Second Month in Berlin

The New Flat

Most of our time (and all of our money) this past month has been dedicated to getting our new flat organized. It was pretty discouraging the first few weeks, but now things are falling into place & we are actually growing to like our new home. The kitchen is our favourite room. It's spacious & sunny & is an inviting place to hang out. We still have a lot of work to do, but at least the place is liveable now. Candles are no longer our only source of light. We enjoyed out little patio for the first time this Sunday morning. It was a beautiful warm and sunny morning, so Dom suggested having breakfast outside. I already ate, but joined him & checked my e-mails while he ate his Honey Nut Corn Flakes.Although it's certainly not the loft (which we miss terribly, BTW), I think living here will be OK after all.

Back Online

Some of you may have thought I had forgotten all about you since I wasn't responding to e-mails. WRONG!!!! Of course I haven't forgotten about any of you! I just didn't have access to the internet since we moved into our flat. The service is incredibly slow here & once we did have access, the instructions to set up the internet were all in German! After several trials, Domenic finally asked a German co-worker to come over with her boyfriend to help us set it up. After seeing how much trouble they had figuring it out, I was glad we decided to ask for help. Now I just have to do the same for my phone, dishwasher, and washer/dryer since those instructions are all in German too!Anyway, I FINALLY have access to the internet again, so I have been trying to catch up on my e-mails & write back to everyone. I promise to be in contact more frequently now.

As it goes in life, when one problem gets solved, another one emerges. My PALM "ist kaput"!!!! This is actually worse than it sounds because I had my LIFE on that thing!!! ...all of my phone numbers, addresses, B-Days, contacts, favourite restaurants, etc.I did back in onto my computer, but Dom emptied that computer before giving it to a friend, & I forgot to transfer the file to my laptop. Anyway, all this to say that I haven't called anyone because I don't have anyone's number. That's next on the To-Do list. So, if you've gotten this far in reading our blog, please respond by giving us your complete contact info (including birthday). Thanks : )

What has Chantal Been up to?

I'm doing fine overall, but this past week I have been experiencing the burden of the last month of pregnancy. My arms & feet are swollen from water retention & quite sore, it's harder for me to move around, I have difficulty sleeping, and I get tired pretty quickly. I'm pretty lucky though, because I am almost at my 37th week, and like I said, these "annoyances" are quite recent. Besides the nausea, 2 urinary tract infections, and bronchitis that I had in the first trimester, I've had a great pregnancy! After re-reading this, I realize that I sound sarcastic, but I'm really serious! I've heard of some women who had really difficult pregnancies, so I DO count my blessings.

Despite being slowed down by the extra weight, I still go to pre-natal Yoga every week and try to do it once at home (Dom bought me a great DVD). If it's not a Yoga day, I at least try to go for an hour-long walk. All the floor and window washing, furniture re-arranging, and flat organizing is also physically demanding & helping to keep me fit.

I decided not to take the second part of the intensive German classes. I just didn't have the energy and it was really a full time job. I took a private course with Dom's teacher, but she is on vacation now, so I will probably resume when she gets back. Until then, I use what I have learned when I go out in public. I also plan on reviewing the lessons of the course to really consolidate what I've learned so far.

When time permits, I try to squeeze in some time for lunch or shopping with my friend Nina. I haven't met with the Mums & Bumps recently because I haven't had access to the internet, so I can't find out the meeting times & places. Dom & I have also enjoyed suppers and brunches with our "Quebecer" friends.

What's up with Dom (or should I say Bob the Builder)????

In just one month, I feel like I became a top expert in building IKEA furniture. If things don't work out at Bombardier, I'm definitely applying for a job at IKEA. One thing's for sure; they certainly need an English speaking salesperson on their staff. I've also been installing shelves, lights and curtains. And Chantal keeps updating her famous To-do lists which never seem to end regardless of how many things I do in a week. Go figure!?!?

I've also been following the HABS incredible season. Now that we're back online, I can also watch their games via the internet for $3/ game.Like a true Montrealer, I stayed up until 1:30 am to watch the game 2 vs. Boston on Saturday. I wish I could experience the hockey fever in Montreal at this time of the year.

GO HABS GO!!!!!!!!!

How's the Baby?

She's just fine! She's probably around 6 lbs now & is still moving like an acrobat from Cirque du Soleil! At the last ultrasound everything looked good and the cleft was still at 3.4mm, which was good news. The doctor couldn't believe how active she was and said that she had a really strong heart (which we already knew from the ultrasound at the Children's). Apparently she also has long legs, which is weird because neither Dom nor I have long legs! Oh well, like the German doctor said, "Long legs are nice on a woman!" (or at least that's what I think he said...) Her head is down and in position, but she still hasn't dropped. My cervix was also still completely closed this past Thursday; so, it looks like she won't be making an early appearance. Which is good, but Mommy & Daddy are getting really eager to see her!

What Else?

Dom & I went on our first touristy outing since we've moved here. We went up to the top of the TV tower, where there's a beautiful 360⁰ view of the city. We also attended our first professional Basketball game! My friend Nina's husband owns the Berlin professional B-Ball team & she got us tickets in the VIP section (of course!) It was actually quite fun & the atmosphere was great!

With the weather finally starting to warm up, we can start taking advantage of our neighbourhood. I have been exploring & found some really cute baby shops, cafés, an English book store, and great parks. Supposedly there is also a large lake close by, but I haven't found that yet.

Being so busy has kept us from being home sick, but we do have our moments. Our friends and family are what we miss the most, along with our loft and having a car! Walking everywhere is great exercise and better for the environment & all of that wonderful stuff, but I must say when you're 8 months pregnant & walking back from the grocery store with two big bags of groceries in the rain, boy do I miss my Corolla!!!!

I hope you are all doing well & we can't wait to hear from you! Until then, take care & we'll be in touch soon J

Hugs & Kisses,

Chantal, Domenic, & Baby

xox