several updates!

at a Mexican Independence party.

Sorry I haven’t blogged in so long, I have been busy… making a baby!
So here’s a list of random stuff that have been happening on our side of the world:

Baby:
I just had another appointment with my doctor and everything looks good. The baby is kicking now with full force and you can see my belly jumping, moving and contorting, kinda like in the movie “Alien”. The belly is oh so huge, and still growing. It started a perpetual growth spur between week 24 and 25 and there’s no end in sight… well, there is: December 24th, remember? Anyways, we now the sex of the baby. Actually, we’ve known the sex since week 13 (I am now week 27… almost 7 months to those of you doing the math). Do you want to know? Leave a comment and I will make sure I send you a personalized email (what a clever way to get people commenting, no?).

We’ve also decided on a hospital to have the baby, and my dr. is sending all my files there so they have my records. For next time, I’ll give you a quick rundown of how things work when having a baby in Switzerland. There’s some interesting stuff to share.



2-year anniversary
I probably wont have time to post this on the actual anniversary, because I will be busy with my dad, who will be visiting for a couple of weeks (more on that below) so here it is now: On October 5th is the second year anniversary of my arrival in Switzerland (I say “my” because gera arrived a month before me). So much has happened since then… The plan was to stay here for a couple of years and then move on to somewhere else… now with the baby on the way we’ll just have to adjust our timeline a bit and stay a bit longer. But be certain that we will be moving next year. Where? Well, I’ll just say the planets are aligning and plans are being made. More on that when we know more.

As for the progress/changes during the last year… there hasn’t been many milestones. Since we stopped going to german classes last year the language hasn’t improved a great deal, BUT I do feel I understand a lot more, and I have been known to order and ask questions at the store in german, so it really cant be all that bad, can it? We’re thinking we should start lessons again somewhere, maybe even just with a CD course.

I have made many more Spanish-speaking friends too! (at this rate, I will forget even my English). There’s now a group of seven of us that get together regularly for lunch or dinner. I love having people that understand where you come from and that are going to the same expat experience as you. I also made friends with a girl from Venezuela, who is also pregnant (1 week behind me). We have so much in common it is scary. She is also a graphic designer, and she used to live in the US (St. Louis), we’re the same age, and got married the same year (among other things). It is also super great to have a pregnant friend, I am so lucky! ( I am sure you will read more about her).


gera and shopping:
Gera is on his way to the US as I type this… (right now!). He’s going to a conference in Nevada, then to Dallas to visit family, and finally to Indiana for other work-related visit. He will be gone for a bit more than a couple of weeks, and I was pretty sad to see him go this morning. BUT I keep trying to look at the bright side and think that my dad arrives tomorrow (see below, again). Anyways, we have been online shopping like crazy and while in Dallas, Gera is going to pick up a few* things we ordered. (*few meaning a stroller, stroller bag, video camera, some books, some clothes, and some other stuff). We also ordered a bunch of other stuff to be delivered to El Paso and my dad will be bringing that. He even had to pack a extra suitcase and get some “space saver” bags just to get stuff to fit (thank you dad!). Getting all this stuff will make it feel like christmas in October!

Dad’s visit:
Perfectly timed for gera’s absence, my dad will be coming to visit for a few weeks. I am soo very happy yo see him, and very excited for him, since this is his first time coming to Europe! He’ll be here for about a week straight, and I have some plans to propose for his stay during that time, which include day trips to Laussane, Bern, Basel, Luzern, Milan; and just walking around Zurich. I hope I am not a big party pooper and can make it through the sightseeing without getting too tired. He’s also got plans for some short visits to London, Paris and Bayeux. Gera took our camera with him, so I will have to make sure I get lots of photos with my dad’s camera (and don’t forget to download them to my computer before he leaves…)

Celphones:
We have finally gotten ourselves cel phones! We’d never had one, and had survived without a mobile phone pretty well for all these years. Now with the preggo belly it was super important to be able to reach each other in case of emergencies, so we just got a pre-paid basic plan, and actually don’t plan to use them much at all: only for emergencies. Yeah, right! I can see myself calling him from the store to ask “what kind of bread do you want?” … not really an emergency. But we’ll try to be good and keep the calls to a minimum.

I will probably be MIA for a few weeks, but be patient because I am sure I will have a ton to share when I get blogging again.

swiss national day

Swiss national day fireworks


(or is it national swiss day??) Whatever the term, it means “Gera’s off work day, all the shops are closed day, fireworks day”
Last Friday (aug 1st) was a holiday in Switzerland. There’s a parade in the morning, they sell fireworks at the store and at night, people go crazy lighting them. So in essence, its like the swiss 4th of July. We heard the best fireworks were at the lake, but that it was crowded and kids play with their “fire toys” disregarding their safety (and other’s), so we opted for another spot: the terrace overlooking the city at the University. We were not the only ones who thought that would make a nice spot, because there were a few people there before sunset, and a small crowd had gathered by the time we left. Nonetheless, it was quiet (as quiet as you can get with fireworks), not too crowded and safe. We got some nice shots of St. Peterskirche with fireworks on the side. From there you could see most of the city very well, but the view of the lake was obstructed by some trees, so even though we got to see some of the “nicer” fireworks, most were the kind lit by people on their rooftops.

On the preggo front, we just bought a stroller! It was a big purchase for us, since we had been researching, debating, comparing, and changing our minds for the last couple of months. We will not be getting a car seat, since we don’t have a car (it sounds like an easy decision, right? Well, we thought long and hard about that one too!) We went with a three-wheel stroller that is supposed to be good for urban living. We bought it online to have it delivered to Dallas. Gera will stop by on his way back from Reno and will bring the stroller with him. Now the question is… do you need to travel with a baby to check a stroller at no extra charge? Or will we have to check it as another piece of luggage and pay the extra $25? We don’t know yet, but we will find out.

I have to say (at the risk of sounding like a total drunk) that I thought being alcohol free for 9 months would be harder. It’s not too bad! The first few months I didn’t even feel like having a beer, or smelling one. Now, maybe I could enjoy one on a hot Sunday afternoon, but that is what Alkoholfrei bier is for! It is not too bad (I like light beers anyways) but Gera said it tasted like yellow water. Now I think I could use some sangria..mmm (is there alcohol-free wine?)

For our anniversary (on July 29th) we went really low-key. Gera got me flowers, and I made a nice dinner at home, and for desert: cheesecake! It looked way better that it tasted.

Did you notice the cool pregnancy counter at the top?

Preggo beer

Anniversary cheesecake (looks better that it tasted)

Anniversary flowers (still blooming!)