Life as we know it..

Has changed....it's changed sept 6th, september 14th, September 27th, and even yesterday. They talk about milestones in babies lives, but some times forget about the milestones the parents take as well, and we have had our fair share in Mayla's short (but oh so long) 2 months and 12 days of living.

I went from being so frightened for what laid ahead with her life, to fear we would lose her, to not wanting to be her mom, to not knowing how to love her like she needed, to absolute adoration and deep affectionate love that can not be shaken. I stand in awe of the way God has worked and changed her and at the same time worked and changed both Will and myself.

Mayla has made a DRASTIC 180 degree turn since we last wrote about her. We wondered what life was going to be like with our 'high maintenance' baby, and how we would survive from one day to the next. Only by God's grace was I waking every day with enough energy to get through. That is no longer the case, I awake with such excitement for the day and eager to see what God has in store for us. I have confidence back that no matter what happens, WE will all be okay.

Mayla has a unique personality about her, and I find myself lost in her throughout the day. It brings me great joy to watch her explore, learn, and study life around her. I take absolute pleasure in the little things each day, and am already complaining it's going by too quickly. I want to cherish every moment, and take every moment to enrich her life to the fullest. A baby is an absolute miracle from God, and i don't want to take for granted even a single day. Mayla is for sure a miracle and a gift from God, and there is not a day that goes by that I don't thank God for her and for what he has done for her. We lost our first baby one year and 17 days ago, and we almost lost our second one, I realize this child is NOT ours but Gods and therefore every day is precious, i don't want to miss a thing.

She has amazed us at her ability to be content when put down, to fall asleep on her own without being bounced, rocked, pushed, or fed to sleep. She has amazed us with her 'long' sleeping nights and the number of times she can smile in a day. She has amazed us at her ability to sit in a stroller and be content.....We are crazy about her.

She had an osteopath appointment (her third one) a week and a half ago. I went from being a little skeptical about it, to being a firm believer. At the appointment we mentioned again how Mayla was still screaming each time she yawned, the dr. manipulated a few things on her face, and low and behold Mayla yawned huge and NO screaming. Will and I were in disbelief, but then it continued to be that way the whole night. We were amazed and so thankful. We finished that session and the dr said the best words, 'she is GREAT, and we don't need any more appointments'. We were thrilled and so proud of Mayla for the way she responded to the three thirty minute treatments she had had!

Will and I are doing well, missing our 'dates' but looking forward to them starting back up soon (like this week) as Mayla can now go longer between feeds it will be easier to quick get away. She still struggles with the bottle, but we are proud that it's that way as opposed to her struggling with me. That alone is a miracle and another gift from God based given the fact that she was tube fed for the first 2 weeks of her life. We did manage to watch a movie two weekends in a row which also holds some serious excitement for us, even if i fell asleep in my hubby's arms half way through:) Dates were always a big part of our marriage before Mayla and we realize they are just as important, actually more important now that we have a child. It doesn't have to be anything extravagant, but just husband and wife..together. Mayla is our absolute joy, but if i'm not first a wife then i'm doing a dis-service to my daughter. We will frequently lay Mayla down on her changing table or put her in her chair and hug in front of her, kiss and love on each other. She needs to see that throughout her life, and it needs to start now.

Regarding the move, well there's really no new news there. We put in our three months notice for our flat and have had some open houses. Yesterday being the first one that actually had people attending. We have our last one on Monday and are praying that the agency finds a suitable candidate for our place so we don't have to have any more. Once someone signs a contract, we will get in touch with them to see what furniture/items they may want from our place. We are praying someone gets it who needs 'stuff'' as it will help our to-do list and reduce 'move back' costs. We will then start calling moving companies and get quotes to see what it's worth to bring back, evaluating between crate shipment and just shipping boxes. Then based on that, we will start advertising items for sale and start emptying our home. There is lots to be done, but for now we sit back and wait and try to enjoy this 'down' time before it gets crazy.

As far as Will and the 'job search'. He is currently working on updating his resume and some other 'tools' that will help in the job finding process. He has found a few jobs that interest him and we are hopeful. His goal is in the next 1.5-2 weeks to start applying for some of them and see what happens.

We have started a 'LIST' where we identify things we'll miss in Switzerland as well as those we are looking forward to in the U.S. We call it 'SO sad, yet SO glad'.

We are SO sad to leave behind an amazing network of public transportation that runs so efficiently (unless it's rained or raining, in which case drivers of, particularly those of trains, must get nervous and back off the electric throttle), and the joy we have in taking trains, trams, buses, and boats to get to where we are going. It is more often than not, that we really enjoy the train opportunities to read, talk, stare at the amazing Swiss scenery, etc. Yet we are SO glad to have a car and the thought at driving places ourselves. Will is particularly excited because he really enjoys driving; anything with an engine, a steering wheel, and a throttle (brakes aren't always necessary). Cars bring a lot of added convenience for getting places, grocery shopping, nursing hideaways, etc. They also bring a lot of added work which Will really enjoys too and I have to confess, I think he's HOT when he's all greasy and dirty... We are blessed to have a car waiting for us back in the States, not just the bucket Will is building, and Will is looking forward to finding something for himself to drive until the bucket is finished...

Oh, she is learning to take a nuggi. 

No it's not THAT cold in our house, preventive measures to avoid thumb/hand sucking.

So fun to see a swimmy diaper on her...

First pool swim. So excited she enjoyed it. Next up, Lake Zürich.