A Birthday And A Field Trip

Saturday was Ms. Myrna's one-month birthday. She spent the day at home, drinkin' it up til she was spittin' it up, napping, and playing with her new iPod (which matched her outfit, at least until she wet herself).

Sunday started off soupy and gray, but we chanced an out-of-town excursion nevertheless. Fortunately, the clouds burned off for a rather lovely afternoon visit to neighboring Bonn. The day will live in infamy as (1) Myrna's first train ride, (2) Myrna's first journey outside central Köln, (3) Myrna's first visit to a one-time European national capital, (4) Myrna's first on-the-go diaper change, and (5) Myrna's first Spaziergang with her new stroller, which the Jabbusches had graciously lugged over from Seattle. (It turns out that actually having a child seems to be requisite for pushing a stroller all the way to the gate at the airport.) Quite a big day, all told. We were glad to see that she took to the stroller very quickly, dividing her time between long gazes at the sky and, well, naps. Lucky for her, she seems to enjoy the bumpy ride afforded by Europe's many cobble-stoned walkways. Here she is in her stroller:

The you've-got-to-be-kidding-me look on her face may be best explained by this picutre:
PS: If you're in Bonn, and thinking about chocolate, the Schokoladen on Münsterstraße comes highly recommended.

Center of Attention

Grandma and Grandpa arrived this week, and so we've been busy with outings. I guess they didn't really want to travel 10 hours just to hang out in our apartment. These outings, of course, are carefully planned around feedings and trying not to stay out in the cold for too long. We have learned, though, that having a new adorable tiny baby in tow makes for a very social trip outdoors. Everyone stops to ask about her, especially if they too have a baby (which is half of the population in this city).

There were also many gifts carted across the Atlantic. We've tried to wait for Christmas, but there were a few that we just had to open and get her into. Here she is with Grandpa and Grandma in a new outfit from my parents neighbors, the Robls:

Here she is in a cute snow suit from her (crazy) Aunt Lisa (her arms and legs don't quite fill it up yet, but it is perfect for an outing in the cold. This time she decided her arms did both belong in the arm holes.... today was a different story, as she demanded that her right hand be free to flail out in the cold.)

More later, including (hopefully) her first day trip in the new stroller.

UPDATED: Like Mother Like Daughter

This morning Myrna had no desire to go back to sleep after her 8 a.m. feeding. I'm sure her little coos and fusses sounded to Chris like her (pre-baby) mother's "are you awake yet? 'cause I am (and it's 9 a.m. on a Sunday, don't you want to get up and clean something?)" Of course, as soon as Chris and I dragged ourselves out of bed and she could have the bed all to herself, she fell right back to sleep. We could see very clearly her plans for this household. More photos from the weekend are also up on the December Picassa page.

UPDATE: Looks like the taste for exclusive rights to beds of disproportionate vastness is a trait with roots on both sides of the family. Here's Chris back in the day:

More MB than the iPod 6G

As nursing now fills the majority of little Myrna Burkhalter's waking hours, her most endearing moments of the past several days have gone undocumented. When she isn't half-interestedly taking milk or reluctantly having her diaper changed, she's usually cuddled up like a tree frog against either Kelly or myself. None of these conditions lend themselves to a lot of photos. This morning, however, I caught her tapping into some of her Jabbusch insticts. Some of these photos can be viewed in a new Picasa album for December, which I'll update throughout the month. Her November pics, of course, can still be seen in the old album.

Ah, and a word of explanation on one of these. At those rare moments when she's on her own, Myrna loves to lay on her back with her feet shot straight up in the air, a position she can hold for remarkable lengths of time. We have no idea where this came from. Considering her feet were in her face for most of the pregnancy, could it be possible that she's already regressing?