JUNE 2011 – Maggie joins the family
After returning from Europe we decided to add a new addition to the family. We searched and searched for a kitty and found that most shelters would not allow us to adopt with small children, and they also wanted a small fortune (for a stray who would be euthanized if not adopted). It was really an eye-opening experience. It’s quite depressing going to the pound and seeing how many people give up their pets. The majority of cats in the shelter were more than 9 years old. That’s just not something I could do! Z’s lucky it was not up to me or we would have ended up with a bunch of strays! I really wanted a black kitty and Z wanted a grey or orange one. We ended up falling in love with a Siamese mixed kitty who was super cuddly, very timid, and didn’t freak out when Gabe and Zara started screaming. Turns out she was just fixed the day before. Little Maggie was less than 2 lbs and was pretty scared when she first arrived home. After discovering Maggie’s foster parent’s notes in our adoption packet, we learned that Maggie startled at loud noises, followed you around like a shadow, and loves to sit on your lap. We also learned that Siamese cats can be quite vocal. Gabe and Zara were a little rough at first but they think Maggie is great. Maggie is awesome with the kids, often just rolling over to let them touch her.
MONTH 13
We had quite a busy month and it started out pretty bad! A terrible virus knocked us out for a few weeks. First Willow got sick, then Zara, then Gabe, and finally I got it. Z was the lone hold-out and was lucky not to get it.
My friend Duggan from childhood came to check out Seattle with the hopes of finding a job and moving here. We’ve been friends since pre-school and it was great to catch up with him. Hopefully he’ll find a job in Seattle and we’ll see more of him!
On top of trying to get over the flu and trying to pack for Europe, the kiddos started walking (just in time for our flight to Europe!) and Willow, our wonderful Nanny left us to stay at home. I’m so thankful that Willow was with us when I returned back to work after maternity leave. She really made the transition so much easier for me! Our new nanny Ciara started just before we left for vacation. Ciara had previously nannied for a family with twins who we met in childbirth class so it worked out great. She’s a bundle of energy and the kids took to her immediately! Again, we feel at ease knowing the kids are with someone who takes good care of them.
We took a few thousand pictures so it took us a while, but we’re finally getting around to posting our Europe vacation photos. Below are 5 new galleries.
We wanted to make the trip to see Zvonimir’s parents before Gabe and Zara needed their own airline seats. Airline tickets to Slovenia were much more expensive this year compared to years past so we ended up buying tickets to Venice, which is about 3 hours from Ljubljana. An added bonus was that our connections were through Philadelphia so we were able to find a 24 hour layover and meet up with Grandma, Pap, Aunt Debbie, Aunt Patty, and Aunt Sue before our flight to Europe!
It was great to see our family and perfect timing that Pappy could give Gabe his first haircut. We saved the cute little curl for his scrap book.
The next evening we had an overnight flight to Venice. We assumed that since it was a night flight that Gabe & Zara would sleep through the flight. We assumed wrong!! The kids are not used to being held while they tried to sleep, so that was a problem, as were the lights, people were walking around, and not having any room to spread out (you can’t sit in the same row with twins because you need an extra oxygen mask). They also started the I want mommy and no one else phase so they were only happy when Amy was holding them (which a stewardess pointed out was not allowed). Unfortunately, we were “those people” with the screaming kid (times 2!) and nothing we did made them stop crying.
We arrived in Venice with two grumpy kids and 2 very tired and stressed out parents. We were very happy that we booked a hotel in Venice because we were exhausted and in no shape to drive the 3 hours to Slovenia.
After trying several cars before we found one large enough to fit us and our stuff, we headed to the hotel, just outside of the old city. After we took a nice nap, we took the bus to the old part of Venice and rode the water taxi around the city. We enjoyed a beautiful dinner al fresco in the back streets of Venice. It is a beautiful place and worth the visit. I wish we had more time to explore!
The kids were wide awake at 2 am so it was a rough night with little sleep, but overall we were glad we stayed overnight in Venice. The next day we headed to Slovenia to see Baba and Dide (Grandma and Grandpa). It was much warmer in Slovenia than at home so was a tough adjustment. The kids also did not adjust well to the time change so sleep was tough for everyone. We had a great time taking walks, visiting the playground and markets in Slovenia, and catching up with friends. The kids had a great time with their grandparents and loved spending the days watching dogs and playing in the park.
Next, we headed to our family house on the Croatian coast. Lucija, Erwin and Eva flew in from France to meet us in Croatia. The kids are only a month apart so it was really fun to have the whole family under one roof. It was also great to catch up with our Croatian family and friends in Murter.
The weather in Croatia was quite warm but the kids loved exploring the patio at home. When we arrived in Croatia, both kids were still pretty shaky with their walking so they often ended up crawling then pulling themselves up. They did not like crawling on the rough patio stones so they learned to walk a little more quickly as a result. Grandpa also taught the kids to throw stones into the sea in Croatia so this was hours of fun.
After our visit to Croatia, we returned to Slovenia for the remainder of our trip. On the drive back to Ljubljana, we stopped at Zvonimir’s grandparents homestead in Slovenia. The area looks very similar to where Amy’s grandparents lived in Pennsylvania. We enjoyed a nice picnic lunch on the stairs of the house and were greeted by a very friendly cat whose calm demeanor, despite 2 non-gentile kids, earned him some prosciutto from our sandwiches! Before the final leg of our journey to Ljubljana, we visited our cousins who live nearby. We had not seen them in a few years so it was great to say hello!
The flights back to Seattle were very long but luckily we had an awesome gate agent who, not only blocked the entire bulk-head row but also gave us 3 seats behind that road so we had enough room to spread out and for the kids to take a nap. Unfortunately Zara flat out refused to sleep so she was a mooing mess (she sounds like a cow mooing when she is tired, upset, etc.). Gabe was a little happier after a 3 hour nap but the flight seemed never ending. When we finally got to Philadelphia the kids we had to rush to make it through customs and to our next flight. By the time we got on the flight the kids were so exhausted that they crashed and slept the entire trip to Seattle. We were extremely happy to be home after a 26+ hour day!!
