1.2.3...10

Quinn hit another milestone yesterday...he counted to 10 all by himself. I wasn't even going through the numbers, we were just playing with his trainset and he rips off 1 through 10.

Of course, in my surprise (and fatherly pride), I praised him. So, what did he do the rest of the weekend...he counted to 10. Going up stairs...1, 2, 3, etc. Kinda cool.

My folks flew up last Thursday to join us for Eva's father's and aunt's 60th birthday party. The 'round' birthdays (40, 50, 60, etc) are a very big deal in Germany, and my parents took them up on their invitation. My folks were real troopers, they landed, we drove to Eva's hometown, and then they started playing right away with Quinn.

The main activity was the big shindig on Saturday. We let Quinn take a long, late nap so that he would be full o' energy. Before it started getting crowed, we rode the elevator a few times!
One of many family pics. Who let me on the back row? I was on my tippie toes just to be seen.

Quinn with his Oma and Opa.

Eva and Quinn at the bar.

Similar to the games played at our wedding, German 'round' birthdays are a celebration where the family and friends organize 'games' (songs, slideshows, games, roasts) for the guests of honor. Here, Rainer's brother Wolfgang says in their poem that they would get Rainer a dog (which would be a huge no no)...and below is the dog - made of bread and sausage.

Eva and I even cracked open our dancing shoes.

Quinn playing / dancing with his two grandmothers.

Sisters...

Sisters, part II. Putting on a slide show with a poem with some great old pics of their father.

I really like this pic of my mom taking pics. She was in her element.

We were fearing the worst...that Quinn would get tired at 8pm and would want to go to bed. Normally at such parties, especially where he knows so many of the family there, Quinn is a trooper, and he was in his element. He danced the whole night away (I'm not kidding). He ran from relative to relative...having a ball.

Quinn spent much of the time dancing with his cousin. He was such a flirt, it was cute.

...and he had no fear of being on the dance floor alone...dancing...

The dance floor had glass tiles, so that you could see the floor below.Finally, around 1:30, it was time to go. Quinn danced and played the whole night, without as much as a peep or cry. He didn't want to go, but Eva and I were beginning to feel like bad parents. It was obvious that he was tired, but he didn't want to quit dancing...kinda like those parties in college where it is way too late and you've had too much to drink...and you just let the night and morning linger because you don't want it to end.

All in all, we had a great time. It was great to have my parents in town with us, and we are all looking forward to number 70!

...the end of an era...

Tonight was the end of an era with Quinn. While the next stages will come and go, the fact that this one ends is very emotional for me.

For the last 18 months, just about every night that I was home, I put Quinn to bed. The routine changed slightly, but the end was always the same: I would sing to Quinn. When he was still taking a bottle, I would feed him his bottle, which is about as intimate of an experience that a father can have with his child. I would then rock him in my arms to the same song that I've sang to him over the last 18 months: We Bid You Goodnight.

As with much of the music from the Greatful Dead, the song has long, folk roots, and this song was no different.

The last few months, Quinn learned to hug, and he would almost only do this before I sang to him, giving me one of his 'Quinnie Hugs'. Words simply cannot describe how simply beautiful the world is, when Quinn would put his arms around my neck, all bundled up in his PJ's, and give me his 'Quinnie Hug'.

I would then sing his song, tell him something that he did that day that I liked, put him to bed, pull the string on his duck, sing the last verse, and slowly leave his room.

Last week, we took out two bars from his crib so he could crawl out himself, and he immediately noted the change, and it changed our evening routine a bit. He wanted to go quicker to bed, no hug, and no song.

As this phase comes to an end, I'm sure I'll still get to sing to him with him in my arms...from time to time. As songs get replaced by telling goodnight stories, I'm sure I'll learn to love this phase of our evening routine as well.

...but I'll never forget the simple, intimate beauty of rocking my son to sleep, his arms around my neck, singing our song...

For those of you that have never heard the song, please see a pretty good version from the Dead below. Thank you for letting me share this milestone with you...and thank you for reading.

...when Mama is Away...

...the boys will play.


I guess it goes without saying that I play with Quinn a bit differently than Eva. I'm not too sure if it is better, but Quinn seems to have a good time.

Eva was out to the gym, I had some good swing music playing in the background, and we had a blast. Funny how we invent games like 'drag Quinn on the hardwood floor' when Eva is away.

The video is unedited and therefore a bit long. At around 2:30, Quinn and I are playing football (With a CU Football, of course), and you can see his touchdown dance in the background. No kidding, he can actually say 'touchdown' now.

At around 4:30, shortly after messing with my speakers (which is strictly forbidden), he pulls the infamous 'diaper on face' move on me.

Hope you like the video...

P.S. For the non German speakers in the audience: you'll hear Quinn saying 'mehr' (more) or 'noch mehr' (lots more) in the background as I'm pulling him across the floors...somewhat as proof that he's having a good time!

Quality of Life, Part II

Dropped Quinn off at daycare and met Eva in the city for lunch. It was so cool, it felt like a date. Even if it was for only a few minutes (we had Döner Kebap), it was a nice break from the day. Ended up being at work until about 7pm, but I still felt like I had some nice family time.

While it didn't happen tonight since I got back a bit later than normal from work, putting Quinn to bed is always one of the highlights of my days and is something I miss when I'm away on business trips.

He is getting too big to carry horizontal and rock back and forth in my arms, so I've been holding him upright in my arms when I sing goodnight to him. Sometimes he puts his arms around me (which is very touching). I always say something to him before I put him down. He never answers. Except two nights ago.

I told him that I missed him when I was away (I was out 10 days) on biz and that it was nice to pick him up from day care and to play a little. In a half sleep, he answered 'Yeah'. My heart just melted.

Quality of Life

I don't want to suggest that I'm the best father/husband in the world. Nor do I want to suggest that my work/life balance is, well, in balance.

However, I do believe things have changed, and our quality of life has improved.

I've been in my new job for almost 2 months now. I'm still assuming that things like stress will pick up over time. But, after almost 2 months, things are somehow refreshingly different. While my old job and department was very good, and the organization was very good to me and my career, my new position is different. Sometimes it doesn't seem real. A few examples:

• My commute is 1.7km by bike. With Quinn's daycare close to home (about a km), I can take him to daycare and still be in the office by 830am.
• I just got off of a 10 day biz trip with my boss. He didn't check his emails for the first 8 days (and he has no Blackberry). He just called our admin and asked if there were any bombs.
• We had an open day between the US and Canada. I went to Philly to say goodbye to my former colleagues in Philly. My boss went golfing...
• We had a project review with our division head today. I asked my boss if I should prepare updates, etc for the review. He said no. He just took the info we discussed and verbally discussed with the division head. No Excel, no powerpoint. Definitely old school.
• When waiting for our flights in the airport lounge, he just read the paper. Didn't even crack open his computer (which had no email access anyway).
• Early is getting to work before 9am. Late is 530pm.

It is hard to explain, but it is all a bit surreal. I'm waiting on this to end. The workload is reasonable, and the colleagues are helpful.

The best part: better quality of life. While there are still some late nights, there are some good days, and I can be home 'early' if I need to be.

Today I took Quinn into daycare, was in the office by 830am, was back home by 5 (Eva had a work event), picked up a suit from the tailor, went running with Quinn, fixed dinner, and put Quinn to bed...all by 7pm. Nice.

Above Zero

Today was the first day in a a few weeks where we finally got above freezing. Snow has been laying on the ground for a while, and we've covered just about every option that allows Quinn a bit of movement and exercise...

...except Tucherland. We finally took the plunge and headed to this indoor (and outdoor in the Summer) playground.
We got there when they opened at 10am. There were a few birthday parties, but the place was relatively empty (which changed around 11am, where hoardes of kids stormed into the place).

Quinn was overwhelmed by the size of the place...and the fact that his parents didn't really say 'no'. Everything was virtually kid proof and safe. We just let him run around and play. The slide was one of our favorites.

Quinn played for almost 2.5 hours and had a blast. He was absolutely pooped when it was all said and done, and we all had a great time. We'd have rather been outside, but considering the weather, this was a great option.

Alex Zander ?!?

A few days ago, we got the pics from our friends, Mirja and Thomas, of our trip to Volkach, in German wine country. We met there a few weeks before Christmas, so this post is a bit late...but better late than never.

Below, Quinn is playing with his model Trabi that Nikolaus brought him (Nikolaus comes on the 6th of December and brings children a toy and chocolate). The Trabi is the model of of (East) German engineering...well, maybe the only car that you could buy in the east. It was so well engineered, that they quit producing them shortly after the wall fell. Now, the Trabi is a cult vehicle, and there are about 50,000 Trabis still registered in Germany.
Quinn trying out his hand at driving.

Mirja, Thomas and us.

Eva and I at the Christmas Market.

When we were at the Christmas market, Quinn said that he was thirsty. Since I'm always in parenting mode ;-), I thought it was time for Quinn to start learning how to live off the land a bit better. Independence can be a good thing, and resourcefulness is even better. So, instead of giving Quinn his water bottle, I taught him how to catch raindrops to quench his thirst.

We caught a few, but got our faces mostly wet.

Here we are below on a walk through the 'city'. Quinn likes to steer me by pulling my ears.

Any bets on what Mirja and Thomas will name their son...my bets are on Alex Zander!

Goodbye to an Old Friend

...unfortunately, the time had come, and I had to say goodbye to an old friend...an old friend that had been a close friend to many of us at the House...an old friend that was always there with open 'arms' for anyone that needed a little support.


...Goodbye to The Orange Chair (196? - 2009)

...below is a picture of The Orange Chair shortly before being taken to the city dump. While The Orange Chair had seen better days, The Orange Chair was still a near perfect specimen of it's kind: 1960's style. The Orange Chair had lived long enough to see a comeback in this style.
The Orange Chair was a graduation gift from Ize, who probably felt bad for me knowing that I was going to KC and had no furniture (and knew that I was too cheap to buy any before I had the cash). For 6 months in KC, The Orange Chair was the only furniture in my new Bachelor Pad's living room - save 3 milk crates and an old TV (the kind with knobs and an antenne).
The Orange Chair (196? - 2009) is survived (maybe...but perhaps Anita has thrown it out) by his twin sister, The Reclining Orange Chair and his older brother, The Long Tan Couch. While only a few pictures survived the 'Digital Camera Revolution', there is one digitized pic of The Long Tan Couch. Everyone in this picture (and those that were with us that night...and you know who you are) can remember the service that The Orange Chair, The Reclining Orange Chair, and The Long Tan Couch played that night.

The Orange Chair was actually the only item that I negotiated keeping when Eva and I got married. The Orange Chair was MINE. But, with a growing family and lack of space in our basement, The Orange Chair had to be put to rest so that we could actually find stuff in our tiny 5 square meter basement. I will miss you, The Orange Chair.

On a more serious note, it has been very cold here lately, and we actually got some snow. A great chance to take Quinn's sled for a test run to see how the little guy liked sledding.
...he was confused a bit at first, but I think he liked the idea of me running around.
...the smiles and cold, red cheeks made an appearance or two...
We've got a great sledding hill a few hundred meters from our place that we test drove as well.
Editor's Note: the editor recognizes the complaints of many readers that there just aren't enough pics of Eva (who tends to take most of the pics nowadays). The Editor agrees, and he will try to make sure he confiscates the camera from Eva from time to time to take a few pics.
...a few good pics of Eva and Quinn from today.

We braved IKEA a few days ago...and for those of you that are IKEA fans, you know that IKEA = Work (to put the stuff together). I took a strategy from my dad, and asked Quinn to help me out. I was a bit nervous when he got bored of handing me pieces of wood and nails and wanted to do the hammering himself (letting me hold the nails for him). But, he did a pretty good job for a 2 year old!

We just hope he doesn't find the hammer and tries to hammer a few nails into our floor or TV.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

It was that time again...time for that annual ritual: heading to our parent's place for Christmas. While it is always a bit difficult going into the holiday season that we'll only be able to visit one of our parents for Christmas, it also helps us appreciate the time we do have together. Quinn loves the time with his grandparents - both my and Eva's parents, and we love the extra sets of hands.

...but the drive up north is never easy, especially in winter, when the days are much shorter and the Autobahn is much more full. We had a pretty smooth go at it this year. Quinn got a bit cranky at the end, so I put in a live Dave Matthews CD (Live at Radio City Music Hall...a must buy for DMB fans). It was super cute when Quinn started clapping after each song. Quinn is ALWAYS allowed to clap after Dave.
The time flew by as always. It certainly helped that Eva's mom insisted that Quinn sleep on the ground floor with her instead of up in the attic with us. We felt a bit guilty that we didn't put up a fight for Quinn...but the extra hour of sleep was quite nice each morning. Eva and I even figured out our Christkind and Santa Claus strategies just in time.

Quinn was much better at unwrapping the gifts this year, but was surprisingly restraint from touching the tree or trying to unwrap gifts that weren't for him. He even got to hang a few ornaments, like the one that my parents got him for his second Christmas, which he is hanging above. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Quinn's Tante Nina also set him up for sledding: with a sled and knit hat. We didn't have any snow, but Quinn had as much fun letting me pull him around on the carpet. I can already feel my frozen toes and dead back when it finally snows at home...but look forward to Quinn's fun sledding experience, red cheeks, and Eva's hot chocolate when it finally does snow. Thanks Nina!

Somehow, this is a typical male Gould 'After the feast' picture. If Quinn had a belt, he would have loosened it. Quinn has always been an eater, and since we've started giving him 'real people food' about a year ago, we've never really prohibited him from eating stuff. Since he can talk more, he will let us know what he wants when we have a cold dinner (Brotzeit).

So, at Christmas Eve dinner, he had vennison, red cabbage, and dumplings (Knödel) like the rest of us. At least that is food that most 'normal' Westerners would eat. Let's just say that I was a bit unsure of what to do when Quinn pointed to the cold herring salad (Heringssalat), a specialty from the House of Göttgens, on Christmas day. Being from west Texas, Long John Silvers (ähnlich wie Nordsee) is sea food that I can stomach. Cold herring is a stretch for me.

But Quinn wanted it. So, I gave him some. He ate it...and wanted more. Then he wanted to try the cold, smoked salmon...which he also ate. Then some deviled eggs...then cold cuts (Wurst). Strange kid...but at least he was full.
We kinda forgot to take the family pic this year...so this is the closest we got. With Quinn's 'new' wooden train set from Oma and Opa!

Quinn is a bit young for the set, and I love the 'old school' nature of a wooden train set, which is still very popular for young children here. Let's just say that Papa is still having a blast laying tracks...Tausend Dank Oma und Opa!!!

...oh...the look on children's faces during Christmas...makes it all worthwhile!

Eva's cousin Lea even played a few songs with her wooden flute. Quinn was mesmorized...and loved clapping after each song.

As a child, I always loved waking up Christmas morning, unwrapping gifts in my PJ's (Schlafanzug), and eating cookies all day (our family rule was that Mom didn't cook on Christmas since she prepared a FEAST the day before...therefore, we were allowed to eat whatever leftover we wanted...and I always chose cookies).

This small Gould tradition is now being passed on to Quinn...seen below playing in his PJ's.Sometimes I wondered if Quinn enjoyed analyzing the wrapping paper more than the toy itself. The child looks as if he analyzes EVERYTHING.
...note the chocolate on Quinn's mouth in this pic with Oma and Tante Nina.
With the trip to Eva's parents behind us, we headed back home. With the temps dropping, we still tried to get out every once in a while to get some fresh air with Quinn.

Who had a blast in his Bobby Car despite the cold weather. I think Quinn looks like the Stay-Puft marshmallow man (from Ghostbusters) in this snowsuit. At first, he didn't like the gloves, but after a few minutes in sub freezing weather, he quickly learned to say gloves so that he could tell us to put them on.

Alas...one minor detail for the new year. With my 'new' job at a new sector at Siemens a full month behind me, I decided it was time to spluge a bit and get some new wheels for my new job.

Even though I had about a mile to commute, I knew I wanted something classic and timeless.

I thought that a convertible would be appropriate...

But I thought that I should get a used vehicle to save some cash...

A fuel efficient vehicle was also a top priority...

A vehicle with few greenhouse emissions was important...

Plus, I wanted to look cool on my new ride...

The air conditioner works great, but is less efficient in summer...

...and the heater works only if I'm wearing my coat...

The best 40 EUR I ever spent. A super old school 'Orion', three gear bike, alu rims with coaster brakes...This baby is at least 25 years old and is in great shape...I love riding my new bike to work!

...and...a Happy New Year. I wish you all the best, lots of health, happiness, and success for 2009.

The Joys of Parenting

So, a few days ago, when Eva went outside to dump some water on our bamboo plant, Quinn closed the door behind her and lifted the handle...locking Eva outside. If you know how German windows/doors work, this wouldn't seem to be a problem with a 2 year old.

...but Quinn locked her out of the house. No keys, no shoes, and wearing only jeans and a t-shirt...in 32F / 0C weather. Eva tried to show Quinn how to open the door. After a while, Quinn figured out that Mama was locked out, and climbed on his high chair. Then, he stood up on the chair (which he is never allowed to do), and he raised his hands above his hands in triumph: Mama, I'm standing on my chair, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Thankfully, our neighbor that had a key was home and could let Eva in.

On a slightly other note...this time in the language department. While Quinn's vocabulary is mostly German (he understands both languages equally well), there are a few words that he uses mostly in English, e.g. Chicken. Another of his favorites is 'Hot Dog'.

A few days ago, I mentioned the word 'Hot Dog'...and Quinn said 'Heißer Hund' back...which is the literal German translation of Hot Dog. Seems kinda cool yet odd...and it did make me chuckle a bit.

...I'll get to the Christmas post soon...

A few days to go...

Quinn is slowly getting the hang of this Christmas thing. He definitely knows what's up when we ask him if he wants to open a door (to his Advent Calendar, which has a chocolate behind each door).

I think he knows that things are a bit different around the house (he is getting to eat more cookies than normal). The Christmas Tree, for one...which has thankfully survived the daily Hurricane Quinn (so far, so good).

Tonight, Quinn and I headed to the Christmas Market to meet some friends, and we ended the evening with a few rides on the carousel...which he really loved. Of course, as he got in, he had to study the doorknow to see how it worked (is this sort of curiosity normal, or is he going to be an engineer?). He's on a carousel, and the first thing he does when he sits down is looks at the doornob?

Needless to say, he had a blast, but didn't really figure out that he need to wave at Papa each time he went by.

Today is also the shortest day of the year...where the sun rises after 8am and goes down around 4pm...this is one of the things I dislike the most about the German winters: the really short days. But, the long summer days will be here before long.

Hope you have a great last few days before Christmas.

Entrepreneurs and businessmen...

"Entrepreneurs and businessmen, on the other hand, can scale as large as the underlying strength of the ideas they can create."
- Ashok Kapur

An interesting article in the Motley Fool. And the quote definitely hit a very soft spot in my heart.

Mark your Calendars

This is how it works in our family: when I need to do something around the house, I tell Eva how long it takes me (estimated duration). Eva's experience tells her that she needs to take this estimate and multiply by at least 3 or 4 to get a better actual time.

Normally my wife is right.

But tonight, as I was working on my bike, I actually needed less time than I thought I'd need. Folks, this doesn't happen often, so please mark your calendars.

Lichterfest, Thanksgiving, and Advent

Shortly after Martinstag (the 11th of November), Quinn's day care had a 'Lichterfest' / Martinszug, where the children made and decorated lanterns. We all met at day care in the late afternoon, the older children had a short play celebrating St. Martin, and we lit the lanterns and walked around the block.Quinn didn't really get the concept of holding the lantern, but he gave it a good try. I ended up carrying the load, trying to keep warm.

Martinstag is an especially important and beloved holiday in Eva's family...as the children (many years ago) all met with their lanterns, and the whole family later met for (what else in a German family) cake, coffee, bread, super huge sweet pretzels, and toppings for the bread.

Then it was finally time: for the annual Thanksgiving feast. While it is not very practical to celebrate Thanksgiving in Germany on Thursday, we had friends and family over for turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes.

Quinn was especially excited that Nina could make the trip this year.

The bird this year was a bit smaller...only about 14 lbs, but it was just enough for dinner and a few leftovers. I used the carcass to make a great turkey white chili soup. Mmmm.

The bird was the best that I'd done, and in traditional Gould fashion, I hardly followed any recipes. Normally, this works, but my bourbon sweet potatoes really bombed. The cook in me loves going to the turkey farm near our home and picking up a freshly slaughtered bird.

All in all, it was a great dinner and event. Our thoughts were, of course, with our friends and family that weren't there, including the Colorado Gang, who were in the making their yearly homage to the mountains for Thanksgiving.

For those that are interested, the menu (and links to the recipies) was:

• Turkey with Herb Butter
• Chestnut and Sausage Dressing
• Rob's mashed potatoes: no recipe here, just lots of butter, milk, and some plain joghurt
• Bourbon Sweet Potatoes
• Steamed Vegetable Medley
• Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Apple Crisp for desert
• White Turkey Chili (making fresh broth and using the turkey bones)

Quinn playing his favorite game, ABC's, with Nina.
...and Quinn baking with Nina. We can barely start cooking, and Quinn pulls up his chair and wants to 'help' us. Hands off the knives !
With the first Sunday of Advent, we got together with Tanja and Rene and made our own advent wreaths....and the Christmas tree. We skipped the tree last year: too much risk with Quinn crawling. We didn't think he could keep his hands off the tree this year, since he is such a curious little guy, but so far he has done well, and no ornaments have broken...

...more holiday pics later...

Pre Thanksgiving Jitters

The big day is tomorrow: 'Thanksgiving' Day. Traditionally, it falls on the 4th Thursday of November, but for practical reasons, Eva and I celebrate it on Saturday when we are home.

To tempt your tastebuds, here is the menu:
- Turkey (with special butter and spice rub)
- Chestnut and Sausage Stuffing: I'm adding craisins as well.
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes (I'm roasting the garlic this year): no recipe here. Just lots of butter and milk, but hand mashed. No electricity for my potatoes.
- Bourbon Sweet Potatoes.
- Steamed Brocolli, Cauliflower (Blumenkohl), and Carrots.

Yummy.

I picked up the turkey this evening. I still love picking up fresh turkeys. This one is a bit smaller than I would have preferred, but it should be plenty. The guy on the farm said that he had a bigger bird, but it was 22kg (about 50 lbs). What kind of freak bird weighs 50 lbs? Holy Sh*t, that would never fit in my oven.

Gobble, gobble.

Happy Thanksgiving

For those on the other side of the pond that celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you had a great celebration with your family and friends.

As for me, I had my last day in my current role at Siemens. On Monday, I start a new job in the Energy Sector of Siemens. One of the great advantages of such a large company like Siemens is that you can completely change careers without having to leave the Siemens family. The Energy Sector is a completely different world to the Industry Sector, where I have been working for the last 12+ years.

My colleagues gave me a nice going away send off. While there is always a bit of nostalgia when changing jobs, but I'm definitely looking forward to the new challenges.

...but I'm also looking forward to the 1.7 km commute that I'll be able to do via bike each day!

Gobble, Gobble.
Go Buffs! Beat Nebraska!

Smart Kid

So I just got a phone call from Eva, somewhat panicked: "How can I open the garage door, if I'm locked inside the garage"

?????

Apparently, as Eva was in the front end of our garage that has a normal door getting the bike and buggy ready to take Quinn in to daycare, Quinn closed the door from the outside and turned the key...locking Eva in the garage.

The little bugger has been watching what we've been doing, and now knows how to use keys to lock doors.