...I've been neglecting my blog!

I've been gone almost a month!  It was a crazy trip. So much happened in one trip that its hard to even think about it as one trip!  

It was quite an undertaking with a baby and it wore me out.  I planned all these things prior to having a baby - just thinking "we'll just see how it goes!" and almost everything I've done has proved to be quite challenging - hosting family, going on vacation, traveling abroad & stateside, and coaching a swim team - with a baby.  I can only imagine how nice it'd be to live within driving distance of family.  Having help at arms reach and easy to get to would be so nice!  

I'm really glad we went, but I don't know if I'll be doing another long flight like that on my own anytime soon. There really wasn't a way around it though, with immediate family so spread out all over the US, it was the only way to introduce Emma to all of them.

I have to say, I wasn't as good at taking the millions of photos that I usually take this trip.  Sometimes you just don't have a free hand to hold a camera when you're juggling a baby and all the gear that a baby requires (so much stuff!).  Its probably ok though, because I might not have had time to go through millions :)  

We had to go through Munich on our way to Salzburg, so we stopped for some shopping (Jason's cousin was on a hunt for a specific Birkenstock style) and dinner.  Usually when we go to the Hofbrau House its chaotic and packed, but it was less-so this time which was a nice surprise!  

Austria was a pleasant surprise.  I didn't really expect much going into it mostly because I didn't know what to expect.  Salzburg is small enough that its very doable in a couple days, its clean, affordable, and mostly stroller friendly - not to mention the city is extremely picturesque.  We really enjoyed our 2 days here!  I wish we had time to explore further and maybe take the Sound of Music tour.  Next time!

We briefly stopped in Venice on our way from Salzburg to Tuscany.  It was right on the way and hard to pass up.  To be honest, we did it all wrong and therefore didn't have a good time.  I would strongly recommend not trying to drive to Venice.  

There's not a lot of roads into the city, so there's tons of traffic and pedestrians - all tourists with the same idea as you.  Once we entered the outskirts and were trying to park, we discovered that most of the garages pack the cars in like sardines and want you to leave your keys with them - no way!  So it took some extra time and frustration to find a garage that we could park ourselves and keep the keys.  

We then basically got on a city bus (which in Venice is a boat) and did a lap through the city.  It was cool to see the city, but (1) it was extremely hot, (2) the city bus was dirty (go figure), and since we only got off the boat briefly, we only saw the area right around a major bus stop (not pretty).  

I think taking a train in or somehow getting dropped off would have been better and then spending a little extra money on a private boat tour would have done the city a little more justice.  I definitely would go back.

Saying that Tuscany was beautiful is a gross understatement.  Tuscany is like a dream and I can't get enough of it.  I had kind of hoped for more down time during our stay - time by the pool, hanging out, relaxing, and taking in the scenery - but unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate.  It was rainy a lot of our time there (through the whole trip really).  We explored San Gimignano and nearby Sienna instead.  We had lunch at a Saffron farm and a wine tasting at an organic vineyard.  

On our way from Tuscany to Lake Como, we stopped briefly in Pisa.  The sun was so intense and there isn't much shade to be found around the tower, so Emma and I hung out in the spot below.  We didn't partake in any of the goofy pictures.  The town overall was not nice.  It was cool to see the tower, but after an hour I was ready to leave.  

Cinque Terre was different than I pictured it.  I had pictured it very stacked like Positano, but it was more spread out.  One of the major highlights is hiking between the towns.  Emma and I couldn't partake, but the rest of our group did a couple of the trails between the cities and really enjoyed it.  We stayed mostly in Montorosso.  It was clean, had good shopping and a beautiful beach area.  We ate an an awesome restaurant called the Cantina.  It was some of the best food we had the whole trip.

Lake Como is definitely one of the prettiest places I've ever been to.  The pictures below just don't do it justice.  My only complaint was that the rain made it impossible for us to do as much as we wanted to, which was a bummer.  Even in the rain though, it was gorgeous.  Our hotel was pretty awesome.  It was right on the water.

After our 13 day European adventure, we are back and we are tired and cranky!  :)  All three of us, equally I think.  Jason is dealing with going back to work and a flat tire, Emma is dealing with her schedule being all out of whack and teething at the same time (sleep has been a challenge the past 3 days), and a tired me is up to my ears in laundry and spending hours rocking our girl trying to get her back on schedule and to sleep for more than 20 minutes at a time.

It was quite a trip - filled with beautiful places, good company and good food.  We drove from Wiesbaden, stopped in Munich for dinner, then went on to Salzburg, Austria for two days.  Then headed to Venice for an afternoon on our way to San Gimignano, Tuscany for three days.  After Tuscany we departed for Cinque Terre, stopping in Pisa to see the Leaning Tower on the way.  After three days in Cinque Terre we drove north and spent our final three days on Lake Como in the town of Bellagio.  On Monday we left Lake Como and drove through Switzerland on our way back home to Wiesbaden.  

The trip came with challenges - being a tourist with a baby is not an easy task.  There was a lot that I couldn't do or that was difficult for me to do with her and there were some moments where I had to throw in the towel and just go back to the hotel room for some quiet time.  We did well overall though - didn't forget anything major, the travel crib that I carefully picked out worked great and fit in every tiny European hotel room just fine, all our stuff (which doubled with Emma) fit in the car, we didn't get too lost ever, meltdowns among all were limited, and no major incidents to report.  

Overall it will be a trip to remember and one that we'll call upon when Emma is grown and wanting us to fund a trip to Italy - we'll point to the pictures and say "but you've already been there!  doesn't Florida sound like fun instead?" ;)

I've uploaded all my photos, but still have to sort through them, so more to come!  Here's some cuteness to tide you over though.

Pop on over to the photography page for some new baby photos!

Having family in town has been a good excuse to explore some of the cool spots in our area.  I've not done a good job or posting as we go, but here are some of our favorites so far!

We found a cute little wine garden in Geisenheim.  Its a little garden vineyard with tables scattered amongst the vines.  The atmosphere is casual and the wine is really good.  There's a walking path nearby that you can stroll along the Rhine.  There are scattered wine stands along this path as well.  Can you think of a better way to spend an evening?

I've mentioned Hochheim before, but its still a favorite.  Its just a cute little town to stroll around.  The path through the vineyard is cool too.  

Heidelberg is about a 40 minute drive south of us.  The main sight to see there is the castle, but the town below is cute and very picturesque with the castle looming over it.  I had taken my brother here in December and it was cool then with the Christmas markets, but I have to say I liked visiting in the warm weather better.  The streets were more bustling, there's greenery and gardens everywhere, and it just seemed move vibrant overall.  A great place to visit and fairly easy to park, walk, and drive to - my kind of tourist attraction!

Eltville is the first city along the Rhine, when driving from Wiesbaden.  We stopped by last week and meandered around.  We found a cute little wine restaurant on the water and hung out there for a bit.  Beautiful!

Touring the Rheingau via river cruise has been on our list of things to do since we moved here.  While my Dad visited, we tried it out.  We parked in Rudesheim and took a train to St. Goar.  We then rode the boat back to Rudesheim.  The train took about 20 minutes and has great views of the river along the way.  As you ride the boat down the river, there are various castles and small German towns along the way.  

I honestly just enjoyed being on the water for a bit.  The cruise was about 3 hours long.  We then walked around Rudesheim for a bit and got dinner.

Its been an eventful couple of weeks, to say the least.  Not to mention Emma's arrival, this is the summer of family visitors!  We've been so lucky to have so many people willing to come out and meet Emma and help out.  

Here are some photos of our visitors so far.  Jason's family arrives the week after next and then his cousins two weeks after that, and then we head to Italy with more friends and family!  

Life is good.

Head over to the photography site to see my latest post: PJ's Senior Photos.  

Also, in case you missed it: Andy & Emily's Engagement Session

We had a good day here.  We had an OB appointment this morning and everything looks good!  I was anxious to go since, with my visit to the States, I hadn't been to the doctor since before Christmas.  They did a stress test where they strapped monitors to my belly and we listened to the baby's heart rate for 20 minutes.  Everytime she moved it would disrupt the monitor, it was kind of funny.  I felt like she was puching them.  Everything looked fine, she's growing just like she's supposed to and she's even head down - yay!

I then ran to the grocery where I bought my first pack of diapers (and it begins!), then I met Jason for lunch and headed home.  I finished the Ikea dresser - finally.  It took me almost 3 days because I needed Jason's help for some of it.  Second to the wardrobes, it was definitely the most complex thing I've built from Ikea.  

I'm excited to see her room start to come together.  I ordered a couple things online for her today using gift cards - some essentials that we were still missing.

Yesterday I did some shopping on Baby Gap.  I love their stuff!  The Paddington Bear line they have at the moment is super cute.  I used a gift card from my dad to fill in some gaps in her 0-3 month wardrobe and also buy a cute little outfit to take her home from the hospital in - Fun!

Here are some of the detail shots from my shower thrown by Angie & Annie.  They did such a great job.  The headbands all turned out so cute and the food was delicious!

While I was home I was lucky enough to get 3 baby showers thrown for us.  The first was a surprise shower hosted by my Aunt, Mom, & Gramme in Florida.  The second was hosted by my cousins  Molly, Emily & Marlee from my Dad's side of the family.  The third was hosted by Jason's Mom, Angie, and Sister, Anastasia.  All were very unique and special.  Below are some pics from the Florida Shower and the Cousin shower.  I haven't uploaded the ones from Jason's family's shower from my camera yet, so I'll post those later.