What a night!

Wow ... I did not sleep really well tonight, but probably for other reasons that you might imagine! Clemens and I put down Andrin to sleep around 7.00 pm and he was able to go to sleep without too much crying after about 45 minutes. We then had a chance to eat our first dinner together uninterrupted (we had homemade pizza) and afterward sat down to watch a DVD together (which was not as funny as promised, even though I picked the movie out). Already during watching the DVD, we checked on Andrin several times ... it was just TOO QUIET! He was sleeping ... like a baby! Clemens once came down the stairs after a routine check and told me that I just had to go and check it out myself because Andrin was sleeping so peacefully and looked too cute. He had his little hands right next to his head and his little mouth forming his "O" (yes, the Ducks won the Civil War and he was supporting them even in his sleep:). During the night, I woke up several times ... NO, Andrin was NOT crying and wanted to be nursed ... on the contrary, he was sleeping until 4.00 am! I just could not believe it and was worried that he was not getting enough food, that he must be sick, that he stopped breathing (I know, this sounds weird, but once you have a little bundle you probably will understand:). I guess I held him a little bit too long after his 4.00 am feeding, since he was wide awake when I put him back in his crib. Clemens woke up and we laughed when we heard Andrin fall back asleep peacefully. He was talking, cooing, and even laughing! What a great way to fall back asleep! Andrin woke up at 7.00 am again, was awake for a little while and feel back asleep (with Papi). I know that this might have been just an extraordinary night ... but still! I guess our consistent bedtime routine is paying off and we are doing at least something right here.

What I miss about being pregnant

These pictures made it never onto the blog because my father took them and I just recently received them ...

Lately, I have been thinking back to being pregnant and there are quite a few things that I miss about being pregnant, even though it is also wonderful to finally hold Andrin in my arms, cuddle him, kiss him, and even hear him cry!

1. Feeling all the little kicks, somersaults, and hiccups.
   
2. Having an excuse to clean and do all the housework because my belly was getting too big!
3. Receiving smiles from strangers when they realized that I was pregnant. (Even though I am still getting these smiles, but I know that they are not meant for me :)
4. Not having to wash my hair too often because of these beautiful pregnancy hormones.
   
5. ...
   

Thanksgiving

The turkey ...

Happy belated Thanksgiving to everyone (I thought that the Internet connection was working yesterday and then it crashed again ...)! We celebrated this Thanksgiving (like every Thanksgiving that we were here in Eugene) with Cheryl and her family. It was a wonderful afternoon with great food (Cheryl enjoyed using their new oven and tried a new recipe), a lot of laughs, stories and memories, and a lot to be thankful for. As you can imagine we are mostly happy and grateful for our beautiful and healthy son. (Oh yes, I did not give the weekly update on his weight: We went to Birth to Three this week and he is now 11 pounds and 8 ounces (5350 g). That means that his weight gain has slowed down, but that is normal:)

Cheryl, Larry and Sara are working in the kitchen for a delicious meal!

Andrin is his Oregonian Thanksgiving outfit
(Brandon, we made it without a change through the day, we will try again when you guys come to visit:)

I have a new friend!

I would like to introduce you all to my new-found friend, my bear. I really like him and enjoy playing with him. He does not even mind when I nibble on his ear or arm and thus must also like me. Sometimes, he is just laying on my belly, but I actually like to have him close to my mouth and thus need all the skills necessary to get him somehow there.

p.s. I heard that my Mami also used to have a bear and that she needed a new one after a while because she was biting and chewing on her bear. I have not yet tried that!

Memories and Gratitude

Last Wednesday was a special day for me and that for two really important reasons:

1. My Mom told me that they were going in the afternoon to the Christmas market in town. Every last Wednesday of November, there is a cute Christmas market in town that we used to go to. This year, it was special because my Godmother, Marianne, wished to go there. She has been battling cancer this last year (she did not tell me until I was well into my pregnancy with Andrin because she did not want me to worry ... I guess I am always surprised how well everyone else knows me ... because I worried anyway and you would understand if you would know my Gotti and how important she has been in my life!) and just finished her second round of chemotherapy. She is cancer-free and full of life and hope. Of course we hope that she will have a lot of years ahead of her and we really want her to meet Andrin next summer! So this is where my gratitude comes in. I am so grateful that Gotti is well and on her way of becoming her own self again.

2. 14 years ago (can you believe it?!), Clemens and I started dating ... The trip to the Christmas market was our first "official" date. I remember that I had piano lessons over lunch (we were off in the afternoon) and told one of his friends that he should call me. Well, when I got home, my Mami told me that he had called several times ... We went together to the Christmas market and he asked me on his birthday (which is coming up shortly, 12/1:) if i wanted to be his girlfriend ... And I guess most of you know where this (fairy tale) story is going to ... dating, moving in together, wedding, and now our biggest gift ... Andrin.

Internet, oh Internet

Just wanted to let you know that we have been dealing with Internet problems ... our provider has been difficult about it and even though everything indicates that it is a problem on their end, it is our phone jack, our computer, our way to handle things, ... I am sure you can hear my frustration. The newest thing was that I had to install a replacement modem and then my computer crashed and we were back to no Internet at all. This morning, I just hooked up the old modem again and I think we will deal with the inconsistency and everything ... But expect to see several blogs because there were some things that I wanted to write about and could not!

I am eight weeks old (or two months:)

When do we start talking in months and not in weeks anymore? Well, Andrin celebrated his eight week/two months yesterday. He has been having a difficult couple of days with lots of crying, but today has been good so far :) I do not want to brag and I am reluctant to mention it, but he has been sleeping through the night ... But getting him to fall asleep is a BIG challenge. I keep him up as long as he is awake and alert, and then put him down in his crib to sleep. It will take about two seconds until he realizes that he is in his crib and then the crying starts (and I am telling you, it is loud ... he got some really good lungs there). Clemens and I have been trying to sooth him, to sing to him, to swing him, ... As soon as you pick him up, he is happy and content and falls back asleep ... and then the game starts again. I feel horrible to say this, but we have had him cry and discovered that he will cry himself to sleep eventually (it feels like hours to me, even though it is only a matter of minutes). He clearly is not hungry, his diaper is changed, his crib is comfortable and he likes to sleep in it once he falls asleep ... so WHAT? But please do not get me wrong ... he is unbelievable, we love him so much (Clemens thinks that there will not be enough love for another baby:) and even though Clemens was worried that Andrin might hate him this morning, he woke up with a smile on his face and played happily ...


P.s. We just booked our flight to Switzerland for next summer. We will leave at the end of June and spend two weeks in Switzerland. Andrin's grandfather Edi will celebrate his 70th birthday!

Nice walk ...

Becky is getting her Andrin-fix :) He was being nice and took a break from crying!

Andrin has been going through a difficult time with lots of crying, hard time going
g to sleep at night (more crying), and just not being content and happy. But yesterday, I packed him up in the Baby Bjorn and we went for a long walk with Becky and Hazel. There was some more crying in the beginning, but then he was fine and slept for the rest of our long walk (Becky insisted that I wore her out ...). Even Hazel fell asleep in her stroller and that gave Becky and me a chance to talk about babies, life with babies, the newest gossip from Jasper, and life. Thank you for joining us, Becky! (And let's do it again, I will come up with other strenuous and long walking routes :)

Meet the newest addition to our family :)

Here we go ...

Mami: You thought the other fridge was big before, well ... this one is huge! (Just in American tradition where everything is a tinny little bit bigger :)

Papi: There is a lot of room for new Cordon Bleus now!

Beau: Did you talk with our rental company and mention that we took our first trip to Cosco and might need a little bit more fridge space?

P.S. No, we still do NOT have a new roof!

Mami finished her last project ...

I am showing off the newest fashion made by my Mami (she used a pattern ...)

Mami did it! (Encouraged by Becky and Matt ...:) She finished the last knitting project that had been laying on the window seat when she came home from the hospital (she assumed that she would still have all the time in the world to work on it during the last week before the due date)! I liked to wear it on my outing. My Papi called me Yedi because of the hood, but it is more a duck suit (or a potato bag).

Before I left home with Papi (and Mami, just in case I got hungry :) and before I fell asleep in the Baby Bjorn.

Visit to the doctor :)

Well ... we are lucky, Andrin does NOT have pink-eye. He has a plugged-up tear duct and a secondary bacterial infection. When I asked the doctor about any precautions and contagion, he told me that there was nothing to worry about. But then I mentioned about my plan to go to Birth to Three like every Wednesday and he suddenly became very concerned and then actually advised me NOT to go there. Suddenly, there was the slightest chance that Andrin might have pink-eye anyway! Well, we already know the weight for this week anyway: 11 pounds and 4 ounces (5170 g) (Andrin gained almost another pound, 450 g). Instead of being concerned about his eye (we just have to keep washing it and if it does not get better by Thursday morning, we have to pick up some eye drops), the doctor was concerned about Andrin's flat head and his tendency to hold his head always to the right side. (Yes, Clemens was right all along, I have to admit:) Clemens is currently doing the new "training" program with Andrin and Andrin does not seem to enjoy it that much ...

First childhood infection :(

Andrin is sick ... but what a trooper he is. Even though he hardly can look out of his eye when he wakes up, he is laughing and happy! Last night, we noticed that he had some discharge from his left eye. When he woke up at 1.15 am to have a middle-of-the-night snack (it actually was a little bit more than just a snack), Mami discovered that his eye was totally closed with discharge. When we called the doctor's office this morning, they told us that there have been a lot of calls because of pink-eye (conjunctivitis). We have been taking it slowly this morning, he got eye soaks and has a lot of cuddling time. Let's hope he is getting better soon (even though it does not seem to bother him that much, but it looks horrible).

And then some other news: While Mami was on the phone with the doctor's office, Andrin played with Papi. To Papi and Andrin's total surprise, he rolled over to his left side. You should have seen the surprise on both of their faces ... Papi has been working hard with Andrin on this, suspecting that Andrin might be able to do it soon. Well, it happened! Yeah!

And other good news: We are finally getting a new fridge (I do not know if it will be new-new or used-new ...). I knew that the fridge was old, but that it would be from the late seventies was a BIG surprise as well ...

And then there is just one more thing that we are awaiting (with all the luck and not so luck today, it might be the day that we find out): Clemens is waiting to hear who will be funding his postdoc studies starting at the end of January 2009.

I am seven weeks old!

Time just seems to fly by! Today, I am already seven weeks old. I am growing every day and enjoy being awake more often. I sometimes even wake up and do not need to eat right away. I also make my Papi happy by enjoying the fish that my Mami knitted and that are hanging over my changing table. They make me so happy that I have to laugh at time a lot. Overall, I have a lot of laughs and giggles inside myself at the moment. But I do not really want to show these laughs when someone is videotaping me ...

Another Weight Check

I really can sleep anywhere now!
(Mami put me down before she put me in the Baby Bjorn and then had to take a picture)

Mami was a little bit worried that I would not gain enough weight since I have been spitting up a lot lately ... I weighted today 10 pounds and 9 ounces (4955 g)! Any questions? But I also have to admit that I had a growth spurt over the weekend. I did a lot of crying to let my parents know that I was unhappy with the changes! But at night, I slept like a ... happy baby. Yesterday, I spent a lot of time playing with my Papi when he got home from work. He was happy to spend all this quality time with me. He read to me and told me all these stories about pictures that I looked at. Papi knew exactly what to do when I got fussy: play my Mami's music box (with Memory from Cats on it) for me and I was happy and content.

Playing with Mami in the morning
(Papi still believes that I am a night owl like him ... but he never sees me in the morning playing with Mami:)

Papi is trying to burp me after another delicious milk sandwich from Mami.

Ready to embrace the world and the day :)

I am six weeks old!

Today, I am six weeks old. In the last couple of days, I have changed a lot. My parents seem to be surprised and also proud of my development. But let me tell you what the changes are:

• I discovered a way to sooth myself so that I do not have to use my Mami's breast all the time: I have fingers and a thumb that are really tasty and that I can put in my mouth to suck on.

• I am awake a lot more and I am discovering my home and the world. I love all the contrasts and the black and white pictures that my parents put up. I love the dog with the spots. To my Papi's discontent, I am not really interested in the fish that he drew on the blackboard.
• Being awake is so interesting that I do not want to go back to sleep. My parents tell me that I can sleep, but it is more fun to stay awake. But then, I get so tired that I have a hard time falling asleep.
• 
• At times, I am just happy laying on my patchwork quilt and do not want to be held anymore (this seems to be upsetting for my Mami who loves to cuddle with me ...).
• In the evening, I have to test my lungs and usually have to cry hard, but not for long.
  
• When I am crying, there are actually tears running down my cheeks. Before, there were no tears at all.
  
• I continue to gain weight and Mami thinks that I have another growth spurt since I have been nursing more often the last couple of days.
  
• I have been on outings and enjoy them. We were at a loud and noisy party for one of Clemens' coworkers and I just closed my eyes and slept. There were all these women wanting to hold me and not wanting to return me to my Mami (the same thing happened at my Mami's OB's office and Mami had to tell them that she REALLY would take me back home, lucky me!).
  
• During the night, I am sleeping more. I usually fall asleep around 9.00 pm and then I do not wake up until 2.30 am. Sometimes, I do not have to get up again until 6.30 am, but sometimes, I need to have another snack around 4.30 am.

I hope that you believe that I am growing up now! Let me know if my arguments are not convincing enough!

P.S. I almost forgot one more thing: I had my first trip to Cosco with my friends. I definitely bet my Mami who first had to be 32 years old before she had this experience. What a big store! Thanks for the tour, guys! (and of course the food:)

Oma left!

Good bye, Oma! It was sad to see you leave this morning at the Amtrak station (even though I was asleep, but I was just pretending to:) I hope you had a good trip back home. Thanks so much for spending time with me, for cuddling me, for playing with me, and for all the beautiful presents! I am sure that my parents will also miss your help. It must have been wonderful for them that you helped with keeping the house clean (even the windows), helped with the wash (I am sorry for producing so much wash:), and even cooked wonderful dishes for you. I am glad that you will be back at Christmas time (only six more weeks).

Obama!

Hope. Change. Obama!

Halloween 2008

My Mami had to put me in my Chinese slippers today. Thank you, auntie Nicole!

I celebrated my first Halloween yesterday! My Mami wanted to buy me a Halloween costume, but my Papi said that he did not think that it would make sense and that we do not really celebrate Halloween because we are Swiss. I think I missed out on something! But my Mami told me that she will make me a costume for next year and that I will also have the chance to go from door to door.

As long as I do not get my own Halloween costume, I enjoy wearing my Mami's knitted sweaters and jackets. Please also note my socks and the soccer balls on them (a present from my Oma).

We went to our friends' house on Lincoln street. They had a lot of children (small and bigger) come by. We never have all these kids come by our house. When my Mami felt like she wanted some candy as well (she just finished nursing me), there was not even candy left. And the last (big) kids came by the house shortly before 10.00 pm. This was my first long outing at night and I think I handled it pretty well. My Mami had everything with her that I needed (mainly the milk buffet and sandwiches) and I spent a lot of time on my Papi's arms. But of course, I also felt hungry when they sat down to eat a wonderful dinner that their friends had cooked. There were a lot of special dishes for November 1st that they told us is celebrated widely in Spain. Unfortunately, I was not able to enjoy any of the dishes, but I smelled them.

Enjoying time with my Papi.

My Mami seemed to be a little bit anxious about the night since I was wide awake when we drove home after 10.00 pm. But she nursed me again and then I slept until 3.30 pm. My Papi even open his eyes for a glimpse on the alarm clock and asked my Mami in disbelief it if really was already 3.30 pm. Then I felt back asleep and did not wake up until 6.30 am. I enjoyed staying in bed a little bit longer today and cuddle with my parents. But after my 8.30 am breakfast, I was wide awake and did not fall back asleep until 11.00 am.

Papi thought that it was funny that my fist was still up in the air after he put me down in my bouncer.