When we chose our kids’ names, we never paid much attention to the “meanings” of their names. Andreas Karl was simply a first name we liked that works well in English and German and isn’t overly popular (at least, in the US!) paired with a family name (my grandfather was Karl). Thus, it wasn’t until a while after his birth that we realized that “Andreas” comes from the Greek for “man” or “manly.” Karl is an Old Germanic name meaning either “free man” or “man.” Ever since, he has been “manly man” to some of our friends, and sometimes to us, too.

Well, Andreas does his darndest to live up to that nickname. He seems to know instinctively what a boy “should” do or like, ranging from climbing EVERYTHING to picking up large rocks and stones to obsessing over “Autos” and “Flugzeuge” (cars & airplanes).

For as much as it is amusing to stereotype him, though, in truth he is a sweet little guy who is “comfortable enough with his manhood” to drink out of pink sippy cups, play with his sister’s dolls & strollers, and cuddle with his Mama or Papa (sometimes).

He loves water and swimming almost as much as his sister does, and he is currently obsessed with fish. I joke that I could drop him off at the Georgia Aquarium and pick him up three hours later without him even noticing my absence. His swimming trunks and sun hat have fish on them, making them a clothing item with a sky-high entertainment value.

Watching his personality grow and express itself is a neat part of parenting an 18 month old, and his exploding vocabulary allows him to tell us more and more of what he wants, likes and needs. He is still into EVERYTHING, taking every opportunity to throw toys into the toilet, empty a cabinet or dresser drawer, or “help” us with laundry or dishes. We look forward to seeing how he continues to change in the coming months.

The big news for our big girl is that Simona turned FOUR years old in June. We can hardly believe that we only have one more year before she has to go to school full-time.
Her celebration was somewhat muted as compared to last year, when we had a “family” party in Iowa on her actual birthday and a joint “friends” party with Caed, a neighbor & classmate whose birthday is the same week.

This year, we began the day in German fashion, with a table decorated with fresh flowers and a special breakfast. Her choice was to make pancakes with her Papa, and we enjoyed them with blueberries, applesauce, and mango juice.

Afterwards, we piled into the car for the drive to Peachtree City, where we spent the day watching World Cup Soccer, swimming, and celebrating her birthday again with more family. Her great-grandma, great aunt & uncle, and grandparents were all too happy to share in the party, complete with the “blueberry & vanilla, green-pink-and-purple” cake she requested. She opened plenty of gifts and cards and overall had a great day. (Thanks to all who made her feel special with calls, cards, and packages!)

Another recent Simona milestone was her second-ever haircut. Because she took the first two years of life to grow a full head of hair, it’s taken quite a while to grow her hair long, which is how she wants it. This was a 3 inch trim, again performed in “Salon Mama.” It turned out pretty well, but we forgot to take an “after” picture!

The other major highlight for Simona this summer has been SWIMMING. The girl spends so much time in the water, she may soon grow flippers! Between the pool at our apartment complex, the pool at my parents’ house, swimming lessons at a public pool, and the lake at my parents’ lakehouse in Alabama, she spends HOURS every week in the water. Her group lessons have been a fun chance to interact with other kids, and she has learned a fair amount; however, I think she won’t quite be a fully proficient swimmer by the time the end next week. No fear, though- it won’t take long before she’s fully morphed into the Little Mermaid she would love to be. A few pictures of her water adventures:

Swimming with Papa:

Kicking at swim lessons:

Swimming at the lake:

On the jet ski with her Opa:

Overall, Simona is a funny, smart, caring girl. She loves to take care of her little brother, adores being told stories, and chews gum any chance she gets. She is a girly girl, accessorizing her outfits, asking for make-up, choosing to wear dresses, etc., but she also enjoys running and climbing at the playground, riding her bike, and watching herself do a silly dance or make a silly face in front of a mirror.
Life is not only roses with a four-year-old at home, as she understands EVERYTHING and can no longer easily be redirected or distracted. We can see our own parenting flaws when she mirrors our poor behavior, challenging us to be more patient, gracious, and loving in our interactions with her and with others. She is discovering more of the world every day and constantly asks not only “why?” questions, but also “what if. . .?” questions. We are amazed and privileged to be witnesses and number one fans to our sweet Simona.

The first is the most important! In late March, we took a trip to Georgia to accomplish as much as one can possibly accomplish in three days: rent an apartment, attend Emory’s MBA orientation weekend, participate in a bridal shower for my sister, drive to Greenville, S.C. to have fun at her bachelorette party, and then get back to Atlanta in time to catch a return flight to DC. During those days, I had several hints that turned to suspicion that turned to confirmation, in early April, that baby #3 is on the way!
We are excited to welcome a new little one to our family but approach this pregnancy differently than the previous two. Having watched dear friends go through the wrenching experience of losing their newborn daughter in the past year has reminded us that we are not guaranteed a healthy pregnancy or a healthy baby. We know that at this point, “odds” are on our side, but we move forward with joy tempered by a heightened awareness that we cannot know what the future holds for us or this baby. We are due the second week of December.

The second highlight was another confirmation:

The third April highlight were Grandma’s & Grandpa’s visits to DC. Caleb’s mom came for about 10 days to spend time with us and the kids as we packed, ran errands, and prepared to move. His dad spent one weekend in town, and the kids had a great time playing with Grandma & Grandpa. I didn’t get any pictures of Grandpa, but I have a couple with Grandma:

We would not have been able to move without all of Grandma’s help. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

Fourth, Caleb and I celebrated our FIFTH wedding anniversary (and our TENTH anniversary of “couplehood”)! Because Grandpa & Grandma were in town, we spent a night away from the kids, wondering at how quickly the time has flown by and at how much our lives have changed in five short years! This year, all three of my sisters and one of Caleb’s brothers will be married (plus two cousins!), and reflecting on our own experience with marriage fills us for excitement for them. Sadly, I captured not a single picture to commemorate five years.

Andreas provided the fifth highlight: He FINALLY started walking! At sixteen months, little man decided to the time had come to explore the world upright and hands-free. (I think he was waiting for the one-year anniversary of his surgery!) We have been anticipating this since he began “cruising” at 8 months, so it’s been a LONG wait for “independent ambulation,” as it were. Here are a few of him and the trouble his new mobility let him cause:

Finally, the sixth highlight was simply savoring our last springtime in DC. The azaleas at the National Arboretum are stunning in April, and the weather hovers near perfect for much of the month. Simona FINALLY got her long-anticipated ice cream from the ice cream truck, and we soaked in our last days of trips to the playground and being with friends.

COMING SOON: Part 2- Saying Farewell and Adventures in Moving

First came an after-work picnic near the Washington Monument and a (partial) walk around the tidal basin to see the cherry blossoms during twilight.

We have seen the cherry blossoms at sunrise almost every year, but we really enjoyed them at sundown, too!

The second adventure was during the workday, so Caleb couldn’t join us. The kids and I took the Metro down to Union Station and enjoyed the sunshine, flowers, and fountains along the Mall.

We rode the carousel near the Smithsonian “castle,” which was fun for Simona but a bit nauseating for me! That thing spins much more quickly than I remember, and balancing Andreas and a camera left me no free hands with which to hold on for dear life! Nevertheless, I did not fall, and she had a GREAT time.

The “half smoke” is the only food item I can name that screams Washington DC, so it seemed only appropriate that we end our touristy morning with a bite of local flavor from a street vendor before hopping on the Metro and heading for home.

We will miss living in our nation’s beautiful capital!

More December / January pictures will be up soon. We anticipate having plenty of time to update, since frantic weather updates lead us to believe that we’ll be snowed into our home for the foreseeable future. . .

His first cake was fun all around. I enjoyed making it, though I must say that it didn’t turn out quite as I had envisioned! He ended up with a round, snow-ball looking creation (chocolate cake & coconut icing), while the rest of us enjoyed similar-looking cupcakes. (Hey- I never claimed to be Betty Crocker!)

Simona got to blow out the candle and lick the icing off of the #1. She also decided to bite off a bit and quickly learned that candles look prettier than they taste!

Andreas, for his part, started off skeptical, dipping his finger into the icing and cautiously licking. He quickly progressed from handfuls of icing to diving in face first, fulfilling his obligation to show enormous enthusiasm for his first birthday cake. Guess the funny looking snowball cake still tasted good!

A is crawling FAST, climbing and pulling up on everything, and starting to vocalize much more. (He even took his first few steps on January 2! But because he’s such a good crawler, he much prefers that mode of transportation.) He loves looking at books and pictures, making lots of little cooing noises while pointing at various pictures. I’m pretty sure he knows what the word “Katze” means (cat), and he definitely can identify various people. I whistle to him while I change his diapers, and he usually tries to whistle back at me, pursing his little lips and making sweet noises. His big sister can make him laugh at the drop of a hat and is by far his favorite person to watch. He loves baths, being chased, banging on things, and fruit. He hates vegetables, being scolded, and being strapped into his car seat. We are working on his sleeping habits- he take short naps because he’s such a light sleeper, and he STILL wakes up in the night pretty frequently. This is a huge contrast to Simona, who literally has slept through A stepping on her face.

His eyes are doing very well, though he still has three little granulomas (the bumps visible on his left eyelid) that lead to plenty of questions from strangers. He will need an additional surgery in a couple of years, at which time the granulomas can be removed. More important, though, is that his December ophthalmology check up went very well; he was right on track for visual development for a one-year-old. His ophthalmologist noted that he had made at note in the chart at his first appointment (at one month old) that Andreas would likely need glasses by his first birthday. We’re fortunate that’s not the case.

Hard to believe a whole year has gone by already. Your little dimples light up our house, and your laughter is contagious. We are lucky to have you in our family. Happy Birthday, Andreas!

So wherever this finds you, we wish you and your families a wonderful holiday!
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UPDATE: As you can see, we have updated the “look” of our website. The content has not changed (besides some recently uploaded photos); however, it is much more user-friendly on our end. Which makes updates a bit easier for us.

Credit for the photo at the top of the site goes to our good friend Brett.

Hope you enjoy it!

. . . ONE front tooth.

Yup, our little Simona’s first tooth is out. I wouldn’t quite say it “fell” out, seeing as how there was a nasty pair of plyers involved, but out it is.

Back in September, while we were at a playground in Leipzig, Germany, Simona fell while climbing on a rock at a playground. Her lip bled, but otherwise we couldn’t see much visible damage. She complained of her tooth hurting for several days, but after about a week she seemed fine again. We mentioned it to her pediatrician when we went in for Andreas’s 9-month check up, and he took a look. He also saw no visible damage and told us to contact a dentist if she started complaining again or if we saw any changes.

This past Friday night, while reading her a bedtime story, I noticed that it looked a bit gray. Caleb was at the store, and I forgot to mention it to him when he got home. The next day, he noticed it himself. So, on Monday morning, we left a message at our dentist (who fortunately also does pediatric dentistry and is wonderful with children). When we got in touch, they gave us an appointment for 8 AM this morning. Simona was very brave and did a great job with our dentist, who could see that the root was becoming infected. She wanted it out right away, so she sent us straight to an oral surgeon whom she recommends for pediatrics. (She doesn’t do procedures like that on children under 5 in her office.)

The oral surgeon’s office was very quick. They didn’t want Andreas in the room, so I had to bring the carseat into the office, strap him in, and leave him behind the receptionist’s desk while I went in with Simona. Not much later, we had two crying children and one tiny purple treasure chest containing Simona’s very first tooth.

We weren’t anticipating our first visit from the tooth fairy quite so early, but, like everything else in parenthood, you just can’t predict these things!

Between S & A’s childbirths, I read and researched the topic extensively out of a mixture of curiosity and self interest.  Some of what I read included the books Pushed, by Jennifer Block; Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born, by Tina Cassidy; and Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin.  I also watched The Business of Being Born, visited a few websites discussing and debating childbirth and maternal medical care, and even researched some public health statistics on childbirth.

My research and personal experiences have lead me to two conclusions.  First, I believe that the process of childbirth matters.  The techniques and procedures used by medical professionals who attend deliveries are of life-and-death consequence for mother and child.  And statistics bear out the fact that, though childbirth in the United States is much safer than in countries without advanced medical technology, it is not nearly as safe as it could or should be.  Better birth matters because those statistics are not just numbers.  They are actual lives of actual mothers and babies who matter and who deserve the best possible chance at health and life.

My second conclusion is that the discourse surrounding childbirth rapidly deteriorates into a pointless debate between the “natural birth” and “medical intervention” camps, to the detriment of women and babies’ health.  In the fight for access to improved health care, women seem to have lost the forest for the trees.  The insistence on a certain “birth experience” for the sake of ensuring the safest, least painful outcome for mother and baby is worthwhile.  The quest to make childbirth a homey, comfortable experience, though, is not only futile but can also be extremely risky.

I would argue that improved maternal/fetal care is not only desirable but also attainable.  Both the “interventionists” and the “naturalists” are doing what they believe is optimal and that both desire the best possible outcome for mother and baby.  I acknowledge that other factors can cloud medical professionals’ judgements: profit, convenience, fear of lawsuits, etc.  But I seriously doubt that any person who works in labor and delivery does not care when a mother or child dies or is seriously injured.  Both “camps” can learn from one another.  This requires humility on both sides, along with an acknowledgement that childbirth is and likely always will remain a dangerous prospect.

Finally, I would urge a healthy dose of perspective.  One of the dear friends mentioned above did not have the happy, healthy outcome we all desperately desire.  Though her loss was not caused by her daughter’s birth experience, it did offer the poignant reminder that anyone whose pregnancy outcome is a heatlhy mother and child have first and foremost an obligation to be grateful and secondmost a reason to do all possible to ensure that other mothers have access to that same outcome.

The real excitement begins on 09/11/09, when we fly to Germany for a two week visit.  Andreas will work his hardest to destroy every knick-knack placed lower than about 36 inches off the ground at Uromi’s house but will not be successful.  (That project would take even him- a most determined crawler / investigator / destructor- much, much longer than two weeks.)  Simona will likely sample every unhealthy cuisine found in Deutschland, including plenty of Kinderschokolade, Eis, and probably several of the unfortunately named chocolate-covered marshmellow treats known as “Mini Dickmanns.”  Caleb and I will spend our time supervising the above-mentioned troublemakers while trying to visit with friends & family and take in the sites of Dresden, Leipzig, and Berlin.

Should be a fun trip.  We’ll let you know how it goes– wish us a good time!