merry christmas

Happy holidays from our little corner of the world to yours.

snow

Coming home from Vienna...our garden looked like this...



very exciting first snow experience for little brother (in the sling of course)


big brother hanging out in his igloo


silly winter hat...every baby needs one. :-)



lots of playing, shoveling and building. Totally magical, and just in time for the holidays.

Still scenic, still grand

We're winding up our last week here. It's been great actually. Much easier with two kids than I expected. We've been socializing quite a bit, which is nice, too. Met some lovely people and got to know much more about the life that awaits us. Mostly, though, we're excited to get back home...to start preparing for Christmas and the coziness that comes with it. It's one of my favorite times of the year in Switzerland after all! Plus my back is *finally* protesting after carrying the baby around the streets of this city every day for weeks now. This little boy is getting HEAVY! Time to break out the stroller I think.

A day in the life...Vienna

Wake up to my cell phone alarm around 6:45*, restless baby nuzzling me, and big brother making various noises from his bed on the other side of the room. Papi gets up to shower, I fall back asleep. For about 2 minutes. And then there is 6 year old pitter patter and much more nuzzling. I get up. Change a diaper. Collapse on designer (read: uncomfortable but attractive) sofa feeling very, uh, groggy. Why is that? Oh, yes. There was much nuzzling throughout the night. Little brother must have been processing the sensory overload that was the evening before. So. Coffee. Papi has made some. Bless him. Boys eat. Little brother is already tired again...so that makes two of us.

I remember that the Putzfrau is coming to clean the apartment today. At 9am. 9am...that's like, soon. I do some tidying, as I don't want the Putzfrau to think we are...untidy?...and then I get big brother ready to go out...as I am not really comfortable with people cleaning up our mess while I sit and watch. Can't imagine why? Running out of time! Skip the shower. Dressed. Wrap 2 meters of fabric around me and insert baby. Out the door, 2 minutes to 9. Oops, forgot to eat breakfast. Walked all.around.Vienna. Ended up breakfasting at Starbucks...shame! In the land of Kaffeehäuser and Bäckerei? Really. Baby isn't napping. Why isn't he napping? Walk the other way around Vienna. Baby has missed his nap!** Now lunchtime is upon us. Get lunch and dinner ingredients at local supermarket. Feel like a pack mule. Walk up the stairs back up to the apartment, open the door, and...

it hasn't been cleaned.

IT HASN'T BEEN CLEANED?

Make a call. The apartment manager didn't want to "disturb me" so early in the morning. Er...uh...but...

I explained. I complained. I appealed.

And then I rescheduled for tomorrow.

When we will repeat the whole scenario once again...only this time, hopefully, including a shower.

Sigh.

And there you have it. The trials of a trailing spouse. Unplugged.***


*Because our clock is radio controlled and seems to only be loyal to Swiss radio signals.
**He then went on to sleep the ENTIRE afternoon and evening, which will make bedtime tonight interesting. I'm guessing...plenty of nuzzling? And restlessness?
***With the underlying moral of the story being...how much easier it would be to not have a cleaning lady. Ah, the irony.

Thankful

A bit too hazy for beautiful photographs, but there you have it...the Innere Stadt of Vienna.

There isn't much of a Thanksgiving to be had in this part of the world, and I haven't made much of an effort over the years to organize one, but I do try to make a list each year of what I'm thankful for.

-I'm thankful for my family...for my loving husband and my precious children...who make me feel like I've won the lottery every single day.

-I'm thankful to be living in a beautiful, safe country...which keeps me on my toes, always learning, always growing and stretching in ways that are fundamentally important to me.

-I'm thankful to be able to travel the world and get to "hang out" in places like Vienna. :-)

-I'm thankful to be surrounded by different languages and cultures (even when they frustrate me!), and that my children are growing up bilingual and binational.

-I'm thankful for YOU, my friends! hehe

This life I have is exceptional, and I almost never forget it. It also comes with certain costs, which I also never forget. I am so, so lucky to be where I am, and with who I'm with.

And you know what? I don't need a turkey to remind me. :-)

Vienna

Grüss Gott!

Our first time traveling as a family of four, and so far so good. Little brother had a frantic 5 minutes on the plane yesterday, but overall it went very smoothly. Our apartment (above) is right in the center, and much, much nicer than these blurry photos suggest. It's the perfect mix of funkiness and grandeur...and very high tech. We feel spoiled.

We're here for 3 weeks. Photos of this beautiful European metropolis to come...

six! and sick

Such a bummer to be sick on your birthday...but it is November after all. We had to cancel a kid party, but we still had a few loved ones around and there was still cake and presents. And my baby is SIX!!!

babywearing

home sweet home

We're finally all settled into our new cozy little home. It has such a cottage feel to it, really perfect for this time of year. Above is the view out of our living room window.


from the garden, looking onto the front of the Haus


big brother decorating the path leading up to the porch. little brother chillin' in his Kinderwagen


another full frontal. :-)

So when are you dropping by for a cup of tea?

wingbo

Here is our little star at 6-7 weeks old on his wingbo. It's a sort of swing that the babies propel by themselves with their legs. It's great because it gets them off of their backs and gives them a little workout. Look how well he can lift his head! :-)

Not much excitement over here. Just the usual post-baby routine. We did make some progress renovating the kitchen at the new/old house. We move in two weeks! It also looks like we'll be spending 3 work-related weeks in Vienna in November/December. More Germanic world.

Anyone want to tell me about their glamorous lives? Any music to recommend? Movies? I feel completely cut off. Save me.

some random late summer tidbits

My two loves just before their bedtime story


Big brother talking to his sunflowers


the baby hedgehog who resides in our garden


the house we are moving into next month


the view of our new garden from our new living room

nothing mind-blowing in this post. we're keeping it simple around here these days.

More Finn...the first 3 weeks

Our first three weeks as a family of 4!


3 weeks old

chunker!



first bath!



big brother is very very proud and also very helpful...


look at those eyes!


first meeting

love.

It's a boy!!

Introducing Finn Thomas, who came to us on July 31st at 2:24 am. 3770 g and 50 cm (break out the metric conversion chart!). He is absolutely delightful and our family feels so complete now. We are all totally in love. :-)

Kindergarten

I guess the time had to come sooner or later...when our sweet little boy would have to go out a little further into the world, to spread his wings a bit without us. After much discussion and contemplation and sampling various options, we have enrolled him in a little Waldorf Kindergarten. I have always held the philosophy close to my heart, at least as it pertains to small children, and we had a very good feeling after visiting. So we took the plunge!


Small play area



little wooden playhouse


the building

a big new step for our little family...and it comes right alongside the addition of a new family member. Never a dull moment!

Our new arrival...

(I can't believe I'm posting this photo of myself!) :-)

So I'm not yet talking about the belly arrival, but the little blue one on my neck! We went to the playground today in a neighboring town...and as we sat innocently at a table, a little blue parakeet landed near us. I reached out for it and it was tame! So what else could we do besides bring it home? Of course, such things must happen on a Sunday (Murphy's law?) when every shop in the entire country is closed. And of course we are not well equipped for bird ownership, so as I type, this bird has free reign in the living room.

Anyway, the photo is also of me...beached on my comfy chair...and 9 months pregnant! Taking it easy while I have the chance. :-)

Bits of Spring so far...

A beautiful day in Morges on the Lake of Geneva


Planting seeds and watching them grow


First day of an exciting new career! Look how grown up he looks...:-)


Kite flying


Silly pasta making


Gang of Easter Egg hunters

And that about sums it up.