Quick and Healthy

After having a few days at home with just me and Baby K, I realized I really need to work on my eating. BK and I eat pretty healthy, and we eat out way less than we did in the US, but on any given day I often find myself scrounging around for food when I need to eat.

Most days I eat all three meals at home, getting out in the mornings and afternoons, sort of missing meal times out. And besides that, eating out in Switzerland is fairly expensive, especially considering I'm not interested in eating fast food. I typically default to some sort of green salad or fruit and hope that I have some rotisserie chicken in the fridge. There may also be cheese toast involved in most cases. Not bad, but gets boring after a while.

So at the end of this week, after I had recovered from our whirlwind two weeks with family, I set out on a mission to find some summer salad recipes that I could easily grab for a quick bite. I was thinking something like Central Market's to-go section where I could just dish up a couple of healthy bites.

Middle Eastern Veggie Salad

I tried three new recipes for this little endeavor: Middle Eastern Vegetable Salad; Pesto Pasta Salad with Roasted Asparagus, String Beans, Cherry Tomatoes and Olives; and Citrus Quinoa Salad.

Pesto Pasta Salad

The grocery trip seemed enormous, but Baby K and I made it home, stroller, rolly bag, and another grocery bag in hand. There wasn't really all that much cooking involved, more chopping lots of fruits and veggies. I somehow managed to get the most of it done in the time that Baby K took her nap from 3pm to 5pm, and before BK arrived home from the airport.

Citrus Quinoa Salad

Hopefully my adventures in cooking will pay off this week when Baby K and I are around the house. So far the Middle Eastern Veggie Salad is my favorite; it makes a great bruschetta as well. The Citrus Quinoa Salad is a little different, but something I'm willing to try, in hopes that it fills me up more than just a piece of fruit would. And I haven't actually tried the Pesto Pasta Salad yet, so hopefully it doesn't disappoint!

We're busy living life!

SO. FAR. BEHIND. Hmmm...will I ever finish a series of posts when a trip or event takes more than one post. I'm really not sure at this point. I'm also sure that you're all tired of me constantly talking about how far behind I am with posting on the blog. BK, Baby K and I are out living life, so I guess I'll just have to do what I can.

Being on the go wears her out too

Ok, enough about that. So much continues to happen in our lives- it seems (and feels) crazy sometimes. I just told BK the other day that right now it kind of feels like he and I are trying to prove to people that we can still jet around and travel like we used to before Baby K came along. Point made, yes we can do it. And honestly, it feels like we're doing more than we were before.

An evening at home and some family time on the play mat

I think I left off when TR, Baby K and I were in Paris. Where does the time go? I think I may have also mentioned that we did our first long weekend away as a family to Lugano- also successful. We seem to be toting Baby K around anywhere and everywhere possible. She either rolls along in the stroller or is strapped to one of us, always along for the ride.

Trekking around in Lugano

We went though a really hot spell in Basel the first week of June, which was pretty miserable. How quickly I let myself forget what it was like to have 95 degree temps outside with no AC! And I totally hadn't thought about how in the world I was going to keep Baby K cool during the summer. We did venture out to one of the public pools here in Basel with a friend, so that was a new experience. The water was really cold- Baby K screamed when I put her feet in- so we just splashed around a little bit. Also, apparently they don't sell tops or full swimsuits in Baby K's size- these bottoms were all I could come up with.

Ready for some sun!

Most recently BK's mom, sisters and niece have been visiting for the past two weeks. We made the most of the time and did A LOT. Their trip included Monaco, Nice, Eze, Basel, Luzern (we skipped this one), Paris, Black Forest and Basel again.  Whew! The trip also included delayed flights, missed connections, cancelled trains, bad hotel rooms and many other adventures in just getting around Europe. Baby K also had her first plane and car rides as well. Yes, she rode in a car for the first time at 12 weeks.

Our first flight- she had a baby seatbelt too

I figure I might as well end this blog like the others, with the hope that I'll return soon to tell you more about our trip to Lugano and all the adventures we had while family was visiting. We had tons of fun together. I am very thankful that they all got to come over, meet Baby K, experience a bit of our life, and see some new places together.

Visiting the Eiffel Tower- one of the many highlights

I have a few days of downtime before it's time to get out and go again. We'll see what happens!

Party of three in Paris

Paris with an infant? Yes, it can be done! TR, Baby K and I ventured off to the city of lights last month during her visit to Basel. This was Baby K's first multi-night trip away from home and TR's first trip to Paris. Fun times!

Similar to what BK and I did last year, the three of us took the TGV (fast train) to Paris, which is about three hours from Basel. I was a little concerned about this train ride with Baby K, but only because unlike trains around Switzerland, the TGV has assigned seats, meaning that she could not ride in her bassinet on the way there. The train ride still went well though, I put her in the carrier and she did great. A nap and one meal later, made it to Paris.

On our way to Paris!

For this trip, I used www.airbnb.com for the first time and rented an apartment for the three of us in the Montemarte neighborhood of Paris. TR and I researched how to get there from the train station using the metro. This would have been a good plan had we not had the stroller and rolling duffel bag. As a warning, the Paris metro is NOT stroller friendly at all. Very few stations have elevators and you have to wander way out of the way to get to them, if they are available. We ended up carrying the stroller up and down many sets of stairs like the ones below. Baby K and I worked TR pretty hard that first day, so after all that she was up for anything.

A small set of stairs in the Metro

I really liked having an apartment for the three of us, and would go that route again. The only downside is that you don't have anyone to help you get around or answer random questions you might have about how to do things around the city. I liked the apartment because it had a separate bedroom that I could put Baby K down in, and when she got up earlier in the morning than TR would have wanted to, she and I could get up and start our day in the living room and kitchen, doing what we needed to do before we went out for the day.

Abbesses- our Metro station

The Montemarte neighborhood is where Sacre Coeur is located and is a favorite for many people. Often Baby K and I would get out and take a walk in the mornings, picking up croissants and fruit for breakfast, and the neighborhood makes you really feel like you're in Paris. It's what you imagine- small cafes, shops and markets line the cobblestone streets, not too much traffic, and lots of locals going about their daily lives in the morning. I like this area, but it's a little removed from the center of Paris where everything is located.

Sacre Coeur

The first night there, TR picked Cafe des Deux Moulins for dinner. Yes, it is the one from the Amelie movie (neither of us have seen), but was also not far from our apartment. It's good, typical French fare; something easy before getting out for the night. I did the usual bath and bed time routine with Baby K and put her down for the night at the apartment. Pretty much as soon as she's asleep, you can take her out for the night, simply putting the bassinet on the stroller and making sure she's covered up. She typically sleeps through anything. It's pretty awesome.

Snoozing through dinner

After dinner we made a brief stop in front of Moulin Rouge. TR was surprised that it was not a freestanding building on it's own. It's not- it's in a row of buildings in our neighborhood, just like most of the other businesses and shops. We didn't go to a show, but I would still highly recommend it if you're in Paris; it was one of BK and my favorite things that we did there.

Moulin Rouge

After many more steps up and down in the metro, TR and I managed to get down to the Eiffel Tower. It is magnificent at night. Last time we visited Paris, BK and I went to the top of Arc D'Triomphe at night and saw the Eiffel Tower from afar, but seeing it all lit up right there is different. I actually think it's much prettier at night than during the day, but on the other hand, you also don't have the views you have during the day.

Eiffel Tower at night

We wrapped up our evening after this stop, tying unsuccessfully to get home via bus, and eventually carrying the stroller up and down more steps to the metro. We arrived back at the apartment around 1am and fell into bed.

The next couple of days held new adventures for the three of us, but this post is getting long and Baby K is about ready to get up from her morning nap, so those will have to come later. I'll be back soon with more!

10 things I never thought I’d say (and probably be celebrating)

This is an article I recently wrote for an expat parent newsletter here in Basel- wanted to share.

Ah the joys of being a new parent…some days it’s relatively smooth sailing and others kind of feel like a slap in the face. As a new mom who is almost 12 weeks in, I’ve often found that I laugh about how different things are now from before our daughter, including saying things that I never thought I would hear come out of my mouth. Here are a few of my favorites- I’m sure some will sound familiar!

1. “It’s so weird that I grew a human.”  Birth is absolutely a miraculous event, but after we got home from the hospital and things calmed down a bit, I found myself pondering this quite often. I’m sure I first told my husband this thought on a walk along the river together. Before having our daughter, my thought was that you grow all kinds of other stuff- flowers, grass, height, and many others things. But a human? Crazy.
2. “Wake up babe, it’s 5:30 in the morning!” It’s very possible that I said this before becoming a parent, but in a completely different context. I have never put so much glee into a whispered statement to my husband early in the morning. For the first time, our daughter had slept from 9pm to 6am, and I woke up confused as to why I was still asleep. At the point when I realized she was actually still asleep, I felt the need to wake my husband up to share my excitement.
3. “Woo hoo! 200 mL!”  This may be a little too much information for people, but I never thought I would be celebrating how much breast milk I produce. When our daughter first arrived I was not making enough for her and we were supplementing with formula on a regular basis. It has felt like a huge milestone every time I’ve reached a significant number, especially if it’s more than I’ve ever done before. There are usually high fives involved as well.
4. “Come on, poop for mom.” Yes, this statement has come out of my mouth numerous times. I’m typically talking to our daughter in a sing-songy voice as we are getting ready to leave the house and go somewhere. It typically doesn’t coax anything out of her, but I can always hope. Recently she seems to have decided that the train is her ideal place, as every time we take one somewhere I am making numerous trips to the changing station.
5. “It’s a miracle…I cleaned our whole apartment in one day!” I seriously undervalued how easy it was to clean the apartment before our daughter arrived. Now it’s done in approximately four segments throughout the day, as I fit it in around her sleep schedule. I also underestimated how awesome I would feel once I finally accomplished this. It’s the only non-baby thing I got done that day, but it was done. Of course, I had to alert my husband of my accomplishment in a text that was shortly followed by:
6. “Now if I can get a shower in I’ll be golden.” I never thought I would have to figure out how to fit a shower into my day. Before our daughter was born I generally got up, showered and went about my day. Now it’s a whole new routine, and during nap time, I feel the need to jump into action on all the other seemingly more important things to do around the house. It hasn’t been all that bad though; there’s only been one day that I didn’t actually get a shower.
7. “I can’t believe I got all the laundry done!” This is obviously very similar to me getting our apartment cleaned, but it feels like a huge accomplishment when I get all of our laundry done in one day- including folding and being put away. People warned me about this one; I thought because we have a combo washer/dryer it would be easier. Not so much.
8. “Just wipe it off- it’s just a little spit up.” Since having our daughter, I’ve had to convince myself that spit up is not throw up, but it’s still technically her regurgitated food. I just didn’t realize how many of the shoulders of my shirts would be spotted with it. She doesn’t spit up a lot (amount or frequency), but I know at some point that shoulder will at least be drooled on again, so don’t bother changing shirts every time it happens.
9. “Oooohhh, that was a good burp.” Growing up in a household with all girls, we didn’t really do the whole gross bodily functions thing. But now with a child of my own, I realize that getting said bodily functions out actually make my life a lot more pleasant for the remainder of the time she is awake and that feeding time is not actually over until a good burp is had.
10. “Yes the brake is on.” My husband requested that I include this one. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times, specifically in relation to our stroller. I had an unfortunate event with the stroller before our daughter arrived, and long story short, the stroller ended up in the Rhein. We had hired a dog trainer to help get the dogs ready for our new arrival and she and I were out practicing walking with the stroller and dogs. We took a break from the stroller for a minute to practice something else, and unfortunately I forgot to put the brake on…next thing I know, our stroller is in the river. So, yes the brake is always on.

Maybe I should add posting to my 'To Do' list

Oh blog, how I wish I could get to you once a day; even once a week would be nice, but it's just not in the cards right now. When I do have a chance to sit down and put some thoughts down, it's always a toss up as to what I want to share since it's pretty likely that a lot has happened since I posted last. Hopefully I'll catch up one day...and if not, life goes on and I'll share what's happening then.

What I've been up to = Baby K

So what have we been up to lately? Lots, actually...or maybe it just feels like a lot? In the past couple of weeks the big ones have been TR coming to visit; TR, Baby K and I going to Paris; and then BK, Baby K and I heading south to Lugano.

Baby K relaxed after BK returned from his first trip back to the US

I think I say, maybe it just feels like a lot because that was only a list of three things, although pretty big events. But it seems that my to-do list goes on forever, and much to my chagrin I can never cross everything off. Typically I get the majority of one list done, then transfer the remaining items to a new list because I need more room or am tired of keeping up with that crumpled piece of paper. And just as a disclaimer, I am totally a person who puts things on my list for the sole purpose of crossing them off; I need credit for them or something. Go figure.

TR and Baby K out in Basel

TR's visit was really good. She came to visit while BK was in the US. We hung out in Basel for a few days, headed to Paris for a few days, then came back here again. We got out and about in Basel, even exploring a few places I had never been. Obviously meeting Baby K for the first time was the highlight of her trip, but our trip to Paris is probably second on her list of favorites. I was really glad to have her there for the experience, as it was Baby K's first multi-night trip away from home, and TR was along for the ride. We had a couple of times when things broke down a little, but we just regrouped and kept going. More on that visit and trip later.

Hiking around Lake Lugano

Just a couple of days after TR went home, BK, Baby K and I headed down to the southern part of Switzerland, near Italy. Since having done one trip with Baby K already, I had some things I knew I would do differently from Paris, but overall she's pretty easy to travel with. When you're in Lugano it's kind of weird because you know you're in Switzerland, but you feel like you're in Italy. It was a good little getaway for the long weekend. Hopefully you'll see more on that one later too. Fingers crossed.

Tanner feels like he belongs here

That's all I have for now. I think there are at least four-ish bottles and two pumps waiting to be washed, along with two dogs who want to go out at some point before bed, and I'm sure plenty of other things I can find that need to be done before bed. My wake up call comes at the same time every day though, so we'll see what happens. Hopefully I'll be back here soon!