Merry Christmas - I'm out (for a while)!

Happy Holidays * Froehe Weinachten * Feliz Navidad * Bonnes Fete

Happy Festivus!

We are leaving on Wednesday for our Holidays in France. Tomorrow will be a long day of packing, Baby Dr. visit, working, and cleaning. Why do we always clean BEFORE we go on vacation??

Anyways, I probably won't have a chance to write anything after that, so I wanted to wish you all a wonderful holiday, filled with your family, friends, and voices of those you love!

A Festivus for the Restuvus! See you next year!

Spoerhase OUT.

My kid NEVER misses a photo op WITH props!

Handmade Holidays

I think there is something so special about getting a handmade gift, especially if it's something that's cute & functional!

So for my friends and family that have recently had children, and are awaiting them...I decided to make some very useful burp cloths for the holidays!

Maybe you didn't find them so useful, but personally, I used burp cloths, cloth diapers, and any and all other pieces of fabric ALL THE TIME when Emma was first born!

It was so handy to have these cloths in my diaper bag for a myriad of situations.

So I took some leftover fabric that I had from making Emma a new duvet cover & pillow....oh, did I mention I made her that?

Here is the picture, don't mind the wrinkles, it's from severe overuse! Emma loves to put the blanket and pillow on the floor and have a "slumber party" with all her animals surrounding her. It's pretty darn cute.

So on with the burp cloths!

I used a piece of fabric, and then purchased simple terry towels in various colors to match. I cut each of the fabrics 18x8, then pinned them wrong sides together and sewed all around, leaving a hole wide enough to turn them.

Then I just topstitched around the perimeter, closing the hole and adding a nice decorative touch!

No, they aren't perfect. But they're pretty darn close to it! And after all, they're proper use is to wipe up various fluids that a baby produces! Who needs perfection?? Functionality reigns here!

And how cute do they look all tied together?

Perfect to be stuffed into a gift bag for the new, or expecting mother!

So, who is this set for????????

Happy Handmade Holidays!!

Update from things here

I know, right?? Two posts in one day?? Yes, I'm like that...

Just a quick update for you all. I was out of commission for almost 2 weeks because I was in the Hospital with a kidney infection. Apparently they are quite normal during a pregnancy, although I have never had one before and haven't really heard from my friends about them (until afterwards, ouch, Deia!).

There was nothing "normal" about the amount of pain it caused me. The Dr. even told me that sometimes you just have to "get used to the pain" throughout pr

egnancy from these little "flare-ups". Um, excuse me? I couldn't take a breath without immeasurable pain, how could I push not one but TWO babies out like that?? Alas, the medicine worked and I am back home as of Friday.

It was so hard being in the Hospital because it meant SO MUCH more work for Christian. And being the good man he is, he brought Emma to visit me religiously every day. I'm so lucky and grateful to have such a hard-working, and loving husband. I don't take it for granted ever.

Of course, my "To Do" list compounded daily, and on Friday I came out of the gate running. Most of the things on my list still have to get done, but I did accomplish quite a bit!

I thought I would share with you some of our weather we have been having: White. Typically, I ride my bike to work everyday. I know, I know...6 months pregnant and riding a bike! Well, the snow has definitely put a kabosh on any more bike riding!

Although the snow is quite nice around this time of year, I'm still a Cali-girl at heart and would much rather be seeing some blue skies and palm trees and 80 degree weather! Ahhh, cold weather...one thing I will never learn to love!

Just to end this post on an extremely happy note: Perhaps some of you read my post from a few months back about my friend here who lost her 4 month old baby to SIDS. Well, we had brunch with her yesterday, and she is pregnant again! I am so happy for her. His would have been one year birthday just passed, and it was an extremely difficult time for her. Now knowing she was (and IS) pregnant just makes life feel like it has come full circle. Yeah!

I'm an Aunt!

Well, a similar story to me: Mari's due date (Dec. 2nd) came and went, and was finally induced on the 10th (Happy Birthday Crissi!). After several hours, it became clear that a C-Section was needed to nudge this baby into this world...and on December 11th, at 9p.m., the world welcomed:

Amaya Elizabeth King

9 lbs. 8 oz., 23" long

Congrats to the happy family!

Look at all that hair!!!

Knock, Knock!

So she did it.

She forced me to, I didn't want to.

But I had to.

I was forced to call Christian and say these words, "Do you know what your daughter just did?"

I think I have shared with you all the little karate kicker I have who likes to kick open *and shut* doors and yell, "Emma!". Well, she was practicing her craft, yet again last Friday - when she was home from pre-school sick - and began her usual routine in the bathroom. I played with her for a few minutes opening the door after she shut it, only to see and hear her slam it in my face followed with her adorable battlecry.

I ONLY WALKED AWAY FOR LIKE 2 MINUTES to fold some laundry between slams, when I just heard silence. As any mother knows, this is never a good sign. So I go to check on her when low-and-behold, I can't open the door. SHE LOCKED THE DOOR FROM THE INSIDE.

Oh, and this is one of those "blind locks" they call them. The kind that can ONLY BE OPENED FROM INSIDE.

So, again, I say: She made me do it. I made the call to Christian to have him come home because I had no clue what to do. I begged, and pleaded, and cajoled to no end. She was giggling up a storm in there. I knew she had taken in a juice box with her, so I could occasionally hear her take a sip - until she finished it and threw it in the trash and said, "Alle alle", which means "all done". Now I knew we were going to hit critical mass time. I also knew there was a candle burning in the bathroom - out of her reach - but still.

Christian tried everything when he came home. He begged, pleaded, and cajoled. Nothing. He tried to open the lock with different tools. He took the lock plate off, he took the handle of the door off. Nothing. It was basically a DEADBOLT lock, that could only be opened from her side. And although she locked it, in my heart I knew she would never figure out how to unlock it! Christian got out the hammer and tried to lift the door up a bit (although the hinges were on the inside), he was trying everything. The noise was what did it. She does not like loud noises that she doesn't know or see where they're coming from. She started to lose it.

That was the end, after that...that door was coming down. Christian began prying it open. The wood was falling fast. But not fast enough. She was wailing by now...poor Christian was working so furiously and trying to calm her at the same time. The frame was falling piece by piece. Again, this was a DEADBOLT!!! After about 3 minutes, and an extremely soar shoulder, he had broken through the door, and scoupped her up. She was huddled in the corner, which was good. It was so hard to try to break down the door - with the result of the door flying open - not knowing where she was in the room! We didn't want to knock her down too!

So now, here is what we are left with...

We definitely can't have visitors anytime soon, as the door doesn't shut in the moment.

Oh well, something for her baby book.

Another side note: this happened on the 19th, which was my Mother's Birthday. I was definitely a little sad on that day, and didn't really know how to memorialize her. I thought Emma's act of disobedience was the perfect way to celebrate my Mom. Because in the end, that's what children do when they're children. They make mistakes - and the parents still love them.

...and some blog about them!

Memories today...

Happy Birthday, Mom.

My First Rude "Twin" Comment

It was bound to happen.

People say the stupidest things, why should I be saved from the wrath of their stupidity in a supposed moment of joy for me?

I ran into my neighbor in the hallway of the apartment. She is a somewhat older woman (late 50's, early 60's) who likes to dress like she's 30 and always has different men over "helping" her with home repairs. Mmhmmm.

However, she's usually very pleasant to chat with and always has nice things for Emma and doesn't REALLY complain too much of the noise my little angel can make. Especially when she karate kicks the doors open and screams, "Emma!". Hilarious, note to self: catch this on video!

So, back to the comment... I had only been home a few days, so hadn't really seen her too much. So when she asked me how I was, I told her I was tired and then said, "you know I'm pregnant, right?". To which she replied, "Oh yes, I can SEE", as she points to my belly. Um, okay, that's not very polite, but I figure she's German and learned long ago to re-evaluate my politeness meter to include Germans.

THEN I said, "It's twins". I saw her face turn to horror, as if I had just said that I was giving birth to SAW IIV, and she said (NOW SWITCHING TO ENGLISH!), "How horrible, I am so sorry". It really took me off guard and I had to think how to respond to that. What SHOULD I say to that???? But she took the pressure off of me by continuing on her tyraid of words like, "horrible, awful, sorry, when are you moving??". I told Christian it was like a machine gun of word vomit being fired at me.

I was on my way to work, so I VERY POLITELY just said (IN GERMAN), that "well, we'll see how it turns out and that since Emma was such an easy baby I have high hopes for the twins, too". She looked at me like I was crazy, I looked at her like she was a witch. And I continued on my path.

Can you believe it??????? I swear, I felt like it was a strange episode of German television.

Do you know that the German version of America's Next Top Model (appropriately changed to GERMAN's NTM) is hosted by Heidi Klum here? Oh yes, and when it comes to the end where they tell the girls if they stay or go, over HALF of them are told they are leaving! Yes, half! They cry, they say their goodbyes, they begin their walk of shame out of the hall when Heidi says something stupid like, "Just kidding! Did you think we were really kicking you out?". Um, yes Heidi, she did. Because you TOLD her you were. It's like this awful sense of humor that purports to be funny....in reality makes you feel inferior. Ugh. Another German charm.