What happens when we get there?

Our first night in Basel and totally clueless!

Now that you know we're moving back to Texas, having baby number two, and going through what feel like a million other transitions at the same time, you may be wondering how we're going to manage all of this. Don't worry, I'm asking myself this same question, and wondering how things will go.

When someone moves abroad it is considered expatriating from your home country; when they move back it's called repatriation. When we moved abroad I was constantly running across articles and blogs that talked about the difficulties of repatriation, or going back "home". At the time, when I was having many days when I felt like my head might literally explode, I could not fathom how this could possibly be the case. But now we're here, and I totally get it.

So how do I really feel about moving back? I think petrified is too strong of a word, but sometimes it feels close to that. Am I happy to be going back to Fort Worth? Absolutely, so please don't take this post as indicating anything else. But do I think it will be difficult? Definitely.

I know you're probably thinking, "But you're coming back to where you came from. How can it be that different?" 

For me, it just feels really different. We've been gone for over three years now. Life has gone on, people have changed, situations have changed, and things have happened in that time. The Fort Worth we left is not the Fort Worth we're going back to. By no means did I think things would stay the same, but I think when we get back I will truly recognize how much things have changed.

I say others have changed, but look at BK and me. When we left, we were two people who had always lived in Texas, near family; were both working; had no kids; went out all the time; and hadn't traveled nearly as much. And now...we've been on our own, where it was just BK and I relying on each other alone; K Bear has joined our family, with Baby H on the way; I haven't worked in three years; we're much more intentional about living life; and have truly discovered how much we love to explore new places. I would say, as individuals we've changed, as a couple we've changed, and as a family- well, that's completely new since we've been abroad.

I've talked some to BK and a little to my parents about this, and I think they worry about me. I don't want you to be worried; I think I'm just trying to prepare myself for when our new reality sets in. I think we'll experience some growing pains as we figure out life in a new neighborhood, new house, new phase of life, new family of four, different relationships with family and friends, new career opportunities- the list goes on and on.

So bear with me if you think I'm a little slow to get on board and seem like I'm fully back "home." It will be a process, but stick with us (me) and we'll get there.

Believe it or not, I am actually counting down the days. Two weeks from tomorrow the movers come and we'll be on our way!

#2: Already over half way there!

So we announced that #2- Baby H- was coming along a couple of month ago. It was in February to be exact, but I haven't had a chance to post about this exciting news yet. And now that I can actually talk about what's happening in our lives I can be completely honest in my post.

As much as I hate to say it, Baby H is potentially already a typical second child?? I kind of can't believe that it happens this early on! With K Bear I took weekly pictures of my progress and sent them to the fam. With Baby H, not so much. So far they've gotten one picture of the baby bump at 20 weeks to mark the half way point. I seem to be too busy trying to upload pictures of K Bear to the photo stream we share with our families.

I thought I would answer some of the same questions we posted about K Bear when we announced that she was on the way...

Was this a surprise for you and BK?
We actually haven't had this question much this time around; maybe that's because most people know that we really don't do a lot of surprises in our life. It was not a surprise, but we weren't sure when it would happen. After I finished pumping for Kate, things were not happening with my reproductive system and doctors ultimately found a tumor on my pituitary gland (prolactinoma) that was repressing my reproductive system.

It is benign, and is the most common type of pituitary tumor, but still a bit worrisome, as it is in the brain. Anyway, it is treated with medication, and the tumor has shrunk, but it is still there. And things are obviously back to working again since Baby H is on his way.

Are you going to find out the gender?
Well, as I mentioned above...Baby H is on HIS way, so yes we know we're expecting a boy. The doctor was actually able to tell us at our 15 week appointment, and I kind of didn't believe it since K Bear made us wait until the long sonogram. And speaking of, we had the organ scan last week and all looks good; AND the doctor confirmed that Baby H is in fact a boy.

You always said you didn't want any, and now you'll have two?
Yes. One of my things that I was pretty set on when we decided we wanted to have a family was that if we were having one, I wanted two. BK was a little harder to convince after K Bear turned out to be such a happy baby, as he didn't want to mess a good thing up. But, as our siblings are very important to us, amongst other things, we obviously decided that we wanted K Bear to have a sibling.

I figure these questions are not so applicable to Baby H now: Where will the baby be born? and Will the baby have dual citizenship? As we're coming back in three weeks he will be born in Fort Worth and will be a US citizen just like K Bear. The funny thing is, I have absolutely no idea how kids born in the US even get a social security card or birth certificate. Where do those come from? Hospital? City? County? No clue...I should probably look into this. Now, applying for his first passport-easy.

I was also a bit surprised when people told me that it might be a difficult to find an OB who would take me when I'm six months pregnant and they're seeing me for the first time. I find this surprising because, say I hadn't had prenatal care before now. If you're a doctor, don't you want to make sure I have it as soon as possible? This concept is weird to me. I have been tentatively accepted by a practice who has availability to deliver in August, BUT they do want to see my records before they make the final decision.

I think that's about it for now. I would say that I will post about Baby H again soon, but as K Bear, Tobs and I leave Switzerland three weeks from today, that's somewhat unlikely. I'm sure there will be much more to come about our journey back to the US. Stay tuned!

Texas, here we come...and for good this time!

Not sure I can find this view in Fort Worth

Yes, that's right, we're moving back to Texas!

I cannot tell you how excited I am that this day has finally come. Not the day that we're moving back, but the day that BK's company finally announced his new position, so we can actually talk about it. Things have been in the works for a little while, and we told family and a few close friends, but now it's public, so yay!

K Bear, Tobs and I will be back in about three weeks, then BK around a week after us. It's a very short time from now, and there are a lot of moving parts all happening at the same time, but we're excited to be coming back, to say the least.

If I'm completely honest, the move back is somewhat bittersweet, and I know that it will be a big change for all of us. We have really enjoyed our time in Switzerland, but we always knew it was a temporary thing for us. Family is such a strong draw for us and the timing is right at this point in our lives- with Baby K #2 on the way, K Bear getting older, me wanting to do something in my professional life, and BK being presented with the right opportunity- just to name a few.

I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who have a million questions about the move back, such as: What is BK doing in his new role? Is LK going back to work? Where are you going to live? What are you going to do with your house in FW? What will you miss most about being abroad? I'm well aware that the list goes on and on, and sometimes I feel like we're presented with a question so often that it kind of takes on a 'question of the week' feel.

Hopefully I'll get back to you on many of the questions above, and now that I can actually talk freely about what's happening in our lives, will likely try to post a little bit more often.

To all of you in Cowtown- we can't wait to see you soon!

Easter at Lake Como

Harbor in Menaggio

Sounds fancy, right? But let's be honest from the get-go, how fancy can you really be when you're traveling with four kids, all under the age of three??

Little MG and K Bear playing play-doh

We rented a house in Menaggio with two other friend-families, the T's and G's, and yes we have four little ones between the three families, ranging from 1 month to 2.5 years. If you're traveling with a family or families, I would highly recommend renting a house; mostly because the kids typically have more space to run around, and in this house they had separate places to sleep, each family had their own bathroom, and the parents had space to hang out after the kids all went to sleep.

Getting some energy out at a playground on the Lake

We explored the area, criss-crossing Lake Como numerous times and enjoying time outside. The weather was pretty good, allowing everyone to get out of the house often, and also to enjoy plenty of food and drink of various terraces throughout the area. One of the first afternoons we found a great little place in Tremezzo, called Hotel Rusall, that had delicious food and an equally amazing view to go with it. The kids could run around in the courtyard, and being outside we didn't bother other diners too much.

K Bear and AT discussing something important

Taking in the view

During the other afternoons the kids stayed with a babysitter and the parents headed across the lake to visit Bellagio and Varenna. Both are charming villages on Lake Como, and are exactly what you picture when you think of an Italian village in the mountains. In Bellagio, we went to a great little wine bar, Cava Turacciolo, where the staff are passionate and informed about their wines, and they also serve great meat and cheese plates from around the area.

Ferry crossing Lake Como

BK and I out for the afternoon

All of the streets are like this...charming, but don't bother with the stroller

Church in Bellagio

Of course, we went for Easter, and our visit was not complete without Easter brunch together and an Easter egg hunt for all of the kids. We all felt really grown up the night before, stuffing eggs for the kids, and talking about how much random stuff our parents made happen for us! The dads did a little bit too good of a job hiding eggs for the kids, kind of forgetting that they are all under three. We made it work though, and had fun finding all the little treats.

Searching for eggs; hoping for only eggs with chocolate

The dads didn't take the hunt that far, but K Bear was pretty sure there were more eggs

Enjoying her spoils

Easter night we had a private chef come to the house to cook dinner for us. It was a great way to end the trip, minus the couple of power outages we had due to weather. He sent the menu beforehand, and we chose three appetizers, a pasta course, a meat course, and dessert. They brought a white tablecloth, all the utensils, and good wine glasses, to really set the stage. Considering that we have to pay a babysitter for the kids anytime we go out, and we typically were enjoying nice meals together, the private chef coming to the house really wasn't anymore expensive than a regular night out.

Parent time!

We all headed out the next morning, as Easter Monday is a holiday in Europe, so everyone had the day off, but the guys also had to get back to work the next day. If you're traveling around Italy and want a relaxing getaway, Lake Como is a great place to find that- lots of fun times with great friends!

Little MG and K Bear relaxing together at the house