Bye Bye Bittings

Our friends just left Switzerland for a new opportunity in Connecticut. It will be a fabulous move for them, but we will miss them! I met Thu through Basti & Lyn, the people who used to rent our apartment (who now live in Singapore). Thu took me under her wing since I was a new expat. She took me to Ikea several times and showed me my first mall in Switzerland. It gave me hope that things weren't so different after all (until I looked at the price tags). She showed me the discount grocery store, Aldi's, and gave me great ideas for decorating Kelsey's room (unfortunately, I only followed through on one of them, putting the edges on her burpclothes and blankets). Thu showed me the world of second hand stores and the value of brokis.

Thu also encouraged and supported me in my photography. It is through her that I got my first paying gig and from her that I gained confidence in my work. If we were living by each other, I would not hesitate to go into business with her. Thank you Thu, for everything noticed and unnoticed. I will miss you and your family and wish you could be there to celebrate Kelsey's birthday at Jucker Farm (a place she introduced me to). We wish you guys all the best!

Where the Wild Things Are

Eva invited us to go with them to the Langnau Wildpark on Saturday. Since Tally was doing applications and the Wildpark is a 10 minute drive for me (and I've never been and Emily lives 1.5 hours away), Kelsey and I joined in on the fun.

We got to see the goats chowing down on lunch

Then, lucky for us, one of the bears was catching fish and eating it. It was cool to see a "wild" bear up close like that

It was while we were at watching the bear that we saw a decrepit toad limping towards the bear pond. He looked so dehydrated and he had flies all over him. Too bad for him, there was a glass wall between him and the water he longed for. He looked so defeated, so we all thought it would be good samaritans and help him in the water. Daniel Malm took a tray, scooped him up, and then launched him to our carefully planned spot - in the water but near the edge so he could climb out. Unfortunately, our amphibious friend landed belly up and though he struggled weakly, could never quite flip over. Our plan backfired big time! We felt so bad that we killed this little guy. Our only consolation was that we put him out of his misery.
While the toad drama unfolded, Kelsey introduced herself to a very handsome Swiss boy. She kept trying to talk to him and hug him. I'm not sure what she was trying to do but she definitely favored him. Now we know she has good taste in boys!

When her new friend had to go, she sat with her older, handsome friend, Joseph.

Little Miss likes to get out and walk now, without regard to whether or not she's wearing white while walking, sitting, and falling in dirt. Notice the baby never leaves her side for long!
Ellie took a liking to Kelsey and Kelsey didn't seem to mind sharing her seat. In the picture she doesn't look particularly thrilled either.

Just one of the big kids, mom!

I Can't Wait!

I've always known my husband was a BYU FAN-A-TIC, but last night was just another testament of his love for BYU Football. As we laid in bed, exhausted from the week, Tally could not sit still. He was up at least twice and I know he woke up early this morning and got things done around the house. Why was he acting like a little kid on Christmas Eve? Tonight is the opening game between BYU and Northern Iowa. It starts at 12am our time, but that wont stop him from staying up until 4am even though he has to give a talk in church tomorrow. When you're a true fan, you're a FANATIC. Go Cougars!

Someday, maybe

There will come a day

when seeing you walk doesn't take my breath away.

But that day is not today.

Today I savor each sweet step, watch you walk uncertain but upright,

independent, unsupported,

Big.

Someday, maybe I won't just stop and stare at you whenever you

launch off on your tottering way,

overwhelmed by the milestone I'm witnessing.

Someday it'll be old news.

But that day is not today.

For all of you who thought I suddenly became a beautiful writer, erase those assumptions. This was written by Jessica Sprague of North Carolina and it was in my Digital Scrapbooking magazine I don't subscribe to but somehow have. I echo her words today.

Kelsey 11 Months

Kelsey is just around the corner from ONE YEARS OLD, which is unbelievable to me. I guess it's time to start thinking about kid #2...okay, maybe not quite yet. I feel so blessed and just want to make every moment count as if it were our last. This will be my last monthly Kelsey post and I will try to do them more on a weekly basis instead of all at once. We'll see how I do. Here are some of the things she's been up to this month:

She's losing her baby fat rolls, one at a time. :(

When I give her vitamin D drops, she does a little dance. She always asks for more afterwards.

She still LOVES food but she's getting pickier when given several options.

Miss Mess Maker

Her favorite book is Good Night Gorilla. Second is I Love You Stinky Face.

Kelsey's library. The books never stay on the shelf for long.

If I don't read to her, she will

Her only doll so far is Tally's old Cabbage Patch Kid, Landon (yes, a boy for our little girl). She loves it and carries it all over the house, even though it's as big as she is. Sometimes she even holds it to her chest and pats it on the back - we never taught her that! Must be those maternal instincts. 

Or else he could be her boyfriend

I think this is her favorite baby, but she's not a doll Kelsey can carry around! My friend Jessi just had her baby Chloe and Kelsey loves to see her and touch her.

Newest Baby on the Block, welcome Chloe!

Her top two teeth are coming in, which is causing her a lot of pain. Everytime a slightly touch them she bawls. Plus, she's been waking up more at night. Poor baby.

Sweet Grin!

She's starting to understand emotion now and sometimes I'll "cry" if she pinches or pulls my hair. Well, now she's caught on with a cry of her own. I call it "FEELING SAD."

Now she's tall enough to reach the dials on the stove. Sometimes I look down and think, why is that on high heat? Oh yeah. Miss Trouble's been around. She can also pull open the bottom food drawer where I keep her "O's." She pulled them out while I was doing dishes and shook the bag all over the floor to get them out. I was a bit frustrated but then had to laugh and grab the camera. 

Did I do that?

On 8.8.08, I heard Kelsey freaking out in the other room like she was stuck somewhere so I ran over to see what was the matter. She was standing at my nightstand reaching for the binki that was just barely out of her reach. On the floor was a binki with the plastic covering on it. I guess she figured she couldn't get it off and moved on. I only give her the binki at nap times and bedtime but now that she can walk around and find them, I've lost some control. I've got a binki addict on my hands!

She likes to go through the laundry basket and take items out and carry them around the house.

Wearing my nursing bra

I walked in to find her trying on my swimsuit

Despite the messes, she has learned to put her toys away! Or at least attempt it, when she wants to.

Clean-up, clean-up, everybody everywhere...

SLEEPING

When she's not driving us crazy, she's making us laugh. The other night she woke up (on account of her teeth I think) totally wired. I brought her into bed with me to try to get her back to sleep because I was too asleep for much else. I could tell she was doing something and I looked down and she was playing peek-a-boo with herself in bed! I couldn't help but laugh out loud and I started playing with her. It ended up being a very precious mommy-daughter moment.

Falling asleep at the table

Feet on the bunny pillow

This is when I was first letting her cry it out (again). Her head is on the bunny pillow and it's exactly how I sleep. She now goes in her crib willingly after I read to her, rock her and nurse her. It was TOTALLY worth it to let her cry it out for a few nights. She only nurses before bed and first thing in the morning. 

PLAYTIME

Kelsey's version of JUMPING

Mom, I'm going outside whether you like it or not!

Hanging out on Langstrasse

Kels and mom on a playdate (thanks Thu!)

One of my favorite Summer outfits.

Kelsey and her friend, Emily, dressed like twins and out on the town!

I love to swim!

Especially with my mom

But bawl my eyes out when she leaves to take a picture. It was commical trying to get all the kids together for this pic so Ashley had to step in.

I'm cute and I know it!

Kelsey with Thu's son Ethan. They are two months apart. I sent this pic to Thu and she said, "can we fly her out for prom someday?" They just left to go back to the states. Thu, we'll all come visit and watch the kids go to prom together. Wouldn't that be cute?

Charming the clerk at Aggarwal's Indian Restaurant.

I love Switzerland!

Talking on the phone

The lullaby pillow Oma Price made her. She loves to cuddle with it. We're SO thrilled she's coming to visit us in less than a month! She and Opa will be here for my FIRST birthday!

Breast Feeding Woes

***DISCLAIMER***
If you are of the male gender, this post will seem boring, unfamiliar, and maybe even gross. So, save you and me the embarrassment and just skip this one.

We are in the progressed stages of weaning now, not necessarily by choice. But that is okay, I wanted to wean her at some point but the way it happened was this: TEETH. Kelsey has always been a good nurser and has never bitten me. No, no, instead she CHEWS. Or at least that's what it feels like. It's become progressively worse as her bottom teeth have gotten taller. At one point, on the plane ride home from Florida, the bigger jug became cracked and started bleeding. It was so painful to nurse that I rented a pump for several days and gave the milk to Kelsey in a sippy cup (she wont take a bottle now). I thought I was past all this after month 2 - now we're almost to month 11!!

So like I said, we're weaning. I only feed her once in the morning and once at night. Although still painful, it's manageable for now. My dilemma, however, is do I put her on full milk or formula now that she's only getting a little milk from me? I don't want to get her used to formula and then a month later switch to cow's milk! I know the rule is one year for milk, but I've been giving her yogurt and even a bit of milk along the way and she's done just fine. Any advice?

There is a silver lining though. I'm currently wearing a pre-nursing, pre-pregnancy bra! Oh to have underwire again! Also, I've evened out if you know what I mean, which I was REALLY worried about. Before you know it, I'll be able to leave my baby overnight (with a trusted friend or husband of course)! Girls trip anyone?

I've already noticed Kelsey needing to snuggle or be held more often, like she still needs the closeness of breast feeding. I will miss that time together but this is one of those things that must come to an end sometime.

Hollywood Beach & the Everglades

Hollywood Beach, Florida
We stayed here at a really nice Hilton (not on the outside, but it's what's on the inside that counts) right on the beach. We shared a room with my parents so they could get a feel for how cute Kelsey was around the clock. :) My parents watched Kelsey one night while we went out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary. We had Mexican food and Haagan Daas. Does anyone know where the name came from? I think it sounds Netherlandish, Tally and my mom said they made up the name. Anyone?

In the collage: lots of beach pictures, outside of hotel, the hotel pool with the beach in the background. You could walk from the beach to the pool and back depending on what you felt like doing. My HUGE burrito that I polished off, gladly. Kelsey in blue dress - My dad took Kelsey on a walk when she woke up early one morning. The dress was supposed to be tied up so she didn't look like a beggar child, but oh well. I got to sleep in. To my older, Lang cousins - does the dress she's wearing look familiar? We all have the same one and there's that picture...

Nothing but miles and miles of beautiful beaches

I was so impressed by how nice the beaches were and yet how FEW people were there! I was also UNimpressed by the ghetto shopping along the beach. They definitely need to add a decent shopping stretch along the beach like the Slovenians. The water was perfectly warm and where we were, there was a sandbar so we could stand pretty far out into the water. One of the days, as we were swimming around in the ocean, we saw a fin sticking straight up - just like a SHARK! We ran out of the water and started telling people to get out of the water. People started panicking, moms pulling three children out with crazed looks on their faces, screams, etc. As it got closer, we realized it was a huge manaray and the "fin" was part of the wing sticking up. We were relieved and watched it swim up the coast and then back down. It was cool to see, even if it did give us a scare.

Here's a picture of a manaray from the internet. See the fin-like things in the back? Manarays are HUGE and from far away...

The Everglades

While we were in Southern Florida, we thought it was an ideal time to see the famous Everglades. We went to Holiday Park and did an airboat ride on "Bushwacker" through part of the Everglades. There we learned about how the Everglades used to be and what's being done to conserve it now. I was expecting to see more alligators (we saw 3), but I guess we were lucky to see that many because it was daytime and summertime. Since they are cold-blooded they try to stay in the shade when it's hot and in the sun when it's cold.

The Everglades National Park

Julia already left for her bike tour across Europe so this is all that was left of us. My poor mom got sick the last night of he cruise from some bad lobster and my dad found her passed out in the bathroom. She must have been standing when she passed out because her face looked like it had been punched by the bathroom sink. Luckily, she recovered from being sick however, she was a bit self conscious about her face. We told her some people pay lots of money to get lips like those!

The Vulture tree

There is lots of wildlife (dead or alive) in the Everglades besides the American Alligator

Random birds and peacocks were running around when we got there. Kelsey loved chasing them.

After the airboat tour we had an Alligator show. The guy presenting had at least 3 fingers or parts of fingers missing. My mom told me, "don't drop out of school" while holding up only three fingers on one hand and two on the other. I told her I was done with school, thank you, but I'd put that lesson away for later.

He opens the gators' mouth, sticks his hand inside...

...and then lets it close. How long do you think it took him to learn that one?

You would think he'd pay attention to the sign. Here's something scary - why is the lock to the cage sitting on top of the cage?
Kelsey liked the baby alligator and when we were holding it, tried to touch his mouth
You might find this later on our family Christmas card
DO NOT FEED THE ALLIGATORS

One of the alligators we saw was right around the bend behind her and alligators are said to be able to jump high enough to bite something on the dock. I wouldn't be sitting there fishing!

South Beach/Miami, Florida
Nightfall in Miami

On our last night together, we drove down to Miami to walk along the beach and have dinner together. We ended up ordering this monster pizza and splitting it. We melted in the humid summer weather and the heat from the pizza only made it worse. Now I see why more people don't live there. We did notice that wherever we were in Florida, people were SO friendly!

Why are you taking a picture of us?

Tal & Kels on the Miami strip

On our way to the airport, we stopped and ate at a Wendy's (Tally's request). My dad, the contractor, got a kick out of the "Contractor Pick-Up" sign. You think if we left him there someone would pick him up?

It was sad to say goodbye to my parents but as we left we reminded them, "five more months." We'll be coming home mid December for Christmas.