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 :-)