A New Friend

In the book I'm a Big Sister, book-Sara has a bunny she carries around everywhere. I'm not about to let some book-kid one-up me like that, so I laid claim to a bunny that appeared out of nowhere around the time Abby showed up. The reassuring rattle of my new friend Nunny's head reminds me of Dad as I drift off to sleep.

Sleeping Comportment

I regularly sleep three, four, sometimes even five hours in a row at the beginning of the night. Too bad night starts at 8 PM. I went over six hours once last week, but the following night I ate every two hours just to keep Mom off balance. I'll be so disappointed when I'm too old to be this fickle. Then again, Sadie still wakes up four or five times a night sometimes, so I have a while.

Babies are the new ducks

Waterfowl are so last year. Everyone who's anyone now demands baby movies. There's a really cute one whose oeuvre I revisit every day. Mom says it's me, but I know she's just trying to get me to identify with the protagonist.

Ride 'Em Cowboy

Grownups only tell kids not to stand on chairs because they don't want us to discover how exciting it is to tip them over and ride them to the floor. As anyone who's seen Dr. Strangelove knows, the higher the fall, the more fun for all. The bruises on my hands and knees are a small price to pay for the cred I'm going to get at the Krippe.

Coffee and an 8x10, please

I like going to brunch at Kistenpfennig because this corner is my favorite color. They should totally switch from selling pretzels to glamor photography.

Open, Says Me

In the mornings, when Mom's still in the bedroom with Abby, sometimes Dad closes the bedroom door. Usually I protest against this horrible injustice to no avail. But today I tried a new tactic: I asked nicely. "Daddy, o(pen) dee do(or) p(l)ease: Mommy (is in there)!" Amazingly, it worked. Wonder if I'll remember how to do it tomorrow.

I also tried "Open the door please" on a can of wooden blocks, but Mom didn't understand. After a few tries I switched to "Open the blocks". She's still learning, so I'm flexible.

Sole Proprietor

Mom's shoes are hard to fill. Maybe I should get out the Play-Doh.

Game On

People are playing D&D here again. I'm getting too big to cast charm person without a verbal component, so Dad's teaching me to yell "twenty!" every time someone rolls a die. I was going to take a level of Rogue, but Mom got mad when I beat her initiative and swiped the dice.

E-ink, meet e-crayon

I'm not sure what computer people mean when they talk about "screen drawing," but now I know it doesn't involve crayons. Sorry, Dad.

Couture Shock

It seems like no matter how well I'm bundled up, all the babies I see on the U-Bahn are wearing at least two more layers. And no matter how pink and frilly my outfit, someone will ask if I'm a boy. Guess I'll have to work on my Munich fashion sense. Do they make knee-high leather boots in size 3 months?

Playtime

After a couple of weeks of staring at the walls in our house, Mom went on a tear. Wednesday we met a group of English-speaking moms and kids at Leann's house, yesterday we went to lunch with a different group of English-speaking moms and kids, and today we had lunch with, you guessed it, yet another English-speaking mom and her kid.

I bet playgroups are even more fun when you know how to play.

Nook

At last, I've found my niche.

Clipping

Yeah, it's small. But like everyone says, it's not the size, it's how you use it.

I've been using it to create my own body modifications, so Dad snipped it off over my vehement protests.

I Want to Ride My Bicycle

Dad keeps saying that my Chariot is designed to be pulled rather than pushed, but until today I didn't believe him. (He also says I've ridden in it that way before, but I don't remember a thing.) Bundled up in lots of warm clothes and a quilted stroller-bag, it was a little chilly, a little scary... and a lot of fun! I'm inspired to practice my latest word: "bicycle".

Tummy Time

Tummy time isn't so bad.

Shadows

Dad's teaching me about shadows. So far I've learned that Mom is much bigger than anyone else, and I come up to Dad's shoulder.

Swing is Here

Life is skittles, and life is beer. Or at least ice cream: 14°C (57°F) on a January morning, and the outdoor tables at the corner Eiscafe were packed. So how come all I got was a push?

Cleaning Sucks

Mom's really impressed. I just like the cozy ride and the white noise.

Sling Low, Sweet Chariot

Our trailer is a double-wide, but until today I didn't get to enjoy it, because it only had Toddler Class seating. But Mom and Dad just got an upgrade to Baby Class for one side.

I hope Sadie doesn't get frightened riding next to a bear.

Will you be mine?

Some people make snow angels, but that's too cold. Plus all the snow melted. So I'll settle for making a bed angel, in my new larger sleep-sack.

Consulation Prize

Mom and Dad took me to the US Consulate today and spent an hour talking to a lady in a little booth, going through a stack of papers taller than I am. I think she must have been a wizard, because she gave them a quest. In order to receive my Consular Record of Birth Abroad, passport, and Social Security number, we'll have to venture to the distant Kreisverwaltungsreferat and retrieve the "beglaubigte Abschrift aus dem Geburtenregister", complete with the seal of the mighty Standesamt.

But they're closed Wednesdays, so we'll do it tomorrow.

Double Thighs

I watched Dad changing Abby's diaper today. She gets messy in places where I've never had places. You've heard of double chins, right? Is there even a name for an extra crease in your upper thigh?

Abby's now 11 lb 14 oz, and I've been hovering around 21 lb for a couple of months. At this rate she's going to outweigh me before she's 6 months old. But I'll still win the wrestling matches, because I can roll over — not to mention running to get Mom.

You will get a complete new wardrobe

I've noticed that exposed ankles and wrists aren't in fashion this season, and my poor widdle toesies are smooshing against the ends of my jammies. Mom noticed too, and next thing I know she's yanking piles of clothing out of boxes and getting all nostalgic. That outfit Sadie's wearing in her passport photo, when she was 6 months old? Mine mine mine now, at 7 weeks, and it fits like a glove.

Sadie got a stack of new clothing too: some coveralls, shirts, a whole bunch of sweatshirts, and one funny hat.

I don't understand the title of this post either, but Mom says Grandma will like it.

Epiphany

Today is Epiphany, a holiday here in Bavaria. My epiphany: I have pockets I can put things in! I know I put a purple and a blue hair tie in there, I just can't figure out where they went.

Slip Slidin' Away

It warmed up and melted all the snow, then it cooled off again, then it rained, then it snowed some more. I wish the weather would make up its mind. This sidewalk looks wet, but if Mom and Dad's flailing and curses are any indication, it's solid glare ice all the way. Whee, maybe I can learn to skate.

Cold Front

Sadie came home from daycare with a runny nose today. Sigh. At least tomorrow's a holiday here in Bavaria, so we can all stay home sick together.

A Beautiful Noise

Mom and Dad talk and sing and make funny noises. My swing can play six tunes and three nature sounds. The flat screen in the corner makes a bunch of different sounds when it's not black. And Sadie makes lots of noise, everything from squeals to crashes. So I figured it was about time I started making sounds other than crying. I'm starting out with a simple "ah". We'll see what that gets me before deciding where to expand.

Wardrobe Wishes

Dad gets me ready for daycare in the morning while Mom takes care of Abby. I was content to let him choose my outfits until he started doing it without turning on the lights. So much for geek fashion sense. Now I sometimes pick my own clothes, even if I have to toss all the pants out of the dresser to find the coveralls.

At least nobody can say my mother dresses me funny.

Skip Two, My Loo

Mom thought she was being prepared by buying my diapers a month in advance. But I've been shooting up the weight curves, and at 11 lb 7 oz, I've now outgrown the ones she has stockpiled. Anyone need about a hundred size-1s?

Her next clever plan is to skip size 2 entirely, going straight to size 3. It'll be a while before I'm too big for my britches again.

Forecast: Cold

Happily, I'm just about over my latest cold. Mom promises that congested isn't the inevitable state of a baby's nose, but I'm not sure I believe her. I've had coughs and sniffles for 2/3 of my life. Sadie, you owe me.

In other news, Big Sis went back to her daycare today after nearly two weeks' break. Guess I'll be getting another cold on Thursday.

Marking Time

Guess what Santa gave me: markers! Guess what I can do way better with markers than with crayons or colored pencils: draw on myself! And then I made some handprints for posterity.

For some reason Dad was kind of surprised by this. You'd think he'd be inured to it after watching Rebecca draw all over herself for years.

Getting a Handle on Things

I still can't make these things at the ends of my arms go where I want, but I'm starting to figure out what to do with them when they get there. I grabbed Dad's shirt while he was carrying me, and I regularly hang onto the hand whose pinky I'm sucking the skin from. I even managed to whack Gordon the Knot once or twice and pretend it was on purpose.



Carnegie Hall, look out.

Smile!

I discovered that if I pull the corners of my mouth up and squint my eyes a little, whoever's holding me imitates me and makes funny noises. I figure this buys me annoyance offsets for at least 37% more crying.

Even better, by doing it during a diaper change, I lured Dad into range so I could spit up into his nose.

Thar She Blows

I heard that baby boys are able to spray jets while on the changing table. Naturally I took this as a challenge, and I'm happy to report that today's attempt was 100% successful. I scored a direct hit on the box of too-small clothes. You may want to buy stock in our laundry detergent company.