Babying abroad

Our pregnancy unfolded in such a way that the first trimester happened to coincide with a move, when we were looking at a home, a school for Rú, and an archery range for competition training all at once — shaping the first around the latter two. That’s how we ended up in Klosterneuburg, the suburban town by Vienna at the foot of Kahlenberg, where we found the right fit in every respect and where, in fact, we had started looking at properties about a year before the move. So in a way, we found our way back to where it all began.

As we settled into the new place and my belly grew, our trips home became less and less frequent, and by the time Wolfie was born, months had already passed without our families. But there were so many new impressions, sights, and experiences during that time that I actually got used to keeping in touch by video, and perhaps that way one can even follow what is happening with one’s loved ones more closely than from right beside them, since on calls you listen to them much more often and more attentively.

And so this blog has become increasingly important in my life too: although I keep the most intimate photos and events as private posts, meant only for my future self, most of my thoughts and feelings still get their own little place on these pages. In this way, my whole family, my husband’s family, and our old and new friends can all take a look and, if they feel like it, follow what’s happening with us. Of course, it cannot replace the coffees I share with my mom, the time I spend with my dad, or my sister’s family’s chatter-filled conversations.

But if we have to stand on our own feet, then let us do so as a happy family, here in this beautiful part of the world. Lately, for example, we’ve been celebrating the nice weather with little outings, sometimes topped off with my favourite tiramisu, unlike anything I’ve ever eaten anywhere else. Vanilla ice cream is one of the layers……