Frühlingserwachen - spring finally seems to have arrived in Germany and Austria...

[LinzerTorte]

... or at least I hope so.

For everyone in Germany and Austria, and anyone else who would like to chat!

Congratulations on number 3 Jenny! Sounds like you're managing great, but will be so much better when the weather is nice - being able to get outdoors makes looking after small children much easier and more relaxed I think!

My son is the same age as yours then - he will be 3 1/2 next week (to be pedantic ) and he is as you describe - proudly talking about the baby brother in my tummy often, but also prone to deliberately thumping me in the tummy if he is cross - he knows exactly what he is doing! I think 3.5 years is an awkward gap, DD was only just 2 when he was born and she was perfect with him, not a problem til he started walking when she was nearly 3, and then only one or two little moments, in general they are still lovely together and really close... How old is your second? You must have pretty small age gaps! I would have liked a much smaller gap from 2 to 3 but DH took a bit of persuading to go for a third!

I am sure I will be absolutely fine when baby arrives, I am not too worried tbh (the night time sleep deprivation is my main concern, DD was a non sleeper for a very long time and I intend to breast feed so have no expectation of sleeping though before 6 months or so...) I have it easy really though as DD is nearly 5 1/2 and is very excited about the baby and determined to help, she is also (usually) very grown up for her age (though she has her moments of acting like a 2 year old!) and has good understanding of what is happening and will happen - also both mine are at Kindergarten Monday to Friday 8.30 - 12! It will be nice to have DH home for the KiGa run for baby's first month, as well as for lifting and shopping because of c-section - DS quite tall, broad and solidly built and is already heavier than his big sister and unlike her her sometimes falls asleep in the car or on the sofa when I am cooking dinner etc., so I am still carrying him upstairs occasionally but that would be a very bad idea immediately after a c-section! I just hope DH doesn't decide his month off is a week of helping with the kids and 3 weeks on the x-box, but that is another story!

Better get off here and sorted for work - need to leave in a few minutes!

Thanks 2and1, dd was 5 3 days after ds2 was born and there are 19 months between her and ds1! She was fine with him too though as they've really grown up together she thinks he should be able to do the same things as she can! I always wanted a third, just had to move out here, persuade dh and then actually fall pregnant. He is gorgeous if I do say so myself and is just starting to smile!

Hope work goes well.

Oh central Oregon! lovely. Dh and I road-tripped out that way because I have a (best) friend that lives in Eugene. We loved Bend. Have you ever been?
(I'm American from Wisconsin, but grew up on East Coast moved to Cardiff, UK when I married my Brit husband)
We're in Munich for another 4 months on contract.

dd is still not herself randomly would cry, not just whine, full on balling inconsolable about strange things...the reoccurring one was Daddy was at work. We finally managed to get out at 4 to the park and it was nice. Spent 2 hours out again, but I was dying for supper when we got in. Hopefully she'll sleep well tonight and I won't suffer too much with sickness because I ate late.

Managed to organise my writings with 2 separate programs both of which are not the most 'mature' and seem to have major flaws...but at least everything is organised and hopefully I'll be able to crack on with the writing now.

Tis a very small world then - I feel like I'm following in your footsteps bebe! Bend is where we live and I have spent a couple of summers in Appleton Wi,where my Dad's sister lived with her American husband. I've spent 6 months in Munich and dh and I lived in Magor, Wales when he worked in Newport and I in Bristol! Strange coincidences. What kind of writing are you doing?

this thread has moved so fast in 2 days - dont feel i can keep up!

Welcome Jenny - feel we should speak German to give you a chance to keep it up but that would be too much like hard work! congrats on your dc3! I've also got 3 (altho their 9, 6 and 4 now) and think altho its crazy at times, 3 is a good number of dc to have!

Bebe - hope your dd feels better soon! ds2 was also poorly at the weekend but thankfully it was only a 24 hour sickness bug!

Linzer - hope you got some work done so you can enjoy the peace tonight! i also love evenings without dh - used to have 1 every week when we lived in the UK but not so many here! nice to just to do your own thing all eve!

2and1 - i also struggle with tea bags here - but i now dont let visitors come unless they promise to bring some with them!! will have a look at that ebay seller tho - wonder if he does decaf ones?

bananas - glad you got your paperwork sorted out - sounds like its all moving forward!

any word from Tallpoppies - hope it all went ok!

well the library had some new DVD's in tody so we're going to watch The Social Network tonight - should suit me since my FB addiction seems to be getting worse!

Am trying to summon up the energy to go upstairs to the computer and work - no relaxing evening today either, as yet another urgent letter arrived for translation this afternoon. The annoying thing is that I could quite easily have got it done this morning, but it didn't arrive until just after DD2 got home from school.

2and1 There's a 24-month gap between DD2 and DS, partly because I knew that if I left it much longer I'd find it too difficult to go back to the baby stage, all the sleepless nights, etc.! (Mind you, despite the fact that neither DD2 nor DS slept through until they were over a year, the fact that they would - unlike DD1 - actually go back to sleep in between night time feeds made it all seem quite bearable in comparison.)

Jenny Initially thought your "he is gorgeous" comment referred to your DH until I got to the end of the sentence.

bebe Hope your DD sleeps well after your afternoon out. We spent a couple of hours at the playground this afternoon too as it was such a lovely sunny day (19° again - positively tropical compared with the temperatures up until about a week ago).

Canella Enjoy the DVD - I'd like to see The Social Network too. Must check to see what's on at the cinema in Linz before our next visit!

Lol that is very coincidental :) I my home town is 45 south of Appleton ;) We're like from alternative universes.

I'm just working on a children's book I've been working on for ages and put on hold when I worked and then again when I got preggy with dd1. I've got a lot of time on my hands currently so have pulled it out again.

45(min) south

Evening all!

Hi Jenny - congratulations on No 3!

Bebe - hope your DD feels better soon and is more herself, and that your sickness starts to get better soon.

Canella - you'll have to let us know what the Social Network is like, I've heard good things...

2and1 We usually stock up on PG Tips when we're back in the UK, I haven't seen any in this neck of the woods - I'm in Hessen though so not very handy for you! We brought a job lot back with us when we were over for New Year, then 3 weeks later I found out I was pregnant and the Dr told me to give up caffeine!!

I had my 12 week scan today and the baby is starting to look like an actual baby now! I got far too excited about being able to see things like knees and feet so I'm sure my Dr thinks I'm a complete simpleton :o)
Completely forgot to ask about the Hob Nob prescription though, dammit!

Hope everyone's well and enjoying the spring weather - 19°here today!

Well I quite like my dh, Linzer but appreciate he's not everyone's cup of PG!

Congratulations on your pg Banana - scans are really lovely!

Hope your heating is fixed admylin. I'm having similar problems with my boiler and running out of hot water.

Sheboygan way bebe?

Sorry, forgot to ask how the Social Network was Canella.

the social network was good - glad i watched it in english tho - the main character speaks so crazy fast that i'd never have followed it in German!! dh - who is totally fluent in english - struggled a bit at times to follow it!

But i did enjoy it - got the blind side for tonight!

Sounds like a good library Canella. Is it in your village? Our Stadtteil has one but it's not very good for choice and i've read all the English books already. It'S also not fair as the Russian language shelf is much bigger than the English one.

tadjennyp, yes the heating is back on! Hope you get yours sorted soon. Enjoy all those firsts with baby, it's great the first smile, first noises that sound like a word etc! I wasn't brave enough to have 3 although I wanted 3 but I wouldn't have coped. I have no family nearby and a mad scientist dh so it's better to just do daily life chores yourself so I wouldn't have had much help!

BananaMed, it's great to se ethe baby isn't it? When will you be having more scans? I had loads with ds - I think the doctor just did one every time we went which was great for me.

Linzer, hope you got your work finished. One last chance tonight to have a relaxing evening!

2and1ontheway, how did work go? Is it a big class? How long ahve you been teaching? I've tried it a few times but I always feel like I can't explain the grammar enough. I should spend some time learning it myself. My last student was preparing for some lectures she had to give in English at a conference so that was easy, she knew her grammar more or less!

Bebe, hope dd is better today. It's so heartbreaking when they are so upset but can't tell you exactly what's bothering them. Give her loads of hugs. The writing sounds interesting. Have you published before or is this your first?

I managed to get my work done and sent off in the end, but am keeping my fingers crossed that no more arrives today - this is my last chance to have a quiet evening on my own! (DH will be back at around 11 pm).

The house has somehow descended into chaos over the last few days, so I need to do some serious tidying this morning - not to mention fitting in the two English lessons (which reminds me that I still haven't quite finished making the flash cards). DD2 is quite upset that she might not be in her class's English lesson as she'll be going to the Sprachheilunterricht in the 4th lesson (she has a slight problem pronouncing s and sch).

admylin Virtually all the other families I know here with three DC have grandparents nearby. I was talking to a friend of mine about it yesterday in fact, who persuaded her DH to move back to Austria from Germany when she was pregnant with no. 3 so that her parents could help out. Then again, most of the families with 1 or 2 DC have family nearby too; Austrians often don't seem to move very far away from their parents and I'm always very envious when I see how much help others get from GPs.

Canella Must check if our library has DVDs - I haven't been for years. I did pay the ?20 to join one year, when we lived near the library, but I hardly ever go to that part of town now.

Banana Glad the scan went well. I used to love having scans at every appointment and felt quite cheated when I was only able to have one throughout my entire pregnancy in the USA.

Jenny I'm sure your DH is gorgeous too. It's lovely when they start smiling and reacting to you more, isn't it? (Babies, not DHs, I hasten to add. )

Lol - actually the dh's could do abit more smiling and reacting to us more sometimes!

I've got piles of washing to be done, covering the bathroom floor but atleast the weather is good so I can get it outside to dry.

Dd is going to a circus club today after school. They are learning to ride a one wheel bike and juggle. I didn't think it'd be her thing but she loves it.

Jen-Fond du Lac

thanks for hoping Moo better- cannot tell if she's cranky because of sickness or being a 'teenage' 2yo Maybe she's learning I'll respond more if she cries properly?

I do lots of writing- just never finish much- well except one in Uni but it is NOT good at all and actually a very personal story and I never felt comfortable with it on so many levels.
This one is just 'typical' fare i.e. just creative fun. BUT I am hoping to complete it and if all goes well (in an ideal world) send it off to an agent and (in a fantasy world) I'd get published and make loads of money so dh could stop working and I could spend my days writing and weaving in a lovely glass sided studio out in the countryside...
My goal is not so much to get published as to complete it and make it as good as I can get it. So I guess it's still more personal than anything else...

Well I'm off..I need to write and try to clean a little (and get Moo dressed -if dh gets her up he never dresses her right away) as well as do the store/park run.
love to everyone

hope you have a good day bebe. your writing sounds fun, great to have something creative going! did dh start his diet? DH has a lactose intolerance (which does not include cream on Sunday cakes ) so I often cook seperate things, or at least things which can be served seperately.

Hello Jenny! congratulations on smiling babies and husbands. Funny to read about your trips coinciding with Bebe´s.

Linzer. We go to Klosterneuburg for the classes. The swimming school was recommended and it was the only one I could find which taught on a Saturday. You ar right that the water is not very warm. My dds are rubbish swimmers - they took some lessons in the UK but did no swimming in Finland - the pool near us was really cold so we only got to go swimming in the lakes in summer- so they forgot it all.Do you have a NÖ card to use up by any chance? My neighbour was saying she had been to the Riesenrad and Happyland to use hers up!

Banana-How exciting! Glad all is going well. Did dr tell you not to drink any caffeine?

2and1onthe way. Yes, I agree about a big city as they get older but at the moment I find myself driving them out of the city to the countryside. But, at least it is at a reasonable hour and they are not drunk on the way home.

admylin. how was dds appointment? Our local library will order material from other libraries for a small charge. Is that service available where you are?

canella - I think the library should employ you as their Public Relations persons.First your picture in the paper and now you are singing their praises on an international website!

A question- would you take a job teaching english which is 1 or 2 hours a week and pays 12 euros an hour? I am not sure, in one way I feel it is better than sitting at home,I think dh feels I should not take it (though have not had a chance to talk about it properly).

That's a tricky one, bananas - it depends who I'd be teaching, how much work it would involve, etc. I taught a friend of DD1's in the summer for ?10 an hour so wouldn't dismiss it out of hand - actually, I would almost have paid him as they played so well together afterwards, which gave me the chance to get on with other things! I do feel quite strongly about not accepting translation work which is poorly paid, however, so am probably being a bit hypocritical.

How did you guess about the NÖ card? Yes, that's the main reason we went to Happyland and also to the Riesenrad at the weekend. We've had one for a cuople of years now and have definitely got our money's worth out of it - the Schneebergbahn alone (which the DC love going on) would cost us about ?70, I think.

cuople? I proofread my post as well. It would have been funny if we'd done Happyland and the Riesenrad the other way round and bumped into you - I shall be keeping a look out for you everywhere I go now. [stalking emoticon]

haha bananas - never thought of it like that!! but it is a good wee library - its not in the village admylin - there really is nothing here!!! its in the next town. dd is a complete bookworm so we go often enough! and the dvd's are only 1?!! i'd be happy to be their PR person!

about the english job - thats kind of what i've been doing with the nachhilfe so i think it sounds reasonable. 1 or 2 hours isnt going to impinge on your life but just gives you some pocket money!

we're also back on the swimming lessons!! now taking ds's twice a week - feel like i've been doing swimming lessons for years but hopefully they'll all learn soon! hope your dc learn now banana!!

bananamad - aw glad your 12 week scan went well - its such an exciting time! i always found the next few weeks of pregnancy weird - they dont see you in the UK again till the 20 week scan and since all my nausea i had gone but i didnt have a bump i felt like i was pretending to be pregnant!! but i'm sure in germany they dont leave you so long!!

admylin - love the idea of the circus club - you need to let us know how it goes!!

Linzer - what happened to those free evenings you were supposed to be having!!!!!! promise us you'll enjoy tonight!

admylin Indeed - I wish DH would pay a bit more attention to me sometimes! He has this tendency to wander off when I'm trying to tell him something. Mind you, my ILs are even worse; they tend to wander off/start talking to someone else when I'm actually in the middle of a sentence to them.

bebe DH and I used to have a dream that we would go and live in Italy, where I would write my novel and he would... well, I'm not sure what his plans were. Remember us when you're a published author, anyway.

x posts Canella - I'll do my very best! I'm just hoping that the agency won't send me any more urgent work in the next few hours; it's looking good so far.

Thanks for the thoughts on job...it´s across town (would cost me ?3.60 on the U-Bahn and 1.5 hours travelling time) to teach English to old people. It would involve some preparation - it´s a conversation class but if I am going to do it I want to do it properly. I think it would be different if it were one on one and they came to me - which is the case for you isn´t it canella?

swimming twice a week?! I could not handle that! They are getting better, I really enjoyed swimming as a child and when I had no children so hoping that one day we can all go and swim lenghts together!

I must look into the NÖ card and then we will definitely be stalking each other! Unless you move to Italy and write your novel while dh sorts the kids, house, and olive tree farm out.

admylin - I also meant to say the circus club sounds fun. "When I was young"(I am practising for when I turn 40) I met quite a few Germans in Spain who were into juggling, unicylces etc. Now I know where they learnt it.

Off to dentist, got a filling last week and it is a bit too high and I can´t chew properly...have been nearly chocking on raw veggies for a week.

i wish dh would pay me a bit more attention too!!! think he only does when he wants something!!

bananas - the pool is only in the Bad town 5 mins away in the car. we've only been once and it was ok - but it is from 5.15 - 6.00 and i just wasnt organised with food and they were starving by the time we got home and had dinner!! but more sorted today! dd can properly swim and it is more fun going with her - the day will come when they can all do it!

hope your dentist trip goes ok - sounds like it should be pain free!!

going across town for the english teaching sounds like a PITA to me - i only do it cause the boy comes to the house - wouldnt feel worth it to pay travel expenses out of 1 hours work!

That was it - he was going to have an olive tree farm! Or something... But no, definitely no plans to move to Italy now - a couple of weeks there in the summer is enough (I get very frustrated by how little Italian I can speak and realise how much I take being able to speak fluent German for granted).

Yes, I didn't mind charging ?10 an hour when DD1's friend came to me (when I was teaching English one summer years and years ago, I used to charge extra if I had to travel to the students) but I definitely wouldn't do it if it meant 1.5 hours of travelling (unless it was something I absolutely loved doing and really wanted to do it). My friend who teaches English here has her travelling expenses paid; it would be frustrating to have to spend almost a quarter of your hourly rate on travelling if you're only teaching for an hour or so.