Bonjour family and friends! Well we made it, as you
all know, and we've been here a month. I wish I could say it has been smooth
sailing but that's definitely not the Elmo-Schmidbauer way.
The flight was long, the jet lag was interminable and the unpacking and
settling in, well let's just say we're getting there. Without the help of my
mom and dad the first two weeks, I don't know what we would have done, we
barely made it with their help and truly wore them out. It was wonderful to
have them here though while we tried to get settled, especially over Easter. We
even had an egg hunt by Lake Neuchatel.
The language and cultural barriers are definitely
more difficult to navigate than we had expected. Neuchatel is a smaller town
(pop about 35,000) and people really don't speak much English. We are picking
up French and hoping that Sam will learn from school and teach us. :-) He has
started at the International Montessori school and is loving it, which is
incredible. Back home he was always a little bit hesitant about going to school
but here he is excited every day. We think it helps that in the Montessori
program he gets to choose what he wants to do and anyone who knows Sam knows he
always has an agenda. On the first day of school his English-speaking teacher
told me that he talked a lot and I was like, “Seriously? MY Sam? On the first
day? Are you sure?” She said he told her all about his cousin Albert, whose daddy
was named “Uncle” and whose mom was “Auntie. “ J Sam
being in school is also helping all of us settle into a routine which was much
needed.
As far as Baby Dean is concerned, he still has the
sweetest disposition and is just happy to be surrounded by people. He's
crawling now in a straight-legged way but he does cover a lot of ground. Today
he even pulled himself up to a standing position all by himself! Many of you
know about his eye problems and we just saw an eye specialist yesterday. He has
a disorder called Monocular Elevation Deficiency, which basically means he
can't raise his right eye upwards. It also causes a droopy eyelid, which is
mostly noticeable when he is tired or sick. They feel that there are no
neurological causes and that as long as he is monitored it may even get a
little better on its own. Worst case scenario is surgery but it's way too early
to tell how severe it is. Overall it was a very promising appointment which
leaves us relieved and hopeful! In the meantime we watch his development and
continue to marvel at his verbal language and social skills. J
Hardy says he is quickly determining the pros and
cons of the social services here. First, he blew out his knee, we’re not sure
how and was on crutches for about 2 weeks. He still has no diagnosis but they
finally drained it on Monday. It's still pretty painful though and he's
hobbling around. Then he went to the recycling station, which is a very
confusing process here but mandatory and while he was trying to figure out
where to place his recyclables, someone hit our parked car. So now he's trying
to get it fixed and figure out how that system works. It's gotten to the point
where so many things have gone wrong, it's (almost) laughable.
Our 3rd floor "loft" is spacious and very
modern and the views are incredible. We are on the lake and can see the Alps
from the many windows. The boys have been troopers and are slowly adjusting to
their new Swiss lifestyle. We are all a little homesick though and welcome
visitors with open arms! We're so fortunate to have many guests in the works.
Our good college friend Auntie Riah is our current visitor from NYC and she has been
having a blast entertaining the kids. She even won over Sam right away, which
again is no small feat. He has been enjoying waking her every morning with a
cold spoon, a trick Hardy taught him that he learned from his dad (or Sam’s
Bah). J Next up is my dad and Cindy who
arrive on May 9th and will be here for almost a month! We love the
company, it’s great for all of us.
Will post pictures and/or videos as soon as I figure out how to do so.
In the meantime, off to Paris to meet Riah and our good friend Gabby who is
currently living in London for a girls night! Let’s hope Hardy does ok by
himself with the boys.
Much Love,
Lilli & Boys
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