Sept 3: We went to a bike fair and got a new bike for me. Mine had lots of problems and it couldn’t carry the kid trailer, so I’ve not been biking much at all. It’s so much better shopping with someone!
Sept 5: Joseph knows the Lord’s prayer (English) and also the sentence that Stephan usually puts at the end of his meal-time prayers (Swiss German). He loves to jump in with “amen” just after the last word and before we say amen. He is so proud of himself!
Sept 6: I had the ultra sounds for Baby #2. Joseph didn’t like the doctor messing with my belly, but the doc was still able to determine that everything looks normal.
Sept 9: Joseph has rediscovered bits and asks for them a lot. His favorite is still family, but he also likes to laugh at Mommy when she stumbles over an addition problem.
Sept 10: I went to the Frauen Frühstück (lady’s breakfast) in Emmen (serving the greater Lucerne area). I understood much of the talk, but I’m afraid if there was something profound I missed it. That’s the trouble with where my language is. I can follow along just find until something subtle is said, and then it’s lost on me. Plus I’m still adjusting to the new dialects I hear here. I was actually comfortable all alone in that new environment, but I still find it more awkward than restorative. I’ve also been rethinking how I want to invest socially. What’s the purpose of knowing people? How many people can we realistically know? What does “know” mean? Are there as many answers to those questions as there are people? This is a bullet update, so you’re spared any more on the topic.
In the afternoon we went to Swiss Steel’s Family Day and enjoyed food, pony rides (too scary), carrousel rides (a bit hit), and watching the big steel sorter crane operate. Later in the afternoon we had a visit from Schola friend Nate, which is great. He had a gig nearby and looked us up. It was a pleasure!
Sept 11: We commemorated by celebrating life, love, and family. Joseph spend the day with his grandparents and Aunt C and we picked up the filing cabinet we’d bought off ebay and then went to a wellness center (Sole Uno) for two hours. I’d always wanted to try it, but it was super lovely to just enjoy some relaxing time with my husband. That was babymoon #1 (we didn’t have one with Joseph). Talk about a win-win situation! Joseph loves being with his grandparents and they love him. We are blessed.
Sept 14: Joseph has known for a while what “gentle” means and will softly stroke whatever it is with an open hand when you admonish him to be gentle. He adores books and I’m trying to encourage that love without encouraging the whining that comes whenever we stop reading. He reads the stories to himself as well and has certain intonations and expressions while reading certain books because he knows their stories. I find it just too adorable. DSTB might appreciate that he says “mama, mama, mama” when reading the Owl Babie’s book and he alternates soft babbling with loud babbling when reading the Big Hungry Bear (it follows “boom, boom, boom, the bear with tromp through the forest . . .” which I always read suddenly louder). Those are two of his favorites. Thanks for sharing with us what was special to your children!
Joseph signs “rain” and says “banana” though it sounds more like “min aye.”
Two girl friends from Basel (S+V) came for dinner while Stephan was out on a business trip so we had some girl time!
Sept 15: Joseph can notice that something rolls under the couch, then crouch down to look for it and flatten himself out so he can reach for it. I would never have realized that those skills took such time to develop!
This morning Joseph got two more shots, poor guy, these hurt this time.
And the big news for me: Joseph is sleeping through the night now! Since vacation he’s been getting better and now he often sleeps from 8ish to 5:30 without waking, and if he does wake he doesn’t need to nurse, he can be lulled back to sleep with singing. This is so wonderful for me, though hard for Stephan because nursing didn’t wake him up but singing does, especially since he usually sings along. Sleep is amazing. I can be in bed for 7 hours and feel refreshed because the only baby waking me up is the new one resting on my bladder!
And I just discovered that Joseph can line up and close a buckle – the kind that you push in and pinch out like what’s often on backpack waste straps and the like.
