The birthday weekend has begun. For some reason I am really excited to celebrate Bea’s birthday and to spoil her. Maybe it’s because I feel like we have asked a lot from her this past year. Maybe it’s because I am just getting into the fun of anticipating something big with a little kid. Or maybe it’s because we don’t really give her that much for Christmas because she gets so much good stuff from her grandparents and I just feel like doing some shopping now. Anyway – we had a mini birhday party with her friend Owain on Thursday. She took cupcakes to her playgroup today. And we have a whole bunch of birthday centered activities planned for the weekend.
Yesterday Claire started saying Da da da. I find it so cute. She starts out just moving her mouth and then the sound comes out – kinda like the roadrunner’s legs move before he actually starts running. Now I’m addicted to her little babble and I’ve spent the whole day saying da da and waiting for her to say it back. Brian, of course, thinks he has won the first word contest. I told him if you think da is a word then we can’t forget waayaaaaahaaa which she has been saying for ages.
I was instantly reminded of when Bea started saying da.
Can it be that 365 days have passed since we came to our new home here in Switzerland? So many thoughts swirl around in my head when I think about that first day and all that has happened since. I feel thankful that Brian brought me to this beautiful place where we’ve been able to have a year so full of new experiences.
Here’s Bea moments after we arrived. She’s delighted because she has just been reunited with her comforter and her crib and all her toys. Our apartement was, of course, instantly our home when we were all together in this space.
Here is the weekend adventure – this time to a little town near Germany and the Rhein River. Captions by Bea.
She took blankie with her. This is the castle. They climbed up it and it was a long way up. And Daddy was tired. And at the top Daddy was still tired.
This is the city. And Daddy carried her all the way up the hill.
This is her shadow and Daddy took a picture to show Mommy.
The castle is up at the top of the town. They got Mommy a flower for Valentine’s Day.
Here she’s walking – she’s pretending to be a baby chick.
This is a kitty and she told Daddy that it was just pretend and Daddy petted the kitty. The kitty licked her (pretend licked).
This picture is one that Daddy took. She was in the castle. In the castle were lots and lots of stairs. They went to the very top and saw more stairs. And then they went back down.
This is a picture… (no caption she got distracted by her legos)
Daddy got her a sucker.
This is Bea eating – she had noodles and Daddy had a little pizza (quiche). There were lots and lots of people. And she had apple juice.
They had a long train ride and they both fell asleep on the train all the way home and then they were home.
This project is definitely in the category of Mommy gets as much or more fun out of it as Bea. I’ve been making doll clothes for Bea’s birthday. I used Simplicity pattern #5215 and a shirt and pants pattern from a blogger. It’s been such fun making these because they are fairly quick. I’m able to use the littlest scraps of fabric and I choose fabrics without agonizing over which ones I should use. It’s a bit of a test of my sewing skills and neatness as the smallness makes any little flaws or loose threads stand out. I’m surprised Bea hasn’t noticed and wondered why she wakes up every morning and her baby dolls are naked and in a different spot than where she left them. Now I just need to find or make some itty bitty dolly shoes.
Brian got back from a trip to the US yesterday. This trip seemed especially long because we were expecting him on Sunday and then he had to stay through Wednesday. The girls and I went to pick him up at the airport. Before he arrived we went to the Zurich airport’s observation deck. It was very nice – even on a cloudy day. You have to go through security and take a bus ride, but once your there it’s worth it because you’re right in the middle of the the runways and there’s a merry-go-round too.
Back at home the sun was out and everyone was smiling.
– She sleeps with her cheek on her hand often and then she wakes up with a hand print on her face. Brian does this too.
– Brian calls her fuzzy head
– She is so quick to smile and laugh. Often she’ll spontaneously start giggling when I’m pushing her in the stroller, as if I said something really funny.
– She can scoot around on the floor a bit now – but she only moves backwards. She hasn’t really gotten her legs under her for crawling quite yet.
– She is slowly – ever so slowly – getting the hang of eating. I set a container of yogurt within her reach the other day and she dumped it in her lap. She likes strawberry yogurt.
– She has two teeth on the bottom now.
– She’s at that stage where I can set her down on the floor wherever I am and I know that she won’t crawl away. It’s nice to be able to put her next to the washer and do a little laundry, set her by the door when we are putting coats and shoes on or put her on the floor of the bathroom while I brush my teeth.
– Bea is always asking when will Claire be able to do this or that. Like “when will Claire be able to eat pizza?”
– She can be really loud, not when she is upset but when she is happy. She lets out these long growly screams. Last night Bea and Claire and I sat inside a blanket fort and Claire thought it was so neat she just kept shrieking. Then we would laugh at her and she would do it some more.
– When I’m looking into her eyes and enjoying her happy personality I try to be in the moment and remember the moment at the same time because I know this babyhood is all happening so fast.
– There is another baby in the house. It’s Bea’s blanket – she treats it like I treat Claire. Dressing it up, feeding it, holding and talking to it. And she seems to tell me about her baby blankie non-stop all day long. Blankie had to have his… or her picture taken on the calendar too.
I have a bad habit of staying up way too late when Brian is traveling. I dozed off for 20 minutes while Claire was napping and Bea was coloring today. After a while I got up and said to Bea "time for Mommy to wake up".
I let Bea take some photos this morning and she completely documented our home. Here are a few of the less blurry ones.
Beloved blankie
Baby baby
We have so many itty bitty items
We also seem to have lots of kids crafts around the house – like these fuzzy rocks
Messy magnet board in the kitchen
Dirty dishes
A fishy scene that Bea and I made for her bedroom window
In my pajamas… still
We’re trying to grow and avocado
Ooooh – don’t go in that sewing room. I’ve been making doll clothes and not picking up after myself. It’s best to just close the door until I’ve finished my project.
Laowai 