Chasing pigeons is one of Elodie’s favorite activities. Luckily, Paris has no shortage of these pesky feathered friends, and she can partake in this endless game pretty much anywhere. We found the gardens at the Palais Royal to be the best spot so far. Not only is it full of pigeons, but one of the courtyards has black and white striped columns of varying heights strewn throughout it, making it the perfect place for toddlers (but not so good for blind people). Here’s Elodie pretending to be the Queen of France. “Give me some cake to eat! Put it on my tongue!” she exclaims. If she wants to eat or drink something, she sticks out her tongue and points to it.

After Elodie got tired out running around the former palace grounds, we headed to the Jardins des Tuleries where we sat at a delightful open-air cafe and tried to stay warm with hot chocolate. I practiced my French with the waiter and complimented him on the speed of service, to which he responded with something I didn’t understand but had to do with how young he was. Actually, I’m pretty sure he was a grandpa.

Our first week here was all about the joie de vivre, but now we’re starting to settle into the routine of normal life. Daddy goes to the office every morning, while Elodie gets settled for a nap, and I bang out some work. Once the afternoon rolls around, mommy and baby set out for a super fun adventure in Paris! Of course I’ll be sharing those stories with you soon, but now it’s time to go get a crepe for lunch (since we’re out of baguettes).