Random Windows

Gnomes or Santa Claus?

And why are they playing soccer? It is a mystery.

A Built-In Audience

That is what babies are. At least to my 5 year old big girl, S. This morning as we sat around the table, I was holding the baby and she was doing something goofy - in other words her usual - and the baby started laughing hysterically. The big girl got excited the baby was entertained with her antics and she upped her goofiness a bit more and more until she was almost manic performing for him. He found all of this to be the funniest thing he has seen in his 4 short months of life. <3

I also learned something about Swiss parenting culture today. It was warm and sunny out and the kids were outside. S and her friend wanted to go into S's room and play with her Playmobil zoo. Fine and dandy with me but S's friend had to ask her mom because they were supposed to be playing outside. Friend's dad said no, play outside. Apparently the Swiss get almost angry when the kids want to play inside on a nice day. I've been sending S out all along when it has been drizzling out being a Washingtonian and all so the weather was no matter to me.

The girls played outside all day and S collapsed shortly after dinner. We are reading Little House in the Big Woods and it was at a particularly scary part so S took a while to fall asleep. Hopefully she will sleep in. LOL Right.

Swiss Omas, Babies, and Hats

A couple of days ago I put the baby in my Storchenwiege wrap and headed out with the girl to a coffee shop for some coffee and gelato. After we were done, I rewrapped the baby because it came a little loose and a grandmother-type smiled at the baby before offering to help. (hilfe - pronounced hal-fe) I was almost done so I said no thank you and finished up fixing the wrap.

I am a big believer in hats for babies because either they don't have enough hair to keep them warm in cold weather or they don't have enough hair to protect them from the sun in hot weather. Either way, my babies are always wearing hats. Except when I am putting the baby in the wrap. Baby E objects strenuously to wearing a hat while I am adjusting him so I had taken it off and set it on the table.

The grandmother stopped and made some comment about the baby's head being cold. I just smiled and said (in English) that he has a hat on the table and pointed to the hat.

Now a lot of moms I know would have been irked that this Swiss grandma was interfering as they like to do but I thought it was rather sweet. Maybe it is the fact that my kids don't have grandmas of their own, I don't know. I just like it when grandma-types fawn all over my kids. :)