Summer days

Summer has arrived in Switzerland over the last few days, and we're loving it! We had a fun weekend celebrating birthdays and eating with friends by the lake, enjoying the warmth, letting the girls taste their first icecream (they learnt very quickly how it works!) and dipping their toes in the lake. Each day has been getting progressively warmer. Apparently today is to have been the hottest (up into the mid 30s) and tomorrow will bring thunder storms. I like storms like that, and it will be nice to have some more refreshing temperatures for the girls to sleep in. 

Yesterday I decided it would be great to have a little paddling pool on the balcony for the girls, so this morning we headed off to the supermarket and chose a little one that would do the trick. The girls were quite intrigued with it. Amélie was scared of the blowing-up part, but once it was ready it was a lot of fun! 

Then, tonight we decided to go somewhere nearby to make a fire and have our dinner out. One thing we LOVE about Switzerland is that you can go almost anywhere...most nature places are open for anyone to go to. We haven't done this for quite a while, since having the girls at home and needing to watch their health, but it was a perfect evening for it. 
We found our spot...

...then mummy realised that she'd left all of the important things back at home, like the meat for the fire, the girls' food and their bottles! Seeing as it was well past their normal dinner time, I made a quick trip back home. 
Soon we were joined by some very curious cows with tinkling bells...

They came very close to the fire, and even came up and licked our tent! At this point mummy got into the car with the girls (!) while daddy tried shooing them away...all to no avail, until he moved the tent. They didn't like that so much! They soon wandered off to find some peace and quiet, and some nice, green grass to munch on. 

The girls loved being out and exploring the grass, picking flowers and just being outside. We arrived home a little later with two very happy little ones who went to sleep pretty quickly. We love summer! Hopefully it will love us and stick around for a while so that we can make the most of it before heading off to the NZ winter (which doesn't sound all too bad at the moment either!). 19 more sleeps!!!

The inevitable

There are moments, from time to time, that I have to remind myself that I really was pregnant with the girls. Albeit 26 weeks to the day, but I never made it near to the end. My tummy was just starting to get big enough that I couldn't see my feet...if I really didn't lean over at all! I didn't have real labour pains - having a caesarian - and didn't have to anticipate the 'it could be any day now' sort of excited-nervous-terrified-impending life changing-feelings. On the contrary our girls were taken out extremely quickly, intubated and put straight into incubators. And were then under the responsibility of a team of incredibly conscientious and wonderful doctors and nurses (who were often observed like a hawk by me!!). So...all to say that sometimes I have to remind myself that I did make it at least over halfway and am their legitimate mother. Funny some of our thoughts sometimes, huh :)

Anyway, I feel like I passed a rite of passage for motherhood this past weekend. Just minutes before we were to leave for a weekend away, I realised that Elise was feeling very warm and in fact had quite a high temperature. For the rest of the weekend her temperature barely went below 38.5 and up to 40. It was a moment that I've been fearing ever since we came home with the girls at the end of October last year, knowing that it would inevitably arrive...sickness. I think it was really a fear for Elise - knowing that just having a sore throat could put a real risk on her life, and her doctors were really strict about this and that she couldn't be in public places or around any risk of catching a cold. On one hand we are incredibly thankful that the girls have made it through 8 months at home without any sickness, through a cold winter, with us both being sick twice around them (even sore throats!), people visiting who had direct contact with sick people...it's quite a miracle! Also something that we and many others have prayed for them. So we're THANKFUL. 
But it arrived. And, to be thankful again, it was a high temperature, but nothing else. Poor Leesie was miserable and not herself at all, which was very sad to see. She didn't want to eat much, but did drink most of her milk like normal (thankfully!). We rang the doctors a few times, but, though we came close, we didn't have to take her down to the hospital. By Sunday night we started to see the Leesie we know come back - very pale, but smiling and teasing her sister. Monday morning she still had a higher temperature, but it was coming down, and soon she was our cheerful, albeit very tired, little girl again. 

Amélie must have sensed something because she was very quiet all weekend, just watching and chattering away quietly to herself as she crawled around. 

So this week is a quieter one as we stay around home and let Elise recover. It was a bit of a mystery this high temperature. I suspect it's her new teeth that must be close to coming in because she spent quite a lot of time chewing on her fingers, but then I learned that it's not 'normal' to have a temperature that high with teething, so....?

In the meantime, as the summer holidays are about to begin here, we've had visits from our neighbour, Tabby, who loves to entertain the girls by reading stories and putting on puppet shows! It makes me smile to watch :) And thankful that we've got a little girl on the mend :) 

Amélie watching the puppet show! :)

What we've been lovin'

It's been a pretty quiet week here. Summer comes and goes...some days hot, some rainy and cool. We've had plenty of playing, book-reading and a few little adventures outside. Early tomorrow morning we're heading off up to Mulhouse in France to visit Eti's family up there. They haven't yet seen the girls and we're all very excited to see each other again! It will be just a little weekend visit - we'll be back Sunday night - but we can't wait!

Here are some things that have made our week great...

I just can't get enough of these two! They make being a mummy an absolute joy! They're full of personality and laughter - I love watching them while they're busy playing with something, chattering away to themselves. Never fails to make me smile. 

This probably doesn't look as good as it tastes! Rita, our friend who was staying with us recently, gave me the recipe for her delicious cinnamon rolls. I decided today to experiment a little and made 'Hawaiian Rolls' - ham, pineapple, cheese and a tomato mix with crème fraiche, salt and pepper. They were yummy! 

I read 'Water for Elephants' this week and really enjoyed it! It completely pulled me into the Depression-era-circus life and it was very hard to put down. I keep trying to describe my thoughts on the story, but am not quite sure how to word it. I really loved the connection between Jacob, the main character, and the animals. There were characters who I came to 'love' because of their loyalty, friendship and strength, and others that were awful...but it was very convincing and, though I dislike having to finish good books (if only they could continue on!)...I liked the ending :)

 

We have wonderful neighbours and friends who are also ex-pats, like myself, and completely spoil us with their generosity. It's quite amazing...often I'm dreaming about something in particular that would be useful, or would look nice somewhere in the house, and our neighbour turns up on the doorstep with something perfectly matching that description, saying "Would you like this?" It's happened so many times - it's such a blessing! Lately I've been restraining myself from going to IKEA, pretending for a moment that money really does grow on trees, and buy a white duvet set for our bed. This morning there was a knock on the door and an offer of two duvet covers, including a white one! 
That was the first of four visits from our friends...

T

This afternoon her daughter, who we love, came by with a bag of toys from their friends. The girls woke from their nap to some very cool, colourful and fun new things to play with! 

Then another visit brought some clothes from their friend mentioned above, who has a little girl just older than our two, including a pile of these very cool bandannas...of which I kinda cut off in this photo...clicking fast before Elise pulled it off! :) 

Then, just after the girls went down for the night, there was another knock on the door and it was Tabby asking 'Would you like your nails painted?' So now I'm sporting some very pretty nails and am feeling very spoilt! Aside from their amazing generosity, they are good friends and love our girls to bits. We're really thankful to have them living close as neighbours!

 I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something that you can be thankful for... no matter how simple it is. 

Vlogging

Here's a wee 'vlog' from us! No preparation, just some rather bright-looking food, two sweet girls (who loved seeing themselves on the screen!) and a mummy who wonders if she 'really sounds like that!?' :) 


I've enjoyed seeing some vlogs recently. I'm new to this blog community, but I thought why not...I'm too often behind the camera, and the girls will *hopefully* enjoy looking back at this one day :)

Voila...here we are!

Our first vlog! from Maya Lacombe on Vimeo.

Wordless Sunday :: Lac de Joux ::

Linking up with Books and Bits and Pieces
 

I'm loving...

For the first time ever (eek...exciting!!) I'm linking up with  PaisleyJade!

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something that you can be thankful for... no matter how simple it is.

Here's what I'm loving this week...

Our dear friend Rita, who came to stay with us for 5 days. The girls fell instantly in love with her and gave her lots of smiles and giggles! We loved our visit with her and were very sad to see her go back to England :(

My organised-loving self is incredibly satisfied with this ordered cupboard (even a space for hubby's helicopter and tools), that held anything and everything (handy when you can hide it behind a shut door!)...this is who inspired me to get moving and tidy... (it was literally a race to see who got there first!)

 Amélie's on the move!! Love love loving this little girl who suddenly seems a whole lot more grown up now that she can get to where she wants, particularly her beloved books. She sits up and pretends to read...very cute!!!

 LOVING these two new books that arrived in the post this week!! I LOOOOVE having new books waiting for me beside my bed!!! Sorry, I'm a little late Mrs Readalot, but I will catch up soon...I promise :) (That's Water for Elephants there on the top!!)

 Finally (oh so many things to choose this week!)...loving the colour of this food!!

...and of course the little cuties that gobble it up :) (or smoosh it between their fingers!)

Our brave little patient

Playing on the hospital bed, having fun :)

Look at our big, brave Leesie!

On Monday we returned to the CHUV hospital, where the girls were born, for Elise to have an endoscopy check up. She stopped breathing several times in Neonatal, and after about the 5th time it was discovered that her vocal chords were paralysed. It happened either when she choked on milk, or for no reason at all, and her vocal chords would shut so that she couldn't breathe. It was very scary! (Especially when they sent us home having taught us CPR...and we don't live close to a hospital!!).

Anyway, she has had endoscopies every few months just to check on how her vocal chords are developing. Her doctors eventually figured out that it was just an 'immaturity' and they will develop fully (yay!). 

Funnily enough, going back to the hospital is something I look forward to...I think it helps knowing that the procedure doesn't involve pain and we're only going in and out in one day! We were looked after so well by the staff in Neonatal that the time there holds many precious memories. I have to admit I did choke up a little when I heard there was a preemie baby who took Elise's first place spot because of an emergency, and saw the incubator waiting. 'I've been there...and sooo thankful to be on the other side' I thought. We saw the familiar faces of nurses and a doctor who were with the baby, and later on we went over to visit the Neonatal unit. It's always fun seeing our 'angels' and giving them some encouragement to know that these tiny little fighters do, most often, grow to be much bigger, stronger, even chubby (!) little people :) 

I love how they are playing with the same book!

Elise was very brave, and sat quite happily on her bed playing with Amélie in the day hospital waiting room. Her endoscopy lasted all of 15-20 minutes and she was awake immediately afterwards, chatting to the nurses. She chewed on the IV line that they'd put in as a precaution, and gulped down her rather large bottle of milk when she was allowed to drink again...and they let us go home early because she was doing so well. 

Our talkative little Leesie

The result?   
Her surgeon came in afterwards to say they are very happy with her progress and the vocal chords are on their way to working fully!! So we're really thankful!! We also asked him some advice for our trip to NZ next month. Going into winter there we'll have to be super careful about her not getting sick (especially in her throat)...but we're happy to do what we can, and trust that she'll be ok. Can't wait! 38 days...and counting down... :)