Mallorca was so peaceful. When I was looking for places to stay, we had a lot of choices since we went during low season but it was still very hard to decide. I picked a 3 bedroom apartment right on the port and it was perfect. We were right in the city of Alcudia and our balcony opened up straight onto the port with restaurants and shops and a beach underneath us. We had a car so we drove pretty much everyday to a new site. We did the curvy skinny mountain road with a gorgeous view shared with tons of bicyclists (which makes it even more nerve-wracking). We toured Palma's cathedral and castle, saw europe's largest underground lake, took a scenic train ride along the west coast, and Paul and I even had a quick date night! We did some shopping- my best deal was finding Nike shoes for Jakob for 15 Euro although my pearl necklace and rings were a pretty good find as well. :) It was just a great relaxing time with some fun mixed in with good company. Although, when we first got there I accidentally left our passports on the plane and only realized when we were getting our bags (luckily the airport was very efficient in getting them for us). So I was hoping that did not set the tone for the rest of the trip and it didn't. Jakob could not get enough of riding in the car but Elise had definitely had enough by the end of our trip. Jakob is always talking about riding in planes, cars, trains, trams, and buses and never gets enough. Everyday he wants to ride something that we aren't.
When we got back from Mallorca, Elise was dedicated at church. It was so great that Paul's parents were here to support us and even pray for her/us. Then we decided to take a trip to the mountains to see some snow since the weather was going to be good. We booked a couple nights in Wengen in the Alps and it was dead. There were a few people skiing and there were only 2 restaurants open in the area and we had very small rooms (anything bigger cost an arm and a leg). But we took some train rides up the different mountain areas and it wasn't too cold to enjoy a day in the snow. We took it easy after that going to the children's zoo where we saw a sea lion show, Jakob rode ponies and an elephant and he fed the elephants and goats- he still can't stop talking about riding an elephant. Then we all hung around Zürich until it was time for Paul's parents to leave a few days later.
That week was short to celebrate Easter! We dyed eggs and Jakob loved it. I only boiled 6 eggs and Jakob was asking to do more (and still is) but I didn't want to get stuck with so many eggs. Next time I'll boil at least a whole box. I also decided to get a few Easter decorations and Jakob loved coming home to the bunnies stuck on the windows! On Easter Sunday Jakob woke up to Elise's Easter basket on the table and then had to find his (the European way). I filled it with a jump rope since he was using my measuring tape to jump rope, some chocolate, a rubber band gun, a pinwheel, and bubbles. He loved it all and then we went to church. Jakob tried to learn about Jesus and the cave but he just couldn't sit till long enough. When we got home Paul hid the Easter eggs out in the community yard area. When he was finished he rang the doorbell and Jakob got all excited because the Easter bunny was here! He ran down the stairs with his basket and then didn't have much motivation to find the 12 eggs. We had to guide him way too much. After a few, the old lady that lives in our building came out on her balcony and started talking to him and he decided that it was a lot more fun and starting running around finding them all and showing her. It was so cute and a few other people came out on their balcony and opened their windows to watch him. Seeing a kid's joy is just so infectious.
The next day was also an Easter holiday so we planted flowers in a few balcony planters. Now, after 4 years, we have flowers! We'll see how long they last but Paul is pretty set on keeping them alive. Elise starts acclimating to daycare next week. I can't believe the time has already come. Paul knows how spoiled everyone is right now with me being home because the flat gets cleaned during the weekdays, time consuming, good meals are made, and he just has to throw some clothes on Jakob and head out the door and I pick him up everyday. Now all of that will be changing when I go back in 3 weeks. Luckily, since I'll have Fridays off things won't be as hectic as before but weeks will still be busy.
Elise is 5.5 months old, still sleeps from 8pm-8am and is on the verge of crawling. Since we have wood floors she can pull herself along, push off things, and roll to wherever she wants to be. She loves action which means she's usually happy as long as Jakob is around. If I show her a picture or video of Jakob she smiles big and laughs. I was planning on waiting til 6 months to start her on solids but she wanted to be at the table with us and was always reaching for my food. So she sits in the highchair now and shoves food in her mouth- like bananas, avocado, zucchini, cucumbers, red peppers, and soft carrots. She will even put the food down to grab her sippy cup and do some body swinging to tip it up and get water. We all are very impressed. Jakob was no where near that interested or good with his eye-hand-mouth coordination at this age. She just knows what she wants and goes for it! Elise is still much more reserved than Jakob though. She doesn't have big laughs often and even when she does it's not super loud or big. But she for sure can scream. I guess she is probably more like me in those ways. :)
Jakob is a typical 3 year old boy- tests the boundaries, doesn't want to listen a lot of the time, and has a lot of energy. The krippe caregivers asked if he ignores us and disobeys and when Paul told me that I laughed. They were just making sure his actions were consistent. Since Paul's parents were here, he is speaking much better now. We understand most everything that he says and he likes to talk- especially when we are tucking him in at night. He loves Elise and will do baby talk with her. If she is crying in the stroller and he is standing on his platform on the stroller, all he has to do is bend down and talk to her and she stops and smiles.
Paul is now in his new role as post-doc. He enjoys it but is planning to move on to different things in the near future- here or somewhere else. Since I like my job but it's not my passion, I wouldn't be too upset if we moved. But we do enjoy it here and this is all Jakob knows as home. So anything would be a big change for him. I am looking forward to going back to work though. As tempting as it is for me to stay home, we know Jakob gets a lot out of going to the krippe (not just for learning German) and I feel better about my self when I have challenges and interactions with colleagues. It will feel good to be back in the swing of things but I will miss all the time I spend with Elise. I just keep telling myself she still sleeps a lot of the day with a few naps so I'll only be missing a handful of hours... still won't be easy though. :)
