Parlez-Vous Francais? Oui! Oui!

We're not going to lie-it was really nice visiting a European country where one of us actually does speak the language--well, sort of speaks the language. We had a great time in Paris. The weather didn't cooperate, but we let that slide since everything else turned out great. I think we each gained a few pounds from eating crepes and chocolate croissants, but who can turn down those fabulous bakeries and food vendors on the streets!? Not us. We stayed in a hotel that was located a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower. I went running one morning around the Eiffel Tower, over the Seine River and through parts of the city and I have to say--it was pretty cool! I couldn't have imagined myself running through the streets of Paris a year ago before we made the decision to move.

Here are some pics of our first day walking down the Champs de Elysees.
We woke up Saturday morning and decided to walk to the Louvre. It was raining but Rich said he remembered it only being a 20 minute walk from our neighborhood. FORTY-FIVE minutes and an inch of rain in our shoes/stroller later, we get to the Louvre. Per the wait sign, the line was over an hour long. Lucky for us, a guy selling trinkets walked over and told us we didn't have to wait in line if we had a stroller. We didn't believe him so we asked the people to hold our place in line. We owe this man!!!!! We walked to the front of the line and were escorted into the doors immediately! We put Reed in the baby bjorn and he managed to stay awake for the Mona Lisa. So the next time you're in Paris, make sure you go with someone who has a stroller!
Rich is in Seattle for the next week and a half for work. He's really looking forward to spending time with Clara, Elise and Ben and also seeing some friends while he's there. Reed and I are chilling in Bonn. I think he sensed that his Dad was gone last night because he was on his best behavior. We'll see if he keeps that up for another 10 days!

Au Revoir!

Back in the swing of things...

Now that the holidays and jet lag are over, we figure it's time to get back in the swing of things. For starters, we both need to hit the gym! Rich's surgery went really well last week and he's been given the "OK" to ride a stationary bike and work his way up to running in a few weeks. He was on crutches for a few days, but can walk without them now and feels pretty good. Our gym is at our office which means two days a week Reed gets to have lunch with Dad in the cafeteria while I go to the gym. So far it's been uneventful as Reed has slept through both lunches, but I expect a good story in the near future....

We're learning we're not the only ones who need a schedule. Reed is getting to the age (3 months!) where he needs to start sleeping and playing on a slightly more strict schedule. Up until this point, we've been playing "peek-a-boo" at all hours of the night. Although it's fun to watch him smile, laugh, and kick his arms and legs at 3am, it's not nearly as fun when he gets tired and cranky and can't fall asleep. We'd be lying if we said the last couple of weeks have been a piece of cake, although we may have made it through the worst part. He has been sleeping like a champ the last couple of days which has made all three of us much happier!

We are headed to Paris this Thursday for a long weekend. We forgot that Valentine's Day was this week so it will be the perfect way to celebrate. We weren't sure if Valentine's Day existed in Germany, but after walking through the city center this past week and seeing all of the stores with "Valentinstag" heart decorations in their windows, we're pretty sure they do. Since Germans are pretty generous with holiday time, we were hoping that Rich would get the day off work, but it doesn't seem that they've recognized it as a "national holiday" yet. :-)

Tschuss!

Playing Catch Up!

We admit it-we have been very lazy in our blog updates. So we've condensed our 2 month US holiday trip below. Hopefully this will catch everyone up on our busy lives. Funny how the length of time since our last blog post and the age of Reed are so close!

Due to popular demand, we thought we should share a recent picture of Reed. Here he is with Grandpa Gary. As you can see, he's a very happy baby! And why wouldn't he be? He was held the entire time we were in the US!


Our first stop in the US was O-H-I-O. We had a great time spending 9 days with family and friends! Unfortunately, Rich wasn't able to participate in the first family Christmas party due to some serious jet lag (or Jack & Coke). But, he wasn't alone-Reed and my cousin's little girl, Abby, were right there with him.


Mom and Dad also hosted an Open House to introduce Reed to most of the state. He had a great time and experienced the same thrill when he woke up Christmas morning to open presents.


Next stop-Seattle! We spent a few days with Rich's parents in Bellingham which was very relaxing. In fact, we extended our stay another day so that we could take advantage of the good company (and good babysitters!). Rich's kids got to meet Reed for the first time which was pretty entertaining. They're already asking if we think we'll have another one....and, they've requested a girl. We told them it was dependent on if they could guarantee us that they'll get full college scholarships. While we left Seattle feeling like we saw a lot of people, we still wish we would have had another week to visit more friends. Next time!


Our last stop in the US was Florida. My parents rented a house for the month of January. Who can pass that up right?! So, Rich stayed for a week and I stayed through the end of January. I was a little worried that it would be hard to take care of Reed by myself-what was I thinking? I didn't even see the little guy unless I hunted him down. He was either rocking in the chair with Grandma Pam, taking walks in his stroller with Grandpa Gary, or watching movies into the wee hours of the morning with Uncle Nate.


The only thing that would have made the Florida stay better, would have been if Rich joined us, but I guess someone has to work in our family. That being said, Rich managed to keep fairly busy while were away. He went skiing in Austria with some friends and had a great time. He enjoyed the traditional "apres ski" event which included drinking beer and wine in outdoor bars in 15 degree weather. Unfortunately, he hurt his knee while skiing and after getting the MRI results today, it looks like he'll be getting surgery Thursday. He tore his miniscus, but was assured that it's a minor outpatient surgery and he'll be back on the slopes in a month. Knowing Rich, he'll be back on the slopes next weekend.

What's happening now? We're back in Germany and getting adjusted to the time zone. It's a LOT easier to do when you aren't used to sleeping regular 8 hour nights. I guess I owe a big Thanks to Reed for that! We're hoping to do a road trip in a few weeks so be on the lookout for a new post!

Ciao!