Jessica McDougall » Blog

In our top-floor of an old factory living space, we hear the rain hit the roof and it’s the most delightful and comforting sound I know.

It’s a beautiful, rainy day here in Charlotte. I love rainy days. Must be something to do with my roots in the Pacific Northwest and the frequency of this type of weather day there. When you grow up with it, you really don’t know anything different. Funny thing, when it’s raining I never feel like I need an umbrella. Or a hood. Or a hat. Or anything, really, for that matter.

I am grateful to now live in a region where brilliant blue skies and warmth dominate the weather calendar, but I’ve never been one to let the weather get to me. I always try to embrace it for what it is.

Gabrielle has reinforced this lesson to me. She never cares whether it’s hot or cold or sunny or rainy or snowy or grey. Her top priority is the exploration of what is. She shrieks with delight at the wind. She relishes in the chill of a cold day.

And she holds her arms outstretched to feel the wet drops of the rain. (I think she prefers the aftermath the most. Especially when she’s in her boots!)

Rain gives everything a special glow.

Here’s the text from a little note I wrote to Gabrielle:

It was evident early on in your life how much YOU LOVE WATER. I often wonder if that love has anything to do with the nightly bath I took when you were swimming inside my belly. That was your most active time.

Being in the water has always provided incredible calm to me. I love its nourishing aspect as a beverage. And it’s in the water that I learned to be competitive – as a swimmer – with others and with myself. It was also in the water that I re-learned how to walk after my back surgery in high school. There couldn’t have been a better place to recover.

All the water you can soak up, you do. For you, it’s all about… Drinking it – it’s your beverage of choice. Playing in it – at the pool. Taking long baths. (And now you prefer showers!) Jumping in puddles. Standing at the sink and pouring, pouring, pouring. Tossing coins into fountains. Dipping your hands in the water glasses at restaurants.

On this wet occasion it was letting the water from the fountain at Place des Vosges stream down over your hair, and then your face, and then your whole body. (I removed your clothes to let the fun continue!). You found a friend and together you took turns standing under the stream of cool water – then coming up with the most joyful smile and laugh I could hope for. Thank you, Gabrielle, for soaking up this wonderful thing we call life. I love you, Mama

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One of my must dos with Gabrielle in Paris was to visit Le Jardin d’Acclimation – a wonderful, whimsical, (and ancient!) amusement park on the outskirts of the city that was opened in 1860 by Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie.

We entered the park by way of the mini train that takes you through the woods. What a great way to start the day.

Gabrielle enjoyed the small rides, a first on the roller coaster, and a quiet boat ride on the enchanted river.

Lunch was a croque monsieur with the perfect amount of greens on the side.

And fries that we didn’t know the lunch came with! (How fun is the presentation of both the salad and the fries in the Staub mini cocottes? The fries stayed hot the entire lunch!)

We shared strawberry macarons for dessert.

It was a delightful adventure.

But the true highlight of the day was Gabrielle blowing bubbles on her own for the first time. Even better was that my mom was there to witness the moment, too! Gabrielle has been studying my every move as we’ve been blowing bubbles for her every night in the bathtub for quite some time. (Love the California Baby bubble bath that comes with a bubble wand!)

But she hasn’t been able to do it on her own. After all the rides and fun, I let her pick out one item at the toy store, and she picked a bottle of bubbles. I figured I would be blowing them for her later in the day – but when we sat down for an outdoor lunch she asked for the bubbles and said, “All by myself.”

I opened them up for her and she did the rest. And after every successful bubble, she laughed and laughed and laughed…

Around every corner and down the most random of side streets are where you find the magical moments of ooh la la that make Paris such an amazing place. I’ve got thousands of pictures (literally) of all the incredible things we’ve seen during this trip. But just wanted to share a few today.

Loving the fluffy white hydrangeas.

And this sweet little kitty that Gabrielle spotted in the fruit stand. (Side note: I’m not a cat fan, Jeffrey is. I don’t like the hair, litter box, etc! But one day, I’d love to have a dog. We have this ongoing battle joke about what kind of a pet we’ll end up getting for Gabrielle first. So today, when we were walking along, Jeffrey told me that he confirmed with Gabrielle she wants a cat. “Tell mama you want a cat,” he encouraged Gabrielle. “Mama, I want a cat,” she told me. Oh, really?! “Tell papa you want a dog,” I challenged her. “Papa, I want a cat.” OH NO!

Stopping to smell the flowers.

We walk past the Jardin de l’hotel Lamoignon on every outing. This was our first visit. I’m teaching Gabrielle what the difference is between a play park (aka playground) – where you’re free to use your loud voice, run, find the playground, and get dirty – and a peaceful park (aka garden) – where people read, reflect, pray, talk quietly, and chase birds! (Special note on this garden: At nighttime, all the jars you see on the grass twinkle with different colored lights. Ooh la la!)

Love these sweet little girl’s Bensimon shoes. (They also come in adult sizes!)

Back at the flat, Gabrielle is doing lots of crafting and mini art projects.

And we love that we can peek out the window, looking down across the street, and see Jeffrey doing his conference calls while enjoying a real Coca Cola at the corner cafe.