"Interesting" would be the best way to describe our adventure this weekend.

We started out on Saturday morning with the intention of heading to the Frankfurt airport to pay for our airline tickets and a brief trek through the Frankfurt Zoo to get back in time to enjoy our town's "fest."

We did, in fact, make it to the airport. We used the short trip through the airport as another test of the backpack carrier. I did well until I very suddenly realized that I was starving to death (I wasn't) and lost my temper in the middle of the airport while Mommy was paying for the tickets. Daddy and I stepped outside, took care of the appetite issue while Mommy finished up, then back into the carrier I went. It was actually a big hit and worked quite well.

While we were in the airport we also ate at our first German McDonalds. It wasn't that exciting, but was worth a mention since "fast food" is not as common over here. As with normal German convention, the sodas came without ice. As a funny tidbit for all of you back in the US, in Germany you have to PAY for your ketchup too. They literally ask you if you want any, how many, and you pay per packet. Mommy didn't photograph the McDonalds, she just wanted me to mention the whole thing.

As we were driving towards the zoo we saw that there was some sort of fest going on in downtown Frankfurt. Since we figured that the zoo would always be there, we decided to stop and enjoy the fest atmosphere instead. After we parked, this was one of the first images we saw (editor's note: that's NOT a woman).



Mommy saw a few rainbow colored flags waving around and idly said to Daddy: "If we were back in the U.S., I would say we were in the middle of a gay pride parade." To which Daddy responded: "Sweetie, it means the same thing over here, too." We later figured out we had wandered into the celebration of "Christopher Street Day." Apparently, it's a gay pride celebration over here named after Christopher Street in New York. Who knew? (We had to look it up online when we got home - the celebration in Berlin is bigger from what we saw)

We wandered around Frankfurt, which is a lovely city, and soaked up the atmosphere.



Mommy and Daddy found a HUGE baby store and spent some boring time shopping (they did finally find European outlet covers - you'd think the BX here would know that we're in Europe and order us some). Daddy picked me out a new pair of jeans to replace the too small ones (pictured later). Mommy wanted to check out a craft store, so Daddy and I found a spot to crash and have a snack.



Frankfurt has bicycle cabs!



We wandered some more and had to carefully avoid a very large pro-Palestine demonstration (we figured that anything like that was not a good place for Americans, especially those in the military - and Daddy doesn't exactly blend in with his haircut and all). Then we noticed the crowds lining the street. There was a parade. Everyone loves a parade, so we stopped and watched. The men in drag were, of course, the funniest part of the whole thing. (We stayed way back, so none of the pictures came out well).



After the frivoloity, we decided to explore a little more.



Frankfurt is full of big, beautiful buildings. It also flanks a river. We climbed up to a footbridge over the river and enjoyed the view.









Near where we parked the car was a huge, gorgeous church. There were plenty of ruins outside from the old church structure as well.









We came home and the fest actually wasn't even started yet (and it was late afternoon before we got home.) So, I had my normal dose of tummy time and went to bed.



At about 9p.m. the music started. There was a live band playing down the street! Mommy and Daddy took turns wandering down for a while (since I was asleep for the whole thing) and finally just decided to hang out on the upstairs porch - they could see a little of what was going on from there and hear everything. There was a small-ish crowd of Germans singing along with the band at the top of their lungs. What made it especially amusing is that the songs were mostly American. Things like "Country Road," "I Will Survive" (by Aretha Franklin), and "Be My Girl." (You haven't lived until you've heard a large group of drunk Germans singing "Heeeey, Heeey, Baaby, I want to Knoo-oow, If you'll be my girl!" at the top of their lungs.) Mommy and Daddy sat on teh porch and sang along for as long as they could stand - the band was actually quite good. The partying and singing went on until at least 3am, we know because I woke up and wanted to dance too - I got myself caught in my crib in a funny spot and needed to be rescued.





One of the times Daddy wandered up and down the street the neighbor stopped him and tried to explain that this was nothing, the real party was to begin on Monday.

On Sunday afternoon we did our normal rollerblade/run. The little fest was still going a little bit and I enjoyed wandering down with Daddy and watching to carnival rides go around and around.
We also spent some time on some home improvement. Unfortunately, the movers bumped our coffee table a little too hard a few too many times. The tiles have started to come off. So, Daddy removed all of the tiles while I was napping and we'll re-tile it soon.



Monday brought the teething monster back again. I'm not feeling very good. Hopefully that tooth will pop out soon and we can be one down! But, in the meantime, I look awfully cute in my new jeans!!



Sure enough, starting at about noon on Monday, our neighborhood got quite loud and busy. The live bands started up and people streamed to the tent that was set up. They sang and drank beer all afternoon. Mommy, Daddy and I wandered down when Daddy got home from work so that I could watch the carnival rides again.

We literally spent the rest of the week trying not to overheat. It never quite reached 97, but it got close and hit 96 or so.

I put my foot in my mouth for the first time (then promptly decided that I wasn't interested any more and haven't done it again since).



I also rolled over to under the coffee table and tried to play on it like monkey bars.





Mommy promised herself no more pictures of me covered with food but I was especially cute this time. I have sweet potatoes and rice cereal EVERYWHERE.



After we came back from our errands yesterday I made a mess of some sort and Mommy decided that it just wasn't worth bothering to put clothes back on me. It was just too hot (and I was starting to look a little dehydrated - 4 days of intense heat makes that a serious concern - I'm much better this morning). I decided that I wanted no part of Mommy even HELPING me to eat. I was obviously hungry but would squirm and wiggle and yell to get out of her lap. She finally set me up in my boppy pillow and let me take care of myself. It suited me just fine.





Mommy never put my car seat away last night so this morning when she came back upstairs from putting on a load of laundry (another load of laundry?!?) she caught me here - I had rolled over several times and was playing happily with the underside of my car seat. Now Mommy knows that the car seat has to go away every time going forward - nothing is safe (we're currently debating when to get me a "big girl" car seat - before or after our trip to the U.S.)



The weather finally broke here and it's been much cooler and cloudy today. We decided to take my new backpack carrier for a secondary test walk (the first was not successful - we decided that I was just a bit too small at that point in time). After we loaded up we walked into the bathroom so that Mommy could have a look and make sure I wasn't tangled up in anything. We took a "self-portrait" in the mirror.





Since this was a short test-walk the object of our trip was just up the street. For the past week or so there's been activity at the soccer field about 100 yards away (we can see the entrance to the field out our front windows and from our upstairs porch, but not the entire thing). Tents have been going up and vendors have been appearing. There's a bratwurst stand and a beer truck parked out there.



Mommy also suspected that she saw some carnival type rides being built, so up the street we went. She was right; although, she says that I'm too little to ride them this year.



The carrier was a much bigger sucess this time so we'll break it in slowly in the next few weeks.

We suspect that the activity up the street is our town's "fest" coming up this weekend. We'll probably stick close to home to enjoy the atmosphere of our new home town.

Wow, Mommy thought it was going to be a quiet week so she took pictures of the inside of the house to share.

We just thought this outfit was too cute to not take a picture....



Here are shots up our stairs. Daddy calls the nesting dolls the "forbidden dolls" and teases me with them every time we walk upstairs together. There will probably be years of therapy in my future trying to figure out why these dolls were "forbidden." (They're not, really, in case you're wondering - although, they are a bit small for me right now and I really like to shove things straight into my mouth...) And yes, the cat usually is in that spot (or just out of my reach, one of the two).





Here's my bedroom. There's actually a huge built-in closet on the wall you can't see that I get to use as my closet and Mommy and Daddy use for some overflow storage.



This is the guest bedroom. You have to walk "through" the guest bedroom to get to Mommy and Daddy's room (the only disadvantage to this house and the reason they almost didn't take it). We put up a huge curtain on a zip line that makes it its own separate room now! (the curtain just remains open most of the time, no real reason to close it)



And finally, Mommy and Daddy's room. Not much exciting there. Notice the "closets." Houses over here don't have built-in closets like we're used to back in the U.S., so everyone uses wardrobes (the built-in that's in my room is actually a wardrobe that runs the length of the wall)



I'm getting to be quite the escape artist. Mommy set me down after cleaning up from breakfast (peas today, yum) and I rolled away before she could get another outfit.



I've started napping in what Mommy calls the "3/4 roll" position. Mommy came upstairs to adjust the fan (it was oscillating and setting off the baby monitor every time it went past, highly annoying) and caught me like this even though she'd laid me down on my back. She waited to take the picture until I woke up though (also, excuse the peas on the sheets, I still spit up fairly frequently, but it's not as bad as it used to be).



I've become VERY mobile over the past week or so. I find the fan fascinating, so I've been "chasing" it (think O.J. and the low speed chase). Mommy will notice that I'm getting too close and move the fan a foot or two further away and we'll repeat the whole process again. Notice the trail of toys I'm dragging with me.





So, we decided to try out the pool! In a largely symbolic gesture, Mommy put on my "Beach Baby" outfit and skirt (we were just going to walk down the driveway and take it back off again).



We got all set up and ready to go.



Sunglasses? Check. Juice cup? Check.



Then we got down to business and got naked (ok, just me. We may be in Europe, but Mommy's still an American at heart and there are just parts of her that the neighbors don't need to see).



I played with an empty cup, my favorite water toy. I love to yell into it and hear my voice reverberate back at me.



Then we got down to the true object of the day - the pool! I was NOT a big fan of the inner tube device. The water is still way too cold for me. I'm going to Grandpa's house for the heated pool!



I did really enjoy sitting on the edge of the pool (with Mommy's arm wrapped tightly around me) and putting my legs in. We tried to take some pictures, but Mommy was doing it one-handed and without aiming, so they aren't the greatest shots ever, but you get the idea.





When Mommy would pull me out of the water I would just giggle and giggle. We'd dry off, play for a while and repeat the whole process. This was high fun! After we dried off the final time, we headed back inside to take a quick nap.



After Daddy came home and after our nightly walk, we went out to play in the pool again - or at least dip our feet in.











Look at this ambition and that high knee! I'll be crawling soon....



In other random tidbits, Mommy figured out what the strange, but good, fruit was that they had in Switzerland. She was standing in the produce section of the Commissary with her eyes glazed over trying to remember what she needed and her gaze fell upon a small basket of fruit. We wandered over and, sure enough, it was "physallis." It turns out that physallis is what we in the United States would call a Gooseberry. Who knew? Mommy bought a small basket, just for amusement.