The Only Way to Travel

Will, E and I just got back from our weekend away. We had to choose between plane or train (as we have no automobile) for our getaway, and decided on train. For our departure trip, Will reserved the "kleine Kinder" (small children) car for an extra 6 euros. I didn't know what this would entail, and I was deeply concerned that it meant that we just paid 6 euros to sit in a confined space wherein an orchestra of babies make each other scream louder and louder. I might have mentioned this concern to my husband, politely and deferentially, of course, about 9 or 12 times.

Man oh man, was I wrong. The kleine Kinder car is the only way to travel with babies, come to find out. It's basically your own little apartment, with space for your stroller, a table, long bank of seats for baby to spread out, a changing table, and glass doors for a bit of privacy. So you can feel free to do whatever it takes to keep that baby happy, whether it's suffer through the I-don't-wanna-nap fussing, or making faces and noises that you are not proud of just to make her laugh. It was bliss. In fact, for future trips, we've decided that the availability of the kleine Kinder car will dictate our destination. We also decided that our future trip won't be for a little while. So. very. tired.

[photos of mom, dad & banana stuffed e enjoying the peace and isolation of our train home-away-from-home.]

Travel Series #1: Mittenwald!

Edie took her first trip outside of Munich last weekend. Sad, but true. Finances and general new parent lily-liveredness have kept us stationary. But with our friend in town, we (mostly "I") took a deep breath, faced our fears, and traveled with baby.

Our destination was the Alpine town of Mittenwald. Points of interest: Elaborate murals on many of the buildings, tiny Catholic shrines hidden in the forest, waterfalls, and streams that run through the town - streams that are far lovelier when you don't inspect them too closely as they are all too frequently victims of litterbugs. Lost points: no Starbucks, or any other coffee shop open on Saturday afternoons. Boo. But it is truly a unique and picturesque town.

Best news is, of course, that we live to speak of this trip. E managed two cat naps, rendering her keyed up and slaphappy on the two hour train ride back. She talked the. entire. way. home. Thank goodness she's cute. I bounced her on my knee, aimed her at some ladies, and she babbled happily (and somewhat frantically) at her captive audience.

I write this as we embark on our first ever weekend out of town tomorrow morning. Three nights in a hotel, 4.5 hour train trip. Say a little prayer for us. Call me crazy, but I'm looking forward to it!

A taste of life in the baby lane

Our good friend Dave made his way to Munich this week and has spent his visit sampling the local flavors and getting a hearty dose of baby love. E can't get enough of him. And we decided not to give Dave a vote on whether he's gotten enough. If Queen Baby says she likes you, then your fate is sealed.

Will and Dave met in the University of Michigan dorms, where Will and I met as well. They both studied engineering, though Will's an electrical engineer while Dave is in aerospace (so, an electrician and a rocket scientist, if you will). These two have known each other for a long time, and as their college colleague, let me say that they can't exactly party like they used to. Well, at least the Dad half of the duo can't. Oh how the times have changed.

On his first full day here, Will had to go to work so Dave hit the streets with me 'n' E. Our day started off by not starting at all, and instead feeding E breakfast and then putting her down for a nap and waiting. When she awoke, our happy trio set off to see the town. But first, stopping in at H&M to buy tiny shoes for a tiny person who has learned how to pull off her tiny socks and litter them throughout the city.

Then, at last, we showed Dave a few of Munich's sites - Viktualienmarkt and a bit of the Aldstadt. Lunch was devoured at the only joint with decent falafels that I've uncovered in these parts, and Edie was a big (and sloppy) fan of this meal. After E was carried around the market for as long as her heart desired, Dave assisted in the less glamorous side of parenting - that is, amusing little ones on the train ride home.

Bananas for Bananas

Bananas are the new super food in the house. There is no frown that can't be turned upside down with a nanner. But would you believe that these things stain? If your loved ones don't frequently grind banana into their clothing and then expect you to clean it, then you might not know this. It is, however, all too true, I've found.

Banana fun fact: monkeys open them from what we consider the bottom of the banana. If you pinch the end, it will usually open nicely and bruise your snack a lot less. Give it a shot, and wow your friends and co-workers!

Willkommen, Miki!

Our first stay-in visitor left this morning, having survived his stint as our experimental house guest. Miki and Will are friends from Will's Stanford days. They began as randomly assigned office mates and ended up being the only Electrical Engineering duo with an 8 x 10 buddy photo on their door. An ocean isn't enough to come between these two.

During his one night stay, questions oft pondered were answered: Can anyone but us actually get enough sleep to live in this place? (Will and I survive 80% on love, you see. Plus, deliriously tired is our normal.) How can one be a gracious host while at the same time parent a baby whose only room to play in is the very room the guests will sleep in? (Answer: bring the guest coffee in bed and smile a lot.) Will our no-go life style kill the vacation mojo of our go-go visitors? (First guest is a dad of 3 year old twins who was in the midst of grant writing, so his energy level was compatible with ours. So results on this are pending.)

E couldn't get enough of her new pal, even accompanying him to a street fair a half an hour past her bedtime without a fuss. Whadda girl! Have a safe trip home, Uncle Miki. You're welcome back any time!

Slow news week...

Not much to report from these parts. Edie is teething like crazy, and doing so in an unpredictable order. She's currently bypassing front teeth and working on an left upper incisor and a right lower incisor. Going for a bulldog look, apparently.

We're gearing up for visitor season! We've got three or four sets of folks coming this month. During Oktoberfest, as it were, which is in September. An event that draws over 6 million visitors to a city of just over 1 million for days and days of drinking. Only the Germans with their rigid intolerance of tomfoolery could host such an event without catastrophe.

...Other than that, I bought some rain boots. They are red... So, on that thrilling note, enjoy the sad clown picture of Edie up way past her bedtime, getting a daddy cuddle while the baby Tylenol kicks in.

7 Months Old!

Well, we're one day past the half year mark and so Edie is officially into month seven of her baby regime. Her one little lady government rules with a tiny iron fist and her propaganda campaign of smiles and snuggles have left us thinking that this is the life we wanted anyhow. Here are a few updates:

1) Edie getting all international. Before this month she'd met German and American babies. But now that she's befriended some Australians, I think E's officially become a global tot. Will and I had fun with the Aussies as well, and I managed to only geek-out once about how cool I thought marsupials were. Imagine, a country full of evolution's "try again" pile! And they're cute!

2) We survived the Saga of the Missing Mom. Five days away from my kiddo was rough. But rougher on me than her. Up until my departure, we'd tried a once per week Daddy-as-Mommy trial when my nagging self would leave the house to eliminate the chance for hen-peckery and Will would do the bedtime thing. It did not go well. Not once in the six weeks we attempted it did she do anything but lose her little mind. One day after my departure, however, duly convinced I was gone forever, Edie was an angel for her Dad. I recommended that Will at least gaze longingly at a photo of me for five or ten minutes in Edie's presence so that no one lost sight of what was what. Alas, he did not, and though it made me feel a tiny bit fungible, I was overwhelmingly relieved and happy that those two had such a great week.

Interesting update, a week after I'd returned, we decided to let Dad put E down so I could go to yoga class. Verdict: if I am in Munich, Edie knows. And while I am in her jurisdiction, I'd best be in that rocking chair come bedtime.

3) Sitting up unassisted: check back next month. She's almost there!

4) Toes are the new thumbs!

Edie has been sucking her thumb for awhile now, and has recently discovered that her plump big toes offer an amusing and delightful change of pace for her self-soothing needs.