What’s
wrong with this picture:
You
and your husband are sitting at the breakfast table at 11am.
By
yourselves.
Are
the children maybe on sleepovers?
Or
are you, as a couple, staying in a hotel room?
No.
All
children in the house are asleep.
It’s
a fact that for the past couple of years the eldest child has been
returning home in the early morning hours and consequently slept
until noon.
But
the fact that EVERYBODY is fast asleep at this time of day can only
mean one thing:
There
are ONLY teenagers in my house.
My sister is lightyears away from that – the night’s over at 6am.
For
everyone in the house!
Welcome
to living with an 18-month-old.
When
I visited my sister the week before last, I brought her a
fantastically beautiful baby bundle by MyCircus – our taste is
naturally a little similar, so I was sure that she’d be excited
about the new cushions and stuffed animals!
She has been a fan of the stylish pacifier straps* for a long time, and once more I hit the mark with the lovely big star cushions and the star mobile:
simple baby accessories without frills are not that easy to find!
Samuel also got a Nicky Bird made of velours, which can be used simultaneously as cushion, cuddly toy or decoration – the bird is velvety soft and perfectly graspable for little hands. Stars and birds are available in different colors and always come in very tasteful color combinations.
By the way, My Circus* was launched by designer Anne Mayr and editor Julia Schmidt:
both women do not only have a wonderful sense of style, they also highly value sustainability.
All textiles in their product line are produced in Germany meeting a high social standard and they are made of 100% organic cotton.
Everything is made with a lot of love and care, down to the smallest details – and this quality really shows.
She has been a fan of the stylish pacifier straps* for a long time, and once more I hit the mark with the lovely big star cushions and the star mobile:
simple baby accessories without frills are not that easy to find!
Samuel also got a Nicky Bird made of velours, which can be used simultaneously as cushion, cuddly toy or decoration – the bird is velvety soft and perfectly graspable for little hands. Stars and birds are available in different colors and always come in very tasteful color combinations.
By the way, My Circus* was launched by designer Anne Mayr and editor Julia Schmidt:
both women do not only have a wonderful sense of style, they also highly value sustainability.
All textiles in their product line are produced in Germany meeting a high social standard and they are made of 100% organic cotton.
Everything is made with a lot of love and care, down to the smallest details – and this quality really shows.
Due
to the long distance between us I unfortunately don’t see my nephew
very often – to keep you updated (and making sure you don’t fall
over backwards, when he gets his driver’s license the day after
tomorrow) I assembled a few crucial facts!
10 facts about Samuel.
1. Every construction site has to be marvelled at at length – “at length” means a time span of about 30 minutes. At least. (A quick flashback to 2-year-old Ben: I used to set up a chair in front of the hoarding and got a book for myself, so that I wouldn’t die of boredom. Right in front of the construction site.)
2. Samuel loves books.
Reading to him is a daily must: as soon as he enters his room, he runs over to the cozy corner with the pile of cushions and grabs a book from his shelves.
3. His current favorite word is "Gurka" (“Cuke”), which he has every morning for breakfast.
Gurka sounds a little Polish – however, my sister does not speak Polish with him, except for two sentences ("choc tutaj, maluszku!", "co ty robisz?").
The child’s father, on the other hand, highly motivated and all, has already gathered a ton of English children’s books – with the intention to speak English with the child, starting at birth.
This
has not happened to this day.
The result is that my nephew has escaped the status of intellectually gifted only at hair’s breadth – a status instilled into every child of Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg with his mother’s milk.
Just imagine: trilingual!
The result is that my nephew has escaped the status of intellectually gifted only at hair’s breadth – a status instilled into every child of Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg with his mother’s milk.
Just imagine: trilingual!
Well,
almost.
So far only “Cuke”.
4. Oh… speaking of “gathering”.
The child’s father has already purchased 500,-€ worth of Playmobil toys.
No kidding.
Because he himself didn’t have any as a child.
(My sister went nuts after finding out.)
The Playmobil toys are now waiting in the basement until the child reaches the appropriate age.
Oh dear, if I had bought all the toys for my children that I didn’t have when I was a child, we would…well…ok, we’d have…
Hold on. That is exactly what I did.
(But it’s a COMPLETELY different story in my case, of course!)
5. My nephew repeats every song he knows and he knows their melodies.
So far only “Cuke”.
4. Oh… speaking of “gathering”.
The child’s father has already purchased 500,-€ worth of Playmobil toys.
No kidding.
Because he himself didn’t have any as a child.
(My sister went nuts after finding out.)
The Playmobil toys are now waiting in the basement until the child reaches the appropriate age.
Oh dear, if I had bought all the toys for my children that I didn’t have when I was a child, we would…well…ok, we’d have…
Hold on. That is exactly what I did.
(But it’s a COMPLETELY different story in my case, of course!)
5. My nephew repeats every song he knows and he knows their melodies.
My
sister remembered Ben’s then favorite CD and got the exact same one
for her son – now also high on Samuel’s list.
(What she did not know: This CD drives you CRAZY when listened to in the car for four hours on end. Even after more than 10 years I still know half the songs by heart. Should I ever have to listen to one of them ever again, I will run away screaming, I swear).
(What she did not know: This CD drives you CRAZY when listened to in the car for four hours on end. Even after more than 10 years I still know half the songs by heart. Should I ever have to listen to one of them ever again, I will run away screaming, I swear).
6.
The little Berlin boy loves Pretzels from Suabia in Southern
Germany.
7. And fish, especially salmon.
8. If you are caught with a positive pregnancy test in Berlin, the first question you will be asked is whether you have already reserved your spot in a daycare center – followed by appalled glares, if the answer is no.
My nephew at age 1 and a half does not attend a daycare center yet, and does not even know words like “mine”.
This becomes particularly obvious on the playground, where he willingly passes on his toys and is totally aghast, if other children do not want to share their possessions.
7. And fish, especially salmon.
8. If you are caught with a positive pregnancy test in Berlin, the first question you will be asked is whether you have already reserved your spot in a daycare center – followed by appalled glares, if the answer is no.
My nephew at age 1 and a half does not attend a daycare center yet, and does not even know words like “mine”.
This becomes particularly obvious on the playground, where he willingly passes on his toys and is totally aghast, if other children do not want to share their possessions.
9. Samuel loves taking a bath and he has awesome fine motor skills:
my sister hands him two small bottles and he fills water from one into the other without spilling a drop.
This activity keeps him occupied for minutes.
10. My sister cannot take a shower, EXCEPT when she lets her son run the washing machine.
Several times a week.
He enthusiastically presses every button followed by the start button and sits in front of the empty machine, completely fascinated, while the washing program runs its cycle.
No toy or any such thing can distract him.
Altogether now:
Oh
noooooo, these first-time parents!
What
a fuss they make!
Washing machine, excuse me?!
It goes without saying that I have never given in to such ridiculous things in my time.
Everything always ran wonderfully smoothly and I was NEVER half-desperate and totally irritated by my own one-and-a-half-year old, who clung to my leg without a break and either wanted to hear “VroomVroom” for the 30th time or alternatively look at a construction site.
Washing machine, excuse me?!
It goes without saying that I have never given in to such ridiculous things in my time.
Everything always ran wonderfully smoothly and I was NEVER half-desperate and totally irritated by my own one-and-a-half-year old, who clung to my leg without a break and either wanted to hear “VroomVroom” for the 30th time or alternatively look at a construction site.
Not
me, never.
But I bought a ton of toys.
A TON.
But I bought a ton of toys.
A TON.
The
image shows Ben at approximately age 1 and a half.
Sources of supply:
Nicky Bird: HERE, star cushion: HERE, star mobile: HERE, all by MyCircus*
Children’s-CD "Brumm Brumm": Amazon*
*Advertisement
With love
Joanna
p.s. How did the blogger workshop on the week-end go?
And who paid you a visit on the week-end?
You will find out tomorrow when you tune in again!
(Please observe the cliffhanger ending.
Sources of supply:
Nicky Bird: HERE, star cushion: HERE, star mobile: HERE, all by MyCircus*
Children’s-CD "Brumm Brumm": Amazon*
*Advertisement
With love
Joanna
p.s. How did the blogger workshop on the week-end go?
And who paid you a visit on the week-end?
You will find out tomorrow when you tune in again!
(Please observe the cliffhanger ending.
If
I know one thing, that must be it, right!)
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