Its finally summer!

 Summer has finally come to Switzerland. Its only mid-July. I have the feeling summer might only last a week or two. We, along with the rest of Luzern, seized the opportunity to hang out at the public beach.

 Moses had a blast playing in the sand and water. He's three so that doesn't come as a surprise.

Freddy and I hung out in the shade. All in all a pretty fun afternoon.

Lets Celebrate Mothers

 I remember my dad telling me one day, I was around 13 or 14, that my mother's faith could move mountains. That has always stuck with me. It took me several years to process that, to really understand what my father meant. Faith, as simple as it is, is complex and difficult to truly have- at least for me. He was right, my mother's faith is immense. It's a quality in her that I greatly admire. I strive on a daily basis to follow her example. Whenever I struggle, which is a lot (lets be real), I think about that day, about my father telling me about my mother's faith, and I pray to be like her.

 My mother is probably the most patient person I know. And I'm not exaggerating here for the sake of Mother's Day. I remember when I was growing up we always had chores to do on Saturdays. My mom would check our work, explain to us what we did wrong, and then make us do it again (and again and again). Now as an adult I realize it would have been much MUCH easier for her to just do it herself. Not to mention less annoying. But she was teaching us how to do a job and do it right. Now I'm thankful for that lesson.

 My mother passed down to me her love of books. What an amazing gift to share with a child.

 When I was in college I remember my mom telling me to be selfish. She explained, probably after seeing my very confused expression, that once I had a family of my own, I could never be selfish again. My mother selflessly raised nine children.

My mother has always supported me, been there for me, and expressed her love for me. 

Thank you mom. Thank you for being you. And thank you for being such a great example of motherhood.

One month later- Welcome baby!

**40 weeks plus 9 days. Waiting at the bus stop on our way to the hospital**

 So for reasons that I really don't understand myself I kept this pregnancy pretty under wraps. I didn't say anything on facebook or Instagram. I barely even told my family and a few close friends. I'm not sure why. I think it mainly had to do with the fact I was very sick, very grumpy, and had a huge case of baby rage. Hormonally induced anger isn't fun for anyone really. I didn't want to talk about it. Pregnancy is very hard for me, extremely hard. But babies? Babies I love. But I was pregnant. I promise. Very pregnant. See very unattractive photo (where I'm rocking my too small shirt over my gigantic belly) above as proof.

So my due date was March 11th. March 11th also happens to be Mosey's birthday. I stressed for months about the boys having the same birthday. Silly me. Mosey came 13 days late. Why did I even entertain the thought that his baby brother would be any different? March 11th came and went with nary a pain. My doctor suggested induction but I wasn't really keen on the idea so we waited. And waited. And waited some more. 8 days past my due date I was done. I was giant and so very tired. My amniotic fluid was dwindling and so I agreed to an induction the next day (much to the surprise of my husband).

I really liked my doctor. He understood my fears. Mosey's birth 3 years ago was quite traumatic for everyone involved really. I was so afraid that it was going to happen again. That I wouldn't be able to hold my baby right away, that he would end up in the NICU for days. That instead of the normal chill post-birth bonding experience that I had missed out on before, I'd be spending my time sitting in the NICU waiting for (hoping for) my baby to be okay.

I was against induction for many reasons. I truly believe that babies comes when they are ready. I didn't want to force my little boy out before he could deal with the world. Also, the drugs/interventions necessary for induction pave the way for further drugs/interventions. I didn't want anything to get in the way of this boy having the best chance of a normal healthy birth.

My doctor understood. He gave me options and let me set the pace. We started out with the least invasive option on Thursday afternoon. we got some results but nothing substantial or labor inducing. Around 1 pm on Friday I agreed to bring in the "big guns" and let them hook me up to the drugs. Still nothing. I didn't want my water broken. I was afraid I wouldn't even go into labor for almost 24 hours after and then I'd labor for 14 hours (like I did with Moses) and therefore end up in a situation I was not happy with.

Around 4pm I relented and let the midwife break my water. Our baby was born an hour later. To say it was intense is an understatement. But baby Freddy was born without a single complication. They didn't take him away from me. He was breathing and his heart was beating. It was perfect. I was so happy and so relieved. 9 plus months of worrying wears on you.

** Moments after his birth. You can see the relief on my face I feel. I even apologized for trying to bite Andreas. Twice. I told you, its was really intense. Don't judge me.**

Frederik Thor
Friday March 21 @ 5:06 pm
4.01 kg (8 lbs 13 oz) and 53 cm (20.8 in)

"He's kissing me Mama!" To say Moses was excited is an understatement. One month later he's still as excited. Although teaching him to not express said excitement so forcefully is another thing all together.

 Andreas parents came down the next day to say hi.

Can I tell you how much I love this photo? Look at Freddy's face?! My mom came into town a few days before he was born. It was prefect. And then she stayed for 4 weeks. It was so nice. I loved having her here. Moses got to know his grandma better. She was so helpful! I had someone adult to talk to during the day. Come back Mom. I miss you!

 So, sadly, unless you are rich and have fancy private insurance your husband isn't allowed to stay in the hospital with you. So, Andreas would go home, put Mosey to bed, and then come back and hang out with me for a few hours. I think it tired him out. Andreas is the best husband ever for many reasons. He doesn't even hold the biting against me. I mean, come on, that's gotta be hard.

 After a few days in the hospital I was ready to go home. Honestly, mostly it was because I missed Moses. I'd never even been away from him overnight before and although he was doing great he was starting to crumble.

We don't have a car. So we went home from the hospital by bus with baby Freddy secure strapped into the Ergo.

When Sister Bear comes to town (and other holiday fun)

Hannah and I took Moses ice skating for the first time while Andreas was on a business trip. Excited doesn't even begin to describe his reaction.

 Frosting cookies, and straight up eating sprinkles, Christmas Eve morning. Andreas is a much nicer parent than I am most of the time.

 Family photoshoot Christmas Eve. I am so in love with Mosey's sweater. Andreas' Oma bought it for Mose, the woman has imbecile taste. 

 The night before Hannah left (after a fun filled 10 day visit). Mosey's expression is hilarious. I think I told him to smile.

 Hannah rockin' Christmas morning.

 A lot of Skyping sessions went down over the holidays.

 Hannah come live with me forever!

 Playmobil brings joy to every kid's (and adult's) heart.

Sister selfie time. Thanks for coming to visit!

A visit in pictures

 My parents just left after a two and a half week visit. Mosey had a blast. Playdough excitement every day with Grandpa. 

 Lots of Christmas baking with Grandma.

 Christmas advent singing.

 Christmas markets up in the mountains.

 (and lots more sunshine up in said mountains).

 Our train ride back down to Luzer- re-entering the clouds.

 The closest he dared to get to Santa at the family Christmas party.

I used to think I looked exactly like my dad but I think I'm starting to look like my mom as well.

Thanks for coming to visit!

Happy Birthday Husband

 The day started out with breakfast in bed. To say that Moses was excited for Andreas' birthday is an understatement.

 We decided to spend the afternoon at the pool to celebrate. Moses was thrilled. And held on to his little soccer ball with all his might for the entire time.

 Awesome pint-sized slide.

Family portrait selfie- Happy Birthday to my favorite husband and bestie.

Halloween

So I'm just going to skip over the last 3ish months since I last blogged. I'm lazy, my computer was having emotional issues, blah blah blah.

On to Halloween. So obviously Halloween isn't a big deal here. We found out about a Halloween party another ward was throwing the night before. The next morning I whipped up this cute "super mosey" cap. I'm actually quite proud of it. I feel my sewing skills have improved over the last few years.

 Doesn't he look so cute? Seriously, I couldn't get him to look at the camera to save my life.

 Mosey was a little overwhelmed with all the fun at the party. 

 He played the mini-golf game approximately 1 million times.

 And getting a bag full of candy just by holding out said bag? Pure heaven.

But even super heros get tired at the end of the day.

Apartment Tour: Living/Dining Room

 I am loving our main room, mostly because of the awesome floor to ceiling windows that take up the entire corner. Mosey spends time there everyday with his face pressed up against the glass looking at all the cars, buses and bikes that go by.

 Behind the wall is the kitchen, its not that exciting and its grey which makes it really dark and kind of depressing but it has a dishwasher so I'm not complaining.

Seriously. I don't think I'd like our apartment nearly so much without these awesome windows.

Apartment Tour: The Bedrooms

 The master bedroom: It's actually about half the size of our bedroom in Bern but I like it a lot more. Its very cozy and has a huge window with a great view of the rooftops and the Alps in the background.

 I took this photos one morning while I was cleaning the apartment. I probably should have moved the vacuum out of the doorway.
I bought the danish modern vanity at a flea market in Norway and its probably my favorite piece of furniture ever.
Also, Moses' baby hospital picture puts a smile on my face everyday. I mean come on, how could it not?

 Moses' room: I love the big toys "parked" under the window. I love that he has enough space to easily play in his room as well.

 So we gave away his dresser when we moved, it was having issues. Instead of buying a new one we opted to just put some boxes in the Expedit to use as drawers. I was a little skeptical at first but its working out pretty well.

Mosey wanted to show everyone his Mickey Mouse car.

And just so that you are under no illusion that my house is ever actually as clean as the photos show, here's a shot of Mosey's room post "tour" shots.

** Also, we have no blinds or curtains on the inside of our windows, just big industrial blinds on the outside of the building, and I have to say I love how open and light our apartment feels. **