Our crazy Monday

Monday was an unusually adventurous day for us. My mother sent a care package but for some reason it didn't clear customs. We spent about an hour translating the letter from the customs people and walked about a mile and a half (with the boys) to pick up the package. When we got there at about 10:15, we discovered that the entire building was closed for a meeting until 11:30. We learned some German that day: geschlossen bis elf Uhr dreißig (closed until 11:30). This phrase was repeated to each and every person who came to the customs office. If the cursing that came from the receiver of this message had been consistent (or even consistently in German), I probably would have learned some other phrases, as well. After all this trouble, we were half hoping it would be complicated to get the package. However, at 11:30, the doors opened, we went in and they handed us our package after a brief conversation:

Who is this from?

My mother.

Is this gifts for the baby?

Yes.

Sign here.

Then, we began our mile and a half commute back home. We were carrying the boys this time because we were using the stroller to carry the package and it was nap time.

This is not intended to sound like a complaint - believe me, we were thrilled to get gifts from my mom. If anything, my goal is to illustrate an oddity in Germany. This "closed for a meeting" situation has happened to me once before and it was as baffling then as it was on Monday. We hadn't called ahead but some of the people waiting with us had and they weren't aware that the place was going to be closed, either.

After our trip to the customs building (and after naps for the boys), I took the boys on what was supposed to be a short trip to Munich to pick up a second hand bike for James. I'm not sure if it's over-confidence or stupidity but I've been using google maps at home to figure out where I'm going and then setting out without a map (or even written directions most of the time). In this case, I thought our destination was just a few streets from the train station but it turned out to be .8 miles from the station. Not a long walk, exactly, just not what I was expecting and, of course, I had no way to figure out how much further we had to go, which made the whole trip seem even longer than it was.

In the end, James got a bike and he loves it. Bikes are very common here and kids ride them absolutely everywhere. The seat was initially too high so James walked his bike nearly the whole way back to the train station. I finally checked my watch and realized we were going to be pushing William's good nature if we continued walking at James' pace so he rode in the stroller while I carried his bike (another common sight here: toddlers in the stroller while parents carry small bikes or scooters).

Needless to say, I'm getting lots of exercise here. We walk to the grocery store every couple of days, we walk up two flights of steps to get to our apartment (and our apartment has two levels), we walk into town almost daily, we walk to the park, etc. This has been a great way to lose the weight from my pregnancy.

William is five months old

Another month has flown by. William continues to grow and get stronger. He's able to roll from back to front and back again. He scoots on his back and his tummy to reach his toys and anything else we leave within a couple of feet of him. I'm pretty sure he's got a tooth coming but it hasn't poked through yet. He's chewing on everything and he's drooling like crazy.

I took him to the doctor yesterday for what I thought was a wellness check but it turns out I had to request the right examination (U-something). Instead, he got his vaccinations so he's on track with the US vaccine schedule (there are slight variations in the German and US schedules - we're sticking to the US schedule because we're here for such a short visit). I mention the lack of wellness check because I have no idea what this kid weighs or how long he is. The doctor did mention that he's a very healthy looking boy, though, so I guess that's what really matters. I did schedule the "correct" appointment for next month so I can report his statistics then.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to try infant potty training ("elimination communication") with William. It's been quite an adventure but, overall, it's been good. The idea behind introducing the potty at this age is to teach him the appropriate place for eliminating from the beginning (or nearly). He's learning to take a bath in the bathtub (hates it, though) and to eat with a spoon so this is just another thing for him to learn. The other hope is that he doesn't lose his ability to know when he needs to eliminate (that's where the "communication" part comes in). So far, it's been pretty good and we're learning together. It's been easy to catch his BMs and we get 1-2 pees in the potty each day. He's diaper-free most of the time when we're home and he loves it. He wears a diaper when we go out and at night.

Here's video of William doing what he does when he's awake:

James is 2 and half!

I like to think of James as a puppy. He has an abundance of energy, he's fun to play with, he makes messes and, yes, he occasionally pees on the floor. All of this in a cute, lovable package. The comparison to the puppy ends when you consider his incredible vocabulary and his imagination.

We are having a blast with James these days. He has so much to tell us all the time. Often, he has to stop mid-sentence to let his brain catch up with his mouth. It is really interesting to learn how he perceives the world. We'll often hear him say something like "I cannot go in the water," as he stands, peering into the water, poised to jump. We'll say "You're right, you cannot go in the water." That's usually the end of it but it shows us how he's really trying to figure out what he can and cannot do.

Usually, James talks about what he can do when he's bigger (use a knife to cut his food, go places by himself, etc). However, sometimes James wants to wear William's clothes. When we tell him he's too big, James says, "When I get little, I can wear them."

He loves the Shrek movies and these days he's our "baby ogre giant baby." I have yet to figure out why he adds "giant baby" to the end of his title. His froggie that he sleeps with (named froggie) is a froggie-ogre. I'm a mommy-ogre. Frank is the daddy-ogre. William is just a baby ogre. Thankfully, he is an ogre in name only and remains a sweet kid most of the time.

James is athletic and fearless. The parks are great for running off his excess energy and they challenge him physically. We have to keep a sharp eye on him because he likes to climb and there are ladders that lead to high platforms with no way down (except the ladder).

The other day, we took him to the Deutsches Museum and we found a new outlet for all that energy:

This trip has been fun but challenging for James. He loves riding on public transportation. He loves going new places and trying new things. He's learning German (only as fast as we are so he doesn't know much yet). However, he misses his friends and his family and some of his toys. We've met some friends here and that has helped. We are a part of a play group on Tuesday mornings and he gets along well with the other kids. He has a babysitter, Cassie, who comes to play with him two mornings a week.

Schloss Nymphenburg

Last weekend, we went to the Nyphenburg Palace (Schloss Nyphenburg).

The ceiling in the main hall.

The park behind the palace was beautiful.

My three boys.

There are several small buildings in the park. Magdelenenklause was my favorite. It was actually a small church for meditating. It was intended to look like Roman ruins.

The interior looked like an underwater palace.

It was decorated with shells. Here's the ceiling in the entry.

Detail of the shell decorations on the walls.

We got a kick out of the carriage museum. This was one of the carriages

belonging to Mad King Ludwig. We're looking forward to seeing his castles soon.

Solid food!

William tried rice cereal for the first time today. I can't say for sure how he felt about it. You can watch the video on YouTube and decide for yourself.

We used the video camera with William for the first time today (we've made videos on our digital cameras but we hadn't used the video camera until today). For comparison, James has his own mini DV tape called "James: Birth - 8 months." I really named it that, make fun if you must.

Four months old

Hard to believe that William is four months old. He has a beautiful smile that just melts my heart. I love to watch him watch the world with his wide eyes and curious stare. He picks up everything within reach (and some things that I think are out of reach) and puts them in his mouth. He rolls to his tummy from his back and he's trying hard to figure out how to reverse the process. It's rare that he gets my full attention - this is the fate of the second child - so I cherish our quiet moments together, gazing into his deep blue eyes.

Day at the zoo

I took the boys to the Munich Zoo yesterday. We had a great time. James calls it the big zoo because it was, indeed, a big zoo (the Denver Zoo is now called the "small zoo" even though it's not really small). Toward the end of our visit, we came to the kids area. We'll go there a little earlier next time. There was a really nice beer garden and a huge play area (we rushed by because it was nap time). There was a petting zoo and pony rides. There were bumper cars and then there were cars and a train that drove by themselves on a track. James absolutely loved driving the car (he's a little too young for bumper cars) and had a blast on the train. He also had fun playing in the smaller play area. And, of course, he loved seeing all of the animals. His current favorite animals are elephants, giraffes, penguins, zebras, and lions.