Kid is Asleep and I'm Exhausted

Such is the mommy life I guess but why can't I have some time to myself when I am not falling over from tiredness? I'd really like a weekend to myself. I'm sure in hour 2 of weekend to myself, I'd be bored and wondering when I will see kid + dad again. :)

Saturday is Tour Day AND Laundry Day

Just how will that work?

On Saturday the whole clan will trek to the local, public hospital to tour the birth center and decide whether Baby Bounce will be born there. The tour and information lecture is given by one of the midwives. Hopefully I can at least ask questions in English.

The compulsory basic health insurance, as required by the Swiss government, pays for birth at a public hospital, birth center or homebirth with two midwives. A search for homebirth midwives in the area led to a bunch of nothing so public hospital or birth center it is. I could pay to go to a private hospital or for perks at the public hospital but I am cheap so that isn't likely to happen.

Interesting fact for the day. The term for midwife in French is sage femme, or wise woman if directly translated.

My Swiss OB Appointment

Today was my first Swiss OB appointment and it went swimmingly. Well, except I had the H1N1 vaccine and now my arm feels like I was stabbed in the arm. There was some debate as to getting the Swine Flu vaccine but pregnant friends of friends and pregnant online friends who came down with Swine Flu had a terrible time with it. I can't risk ending up in the hospital right now so I got the vaccine. Today was the first day my OB had the vaccine and I was the first patient to get it. Does that make me special?

The OB didn't receive my previous medical records in time so she wanted to do an ultrasound. Since I've been having bad feelings about this pregnancy, I consented and that is how I hurt my uterus. At least the first time. I am somewhat sensitive to ultrasounds and dopplers and my body aches afterward. Add that to running to catch the bus and I feel like I was hit by a truck.

S and I went to Starbucks and played Uno for an hour after my appointment and lunch. That was the highlight of the day.

The Fetus is a Nightowl

Why is it that around 1 AM every night, baby Bounce, rocks around the uterus? During the day he is quite a mellow guy but soon after midnight he lives it up. Maybe he isn't a human fetus but is really a gremlin.

Oh, and the nickname Bounce is courtesy of his big sister.

Updates on the Kid

She can add small, positive integers in English and German although Daddy taught her hoch deutch instead of Swiss German. She also says: Frau [teacher] me te haufa. (can you help me?) Don't ask me how to spell it because I have no idea.

It's official! My kid knows more Swiss German than I do.

At school, they have small, wooden looms and she is learning to weave. Her teacher said that she is a quick learner and some teacher code for kind of geeky. w00t! I have a geeky kid, who would have thought?

Yesterday was my wedding anniversary but we couldn't celebrate because it was laundry day. So instead we are all going out to dinner tonight. Chinese food. It had better be good.

While the spouse spent literally all day doing laundry, I went shopping. I took a total of 4 buses, 2 trams, and 2 trains to get to the big shopping area in Dietlikon. While I was there, I picked up an IKEA catalog and a Hello Kitty razor scooter for S. I also bought a new point and shoot camera for me! Now that I have an easily portable camera, I will be taking lots and lots of photos!

Shopping tip: Media Markt is a good place to go for electronics. If it plugs in or runs off battery, they have an American-sized selection.

Also in Dietlikon are some outlet stores. There was a Globus outlet that reduced prices from eye popping to reasonable-by-Zurich-standards.

I am now pregnant enough that walking and shopping is painful so I headed home before looking for a sweatshirt. Maybe I'll get one online.

Reverse Trick or Treating

Hallowe'en is S's absolute favorite holiday and not because of the candy. Last year she dressed up as a cat and paraded around Dallas hearing repeatedly how cute she was. Unfortunately Zurich does not celebrate Hallowe'en as we do in the United States so we had to improvise.

S and I made orange rice krispy treats and used cookie cutters to make them into shapes. No Halloween shapes here, we used heart, duck, swan, and mushroom cookie cutters. Not particularly scary but fun none the less. Then we went door to door in our apartment building with S and the neighbor girl in their fairy costumes and handed out rice krispy treats. We explained ToTing and chatted with the neighbors.

The girls loved it and I felt a little better about S missing her favorite American holiday.

First Week of Kindergarten Down

and many more to go.

S started at the Swiss, public kindy last Tuesday and she loves it! The students all speak Swiss German, which S does not speak, but she seems open to learning it and is excited to make friends. On Thursday, the class had gymnastics at a center away from the school. The kids all walked to the center with the teacher, participated in gym, and walked back to the school to sing songs until it was time to go home. The next day S had a bit of a fever and leg pain so she stayed at home.

The kindergarten is so different than the kindys in the United States. There aren't any academics. The school is outfitted with a bunch of Waldorf-esque toys to encourage imagination and the teachers have a very independence-minded attitude. It almost borders on a Montessori attitude.

Before the first day, the teacher and I had a chat about S starting school and she encouraged me to prepare S for walking to school by herself. Well, without an adult but with other kids that live in the building. She is only 4.5 years old!

All the kids in school are given large, orange reflective sashes to wear to and from school so drivers will see them and S has been dutifully wearing hers. As soon as I can, I'll get a pic.

The Poop Button

Switzerland has the. best. thing. ever. Well, the best thing a four year old can ask for. The poop button. The toilets have 2 different flush buttons, one low flow button for pee and a tidal wave for poop. Introduce that to a small kid from the states with our pathetically pedestrian 1 handle toilet and wallah, instant fun!

Crappy mood

I am in a bad, bad mood and the kid's reluctance to cooperate isn't helping. The end.

Being Pregnant + Living in Zurich =

Being hungry all the time.

Portions are small, protein is expensive, and stores are closed on Sundays.