~10 Months~

Well, Sina is a little over a week into her 10th month and it seems like she didn't spend too much time being nine months!  It flew by so quickly!  I was just reading through her update for last month and boy, have there been lots of changes! 

Caught red-handed at her favorite hangout spot

No stats this month.  I believe her next appointment will be at the one year mark, which is less than two months away!  Anyway, just before Memorial Day weekend, Sina had taken her first few baby steps.  She took a total of four steps one day and after that, it seems like she was determined to walk.  She would take a few steps, fall, take a few more, fall and just do that repeatedly--and she wouldn't give up and start crawling.  Sometimes, she'd take a few steps, clap and smile to herself (because she knew she did something good!) and then keep on going.  Her daycare providers would tell us that she'd be trying to walk all around the nursery.  Every couple of days, she would walk further and further without falling.  Well, she actually officially started walking (as in more than 5 feet) on June 7th...the day after she turned exactly 10 months old.  I saw it with my very own eyes because I happened to stop by the daycare on my lunch break.  Today, she can walk all around our house, stumbling every now and then, but walking no less.  Now that she's got walking down, she's trying to do it faster as if wanting to learn how to run.  Gosh Sina, slow down!

Trying out cottage cheese & fresh peaches (while watching her video on TV)

Sina's also got two more teeth--her top two!  This has made it possible for her to try more table foods.  While in Normandy for Memorial Day weekend, we realized that her pureed baby foods weren't cutting it for her anymore.  She'd always be so hungry after eating almost two jars.  So, we slowly started giving her more solid food.  Today, she loves, LOVES, LOVES pasta (especially macaroni and tagliatelle noodles) with tomato sauce (I even make meat sauce for her).  She has eaten cottage cheese with various fruits (crushed pineapple and fresh peaches) and loves to have Cheerios for breakfast and for a snack.  I've also given her some brown rice with ground beef mixed in, some baked fish and chicken, as well as soft cheeses.  She even likes sauerkraut!  At the same time, I started letting her eat these items in bite-sized pieces so that she could start to feed herself and feel different textures of food.  Now she only wants to feed herself and she lets you know this by pitching a fit if you try to feed her by the spoonful.  Of course, meals are now bigger messes, but it is so much fun to see her enjoying herself and trying to be a big girl.  Speaking of snacks...she recently received snack cups (the ones with the rubber covers that allow your baby to stick their chubby little hands inside) from a friend of mine.  It didn't take her long to figure out exactly how to grab her snacks from inside the cup.  She also knows that she can get to the snack cup at any given time by going through her diaper bag.  Sneakly little girl.

 She LOVES to read her books!  Here she is in a set of pajamas that Grandma Ruby mailed to her!

Sina has added a few words to her vocabulary.  Over the past month, she's learned how to say WOW, WATER, ROOSTER and DOG.  She talks so much!  She also points at everything (and we're trying to get her to stop pointing at people) and can clap, smile, wave, lift her arms up, and show you her ears if you ask her to (all thanks to her Baby Can Read program).  We know that she recognizes other words too.  She can also sign for milk and undertands the signs for "eat," "more," and "ball".  She loves to read her books and her library has grown significantly.  Now, if only I could find a good shelf for her!

Playtime!

I want to say that she is very popular around this post.  It's a small post and you run into the same people all the time.  Her daycare providers love her and consistently provide Malu with positive feedback on her stays there.  She is very well-behaved and keeps herself entertained while most of the other children must be coddled by the care providers.  I don't see her interacting too much with the other babies there (although we know she likes other kids, like our neighbors and friends' kids).  Instead, she observes them from afar and interacts primarily with the care providers. She practically high-fives people through the commissary as we often run into people that I work with (and my co-workers just adore her).  She even has a few favorite cashiers that love on her all through the checkout line.  It's the cutest!

The infamous snack cup.

She is sleeping all throught the night, typically from 9:30 p.m. to about 7:30 a.m. and sometimes later.  She sleeps with and loves one stuffed animal in particular (although she has several)--a pink teddy bear that sings the ABCs in English and Spanish.  Once you hand her the teddy bear, a bottle, and her pacifier she's good to go for the night.  And if she loses her pacifier, she'll wake up, find it (no matter where it ends up) and go back to sleep.

Her Minnie Mouse outfit from Grandma.

And a few other things...she's still wearing size 3 diapers, but is wearing 12-month clothing and sometimes 18-month depending on the brand.  Her hair is still as curly as ever and I have to use a kids-brand detangler just to keep it from looking like a nested mess.  She likes to rough-house with her daddy.  My mom once told Malu that he shouldn't train her to be a football player.  His response was that he's not...and that he's training her to be a rugby player!  I mean, she is extremely strong.  She can do the wheelbarrow for crying out loud (the thing where you walk with your hands while someone holds your feet)!

Overall, she's just one very happy baby.  Her smile (and everything about her) just melts our hearts and we simply love being loved by her too.

Happy 10 months baby girl.  Not too much longer before the big 1!

Brauhaus!

Malu and I were supposed to be at the Stuttgart Army Ball tonight.  Well, it didn't quite pan out.  So instead of spending the day prepping for it, we didn't do much but just hang out.  Malu stayed at home with Sina while I kept a hair appointment that I had in the morning and had a few more inches chopped off.  Now I'm back to an even shorter hair cut I sported almost two years ago and it feels great, especially with how hot and humid it's been (and it's only going to get worse).  Tonight our friend, Lorie, took us to the Schonbuch Brauhaus--a brewery where Schonbuch beer is manufactured.

   

There's a restaurant called the Brauhaus, where we had dinner.

We loved this place.  The set-up was reminiscent of being back home in Old Chicago's.  I loved how contemporary the place was.  You can't see it, but outside there is a huge biergarten.  Apparently, this is the place to be during the holidays and in the summer time...they have the place decked out and usually have a live band.  I know I felt comfortable in there...there were tons of Americans in there, the staff spoke English, and the menu was in English--always a plus.  And the FOOD...was to die for.  At least I thought so.  They served traditional Swabisch cuisine and we ate a buffet-style meal.  Literally, it was a group meal...enough to feed four.  Or, really, a battalion.  It was so much food.  We couldn't finish it all.  We had:

Sauerkraut

Some kind of Brat

Pork Loin with garlic butter sauce

Fried potatoes

Some kind of Steak

Cheese Spatzle (German noodles) 

Multaschen (German ravioli)

Potato pancakes with Applesauce

As I said...too much food.  And Sina loved it too.  She totally digs sauerkraut.

Malu is determined to acquire the taste for beer.  What better place to start than in Germany?  He enjoyed a pils.  Me?  No thank you.  I was just holding up the schnapps shot that Malu was going to have after his beer.  It made for a great photo opportunity though.  How do you like my new hair cut?  Here are two more pics, compliments of Lorie :)

Me n' My Girl

A lovely family photo!

Anyway, I'm glad it was such a relaxing day.  And Lorie is just awesome company!

Hope you all are enjoying your weekend!

I'm trying to get caught up with everyone's blogs and I'll be doing Sina's 10-month update soon!

Our Little Bookworm

Sina is all about her books.  She can't get enough of them. It's so entertaining to see watch her "read" them by herself.  She likes to open and close each book, turn them from front to back, and flip through each page furiously (and roughly--the really thin pages don't cut it in this house), examining each detail so closely.  There's one book in particular, called the Hoppity Hop Bunny Peekaboo that has flaps on each page that you have to flip to see if you can find where Hoppity Hop Bunny is hiding.  She knows exactly when to flip the page and each flap and every time she finds the bunny, she goes nuts.  It's so funny...and darling.

We got a package in the mail from my parents today.  There were new pajamas and some books in there for Sina--nothing for Malu and I, by the way (thanks mom and dad; we see where we rank).  I brought them home to her after work and she went crazy.

Yes, she's got the wild hair thing going on again.

Yes, her face is partly orange because she just ate her favorite new meal--spaghetti!

Yes, she's half naked--she was about to take a bath.

And yes, she's flapping her arms like crazy again.

Love, love, love her.

I'm so glad she loves books at such a young age.  Most of the time, she'll grab a book before she grabs a toy and I hope that this continues in the years to come.

Thanks to grandma and grandpa for the sweet package!

And I owe you guys her 10 month update.  Haven't forgotten.

Have a happy Wednesday tomorrow :)

Normandy {Part IV}: Remembering D-Day

Tomorrow is the 67th anniversary of D-Day.  I have co-workers that are in Normandy for this reason.  There is a reenactment of the infamous airborne assault by our Soldiers/Paratroopers stationed here in Europe.  It's too bad we didn't wait to go until this weekend.  That would have been a sight to behold.

While in Normandy, we were fortunate to visit the National American Cemetery and Memorial that honors all Americans who died in Europe during World War II.  The cemetery is located on a bluff that overlooks Omaha Beach and the English Channel.  At the same time we were there, there were Soldiers rehearsing for Memorial Day ceremonies and I believe President Obama made an appearance there as well (we had seen his motorcade on the autobahn on our drive from Paris to Normandy).

We walked about the grounds in silence, remembering our fallen comrades.  We also walked about the grounds with great pride--in being servicemembers and Americans.

This is the museum and a lovely one at that.  The displays were fantastic and we saw a tear-jerking film called "Letters".  In the film, actual letters written by World War II Soldiers were read and their stories told.  In this picture, down past the museum, you can see Omaha Beach.

This bronze statue sits at the center of a semi-circular colonnade containing large maps and narratives of the military operations during WWII.  The statue is called "Spirit of American Youth".

Looking out west from the bronze statue is a reflecting pool and beyond that the burial grounds. 

Here's Malu going down to see the graves.  On this side, stands the French flag.  On the other side, is the American flag. 

View of the bronze statue from the reflecting pool.

There are several notable burials at the cemetery including two sons of President Theodore Roosevelt, one of which was awarded the Medal of Honor.  The others we actually saw were the Niland brothers whose story was the basis of the movie, Saving Private Ryan.  Our friend's daughter was the one who actually found their headstones (shown below).

And this post pretty much wraps up our trip.  Not sure we'll ever end up in Normandy again, so boy are we glad we can check this off of our list!

Here is a group photo of the gang with our B&B hosts, Keith and Penny, just before we left.  I stole this one from the Finches.

  We miss our friends already.  Lucky for us, the Finches will be in Germany for another three years.  We'll get to visit with them again.  The Donofrios will be moving to the states in the next month or so.  We wish them the best of luck and hope that the Army allows our paths to cross again!

Anyway, hope you're all enjoying the last of the weekend!

Until next time...

Normandy {Part III}: Beaches

We've lived inland for I don't know how many years now...I think around four.  So knowing that Normandy would land us right along the English Channel was so thrilling.  Although we didn't luck out too much as far as the weather was concerned, as being along the coast brought in some strong winds (not to mention the sun didn't make its debut until the day we left), the beaches of Normandy allowed for some spectacular sightseeing.  It also allowed us the opportunity to reflect on the significance of the shores along which we roamed.  This weekend will mark 67 years since the Allied invasion of German-occupied France on June 6, 1944 (D-Day)--almost seven decades since thousands lost their lives in one of the most significant events in military history.

I'm not going to give you the entire history lesson on the Normandy landings.  I'll let you guys Google that yourselves.  I will tell you, however, that the landings (known as Operation Neptune) were conducted in two phases--the first phase was an airborne assault and the second phase was the largest amphibious invasion in history with over 160,000 troops (infantry and armored divisions) landing ashore on along a 50-mile stretch along the Normandy coast.  The coast was divided into five beach sectors--Omaha, Utah, Gold, Juno and Sword.  We visited two of the five beaches as well as other beautiful waterfront towns in Normandy.

{Omaha}

This was the most heavily fortified beach, hence it took very heavy casualties.  The beach was so peaceful and the moments we walked upon it were very solemn.  It was almost too hard to believe that once upon a time, on that fateful day, that this very area was a battlefield and a very horrific scene at that.

It was low tide when we went, so we were able to get our feet wet and collect some seashells.  In that area was a very nice National Guard memorial as well as that restaurant that I mentioned in yesterday's post.

{Utah}

We actually went to Utah Beach on our last full day in Normandy.  By then, my camera had run out of battery and I the pictures I took with our camcorder were horrible.  This picture was "borrowed" from the Finches.  In any case, the scenery wasn't too much different from that of Omaha Beach. 

Utah Beach sits west of Omaha Beach.  D-Day casualties on this beach were the least and the 4th Infantry Division landed there.

{Pointe du Hoc}

Pointe du Hoc is a clifftop along the coast and is located between Omaha and Utah Beaches.  The Germans heavily defended this area from the high ground, looking down on both beaches.  Their guns were a huge threat to the allied invasions on both beaches.  Here, the 2nd Ranger Battalion was charged with the mission of destroying these fortifications, which they did.  Pointe du Hoc has a Ranger Memorial as well as a museum dedicated to his battle.  Along the grounds, atop the cliff, many of the fortifications (bunkers) still exist as well as craters from the D-Day bombing attacks.

What a great day for pictures.  But pardon the bad hair photos...it was really windy!

The 2nd Ranger Battalion Memorial.  Nope, he doesn't go anywhere without his little girl.

Memorial Inscription

Inside the bunker beneath the memorial

View of the clifftop--you can really see the bomb craters

West side of Pointe du Hoc (in the direction of Utah Beach)

East side of Pointe du Hoc (in direction of Omaha Beach)

Another bunker

Group picture at the entrance to the Ranger Memorial

I believe we all liked this place the most.  We spent the most time there.  The guys, especially Malu, were beyond excited to be there.  I could see Malu replaying all of the Band of Brothers, Saving Private Ryan, and every other WWII movie in his mind and picturing the movement of troops up those cliffs.  I don't know how many times he pulled out the maps we were given at the museum.  The place was like heaven on earth to him.  I loved that he was so happy.

{St. Vaast}

 Our hosts at White Cross Manor recommended that we go to Saint Vaast--a town even further west from Utah Beach.  The place had some shops and restaurants specializing in seafood, only we didn't get to do any of that.  Everything was closed by the time we got there.  Yuck!

We all took pictures of this...thought it was kinda neat.

And that's the beach edition of Normandy you guys.  Hope you enjoyed it, however long it was!

I'm almost done with the Normandy posts.  Just one more.  I think I'll save that for the anniversary of D-Day!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Normandy {Part II}: The 3 C's

In the weeks before we left for Normandy, people at work gave me feedback on what to do there, since so many have been there before.  One person told me to remember the 3 C's of Normandy...

{1} Camembert

As in camembert cheese, which is very similar to brie cheese both in taste and texture.  Soft, creamy, and delicious, camembert cheese was first made in Normandy in the late 18th century.  This is no surprise as most of the area we traveled through was rolling countryside ripe with dairy cattle.  I'd had brie cheese on many occasions before Normandy, but don't quite think I ever had camembert.  If I did, I didn't know the difference.  Either way, I was dead set on finding and eating some.  Conveniently, Keith & Penny served it to me for the first time at our first breakfast feast!

The cheese plate is smack-dab in the middle of the table.  But what the hey...let me tell you what else they served to us every morning.  In addition to cheese, they served croissants and baguettes, cereal, fresh fruit, deli meats, crepes with strawberries and nutella (my fave!), and even smoked salmon!  Not only that, Penny made the best coffee and English tea and all the jams/jellies were homemade.  We were in heaven!  Here's a group shot of all of us (well, minus one!) at our first breakfast.

From L to R: Reegan, her dad Mat (the Donofrios--minus Brooke, his wife), Me, Sina & Malu, and Eric, Maddie and Madisen (the Finches)

The second time I had camembert cheese was at a restaurant overlooking Omaha Beach, which many of you know was one of the landing sites for the Allied invasion of German-occupied France during World War II (D-Day).  I'll be talking more about that either tomorrow or the over the weekend.  In any case, the restaurant served a variety of pizzas. 

I ordered the La Normandie--it had andouille (French sausage), potatoes, and camembert with a cream sauce.

It was delicious.  Then again, anything tastes delicious to me.  Malu had that salad, also with andouille and camembert, and pears as well.

{2} Cider and {3} Calvados

These are lumped together because that's how we knocked them out--in one shot.  Okay, along with cows, the vast Normandy countryside consists of apple orchards, making it the country's major cider-producing region.  On our way to Omaha Beach from visiting Pointe du Hoc (which I'll also discuss later), we passed by a sign next to an old chateau that said "cidre and calvados", so we pulled in. 

 

Little did we know that this random place we nearly whizzed by was an absolute jewel.  The place is called Le Chateau d'Englesqueville and dates back to the late 16th century.  The place belonged to the family of its current owner, Bernard Lebrec, who produces his own cider (or cidre) and calvados, which is apple brandy.  We were able to sample both!
 
Cider for the kiddos...even Sina enjoyed it!
 

Cider (alcoholic, of course) and calvados (whoa, it was strong!) for the grown-ups!

And more than enough of both for us to buy and take home with us!

I even bought some vanilla apple jelly!  Yum-o!

Bernard was so kind to take us on a tour of the grounds.  The house, which he's still in the process of refurbishing, he says, was headquarters to the 147th Engineer Battalion following D-Day.  The battalion suffered many casualties on Omaha Beach that day.  Those that made it ashore helped clear beach obstacles and helped to get men and supplies off the beach.  Bernard told us that the monument that stands on the property was the first World War II memorial erected in Europe.  Apparently, this isn't common knowledge and we were happy to discover this.

Posing in front of the 147th Eng Bn Memorial with Bernard Lebrec

The memorial has the infamous Army Engineer insignia--the Castle 

Here are some other beautiful things we saw...

A beautiful gate...at least I thought it was

 I believe the soldiers used this to stand guard

Part of the chateau that is being refurbished.  It kind of gave me the feeling of being on the set of Marie Antoinette (Sofia Coppola's movie).

Who knew that some random stop along the French countryside would land us in such a fascinating and beautiful place? 

Coming up tomorrow.....beaches!

Thanks for following along you guys!