Pregnant in Paris – My Recent Adventure

At the beginning of this year when my dad surprised me with a two week trip to Paris I was ecstatic, to say the least! I absolutely love the city of lights. It is a magical place and charmed me right away. I had always dreamed of visiting and two years ago when I explored it for the first time, I was floored by just how incredible it truly was! I have been truly blessed, that this trip was my third time out and even at the end of the two weeks this time I know there is still tons I have yet to see…

Until the summer of 2013 I had never been to Europe. That year we visited Paris and Italy for two weeks with my family and then Ryan and I got a Eurail Pass and spent 21 days exploring seven other countries by train! It was quite the crazy whirlwind of adventure. Neither of us had even been to any of the places and when we began planning our first Eurotrip we couldn’t seem to contain the excitement and just had to go everywhere! It was quite exhausting at points, BUT I wouldn’t change anything about it! We had no idea when we would have the opportunity to go back so we made the most of the time we had there. However, we were able to go back much sooner than we ever imagined possible! Last year we visited Normandy, Paris, and Istanbul. AND THEN this spring Ryan and I spent 22 days exploring the UK, Scandinavia, and Iceland with two of our close friends! To say we have been blessed in the wanderlust department would be an understatement. I have always loved exploring – whether it was my home state of Colorado, road-trips with my family, time on the beach in Texas, or our recent international travels… There is SO much to see in the world. so much history, and so many different ways of life. I am humbled the more I encounter different cultures. I think that far too often we can become enclosed in a bubble that consists of our own existence alone without any awareness of what’s going on in the world around us. If it doesn’t effect us personally then we seem to block it out. By exploring and seeing these different ways of life up close, it has really helped me to realize there is so much more out there than just my way of life.

Anyways, back to being pregnant in Paris… It is a bit more difficult than I had imagined it would be. When we began planning this trip we did not foresee that this would be a trip for three instead of two. 🙂 BUT it has been quite the amazing adventure nonetheless! When my dad and I take trips they are very photography centered – which I love! It’s awesome having someone who understands something that you are passionate about and is willing to stand in one place for an hour while taking 50 photos of pretty much the same thing… he he!

This trip was obviously different in the fact that I am pregnant, but with that came a slew of other obstacles…

It proves to be difficult to sleep on a 10 hour plane ride when you have to get up every 60 minutes to walk around in order to prevent blood clots, which apparently can more often occur in pregnant women during flights where one tends to be sitting for long periods of time.

I have to pee ALL THE TIME! This is hard when bathrooms are tough to come by or when you have to pay to use them. It’s been quite the balance of making sure to drink enough water, but not too much while out and about resulting in having to pee every 5 minutes.

Eating healthy while on vacation is always difficult (in my opinion)! Especially while in Paris where there is a Pâtisserie around every corner filled with the most delectable fresh baked sweet treats! I have tried to go to the markets as often as possible and stock up on fruits and veggies… but I must admit, I have indulged in a pain au chocolat on more than one occasion!

And most inconveniently, I get tired much faster than during previous travels. Normally we get up pretty early and hit the streets and stay out until it is dark or everything shuts down. This time I’m pooped after a few hours of wandering around. It’s quite frustrating to be in someone as magical as Paris and feel like you need to rest more than explore. This little munchkin inside is sucking away my juice!

The toughest part for me has been being away from my hubby, Ryan. I always miss him when we are apart, but this has been different. I’m not sure if it’s because my hormones are all wonky and making me more sappy or if I have an innate desire to be near him while our sweet little one grows inside me. Whatever the reasoning, I am excited to see him tomorrow!

Obstacles aside, this has been an incredible trip and I have seem so many things that I have not before.

Stay tuned for many more posts and images from this amazing adventure!! For now, here are some my dad took of me and sweet babe!

Thank you to my amazing dad for the images in this post!