Has a year really passed? All of 365 days? With the coming and going of this huge milestone, I'd like to write a bit about where Alex's journey to-date. It's a long-overdue update of our life abroad... as parents, and as a family.
The past couple weeks has been really special. My Uncle and his wife and children made it out for a visit... which came as quite a surprise! Best of all, the boys adored my Uncle Paul, Aunt Teri, and cousins Alyssa and Evan. I know they're missed already, even if Alexander can't say it. :) Actually, the kids have adored most of our recent visitors (my cousins Vanessa and Andrea, my Mom, my friends Jen and Lauren, the Müller family, etc!). That's great!
As I played tour guide, the boys were great travelers (as usual), and we took them to some of the most incredible spots in Zeeland, Belgian Vlanders and Bavaria.
In the meantime, Tobi's been working... a lot. And when he's not working, he's studying for his MBA. In between, we have a quick dinner together. His dedication is amazing, and he's been coming to bed at 3am, only to wake up at 6 for work again. Poor guy.
While Alexander doesn't seem to notice Papa's occasional absence too terribly much, Lukas asked where Papa was as he began to doze off tonight.
"Papa's working, honey."
"But Mama, he just came home from work -- I just saw him."
"I know, but he has a little more work to do. He'll come to bed soon."
You have to love those sweet bedtime conversations!
How am I coping with all of this? Well, better than expected. I never thought I could be a single parent, but when you pick up any slack gradually, it's becomes doable. We comitted to this, and although we're only 3-months into Tobi's 3-year Masters program, I know time will go by more quickly than we think.
But hey! I wanted to focus on Alexander in this posting, so let me shift gears.
The poor little guy is sick... again! His nose isn't running as much, but as this cold runs its course in my body as well, I'm beginning to realize that there's more to it than sinus congestion. My chest is feeling yucky and tight, which means he's probably dealing with the same thing. Let's hope we're all better by the weekend for Alex's big party!
Today we celebrated Alexander's birthday as a family, singing him happy birthday and eating nutella-and-chocolate-sprinkled cupcakes. Judging by the mess on his face, he enjoyed it, and Lukas loved the decorating part. We also had a small party for him at Tobi's parent's place on Sunday... but that was kind of combined with a traditional German meal. It was cute watching Lukas, who did a great job helping his little brother blow out his very first birthday candle.
Developmentally, Alexander is great at keeping his balance and loves to climb. And, although he's a risk taker, he just isn't quite ready to take that first step yet. The funny thing is, while with Lukas nothing could ever happen fast enough, with Alexander I remind myself how quickly time flies... take your time, baby! :)
I know I'll have more to write in the morning, and Alexander has just begun to fuss, so I'm going to come back to this post in a few hours' time.
Thanks for reading, and check back soon for (more regular) updates!
~Liz
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