Promises, promises

Dear Readers, I know I promised that on my Mother Rest Time I'd be busy posting all sorts of inane information. I have really fallen down on that and I'm sorry! I was caught up reading Kindle books (absolutely fabulous, addictive, and allows me to read ANYWHERE I am- I have been found reading at the hairdresser, at the doctor, at the indoor playground- anywhere I have to wait for a while), napping (don't sleep all that well at night, but somehow, an afternoon nap is always possible) and entertaining Fiona (Barbies, puzzles, and books. Repeat. In costume. Change costume. Repeat until bedtime).

So I promised tales of lots of things- I'll summarise for you so you have more time to get to your own Kindling, napping, and Barbie-playing.

1. Fiona's Geburtstag. Marvelous. Indoor playground, five friends, cake and pizza supplied. Easiest clean up ever. Clean apartment untouched by preschool hands. Fiona loved every minute and cried when it was over- a sign of a great party, in my mind, when the hostess cries at the end. No one vomited. Russ was a bit bewildered with all the German-speaking preschoolers and kept saying things like, "Right! Who's hungry? Everyone over here!" and no one moved. He was astounded and shocked and concerned about his group-management techniques until I reminded him that they hadn't a clue what he was saying. Once I translated, and the herd of children ran for the pizza tables, he felt better.

2. Childbirth class- I know, it's a weird thing to do for someone planning a C-section and having a second child, but everyone does it here. Peer pressure, you know. And I figured it'd help my vocabulary and give me some clue what to expect. Yep. It did. Lots of second time mums there, which was great, and I managed well with the language. But. Midwife (who will come to my house after the birth as much as I need her to for EIGHT weeks!) was very heavy on use of supplements and teas ( Germans love teas. Tea for everything. Tea for the baby. Tea for the nursing mother. Tea for every possible ailment. Etc) and also some strangely dated suggestions (get ready for breastfeeding by using lemon juice- I won't expound on that but OUCH) and then. The revolutionary information. She said, "Now, in hospital, you'll notice all these posters. And the nurses will be informing you about a new movement. But take it with a grain of salt. The new thing is... that babies should sleep on their backs! With no blankets!" Um, yes, that was the new thing. In 1992. Now this midwife is about 40 and has three of her own kids, so this should NOT be news. She reminded us that we should not listen to everything they say in the hospital and we can feel fine propping the baby up on its side with a towel instead of putting it on its back. No, no, I think I'll stay away from that. As previously mentioned I am a bit of a safety freak, but even those who aren't as... committed.... to safety and following the rules as I am don't roll up towels in the crib, do they? Wait 'til she sees my house with poor baby in no blanket, no pillow, and just a mattress and sheet. Maybe I won't let her into the baby's room.

3. Snowplowing. Now that I've posted about spring weather, I'll tell you- Germans don't plow! At all! The streets are left to fend for themselves. Drivers have to drive in the tracks of the car in front of them and if you are a bit like me and struggle to line things up properly, you're out of luck- driving on feet of snow. Occasionally on the highways they will use a rock spread- seriously, gravel- and that's about it. But no plowing. Giant snowdrifts were everywhere in January and driving was unpleasant at best. And there's no warming up the car in the driveway (a luxury I got used to in the ten days we were home at Christmas!) if you live in an apartment. No, you and your child hop in the cold car, then sit there shivering and scraping and dodging snowbanks while people wait impatiently for your spot. It's lovely.

So. I think we're all caught up on winter in Weimar. Roll on spring- spring in Weimar is heavenly. Outdoor cafes, flowers, sunshine until very late at night.