Need a double stroller...wait it's not what you think

Sophia Joyce has a wonderful German couple-the Gappos that she stays with during the day. Waldemar and Elonca take care of another small toddler and have older kids that stay with them after school. They take the kids to the park and to local markets almost on a daily basis and they love telling us where they went during the day. It so happens that the other toddler is getting around now and needs to be buckled in for safety. Thus, I am combing the local yard sales (online) to see if I can pick up a double stroller. Of course, the parents of the other toddler are chipping in. We will see. We also have our eye on a gently used peg perego high chair. Man, this buying stuff never ends.

Choo Choo...here comes solid food SJ!

We are nearing six months and we are looking at introducing solid foods.  Sophia Joyce (SJ) wakes up twice a night for feeding around 4AM and again close to 6 AM.  We were enjoying a full 7-8 hours of sleep prior to our trip back to the States in early Sept and we're hoping she takes to solid food and we encounter NO allergic reactions.  Maybe she will sleep longer ;-).  We purchased a food processor and I am looking forward to making food for her and sauces for us.  I have this feeling she will like sweet potatoes.

Sesame Street...not the same from when I was a kid

Sophia Joyce and I were up early today.  After a quick expresso shot for Daddy, we took in an episode of Sesame Street.  I haven't as yet checked with management (jenn) to see if deliberate TV watching is okay.  Hmmm...although the characters are the same the programming is different from when I was a kid.  Maybe it's just me.

This Curious Little Person

As soon as Jenn told me were expecting, I knew that to 'expect the unexpected' would be my modus operandi.  It has served me well throughout our experience with Sophia Joyce when changing gooey diapers,  calming her in the wee hours of the morning, or at times when I feel like I cannot fight back the sheer exhaustion that envelops me during the day...as a result from being up late and early.  What has really amazed me in this period of time that I can only describe as beautiful, chaotic, fleeting, and dream-like is the deep, emotional bond that I have with my daughter.  This curious little person whom I have only known for a little over 5 months has become my little girl that has easily, quietly, and completely captured my heart.  I really love seeing the explicit and implicit interactions between Jenn and Sophia.  It appears Jenn is quite smitten with our daughter as well.  The protoconversations between them are nothing short of amazing. 

Been way too long

Wow! I cannot believe that is has almost been an entire year since my last post. I am committed to posting at least a few times of week to document life here in Germany and life as a parent. Let's see how long it lasts ;-).