Most Amazing Potty-Stop EVER

So this was the last 90 minutes of the road trip home and we had to choose some beautiful Central German city/town in which to make a potty stop. I know, tough life. So, Wurzburg it was. Holy Freakin Cow!
This city is just 100km from us and so beautiful. We stumbled upon the finish of some world-class marathon, checked out a really famous palace, peed at a Lutheran Church - no disrespect intended, and vowed to come back on another weekend and give Wurzburg the time it merits. What a lovely final stop on an epic trip.

Visiting with Karl Marx

We stopped in the formerly East German city of Chemnitz on the way home. We did, in fact, want to break up the drive for the kids, but I would be lying if I didn't tell you how irresistible the idea of a family shot in front of this massive bronze Karl Marx head is for our 2009 Christmas card shot. The only thing holding us back is that this shot would be missing the latest member, so I reveal it here.

Goodbye Sayda

Sad to see her go - ol' Sayda. She was a great base for East German exploration, albeit a bit far from Poland. I owe you one, Mom.

Kiddie Compromise

The kids had been troopers through Prague, so instead of planning a similar type agenda in Dresden, we visited the Dresden Zoo for the majority of the day. The Germans are really good at Zoos. The kids had a wonderful morning, and then Daddy and Mommy snuck in a 30-minute spin around the (largely rebuilt after the WW II fire-bombing) city center and cathedral.

Prague in the Spring

As a senior in college I took an Eastern European Literature class and it left me with a desire to, "visit Prague in the Spring." Who knows why, it seems a bit arbitrary now, but we got to spend our first day on this trip exploring Prague and it exceeded my wildest expectations. This place is the best.
The city is accessible, yet lively. Friendly, yet cosmopolitan. Evolving, yet historic. International, yet proudly Czech. We all truly enjoyed exploring the sites and streets of this word class city. In order to really quantify things for you -- on the way back to the manor house with exhausted children and Grandma in back, I asked my spouse one of our favorite questions, "So where does Prague rank on your list of all-time best cities?" Drumroll please....number 1! Seriously, this man has been stubbornly holding NYC and Paris as his numbers 1 and 2 (I am not sure in which order), but he answered Prague with little hesitation.

Grandma bought fabulous wooden toys, famous Czech glass beads, and showed us the Infant of Prague. Ethan enjoyed cathedral after cathedral. And Mommy allowed herself to get lost in the world of cobblestones, apple strudel in a quiet patio and novel characters of story-lines which are now all but forgotten. This day truly had something for everyone. Oh, I would be failing my loyal readers if I didn't mention that Seth set off the alarm at the Cathedral that houses the Infant of Prague - (a strange, yet strong Catholic devotion began in the 16th century which involves nuns elaborately dressing a baby doll Jesus). Photo of the crime:

The Manor House

This is where we stayed, it is a Manor House in Sayda, Germany. Don't bother stopping to Google Map that town now, it won't show up. A part of the old stone home is run as a hotel and the other half is broken into three apartments. I found this place on an apartment rental page and we went for it because it looked like there was lots of room for the kids to play and because it was inexpensive. When we showed up, there was a key in the door and no one else there! The experience was rather strange and Husband was convinced that we had been lured into the (former) East German countryside to have our organs harvested and sold on the black market.

Staying in a remote location, was a new technique we tried in our quest to travel successfully in Western Europe with children. The pros: less expensive, lots of area for the kids to play, much different from the urban 3rd floor apartment in which we live daily. The cons: lots of time in the car to get to major sites. I am still not sure what our verdict is on this approach, it was different then Paris -not as leisurely, but we sure did get to see a great deal in the five days.

1st stop : Erfurt

We planned a five day trip to the Easternmost province of Germany: Saxony. It was great to have my mom along because most of the areas we visited were still behind the Iron Curtain when she and my father were stationed in Stuttgart in the early 80s.Our first day was a travel day. Travel days with S and V are best taken in smallish increments, so we have made a habit of traveling with our trusty Lonely Planet at the ready and we stop whenever the natives get restless or there is something that really catches the parents' eyes. This trip had a little of both.
The big stop on Day 1 was in Erfurt. To say it is ancient, and charming, and quaint doesn't even come close to doing it justice. The medieval lanes were charming, the Cathedral is atop a massive set of stairs where a summer opera concert is held to the delight of throngs of people below on the plaza of cobblestones. Note to self: when reading this blog in my late 50s: go to this with your husband, drink wine on the plaza, send your zillion kids postcards. Anyhow, it was a lovely Spring afternoon in this German town.

Not Twins

Today I had my first appointment with my German OB/GYN. She is a female and went to medical school in New Orleans, so her English is perfect. We have a nice rapport, and I was impressed with how much time she spent with me. After all, I am only 12.5 weeks pregnant and I have a history of non-complicated pregnancies (praise God). In the States I had a hard time getting more than ten minutes with any of my docs before delivery day.

Anyhow, I will be getting an ultrasound every four weeks during this pregnancy and here is a shot of the new guy giving a "thumbs up" to life in the womb:
It was really touching to see such a young baby moving and thriving. I have been offering up prayers for the victims of abortion with renewed fervor ever since I saw our new guy inside me this morning. Please join me in doing the same, because a 12-week-old fetus is alive and well, and happy to stay that way.

Trip-Planning With Help

We decided to take a trip while Mom was here. Seth helped me choose our destination and set up the lodging at the East German "Manor House".

Cuddle Conclusion

Here is an early-morning shot of me and our first baby.


Setherator is too busy doing this:and this










to cuddle.

Conclusion: We need #3 to be a girl, so Mommy can get some cuddling time.

Not What Mom Meant

"Uh, Big Sis, I am not sure this is what Mom had in mind when she told you to put on some more comfortable shoes with your shin guards until you got to the field."

Happy Easter

Morning Sickness in the Afternoon

Not to announce a miracle in an unceremonious fashion...but we have an 11- week-old-in-utero-AWOL baby in the family these days! We are expecting numero 3, folks. Keep the crazy comin'! This one is wiping me out pretty well during all of my standard blogging hours, so I apologize for the hole. Those of you who have experienced pregnancy-induced nausea do not begrudge me.

Just to show that my blogging is not the only thing that has suffered throughout this first trimester, I have put together a little photo montage that demonstrates how my parenting has suffered as well. Enjoy.

Viv babysitting (note both children still in pajamas)Seth doing some housework (someone's got to)
Getting some outdoor time (is that safe?)