Website Plug

This one is especially for the moms out there! A friend recently started a blog/online mag called Mom'n'Pop - tagline "Where Momhood and Pop Culture Meet." It's tons of fun! Check it out!

Back to Work for Pops

Will is now back to work after his two week stay-cation. We had a great time, and even some productive times. But maybe it's okay that he's done. Two weeks of daily Dad time and now Edie cries if you don't let her play with beer bottles. Sigh.

More Product Reviews: Muslin & Taggies

In my previous life as an attorney, unreluctant telephone answerer and otherwise autonomous human being, I was not a big shopper. Back in college, I frequented thrift stores and TJ Maxx'es, and of course shopping can be a fun diversion. But I am usually a more aggressive get-rid-of-er than consumer. As far as baby stuff goes, the bulk of it totally mystified me before I had a baby and though I questioned the need for this seemingly endless stuff, I acquiesced to getting the so-called essentials.

Then came Edie. And I learned that you actually can't have too many burp cloths. Seriously. You can't. I also learned who I was as a mom with this kid, and it wasn't "easy going." E fits the bill as, according to baby expert Dr. Weissbluth's eloquent definition, a "difficult baby." From about 2 weeks of age until not too long ago, she regularly spent hours a day crying. Nay, soul-crushingly wailing. Tired? Cries. Baths? Screams. Stroller? Shrieks. Activity mat? Melts down. Loud noise? Way, way, louder noise. I can't tell you what the sounds of my baby crying do me. My adrenaline rushes, my head clouds, and I can almost feel nauseous at times. To illustrate, in a moment I am not at all proud of, I told Will that I would "punch him in the face" if he again suggested we let her cry it out in the stroller. To be clear, there's never been any punching, face or otherwise, in this marriage, and Will did not fear for his safety. But this tells you the urgency I feel for making her calm down. Enter: stuff. Many an impulse buy has occurred in a weak attempt to purchase peace. But once in awhile, I am very happy with a product. So I thought I'd share.

One thing I didn't understand pre-E were security blankets (aka loveys). But when I saw my kiddo stroke her own hair or my soft sweater as she fell asleep, I got it. I decided to get one for stroller rides that might make her feel more comfortable and give her a calming activity as she learned how to nap in there. A brand called "Taggies" makes these brilliant security blankets and related toys, all of which have securely sewn, brightly colored, satin tags affixed to them. It's a color and texture sensation that Edie adores! The pic (of it and her )is after a miraculously successful stroller snooze.

The next is muslin. My mom bought E a gorgeous sleep sack to keep her cool on summer nights (no a/c in our Bavarian abode) and it is made out of muslin. I loved it so much, that I decided to see what else this company made. Turns out they make a few things, and swaddling blankets are one such thing. I bought two and they are fantastic! So light and airy, perfect for draping over the stroller to keep out bugs and sun while still letting the air in, and for about anything else you can think of. We use them all of the time now. The company is called Aden + Anais (my mom found their line at Buy Buy Baby), and I highly recommend it as unique but super useful shower gift. (Photo of Edie wrapped up and chewing on her muslin blankey).

To leave this post on a lighter note, I will add that once tempers cooled, Will laughed very heartily at me for my thuggish threat. A little too heartily. And most importantly, in spite of her temper, Edie is a sweet, smiley, snuggly (at times over-snuggled) baby who gets a little better at tolerating life's annoyances each passing week.

Off to the swimmin' hole

My brother, his fiancee and their three girls all came into town last week, staying in Munich for four days before rounding out their Euro-vacation with a trip to Zurich and then Paris. The weather was beyond lousy during their time here, which was acutely disappointing to the 12, 10 and 8 year old girls. As my niece Isobel solemnly explained to me "Where I'm from, it's Summer."

To beat the cold and rainy blues, we headed to one of Munich's many public swimming pools. This one had a massive indoor wave pool, an outdoor jacuzzi with massaging jets, and a warm parent/kiddie pool to boot. Edie had never been swimming before, so we decided to give it a shot. I was made more than a little nervous by all of the older children who were hurling themselves about, who I resolved to deflect with my feet if necessary to protect E. But I think that babystuff liked it!

Hooray for Hollywood!

The porch is now fully operational with the addition of a three-seater swing. After searching and contemplating over a patio set to purchase, we came to the non-compromise of not getting a patio set at all and instead buying a swing. Will first came up with the idea after running to our local bizarro-world Home Depot (called Hornbach; exactly like the 'Depot but with stranger advertisements) where he saw a couple swings. This led us on an exhaustive search throughout Munich for either a swing, or the mythical patio set of our dreams that we could not fully let go of.

At one store, we asked whether they had any Gartenschaukeln (Garten = yard; Schaukel = swing). He asked us if we meant Hollywoodschaukel, gesturing to a swing with a canopy. We said, ja, and he proceeded to explain the origin of the name, which, given my current state of German comprehension, sounded like this: "????? Hollywood ???? Ava Gardner und Humphrey Bogart ???? ??? ??? Hollywoodschaukel!"

Of course, after three trips, we ended up going with the very first swing we found at the store only one train stop away.

Given my new propensity to never stop swaying (moms, I know you hear me on this one), I find my swing very soothing. If this sunshine sticks around, it will get plenty of use.

A Government to Call Her Own

Edie has been in political limbo since birth, recognized as a citizen neither by the country she was born in nor the country she was incubated in. But today we finally took our stacks and stacks of paperwork to the U.S. Consulate in Munich and made her official. She won't get a birth certificate, but instead a Report of Live Birth Abroad. Sadly, E won't be able to run for president, and may have trouble filling out forms that ask for place of birth. But at least now she's got a passport on the way!

We had to get her photo in such a way that she was looking straight ahead and no one else was visible in the picture. This requires someone to drape a heavy cloth over themselves and then hold the baby for the shot. No small feat. We got it done in one try, which I credit to my experience as dressing up as Arthur the Aardvark for a mall job when I was 16 years old where people would shove babies into my three-fingered aardvark mitts. Babies that I couldn't see due to the massive aardvark helmet atop my shoulders. But I digress.

Because we got the picture done in one shot, we used the extra photo coins we'd brought to take a family photo. This was pre-one hour wait + one hour processing time + one tired infant. And that's how we'll remember the day.

E is for Elternzeit!

Will is currently on day two of his two week parenting leave (auf Deutsch = Elternzeit). And so far, he has taken it on the chin.

On day one, we decided to go patio furniture shopping. We have a beautiful, 350 square foot balcony that is home to a couple plastic bottles that Billy chews on and a clothes drying rack. Not impressive. So in my vast wisdom (which you could call ill-conceived impulsiveness, if you were a mean person), we headed out to an outdoor furniture store that I found on the internet. After a harrowing journey that took us to the southern most point of our subway line, then on a 4 km walk past strawberry farms, friendly horses and finally into an industrial wasteland, we arrive at a store that is both tiny and almost comically out of our price range. Add to that changing Edie on concrete steps (thank you, anti-microbial memory-foam changing pad), nursing her while walking and at a bus stop, we finally arrived home a frightening five minutes before her bed time. Oh, and somewhere on the way, Will gets stung on the neck by a bee. Yeeowzah.

Only 24 hours into his stay-cation, I think engineering-work is seeming a little less daunting. But this dad is determined to tough it out as a mom for the next two weeks. He will have earned his Fathers Day props.

Dog Days of Summer Dinner

Mimicking my daughter's temperament, the weather here in Munich has gone from cold to h-o-t hot in a matter of moments. This week has been sunny and sweltering, and since we have no air conditioning, we have to beat the heat in other ways. One of these ways is by not using the stove or oven. So what's a vegan gal with no nearby takeout options to do? I knew I had a lot of cooked chickpeas, so I did a little sleuthing and borrowed inspiration from a variety of sources to come up with what has, for the past two evenings, been a very tasty (and healthy) meal.

Recipe (amounts very much estimated)

2 cups chickpeas (smash them to desired consistency. or pop into a food processor for a few seconds)
2 stalks celery, minced
1/2 to 1 red bell pepper, minced
handful of walnuts, finely chopped
1 T tamari (or soy sauce or shoyu)
1 t of your best mustard
1 t apple cider vinegar (another mild vinegar would do)
2 T vegenaise (or mayo, if that's what you've got)
1/8 C nooch (aka nutritional yeast; adds a nutty, cheesy flavor and is chock full of vitamin B. Omit if you must.)
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix it all together, eat it on a crusty baguette, serve with a big salad and Alkoholfrei Bier, and you've got yourself a tasty, no-heat meal! (Or, for Arrested Development fans, in the immortal words of Carl Weathers, "Baby, you've got a stew going!") Guten Appetit!

One Needs a Brain, the Other Some Courage... and a Little Extra Brain Wouldn't Hurt

Having a baby has shown me that (1) caring for dogs is infinitely easier than kids, and (2) dealing with dogs along with a baby will often make for straws-breaking-my-camel-back situations. And these two have been in just rare form lately.

First, Sugar. I took them both on a run one morning off leash through the English Gardens. It was an unusually nice morning and so the park was full. We passed through a gaggle of dogs, which led to much canine chicanery. Billy made it out of the fray, and ran to catch up with me. I noticed that Sugar, however, had fallen far behind. So I turn to look. No Sugar. I begin to start back and then I see her. Relieved, I call her name, she perks up, decides that the voice is coming from behind her, turns around and runs as fast as she can. Away from me. So I begin to chase my dog as countless confused onlookers gesture to me that my tiny poodle is running like a possessed squirrel in the opposite direction. The more I call her name, the more desperately she sprints. Yesterday she fell behind in a different park but instead of running away from me, she simply gave up on life and sat at the feet of some women on a bench, forcing me to lure my own dog away from two strangers.

Then Billy. A dog whose fear of storms causes him to pant outside my armoire until I clear out my shoes and let him in. He is not afraid of making me look like an idiot, though. Billy proved this by stealing a bun from a picnic two days back. He was caught in the act by the bread's rightful owner, and he was yelled at by me, but it still took hours for that dopey grin to fade from his face.

In conclusion, two gently used poodles for sale. All reasonable offers will be considered.

Summertime, And the Livin' is Easy (right after naps and when we're fed)

After a month of rain, the sun is starting to peek through now and again. So, Edie and I went to the park with a few ex pat moms to bask in the rays. And by "bask" I mean we stayed entirely in the shade. But we could see the sun.

E tried on a pair of kiddie shades and she knew she looked goooooood.

Happy Four Month Birthday, Edie!

Last Saturday, Edie turned four months old. The weather was good for a change (why didn't anyone warn us that Munich was basically a cold swamp?) so we headed out as a family with our big girl. We finally made it out to the single Mexican foods shop in the city. Mexican food in general is just bad here; I have borne witness both to paprika flavored corn chips as well as unrefrigerated jars of guacamole. But this store was the real thing, albeit itty-bitty.

Afterward, we stopped off at a quickie Asian restaurant for some tofu red curry, and reminisced about how fast time has gone. Edie now sleeps through the night, never naps in our bed with us, and is engaged in the world around her. Where did the time go? Then, like an answer from the heavens, E kicked it old school and began to shriek like she was 6 weeks old again. She kept it up through most of two train rides, finally falling asleep ten minutes before we got home. We felt a little better about her growing up after that.

LOLbabeez II

Back by popular demand....

"Actually, 'cool' isn't the description I'd use for this, Ma. 'Like a freaky alive totem pole' is."

"Sigh. Can you get Henderson on the line for me? There's no way I'll be able to finish his Duckie report by this afternoon. I just got this wooden pyramid project thrown at me and it's going to take awhile to make sure it's saliva-proof."

"Panda, this is as hard to say as it is to hear: You're drunk. Now just give me the keys."