Sticking to the bullet format, here's what we've been up to:
-We took P bowling for the first time and it was adorable! Also, he can pick up an 8 pound bowling ball. So, #HulkBaby.
-P turned TWO! These years have flown by and he's already experienced more in his life than I ever could have dreamed of for him. He's also survived me as a mom and doesn't seem any worse for the wear! He's a sweet kid, has a touch of an attitude, is pushing boundaries every day, and is the light of our lives.
-WE MOVED INTO OUR APARTMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm pretty sure it almost killed the movers though. Four flights of stairs + all of our earthly belongings = nein.
-We moved P to a mattress on the floor to train him to sleep on a "big boy bed". The first night was hilarious, but after that, he was a pro! Tonight we're actually putting his big boy bed (boxspring, rails, and a headboard) together and then his transition will be complete!
-Unpacking is completely overwhelming. I'm a big fan of living in a space for awhile before making any permanent decisions, so we did that in areas that we could. But we had guests scheduled to arrive a week after we moved in, so we had to make it presentable as possible.
-Went to our first of many, MANY outings to IKEA to buy stuff for the apartment. We basically live there now. I love how clean and simple their furniture is, I love that they deliver to our door, and I love that none of the pieces we've bought are priced to the point that I would be devastated if P damaged them. He's already marked on the sideboard with a pencil, so I'm willing to bet our future holds many Magic Erasers and timeouts on that front.
-Sarah and her son came to visit! Originally, her husband Chris was going to come as well, but due to passport drama, he wasn't able to. I loved meeting baby (toddler) C and catching up with Sarah. They lived in Scotland at the time and just moved back to the states, so it was nice to talk to someone who understands the experience. We went on a few little day trips (Rüdesheim, Luxembourg) and went on an adventure to the Black Forrest which was awesome and trying at the same time. Even with detailed planning (which we did not do), road closures would be an issue. Factor in that we just winged it and had two toddlers with popping ears... let's just say that it may be awhile before we try that again.
-It's a rough life when you have an ice cream parlor in the bottom of your building. Rough life for your scale, that is.
-P had his two year checkup, greeting his doctor with a kiss, was declared "perfect" and sent on his way. We did discuss his speech delay with her and she said not to worry just yet. P will say a word one time, then not repeat it, but is also speaking three word sentences ("I did it" "there it is"), so she wasn't too worried. He's just going to be a late bloomer when it comes to speech. He's babbling more now and saying more words, so we're optimistic that he will be able to communicate with us soon. I'm convinced that him staying home with me has probably hindered him a little since he doesn't have to be quite so verbal with me. I usually know what he needs without him having to ask for it. I talked to a speech therapist friend and she gave me some great advice (Thanks Shae!) and I've been working on making P ask for things and working on being more verbal with him.
-Chris's friend Brad and his girlfriend Sarah came to visit! They went on an awesome European vacation and stayed with us in the halfway point. We loved having them here and were pretty bummed when they left. It was really great to have a little bit of home here with us!
-Mom is coming to visit!!!!! And after her two weeks here are done, P and I are flying back with her for two weeks in Alabama! I am SO excited!!! Well, except about leaving Chris for two weeks. That will be the longest we've been apart since we started dating! More about separation issues in a bit...
-I opened a Society6 page for my travel photos! I'm also working on some hand lettered goodies (coffee mugs, pillows, etc) to post in a few weeks, so keep that in mind! You can check it all out HERE.
-Chris left for a week's training in Atlanta. That was a weird week. I handled it okay and actually didn't go too crazy thanks to Mia, our sitter. She came a few days for a few hours so I could take the trash down and pick up groceries, but mainly so I could take a break and also to have an adult to talk to! Mia is wonderful and we all love her, but especially P. Pretty sure that's his girlfriend. ;)
-We're getting the living room and dining room painted this week! Our landlord is being so gracious and paying for it since the walls are dingy, patchy, and marked from the previous renters. He also agreed to a light grey as well! I'm so excited to have fresh paint! At the same time, it's weird to go from owning your home to renting. I like bold colors mixed with cool neutrals, so it's a little disappointing that I can't go to town with decorating here. Because that wall with the fireplace.... it would be a deep navy blue if I owned this place. That would make that fireplace POP!
-I think that's about it as far as catch up goes! You can find more on my IG, but that's the gist of it. I'm going to add "Write a Blog" to my Google calendar weekly. Hopefully that will help me feel a little more connected and help our families feel like they are more involved. I'm planning on blogging each room after it's finished to show how we decorated, but that's not set in stone.
Now, onto some #RealTalk:
"Verschroben" = "cranky" = me. I'm cranky. I'm trying to not be cranky, but I basically lost my cool last night and screamed "I HATE LIVING HERE AND I WANT TO GO HOME AND THIS SUCKS AND NOTHING IS EVER EASY!" at Chris. Why? The bed we ordered from Overstock is sized wrong. We have gaps on the side and at the end of the bed. It's the very definition of a First World Problem, but I just completely lost it. Honestly, it was just one of those small problems that released a huge blowup and broke the dam. Thankfully, I have a husband who understands that I'm a little emotional right now and he waited out the crazy and talked me out of my bad mood. We got to actually talk about our disappointments with moving here and complained about what we hated. Then we got to plan ways to make it better. That was a happy way to end my cranky day!
It's hard moving away. It's really hard moving and not speaking the language. It's really hard to realize that's all on me and I haven't been working hard enough on learning. I've been giving up to easily and making excuses. I've also been too scared/shy/embarrassed to even try to speak German to strangers. That's going to change starting now. American Amber needs to teach German Amber how to be more confident!
Also, after pitching a P-worthy tantrum over the bed last night, we slept on it and after I woke up and made the bed and opened the window to let in some light... it's totally fine. We'll have to adjust the mattress and boxsprings sometimes and be careful not to scrape our heels, but so what?! If that's the worst thing in our lives we have to deal with, then we're doing okay. It's temporary, just like our lives here... and just like my cranky mood!!!
Das Ende.
No comments:
Post a Comment