The course starts with the basics: understanding the different layers of the pelvic floor and learning how something as simple as abdominal breathing can support both activation and relaxation. It’s informative as well as empowering.

We trained together as a group, supporting each other and sharing experiences — and yes, babies were welcome, too! I felt incredibly safe, understood, and well-guided throughout the sessions. Yessica creates such a warm and inclusive atmosphere, and the fact that the course is held mainly in English makes it accessible for everyone, locals and expats. So maybe you don’t only find your strengt again or the one or other new mom friend 🙂

The class is perfect for anyone who’s been cleared by their doctor for pelvic floor training 6 to 10 weeks after giving birth and wants to gently regain strength in a supportive group setting.

Yessica is a wonderful warm and understanding person. As she has been living in Cape Town, South Africa, before she started her family, she knows how demanding expat life can be thus she has a very open ear for everything international

Practical info about the Pelvic Floor course:

• When: The next course in English starts on Wednesday, June 25 from 10:00 – 11:00 AM, 6 Sessions

• Where: Maybachstraße 9, 70771 Leinfelden-E. (with changing rooms and showers available)

• What to bring: Comfortable clothes, clean indoor shoes, a towel, and water

• Costs: 90 Euro (Please note that the course is not covered by German health insurance as this is not your “normal” postnatal workout)

You can get in touch with Yessica via email or through the contact form on her website.

If you’re in the area and looking for a thoughtful, well-rounded way to reconnect with your body postpartum, I can genuinely recommend this course from personal experience. You’ll leave each session feeling stronger — physically and emotionally.

More information

Yessica’s website www.mami-gesundheit.de (only in German but the course will be held mainly in English)

The post My Experience with “MAMI-Fit Pelvic Floor Course” in Leinfelden appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

Today I would like to introduce a company that is very dear to me: Gravidamiga. Gravidamiga offers services that you don’t find very often in Stuttgart: services in English for expecting moms and new moms in Stuttgart and the area.

Being pregnant is always an emotional rollercoaster. But being pregnant or a new mom in a foreign country – oh boy. Kira Neumann and Dr. Christine Krämer noticed that even though there are many groups, courses etc. for German moms, moms that don’t speak the language have to look hard to find a place of support. So they founded Gravidamiga.

Their services include pregnancy yoga, birth preparation, mom meetups, introducing solids workshops and much more. Some courses that are coming up this November in Stuttgart are:

• Me Time for Mom. A great way to meet other moms, relax a bit and become creative. In this 3 hour workshop on November 13 you will find your Mojo again, relax and rewind while practicing some yoga and learn about German Christmas traditions and even make your own Advent wreath.
• Let’s socialize – Gravidamiga goes neighborhood. On November 18 you will visit two fun places for parents and kids in Stuttgart-Vaihingen: My Pilates Place and Children’s English Library

I have been in touch with Gravidamiga for years and always point out the one or other event in my monthly “What’s-up-in-Stuttgart”-posts. Today I thought it is time to fully introduce this lovely company to you 🙂

The post Support for English speaking moms in Stuttgart by Gravidamiga appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

Summer fun

It seems like ages ago but in July we had an amazing summer vacation in Denmark. Have you ever been to Denmark? I know it might not be on the bucket list of many. There are so many other locations in Europe one wants to discover first. But Denmark is actually a really beautiful and laid back country that makes the perfect destination for a family vacation.

We stayed on a lovely peninsula in the west of Denmark, close to the little town of Elsegarde. On Airbnb we have found a lovely accommodation named Blushojgaard (this is their website but you can also find them on Airbnb) in a renovated farmhouse on top of cliffs and close to the sea. There were even cows grazing in front of our window which was one of the highlights of our little one 🙂

But our favorite feature of the accommodation was this swing on top of the cliff. What a great location for a picnic with the best view ever.

We loved this place and the surrounding area a lot! The nature was beautiful but not too extreme for a 2 year old. Close by were several beaches, little towns as well as the city of Aarhus.

The beach that was the closest to our accommodation was all pebbles but only a short drive away where the sandy beaches of Ebeltoft and Boeslum. The water temperature in July was refreshing but not super cold and the waves were really small so our little one wasn’t scared of stepping into the water.

We explored the surrounding area and fell in love with the rolling hills and views. Our favorite place became the ruins of caste Kalo. To reach the castle you walk over a narrow stretch of land that is surrounded by water on the left and on the right. Then you can roam around the ruins and climb up an old tower to enjoy the view. Really magical.

And then there is the city of Aarhus close by. Aarhus is quite a modern, student type of city with a newly done harbor area. You can do a lot of shopping here, enjoy the cultural offers but we were there mainly for the playgrounds ;-), the park and the nearby deer enclosure (family vacation, what can I say?! :-D).

A really cool feature is the endless loop bridge (“Uendelige Bro” in Danish). Great photo opportunity.

So if you’re already planning your summer vacation 2022 – put Denmark on your list!! 🙂

Work

Work has been slow in the last weeks, mainly because of the life update I will talk about in part II (so stay tuned… ;-)). But I am still working on my eBook about Highlights and Hidden Gems in Stuttgart. I hope to release it by the end of this year. If you’re interested in buying a copy as soon as it is published, just drop me a line: mel@living-in-stuttgart.com . I will point out the must-visit places when living in Stuttgart but also a lot of insider tips and places not even every local knows about.

Moreover, I am still offering my online German conversation training. Due to covid I have stopped the group courses for the time being but I found that online 1-to-one German communication coaching is actually a really good training for my students and more intense then a group course anyway. So if you’re interested in brushing up and practicing your spoken German, get in touch with me via mel@living-in-stuttgart.com . For more information visit Online Communication Training by Living in Stuttgart.

So far for today. Stay tuned for part II of my life update. I will talk about REALLY big news 🙂

The post Life update – part I: Summer fun and work situation appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

I don’t know about you but I am SO glad summer has finally arrived! These last months have been really exhausting with this on and off lockdown situation and the horrible weather this spring. Definitely a mood killer. I tried to fight the corona blues with sport and activities in nature. Nearly every day I put the little one in the stroller and went for a run. I really needed this in the morning in order to wake up.

We have a little forest close by. This was the destination for our morning outing. Here we stopped and I helped her out of the stroller. Then we went explore. She is really confident with being in the forest now. One of our favorite activities: playing hide and seek. But with a twist: She tells me behind which tree I should hide. So I go there, hide behind if for a few seconds and show myself again while shouting “Boohooo!” It cracks her up 😀

Another thing she likes: Standing in circles of pine cones. She helps me collect them, then I lay out a small or bigger circle on the forest floor and she immediately rushes into it. When I lay out various circles she likes to run from one to the other.

We stay in the forest for half an hour or an hour and then I put her back into the stroller and run back. This kind of morning activity was a lifesaver for me during the lockdown(s).

How is the little one?

Oh my god she has grown so much! And she is speaking now. Not in full sentences of course but she learns more and more words on a daily basis. It is sometimes hard to keep track. And she has favorite kid’s songs now that she makes us sing again and again (and again and again and…) One of here favorites is “Old McDonald had a farm” in the German version.

And she is fascinated by everything with wheels these days. Even better: Things with wheels on a construction site. Cranes, excavators, big trucks… you name it, she loves it.

We haven’t started with any child care apart from family members yet. She was meant to start a few months ago in a watched playgroup three mornings a week. But the covid situation was so bad at that time that we postphoned the start to September. I am really looking forward to this. Not only because it means that I can work on a regular basis again (and provide you with more updates about what’s going on in Stuttgart!) but also because being around other kids her age more often will be so good for her. It always melts my heart when I see her playing with other kids on the playground. What used to be normal before covid looks like heaven nowadays, doesn’t it?!

Why the long silence on the blog?

Apart from just not enough time (I did work of course but mainly with my online German conversation groups and as a journalist) I was preparing something special for you guys! I was – and still am – working on – tatatataaaaa – a guide book for Stuttgart!

It will be called “Highlights and Hidden Gems of Stuttgart” and I plan so sell it as an ebook. It will introduce you to the main sights of Stuttgart and – more importantly – to many fun facts and hidden highlights not even every local knows about. Stay tuned for more information. Oh I am SO excited to share this with you 🙂

In the meantime: Tell me what you look for in a guide book about the city you life in! You can do so via email to mel@living-in-stuttgart.com or simply the comment section below this article. It will be great hearing from you!

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[Post with amazon affiliate links* and other links to shops where I bought the furniture and decoration of our German kids room.]

Let’s start with these cute wardrobes.

Aren’t they adorable! At first I thought they resemble little houses but then I noticed they look like changing rooms how you find them in sea towns. One thing I didn’t like about them tough is that the mechanism of how you attach the “roof” to the wardrobe isn’t working a 100 percent. The screws are somewhat to long or so for the wardrobe and can damage the surface a bit. We bought them online here but I just noticed that the price has increased in the last months…

The drawer on the left is actually an old one from our bedroom. It is an IKEA  Malm.

What I love the most about this corner of the room are the colorful dots. They are wall tattoos and easy to remove once the little one doesn’t like them anymore one day. As soon as I have put them up, they have changed the whole atmosphere of this part of the room, making it joyful and cozy. I found them here on etsy and simply ordered three different colors.

The lamp with the lion head on the drawer is the newest accessory of the German kids room. I actually ordered it online on my birthday so it is more a present for me then for her 🙂

OK, let’s move on the the next wall…

As I have mentioned in my last post, the little one doesn’t sleep in her own bed yet (it is used for reading books in it at the moment:-)). But when she decides to do so she will have her own little house to sleep in 🙂 This bed is very low so it is easy for her to climb in and out by herself. There is also a “fence” which is half as long als the length of the bed that we can attach to it on the open side to prevent her from falling out at night. We simply put a blanked on top of the bed to make it even more cozy. I found this beauty on etsy, too, but unfortunately the shop doesn’t seem to sell it anymore.

The little bunny flying away with a balloon is a wall tattoo, too. I found it on amazon [affiliate link]. However, we didn’t use the stars that come with it but ordered golden dots from this etsy shop.

The seat is an old one from our former living room. It is an IKEA Ektorp.

Next to the seat we have a little Montessori inspired book shelf. All the books face the little one when she is standing in front of her shelf so it easy for her to find the book she wants to look at. We bought it online here.

In the middle of the room we have an activity area. The mats on the floor are from Ikea as well, called Plufsig. You can fold them when you want to store them away and they are water resistant and thus also easy to clean.

The wooden activity center is again from etsy. The set consists of the climbing triangle with three different sides, the bridge that is a rocking toy when you turn it around and the slide that can also become a bridge as you can see in the picture above. The set was actually a birthday present from her grandparents and now, in her new kids room, we finally have enough space to put all three parts up together. She loves it 😀

So this is our German kids room. How does your little one’s kids room look like?

Disclaimer:
Some of the links in this post are amazon affiliate links. This means that when you click on them and buy something on amazon later I get a little compensation from amazon. This does not affect your price but it helps me to maintain my blog. Thank you for supporting Living in Stuttgart 🙂

The post Part two of my room tour of our German kids room appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

[Post with amazon affiliate links*]

To get to the toy simply click on the picture and the link will lead you over to amazon where you will find more product information.

Our little one got this ring pyramid around her first birthday and she is still playing with it (she is 20 months old now). It is great for practicing hand eye coordination and arm movement. The big holes in the middle the rings help with stacking them on (we have another pyramid where the holes are much smaller, that was a bit frustrating for her at the beginning). Nowadays she uses the rings as bracelets 😀

We have a toddler walker quite similar to this one. I didn’t want to go for one of the combinations with toys/activity games etc as I want her to concentrate  on one thing at a time. It was great watching her taking her first steps with the help of the walker. Small steps towards more independence, away from mom and dad’s helping hands 🙂 Nowadays the walker is still in use as a stroller for her toys!

A ball pool definitely belongs to the category great toys for 1 year old children in Germany and older! It is still a hit in our house and I reckon it will be for a long time. This model also looks good (we got a used one on eBay Kleinanzeigen and we hide it in a corner because it is way to pink for our taste 😀

A set of finger puppets are great toys for 1 year old children in Germany! This set of forest friends  also teaches them which animals live in our local woods.

At the age of one you can start offering easy puzzles. This wooden one teaches the kids a bit about farm life and the pieces can be easily taken in an out by little hands thanks to the extra large wooden buttons.

This wooden play center is one of the toys for 1 year old children in Germany that will stay in your household for quite some time. Around one the kids start sorting out which form goes into which opening. Then the gear wheels become interesting, then the wooden clock… Definitely a great toy.

Building blocks become a thing when your little one turns one year. These ones are extra big so they can be picked up and put on top of each other easily.

I hope this list was helpful to you for finding toys for 1 year old children in Germany.

You can also visit my post about toys for 18 months old children in Germany.

If you want to find out how our German kids room looks like at the moment, check out this post.

*Disclaimer: All links in this post are amazon affiliate links. This means that when you visit amazon from this page and buy something, amazon has to pay me a little compensation. This does not effect your price but helps me maintain the blog. Thank you for your support 🙂

The post Toys for 1 year old children in Germany appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

[Post with affiliate links to amazon*]

Creativity toys for 18 months old children in Germany

These colorful pencils can be used as water colors and even on glass! And here comes what mom and dad will like the most: They can be removed easily! 🙂

Theses finger crayons are super easy to hold for little fingers. Great for kids that are just about to start painting.

If you want to be on the safe side, you can start with this Aqua Doodle set. There will definitely be no stains – just wet clothes 🙂

Toys for little engineers

We got this latches board from a friend (Hi Lora :-)) and the little one LOVES it! It keeps her occupied for quite some time. She can open most of the latches herself now. It is also great for pracicing colors. We ask her for example “Where are the orange fish?” and then she thinks about it and opens the door. And one day, we can use it for practicing counting as the number of animals behind the doors varies between 1 and 6.

The good old wooden building blocks. Who hasn’t created the most amazing cities with them? They definitely belong in every kid’s room and are a great choice of toys for 18 months old children in Germany.

And here comes another classic: Lego duplo building blocks. I don’t think I have to introduce them to you any further 😉

The fascination kids have with railways is amazing. Our little one laughs every time she sees the S-Bahn pass by. So you can imagine how much joy she has with her little wooden railway 🙂

Why does the big carrot not fit into this whole? What seems so easy for us is a whole new world for our kids. This wooden puzzle does not only look cute, it teaches the little ones a lot about size, logic and motor skills.

Activity toys for 18 months old children in Germany

I ALWAYS wanted a Bobby car when I was a kid! So you can imagine that OF COURSE our little one got one when she was still to small to sit on it 😀 You can buy a lot of gadgets nowadays, a blinking horn, shoe protectors, whisper wheels and much more.

Another great vehicle for 18 months old children in Germany is the Pukymoto. It offers a more dynamic and sporty ride than with a classic slip vehicle and is considered an ideal precursor to the wheel.

In case you’re looking for a tricycle for your little one, the Puky Fitsch is a great choice (you see, we Germans love our Puky :-))

Pikler triangles are a great invention as you can use them indoors and they invite your little one to move, climb and be active. This one is eco and easy to store away.

Here comes your multi use activity station for 18 month old children in Germany and older children too of course. You can put it together in many different ways, build towers and houses and caves… And you can use it in- and outdoors. Definitely a toy your children will love for many years.

A sling is always beloved by kids. Due to the safety bar and the additional seatbelt the kid is double secured.

Other fun toys for 18 months old children in Germany

I feel like there is a wooden Grimm’s rainbow in every German family household these days 😀 But what can I say, we have one, too and we love it. It does not only look great, it offers so many ways to play with, it is amazing.

A baby doll is definitely another must-haves of toys for 18 months old children in Germany. I love this one because of the many realistic and loving details such as body wrinkles and realistic hands, feet and face. You can even bath this cutie.

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Playmobil. Event more than with Lego I have to say. And so is my little one. The Playmobil 1-2-3 series is a great choice for 18 months old kids in Germany who just start playing with figures.

This toy is a great combination of two activities, 18 month old kids love to do spend their time with: Hammering around on things and creating sounds. It is a hammering game and a xylophone!

Our little one is obsessed with vehicles theses days. “Tractor” was one of her first words. So this set of four different vehicles is definitely a great choice of toys for 18 months old children in Germany.

With this wooden puzzle your kids learn to concentrate, to differentiate between different forms, to pick up little items and they practice recognizing different animals all at the same time.

So these are my recommendations for toys for 18 months old children in Stuttgart. What does your kid love to play with? Do you miss it on this list? Let me know in the comments 🙂

*all links in this post are amazon affiliate links. This means, when you follow them and buy something on amazon, I get a little compensation. Your price it not affected at all. Thank you for supporting Living in Stuttgart! 🙂

The post Toys for 18 months old children in Germany appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

Transparency: This article contains unpaid advertisement as well as  affiliate links. It is based on my own experiences as a mom in Stuttgart and I only point out things and services that I personally know and can recommend. 

1. It’s all a phase

Sleepless nights, sore nipples, teething, baby blues, weaning blues… Most moms encounter these things so don’t ever think you are alone when it’s getting tough! One thing a good friend told me right before I gave birth was this: “It’s all a phase. It will be hard sometimes. But it will pass, I promise you.” Man was she right. But this is also true for the good and sweet things. Your baby will not always smell like a newborn so enjoy it as long as it holds on! Your baby will not always fit in those tiny rompers, so take lots of pictures – mental ones and real ones. Your baby will not always make those cute noises, so safe them in your mind, your heart and on film… I could go on like this forever because now, one year later, I already miss all those little things 🙂

2. All those examinations…

When your baby is born it already has a lot of appointments. With your pediatrician. They are called “U-Untersuchungen” in German and it is very important that you don’t miss them. The following U examinations await you in the first 12 months:

• U 1 will take place in the first hour after you gave birth and the doctor will check your little one’s vital functions.
• U 2 will take place on day 3 to 10. It includes tests for metabolic disorders,  cystic fibrosis and a newborn hearing test.
• U3 will take place within week 4 to 5. It includes – amongst others – a consultation about the vaccinations.
• U 4 will take place within month 4 to 5. It focuses on the physical and mental development of your child.
• U 5 will take place within month 6 to 7. The physical stage of development is in the focus of the examination.
• U 6 will take place within month 10 to 12. The doctor now looks at everything your child can already do. Special attention is paid to possible developmental delays so that, if necessary, early support or treatment can be provided.

You will get a special pass/book for all U-Untersuchungen, the yellow Kinderuntersuchungsheft. The exact date and the results of all examinations are recorded in the Yellow Children’s Examination Booklet by the doctors and, in some cases, midwives and maternity nurses. The booklet supports parents in preparing for the respective early detection examination by providing information on the age-appropriate examination contents. It is usually given to you in the maternity clinic – in the case of home births by your midwife or obstetrician.

3. To vaccinate or not to vaccinate

First of all: vaccinating your baby is not mandatory in Germany. But it is highly recommended. Your pediatrician will tell you what vaccinations are recommended, when they will be due and answer all your questions.

4. Post-birth fitness

You will not feel very fit after giving birth, this much I can tell you 🙂 I enjoyed participating in post-birth fitness classes. Special Rückbildungskurse are even payed for by German health insurances. Here your trainer will focus on the pelvic floor, your stomach and your general fitness and well-being. If you want to do more, special post-birth yoga or fitness classes will support you. I visited the courses offered by Laufmamalauf (Run Mom Run) and enjoyed them a lot. Some of them are even in English.

5. Fun groups for babies (and moms 🙂

Meeting other babies and moms is a lot of fun. You can join special Krabbelgruppen in Stuttgart, some of them are even in English or follow an international approach. I wrote about three of them in this former mom life update.

6. Where to buy baby stuff?

Believe me, you will need A LOT OF STUFF for a baby. I personally bought most of what we have second hand, on special baby bazaars in Stuttgart or on eBay Kleinanzeigen online. It doesn’t only save you money, is is also good for the environment to buy used items.

But there are of course also great addresses for new baby stuff in Stuttgart.

For example we bought our pram at Babyone in Leinfelden-Echterdingen. For the stroller we went to Metzingen and bought it at Princess, a store that is well known for it’s excellent counseling and huge selection when it comes to prams and strollers.

When you’re looking for a fine selection of high quality products like toys and such I can recommend motchies in Stuttgart-West and Korbmayer in the city center.

The drugstore dm has a great selection for babies when it comes to food and – that might come as a surprise – clothes. I can highly recommend the silk-wool rompers!

For more inspiration visit the post I have written about shopping for baby items in Stuttgart.

7. How do Germans introduce solid food?

From conversations with expats from all around the world I know that the German way of introducing solid food and weaning is different to many other approaches. In general baby nourishment is closely linked to culture and thus different from country to country. In Germany most parents feed their babies purees after a few months and introduce meat in a very early age. Find out more why and how in this article I have written about the German way of introducing solid food to your baby.

8. Oh I feel the blues…

Some of you might have heard of the “baby blues”. It can hit new moms a few days or weeks after giving birth and can even grow to a real depression. Very often it is linked to the sudden change of hormones in the female body after giving birth.

In my personal case I didn’t experience the “baby blues” but what I call “weaning blues”. It hit me – as the name suggests – two weeks after we have completed weaning. From one moment to the next I felt super weak, physically but also mentally. At first I didn’t know what was going on but then I found out that a lot of moms are experiencing the same and it has also to do with the change of hormones.

As I know from personal experience how horrible this might feel like and how helpless and lonely one can feel it is important to me to spread the word about this situation, the “weaning blues”. So in case it might hit you, I want you to know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE! There are many of us out there who are experiencing or have experienced the same and went through the same you are going through at the moment. And: It is no sign of weakness to seek help! Your gyn or midwife are the first addresses you can – and should! – turn to! You do not need to suffer!

9. Help!

I can only imagine how it might feel being a new mom in a foreign country. If you need support I can recommend the local company Gravidamiga. The specialize in supporting international moms in Stuttgart. They offer private counseling as well as courses.

10. Helpful books and more

There are TONS of parenting books out there and I haven’t read all of them. That being said I want to recommend one book that I truly loved: The Wonder Weeks [affiliate link]. Apparently in the first year, all babies undergo the same developmental steps at the same time. This book tells you what is going on with your baby at the moment and how you can help him or her to master this step. This book has helped me big times understanding why the little one was grumpy one day and happy the other. And I got a lot of inspiration for games I could play with her.

Moreover, there were two Netflix shows that I LOVED as a new mom:

Firstly: The letdown. A comedy about new mom Audrey and her struggles. SOOOOO good, SOOOOO true and SOOOOO funny!

Secondly: Babies. A documentary series that follows parents around the world through the first year with their babies. Moreover, every episode focuses on different research findings about the development of babies. SOOOOO interesting!

11. Make memories for a lifetime

I couldn’t sound more stereotypical but: Times flies sosososos much when you have a baby! I can’t believe how much our little one has changed in only 12 months!! She’s not a newborn anymore, not even a baby but a toddler. Make sure t0 enjoy your baby as much as possible in this short first year. And believe me, as easy as this sound now, as hard it can be after a night without sleep or the fifth shirt you have to put into the washing machine because someone puked on it AGAIN in one day… But, oh my god, all those priceless little wonders! Those toothless smiles! My heart is melting when I think of it 🙂

Find a good balance between enjoying your baby “technic-free”and taking pictures and films of him or her to save all those wonderful moments for the future. Another wonderful way of conserving the “smallness” of your baby is to get 3 D imprints of their feet or hands. We went to Kerstin in Waldenbuch and she did a great job! She speaks English too and has worked with a lot of international families already. You find more information on her website: mk13.de

Another thing we did was take pictures of the litte one each month. Like this we could document how she was growing and developing. We have used these pretty wooden blocks [affiliate link] and the milestone cards [affiliate link].

Moreover, I also wrote a diary for the little one in this first year. My mom did the same for me and it was so touching and also super interesting to read it now, as a mom myself, with my baby undergoing the same developmental changes I did 🙂

Disclaimer: Please note that I am no doctor, nurse or midwife. For any concerns about you or your baby please turn to your gyn, midwife or doctor. 

The post 11 things you want to know as a new mom in Stuttgart appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

Moritz and I have been debating in the days leading up to the big day whether or not we should celebrate. We are still in the middle of a pandemic, right? But I reallyreallyreally wanted to celebrate so we decided we organize an “open garden” for a small number of friends so that there would still be enough space for the guests to keep their distance. Luckily the weather was on our side, too.

OF COURSE the little one didn’t understand what was going on. And after half an hour or so she was done with socializing and wanted to run around the house for a million times and play with the toy frog in our rainwater collector.

But it was so lovely celebrating this past first year amongst friends and people who care about her. It melted my heart 🙂

The last 12 months…

When I look back at the last 12 months I can’t believe how many things have changed. Obviously our whole life has changed 🙂 We have become parents and are now responsible for a little, helpless, super cute and wonderful human being. I think I personally have changed tremendously – and am still the same person at the same time, too. Does that make any sense?? 😀

I am so thankful that Moritz has taken nearly one year Elternzeit (parental leave) so that I was able to work again a bit after 3 months. I think this was a great experience because I could really have it all – I was a new mom but still self-employed and active. I can only speak from my point of view but for me it was very healthy to be able to wrap my head around other topics than diapers and such all day long.

Another thing I am very grateful for: Our amazing trip to Tasmaia when the little one was 5 months old. We have spent 2 wonderful months in Down Under in a camper van and were able to enjoy this adventure as a family and make memories for a lifetime.

Then the pandemic hit us and we came back prematurely. But at least we made it back safely and healthy.

I remember how strange it was at first to be stuck at home with the little one with no play dates and Krabbelgruppen to attend. I think I can call us lucky again as she is too young to understand what is going on. But I also remember how glad I was when it became warmer and the situation a bit better and we were able to meet friends in the fresh air again.

What a whirlwind of a year. Not only our personal little world has changed so much, everybody’s world has.

When I can wish for one thing for the little one’s first birthday it is that this next year will bring a cure for Corona and wisdom for mankind. Haven’t these past months shown us what is really important? Family and friends and health? We really don’t need much to be happy but very often we forget about that. I wish for the little one and all other kids of the next generation that we as a society learn and grow, that we stop buying stuff only to throw it away again, that we stop destroying the planet and our health and that we remember what is really important and act upon it. I know, I know, big words 🙂

Sources for new moms and moms to be in Stuttgart

If you want to browse through my experiences as a new mom in Stuttgart, check out the following articles:

• What I’ve learned from being a new mom in Stuttgart for 3 months
• What I’ve learned from being a new mom in Stuttgart of a 4 months old baby
• What I’ve learned from being a new mom in Stuttgart of a 5 months old baby
• Being a mom in Stuttgart of a 6 months old baby
• Being a mom of a 7 months old baby (no, I didn’t forget the “in Stuttgart” part 🙂 I wrote this mom life update while we were on our trip in Australia)
• Being the mom of an 8 months old baby in Stuttgart
• Being the mom of a 9 months old baby in Stuttgart
• Being the mom of a 10 months old baby in Stuttgart
• Being the mom of an 11 months old baby in Stuttgart

You find an overview over all my mom life updates here.

If you are pregnant at the moment you might find helpful tipps in my category Pregnant in Stuttgart.

And if you’re thinking about introducing solid food to your little one, here is an overview about the German way of weaning (with recipes for purees and a pdf-document that holds all information and that you can download for free).

I plan to post an article about things I would have loved to know before I became a mom and another about what to buy before the baby arrives (and where – in Stuttgart and online). So stay tuned for that when you’re expecting a little one yourself 🙂

Thank you for staying with me this past year. It was so special to me and I love that you were a part of it through this blog 🙂

The post Happy 1st Birthday, little one! appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

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But before we start: Check out the super cute shorts the little one is wearing on the picture above! A friend of mine started a small business here in Stuttgart. She offers baby shorts and trousers in the cutest colors and styles. You can find her on Instagram under the name Kaiserkleidchen. When you like one of the designs, just write her a direct message 🙂 These are the designs I went for: 

Sooo cute, aren’t they?!

Anyway…

How is the little one at 11 months?

Veeeery active. She LOVES to walk. She still needs to hold on to our hands but apart from that, nothing is stopping her 😀 Her favorite tracks lead around the house and up and down the stairs. From time to time she lets go of one hand. But it seems like it is still very tricky for her to hold herself upright so she grabs for the second hand again quickly. She still loves her little walker/cart [affiliate link] but she definitely prefers to walk holding ours hands now.

On the sleeping front I can report: things have changed for the best ever since we completed weaning three  weeks ago. Now she sleeps through most of the nights and that is AMAZING!! Falling asleep is still a problem for her in the evenings (not during the day though. she only needs 5 to 10 minutes to nap…?!) but once she is sleeping, not much wakes her up anymore.

When it comes to eating she is getting more and more curious about “real” food and tries everything we hand her. Of course she doesn’t like everything… but at least she tries! 🙂 Her favorite meals at the moment include:

• pancakes – either with vegetables or ham and cheese
• pasta (without sauce!)
• wiener sausages
• fish (so far we have tried salmon and mackerel and she likes both)
• and she is still a HUGE veggie lover and nearly inhales broccoli and cauliflower

And as dessert all kinds of fruits are always high in demand. Her favorites at the moment are raspberries and watermelon 🙂

What is she loving lately?

• I could name her most favorite activities “The two R’s”: running and reading! As I have mentioned earlier, she is up on her feet from dawn to dust… But she is also a big “reader”. Well, of course she is not really “reading” but she loves flipping through her picture books. Sometimes she makes noises while doing so, just as if she was reading to herself 😀 I love that we were able to install an interest in books in her already. Reading is SO important and in my opinion, it starts in this young age.
• Watching animals. We have been to the Wilhelma (this is how our zoo in Stuttgart is called :-))  with her last months but in the end she doesn’t need a whole zoo. It is enough to go to smaller enclosures like “Saurucken” at Naturpark Schönbuch where we were able to observe wild boar and deer. And she also loves to pay the horses a visit on the fields behind Möhringen.
• Playing with her stacking tower [affiliate link]. It took a while until she figured out how to play with it but now it keeps her occupied for quite some time.
• Playing with these little man from Grimm’s [affiliate link]. She loves to take them in and out out of their bowls. She doesn’t care about sorting the colors but it is so cute watching her working with them very concentrated.
• Watching other kids at the playground. She doesn’t approach other kids herself a lot but she is very interested in them, especially in older kids.
• Splashing around in her baby pool. We have this pool with it’s cute mushroom top [affiliate link].
• Playing with this toy frog in our rainwater barrel 😀

How are you feeling as the mom of an 11 months old baby in Stuttgart?

Great and not so great. Let me start with the great part: It is SO amazing seeing her grow into a toddler. She is a little personality now. She knows what she likes and what she doesn’t like. And she can tell us! She has a wonderful spirit, she is strong minded but also kind and I pray that she will keep and grow these attributes throughout her whole life. And it is so fun that we can really play with her now.

But this last month was also hard. Hard because I didn’t react very great to the completion of weaning. It all went great  at the beginning and I was so released about that. I didn’t breastfeed her during the day anymore anyway, just at nighttime. When we decided to end that now, too, we were worried a bit. But she only woke up in the first two nights from now and then and when she did we offered her a bottle with plain water and she accepted it most of the times. In the third night she slept through. That was the first time in nearly a year that we slept through, too. You can imagine how surprised we were when we all woke up in the morning with the sound of the birds singing – not at nighttime with the sound of a crying baby. From then on she slept through most of the nights. Only in the first week there were two nights were she woke up and then it was a bit tricky to make her fall asleep again. But now, this isn’t a problem anymore.

So far, so good. You can guess that I was so happy that everything went so well that I didn’t anticipate what happened two weeks later. It was a regular Sunday noon. I prepared lunch for her, steamed veggies with pasta. One of her favorite dishes. For some reason she didn’t like it that day. That totally irritated me. And then Moritz gave her a Wiener sausage and she nearly inhaled it. And this made me so upset that I started to cry. And all of the sudden I also felt very, very exhausted. I needed to sit down and could have fallen asleep at the spot. I told Moritz that I have to lay down right now and that’s what I did. Luckily this happened on a weekend so that I wasn’t alone with the little one. I took a very long nap and when I woke up again I still felt so weak that I stayed in bed for a bit longer. I started to google and found a lot of articles about women who have experienced the same a few days or weeks after they have completed weaning. Apparently this is the equivalent to the baby blues some new moms are experiencing right after birth. It has to do with the hormones and that makes totally sense for me as I always react strongly to a change of hormones. I felt SO relieved when I read through theses articles because I realized this breakdown is actually quite normal (and doesn’t mean I’ve totally lost it! :-D). I just wonder why I haven’t heard about it before. The baby blues after giving birth is quite well known but this breakdown not so much I think. This is why I wanted to share it with you because if maybe one of you will experience the same in the future you might remember what I wrote here and you won’t feel like you’re the only one on earth who is going through this…

Now, one week later I have to admit that I still feel more tired than usual but it is definitely getting better and better from day to day. And I can assure you: I am not crying anymore when the little one doesn’t like the food I have prepared for her! 😀

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