shitload of thanks.

We take for granted so many people and things we have in our very rich, very full lives. I'm stuck here, already, as I contemplate these many, many things. How does one begin to express their feelings of gratitude when it all somehow comes out sounding trite? So this Thanksgiving, I focus on our parents, as this year we joined this crazy, gut-wrenching, overwhelmingly joyful group and felt our lives shift in ways we never imagined, could never imagine. We talk about our childhoods more and more now and find there are so many things we had growing up that we so badly want for Liam too. Memories of our parents driving us to school (and subsequently locking them out of the car in the drop-off line because someone didn't want to go to school), our Dads being home from work to take us to Around the Clock, watch MacGyver, and sing along to the Monday night football theme song, our Moms changing their lives and their work schedules to be there with us, to check our homework and provide us with boundaries and rules that we hated at the time, but now understand and appreciate fully. They coached our teams. They made us save our money, showed us what fiscal responsibility was without us ever realizing we were learning something. And then, they let us go. Despite living 4500miles away from them, they support us, never making us feel bad, even though it's clearly very difficult on them. So, at the risk of sounding trite; we appreciate all of their unending love, for shaping us, supporting us unconditionally and being some of the best damn role models new parents could possibly fathom.

On the move...

If it's a verboten item, Liam will scoot all the way across the living room to get it; but put one of his toys out there and he's not going to move an inch. Saving all his energy for computer cords, water bottles, remotes and food. He'll definitely move for food....but then again, what Duchek or Viggiano wouldn't?

Karla Visits, V4

Per usual, we had a great time when Karla visited. Liam was not really 'having a great time' the first 36 hours of Karla's visit. And, he let her know about it, by screaming in her face anytime she came near him. Luckily, for all of us, he got over it, and soon was as amused by Karla as we always are. The visit was relaxed; we took a drive to Germany and made a visit to the pumpkin farm. We ate raclette, had a fire and strolled around Zurich. Karla & I went out a few nights & I was all; what is this outside world people move around in after 8pm?

The Europe is Not Biased.

Can't you tell? This guy was left in our mailbox the other week, despite the fact that we have a sign on said mailbox which says kindly in German; "please don't put any bullshit mail in this box." Or, something like that. Clearly, people listen.

This is literally the only US election coverage I have been forcibly subjected to in the past few months, and it highly amused me. We will not be attending this event (pause for your shock to pass), but perhaps if I made Joe a sign stating: "the stone *ages* were probably neat!" (I'm racking my brain for funny 'moving backwards' slogans for protest signs, but I keep getting stuck on slavery related ideas, and clearly, that's just not funny) he could be the one rogue protestor in our highly liberal society...

Lunchtime.

These pictures may make it seem like Liam isn't taking to the solids. However, the things he likes, he takes down like it's a deranged race (ehem, I'm going to be like Mags soon; the last one at the table, slowly eating my dinner), fearing I might stop feeding him at any moment and then crying for more when it's gone. There isn't a speck of food left on his bib or clothes. It's just the ones he doesn't like that result in us literally biting the insides of our mouth, trying all we can, not to laugh at his ridiculous behavior...

Body Surfing

He'd fit right in crowd surfing at a punk concert in the late 90s....

6 Months What What?!

I may be 6 months old, but the way my parent's dress me, I'm clearly going on 78. And, if I may say so myself, I'm looking damn good doing it....

Pppuuuhhh

I imagine we will rue the day we taught Liam this move. As Mary said, just wait until he starts doing it when he's eating his carrots....

Beer Heist

Say Me YES!

We've come back from many a European trip and thought, we need a vacation from our vacation. Home has sometimes been a welcome respite from the cities, the hustle. Croatia, however, was just the right blend of relaxed beach time, strolls and cappuccinos mixed in with some driving tours (say me Montenegro), and short visits into the 'big' cities like Dubrovnik & Split. The country really impressed us. We found we were constantly trying to compare it to other places we'd been; sometimes reminiscent of Costa Rica, then Norway, Greece, but ultimately, a feeling all it's own. We were never more than a few kilometers from the Adriatic and every hotel we stayed either provided a view of it, or a short walk to see it. There are over a thousand islands off the coast of Croatia so each view feels more beautiful & scenic than the last. As Joe said of our first hotel / apt in Cavtat (20k outside of Dubrovnik), 'it's a million dollar view.' Then, we drove around a bit and quickly realized, damn near the entire country is chock full of million dollar views.
Dubrovnik is aptly called 'the jewel of the Adriatic' and it certainly was the highlight of the trip. The entire city is built directly on the Adriatic and is completely walled. Walking the old city walls was definitely the highlight of the trip. We arrived right after opening time (one of the perks to keeping baby hours) and for the first half of the walk had the walls nearly to ourselves. The morning sun rising over the city and the sea was spectacular.

We drove into Montenegro for a day and had plenty of fjord like views. I snapped endless crappy photos out of the moving car, just like we did in Norway, as we commented repeatedly on how pretty it was. We stopped into Kotor (walled city), where we saw a woman wearing a t-shirt which stated 'Say Me Yes,' and visited Sveti Stefan which is an island connected to the mainland by a thin, pedestrian bridge.
A few afternoons were spent at the 'beach.' In Cavtat this meant cement pad next to the Adriatic with beach chairs & the occasional umbrella. In Orebic the beach was all large pebbles, a big stack of beach chairs and some jenky hotel umbrellas. In all locations the water was stunning and 'see-to-the-bottom' clear, rich hues of blue, turquoise and emerald green as far as the eye could see.

We took the car ferry over to the island of Korcula, all the while locating the life-jackets and contingency planning. As Joe still claims, all these years later, those things 'sink all the time.' We visited another walled city and had a delicious lunch in a small town looking out over the sea. Joe ordered mussels. Yes, you read this right. Not only did Joe eat squid, octopus & mussels but he also was ordering up the bubbly water and downing the cappuccinos (many of these things have been occuring on a regular basis for a while now, but seeing them all written out together is still striking for me to see how much he & his palate have expanded and changed over the years). Back to Joe's mussels. They were listed on the menu for 50kuna (roughly $8) so Joe assumed it might not be enough food for him so he asked our server about the portion size. Response: it's one kilo of mussels. To which Joe proceeded to take down the entire kilo without the slightest hint of hesitation, and love it.

Split's most interesting attraction is Diocletian's Palace which isn't so much a palace anymore as it is an organic city infastructure/wall/tourist hell. The city has basically grown around & incorporated the old palace; restaurants, cafes, shops etc are all housed in this former retirement palace. We were much happier to be staying in Trogir, a smaller, quieter town outside of Split with a relaxed promenade to stroll and admire the yatches, charming white stone facades, and, most importantly to Joe, an UNESCO world heritage site (read: sarcasm, he wonders why places shouldn't be someday named JoeDuchek awesomest sites).

Liam seemed to love the additional attention of both doting parents on a daily basis, and certainly impressed plenty of older travelers (of which there were many, we estimated 50+% of the people visiting were pushing 60) and brought up many a conversation about grandchildren. Although our travel style had to take a complete downshift, we found so many positives in it. I read 2 whole books and half of another, we slowed down, drank more coffee, and far less beer, we found charm in the smaller towns rather than the over-crowded bustling 'larger' cities. We came home feeling almost rested (we still have an infant so can't expect miracles), and are already looking around for the fast-forward button so we can be with you all over the holidays.

Einunddreissig

Like 31yearold, like 5month old. If the kid (sorry Mar) is pulling faces like this 'I don't think so Mother' one already; I'm pretty sure we're screwed. Even I have to (sort of proudly) admit, there is plenty of me in that face.
So, my 'new birthday year resolution,' (Yes, I just made that up) is to try harder to appreciate the little things, like this facial expression. An expression I'm pretty sure only parents could love, and, in the same vein, to take less for granted. Honestly, I can't think of a single thing I need, but yet, I'm still pulling faces far more skeptical and coping tones as rough as Liam's screams. Of course, I only get upset about the most important of issues too;). Seriously though, today is my birthday, but more importantly, today, our friends 8-day old baby is having open-heart surgery. Prognosis is super positive but today an 8-day old baby, Mayla Grace, is having freaking open-heart surgery. And I still find I can get pissy about the most insignificant of shit. So, here's my open invitation to you all to call me on it (and, to keep lil Mayla & her parents in your thoughts & prayers). To remind me that I've got it more than pretty damn good....

Funfy

Five months?! I'm not sure if I like the little nugget constantly reminding me how quickly time moves by....

Heidelberg.

We piled in the car early Saturday morning and drove out through the rain to Heidelberg, Germany. Sometime along the way, the skies began to clear, Liam began to awake, and I climbed in the back to give our lil bambino a bottle (one of the perks to this 2 a bottle situation; no stopping on car trips;) and he shortly there after fell back asleep. Minus the construction it was a great 3+ hour drive north, and living on baby hours ensured our arrival to town well before noon. The Marriott (we normally do not frequent US chains, but had a free night that had to be used by the end of September, hence the reason we ended up in Heidelberg in the first place) was located on the Nacker river, about a 20 minute pleasant walk outside of the town.

The town was untouched during the war so it's all charming cobblestones, ancient architecture, big squares, a castle on a hill and old narrow brick bridges. So, a lot like, well, Europa. But here, there was Weizen beer, a gluttonous amount of pretzels to consume, a gorgeous coffee shop, a happy baby to smile at and a lovely pool & fitness center to take advantage of at the hotel. We swam with Liam and despite the water being quite chilly, and his lips and feet quickly turning blue, he did not fuss. He had a fun 3 minutes with Dad before we took him out and wrapped him up in towels to hang out on my lap and watch Dad swim. We both got a workout in while Liam slept. And that was all on Saturday! We totally felt like we actually 'got away' despite the fact it was only one night.

Sure, the pace of traveling has completely changed. Stripping a baby nude on a park bench because he has completely shit out his diaper and half his back in a 20 second poop fest is certainly interesting. And going to bed at 10pm (and apparently missing a fireworks display over the castle) when you are in a new city is a bit disappointing; as is waking up no short of 6 times in the middle of the night to tend to your child because he doesn't seem to sleep well in new places. However, we still have, take & enjoy the opportunities to do it, despite & sometimes because of these things. So, here's to hoping our upcoming trip to Croatia is as 'successful' as this one was....

Tuesday Around Town.

We met a friend out for coffee and were seated very close to the table next to us. Liam is taking after the Swiss and staring hardcore at anything that interests him. So, the guy sitting right next to us happened to be his target at the moment. All of a sudden the guy holds out his plate towards us and says, 'does he want some of this?' I kindly declined. The guy insisted, 'I think he really wants it.' Well, sir, thanks for the offer, but my four month old isn't exactly ready for you hard, jam filled cookie yet. I told the guy he could only have milk, but I'm pretty sure the dude still wasn't convinced that Liam would have gladly taken that cookie down, sans teeth, off a stranger's plate. It's going to start getting interesting around here folks.

We walked by a bus stop yesterday and there was a nicely dressed, well-groomed 80+ year old woman drinking blue Powerade out of a squirt top bottle. It struck me as highly unusual.

I was (not) born in the USA...

Here we go again. My parents must have a few screws loose. After a really long trip on a few airplanes, one of which I definitely made my presence known on, I arrived to America. Mom handed over my embarrassing passport (the photo does not do me justice, whatsoever) and I was in. No extra border checks for me. Suckers. If only they knew what I was smuggling in my diap...

I met lots of neat people, one obnoxious dog and a few calm ones, slept in lots of different beds (and woke up at 3am for the day many a times), was the *star* of two parties, took my first trip to the beach, and hung out in lots of new arms. It was overwhelming sometimes, and then, I cried. I was tired sometimes, and then, I cried. I was hungry sometimes, and then, I cried. Some shit is constant. Me crying just happens to be one of those. It wasn't you though, it was me. Really. Well, maybe sometimes it was you. I mean give me a break for crying out loud, I just met you. But, now we are back here, and I sleep in the same crib everynight, and most days, I only look at two (albeit very pretty) faces, and we go out for walks in my stroller and lots of people call me 'herzlich' (duh, we all know I'm cute, stop already), but it's quiet and lots of times, my Mom is just downright boring, and well, I miss you guys....

Italy with Oma & Grandpa

We can't take credit for any of these great photos. When traveling with Ron, we don't even bother to bring along our camera. I'm pretty sure some of these photos make it look prettier than it did in person.

We got away with a bit more traveling in Italy with a baby. Women were always muttering 'oh piccolino, or ah, bambino.' Ron got a few nice shots of the David (which you aren't allowed to photograph) and when the security lady came up to scold him, she saw Liam & was immediately distracted.

Our first stop was Lucca where we stayed in a gorgeous b&b just outside of town. We rode bikes around the ramparts of the walled city, we watched expressive (*understatement) Italians watch their team win a Eurocup match, we strolled, we visited Pisa to see the leaning tower. Next stop was Florence where arrival via car was more bordering on an act of insanity (our GPS told us to drive our car through the main street market; we opted against it), where Joe & I drank endless cappuccinos (oh, the deliciousness), ate a lot of gelato, saw the David, visited the Uffizi, climbed to the top of the Duomo tower, shopped, attempted to keep ourselves and Liam sane in an overwhelmingly touristic city where the heat was, duhduh dudduh dudduh duhduh, on.

The second half of our trip was spent in a very, painfully, small town called Serre d Rapolano in a former castle turned hotel. We spent most of our days taking driving trips to see the Tuscan countryside, visiting a vineyard (bust), listening to Gregorian chants, eating gelato in Siena's town square which set up for the palio horseraces (yes, horses, racing around the town square), hanging out by the pool, wondering where our next meal was going to come from (did I mention the town we were staying in was small?), Ron & Joe rode bikes (but as Joe said 'it wasn't like we were biking in Tuscany,' to which I responded, 'you were biking in Tuscany'....so yeah, I guess it wasn't that exciting). The highlight was definitely Assissi which Mary had suggested. We balked a bit when we realized it was going to be another long day in the car, but was it ever worth it. The town is built directly in the hillside, overlooking the Umbrian countryside. The buildings, the streets, the walls, all were paved in this golden-colored brick. The way the light cast in at certain breaks in the buildings was stunning. There was no doubt about it, the town was gorgeous. But, we'd come mainly to see the Bascilia of St. Francis Assissi. We'd parked almost as far as humanly possible from our main destination, and it was 9gajillion degrees. And, we were traveling with a 2.5 month old. I was feeling a bit, weary, maybe.  Finally we arrived and it was rather unimposing from the outside. And the top level of the bascilica was the same. But, as we traveled lower, the bascilica was transformed. The most stunning alter I've ever seen, sea-foam green lanterns casting light upwards. The fantastically peaceful and calming crypt where St. Francis was buried with his closest followers. We've been in many, many churches but no other moved us, with it's simplistic beauty, like this one did. Liam was even blessed by a nun, despite the fact that Ron was holding him at the time;).

All in all, it was a successful first, albeit tight, roadtrip in our 'new' old car. Our neighbors & many of Joe's coworkers were skeptical that we were taking such a long trip in our little station wagon, with an excessive amount of baby gear, but we had a great trip and are looking forward to many more adventures on the road, in Italy, with babies, grandparents and hopefully (as it's Joe's priority now too) some great cappuccinos. 

Hiatus.

We've been far too the busy the past 2 months contemplating the meaning of life, and hanging out with & coordinating outfits with grandparents, to blog. We're working on gathering our thoughts on these, and other matters...
Don't expect much on the life question though. Unless 'ehhheeehhh' or 'eeekkkkk' counts as philosophy now. 

Obsessed Much?!

As you can see, our lil nugget is getting a lot more expressive. Guess he's going to be wearing his emotions on his face; just like someone else we know.

Yesterday, we had Liam's 2-month check-up. He's doing well, but is still below average on weight, and above average on height, measurements I wouldn't mind, if I had my choice. Looks like he's taking after the Duchek's on that one, lucky guy. Vaccinations were completed, screams were heard & he's now the proud owner of his own 'vaccination card.' Woohoo! Although, I must admit, I love how the Swiss make us more accountable for his health & his records (everyone here get a 'health book' at birth and all relevant info, Dr. notes, etc. are recorded in it & kept at home; as well as at the Dr.'s office, they don't trust us That much)!

Papa John

Today my family celebrates an amazing man. I hope someday, when I look back on my life, I can claim I lived it even half as well as he did. We all miss and love you so much Papa.

Slovenia!

We decided totally last minute to take a roadtrip to Slovenia. It's roughly the same distance as our roadtrip to Italy that is coming up with Oma & Sh (Mary & Ron) so we thought we'd test out Liam's tolerance. Let's hope the next one goes as well - he only woke up / fussed when he was hungry, which turned out to be about 3 times over what ended up to be a 9 hour (600+km drive). We left about 5ish as Liam wakes up most mornings to eat at 4.30 so we just got on the road directly afterwards. Gorgeous scenery through Switzerland & Austria, the sun rising (aka blinding us), riding in a car on an empty highway lined with mountains...it was a great start to the trip.

About 2pm we arrived to Slovenia to a warm, sunshiney day. Liam housed big time, which resulted in a huge spit up all over his outfit, as well as one of the two blankets we'd brought. Then, he managed to rock through another 2 outfits in short order; bombing out one and somehow peeing out the other. We'd hardly arrived and already I was worried we didn't have enough clothes with us! Luckily, things settled down quickly. We enjoyed a lakeside stroll and sunny views from the balcony that evening. Friday we headed to the capital Ljubljana for a private guided city tour, strolled around with a fussy lil dude, ate our tasty lunch in shifts to accomodate Liam's needs and fed in public, A LOT. The second batch of Asian tour groups did their fair share of gawking at Liam. We ate some super tasty gelato and then we headed back to the hotel for another evening spent watching the sun go down.

Saturday was our 'relaxed' day of the trip which included driving to see another lake, Lake Bohinj, Liam's first gondola trip up to about 1500m (5000ft) for views over the lake & the Julian Alps, a swanky lunch at Tito's former villa, another afternoon on the balcony and dinner at the restaurant next door to the hotel. Slovenia reminded us a lot of Switzerland, stunning mountains and lakes, small and manageable. Where it differed was in the people. They were friendly! It was refreshing. The food was good and the prices were clearly much, much more reasonable than in Zurich. We wished we'd had another day there to relax and enjoy the weather, but instead we woke at 4.30 and were on the road by 5.15. Joe rocked driving the entire trip (thanks babe!)...one perk to forgetting my license;)

We passed through Liechtenstein, Austria, & Germany to get to Slovenia, so, including his birthplace, Liam's already been to 5 countries. As Megan said today, Liam's already been to more countries than her. Although he probably won't count it and I expect might be a bit annoyed with us for doing all this when he's too young to remember. We're looking even more forward to our Italian adventure now that we have a bit more understanding of how he does in the car, what helps him fall asleep in an unfamiliar place,and that coffee still tastes delicious while breastfeeding (priority for Italy:)!

fancypants

I'm so freaking stylish...courtesy of my cousins Kristin & Amy.

Nana & Papa Visit

 We had a great time with Mags & Nick in town. For the most part the weather cooperated and I was finally feeling up for getting out and about more. We tried to go out somewhere each day for a coffee, drink, or meal and we walked all over the shop. Mags made me feel ridiculous (I'm still not allowed to carry anything much, but I felt like a real ass just walking next to her while she lugged the groceries multiple times while pushing the pram, uphill). Seriously, the walk home from the grocery store is straight up. We hit up a lot of our fav spots in town; our friend Mike's restaurant with Erin, Lach & Will (he enjoyed some dirt while we ate delicious spinach dip and sandwiches; Mags & Erin even shared a brownie sundae...and trust me, with those two, no one else was offered a bite). Le Pain Quotidien & Baschanzli were frequented multiple times, we met Bonnie at Bohemia (I always meet her there; so much so that it feels unnatural to go there without her). We had borrowed Erin & Lach's car while they were away, so we took our first car ride, checked out a cute town in eastern Switzerland, Stein am Rhein, went to the Rheinfalls, and generally tested out William's tolerance for car rides (doesn't like getting strapped into the car seat, but after he's all locked and loaded, he passes out for inordinately long stretches). Liam also had his one month doctor's appointment while Mags & Nick were in town, so all four of us rocked up to the doctor's office. Our doctor's great, and he wasn't phazed in the least (even if Joe & I were). As with most doctor's appointments in Switzerland, he spent lots of time with us, and kind of made us feel awkward when we didn't have more questions for him. Liam was sans diap for too long during the doctor's exam and Joe & I knew it was going to be trouble. Finally, he peed all over, just narrowly missing Dr. Baeckert;). Joe & I also went out for a great dinner while Mags & Nick babysat one night. Liam slept the entire time we were out, which was a lot longer than we'd expected, and after going to town eating when we got home, I passed out while Joe tried to get Liam to fall asleep. At least the lil nugget cooperated for Nana & Papa, but we paid for it (well, mostly Joe paid for it...apparently I can sleep like a rock through our baby crying in the same room as me;)... It was clearly fabulous to have my parents here, to have Mags help out with middle of the night changes in her nightshirt, to eat delicious dinners courtesy of Nick, to enjoy every meal while it was still hot because Mags would always be the first to hold Liam while he fussed (his favorite time to make us aware of his presence is during mealtime...the kid can be completely passed out, but once he smells food or senses we are about to eat, he's all, 'hey, look at me, i insist you hold me. and, i mean NOW'). Thanks for everything Mom & Dad!

lil nugget.

I wish there was something really interesting to tell you all, but honestly we spend a lot of time eating, sleeping, hanging out on the play gym or hugging it out. Joe's been busy at work with the quarter, so he's only been home one day these past two weeks. Yesterday, we took Liam out to the Mutterberatung (it's a free service in a community-type center and there is a midwife there who answers any questions and weighs and measures the babies). He's up to 3.4kg (about 7.5lbs) now, so he's still a seriously lil nugget. He slept the entire time in his carrier, so soundly, that I began to spaz out (thanks again Karla for all the factoids about kids suffocating to death in those things) and made Joe incessantly check to see he was breathing. We also hit up a cafe near our house and had cappuccinos and our new favorite pastries (Mandelstange -- direct translation: almond sticks; indirect translation: heavenly, flaky goodness). We'd transferred him to his stroller for that part of the day and even though he was wide awake the whole time we were there, he was just hanging out, sucking on his pacifier and getting waved at by the cute little boy sitting next to us. We're looking forward to Nonna arriving tomorrow and lots more 'excitement' like yesterday. Timing is pretty great too as the weather has finally turned around and I'm starting to feel well enough to get out more...cafes, beer gardens, lakefront - here we come!

Home, Sweet Home.

The last few days in the hospital helped us to really get in a groove and start to feel even more comfortable with understanding Liam & his needs. Of course, we wish all of you could be hugging and loving on him right now, but we honestly couldn't feel luckier or more blessed to have had our first baby here. The week in hospital was the right amount of time to get us ready to come home and manage our lil dude on our own. We gave Liam his first family bath which he loved (minus the part about being wet & cold afterwards), went on our hospital sponsored 'champagne dinner for two' and got ready to come home.
We live very close to the hospital and the plan all along had been to take the tram or walk home (we did take the tram to the hospital before he was born). However, the c-section definitely foiled that plan, and we decided rather than try to figure out our car seat for the first time and strap it into a taxi for a less than 5-minute ride, I'd get the taxi home & Joe strolled Liam to the tram and home. It worked out perfectly for us ghetto parents!
Once home Saturday was a blur of getting organized, Joe running out to the shops, cleaning, unpacking, Skypeing, etc. Sunday we had guests in the morning (who came bearing delicious pecan rolls) and evening (we ordered Dominos) and Monday more friends came and brought us tacos for us for dinner & the delicious Liam cake. It was a public holiday Monday, so Joe went back to work Tuesday (despite having 2 weeks paid paternity, Liam's birth fell right before the start of a quarter report which means Joe will work and save the days for later on). Liam & I had our neighbors come by yesterday for a visit, but other than that, it was a relatively quiet day for both us and it felt great to be able to do everything on my own. Of course, it's not so tough with a relaxed baby, and the mid-day naps don't hurt either!

My last day of work, 5 April.

From Misc

I'm going to miss this pack of goofy, energetic kids. I took a quick look at the photos after they were taken that day and said "how come no one told me my belly was THAT big?" and Ali (top right) says "well, we didn't want to make you feel bad." So, yeah, definitely going to miss the witty, 7-year old sass!

One perk to a c-section...

A few extra days in the hospital to have 3 delicious meals delivered to me daily. I happened to be talking to Mags one day while I was eating and she noted something along the lines of 'come up for air'. Can't imagine where Liam's gotten his greedy eating habits from...

The Liam Life.

Still living and loving the hospital lifestyle. Joe's been going to work everyday since Tuesday but staying the nights with us here and working on finding our routine with night changes and feeds. Liam's been busy lately; he's had his hip tests, hearing tests, first bath, circumcision, and his first visitors. All of the results have been positive and despite all the nurses telling us 'his circumcision hurt,' (no shit, his penis was cut ladies), we all (p's included) have handled it really well and there was only a 10-minute period of intermittent crying. We hugged it out though.

Other than that, (knock on wood,) he spends most of his time sleeping, crying when his diaper is changed and then falling back to sleep while eating. It's a damn good lil 'routine' so far.

William John rockin the real world.

I don't think either of us fully comprehended how flippin amazing, how powerful, how life-altering this was going to be. There is no unbiased sentiment in room 129. We're totally, utterly smitten by our skinny lil stinker.

Here's a link to his mug shot on the hospital website. It's hard to see, but he was scratching his own face a lot during the first day. In the photo they gave us, he looks like he just got done with 5-rounds of baby fight club (I'd have hated to see the other kid;)!

DLP's Zimmer

 

This decal never looked better than directly after we applied it to the wall. Good thing I took a photo of it immediately as it's degraded significantly since then. Apparently, as every intelligent individual would assume, textured walls + decals = annoying mess. Plus, hair-drying your walls in a futile attempt to help a decal stay in place starts to get old. It's working right now, but as you all know, we are perfectionists. I've taken to never standing close to the decal and not looking at in the light of day. Looking better already!

 

The crib is all made, and outfitted with the firmest (read: hard), most costly (exorbitant shipping prices from the US) crib mattress in the world. Hope DLP doesn't mind too much.

 

The changing table which is kitted out with awesome Anthropologie knobs that you probably can't see properly in this photo. Seriously, this kid has the nicest set-up in the house. I've gotten a bit of a bug up my butt to make the rest of the place look just a bit more homey because the DLP is showing us adults up big time. This does mean we've been furniture shopping multiple times (our version of hell, as we can completely and totally agree on what we like but are basically too flippin cheap to buy the stuff here). Finally we've decided on a few pieces to spruce the place up a bit. I had a client over the other day and he said, twice, that 'our place is really coming together.' Yeah, I get it. It needed it, I know.

 

We're still seriously at a loss on the whole baby name thing...
On a more amusing note, a few Swiss people I've shown this to think this says 'dip.' Yeah, our kids going to be a dip.

The Michelin Woman

 

I assume you are noticing a pattern about now. Seems like our lives have been relegated to talking about, holding, and lovin on babies. Plus, being photographed with a live baby is about the only time I get away with showing you a photo that doesn't prominently feature this:

 

Incidentally, this was the last day the coat zipped. Note that the pockets are falling out of themselves to make just a millimeter more space. The DLP did not enjoy when I zipped up this coat and would kick and push against it while I hated looking like a dead ringer for this guy:

 

Louielouie...

 

After what sounds to me to be the worst possible way to give birth, Trish & Adam welcomed this lil guy, Louis James, on January 20th. Thank goodness Joe's looking so comfortable holding a 2-day old as I'm currently not feeling quite so sure about all this....

A gift from one DLP to another

 

Nearly 10 years ago, I decided to 'take a break from college' and go to massage therapy school for a year. Luckily, my parents were supportive, and I started down a road that, in a lot of ways, has shaped my life. Within the first month of school, I was 'practicing' on a fellow student named Diane. We quickly realized we lived close to each other in South City and suddenly, I was giving her rides, eating delicious pastas in her cozy flat and adopting some of her more liberal ways. She jump started my first vegetarian stint and through her example, encouraged me to live my life more fully in countless ways.

It's pretty incredible that our lives are still weaved together through letters, sent between San Francisco and Romania to St. Louis and Zurich. She's pretty bad ass, working on kicking cancer for the second time in her mid-30s and finding time to make this beautiful gift for the DLP. Thank you Diane Louise Person, it's lovely. Or at least it is now, only time will tell once the other DLP gets their wet bottom, spit-up face and snotty nose all over it.

Life by the power of 2.

 

Here I am on October 5th. We are about to go out for a walk. And, I look happy about it. Probably because, at the time, I could still walk around this hilly ass city without getting winded. Details. I was exactly 13 weeks pregnant at the time. Ignorance really is bliss.

 

And in this one it's November 4. We're in week 17. I'm heartily partaking in some amazing chips which Karla brought to Barcelona, from London. Was definitely a bit bummed to not be able to partake in the Spanish wines with my ginger travelmates, but I felt consoled by tapas, and chips.

 

It's January 11, 27 weeks in. Most of you got to see this business live & in person sometime between 24-26 weeks. I'm definitely a bit shocked when I first see this photo. Seriously?! Seriously, I look like this? Cause how come none of you mentioned "You're HUGE!?" (oh wait, someone did tell me that...but I took her to be a crazy lady. In hindsight, I fear she was correct).

 

And today, January 25, 29 weeks. This is it folks. I will not subject you, but mostly myself, to this sideways photography again. I have not the heart for it. Honestly, looking at this photo makes me want to take a nap. It looks real tiring. Oh wait, yeah, it is.
My only consolation is that the DLP is getting huge right along with me. S/he is 2 weeks ahead of schedule size/growth-wise. Looks like I'm not the only D putting on the lbs.

The Zurich Winter Blues

Neither Joe nor I had even considered returning home to Zurich after our annual Christmas trip home to the US. It's never easy coming back here in January to overcast skies, long working days, and a car-free winter exsistence. However, this year was even more difficult than usual. I guess it hit us that next time we see you all, our lives will be utterly changed, the DLP will be here and we'll be parents. Holy shit. This still isn't quite sinking in.

As always, we had such a fabulous time in the US. Not too difficult considering we had two weeks off work, were spoiled with two fun baby showers, celebrated Christmas and New Years with family we adore, ate well, and generally loved life. The little people on both sides of our families are growing up so fast, and that’s when we really start to realize how much we miss out on. Charlotte, Kristin’s almost 3 year-old, put it best on the day we were flying out as I explained to her we wouldn’t be seeing her for a while because we live very far away. She said, ‘but I want you to stay.’ Trust me little lady, you weren’t the only one feeling that way.