Let's back track a second

With everything going on lately I forgot to blog about what we did to celebrate Alexis' 3 month birthday on August 15. Every few years Brussels has what they call a flower carpet. It's basically self explanatory: a carpet of flowers. It was one of the things I was hoping to catch to mark of my list of things to do before we leave. If you want more of an explanation of this flower tapestry check out the website at http://www.flowercarpet.be/. It has better photos than what we got from standing so close. The flowers were assorted colors of beautiful begonias. Up close it looked like bunched up tissue paper (in a good way). After viewing the flower carpet we headed off to lunch at Subway.

Alexis is laughing out loud now. Here's a video below. It may sound like she's choking/upset but it's really a laugh. She's likes it when Scott tickles her.

Scott likes this picture. Alexis and I were getting bundled up to walk to the grocery store. Sadly, we had to bring out our winter wear in August.

Enjoying Life

There has been some concern about my homesickness and I just thought I'd post that things are back to normal here. It appears all I needed was a road trip/vacation. Who would have guessed?

Thanks Aunt Shannon for coming to see us. We had a blast.

On a previous post I mentioned that Shannon and I went to have Alexis' 3 month pictures taken. Here's a sneak peek. The photo process is a little odd here. First you take the pictures then you come back a week later and look at the pictures and finally they mail you what you purchased in the specific sizes you wanted. I'm assuming things are much more stream-lined in the U.S. Here are a few I purchased when looking at them in step 2 of the process. I couldn't walk out of there without pictures.

Scott arrived safely back home with lots of gifts (necessities) for us. He went to Babies R Us while he was in the U.S. and said he was just overwhelmed. We've never really looked around Babies R Us (never having the need before) we've just picked up gift certificates and left. Scott says I would have gone crazy shopping in there. I can't wait to shop there in November.

The best thing he bought was a video baby monitor. Every time we put Alexis to bed I always tell Scott, "I wish I could see her. I wonder what she's doing." Now we know. After debating how we were going to convert the 120 wattage to 220 wattage without blowing up our new purchase (Yes, I've blown up many items trying to convert power....and I almost burned down an old chateau in Southampton, England when my straightener ignited into sparks.) we successfully viewed little Alexis' putting herself to sleep. It was adorable to say the least. If anyone reading this is preparing for the arrival of their baby, I'd say this item is well worth the money. It rates on the top 3 list of best baby things we've used.

Girls just wanna have fun highlights

Here are the highlights from our trip in the order of which they happened:

(as written by Shannon)

1. Traveling by taxi to the toy store for Alexis' 3 month pictures and then changing her outfit 3 times (which is definitely not the norm for Belgium) causing a crowd to form to see what the crazy Americans were doing...and then having to wait outside for a taxi to come pick us up *laugh*

2.. While outside loading up our rental car at the Hertz place, somehow Lacy got spewed with wet gravel that stuck to her hoodie and turned into cement causing us to have to go all the way back to her house for her to change...we still have no idea how it happened *laugh*

3. When purchasing our tickets at the Musee d'Orsay, the museum person asked us our ages (keep in mind Lacy was wearing the baby bjorn with Alexis in it) and didn't believe us when we told her our age (29)...and gave us the student price. Yep, we apparently look so young that even with a baby she thought we were under 21.

4. While eating dinner at a restaurant in Paris, the sun was shining so brightly in Lacy's face that she asked the maitre'd (cause he was just wandering around) if he could lower the shades. After a 3 minute conversation complete with hand gestures, the maitre'd said that he would indeed let down the shades b/c the sun was very bright and then he left to do so...or so we thought. 5 minutes later we looked around and found the maitre'd sitting at the restaurant's bar...talking to his staff. Apparently, he had a 3 minute conversation with Lacy...and didn't understand a word she said *laugh*

5. Let's not forget the breast feeding incident of 08'...funniest thing...EVER. I'm sure by now you've read about the whole incident ...I still can't think about it without laughing out loud!

6. While still learning how to drive my rented car correctly, I may have accidentally squealed out of a toll plaza offending many a Frenchman...and was thus rewarded with some interesting hand gestures from the cars around me *LOL*

7. During dinner at the Chateau de Fere (which was a 5 star restaurant by the way), Alexis dropped her pacifier on the ground and the water steward quickly grabbed it off of the floor and took it to the kitchen to rinse it off. He then proceeded to bring it on a silver platter (not joking) and used silver tongs to hand it back to Lacy.

8. The train to Knokke dropping us off in the middle of a cow pasture...the look on our faces when we realized that we were in the middle of nowhere with a stroller and a 3 month old baby...priceless :)

9. Alexis' Grandmother sent her some packages made out to Alexis...not a problem in the U.S. but certainly a problem in Brugge. We went to the post office to pick up the packages...and they wanted Alexis to show i.d. and sign for them. Have I mentioned that Alexis is 3 months old? The post person got a good look at her and asked if she could sign for them...seriously. We offered to put the pen in Alexis' hand and help her, but the postal worker said it was okay this once. *LOL*

10. Just to make an even 10, I will now revert to a previously untold story from mine and Lacy's trip to Cyprus last August. We decided to take a water excursion on a trampoline sized inter tube attached to a boat in the Mediterranean Sea. They said it was a leisurely ride around the island and it probably usually is...but not when we are involved. The driver of the boat was not paying attention and began to draw close to a giant buoy (no really, it was the biggest buoy we had ever seen). Lacy said "Are we going to hit that?" I responded with "Surely not. Is that safe?". Sure enough, the next thing you know we hit the buoy and our inter tube went flying into the air (while the boat driver obliviously kept speeding along). I looked over at Lacy and she was completely upside down at a 90 degree angle (so was I) barely holding on to the rope handle with one hand and flailing around and screaming (which, by the way, finally got the boat driver's attention)...Luckily we didn't die but the boat immediately went to shore and people came running up to make sure we were okay...we didn't really know how much danger we were in at the time...which was probablya good thing *laugh*

Also, that night at dinner, Lacy went to sit in her chair and while I was walking to my chair I heard..."A little help please"...I turned around and Lacy had fallen through her chair and was wedged in with her legs sticking out next to her head....I couldn't help her out b/c she was really stuck...and because I was laughing so hard. The waiter had to help me pull her out....actually that may be the funniest thing I've ever seen.

Anyways, those are some of the highlights that we've encountered...ask us sometime if you'd like to hear more...we have a million of them!

Girls still having fun!

I will say one thing about our trip...we are having the most fun! We are constantly laughing which has been great for Alexis who is totally in a mimicking stage and because of this apparently has traded in her silent laugh for her new "laugh out loud" laugh! She also has amused us to no end with her observational skills. Alexis absolutely adores Shan ...unless she has a single hair out of place (and me as well but to a lesser degree)! *LOL* If her hair is wet or in a ponytail or even if she's wearing sunglasses...Alexis doesn't know who she is and doesn't want anything to do with her...as soon as she takes her sunglasses off, however, Alexis is all smiles again. It's really funny...until I have a bad hair day!


Yesterday we played it low key by traveling back from France to Belgium and ordering takeout Chinese...yes, there are a few (and I do mean few) takeout places here in Brugge.

Today we decided to go to Knokke to the beach...and to visit Louis of course. I decided Shan needed the full experience of riding the bus (she wasn't a fan) to the train station to ride the train to Knokke. The train dropped us off in a cow pasture...no, I'm not kidding...and we looked warily around trying to discern where the heck we were and where we were supposed to be going. While I looked around she proceeded to say to me "Let's go to the beach, you said.... We can visit Louis Vuitton, you said...I think you actually took me out to the middle of nowhere to kill me!" After we finally stopped laughing, we made our way into the city ( by way of the sounds of seagulls qwah-qwah-ing off in the distance) and onto the North Sea. Let me just say that it was cold and windy at the beach and yet these crazy Europeans were prancing about in their bathing suits! Crazy, I say!Waiting for the train. This was Alexis' first train ride.

Cow pastures!The chilly North Sea.


After a few quick pics, we headed over to the richy-rich part of the city and did a little shoppping before we had dinner at a delicious Belgian restaraunt. Alexis was well behaved throughout the day and amused us greatly in her little bear jacket! We decided to get first class tickets on the train ride back for Alexis' sake....that's our story and we're sticking to it and then hopped in a cab at the train station to go back to my house...Shan can only do the bus thing infrequently *laugh* Anyways, all in all it was a great trip! My next blog will illustrate the highlights of our trip!

Girls just wanna have fun!

As most of you already know, my BFF and I love to travel together. We began our tradition of journeying many years ago when we were in high school...a simple shopping trip to Tallahassee, Florida turned into a 3 day vacation at Disney World *laugh* Thus began our journey through 7 states and 11 countries (many of them more than once) together. Although we have sometimes invited others on our adventures, we have decided to travel solo through many of them...until this trip. We decided that it was time to initiate a new member into our gypsy band of travelers...and that new member is...Alexis Michelle Eichenberger!

Because Scott was sent back to America for a week of work, Shannon decided to drop in on me and see what Alexis and I were up too. We decided to just play it low key and enjoy a quiet week in Brugge. Okay, anyone that knows us just laughed at that last sentence. Clearly, we must go somewhere...anywhere...we just want to explore the world!

Shannon and Alexis relaxing by the canal in Brugge

Deciding Paris was just as good a choice as any, we rented a car, loaded up our stuff (and a giant amount of baby stuff) and off we went! Shan was a little nervous about driving having always had Josh around to drive her...especially in foreign countries! (Although I can't really say anything b/c I usually have Scott to drive me around!) But she did what needed to be done and got us to Paris in one piece...even though there were some truly nerve racking moments at the Arc de Triomphe (if you've ever been there you know what I mean)!

After checking into our hotel next to the Eiffel Tower, we visited the Louvre (which had just closed) and then ate dinner at the Hard Rock...we decided to turn in early b/c we were still having flashbacks from the Arc de Triomphe and Alexis was getting a little sleepy *haha*

A view of the Eiffel Tower from our balcony

The Louvre

The Eiffel Tower at night is beautiful.

Let me just insert here what an angel Alexis has been so far. Really...she might be the most well behaved child in the history of the universe...of course, I could be biased but Shan agrees with me...I swear...she really does!

But I digress...

Anyhoodles, this morning we visited the Musee D'Orsay and viewed some truly stunning pieces by Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, and one of my faves, Toulouse-Lautrec. Alexis viewed the first half and then napped through the rest. We are clearly trying to get a head start with Alexis' art appreciation education!

Baby Bjorning it at the museum

Shannon and Vincent Van Gogh

A view of a Monet

Isn't my little sleepy head adorable?

From there we moved onto the Eiffel Tower where we snapped quite a few pics and then we headed on to the Champ Elysees to visit our good friend Louis (Vuitton, that is) and to purchase a few necessities from Sephora.

We rounded out our day by another leisurely stroll through the Eiffel Tower's promenade before we had a leisurely dinner and headed up to bed. Might I also add that Shan and I have enjoyed watching the Olympics (in French) every day...but not nearly as much as Alexis has *LOL*

Alexis doesn't get to watch TV in Belgium so she was enjoying her vacation treat.

Before I forget, let me just state this simple fact...the French don't like Americans...unless they have a baby with them! They love us! Seriously! They go out of their way to make sure that we are accommodated at all times. We have decided that we will now only travel if we have a baby to accompany us! *laugh*

Wednesday did not start off on a very good note....We weren't able to find our parking ticket for the parking garage in Paris. This is a very serious offense in Europe...anyone that has ever been there can testify to this *laugh* After Shan filed a claims report (no, I'm not kidding) and the little man followed her over to the car to make sure that we weren't stealing the car that we rented (yes, it is a BMW but that really isn't a big thing in Europe) and she filled out numerous paper work, we were finally off to our next destination...Disneyland Paris!

Yay...we finally got the ticket to exit out of the parking garage!

Alexis and I had never been before (and Shan lost her pics from when she was there last month) so we decided a trip to the Magic Kingdom was in order! We had an enjoyable afternoon there (lunch and slushies included) but the funniest thing that we have encountered yet on this trip was when I decided to breast feed Alexis in a secluded spot near a cast member area. All of the sudden Mickey, Tigger, and some other weird character came out for a photo-op. Which would have been fine had I not been indisposed when 100 people came running over to get their pic taken with me and my boob...I mean the Disney characters. I took it in stride however and quickly pulled down my shirt and pushed people aside so that Alexis could have her turn with the characters...funniest...thing...ever! Sadly though, we had to leave a man behind...my delicious slushy...b/c it got lost in the fray.*sigh*

Me innocently feeding Alexis

You see my nursing bra Alexis is hanging onto?

You think she'll appreciate these pics when she's older?

The masses that joined me in breastfeeding!

From there we headed on over to Fere-en-Tardenois, France to the Chateau de Fere where we had previously decided to spend the night. The chateau was built in the 16th century right next to a castle that had been built in the 11th century but has since become ruins. It is absolutely beautiful...pictures to come later. We were a little nervous about getting there, however, b/c the directions said that we should go "through the village and then an additional 3 kilometers"...we were confused about what constitutes a village...as opposed to a city! Anyway, we found it and enjoyed wandering aimlessly around it and the ruins!





For dinner we ate at the chateau's 5 star restaurant (not that we had a choice...we're in the middle of nowhere) and had some kind of asparagus jelly thing with a poached egg on top and some shrimp mousse...they just gave it to us...we don't know why. Since we were in the champagne region of France we also ordered a bottle of champagne! We chose the demi-sec as opposed to the brut and found it to have the perfect amount of sweetness. They also kept bringing us the tops of everyone's champagne bottles. We didn't know why so we asked and they said it was a tradition. We decided it must be the tradition of giving the prettiest people in the restaurant everyone else's champagne tops...it works for us!

Alexis joined us for dinner...in her jammies.

Our French cuisine

Because Alexis had been so good today we decided not to push it and had dessert delivered to our room while Shan went outside to take some night shots of the ruins! All in all we had a very busy and super fun day!

Waiting on dessert.

Alexis has had such a big week (besides her road trip) developmentally. She's now mimicking others, laughing louder, grabbing at toys and enjoying her tummy time. Shannon and I went to have her 3 month pictures this past weekend and she was too cute. I can't wait to pick the pictures up on Tuesday.


Until next time!

Home Sick

I can't believe it's almost been one month since I last posted. That's crazy! Every Monday I think about things I want to post and then Alexis and I get busy and before I know it it's the next Monday.

Alexis had her first trip to the Netherlands. We went to a new grocery store there. It's funny how different the selection can be just by going across the border. In Belgium nothing is pre-packaged. In the Netherlands there is a lot of stuff pre-packaged. I know, the Belgian way is fresher and healthier, but with a 3 month old any kind of easy convenience is a life saver.

Speaking of conveniences, I've been a little home sick lately. Just missing everything America has to offer. After being here a little over 2 years it's finally hit me. I don't think it has anything to do with Alexis. She's a perfect little doll and makes me excited to wake up every morning. I think it's more so that (don't shoot me for saying this...I'm just being honest) I'm over Europe. I'm ready to come back to the U.S. where I can sit in my air conditioned home, order take-out when I don't feel like cooking, shop at a large grocery store, use American dollars instead of the ever increasing euro, walk on a carpeted floor instead of my creaky hardwoods, use a normal size washer where I can do 2 loads instead of 10, go to the dry cleaners instead of finding the time to iron, be able to drive myself around....I should stop before it starts to sound like I'm complaining.

I think my home sick feelings also have to do with me not being back to the U.S. since December. That's a really long time for me considering the last two years I was home at least every four months. Also, our expat friends Bob and Robin just left at the beginning of August. We're going to miss them. Granted I am jealous that they got to move back, but I'm extremely excited for them. That's the sad thing about being an expat....you always have to say good-bye because expats always come and go. To top off my home sick feelings. Scott leaves for the U.S on Saturday (without Alexis and I). The flights were just too expensive for us to tag along for a week and they are now charging some astronomical fee for skymiles leaving out of select cities and Brussels just happens to be one of them. Boo Delta.

So, what better way to try get rid of my homesickness? Go visit family! We went to Germany this past weekend to visit my cousin Shanell. It was her first time seeing Alexis. Alexis did great on the 4 hour car ride and sleeping in a strange house. We're keeping our fingers crossed that she'll continue to be a good traveller. We just had a nice and relaxing weekend topped off with lunch at Chili's on the base. Thanks again for letting us stay for the weekend Shanell and for all the gifts for Alexis!

Shanell, Alexis and me

Shanell's table was my grandmother's that we ate on as kids. What memories it brings back.

Alexis just loves this little yellow lion hanging on her gym. We've named him Chipper because he whistles these chippy cheery songs. She just laughs, stares and smiles at him. He's her new buddy.

The newest Minnesota Gopher fan.

My BFF has rescued me from having to stay by myself while Scott's gone. Shannon comes on Saturday. What a relief! We're taking a girls only road trip. Wish us luck.