{our swiss miss}

grub & i
have been
sick
for the last
week & a half...
but somehow
vee
escaped
with
only
a slight cold.
perhaps
due to mom's
amazing
antibodies.

vee got
vaccinated
for
rotavirus
due to
her upcoming
trip
to mexico.
it was difficult
to make
the decision.
the potential
side-effects
were very
scary
{i did not
need
the
pediatrician
to demonstrate
what an
invaginated intestine
looked like}.
grub & i realized
this was the first
of many decisions
we must make
for vee
with
the fear that
we may make
a bad decision.
i never realized
how much
this would
affect me.
how much
i would
worry and fret
that i might
hurt her
when all
i want to do
is protect her.

. . . . .

my dear
friend
annemarie
visited
to meet vee.
vee was a bit
skeptical
of her at first
but
was instantly
captivated
when
annemaire
spoke dutch
to her.



annemarie
brought
vee some
traditional
dutch
st. nicholas
treats!




she also
brought
vee tons
of cool
jip & janneke



and
nijntje



hand-me-downs
from
annemarie's
little ones
(more photos soon).

annemarie
and i
took
a day trip
with vee
to Murten.


{photo by annemarie}

grub even
joined
us on
a day trip
to Fribourg.


{photo by annemarie}

we all attended
her aunty
pip's birthday
celebration
and
vee wore
her best
birthday
duds.



. . . . .

vee has been
impressing
us daily
with her
new accomplishments
including
holding herself up.



she can almost
roll over.
small feats
for us
but giant
steps
for
a wee grub.

vee has
gotten
quite
attached
to mr pinky.
although
i am not
fond
of the color pink,
mr pinky
is quite
charming.


{photo by annemarie}

. . . . .

this week
i started
to go to work
for a few hours
each day
to prepare
for research
in mexico.
grub began
feeding
vee from the bottle
once a day.
a big transition
for both of us
as we get use
to the life
ahead of us
when i return
to work.
the transition
was surprisingly
smooth.
i wasn't
as anxious
as i thought
at work
but pumping
breastmilk
at work
was stranger
than i expected.
there isn't
really
a private
place
to do it.
it made me
feel very vulnerable
somehow.
i think that
it will take
some getting
use to.

sunday
vee turns
3 months!
christmas
is next week
and then
a week later
we are off
to mexico.

things are
about
to get
really
interesting...


{onesie & doll from cousin caroline}

xo

this week
we purchased
our plane tickets
to mexico.
it was a strange feeling
to fill in vee's
info for her ticket.
so many
firsts
for her.
it is
a bit overwhelming.

with the
purchase of
those plane tickets
i am beginning
to confront
the reality
of working again
and being away
from vee for
longer stretches
of time.
it makes me
sick
to my stomach.
it makes me
want to cry.
but
i know
i must do this.
it's just
going to be
so difficult.
i have to remind
myself how lucky
i am that
she will spent
the whole day
with her dad
{who is much
nicer
and more patient
than her mom}.

i am trying
to focus on
enjoying
this month
with
our little
family.

. . . . .



she now holds
onto things
like her stuffed
animals.
she tries
to pull
her animals
to
her mouth.
she still
does not have
a lot of control
of her arms
but
she definitely
knows they
belong to her
{although
they still
freak her out
occasionally}.



tummy time
is traumatic
for her
{& her parents}
and
quickly
disintegrates
into
blood-curdling
screams.
but
ever-so-slowly
she is getting
a little more
comfortable
on her stomach
and
is quite strong.
she can hold
herself up
{note her
rippling muscles}.



we have been
taking
more
day-trips
with her.
she is
getting use
to riding the train
{and getting
lots of
attention
from
adoring
swiss strangers}.



. . . . .

vee received
a few packages
this week!



an adorable
knitted elephant
from katie!
i want
to keep it
for myself
but
i suppose
i will have
to hand it
over to vee.



katie also
sent
this stylish
onesie.
you would be
amazed how
many college
students
could use
one of these-
maybe then
they could
properly use
a microscope.

thank you katie!



evan sent vee
this awesome
dinosaur.
more importantly
he sent
vee's parents
their favorite
rye whiskey.

thank you evan!!!



vee's omi
sent
an old steiff
with which
we use to
{abusively} play.
the poor bear
needs some
reconstructive
surgery.
she also sent
a book of
german lullabies.

thank you omi!

. . . . .

my father,
vee's grandpa,
turned
81 yesterday.
some days
i want vee
to quickly
grow up
so she can
get to know
the people
i love so much.
other days
i ache
and
already miss
what
has passed
as she grows
bigger
and plumper
{over 5 kgs).
i think
of what
it must be like
for my father
to see
his own
youngest daughter
have
a little daughter
when what seems
like
only yesterday
he held me,
a tiny screaming newborn,
in his arms.

happy belated
birthday daddy.

xo

2 months

vee passed
the
2 month mark
last week
and i
managed
to snap
a photo.
grub was
tsk tsk-ing
me for
choosing
such a
girlie outfit
for her
photo shoot.
i plan to take
a photo of
her each month
in this chair
like
this person
did:



vee has been
growing fast
and keeping
busy.

she got
her
first
vaccination
shots
and cried
so fiercely
it
made
her mom cry.

she visited
the osteopath
again.



she can
hold her
head up
pretty well
but still
swings
it back
and forth
like
a bowling ball
out of control.




she is
always
enamoured
with her dad



but i swear
it's the
conquistador look
that catches
her eye.

she still has
her fair share
of meltdowns.



but is
usually
quite
an
amiable
lady.



on
thanksgiving day
vee received
all her paperwork
for
U.S. citizenship.



a very fancy
certificate
of citizenship
for babies
born outside the USA
and
her passport!
what a little
jet-setter
to have
her own passport
at 2 months old!!!
although
she doesn't
appear to
be thrilled
at the idea
of plane-travel.

last
but not least
she
celebrated
her first
thanksgiving



(although she
had to eat
her dad's
great cooking
secondhand).

vee got
dressed up
in her
finest
turkey day best


{thanks eliza for the socks!}

and
our guests
even brought
a special
marzipan/apricot
cake
in her honor.


{thanks matthias, dagmar, & linnéa}

the holidays
are fast
approaching
and it looks
like
we will
celebrate
christmas
in
switzerland
and
new years eve
on a plane
to mexico.
we will
let you know
how
that all
shakes out.

but for now.
xo

i thought
4 months
for
maternity leave
sounded
like
a long time.
how little
i knew
about...
well,
about
anything.

in a blink
of an eye
i have been
a mom
for
8 weeks.



i suppose
we will
always
feel like
rookies
but
we
are
a little more
comfortable
being
parents.


'
and maybe.
just maybe
vee
is
a little
more
comfortable
with her
rookie
parents
and
life
on the outside.



she
certainly
seems
to have
an opinion
about it...

but
with
the serious
looks
she gives us
and
her furrowed
brow,
i am not
sure she
often
approves.



hard to
say
for sure.

xo

7 weeks
have passed
since
wee grub
was born.

the other night,
on an
unusual occasion
that
vee let us
have dinner
uninterrupted,
i told grub
it almost felt
like the old days.
sitting quietly
drinking
wine
and talking
about this
and that.



some days
i feel like
i have adjusted
to this new life
but
sometimes
it seems
like i am
home sick
and life will
soon return
to "normal."
i suppose that
i won't really
feel like
i have adjusted
until
i am able
to integrate
my job
into this
new world.

soon
we shall see.



we successfully
took
an all-day trip
to sion-
a town in the
mountains
of the valais
wine region.
on sunday
we went
to a brunch.
slowly
but surely
we are
adapting
to socializing
with a baby.



this week
vee
visited
an osteopath
for the second time.
it was recommended
by our doctor
and midwife
to help vee
deal with
her own
trauma
from the
labor and birth.
to
the casual
observer
it looks
like
the osteopath
just gives her
a massage.
i am not sure that
i believe
it does anything
but
it can't hurt
her.
so we are willing
to give it a try.
vee didn't
care for it
so much
this time
and cried
a lot.



tomorrow
we head to
the immigration
office to get
vee her
swiss permit.
we still
have to jump
through
some
hurdles
to get her
passport.
i just hope
they finally
can get
her last name
spelled correctly.
sigh.

xo

it seems
like
only weeks ago
that
i arrived
in switzerland
and
the wisteria was
in bloom.



now the trees
that
cover the hills
are
adorned
in autumn colors.
the air is brisk
and
the sweetness
of autumn
mingles
with the
muskiness
of wet leaves.



wee grub
is already
6 weeks
old and
i begin to see
what parents
mean about
the quickness
of time.

yesterday
i opened
a box of clothes
from a dear friend
containing outfits
for 1-2 year olds
and
i cannot
believe she will
wear those
any time soon.

but she will.

soon i will
look at
the photos of her
at 6 weeks
and feel
the pang of
time so
quickly gone.



. . . . .

wee grub went
with
grub's parents,
grub, & i
to basel
this past week
to see the
art museum
designed by
renzo piano,
aka
the beyeler fondation.


{spider sculpture by louise bourgeois}

wee grub
took a long
train ride
in the carrier
with grub.



wee grub was,
of course,
totally
uninterested
in the museum.



. . . . .

lastly
wee grub
is enjoying
quality time
with her
grandparents
before
they return
to the usa
this week.



then
it's back
to boring
old life
with
mom & dad.



xo