Brady continues to amaze us with his growing usage of actual words...it's so cute. He has also started using some of the sounds/phrases in the songs we've learned in Music Together classes. I think it has to be one of the cutest sounds in the world to hear a baby "singing". So, without further ado, here is the update to his word list:
Real Word Brady's Version
Arm - Ahm (imagine Schwartenegger saying this word and that's how Brady sounds)
Bowl - Bowl
More - Mo (and this word includes the usage of a baby sign for "more")
Boo - Boo (also usually used with "Pee a boo")
Sticky - Dicky (used to describe Brady after eating his first Halloween candy)
Turtle - Durtle
And the most impressive Brady word yet:
Helicopter - Eeriechickachicka
All of you reading this probably think I'm making up Brady's version of "helicopter" and think I'm imagining things, but he has repeatedly used this "word" when we hear the helicopters flying over the apartment. We hear them a lot because we live very close to a hospital with a helipad. He even said this today when I hadn't noticed the incoming helicopter...so he's definitely got the context down.
He's also using "Mama" and "Daddy" consistently now, although occasionally he calls me "Daddy" and Bill "Mama". We've decided not to take any offense. We still think his favorite word is "Elmo". He uses this with relish many times a day and has even mistakenly called things that are red, "Elmo". Good work consumer marketers at Sesame Street.
Brady is now singing "Din Dan Doooooooonnnnng" when he hears the church bells (which ring every quarter hour here in the city limits). We learned the song Frere Jacques during our past music classes and I would sing it to him a lot. Of course in that song, there's frequent repetition of "Ding Dang Dong". Brady sings his version quite a bit. His favorite song remains "Tiny Tim" which is more of a rhyme that deals with a frog, a bathtub, and burps. At the end of the song, you say, "And he burped last night from a bubble in his throat....BURP!!!!!...Excuse me!!!" After singing that together (usually during bathtime), he will make a burping sound and say "Moome". It's very cute. It's nice to know he's actually absorbing our music classes and singing time - even if he saves his own singing for me at home!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Walk Like a Man...Video!
We've had several requests for video of Brady walking...so here you go. I've posted one funny video of a "walking attempt" (watch Brady's reaction when I ask him if he's going to walk) and then some video of this afternoon. Hope you enjoy!
By the way...more fun blog updates soon, including:
By the way...more fun blog updates soon, including:
- Photos of Brady in his Halloween costume
- More Brady vocabulary updates
- Our Lucerne weekend
- and what everyone has been waiting for...Rebecca's Top Ten Zurich Pet Peeves!!!!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
One Small Step for Brady, One Giant Leap for Mom and Dad's Hearts!
Profound words...and now they apply to our little guy!!!! Last weekend, while playing in his room, Brady took several rounds of unassisted steps walking between Mom and Dad. That was the first time he has let go of furniture/mom/dad/etc. to take steps. He was so proud of himself and so cute. We've been practicing with him every day since and he goes farther and farther distances, but has to yet take off running! 
I unfortunately did not get any shots of him walking (both parents were needed to make sure Brady didn't fall while practicing his walks), but I did take several shots following the milestone!!!
I like to think that it was his "Hokie Gear" that helped inspire Brady to take his first steps. :)
And they call it "Puppy Love"
One of the unique things about Switzerland, is how much the Swiss love their dogs. You haven't experienced Swiss dining until you've dined across the aisle from a family who have their dog with them. You haven't really shopped, until you've seen a shopping cart at Ikea being pushed with a dog sitting in it! There are even dog rates for the trams (streetcars) and trains. I'm really not making these things up. Dogs are very well-behaved here and are treated much like children/parts of the family in Swiss life. It is completely acceptable to bring dogs into restaurants/stores. Bill even saw a dog at his client the other day!!!!
It is impressive how dogs are kept in mind even when infrastructure is built here. Many of the parks/green areas in towns across Switzerland have the below special dog trashcans posted:
These boxes have small bags attached to the side that you can use to collect your dog's, ummmmm, droppings. Then you deposit the bag into this "doggie" trashcan.
Fountains in Zürich have special plumbing that create a small pool of water for dogs to quench their thirst. (See below - this fountain is very close to our apartment and I laugh every time I see it.)
Some fountains have even played host to dogs looking to cool down during hot summer days!
It's pretty funny! I think the only thing that beats the dog-sightings we've had, is the pet rat we saw sitting on a teenagers shoulder in an elevator of a department store in downtown Zürich! (Yes...for real!)
It is impressive how dogs are kept in mind even when infrastructure is built here. Many of the parks/green areas in towns across Switzerland have the below special dog trashcans posted:
These boxes have small bags attached to the side that you can use to collect your dog's, ummmmm, droppings. Then you deposit the bag into this "doggie" trashcan.Fountains in Zürich have special plumbing that create a small pool of water for dogs to quench their thirst. (See below - this fountain is very close to our apartment and I laugh every time I see it.)
Some fountains have even played host to dogs looking to cool down during hot summer days!
It's pretty funny! I think the only thing that beats the dog-sightings we've had, is the pet rat we saw sitting on a teenagers shoulder in an elevator of a department store in downtown Zürich! (Yes...for real!)
Brady's Expanding Vocabulary - Part 2
I realized immediately after posting the first vocabulary list, that I had forgotten some very important words that Brady already knows:
Real Word - Brady's Version
Note: You will find a lot of examples of consumer marketing at work
Stinky - Stinkuuh
Elmo - Elmo
Chicken - Chi chin
Nice - Nie
Excuse Me - Moome
Baby - Baby (Sometimes used for yogurt...the yogurt we gave him in the US is "Yo Baby" which has pictures of babies on it.)
The funny thing about Brady's use of "Excuse Me", is that he says it when other people sneeze, cough, burp, hiccup, etc. However, he doesn't seem to know to use it when he does these things!
New Words/Phrases:
Arm - Ahm
"Here You Go" - "Erego" (all in one)
Cheerios - Eerio
Grandma - Mamoo (hot off the presses...this was used on both Grandmas yesterday!!!)
Boo boo - Injury (or in mom's case - moles)
Brady pointed at a mole I have on my arm and for some reason I told him it was a "boo boo". He then proceeded to point out about 5 other moles I have on my arm and neck that I didn't even realize I had and exclaimed proudly, "boo boo!" Maybe he's going to be a dermatologist when he grows up.
And Brady seems to be using Mama and Dada more now...although I'm still not convinced he's talking about either me or Bill!
Real Word - Brady's Version
Note: You will find a lot of examples of consumer marketing at work
Stinky - Stinkuuh
Elmo - Elmo
Chicken - Chi chin
Nice - Nie
Excuse Me - Moome
Baby - Baby (Sometimes used for yogurt...the yogurt we gave him in the US is "Yo Baby" which has pictures of babies on it.)
The funny thing about Brady's use of "Excuse Me", is that he says it when other people sneeze, cough, burp, hiccup, etc. However, he doesn't seem to know to use it when he does these things!
New Words/Phrases:
Arm - Ahm
"Here You Go" - "Erego" (all in one)
Cheerios - Eerio
Grandma - Mamoo (hot off the presses...this was used on both Grandmas yesterday!!!)
Boo boo - Injury (or in mom's case - moles)
Brady pointed at a mole I have on my arm and for some reason I told him it was a "boo boo". He then proceeded to point out about 5 other moles I have on my arm and neck that I didn't even realize I had and exclaimed proudly, "boo boo!" Maybe he's going to be a dermatologist when he grows up.
And Brady seems to be using Mama and Dada more now...although I'm still not convinced he's talking about either me or Bill!
Scrap Pink - Scrapping for a Good Cause
I ran across an article in one of my scrapbooking magazines several months ago about Scrap Pink. This is an event sponsored by Scrapbooks etc. and Susan G. Komen for the Cure to help raise funds for education and research about causes, treatment, and the search for a cure for breast cancer. Usually this is hosted by a scrapbook store, but I thought this would be a great opportunity for some of my friends and me to get together and have a fun day of crafting!I ended up renting out a room at the American Women's Clubhouse and had 7 women show up. Since most of the attendees ended up not being avid scrapbookers, I had decided to make greeting cards. (Especially since there really isn't a good selection of English greeting cards to be found in Zürich.)
Here is the selection of cards I designed (with serious help from Splitcoast Stampers and the Stampin' Up Idea Book/Catalog) and had the group make. We also made a 2009 calendar with interchangeable months - that can be displayed by hanging with the string or with the magnets that are on the backside.
I created various giveaways for the group as well. I made drink toppers that contained iced tea mix (inspired by toppers my friend Linda made at one of her events last year). I had been wanting to use that idea for a LONG time!!!! I also made small candy boxes for each participant. I handed out a flyer on breast cancer detection as well as a Scrapbooking Supply and Idea sheet. I had so much fun just designing and making these cards and giveaways!
We had a TERRIFIC time sharing a girl's day out. And to top off the fun, we raised $130 to donate to Susan G. Komen organization!!! I can't wait to do this again!For more information on Scrap Pink, visit: www.scrappink.com
And you think gas prices are high in the US?!?!
Still on the theme of the high cost of things here in Zürich, I thought I would post some thoughts about gas prices. On our trip to La Gruyere last weekend, I took the following photo:
Wow! Less than half the $4 per gallon you see in the US! Whoops ... the above prices are for CHF/liter of gas. LITERS!!!! Since there are nearly 4 liters in a gallon, the price is actually about $6.50 per gallon here in Switzerland (for the lowest octane gas). YIKES!!!
We've been lucky to have lower gas prices in the US versus those in Europe. Even though the US government & states levy high taxes on gas, they are nothing in comparison to the taxes on gas over here. Maybe that's one of the reasons demand has gone up almost every year in the US. (OK...I'm off my political soapbox now.) Good thing we only use the car for small weekend trips! We've only had to fill up about 4-5 times in Zürich since mid-April. I know a lot of folks have seen the below photo, but in the spirit of the gas price discussion, I thought I would post it:
A Day in the Life ... the Coyles dine out in Zürich
This past week was a busy one, and I'm excited to finally have some time to catch up on blogging. More to come on many items...
One of the biggest questions we usually get about our experiences in Zürich is, "How are the costs of things?" Well, I decided to post the details of our food experiences today to give you all an idea of things:
Breakfast:
In the States, we always liked to go out for breakfast on Sunday mornings. We usually went out for bagels at Pennington Bagel, or would get some other breakfast treats at Panera Bread. Nothing extravagant, but good nonetheless.
In our neighborhood in Zürich, everything on Sunday is totally closed. So, imagine how excited I was earlier this week when I saw a new bread place had opened in our square that would be open on Sundays. We figured this would be our version of Panera in Zürich.
We walked over this morning and both Bill and I had a continental breakfast. Mine consisted of orange juice, hot tea, and a basket of assorted breads with butter/jelly. Bill's breakfast had coffee, a soft-boiled egg, and a basket of assorted breads. Although very good and filling, our breakfast grand total came to 35 CHF (which is roughly $31).
Coffee Break:
We met up with a prospective babysitter today at the Starbucks in the center of town. While waiting to meet her, Bill and I both had coffees. Grand total 13 CHF (which is roughly $11).
Lunch:
After meeting the new babysitter (we are excited about our future date nights!), we walked over to the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) to grab some groceries. (Neighborhood grocery stores are also closed on Sundays here in Zürich, but the stores in the train stations stay open on Sundays.) After grabbing our groceries, we had a hankering for a good old-fashioned American hamburger...so we visited the Burger King in the train station. Here's the breakdown:
1 chicken nugget kid's meal, 1 double cheeseburger, 1 regular cheeseburger, 2 orders of onion rings, and 2 sodas: grand total 37 CHF (roughly $32).
Grand Total
So, grand total for 2 smallish meals and a coffee break in Zürich: $72
This doesn't even include dinner! From this breakdown, you can see why we don't eat out too often. We've gotten good at making our own picnic lunches for when we go sightseeing, so we don't have to buy lunch out.
One of the biggest questions we usually get about our experiences in Zürich is, "How are the costs of things?" Well, I decided to post the details of our food experiences today to give you all an idea of things:
Breakfast:
In the States, we always liked to go out for breakfast on Sunday mornings. We usually went out for bagels at Pennington Bagel, or would get some other breakfast treats at Panera Bread. Nothing extravagant, but good nonetheless.
In our neighborhood in Zürich, everything on Sunday is totally closed. So, imagine how excited I was earlier this week when I saw a new bread place had opened in our square that would be open on Sundays. We figured this would be our version of Panera in Zürich.
We walked over this morning and both Bill and I had a continental breakfast. Mine consisted of orange juice, hot tea, and a basket of assorted breads with butter/jelly. Bill's breakfast had coffee, a soft-boiled egg, and a basket of assorted breads. Although very good and filling, our breakfast grand total came to 35 CHF (which is roughly $31).
Coffee Break:
We met up with a prospective babysitter today at the Starbucks in the center of town. While waiting to meet her, Bill and I both had coffees. Grand total 13 CHF (which is roughly $11).
Lunch:
After meeting the new babysitter (we are excited about our future date nights!), we walked over to the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) to grab some groceries. (Neighborhood grocery stores are also closed on Sundays here in Zürich, but the stores in the train stations stay open on Sundays.) After grabbing our groceries, we had a hankering for a good old-fashioned American hamburger...so we visited the Burger King in the train station. Here's the breakdown:
1 chicken nugget kid's meal, 1 double cheeseburger, 1 regular cheeseburger, 2 orders of onion rings, and 2 sodas: grand total 37 CHF (roughly $32).
Grand Total
So, grand total for 2 smallish meals and a coffee break in Zürich: $72
This doesn't even include dinner! From this breakdown, you can see why we don't eat out too often. We've gotten good at making our own picnic lunches for when we go sightseeing, so we don't have to buy lunch out.
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