Red, Red Wine

Jon and I saw Jennifer, Florent, and their two boys Dominic and Theo today at the High Park house they are staying in while they're in town. The house belongs to a friend of Jennifer's who is currently in Paris staying at Jen and Florent's place. Nice arrangement! Especially for Jen's friend!

It was great seeing them as always. They have been enjoying their time in Canada, taking day trips to places like St. Jacobs and Niagara-on-the-Lake, as well as simply tottering around town, taking the boys to the local splash pad, etc. Florent told a funny story about Theo making overtures to a couple of small local boys at the park. In his French-tinged English, he asked the two boys, "Hey guys, what's going on?' But of course, it sounded more like, "eh guy-ees, wut's goingg awn?" Ha! So cute!

I had my first glass of wine since finding out that I'm pregnant tonight. We talked about how allowable wine consumption during pregnancy varies from place to place, with Toronto's Public Health department presenting itself in the strictest manner, forbidding wine altogether in contrast to the French health care system which permits a few glasses here and there. As Naomi Wolf writes in Misconceptions, it's as if the no-alcohol-whatsoever camp feel that women are too stupid to govern themselves appropriately, if permitted to use their discretion about drinking, and therefore feel safer advising a no-alcohol policy.

I don't plan on making a habit of drinking during the pregnancy -- but neither am I going to let myself buy into the paranoia. Liz told me that at her Public Health prenatal class, the nurse actually remarked that it was so sad seeing babies with fetal alcohol syndrome born to mothers who had just one glass of wine. Yikes!

As far as I can see, pregnancy is a time to focus on enjoying life and treating yourself and your loved ones well. Not a time to be fearful and to be treated like a sacred cow.

Anyway, here's an old pic of Theo, from last year in his home in Joinville-Le-Pont. Unfortunately, we've never been able to snap too many pics of Dominic!