Back in the game

We had kind of a busy summer. Then Labor Day came and I thought OK! Things are calm now! But then I looked at my schedule and they kind of... aren't. Calm, that is. CalmER, maybe. But in addition to work and school and baby and LIFE, Torsten has a business trip coming up, then we're taking Callum to visit my parents in October, then my parents are coming here for Thanksgiving, and THEN we close out the year with a three-country European trip, one for which we STILL have not finalized all the details because HOLY HELL. Three countries in 2.5 weeks with a baby? Turns out it's kind of a complicated endeavor. But you know what? I'm starting to come to the realization that we like it that way. I mean, we're pretty laid back people and we like to relax. But we also like to shake things up every now and then. (Remember 2009? The year we both tried and failed to quit our jobs, bought a car, moved across the country, got a dog, bought a house, and I had weight-loss surgery, all in the span of four months? THAT was a whirlwind year that I'd rather not repeat, but I think we do kind of like to always have SOMETHING a little out of the ordinary on the horizon, and I'm totally OK with that.)

Anyway! Much of what we did this summer deserves separate posts, but here's the highlight reel:

Torsten and I went to Maine in June, by ourselves, while my parents stayed with Callum here in Denver. It was the first time we'd both left him at once, i.e., the first time he'd stayed overnight with anyone other than one of us. He did great. We did great. I would love to go back there in a couple years, with Callum. And also maybe with my parents, because one of the best parts of our trip was the kayaking, and it's going to be a few years before Callum is ready to kayak.








In July we started a nanny share. We still have our same nanny, but through the Facebook group I joined for German American families in Denver, we happened to find a couple who lives five minutes down the road from us, a German woman and an American man, with a daughter 2.5 months younger than Callum. So now she comes here every day and our nanny takes care of both kids. The parents save money, the nanny earns extra money, and the kids get to socialize and learn German. It's a win all around and we've been thrilled with it so far.



In August Torsten went to San Francisco for a work conference and Callum and I tagged along (I just can't resist the nearly-free vacation, not to mention that I hadn't been to San Francisco since I was 11 years old). We had shockingly amazing weather, sunny and in the seventies and fog-free the whole time. I still had to work while I was there (saving up vacation days for the aforementioned blockbuster Europe trip), so we played it very low-key, but I got to see friends and explore the city, and Callum got to admire sea lions and do lots of stroller napping, and we both got to marvel at how incredibly baby-friendly everyone in San Francisco appears to be, from airline employees to homeless people to restaurant hostesses.






Plus we did the regular stuff like, you know, work and school. Which might be more commonplace but is also more time-consuming. It's school that's taking away my ability to blog, I think. It's not the lack of time (although that's part of it); it's more that by the time I finish work, which involves a lot of writing, and then school, which involves even MORE writing, I just don't have the mental energy to write anything else. I have lots of post ideas, and I'm hoping to just get back into the groove of blogging and then maybe it'll come naturally the way it used to. But who knows. It's just a LOT, right now.

Also this summer? My child became a full-fledged little PERSON. He has 16 teeth (only four more to go!). He is undergoing a language explosion and saying tons of words in both English and German. He runs everywhere. He imitates everything we do and say. He's developed an interest in trucks. He needs regular haircuts. He has full-fledged tantrums. He continues to charm everyone he meets. He has not gained any weight, but somehow he just looks so much BIGGER.





Also, we just applied for his very first passport, using this photo. Which slays me every time, because OMG, baby passport photos.



And please don't disillusion me by reminding me that this giant MAN-CHILD is hardly a baby anymore. Thank you.

As a bonus, here's a video of Callum dancing. Something I've been waiting for him to do for AGES, and he finally just started doing it one day on his own, about a month ago. Apparently all it took was a musical toy truck. And as you can see, it was worth the wait. I especially love how he always does it the same way: first the head bob, then the hand-clapping, then the wide-legged walk. I also love how he runs to other side of the room like a gymnast preparing for the final tumbling pass of the floor routine before he starts the walk.




It's been a good summer.