Kristin's Hamburger

Lars, Indre and Carlotta, our travel companions on the way there.
This mama was translating "Big Red Barn". I was more interested than Eleanor, it appears.
It was really windy.
Making friends. She was so cute, helping her Opa at work. She rang the bell and yelled "Crepes".
Auntie, Eleanor, Mama and Shark.
More bears.
Catching up on her reading.



We had a grand adventure in Hamburg with sister Kristin! We left on Friday afternoon with some friends of ours and we all shared a regional train ticket- only 5 Euro a person! Hooray for a scenic trip to a beautiful city...we were marginally prepared for the rain and wind of the harbor city, but we survived. First, we only entertained the idea of bringing our bikes and then we were convinced by our German travel companions. It was a little bit difficult, but ultimately worth it to have our own transportation while we were in Hamburg.

With the assistance of our iPhone, we biked to our Hostel from the main train station. It provided us with GPS to navigate through the unfamiliar city, and email to confirm our reservations while en route. Amazing! Lucky for the sisters, Mike was in charge of leading us to our hostel, so we got a chance to have a look at the beautiful city. Our apartment was on the top floor with a nice view of the neighborhood. We could gander at green roof tops, an old turn of the (last) century warehouse/factory and beautiful apartment buildings, some modern, some not.

Saturday we went to the Tierpark. They call it an Animal Park, because the animals have so much room they don't consider it a Zoo. As you can see we got up close and personal with the animals. They allow you to feed the Elephants, Giraffes, Guinea Pigs and Bunnies. I think there were some more, but we were disappointed to learn that feeding the Lions was not. Eleanor had a grand time, and finally got to see a real Bear! After this encounter, her interest in hunting bears remains, though she has a different look in her eye when she announces her intention find the said animal.

Kristin sweetly agreed to watch Eleanor Saturday night so that Mike and I could have some time to ourselves!! Third time since we have been in Germany! So that was really special. We had some Tapas at a beautiful, bustling, Spanish restaurant, and then dinner at a Korean joint. Eleanor wasn't entirely amused by our absence, so our evening came to a close as she was apparently determined to wait up until we got back...Hahahahaha.

On Sunday, the famed Market on the wharf brought us down to the water though we were almost blown off of our bikes as we made our way there. The gusts of wind died down as the storm clouds moved in, so we sought refuge on the ferry. We cruised down the Elbe River along one edge of the city. There were some amazing houses and nice small beaches. Thankfully the rain abated momentarily so that we could enjoy the ride and the sights.

Menacing clouds set on ruining our fun!!! But thankfully we had this moment.

Bug Poltergeist. This was the only moment that she was still (other than her nap when we first arrived) the whole afternoon.
The most beautiful eyes I have ever seen! I never knew how gorgeous Giraffes were.
Standard Fare of Flamingos, but these guys didn't stink!!!

getting chilly and berlin

My very good friend Sanji came to visit us here in Germany. After a bit of hemming and hawing she and I went for a night and an afternoon to Berlin! The Brandenburg Gates were on our walk from the train station to the Hostel where we stayed. Just one example of the enormous structures that exist in the most ambitious city I have ever been in.
The next morning we walked to brunch at a cozy little restaurant on the edge of the historic Victoria Park in Kreutzberg. The meal was epic, delicious, and perfect in every way. Thanks Sanji!!!!!!!!!!
It is starting to get cold here in Göttingen. We are preparing for a long, cold, wet winter!!! Despite those condition though, I have been told that people still spend much of their time out of doors. We will let you know!!! Plus, I gave E a hair-cut...what do you think???

the hurricane

I took this one!

Then Eleanor took this one!


Going German- we were over at our friend's new flat in town on this steamy afternoon. While we parents enjoyed some bratwursts, beer and conversation Eleanor went native! Our friends unfortunately aren't as interested in acclimating so thoroughly to the local custom-Ellie remained clothed as a result.

Grandmother has outfitted Eleanor in this adorable apron! She wore it all day, and would have worn Papa's shoes if she could have...thankfully she relinquished them!



Eleanor doesn't stop, just like that Michael Jackson song. Here we are five months in. I am trying to really live the experience, and Eleanor helps me stay in the moment! Here is just a glimpse of the ever active, dynamic force that we live with every day.

sliding!

pony tail, papa love and vianca

Alice suggested it. Before that, it had never occurred to me to even try! So glad that she did, cutest thing ever!!!! She looks so grown up with her big girl pony tail. The same phenomenon took place the first time she fed herself an "O". Couldn't believe my eyes, this girl is making moves! Vianca arrived in a package from the States, we were all looking forward to her arrival and Eleanor was hugging on this newest addition to her dolly family instantly! Thank you, Grandmother!!!

fourth of july and ramblings

watermelon action, no fireworks though.
Eleanor is speaking more clearly and just more. She says, "Mama, (or Papa) come." She has been pretending with her baaaalanket a lot recently! Today it was a towel, a hood, and a hat. Mostly she was drying herself off with it. While she engages in this play she repeats words that pertain to her play, like in today's play, "dry off" was her refrain.

She tells me to "get it!" whenever there is a fly in the room. I feel a little conflicted about taking the life of these beings in front of her, but I got to do what I got to do, and these flies have to go!

We are looking forward to Kristin's visit VERY much!!!! She will be here in mid-August, hooray! We hope that a visit from Opa will follow in September.

Tomorrow afternoon Eleanor and I are going with her buddies to the city center for some Eis (ice cream). I think this is her first official outing with friends! I am very excited.

She and I have been settling into a nice routine with our playgroup, food shopping at the market and various other fun activities for her. She is much more patient while we are running errands now. Some of the contributing factors are good food and strategic timing but also, her mode of transport has improved dramatically! We finally got a trailer for our bike so that we can haul her around town in style! I also got a new bike, which helps me keep my cool on the return trip up the hill.

Last weekend was big fun for us all. We rode our bikes up the enormous hill to Nicholausberg (the town closest to Mike's job come August) to visit with some friends that used to live in our community. Now they live in a really great single family home with nice garden and terrace in the back. The kids played German style (sans clothes) in the kiddy pool, frolicked and peed freely! Then to bed for the kiddos and we the parents had our clothed fun by sitting, talking and eating until midnight! Holy Cow!!! The leisurely ride back home the next morning was a pleasant reward and we decided to continue on past home while Eleanor slept to get some delicious grilled Bratwurst for lunch and some fresh produce for our dinner.

Sunday was grand as well. It has finally gotten hot here and so we finally went to the outdoor swimming pool. Not only was it really affordable (just 3 euro per adult and e was free) but the grounds were beautiful! There was lots of shady area provided by tall trees and umbrellas, and folks were camping out everywhere without it seeming crowded though. There was a pretty standard lane pool, but the main event was a salt water lake that had a huge slide attached to it. There was a pebbly shallow area that e played in tirelessly, and that was where we watched the people come crashing down the slide. The baby pool was enormous and partly under shade (which i think is brilliant), which we also hit up for awhile. Again we enjoyed some Bratwursts and pomme frites and Mike and I baked in the sun.

Hooray for a wholesome German weekend full of sport and play. Happy fourth of July!!!

one month later ain't too bad

We went to fun places near our town last weekend and here are some pics!

eleanor and papa
Fia!! Eleanor's favorite 10 year old!!
This place was bizarre and charming. They had all these models of typical German architecture through the ages in this little idyllic park setting. Eleanor ran around and went, "ooooooo".

Here is Ellie, aka, "Ali" as Eleanor likes to call her. She is 4 and is adorable. Eleanor loves her and she comes over to "paaa-lay" from time to time. Though there is an age disparity they play really well together, it is nice to have a house full of giggling and running.

So we are really getting into a nice pace of life here in Göttingen. Eleanor and I attend a playgroup fairly regularly on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, Mike has begun his German classes and we all have made friends that we see frequently. Eleanor says the people's names that she knows all the time. Currently they are Deb, Fia, Alice, Ali, Isla, and Hana. If you are above 10 years old then you are automatically excluded from the list, sorry. I have tried to get her to say with equal enthusiasm: Opa, Pappy, Grandmother and so on, but she insists on saying only the children's names. Her association with these people is so strong that if we are out somewhere and I need to coax her into going I will say their names. The promise of seeing them is so alluring that her most robust refusal quickly switches to gleeful acceptance, and off we go.

She is starting to put together ideas with words now, which is an amazing process to behold. One night last week when she was having a hard time falling asleep, she started to say: "Fia, home, sleepin'. Deb, home, sleepin'. Alice, home, sleepin'." AMAZING. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Another example is the other day, I asked her, "does your eye hurt?" and she replied, "yeah", and sure enough she had a corneal abrasion!!! (everything is alright now, no significant damage) Maybe that doesn't seem too incredible, but knowing that I can have a reliable dialogue with her about her well being is such a breakthrough!

Also, Eleanor is playing in her own world more and more, she will carry Dolly, or Baby or Beethoven around and put them to sleep, or change their oofs...or other such games that I can't understand. She occupies herself thus for long stretches of time- something that we are having to (thankfully) get used to!

here are those videos!!! and a few more pictures

here is eleanor swinging in nickolausberg on my birthday! we had a good time at this lot lot, but getting there was a steep climb and at one point a german woman insisted that we take eleanor to the hospital...her cry was that alarming. it was a gorgeous day and e eventually slept in the becko making the walk back a pleasant one (twofold!).
i just thought she looked so cute in pink on the couch, flipping through her book and eating a little something...


this was before my pedal fell off...the bike is back up and running but i am looking forward to when we can spring for a newer one...for now this "white lightening" is going to have to do.

Göttingen!

So we made it. So far so good. Two and a half weeks and really liking it. Mike and I both have bikes now, and Eleanor has a ladybug helmet that she wears while riding behind me. She is making friends at the "tot lot" and at the playgroup we attend once a week. She even says "nein"! Mike and I are really glad to be at home finally, though at this time the decor and furnishing are quite sparse! We are learning the town, i.e. where to shop and play, and also how life is lived here in Germany. I hung out with a Brazilian woman, Angela, and her children, Sofia and Bernardo today. We went into town, first to the farmers market and then to some shops and a little cafe. The cafe served food with movie titles as the item names on the menu...we had "kentucky fried movie" at Angela's insistence. I had little hope that the dish would be succulent, and I was right...it was Derby day, so what the hell. We ate the little dried up chicken nuggets and dipped them in the oddly paired curry mayonaise...can't win them all, eh???
Mike went out last night with the husband/father of the other American family who has so graciously welcomed us to the IBZ. They went to the symphony! I know Mike really enjoyed himself and this performance is hopefully the first of many that he/we will be able to take advantage of.
Eleanor is something to behold now, with all her talking and climbing, swinging on her own and general antics. I am really excited to be building up our toy arsenal, given that we had to be so restrained before we left the US. And the choices here for toys are sensational! Here are a few photos and videos.

at rehoboth

pancake breakfast!



uncle bud, buster and elou on the couch

eleanor in her finery to the max

i'm ready for my close up, mr. demille! i swear this is not us doing this to her!!! she will sit perfectly still while we adorn her with "finery" but kicks and screams while we dress her in clothes. ha!!!!

the east and the west

photo shoot with phil, we were looking a little stern.












eleanor playing the musical dog bed game with cookie.



















these were taken with an iphone at the american academy of sciences by saskia, phil's lady friend.

More pics from the east to come

In her finery at the botanical gardens.
Phil took these photos, man what a great photographer.

san fran

we finally went to china beach! Our stay here is coming to an end and we have had a marvelous time. We have spent time with Kristin and friends and have walked and walked and walked. Eleanor has played at many of the amazing playgrounds they have here and has visited the California academy of sciences again. We have plans to go to the exploratorium tomorrow with our good friend Phil. We can't believe that a month has gone by so quickly. We will be journeying again this coming Tuesday to D.C. and the other coast!

Its been awhile but we have been super busy with life and then of course with MOVING!!! Eleanor's first birthday went by without much ceremony. Mike's big last show was the next day and then, his birthday. We went to a nice dinner with the fam in Louisville, but that is pretty much it! The inauguration of our new wonderful president then followed (as far as big events are concerned) which was thrilling.  And now we are moving right along to begin our Big Adventure. It has been dubbed as such by more than one of you so I suppose I will now refer to it this way. The Big Adventure begins on the February 2nd. We are going to SF to visit with our west coast family. Our home base is in San Francisco at Kristin and Trip's apt, but we (depending on how things go) will hopefully make it down to Santa Cruz, LA and Auburn. Hooray. Then we are going to go bicoastal on everybody and hang out with Kim and Alex at their home in D.C. Hooray! After that our Big Adventure leads us to Rehobeth Beach, DE to max and relax with Uncles Bud and Alan. Its been over a year since we have seen them so we are really excited to spend some QT time with them and their children :). Following that excursion we are going to our final stop in the states St. Thomas, PA to see Mike's sisters and their families, Pap and BJ. That brings us to our departure date: March 30th, 2009 we will leave the ol' US of A and head for Deutchland.  It has been a supreme challenge trying to figure out how we are going to get our stuff to our new home as cheaply as possible (if any one has any suggestions please you have two days). At this point we have vacuum packed our clothes and are planning on bringing that in rubbermaid storage bins on the plan. As for our other junk, its packed away to be gotten another time.  What does make a house a home? Is it that junk????? We shall see. Despite the stress of getting there we are super excited, a little anxious, and and and...so many other things. Leaving one place for another is bittersweet. E Louise is thriving, though she has dropped in weight and height in terms of percentiles (i know its dumb) but her head circumference, boy, is up there 75%- whew! So I get now why people continue to have children after their first. The biggest love that could ever be fills your heart after you have a kid. You think back to the pain of birth and the complete transformation of your life since the birth and it is all completely worth it. The love-the intangible, the incredible, the humungous, the entity unto itself- is born along with the baby and it grows and changes just as the baby does. Well, that enough philosophizing now, I have to vacuum pack some more clothes.