Yesterday Charlotte got 8 months old. Therefore we recapped what happened within the last 4 weeks. And it's not a lot. But:
Within the last week she really makes huge progress. On friday I saw her the first time only standing on her hands and feet. It was just for a second but it indicates where this will lead within the next 2 weeks. Today she even put her legs under her belly for the first her.
Next time I will write again it will be because she will be crawling :-)
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Summer and vacation
Oh, my god! Where did the time go? It's already september!
Charlotte is already nearly 7 months old! We hardly can remember how she was when she was 4 weeks old. We just remember that she didn't move. And now? Since 5 weeks or so she manages to turn around and lie on her belly. In the beginning it was more or less luck if she managed to. Then, two weeks ago she was able to turn back on her own. This is something she doesn't do any more at the moment. Instead she makes funny noises to tell us that she's unhappy. In addition she spreads her arms really often like flying over the floor which is - at least to us - more exhausting than holding up with her own hands - obviously she doesn't think so or can't understand yet.
As well: After a few weeks of extensively trying new sounds with her mouth (such as "PF") she reduced her efforts around that ability (maybe she got to know they she won't need that when talking deciding to talk english only ;-))
So, it really seems that she takes a breath of a week or two to come back afterwards stronger than before and with more capabilities than we've seen so far.
But there might be two more reasons:
She's now 29 weeks old - exactly the time when most of the babies start learning about distance (mummy can leave the room and is away when doing so). She therefore carefully watches Marlene and myself and she's really upset if we don't play with her.
The second reason for her being a little bit stressful this week might be that we were on vacation twice. So there's a lot of people and things she's seen and that she has to process with her little young brain.
First we've been to Spain for a week. More precisely we've been to a wedding near Marbella. It was unbelievably hot - for me in the same way than for Charlotte. Nevertheless we had a really great time, went to the pool, watched the sea and met a lot of nice people.
Secondly last week we travelled through Germany. It nearly felt like our yearly christmas odyssey: We went to my parents, had a family reunion there and also met my Kindergarden friend, his wife and son. Next we spent a few days in the Lüneburger heath and met with a friend of Marlene and her two small daughthers. Already after this meeting we realized that Charlotte was not so relaxed any more. She slept very bad every night and needed a lot of closeness. So we cancelled a meeting with friends in Hamburg and only spent a night at a friend's house in Bremen. The next day we continued our journey to Oldenburg (the original destination of our travel) where we celebrated the 60th birthday of Marlenes dad. Although there was really loud music playing on that party Charlotte slept really well in the restaurant and we went to the hotel at around 11PM.
The next day we started our way back home and just spent another night in Düsseldorf at Marlenes sister. Otherwise the drive would have been too long for Charlotte.
In total we spent around 1600km on the road with Charlotte sleeping most of the time.
But I can imagine that it has been really stressful for her seeing new people everytime she woke up and got pulled out of the car.
So, although we already arrived back home last monday it's totally ok if Charlotte needs another 2 or 3 days to calm down again. But not more, please ;-)
Tomorrow morning we will try the swimming pool here in Mannheim for the second time. Cross the fingers!!
Good night!
Charlotte is already nearly 7 months old! We hardly can remember how she was when she was 4 weeks old. We just remember that she didn't move. And now? Since 5 weeks or so she manages to turn around and lie on her belly. In the beginning it was more or less luck if she managed to. Then, two weeks ago she was able to turn back on her own. This is something she doesn't do any more at the moment. Instead she makes funny noises to tell us that she's unhappy. In addition she spreads her arms really often like flying over the floor which is - at least to us - more exhausting than holding up with her own hands - obviously she doesn't think so or can't understand yet.
As well: After a few weeks of extensively trying new sounds with her mouth (such as "PF") she reduced her efforts around that ability (maybe she got to know they she won't need that when talking deciding to talk english only ;-))
So, it really seems that she takes a breath of a week or two to come back afterwards stronger than before and with more capabilities than we've seen so far.
But there might be two more reasons:
She's now 29 weeks old - exactly the time when most of the babies start learning about distance (mummy can leave the room and is away when doing so). She therefore carefully watches Marlene and myself and she's really upset if we don't play with her.
The second reason for her being a little bit stressful this week might be that we were on vacation twice. So there's a lot of people and things she's seen and that she has to process with her little young brain.
First we've been to Spain for a week. More precisely we've been to a wedding near Marbella. It was unbelievably hot - for me in the same way than for Charlotte. Nevertheless we had a really great time, went to the pool, watched the sea and met a lot of nice people.
Secondly last week we travelled through Germany. It nearly felt like our yearly christmas odyssey: We went to my parents, had a family reunion there and also met my Kindergarden friend, his wife and son. Next we spent a few days in the Lüneburger heath and met with a friend of Marlene and her two small daughthers. Already after this meeting we realized that Charlotte was not so relaxed any more. She slept very bad every night and needed a lot of closeness. So we cancelled a meeting with friends in Hamburg and only spent a night at a friend's house in Bremen. The next day we continued our journey to Oldenburg (the original destination of our travel) where we celebrated the 60th birthday of Marlenes dad. Although there was really loud music playing on that party Charlotte slept really well in the restaurant and we went to the hotel at around 11PM.
The next day we started our way back home and just spent another night in Düsseldorf at Marlenes sister. Otherwise the drive would have been too long for Charlotte.
In total we spent around 1600km on the road with Charlotte sleeping most of the time.
But I can imagine that it has been really stressful for her seeing new people everytime she woke up and got pulled out of the car.
So, although we already arrived back home last monday it's totally ok if Charlotte needs another 2 or 3 days to calm down again. But not more, please ;-)
Tomorrow morning we will try the swimming pool here in Mannheim for the second time. Cross the fingers!!
Good night!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Baptism, Berlin, swimming
I really don't find enough time to write here! I already started this new entry as a draft 4 weeks ago but I still haven't found the time to finish it.
So, here's one more try on that.
What happened in the last weeks:
3 weeks ago Charlotte and her cousin Fabian got baptized in Düsseldorf. There were quite a few people who came to Düsseldorf for this event. Unforunately it were too much for Charlotte! She wasn't quite happy with all the people around her - probably seeing them very clear for the first time in her life because when meeting the last times she was almost sleeping the whole time. To make it short: Marlene or me spent a lot of time alone with Charlotte in another room without all the guests. Nevertheless it was nice to have the people together at one event!
The next weekend there was a public holiday here in Baden Württemberg on Thursday and therefore a bridge day on Friday. As it wasn't a public holiday in Berlin, we decided to take the train and visit Berlin and Marlenes former colleagues and her manager. We hardly had any program but just walked a lot through Berlin, enjoying the sund and shopping. Charlotte spent most of the day in her pram and she dictated the schedule for the day. In this way it was much easier for her - and us - than the weekend before.
By the way: It's unbelievable how many parents/children and nice, tiny children stores there are in Berlin Prenzlauer Berg!! So, if you need any recommendation, just ask or have a look at Marlenes bookmarks at http://www.Delicious.com/mhappel
The last thing I want to mention today, is our first visit of the swimming pool yesterday. Every Sunday morning there's baby-swimming in one of the pools in Mannheim. So we went there yesterday for the first time.
Of course we already knew that Charlotte never is really excited when it's time for a bath. That's why we also changed from a normal baby-bathtub to a bath bin (http://www.tummy-tub.com/). So we were not surprised that she was not laughing all the time but more in a mode of being cautious/nearly crying: The huge room, the echos from 20 parents with 20 small children laughing and crying - all this needs a lot of observation before feeling comfortable with it.
At the end she was at least enjoying us to bounce up and down in the water with her on our breast/shoulder. So, I'm confident that this will be a lot more fun for her next time! I'll keep you informed :-)
So, here's one more try on that.
What happened in the last weeks:
3 weeks ago Charlotte and her cousin Fabian got baptized in Düsseldorf. There were quite a few people who came to Düsseldorf for this event. Unforunately it were too much for Charlotte! She wasn't quite happy with all the people around her - probably seeing them very clear for the first time in her life because when meeting the last times she was almost sleeping the whole time. To make it short: Marlene or me spent a lot of time alone with Charlotte in another room without all the guests. Nevertheless it was nice to have the people together at one event!
The next weekend there was a public holiday here in Baden Württemberg on Thursday and therefore a bridge day on Friday. As it wasn't a public holiday in Berlin, we decided to take the train and visit Berlin and Marlenes former colleagues and her manager. We hardly had any program but just walked a lot through Berlin, enjoying the sund and shopping. Charlotte spent most of the day in her pram and she dictated the schedule for the day. In this way it was much easier for her - and us - than the weekend before.
By the way: It's unbelievable how many parents/children and nice, tiny children stores there are in Berlin Prenzlauer Berg!! So, if you need any recommendation, just ask or have a look at Marlenes bookmarks at http://www.Delicious.com/mhappel
The last thing I want to mention today, is our first visit of the swimming pool yesterday. Every Sunday morning there's baby-swimming in one of the pools in Mannheim. So we went there yesterday for the first time.
Of course we already knew that Charlotte never is really excited when it's time for a bath. That's why we also changed from a normal baby-bathtub to a bath bin (http://www.tummy-tub.com/). So we were not surprised that she was not laughing all the time but more in a mode of being cautious/nearly crying: The huge room, the echos from 20 parents with 20 small children laughing and crying - all this needs a lot of observation before feeling comfortable with it.
At the end she was at least enjoying us to bounce up and down in the water with her on our breast/shoulder. So, I'm confident that this will be a lot more fun for her next time! I'll keep you informed :-)
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
German Bureaucracy / Deutsche Bürokratie
I wanted to write this already weeks ago but finally I find the time to do it.
As there will be lots of German words in it and the target group are young German parents I will write this in German.
Für alle werdenden und frisch gebackenen Eltern will ich im Folgenden versuchen ein bisschen Licht ins Dunkel zu bringen und zu erklären, wie man das neue Elterngeld beantragt:
Das Elterngeld beantragt man bei der Landeskasse seines Bundeslands. Bei der Suche nach den Websites der Bundesländer bin ich drauf gestossen, dass man in NRW das Elterngeld sogar schon online beantragen kann. Da wir in Baden-Württemberg wohnen will ich mich darauf konzentrieren, was wir machen mußten. Auf der Seite der L-Bank gibt es also den Antrag zum Download.
Beim Ausfüllen wird man schon merken, was man sonst noch alles benötigt. Hier nochmal aufgelistet und beschrieben, wo es die Dokumente gibt:
- Geburtsbescheinigung des Kindes (gibt es vom Standesamt normalerweise zusammen mit der Geburtsurkunde und weiteren Bescheinigungen z.B. einer für die Taufe)
- Bescheinigung über das gezahlte Geld während des Mutterschutzes (muss man von der Krankenkasse anfordern)
- Arbeitgeberbescheinigung über das Einkommen des Beantragenden VOR der Geburt (einen Vordruck gibt es ebenfalls auf der Seite der L-Bank; die meisten Arbeitgeber schicken aber ihren eigenen Ausdruck zurück)
- Arbeitgeberbescheinigung über das Einkommen des Beantragenden NACH der Geburt während des Elterngeld-Zeitraums (hier ist zu beachten, dass als Einkommen z.B. die vermögenswirksamen Leistungen (VL) oder auch geldwerte Vorteile gelten; einen Vordruck gibt es ebenfalls auf der Seite der L-Bank; die meisten Arbeitgeber schicken aber ihren eigenen Ausdruck zurück)
- Arbeitgeberbescheinigung über den Zuschuss zum Mutterschutzgelds (auch hier wieder gibt es ein Formular auf der Seite der L-Bank)
Noch ein paar Tips:
Im Antrag für das Elterngeld sind teilweise die Formulare für die Arbeitgeberbescheinigungen schon mit dabei. Manche fehlen dort aber. Also genau überprüfen, bevor man das dem Arbeitgeber schickt. Sonst schreibt man da am Ende mehrere Briefe.
Bei irgendwelchen Fragen einfach die Hotline der Landesbank anrufen. Die helfen gerne, gut und schnell und das erspart eine Menge Zeit bei der Bearbeitung des Antrags. Immerhin will man ja so schnell wie möglich das Geld auch auf seinem Konto haben.
Am besten
As there will be lots of German words in it and the target group are young German parents I will write this in German.
Für alle werdenden und frisch gebackenen Eltern will ich im Folgenden versuchen ein bisschen Licht ins Dunkel zu bringen und zu erklären, wie man das neue Elterngeld beantragt:
Das Elterngeld beantragt man bei der Landeskasse seines Bundeslands. Bei der Suche nach den Websites der Bundesländer bin ich drauf gestossen, dass man in NRW das Elterngeld sogar schon online beantragen kann. Da wir in Baden-Württemberg wohnen will ich mich darauf konzentrieren, was wir machen mußten. Auf der Seite der L-Bank gibt es also den Antrag zum Download.
Beim Ausfüllen wird man schon merken, was man sonst noch alles benötigt. Hier nochmal aufgelistet und beschrieben, wo es die Dokumente gibt:
- Geburtsbescheinigung des Kindes (gibt es vom Standesamt normalerweise zusammen mit der Geburtsurkunde und weiteren Bescheinigungen z.B. einer für die Taufe)
- Bescheinigung über das gezahlte Geld während des Mutterschutzes (muss man von der Krankenkasse anfordern)
- Arbeitgeberbescheinigung über das Einkommen des Beantragenden VOR der Geburt (einen Vordruck gibt es ebenfalls auf der Seite der L-Bank; die meisten Arbeitgeber schicken aber ihren eigenen Ausdruck zurück)
- Arbeitgeberbescheinigung über das Einkommen des Beantragenden NACH der Geburt während des Elterngeld-Zeitraums (hier ist zu beachten, dass als Einkommen z.B. die vermögenswirksamen Leistungen (VL) oder auch geldwerte Vorteile gelten; einen Vordruck gibt es ebenfalls auf der Seite der L-Bank; die meisten Arbeitgeber schicken aber ihren eigenen Ausdruck zurück)
- Arbeitgeberbescheinigung über den Zuschuss zum Mutterschutzgelds (auch hier wieder gibt es ein Formular auf der Seite der L-Bank)
Noch ein paar Tips:
Im Antrag für das Elterngeld sind teilweise die Formulare für die Arbeitgeberbescheinigungen schon mit dabei. Manche fehlen dort aber. Also genau überprüfen, bevor man das dem Arbeitgeber schickt. Sonst schreibt man da am Ende mehrere Briefe.
Bei irgendwelchen Fragen einfach die Hotline der Landesbank anrufen. Die helfen gerne, gut und schnell und das erspart eine Menge Zeit bei der Bearbeitung des Antrags. Immerhin will man ja so schnell wie möglich das Geld auch auf seinem Konto haben.
Am besten
Monday, April 6, 2009
First Jump
I think every parents should read the book "Oje, ich wachse" from van de Rijt, Brams and Plooij (don't know the english title). Otherwise the last week would have been a disaster.
It was a really tough week! Charlotte cried a lot and always wanted to eat. Normally she has a frequency of 2 to 4 hours but this week it was different (and maybe still is): She falls asleep after eating but 10 minutes later she cries again and nothing can stop her than nursing her again.
This can drive you crazy because you don't know what's wrong with your child, with yourself, with the mother's milk,... Besides you read the mentioned book!
According to the book there are 8 "jumps" in the mental development of your child up to the age of 14 months. And the first one appears around the 6th week. So, all I described is totally normal and if you know that, then you feel a lot better. You still can't change anything but you can let your baby crying better at least for a few minutes and you don't fear to nurse it very, very often.
The reason why the babies cry so much is that something changes for them. They see, feel and experience the world in another way than before and that's of course confusing for them in the beginning.
On the other hand it's also the good thing about these "jumps" at the same time. Because your baby begins to do other things than before:
- Charlotte now pedals a lot more than before, she's starting to use her arms and legs.
- She also can see farther, for example she starts to recognize the mobile hanging above the changing table.
- She starts to make sounds in different pitches. It's not just crying but also gurgling when she's happy or just without any reason.
- In addition to the crying there are now also tears appearing sometimes.
- And last but not least Marlene and me, we both believe that Charlotte sometimes already smiles at us :-)
You see, the result of the last week is pretty good but I'm happy if the first jump is over. Nevertheless I am not yet sure. And the next one is already coming in 2 weeks...
It was a really tough week! Charlotte cried a lot and always wanted to eat. Normally she has a frequency of 2 to 4 hours but this week it was different (and maybe still is): She falls asleep after eating but 10 minutes later she cries again and nothing can stop her than nursing her again.
This can drive you crazy because you don't know what's wrong with your child, with yourself, with the mother's milk,... Besides you read the mentioned book!
According to the book there are 8 "jumps" in the mental development of your child up to the age of 14 months. And the first one appears around the 6th week. So, all I described is totally normal and if you know that, then you feel a lot better. You still can't change anything but you can let your baby crying better at least for a few minutes and you don't fear to nurse it very, very often.
The reason why the babies cry so much is that something changes for them. They see, feel and experience the world in another way than before and that's of course confusing for them in the beginning.
On the other hand it's also the good thing about these "jumps" at the same time. Because your baby begins to do other things than before:
- Charlotte now pedals a lot more than before, she's starting to use her arms and legs.
- She also can see farther, for example she starts to recognize the mobile hanging above the changing table.
- She starts to make sounds in different pitches. It's not just crying but also gurgling when she's happy or just without any reason.
- In addition to the crying there are now also tears appearing sometimes.
- And last but not least Marlene and me, we both believe that Charlotte sometimes already smiles at us :-)
You see, the result of the last week is pretty good but I'm happy if the first jump is over. Nevertheless I am not yet sure. And the next one is already coming in 2 weeks...
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Day Nurseries in Mannheim / Krippen in Mannheim
Because Marlene wants to start working again in September (at least one or two days a week), we started looking for day nurseries (in german: Krippen) in Mannheim. After compiling a first list, I put all the addresses in a map to see where the nurseries are. Now we will have to visit all of them, submit applications and wait where we will be chosen.
I also want to write a few things in German, because maybe other young parents might find this helpful as well:
Hier finden Sie eine Karte mit Krippen in Mannheim. Die Liste dieser Krippen erhebt keinen Anspruch auf Vollständigkeit:
Größere Kartenansicht
Vergleichbare Karten finden Sie auch hier im Familiennavigator.
I also want to write a few things in German, because maybe other young parents might find this helpful as well:
Hier finden Sie eine Karte mit Krippen in Mannheim. Die Liste dieser Krippen erhebt keinen Anspruch auf Vollständigkeit:
Größere Kartenansicht
Vergleichbare Karten finden Sie auch hier im Familiennavigator.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Charlotte's growing
As Charlotte was so lightweight, we decided to track her weight a little bit. As we always have been fans of lists and charts we created a spreadsheet and a graph to visualize it.
This morning our midwife visited us again and weighted Charlotte again and as she made a big jump up to 2800g within the last days, we decided to share this great news with you.
From now on, you will be able to track her growing:
This morning our midwife visited us again and weighted Charlotte again and as she made a big jump up to 2800g within the last days, we decided to share this great news with you.
From now on, you will be able to track her growing:
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Charlotte Martha, * 02.17.2009
She's there! Our daughter Charlotte was born last Tuesday.
After the amnion sac broke on Monday evening, we went to the hospital. The next night nothing happened. Therefore they induced labor on Tuesday morning and at 3.57PM our small star looked at me for the first time.
We all together spent the whole last week in hospital. It was nearly like in a hotel as you get food the whole day, your bed is made by someone else, and you can just concentrate on holding your child and looking at it :-)
Everybody tells you before but you can't really believe it: It's such a great feeling to see this little human being and to know that it's your daughter and that she will count on you for the rest of her life! And suddenly you can feel something like butterflies in your stomach again!
On Sunday we went home and now everything is different! You need have the day to feed Charlotte. You wake up at 8 AM but finish breakfast not before 11. You only can leave the house together with her and before that you first need to feed her, to swaddle her and to dress her accordingly. Etc. etc. To make it short: Everything is different. But it's wonderful! And I am really happy that I took the next 2 months off to be at home and to see her growing everyday!
After the amnion sac broke on Monday evening, we went to the hospital. The next night nothing happened. Therefore they induced labor on Tuesday morning and at 3.57PM our small star looked at me for the first time.
We all together spent the whole last week in hospital. It was nearly like in a hotel as you get food the whole day, your bed is made by someone else, and you can just concentrate on holding your child and looking at it :-)
Everybody tells you before but you can't really believe it: It's such a great feeling to see this little human being and to know that it's your daughter and that she will count on you for the rest of her life! And suddenly you can feel something like butterflies in your stomach again!
On Sunday we went home and now everything is different! You need have the day to feed Charlotte. You wake up at 8 AM but finish breakfast not before 11. You only can leave the house together with her and before that you first need to feed her, to swaddle her and to dress her accordingly. Etc. etc. To make it short: Everything is different. But it's wonderful! And I am really happy that I took the next 2 months off to be at home and to see her growing everyday!
Monday, January 19, 2009
6 weeks to go
The last 8 days I spend in bed only because I was really sick with more than 3 days with high fever. Of course that wasn't nice. Nevertheless it's good that this happened now and not six weeks later.
In six weeks we will have a small baby! The children's room is nearly finished. Everything has been bought. We just need to install a few things: A new lamp on the ceiling, the electric heater etc.
Sometimes it seems our girl doesn't even want to stay in Marlenes stomach for another 6 weeks: She's punching and kicking like hell. I think it will be a strange feeling for Marlene if this will stop from one day to the other. But until then, we can now enjoy the last weeks without any crying baby. After that everthing will be different!
The first 2 months we will both stay at home. Last week I requested parental time and it will start immediately after birth. I can't say I am already prepared for this. But at least I read another book about it last week when staying in bed ;-)
The suitcase for the hospital is pack already as well. So, we are prepared and can't wait to see our small girl in real!
In six weeks we will have a small baby! The children's room is nearly finished. Everything has been bought. We just need to install a few things: A new lamp on the ceiling, the electric heater etc.
Sometimes it seems our girl doesn't even want to stay in Marlenes stomach for another 6 weeks: She's punching and kicking like hell. I think it will be a strange feeling for Marlene if this will stop from one day to the other. But until then, we can now enjoy the last weeks without any crying baby. After that everthing will be different!
The first 2 months we will both stay at home. Last week I requested parental time and it will start immediately after birth. I can't say I am already prepared for this. But at least I read another book about it last week when staying in bed ;-)
The suitcase for the hospital is pack already as well. So, we are prepared and can't wait to see our small girl in real!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)