Updates
First things first: We are all amazed at the miraculous change in Andreas since April 24. Though he has always been a relatively content baby, he suddenly is much more alert, happy, and active. In short, he is so thrilled to finally be able to SEE! He reaches for toys, laughs out loud, and rolls over. He grabs his sister’s hair, looks at books with us, and actually enjoys tummy time. I should add that many of these changes were evident within 24 hours of the surgery. We are grateful for the many prayers from friends & family.
Otherwise, all has been well around here. We have had A LOT of rain this spring, which has made for more indoor time than we would have liked. The plus, though, is that everything looks amazingly lush and green now. Caleb and I have kept busy with our ultimate frisbee team, which we’ve played on every fall and spring since 2004. Simona has been riding her tricycle all over the place. On rainy days, she rides around in circles on our porch, and on dry days, we have ventured as far as the playground and library. This month, we attended our first Nationals game of the season and witnessed one of the few wins the Nats have had this season. . . unfortunately for Caleb, it came at the expense of his beloved Cardinals.
Another highlight was participating in EU Embassy Day, on which the EU nations open their embassies’ doors to the public. We went to the German, Czech, and Hungarian embassies. Simona enjoyed face painting, a moon bounce, and Kinderschokolade at the German embassy, while Caleb and I enjoyed the chance to see the ambassador’s residence and get a good Currywurst. The Czech embassy (which Andreas and I skipped for his mid-morning meal) boasted live police dogs and, importantly, restrooms. The Hungarian embassy was also a hit, with a kids’ craft corner, goulasch, and traditional folk dancing that had Simona mesmerized. Three embassies was plenty for one morning for our little family, but we hope to visit a few more next year. (We also learned- a bit too late- that the non-EU embassies have open houses earlier in May, so next year we’ll hopefully take advantaged of two weekends of embassy hopping.)
All pictures have been updated through the end of April. We’re traveling to NY for KK’s college graduation soon, and we’re looking forward to how beautiful Ithaca will (hopefully!) be at this time of year. And before you know it, May will be over!
