Lovely Planète

Foods that cause colics

2011-08-08T23:39:00.007+02:00

I breastfed my daughter and I am now breastfeeding my son. My daughter had colics for the first 3 months and this time around I put everything on my side to avoid my son having them. And it starts with what you eat. If you avoid these foods during the first 8 weeks, while the digestive system of the newborn develops, you're putting good chances on your side... My son is 8 weeks today and no colics till this day =D

Foods to avoid for the first 6-8 weeks:

Fruits	Vegetables	Miscellaneous
Mangoes Berries Melons Grapes Oranges Lemons Stone fruits Pineapple Strawberries	Broccoli Cabbage Brussel sprouts Peas Cucumber Capsicum Lettuce Tomato Radishes Cauliflower Lentils onion	Strong herbs and spices. (Cayenne, chili, oregano, thyme, marjoram, sage, rosemary) Brewers yeast Tea Alcohol

A true nightmare or what a birth should not be

2011-07-29T17:22:00.005+02:00

I gave birth to my son Nicolas on June 13th. What should have been an easy and beautiful birth became a nightmare the minute I requested an epidural. It was 2am and a sleepy nurse missed it three times, one of them releasing liquid from my spine. She truly did not have a clue what she was doing as the pain from the contractions came back every 90 minutes and she had to give me more painkillers each time. Had I known this I would have certainly skipped the epidural as I experienced most of the pain from the contractions and had post-partum complications due to the wet spinal tap. Nicolas came out with three pushes in a matter of minutes at 12.15pm.

To make a long story short, I soon experienced unbearable spinal headaches and neck pains when sitting or standing. I was therefore told I immediately needed a blood patch. That's when a butcher anesthesiologist came and with no local anesthesia, sitting up in bed, he injected 20cc of my blood in my spine. I will never forget that pain in my life. I then had to lay flat for 24 hours, not being able to nurse or attend to my newborn baby. I left the hospital 2 days after the birth and the neck pain and headaches soon came back. My OBGYN prescribed ibuprofen against the pain and "to make sure the blood patch worked" he said, and the only thing I could do was lay flat on my back for ten days. Thank God my mother was there to help with my 3 year old daughter and my baby.

I started looking online and found a community called Brain Talk Communities.One of their forums is about spinal leaks and that's where I found out more about what they had done to me and how a blood patch should a. have been done with local anesthesia, laying down on my stomach and therefore be painless b. have been done 24 hours after the birth and c. have been stopped the second it started to hurt, i.e. too much blood had been injected in my spine. That is also where I found a recommendation to see a neurologist. My OBGYN wanted me to go back and have another blood patch since the pain had not disappeared, but that I refused. I went to see the neurologist specialized in spinal problems and had to have an MRI to make sure I did not have a blood clot in my brain given that too much blood had been used during the blood patch. He also explained that I should have never taken ibuprofen against the pain as it is an anti-inflammatory and the purpose of the blood patch is to cause an inflammation in the spine so that the leak created by the spinal tap can close itself. As a result it will now take months for my leak to close itself, if it ever does. I should not be carrying anything heavy which is obviously impossible with a 3 year old and a newborn baby. But if the pains I am still experiencing in my back and neck have not disappeared by mid/end of August, I need to go back to see Dr. Adams.

The reason why I am writing all this is because no woman should go through what I went through during a magical moment such as birth. All this happened at the Mercy Hospital in Miami. Avoid it at all costs and make sure a certified anesthesiologist performs your epidural, not a nurse. Inform yourself.

Ups and downs

2011-02-04T23:28:00.003+01:00

Life is full of ups and downs lately. I was up yesterday when a company finally hired me for a part-time consultant job. I am down today, after going to my third prenatal testing and the doctor spoke Chinese to me announcing that our 21 week old baby might have a kidney problem. A double collecting system of the kidney. Which is apparently a possible symptom of Down.

Doctors in this country are terrible. They are so money driven. They keep telling me that I need to have an amniocentesis because I am older than 35 and the risks of having a child with down syndrome is higher. But my friend who is a doctor and specialist in prenatal medicine in Spain assured me that it has been proven long ago that there is no link between down syndrome children and the age of the mother! I refuse to have an amniocentesis unless it is completely necessary. No matter what they tell you, it is invasive for the baby. And there is always a risk involved.

These days

2010-06-23T16:36:00.006+02:00

I have been sewing clothes for Emily and baby presents these days. Not that I have much free time on my hands, but I enjoy very much looking at the result. So I have been thinking to open a little shop on the web and make costum orders.

Gigoteuse / sleeping bag for baby

Little house I made for Emily's 2nd birthday

2 Toddler dresses

Breastfeeding

2009-11-19T13:07:00.002+01:00

I immensely enjoyed breastfeeding my daughter. Not only did it create a special bond bewteen us, it gave me peaceful and restful moments with her each time I nursed her. I was extremely well advised from the beginning on by my midwife in Germany: she told me what to eat to increase my milk production, what to avoid to decrease it or to avoid producing gases for baby, etc. And I was stunned to notice that mothers here in the US are not given all this information. I've therefore decided to share this information here, hoping to help other mothers out there.

Herbs and foods good while breastfeeding:
fennel\fenugreek
chamomille
oatmeal
malt
anis

Herbs and food you should avoid if you want to continue breastfeeding:
sage
mint/peppermint/spearmint
parsley
garlic
alcohol (although 1 glass of wine every now and then with your meal will NOT harm your baby)
orange and grapefruit
all nuts
quinine (found in tonic water for example)
all drinks with caffeine (1 coffee a day is ok)
NO medicine unless you got the green light from your doctor

This list does not pretend to be complete. Check with your doctor for any questions or doubts!

That thing called motherhood

2009-03-05T17:31:00.006+01:00

I have no time to achieve anything other than taking care of Baby Em these days. Not that I have had plenty of time for myself for the last nine months. But the fact is that she's slowly sleeping less and less, her naps becoming shorter and more rare, her nights becoming shorter as well, and I fear that the situation is only going to get worse. She'll start walking soon, I mean she's already standing, so very soon I'll be running after her and will have even less time for myself.

How do other mothers do it? I spend every day and every hour with her, and don't see how I could have some free time other than leaving her with someone else, such as a babysitter. And I am not quite sure that I'm ready for that step yet. Probably soon though, as I seriously need time to start doing things like emptying the last boxes, organizing the closets, getting in shape, reading a book, going back to my sewing projects, just to name a few. Besides, affording a babysitter implies starting to work again. Definitely not there yet. I have enough in my plate as it is thank you.

I often wonder how mothers of more than one child manage everything. Two mothers of nine month old babies I know are already pregnant again, and they seem extatic. One of them is pregnant with her fourth. No joke. I am by no means saying that a second child is out of the question, but definitely not so early. I wouldn't even have my 1 and 1/2 hour of "free" time per day with that scenario. Thank you but no thank you. Not for me. Not yet at least.

M. sure seems to be ready for that second baby though, considering his reaction the other day:

me: "I have good news."

M.: "Tell me."

me: "Try guessing."

M.:"Hmmmm... you're pregnant?"

No need to continue how that conversation went, right? Point proven, he's ready. But he's not the one spending 24 hours a day with Baby Em, nursing her, changing her diapers, playing with her, carrying her, getting little sleep, having no social life, and in charge of a household. I guess if I were in his shoes, I'd be ready too. Hell, I'd even consider having more than 2 children. Fathers/men have it much easier imho. Yet I wouldn't change my place with him for anything in the world. I'd miss out on that incredible magical fullfilling beautiful and undescribable thing called motherhood.

a lebanese feast

2009-02-18T03:34:00.004+01:00

Lebanese has always been one of my favorite cuisines. I know how to cook all the wonderful mezza I love to eat thanks to the mother of S, a lebanese guy I used to date years ago. But today, I didn't need to cook to eat them all, as I bought kibbeh, tabouli, grape leaves, fatayer, labneh, and hommous from a delicious lebanese traiteur I plan to visit often! What a feast =)

Sunshine life

2009-02-09T18:16:00.003+01:00

Sunshine life is so sweet and busy, I have better things to do than updating my blog these days. No worries, I have no doubt I'll be back soon. Till then, I'll just keep enjoying life =)

it's that time again

2008-12-04T13:36:00.007+01:00

It's that time again! We're moving. Crossing the ocean once again. But this time around I'll qualify our move as first class, as I don't have to pack all the boxes. The moving company arrived at 7h30 this morning and is still busy packing all our belongings. Why didn't I always move like that?! Probably because I could not afford it, just as we wouldn't now, if it were not paid by M's company.

We'll be flying to Miami on Monday and moving into our new house on Tuesday. As our belongings will take between six to eight weeks to be delivered to us, we'll camp in the meantime. Although I'd qualify that camping as first class as well, since M's company is renting the basic furniture and houseware kits for us in the meantime. Anyway, camping in our beautiful house under the sun and the palm trees in a city like Miami can only be a partie de plaisir me thinks! Oh how I cannot wait to be there!

Birthday baby

2008-12-03T14:18:00.004+01:00

Emily is six months today. It's unbelievable how fast the time went by, how much she's grown and changed in such little time. After the very hard first three months with daily colics, we really have the impression now that she was not completely with us yet - which explains why they call that the missing fourth trimester.

Emily is now another baby. She is patient, curious, playful, loves to listen to music and singing (she actually sings with) and laughs a lot. She hates to lie on her stomach, but loves to sit up to watch everything around her. Her new discovery these days is doing v and b sounds all day long.

I actually cannot believe she's only been with us for six months. It's as she'd always been here.

relationships

2008-11-19T16:02:00.003+01:00

I don't know why maintaining good relationships is so darn hard. But I find myself having to watch what I say and what not more often than wished these days. Why can't we just be diplomatically honest to each other without hurting each other's feelings? Why are relationships so delicate? Why do we take everything so personal?

Fortunately, I just cleared a misunderstanding that had been going on for the past month with my mother yesterday. Whether I expressed myself wrong or whether she understood me wrong does not matter. The fact is it happened, with my mother, with whom I have an excellent relationship and truly thought such a misunderstanding would never occur. Maybe the fact that I want everyone I love to like each other is the cause to all my problems. After all, I also don't like everyone my loved ones love.

Success!

2008-11-03T15:28:00.005+01:00

Our look and see trip to Miami was a success:

Emily was an angel the whole trip; she did not complain once during the 11 hour flight to Miami sitting on our lap as no baby basket was provided to us (5 babies in total on the flight!); she came along when we visited houses the entire day, eating, sleeping and looking curiously at everything with no complaint; she started sleeping nights 7 hours in a row during our trip, which is a very big improvement; she slept in her little baby basket the entire flight on the return.

The house; we found a house close to our dream house. It has everything we wanted, i.e. a bedroom for us, a bedroom for Emily, a bedroom for guests, an office, a pool. Everything is new and done with very good taste by the owner's ex husband who is an architect. We're moving in December 9th. I'm pretty sure I'll feel as if I were acting in a Hollywood movie living in such a house for two years.

We were very busy the entire trip and were unfortunately not able to relax and enjoy the wonderful Biltmore facilities or the beach, but truly, que demande de plus le peuple?

Look and see trip

2008-10-28T04:04:00.004+01:00

We're on our look and see trip in Miami. We have one week to find our future home. One week to enjoy the fabulous hotel we're staying at. Too bad I caught a cold cause the pool is simply magnificent...

A concept worth copying

2008-10-09T15:45:00.007+02:00

Each neighborhood in Hanover has a bookshelf such as this one somewhere, which is full of books. The concept is the following:

You can use the bookshelf anytime.

You can choose a book.

You can borrow it and bring it back.

You can keep it and replace it by another book.

When you like the book so much that you want to keep it a longer time, you can. But when it is really so good, others should also be able to read it.

When you have many books at home that you would like to bring to the bookshelf, then do so. But please only as many that fit in the bookshelf.

When something is broken, please call the following phone number xxxxxxx.

Now, is that great concept or is that an absofuckinglutely amazing concept many cities should copy?

Tia Tambo

2008-09-01T15:10:00.006+02:00

Emily's aunt Tia Tambo came to see us for the long weekend. Although I have to admit I had my fears, as my sister is 24 years old and more importantly still in the middle of an irresponsible party-till-you-drop-with-whatever-is-needed phase, everything went extremely well and I really enjoyed spending these days with my sister. As for Emily, she immediately adopted her. She usually needs some time to be apprivoisée (i.e. tamed), but didn't this time around. She spent 4 days smiling and even laughing for the first time with her aunt. She calmed down when Tia Tambo sang and read to her. My sister is the eldest of her 8 cousins on her mother's side and that taught her to take care and entertain small kids. She proved it to me these past days. I am now looking forward to being in Miami and letting Emily spend more time with her aunt. They both love each other SO much already!

it could happen after all

2008-08-20T14:39:00.003+02:00

I've been living in Hanover for two and half years now. Hard to believe it's been so long already. Although on the other hand it does feel like I've been here for an eternity. By all means much longer than planned. I've been pretty much feeling like lingering in a waiting room, as if my life was on hold. Leaving without M was never really an option, although I would have taken that job in Zurich if I had been given the opportunity. But things happen for a reason, and if I left my life in Madrid to live with M back in 2005, it certainly was not to find myself alone in Zurich in 2007. Life decided otherwise anyway. And I'm glad it did, as we now have a beautiful daughter. When we move, we'll move all three together. Which amazingly enough might actually happen now. The board gave the green light to M's transfer to Miami yesterday. No obstacles stand in the way to our new life any longer. Although we'll wait until the contract is signed before we open the champagne. A magnum bottle it will be!

co-sleeping

2008-08-18T16:27:00.007+02:00

Emily has been sleeping with me since her very first night. It was not planned but just happened that way thanks to the hospital's midwife advice and my gutt feeling. Although I was completely exhausted after the birth, I just spent that first night staring at my daughter sleeping next to me. A night I will never forget.

She has been sleeping in our bed with M and I ever since then. Nevermind critics and other points of view, I have become a firm believer of all the advantages of co-sleeping. Besides, it feels right. And it will thus continue that way for now. I am however considering buying one of those co-sleeper cribs that you fix to your own bed, allowing her to be next to me, but giving her - and most importantly us as a couple - her/our own space. It certainly sounds ideal at this point, but our american bed is quite high (70cm!) and finding a european co-sleeper crib high enough seems to be a problem. My actual mission.

Life is sweet

2008-08-08T13:14:00.004+02:00

We are finally finding some kind of rhythm. Emily has good nights, spending more than 12 hours in our bed until around 10h30 in the morning. I am not saying that she sleeps through the night, as she wakes up quite often to eat, sometimes as often as every one or two hours, but she then falls back asleep immediately. In spite of these frequent awakenings, I am starting to recuperate some sleep at last.

As soon as she's awake, Emily spoils us with wonderful smiles. The whole room lights up when she looks at us smiling. Our hearts fill with joy and they feel as if they were going to explode. I know it sounds corny, but that's how we feel. She sleeps very little during the day; she mostly wants to play, or to cuddle in my arms. She's also loving the daily massages I am learning at the Baby massage classes.

Life is sweet.

one hand and no time

2008-07-28T14:30:00.009+02:00

Emily is growing fast. Too fast for my taste. She's already wearing clothes for 3 months old when she's not even 2 months, and is heavier on my poor back by the day. She's more beautiful and awake every single day. Her smiles are becoming more and more frequent. She still has her colics, but they have improved thanks to homeopathy, microtherapy, and osteopathy, meaning they thankfully don't last as long.

We've had many visits since her birth - my father, my brother, my mother twice, my grand-mother Yaya, without even mentioning the frequent visits of the locals. I am still expecting a few people though.

As for I, I only have one hand these days, the other one holding Emily in my arms (as I believe in the missing fourth trimester as they call it), and no spare time which explains why my last post was already one month ago.

Post Scriptum

2008-06-27T14:23:00.002+02:00

Emily is also true to her Spanish blood. Her mala leche is definitely worthy of the D family and her Latin temperament is already showing!

Life with Emily

2008-06-25T13:32:00.004+02:00

True to her genes - as punctual as a German and precise as a Swiss clock - Emily was born on the due date, i.e. June 3rd 2008. At 19h14 to be exact, after a 16 hour labor. To everyone's surprise, as my doctor had repeated during my entire pregnancy that Our Little One was a small baby, she weighed 3830 gr, measured 50 cm and had a 37 cm big head.

So much has happened since then. We are both back home since the 7th, M took the following week off which we spent all 3 together, my mother came to spend two weeks to help me, and I have been spending and treasuring every single second with Emily for three weeks now. I can't imagine my life without her, remember what it was like before she came. It's like if she'd always been around.

She had a very calm and quiet first week, and has grown nervous and impatient since her second week, having colics every evening for hours. We are trying everything, Sab simplex drops, the swaddling technique, the cherry pillow, reducing certain foods from my diet, but we haven't found THE magical remedy yet. If there even is one. We probably just need to wait the famous 3 months for it to pass. However, if you know of any other cure, I'm all ears.

the question is ...

2008-05-29T15:04:00.003+02:00

... what's not on YouTube? What a precious find. A short movie about my father's career.

Let it be

2008-05-22T14:20:00.008+02:00

Just two days ago, I was so eager and ready to give birth that I was willing to try to provoke labor. Through old tricks like drinking 120 ml of castor oil. I am glad today that I didn't try that. Don't ask me why, but I suddenly see everything differently. With calm and patience. I feel zen. Let the baby come whenever she's ready. Let life follow its course. Which still means I'd be happy not to have to wait 12 days till the due date, as I can't wait to hold her in my arms.

Any day now

2008-05-20T14:25:00.003+02:00

I went to my last doctor's appointment today, and she confirmed once again that everything was absolutely fine with both the baby and I. Our Little One now weighs approximately 3 kg and measures ca.50 cm. Also, her head is now fixed in the pelvis, probably thanks to last week's acupuncture's session, so in summary everything is perfect and ready for an imminent birth. And imminent is what I wish at this point, as waiting for another 2 weeks until the actual planned date seems to me like an eternity... Come on Darling, time to come out! Time to start doing what Mommy tells you!

Today

2008-05-05T19:26:00.002+02:00

Our dreamlike wedding took place a year ago today. Happy Anniversary Love.

I do my own laundry

2008-04-30T12:02:00.008+02:00

I never thought I'd be so happy about it, but I am actually ecstatic! Our washing machine was delivered today, and after more than two years without one - doing our laundry by either going to M's parents on the weekends, washing by hand, or having M's mother doing it for us - needless to say the first load is already running. You must be thinking I'm mad... how I can be happy about doing laundry, especially when someone else did it for me? The fact is I never especially enjoyed doing laundry before. But being able to wash what I want, when I want, the way I want it and all that at home and not by hand seems to me like a luxury right now rather than a task.

And now for the real luxury, we even got a dryer, which I'll be using as soon as the first load is done and which will be simplifying my life greatly, especially when the Little One's here! Ups, got to go. The first load is done!

Unimaginable

2008-04-25T18:37:00.005+02:00

My little calendar shows 39 days to go today. 39 days until the birth of our baby girl. Do you believe me if I tell you that I cannot realize it? I honestly cannot. It's not that I am afraid, it's just that I cannot believe that I am soon going to give birth. I cannot conceive that a little baby - my baby - will be with me every day of my life, for the rest of my life, in about a month. Yes my belly is big and I feel her every move at this point, yes I've had more than 8 months to get used to the idea, yes I want this baby more than anything in the world. Yet, it's still unimaginable to me.

Is that normal? Or at least frequent? Do many future mothers feel that way? Do we women, ever feel ready for the big day? Or is it another of our protective reflexes, like forgetting how painful the contractions were after the birth? Please enlighten me if you can.

What an adventure indeed!

2008-04-15T12:17:00.007+02:00

My childhood friend K has two children of her own, but as "it is the first time a good friend (of hers) is pregnant", she is excitedly living my pregnancy through pics, phone calls and emails. The other day, K said to me "what an adventure it is to be pregnant!" I didn't truly agree at the time. Didn't disagree either, but just didn't see things that way. Her words stuck with me though.

As M started complaining that I snore very loud and that he couldn't sleep, I immediately rejected the idea and thought to myself that he was exagerating. I don't snore. I never have. I probably just breathe a bit louder because of the fact that my lungs are slightly squashed by the baby. Wrong. I do snore. I suffer from pregnancy-related snoring as they put it. With 30% of other pregnant women out there. There's nothing I can do except pray that it will go away after the birth, and find my husband sleeping in the guest room some mornings in the meantime.

And now that I think about it all, how I started having nose bleeds in the second trimester, how I've become a snorer in the third, how the mere sight of any kind of cream makes me feel sick, how my blood pressure has gone down and I now need to take things slower, how I am so easily out of breath these days, how I cannot walk as fast as I used to, or when I see how big my belly is, feel startled with each baby's move, realize with a mix of fear and expectation that I only have 7 weeks left till she comes out, then I completely agree with K. What an adventure indeed!

the weekend

2008-04-01T13:08:00.002+02:00

It was a lovely weekend.

Baltic weekend

2008-03-27T16:10:00.006+01:00

We are leaving to the baltic sea tomorrow for the weekend. It's our last getaway romantic weekend just the two of us before she arrives. And M's present for my upcoming birthday. So we're heading up North to the baltic sea, where we've rented a cute little flat in an old farm house, and where we plan to discover beautiful spots like Wismar, Lübeck, and the coast in general. With a little help from the weather, we might even enjoy walks on the beach. With a big help from our Little One, who's decided to lay upside down already, I might be able to walk more than 10 minutes without pains. At any rate, rain or shine, pains or no pains, I plan to enjoy this weekend!

Happy Easter

2008-03-22T20:39:00.002+01:00

It's snowing and 0 degrees. Happy Easter!

Baby corner

2008-03-19T13:55:00.009+01:00

It took me a while, but I'm finally done with the first self-made baby projects, which fit very nicely in the little baby corner I set up in our bedroom. Yes, she will sleep in her crib in our room in the beginning, so that I don't have to cross the flat three times per night to feed her and/or change her. Regardless of other people's opinion.

So, as you can see we have the crib (which was leant to us by sus and I simply personalised a bit with some nice Ikea baby stuff,) the changing station, as well as the self-made wallpockets (to organize and store) and the hanging hearts (a ritual I plan to copy from sus: ringing its bell each time the changing of the baby is finished.)

Other than that, we also bought the baby carseat and ordered the stroller, meaning we're doing pretty darn good timewise, I know, but there are still sooooo many things I need to buy/search/make/organize/decide before she comes. And that will happen very soon: only 76 days left, or maybe even less!

Good excuses

2008-03-12T18:24:00.005+01:00

I realize I haven't been very good at keeping this blog up to date lately, but I do have excuses!

1. Our router decided to stop working last week, meaning we had no internet for approximately a week.

2. I have been quite busy setting up the crib, buying the changing station, as well as sewing several projects I had for our baby girl. I am almost done and promise to post pics of it soon, as I must admit that I am quite proud of myself =)

3. Last but not least, my body is certainly feeling the dreaded changes of the third trimester, as I am starting to feel uncomfortably heavy, stomach sick, insomniac, etc.

Bare with me please.

back to reality

2008-02-21T17:43:00.008+01:00

We are finally back from Miami. We returned with a bit of a suntan, lots of jetlag, a bigger and rounder pregnant belly, a whole bag full of adorable baby clothes we bought and lovely presents we got at the surprise baby shower for our little girl, and many extra kilos in our own suitcases. M caught my sister's flu, meaning we had to postpone our return flight to the 18th. He's never sick, but when he is, he gets the whole nine yards!

The vacation however was great. Spending time with my family felt wonderful. We shopped till we dropped with my mother, dined to our heart's and stomach's contempt with my father and his wife, and did a few excursions all together on the weekends such as renting a boat for a day. The return to reality is being quite hard, with the jetlag, the temperature change, etc. but thankfully M was prescribed sick days till the end of the week, so we can slowly readapt together to our normal german life. Don't know if it's all the vitamins I'm taking to fight M's virus, or if she's also jetlagged, but our little girl is doing aerobics in my stomach these days. Let's see if we can get rid of it - it being the jetlag, although getting rid of the aerobics would please me as well - before Nat comes to visit this weekend...

Miami vacation

2008-02-04T12:32:00.000+01:00

The long awaited February 5th is finally almost here. Tomorrow morning we'll be off to Miami for a 10 day family/shopping sprea/relaxing beach vacation. I have to admit I am bit nervous about the long trip and the possible complications it could have on the baby and I, but I also know that everything should work out fine. It is after all the best moment to travel. I'll wear those horribly tight stockings that prevent thrombosis as ordered by my gynecologist, and follow her advice to move/walk often and drink lots of water during the flight.

I am certainly looking forward to being there, and have no doubt I will enjoy every second of this last-vacation-before-the-baby-is-here. See you when we get back!

May the shopping begin!

2008-01-24T12:34:00.000+01:00

I had my appointment with the specialist for the organ diagnosis today and M. came with me. The baby is healthy and everything seems to be functioning correctly. It measures 26 cm and weighs 400 gr, which apparently is in the standards. Also, the specialist was able to see that it's a girl, which confirms what everyone seemed to be thinking. I am extremely happy and will celebrate it by getting a much needed haircut today. Instead of a good bottle of wine, as I would have done in the past.

Oh! and of course by buying some adorable little baby things for our daughter. May the shopping begin! So been looking forward to that!

Week 20

2008-01-18T15:16:00.000+01:00

We did go to the doctor yesterday, both very eager to find out the sex of the baby. However, it kept its fetal position, legs tight, thus refusing to let us see whether it's a girl or a boy. We'lll hopefully find that out next week, as we'll go see a specialist who'll make sure all the baby's organs are functionning properly with an ultrasound. Hopefully, as I'd love to know if I should buy cute pink little dresses or blue overalls when shopping in Miami in three weeks...

Anyway, the most important thing of course is that the baby is doing good, which it is, as well as the mother, and I am. Other than the 5 kgs gained in the last 5 months that is. My belly is showing more and more each day, which is obviously normal. A bit more bothersome is the fact that it is not clearly recognisable as a pregnant belly, meaning I just look fat to people who don't know me. Got to get get used to that I guess. Could definitely get used to M's proud and happy father face as he stared at our baby on the doctor's screen. That's also why I asked him to come with me again next week.

Over the Christmas holidays

2008-01-07T11:05:00.000+01:00

We're back from Switzerland, where I spent 2 1/2 weeks and M joined me for the last 7 days. The skiing conditions were extraordinary this year with lots of snow, cold temperatures and a terrific blue sky. Too bad I couldn't enjoy them, skiing being too risky when pregnant. Instead, I met friends, spent time with my mother and Yaya, did lots of Christmas shopping and preparations, and grew a small belly in the meantime. That's it: can't close my pants any longer, although I still am able to wear them thanks to the discovery of the Belly Belt invention. I must say I can't wait till my gynecologist appointment next week when M will come with me for the first time and we should find out if it's a boy or a girl...

Already

2007-12-06T18:04:00.000+01:00

Thankfully, I have been able to visit Sus yesterday and today, and I am pretty sure I was thus able to help her feel better, even if only by keeping her company, making her think about something else or making her laugh. She's the one who made me realize I should be slowly but surely starting to make some decisions, such as choosing my midwife and registering for the classes I want to take. She made the mistake to wait until late in her pregnancy, and she thus was quite limited in her choices. Indeed, by the time I come back from the Christmas holidays in Switzerland, it will be January, and I will be in the 20th week, so if I want to take the yoga class for pregnant women for example, I should at least find out when the classes begin and register before the class is full.

As for the midwife, I really hope I find one who speaks either english, french or spanish, which would make me much more comfortable. But another wish I have, is that she can be present during the birth, as here in Germany your gynecologist is not in charge of the delivery. You choose the hospital, and pray that you'll like the gynecologist in charge that day/night when the baby decides to come. So if at least the midwife would be there, I think I'd feel better about having that familiar face around, other than my husband of course. Meaning I would need to choose a midwife who works at the hospital where I want to give birth. Meaning I need to be choosing the hospital... already!?!?

... three important decisions I need to be taking very soon, although I thought I had all the time in the world ahead of me. Any advice is more than welcome.

Troublesome phone call

2007-12-04T14:24:00.000+01:00

I don't know if it is because I'm pregnant and am therefore maybe more sensitive to bad news these days, but the phone call of Sus' husband today really affected me. He began by canceling our dinner plans and proceeded to explain that Sus is in the hospital, being operated as we spoke, due to a pneumothorax (collapsed lung.)

It's not a big operation, although we all know that any operation implies risk, and she'll be fine. She will have to stay for at least a week in the hospital however, and they have therefore canceled their trip to Italy this weekend, and called Sus' mother to take care of Gabriel in the meantime. I might not even be able to visit her as apparently Sus might still be contagious from her intestinal flu, so the doctor said. But it is just shocking me how quick things can happen, how our lives can change in seconds, maybe more so knowing that I will soon be a mother. Sus is always so healthy and so full of positive energy. I wish I could be there for her.

The BIG news

2007-11-20T12:49:00.000+01:00

I can finally say it. It's official at last. I am 12 weeks pregnant. I feel great. I feel happy. I feel zen. I feel eager. The due date is June 3rd, and I cannot express how much I look forward to these 6 months.

More than a thousand words

2007-11-17T14:11:00.001+01:00

Pictures are worth more than a thousand words, right? Well, supposedly. Therefore, here are some of our new flat, one project that's been keeping me so busy lately...

Americans are NOT stupid

2007-11-14T12:10:00.001+01:00

too much

2007-10-22T14:18:00.000+02:00

Too much is going on in my life right now to be writing it about it here. I would not even know where to start, even if I wanted to.

I need some time to take it all in, to take care of it all. Then we'll see. But the move being one of them, I probably won't have the time or the internet connection working to update Lovely Planète until a couple of weeks. Bare with me. I'll be back.

Another red balloon

2007-09-19T11:39:00.000+02:00

Despite our weak health condition, Saturday was a beautiful day. M's uncle and aunt took us to the Deister for a 15km walk in the forest, stopping here and there at the different towers and cabins converted into little cafés. We could not have been luckier with the weather: blue sky and ideal Fall temperatures. In the evening, they invited us to have dinner at their house, and were quite surprised to hear that their balloon was the fifth and last one we had gotten back. We were actually quite happy to have gotten five red balloons back at all, as we truly did not expect so many people to participate and send it back to us. Besides, as we said jokingly, since theirs was found in the south of France, we did not expect Northern Africa to play the game!

But to our very big surprise and joy, we got another card yesterday in the post. The sixth red balloon was found, this time near Geneva, approximately 150km away from where our wedding took place. Our present this time is a dinner with the friends of M's parents.

So, bets are now open: considering approximately 70-75 balloons were released, was this the last balloon we'll get back, or do you think we'll receive others back and how many?

Bad luck

2007-09-14T13:56:00.000+02:00

The weather has been horrible these past weeks here up North. They had announced good summery days for a few days and they were right. Today the sun is shining and it's above 20 degrees. Just my luck, I cannot enjoy it as I have come down with a pretty nasty cold. The first of the year, and to think it's only early September... Pour couronner le tout, the long planned surprise day with M's uncle and aunt, wedding present to us because their red balloon was found 500 km away from its release point, is to happen tomorrow. Hiking, biking, and activities in swimming suit are on the program, and I truly don't know how I'm going to survive with my continuous sneezing and dizzy stuffed head!

the Einschülung tradition

2007-09-11T16:19:00.000+02:00

I remember perfectly well my first school day back in 1980, probably because of the picture taken that day. I was four years old and starting the Kindergarten in Switzerland on a sunny Monday morning in September. Those two first years in Kindergarten are obligatory in Switzerland, as they prepare the kids for school, by teaching them how to write the alphabet, the numbers, as well as other very practical things such as tying your shoes and setting the table. My mother had brought me there, and took a picture of me in my beige divided skirt and matching sweater, which thankfully made me look like a girl, as I had a very boyish bowl haircut back then. My new Mickey Mouse orange school bag completed the look. I shyly wave to the camera on this historical picture, my smile giving away my nervosity.

I was at my nephew’s first school day the other day and cannot help but being stunned at how things have changed since then. And at how different things are in Germany in that respect. First of all, although he has been going to Kindergarten for the past two years, he has not learned anything really useful there. Other than arts and crafts, singing and playing. Kindergarten is not obligatory here, so the first school day is the first 1st grade day with almost seven years old. And it is a BIG deal. It is called Einschülung.

Now, Einschülung takes place on a Saturday morning. It started at 9h30 in a protestant church, although the school is public and not religious. Even though it was a very big church, it was completely full, as all forty 1st graders were accompanied by gazillion family members. Not only parents, but grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, you name it, everyone is present! The priest tried to make an interesting sermon for the kids and their families, talking about colors and races, but I have to say it was pretty bad and boring. Considering it was mostly a marketing action to get all those families back to going to church every weekend, I seriously think it was a failure. Then, after a one hour sermon, during which the kids were so bored some started playing football, others hide and seek in the nave behind the priest (no joke), we all went back to our cars and drove to the school. There, in a big hall, two classes of 4th graders had prepared a little show, which consisted in 4 songs welcoming the new students. That was actually very cute. Then the teachers for both 1st grade classes were introduced, and kids of both classes were called on the stage to follow their teacher to their classroom. The teachers took the opportunity to explain some things about the school to the parents and mob of family members during this time, who were then offered to walk around the school and get a coffee, while waiting for their kids to finish their first 45 minute class. All kids then posed together for the family cameras with their flamboyant school bags and Schultüte, which are huge paper cones made or bought by the parents and filled with sweets.

Follows the family lunch, which each family organizes either at home or in a restaurant, the traditional German coffee and cake two hours later and then of course the present giving session, where the 1st grader receives an incredible amount of presents. And I cannot help but wonder, what does all this have to do with the first day of school? Sure, on one side it is nice to make it an unforgettable day for the child, to celebrate it in family, but is it not a bit too much? Why is the kid getting rotten spoiled with presents just for beginning school? Ça me dépasse. I personally think the focus is being lost. And I won't even get started on the fact that school hours are so reduced (only mornings) it is just not feasible for German kids to learn as much as other European kids, who spend their entire day in school. I'll keep that to myself. Along with my refusal to letting my own kids getting their education here.

brilliant once again

2007-09-07T13:32:00.000+02:00

He did it again. Khaled Hosseini wrote a beautiful touching second novel and I devoured it and loved it just as much as "The Kite Runner." Or maybe even more so, as I felt very close to the women he portrays this time around. The lifes of Mariam and Laila could seem crude and exageratedly melodramatic, as one horror succeeds the other; it is however a sadly accurate version of what many Afghan women have experienced. Except for some of the unrealistic romantic and fairy-tale turns that is, but they make the novel enjoyable and readable. Call me naive, but I enjoyed its happy twists!

Post diet

2007-09-05T13:17:00.000+02:00

I am very happy to tell you that M and I are done with the Max Planck diet. We followed the two week plan, M hardly survived the very hard first week (unlike me, he had never followed a strict diet before and lacked his carbs for lunch and dinner), but the second week went by much better. I on the other hand have to say that I found the diet quite easy and was rarely hungry in between meals. But although I ate and suffered less, I of course also lost less: M lost 5 kg and I lost 4.

All in all a successful and quite interesting experience. We are now back to a normal balanced diet and of course regular sports. The last thing we'd want want is to gain all that weight back! Unless of course we weigh ourselves up side down from now on ;-)

Summer holidays

2007-08-22T11:41:00.000+02:00

As Rancho Chico has been demolished and is no longer an option, we decided to spend an active and cultural vacation this year. And we certainly did a lot and saw a lot. We spent a few days in Switzerland, then drove down to Tuscany, where we had rented an apartment from an adorable old italian couple in lost crossroads Poggio Cuculo. M did not know the region, so my mother and I showed him Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, and the lovely villages of the chiantigiana. We also drove down to Umbria and discovered beautiful places such as Assisi and Perugia. M and I then took the train down to Rome, where we spent 6 days walking the city under Ferragosto circumstances: no Romans, thousands of tourists, and 80% of its restaurants and shops closed. However, Rome still won me over again, and made of M one of its biggest fans. A long weekend at the Dottore's flat in the nearby future is already planned! All in all a wonderful vacation, although I have to say I miss our usual two weeks of relaxing and sunbathing in our lost haven in the south of Spain...

After 2 weeks spent in Italy eating la buona pasta and drinking wine every day, we are on a strict diet since our return home. A two week diet, which should enable us to lose the few kilos overweight, and look as good as the day we met. That's right, it's not because we're married that we don't want to look good for each other! So we're trying the Max Planck diet. Today's our 4th day.... 10 days to go! The hardest thing on this diet is the lack of any spices for me... without mentioning the lack of sleep. I toss and turn every night and all night long since Sunday. But being able to reach my ideal weight of 50 kg in just 2 weeks is definitely worth the suffering.

signed and confirmed

2007-07-30T17:50:00.000+02:00

It is signed. It is confirmed. We will be moving to a bigger nicer apartment on the 1st of November. We'll be gaining an extra room, 20m3, a balcony, the charm of Altbau with 3m high ceilings and Dielenboden, and last but certainly not least, 10 steps up instead of the actual 93 to enter our soon-to-be new home. I am delighted, as this also means that I will finally be surrounded by all my furniture and personal belongings very soon. They have been in storage in Madrid since December 2005, but it's time to send them to Hannover at last! Now, don't jump to conclusions though, Hannover is still a temporary solution, i.e. the plan of leaving to Godknowswhere asap remains. The wait will nevertheless be much more pleasant. Of that I am convinced.

See you upon our return from our swiss-italian Summer vacation in two weeks!

Projecting

2007-07-26T18:16:00.000+02:00

I am getting fed up of so much procrastination and inaction. Waiting around for the right job is obviously not bringing me anywhere. Having decided to stay close to my husband, and therefore Hannover for the time being, means that I need to recycle myself. Doing what was the big question mark. Yes, was. Two projects, which are still at the pre-developpment phase, might change all that soon. I'll probably go ahead with both of them after the Summer holidays. Never know which one will pick up... Besides, one thing is for sure, I'll be able to work very well on both of these in my new office set up in our new bigger appartment =)

The secret of the Spaniards

2007-07-20T17:20:00.000+02:00

I am back from my one-week-family-holiday with my mother and grandmother. All the efforts we made spoiling and taking care of Yaya were absolutely worth it. She was in heaven and enjoyed this week like a little girl on a rollercoaster ride!

As for the island, it was a big discovery, with its turquese fresh waters, virgin beaches, small houses, and charming ports. "The secret of the Spaniards" as Uma b.'s mother put it; "don't pass it on."

We certainly loved it, despite its unfriendly and inhospitable inhabitants, and will probably go back next Summer; my mother is already talking about renting a house for a month, which will be a big improvement from the hotel we stayed in, with its all you can eat buffet, and bingo animators dignes des Bronzés. So, if house it is, ¡me apunto! Hopefully M. will also come along this time around...

Offline

2007-07-04T12:13:00.000+02:00

I have no desire to update my blog lately. Not that I have nothing to say, or that I feel bad/sad/depressed or what not. No, life continues with its daily events, joys and frustrations, and I am fine. I could write about our apartment search, or about our busy social life, about our Summer plans that finally turned concrete, about the wedding thank you cards, or even about my upcoming trip to Spain. But I have decided that I am offline for now. Which does not mean that I am thinking about closing Lovely Planète either. I simply need some time off. Maybe when I return on the 18th I'll be in the mood to post again.

Deceitful feeling

2007-06-27T14:53:00.000+02:00

Sometimes you think you know. You feel it. Call it gut feeling, call it 6th sense. I was so sure of it. I was so certain, j'en aurais mis ma main au feu... But I found out today that I was wrong. Disappointing.

I love presents

2007-06-25T19:23:00.000+02:00

Today I picked up my costum made presents for a baby girl and a baby boy. Lucia and Aedan.

They are now ready to be mailed tomorrow. They are so adorable, I love them and am almost sure the new parents will too. I just love giving presents.

Daydreaming

2007-06-16T16:05:00.000+02:00

I am still daydreaming. About our perfect wedding. About our fabulous honeymoon in paradise...

Honeymoon Baby!

2007-06-01T19:31:00.000+02:00

Time to leave on our honeymoon! Mauritius it is, spending 7 nights in a small charming romantic hotel. No program except rest, sun, ocean, watersports, and loads of romance... See ya!

VT hilarity

2007-05-30T13:54:00.000+02:00

As you might already know, I "met" my husband on VT a long long time ago. Although it is supposed to be a travel-tip-sharing site, many of its members use it as a dating/networking service. I still log on from time to time, to read the new messages in my inbox, and to have some fun reading them. And God did I laugh hard today. So hard that I decided to share here the content of the message I got, as it is without a doubt, in the top5 I ever received!

"Hi V. If your not doing anything around Summer Time (Europe) in 2007, you could always join my friends and I in the Algarve Portugal. We are staying there for 2 weeks of sun, sea, drinks, clubs, pubs, party, party and then some more. I am just trying to make European friends so that there are some great contacts out there to share life experiences with. By the way we are Aussie guys living in Australia who regularly travel to Europe. anyway - it's a long shot but hope to speak to you soon.Cheers,M"

All set

2007-05-23T22:22:00.000+02:00

We are all set now. Our kitchen that is. Boxes and boxes of tableware invaded our small flat. Big plates, small plates, pasta plates, bigger small plates, bowls, serving plates, martini glasses, bordeaux glasses, white wine glasses, whisky glasses, OJ glasses, shot glasses. You name it, we have it. And 12 of each.

Meaning if you've already seen my petite basic kitchen, you are now asking yourself where on earth I will fit it all. Right. Absolutely right. On a un problème Françoise. For now, part of it has been stored in the cellar. But we will soon have to face a move to a bigger apartment, with a bigger kitchen, a guest room, big closets, and room for all my furniture and boxes that are still stored in Madrid. Sooner than later. Because after 17 months of temporariness, I need long-term.

Es una gran putada

2007-05-16T23:42:00.000+02:00

The headhunter called me today. As soon as she asked me what I thought about the interview on Monday, I knew. Indeed, she soon confirmed that the company had chosen the other candidate. One that already knows the swiss market and has an address book.

The truth is es una gran putada. But the truth also is, I know I did not get it because it was not meant to be. It was not the perfect job after all. There's something better for me out there.

Whether we'll move on to the baby project instead - or not, still has to be decided. For now, we will go on a nice sunny romantic honeymoon. Asap.

News briefs

2007-05-15T06:18:00.000+02:00

It's been 10 days since the wedding. My feet still have blisters from it.
Not even kidding.

I had my 4th interview for theperfectzurichjob yesterday. It was the hardest and most stressful interview in my life. Overall positive. Me thinks.
No no, I did not apply for the position of President of the company.

A third balloon was found. We received the card per post yesterday. This one traveled approx.120km (found in Martigny Valais).
Truly amazing. Maybe miracles do happen sometimes.

My grandmother has finally forgiven me on Mother's day. Thanks to flowers and a phone call.
I did not apologize, not seeing a ground for it, not wanting to enter her stupid game.

Planning a trip to Ikea today. Looking forward to it.
Which will hopefully not become one of my famous ikea shopping crazes.

Your eyes are not mistaken. You are not hallucinating. The time of this post is correct.
Big time insomnia.

Wedding report

2007-05-09T11:38:00.000+02:00

Everything happened as planned. And what was not planned by us, such as surprises from friends, was absolutely adorable. We certainly had a blast, M and I, and so far everyone's feedback has been extremely positive. We also feel spoiled by all the presents and love our guests have shown to us. All in all a lovely fun harmonious international wedding. Except for a misfortunate incident at the end of the evening, and my grandmother now being upset at me (I did not take care of her according to her) we could not be happier. We cannot wait to see the pictures!

We actually created a website where all pics, stories and comments can be posted by our guests right here.

Disturbed

2007-05-02T19:57:00.000+02:00

The last days have been flying by. I felt wonderful, although stressed, completely absorbed in the big day's organization, solving every little detail like a breeze. Maybe that is why the news last night hit me so hard. But probably not. They would have disturbed me anyway, in any other circumstance, given what they entail. I learned last night that my grandmother is a member of Exit. And I cannot understand it or accept it. Although my mother insists that she won't ever use it as we give her plenty of reasons to live, I am deeply disturbed. I cried last night. I cried today. Tears fill my eyes every time I think about it.

I need to put that thought aside until after the wedding and cope with it afterwards by talking to Yaya. I cannot think about it now as I need to be enjoying our big celebration.

Hello nerves!

2007-04-27T12:11:00.000+02:00

They have hit me at last. The pre-wedding nerves. People have been asking me for months now, whether I was nervous for the big day, and did not understand my lack thereof. I can reassure all these people today. I am fucking nervous! With all the little and big details still to solve, with the supposed and planned relaxing next week, which has turned into one of the most stressful weeks in the history of V's life, all this stress has indeed awaken the pre-wedding nerves.

I have said goodbye to a good night sleep and hello to the lack of appetite this week, which should theoretically make me a typical shiningly beautiful bride in 7 days. Thanks to the make-up classes that taught me how to look fresh despite the exhaustion, and the kilos I am loosing effortlessly that is. My only worry at this point being, how is a bride so... bride? Which and how many pills are recommended for me to get that placid happy angelic look on my face on the big day???

Good Karma

2007-04-24T20:32:00.001+02:00

Good Karma

I really feel like I hit a strike of luck lately. The perfect Zurich job opportunity is moving forward: I will have my 3rd and last interview next Thursday. I feel really good, especially after the perfect weekend with the girls. My wedding dress is getting its retro 50s look with the last touches and I love it. With such good karma, maybe I should play the lottery!

Perfection

2007-04-23T21:51:00.000+02:00

It is imho extremely hard to achieve perfection. Do-able, but oh so hard. With the help of my girlfriends, I have however achieved the perfect bachelorette party weekend. Correction. I have not achieved anything, they have, as they were the ones organising everything, thinking of every little detail, location, guest, etc. The only thing I did was to show up when and where I was told. No merit in that. The special thanks actually go to Beanie and Nat, the event managers of this perfect bachelorette party.

The weekend was really the perfect combination of hard core party and relaxed quality moments with all my favourite girls in the world. Well, some were actually missing, but the majority did make it, and I enjoyed every single second with them. And I enjoyed oh so very much to see them all getting along so well together. I had no doubt it would happen. They are all smart cool good-looking girls with many points in common. But it was great to see it and live it.

I therefore have a big challenge on my plate now. Strike that. Two challenges. 1. Trying to pay them back by organising a wonderful wedding, where they will all have a blast. 2. Trying to repeat this kind of girly weekend more often, such as for example once a year. For although I am completely exhausted from so much action, I feel more energised than ever!

Acing and racing

2007-04-18T11:49:00.000+02:00

For those of you who wonder, the perfect job opportunity in Zurich still exists. As a matter of fact, I have my second interview with them today. I am a bit nervous as it will take place with a HR VP, and I must honestly say I hate the typical HR interviews. Hopefully I'll ace this one as well and remain in the race.

A good day

2007-04-03T13:44:00.000+02:00

Today is a good day. Many phone calls from friends and family members. Many emails. A very positive phone interview for what could be the perfect job in Zurich. A meeting with the dressmaker this afternoon. A nice dinner at a Lebanese restaurant tonight with M.

It feels like if my luck could be turning at last with my 33rd birthday.

Long due

2007-03-29T13:54:00.000+02:00

I have been pondering about writing a new post for days now. I know it's long due. I should have written about my trip to the south of Germany. I should have told you how I very much liked Nürnberg and the bavarian countryside; how Munich was a bit of a disappointment, maybe because we only spent there a few hours, but also because I had high expectations.

The truth is I have been procrastinating about what to write next. The endless and frustrating decision making of our honeymoon? My neverending and disencouraging job search? The wedding organization? Nothing sounds appealing. Haven't I already written about all that a gazillion times?

No. Today, instead of writing a long due post, I am heading to the gym and will start at last the long due getting-in-shape-to-look-beautiful-for-my-wedding process.

Resolution

2007-03-09T11:19:00.000+01:00

I had many resolutions when I left Madrid and moved to Germany. One of them was to take advantage of being up here to visit the neighboring countries and regions. Copenhaguen, Budapest, Amsterdam (where Uma b. and I had said we would meet but of course never did), Bavaria, Dresden, Berlin, and many more. The reality is that I haven't seen much in the past year, except for Berlin and our neighbor cities of Hamburg and Bremen.

But I am doing something about it this weekend: M and I are driving down to Bavaria today. We plan to visit Nuernberg (and seeing some friends of M), Munich, Fulda, Wuerzenburg, and many other charming bavarian villages. It will be a short 4 day trip, but we'll definitely make the most out of it. Ich freue mich wahnsinnig!

L'Art de la Beauté

2007-03-06T18:06:00.000+01:00

Last week was all about solving our welcome get-together for our guests on the eve of our wedding day. All is now set, location, catering, and all other details.

This week is about finding a solution for my make-up for the big day. I obviously need to look my best, and therefore need to find someone who will make me look naturally beautiful. I considered the obvious solution of doing it with the hairdresser in the village itself. However, I stumbled on an article and found out that Shu Uemura has opened a Beauty School in Paris, l'Art de la Beauté, to teach us women how to do our make-up for our wedding day, adapted to our face shape, eye/skin/hair color, and of course wedding dress and party. This concept already exists in Japan apparently. I'd learn how to do my make-up (something I wanted to do forever), I'd spend a weekend in Paris with my mother (who immediately agreed to meet me there), I'd do the course with Nat, I'd be away from Hannover just when M has his bachelor party (did I mention the boys are going to Amsterdam?), and of course I'd solve the make-up issue for the wedding. Wow. Don't think it work out any better actually.

Wait & see

2007-03-03T00:08:00.000+01:00

I had my Berlin interview today. It went very well, although I don't think I will get the job. Maybe another one in the same company if lucky. Maybe not if also lucky. Nothing sounds perfect for the time being, although I must admit I would immediately say yes if given the opportunity. Wait and see.

Latest

2007-02-10T13:37:00.000+01:00

Some of the latest news, some funny/good/positive (circle which fits best), some not...

-remember two years ago, when I had asked for a transfer from Madrid to Zurich? I had to reject their offer, as it was clearly miserable. Well guess what? They are now looking to fill in the Zurich position and are asking me my conditions. Clearly hilarious if that ends up working out!
-I finally received my salary for my two-week-record-job in January. Only that he only paid me for the two weeks and not for the entire month like he legally has to. I now need to inform myself whether it is worth pursuing this issue with a lawyer...
-My gastro is finally receeding. I'll be able to eat normal food very soon, hopefully even tonight =)
-We reserved the apartment we like yesterday. It's an altbau building, where all 11 apartments will be completely renovated. If it all works out (mainly financially) we'll have a beautiful 130 m2 flat, with high ceilings, 3 bedrooms, and a small balcony. The best of it all: we can choose all the finitions, layout, etc. =D

Sick

2007-02-08T18:23:00.000+01:00

My gastroenteritis became official late last night. I thus had to cancel my job interview and stay home today. Thankfully, the Berlin based company was understanding and has postponed my appointment to March 2nd. Plenty of time to get better, and fly to Switzerland as planned in order to help my mother with her move. The weather could not be more adapted to the circumstances: it's snowing non-stop.

Bad timing

2007-02-07T17:26:00.000+01:00

I woke up today feeling sick and weak. M came home at noon, sick as a dog. I am afraid we're both suffering from a viral gastric flu. Talk about bad timing: tomorrow is my job interview in Berlin. I truly hope:

a) I feel better tomorrow
b) my interview will be postponed if a) is not the case.

Ironically stressed

2007-02-02T13:42:00.000+01:00

I have been going through a bit of a rough time lately. Leaving the job after two weeks was the right decision, but it has affected me more than I thought it would. The first ten days went by like a breeze, and then it caught up with me. Stress. Purely mental of course. Desillusion. Too many thoughts fighting in my head. Too much pressure to take decisions, to know where to now.

Although I feel better now, and I am more less letting myself grow with the flow, my body is telling me otherwise. I have physical reactions to my mental state. Naturally. Skin problems, backache, etc. Additionally, I am not part of the fortunates who loose weight with stress. Quite the opposite. I eat more. I also suddenly find myself being unable to take any decision whatsoever. Instead of doing and thinking afterwards, i.e. being my normal Aries self, I simply have stopped doing. And thinking.

Ironical if you ask me. I have always worked well under stress/pressure. But I don't seem to be doing so well under no pressure. Correction: under the high pressure I put on myself.

Apaguemos todo - On éteint tout

2007-01-30T18:29:00.000+01:00

APAGUEMOS TODO: Jueves, 1 de febrero, de las 19h55 a las 20h00 Participa en a la mayor movilización ciudadana contra el cambio climático! La alianza para el planeta, agrupación de asociaciones medioambientales, hace un llamamiento sencillo a todos los ciudadanos, 5 minutos de descanso-tregua para el planeta: todos apagaremos nuestras velas y luces el 1 de Febrero, de 19h55 a 20h00.

No se trata solo de ahorrar 5 minutos de electricidad este día sino de llamar la atención de los ciudadanos, de los medias y de aquellos que toman las decisiones sobre el despilfarro de energía y lo urgente que es pasar a la acción! 5 minutos de descanso-tregua para el planeta: no es mucho tiempo, no cuesta nada y eso mostrará a los candidatos políticos a las próximas elecciones de 2007 (en Francia y en España) que el cambio climático es un tema que debe tener peso en el debate político.

Porque este día 1 de Febrero? Ese día se publicará en Paris el nuevo informe del grupo de expertos en cambios climáticos de las naciones unidas. Aunque este acontecimiento tendrá lugar en el país vecino, no debemos dejar pasar esta ocasión de poner el foco sobre la urgencia de la situación climática mundial.

Si participamos todos, esta acción tendrá peso mediático y político, ¡apenas unos meses antes de las elecciones!

Contacto / Información: Les Amis de la Terre (los amigos de la tierra): Tel. 00 33 1 48 51 18 95 o en internet: http://www.amisdelaterre.org/Participez-a-la-plus-grande.html

ON ETEINT TOUT : jeudi 1er février de 19h55 à 20h00 participez à la plus grande mobilisation des citoyens contre le Changement Climatique ! L'Alliance pour la Planète (groupement d'associations environnementales) lance un appel simple à tous les citoyens, 5 minutes de répit pour la planète : tout le monde éteint ses veilles et lumières le 1er février 2007 entre 19h55 et 20h00.

Il ne s'agit pas d'économiser 5 minutes d'électricité uniquement ce jour-là, mais d'attirer l'attention des citoyens, des médias et des décideurs sur le gaspillage d'énergie et l'urgence de passer à l'action ! 5 minutes de répit pour la planète : ça ne prend pas longtemps, ça ne coûte rien, et ça montrera aux candidats aux élections législatives de juin 2007 que le changement climatique est un sujet qui doit peser dans le débat politique.

Pourquoi le 1er février? Ce jour là sortira, à Paris, le nouveau rapport du groupe d'experts climatiques des Nations Unies. Cet événement aura lieu chez nos voisins : il ne faut pas laisser passer cette occasion de braquer les projecteurs sur l'urgence de la situation climatique mondiale. Si nous y participons tous, cette action aura un réel poids médiatique et politique, quelques mois avant les élections !

Contact / information : Cyrielle, Les Amis de la Terre : 00 33 1 48 51 18 95

Lost

2007-01-24T12:52:00.000+01:00

I need to make choices. I simply cannot go on like this, waiting for it to happen, it being anything that will take me to the next phase of my life. Where to next? My choices are limited and none of them is perfect.

Should I focus on my career and look for a new interesting challenging job? Even if that means moving again, going back to a situation similar to Madrid, seeing M only on the weekends? Not exactly how I had envisioned my married life. And it does feel a bit like going backwards, throwing away what was achieved in the last year. Should I then prioritize my couple, stay in Hanover and recycle professionally, i.e. forget about my career, my experience, and do something totally new? Or should I rather fulfill my desire to have a child, although being in Hanover and living only on one salary is far from the perfect setting? Ni puta idea. I feel completely lost.

New Record

2007-01-17T12:27:00.000+01:00

I am quite sure I broke a new record here. 12 days. Not a record to be proud of, certainly not, but it is actually better this way. It did not work out and it would have never worked out with his unrealistic expectations: 4 days to come up with a full market study and 10 for a full company strategy. Who is he kidding besides himself? There is only one thing we agreed on. Today. Ça ne colle pas. And so off I am, in the search of a job again.

Don't worry, I'll be fine. It's not a little gallego machista who is going to destroy my self-confidence and make me doubt about my skills. I know what I am worth and I will find something worth of me.

Prayer

2007-01-16T21:04:00.000+01:00

It is happening

2007-01-16T12:04:00.000+01:00

My intention was to write about the alarming global warming of our planet. But I've decided to share this article sent to me by Uma b. instead. Yo, estoy acojonada. It is happening. Now. And we better all react and do something about it. Now. For those interested in the topic, do watch Al Gore's film "An inconvenient Truth".

Getting old

2007-01-11T19:26:00.000+01:00

We were invited to dinner at my friend's Sus last night, to finally meet the four of us and se mettre à la page after the holidays, my new job and what not. Of course baby Gabriel was also present, although he only participated by sitting on his daddy´s laps and emitting a few iamworkinghardonmydigestion sounds from time to time. He is, thankfully for my friends, a very good and quiet baby boy and we were therefore able to dine and chat at our leisure. The delicious Portuguese red wine kept flowing generously, proud Daddy F wanting to celebrate his son´s 2 month birthday como Dios manda. Even his best Grappa ended on the table at coffee time, but for the record, only our men touched it.

The evening was lovely, and we headed home at a decent hour, or so I thought. Going to bed at one in the morning and working the next day had indeed never been a problem in the past. But it was today, as I suffered from a hungover and lack of sleep at the office. I clearly remember drinking much more, sleeping much less and being absolutely fine the next day not so long ago. My alcohol tolerance has definitely diminished consequently. I am getting old.

Research baby!

2007-01-04T16:27:00.000+01:00

My first "project" at work consist in researching the mobile market. I am therefore spending my days on the web - returning home with cube eyes as my hubby loves to say- searching for all kind of reports, studies, products, and services. Ideas if you will. And sometimes, I also stumble on something which completely grabs my full attention although having nothing to do with my research, thus providing me with a few minutes of break. Among my many discoveries today, I would like to share with you the chalkboard fridge, the catwalk, and the litter box hider. Simply because I will paint/build/purchase all those three items for the new apartment we are inches away to buy!

Oh, and if you wonder how on earth I landed on those webpages during my mobile market research, well, better don't ask! ;-)

New year new outlook

2007-01-03T14:19:00.000+01:00

It has been way too long since my last post, but what can I say: did not have the time nor the desire to write until today. Simply because I did not know where to start, as so many things have happened in the last month. So in as few words as possible: my Cuban trip was good but Cuba itself highly disappointing since my last visit, I spent Christmas in Switzerland and the equation lack of snow+ holiday crowd made skiing ~~hard~~ impossible to enjoy. Yup, that's all I want to say about it for now. Because my brain is slightly drunk with new everythings (ideas, names, people, projects, passwords, responsibilities, and I could go and on for paragraphs) as I sit in my office on my second day of work. I ~~think~~ am pretty sure I will love my new job.

PS: Happy New Year 2007!!!!!

Unexpected lastminute family trip

2006-12-01T12:18:00.000+01:00

I cannot believe it. I probably won't believe it till I'm there. The whole thing happened so unexpectedly and so fast, my stepmother suddenly telling my mother to join them (my father and her) during our family wedding dinner, M immediately whispering to me that I should go with ("enjoy it for both of us since I can unfortunately not come along"), looking for lastminute tickets online, getting our touristcards...

It is happening though. I am flying to Havana Cuba with my mother on Sunday, meeting my stepmother and father there, as well as my brother who is "living" there for a couple of months; we'll spend 8 days there during the Film Festival, rediscovering Havana (for the second time for me), showing it to my mother who's never been there, living the soon-to-disappear Havana from Castro, watching artsy independant films, and as Hemingway said, drinking "my mojito in la Bodeguita, my daiquiri in el Floridita!"

I don't know what good I have done to deserve this. But I feel truly blessed.

Habaneando

2006-11-30T15:16:00.000+01:00

"Habaneando, guitarreando, voy rumbeando

habaneando, negociando, pregonando

bicicleta calle abajo por el barrio belén

esta la habana oculta esa que tu nunca ves

llenas de gente especial

humildes por tradición

llevan la nostalgia y la resignación

buscando todas las puertas de la solución

El sistema aprieta y no quiere ceder

y la bolsa negra llega resolver lo justo

detrás de esa fachada tan turística que ves de cuba en un cartel

hay un obrero todo el puto dia dando luz y ser

tu sabes...la isla no es solo ron y tabaco, putas, varadero, cayo largo

no solo es eso, hay gente que pasa to el dia trabajando, de sol a sol

por un futuro mejor, asi que vamos

..."

Letras de "Habaneando" de la pelicula Habana Blues

Just married

2006-11-25T22:41:00.000+01:00

It's official, we are now legally married. Friday was a beautiful sunny day, and we celebrated our civil wedding surrounded by all our close family, all except Yaya of course, who had to stay in Switzerland in the hospital. But my mother was there, which made me extremely happy. Everything went according to plan and we all had a wonderful time, smiling and laughing the entire day and well into the night. And to think it was only a warm-up and we will top that in May!

Civil wedding

2006-11-21T20:50:00.000+01:00

In two days we will celebrate our civil wedding in Hannover's altes Rathaus. Because it is was only a formality for us, I was very surprised to see that my mother, father, and grandmother immediately decided to come to Hannover for the occasion, and spend the weekend all together. M’s parents consider November 24th as our real wedding day and have therefore organized the entire dinner celebration with both of our families. What was supposed to be a simple formality turned into a family event, we soon both looked forward to.

Everything is ready for the big day. Or at least everything was, as my grandmother will now most probably be unable to come, being sick in bed since last Thursday. Yaya can’t eat, can’t sleep, is therefore weak, and has pains in her stomach. The ultrasound showed nothing today, and so the next step is a blood test. My mother is extremely worried and will decide tomorrow, if she herself can come or if she needs to stay in Switzerland with her. I simply cannot imagine both my grandmother and my mother not being here on Friday. I honestly don’t know how I’ll be able to truly enjoy it without them there.

Stepmother problems

2006-11-20T14:16:00.000+01:00

Organising this whole wedding thing has been tough. There are so many decisions that we had to take (where, when, with whom, etc.) and still so many others that we will have to take (menu, flowers, cake, music, seating, etc.), I sometimes feel overwhelmed. Although today I am not overwhelmed, but rather upset and frustrated. My stepmother has apparently been verbally inviting her brothers and sisters to our wedding, obviously without consulting us. And without knowing that we have a maximum seating capacity of 80, who have all already been invited. As we had to set her straight in a very diplomatic and nice way, it was extremely upsetting to read her vexed emails today. It must not be easy being a stepmother. That must be why she feels so sidelined, as she says. She's bothered because she was not consulted about our guest list. Nobody was. And my own father and mother are not bothered by it. A clear sign of lack of confidence on my stepmother's part I would say.

The whole nine yards

2006-11-16T12:00:00.000+01:00

I never thought I'd do the wedding thing. I mean, I only changed my mind about getting married a few years ago, being highly against it previously. M. wanted a wedding and I started seeing it in a new light: the occasion to organise a BIG party where all the people I love will be together for an entire day. It sounded pretty good after all. Which does not mean I don't have a few problems with that day still. I just cannot see myself walking down the aisle of the f****ing church for example. (The only reason we're doing the whole church ceremony btw is because of my grandma's request.) I've never liked being the center of attention and so part of me really dreads this moment. As well as others of course, which I believe will be numerous on that day.

Then again, I also never thought I'd have a bachelorette party. But guess what, my friends are organising one for me. A solution has been found to gather all my girls spread around the world. It will be a weekend bachelorette party to be exact. In Madrid. And although the opportunity to be partying with all my girlfriends sounds wonderful, I must admit I also have some fears. I truly hope it won't be too crazy. As I said, I hate being the center of attention, and would therefore hate to have to perform some kind of bachelorette-typical dare(s)!

New life

2006-11-15T11:11:00.000+01:00

During my absence from Hannover, my friend Sus gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Meet Gabriel.

Off

2006-11-03T08:00:00.000+01:00

Off we are! Miami here we come! See you when we return on the 13th. Bu'bye!

Escape

2006-11-01T14:23:00.000+01:00

The Fall colors might still be here, but the grey rainy cold winter seems to have unfortunalety already arrived. I am not ready for it. I'm escaping it by surfing the webpages of the various shops we'll soon be visiting physically. Preselecting the various items of clothing I might buy -after a convincing fitting session that is- already has me in sunny warm Miami, where we will be flying on Friday to spend our annual one week vacation. Steve Madden, Abercrombie&Fitch, Anthropolgie, Arden B., Gap, Victoria's Secret, Bloomingdales, Macy's, Banana Republic, Ross, and so many more. Well well, time to continue my webpreselectionshopping!

Being reasonable

2006-10-31T12:20:00.000+01:00

Mr. Heinrich immediately calmed down and started treating us with respect. Unfortunately, someone made a higher offer today, and their bid is higher than the market value. We will therefore be reasonable and move on. I know that we will find the right flat for us soon.

Dear Mr. H

2006-10-30T00:03:00.000+01:00

I personally find frustrating how often you have to deal with imbeciles in life. These stupid and incompetent people are everywhere you go. And just our luck, the realtor we need to negotiate with is one of them. A little complexed man too.

After his last low blow, my only option was to send him this respectful yet sharp email. And I gotta to say that I am pretty happy with it. Let us see how he reacts now.

Dear Mr. H,

As I have family in the real estate business and it is not my first real estate purchase, I understand enough of the business to know that a first offer is a simple opening for negotiation. That was the purpose of our offer yesterday. We are interested in the appartement, if not we would not have sent you an offer. And if we are interested in this appartment, it also means that we can afford to buy it. Everything is negotiable, Mr H, and the fact that we negotiate does not mean that it is over our budget. It is not because we are young, or appear to be younger than we are, that you need to treat us with disrespect. I therefore ask you to please treat us like clients and not like young imbeciles.

We hereby send you a new offer, based on the estimate we have and the price market. We hope you will transmit our offer to the owner and hope to hear back from you soon.

Sincerely,

Les jeux sont ouverts

2006-10-28T16:06:00.000+02:00

We had our second visit this morning. We now have the experts' opinion and have thus made an offer for the appartment. The negotiating game has started. Les jeux sont ouverts. Let's see where it will take us.

Next buy

2006-10-27T11:02:00.000+02:00

Another project for our "new life", i.e. staying in Hannover for now, working again, getting married, is also buying our own appartment. Now that does not mean we are settling here forever. Absolutely not. But we both are firm believers that paying a mortgage every month is much more constructive as paying a rent, and the idea is to sell as soon as we have a concrete job opportunity who-knows-where.

We both have a very good idea of what we want. Hannover has many old beautiful buildings from the 19 hundreds, here called altbau, and that is one thing we want. Although that means having no elevator. We also know we want to stay in the List area, a happening yet quiet neighborhood full of shops and little cafés. We need a balcony, a guest bathroom, as well as a second bedroom, call it guest room for now, baby room in a possible near future.

We started visiting appartments a week ago and have since then seen quite a few, varying from horrible, cheap, needing to be completely redone, to ready to move in, expensive but within our limit, charming and beautiful. But we also saw THE one, i.e. the one we both fell in love with, the one we both feel is perfect for us, the one we want. It is more expensive than we had planned but also has many extras. We've been thinking it over, dreaming about it, and have now decided to have it professionnally valued and possibly make an offer. Saturday is the big day. And because a picture is sometimes worth more than a thousand words, here is one of the wonderful atouts of this appartment.

My life in bullet points

2006-10-09T16:28:00.000+02:00

Did I mention that:

-the very simple self-designed invitations are printed and going out this week?

-I had a very good job interview last Friday and that I will most probably start working before the end of the year?

-I am leaving to Paris in 2 days to spend a girls' long weekend with Beanie and Nat?

-life is simply great? =)

Her latest idea

2006-10-08T16:42:00.000+02:00

My mother has had many jobs in her life, always following her new dream. A few random examples would be: a hamburger fast-food cafeteria in the south of Spain in the early 70s, a chic nouvelle cuisine restaurant in the South of Spain in the mid 70s, a fashion boutique in a Swiss ski resort in the 80s, etc. Some of her projets lasted a few years, others a few months. I truly believe most of her ideas were good but ahead of their time, especially given the place where she developped them. These ideas would have most probably been extremely successful in other places where we later lived like Madrid or Lausanne. I therefore always stood behind her, helping and supporting her in whichever way I could.

And so when she shared with me her latest idea to buy a big house in the old city of Sion and do a B&B (an old dream of hers), I immediately cheered. This project seemed perfect for her soon-to-come retirement and I knew she'd be so good at it! And this time, it was the right place and the right time, as the city of Sion needs this kind of charming acomodation. So we went to see the house during my stay there, as she wanted my opinion. I fell in love with the house, just as she had. And so, before I was to return to Germany, the house was reserved and her project was taking shape.

Now that the way is clear, my mother has doubts. In the past, she's always followed her heart, acting immediately on it. This seems to have changed, as she's thinking it over and over and doubting more and more about the house. Thoughts like "I am too old for such a thing" and "what if I end up on a wheelchair" are preventing her to go through with this idea. I of course find it a pitty, because I know that she would have been happy with this and good at it. But I understand her fears, stand behind her and support her decision, whatever it might be. Sixty years might actually have brought her wisdom.