Sunday, December 25, 2011

slowly but surely

Much to our dismay, Annabelle’s illness rebounded, mid-week.  She wasn’t sick enough to go to the doctor, nor well enough to go out and explore the city.  I felt like a caged cat, while Annabelle was content to play dolls and read like a maniac.

I will dole out too much information for a moment and elude to her symptoms by referencing the BRAT diet, also referred to as the BRATY diet.  The BRAT diet consists of B(ananas), R(ice), A(pplesauce), T(oast) and sometimes, (Y)ogurt.  It relies on the blandest of bland to reset the digestive tract.  In other words, decadent French food be damned.

DSC_6275  if you must eat boring food, at least make it look fancy

In the afternoons, we managed to get out for a little fresh air and stroll through the neighborhood.  Annabelle was lured by the prospect of taking out her stroller, which had just arrived in a box we’d shipped from Seattle. Little girls with strollers make people happy, even the surly French types.

DSC_6270 a breath of fresh air

Many storefronts were bedecked in greens and shiny glass balls, and Laduree, the posh tearoom with its famed macarons, had a special station set up for ordering their decadent Christmas confections.  Even the Parisian dogs had a jolly air about them. 

DSC_6273 jolly old pooch

In a bold move, we subbed yogurt gelato for plain old yogurt (the ‘Y’ in the BRATY diet), much to Annabelle’s delight.  On Thursday, it was 52 degrees in Paris.  That’s just plain hot for December. 

DSC_6280 pure joy

My thrill of the day came in the form of a lovely Christmas bouquet to grace our holiday table.  Although many things are pricier in Paris, flowers are relatively affordable. 

DSC_6283 les jolies fleurs (pretty flowers)

After dinner, we sprawled on the couch and watched ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’.  Nothing evokes Christmas nostalgia quite like Burl Ives singing ‘Have a Holly Jolly Christmas’.

DSC_6263
movie night, rudolph-style

2 comments:

  1. Merry Christmas Friend! Hope Annabelle gets better real soon! Love and Aloha from Hawaii!
    xo -the Oines Family

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  2. Hi Psalmie,

    I hope that your sweet family had a very happy Christmas in Hawaii! We miss you four! Lots of love and Happy New Year! xoxo

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