General Update

OK, so I have been thinking about blogging...it just hasn't happened!  So here is a general update on how things are going and what we are up to. 

Monday we went to the Auslanderbehorde again for my appointment.  It went surprisingly quick this time and we got my visa so I can work here the next three years.  However, they did say I have to take an 'integration course'.  We thought this would be no problem, just a few hours of class and then done.  WRONG!!!  It is 630 (yes you read that right, six hundred thirty) hours of class!  Valentin was so mad about this since neither of us had heard of it before.  Apparently it is up to whoever gets your paperwork if they assign this or not and she decided that I should have it (lovely woman) and so I have to do it.  We are trying to get out of it though, because I'm not sure who has this kind of time, but I certainly don't.  So Valentin has been working hard to get a solution...I'll keep you all posted.

Alani is doing great here.  There are so many places for little babies to play; it is really wonderful.  We go to class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings where she loves rolling around with the other babies.  She is starting to crawl now which has terrorized Schnuckel.  She also has two bottom teeth coming in so she is chewing on everything.  We also spend a lot of time at Speilcafes where I can sit and have a coffee and cake and she can roll around in the play area with the other babies.  This is also a great way to meet other moms and practice my German.
Last weekend was Alani's first Halloween and unfortunately we did not do much for it.  We tried driving out to a pumpkin farm outside the city, this was a mistake.  It was funny to see the pumpkin 'sculptures' though.  And of course Alani did not know she was missing out on being forced to wear a silly costume.  I missed it though.  However, kids dress up here at carnival in February so hopefully we will get it together for that and will have a cute costume for her then.  I did manage to make her a jack-o-lantern this year, which she really liked taking the top off of and looking inside.  It was difficult to find an American style pumpkin though, the pumpkins here are for eating-not carving.  In honor of her first Halloween the Jack-o-lantern only has two bottom teeth.
We are already starting to get what we need for Thanksgiving though since this will not be easy here.  We have ordered a turkey that will be at the farmers market for us the Saturday before Thanksgiving.   And according to rumor I can find pumpkin mix at KaDeWe.  Now I just need to find a bag to cook the Turkey in and some canned cranberry sauce (I just love the Ocean Spray jellied sauce--just like Mom used to make). 

Speaking of KaDeWe, we also went there last weekend.  This is a shopping wonderland!  It is the largest department store in Europe and truly has something for everyone.  Valentin is in love with the food floor where there are apparently 5,000 different types of sausages available.  They also have a great international food section there.  I was actually able to buy some Carrs water crackers and American peanut butter.  Of course both were ridiculously expensive, but it was a fun treat for me.  For anyone that visits Berlin this is a must see sight, boys and girls alike. 

Valentin has been working hard.  He really hates that some days he doesn't get to see the baby because he leaves before she is awake and comes home after she is in bed.  However, we have been taking advantage of the weekends and doing as much as possible together.  Hopefully this weekend my Dad will be coming to visit us if he makes the flights.  We are really looking forward to having our first houseguest from the States (more to come soon I hope!). 

This morning we had a visit from a social worker.  Here in Germany a social worker (this is optional) comes to your home after you have a baby and helps you with what you need.  For example she wanted to make sure we understood vaccinations were important and that Alani had gotten hers.  She also gave us a list of all the preschools in our area and suggested a few that might be a good fit for us.  She also gave me recommendations on where to take Alani if she ever got sick on a weekend.  It was actually nice and she was a very helpful woman.  She didn't speak any English though so we also had to have the entire converstion in German, which I think I managed pretty successfully. 

I am currently trying to organize a class at my apartment for moms with babies around Alani's age that want to learn German.  I interviewed a teacher yesterday and it looks like we will get this started pretty soon.  I'm hoping this will help make day to day life easier, but as well not take away from my time spent with Alani. 

We are missing you all and hope you are having a safe and wonderful autumn!