back from beautiful Croatia

We've been back from Croatia for a couple of weeks now but got caught up in kindergarden routines, the flu etc. and so I never got around to telling you about our little holiday in beautiful Croatia.

It's grey and around 10° in Vienna and autumn has come in most of Europe, so let me indulge my desire for sun and light by sharing a few observations and some pics of holiday weather with you. Hopefully it will help combat the sniffles!

Below the gorgeous view we woke up to every morning from our balcony at Villa Izabela.

Despite the familiarity of the destination (we had been in the region of Makarska Riviera in 2005 and I have spent many a childhood summer on the very same beach), or perhaps I should say, because of the familiarity of the place, I really enjoyed our holiday. Being an expat can mean that routine and familiarity are treasured more than adventure and novelty at every step! Taking Emma to the beach and watch her discover the salty water, pebbles and seafood was part of the fun. Not having been on a real holiday for ages made it more precious.

A note to new parents thinking of going on a holiday with their young one: Unless you can afford a suite, staying in a rented flat rather than in a hotel room really makes a huge difference. Not only can you cook, eat, play or nap when you feel like it, but you can actually enjoy your evenings à deux by having dinner, a chat, playing cards, watching TV etc. while your babe is safely asleep in another room. A Baby-call can also give you a little parental freedom. We managed Mojitos across the street one evening.

It was also fun to meet and interact with the owners of Villa Izabela to the point where they made us the most delicious palačinke (crêpes) twice and we helped their daughter with her English homework. Kind of like being part of the family.

The other great thing about this region's coast is that thanks to the "Sobe" (rooms) or "Apartmani" (apartments) the locals take part in (so logically also benefit from) the tourism. This means the coast has not been spoiled by huge hotels, locals feel less "invaded" by the floods of tourists since they are actively taking part in the logistics and benefiting directly from their stay. As for guests, their stay feels more homey thanks to home made food and morning and evening chats on the stairs or the patio. What a refreshing change from big hotels where you are just another guest needing a clean room by noon. If you value anonymous travel though, Croatia is not for you. Or at least not in June or September, the quieter, more privileged seasons.

Ok, now for some pics!

We also went to Plitvice, but the weather wasn't so good while we were there as you can see in a selection of my pics below.


























The scenery and colors are spectacular. I'd love to visit in the winter time when there's snow. Here are some beautiful pics of Plitvice in the summer time by Julius Silver. Definitely worth a visit if you're in that neck of the woods.

Sources of Joy

Emma has been going to the kindergarten for two weeks now and so far, seems to have taken to it like a fish to water.


She gradually went from spending 30 minutes to an exceptional 5 hours yesterday (9am to 2pm including lunch and a nap) after she had caught the flu, got better and passed it on to me. I desperately needed some extra sleep.

She is the youngest of the sunshine group (there are three different age groups) and their little liebling (darling). Melanie, the group teacher and the leiterin (head) are amazed at how calmly she observes other children cry as their parents leave. I give her a kiss and we wave "ciao ciao" and off I go. They even asked me for the "recipe" for an "Emma"!
Ok, she is good, but they are still in the honeymoon phase. At home, she is much more "assertive", especially when it comes to brushing her teeth or when she is unable to achieve something she is trying to do, like to open a can - then watch the sparks fly!

I must admit though, she has always been very sociable. After she was six months old, I regularly left her with her tata yéyé (my sis-in-law), her Gogo (my mum), her baba Aka (her adopted gran) and Bruno (adopted granpa), for whole afternoons at a time. She also actively participated in lunches with my girlfriends in Geneva (Sev, Nicole, Tania, Léo, Nora...) and weekly ice-creams with Baccarha. She came to the hairdressers with me, was breastfed at the dentists while (yes, while) the hygienist was cleaning my teeth (a first for the hygienist she told me afterwards) and was regularly involved in any other social activity I participated in before her bedtime. (Another benefit of not having been in Vienna this whole time - who knows? she might have become a hermit like me!)
At school, for now, she only goes so far as showing staunch determination when retrieving her dummy, water bottle or a toy from another little one's paws.

Emma is also the only one in the sunshine group who does not yet know how to walk. So she crawls enthusiastically from "corner" to "corner" (the tree corner, where they read stories, the play corner, the meal corner, the nap corner, the cooking corner...) often pausing to extend a new-found toy to the teacher or to a "colleague" as we have come to call them.

Apparently, Emma's new non-spill water bottle (with built in straw so you don't need to tip it) is a hit among her class mates! (thanks for the reco' Lind.)
Steph and I also went to our first Elternabend** (parent-teacher meeting all in German!) on Wednesday. It made me feel so grown-up!

We learned that the three pillars of her "school", as we call it, are hygiene, routine and independence.
Kids are taught to wash their hands when coming in and before meals which always take place sitting down at the table be it for a snack or lunch.
Naps are preceded by relaxing music and play is adapted to children's biorhythms and is gradually calmer as lunch time then nap time approach.
We were told about the leiterin's wish to put a stronger emphasis on musical activities and the calendar system for each group, where we can find out about planned events (excursions and outings mainly for the over 3 year-olds) and unplanned ones like a bout of Kopfläuse (lice) for example.
We also learned that Emma is good at putting things in boxes but did not wish to participate in the baking of cookies and that she responded to "Viens!" following many unsuccessful "Komm!".

Oh-oh, I am definitely going to have to learn German.

Anyhow, Steph and I are very happy about how things are going. Emma seems to agree. Let's hope it continues this way so we can both (Emma and I) grow independently and I can have something more interesting to tell Steph when he gets back from work than what I read on the Internet or what novelty Emma came up with (not that she's not interesting, but you know what I mean).

I read a quote from a Harvard University psychology professor Daniel Gilbert on another Expat mum's blog (Did I Sign Up For This? An Expat Mom's Life). It really echoed in me:

"Parents tell me all the time that: 'My child is my greatest source of joy'," he said.
"My reply is that: 'Yes, when you have one source of joy, it's bound to be your greatest'.

So here's to finding other sources of joy.


**A parte on the parent-teacher meeting dress code: Contrarily to Singapore, there were no Gucci handbags, Todds shoes or Dior sunglasses to be seen. This was more like big woolly sweaters, casual shoes and jeans. Steph was among the most formal having come straight from the office. Phew! what a relief! Honestly, how can you manage the In Style look with a toddler?)

Emma's first ever drawing. Looks like Arabic to me, no?

Raspberry monster

Nothing beats raspberries for Emma's 4 o'clock

on her own two feet

Luckily, Emma's little bout of flu didn't last long and she is healthy enough to go back to kindergarden. In the meantime she learned to pull herself up.
My turn to be slightly under the weather now (thank heavens for Strepsils and Lemon Sip! They just keep you going) although I did manage to drag myself to my second Pilates class in Vienna. Yipee!
Only thing is, not sure what is causing my sore back and bones today...the flu or the exercise.

First sniffles

I guess we're pretty lucky not to have had any so far (Emma is nearly 14 months old) and it figures that is should happen after a week in Kindergarden. Although, the autumn chills (more like winter when in fact today is the first day of autumn no?) that had people wearing woolen hats, boots, long coats and sprouting umbrellas, are probably as much to blame.

Anyhoooo, Emma spent last night trying to breath through a very congested nose, banging the mattress with her hand in frustration as she miserably sniffled at having to loose her dummy in order to breathe.
Today she's as hot as a bun and a understandably a bit cranky.

I finally got out my nasal aspirator and "blew her nose" early this morning. She absolutely hates me decongesting her nose, but I should have done it earlier anyway- she's now out for the count and getting some much needed rest.

If you have any advice on how to make Emma's first sniffles easier please let me know!

Update:
Emma's now up, changed and dressed and has had her breakfast. She's still hot as a bun, with temperature at 38,7°C, sneezing and coughing a little - although I think this is due to the excess mucus running back into her throat.
Found this bit of useful information and have put the humidifier on in her room. Right now we're breathing in Eucalyptus essential oils.

Wish I could ask her to blow her nose but she doesn't know how yet not having ever needed to. I guess you have to have had a cold or two and be over one to know how.

First day, new job

Dear friends and family,
When you next call, should you hear a strange muffle, shuffle and crackle, or even a dead line, consider not hanging up straight away or calling us back. It might be our new, self-appointed secretary.

Indulge her will you? She is a little gruff but she is new to the profession and so will sometimes make you wait (and me work!) before you get either Steph or me on the phone.

Rest assured, she is currently undergoing training and shows great promise. She demonstrates intelligence and determination. Admittedly, her patience rivals that of Deda and needs to be worked on. She is often adamant that she knows best and is sometimes a little resistant to our suggestions. Nevertheless, she is already a valued member of our team family and we are confident that, in time, she will prove to be a great talent and successfully overcome new challenges.

In the meantime, dear friends and family, we appeal to your sense of ahem, perseverance, and ask you to persist in trying to reach us... we don't yet have any friends in Vienna and appreciate the interaction.

What do you know!?

Tomorrow is Emma's first day at Kindergarden! and I just sent out my resume for a part-time position in Vienna... who knows? life might not be so grey here this winter!!

I'm pretty excited about Emma going to "school" tomorrow. Her first week will be all about induction so she'll be there a little longer each morning. Today I ironed her name on some of her clothes and prepared her bag with a change of clothes and nappies.

I look forward to an hour of peaceful window shopping in the area of the kindergarden tomorrow morning. Cross fingers that the new routine won't totally mess up her sleeping.

By the way, what's with the winter weather in September? today was freezing in Vienna!

Scientist on the loose

At the moment one of Emma's favorite activities is feeding us her biscuit when she's not trying to throw it over the side of the table or stick it in the satellite decoder.

She is now crawling around everywhere at the speed of lightning. Naturally, she's opening all containers, boxes, drawers, cupboards, spilling out their contents on the floor before meticulously inspecting each and every object like a true little scientist. What does it sound like? taste like? feel like?

She has figured out how to turn on the TV and so enjoys pressing buttons.

Another favorite object is the mobile phone. Yesterday she called me using Daddy's and left me a message. Today, in a moment of weakness ("aw, alright, have it, just let me finish writing this email...") I figured there wasn't much danger as it was turned off.

ha! I so underestimated my little one! In a matter of moments she had turned it on and reading: "PIN invalide, veuillez entrer le PUK" !!!

Thank heavens for Swiss efficiency! After a series of questions Swisscom gave me the PUK number and my phone was up and running again... and so was I -after my little scientist!

up, up and away

We're off on our first holiday since I was three months pregnant with Emma - (we flew to Thailand from Izmir in January '07) and I can tell you we have been looking forward to it a lot!

That also means it's our first holiday with Emma (to a place other than a second home or family) so packing has been quite something (powdered milk, bottles, plastic plates, food for the trip, some toys, nappies, wipes, baby suncream, hats, cot, buggy, car seat...) !

We're heading for Croatia again (we were there in 2005), because the coast is beautiful and we can drive there relatively quickly, easily transport all the baby stuff and be mobile while we are there.

We'll be spending our first night just outside Zagreb in a place called Samobor (here) and then heading down to the Makarska Riviera where we've rented a small flat in Baska Voda.

For our second week, we'll be heading up to Plitvice National Park for 3 days and then we'll see...

We're really looking forward to it.

Must get Emma out of bed now and give her some breakfast.

Happy Mummy

It's not quite as much an event as when my books cleared customs in Turkey, but it's always good to receive an order of books in English - especially before we leave on holiday! Happy, lucky me!
I'll let you know what I think of the toddler books as soon as I've gotten my teeth into them.

For books to read when pregnant (or if you have a pre-toddler baby) see this post. Over a year down the line, I definitely recommend Tracy Hogg's Baby Whisperer solves all your problems. Her E.A.S.Y (Eat, Activity, Sleep, You) routine and general good sense really helped us with Emma!

and Buc (pronounce Buu-uch)!

My Dad did this thing with Emma (and no doubt with us when we were small) where he touched foreheads with her saying "Buu-uch" while she sat on his lap. Gradually, Emma started moving her forehead in toward my Dad's as he would stop half way. Since they don't see each other that often, I continued playing this little game with Emma, and now it's something she does spontaneously with her favorite giraffe, Sophie, when she first picks her up in the morning or indeed the camera.

UPDATE (8th October 2008) below Emma greets squash with "Buuuuch":

back to Turkey...

No, we're NOT moving back to Izmir! but it sort of felt like being there on Saturday.

We visited Brunnenmarkt in the 16th district of Vienna. Lots of veggies, fruit, shoes, cheeses...

and lots of people from the Balkans and surroundings. We heard languages from the former Yugoslavia, Romanian, Polish, Turkish and saw stalls held by Indians.

It was a lot messier than Bostanli market but hearing stall holders calling out "buyurun" and seeing signs with the price indicated next to "ekmek" (bread) felt familiar even without the sun and the sea. When we saw a Turkish restaurant in the middle of the market it made us nostalgic for the food, so we went in for lunch.

I had some "sarma" and veggies, and Steph had a "tavuk" (chicken) kebab and couldn't resist the baklava and çay. Wouldn't you know it, the owner of the place comes from Izmir.

While we were there, we tried out Emma's new portable "high-chair" in preparation for our holidays in Croatia. Actually, it's pretty handy having our own portable baby highchair wherever we go since a lot of places don't keep them and especially now that Emma can eat most of what we eat and wants to "participate" a bit more.

On Sunday, we went to another restaurant we had spotted a while ago, off Mariahilferstrasse: VaPiano. A really nice environment with a good concept: Pizza, Pasta and Salads (as well as drinks and desserts) tailor made with the toppings/content of your choice. Yummy, central, affordable, non smoking (there is a small smoking area), ideal for a quick lunch, and - they have highchairs for kids!

VaPiano in Vienna: Theobaldgasse, 19, Wien 1060 - Tel:01/581 12 12

Poop Show - 2nd Installment

Some of you may recall this post where I wondered about the "landing" in the toilets in Vienna.
Jonathan Davis had contributed a comment including a link to an analysis of a Dutch toilet (apparently what this "model" is called) pointing out the same downsides as I had had the pleasure of experiencing:

The first encounter with a toilet in the Netherlands can come as a shock to visitors from abroad. The platform upon which the result of the digestive process lands is what shocks. The construction of the Dutch WC ensures that the smell of the product of human digestion spreads further and that the visitor to said place is confronted with his or her own 'end product'

Well, it looks like the Dutch doctors are not the only ones to reason that being able to examine one's faeces was like getting a photography of one's health.

Interested in learning to distinguish a "good poop" from a bad one?

old rituals, new places

In Geneva, Emma and I got into the habit of going for a weekly post-nap ice-cream with a good friend of mine at this fantastic ice-cream place in Carouge called GelatoMania.

They have a huge choice ranging from unique ice-cream flavors to the more traditional ones. Most are yummy, yummy, yummy although some I find just too oxymoronic (like the calypso = shrimp cocktail or the ham and melon one with real bits of parma ham in it!). Happily, they are kind enough to let you have a taste of the weirder flavors so you don't have to buy it to find out it's just too weird for your pallet. I, for one, could just not swallow the chèvre and the one with pepper.

My preferred flavors over there was "ananas-basilic" (Pineapple and basil - so refreshing!), the ginger-chocolate (mmm...) as well as the more classical "Fior di latte". I also quite liked the black chocolate (very intense!) the green tea and the "pistacchio".

Since we've been in Vienna, Emma and I have been striving to keep up the good habits and so after her afternoon nap and a detour by the fruit & veg market (held by Turks! yummy, if expensive fruit) for some raspberries, we head over to de Rocco's for some "After-eight" ice-cream (my current favorite).

I'm sure this little routine is doing wonders for my post-preggie bikini silhouette...

Smart, cute and eco-friendly all-in-one

How ecologically green are you?
Most of us try to use as few single-use plastic bags as possible. Yet, I for one, often forget my big re-usable carrier bags in the trunk of the car or even at home because most of the green carrier bags are big, ugly and bulky and don't fit into your purse (if they do, they won't be able to fit all your food shopping in).
So unwittingly, I end up either having to pay for a carrier bag -paper in Switzerland, re-usable plastic at Spar in Vienna, re-usable plastic covered material in major supermarkets in France- or get a free plastic one (unfortunately most places in Switzerland). Even if I have managed to remember my bulky re-usable carrier bag, I end up with a couple of plastic ones when buying fruit and veg anywhere but a market, if only to weigh the fruit and veg. So much for saving the planet and thinking of my kid's future.

Another inconvenience of most re-usable bags is that many cannot be machine washed so once you've spilled some yogurt, say, you can either through the bag out (paper) or have to scoop out the mess and wipe it with a cloth and that's a real pain in the tush.

So, I am thrilled, to promote (because I really think it's a very smart idea and anyone who knows me, knows I love smart inventions) and hopefully convince you to buy a Trolley Dolly bag so that you never have to use another plastic bag again.

Because:

• you will take this one with you when you food shop
• it will fit and carry all the stuff you buy
• it will even fit your parking ticket/tube card, pen, shopping list, I-pod...
  
• it can be machine washed
• it will not break
• it is rather cute
• you won't need to use any plastic bags (not even to weigh the fruit and veg)
  

Imagine the thrill at the till when you say; "no thanks, no bag required, I have what it takes".

Have a look at the below. It's Zoe, mother to three and the inventor of the Trolley Dolly Bag

Then compare it to the one you have or one of the below:
flip and tumble
chico bags
turtle bags

if you're as smitten as I was this is the place to go!

Happy shopping!

Vienna take 2, week-end N°1

So how was our first family week-end back in Vienna?

We went bicycling with Emma for the very first time and lost her hat.
As you can see, I was a bit wobbly in the beginning, but in my defense, Em' kept kicking my bum and tugging at my top.

I was a bit disappointed by the lack of bicycle lanes in Vienna, I thought there would be at least as many as in Geneva and I haven't seen any so far!

***

We discovered Emma had played Indians with her nappy cream during her nap... (hadn't realized she'd taken it to bed with her from the nappy station)

***

She also managed to stand for the first time (doesn't she already look computer literate?!)

notice the cute "déhanché"

***

We decorated and improved the garden wall:

Before

After

Better, no? What do you think?
***

We had a yummy macchiato at Bar Italia (not the London one!)

Finally, the sun came out and we visited the MUMOK (Museum Moderner Kunst) and saw and exhibit ironically called Bad Painting good art which was interesting.

The pictures below show the MQ (Museums Quarter) with lilac concrete sun-beds, classical architecture and cafés.

A really interesting mix and in my opinion, a great idea to avoid culture getting that old and dusty feel. There was even a DJ at work in the centre of the "platz" and Mojitos going round. Nice!

what really matters

I have grown accustomed to seeing our furniture in very different settings;our flat in Vandoeuvres, the house in Zeytinalan Izmir, our first disaster area flat in Vienna (Zuckerkandlgasse) and now this one in the 18th bezirk of Wien. It's surprising how you somehow manage to make it fit the new layout with a little creativity (e.g. sometimes we have room in the kitchen for a table and sometimes we don't, sometimes our desk is a a desk in the guest room/study and sometimes it's a console table in the entrance or hall where we dump our keys and mail)

However, upon arrival in this new flat, the strangest thing happened when I saw our furniture all set up in the right rooms with our pics up and little knick-knacks laid out; it was like seeing a dead man (so I guess that would be a ghost?). I mean I was really surprised to see it all again. As if it had all died and gone to furniture heaven and could not possibly be in our home again. Weird huh?

I guess it can be explained by:
-not having gone through the process of actually moving out of the flat of the 19th moving into this one (since my honey did all the work while Emma and I were still in Geneva/France)
-the fact that I have sort of settled in our pad in France, making it my new home with pics, decorations, new clothes, bed sheets, cushions etc. as well as new routines, coffees and ice-creams with friends, etc.
-but mainly I think it's due to the fact that I tried so hard to put the Zuckerkandlgasse disaster out of my mind, that I kind of threw the baby out with the bath water as it were.

How weird is that?! It's taking me a little time to consider all these belongings as mine and enjoy them again.

I recently suggested to a friend she do without something (or rather someone) for a trial period before actually deciding whether or not she wanted to do without. Coincidentally, I realized that having lived without practically all my belongings for nearly five months, I manged quite well. In fact, I was just fine.
Admittedly, I bought new furniture , clothes etc. in Geneva, but still, it made me realize how many things I have that I don't actually need, and how they are not the be-all and end-all in terms of making my home. All these things are nice to have, but I if required, I can start over (with a little spare cash and some time) and be happy.
A refreshing, empowering thought.

Likewise, I realized that being in a smaller more compact space had its benefits, especially with a little one. Sometimes we realize how much less is really more. Granted, the two flights of stairs leading up to our pad in France (carrying Emma and groceries), doing all the cleaning (hadn't done it since student days!) and the reduced space was more than compensated by the fact that I could see friends and be in a place that was familiar (easily find my way around town, speak the language etc.). So, how cool is it to realize that I have not grown accustomed to being a spoiled-expat-spouse?! Very.

So... I'm going through stuff and I'm going to give lots of it away and make space for now.
Ha!

Back in Vienna!

So, we have been back in Vienna since Sunday 10th. ... So far no major disasters. Yippee!

A close call though; the newly acquired Mummy-car, a second-hand black automatic Polo, refused to start on Monday afternoon when I decided that it would be nice to get out after Emma's morning nap and lunch. Turns out the portable GPS had sucked the life out of the battery. Luckily we managed -did I say we? Uh, I meant; my star of a husband and the VW service (Emma and I were sending good vibes) to resolve the issue speedily enough and on Tuesday morning the car started on the first attempt.

Emma has adjusted rather well to her 5th bedroom (!!!!) since birth (and I am not counting the maternity ward or family visits) and is generally sleeping ok (although last night she let out a few screams I think might be due to more teeth pushing out).

The new flat is super nice, lovely and bright and spacious, surrounded by our own garden which is accessible from all the bedrooms and the living room. Very best of all (aside from the fact that we never have to go back to that horrible construction area we thought was going to be our home in Vienna) is that there is NO UNPACKING REQUIRED since my star of a husband did it all (with a little hired help) so that we could land running and not get bogged down in boxes. What more could I ask for to make "Vienna take 2" a totally different experience? Cross fingers people!

Today is "Mariä Himmefahrt" so we'll be enjoying a long weekend with Daddy/hubby and getting out and about.

Tune is soon for more...

stuff she does when sitting

clapping, pushing, banging Emma and her aunt Annabel.

Emma opening presents

And the winner is... the potty!

12 month check-up

On Monday 28th we went for Emma's one year check up:

10,750 kg (feels like a lot more to me!) 75cm (that's 25cm since birth!)
and she had 2 vaccinations which are giving her a bit of a fever...

Although I don't really want to start fitting Emma into a box, it is kind of reassuring for a first time parent to read up on development milestones so that you know what to expect and have an idea of what your kid should be up to when.

(Above: waiting for the doctor with Annabel also known as "tata yéyé")

According to the development milestones listed by baby weekly (which I have really enjoyed receiving and am sad is ending at week 52 since Emma's birth!) Emma is "ahead" in using her hands (has been removing socks for ages, lifts heavy objects, puts things in baskets, pulls them out, claps...) and can recognize gestures by words (clap, tap, "dodo"), she will point to things she wants instead of crying (although she cries when you remove something she wants). However, she seems to be "lagging behind" in anything that has to to with actually getting on to her two feet; no standing, walking nor even proper crawling so far!

The pediatrician said she is pretty heavy which makes it more difficult for her to walk but that the key thing is she is moving around, the "how" isn't so important. I think they only start worrying if your babe isn't walking at 18 months.

In the waiting room at the Pediatrician's with Annabel (aka "tata yéyé")

Some more great news is that now she's allowed to eat practically everything. So tonight I made her some of my favorite meatballs in the world - Baba's recipe! - but a mini version for her lunch tomorrow and hopefully the day after. Hope she likes them.

my first year with Emma

On Monday 28th we went for Emma's one year check up:

• 10,750 kg (feels like a lot more to me!)
• 75cm (that's 25cm since birth!)
• and best of all she's now allowed to eat practically everything!

Although I don't really want to start fitting Emma in to a box of development criteria it is kind of reassuring for a first time parent to read up on development milestones so that you know what to expect and have an idea of what your kid should be up to.

According to the development milestones listed by baby weekly (which I have really enjoyed receiving and am sad is ending at week 52 since Emma's birth!) Emma is "ahead" in using her hands (has been removing socks for ages, lifts heavy objects, puts things in baskets, pulls them out, claps...) and can recognize gestures by words (clap, tap, dodo) she will point to things she wants instead of crying (although she cries when you remove something she wants). However, she seems to be "lagging behind" in anything that has to to with actually getting on to her two feet; no standing, walking nor even proper crawling so far! The pediatrician said she is pretty heavy so it makes it more difficult for her to walk but that the key thing is she is moving around.

In terms of stranger anxiety, she doesn't seem to be experiencing too much of that and is generally quite curious when seeing a new face, hearing a new voice etc.

Today, on her birthday we went back to the clinic where she was born to sort of reminisce and say hi to the midwives and nurses who made it a wonderful time for me a year ago. ONE WHOLE YEAR AGO!!!!!

"In raising my children, I have lost my mind but found my soul." - Lisa T. Shepherd

Emma - July 2008

nearly 1 year old, not exactly crawling - more of a bum shuffle - but already have loads to say... and um, dribble... Too much a-shakin' for my milk to stay down

Emma update

Mobility
Today for the first time, at 11 months, 1 week and 2 days, Emma tried pulling herself up with the bars of her play pen. Her bum got nicely off the ground, hung in the air a few moments while her face sprouted a determined expression and her hands gripped the wooden bars, then she plunked back on to the multi-colored sponge lettered carpeting of her play pen.
In truth, she has actually been lifting her bum off the ground by grabbing on to me or legs of chairs, but this is the first time I've seen her use the wooden bars and keep so upright.

She is still mostly bum shuffling to get around, albeit much more efficiently now, and is grabbing, opening, shaking and strumming anything she can get her hands on. She can now swiftly get from her back on to her tummy and from her back into a sitting position - although she tries the latter more eagerly on our bed than on the floor where the landing surface is much softer should she not make it the first time around. When I put her on the floor, she moves with one leg under her bum and pushes with the other. I'm not quite sure how this works but she definitely get from one corner of the room to the door in no time at all.

Favorite activities
While I am under the shower she loves opening the bathroom cupboard under the sink and pulling out our stock of toothpaste, soap, and my Veet wax strips. She systematically tries shaking, knocking, banging each object individually or against the floor, cupboard or anything else she can reach.

She also loves: removing her hat as soon as you've put it on her; handing you objects and then reaching out for you to return them; tearing up Mummy's magazines; eating bread (and especially anything she can eat on her own); looking down at where she was sitting/lying before you picked her up; playing peek-a-boo; throwing things on the ground then looking down to see where they are (yes, I pick them up dozens of times); trying to sit up while I'm changing her nappy (not so great); most of all, her pink star-fish.

Another favorite is bath-time with her duckies, hippo and the dolphin and recently discovered that clapping her hand against the water makes a great sound ans splashes Mummy! Yesterday she took to tapping her hand against her wet tummy and really enjoyed the musical effect.

Right from the start, Emma has been very sensitive to rhythm and music. Be it Church bells, drumming sounds, the electrical sounding music produced by one of her toys, me singing or clicking my tongue even Amy Winehouse gets her bobbing up and down and puts a smile on her little face. Too cute, even if I am her mother.

Sleeping is still fine
At night she goes to bed at 7pm and gets up at 7am. This has meant that since April when we managed to get rid of the "dream feed" by moving it gradually from 11pm to 9pm while decreasing its quantity and simultaneously increasing the quantity of milk at 7pm dinner time, I have had my evenings "off". Yay!!!! She still wakes when she looses her dummy especially now that she is so mobile in bed and end up sleeping across and at the bottom of her cot. Grobags are a must as she loses the covers in no time at all.

During the day she still has two naps. In fact, at the moment they are very regular and the patters is the same on most days. Mornings: 9h30-11h; afternoons: 2h30pm-3h15pm. This is a bit tricky as it means I really need to work my day around naps, lunch and tea-time but gradually and when she is ready, we'll decrease the morning nap and try to increase the afternoon one so that we end up with one big nap.

Looking forward:
I'm hoping to have switched naps before Emma starts going to the day-care centre in Vienna mid-September so that there are not too many changes at once. But in between the move, holidays and starting day-care as well as trying to respect her need for two naps it's going to be a bit of a challenge.

Well, I guess there's the update on Emma. Hopefully I'll manage to do this a bit more regularly in the coming months, especially as I am sure there will be lots to tell!

Stub out your cigs

Today Geneva bans smoking in public areas (restaurants and cafés) where smoking wasn't already banned.
Hurrah for kiddies and Mummies and well, for anyone who wants to enjoy their food.

I wish they would make lunch-/dinner-time "smoke free" in restaurants not big enough to have proper non-smoking areas... especially in the winter time

Making sense of the election process in Zimbabwe

It's really funny and really worrying...

Emma and my wallet

Au Poirier, June 2008

home (made) improvements

I'm pretty proud of my homemaker efforts.
Emma's room (in our Pad in France, the "Poirier") needed curtains. However, finding something suitable proved harder than I'd imagined since our new windows meant no drilling holes...

Anyhow, in the end I found plain white linen ones:

Sewed on some colored curly-whirly polka dots to cheer them up, like so:

It's hard to tell with the lighting but these are mighty fine curtains straight from the heart! (Who knew I could find it in me to actually sew!!)

And our little Leo has her own jungle opposite her cot:

This little pad of ours is getting better and better... Now all I have to do is paint a picture or two to decorate our living room...

tips on brushing a baby's teeth please

Anyone have tips on brushing a baby's teeth?

Emma already has 8 teeth and our pediatrician said it might be a good idea to start "brushing" after meals.
But how do you manage that with a 9 and 1/2 month not-yet-toddler?

Emma, who sticks absolutely everything into her mouth without being asked, just thrusts her tongue stubbornly in between her lips blocking any access to her teeth.

And when I just handed her the toothbrush in the hope she would get used to it, she stuck the wrong end in her mouth!

Emma teething and handcream

Emma in her pushcart, teething with her favorite handcream... a bit scary!

sneaky thyroid and watching the world go by

Sitting in a Starbucks waiting for a 9h30 appointment. I wish it was for a job interview, although it’s probably better that it’s not, given the circumstances.

I love watching people getting to work, grabbing a coffee, making calls as they rush into the day. I used to love that feeling of “being on my way”, music plugged into my ears, a new day unfolding around me and having the time to observe and take in the urban buzz, the world on stage. I took the tram here, and I have to say that in that respect, public transport and walking beat driving and traffic jams any day.
It’s been ages since I’ve done it. I wonder am I nostalgic of a past no-kid-working-girl life or simply of time gone by, of a younger, braver, me.

On Monday, my 5 weeks without thyroid replacement hormone were over and I went for a blood test. Yesterday, I spoke to the endocrinologist and nearly cried with relief when he told me that it was a disaster and I needed to go back on medication right away. I’m not mad, I’m not depressed – it’s my thyroid.

No wonder I’ve been going to bed exhausted at 9pm and dragging myself around all day. No wonder my skin was dry, my eyes watery, my heartbeat erratic, my need for sleep insatiable, my general outlook black. My muscle pains and weakness, headaches, sensitivity to light, being cold all the time, blurry vision, sluggish digestion and moodiness all explained with one single hormone – or lack of it. Impressive.
I took medication again yesterday. I wonder how long before things start looking up. Another test due in 5 weeks, but I’m seeing the doctor on Tuesday to try to find a way to stop this yoyo-ing. I have Emma, a husband, some friends and family I’d like to hang on to thank-you very much! 5 weeks is a hell of a long time to feel awful. Especially added on to the fact that I've been going up and down now for some months.

This thyroid thing is really quite shocking when you think about it. It can take you from aggressive monster to lethargic depressed veggie. It’s massively debilitating and it’s insidious and sneaky.
How can you know if you're really finding people/events/things annoying/depressing/cold or if it's your thyroid? If your whole barometer is out of whack, who and what can you trust?

Laughing gal & off we go again

Emma is back from Singapore and glad to see her Daddy!

Listen to Emma laughing at Steph's "Japanesing"

We arrived back in Vienna on Good Friday and were supposed to be flying back to Geneva tomorrow (Easter Monday) but we changed out flight a couple of hours ago and are going today!

Emma in her "bassinet" on the SQ flight back to Europe
sheltered behind an improvised curtain
to protect her from the harsh lighting of the plane

I still dislike it but I'm becoming incredibly good at packing, unpacking and repacking even if it's for an entirely different climate and for Emma and me.

As for Emma, she has taken a plane more times than her age in months!

Happy Easter people!

twinkle twinkle

Little Emma in the middle looks just a tad overwhelmed by her cousins' expert rendition of Twinkle twinkle little star. The applause did not seem to affect her too much though. I wonder... Potential for a career as a public figure, there?

Tara, Lana and Emma singing
Singapore March 2008

with love from Singapore

So with all that's been going on and to cut to the chase, let's just say that:

• the work that needs doing in the flat is bad enough for them to have offered to send the three of us to a thermal spa for a week - all expenses paid (Oh! God! something tells me this time it is worse than bad)
  
• we refused the offer and have decided to start searching for a new home in Vienna
  
• but since the work needs doing now and we have been unsettled for the past 8 months, we figured a little more wouldn't harm us and so we decided to take the opportunity and visit family in Singapore!
  

So here we are, enjoying the sticky warm weather, sushi, shopping and a well deserved break from it all. (may I say that in all immodesty, I am patting myself on the back for moving ahead on my 2008 resolutions and doing my best not to spend too much time dwelling and moping as I did when we first arrived in Izmir, determined as I am to turn this ongoing disaster into an opportunity!) 

So, Emma took her first long distance flight with Singapore Airlines, no less, where she had the best and most comfortable bed of all.

Shortly after arrival, a dip in the pool 

and a nap in the shade helped us recover from the jet-lag

Milk bar closing

It's been magical and slightly painful (at the very beginning), practical (whenever, wherever), amazing, touching, affectionate, exclusive, healing, tiring and dehydrating, dangerous (ouch!)... It's been 7 months and 4 days and the milk bar is now closing. I guess it's the end of another chapter. Time to share feeds, go back to more aesthetic bras, to have a drink and pop a pill when I have a headache or a cold.

Every minute was worth it and I think I might even miss it (occasionally).

So what is Emma up to?

Moving on up and out

Basically, an update on here we go again, AGAIN:

• the latest is a leak from our bedroom bathroom to the flat downstairs
• the coordinator came by and explained that
  

1. it would require 7-10 days work
2. they would need to basically demolish our bathroom
3. they would be happy to send us to a spa hotel to recover and relax

• opposite us an apartment whose bathtub has been filling up with rain while sitting on the terrace, its kitchen cabinets and furniture stored on the landing while the floor is stripped open by desperate plumbers trying to find the source of the leak... this never ends!
  
• more neighbors moved to a hotel -these people bought their place! so all things relative we are lucky!!!
  

Need I say more than WE ARE MOVING OUT OF HERE!?? Because no matter the compensation, the niceties, the motivated repairmen and skilled working crew, we will never be sure that next week/month/trimester something else won't urgently require seeing to and I have no intention -at least for now, of taking up baumeister-ing as a new career choice.

Here's to us finding somewhere nice, safe, cosy, and perfect for the new family that we are, in Vienna to call home

for background on the nightmare of this flat you may have a look at:

here we go again,

here we go again, AGAIN,

nasty november

the nappy law

Every time I change Emma into a clean and fresh nappy, she poops.
Preferably while sitting on my knee.

Every morning, after naps and nappy changes I open the window to air out Emma's room. Wouldn't you know it?
Invariably, within 10 minutes of me closing the window she'll need changing again.

The morning moves on and soon we are all dressed and ready to face the Wiener Winter;
Emma has her purple jacket and pink hat on, I've pulled on my boots and coat and I'm about to slide her into her pram before she gets too hot and fussy (although I'm already melting in my gear). And then?
You've guessed it; as I lift her into the air I get a whiff of her bum and it's the nappy law all over again.

Back to her now sweet smelling aired out bedroom to the changing station...

Here we go again, AGAIN!

It's February 26th... We've been back since the 10th and although the workmen have kept out of the flat there has been ongoing work in and around the building resulting in sawing, drilling, dust and mud invading whatever peace and quiet is left by a teething babe in the daylight hours and most definitely making sure that the peace and quiet required for the said babe to nap is the rarest commodity.

Have a listen. I taped the below this morning from Emma's bedroom and from our front door on the top floor of the building while the workmen were on the ground floor


I have said, at least a zillion times now, that should things not be resolved in this flat we are moving out. Each time more desperately than the previous, yet hoping against all hope that things would be all fixed and that nothing else would leak or fail, that we would not have to move AGAIN. At least not until we know Vienna better. Not until we have a chance to get our lives organized with a nanny, a cleaning lady, and managed to get out and meet a few people. Not until spring; the moving season when other expats will have be moving to their next destination freeing up family flats in family areas near schools, kindergardens, parks and shops.
This time, coming back here after our break in France, we agreed that there would be no more lenience and that should there be a "next time" it would be the last.

Comforted by this, I was ready to move ahead and give Vienna a fair chance. So last week, I really tried to get my act together and make things better for us here. The sun inspired me so Emma and I checked out a different "highstreet" every other day in between errands, feeds and naps. A visit to a newly opened neighborhood gym club and finding Emma a great sitter, gave me something to look forward to and a sense of achievement however modest my accomplishments were objectively. Finally, a short family visit (in-laws) spread positive vibes in our flat; a pleasant change from the hoards of workmen who were the only other company we had had over.

Despite struggling out of bed this morning at 7am after a short night (Emma's teething kept me on my toes all of yesterday and by the time we got her to stop crying at 4am I was totally exhausted) my outlook was relatively positive; I was expecting the nanny/sitter K. and looked forward to getting out in the sunshine and mild spring-like temperatures, thinking finally we were getting somewhere.

Then it all went south.
I might have jinxed it all in my last post.

In a nutshell:

-out goes the nanny
it turns out her uni schedule for the upcoming term will not allow day-time work for more than an hour in a row, so there goes Emma's new lovely nanny. (She seemed nearly as sad as me and said that although she loves taking care of kids and Emma was sweet, it's important for the parents to be nice and that we really are.)

-the leaking, problematic, ill constructed "luxuswohnung" building strikes again
at exactly Emma's morning nap time, the hammers started up and I frantically ran out into the staircase with my hair wild and any hope of a morning nap of my own evaporating before me, only to find workmen knocking down part of a wall in the flat below us... Wouldn't you know it, a leak. And the culprit is our en-suite bathroom it seems. Workmen due at our place tomorrow AM. Lo-ve-ly.

I don't know what it is about this place but no matter the efforts we make, things just keep going pear shaped.

I think this pretty much sums it up:

Mur·phy's Law (mûr'fēz) Pronunciation Key
n. Any of certain humorous axioms stating that anything that can possibly go wrong, will go wrong.

Any ideas? a great nanny or maybe a nice flat to rent?

Teething Emma

Emma is still teething like mad -we seem to be in the midst of a three day peak- which means she is moody, grouchy, whiny and not sleeping nor eating in her usual fashion. The pain means she will try to bite and chew anything from the table part of her high-chair to my shoulder or nipple. Poor Mom Emma.

Things are looking up.
Yesterday after having decided that I needed to focus all my efforts in saving myself from new expat misery, I drafted a list of things I wanted to get done during the day.

My list:
drop Steph's trousers off at the dry cleaner's
buy a 2008 calendar
find a place that offers Body Balance or alternatively Pilates classes
call a baby sitter or two to arrange for interviews
get some fresh air and release some endorphin by going for a walk

Hardly ambitious when compared to what I would have done in an hour of my past life as a working girl, but today is now and even so I didn't think I would tick off half of it yesterday.

Guess what? I actually
-found a calendar in a shop where the owner was indignant when I asked if she only had this one ("you should be happy I already have one left") but I ignored her and actually found a whole selection of '08 calendars on one of her shelves
-visited a place about five minutes drive from here that has Pilates, Aero-Balance (apparently similar to Body Balance) and various other aerobic classes. What's more I negotiated a corporate rate (30% less) and no enrollment fee
-called a baby-sitter and arranged for an interview as well as placed an ad for a part-time nanny, evening sitter and cleaning-lady on a very useful website for parents in Vienna

Today, the said sitter pitched up. Late after she got lost, but she called. While keeping in mind that she was going to be looking after my most precious Em, (so her having a brain is not optional as it was for the cleaning lady who lasted 3 weeks before we fired her) I was also trying to be reasonable positive (nanny needs brain but does not need to be genius, if she were I would probably have to fire her for incompetency - mine- after 3 weeks).

Reminding myself that I really need someone to buy me ME time. Time to get out on my own and discover this town. Time to get fit again, or at least fitter. Time to meet some people so that I don't have to call another country when I am in need of a decent conversation (excluding hubs, but honestly most evenings neither of us is in shape for any kind of correspondence).
...so I can be a good Mom, remain moderately mentally sane.

Turns out, someone must have been looking out for me today. I really liked the part-time nanny.
And I met a neighbor (we're no longer the only nutters to have moved into this disaster area construction site building). She's English and her name is Janet.