hola barcelona

so all that extra estrogen has apparently been doing it’s job.  my lining was about 7.7mm today and sporting the distinct beginnings of a triple stripe.  my gynecologist looked nearly as pleased as i felt when she shook my hand and wished me luck in Barcelona.

i left her office feeling light and happy and completely distracted.  i barely noticed the 45 minutes that passed as i walked towards home.  despite the sunshine and the throngs of Parisians out enjoying the weather, only the lushly leafy trees and an urban garden full of forget-me-nots got more than a passing glance.  when i got home and shared my news, Froggy’s eyes filled with tears and she held onto me for a long time.

the clinic in Barcelona quickly responded to the email that contained today’s results.  the medical assistant who responded is really sweet, and her response included smileys, the word “amazing” and the phrase “tons of hugs” in her closing….all that in addition to the news that my transfer will take place on Monday afternoon.  that’s right…in four short days.  i wish i had some appropriate emojis to insert here.  alas, the “holy fucking shit” smileys don’t seem to exist on wordpress.

tomorrow is the donor’s egg retrieval.  i hope it goes well and that her eggs and the sperm from little sun’s donor are happily doing their dna dance in less than 24 hours.  Froggy and i are flying out Saturday night, and we’ll have a nice relaxing Sunday to spend in our favorite city in the world.

when i was walking home today, something else besides the trees and flowers caught my eye.  all along the sidewalk someone had spray painted these stencils:

and that’s exactly what we’ll be saying in less than 48 hours.

finding Saint-Merri

my calf has been bugging me since i took a very long, dehydrated walk about a week ago, so with plans for the Camino in mind, i kept my Monday walking to a minimum.  i needed to buy a few small gifts, so i took a mini tour of the Marais.  i stopped first at Mariage Frères, aka tea heaven, and bought 100g. of a very seductive smelling Earl Grey.  i then found myself  very close to what people here tend to call Beaubourg and what everyone else seems to know as the Pompidou Center.

two weeks ago, i went for a walk around the Pompidou.  the building is a jumble of tubes and color and glass, there is always something interesting to see in its vicinity.

mon sacré cœur

in case you haven’t heard yet, we got some good news yesterday.  the French marriage and adoption bill, which was recently passed by both the National Assembly and the Senate, has cleared its final hurdle and was signed into law tomorrow by President Hollande.  the first marriage between same sex couples will take place in Montpellier some time in the next two to three weeks.  last night Froggy turned to me with a smile and asked, “so, do you still want to get married?”

it’s somehow fitting that my post today is about Sacré-Cœur, the place where Froggy first proposed to me.  it’s one of my favorite places in Paris, and if, like me you are a fan of Jeunet’s Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain (aka Amélie in English-speaking countries), you will recognize the area in front of the basilica from one of the movie’s scenes.

i’m not in that part of town very often, but i’d met a friend for drinks in Montmartre, and when i realized how close i was to Sacré-Cœur, i knew that i had to climb those gajillion steps to the place with the best view in Paris.

warm and cool (in Paris 13)

(little) sunday, the 15th of April 2013

today there was sun.  for the first time in months, the air was warm, the sky clear, and Froggy and i decided to go for a long walk. 

bright and gray

i have to apologize.  i’ve been remiss in posting since i returned to Paris, but it’s be a particularly rough week for me, and i’m just now able to sort out the sticky jumble of thoughts and words that have been spinning through my brain.

England was wonderful.  it was refreshing and reinvigorating, and the time i spent there reminded me that i am still alive and, therefore, need to live.  it was a long, long journey that started in a train station in Paris.