A New Toy

Lexi did get a Christmas present from Mom and Dad this year though we didn't have a tree and we didn't wrap it. We knew we needed something for her to sit in and move around in; while her feet don't quite touch the floor, her new 'car' is already providing her with entertainment. She doesn't sit completely upright, but the size of the seat is such that she isn't leaning over much either. She is enjoying touching everything on the tray in front of her and trying to get it in her mouth!

Also attached is a picture of her in her Christmas outfit. She was quite the hit at church on Christmas Eve.

New noises

While we were away visiting some of Kenya's game parks in the past few days (see our other blog), Lexi seems to have added yet another new sound - make that noise - to her repertoir. Now she's experimenting with her upper ranges and making a squeaking or squealing noise. She sounds like a squeaky door hinge. Sometimes she'll make this squealing noise only for a few minutes, or else she'll combine it with a few of her other sounds for an interesting variety of voices.

I vowed when I had children that I would never have one - like many 2-year olds - who screach. I'm afraid that Lexi is practicing to be a good screacher when she's 2.

But what is fun about this is that she's purposely making sounds with her mouth and throat and experimenting a lot now. And now she's making some noises sometimes with some inflection - nonsense words that are spoken like real words. Will it be too long before she's actually speaking to us?

And now I can "speak" to her with one of her earlier noises - the gurgling noises she makes in the back of her throat. She recognizes well when I make this noise to her. She'll often respond with it herself. I feel like it's our own little language - just between us - but I wish I knew what I was saying!

Lexi and other kids

I am not all that concerned about germs - but maybe I should be! We have had two incidents in the last couple of days where Lexi has ben interacting with other kids - and I am wondering about their germs. On Sunday, the little African girls at church wanted to touch Lexi. I can understand that. So they were holding her hands and touching her face a little. One of them also promptly picked up Lexi's pacifier which is attached to her clothes on a plastic chain and stuck the tip of it in her mouth - the girl's mouth, not Lexi's. What to do? I wiped it off on her bib. Is that hygenic enough? I don't know. And what to say to these girls? I don't even know if they speak English - it might only be Kiswahili. Then at the Christmas Eve service, a little blond girl wanted to play with Lexi as if she was a doll. She was gripping Lexi's arm rather firmly - but then Lexi grapped the girl's curly hair. So maybe they were even. But the dilema for Stephen and I is - what do we say to these other kids that are interested in our kid? At what point do you tell them 'no'?

Get a grip

First - off topic - one fun anecdote from the beginning of our visit to the U.S. a few weeks ago that I have forgotten to share:

I have many fond memories from my childhood of growing up with many first cousins – the children of my mother’s many brothers and sisters. I was quite close to some of them because we are close in age, but others are quite a bit older and quite a bit younger than I am.

One older cousin I have been close to is Lynn, the eldest of my mother’s older sister. While in Seattle, we visited her and her family and brought Lexi to meet them. Lynn loves babies and was recounting to me that she was thrilled to meet me as a baby in 1973 (when she was about 11) and sort of “claimed” me as her own. So, just a day or so later, just as Lynn told me she remembered me as a baby, I caught myself saying the same thing. My younger cousin Meghan, the youngest of one of my mother’s brothers, came over to meet Lexi, and I told Meghan, who is now 22, that I remembered holding her as a very little baby.

So even in the same generation, there is such an age spread that some of us can remember the others as babies, and now we’re holding each other’s babies, the next generation. So I’m happy that Lexi already has two first cousins and that they are all the same age. But, as I said earlier, I just don’t know how often these cousins will see each other because their parents may never choose to live in the same city.

* * * * *

In other news, Lexi’s ability to play with objects with her hands has progressed even since the last update just a few days ago. It’s clear now that she loves to take hold of something in her hands, especially a small piece of paper or an envelope, and crumple it up and play with it. She seems to get more enjoyment out of these things than she does from toys (and she’s enjoying opening the mail as much as her daddy does).

She has become a better gripper recently too. Now a phrase that’s frequently heard in our house when we’re holding Lexi and pick up something else like a glass or measuring cup and hold it in front of her, or when we bend over her if she’s lying on the diaper changing table, is, “Let go, Lexi! Let go!”

Lexi is also entertained a lot by touching my face. Sarah thinks she likes touching my goatee. We’re having to teach her, however, that when she touches someone’s face, she needs to do it gently. She can sometimes hit or scratch (which is sometimes our own fault when we don’t get around to clipping her fingernails often enough). Yesterday I caught Lexi touching and exploring Sarah’s face while Sarah held her up almost at her eyelevel. The look on Lexi’s face – one of wonder – was just priceless. I wish I had a camera. And what a great moment of connection between a parent and baby.

Traveling with and without Lexi

A week ago Thursday, I went to Kampala, Uganda for a meeting for the day. I left for the airport at 6 in the morning and didn’t get home until 10 pm. It was a long day and the meeting was ok – somewhat interesting though a bit slow moving. It was a long time to be away from the baby. She drank from the bottle just fine and Stephen reported that overall, she was a very good girl. We had finally figured out that she likes her bottle warm. If the milk is too cold, she is NOT interested.

I am still getting up once a night to feed her. I am wondering if I should try just getting her to go back asleep without feeding her – though she always seems hungry. It would be nice if she would sleep through the night, but the doctor said some babies continue not to as that is just their rhythm.

One of the nights we were in Mombasa (see Stephen's post of today), she was waking up every hour. I was not feeding her every time; I just don’t know why she kept waking up though. I wonder if she wasn’t cold, but even wrapping her up didn’t help her to go much longer than 2 hours. I was pretty tired the next day.

Roll over, Lexi. Good baby!

Lexi hit another milestone on Thursday. Just two days after rolling over for the first time from her back to her tummy, she did the opposite for the first time!

Unfortunately, this means we’re losing control of her. No longer can we lay her down in her crib to amuse herself and expect her to lay in the same position quietly. She can now manage to rotate herself around completely while lying on her back and move all around the crib – and now roll over. When she’s awake and alert, she loves to kick, especially when she’s excited.

I’m also amazed at how suddenly she is starting to grab on to things with her hands. In just the last several days, she has started to take things we put in her hands and either move them to her mouth to try to taste them or move them around in her hands – things like the bulletin at church or a cloth napkin. Doing this can suddenly hold her attention and entertain her for a few minutes. This sort of curiosity seems to involve not only more coordination of her hands, which she has gained, but more keen observation with her eyes. It’s as if suddenly she can see more and fix on something enough to know that it would be interesting to touch or taste.

She’s also noticing more when we’re eating. The other morning when we went to a restaurant for breakfast, I told Sarah to give her a taste of her orange juice by dabbing the end of the straw in her mouth. She tasted it and made an awful face from the acidic taste of the juice. When I had a coffee-flavored milk shake for lunch at the beach resort where we spent a couple of days last week, I put a few drops of it on her lips. She didn’t seem to mind the coffee flavor and might have recognized the creamy milk taste from Mama’s milk.

She has also added a new noise to her repertoire. It’s not any sort of grunting or gurgling in the back of her throat like the old noises, but is more of a repetitive singing sound on the same note.

At this beach resort last week, Lexi had a couple of other firsts. She saw her first ocean – the Indian Ocean. We dipped her toes in the surf and had her feel sand on her feet. And she went swimming in the hotel’s pool. She sometimes enjoys taking a bath, and she felt the same way largely about being in a pool.

Just four months old, but growing up so fast!

New home, new doctor

We took Lexi to her new pediatrician this afternoon for her four-month checkup or "review," as they call it here. The office is clear on the other side of the city, in the area of the U.N. compound and the U.S. embassy (I went back to get my passport renewed while we were over there). We drove past many ambassadors' residences to get there.

Lexi had to continue with her immunizations, so she got two - one in each leg. She cried for a few seconds after each, but then was very brave and calmed down (better than her daddy is with such things).

It had been a while since her measurements were taken, and we were eager to see how much she has grown. She is:

62.5 cm long (24.61 inches) tall
6 kg (13.23 lb) heavy

Lora (my sister) noted from a recent photo that she is starting to put on some baby fat.

Sarah and I had a long list of questions to ask the doctor. He noticed a plugged tear duct in one eye that causes it to water and for junk to accumulate throughout the day. It's not an infection, he said, so there's nothing to really worry about. Also, since early after her birth, we've been giving Lexi vitamin D drops that her other pediatrician prescribed. We asked if we still needed to do that. The doctor said that is done in some countries that don't get a lot of sunlight (I didn't think Switzerland was that deficient in that area), but in Kenya, living on the equator, he said, we get plenty of sunlight all year round, so there isn't so much of a need for supplemental vitamin D, but giving it to her won't hurt - it builds strong bones, he said. The doctor asked us several questions about her development - her hearing and grabbing at things.

Lexi also passed a threshhold today. We had lain her on her tummy on our bed, and she pushed herself up high enough with her arms that she rolled onto her back!

So, with a health checkup and new abilities to move, we have a healthy, growing baby!

Becoming more of a delight

In addition to what Sarah wrote about in her last posting, I wanted to add some of my own updates about how Lexi is developing:

Like Sarah said, she seems to mind less - and even enjoys - riding in the car now. Every time I put her in the car in her car seat, when I lift her up into the car, she looks up at me and smiles. I don't know what this smile is saying to me, but it's funny and heart-warming at the same time. Sometimes I think she is saying, "Oh, hi! When did you get here?" like she's seeing me for the first time that day, even though I was the one who put her in the carseat. Or maybe she's saying, "Thanks for putting me in the seat and lifting me way up here. You know, as a baby I can't do that myself. I appreciate it." Mostly, however, I just think that she's saying (for some strange reason at that moment every time), "Hey, Daddy, I love you."

Since we arrived in Nairobi, I have noticed that Lexi is getting more control of her hands. She notices more when you hold something in front of her and responds most of the time by reaching for it. She can hold on to things most of the time but isn't a really strong gripper, Sarah notices. She's still not grabbing at anything and everything yet like a really curious baby, though. She also notices sometimes if things make noise, like the crinkling of the bag for my sandwich buns. She's slowly becoming curious about things like this that make noise and is figuring out how to make noise with them. She is definitely figuring out that she can hold something and move it with her own hands. It's fun to watch her discover these things and find things for her that will entertain her.

A Birthday

Alexandria is 4 months old today! Where does time go?? We have our first appointment with her new pediatrician tomorrow. He was recommended to us by the person I replaced. I am interested in seeing how much she weighs now. She is really feeling heavy. We also have a list of questions to pose to him including: when does she start on solids and why has her poop been green lately??? We also want to know if we should continue with the vitamin D drops that were prescribed to us in Geneva.

Her latest ‘trick’ is that she seems to be laughing! You can be playing with her and she lets out what really sounds like a chuckle to us. Maybe its just another form of cooing, but we think she must be laughing!

We think she really enjoys riding in the car here because the roads are very bumpy. She hasn’t been fussy at all once we get going; while we were in the U.S., she protested riding in the car several times.

Growing

Alexandria is certainly getting bigger - we notice she is getting quite heavy to carry around and her hair is longer. We also seem to always have to cut her finger nails...someday she will appreciate these long nails! She had outgrown a lot of her things in October so we are in the 3-6 month outfits, but it doesn't feel like she will be in them long.

She is grabbing at things like she knows that she wants to touch them. And she smiles at everybody. That makes her a big hit.

She wasn't wanting to drink from the bottle when Mom is away, but we are hoping we have that licked. Cross your fingers for us!

In Route to Nairobi

Stephen talked about setting up a separate blog - linked to this one- for our Kenya adventures, but we haven't gotten around to it yet. So here we are, en route to Nairobi. The drive from Iowa up to Minneapolis went fine and we even had a few more horus with my brother, sister-in-law and niece. Then to the airport where there were hardly any people...and onto to a half full plan. Lexi did get a bassinet again and Stephen and I had enough room to stretch out as there were lots of empty seats.

Now we are in the KLM lounge in Amsterdam waiting for the flight from here to Nairobi. We have taken showers, changed clothes and eaten and so are feeling pretty good. Nairobi is practically in this same time zone so we are hoping to adjust today and then be set for tomorrow - yeah, right. Hopefully, we will get a little sleep on the plane and then won't feel too tired on Sunday. I start work on Tuesday but most of our home set up stuff should be done so I am hoping Stephen can handle the rest on his own.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving day with my parents and aunt and uncle. Plenty of traditional food and lots of together time. We do have pics to share but I don't think Stephen has had time to upload them to the links on the blog - so watch this space!

A Littlier Cousin

Now we are onto stop #4 and Alexandria has met her younger cousin, Sophia. And Sophia is certainly smaller - she is SO light to pick up! It's hard to remember when Lexi was that small. I am starting to get tired of this traveling around - and I think Stephen may be to. We have one week left to go befroe we depart for Nairobi. But we don't get to Nairobi until a week from Sunday, though, so the that trip in itself will be a pain.

We have rented a car in Minneapolis so that we can get around and make the drive to my parents for Thanksgiving. The car (with insurance that we had to get as we don't have any car insurance elsewhere) costs more than Stephen and my domestic US air tickets. Go figure. It is an SUV which seems horribly large but we don't have a lot of extra room with all of our stuff in it.

It's nice to see Brian and Jen - I think it has been over 2 years since we have seen them. That's quite a long time, though I don't think they have changed much - there's just now an additional person in their family! Their new house is very long and they seem to have plenty of space as well as a nice backyard.

Comparing babies

You know how when you have kids and they visit a friend's house and play with that friend's toys that your child doesn't have and then your kids come home and tell you that their friend has cooler toys or that you have to buy them the same thing? Well, Lexi isn't old enough to be playing at friends' houses or to have friends of her own in the first place, but something like this happened last night (maybe it happened more to me). We arrived in Chicago yesterday evening and were picked up by our hosts, Randy and Becky, whom we went to church with when we lived here, and I also worked with Becky at the ELCA. They are expecting their first child, also a girl, in just a few weeks, and so have bought and unpacked all the usual baby equipment and toys. We are getting to test some of these baby items out for them and use them for the first time. One piece of equipment is a swing that plays music and lights. Miriam (Sarah's sister) and Andy had the same model (but with a fish theme that played different music) that Lexi used a bit while we visited them in Salt Lake City. Randy and Becky's new swing has a nighttime theme, so in addition to playing various songs, it plays cricket noises and projects star patterns onto a mosquito-netting-type cloth that partially surrounds the seat. For some reason, Lexi has been much more captivated by the swing in Chicago than the one in Salt Lake City. I've never seen her more delighted. She loves sitting in this swing and watching the stars and bear in the mobile above her head go around as well as the stars swirl around her. The look on her face is wonderful - she gets her mouth and tongue moving too. We need to get her something similar in Kenya, and I hope they have a swing like this for sale there. She is definitely at that age where she needs colorful and moving things to look at. We didn't buy much baby equipment and toys for her in Geneva because we knew we would be moving shortly after she was born. But now that we know we will stay put for a while in Nairobi, we'll make some serious purchases of baby furniture and equipment.

Everywhere we are going on this trip, there are other new babies or the anticipation of them. In Seattle, my cousin and his wife recently announced that they are pregnant and expecting a girl, and so there was all sorts of speculation about the name while we were there. In Salt Lake City, we got to meet our niece/Lexi's first cousin for the first time. Olivia was born in February this year so is obviously bigger than Lexi. It was wonderful to meet her and see what Lexi will be like as she continues to grow. It was also interesting to compare the two girls, who have very different temperaments. Lexi is much less fussy than Olivia, even at their different ages. I'm grateful we have such an easy-going baby. I'm really loving this stage that Lexi is in and wonder how it can get any better. She is responsive to people and smiles at anyone when they talk to her. She's also gaining more control over her body - holding her head up and using her hands more. As we saw Olivia and got to know her, I know Lexi will be bigger and more responsive like her in just six months, but I actually said to Sarah that I like Lexi just like this and don't really want her to grow bigger like Olivia. But, of course, there's no way I can prevent that, and I've been assured by Miriam and other mothers that it will get even better. It's just that we have it so good with a good baby that I don't know how it can get better, and I'm slightly worried that it could even go downhill.

When we go next to Minneapolis to visit Sarah's brother and his wife, we will meet our other niece and Lexi's other cousin, Sophia, born just several weeks after Lexi. I'm sure it will be interesting to compare Lexi with Sophia in a stage that we have been in recently ourselves.

But now, for the next few days in Chicago, as we stay with expectant parents Randy and Becky, we are giving them a lot of advice and telling them what it's like to have a newborn. And they're trying out having a baby by having Lexi here - holding her and talking to her. They haven't gone as far as trying to change her diaper yet, however.

As we took off from Salt Lake City yesterday afternoon, after spending a few days with her younger sister and her family, Sarah commented to me that we (us and Miriam and Andy) are all grown up now. We all have started families of our own now and are doing responsible, adult things. I had been struck by this too during our visit with Miriam and Andy - more about them than us. If even younger siblings are doing the same things we're doing - being responsible enough to have and raise children, buying houses, being concerned about investments, fixing cars, running errands on Saturday to keep a household running, and cleaning up the kitchen after everyone has eaten - then that means we've truly become adults ourselves, and it's clear from the family and friends we're visiting on this trip that our peers are doing all of this too. Growing older is unavoidable, I know, but sometimes becoming an adult and taking on all the responsibilities that comes with it takes you by surprise. But when you look around, you realize that everybody else is doing it all too, or that previous generations have all done it before, so it doesn't seem as scary.

Cousins

Here we are in Salt Lake City. It is SO good to see Miriam and Andy and meet Olivia. Miriam had to run out for about an hour and so Stephen and I were home alone with the two girls. Stephen decided to take a nap as we had gotten up at 3:30 and Lexi was lying quietly in Olivia's crib. I was playing with Olivia on the floor when Lexi decided that she no longer wanted to lie quietly. I went to comfort her and Olivia decided that she was no longer happy. I spent 10 minutes trying to juggle these two babies - no one was happy! Stephen decided to get up and help me. He took Lexi and I managed to calm down Olivia. This won't be a one-time thing, I think...

On to the next stop

Our time in Seattle draws to a close tonight (Tuesday) and early tomorrow morning we leave for Salt Lake City to visit Sarah's sister and her family for a few days. We have had a good time here - relaxing, running errands, visiting with family. And we think the family has had a good time getting to know our daughter. She was certainly the main attraction at an open house on Sunday. It was a mob of people and she seemed to be in every picture that was taken that day. Now we are mostly all on the right time schedule, though Dad and Mom still want to go to bed earlier than usual and then wake up earlier. Hopefully, as we move across the country and the time moves with us, we can get on the right schedule.

Aunt Lora bought Lexi a Halloween outfit. Isn't she a cute pumpkin? We didn't do any trick-or-treating though.

Back in the U.S.A.

We have officially left Geneva and are now in the U.S. for a visit. Alexandria did really well with the flights to Seattle. She managed to sleep for quite a while in her basinet on the plane and got lots of attention from other passengers. She was only fussy a little and eating helped that. Now the trouble is figuring out what time zone we are on. Lexi has been going to bed earlier than usual and therefore, thinking that 3:30 in the morning must be the time to get up. That makes it a bit hard on Mom and Dad who aren't sleeping well then either. I usually manage my jet lag through sleeping pills but have not been taking them. So I am hoping that within the next couple of days, we somehow manage to get back to a normal sleeping pattern.

It seems odd to be here - and odd to know that we won't be going back to Geneva. I don't think that will really hit us until we leave for Nairobi. TV here seems mostly ridiculous to me and yesterday at the grocery store, I expected to get my $3 in change back as coins - not bills. So there are definitely some cultural differences that we are noticing. I was also extremely surprised on Halloween and the number of adults in costumes. Haven't seen that in a long while.

Moving Day

Well, Alexandria is moving house for the first time - probably, the first of many times knowing her Dad and I. The packers are in today and will move everything out tomorrow. (When we did this in the US, they did it all in 1 day - does that make the Swiss slow or the Americans fast?) Time has worked out that we will get to spend about 3 weeks in the US visiting family and friends. We are doing a tour - Seattle, Salt Lake City, Chicago, Minneapolis and Iowa for Thanksgiving. If we are coming near you, we will try and see you - though we know we won't be able to see everyone.

Having my parents here to help with Lexi and the cleaning was a god-send. I really don't think we would have been ready without them. The baby needs someone on call for most hours of the day.

We leave Geneva on Tuesday morning. We already feel that we will be loaded down with luggage and have joined the ranks of those annoying families who get in your way with all of their luggage, kids and kid accoutrements. This will be Lexi's first time in an airplane. I am praying that she likes it! She has been very good lately - not all that fussy - so we are hoping that continues.

After our whirlwind tour of the US, we leave for Nairobi on the day after Thanksgiving. That will be two 8.5 hour flights with a 6 hour break in Amsterdam. We hope to get in a shower and a nap in that time.

I think I am really looking forward to this next adventure of ours. I am starting to get quite excited. We have a house lined up - 4 bedrooms - so you can come visit! We are taking it over from an American who is moving to Uganda. It's not far from where I work so I may even be able to come home at lunch time. We may also be getting house help which seems bizarre, but may work out well if Stephen finds part-time or even full-time work. He will be responsible to Lexi as well.

Next you hear from us will probably be from North America!

Creating memories with Grandma and Grandpa

Sarah's parents have been visiting for almost two weeks. They have been enjoying getting to know Lexi and spending time with her. They have been reading books to her (even attempting to read some of the French ones aloud), helping to change diapers, and generally being helpful in watching her, which has allowed Sarah and me to get a lot of things done.

One of the reasons Paula and Leroy came to visit was to be here for Lexi's baptism, which was yesterday at our church. Leroy, an ELCA pastor, helped perform the baptism with our pastor. It was a meaninful service of baptism and a special day for Lexi and the rest of us. Another baby boy, the son of some other members in the congregation, was baptized at the same time, so there were a lot of people around the font. I did some work to personalize and customize the service. Each family had obtained water from parts of the world that were somehow significant to them, so we had water from five different places:

• Puget Sound, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean that Seattle sits on, where Stephen grew up



• the Mississippi River, to represent Sarah's roots in the Midwest



• the Elbe River in Germany, birthplace of the other boy's mother



• Lake Geneva, the body of water that we all currently live by



• the Jordan River, which has significance to all Christians

As a gift to Lexi, I played the prelude on the organ, and Paula played a piece on the organ as well at the beginning of communion.

Lexi behaved quite well during the baptism. She cried a little when the water was placed on her head, but then she quickly calmed down. She looked so pretty in the long white dress she wore, which was the same dress that Stephen's maternal grandmother wore for her baptism 92 years ago and which subsequent generations, including Stephen himself, have worn for their baptisms.

Lexi's sponsors/godparents are Stephen's two older siblings, who live in Seattle and New York. Because each of them came to meet Lexi in September, they were not able to come back for the baptism. Therefore, we asked a third sponsor, a friend of ours from Chicago who is a member of our congregation here and whom we've known well since we arrived (Bill Strehlow, husband of Karen Bloomquist), to represent the other two. After the water was put on her head, Lexi sat in the arms of Sarah's mother and grinned for a minute or two at Bill, who was standing next to her.

(See pictures of the baptism by clicking on the link at the upper right of this page.)

Otherwise, Lexi is still a good-natured and happy baby. She is still smiling a lot and quite easily. When you look at her and talk to her, she'll smile back at you. She's also turning into quite the chatterbox. She's developing some additional sounds, although when I make the same sounds back to her, as if I'm talking to her in the same "language," she looks at me like I'm strange. She's doing a lot more of the sound that sounds much like a Geiger counter, a sort of continuous grunting. Tonight at dinner, while she was lying alone on the couch and the rest of us were two arms' lengths away at the table, she was taking long breaths and making this sound on and on and seemed able to entertain herself quite well doing this.

Grandma and Grandpa have been dividing their time between watching Lexi and doing a thorough cleaning of our apartment as we pack up all our things and get ready to move out of Geneva. At just a few months old, Lexi will be a well-traveled baby. She will visit most of her relatives in the U.S. before moving with us to our new home in Nairobi.

Happy two-month birthday, Lexi!

Lexi is two months old today! That's a relatively short amount of time, but we feel like so much has happened and that we've learned so much about parenthood in this period.

How do I feel after caring for an infant for two months? Well, look at the picture to the left. It shows Joseph - you know, the one from the nativity scene on the night Jesus was born. We saw this painting (of the whole nativity scene) at the Abondance Abbey in the French Alps near Geneva, which we visited one Saturday afternoon this summer. It was painted in the 15th century. It's funny how the new father Joseph is depicted - how tired and resigned he looks. And this was just on the first night with his new child! Like us, he was away from his home and had dealt with some early visitors who had come to see the new baby.

Do I feel like this? Well, fortunately, no. Quite the opposite, I'm pleased to say. We are lucky to have a good-natured and generally calm baby. She has been a joy to be with, get to know and care for.

At this two-month mark, Lexi has entered a new phase of awareness and interaction with us. She can fix her gaze for a few seconds on people or things and pay attention a little more. We're starting to set her up in the car seat while we're doing things - in the kitchen while we're making dinner or eating or in a room while we're working on something. She's getting better at observing what's going on and sitting quietly for longer periods without getting fussy and needing to be held.

But most fun and fulfilling of all, she is starting to smile at us. Sometimes all it takes to get a smile is just looking at her. But it's most fun for me to playfully poke her and make little noises. She likes this type of interaction. It's hard to describe this feeling, but it melts my heart and makes me feel that she's somehow telling me that she acknowledges that she belongs to me - she recognizes me as someone who can please her and make her happy, at least.

So far, then, at two months, fatherhood has been good to me, and parenthood for us has been a fulfilling time.

Vaccinations

Well, Stephen and I went to the travel clinic on Thursday to make sure we were up-to-date on our vaccinations (we weren't - Stephen had 3 shots, I got 2) and Alexandria went on Friday for her two-month appointment and her vaccinations. And yes, everyone felt them - though only Lexi wailed her head off. Since we are taking her to Africa, she got an extra shot - the one for TB, I think - that in this day and age, babies in the US and Europe do not normally get. She ended up with three bandaids - 1 on each leg and 1 on her arm.

The doctor said Lexi might be a little fussier or get a fever or maybe want to sleep a lot. While she got a little warm, she didn't have a fever of note and it's hard to say if she was a lot fussier than normal. But she's had a lot more poopy diapers than usual. We are hoping that is shot related and gets back to normal soon!

On the stats side, she is very close to weighing 5 kilos and is 2 cm longer than she was 5 weeks ago. All other systems are working well.

'Who's this strange man?'

As many of you know, I have just been on a self-organized and self-guided tour of the cities, towns and villages in Germany that figured prominently in the lives of both Martin Luther and Johann Sebastian Bach. I had a wonderful time, by the way, and saw everything I had wanted to see - although it was a lot of old, historic houses (including one castle - Wartburg), churches and statues. I now feel like I've gotten a Master's degree in Reformation history, so let me know if you want to chat about this sometime, and we can argue about how Luther influenced all of Western civilization.

Anyway, I was supposed to take this eight-day trip in late July, but Sarah was late in her pregnancy, and we had just been through the unexpected process of turning the baby, and Sarah was worried about the rest of the pregnancy. So I postponed the trip and found time last week to squeeze it in before we leave Europe. Sarah was still gracious enough to let me do it in late September, even though we now had a baby on our hands.

Even on the evening of the same day I left, I was missing Lexi, and every day on the trip was hard being away from her. Immediateily when I got home, I picked her up to hold her, and she took a look at me and started to cry - one of those "I'm afraid" type of cries. Indeed, I think she forgot who I was. But I do realize that being gone for a week in the life of someone who's really only seven short weeks old is a long time. It's like if you were 70 and your father had been absent for a whole decade somewhere in the middle of your life. You might forget him too or at least write him off!

But after a few kisses and cuddles, I think she warmed up to me again and remembered that I was not there to harm her.

To Lexi, my eight days in Germany were a long period in her short lifetime. Even though I consider it a short period, it seems that newborns can change noticably in just a handful of days. The shape of her face has changed a bit, as it has been doing since she was born. And I think she's developed her scream quite well - she can do a pretty long and smooth and loud wail now right in her throat with her vocal chords, rather than a series of short whimpers from her belly. She might be ready to join the choir at church now!

Well, now that I've discovered and connected with one of the "fathers" of my faith/denomination, it's good to return home and be a father myself to my girl again.

Sleep

Well, Alexandria slept through her middle of the night feeding last night. She didn't wake up until after 6:00. But Mom was awake anticipating that a certain someone would wake up.."any time now". So while Lexi seemed to sleep great, Mom is pretty tired today. Go figure.

Lexi goes to the doctor

I took Lexi to the doctor - or rather the 'professor' yesterday at the hospital. (It's a teaching hospital which is why I guess this guy doesn't like to go by dr. but prof.) For the EKG, she needs to be naked except for her diapers. The nurse was very surprised to see that she was wearing cloth diapers and wanted to know why we don't use the disposables. Her English was limited but I managed to explain that it was for environmental reasons (not the only reason, but too difficult to go farther). Then the professor's intern asked about them as well. She wondered if Lexi was allergic to the disposables. She had never seen a baby in cloth diapers before. No wonder our landfills are filling up!

But the hole in Lexi's heart is very, very, very tiny so she hardly has a heart murmur at all any more - the intern couldn't hear it but the professor could. In a year from now, we will have to get her checked again, but it should be gone by then.

Visiting the Hovicks

Sarah and I had a great time in Indianapolis taking Ben to visit his Great Grandma and Grandpa Hovick. It was a fun two weeks visiting family.

While we were there, all the men played golf for a week. Then we went on a fishing trip for two nights. It was good to spend time with my brother-in-law Jerry.

Sarah had fun alone with the girls too. They spent a lot of time at the mall and visiting over coffee at Starbucks. She managed to help her cousin find the perfect wedding dress for her wedding next month.

Ben had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa Hovick. They read to him and Grandpa Hovick took him to the zoo. Elephants are now his favorite animal. He misses them now that we've returned home, but they plan to come visit us after they return from Florida this winter.

This blog entry is obviously just a joke. We don't have a son named Ben or Hovick grandparents who are still alive. It seems, however, that there's a family called the Hovicks (my mother's side of the family, and remember that my full name is Stephen Hovick Padre) living in a universe parallel to ours because in a search for "Hovick" on the Flickr photo-sharing website, I found these pictures labeled "Great Grandma and Grandpa Hovick with Ben."

Ready to Travel and a New Cousin!

Lexi had lots of exciting news today!

At 9:00 AM, her Uncle Brian called to say that Sophia Louise was born last night, the 19th. She was a couple of weeks early and a little lighter than Lexi was, but we are all very excited and can't wait to meet her and see pictures. Now we have a 3 girl cousins in the Bradway family (and all of their first names end with -ia!).

Then at noon, the door bell rang and it was the post woman. Lexi's passport had arrived! It is good for 5 years and so now she is ready to travel! Italy here we come (in two weeks with G & G Bradway)!

Oh ho, lay-ee odl lee-o, hod-l-o-dl-lee-o-lay!

O ho, lay-ee o-dl lee-o, hod-l-o-dl-lee-o-ay!
Happy are they, lay-lee o lay-lee lee-o! O lay-lee o lay-lee lay-ee-o.
Soon the duet will become a trio, lay-ee o-dl, lay-ee o-dl-o.
--From The Lonely Goatherd, The Sound of Music

On one of the last nights my parents were here on their five-week visit to Geneva for Lexi's birth and first weeks of life, I pulled out my Sound of Music accompaniment book and we had a Broadway show tunes singalong. We sang this well-known ditty, but I had forgotten some of the words and realized when we sang how they apply to us. Indeed, happy are we that the duet has become a trio, and we are yodeling from our giddiness here in Switzerland!

A little over a month into parenthood, things are still going quite well. Sure, Lexi still has some fussy periods during the day and is sometimes hard to get back to sleep after feeding at night. And she doesn't always follow the same schedule every day, which means she is still a bit of an enigma to us. But overall, we're not finding parenthood overwhelming or too taxing on our sleep or lifestyle.

In the past several days, Lexi has started to show a new level of awareness and engagement. She fixes her gaze on things for several seconds, and she can entertain herself while lying in her bassinet for a few minutes longer before the gas in her tummy makes her cry out to be held and comforted. She is also starting to hold her own head up and is gaining strength in her legs.

Lexi is also growing at an amazing pace. We notice how long she is, and she is putting on a healthy and visible layer of baby fat. I think she looks funny with her big bald head and chubby cheeks. I'm just afraid that I will drop her sometime when I pick her up because she's also getting heavier quickly. We're having a hard time keeping up with new clothes because she grows out of her pajama suits so quickly.

We got the paperwork in at the U.S. consulate to register Lexi's birth and get her a Social Security number and U.S. passport (remember that, although she was born on Swiss soil, she was born to American parents, and so she is a U.S. citizen, according to the Swiss). This all became possible once we finally got her birth certificate from the City of Geneva. She has left the country (illegally) already - we went with my parents one Sunday afternoon to Yvoire, just over the border in France. But she will take her first legal trip with us when Sarah's parents come in the second week of October and we all take the train together down to Venice for a few days.

Otherwise, we are busy with the daily (and nightly) routine and chores that come with a newborn.

Hodi lay-ee
Hodi lay-ee
Hodi lay-ee
O-de-lay-ee o-dl lee-e o-dl lay!

Happy one-month birthday!

Alexandria is one month old today - a whole month! To Mommy and Daddy, it seems much longer.


We've learned so much about caring for this little creature in the past month. We think we've almost figured out what her cries mean - which scream means "I'm hungry" and which one means "I have gas" (usually accompanied by vigorous kicking). Besides her crying, Lexi has another form of communication - various grunts and guttural noises. We haven't figured out what any of them mean yet, but when we decipher them, we'll let you know.

The best moments for me as a father/parent so far are when Lexi falls asleep in my arms or on me. One of her favorite positions for being held by me - although she's almost too long for it now - is tummy-down, draped along my forearm, with her head near my elbow. This position allows me to bounce her, which sometimes helps with the gas in her tummy. Sometimes she can fall asleep this way, and it's funny that when she does, her limbs and head just become limp.


But it was moments like last night that really melt my heart. It was probably the second time I figured out that Lexi could be comforted with her loud screaming from gas by holding her upright with her head on my shoulder and my arms wrapped around her fairly tight (a more traditional hold for a baby). She calmed down, and I was then able to lie down on the couch with her on my chest and watch TV at the end of the day. She curled up more into a fetal position and then fell asleep. When she does this - ahh, what better way does a baby show to a parent that she's comforted and is so totally trusting and vulnerable! Although I've just described what it's like for me, there's more to this feeling - as I've said, my heart melts, and it's a real tender, poignant moment for you and the baby.


Of course, the problem with Lexi is that it's hard to move her without waking her up. Once she falls asleep in your arms or on you, she's comfortable and likes it there. We're still trying to figure her out and learn what the tricks are.


But Sarah and I are enjoying our bundle of joy. It's been only a month, and we have many more months - and years - to look forward to!

Stephen as Dad

I have to admit I didn't quite know how Stephen would be as a father: I had never seen him interact with any kids really, especially young ones; he doesn't like to get dirty (I envisioned diaper changing with rubber gloves!); he's not a physical person (could he hold Baby for hours?).

I can now tell you that I think he loves being a dad. He is very attentive to Alexandria and takes great delight in playing with her and laughing at her funny expressions and sleeping positions. He has changed his fair share of diapers - and without gloves! And Lexi gets plenty of kisses from Dad. He's anxious for her to grow up so she can have conversations with him and tell him what exactly she wants.

I am very glad that he is home with us all day (well, he does have things he has to go out and do). It makes it easier for me and he gets to experience all the joys and frustrations of figuring out our baby!

Our advanced child

This morning we visited the pediatrician for the first time. She has been on vacation and would have come to see Lexi right after she was born, but we've had other pediatricians attending to her care until now. This was the pediatrician we chose and visited before the birth, so now we're getting into the regular check-ups with her.

Everything checked out basically normally with Lexi, except...

In terms of her measurements, she's where a 3-month old would be - and she's only 3 weeks old! Yikes! We're raising a beast who's out of control now (we've noticed that she does like to eat often these days)! For several days now, we've noticed that Lexi is longer, and indeed, she measures in at 58 cm now (her length at birth was 52 cm, although the doctor said you can't always stretch out a newborn's legs completely, so maybe she was even a bit longer then). And in terms of weight, she's now at 4.06 kg. For the metrically illiterate, those figures are:

58 cm = 22.83 inches
4.06 kg = 8.95 lb

It's like carrying two large sacks of flour in your arms, or a big, long bag of potatoes.

And for about the last ten days or so, Lexi has had what looks like an outbreak of acne on her face. This is eczema, which the doctor gave us some cream to treat. The doctor says this is normal.

We don't know how we produced a child who is already bigger than average. Neither of us are especially tall or large. We think maybe she got her Uncle Brian's (Sarah's brother) genes, or maybe a bit of the tall Hovick (Stephen's mother's family) genes snuck in.

Baby's name connection to birthplace

When we sent out the birth announcement on the night Alexandria was born, we presented a little puzzle: Can you figure out the connection of her name to her birthplace?

Some of you figured it out right away and sent the answer back with your congratulations (well, we had told a few people before her birth, so maybe you cheated and asked someone what the answer was).

Others of you were stumped and still have not figured it out. So, it's time for a clue: Think of her whole name (Alexandria Leah Padre), and don't limit yourself to just the city (Geneva) she was born in. Think about wider places than that, and consider landmarks (with an emphasis on the land).

Also, speaking of names, if you haven't figured it out yet, we're calling her Lexi for short. Or maybe, while we still live in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, we ought to make her nickname French-looking - something like l'Exi.

Thoughts on fatherhood

Lexi is two weeks old today - still very, very young, but in other ways, because we've spent so much time with her and have had to care for her every need, we feel we know a lot about her and have learned a lot as parents in this short fortnight.

Still, however, I don't think the reality of becoming a father has hit me yet. Sure, I know I am now responsible for the care of a baby - a person - now. But so far, that's really all it has been - the physical (and a tiny bit of emotional, certainly) care of a newborn. It feels like the real part of parenthood hasn't started yet - the true guiding of a young life and supervising. Lexi doesn't need much right now, or at least it's not hard to provide very basic needs for her because Sarah and I do that for ourselves daily with no thought - safety, security, being fed, clothed, and kept clean and getting sleep. I know there's a little attention thrown in there too.

But it's good to be in this phase - past the pregnancy and into the child-rearing. The anticipation and uncertainty of who and what kind of child we would get is over. In this way, starting a family and becoming a parent/father is real - we finally have a real person with a name and known gender and a tiny bit of personality to identify with and to touch and hold and see. But even then, I'm struggling or getting ahead of myself in still expecting her, because she is a person, to do with me what I'm used to "normal" people (adults, I suppose) doing - interacting through conversation and all the other things you do when you live with someone or spend a lot of time with someone. She's a living, breathing, eating, sound-creating person, so I sort of expect her at any moment to start conversing with me in the way I expect so I can get to know her. So in this way, she's still kind of not a real person to me. She's a potential person in a way. And in some ways, I can't wait until she's into that "real" person phase.

It seems we've only continued in this phase from pregnancy with the paradoxes of life.

A Three Ring Circus

Picture this...

On Friday, Stephen had a telephone interview for a job in the U.S. We sent Lexi out with Baba and Lolo (Stephen's parents) for a walk in the stroller so she wouldn't be a distraction. I took a nap. His interview was scheduled for 1:30. It started a bit late, but I figured it would still end by 3:00. Why did it need to end by 3? Because we are having to show our appartment to future renters. We had agreed for several people to come at 3:00 that day. Lexi and the grandparents came home around 2:40. Stephen was still on the phone, but no problem, she was sleeping soundly.

3:00 the doorbell rings; Stephen is still on the phone, but I can tell it is coming to a close. As the phone is right near the front door, I usher the first people into the spare bedroom and shut the door. Explaining that since he is on the phone, they can just walk around and I will try to answer any questions before they are ready to go. Soon the other 2 visitors arrive; Stephen's still talking. By this time, Lexi has woken up and is HUNGRY (it's about a half hour past when I thought she would want to eat). I am in the spare bedroom with the door shut talking to the visitors; Lexi is in the kitchen with the grandparents. I finish with that set of visitors and go to the kitchen and fetch her.

The doorbell rings again. I am tied up with the baby; Stephen is still on the phone. Barb answers the door; ushers the young Dutch fellow to the living room. I go in to talk to him, Lexi attached. Everyone is trying to whisper - Barb is gesturing that Stephen is on the phone with a job interview. Doors are opening and closing. Stephen gets off the phone; all the visitors have left. Peace at last. Our place is good sized - but not that good-sized - it felt like a circus in here!

Things I am thankful for

1. Lexi is a pretty good sleeper. She can go down for around 3 1/2 - 4 hours at night. So I really only have to get up once.

2. Lexi is a good eater. She gained in 2 days what she was supposed to have gained in 7. So we are reducing the frequency of her meals - but she doesn't always like that! (Trying to hit every 4 hours.)

3. The midwife has come to our home twice now - and since we had more questions, it was good to get them answered. There were a couple of things I was worried about, but she was able to reassure me.

A few words from Sarah

Stephen has been dilgently keeping you all up to date for which I am grateful. It was wonderful to come home on Tuesday night; I was going stir crazy at the clinic and just wanted to get Lexi HOME. Now we are trying to figure out what she needs when. Not necessarily the easiest task (where's her owner's manual??). Some times she is predictable - other times not. The first night at home was a bit trying, but the second was better. I am still quite tired but am hoping night #3 will go like clockwork.

I feel like I am already forgetting what the whole labor/delivery was like. I want to write it down - don't worry, I won't be posting it here! I didn't really know when she actually came out; I was pushing away (it REALLY hurt) with my eyes closed and then there was this slimy, wiggly thing on my tummy - and I wondered - what the heck is that?!?! Stephen had to tell me to open and look at her. Quite an amazing/interesting/miraculous experience. It still feels rather surreal that my basketball tummy has disappeared and we now have this human being to care for. It feels real and yet it doesn't.

First dinner at home

Last night, after the first night and first full day since Sarah and Lexi had come home from the clinic, we had a celebratory dinner. Well, it wasn't so festive, since it was nice for Sarah and Lexi just to have an ordinary meal at home, but we each had a glass of kir royale (a popular French drink of champagne - in this case, sparkling apple cider - with cassis liqueur added) to toast their homecoming.


We prepared a dish we discovered on our trip to Egypt in 2005 - koshari. This was appropriate because Alexandria is a city in Egypt.

And then afterwards, my dad and I "smoked" (we just pretended) two Cuban cigars I had to celebrate.


Yes, we're getting this child off on the right foot with fancy drinks and smoking!


It's wonderful to have Lexi home and part of our family here now. But there's a lot of adjustment in learning how to care for her.

Delayed homecoming

We've had some delays in the departure of Sarah and Alexandria from the clinic. The insurance would have normally paid for them to stay there until Sunday.

At birth, Alexandria weighed a little more than average, she was quite long, and the circumference of her head was bigger than average. Because of all this, and because she was facing up (not down, which is the usual delivery position - facing the floor), the doctor needed to use the vacuum on her head during the delivery to help pull her out. This left her with an enormous bruise on the crown of her head, which I think looked like a yarmulke. The doctor assured us this procedure was not dangerous. This bruise then caused her to become jaundiced (something about red blood cells multiplying around this bruise). So this kept her in the clinic an additional night last night. During the afternoon, she slept over a special light in her bassinet, and overnight, she got this special light all over her body, which helped. They've been monitoring her by taking blood regularly. This condition also caused her to become overly tired, which meant she wasn't eating as much as she should, but today she appears stronger and heavier.

Then, after she was born, the doctors suspected a small heart murmur. So we had to take Alexandria to who I was told was the best specialist in Geneva on these matters - Prof. Baghetti (in the dining room with the candlestick). So she left the clinic for the first time yesterday and had her first ride in the car to the cantonal (state) hospital. They did an EKG and an ultrasound and discovered a very small hole in the wall between the two chambers of her heart. This is very common, the doctor said. He's not concerned at all and believes she will grow out of it. He wants to see us in six weeks and again in a year (can we come back to Geneva for that appointment?). You cannot notice this condition at all when you look at her.

Now it's Tuesday afternoon, and Sarah will need to see the doctor about her sutures (from her episiotomy) before she's cleared to go home - assuming Alexandria is also free to go.

The insurance will pay for these additional days in the clinic - the doctor has requested this. So we've been dealing with these medical issues the past few days and trying to resolve them - in case you've been wondering why Mommy and Baby are not home yet.

Learning to be a father

At the clinic where Sarah delivered Alexandria, there's a nursery area with several sinks where the nurses and parents change their child's diaper and bathe them.

On Saturday morning, during my daily visit to the clinic, Sarah and I learned how to bathe Alexandria. She didn't mind getting in the water at first - she seemed to like the warmth. But as we started rubbing her and poking and prodding her, she started crying. We also learned how to clean her eyes, nose and ears and around her umbilical cord.

And yesterday, on Sunday, I changed my first diaper - and then did another one in the evening! Two diapers on my first day of diaper duty! Well, so far, this task has been easy - there's been no poop yet - so there's not really a big mess inside to clean up.

Medical clinic or luxury hotel?

Have you ever eaten a fancy meal in a hospital room? Have you ever gone on a date at a medical facility?

That's essentially what Sarah and I did last night on her last night at the clinic. As part of the "package" of having a baby at the clinic where Sarah has been since Wednesday night, she got to have a fancy dinner with a guest. Luckily she chose her baby's father (at least I've been thinking I'm the father since Thursday - I think Alexandria looks like me)!

We got to choose the day of the meal and whether we wanted to have lunch or dinner. And we had three choices for each of the three courses. The main course we both chose included a sirloin steak. The dessert I chose was very rich - two fairly big-sized slices of a mocha cake. To top it all off, we had a small bottle of champagne (our other choice was a bottle of Bordeaux) to share!

They set the meal up at a small round table with full place settings and linen napkins and a tablecloth. We had it in room 132, next door to Sarah's room, with one hospital bed pushed aside and some of the fluorescent lights off for ambiance.

For nearly an hour, we ate what will probably be our last meal in peace. One of the nurses babysat Alexandria in the nursery.

A couple of days earlier, we got a gift from the clinic too - a small teddy bear.

This clinic has been a very nice place to have a baby. I've been worried the whole time about the hospital where we will have our next child. Chances are good that we'll have any future children back in the U.S., where mothers (and fathers!) don't receive such lavish treatment.

Sarah has had good nurses caring for her these past several days. The one who cares for Sarah primarily during the day is a very knowledgeable woman and has been kind to both of us. She's been a good teacher to us for all of the different cleaning techniques for Alexandria and has encouraged us well as we learn them.

Sarah has had Alexandria in a bassinet in her room next to her bed most of the time since Friday, the day after the birth. But at this clinic, mothers have the option of caring for their babies (changing diapers, etc.) on their own or having the nurses do it all or anything in between. Babies can stay in the nursery under the watch of the nurses and be brought to their mothers only when they need to be fed if the mother wants. So it has been a posh place for Sarah to stay in.

C'est une fille! It's a girl!‎

Alexandria Leah Padre

Born 9 August 2007

8 lb 3 oz, 20.5 in.

She was born on Stephen's 34th-and-a-half birthday, a day after her due date (generally on time for first-time babies - a good, punctual Swiss baby!). See if you can figure out the connection of her name to her birthplace.

It was a long labor and trying delivery for Sarah, but in her first few hours, Alexandria is doing pretty well (and Mommy and Daddy are relieved it's over!).

Swiss doctors

I think that Swiss doctors are very dedicated and seem to be on call at all times. My doctor has been on holiday this past week so I saw another doctor for my checkup last Monday. When I had seen my regular doctor two Mondays ago, she said that she would see me on the due date (this Wednesday), but we didn't set a time. Since she was away all last week, I figured I would call her tomorrow (Monday) to schedule the Wednesday appointment. Well, she called ME on a Sunday afternoon to schedule the appointment herself! We are both kind of surprised that she called on the weekend. But unlike my sister's doctor who didn't attend the birth of her daughter because it was a Sunday, I know that my doctor will be at the delivery - no matter when it happens. She has told me so. Pretty comforting, hmm?

Still ticking...

The due date is fast approaching (4 days!) and we are trying to patiently wait for 'IT' to happen. I am now on full medical leave (since Thursday) which means no more work for me. I had some little projects to do around the house - I have pretty much gotten them all done. So now what? We have suddenly amassed quite a collection of DVDs so I think I will be spending a lot of time in front of the tv. I know that I should be 'resting' - but I still haven't gotten the hang of taking naps.

Doctors appointments now consist of being hooked up to a monitor that graphs the baby's heartbeat and tone of the uterus. Plus the ever present question - have you felt any contractions?? My answer is 'I don't think so???' Baby moving, yes; Discomfort, yes; Funny twinges, yes; Contractions ???

The last days are the longest

This morning we had another appointment with the baby doctor to monitor Baby's heartbeat and check its position. We now have these appointments weekly, and the next one is on the actual due date. The baby is still head-down and has dropped low, the doctor said. If you look at the latest picture of Sarah, she's really big (and I'm telling her so!). But Baby is on track to be within the average weight range at birth. Everything is "perfect," which means we're on track for a natural birth and for it to happen - hopefully - as planned on (around?) August 8, which is next week!!!

Indeed, there's really nothing more we can do at this point but wait. And the hard thing for us - big planners and control freaks that we are - is that only Baby knows when its time will come. After nine long months, after mentally preparing ourselves, building our excitement, acquiring clothes and supplies, re-arranging some furniture, and packing a bag for the hospital, we can do nothing more but wait - and these last days seem to be the longest of these months. We are ready and want the birth to happen now!

We are actually within the window of when labor could begin, so the spontaneity of it all is both exciting and nerve-racking at the same time.

We know a lot of you out there are waiting with us! Feel free to add in the comments what day you think Baby will arrive and whether it's a boy or a girl.

Miscellaneous Swiss baby info

We have learned a couple of new things about having a baby in Switzerland:

1. When you have a child, your employer has to give you an extra amount in your salary each month (about $200). If you and your spouse are both employed, only 1 employer is required to pay it; this extra money lasts until your child is 18.

2. We will get a one-time 'gift' from the government when the child is born of approximately $800.

3. Health insurance really does seem to cover everything relating to having a baby - I recently heard from a woman that the hospital bill after her child was in the ICU for months amounted to over $100,000 - insurance covered it all.

Moral of the story - it's good to have a child in Switzerland: they seem to promote it! (But they don't necessarily promote marriage before having children - people wait until having a child to get married because a couple with no kids pays a lot more tax.)

Keep your head down and aim toward August 8!

Well, we think we have successfully passed the hurdle of turning the baby. This morning we had another "controle" - a checkup - but this time with our regular doctor at the clinic where Sarah is due to deliver. We would have had this checkup anyway, regardless of our situation, but our doctor was especially anxious to confirm that Baby has remained in the new position with its head down.

After last Thursday's procedure, we took off for a weekend away in the Alps. Yesterday, Sarah says Baby was moving a lot. She was getting very anxious and nervous that it was moving back to its former upright position.

Before we saw the doctor this morning, the nurse/midwife hooked Sarah up to the machine to monitor Baby's heartbeat and her uterus for contractions, which took about a half hour. The midwife felt Sarah's abdomen and said she felt like Baby's head was down. When the doctor came, she did an ultrasound, which confirmed that, indeed, Baby is still standing on its head. It appears that all of Baby's movements yesterday was merely rotating itself (it basically moved its body to the other side but kept its head down). The doctor said this rotation is normal (again, we have a baby that has its parents' dancing genes; it is now learning more advanced moves) and that it's in the "perfect" position for birth.

So, now that we've made it through that stage, we turn our eyes toward August 8, the original due date. We're relieved that the risk we took in trying this procedure worked and paid off. From here on out, as far as we know, things should proceed as planned. We have another check-up - exactly the same type as today's - next Monday and again on the due date.

Sarah's ultimate goal is to try to have the baby naturally - trying to avoid a C-section. But a secondary goal - one more selfish of Mommy and Daddy - is to have the baby at the clinic, as opposed to the cantonal (state) hospital, where the turning procedure was done last week. Although the hospital is perfectly fine (and as advanced medically as any other place), the clinic is a slight step up in terms of comfort. But in both places, I have also been offered tea and coffee along with Sarah, so they do take care of both Mommy and Daddy well at these places.

All eyes toward August 8! Let the countdown begin!

Turning Baby

A week ago Thursday, we found out that Baby had not decided to turn on its head. So after an agonizing day, we decided to try an external version - basically, a manual turning of the baby by a doctor putting his/her hands on my abdomen and moving the baby around.

Our appointment was for this last Thursday (the 19th) for this procedure. We arrived at the hospital around 7:20 in the morning. It took a while to get into the room and settled. They monitored the baby’s heartbeat and me for contractions and then gave me a drug through a drip to relax my uterus. But then there was a delay – the doctor (not my regular dr. but one with experience in this procedure) had to deliver a baby in another room. So we had to wait. Eventually the doctor came back with another doctor. He did the procedure, and, all told, we think the whole turn lasted less than a minute and a half. He made it look so easy that Stephen thinks he could have done it! He just put a couple of fingers from both hands low on my abdomen, on the baby’s bottom. Then he pushed and turned, and when it was about halfway around, he cupped his hands at the top, around the baby’s head, and continued turning it. Stephen could see a long shape in my belly turning around (I couldn't really see anything)! And then it popped into place, head down!

We stayed in the hospital for another 4 hours and then they checked the baby's heartbeat and position again - it hadn't decided it wanted to turn back (only about 2% change position after such a procedure). This baby is a mover and Friday and most of Saturday it was pretty still. We think the poor thing was disoriented. However, I woke up early this morning (before 4) and the baby was really moving about. Now I am slightly nervous that it managed to re-turn itself back into the breech position. We do have a doctor's appt tomorrow (Monday) am and she will check the position again. If they think it is still possible to turn it, they will try again and induce labor the same day so Baby wouldn't have a chance to re-arrange itself! I suppose I went through this turning thing once so I can do it again, but it would be nice not to. It wasn't painful - just kind of uncomfortable; Baby moving around is often uncomfortable as well so that's nothing new!

A Shower and A Visit

Every morning at work, my department gathers for coffee for about 10 minutes. Depending on how much I have to do, if I am in the middle of something or not, etc, I may or may not join them. On Friday, I joined them and when I got down to the end of the hall where we gather, I was surprised - with a baby shower! Since it it summer, many people are on holiday so it was just a small group. There was a pile of gifts though and berry cake and home made Filipino rice cakes (which I thought were very sweet). We have added to our collection of clothes and also received a few toys and practical things. It is unusual here to have a baby shower and if there is one, it is usually held after the birth of the baby. I think the Filipino in my department organized this - such a before-birth custom is common for her as well - and I also think she is pretty excited about this baby, too! I only wish Stephen could have been there as he is more concerned that we are missing out on all of these types of things by living so far from 'home.'

On Saturday, we went to the clinic where we plan to have the baby for a visit of the maternity facilities. We had chosen this clinic without checking out such things, but thought for my piece of mind, especially, it would be good to go and have a first look. They have three delivery rooms that all seemed well equipped though only one has the jacuzzi in it. The baby would be measured, etc. in the same room and only leave the room if it had to be put in an incubator. The operating room for emergency c-sections is right down the hall. The baby can stay in my room with me all the time if I want. They have bassinets on high stands so it would be level with me in the bed. And the area to change and bathe the baby isn't far away. I'm feeling all excited and more comfortable about this now - but Stephen left feeling a little more nervous, I think!

Holier water?

Sarah's parents will be coming (from Iowa, most likely) in October to see Baby, and, because it's the end of our time in Geneva (at least that's what we're planning), they will help us pack up and clean our apartment (which needs to be left better than we found it, according to Swiss practices). And since my parents will be coming in August for the birth, we plan to have Baby baptized in October when Sarah's parents are here.

We'll have the baptism at our church on one of the Sundays Sarah's parents are here, and Sarah's father will do the baptism with our pastor (remember that Sarah's father is an ELCA pastor and that he did the vows part at our wedding). I had the idea of getting some water from the Jordan River to use at the baptism. I hadn't thought of this when we were in Israel and Palestine last December (just when we thought we might be pregnant), so when the idea arose, the dilemma of how to obtain some emerged. One of Sarah's coworkers went to Jerusalem a couple months ago for a meeting, but he forgot to get some water from the Jerusalem representative of Sarah's organization who works there. No problem. We just waited until a fellow church member who works for the World Council of Churches went there a few weeks ago. He apparently brought us back a big bottle, which he obtained himself (we haven't gotten it from him yet). While he was at the river, which is on the border of Israel and Jordan (two countries that aren't really friendly with each other), an Orthodox priest he was with put on a sort of robe and went all the way into the river. Our friend wanted to as well, but he thought it was best not to at the time because he was functioning as the WCC general secretary's spokesman. Anyway, we know this bottle contains authentic Jordan River water.


But then today, another fellow coworker of Sarah came back from Jerusalem with another bottle of Jordan River water, although this one was purchased in Jerusalem, so we can't trust its authenticity 100 percent. But they market it well as a Holy Land souvenir, as real "holy" water.


Well, whatever Jordan River water we use, we will probably get water from some other sources too for use in the baptism - Lake Geneva, which is water from the Alps, and perhaps some water from a source or two in the United States. This is already a well-travelled, international baby, mind you, so water from around the world, from places he/she has a connection to through family is what we are thinking of achieving. Yes, I know Baby doesn't really have a connection to the Jordan River, but in a way, all God's chil'un do, don't they?

Boy or Girl?

Three women have now told me at work that they think it will be a boy - something to do with how I am carrying the baby. Stephen had a dream that it was a girl and one of his aunt's also believe its a girl. My mom dreamed that we took the baby out and played with it - but she didn't know the sex. I still talk to Baby using both he and she interchangebly - not sure I have had strong feelings one way or the other. Knowing that we WILL know soon is pretty exciting!

A month and a day...

We are starting to feel that the end is in sight. Today was the first really warm summer-like day that we have had in weeks. If I was in the sun, I felt pretty hot and uncomfortable. But it isn't humid, so in the shade, I did ok. The forecast is for cooler temps again so who knows how this last month will go.

Last night at the pre-natal class, we went over positions to help the labor and delivery go more smoothly/help the process along. We are to practice them a couple of times a week just to remember what we need to do! Next week is our last class. We also have a doctor's appt next Thursday where we will see what position Baby is in. Stephen and I have different ideas sometimes what the hard parts that poke out are! Baby is still pretty active though it has calmed down some nights which means I am definitely sleeping better.

Learning about Delivering

Last night at the baby class, we heard all about the delivery. I am still worried that the baby won't turn around (put its head down) and therefore, we will have to decide if we want to try and give birth naturally (and maybe have a c-section) or just plan a c-section. I worry about having it naturally with its head in the right place - the head in the wrong place makes it that much worse! The mid-wife said that if the mom wants to, after the baby's head and shoulders have cleared the birth canal, the mom can reach down and bring the baby up to her chest. (Dad could, too, but she recommends (for a variety of reasons) only from the mom's point of view, e.g. behind mom's shoulders and not facing mom head on, if you get what I mean.) I am not sure either of us want to do that!

And we found out we could take the placenta home if we wanted to - I'm definitely not interested in that. Otherwise, the hospital will burn it. Anyone know what happens in the U.S.? We also learned about a variety of other things relating to the process - I definitely feel well informed now.

Details and plans

Even though we think we talked about this in an earlier entry on this blog, we are still getting questions about our work and family situation vis-a-vis the arrival of Baby, so here is our plan as of today and how we think this all should work out!

For Sarah and her job: Sarah's work contract runs until the end of October. She would normally get four months of maternity leave, but since the baby isn't due until early August, she'll start maternity leave then and finish the remainder of her contract on maternity leave (taking less than what she's officially entitled to, but that's okay). She still gets a full salary during that time - and even still accumulates vacation days on maternity leave! She has given her employer notice that she will not renew her contract/continue beyond October. (And yes, for those who haven't heard, we will be leaving Geneva and Switzerland after this time as both of us will have ended the contracts for our jobs, which has been our main reason for being here.) So they've started the process of replacing her and have held interviews.

The medical/maternity system here is such that women are encouraged to stop working 4 to 6 weeks before the baby comes. At the last few visits to the doctor, she has asked Sarah when she wants to stop working. Sarah, being accustomed to the American system (and for other reasons at work), has just assumed that she will work right up until the baby pops out (at which point a woman's leave for maternity reasons begins). The doctor has suggested that she can first go down to 50% sometime in July and then, a couple weeks later, stop working all together. The doctor is very ready to write a letter to Sarah's employer asking for medical leave for her pregnancy - she's eager to do so, it seems. Sarah is trying to burn up some of her vacation days too and so will be taking some days off in July anyway.

For Stephen and his job: Since January, I have been a house husband. But this has involved a lot of lazy days too, so rather than continuing under that label, I've now decided that, with the arrival of a new season, I'm now on summer vacation (like I was still in school). And in order to sound like I'm even more productive and have a better purpose for not working, when the baby arrives, I will begin my period of paternity leave. Seriously, though, I've known for many months that the baby is coming and that I will be in a situation of not working, and really, I'm grateful for this opportunity to not have to work (to have time like Sarah will) for a while after Baby arrives. I will really take advantage of this. Sarah keeps thinking that when we have our next child, we will both be working and have one child already to care for, and I will probably not be in a no-work situation then. So this situation is really a gift for all of us - Sarah, Baby and me.

Our destination after Geneva: As of today, we still don't know where we're headed after Geneva. But because we have an income through the end of October (and Sarah even gets an additional month's salary as part of her contract - when you leave, they give you this) and our apartment lease runs through the end of that month, we figure we might as well stay put until then and use that time to get used to having a baby - one big change at a time, please. We're still looking at possibilities of going somewhere for a year or so outside the U.S. (southeast Asia or Africa, preferably), or else our default destination is probably Washington, D.C. I'm looking for openings now for overseas jobs, and if I find something, then Sarah will probably see what is available for her.

We know many of you like details and knowing exactly what we're up to and what we're planning. We hope this is enough information at this point. Sure, it's possible to go another layer deeper with information, but then I'd be writing to you on this blog what I'm doing day to day and hour by hour, and if I had to do that, then I would have less time to search for a job. But if you really need to know something or even more details about our search for our next home or jobs, let's talk on the phone - it's easier to share those sort of details that way.

Squirming and squeaming

Does my voice make you squirm? When I call you, do you start moving uncomfortably when you hear it's me? This is the case with Baby. Well, maybe Baby is not squirming or uncomfortable; maybe that's just the only way it knows how to respond and communicate that it hears me.

At the suggestion of our baby class instructor, I've tried communicating more directly with Baby - not just putting my hands on Sarah's stomach, which caused Baby to press back with its head after a couple minutes. But now, after speaking to it (our baby books say Baby is well into the stage in which it can hear from inside there), I can even wake Baby up and make it respond with my voice. It squirms and presses back on my hand, although this makes Sarah physically uncomfortable when it moves a lot. But this is fun - I feel like I'm bonding with Baby already.

We had the second session of our baby class last night. We talked about what the signs of labor are. One topic was epidurals. I almost had to excuse myself from the room when the topic came up. I am allowed to - and plan to - be in the delivery room. But there are some parts of it - even aside from an epidural or C-section or anything medical - that I am wondering if I can handle. I am very squeamish when it comes to injections or the sight of blood or the thought of any kind of surgery. So after the class I told Sarah that I would be there in the delivery room to support her, but if the need arises for an epidural, I told her I would definitely be leaving the room for a few minutes. If I should stay during this time, I think I would faint or vomit and then be no good for the rest of the labor.

Many parts of the labor were described in detail, and it was all very helpful. One message came through clearly - one has no control over the timing of it all. I think this will be a good first test for us (especially Sarah, the real planner and list-maker!). It will be only the beginning of a new, unpredictable life with a child!