I love Paris

I'm sure it comes as no surprise to anyone who knows me that I love Paris. Heck, I love all of Europe, but Paris does hold a special place in my heart because that's where Michael proposed. I was lucky to have had the opportunity to go when I was pregnant with Ellie (though it was with my mom and sister, not Michael), and I was thrilled when I found out that I could go again during this pregnancy. I was craving Europe badly, people! Michael went for work (he's now working on a project that may take him to Europe a couple times a year... Yay!) and I told him that there was no way in hell he was going to Paris without me joining.
It was interesting being in Paris again. I wasn't sure how it would be because we didn't feel like we needed to see any of the typical touristy things we saw during our first trip. We didn't even feel like we needed to go to the top of the tower, though that's where he actually proposed. Even so, we knew we had to at least SEE the tower again - no doubt about that one. In Paris with my soul-mate, some things just go without questioning.
But like I said, we didn't see any of the things we saw before. We walked by Notre Dame, but not inside. What took me by surprise, though, was how fantastic the sites we did see where. We went to the Orsey and Rodin Museums - both were top notch museums and much more Niffer-friendly. I apparently have a short fuse when it comes to how much museum I can handle at a given time and both of them passed the test. \

Another wonderful surprise was Saint Germaine Cathedral. Last visit, Saint Chapelle became my favorite church because everything was still painted like it was when it was first built (no white columns or statues). I found that it made the church more real, inspiring and warm and friendly (this coming from someone who absolutely loves churches). It turns out that Saint Germaine was the same way, only it was actually the oldest church in Paris. I LOVED it!
When I was in Paris during my first pregnancy, I got Ellie a stuffed sheep and decided that it would be the inspiration for the nursery. This time, I bought a cute teddy bear for the new baby in hopes of including it in the nursery as well (more on that later).
It was nice to focus a little on the baby during the trip and remind myself that the pictures we took in Paris will probably be special to the baby.
Me and Bussi Bear in Luxembourg Gardens. I don't know what it is about tummy pictures that makes my tummy explode as the day goes on. This picture was taken in the afternoon on the same day as the one below (taken first thing in the morning). Apparently unborn babies like their pictures taken a lot! They grow out of that quickly.