Finally- new pics

04.06.2008
We have so many new pictures to share! Lazy as we were they accumulated over the past few weeks, but now it's definitively time to publish them.....

Early Mai we spent two great weekends in Adelboden- our first family vacation!! It was still quiet cold, so Eric got his first lesson in how to start a fire. He was so excited about it that we didn't get him into bed until 11pm...
It was rather sunny, we went for walks every day accompanied by friends visiting us. On the top of the mountains was still snow, so Marek went first snowboarding and the next day kayaking in the snowmelt together with Svoebi. We took it much easier and rode the cablecar to Tschentenalp where we first enjoyed a yummy lunch followed by a nice hike back to Adelboden.

Spring is a great time to go to Adelboden as there is reasonable weather, no Tourists, but many cows. Having them so close around the house is funny, they start to get part of the crowd and enjoy watching us as we do watching them.

We also visited Spiez, a small city at the lake of Thun we always pass by. It turned out to be a nice town with a cozy castle but tons of people on a sunny day like this. Eric was way too tired from all the excitement of the last days to participate in sightseeing.

more pics of Adelboden






We also went to visit Malou and her Mom Simone. While Eric and Malou demonstrated how nice babies behave and slept, played, and even shared their toys, the grown-ups caught up with so many things. It's just great to reconnect with old friends, and it gets even better when sharing all the new experiences as Moms and Wifes. Luckily we also have our friend Natalia who's already an expert and helps us out with clothes, gear and many helpful tips on how to deal with the little ones and daily life.....

And then there is EM of course! Finally it started, although not the way Swiss people hoped for, but so what- the party is on! There is a sea of flags allover the place with an emphasis on small country flags you fix onto your car. An unofficial analysis done on the way to watch the opening game (thank you Daniel and Maria for the great party!) revealed a majority of Swiss flags followed by Croatian, Portuguese, German and Turkish flags. Unfortunately, Eric does not really understand why people starring at the TV suddenly have outbreaks of cheering or hooting and therefore reacts with loud crying.... Well, there are still three weeks to come, so there is a chance he will accept this strange behavior...

In any case, our little man is growing and growing... It's so amazing to watch him discover the world and gain more and more skills.
He not only sits straight perfectly but also turns around to grasp a toy behind him, rolls over and over again, and stands and jumps holding on objects and hands. Just today he now discovered how to push his whole body on the floor- although so far it only works backwards :-). With all this new abilities his self esteem is growing too, seducing him to more and more adventurous moves often ending in falling and crying.

His vocabulary is also increasing, with newly acquired sounds like "ssssssss" and "tsts" and of course "mamamama" and "papapapa". He already realized that those sounds must be something special as Mom and Dad get really excited when hearing them, but their real significance is still unclear to him.

He has four teeth now (with two more just about to break through) and loves chewing on anything he gets hold on- with the TV remote control, paper and pieces of apple as his favorites. He is a really good eater and wants to try everything he sees Mom and Dad eating. So his menu expanded to Pasta with Veggies, Rice with Pork, Griessbrei and much more (sometimes even a bit of Pizza crust). He got a bit chunky, so we guess food is ok... more pics Eric

Moreover, our stuff from Chapel Hill arrived safely and complete after 12 weeks en route!!! Unpacking the boxes was somehow an emotional task as they were filled with happy memories of North Carolina. But it also helped us settling down here as life is definitively more comfortable with a TV, a sound system and a proper bed. Consequently, our apartment is more and more equipped, and we really start to feel home here. We are now looking forward to our first oversea visitor, the tall German guy everybody in Chapel Hill is familiar with....

Some new pics

30.04.2008

We uploaded some new pictures from the beautiful place we live here and, of course, from Eric. As we are just now leaving for a looong weekend in the mountains (yes, yes, yes, we have all those Christian holidays again!) you will have to wait for some text until next week. In the meantime just enjoy the pics and if you feel like seeing our little farm in real- we have a guest room!!!

Sign of Life

11.04.2008

So were back. Back in Switzerland and back online. We arrived safely early March, with a lot of overweight baggage and a very well-behaved Eric. We moved to Lucerne where very kind friends let us their flat during their vacation. Our days were filled with visits to family and friends and driving around in search of an apartment and a car.

We ended up with a very comfy Volvo (yes, we started to love this brand) and a wonderful and large apartment on a former farm up the hill of a village near Baden/Zurich. There aren't as many trees and squirrels outside as we used to have, but the view and the lovely setting compensates that fully. Still we are in the middle of settling down, now busy with buying furniture and complete administrative stuff. Christian will start his new job next week which will bring us back some daily routine.

More Pics

Eric is developing very well. He enjoys his new home and is well equipped with furniture our new landlords lend us. He is a curious little guy and improves his social and motor skills almost daily. He started to sit- although still a bit waggly- which gives him the possibility to sit upright in a shopping cart and get a whole new view. Never shopping was so easy and relaxed :-). And he loves his vegetables, fruits and cereals so much that eating is barely an issue. Slowly also sleep improves again, which is great for Mom and Dad too...

More Pics

Now we are waiting for our stuff shipped from Chapel Hill, hoping that everything will arrive safely. Arranging all our things will still take a while, but we are doing well- in every sense.

Videos!!

28.02.2008

We not only have one but three new videos to show! The first one is about Eric (as is the second but surprisingly not the third one) and shows footage done in January. For us it's quiet amazing to watch it now as Eric has already made so much progress again- it seems like ages when he was amazed about lights turning on and off, starred at his hands like they are something strange (he is quiet good now in using them!) and fitted into the BabyBjoern! But he still likes fooling around with Mom and using Dad as THE place to fall asleep :-)

How much progress he can make in a few days can be seen in the second video to show you. Read here what Eric has to say about it.

And the third video was made when Maya and Marcel were here during Christmas and we explored Chapel Hill.... Hope you like them!

I'm eating, hehe!

25.02.2008

Remember how disappointed I was when Mom told me I will not get any solids yet? Well, although I am only 4.5 months old I already know how to get her to do what I want! For a couple of days now I get smashed carrots, hehe! Let me tell you how I did it...
First, I just didn't let my parents in peace during their meals anymore . They thought that I may just want to participate by sitting on their laps- but I pushed it forward by getting hold of any item I could find on the table associated with eating including forks and plates. So they told me that before eating solids little boys have to know how to drink. Ha, what an insult, did they really think I don't get that? It took me 2 days until I could take my bottle, hold it into my mouth and drink from it. So what now?? Well, Mom mashed some carrots, took my bib and feed me! And I proofed how much I wanted to eat by bringing my skills to perfection within a few days. But watch yourself... Oh and yes- my parents are very very proud of me!

Disappointed future carnivore

04.02.2008

My mom is sooo unfair! You know, every night I watch my parents eating their great food, and I am especially jealous if they have steak for dinner. So I did all I could and hurried up getting teeth. And guess what, I managed to get my first one before my 4-month-birthday! And the second one is on its way too. But today, my mom now tells me that despite having teeth I will have to wait until after my 6-month-birthday before I get "solids", and even worse, for her solids means rice cereal or mashed carrots!!! Isn't that mean??? I hope that's not a revenge for my waking-up in the middle of the night I recently started. It's not my fault, my body just turns me somehow from my stomach to my back, and you know I hate being on my back. So it's just fair I call my parents to turn me around, isn't it?

I had my 4-months check-up right today. The doctor said I am very healthy, he measured 65cm and 6.9 kg and gave me another round of shots! What a reward for growing so nicely!
Moreover I decided what I want to be when I am a grown-up, and I already started training. There may be a slight influence to this decision from my Dad, who knows?

But the most exciting news is that we are moving back to Switzerland (well, for me it's not really "back"), and I will finally meet so many people eager to know me. My parents are quiet busy now with arranging things and starting to pack, so I often find myself in the middle of some packing material- which is great as it makes very funny cracking noise! Also, they prepare me for the things to come, my first task was to learn what COW means.... So most probably you will not hear so much from us in the next weeks, but we try to continue pictures of me growing (the only interesting thing in the world) and we are looking forward meeting you all very soon!!!
Some more pictures

Exciting world!

23.1.2008

Again late- we suffer the yearly January-Fatigue! Life in bed would be so great, but a little one gets us up at 7am every day. Luckily our efforts get rewarded with a lot of smiling and cooing and keeping us amazed about life and growth. Eric makes huge developmental steps. It's true what somebody told us- some days you're wondering if this is really the same child you had yesterday.... A consequence of this growth is that many strategies you developed to deal with him don't work anymore! So it's like getting to know your child again on a daily basis- exhausting and exciting!!

First, he is growing.... Many of his clothes don't fit him anymore, and he also grew out his bassinet what he clearly let us know by crying out loud every time he woke up in it! So now he takes his naps on a comfortable blanket where waking up is much nicer!

An important skill he improves is vision. Eric now sees much further and observes Daddy sitting on his desk or follows Mom with his eyes when she passes by. Mirrors are still a great thing, and everything that moves above his head, especially trees.

Moreover, his hand-eye coordination makes a lot of progress! He often got very frustrated when trying to play with toys as his hands did not follow his will. But suddenly they more or less move where he wants them to, and so he finally gets hold of his toys.

His favorite position is sitting.... Whenever possible we have to hold him in an upright position so he can overlook everything. Since we realized that we can bath him without any crying- last time he even managed a tiny little smile! He also realizes now he has legs and feet and starts to giggle if you touch his cheeks with his feet.

To keep on moving we go to Mom&Baby Yoga every week. While Moms muscles get a good stretch, Eric realizes that he is not the only small human being in this world and starts to bond with the girls. Moreover, we take walks in the neighborhood. To manage the roots and rocks on the little path behind the house, Eric got a Deluxe stroller- which makes pushing Mom even happier than him!
More pictures from Erics 14th week and 15th week on earth...

Eric grows...

05.01.2008

We have a few new pics from Eric! He is now 3 months old and develops new skills rapidly, which is really fascinating. Recently he discovered his hands, now starring at them and trying to get them into control can be totally absorbing.

Moreover, his brand-new mirror gives him a whole new perspective on himself, which makes life even more confusing. He still suffers his "6 o'clock cranky time" (which means he cries for some time without any reason at around 6pm), which is especially unpleasant if you're trying to eat out, but the rest of the day he smiles a lot, makes funny noises and happily discovers the world. And he sleeeeeps through the night, thank you!!!

Grandma and Marcel already arrived safely back in Switzerland. The holidays passed by so fast, we had a great time together. Eric now also takes a bath without much crying, thanks to Grandmas idea. Now daily life is back, Dad goes to work and we are doing laundry- how odd....

December in Chapel Hill

30.12.2007
Only one day left in December and 2007... It's the first year we celebrate Christmas and New Years Eve in NC, enjoying the visit of (Grand)Ma Maya and (Uncle) Marcel. Of course it's raining much much more than usual, which is great for the drought-troubled NC but not so much for us. At least it is warm... Anyway, there were some sunny days, and so we had a chance to go to Hanging Rock State Park and admire the view from the top in wintertime. Moreover, we enjoy relaxing and chatting and eating and taking a walk and and and...

Some more pictures

Merry Christmas

26.12.2007
We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas time and enjoyed some great days with your loved ones!


Moni, Christian and Eric

Happy little guy

14.12.2007
It seems to get the rule that we are late... Well, we are still quiet busy not only with our daily life but also with the preparations for the visit of Grandma and Uncle Marcel at Christmas we are very much looking forward to! So let's keep it brief.

Monday we had the 2-Month-Checkup of Eric. He is doing really well, he is now 23.5 in/60 cm and 12lb 13 oz/ 5.8 kg, so he is not the smallest of his age (no wonder we had to change diaper size!). Poor Eric got 8 vaccinations in 3 shots plus 1 oral one! He was really brave only crying so hard that he got a red face during the first shot. But still the shots resulted in a sleepless night and a hard day for the whole family as Eric developed a fever- and for the first time we experienced how bad it is when your child feels miserable. Luckily the next day Eric was himself again and full of energy as you can see in this short video!
Some more pictures

News from Eric...

06.12.2007

So finally the new video of Eric is finished. You can see how much progress a baby can make in a couple of weeks, it's really amazing. Enjoy!

7 weeks and 3 days

30.11.2007
Again, we are late. Well, no wonder, we had so much to do recently that there was barely time to prepare the pictures! Last week, we celebrated Thanksgiving. James invited us to join their family and enjoy a real American feast including a huge turkey and mashed potatoes, cranberry chutney, gravy, beans, stuffing, etc etc etc, all homemade! To make the day perfect, Eric fell asleep just when food was served and behaved very very well the whole afternoon. Now everybody thinks our child never cries (which of course is far from being true).
Thanksgiving also means a very long weekend, so Daddy was home and we enjoyed spending time together including going out for lunch and making walks in the now leafless woods.
Beside that, we went out with Nathalie, bathing in the sun on the last very warm day at Weaver Street Market or sipping Chai at Caffe Driade after it got cold. Eric loves having some action and keeps us busy demanding attention when we are at home. But almost daily at 10 pm it's bedtime and (exempt some calm nursing breaks) he only gets really active again next morning at about 9:30 am- that's our son!!!
Some more pictures

I am 6 weeks old and...

20.11.2007
I have a cold! I have a stuffy nose that troubles my breathing (up to 4 months I will not be able to breath through my mouth!), I have watery eyes and I am very sleepy! Good luck I do not have a fever, so we will just wait and hope it passes by fast. Possible that I got my nose from Max, who we visited last Saturday, but then it is exclusively Moms fault, because Maya told her that Max has a stuffy nose! Or I just got it because it is getting fall here....

I sleep through the night! Yes, you got it right, one week ago I started to skip one night feeding and since then I sleep a 6-7 hours stretch. Then I need some food before I go for another 3-4 hours. The first two nights my parents woke up every couple of hours and checked on me, they were even afraid I don't get enough food like that. Haha, check out how I start to get a double chin!

I am happy my Mom is with me... For many babies here, their 6-week-birthday is not such a happy one as their Moms have to go back to work- it's the official end of the maternity leave. Get me right, I think day care may be a lot of fun, together with so many other children playing and fooling around. But not already now. Now I still prefer to cuddle with my Mom, and I know she prefers that to work too. How lucky we are!

I like to stare at bright things. I now keep my eyes open when we go out for a stroller walk (I used to close my eyes as soon as we were leaving the house) and look at the sky and all the trees around here. In my nursery my changing table is beside the window, so I also can watch the trees while my diaper is changed- do you have a bathroom with a view?

I need a passport! Last week, we went to get my birth certificate (before spending the rest of the morning in the German Bakery chatting with Nathalie- I like to go out!), but to apply for a passport, I still need a picture. So my Mom tried and tried again to make a photo where I look directly into the camera with open eyes. Of course I did everything else....

I am a happy little guy..... Some more pictures

5 weeks here

13.11.2007
First: HAPPY BIRTHDAY GROSSMAMI!!! Ich wuensche Dir alles alles Gute zu Deinem Geburtstag und freue mich, Dich bald kennenzulernen! Eric

Eric is also celebrating a birthday- although it's just his 5-week-one! But in these early days every week counts. And indeed he already outgrows some of his newborn behavior. You remember the swaddle he needed to fall asleep? Well, first he immediately started to free his arms when he got swaddled so he could use his arms as a support to hold up his head. Then he managed to free his whole body from the swaddle during the night and to "crawl" to a completely different place in his crib than where we put him for sleeping (and to get cold feet, of course)! So we already had to switch from the swaddle to a wearable blanket (Schlafsack)... And not to mention all the onesies (bodysuits) he already outgrew... Time goes by soo fast!

So many babies...

11.11.2007

This was really a great year for us and many of our friends- we all got parents! And of course all the little ones are so sweet.... Here you can find pictures of Laia, Malou, Linda, Max, Marcel and Naomi!

One month update, three days late

08.11.2007
I know, I know, we are very late with our weekly report, but we just had some challenging days.... With a baby, your daily life gets unpredictable, at least when the baby is very small. Everything turns around the little human being, which is also quiet obvious when scrolling down our webpage ;-). But to prove you that we did not completely forget the outside world we start today with a picture NOT showing Eric: This week there were some male deer in our yard! This is only the second time we see them with their beautiful (although small) antlers, and I am proud that I could catch a picture....

But now back to the important things in life: Eric :-)!
First, Eric was quiet demanding this week, he cried a lot (especially in the evenings), did not sleep very well and needed a lot of attention. So the days went by trying to sooth him, for example by carrying him around. As he gets heavier and heavier (Code Name "Moeckli") I tried to put him in his sling (some kind of shawl) and in his Baby Bjoern. Obviously the latter one did not turn out so well:

Not much better were the numerous attempts to convince him of taking a pacifier.... This one is the only brand he kept in his mouth for longer than 5 seconds, but after a while it was spit out with a disgusted face as all the others! Well, so what, we just hope he does not find his thumb instead.

But then things turned- Eric suddenly decided to be a very good child, to sleep well (3-4 hrs in one stretch), to be rather quiet, and most importantly: To amaze us with new skills he just seemed to have acquired! For example, he started to make much more noises, such as huuuuuh, aehhaeh, guuuuu, well, you get the point... He stares directly in our eyes when we talk to him, sometimes even moves his head towards us, or follows a toy with his eyes. I started to lay him down on his activity thing (I still don't know the name of it) and he even tried to touch one of the toys hanging down!

And he started to cling to things: fingers, t-shirts, his burb cloth ("Nudi"), my hair.... That's a great skill when, for the first time, you bath in the big tube and feel a bit insecure if Dad really holds you tight.
It is great to watch Eric making all this progress, and it's just amazing how the tiny little boy we met 4 weeks ago is growing and growing.... Now we just hope his "good child" phase continues for a while - babies are, as already mentioned, unpredictable ;-).
More pictures can be found here....

Erics Video 2, second edition

06.11.2007
Now also everybody using #*!@ Internet Explorer can watch the new movie of Eric....

Another video...

04.11.2007

We made another video consisting of some shoots done over the last two weeks that shows you some aspects of Erics life (and consequently ours). Little Ones grow sooo fast, we are amazed about all the progress Eric makes almost on a daily basis. We hope you enjoy....