"Vienna-Take-2" two month round-up

It's been roughly two months since we've moved to Vienna for "take 2" after many months in Geneva (or nearby Geneva in our pad in France). As luck would have it, this little milestone will be celebrated by a little urlaub as we head back to our pad and Geneva for a week.

It's going to be great to see friends and family and I'm interested in seeing Emma's reactions to them; does she remember them? does she remember her room there? and our little routines and trips to the local market?

I know they are all really looking forward to seeing Emma and I'm sure she will impress everyone with how much she has learned and grown and how much more she can do and how well she communicates. (Well, I'm her Mom, I'm bound to think she's the dearest, smartest, cutest little toddler ever!)

Anyway, back to the point of this post. Since it's been nearly two months after "Vienna take 2" I just wanted to take a look at how much better this time has been than last year (thank heavens!) and consider a few things I'm grateful for in Vienna and elsewhere:

• our home here is solid and not undergoing any kind of construction, it's warm and comfortable and I enjoy seeing our colorful carpets and chachkas brighten the window sills and keep the autumn chills out. Our flat is in a leafy area, near a beautiful park where Emma can play and we can pick up kastanien and I can access some shops on foot which makes a huge difference!
  
• Emma has joined the sunshine group at her kindergarten and is happily doing what toddlers do in perfect normality (although of course she is exceptional to us!)
  
• this also means I have a bit more time for myself after 14 months of 24/7 I really appreciate it
  
• my state of mind this time around is much more open to enjoying Vienna (not totally unrelated to having a bit more time and less chaos at home but also the ever important timing, timing, timing...)
  
• my Dad has successfully undergone a fifth operation in two years as part of his ongoing battle against cancer (tests, op, chemo, tests, op, tests, chemo, more tests, good news, and less good...). I am very proud of his spirit and courage and am so happy he manages to remain his usual self (voracious appetite, stubborn and all) malgré tout.
• the above point, more than ever, makes me thankful that apart from my Dad and my cousin L., and some pain in the butt thyroid issues that run in the family, we are all pretty healthy and kicking
• Steph is happy in his position here and manages to travel a bit less and come home in time to bath Emma. I'm also grateful that he is such a great Dad, getting her up in the morning, bathing her in the evening, playing with her at the park and feeding her soup while I prepare dinner so we can all be together in the kitchen in the evenings.
• I guess all in all, in these times where the stock exchanges worldwide are diving and according to French TV, people are really struggling to pay end of month bills, medical expenses and even fill their fridges, I am thankful that we are ok.

Ok, well that's it for now- there's lots more I could write but I have to pack our bags and close up before leaving.