Fun in Italy and off to the states!

It's time for an update!  Little dude is now 7 months old and he is a crawler.  He likes to get up on all fours even on his tippy toes but still does it army style right now and that gets him anywhere quickly.  He is so proud of himself when he finds me.  I even put my keyboard on the floor and he loves banging out notes in crazy sounds.  When Paul comes home, he finds all his magazines torn up on the floor like a dog got to them but really it was just Jakob.  :)  He is definitely eating more.  His favorite fruit is apricots and I made spinach and sweet potato fritters that he loves to eat for dinner.  We still haven't started breakfast but I think we'll wait until he eats faster.  He's almost got the hang of maneuvering everything in his hands.

Our Italy trip was a lot of fun!  We saw a lot of great things and at the very beginning Jakob's first tooth debuted.  So we had a few rough nights but things got better.  We know stores in Europe close early and by the time we realized Jakob needed some saline for his stuffy nose the apothekes were already closed.  So at 8pm we were looking pitiful hanging outside of one with him and they let us in- thank the lord!  Jakob hated it but it helped.  The next day we went for tylenol since he had a little fever.  But anyway we stopped at Cinque Terre (again), Pisa (for the leaning tower), Florence (cathedral and lots of good shops), and Rome (Vatican, Colosseum, Roman Forum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and spanish steps) all in a week!  I got a leather purse and some great sandals too!

We then split up from Paul's parents and the Spears while they went off by car to Paris and we headed back home the next day on the train.  We had an awesome time.  The colosseum was amazing and after reading Francine Rivers' Mark of the Lion Trilogy... 'WOW' is all I could say.  When everyone came back to Zurich we had a few days to hang out and then they tried to catch their flight back but apparently delta likes to overbook.  So Paul ended up driving them to Prague a few days later and they left from there.  Craziness.  Hopefully they'll still be overbooked when I try to fly out and I can hand over my seat for a free plane ticket and just leave the next day.

Jakob is just now starting to get back to a schedule but he is a stubborn napper.  I had to let him cry it out a few days but now we are a lot better.  And this is how he was falling asleep after the fight: (Plus here's a pic of the flowers Paul brought home to me!)

Last night we went to a friend's place for breakfast for dinner.  Jakob loved the pancakes.  But only after he had stranger-shock.  As soon as I set him down he got scared and it was the first time he reached out to me with force.  Most of the time he crawls over to me and slobbers all over me but this time was urgent.  :)

Only 15 more days til we're off to the states!  I am so pumped and so ready to see family and friends!  Jakob has changed so much since my parents saw him last.  Im looking forward to watching him with them.  :)  Oh, and Im looking forward to some much needed shopping too!

6 months and summertime :)

This will be a quick one but I wanted to get it in before more fun begins...
6 month old baby Jakob!  Holy cow where has the time gone.  Some things about our little dude:

* Weighs 18 pounds 8 ounces; 27 inches long.
* Scoots wherever he wants and will follow my voice until he finds me.
* Snacks twice a day on fruit, bread, veggies, potatoes, and meat sometimes.  Water from a sippy cup.
* Still sleeps 11-12 hours a night but the bedtime bottle is becoming a little more difficult because of his squirmy-ness.  We might stop doing it soon.
* His favorite toy is cords.  Anything with a cord is his top priority.  These along with magazines can be seen being pulled out from under the coffee table on a regular basis.
* Sleeps on his stomach almost all the time.  As soon as he is placed on his back in the crib he flips over.  He flips back to play with his mobile in the morning.  Sometimes he will turn on his mobile or his music in the morning for entertainment.  He could stay in his crib for at least an hour without needing us to come get him.
* Loves anything that crinkles which usually means plastic is always fun for him.  Not the safest toy but when supervised he loves it.
* Strolling is not as easy.  If we are sitting on the tram, he will whine until I take him out and let him stand on me and bang on the window.  He loves the attention from strangers.
* His attitude is definitely forming.  He will tell you when he's had enough of the carrier too.
* Elbows can tickle him like there's no tomorrow but not hands. ha
* He can sit up really well but still falls over sometimes.
* Has eczema on his face and creases but the cream the doctor gave us helps a lot!
* Loves eating feet... anyone's feet... with or without socks.  gross.

A couple weekends ago I got to make cake for our friend's birthday.  I made a german chocolate cake from scratch (Paul helped by shredding 2 coconuts since I found out that was the only way to get coconut shreds) and it was delicious.  It tooks awhile to do but the product was worth it.  I hope I can make it again one day... Oh, but the german guy had never even heard of it- go figure!

I bought a new baby carrier a week ago and love it.  It is a manduca (a german version of the ergo) where the straps can cross (really nice for my shouders) and the newborn insert is built in.  It is so incredibly comfortable and worth every penny.  I also bought a bathing suit here and paid double what it would have been in the states.  But I needed it for the summer and Im not going back to the states til the end of summer.  I love it though and I rarely buy bathing suits so it's ok.  Paul says so.  :)

We went to Geneva this past weekend for one night.  Paul got to see CERN (I had to sit with Jakob) and then we checked into our hotel, had dinner with some friends who also stayed (the waiters were playing with him all night), and the next day made our way around the city.  We found some old church ruins which were really interesting.

We've been in disposable diapers for almost a week now because the washer and dryer room is being renovated which means they are out of service at random times.  So maybe after this next week we'll be back with cloth!  I like it so much better except for poops now.  That is just a whole lot of gross-ness that I hate dealing with especially since we havent found a good method yet.

Last night there was a huge hail thunderstorm.  With metal roofs and metal shutters it is definitely not quiet especially when you're trying to sleep.  So that was crazy but little dude slept right through it.  Paul was running around shutting windows.  It's been so hot here lately that we try to cool it off at night with the windows open.  Fall can come anytime now!

Tomorrow Paul's parents and family friends arrive and we are so excited to have family back here!  They havent seen Jakob since he was 3 months old.  Lots of things have changed!  We leave for a week in Italy on Saturday and are hoping Jakob is not too hard to travel with.  We have a lot of things to hit!

Solids and planes

Life is wonderful!  We really have a lot to be thankful for and I couldn't imagine a life any better than the one I'm living.

Last weekend we made our way over to IKEA and the small mall for some shopping.  Jakob needed some plastic dinnerware and a new sleep sack since he has grown so much.  We thought a bigger one might hold him down in the bed but what a mistake that thinking was.  He still rolls everywhere.  Paul puts him to sleep on his back and when we go to bed he is on his stomach in the opposite direction.  He obviously loves sleeping on his stomach and in the mornings will roll onto his back to play with whatever he can get his hands on.

We have officially started solids.  Jakob loves bread- I think it's mostly because I give him the crust and he can gum it to death.  He also enjoys hummus, risotto, nectarines, chicken, potatoes, corn, and a whole lot more.  As soon as his feet touch his chair he reaches for whatever is on his mat.  I just cut off a piece of whatever Im eating and he shoves it in his mouth.  He loves meal time and is even starting to get comfortable drinking water from a cup.  The sippy cup though... well that's just a chew toy right now.  :)

We've actually had to turn down a few spots that have opened up for daycare.  We're hoping that when I do find a job a spot will be available somewhere.  It's just too expensive of a risk to take without the extra income.  That's ok though... I love staying at home with my sweet boy!

The torrent that I worked on at Rheinmetall last year was at the airshow!

Today we went to an airshow in Dübendorf and it was great.  It was a whole bunch of Swiss military stuff including the torrents that I worked on during my internship at Rheinmetall.  They were decked out in camo tracking the planes around the area- so crazy to watch.  But of course the plane acrobatics were the best part.  :)  Going with friends made the day so much better too.

So after this weekend things will be a little bit busier.  Next week we will be helping with a baby shower.  Im excited to be trying some new recipes!  Then another party that weekend (that I get to bake a cake for!), then Geneva the next weekend to visit CERN (world's largest particle physics lab) and the city.  The secretary from ETH that helped us tremendously when we moved here offered to watch Jakob so we both could go on the tour.  So nice!  That Sunday Paul will host his German card night with the guys and then the next week Paul's parents and family friends get here and we're off to Italy.  Main stop will be Rome!

So let's just say July is booked and when it's over only 3 more weeks til our trip to the states!

Exploring!

Man, it's been awhile!  Time has been flying by!  Little dude is now 5 months old and oh how things have changed in such a short time.  Jakob is a rolling champion.  As soon as his back touches the floor, couch, crib, anything he flips to his belly.  This morning we found him sleeping soundly on his stomach rammed up next to the rail.  Not only is he a flipping maniac but he easily does 360's in his crib on his back.  He just picks up his feet and pushes along the rails to go around in a circle... even while he's sleeping.  I sure hope his sleeping calms down a little!  My ear plugs are definitely a life saver.

Ok, so since May... Our 3 year anniversary dinner was amazing!  Paul found this little restaurant called Kreis 6 and our friend put Jakob to bed for us.  It was the first time I've dressed up in Switzerland and it felt great.  Dinner was a full 3 course meal with wine and Prosecco and was super expensive but well worth it- dessert was my favorite of course!

Our visit with Carli was a lot of fun.  The first few days she was here we hung out around Zurich, Luzern, Braunwald (for the Alps), and then the second set of days we took off for a roadtrip and an overnight stay in Strasbourg, France and drove back through the Black Forest in Germany stopping to see a castle.  We saw so many great things and Jakob was a pretty good sport- although now we can tell he wants to get out of the car seat more.  We borrowed a car seat and it was nice and pink!  So maybe that had something to do with it.  ;)  I just love French pastries though... it's a good thing we do not live in France!

We finally put together Jakob's highchair and he loves it.  Whenever we eat dinner he is right there with us playing with his toys and watching our every move.  And when I say 'right there' his highchair is pulled right up to the table.  He has a mat that sticks to the table to serve as his 'tray'.  I love this family style highchair!  We've let him start holding food and doing whatever he wants with it but in a couple weeks we'll actually give him food at least at lunch and dinner.

I bought a book called The Baby-led Weaning Cookbook and love it so far.  It is a British based book and a lot of people here do it so I thought I'd look into it since so far I love the baby atmosphere in Europe.  I've always thought I'd just give my baby homemade puree until I read things that made me think twice.  Pureed food came about when doctors suggested starting solids before babies were able to grasp food and feed themselves.  But now that many doctors say 6 months is a fine time to start, babies already have the motor skills to start with solid food from the beginning.  Some people think babies are less picky and develop better eating habits this way.  But basically you just season your food with less salt and stay away from the bad foods and cut big enough pieces that they can grasp and naw on like they do with all their toys.  They eat as much as they want, taste a range of food and spices, and gradually with time they'll eat more and self-wean off of breastmilk.  I love the idea especially since I'm not working.  And this book's recipes... most of them seem easy and a creative spin on the things we eat already.  I'm so excited to start this!  (Excited for the experience but definitely NOT the poop!)  If it doesnt work out, I always have my baby food maker but I have complete confidence in this. :)

Anyway, June seems to be a pretty slow month and we're going to enjoy it!  Rain has come back and that makes things no fun but at least it brings cooler weather.  Nights have been very hot lately.  Oh, and I've completed about 8 books so far this year!  I have NEVER read this many books in less than 6 months before.  No idea where this reading thing came about but I love it!