Recap

CD has been playing with his shopping cart that I bought him a lot.  He enjoys it and thinks it is fun to “carry” it from room to room.  He also likes it when I hold onto the handle with him.  After that, my back usually hurts, but it is good fun. I couldn’t even unwrap it before he got his hands on it.

Still wrapped

You can see his basketball skills when he throws the green apple in the cart.  Also, I’m not sure if a real grocery store would allow someone to mess with their produce like I did.  🙂  He also waves at the end of the video.  CD Shopping Cart – YouTube

Here is a video of the Donkey in action.  Every time I start to “sing” (I use this term loosely as you will learn if you click on the link and hear my “voice”) CD will run over to the Donkey and want to get onto it to bounce up and down on it.  I changed some of the words to the song, but it all works in the end!  Ride a Bay Donkey – YouTube

Some new CD things:  Spinning around until he gets dizzy and thinking it is funny until he falls.  Eating like a piggy- where he won’t use his arms or hands and will leave the food on the table and lower his head down to put his mouth on it and then eat it.  I don’t find this amusing.    He has this new dance move where he will sway side to side and put his chin to his shoulder.  Odd to explain, even funnier to see.  Haven’t been able to capture a picture/video yet!

Uncle TG and Aunt A came to visit and to explore Europe.  The night before they arrived, CD broke his favorite book- Barnyard Dance by Susan Boynton.  C and I both said we would have to get CD another one since it is SO key in our house- the whole reason for the theme for his 1st birthday party.  Well, Aunt A and Uncle TG show up with none other than THAT book.  It is almost like they knew…but they couldn’t have which makes it even cooler.  Thanks for the book!  So far CD has enjoyed hounding Uncle TG for his computer and other electronics.

Let me get your computer

Aunt A shared a YouTube video with CD that he loved:  Sesame Street: Feist sings 1,2,3,4 – YouTube  We did however learn that CD is NOT a fan of Elmo.  He did not like him one bit!!!  Aunt A also spent some time watching CD for me, and that was heaven-sent!  Thanks again!!!  CD took a self-portrait with the help of Aunt A.

Self Portrait

Happy Birthday to CD!  He turned 15 months on 20 September!!!

15 months old

We headed to Koln, Germany on Saturday with Uncle TG and Aunt A.  We decided to carry CD in the carrier since it was a lot of cobblestones streets.  And that was the right decision since these would have torn up our poor American stroller…or given CD a headache.  🙂

In the streets of Koln

Koln- Dusseldorfer

Postcard houses- they actually have postcards with these on them

Ice cream stand

We went to the cathedral (Cologne Cathedral – Wikipedia), which was amazing inside and out.  I’m a fan of them.

Koln Cathedral

Inside the cathedral

Cathedral stain-glass window

Cathedral organ

Inside the cathedral 2

After the Cathedral, we grabbed some grub (The Brewery) and then headed for the Chocolate Museum Tour (chocolate museum cologne).

Chocolate tour- spin thing

The above picture is a tube that you could spin to learn about chocolate.  Well, since CD is the Hulk, he was able to spin it all by himself.  He also does this on the playground.  Kids will get on the merry-go-round and he will spin them.  Those things are heavy metal too!!!

Chocolate Factory

Lindt Tree

Chocolate Museum Tour in Koln, Germany – YouTube

Mmmm….chocolate!

This of course was the end of the tour where they had all the chocolate you could buy.  They even had crazy things like chocolate grinders- similar to pepper grinders- and chocolate pasta!

Sunday we went to the Palmengarten for brunch and to walk around for a bit.  We planned on taking CD to the playground in there, but he had other plans:  CD Snooze – YouTube  He was so wiped out from brunch that he fell asleep, was drooling and snoring. Also, he looks like an old man because he has his hat just sitting on his head instead of actually on it. We had to wait for him to wake up before we let him play in the park.

Tuckered out

Pumpkin time!

CD has been teething like CRAZY now.  There are huge, swollen, blue puffs in his mouth where his poor little teeth are trying to come through.  And he still refuses to chew anything except his left pointer finger.  This has made the pad of his finger turn bruised and have blood pooling there.  Ugh!!!!  With teething, he will only eat certain foods….and you guessed it, one of his favorites is the BANANA!!!!  We don’t have any constipation problems so I will let him eat one a day.  He loves them.  Usually I cut it up for him, but he just couldn’t wait this time.

Bananas for bananas

If you look close, you can see the tears below his eyes.  :*(

Yummy mush….just what I wanted!

Thinking about it…

Thinking about it some more…

Yup, we tried that part of the banana too!

Banana Time – YouTube

We needed to burn off those banana calories yesterday so we played in the courtyard and on the balcony since it was storming and then extremely windy.  Also, we had to be out of the apartment because our cleaning lady was here and CD insisted on helping her or sharing his toys with her.

Playing futball

The last 2 days we have had a new concierge.  C and I are both not too keen on him.  He won’t open the door for you, even if you buzz and seems to disappear at odd hours.  Hmph!  The one thing that was good was that we had missed a package delivery and he put a note in our mailbox to come and get it.  I put CD’s shoes on him and let him press the buttons in the elevator (another favorite of his…and he knows which ones to hit.  He also flushes the toilet too, on a side note).  I went to give the “new” concierge the note and before CD saw him, CD was all happy and excited, since he was going to see the concierge guy, and as soon as he saw that it was NOT his friendly regular concierge, CD stopped dead in his tracks, crossed his arms and gave the guy the death look.  Apparently he misses our friend too! To get CD out of his funk of missing his friend, I let him carry the package back to the apartment.  When we got in the building, he did not want to take the elevator, he wanted to use the stairs.  I thought it would be good practice so we did…but he wanted to go to the fifth floor…we live on the first (one above ground-level).  Not fun but we accomplished it and then took the elevator down to our apartment.  All about compromise!  😉

Package

Package 2

Hope you enjoyed the read!

CD for President…Even with a Scandal.

So as you know, we had to leave our play group lunch on Friday early to CD having a bit of a rough go at it.  This continued somewhat through the weekend with screaming (to the point of giving us headaches) and not going to sleep/going to sleep at odd times.  

Fast forward to today.  We were supposed to have our cleaning lady clean today and from last time I learned that we need to not be here when she is cleaning.  So I woke up, got ready, got CD all ready to leave early in the morning.  Then I checked my phone.  Cleaning lady was not coming.  UGH!  This is half a “ugh” because I let the place get messy knowing that she was coming and the other half “ugh” because we were all ready to leave and then didn’t really have to…but we did because CD refused to nap and still continued to scream.  

Into the stroller to head out and do the things that I had planned to do while our cleaning lady was here.  So I was happy that those things got accomplished: I can now vote…for the real President of the USA.  I can now take care of a type of dry skin on CD’s feet from him walking, and was able to navigate the “glorious” DHL.  All of this was done while practicing my German!  🙂  So proud of myself!!  And guess what?!?!  CD was a peaceful baby, just watching everything going on around him.  

We returned home to get lunch and play for a bit before heading out to meet up with J and E.  My thought was he will sleep when we go out, and he did, peacefully and happily.  When we met up with J and E, we headed to a restaurant to grab some grub.  On the walk there, CD and E were quite smitten with each other.  Then they stared at each other from across the table from their highchairs.  Then the fun started…..

We headed to a park, where J and E hung out on a blanket and I put CD’s shoes on and let him loose.  And did he go “wild”.  He was having a blast going around and greeting EVERY SINGLE PERSON and ANIMAL at the park.  I could have sworn he was running for President and trying to grab the last few votes by “being out with the people”.  He did a wonderful job.  He had no shame and walked right up to everyone, including a gentleman sun-bathing in his tiny little Speedo.  And then he refused to leave him alone, so I, yes I, had to go over to this man and get my child.  The man thought it was funny and didn’t mind while I was a touch embarrassed…for myself.  CD kind of has that effect on people- he can get away with a lot of stuff because he is out there and friendly.  

CD also sat down with a grandmother reading her 2 grandchild a Babar book.  And then he moved on to greeting everyone that entered the park.  He stood at the entrance and waved “Hi” or “Bye” to everyone who came and went.  

Then he spotted 2 Yorkies and wanted to make sure he got to meet them.  And we did.  We petted them and got so excited about them.  But then they had to leave and CD knew he had to move his campaign trail along and shake hands with more people.  And he did.  

Then the scandal started.  CD came back to the blanket where J and E were and the whole time E had been watching CD move so gracefully around the park.  E tried to stand up by using CD as help, and he didn’t mind.  He wanted to help her.  They were holding hands and looking into each others’ eyes.  But E is still a little wobbly when she is upright.  So CD bent down to hold her hand while sitting.  And that is when it happened.  E leaned in and KISSED CD!!!  They continued this for quite a while as J and I were hysterically laughing.  The kids didn’t even notice.  I guess they felt at home in the park (like all the other people who just make out in the park).  

After that, we headed to the store and then said our goodbyes to J and E to head home for the night.  As I got to the U-Bahn, I completely FORGOT to by a ticket.  I didn’t realize it until it was too late.  If I got caught I would just explain to them that I forgot and hope it would work.  No one stopped me…but then God got me.  We got into the lift to up to ground level….and the doors closed…and we didn’t move…and the doors would not open even with me hitting the “doors open” button.  Luckily most of the lifts here are glass so a lady with a baby saw us on the other side and tried to help me pry the door open.  It didn’t work and all I could think of is “don’t panic”.  If you know me, I don’t like confined spaces and then add to it that my son was also stuck with me and I needed to take the BIGGEST deep breath ever.  After a bit, the door opened and we were free and continued our trek home.

Now, CD only had about a half hour nap today.  You would think he would have been miserable by the end of the day and cranky.  NOPE.  He was fine and content and went through his night-time routine like a champ.  

Would you vote for CD for President?  I know I would!  🙂

Fun & Zoo

We did snap a picture of CD in the swing over the weekend.  He had a blast again and enjoyed it.

Swinging

And then I made chili.  It doesn’t look that good, but it tasted fine.  🙂

Chili

CD also showed how great a student he will be by raising his hand to answer questions.  This one was for Aunt C as she started a new school year.

I have the answer teacher

In a span of 2 days, CD received a few presents.  The first was from our concierge.  We were walking out of the apartment on Monday and he had one of those travel pillows for CD which is a hippo.  It was SO SWEET of him!  The Friday prior to this, we were returning home right as the concierge was ending his day.  He crossed the street to meet us and make sure he got to say goodbye to CD.  We really like him.  He carried CD up to the apartment today since CD was cranky and CD loved it!  The other presents came from our German teacher.  Yes, we have officially started our language lessons and will see how this goes.  I’m going to end up being the student that never gets the homework done and will wing it during class (sorry Aunt C!- I will not be taking after my son with his hand held high!) just due the amount of time with CD.  I will try my best and do what I can, but I will never be a fluent speaker.

We went to the Frankfurt Zoo Zoo Frankfurt yesterday with J and E and had a great time.  We actually have plans to return to the zoo next week with J and another mom, L.  That trip is all dependent on the weather.  Here are some pictures from the zoo.

Feeding the Camels

As we were watching the camels- CD loved them!- we spotted a little bird near us:

Little Birdie

We moved through the zoo and came to where they had the seals/otters.  One of them was just floating sideways – no it was not dead- with its flipper up out of the water.  Not really sure if you can see it in the picture.  But it was pretty funny.

Seal/Otter? Not sure

J & E

We went to the “monkey” area and the very first window was a Mama showing off her baby.  She was so proud of her!  We didn’t stay in there long as the chimps starting going crazy and J and I thought it would be best to leave…since we were scared.  🙂

Showing off her baby

Walking along…singing a song…

This, by far, was the coolest looking animal in the zoo.  This is just my opinion, but still, it is my blog so I’m entitled to it, right?  🙂  Okapi – Wikipedia

Okapi

Then the kids were restless, so we headed to the cafe in the zoo to get drinks and feed the beasts… I mean kids.  On our walk to the zoo, when the strollers got close together, CD would reach out to hold E’s hand.  And she would hold his.  It was so cute and they are both adorable babies!!!!  Here are the two of them dining and the zoo.

CD & E

Afterwards, we stopped to get J a new stroller for E.  I was the fine detail person as we looked for scrapes and scratches.  I think it worked out well.  Welcome to the no-taxi-cab-rides club since it is a regular stroller (not one with a carseat attachment) now!  🙂

Today was a bit of a rough day.  CD has been teething again and he popped another tooth on the bottom right!  There is another one just waiting to come through at any moment too.  We had planned to go to the play group lunch and then hang out with J since she had a friend visiting.  But CD had other plans.   So I shoveled in half of my food and then had to leave.  I was a little bummed because I had wanted to hang out since J had a friend in town, but as anyone knows with a baby, what you want doesn’t always work.  🙂  Once we got home, CD was MUCH happier, so it all worked out in the end.  Here is him playing in the morning and having a good time.  Happy at home!

Brother Bear’s Firetruck

We also want to wish a Happy 1st Birthday to L in the States!  Can’t believe you are already 1!!!!  Enjoy the party!