Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, but today is still Christmas in our house. Our Christmas decorations (minus the tree which we took down a few weeks ago, and the wreath which came down today) are still up, but that isn’t what I mean. Benjamin and Liam each received another Christmas gift today.
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Books for Benjamin
Before Liam was born, we bought and borrowed a number of books about getting a new sibling, and they really seemed to help Benjamin understand what was going on. So, last year, as we started to prepare for our astonishingly adventurous move abroad, I wanted to get a book to help with that change, but I couldn’t find anything that was really appropriate. So I wrote one for him. It was short and simple, and it explained all of the changes he would be experiencing over the coming months. I explained about how our things would get packed, the movers would come, we’d say goodbye to our house, we’d stay at Grandma’s for a while and then we’d go to the airport. I explained about how Bailey would ride in a crate (but would still be on our airplane, even though we couldn’t see him), how he’d get to watch tv, eat and sleep on the plane. I explained about finding a new house here, having our things delivered (luckily I didn’t specify a time frame) and how we’d make friends, travel and have visitors while we were here. He loved his book then, and he still loves it now.
Sick kids
It’s a good thing that it’s a Saturday. It’s a good thing that we didn’t have any plans today: none at all — Dan even went to the grocery store yesterday evening, which is our “every Saturday” thing. It’s good that it was really cold outside (about 15 as a high) so we didn’t feel like we were missing out on park weather or anything. All of these things are good because we spent the day inside with a vomiting preschooler.
To the outhouse
This is our eighth day of having only a semi-functional toilet in our house.
Thus far, I’ve refrained from writing about this, because most likely no one wants to read about a broken toilet. But I think I’m on the verge of having post traumatic stress flashbacks to our early days of living in a small hotel room here in Vienna. This is completely different — we had functional bathrooms in both of our temporary apartments — but for some reason it brings me right back to that sense of transience and instability.
Dress saga: the final chapter
I wore my new, custom made, blue dress to the ball last Saturday. It was suitable and appropriate, but not quite right for me. It was left much too big, and even after 3 fittings, with drawings, demonstrations and much pinning of the dress, the dressmaker wasn’t able to create what we had agreed on. (Although I admit it improved considerably between the first fitting, where it was awful, and when I actually wore it.) I just didn’t feel good in it, and given the number of opportunities the dressmaker had to fix it, plus the amount of money I spent on it (a lot) I was pretty unhappy with the final result.
Coffee and breakfast
In addition to many other benefits (lots of vacation time is my favorite) Dan gets some flex time at work. We’re still getting used to exactly how it works, because it’s quite complicated — he can only use so much in a day, he can only use so much in a month, he can only carry over a certain amount from one month to the next, he can only use it during certain hours of the day — but we’re grateful to have it. We use it a lot. Our “official” family schedule arranges for Dan to be at work a little extra every day (so that we’re adding to his time bank) but we’re usually off our schedule and we’re often withdrawing from the bank instead of adding to it.
The kindness of strangers
It’s commonplace in Austria to have complete strangers help with small things. I’ve had help getting the stroller on and off buses, into and out of shops, on an off the strassenbahns, down flights of stairs and once, very memorably, a woman missed her train to help me shepherd Benjamin, Liam in the stroller and Benjamin’s bike up an escalator when the elevator was broken. I’m also pleasantly surprised at how much help and kindness I’m shown when I need help somewhere and I have to resort to English (because the issue is well beyond even attempting in German) — like much of the help I got with my dress search and then, this week, when I had to explain to a teller at the bank that my ATM card had stopped functioning and I needed a new one. People here are generally helpful and patient (especially when I’m out with the kids and I’m at least attempting to communicate in German). My days are much more pleasant for the kind gestures, and I’m incredibly grateful.
Glittery snow
We woke up this morning to an unexpected dusting of snow. Not enough to make it tricky to get around, just enough to be a little pretty. As soon as Benjamin saw it, he suggested making a snowman. I explained that it probably wouldn’t be enough for that, but that we could go out onto the terrace and play in it a little, anyway. He was excited, so we went (my only additions to his pajamas were boots and a coat — we didn’t stay out long). He “skated” around and caught a few flakes on his toungue. Liam came out and wandered around, too. Then we all got cold and went back in.
Feeling more like Cinderella
We really did have a great time at the ball yesterday — it was grand, lovely and truly, quite an experience. Although, I was kind of feeling down about my dress. I didn’t love it, and I’m a little exasperated that it didn’t even fit properly. Also, I forgot to put my glitter on. I have some (a lot) from my dancing days, and brought it with us expressly for use at a ball. I found it, got it out, and put it right next to my hairbrush in the bathroom . . . and then completely forgot to use it. (Bummer!) But, I’m done with feeling bad about my dress or feeling sad about our experience yesterday at all.
To the ball
After a lot of deliberation (and a lot of shopping for accessories for both dresses) I ended up deciding to wear the first dress. Even though it still didn’t quite fit properly (after 3 fittings — seriously?) it just seemed like the more appropriate one. Besides, I liked the jewelry that went with that one better. So, this evening, Dan & I got all fancied up and went to the ball . . . me in my blue dress. We got the boys through an early dinner and bath, and our downstairs neighbors came up to watch them, while we went out.