Puzzle Champ

I am so proud of Sofia. She has just completed her first 24-piece puzzle! I was at Long's Drugs with her today and had picked it up, thinking that even though she's very much into puzzles lately (she's just "graduated" to floor puzzles about a week ago) that she would still a bit too young to complete it (it says 3+ on the box). She was very excited when I told her that it was a puzzle and she wanted to get to it right away. I only had to help her a little bit, like telling her to turn the shape to make it fit, or to look for the characters to try and fit them all together. And she did it! Not once did she get upset or frustrated! I personally, love puzzles and I'm so happy that she is into them as well. Looking forward to many rainy day puzzle days with her!!

Sofia's Special Star

The dreadful day, the day that I was trying to avoid for the past few days has finally arrived. Here goes the story of the passing of our first family pet, and having to explain it to my daughter Sofia ( almost 2.5 years old).

One of our guinea pigs, Pirate, died last week. She was old, about 7 years, which is ancient for those critters. I knew it was coming because she had been acting weird for about two days. I noticed one morning, that she wasn't able to hold her head up for very long without it bobbing around, and she wasn't eating much anymore either. I think she may have even suffered a stroke. Then, the day of, she refused to eat AND drink (I even tried to put water into her with a syringe but she wouldn't). She was also starting to get seizures, which was not a pretty sight :( . I covered the cage up a little after I put her into a padded shoebox, so she wouldn't hurt herself, and to be safe from the other pigglet we still have, so Sofia wouldn't see her. She died soon after. Luckily, it happened while Sofia was taking her nap, so I could really take care of her (the guinea pig) in her final hours.

I couldn't bear telling Sofia right after, and thought it would be best to not bring it up, unless she did on her own. Well, the dreaded day finally arrived today. She was painting on her little table in the kitchen and when she turned to put one of her art pieces on the big table (where the cage is), I suddenly heard her say, "Where is the guinea pig?" I pretended I didn't hear her right away so she repeated herself once more and spoke very clearly, as clearly an almost 2 1/2 year old can speak. So I took her into my arms, and this is how the conversation went:

Me: Remember when I told you that Pirate was very old and not feeling well anymore?

Sofia: 'nodding'

Me: Well, Pirate became a little star and is up in heaven now. And tonight, when we go to bed, we can say hello to her!

Sofia: I'm sad. (as she's leaning on my chest, with tears welling up)

Me: I'm very sad, too, sweetie, but she is in a really nice place now and she is all better! And whenever we want to talk to her, we can!

Sofia: (looking up in the sky, waiving) Hi Peanutpirate (her way of saying her name)! She's all better now. She's up in 'evan', up in the sky!

Me: Yeah, hi there! (waving as well)

Sofia: Peanutpirate all, better now. She's up in 'evan', up in the sky. (repeating it over and over again, for about a minute or so)

It just melted my heart, when I heard her talk about it and explain it in her own words. I knew the subject wasn't resolved, but at least started and I was glad she took it relatively well.
Later on that day, when we drove to music class, she waved to the sky and said "hello peanutpirate!" I heard her tell my friend about it and then she brought it up again on our way home. Each time I acknowledged it, but made sure to only talk about it as much as she would let me.

Then, Joe told me just now, that when he turned off the lights in her room, she looked up to her stars on the ceiling, and said "look at the stars, papa, pretty!" and I'm sure it was another way of her processing.
Suddenly, the song "Twinkle, twinkle little star" has become a whole new meaning to her, I'm sure...

The "star story" was adopted from my mom. She uses it with my sister's kids whenever an animal dies and for all the animals (and people) that have passed on. Every now and then, they want to look at the stars, find "theirs" and connect. I realized that saying anything else, explaining anything more, would have probably confused Sofia much more. I was glad I could use something that was easy for her to understand.

It was the first tough subject I had to talk to her about and I'm sure it's only the beginning, but I hope I did a decent job.

I think it's actually a very nice way of remembering the people and animals that are no longer with us. Sometimes I, too, look up to the moon and the stars and I remember them, wondering what they are doing right now. And maybe one day, when you're feeling down, you will look up into the night sky as well, and find your very own, special star you can talk to, and maybe it will make you feel better, too.

No Time For Mommy To Be Sick!

CAUTION: DON'T READ IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH!

Well, sorry for the hyatus...I've been under the weather. My daughter decided to pick up another bug last week! A Rota virus to be exact. Mind you, she didn't do it on purpose, nor did she intend to give it to me or Joe, but it happened and so we were all out the last weekend!
On Thursday morning I took her to the doctor for another issue, and while we were driving there, she got sick in the car. Poor thing didn't know what hit her, it totally caught her (and of course myself) by surprise. I pulled over immediately, and saw that she acutally managed to throw up into her lovies, what a trooper! Luckily I had an extra undershirt with me to change her into, but no sweater, so I just turned up the heat in the car, cleaned her up as much as I could and continued driving to the pediatrician. We even made it there in time. She was fine until after the visit, when she decided she didn't want to leave, nor sit in her car seat. She just kind of listlessly hung out in the car and no bribing helped to get her back into her seat. That's when I knew something was up, so I opened the windows for fresh air, and just held her for a while. All of a sudden, she said "here it comes again" and I was just in time to hold a towel in front of her so that she could puke in it. When she was done, she said "I feel better now, let's go home!" I just wanted to cry, because she sounded so grown up! Gosh, I LOVE this little one!

Well, you may have guessed, this wasn't the end of it. We had a rough day on Friday, stayed in and just pretty much spent the day doing laundry, and going to the bathroom a lot. Later on that day, I started to feel a little queasy, but was hopeful it was only in my mind. It wasn't. Sofia only threw up twice after that, and both times it landed on me... I don't think I have ever experienced anything more gross in my life! But, what can you do? You don't show it and you praise your baby for letting it all out! That's what you do. Then you take of your clothes, wash yourself off, and hope for the best. You also don't get sick. Because mommies can't be sick, they have to hold up the fort, and keep on doing what they do. Like getting up the next morning, after you've had the worst night of your life with cold sweats and other things I can and will not mention for your own good, to tend to your little one, while husbands sleeps until noon (because he too caught the bug and was up all night). To give him some credit; he did get up a couple of times for Sofia to change her after she had soiled herself involuntarily during her sleep, right before he then got sick as well.

We all were able to take a nap on Saturday afternoon, but it was me (and Sofia) who went out to get some groceries that would hopefully help speed up the health of our intestinal bug, while hubby continued to sleep... He finally got up when we got back, took a shower and was somewhat useful.

On Sunday we finally started to feel a little better, after having a relatively good night's rest, and even managed to go to the Famer's Market. Even though it was my turn to sleep in, dear hubby and baby woke me up at 10am to get ready for the Market. While I was silently cursing him out for having woken me up, I later was glad to get some fresh air into my system and enjoyed the time with them very much! It was also Joe's birthday on Sunday, yeah, great timing to be sick. Needless to say, that we weren't in the mood for celebrating. We barely were able to sing "Happy Birthday" to him! I felt bad, on top of everything else. I promised him a Do-Over next weekend, which all in all will work out just soooo much better for all of us. So hang in there, honey! You will get your Birthday celebration, I promise!

All is so much better now, even though we're still trying to keep Sofia's bowels under control. But man, it was quite the weekend!

The lesson I've learned during all of this? Don't get sick. Ever. And if you do, continue with what you're suppose to be doing, especially if everybody else is sick, too. But most of all: Be thankful that you are this strong individual who can take it, and of course be thankful that this, too, WILL pass!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY honey, I love you! ;o)

Helloooo 2009!

Wow! It's 2009 dude! I can't believe it's already January. Christmas and New Year have come and gone, and so has my husband's time off :o( I like having him around, because we get to do things together, duh. Yes, but also, we get to work on the house, which we did. We painted the hallway green. I know, it sounds kinda weird, but I actually like it. Of course it would look much better if there were better lighting, a nice rug, and maybe some art, but hey, it's a start. You'd like to see our handiwork? OK, I'll post a picture:




Christmas was really nice. It was so much fun to introduce Sofia to the whole Santa story, and she really enjoyed making cookies for him and put them out on a plate together with a glass of milk and a carrot for the reindeer. You guys should have seen her face the next morning when she saw that they were gone, and instead there were presents! When it was time to unwrap the presents, she made sure we each had one to open. It was so nice to see that she wanted to share, which all of you who have toddlers at home know, is unheard of! It warmed my heart and it made it that much more special to me. Then, in the afternoon we had some friends over for Christmas dinner. We made a ham and potatoes and our friends brought something to share. It was nowhere near the event we had for Thanksgiving, but I so enjoyed to have them here and share some of the holiday spirit. We also had a good discussion about religion and what to do when you have children. Joe and I are spiritual, but not dedicated to one religion, and we both want Sofia to grow up exploring this subject herself and figure out where she feels comfortable. It is something that we both need to spend some more time discussing, and exploring and I look forward to doing that together with our daughter!



At this point, I'd also like to acknowledge some sadder news; after Christmas we learned that Joe's grandmother of 97 had passed away. She had a very rich life, living on a farm in Connecticut, being a teacher and a mother of two warm, loving and most of all caring daughters. After her health had declined, those two women took in upon themselves to care for her, which was a 24-hour job in itself. They made sure she was well cared for until she peacefully passed away in her sleep. I am very proud of them, because I know how much work it is to care for an elderly person.
So Joe flew out there for four days for the funeral. The poor guy was sick going and even sicker coming home! But we were glad he was able to go and be a moral support for his mom. It was nice having some time to myself, but I have to say I wouldn't want to be alone for longer than that. As for Great-grandma Margret, I'm positiv she is in a good place now, where she can enjoy all the things again that she couldn't do anymore here on earth. We love you and miss you!

Alright. So now that we've moved into 2009, I am, of course wondering, what it has in store for us: will it be a pet? a vacation? some more home improvements? a brother or sister for Sofia? Who knows. All I hope for is that all of us will stay healthy and the rest will fall into place by itself, I'm sure.

So thanks for being in my life, all of you! I look forward to doing lots of fun things this year, watch our daughter grow up, and cherish family and friends.

Spreading the Christmas Cheer

ENJOY!
Merry Christmas, and a healthy and prosperous New Year to everyone!




PS: This is NOT our house ;o)

Sami Niggi Naeggi

Last Saturday, December 6th, I was lucky to take Sofia to meet the "Samichlaus" for the first time. Samichlaus is the Swiss version of Santa and he comes on December 6th. I had bummped into another Swiss lady at the grocery store, who heard me speak Swiss to Sofia and so she approached us and invited us to come to this event. It was hosted by the Peninsula Swiss Club When we got there, there were already quite a few Swiss kiddies running around, and all I could think of was, how cool it was to be able to have Sofia experience a true Swiss tradition. Something I grew up with I get to share now with her, all the way over here in the States! I have to admit, I got a little choked up at the thought. Before Sofia was born, I never thought of joining a Swiss club, because I didn't feel the need. But now that I have her, it just makes sense. It's really wonderful, because they also host a Fondue night and an Easter egg hunt in April, as well as the traditional 1. of August celebration, which is something like 4th of July.
Here she is meeting the "Samichlaus":




At home (in Switzerland), he comes on December 6th, usually once it's dark, and nocks on your door, or you might hear a bell ring somewhere in the distance. If you're lucky, he's alone, but sometimes he'll bring his helper the "Schmutzli" who's dressed in a brown robe rather than a red one, and he'll help Samichlaus take you away to work with him in the woods, if you were naughty during the year. I know, it's pretty scary. He also carries a big golden book with him, where he reads about everything you've done during the year, good and bad. Usually, he makes you recite a poem or sing/play a song, too, so adding to the already existing nervousness you'll have performance anxiety as well! He'll usually give you a good scare, but of course he'll always say, that you've been good and then gives you a little bag filled with nuts, chocolates, and mandarines and then he leaves again. As you can tell, he's not really the jolly, big, white haired man, with plump red cheeks and a friendly smile on his face!

Ah yes, I have fond memories of being scared $#!%less the day of and freaking out because I had said bad things about him...my mom still teases me with it and I'm sure once Sofia is old enough, she'll get to hear that story, too! It's all good, because in the end Good always prevails, and the kids catch on to it very fast.

She also got to taste a "Grittibaenz", which is basically a sweet bread dough, shaped into a little boy figure and decorated with raisins, little sugar drops, and almonds. In this picture she's eating the one she got that day and this made me want to make our own. So I think this weekend we have to have a "Grittibaenz" baking day!



Ah yes, the holidays are great when you have children. I can already tell, that this year it will be more than ever about unwrapping presents and we've started the tradition already with an Advent Calendar for her. I bought cute little holiday boxes and filled them with little goodies and small toys. And each morning the first thing I hear is "Open number two, mommy?" because that was the first box she got to open (No, it DOES start on December 1st, you're right, I just wasn't ready that day...so we started on the 2. instead), and even thought we've been telling and teaching her about the numbers and that they change each day as we approach Christmas, she still calls it the #2 box, very cute! We give her a square that has the same number on it and she gets to find the box by comparing the two numbers. That way she'll have to work for her present a little, too ;o). She loves it too, she can't wait to find the right number and color (I also color coded, to make it a little easier for her). It's fun for her, and we get a kick out of it too, I have to say. But I'm already worried about what will happen once there aren't any more boxes left... so I've been prepping her already that once Christmas is here, there won't be anymore boxes after that. We'll see how it goes. Here is a picture of her Advent Calendar:




I'll be sure to post some pictures of our Grittibaenz bake day soon, so come back to see them! Until then I say toodles and stay warm!

B

'Tis The Season To Be Thankful

Whew, a lot has happened the past two and a half weeks! Where to begin? Maybe I'll list them first and explain later:

~Sofia got a nasty virus on the 14th
~Getting Sofia potty trained
~A nice date with Joe
~Having Joe home for a week and Thanksgiving
~My sister's 30th birthday
~Painting the dining room

So on the 14th, Sofia got really whiny and clingy, and I thought to myself 'She must be going through one of her "separation anxiety/teething" spells. But it got worse and on Sunday we took her in to see the pedi, which was a good thing! She had stopped eating, didn't want to drink her milk, had sleepless nights, and was generally just not herself. I was worried, thinking that maybe she was getting another ear infection, because she was also running a cold at the same time.
I also thought that maybe she was acting up, because I decided to potty train her that same weekend. I know! Great timing, mom!! I don't know, I just thought 'Hey, I have a whole weekend availabe (completely disregarding the fact that I had signed up for hosting free play at Gym Ventures, being invited to two birthday parties for Sofia, AND having planned a date movie with Joe that Sunday, but what the hay...) and for those of you who have gone through potty training know, that once you start, you CAN'T stop!
So we took her in Sunday and the guy looks at her and said "Oh yeah, she has a virus! It's all in her mouth (little red blisters with a white center, gross I know TMI!) and a red rash all over her body. What kind of virus he didn't say. Umm, ok. Maybe I could have asked, but right then and there I was just glad it wasn't another ear infection. So much later I learn she had what's called, Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease! Not Foot and Mouth Disease, apparently that's only for animals like cattle and such. No wonder she was feeling like $#!& poor baby! He said, there was nothing we could do, other than giving her lots to drink, avoiding anything spicy or sour, and maybe give her Tylenol/Motrin. My mom had a good idea to give her Chamomile tea, to swish around in her mouth. The problem was, how do you teach a two year old to swish liquid in her mouth? You can't. So she ended up swallowing it, which wasn't a bad thing altogether, but she got tired of the taste fast, which I didn't blame her for.
She's all better now, thank goodness, but I had to keep her home for a week, because she was considered contagious.
And what ever happened to the potty training, you wonder? She is diaper free during the day since that weekend!! What a trooper!

Joe and I got to go on our date afternoon the following Sunday, the 23rd. We saw "Quantum of Solace" the new James Bond. I won't go into detail, because I'm not a film critic. I'm easy to please. Anything that will get me out of the house together with my husband and without Sofia, is fabulous, no matter what, because it's just so darn rare!! It was great, we had a wonderful time, and got to have Turkey at our friends house afterwards! What friend babysits AND cooks dinner for you anyways? That's just the best of both worlds! Thanks again Andi and Ken!!

Then, I was blessed having Joe at home for a whole week! I enjoy having him around for obvious reasons, but waking up knowing we get to spend the whole day together again and again is really precious to me. Plus, Thanksgiving was near, so we got to go shopping for a turkey and all the trimmings together and set the house up for our guests! I cooked my first turkey (with Joe's help), made my own stuffing and cranberry sauce, and Joe made two pumpkin pies! We were 12 people altogether. I invited my new Swiss friends Birgit and Angela (they are sisters), too. It was very nice, like celebrating a real American tradition with a little bit of Switzerland!

I am still in shock, that my sister has turned 30 on the 24th of November! My little sister is growing up! Isn't it funny that even with her having been married way before me and having three (!) kids already, doesn't make her seem more grown up as realizing she turned 30? And how funny does that sound "turning 30". You don't "turn" older, but you turn a certain age...we just say "became 30", I think it's a much nicer way of saying, but that's just me. Anyway, we called her and sang 'Happy Birthday", especially Sofia, who loved it, and I sent her beautiful flowers, which she was excited about, so it's all good! I mean, she's in Switzerland, it's always harder to do something nice, especially if you're a person like me, who waits until the last minute! Thank god for the internet, is all I can say!

The last bit we did together that week, was painting our dining room, and though it's a lot darker in there now (we still don't have lighting set up) I absolutely love it! It's so much warmer and cozier and it looks a lot more sophisticated now! Joe said, it now looks like we actually live in here, rather than just stay...very true! How do you like the new do?





Joe also put up our Christmas lights this past weekend and again, we're in competition with our fellow neighbors! Some of them go really crazy with their decor, and I love it! I like our white lights but I can already tell that we need to maybe add a little something to it. Or not, either way, I love taking a walk in the dark around the neighborhood now with Sofia and look at all the decorations!

So there you have it. Long post, but what do you expect when you don't write for two weeks??
Love, Bettina