Day One in Germany

Watching planes while waiting
to board our flight!

Before my memories of this amazing trip across the ocean really start to fade I desperately want to document all that Tate and I did, saw and enjoyed.  

We left Houston on the 6:30pm flight direct to Frankfurt.  Tate was amazing on the flight.  This was the first time I let him fly on a plane not in his carseat;  I borrowed my friend's CARES harness.  It did the job ok I suppose, though Tate did not like being confined in it, so I let him out of the harness and seat belt once we were airborne.  Unlike being in the carseat where he never complains about being strapped in this was apparently way more confining, and also he couldn't move about to reach his toys or the tray table.  

Wow, this flying stuff is cool...I'm watching
a movie!  With headphones!!!

 I gave him his dinner from home, then changed him into his pajamas (in the teeny tiny airplane restroom...blech).  I had every intention of having him going to sleep at his normal time of 7:30/7:45 or at least starting to wind down.

Ready for bed!!

I had not considered the fact that the plane would be full of activity for so long...sigh.  Drink service first, dinner service, after dinner service, PA announcements.  Ugh...the noises went on and on.  Finally, they dimmed the cabin lights a bit before 9pm.  I gathered a very sleepy, beginning to get irritable Tate onto my lap and 'rocked' him to sleep.  I then laid him back down, head near the window and feet in my lap, with his hippo and Sue-Y Bear.  Here's where the CARES harness really failed me...he would have had to be sitting up to be in it.  Bah.  So, I simply put the seatbelt around him laying down and kept my arms/hands on him.  I laid back my chair and tried to sleep.  Usually I pass out as soon as planes get going, but with my constant worry that Tate would fall off the seats, or want to turn over I got no more than 5 hours of sleep and it was constantly interrupted by him moving around trying to get comfortable.  


However, he slept the entire rest of the trip.  When we started our descent I had to wake him up and put him back into the harness;  surprisingly he didn't cry too much about being awakened.  We landed at 11:30am Germany time (now remember this is 4:30am Tate time).  


Gathered our belongings, got our stroller and headed to baggage claim.  As I was finagling a cart for our luggage I felt two arms reach out and grab me and turned to be in Christian's arms who was beaming from ear to ear.  I hadn't realized how very much I had missed his most amazing hugs and all that love.  Tate was thrilled to see him as well which made me very happy.  We changed Tate's clothes and diaper and headed out into the beautiful Frankfurt afternoon.


Christian's parents had graciously purchased a convertible carseat for Tate for while we were in Frankfurt (I believe the intent is to pass it on to their 7 month old grandson when he's old enough).  But soooo amazingly kind and thoughtful of them to get it now for my Tate.  As we sped along the autobahn Christian and I caught up a bit and Tate peered out the window from the backseat.


We arrived at Oma and Opa's house and they ran out to meet us.  Many, many hugs and oohs and aahs over Tate.  They sure do love this little boy...I am still overwhelmed by how much they love this child of mine and me as well.  Strangely enough I felt like I was coming home as soon as Regina (Christian's mommy) enveloped me in a hug.  We got the car unloaded and Tate and I situated in our room, which by the way was Regina and Uli's room.  They stayed with Christian's sister, Katha and her husband Sebastian, while we were there, who literally live 2 blocks down the street.  But again, kindness of which I've never seen.  Christian stayed at his parents' with us in the spare bedroom.


Regina had prepared a traditional German lunch for us of ghoulash and mashed potatoes and sparkling apple cider...super yum.  Of course Tate ate none of it, but no matter, it was a nice time of family at the table.  Christian was a trooper translating for all of us.


Their home is absolutely gorgeous and the backyard simply amazing.  The weather was just perfect and the doors and windows were open all day.  At one point, Opa (Uli) invited Tate to go out into the garden (backyard in English) to look for squirrels.  Tate shocked me and happily grabbed his Opa's hand and went down the stairs to the garden without me.  I was proud, thrilled, happy and just plain content to see my little boy so at ease with this wonderful man who he can't quite communicate with (though Christian's parents try incredibly hard with English for us which just fills my heart) yet who so clearly adores him.

Look at that gorgeous view!  I'm on the balcony off the dining room.

Later on, Christian and Uli took Tate and I on a walk through the neighborhood.  What a gorgeous, typical German neighborhood it was.  The lovely homes, beautiful gardens and small town German feel put me in a fabulous mood, though I was exhausted.  When we were wandering around the 'downtown' :) of the neighborhood Christian picked up on my exhaustion and we opted to return home.

Is this not exactly what one expects a small European town to look like?
LOVE IT!!

Christian finds out how much work it is
to get a 2y9m old ready for bed :)

Dinner was a bit of a bust for Tate;  he's so super picky and he was getting tired.  So we aborted his dinner and let him enjoy some milk and yogurt.  Bathtime was next and Christian almost always gives him a bath when they are together, so I let them have at it :)  

We then all read a couple of his new books (I bought several wrapped toys and books for him for the plane and train trips).  Christian and I laid down with him on my bed to help relax and calm him, like we do whenever we're all together.  He was exhausted and eagerly laid down in the pack 'n play that his grandparents provided him in our room.  This was a bit before 8pm.  About 10 minutes later I heard him crying, so went back in, picked him up and rocked him and he was out at 8:06pm.


Christian's father was napping when I returned to the family.  Come to find out he had stayed up all night working in order to be able to come home and be there when Tate and I arrived!!  Did I mention how amazing these people are?


Katha and Sebastian arrived around 9pm with their precious little boy from Sebastian's grandmother's funeral.  I was thrilled to see them, and meet little Phillip.  Finally around 10 I just needed to be asleep.  I took a shower, and headed off to bed.


Sadly, Tate woke up SCREAMING at 10:57pm.  It was awful.  I had just laid down about 20 minutes prior.  And he was beside himself.  Just hollering.  I tried laying down with him.  I tried sitting up and rocking him.  I walked with him.  I tried reading to him.  He was a mess.  My poor poor baby.  Christian came in to help around 11:45pm and tried holding him, rocking him.  We put him in the stroller and Christian strolled him around the house for about 30 minutes;  he did calm down a bit at that point, but once we took him out of the stroller he was hysterical again.  I offered him some candy (the chocolate smarties) and he calmed down enough to eat some of those AND didn't balk when I insisted on brushing his teeth!  But then he refused anything else to eat and started crying again.  Christian went back to bed around 1am and I continued trying to calm my sweet little guy down.  Finally around 1:45 he just gave in though he refused to sleep in bed with me.  I put him back in the PNP and he conked out.


I fell back into bed exhausted, scared, frustrated and worried and probably didn't go to sleep myself until 2:30.


At around 9:45am Saturday morning, Christian came into the room and gently woke me up.  That's the latest I have slept in almost 3 years, though it didn't feel much like I had slept in :).  We got Tate up as well; our thinking that we wanted to try to get him into the time zone.


And our second day in Germany began.