We enjoy Lite Bite's chickpea and dill salad. It is super easy to prepare, and tastes very refreshing!
24 March 2013
Apple Barbecue Sauce
We also made this delicious barbecue sauce for Emma's birthday. The recipe from Effilee is in German, and I've translated it here for you.
Ingredients:
2 medium-sized sour apples
100 ml ketchup
1 tsp brown sugar
Juice from 2 lemons
Salt
Pepper
Paprika powder
Garlic
Cinnamon powder
Cayenne pepper
Directions:
1. Peel and dice the apples, and place them in a pot with a little water over a low flame. Cook until soft (like making apple sauce)
2. Add the ketchup, sugar, and spices (to taste) into the cooked apples.
3. Puree with a mixer.
Our notes on this recipe:
Ingredients:
2 medium-sized sour apples
100 ml ketchup
1 tsp brown sugar
Juice from 2 lemons
Salt
Pepper
Paprika powder
Garlic
Cinnamon powder
Cayenne pepper
Directions:
1. Peel and dice the apples, and place them in a pot with a little water over a low flame. Cook until soft (like making apple sauce)
2. Add the ketchup, sugar, and spices (to taste) into the cooked apples.
3. Puree with a mixer.
Our notes on this recipe:
- You only need juice from half a lemon. If you want it more lemony, then add more. But slowly!
- We used two big apples
- The barbecue sauce tastes much better after letting it sit overnight.
- Recipe filled one jar (something a little smaller than .5 L size)
- Total cooking time was long. The apples took forever to become soft!
Rhubarb chutney
Food52.com has a delicious recipe for rhubarb chutney (original recipe here) that we made for Emma's birthday party.
A few notes about the recipe:
- Total time with preperation and cooking was about an hour
- The chutney tasted exponentially better the next day
- We did not get the full 1.5 pints (not a big deal, just worth noting)
- We used a different canning method (boil jars, screw on lids, turn upside down to create seal, let cool)
21 January 2013
A weekend in the Netherlands
We were half way through our trip in the US when we decided we would go to the Netherlands for a few days after returning to Germany, and after a day back in Heidelberg, we started planning a trip for the following weekend! Everything was very spontaneous and not well planned, but it was a lot more fun that way. :)
First, we coordinated with the Erasmus friends we knew living in the Netherlands, then figured out we could meet them both in the same region, and booked a room on www.airbnb.com in den Haag. The flaw in our plan was expecting that we could take Fabian’s grandma’s car for the weekend. Two days before the trip, Fabian’s dad said we shouldn’t take the car because the locks don’t work well and it wasn’t good to drive it in the snow (it’s an older car, and it does make weird noises sometimes…), so we should look for train tickets. Well. the train was going to cost about 350€, and I said to rent a car for a fraction of the price instead!
Day 1: We woke up at ass o’clock to finish packing, then Fabian went to pick-up the rental car. The first thing he says when he gets back is, "There was a problem with our reservation and we didn’t get a car." My reaction was “WHAT??!!!” until I realized that he was just pulling my leg. But there really was a problem with the reservation—they didn’t have the car we reserved, so they gave us a BMW 320. Ha! At first, we both felt a little bit ridiculous, but after 100 km it was just fun. It was definitely the fanciest car I’ve been in.
We set off, realizing an hour in that we forgot to bring our Christmas money, and had no cash. Oops! We also didn’t have a map, and only had directions to the house we were staying at, but not to Delft, which we were going to visit on the way. However, as luck would have it, we were in a fancy BMW and navigation was included! Crisis averted.
Emma was really happy in the car, even though she is a bit big for her car seat (we need to hurry up and buy the bigger size!). I was worried she was uncomfortable, but she was able to sleep for a few hours and didn’t complain too loudly, so I guess it was okay.
***
We started our vacation with a visit to Delft. Delft is a smaller city (~100k people) in southeast Netherlands. Fabian had picked a random parking lot vaguely near the center from the navigation thing, and we drove a very roundabout way through the city through really small curvy streets to get there.
Emma was very excited to get out of the car and see something, and we decided to find a cafe where we could enjoy a coffee and cake to kick-off our vacation.
I was concentrating on keeping Emma occupied so she wouldn’t start crying, and Fabian was on the lookout for a cafe. We passed seven or so before I just picked one (Thuis In) because Emma was getting too heavy. The cafe was a funny split-level place with the kitchen in the lower level, bakery on the main level, and a few tables on the upper level. The cafe man greeted us then asked what he could get for us. We said we wanted to stay for coffee, and he said, “Okay, I have some toys your baby can play with if you want to sit upstairs.” Fabian was amazed! (He is used to being greeted with disdain when entering bakeries/cafes with small children in Germany.) So, after five hours in the car, Emma finally had her chance to crawl around and unwind. We ordered cappuccinos, Fabian picked out some funny cakes, and we sat in the cafe for an hour.
We walked around Delft for two hours and saw some interesting/strange/pretty things including a hobo snowman, and posts lining a public square that looked like swastikas from the top (awkward!). The city is quite gorgeous, and looks especially beautiful at night all lit up.
Eventually, we left Delft and drove to Den Haag, and had a relatively easy time finding our host’s flat. We had a hard time figuring out where to park though, and had to wait for the guy to come downstairs to show us where to go.
Our airbnb hosts were a very nice Iranian family. They were very welcoming, and enjoyed playing with Emma. :)
***
Day 2: Our second day in the Netherlands we explored Den Haag. We had a late start—I was up for three hours at 3:30a because of a stuffy nose and the whole not being able to breathe made it hard to continue sleeping. We weren’t out of the house until after 11:30a and set off for a very cold walk to the central station to meet Matea and Krzysztof. (They live in the northern part of the Netherlands, but were coming to the south for a day to visit some Polish friends, and since we were there at the same time, we all hung out together.)
We met up around 12:30p, and decided it was very cold and their friends took us to a funny bar/restaurant called Pavlov, where we had tea and sandwiches. Emma was happy to be out of her snow suit and was jumping around for a while. She did take a nap before we left the restaurant, which made me very happy since she was acting cranky and exhausted.
After lunch, we walked around in the center, made our way to the Escher Museum (he’s the guy with the crazy perspective art and tessellations). The museum was cool, and on the top floor there was an interactive exhibit with lots of space for Emma to crawl around. The security woman was entertained until we were in the regular exhibit area and Emma was babbling very loudly, so I went to the coat check area to wait for everyone else.
Next, we continued walking in the cold, which wouldn’t have been so bad if the wind wasn’t as extreme. We saw the castle, then the group split up because Emma needed to sleep again and it just wasn’t working to stay outside anymore.
We stopped in a cafe so I could feed Emma, she passed out, and we walked around looking for a place to eat dinner. We ended up at a Mexican restaurant (NL has amazingly delicious Mexican food compared to a lot I’ve had in Europe!), and Fabian was getting frustrated going out for dinner with Emma because she was waking up and it was becoming an ordeal. But, the waiters were all smiling at Emma and waving as they passed, and it wasn’t a big deal at all. We enjoyed a delicious dinner complete with yummy and overpriced cocktails.
***
Day 3: We had big plans for our last day in the Netherlands. First we wanted to see the coast, then we were going to Rotterdam to see Robbie. We left our hosts around 10:00a, and drove to Monster to see the coast, and a windmill.
The closer we got to the coast, the windier it became, and by the time we walked from our car to the becah, I couldn’t feel my face, legs, hands, or neck. I’m extremely glad that I had a sleeping Emma in the carrier with a big blanket around her to save her from the wind. But, I think she was still effected because she woke up to scream a few times after there was an extra strong gust of wind. Before the wind it was –4° C (25° F), and I don’t know what the temperature was with a wind chill… All I can say is that it was FREAKING COLD!
From Monster, we drove to Rotterdam. We arrived in Rotterdam at the Park and Ride around noon, then took the train to the central station. The original plan was that we would walk around for an hour and a half before meeting Robbie, but it was snowing, windy, and extra gross, so we stayed in the train station and had coffee and tea, and funny ham and cheese sandwiches (extra cheesy, topped with cheese).
We met Robbie, and he took us around Rotterdam to a cool restaurant (De Machinist) where we tried kroket, to Delftshaven, the historic part of Rotterdam that survived WWII (and I saw a second windmill!), the cube houses, and to a fun marine-themed restaurant where we had drinks and Dutch pancakes. Mmm!
Robbie tried SO HARD to win Emma over, and he came so close! She is still very cautious of people she’s never met, which is a good thing, but it can be so frustrating for our friends/family who want to give Emma some love and she’s not at all interested. This picture was after Robbie tried holding Emma, and she crawled right back into Papa’s lap…
After pancakes, we went our separate ways and went back to the car to start driving to Heidelberg.
***
I had a great time visiting friends in the Netherlands, and I definitely want to go back when it is warmer (I’ve only been to NL in January), so I can see tulips, and, of course, more windmills!
After this visit, I am very curious to learn a bit more about the Dutch language. It is a crazy combination of German and English, and I find it fun to listen to. Matea was telling us a little bit about her Dutch-learning experience, and said that you really have to think.
For example, counting to ten, it sounds more German, but then there are 5, 7, and 10 that sound more English (that Dutch ‘ij’ combination makes a similar sound to an English i):
Anyway, off my linguist rant. I had a wonderful time, and hope to visit the Netherlands again soon!
First, we coordinated with the Erasmus friends we knew living in the Netherlands, then figured out we could meet them both in the same region, and booked a room on www.airbnb.com in den Haag. The flaw in our plan was expecting that we could take Fabian’s grandma’s car for the weekend. Two days before the trip, Fabian’s dad said we shouldn’t take the car because the locks don’t work well and it wasn’t good to drive it in the snow (it’s an older car, and it does make weird noises sometimes…), so we should look for train tickets. Well. the train was going to cost about 350€, and I said to rent a car for a fraction of the price instead!
Day 1: We woke up at ass o’clock to finish packing, then Fabian went to pick-up the rental car. The first thing he says when he gets back is, "There was a problem with our reservation and we didn’t get a car." My reaction was “WHAT??!!!” until I realized that he was just pulling my leg. But there really was a problem with the reservation—they didn’t have the car we reserved, so they gave us a BMW 320. Ha! At first, we both felt a little bit ridiculous, but after 100 km it was just fun. It was definitely the fanciest car I’ve been in.
We set off, realizing an hour in that we forgot to bring our Christmas money, and had no cash. Oops! We also didn’t have a map, and only had directions to the house we were staying at, but not to Delft, which we were going to visit on the way. However, as luck would have it, we were in a fancy BMW and navigation was included! Crisis averted.
Emma was really happy in the car, even though she is a bit big for her car seat (we need to hurry up and buy the bigger size!). I was worried she was uncomfortable, but she was able to sleep for a few hours and didn’t complain too loudly, so I guess it was okay.
***
We started our vacation with a visit to Delft. Delft is a smaller city (~100k people) in southeast Netherlands. Fabian had picked a random parking lot vaguely near the center from the navigation thing, and we drove a very roundabout way through the city through really small curvy streets to get there.
Emma was very excited to get out of the car and see something, and we decided to find a cafe where we could enjoy a coffee and cake to kick-off our vacation.
I was concentrating on keeping Emma occupied so she wouldn’t start crying, and Fabian was on the lookout for a cafe. We passed seven or so before I just picked one (Thuis In) because Emma was getting too heavy. The cafe was a funny split-level place with the kitchen in the lower level, bakery on the main level, and a few tables on the upper level. The cafe man greeted us then asked what he could get for us. We said we wanted to stay for coffee, and he said, “Okay, I have some toys your baby can play with if you want to sit upstairs.” Fabian was amazed! (He is used to being greeted with disdain when entering bakeries/cafes with small children in Germany.) So, after five hours in the car, Emma finally had her chance to crawl around and unwind. We ordered cappuccinos, Fabian picked out some funny cakes, and we sat in the cafe for an hour.
We walked around Delft for two hours and saw some interesting/strange/pretty things including a hobo snowman, and posts lining a public square that looked like swastikas from the top (awkward!). The city is quite gorgeous, and looks especially beautiful at night all lit up.
Eventually, we left Delft and drove to Den Haag, and had a relatively easy time finding our host’s flat. We had a hard time figuring out where to park though, and had to wait for the guy to come downstairs to show us where to go.
Our airbnb hosts were a very nice Iranian family. They were very welcoming, and enjoyed playing with Emma. :)
***
Day 2: Our second day in the Netherlands we explored Den Haag. We had a late start—I was up for three hours at 3:30a because of a stuffy nose and the whole not being able to breathe made it hard to continue sleeping. We weren’t out of the house until after 11:30a and set off for a very cold walk to the central station to meet Matea and Krzysztof. (They live in the northern part of the Netherlands, but were coming to the south for a day to visit some Polish friends, and since we were there at the same time, we all hung out together.)
We met up around 12:30p, and decided it was very cold and their friends took us to a funny bar/restaurant called Pavlov, where we had tea and sandwiches. Emma was happy to be out of her snow suit and was jumping around for a while. She did take a nap before we left the restaurant, which made me very happy since she was acting cranky and exhausted.
After lunch, we walked around in the center, made our way to the Escher Museum (he’s the guy with the crazy perspective art and tessellations). The museum was cool, and on the top floor there was an interactive exhibit with lots of space for Emma to crawl around. The security woman was entertained until we were in the regular exhibit area and Emma was babbling very loudly, so I went to the coat check area to wait for everyone else.
Next, we continued walking in the cold, which wouldn’t have been so bad if the wind wasn’t as extreme. We saw the castle, then the group split up because Emma needed to sleep again and it just wasn’t working to stay outside anymore.
We stopped in a cafe so I could feed Emma, she passed out, and we walked around looking for a place to eat dinner. We ended up at a Mexican restaurant (NL has amazingly delicious Mexican food compared to a lot I’ve had in Europe!), and Fabian was getting frustrated going out for dinner with Emma because she was waking up and it was becoming an ordeal. But, the waiters were all smiling at Emma and waving as they passed, and it wasn’t a big deal at all. We enjoyed a delicious dinner complete with yummy and overpriced cocktails.
***
Day 3: We had big plans for our last day in the Netherlands. First we wanted to see the coast, then we were going to Rotterdam to see Robbie. We left our hosts around 10:00a, and drove to Monster to see the coast, and a windmill.
The closer we got to the coast, the windier it became, and by the time we walked from our car to the becah, I couldn’t feel my face, legs, hands, or neck. I’m extremely glad that I had a sleeping Emma in the carrier with a big blanket around her to save her from the wind. But, I think she was still effected because she woke up to scream a few times after there was an extra strong gust of wind. Before the wind it was –4° C (25° F), and I don’t know what the temperature was with a wind chill… All I can say is that it was FREAKING COLD!
From Monster, we drove to Rotterdam. We arrived in Rotterdam at the Park and Ride around noon, then took the train to the central station. The original plan was that we would walk around for an hour and a half before meeting Robbie, but it was snowing, windy, and extra gross, so we stayed in the train station and had coffee and tea, and funny ham and cheese sandwiches (extra cheesy, topped with cheese).
We met Robbie, and he took us around Rotterdam to a cool restaurant (De Machinist) where we tried kroket, to Delftshaven, the historic part of Rotterdam that survived WWII (and I saw a second windmill!), the cube houses, and to a fun marine-themed restaurant where we had drinks and Dutch pancakes. Mmm!
Robbie tried SO HARD to win Emma over, and he came so close! She is still very cautious of people she’s never met, which is a good thing, but it can be so frustrating for our friends/family who want to give Emma some love and she’s not at all interested. This picture was after Robbie tried holding Emma, and she crawled right back into Papa’s lap…
After pancakes, we went our separate ways and went back to the car to start driving to Heidelberg.
***
I had a great time visiting friends in the Netherlands, and I definitely want to go back when it is warmer (I’ve only been to NL in January), so I can see tulips, and, of course, more windmills!
After this visit, I am very curious to learn a bit more about the Dutch language. It is a crazy combination of German and English, and I find it fun to listen to. Matea was telling us a little bit about her Dutch-learning experience, and said that you really have to think.
For example, counting to ten, it sounds more German, but then there are 5, 7, and 10 that sound more English (that Dutch ‘ij’ combination makes a similar sound to an English i):
| Dutch | een, twee, drie, vier, vijf, zes, zeven, acht, negen, tien |
| English | one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten |
| Dutch | een, twee, drie, vier, vijf, zes, zeven, acht, negen, tien |
| German | eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs, sieben, acht, neun, zehn |
Anyway, off my linguist rant. I had a wonderful time, and hope to visit the Netherlands again soon!
26 December 2012
Baby’s First Christmas
I know, this is chronologically off because I wrote in February. I’ve been working too much and haven’t had a spare minute to do any writing!
We celebrated two Christmases this year, one with each family.
Boxheimer Family Christmas, December 15-16, 2012
We had a nice Christmas Eve dinner with Fabian’s immediate family on the 15th—a delicious salad with goat cheese and mango chutney, followed by stewed meat and vegetables, and two types of knödel (giant dumplings made with potato and bread, respectively), followed by a homemade ice cream dessert. Emma had Pasta Bambini from a jar of baby food, but she didn’t eat very much of it—she was so much more interested in our food!
After dinner, we traded gifts with “wichteln,” which is like Secret Santa. The theme this year was homemade gifts. To play, you roll a dice, and you can only open presents if you roll a 6. Other numbers you pass to the right or left, or trade with someone at the table. We gave a cardboard penguin (from Fabian), and a mosaic of a Dachshund (from me). Lilly got the penguin, and Paul got the mosaic. Fabian got a painted box with different nick-knacks inside (from Henriette), and I got a jar of delicious salted caramel peanuts (from Lilly). Emma got her own wichteln gift, a German baby book.
Next, we had a debate whether we would open presents or not. I was extremely relieved when everyone decided to open presents together, because plan B would have entailed us taking all of the gifts to the US to open there. How were we ever going to get everything in our suitcases?!! The present exchange was very nice, and I think everyone liked their gifts. :)
The next day, we had Christmas Day with the Grandma’s and Great Aunt. More cookies, more cakes, and more chocolate! Coffee was fine, Emma was pretty well behaved, but she did almost knock over a candle… I have to say, my heart stopped for a moment when I saw what was about to happen! Fortunately, the candle righted itself, and no harm done.
After coffee, we opened more presents. Emma got a cute wagon from her Great Grandma, it’s a very nice wooden wagon with a string so she can pull it along with her. She has the right idea for pulling it, but she needs some practice. Right now she can pull the wagon toward her if you give her the string. I think it’s cool, anyway…
Wilfong Family Christmas, December 24-25
My family traditions aren’t so different from German traditions (I do have German roots), and we also celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Our Christmas Eve celebrations started by going to church for an afternoon service. Emma was not at all interested in church, and she only made it through the first 20-minutes before I had to leave with her. We ended up going back to the car, I changed her, fed her, and walked around with her. About 20-minutes later, my mom came outside to keep us company. I was in an incredibly bad mood because I was so looking forward to going to church, to begin the tradition for Emma that is now an essential part of “Christmas” for me as an adult. I didn’t act very nice when my mom came out, but I really was glad that someone else could take an over-tired, whiny baby for a little while.
After church, we drove to Adrienne’s house where Todd was finishing our dinner. Dinner wasn’t quite ready when we arrived, and we had some time to relax and let Emma entertain us. She had just learned she could raise both arms over her head, throw them down, and that everyone would copy her, and she spent a good 30-minutes training us while we waited for dinner.
When dinner was ready, we ate a delicious meal consisting of: salad with raisins and roasted peanuts, a variety of potatoes with a peanut-based sauce, broccoli rabé, lamb with chimichurri sauce, salmon, carrots in carrot sauce (sounds funny, but super delicious and carrot-y), and toasted baguettes, followed by ice cream topped with caramel for dessert. Did I mention that my soon-to-be brother-in-law is a professional chef?? Dinner was awesome!
After dinner, we opened presents. There were an unseemly amount of gifts for Emma and for her new cousin Kira (who then hadn’t been born), and I am not exaggerating when I say that we opened presents for two hours. Everyone was extremely done with presents before we even finished. It was sort of ridiculous, but nice at the same time. True to form, Emma was more interested in the wrapping paper than the gifts themselves… Maybe next year she will figure out her priorities.
Everyone was exhausted and ready for sleep at the end of the day, and we took a tired and cranky Emma home to Sarah’s house. She fell asleep on the way (hooray!) and didn’t wake up when we took her out of the car to carry her into the house (even bigger hooray!).
***
Emma’s first Christmases were a lot of fun, entertaining, and exhausting. I think she picked up on the excitement, and sensed that something special was happening. She was a bit overwhelmed with all of the presents and wrapping paper everywhere. I was glad when the hubbub of Christmas was over as it meant we could sort of return to a more normal schedule and a happier, less exhausted baby.
We celebrated two Christmases this year, one with each family.
Boxheimer Family Christmas, December 15-16, 2012
We had a nice Christmas Eve dinner with Fabian’s immediate family on the 15th—a delicious salad with goat cheese and mango chutney, followed by stewed meat and vegetables, and two types of knödel (giant dumplings made with potato and bread, respectively), followed by a homemade ice cream dessert. Emma had Pasta Bambini from a jar of baby food, but she didn’t eat very much of it—she was so much more interested in our food!
After dinner, we traded gifts with “wichteln,” which is like Secret Santa. The theme this year was homemade gifts. To play, you roll a dice, and you can only open presents if you roll a 6. Other numbers you pass to the right or left, or trade with someone at the table. We gave a cardboard penguin (from Fabian), and a mosaic of a Dachshund (from me). Lilly got the penguin, and Paul got the mosaic. Fabian got a painted box with different nick-knacks inside (from Henriette), and I got a jar of delicious salted caramel peanuts (from Lilly). Emma got her own wichteln gift, a German baby book.
Next, we had a debate whether we would open presents or not. I was extremely relieved when everyone decided to open presents together, because plan B would have entailed us taking all of the gifts to the US to open there. How were we ever going to get everything in our suitcases?!! The present exchange was very nice, and I think everyone liked their gifts. :)
The next day, we had Christmas Day with the Grandma’s and Great Aunt. More cookies, more cakes, and more chocolate! Coffee was fine, Emma was pretty well behaved, but she did almost knock over a candle… I have to say, my heart stopped for a moment when I saw what was about to happen! Fortunately, the candle righted itself, and no harm done.
After coffee, we opened more presents. Emma got a cute wagon from her Great Grandma, it’s a very nice wooden wagon with a string so she can pull it along with her. She has the right idea for pulling it, but she needs some practice. Right now she can pull the wagon toward her if you give her the string. I think it’s cool, anyway…
Wilfong Family Christmas, December 24-25
My family traditions aren’t so different from German traditions (I do have German roots), and we also celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Our Christmas Eve celebrations started by going to church for an afternoon service. Emma was not at all interested in church, and she only made it through the first 20-minutes before I had to leave with her. We ended up going back to the car, I changed her, fed her, and walked around with her. About 20-minutes later, my mom came outside to keep us company. I was in an incredibly bad mood because I was so looking forward to going to church, to begin the tradition for Emma that is now an essential part of “Christmas” for me as an adult. I didn’t act very nice when my mom came out, but I really was glad that someone else could take an over-tired, whiny baby for a little while.
After church, we drove to Adrienne’s house where Todd was finishing our dinner. Dinner wasn’t quite ready when we arrived, and we had some time to relax and let Emma entertain us. She had just learned she could raise both arms over her head, throw them down, and that everyone would copy her, and she spent a good 30-minutes training us while we waited for dinner.
When dinner was ready, we ate a delicious meal consisting of: salad with raisins and roasted peanuts, a variety of potatoes with a peanut-based sauce, broccoli rabé, lamb with chimichurri sauce, salmon, carrots in carrot sauce (sounds funny, but super delicious and carrot-y), and toasted baguettes, followed by ice cream topped with caramel for dessert. Did I mention that my soon-to-be brother-in-law is a professional chef?? Dinner was awesome!
After dinner, we opened presents. There were an unseemly amount of gifts for Emma and for her new cousin Kira (who then hadn’t been born), and I am not exaggerating when I say that we opened presents for two hours. Everyone was extremely done with presents before we even finished. It was sort of ridiculous, but nice at the same time. True to form, Emma was more interested in the wrapping paper than the gifts themselves… Maybe next year she will figure out her priorities.
Everyone was exhausted and ready for sleep at the end of the day, and we took a tired and cranky Emma home to Sarah’s house. She fell asleep on the way (hooray!) and didn’t wake up when we took her out of the car to carry her into the house (even bigger hooray!).
***
Emma’s first Christmases were a lot of fun, entertaining, and exhausting. I think she picked up on the excitement, and sensed that something special was happening. She was a bit overwhelmed with all of the presents and wrapping paper everywhere. I was glad when the hubbub of Christmas was over as it meant we could sort of return to a more normal schedule and a happier, less exhausted baby.
20 December 2012
Emma, the travel diva
We survived the nine hour flight from Frankfurt to Chicago, followed by an eleven hour car ride to Nashville. Emma is an absolute champion traveler!
We left for the airport at 7:00a, and Emma was still sleeping when I started changing her, and woke up enough to have breakfast and get into some warmer clothes for the car ride. She wasn’t very happy about waking up or leaving her warm bed, but after ten minutes in the car she slept again. :) We had excellent traffic and made it to the airport by 8:00a!
At the airport, we were confused and concerned that Fabian’s boarding pass wouldn’t print at the check-in kiosk, and when we asked someone about it, they sent us to the first class/business class check-in desk, which was awesome since we didn’t have to wait in the economy line for three years. The woman at the check-in desk said that the boarding pass didn’t print on purpose so that we would be sent to the short line with the baby. From there, check-in and finding the gate were easy-peasy.
We boarded early, which was incredibly handy since the flight was completely booked. We could find our seats without people getting antsy standing behind us waiting to get all of our shit settled. We sat in the baby row, which came equipped with bassinets! We didn’t end up needing the bassinet, but it was nice to have the option if we wanted it.
The guy who sat next to us was absolutely incredible, no complaints about us getting up like fifteen times during the flight to change/walk with Emma, go to the toilet, etc. Emma was a messy baby and a poop machine on the flight. We know for the next time that we should bring a third change of clothes for Emma…
Emma didn’t really sleep on the plane (only 2 hours), but she was very content and well behaved for the entire flight. Her favorite thing was to look out the window and stare at the clouds. She didn’t have any problems with take-off or landing (except for farting the entire way descending into Chicago).
After making it to Chicago, we had some sandwiches, visited my aunt, then finally made it to my parents house. Then, we had some down time while we waited for a few friends to come visit before we drove to Nashville for Christmas, and Emma slept for about an hour. Emma was very tired meeting everyone, and cranky, but still made friends. :)
After my friends left, we repacked our suitcases and started driving to Nashville. We were severely jetlagged and could easily sleep in the car. Hooray! Emma slept in her big girl car seat, and everyone was happy. The drive was relatively smooth, and we stopped a few times for changing and eating. Fabian got the 4:30a Denny’s dining experience—nuff said.
After breakfast, I was the primary driver since both of my parents were pooped, and for me it felt like noon. :) We arrived in Nashville around 9:00a, had a lovely afternoon visiting with my sisters, Emma crashed at 4:00p, and we went to bed at like 7:00p.
We all survived ~40 hours of travel, a seven hour time difference, and a car ride with my parents. Hooray!
See you (next year haha!) in Chicago!
(Emma was completely passed OUT!)
We left for the airport at 7:00a, and Emma was still sleeping when I started changing her, and woke up enough to have breakfast and get into some warmer clothes for the car ride. She wasn’t very happy about waking up or leaving her warm bed, but after ten minutes in the car she slept again. :) We had excellent traffic and made it to the airport by 8:00a!
At the airport, we were confused and concerned that Fabian’s boarding pass wouldn’t print at the check-in kiosk, and when we asked someone about it, they sent us to the first class/business class check-in desk, which was awesome since we didn’t have to wait in the economy line for three years. The woman at the check-in desk said that the boarding pass didn’t print on purpose so that we would be sent to the short line with the baby. From there, check-in and finding the gate were easy-peasy.
We boarded early, which was incredibly handy since the flight was completely booked. We could find our seats without people getting antsy standing behind us waiting to get all of our shit settled. We sat in the baby row, which came equipped with bassinets! We didn’t end up needing the bassinet, but it was nice to have the option if we wanted it.
The guy who sat next to us was absolutely incredible, no complaints about us getting up like fifteen times during the flight to change/walk with Emma, go to the toilet, etc. Emma was a messy baby and a poop machine on the flight. We know for the next time that we should bring a third change of clothes for Emma…
Emma didn’t really sleep on the plane (only 2 hours), but she was very content and well behaved for the entire flight. Her favorite thing was to look out the window and stare at the clouds. She didn’t have any problems with take-off or landing (except for farting the entire way descending into Chicago).
After making it to Chicago, we had some sandwiches, visited my aunt, then finally made it to my parents house. Then, we had some down time while we waited for a few friends to come visit before we drove to Nashville for Christmas, and Emma slept for about an hour. Emma was very tired meeting everyone, and cranky, but still made friends. :)
After my friends left, we repacked our suitcases and started driving to Nashville. We were severely jetlagged and could easily sleep in the car. Hooray! Emma slept in her big girl car seat, and everyone was happy. The drive was relatively smooth, and we stopped a few times for changing and eating. Fabian got the 4:30a Denny’s dining experience—nuff said.
After breakfast, I was the primary driver since both of my parents were pooped, and for me it felt like noon. :) We arrived in Nashville around 9:00a, had a lovely afternoon visiting with my sisters, Emma crashed at 4:00p, and we went to bed at like 7:00p.
We all survived ~40 hours of travel, a seven hour time difference, and a car ride with my parents. Hooray!
See you (next year haha!) in Chicago!
(Relaxing after arriving in Nashville)
(Emma was completely passed OUT!)
07 December 2012
Thanksgiving and Nikalous
I have been sort of busy these last few weeks, so please excuse me for not posting about Thanksgiving earlier.
This Thanksgiving felt like a total bust. We couldn’t have dinner until Sunday, then two of Fabian’s siblings had/have mono and couldn’t join us for the festivities. Thanksgiving day itself blew chunks—lots of stress and neither Fabian or I were in a good mood. We were able to find almost everything for a traditional dinner, except cranberries. We substituted with jars of Preiselbeeren (I don’t know the translation in English), which tasted pretty similar and are also usually eaten with meat.
Thanksgiving day itself was fine. We hosted Fabian’s parents, brother, grandma, aunt, and a random friend of his aunt. Everyone enjoyed the meal! We even had pumpkin pie, and the new Thanksgiving celebrators couldn’t believe that it was really pumpkin.
After the celebrations, Emma faked us out by pretending she was really going to sleep, and when she woke up 20 minutes later, Henriette told us we should go walk around Schwetzingen to get out of the house (it was still relatively early), so we did. Emma was in a FANTASTIC mood, and we could leave her sitting n the Kinderwagen while we shared toast Hawaii and drinks. I really couldn’t believe how well she was behaving for us! Such a nice Thanksgiving treat!
On December 3, Fabian celebrated his 25th birthday! He got to sleep in a little bit, we went to Schwetzingen for lunch, then had his family over for coffee, glühwein, and cake. Mmm! After everyone left, we had a relaxed evening and had a pizza dinner.
Breaking news in Emma-land:
Yesterday was Nikalous day. In Germany, the tradition is to leave your boot outside and then Nikalous will deliver treats (peanuts, mandarins, chocolate, socks, etc.). My family also celebrates St. Nicholas Day, and we’ve always gotten goodies inside stockings. This year, we had three Nikalous’s stop by!
From her American Nicholas, Emma got a toy cell phone. It makes noise. But, she seems to enjoy throwing it all over. Thanks American Nicholas! Her German Nikalous brought her different jars of fruity baby food, and two pairs of tights! The third Nikalous gave her some hilarious baby leg warmers. :)
Between Fabian and I, we now have more chocolate than we know what to do with, a whole bunch of new socks (yay!), and soooo many peanuts!!!!!
This Thanksgiving felt like a total bust. We couldn’t have dinner until Sunday, then two of Fabian’s siblings had/have mono and couldn’t join us for the festivities. Thanksgiving day itself blew chunks—lots of stress and neither Fabian or I were in a good mood. We were able to find almost everything for a traditional dinner, except cranberries. We substituted with jars of Preiselbeeren (I don’t know the translation in English), which tasted pretty similar and are also usually eaten with meat.
Thanksgiving day itself was fine. We hosted Fabian’s parents, brother, grandma, aunt, and a random friend of his aunt. Everyone enjoyed the meal! We even had pumpkin pie, and the new Thanksgiving celebrators couldn’t believe that it was really pumpkin.
After the celebrations, Emma faked us out by pretending she was really going to sleep, and when she woke up 20 minutes later, Henriette told us we should go walk around Schwetzingen to get out of the house (it was still relatively early), so we did. Emma was in a FANTASTIC mood, and we could leave her sitting n the Kinderwagen while we shared toast Hawaii and drinks. I really couldn’t believe how well she was behaving for us! Such a nice Thanksgiving treat!
***
On December 3, Fabian celebrated his 25th birthday! He got to sleep in a little bit, we went to Schwetzingen for lunch, then had his family over for coffee, glühwein, and cake. Mmm! After everyone left, we had a relaxed evening and had a pizza dinner.
***
Breaking news in Emma-land:
- She likes snow!
- She can climb book cases.
- She can get from laying down to sitting up all by herself.
- She has 6 teeth, and teething suggests more are on the way.
- She’ has finally rediscovered that sleeping is good and enjoyable!!!!
- She can get from sitting to standing by pulling herself up on furniture easy peasy.
***
Yesterday was Nikalous day. In Germany, the tradition is to leave your boot outside and then Nikalous will deliver treats (peanuts, mandarins, chocolate, socks, etc.). My family also celebrates St. Nicholas Day, and we’ve always gotten goodies inside stockings. This year, we had three Nikalous’s stop by!
From her American Nicholas, Emma got a toy cell phone. It makes noise. But, she seems to enjoy throwing it all over. Thanks American Nicholas! Her German Nikalous brought her different jars of fruity baby food, and two pairs of tights! The third Nikalous gave her some hilarious baby leg warmers. :)
Between Fabian and I, we now have more chocolate than we know what to do with, a whole bunch of new socks (yay!), and soooo many peanuts!!!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)