Parc Montjuzet and 39 weeks

Roberts’s name day comes right on the heels of his birthday, and we celebrated with a trip to Parc Montjuzet, the 65-acre hilltop park visible from our living room windows. Our first visit was in January of last year on his birthday, and so it was only fitting to return this January (although we have been there since). Other than the occasional dog walker and jogger, we had the whole park to ourselves.

LŪK helping his dad blow out the candles on the kliņģeris

On our first visit we had approached on foot (and in stroller) from the south end, not knowing the layout or what we would find. After an exhaustive climb up a narrow passageway of stairs we found ourselves in a very under-developed section of the park with muddy paths and not much else. The view of Clermont was unbeatable however (you might recognize it from the background of the blog!), and we picnicked on the hillside before wandering around a bit more. From what I remember, we did find a section of the Mediterranean garden; although the climate is much different, the south-facing terraced slopes have a riviera feel. And then we headed back, without an inkling of what we had left unseen.

Our next visits revealed the numerous playgrounds, grassy picnic areas, hiking paths and vistas (located closer to the car park!) and in addition to exploring and playing we also did a little geocaching. A beautiful park, once the weather is nicer I hope to spend a lot more time there with the kids.

Otherwise the past weeks have been uneventful (considering how pregnant I am!). This time around is a much different wait from last time; with Lauris I was on high-alert starting with 38 weeks, evaluating every Braxton-Hicks contraction as a possible start to labor and agonizing the next four weeks. With the second I’ve mentally prepared for a 10 month pregnancy, and so having the baby still feels very far off. I’m also glad for the more laid-back approach from the doctor here, it is allowing me to enjoy the last weeks. In Greenville we were pressured to schedule a Cesarean starting with week 36 or 37 (estimates put Lauris’s birth weight at about 11.5 pounds, in reality he was under 9 when born at 42+) and I was visiting the clinic every couple of days for additional monitoring and stress.

Mom getting a break

I probably jinxed myself last week after telling the doctor and friends that this pregnancy has been a piece of cake. And it had been, compared to my first; this time the morning sickness wasn’t to be ignored, but on top of that my last pregnancy brought severe back pain, nausea almost the entire length of the pregnancy and general misery. So I’m not too surprised that some of the more typical symptoms are finally catching up to me, the acid reflux and difficulty sleeping being at the top of the list. But, at this point I’m committed, right?