As many of you know, David was born "tongue-tied." He had his frenulum (the thing under your tongue) clipped about 3 months ago, and he's only recently been able to actually get his tongue out of his mouth. He has always been a chatty boy, and now with his new tongue-mobility, his sounds have gotten pretty funny!
Here he is at dinner tonight...lecturing us on something, though I'm not sure what exactly :)
May 27, 2009
May 22, 2009
More biking, and a visitor!
We've been having a great time on our bikes lately, and David now gets excited when he sees us taking them out. He even lets me put his helmet on without screaming!
After about 40 minutes, though, David wants out. He loves being in new places, and gets anxious to explore on his little feet (and hands and knees :) Here are some shots from a trip last week. We went South instead of North (along the Saale river), and it took us quite a while before we found a good stopping point. When we did, though, it looked perfect. A beautiful beer garden by a big grassy field:
Sadly, it was closed. The signs all said it ought to be open, but it was not. There was no beer (or water!) to be had. Fortunately, we had brought along some water & snacks for David, so he ate and played a bit.
Then we stopped by a doener kebap stand near home for dinner. David--always hungry, these days--ate some doener bread with sauce. And Michael reminded me, once again, of the ways that moms and dads are different.
Life was, in general, more fun for David with Marc around. For example, after dinner David usually gets to go to bed. With Marc here, however, he got to go back outside, AFTER dinner, not once, but twice! He was beside himself with joy--turning around in his stroller to grin and giggle at us, as if to say "really?!" AND David got to eat a messy breakfast, sans clothing:
After about 40 minutes, though, David wants out. He loves being in new places, and gets anxious to explore on his little feet (and hands and knees :) Here are some shots from a trip last week. We went South instead of North (along the Saale river), and it took us quite a while before we found a good stopping point. When we did, though, it looked perfect. A beautiful beer garden by a big grassy field:
Sadly, it was closed. The signs all said it ought to be open, but it was not. There was no beer (or water!) to be had. Fortunately, we had brought along some water & snacks for David, so he ate and played a bit.
Then we stopped by a doener kebap stand near home for dinner. David--always hungry, these days--ate some doener bread with sauce. And Michael reminded me, once again, of the ways that moms and dads are different.
But not too different.
On Tuesday, my cousin Marc came to visit for a few days! He just completed the El Camino pilgimage...walking for 37 days! We had a great time, and I think David is really going to miss him.
Life was, in general, more fun for David with Marc around. For example, after dinner David usually gets to go to bed. With Marc here, however, he got to go back outside, AFTER dinner, not once, but twice! He was beside himself with joy--turning around in his stroller to grin and giggle at us, as if to say "really?!" AND David got to eat a messy breakfast, sans clothing:
Finally, Marc helped us finally set-up David's swing!
Now that's a pretty good week!
May 16, 2009
Head-banging, Ball Pits & Finger Foods
Two posts in one day!
I wanted to share a funny story. Yesterday, David was waking up from his nap and I could hear him happily chatting away, then quieting down for a few minutes, then chatting again. I wasn't sure if he was going to fall asleep again (sometimes he does), so I was waiting before going to get him. Then I heard a loud crash, and jumped out of my chair about to race in--but not only did I not hear him cry, I DID hear him happily chattering away again.
So I waited again. I figured the crash had come from upstairs.
Then I heard it again, and thought "What on earth are they doing up there?"
The third time, it really sounded like it was coming from the bedroom, so I went to check on David. This is what I found:
One arm out of his sleeve, David was slamming his head through the mesh side of the pack and play into the wall! THAT was the crazy loud, bowling balls on the floor sounding noise I was hearing. Here's a close-up, where you can kind of see the red marks on his forehead:
As you might have noticed, you can also see the smile on his face. Clearly, he didn't mind crashing his head against the wall, and didn't get why I kept telling him to stop!
Sometimes he can be kind of a weirdo! :)
We have had a lot of fun lately, though. We met up with another American woman who lives in a neighboring town and has a 3 year old daughter. We all went to a cool indoor play-place, where David got his first experience in a ball pit!
If I were a slightly less-good mother, I would have a picture of David lying on his back, trying to wiggle back up into a seated position and looking confused as he, instead, wiggled himself deeper and deeper into the pit. Sadly, my instincts got the better of me and I helped him, instead of taking the picture I really wanted to take.
We've also all been spending a lot of time at the park around the corner:
And, of course, there's fun with finger foods! If we let him, David would eat a banana with every meal, and then another one for a snack. It's so cute to watch him hold it and take big bites off of it! Sometimes if he takes a bite that's too big, rather than spit it out, he uses both hands to cover his mouth so it can't get out while he chews. It cracks me up.
Finally, I did something yesterday that I've never done before. I often make French Toast for David, with no sugar but with cinnamon, and he eats it plain. Last night I thought, why not let him have a little blueberry jam? the plan was to feed him in a diaper, since he goes right into the bath after diner anyway. Well I forgot to get him undressed, and immediately regretted my decision...
He, on the other hand, thought it was fantastic!
May 12, 2009
Some Pictures
Wow, I started this post a week ago and never came back to it! Oops. Anyway, here are some photos of David in an adorable outfit. It was a gift from Michael's parents long before David was born, and I've been waiting and waiting for him to be able to wear it!
So here he is...and yes, that's a cheese grater he's playing with.
And here he is doing his new favorite thing: Playing with his books! we used to have our own books on a low bookshelf, and he kept grabbing them. One day it hit me--put HIS books where he can reach them! (duh.) Now he loves to get them, one by one or in a big tidal wave of board books, and he'll sit and turn the pages. It's very cute!
And finally--I think he kind of looks like a monkey in this picture. I love it!
One more photo: Michael took David out for a quick bike ride the other day while I got some work done. This is what I saw when they got back:
David had refused to sleep during his nap time, morning AND afternoon, so there you go! (OK so he slept a little, but not much.)
We're not supposed to let him sleep in his bike seat. His helmet is very light, but when he's sleeping--as you can see--his head slumps over, and then bumps can be a little dangerous. Poor Michael had to start poking David to keep him awake! All he got was a series of grumpy grunts from David, who promptly went back to sleep. So Michael had to ride very, very slowly until they got back home. Not exactly the ride he was hoping for!
But David sure looked cute :)
So here he is...and yes, that's a cheese grater he's playing with.
And here he is doing his new favorite thing: Playing with his books! we used to have our own books on a low bookshelf, and he kept grabbing them. One day it hit me--put HIS books where he can reach them! (duh.) Now he loves to get them, one by one or in a big tidal wave of board books, and he'll sit and turn the pages. It's very cute!
And finally--I think he kind of looks like a monkey in this picture. I love it!
One more photo: Michael took David out for a quick bike ride the other day while I got some work done. This is what I saw when they got back:
David had refused to sleep during his nap time, morning AND afternoon, so there you go! (OK so he slept a little, but not much.)
We're not supposed to let him sleep in his bike seat. His helmet is very light, but when he's sleeping--as you can see--his head slumps over, and then bumps can be a little dangerous. Poor Michael had to start poking David to keep him awake! All he got was a series of grumpy grunts from David, who promptly went back to sleep. So Michael had to ride very, very slowly until they got back home. Not exactly the ride he was hoping for!
But David sure looked cute :)
May 4, 2009
Biking at Last
Michael and I have been talking about biking in Germany since before he got the job here in Jena. It took us an embarrassing amount of time to actually get around to it, but we made our first real bike trip on Saturday!
We actually had a warm-up trip on Friday that was awesome, but I didn't bring the camera for that. We set out on a bike path, an hour later found ourselves in the middle of a May Day celebration, and promptly settled-down with the locals to enjoy beer, bratwurst, and the sunshine. (The ride back only took 20 minutes, and confirmed our suspicion that we'd been gradually, but consistently, riding uphill!)
On Saturday, we biked from Jena to Naumburg. (There are two Naumburgs, as it turns out, but we went to the closer one.) By bike, it is supposed to be about 40 km, or 25 miles. We followed a path that included some bike-paths and some low-traffic roads, and that followed the Saale River. What the bike-book didn't tell us was that there is currently a detour. A long detour. It added 15 km, most of which involved riding UP from the river way, way, way higher than we needed to go. It was not pleasant. I was not pleasant during this part of the ride. Neither was David, which is funny considering his comfy, effortless position in the baby seat!
The rest of the trip was fantastic, though. It was sunny, warm without being too hot, and the landscape was gorgeous. We even saw two baby goats ramming each other and sort of wrestling in a field right by the roadside. It was surprisingly entertaining!
By the time we got to Naumburg, the church we had hoped to see was closed and David was beyond tired. Still, we had a quick dinner--which we ate one at a time, while the other walked with David...who was absolutely done with sitting still--and took the train back to Jena. (Another adventure for another time, but all worked out in the end!)
Per usual, here are some photos!
We actually had a warm-up trip on Friday that was awesome, but I didn't bring the camera for that. We set out on a bike path, an hour later found ourselves in the middle of a May Day celebration, and promptly settled-down with the locals to enjoy beer, bratwurst, and the sunshine. (The ride back only took 20 minutes, and confirmed our suspicion that we'd been gradually, but consistently, riding uphill!)
On Saturday, we biked from Jena to Naumburg. (There are two Naumburgs, as it turns out, but we went to the closer one.) By bike, it is supposed to be about 40 km, or 25 miles. We followed a path that included some bike-paths and some low-traffic roads, and that followed the Saale River. What the bike-book didn't tell us was that there is currently a detour. A long detour. It added 15 km, most of which involved riding UP from the river way, way, way higher than we needed to go. It was not pleasant. I was not pleasant during this part of the ride. Neither was David, which is funny considering his comfy, effortless position in the baby seat!
The rest of the trip was fantastic, though. It was sunny, warm without being too hot, and the landscape was gorgeous. We even saw two baby goats ramming each other and sort of wrestling in a field right by the roadside. It was surprisingly entertaining!
By the time we got to Naumburg, the church we had hoped to see was closed and David was beyond tired. Still, we had a quick dinner--which we ate one at a time, while the other walked with David...who was absolutely done with sitting still--and took the train back to Jena. (Another adventure for another time, but all worked out in the end!)
Per usual, here are some photos!
Our first rest-stop, about 20 km in. David was ready to move his legs, and we were all pretty hungry by then.
David ate some cheese... standing up of course!
Then he set off to do some exploring.
Towards the end of our deadly detour, David was so ready for a break that we had to stop here. On the side of the road. It was pretty enough, but not our first choice. Still, he was SO good for such a long time, we didn't mind too much :)
David, our little German boy, munched on some broetchen.
And of course, smiled at strangers as they walked or biked by.
The church at Naumburg.
The city, near where we ate.
David, having sat in a bike seat for at least 6 hours, was ready to be mobile. Here he is next to our table at the restaurant, playing with his helmet.
And finally, a shot of the sunset as we left Naumburg. It was so vibrant, and made me wish I had a better camera!
David ate some cheese... standing up of course!
Then he set off to do some exploring.
Towards the end of our deadly detour, David was so ready for a break that we had to stop here. On the side of the road. It was pretty enough, but not our first choice. Still, he was SO good for such a long time, we didn't mind too much :)
David, our little German boy, munched on some broetchen.
And of course, smiled at strangers as they walked or biked by.
The church at Naumburg.
The city, near where we ate.
David, having sat in a bike seat for at least 6 hours, was ready to be mobile. Here he is next to our table at the restaurant, playing with his helmet.
And finally, a shot of the sunset as we left Naumburg. It was so vibrant, and made me wish I had a better camera!May 3, 2009
Back Again!
Well, yet again, I disappeared. My plan is to write a few posts today and tomorrow, and hopefully I stick to it! We've had quite a few "blog-worthy" adventures in the last week or so. Spring and summer and just so beautiful here in Jena, and we've been able to be out taking advantage of the weather and our new bikes!
But first, I thought I'd write a post about our fantastic, unexpected trip home 2 weeks ago. Michael had an interview at Auburn University, and Auburn is only 2 hours from Atlanta, so the plan was for him to fly home for the interview and spend a few days before and after with his family. At the last minute--prompted, in part, by our little adventure detailed in the last post--our parents generously offered to fly me home with him! (Auburn paid Michael's way :) I couldn't resist, and we had a wonderful time in sunny, warm Atlanta.
The flight to Atlanta was...an adventure. Michael and I were not on the same flight, and David decided to be the mayor of our airplane community. I met a really wonderful couple, and they helped quite a bit with David, but I absolutely could not believe his refusal to sleep. He stayed happy, which was of course great, but in the 24 hours it took us to get from our apartment to the Morris house, he slept a total of about 4 hours. How is that possible????
Usually when we go to Atlanta, there are a number of people we try to see. In addition to Michael's immediate family, his grandparents live there and we always like to see them. My great friend Deanna--formerly of Jena--also lives there, and I usually try to catch up with her as well. This time, though, we really just laid low and spent time at home. David picked sometime up on the plane, and it worked it's way through many of us, but other than that it was a perfectly relaxing trip. As another fantastic, last minute surprise, my parents came for the weekend too! Michal and I are always amazed at how well our families mesh. Our parents get along as if they were old friends, and really they've only seen each other a few times. It's incredible to watch, and we feel so blessed to have such peaceful (and fun!) family relationships.
Now onto the photos!
Picnicking at the park
First time in a baby swing!
Cruising in the kitchen. He actually stood, unassisted, for the first time in the Morris living room! So far it has been the only time, but it was very cool.
Showing off his baby Speedo :)
We all really enjoyed the pool and hot-tub. In April!
And finally, with the grandparents :)
He is a well-loved little boy :)
But first, I thought I'd write a post about our fantastic, unexpected trip home 2 weeks ago. Michael had an interview at Auburn University, and Auburn is only 2 hours from Atlanta, so the plan was for him to fly home for the interview and spend a few days before and after with his family. At the last minute--prompted, in part, by our little adventure detailed in the last post--our parents generously offered to fly me home with him! (Auburn paid Michael's way :) I couldn't resist, and we had a wonderful time in sunny, warm Atlanta.
The flight to Atlanta was...an adventure. Michael and I were not on the same flight, and David decided to be the mayor of our airplane community. I met a really wonderful couple, and they helped quite a bit with David, but I absolutely could not believe his refusal to sleep. He stayed happy, which was of course great, but in the 24 hours it took us to get from our apartment to the Morris house, he slept a total of about 4 hours. How is that possible????
Usually when we go to Atlanta, there are a number of people we try to see. In addition to Michael's immediate family, his grandparents live there and we always like to see them. My great friend Deanna--formerly of Jena--also lives there, and I usually try to catch up with her as well. This time, though, we really just laid low and spent time at home. David picked sometime up on the plane, and it worked it's way through many of us, but other than that it was a perfectly relaxing trip. As another fantastic, last minute surprise, my parents came for the weekend too! Michal and I are always amazed at how well our families mesh. Our parents get along as if they were old friends, and really they've only seen each other a few times. It's incredible to watch, and we feel so blessed to have such peaceful (and fun!) family relationships.
Now onto the photos!
Picnicking at the park
First time in a baby swing!
Cruising in the kitchen. He actually stood, unassisted, for the first time in the Morris living room! So far it has been the only time, but it was very cool.
Showing off his baby Speedo :)
We all really enjoyed the pool and hot-tub. In April!
And finally, with the grandparents :)
He is a well-loved little boy :)
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