Horror of horrors!

With the recruitment fair coming up next weekend, I've been doing a lot of thinking about what it is that we really want in our new life. What kind of jobs would be ideal? What kind of city? What kind of lifestyle? Andras would like to stay in grade 5 in a PYP curriculum. For me the ideal position would be as an elementary ESL specialist in a PYP curriculum. We want to go to a school that is well-organised. We want to go somewhere that has a good preschool program for Clara in a couple more years. We want to go somewhere where there are lots of green spaces and parks and playgrounds. We want to go somewhere where we can ride our bikes (with Clara in the wagon). We want to go somewhere that has good healthcare and programs for babies and toddlers.
As I was sitting by the river the other day making this mental list, I started thinking about the schools that would fit these wants. And I came to the horrifying realisation that Dresden actually does meet most of them! Yah! How did that happen? This is horrifying because we have a real love-hate relationship with Dresden. Some days we go out and we love the city. We love the architecture. We love the little flower and vegetable stands on every corner. We love the river and the park, and we love that our apartment is a 20 minute walk from either of them. We love the greenness and the trees and that there's a playground every couple of blocks. We love 'our' coffee shop and 'our' little bakery. We love that organic food is so readily available and doesn't cost a fortune. We love our apartment. We love Clara's pediatrician! But then other days we go out and we hate the city. We hate how people are so grumpy and nobody ever smiles. We hate how people never say 'excuse me', they just ram their way right through you. We hate how everyone just looks out for themselves. We hate that the shopping is so limited, both in what we can buy and when. We hate all the unnecessary time we waste at school on paperwork because of the general disorganisation and last-minute changes to things.
So, to discover that Dresden actually gets a 'checkmark' for most of the things on our list is, yes, horrifying.

Love is Blind

Yesterday I went to the Augenaertzt (eye doctor) to make Clara an appointment. Her pediatrician thinks she might have one eye bigger than the other. It's hard for me to see it. Sometimes I can see it, mostly I don't. All I see is that she's perfect! I guess it's true that 'love is blind'!

Bathtime Tricks

Clara's new bathtime entertainment seems to be seeing how much commotion she can cause by going to the toilet in the bath! So far in the past week she's pooped in her bath twice and peed in it once. The best part, of course, is watching Daddy squeal!

New Clothes

Yesterday we went shopping and I got an armload of new clothes for the upcoming job fair. Yay! So now I can look calm, cool, and collected for our interviews. And hopefully not covered in baby barf. I'll be sure to pack some perfume, though, to cover the permanent Eau de Spilled Breastmilk that I just can't seem to shake!

Where's the Remote?

I can't believe how fast time is flying. Clara will turn 7 months old this week and I wish she wouldn't. When I look at her in her bed at night, I wish there was a 'pause' button I could press, to keep her just the way she is right now. The thought of going back to work and leaving her actually makes me feel sick to my stomach. It pains me to think about her growing up. Who would have thought that motherhood could be so unbelievably fantastic and so devastating at the same time?

Hangin' with Daddy

Here's Daddy's eye...

Here's Daddy's ear...

Here's Daddy's face...

Daddy, you're so silly!

Another First

It's a grey, rainy day here in Dresden today. Up until now we've actually had surprisingly decent weather in January. I think this might be only the 2nd day of rain!

Clara had another Big Accomplishment last night. She woke up around midnight, crying, and we didn't get up. After a few minutes, with just a 'shhh' from us, she was able to put herself back to sleep! Yay for Clara! And for Mummy and Daddy! She's really gotten the hang of this putting-herself-to-sleep thing quite quickly!

Another weekend begins tonight (at least that's how I always count it - starts on Friday right after school, right?). We've decided not to book ourselves into any plans this weekend, as we need the time. Only two weeks until the recruitment fair in London, so we should really start preparing for that. I hate those fairs! Andras gets really excited about them, but I just get nauseous thinking about it! It's so intense. Plus we'll have Clara there, so it will be an even bigger challenge to try to balance our interview schedule around feeding times. I think I need to start her on a sippy cup so that the babysitter can give her a drink of water with lunch and dinner at least. I hope she'll take to the babysitter. She's never really had a babysitter before, and this will be a FULL 2 days of babysitting - starting around 8am and finishing around 6 or 7 pm! I'm sure it'll be exhausting for both of them!