Gilmore Girl

Sorry I haven't written for awhile. I've been really busy and in my 'free time' (which sort of doesn't exist anymore) I just laze around and watch TV. Isabella likes to be held and I have to hold her for a long time to get her to sleep before I can put her down. So, I've started watching the Gilmore Girls for the first time and have become mildly obsessed with it. I started with season 1 episode 1 and am already up to season 3 episode 2. I wish I had someone to talk to about the show, but everyone I know who watches it has seen all of them and I don't want anything spoiled. Anyhow, I feel pretty guilty for the amount of time I spend watching this show when I know I should spend every second of my 'free time' working on my thesis, but we all need breaks once in awhile.

I've written 22 pages for my thesis (which I've nicknamed 'turkey' because I'm tired of saying and thinking 'thesis'), so I haven't been completely lazy! I sent them into my advisor and just got it back with a bunch of notes. I'm happy though, he said it was OK which is good. I was worried he'd send it back and tell me I had to start over again. I'm writing about the Christian Right and their influence on Presidential elections (in the U.S. Other countries have "Christian Rights" too, though not very many. Most, like in Europe only have "Christian Lefts"). It's really hard to keep it focused. I find it all so interesting that I feel like I could write hundreds of pages on it, but it should only be 70 - 100 pages long. In some ways its difficult to be completely unbiased on the topic, but in other ways it isn't that difficult because I'm not sure exactly how I feel about it. My underlying argument is that the abortion issue is what gives the Christian Right the most influence and without it they would have much less power. The Christian Right is actually a very influential voting block in the U.S. From what I've read - the only reason Obama won was because of the economy and because Bush had such low ratings. But, once the economy is better, there's a good chance the Christian Right will be influential again. Especially since the majority of americans are now pro-life for the first time according to a recent gallup poll.

Anyhow, I probably won't write any blogs for awhile. For one, I don't think anyone reads them. Secondly, I don't blame them because I don't have anything very interesting to say. And finally, I really do need to focus all of my writing on my turkey. Thus, this dangling conversation will dangle indefinitely for a time.

Next week Izzy and I fly to California! I'm trying really hard not to be nervous. We will be living with my parents for nearly 5 weeks! My parents are going to babysit so I can get a lot of work done on my turkey. It's going to be hard. I'm going to miss Nick a lot. He's going to be stuck in Prague working on his own turkey. I'm also going to miss Mia. I wish there were someway I could explain to her that I'm leaving, but that I'll be back! I'm mostly nervous about the incredibly long flight. Traveling alone with a teething baby just sounds impossible to me, but I keep reminding myself that I'm not the first person to do this nor am I a bad mother for doing it and thousands (hundreds?) of babies fly long distances all the time. Speaking of time, the time difference is 9 hours. It always takes me a good two weeks to get used to it. I have no idea how Isabella will cope with the time difference or how we'll cope together. Poor baby. I just hope more than anything that she will be healthy and happy and that this trip won't hurt her in anyway. I'm excited to show her the ocean and palm trees and well, Redlands and all the people there! I can't believe I'm flying home with my baby for the first time. I never would have imagined myself to be where I am today 10 years ago, but I'm sure that what ever vision I had for myself at that time is nowhere as great as reality. I am so happy and thankful for the life I am living!:) I wonder where we'll be 10 years from now?

Okay, time for another episode of Gilmore Girls. I hope Lorelai ends up with Christopher somehow!! And I hope Rory gets over Jess, he is such bad news... I know, I'm incredibly lame.

It keeps you runnin'

Today I decided to map my run and see how far I've been going. I thought it was about 2 miles, but after mapping it I found out I was only going about 1 mile. This was pretty bad news, especially since it's the route we take Mia on every day - which we lovingly refer to as "Doggy Highway". All this time I thought I was walking so much each day, but the reality is a bit shorter. This made me nervous since I've been thinking about running a 5k race in September. Could I possibly survive a 5k/3 mile race with only 4 weeks to prepare?

To find out, I had to map a new run. One that is the full 5k. This task turned out to be rather difficult. I wanted to make it so that I could take Isabella with me in her Baby Jogger, but avoid streets with cars and preferably not run in circles. Of course, Izzy is not a huge fan of the stroller, not since she's seen the world in full view in her Baby Bjorn. When I go running I usually have to get Nick to babysit, because I'm afraid the Iz will just end up crying if I take her and I'll end up having to carry her in one arm and push the stroller with the other and running will just be a dream. This fear, unfortunately, enables me to run about once a week if I'm lucky. So, in order to start running regularly I'm going to have to find away to persuade Isabella to stay in her stroller and be content. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

So, I created a 5k route that I decided to test out today. I really wasn't sure if I would be able to survive it or not. 5k's really aren't that difficult. In fact, in my younger days when I was childless, unmarried and living at Nad Aleji I went on a 6k run 3-5 days a week without any problems! It only took me about 25 - 30 minutes. However, taking a year off from running due to pregnancy and resulting in childbirth seriously messes up the body. But, I figure I have to start somewhere and this 5k race is just the motivation I need to get me on the road again.

I put on an old Redlands 4th of July T-shirt, shorts and running shoes took Mia and left the husband and baby at home and somehow, I managed to survive the full 5k's. I did have to walk a bit and I ran at a speed that is probably slower than a tall man's fast stride, but I finished the 5k in about 40 minutes - which is under 60 minutes (the maximum time limit for the 5k race!). So, I know I can do it!!

Now I'm really excited about the 5k race. It takes place at night in downtown Prague where there will be lots of live bands and other festivities. I've decided that I'm going to run by myself, because I don't think anyone else would want to go at my grandma-pace. Plus, I love to just listen to music and get lost in my thoughts while I run. Today I was inspired a bit by my new favorite Catholic Priest - Father Roderick, who does a podcast that I've been listening to. I watched a short youtube video he made about running and praying. I try to pray when I run and it's easy when I run up steep hills, but it's definitely something I should do more often.

AND we got a years pass to the Prague Zoo! I LOVE the Prague zoo. It's so casual and fun. You can bring your dog and they provide doggy bowls with water in them all over the zoo. We took Mia the first time and I went again yesterday with just Isabella. Izzy seemed to really like it - especially the flamingos, tropical fish, penguins and parrots. When we went in the Indonesian Jungle everyone was watching the monkeys, everyone except for Isabella who was fascinated by all the people:) When we took her to the giraffes, one young giraffe was very interested in Isabella and walked up really close to us, but Izzy didn't seem to care. I guess she's used to both people and animals staring at her, wondering what this little hairy creature is all about?

Baby Bella & Mixed Marriages

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile you could miss it” Ferris Bueller



Yesterday, I tried to stop and look around at life. Luckily, it was a brilliantly sunny day and Isabella was in a great mood. She laughed out loud more then she’d ever laughed before in her life! We were all sitting on the couch and Mia kept licking me and Isabella and Izzy just kept giggling and giggling while Nick held her – it was the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.

The colic is gone! One night about a month ago Stephanie and Ashley came over to cook dinner for us and to see Isabella. For the first time ever she didn’t scream that evening. It was so pleasantly quiet and strange. Then the next night she was calm again and the night after that too. She’s suddenly become a very happy baby who hardly screams at all now! It’s amazing! The clouds have broken and the sun is shining through!!

The Iz and I go to Mommy and Me Yoga classes once a week. The babies "lay" on a mat in the middle of the room and we all sit around them and do yoga. It’s great! Most of the women are Czech, although the class is in English. Isabella loves to see all the other babies and mommies. She’s so good during class. She’s the youngest baby in class and everyone loves her. Last week the teacher said to me in front of all the other Moms that her daughters told her that Isabella is the most beautiful baby in the whole class and that they are completely taken with her!! I couldn’t believe it! I mean, I believe what they said – she’s the cutest baby ever, but I couldn’t believe she said it in front of the other mothers! To my surprise all the other mothers agreed! I didn’t know what to say. Of course, I think my baby is the most beautiful baby, but that’s because I’m her mother.

Whenever we go out people always stop in awe of Isabella. She smiles a lot these days and strangers just can’t get over how much hair she has. As Katie put it, Izzy is very expressive. You can tell what she’s thinking all the time. She has so many facial expressions. I think she might grow up to be an actress. She really is such a darling! I don’t know what I did to create such a beautiful child, but I already feel sorry for her future siblings, because I’m not sure how they are going to be able to compete with a face like that☺



We went for our first trip away from home a few weeks ago for Stepan and Irena’s daughter’s 1st birthday. Isabella was constipated the whole trip, but as soon as we got home she pooped like a cow. One night while we were there some people started talking in Czech about mixed marriages. I’m not sure if they thought I didn’t understand or if they just forgot that Nick and I are in a mixed marriage, but I understood everything. They were talking about someone’s relative who is Czech and who married an Estonian and how this marriage is clearly doomed because Estonian culture is so different from Czech culture. (Are you kidding me?!) They talked about other European cultures and how most just can’t mix. I was too shocked and too tired to say anything. Plus, I know my Czech isn’t very good and I didn’t want to embarrass myself, but now I really wish I had said something.

I’m so sick of people’s cultural bias’ in so many ways. This is definitely not the first time I’ve heard people talk about how different cultures shouldn’t marry each other – that they are just TOO DIFFERENT. One person even said to my face that my marriage is basically doomed because Americans are too different from Czechs and that they can never understand each other. This same person also told me on a different occasion that Americans can’t feel things deeply because they are too happy.
I’ve lived here for 5 years now and I’m so tired of people assuming things about me just because I’m an American. It’s so naïve and narrow minded. Yet, I’m constantly bombarded with comments here and there about Americans and American things – even by close friends. Recently, our pediatrician asked me why I decided to marry a Czech? He even asked if I would have chosen an American if I had stayed in America! It was so funny and such a stupid question coming from a very educated man who had practiced in both Boston and London!

Most of the time I’m sure people don’t mean any harm by these kinds of questions and comments - they are just pointing out general differences, but sometimes they aren’t. These generalizations about cultures are the very poison that leads to injustice and wars. It astounds me that people, especially educated people who have traveled, still make these generalizations in the 21st century. When are people going to realize that every single person is different and that their gender, culture, astrological sign, etc. does not and cannot define them!

Anyhow, that’s life right now. I started “jogging” again – when I have the chance. Few things in life are better then the release I feel and the endorphins I get when I run. I’m planning on going to stay with my parents for 3-4 weeks in the fall with Isabella so I can hopefully finish my thesis. I’m already nervous about flying all by myself with her across the Atlantic! And I’m sad about being away from Nick for that long, but we’ll survive. After all, not only do I love my husband very much and have a great marriage, despite the fact that I’m married to a man from such a completely different culture from my own, but this mixed marriage somehow produced a bella-bundle of joy!;)

My Tribute to the King of Pop

Michael Jackson is the Elvis of our generation.

I can't believe he's dead! He was so young! Granted that he did have a few screws loose, no one can deny the fact that he was an amazing artist and I believe that he had a good heart.

One of my earliest memories is trying to do the moonwalk for hours when I was like 5 years old. Shortly there after I had my first 3D experience with possibly the greatest attraction Disneyland ever had - Captain Eo. Even as a 6 year old I knew it was kick ass cool!

I used to choreograph dances to Bad and Thriller. I remember waiting with unbridled excitement for the premier of Michael Jackson's new music video staring Macaulay Culkin with my parents in front of the TV. Then I remember choreographing more dances to that album!

I remember driving around with Nabil in high school listening to the King of Pop (Nabil is the biggest MJ fan I've ever met).

Then when I was 21 I worked at Childhelp and got to go with the kids to Neverland Ranch. It was an amazing experience! Michael sadly wasn't there. However, his staff was so incredibly nice! It really was like going to a magical place. They treated the orphans so well - for some of the children it was probably the best day they will ever have in their whole lives! They gave us tons of free food and candy - even quarts of free delicious ice cream! We watched a movie in MJ's private cinema and got all the free candy and popcorn we could eat. We rode the train, saw the lamas and other animals. We rode the awesome carnival rides and got to go on a tour of his home. It was really a wonderful day and I felt a great deal of gratitude towards Michael Jackson for his generosity.

This morning while I was feeding my little girl, my husband walked in the bedroom and told me the Michael Jackson was dead. It's so shocking and sad. He may be dead in body, but he will live forever through his songs and incredible dancing! Long live the King of Pop!!

My Motherhood

Being a mom is kind of like being hung-over all the time, only without being drunk the night before. I basically go about my day in a kind of cloudy haze getting things partially finished or partially started because either a wee munchkin interupts me somehow – usually with crying, screaming, puking, etc and/or I completely forget what I’m doing and/or I get distracted. Laundry gets halfway hung up, food gets lost, I can’t remember if I wrote the email I was planning on writing or if I just dreamed that I had written it. A lot of this happened under the influence of pregnancy as well, so I’m pretty used to it.

For me the hardest part of being a mom is the constant feeding. My nickname around the house has become “the diner”. “The diner” is apparently open for business 24/7 for Isabella and boy does she take advantage of that! She gets hungry about every 1 ½ - 2 hours and it usually takes almost an hour to feed her because she falls in and out of sleep while eating and its impossible to keep her awake or she eats too fast and has to be burped constantly. I’ve finally given up on trying to feed her faster – when I try it only seems to make matters worse. However, this feeding schedule only gives me a small window of opportunity to get anything done, especially since things like burping the Iz and changing her diaper are part of that tiny opportune window. The Doctor said that she’s just going through a “growing phase”. Funny how this phase has been going on since the day she was born. People have said that I should try to make her wait longer between feedings, but that’s really impossible. She screams like bloody murder when she’s hungry. I’ve never heard another human scream as loudly and as painfully as she does. She takes the term “Drama Queen!” to a whole new level. Personally, I think she will be an actress when she grows up.

Feeding her isn’t bad at all. I actually kind of enjoy it, except it makes me hungry all the time. I’ve turned to Scrubs to distract me during her feedings. I can’t believe I never watched this show before! Yeah, it’s silly, but I like it. I’ve successfully completed seasons 1 & 2 and am currently halfway through 3 thanks to my friend Ben for lending me his DVDs and surfthechannel.com (for the DVDs he is missing). I know I should be reading and working on my thesis during this time, but turning my mind off is so much better.
Luckily, she often sleeps for 3 whole hours at a time at night. Not always, but it’s great when she does. She sleeps in bed with us, which is a very controversial subject, but at this point I can’t imagine not having her sleep with us. It would be awful to have to physically get up in the middle of the night to feed her every time she wakes up. Instead I just kind of scoot over before she starts crying and everyone is happy. I know a lot of people say not to do this because then your child will never leave your bed, but I figure that will be a problem anyway. Both Nick and I LOVED sleeping with our parents in their bed and neither one of us started out life sleeping in the same bed as our parents like Isabella is doing now, we both had to sleep separately. So, we figure we’ll jump that hurdle if and when we come to it.

Okay, I change my mind, the worst part about being a mom is the hours long crying marathon that occur basically every night. It’s horrible. I now fully understand the definition of “colicky”. It’s absolutely terrible. She screams and screams in agonizing pain and nothing we do comfort her. I’m sure that part of it is acid reflux that she has and that I’ve been trying to tackle with my own diet and keeping her up right and so on, but still. She’s a little angel most of the day, but then at night my ears and heart bleed in pain as she screams and screams. They say colicky babies turn out to be incredibly smart, thus I’m pretty sure we have some kind of Einstein on our hands. I mean really, I’m just waiting for the neighbors to call the police because it sounds like we terrorize her for hours each night. This kid must be a genius.

The Darling Trust

I'm planning on blogging some more, but every time I start something (or rather someone) stops me. Anyhow, until then I want you to check out The Darling Trust. Darling is a community in South Africa where my dear friend Lara lives and works. She is part of the Darling Trust - which is a Trust that is working to help their community by teaching and empowering the people through education and teaching them various skills. Check it out! Here is their website:

http://www.thedarlingtrust.org/index.htm

You can also follow their blog here:

http://thedarlingtrust.blogspot.com/

By following their blog and also writing about their blog in yours you can help The Darling Trust gain recognition and hopefully help further their finances! So, be a darling and read their blog for more information:)

This blog post is part of Zemanta's "Blogging For a Cause" campaign to raise awareness and funds for worthy causes that bloggers care about.

"Don't Let Me Down"

I feel like I’m in love for the first time, but it’s not a romantic love – it’s a different kind. It’s a love that lasts forever. It’s a love that has no past. I’m absolutely, positively in love with my daughter.

I always thought having a baby would be horrible. You don’t get to sleep, you have this small creature that’s always crying and pooping and you have to take full responsibility for it. When people say having a baby is hard I always assumed that this is the stuff they are talking about. I mean really, who wants to change a poopy diaper or have your own breast milk vomited up all over you or have a baby cry at the top of her lungs for an hour and nothing you do calms her down? All of that stuff sounds horrible! But, the truth is, is that that stuff in and of itself doesn’t bother me at all. Seriously, not at all! The part that is difficult is that suddenly I have this enormous overwhelming desire to do everything I can for my little baby. I want to protect her and make her happy. The horribly difficult part is that I’m not God and I can’t protect her or make her happy 100% of the time. For me the hard part about being a parent is that sometimes my baby cries and all I want is for her to stop – not because its annoying but because I love her so much I can’t stand to see her so incredibly distressed. When she spits up or even throws up all over me I’m not upset because I’m dirty, I’m upset because I don’t know what’s wrong with her and I want her to be healthy and feel good. Sure, I’m exhausted and I don’t always remember to brush my teeth. I nearly took Mia on a walk yesterday and realized at the very last moment that I wasn’t wearing a shirt – just my bra! But my exhaustion doesn’t matter, because only she does.

Being a mom is the greatest thing I think I’ve ever experienced. It’s so huge that I know it still hasn’t hit me. I just can’t believe that my husband and I created this beautiful little creature. It’s so basic and fundamental, yet so incredible and unbelievable! We are so lucky. I love my daughter so much it hurts.

Yesterday, I was home alone and she started crying uncontrollably. Nothing I did consoled her. She wasn’t hungry, she didn’t want to lie down or go on a walk – nothing! It was horrible and her cries kept getting louder and louder. Finally, I took her in the living room and turned on the stereo. The Forrest Gump soundtrack was in, so I hit play and turned the music up loud. I figured at the very least I could try and save my own sanity by drowning out her cries a bit. But, then something strange happened. As soon as the music started she stopped screaming. I held her in my arms and watched in amazement as she calmed down immediately and smiled at me! I couldn’t believe it. And then it hit me, she is my little girl – all she wanted was to listen to some good music. By the end of the first song she was peacefully sleeping in my arms and I was the one crying uncontrollably. I rocked her in my arms and sang the entire soundtrack to her with tears streaming down my face as the sun was setting. It was one of the most magical moments I’ve ever experienced.

Don’t worry, I promise I won’t become one of those mom’s who lives for their child or who sacrifices their marriage and/or social life for their child. However, I’m sure I will be over-protective – I’ll try not to be, but I already feel sick to my stomach when I think of her dating one day. Who knows – her future is so bright, anything is possible. I can’t wait to see where her life leads her, but I’m glad it will take a long time before it begins to lead her away☺

Collapse of the Czech Government aka Makin' Whoopee

The Czech Republic basically has no government right now and no Prime Minister. It's horrible! For one this is really going to f-up their economy which is based largely on export/import because what investor will want to invest in an unstable country like this? Plus, who is working to solve the economic problem now? It's no longer the focus. The stupid petty differences of the MP's have taken the spotlight.

Furthermore, the Czech Republic holds the EU presidency right now. You would think they would have taken this into consideration and been a bit more responsible during this time. After all, they could help out their own country a ton if they wanted to while they hold the EU presidency - they get to set the agenda. Oh and not to mention the fact that it's simply embarrassing.

It's just so selfish and pathetic. I don't mean to just point fingers at the Czech government, I know my government is no knight in shining armor either and I'm sure if we had the same parliamentary system we'd see similar situations in America, but thankfully we have what I consider to be a much more rational democratic system (though even my husband argues with me about this). Still, the american government has been suffering from the same petty partisan parasite (in both parties) that is sucking the life out of... (how can I write this without becoming dramatic and partisan myself?)

What is the purpose of government?

The answer(s) to this question varies so dramatically that it can cause wars, it creates an extreme variety of political parties and it makes for great long debates amongst friends and enemies. What I've seen lately to be the answer to this question in both my own country and the Czech Republic is that the purpose of government is to put on a huge dramatic soap opera in which major partisanship is the main plot. Who knew that politicians could be such drama queens? I know that it has basically always been like this and pretty much every political party has waved their thespian flag at some point. I know that Mr. Smith's rarely exist in reality and even when he does he rarely go to Washington to try and serve the people. But still, am I being too much of an idealist to have assumed that in a time of global economic crisis politicians would put away their whoopee cushions and get down to business for the sake of their own families, the citizens they represent, their country's and simply for stability in a time of great instability?

People are really worried here in the Czech Republic that this unstable government may give the communists a good foothold to gain even more power than they already hold. There are rumors that a big bear in the east is already at work pulling strings - possibly even causing the collapse of the Czech government. Already Latvia and Hungary, two other EU countries, have suffered a similar fate to the Czech Republic. It only makes me wonder what will happen next? Chaos isn't normally a recipe for peace and prosperity, but for something thats quite the opposite. We can only hope that politicians and partisan party members begin to take their heads out of their asses and start thinking about the greater good instead of their own petty selfish well being. Unless, of course, problems really do fix themselves magically - then we can all gleefully stick our heads up our asses until this whole thing blows over - for some of us the view is probably a lot better up there anyways... If only I could believe that.

Que Sera Sera!

So, it’s already March. I can’t believe how fast time is going by. I’m finally finished with school! It’s bittersweet really. I’m done with all my classes – both as a student and as a teacher. I still have to write and defend my Master’s thesis and take the state exam before I can graduate. I’ll do that either in June or in January (probably in January – there’s no reason to rush and get it done by June). I’m already on my maternity leave, which in this country usually lasts from 1 – 3 years! I’m sad to not be teaching anymore. I really hope that I’m able to work part time next year. The thought of staying cooped up at home all day long with a baby scares me a lot. I highly admire stay at home moms, but I don’t think I could do it. I get really depressed if I’m alone for a long time and if I feel like I’m not contributing to society in anyway. I mean, I know raising a good well-rounded child helps society tremendously, but I think if I stay home all the time I will go crazy which in turn will effect my child and probably not in the “good well-rounded” way. I’m thinking of giving private English lessons from home next year and/or volunteering more, but making some money would be nice.

The Future

So, after much research, discussion and prayer, Nick and I have decided to stay in Prague for another year. The plan now is for Nick to work next year and apply for a Fulbright scholarship. Hopefully, if he gets the scholarship, he and I will move back to America in the summer of 2010 for at least one year, but hopefully longer. A Fulbright scholarship is a fantastic scholarship that pays not only for a year of study in America, but also for your health insurance and living! If Nick gets this scholarship it will make moving back to America a piece of heavenly cake. Nick really wants to study in the U.S. and get his PhD. there in Non-profit Management or City Planning or something along those lines. He’s really interested in a program in Phoenix. I’m still crossing my fingers and searching the web for an equally interesting program in California. Still, Phoenix isn’t so bad – it’s only a 4-hour drive from Redlands. If he doesn’t get the Fulbright scholarship he will still apply to schools in the U.S. and for other scholarships, it will just be a bit more difficult and costly. We thought about trying to move back to the U.S. this summer, but with the economy the way it is, it seems like a really stupid decision. What if we aren’t able to find jobs? What if we can’t get health insurance? At least here we have health insurance and we benefit from the social welfare system. Plus, Nick gets job offers here almost weekly. So, why shoot ourselves in the feet just for some sunshine, Mexican food and American hospitality? Um, on second thought maybe we made a bad decision…

I’m glad and sad that we are staying here for another year. On one hand we are well established here. We have a great group of friends and thus a lot of support here. I know if we moved someplace new we would probably be really isolated at first, especially with a little baby to take care of. In Prague we have a great support system and babysitters☺ When we do leave Prague it’s going to be really hard to say goodbye to everyone, even if we only leave for a year.

On the other hand, it’s still really hard for me to live here. I miss California so incredibly much. I miss my family a lot and I miss old friends. I miss American food tremendously and of course, I miss the ocean! I miss the sunshine and the ease of American life. I miss how friendly people are back home and I miss living in a place that is both logical and efficient most of the time. I’ve lived in Prague for 4 ½ years and I’m still not used to life here. Part of me never wants to get used to it. I don’t mean to say that life in the Czech Republic is worse or that Czechs are bad people – I know for sure that neither is true! It’s just that I’m a foreigner here and I always will be and life here will always be foreign for me. And being a foreigner gets exhausting.

So, we will stay for at least one more year. It’s bittersweet as all things are. I’m trying to trust in God and remember why I came here in the first place – not for myself, but to love and serve others. It isn’t easy. I’d much rather be selfish and just live for myself, but I know it’s not the way and I selfishly I know it will never make me happy. Therefore, I’m trying to be optimistic about next year. Who knows what God has in store for us and what the future will hold? I’m finding it’s best to just take one day at a time and be thankful for all of the many blessings in my life.

Life is really incredibly good right now. I love my husband so much and each day I love him even more. It’s really a beautiful time in our lives right now as we wait for the baby to come. I have a feeling that someday we will look back at this time in our lives with great fondness and call it ‘the good old days’. Nick is finishing up school as well and is working part time. Therefore, we both get to be home together quite a lot. Of course, we are living from paycheck to paycheck, but we are able to survive and we just laugh at how little money we have. I'm literally eating us out of house and home;) Well, most of our money goes to food anyhow. Life is peaceful and really isn’t that busy, I know it will become much busier. And having Mia is absolutely wonderful! She is so adorable and so much fun. It’s impossible to be in a bad mood when she is around. We get to walk her every day in the beautiful valley behind our flat and she is so well behaved. She’s finally 99% house broken, hip hip hooray! We have good friends who are so supportive and encouraging! We also have finally found a church that we love and are slowly becoming part of its community. Nick plays in the worship band almost every Sunday and I’m a lector. It’s an English speaking catholic church. The Priest is an older man from Boston (at least we think from his accent). He looks like the bald guy on Star Trek☺ He is so wise and pretty liberal – although he doesn’t come right out and say it. He's just very smart, easy going and open minded which us cafeteria Catholics appreciate. We’ve been going to St. Thomas almost every Sunday since this summer. It’s really nice to go to the same church consistently. Father William says we should think of church as a hospital where we go to get healed since we are all sick with our constant struggle with sin. It’s the most beautiful hospital of I’ve ever been to with it’s high ceilings and incredible art. It’s nearly 800 years old!

Of course life isn’t perfect and I don’t mean to gloat at all, it’s just pretty damn good and I’m so thankful for that! Now, just a few more weeks until we finally get to meet the little person swimming inside my belly☺ I can’t wait!! I’m so looking forward to holding our baby for the first time. I better stop or I’ll start crying. Oh silly hormones, you make such a sappy girl out of me!!

With that I will end my long entry with a long ‘top 10’ list since many people have been asking about how the pregnancy is going. So, I present to you…

The top 10 + 9 ways you know you are in your 3rd trimester of pregnancy

19. You sleep for about an hour on your right side, wake up numb and aching and turn on to your left side for another hour, again wake up numb and aching on that side, then repeat back to your right side like a pancake cooking all night long.

18. It’s getting really difficult to stand up and also to sit back down again. Thus, you know exactly what life will be like at 80. Also, going to church (well, catholic church anyway) is now truly a marathon of standing, sitting and kneeling.

17. You’re sad because your child is already rebelling against you and it’s not even a teenager yet! Who knew an infant could kick so hard?

16. You accidentally rip out the zipper from your jacket due to your massive belly. After a moment of panic wondering how you’ll survive the cold with no jacket, you realize you can fit into your husband’s jacket, it’s just really unattractive – which is the exact adjective you’ve been trying to distance your blimpish pregnant body from.

15. The gigantic free red shirt you got when you ran the marathon finally fits perfectly. The only downside is that you look like a gigantic tomato in it.

14. You waddle like a tall long-legged duck everywhere you go.

13. You are thankful that the doctor weighs you in kilos and not pounds and you try not to let yourself convert the kilos into pounds because you have definitely never weighed this much before in your life.

12. The thought of eating salad is almost repulsive and all you want all the time are chocolate pastries and ice cream.

11. As much as you hate being pregnant you are terrified of not being pregnant because that means having to somehow get this large kicking bowling ball out of your body through a very small hole. You’ve managed to ignore this fact for most of the pregnancy, but now Doctors, family, friends and a husband are insisting that you plan for it.

10. You cry tears of joy and/or tears of sadness almost daily.

9. You think your husband is a saint because he does the dishes everyday. Of course, he does this partly because you convinced him that pregnant women shouldn’t wash dishes – its bad for the baby.

8. The dog is already getting irritated and jealous because she no longer fits on your lap like she used to. In fact, you no longer have a lap.

7. You never realized what a pain in the ass being pregnant is – literally. Google image “sciatic nerve” and “pregnancy” It’s absolute hell.

6. Even though you are hungry all the time, you can’t eat very much in one sitting because there’s no space for the food to go. Therefore, you always have either severe hunger or severe heartburn and sometimes both.

5. You keep forgetting your keys in the door when you come home and then spend forever searching for them when you are getting ready to leave again. In fact, pregnancy hormones make you forgetful!! As if pregnant women didn’t suffer enough, now we are even more forgetful than normal! Silly hormones, memory tricks are for old people!

4. You can no longer take deep breaths and if you try to you get a sharp kick in the lungs. Come on now, who’s the boss?

3. You have acne worse than you did in high school due to the massive amounts of hormones racing through your body. What was all that BS about pregnant women having a natural glow? I hate those women.

2. You still haven’t had a single dream about your baby (and neither has your husband) even though all the books say, “You’re probably dreaming about your bundle of joy every night!” What garbage! Although, you also realize you probably aren’t dreaming about the baby because you are repressing the reality of its existence. Yeah, you’re totally mature enough to be a parent…

And the number 1 way you know you are in your 3rd Trimester…

1. Every time you cry a little at the end of your prenatal exercise video when Erin O’Brien whispers, “We are so lucky!” Even though you know part of it just has to do with the endorphins mixing with the hormones, you can’t help but wonder how you could ever complain so much and you swear you will stop. After all, you are so lucky☺

Please ignore the president...

Czech Leader Scorns EU Politics

So, embarrassing! Today Czech President Klaus made international headlines as he gave provocative speech at the European Parliament in which he accused the EU of being undemocratic and likened it to communism! I think Klaus is actually a bigger a-hole than Bush - who knew it was possible? Luckily he doesn't have nearly the power Bush had. 

Kiss and Tell

Complex clues in a kiss - BBC

"When you share a kiss with your lover on Valentine's Day, you may be revealing a lot more than you realise.

Locking lips not only stimulates our senses, it also gives us subtle clues about our suitability as mates, US scientists have found.

A man's saliva has a "cocktail of chemicals" hinting at his fertility and evolutionary fitness, they said at a conference in Chicago.

That may be why the first kiss is often the last - "the kiss of death"

 - BBC (Check out the rest of the article here)


First of all, how can they possibly be having trouble finding people to take part in this study?!? I mean seriously, what kind of a college are they conducting this at?!

Secondly, this reminds me of this one time a few months before I met my husband, I kissed this really good looking German guy I met at a bar in Russia. I was so turned off by the kiss that I just walked a way from him without any explanation. I always thought it was strange and felt kind of bad about it, but maybe his "saliva cocktail" was just repulsive to my senses;) or maybe I'd had too much russian vodka - or not enough. Anyhow, I'm glad that never worked out.

Home for Christmas

Our first day back in California we took the dogs for a walk with my parents in the canyon. The sun shone brightly above the blue snow capped mountains that surround Redlands. The sky was clear and outlined the palm trees nicely. We could see the orange groves and a train go by as we walked my parents' 4 fur-children in the canyon I grew up playing in. It was paradise.






I love going home. No other place in the world is as wonderful as home. It's ironic isn't it? I've travelled to so many places and yet my favorite place is the one I grew up in. Nothing compares to the sweet scent of oranges, the whistle from the train calling as it passes by, the victorian houses, the delicious avocados, coffee mexican food, etc and of course, the familiar faces that greet you everywhere you go. Redlands will always be home.



We had a fantastic christmas vacation! We mostly chilled with my parents at home in between going baby shopping and going to our favorite restaurants. We got to fly straight into Ontario this time, after a lay-over in Atlanta. Going through customs in Atlanta was a million times better than Los Angeles. Everyone was really friendly. Even though our plane didn't get in until 10pm and we were exhausted, we still stopped by In 'n Out on the way home to get a much desired cheeseburger. We ate at In 'n Out more times then I can count in the short time we were home. No burger compares to an In 'n Out burger.

My parents had the house all decked out for Christmas. My mom didn't fail to get a gorgeous Christmas tree that she spent days covering with lights and ornaments. Putting up the Christmas tree and decorating it at the Trad house is no small feat. There is a very specific system that must be followed, otherwise mayhem breaks out. I was thankful it was already finished when we got there. My parents have so many ornaments - some that are so old, we've had them forever. Many are older than me. The whole house just looked great. It really felt like Christmas, especially when we ate my mom's christmas cookies. mmm. Those went way too fast.


We managed to do a lot in the 2 weeks we were home. Highlights include:

- Shopping endlessly for baby stuff with my mom. One day we spent nearly 4 hours at Babies R Us. My mom had so much energy, I couldn't believe it! We brought a consumer report that gave details about all the latest products and which are the best and cheapest to buy. We called several friends with recent baby experience in between chatting up the people shopping there and working there trying to figure out which bottles really work, what kind of sling/baby backpack to get, etc. Finding the best stroller takes the cake. We don't have a car, we take public transportation everywhere and we walk a lot - so having a good stroller is essential. We went to numerous Sports Chalets and REI's trying to find a good all-terrain light-weight stroller. We still haven't bought it and decided we will just have to get it online. In the end we were torn between Baby Joggers and B.O.B's. Baby joggers have a line of City Strollers that are hard to chose from. They have one called the "City Mini" which is so lightweight, it's very tempting! But, we're afraid the wheels are too small and they wouldn't be able to handle the cobblestones. Anyhow, we are probably going to get the "Classic City Baby Jogger" with a few amenities.
*Baby stuff is MUCH cheaper in America compared to Prague. It's worth the hassle of lugging all the stuff over. We actually checked a baby swing as one of our luggage items on the way back. We love it and had to get it - it was so cheap and we aren't sure that baby swings even exist in Prague!

- Seeing old friends! We got to see a lot of people, some I haven't seen in years. It was fun seeing everyone, but it made me sad that we don't live closer and can't see people more often. Thank goodness for skype. GET SKYPE!!

- Christmas - it was truly wonderful

- Going to the San Diego Zoo with my parents. Being in a huge place filled with exotic animals from all over the world always makes me feel normal. Also, it was a great place to spy on strollers - my mom and I couldn't help but stop a few stroller pushers for questioning.



- New Years Eve! Casey Curry is awesome and so is his friends. There was a lot of drinking - in fact, my husband won the title of "King of Panama" for his incredible chugging abilities that neither of us knew he had. I didn't drink anything and had a fantastic time, I can be silly and stupid even in my most sober state.

- Jersey's Pizza. Need I say more? While we're at it I'd like to add Cuca's, Chipotle, Golden Spoon and Nubi Yogurt. I think I ate frozen yogurt every single day we were home. What can I say? It doesn't exist in the Czech Republic!!!! I don't know why it doesn't exist here, but it doesn't. So, consequently we spent most of our money on food - all the fabulous food we just can't get here.

- Hanging out with my parents... when we all got along. It was so nice to just sit on the couch and chill out with the family.

- Walking around Redlands - whether it was the canyon or downtown

- Coffee.. I just love the Fox coffee and the Olive St. Market. I'm so glad Olive St. Market has new owners that revived it to life.


- the 6x6 burger challenge between Casey and Nick. They both decided to try and eat a 6x6 In 'n Out burger (that's pretty much what it sounds like, but because they don't make them anymore they each had to eat two 3x3's = 6 burger patties, 4 buns and the works. Additionally, they each had to eat french fries and a soda. Nick somehow finished so quickly! I had barely finished my own double-double when we looked over and realized his food was gone. Then he drank a vanilla milk shake! Casey was hungover and had a lot of trouble. This was about 3 days ago and Nick still feels sick and can't eat much. I'm so proud of him.









Well, in my jet lagged state thats all I can think of. Sadly, both Nick and I have been awake since 330 am. It always takes me forever to get used to the time difference and having someone kicking me in the stomach while I'm trying to sleep does not help. Sleep, sweet sleep do not abandon me - unless I need to be awake, then please leave me alone. If only we had buttons to make us sleep and make us wake up.

Saddleback Church City

Going to Saddleback Church was like going to Christian Disneyland. Saddleback made Vatican City look like a retirement community. I've never seen anything like it. They have multiple parking lots so people are shuttled in on buses. There are multiple "houses of worship", but they all watch the same sermon on TV. Babies literally get bar codes when their parents drop them off because there are so many of them - they don't want to lose any! Can you believe it? I asked one family about it and they gave us their parent-copy of their child's bar code. Saddleback is so big that they have multiple satellite churches around Southern California that also watch the sermon on TV, but have their own live worship band. In fact, we ended up going to one of these satellite churches in Irvine on accident when we were trying to find the main big Saddleback Church. It was kind of small and I knew it was the wrong place. So, we had to get up and ask the usher where the Saddleback MEGA CHURCh was? She gave us really crappy directions and we found the mega-church right when it was ending. Sadly, Rick Warren wasn't there. I was really looking forward to seeing him in his Hawaiian shirt and flip-flops. It was quite disappointing.











No, I'm not a super-duper evangelical Christian. I went to Saddleback as a kind of research project. I'm writing my Master's Thesis on the Christian Right in America and their influence on political elections. I've read so much about Saddleback, I just had to go visit it in person. I really don't know what to make of this so-called "mega church". I mean its bigger than a mega-church it's like a church-city. On one hand I think it's great that so many people go to this church and that it's so laid back and they have so many styles of worship (each of the different worship buildings had a theme - for example, the hard core rock tent, the singles tent, traditional-fall-asleep-with-your-eyes-open tent, etc. They even have a cafe where you can sit and enjoy coffee during church if that's how you prefer to worship). But, part of me is just can't shake how extremely weird it is. I mean I really felt like I was at an amusement park and not a place of worship. Maybe I'm just getting conservative in my old age, who knows. Anyhow, if you ever want a free shocking experience I highly suggest you go to Saddleback Church, but make sure you go to the one in Lakeforest.