Coffee from a Reusable Ceramic Mug

Seriously, aren’t the little feet sticking out just awesome!?!

We went for a little hike yesterday. There is a small mountain a few miles from my parent’s house, so we took a few hours away from the family chaos and walked in the desert. It was nice. It was the first Clair for hike that did not involved snow. We had a great view of suburban sprawl from the top. We turned around a little before the summit because of a full diaper. Matthias ended up running the last quarter mile to the summit while I headed down toward the car. We need to hike more!!

I think I have realized each of our primary functions as parents on this trip (aside from food and diapers). Matthias’s job is to make sure the baby doesn’t get cold. My job is to make sure the baby doesn’t get hot. This can lead to some misunderstandings. For instance, I had to clarify that, in Phoenix, they call a ‘draft’ a ‘breeze’ and it is a good thing. He was worried about her being in the ‘draft’ on the first day, and that made me laugh because it was about 75 degrees!

We both seem to be equally responsible for avoiding sunburn. Matthias’s methods of avoiding sun burn (putting long sleeved shirts and pants on her in 80 degree weather) interferes with my main job of trying to prevent her from getting hot. We are still figuring it out. Clair doesn’t seem terribly bothered by the heat or cold, so we are lucky.

I can’t believe how many loads of laundry we’ve done already. The dust our here gets on everything!

Sittin’ on a hay bale during a pig roast in the desert - what more can I say? We had fun today. Mark invited us to join him and a 100 or so of his closest friends at a pig roast.

My cousin’s neighbor, Bradly, hosts this every year. They buy a pig, kill it, and then cook it’s body in the ground for a couple of days. Everyone shows up when they hall it out of the ground (with a crane, apparently), and they eat and eat. Matthias said the pork was WONDERFUL, and I don’t think I’ve seen him ever eat so much pork in one sitting.

Bradly’s place is pretty awesome. He has it set up nicely, and he has a great eye. There are lots of things that look like they could have been picked up in a junk yard, but he puts it all together so it looks unique and classic cowboy. I should have gotten some shots of the details, but I didn’t think of it at the time. Maybe I’ll get a chance to go back before I leave.

I did get some shots of the place and the people so you can get a feel for the afternoon. It ended with a nice fire.

This is all that was left of the pig when we got there - just a burlap sack, a few bones, and piles of meat. The guy grabbed a piece and handed it to Matthias. He also offered me a piece, but I just couldn’t. I know I am not a vegetarian anymore, but part of me is still resisting the change. The second shot shows the pig pit covered up.

A few photos of us hanging out. Just below is Mark and Norma (and a random horse). In the middle is Matthias and my Aunt Louise in from Pennsylvania. The bottom of the three is just dad walking somewhere.

Here is Matthias kicking back enjoying some pig and horse shoes.

Clair got to share a ride in her cousin Jayden’s wagon. She had a good time, and I think he liked having her there.

If you want an idea of how much dust is floating around in the desert, this photo, taken with the flash after sunset, gives you an idea. I couldn’t use the flash because when I did, it just illuminate the dust particles and you couldn’t see much. I was trying to capture a Piñata that they had for the kids.

Finally, they lit the fire and everyone sat around talking. We headed home shortly after the fire was lit. It was nice and totally relaxing. I could have stayed longer if I didn’t have a little monkey strapped onto my chest. She should have been sleeping, but she was digging the fire too. I think she enjoyed the party as much as we did.

Gotta love Sears!!

Since I can’t keep up with blogging our trip, here is a photo summary thus far. About a dozen posts have already come into my head and then were promptly forgotten. It is a nice vacation so far in spite of grandpa’s death. He left a good feeling behind.

Matthias and I are getting some much needed time out together thanks to grandma. Clair continues to get strong (and loud). I swear she has grown significantly in just the past week.

Today, we are realizing that deserts are REALLY dry. I think our bodies are in shock. My skin is really unhappy, and I feel all dried out all the time! We put lotion on Clair for the first time ever today. Hopefully our bodies will adjust soon.

We did a bit of shopping here and there. Matthias and I went to Starbucks this morning and enjoyed walking around the mall. We decided that the biggest difference between Starbucks in the US and in Germany is that subtle breeze from air conditioning! hmmmmm…. air conditioning, how I’ve missed you.

We had a date tonight, but we ended up just heading back home after dinner because we were so sleepy. I think the jet lag is still hanging on a bit. Speaking of jet lag, I am tired. More later…..

On Saturday we had a bunch of errands to run. My mom suggested that we should stop by the rehab center where my grandpa was staying to say hi and introduce him to Clair. We had planned on seeing him when he went back home on Tuesday, but mom thought it would make him feel good to have some visitors on Saturday.

So, we packed up Clair and met grandpa in the garden of the center. He knew who I was, and he was happy to see Clair. We introduced her and he said, “Clair like eclair!” Matthias asked what an eclair is, and grandpa explained. He was confused about who was alive and dead in his family, but he was really clear on what an eclair is - man had his priorities straight

We had a nice visit. Grandpa played with her a bit and we chatted. Once it was time for him to go, my mom took one last nice photo of him smiling. We told him that we would come and see him when he went home. As my dad wheeled him back to his room, he yelled down the hall, “See ya!” My mom said he’s never done that before. It was funny.

This morning at about 5 AM, the phone ring, and I had a feeling I knew what it was. My uncle called to tell us that my grandpa passed away sometime last night or this morning. Considering the fact that we live in Germany and rarely get out here, the timing of his passing was remarkable. He got to meet his little eclair before he died. That makes us all feel good. My mom gets big credit for making sure that we went on Saturday to have a nice visit.

Our travel plans are changing a bit because the funeral will be in a week giving some relatives back east time to come out. Clair will meet more of her family than we expected.

Timing is an interesting thing.

We are alive and in Phoenix. The other members of my little family are passed out.

The travel went relatively well. Clair had a seat for the Munich to DC flight, so she was securely strapped in when we could get her to stay in her seat. She was being an angel most of the trip, and many people told us how lucky we are to have such a quiet, pleasant baby. Then, we got to DC.

The tiredness started kicking in for Matthias and me after getting to the airport. Clair was totally pumped up, however. Dulles airport was far too interesting for her to sleep, so she watched everyone who walked by with intense interest.

By the time we started the second flight (4.5 more hours on top of the 9 hours flight we already did), our little angel was tired. One thing to know about Clair is that being tired and not being able to sleep is the only thing that really pisses her off, and she is quiet vocal in sharing her displeasure.

Fortunately, we seemed to have been seated in the ‘grandparents’ section. Most of the people around us we grandparents and pretty supportive for our sometimes screaming child. I ended up walking in a figure 8 between the bulkhead and the toilet for God knows how long. That was the only thing that got her to wind down and fall asleep. Matthias, at least, got some sleep on that flight. I knew that if he was sleeping then, I would have a better time sleeping later because he wouldn’t be as tired as me and he could let me sleep later (The less tired parent becomes the parent in charge as a general rule). I was so tired that I kept looking at my watch because I kept forgetting what time it was the last time I checked. I had some profound, sleep deprived toughts while doing my figure 8 on the plane, but I can’t seem to recall any of them anymore. I am certain they were not as profound as they may have seemed at the time.

Mom and dad picked us up at the terminal, and I handed Clair off to her grandma right away (she was awake again at that point ant totally interested in what was happening). All three of us were asleep by 9:30, and we were all awake again at 4:00.

I had a fun morning playing ‘dog whisperer’ with my brother’s pack - there are two unstable pack members who need some help. His other two dogs are easy to control and pretty well balanced.

I think I am on my third wind at the moment, my second wind having come and gone. Fatigue kicked in hard this afternoon, and I think it hit us all at the same time because Matthias and I were getting on each others nerves, and Clair was screaming a lot. It took us over an hour to get her to sleep. I’ve learned that once she gets past a certain point in tiredness or over stimulation, she seems to only want to be with me (and my boobs).

Aside from her freakouts when the jetlag kicks in, Clair is doing well and enjoying meeting the family. She LOVED her uncle Mark. I’ve never see her snuggle into anyone she has just met like she did with him this morning.

An interesting thing happened during the trip when we noticed Clair had a rash all over her torso just before boarding the plane to DC. Her cheek and chin seemed to get redder as the day wore on as well. It hasn’t gotten worse, so we haven’t gone to a doctor yet. Today, however, Matthias noticed that she might have a tooth breaking through! (that may cause a rash). Hopefully that was the cause of both the rash and the random screaming. Once it breaks through, perhaps both will go away.

There are lots of photos, but I can’t focus enough to post them tonight. Maybe I can do it at 4AM when I am up again.

I hate the night before a big trip. All of the ‘what ifs’ run through my head and I feel nervous. Usually, I procrastinate packing, and I am running around the night before. At least this time, we are packed and can relax a bit tonight - or, at least I am. Matthias is almost there.

Once the day starts tomorrow, we will be in travel mode, and I actually enjoy that shift of perspective. Everything becomes an adventure.

And after the adventure, we are just there in the warm sunshine!!!!! Dude, it snowed in Regensburg today; we need some sunshine.

Clair might not be able to roll over or hold her head up well while lying on her tummy, but she is getting pretty good at the vertical stuff. Actually, since not putting her in her bouncer for a couple of days, I think she has actually gotten better.

I thought I’d throw in this photo too. It is me at six months. I can see a bit of me in Clair. What do you think?