Sophie´s Room

Sophie´s room was actually the first space my husband and I finished decorating in our new house. We had just moved to Germany in January of this year, and when we saw the size of what would be Sophie´s room, we instantly started thinking of how to decorate. Easily the biggest room in the house, it was made more spectacular with its floor to ceiling windows, allowing an unrestricted view of the garden the old owner had landscaped against a hill. With this good a foundation to work with, my husband and I created a warm, cosy den for our little baby bear.

One of the first things we did that dictated the entire look of the room was to put up really colourful wallpaper, of a lot of woodland birds in every primary shade. We reasoned that aside from being decorative, it would be helpful for Sophie´s development as primary colours are what children see best (next to black and white, however a chess board theme for a baby´s room was not unanimously approved). The branches the birds were on could easily be in one of the many forests Germany has, and the woodsy atmosphere helped add a natural feel. All the furniture we put up were white (except for the crib and sofa bed) and, with a cream carpet, it was sure to make the room as bright and as cheery as possible. Other little touches that we was a red canvas toy chest that kept all of Sophie´s stuffed animals safe, and a small humidifier/night light in the shape of a Smurf´s house. While we did not want an overly cute room, we still wanted a child to feel safe and cuddled, and to feel free to be a child.

I think we achieved this because every time I am in her room I feel like I am being warmed by a ray of sunshine, no matter how gloomy my day is. Even when I am in there cleaning by myself, I feel very hesitant to leave. To do so would mean to leave behind the smell of spring and all its freshness, to stop feeling a light breeze coming through an open window, to stop enjoying the taste of marshmallows in your mouth (for me marshmallows taste like sweet but not too sweet clouds, and I think marshmallows can taste like anything you want them to be). If Sophie´s room could have a soundtrack, it would sound like the background music people hear in spas on a bad day, and a forest full of happy animals and swaying leaves on a good day.

So far Sophie enjoys her room, although it does not stop her from crawling out of the door the minute she sees an opening. Still, I hope she will come to feel that no matter how fast or how far she goes away from it, she will always be able to come back and feel like she had never left.

Update on My Resolutions

So, moving right along to accomplishing some goals, I thought I´d give an update as to what I have done so far:

1. Learn German (more of a necessity than a want, I must admit, but still something I would like to do) - going to continue studying at the Goethe-Institute for another two months, albeit at a scaled down schedule (i.e., three times a week and not every day).

2. Lose A LOT of weight - I had a doughnut today, so I guess this is still a big TO DO.

3. Improve photography skills - Not started

4. Attend a creative writing class - Not started although I started writing short stories again.

5. Start my own online business - Not fully started

6. Dye my hair bright red (while I am not working and do not have to be presentable)- Done, and had a haircut while I was at it.

7. Start writing a book or short stories - yep, see above

8. Learn German cuisine (das Schnitzel... yum!) - I´ve made it a point to try the Frankfurted Schnitzel with Green sauce, does this count?!

9. Cook and bake more... who knew I had it in me? - Made pasta salad for a friend´s barbeque and will bake more for class next week.

10.Learn gardening - Not started

Funny Times In Deutschland

Me (after hitting a man on the train accidentally): Tut mir leid! Enshuldingung Sie mich. (I am so sorry, excuse me, please.)

Man: Ah, ist nicht so schlimm (oh, it´s not too bad).

Me (misunderstanding the word "schlimm"): Um... danke, aber bin ich fett! (Um, thanks, but I know I´m fat!)

Monday

Weekend´s gone, Monday´s here
The sound of the alarm in my ear
First action of the day, stretching loose
Second action of the day, hitting snooze

Old Dog, New Tricks

All the private and semi-private education in the world cannot prepare you for parenthood, no matter how many useless/ful home economics classes get thrown in the mix. For instance, as a new mom, I had to learn:

1. How to work baby gates (gates of Hades more like)
2. How to build baby furniture (smaller does not mean easier, people!)
3. How to ensure the person on the phone is getting your full attention while making sure your baby does not eat the dog´s ball at the same time
4. Remembering to keep a supply of water and milk available at all times, you will never know what your baby might be in the mood for
5. Remembering to keep all things small and shiny away from tiny, grabby hands
6. How to strap and unstrap my baby from her car seat, her stroller, her baby chair, her sling, myself...
7. How to juggle opening and folding a stroller to fit into the trunk of a car while holding a squirming infant who clearly does not want to be held
8. Remembering to pack a weekend´s worth of baby clothes for one outing just in case some little not so cute accident happens
9. Remembering to introduce my husband as the "love of my life" and not "the guy who dragged me into this mess"
10. How to say no in a stern voice without smiling when my baby bites the spoon that´s feeding her and won´t let go
11. How to undress, shower, shampoo, dry off, dress, brush my teeth and comb my hair in the space of 5 minutes, just in case the baby might wake up and need me
12. How to change nappies without leaving the baby´s bottom uncovered for more than 5 seconds in anticipation of a really wet (or worse) accident

Things I Want to do in Germany

I have found myself becoming listless (Christian used that word as well) since arriving in Germany. To go from a travelling auditor to a stay-at-home-mom-slash-student has really thrown me. Some days I feel like one of the luckiest girls in the world, some days I feel as though there is something more I should be doing. This, I have learned thanks to online articles and talking to new friends in the same boat, is part and parcel of being a Trailing Spouse.

The trailing spouse syndrome is not a new thing, in fact the term has been around since the 80s when couples and even families were getting more and more mobile as work became more and more global. There is even a trailing spouse group I am a part of in the english speaking community of Frankfurt. Almost all of those who join are women, some mothers, who have given up what we term as "our individuality" to make life with hubby and family work.

While all the support helps,it was while researching the phenomenon more to get a deeper understanding of what I was going through that I cam across an article on "trailing spouses." It said that one way to have more focus amidst all the changes going on is to make a list of all the things one can do as a continued hobby or interest, or something new that one can only do in the new city or country one is in.

So, in the spirit of taking experimentation, here is my list so far...

1. Learn German (more of a necessity than a want, I must admit, but still something I would like to do)
2. Lose A LOT of weight
3. Improve photography skills
4. Attend a creative writing class
5. Start my own online business
6. Dye my hair bright red (while I am not working and do not have to be presentable)
7. Start writing a book or short stories
8. Learn German cuisine (das Schnitzel... yum!)
9. Cook and bake more... who knew I had it in me?
10.Learn gardening

Who can say if I will be able to realize all these goals but, hey, a start is a start!

Love Ya Sophie Soph

you were a tiny thing
staring at me from
a computer screen
even then i knew
that life would change
when i had you

with a look around
you had me spinning
high off the ground
when you held my hand
my heart stopped
then started again

who am i to say
if an angel will
love me anyway
but there's nothing to
stop me from
always loving you