country does have a few potential similarities to becoming a parent. And so, in vignette style, I offer a few humble observations and hope that ultimately parenthood turns out to be even more fabulous, unbelievable, slightly ridiculous, sometimes confounding, occasionally difficult, fulfilling and shockingly unexpected than our last blog-able adventure.

As I prepared to move to France, these were the things that were on my mind, which really mirror many of the thoughts I have as we prepare to welcome our little one in just about six weeks.

1. I don't deal well with lack of sleep, I wonder how bad the jetlag will be.
2. I've read about what the next year is supposed to be like. I’ve learned a few tips in advance about how to survive. I signed up for this adventure willingly. It seems like this should be a smooth transition, but something tells me I have no idea what awaits me.
3. I wonder if I'll be lonely or overwhelmed or learn things about myself I didn't want to know.
4. I wonder how Josh and I will adjust to our new roles.
5. I hope our families visit and really get to see the new me.
6. I hope I am flexible enough, strong enough and open enough so I don't miss a minute of the grand adventure we are about to embark on.
7. I hope I can find a way to make sure I can still get my hair done on a regular basis—I'm not ready to be openly gray.
8. Is there any way that we can prepare for all the unexpected logistics and costs?

You get the idea. I "get" that parenthood is a really big change. I even get that parenthood makes moving to a foreign country look like child's play (no pun intended). But, I'm daring to be hopeful that there are at least a few lessons to be learned from turning your life upside down in one way that might be applicable to the next time you sign up to turn your life inside out.

We'll see. I could be wrong. But at the very least, this seemed blog-able. So stay tuned for musings, rants and hopes from a soon-to-be-mother (and perhaps from a soon-to-be-father, who is still deciding if the writing muse is calling his name).

With love, waffles, milkshakes and Tums,
sPg