Neighbors

One of the greatest blessings that we have had while living in Germany has come in the form of our neighbors.  They are native English speakers hailing from North America!  While I realize that having English speakers next door does very little to further my knowledge of the German language or culture, I must say that it is really nice to be able to know what someone is saying throughout the day.  Another nice thing about our neighbors is that they have two little boys... one of whom happens to be about 6 weeks older than Abigail.  My neighbor and I are frequently back and forth at each others back doors, so the litte ones have figured out that something good is on the other side of the wall!  When I was cooking dinner the other night, over toddled little 11-1/2 month old.  We brought Abbey over so they could get a good look at each other.

Frühlingsfest

Last Sunday was the Frühlingsfest for our town.  It is also known as "Verkaufsoffener Sonntag."  One of the unique things about living in Germany (and a few other European countries) is that almost all business are closed on Sunday.  Pretty much the only exception to this rule (actually it's a law) are restaurants.  Two times a year our town has "Verkaufsoffener Sonntag", essentially "Shops open Sunday," one time to celebrate "Frühling" (Spring) and one time to celebrate "Herbst" (Fall).  These festivals are quite the ordeal!  There are a ton of people on the Hauptstrasse (main street) and a lot of game booths and snack stands.  And it's so nice to be able to shop!  I actually bought mozzarella cheese and fresh produce on a Sunday! 

I was actually a bit under the weather and it was raining, so we weren't able to spend as much time enjoying the festivities as we had hoped, but very little can keep me from shopping on a Sunday when it only happens twice a year! 

Abbey and food

Some of you might have heard me mention how much Abigail loves her food.  It is really amazing.  I don't have another kid to compare her to, so who knows, maybe it's normal! 

The other morning I decided to document her breakfast intake.  Below is a picture of our meal.  We both ate oatmeal.  My bowl is on the left and her bowl is on the right.  I would say she had a cup and a quarter of cooked oatmeal and then about 100 grams (~1/2 cup) of strawberry yogurt.  I had about a cup of oatmeal. 

Not only did she finish that, but I ended up adding the rest of the jar of yogurt (another 60 grams) to her meal.  Wow! 

She is a growing girl!  She has also been known to eat an entire sweet potato, baked apple or pear after finishing her dinner!  You certainly wouldn't guess that she only weighs 15.6 pounds (7.1 kg).

Abigail Playing Soccer

Or Football, if you prefer!  She started kicking her toys around a few days ago.  Today at church she was "walking" around kicking this ball, so I decided I had to record the event first-hand.  Forgive the slowness in the video starting out... I had to set the camera up on a tripod!

To watch the video on YouTube, click HERE.

Skiing Trip

We tagged along with some friends for a quick ski trip to the Arber Ski Resort this last Satuday.  The resort is in the Bayerischer Wald near the Czech border.  The drive was nice and we got there with enough time to get in a few runs.  Stu and I took turns skiing and watching Abigail.  The two of us were even able to ski together once because of a very generous offer by our friends to watch the little girl for us.  Thanks, again, Amanda!  It was very snowy at the top of the mountain... it was snowing and blowing so much it was difficult to see even the tips of our skis!   The snow on the mountain was great and the runs weren't jam-packed with people.  Not a lot of skiing pictures, but we got some nice family ones!

Taking the gondola up...

Jemima, Amanda and Elijah baby-sitting for us...

Strumpfhosen

While baby leg warmers seem to be the "in" thing in the US right now, Strumpfhosen is something that I believe is distinctly German.  Strumpfhosen are pantyhose or tights, but in this context are tights specifically for babies and children.  The thing that makes them so unique here is that not only do boys wear them as well girls, but they wear them until they are about 8 years old, at least!  I googled "Strumpfhosen" and ended up with 1,130,000 results.  I have had a few conversations with fellow ex-pats because I find it to be such an odd thing.  The tights would be the equivalent of wearing long underwear on a cold day in the US.  Children here wear them as a base layer under their pants through the winter... rain or shine and seemingly even if it isn't terribly cold out.  Apparently it is very important that all children attending a German school wear these tights.  I have heard that teachers essentially require it.  Here is what I find odd about Strumpfhosen.  It really isn't that cold here.  Yes, it is rather humid, but I don't think it's that bad.  And I tend to run cold!  I guess one thing that is a bit different is that people are outside here more... walking or taking the bike to and from school and shopping does put you out in the cold for longer periods of time.  I think the culmination of my intrigue was reached this past weekend, though.  On the train from Vienna back home, a woman was changing her toddler's diaper in the children's cabin.  The toddler (looked to be about 18 months) had on Strumpfhosen, extra thick lined pants, a winter layer on top, a onesie and a thick sweater.  On the train!  I couldn't get over it! 

Here are my general rules as to when I put Strumpfhosen on Abigail:

• Temperatures below freezing
• If we're going to be outside for longer than 5 minutes
• If I think there will be older German women around that might see Abigail's legs... I don't want to be lectured about no Strumpfhosen like I have been about not having a pacifier in her mouth!

Abigail in Strumpfhosen

Abigail on the train with bear legs...

On the train I decided that in Germany I must be considered a bad mom.  When it comes to baby warmth I had always heard the rule of "What you are comfortable in plus one layer."  I guess the mentality here is plus 2 or 3 layers!   The one rule I do have is that socks are a must (the above picture being the exception... her legs were in her cold weather stroller "sleeping bag" for her nap and she managed to get her legs free)!

Wien, Össtereich

Stu had a conference in Vienna this last weekend so Abigail and I decided to tag along.  After some flight research, we decided that the best option was for the two of us to take a train and meet Stu there.  We managed to make it with only a minor amount of stress. 

We didn't see too much on Thursday, but were able to make it into the old city on Friday.  The weather turned out to be a bit poor, so we weren't able to do as much sight-seeing as we had hoped.  We met a friend in town for lunch and then had dinner with Stu later.

On Saturday Abigail and I enjoyed some lunch near our hotel.  Some very kind ladies were generous to watch Abbey so I could relax and eat my lunch! 

 

We enjoyed our weekend... I'm sure Vienna is even more beautiful in the summer and spring!  Maybe we'll make another trip!  And thanks to those who suggested Julius Meinl for coffee.  If you ever get the chance to enjoy a cup, it's super tasty!

February

The month of February was a pretty laid-back one for us.  We had a lot of snow in the beginning of the month, so we didn't do a lot outside.  Enjoyed some meals with friends and time hanging out with each other! 

One of the main highlights for the month was Fasching (read more about Fasching HERE).  While we did not actually participate in any of the festivities, it was enjoyable seeing the kids dressed up in costume.  Stu and I did thoroughly enjoy eating a Krapfen or two.  They are essentially filled donuts that are special to this time of the year.  One of our favorties was a Nutella-filled Krapfen! 

Yum!  I am ashamed to say that it was a personal goal to try every flavor.  I will say that I did not attain that goal, but I did come close!

We of course never cease to be amazed by Abigail.  She loves her food!  I don't think there has been anything that she doesn't enjoy eating!  Some of her particular favorites are avocado, egg yolk and lasagna.

Hanging out with some friends...

Taking a bit of a break...

Eating bread like a good German baby!

All in all, it was a great month.  I was telling Stu the other day that I can feel the grass growing beneath my feet, and it's time to move around a bit!  Stay tuned for upcoming adventures!