Our First Week!

TODAY is Friday, June 10th in Switzerland, which means we left home one week and one day ago. And what a LONG week its been!

 

Jake acting like a T-rex on the plane

Traveling this far with a little one takes its toll but we are recovering, ha! There are little things we'd forgotten about Zurich, such as the strict trash and laundry rules (we don't have a dryer, ugh :) ) And how the language barrier can be isolating at times. The grocery store takes longer because everything is not as obvious so we have to translate labels, yikes! And while Jake likes the train, utilizing public transportation while lugging a toddler in a stroller and groceries is tiring day after day, whew! But, those are just minor things we have to have a sense of humor about!! We are happy to be here and excited for all the fun to be had. There were also wonderful things we had forgotten, such as how breathtaking this city is, especially by the water. And how much the Swiss value their outdoor leisure time-- the city comes alive during hot weather-- everywhere you look there are people lounging in the grass or snacking at an outdoor sidewalk cafe. And how tasty the food is, particularly the gelato, and the daily made fresh bread. I have eaten buffalo mozzarella on top of tomatoes with basil leaves for three days straight and I still can't get enough! Melon and prosciutto is my favorite snack... or is it Swiss chocolate?! Michael is obsessed with all the different kinds of croissants, he talks about them constantly. We are slowly getting into a rhythm as our bodies get over the jet lag and 7 hour increase in time. It's a nostalgic feeling for Michael and me being here again and sharing it with Jake. So here's a recap of our very eventful first week...

Sound asleep on our first flight

PLANE RIDE... aside from being antsy and needing to move around a lot, Jake did AMAZING on the planes. He didn't throw any fits and he even slept on both flights. No ear trouble and over all he was really good (I may have occasionally bribed him with his favorite snacks!) During our layover in New York he literally ran around the airport non-stop for an hour trying to expend his pent up energy! When we arrived in Zurich, it was 8:30am on Friday morning, and we received a warm welcome by our friends, Michael's teammates, Manu and Nderim, and Nderim's daughter Ileonora. She was only Jake's age when we were last here, and now she is all grown up! Jake took to her immediately and would not stop hugging her or holding her hand the whole way to our apartment, it was precious! Those two are going to have so much fun this summer, especially at ball games!

Daddy & Jakey in park by the lake

OUR ZURICH HOME... our apartment is in a great central area, very quiet and gorgeous flowers blooming everywhere. Michael found us a two bed room, which has been great to have the extra space for Jake. The first few nights he was adjusting as expected, and ended up in our bed, but the past few he has slept all night in his own room. Grocery store and train are just a few minutes walk away. There is a school nearby with sport fields and we go each day so Jake can play baseball or soccer, just like he does at home in his backyard. He loves playing with other kids, even though they only speak German. Jake is always sad to leave and asking to stay longer with his "fwends"(friends).

Jake's first wish at a Swiss fountain

Bridge overlooking canal downtown

Sitting at Lake Zurich

 SATURDAY... we went to the lake downtown and showed Jake how beautiful Zurich is. We quickly realized we were going to need a cheap, light weight stroller that would easily collapse on the train, so we bought one a few days later, which has made our lives much easier than having to chase after Jake all over the place! Jake calls all of the fountains everywhere waterfalls and he has to touch each one. He also loves chasing the ducks and birds in the parks, although I'm not sure they are loving him back!

SUNDAY... Michael's first games, a double header. Jake and I rode the train through what he calls the "tunny" (tunnel) to the field and we watched Daddy play short-stop and pitch. He did really well considering we had arrived just two short days earlier! The "Barratunas" (this is the seriously cute way Jake says Barracudas) won both games, which was a great way to start the summer! They are playing in a brand new sports complex that is much nicer than what they used to play in. The whole team was really excited to see Michael again, which I know made him feel so good. It was great seeing so many of our old friends at the game after 5 years! And of course, Jake was wearing his own baseball uniform, head to toe, and brought his bat, ball and glove along as well. He takes this pretty seriously and I'm thinking I didn't need to bother bringing any other shoes for him because he insists upon only wearing his baseball shoes everywhere we go! Michael has taught him to say "boo ya" when he gets a hit and runs the bases, with his hand pointed in the air-- it's quite a sight to see my two year old doing this!

At baseball field, after first game

Lounging at Lake Zurich

MONDAY... we went back downtown to our favorite lakeside park, it is so pretty and green. Jake was playing on a small hill near a sculpture with Michael and I was at the bottom watching them, and Jake kept bringing me leaves and rocks. Then all of the sudden he came running down and handed me a beautiful shiny ring! I was so caught of guard and I looked down at Jake and said "where did you get that?" and he was just smiling at me so sweet. I looked up to Michael as he was walking down the hill towards us and I realized this was my Mother's Day present that he had promised me! It was a really special surprise that I will always remember, and I love that Jake was a part of it. After that we went to one of our favorite sidewalk cafes and ate our first pizza together, yummmm! Then we took Jake to a huge toy store on the Banhofstrasse and he found a two story dragon slide that was the hi-light of his afternoon!

Didn't know when I took this that it's Michael giving Jake my ring to run down & bring me!

TUESDAY... we went to the Zurich Zoo, which Jake loved. The best parts were a long winding slide nestled amongst the trees and a family of lions we got to see really close up, including two cubs. That evening while Michael and Ueli went to practice, Julia came over and we made dinner with Jake. It was a fun night with an old friend, great food, and our favorite sparkling wine, Litchy! Sometimes you meet people in life and know that no matter how little time you spend with them, you will always be close at heart. Julia and I haven't seen each other since 2007 when they visited us in Chicago, but we always pick up right where we left off, happily chatting as if we've seen each other every day! I am very thankful for her friendship and I look forward to lots of fun Tuesday nights together.

Taking a break, riding Dad's shoulders

WEDNESDAY... we went to walk the trails of the Zurichberg forest, which are on top of a big hill overlooking the city. Michael and I used to walk Bailey there all the time and we were really excited to bring Jake. The weather was not very cooperative- misting heavily and getting chilly- so we went inside the idyllic hilltop restaurant and drank hot chocolate and coffee until it stopped, it was actually a nice little detour. Jake was searching for dinosaurs the whole time we were hiking (he's watched too many dino movies), and we took pics in the same places as we had in 2006. At the end of one trail is a horse barn and Jake enjoyed seeing the horsies in the arena.

Posing in the forest with Mommy

THURSDAY... we went to Irchel Park, just minutes from our apartment, and right in front of the university. There are lakes and ducks and sport fields and areas to picnic. We three of course, played baseball! You wouldn't believe how many stares we get from people walking by-- it's as if they have never seen baseball before! But it's probably just because it's not a dominant sport here-- or maybe they are marveling at Jake's hitting skills, ha!! After a few errands we returned home to start dinner and do our dreaded laundry! Jakey was begging to get back outside-- he really misses his backyard-- so Michael took him to the park after eating, while I began working on the blog in between hanging wet clothes! We may take a day trip to Lucerne on Saturday, weather permitting. It's smaller than Zurich but really pretty.

Jake happily riding the train

Over all, this has been a good first week. We've already done a lot and I know it will only get better as we get more settled in. And the plus side to the public transportation and all the walking we're doing is that hopefully it will allow us to stay in shape and continue eating all this delicious food!! I'm thankful to be here with my husband and son and to have this special time away in a beautiful place. It's great Michael only works at night or on weekends, which allows us lots of family time during the day together to do fun things. It's been trying for both of us seeing Jake out of his element at times with all the unfamiliarity of his surroundings, but Michael has gone out of his way to make sure we're as comfy as possible. JK thrives on his daily routine and sleep, neither of which have been very consistent the past week. With his endless energy, the only naps he's taking are in the stroller when we're out and about! But we're working together to help him along and figure out some sort of daily structure for him here. Usually Michael is asleep by 10pm but since we are so out of sorts with time, he's been up with me since nearly 1am each night talking and eating, which I love! Not sure how much longer that will last but I'll take it for now! Last night he came home soaking wet because he rode his electric scooter to practice and it ended up raining. But he was smiling contently because all he cared about was that he finally got to ride it!!

When I think about the next 8 weeks here, I think of one of my most favorite verses, Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen." This verse has seen me through many happy and difficult times in my life and it reminds me that one thing always remains true. If we keep our faith, our hopes inevitably become our convictions. It may not be exactly what we had pictured, and in fact sometimes it's even better. But things have a way of working out for the best when you truly allow God to lead your heart...I feel extremely blessed and grateful. Happy weekend everyone, ciao!!