Sports Day and Madawhohah

So Nico and Benedikt went off last Saturday morning for a father and son sports day at Nico's school. Apparently Nico was a total wimp and clung to Benedikt's leg instead of joining in all the cool games. Although to be fair he was in the process of getting sick. He is now on anti biotics again. The second time in his little life already! Grrrr.

Benedikt got a Thai massage voucher and TWO cool cards from Nico for Fathers Day. Gampa got pajamas!

I took Malawi for a run, made some milk and did some work while they were out. Exciting stuff! Malawi was staying with us for the 10 days that Boz and Collin were in Namibia for work.

I do think that Nico's immune system is quite strong though. He doesn't get sick that often. He eats good things like chia seeds and goji berries and fresh spinach, orange & ginger juice! I'm happy with his daily diet. Although his appetite is not huge he does eat a good variety of things. He STILL only weighs 10kgs though. Little lighty.

Then we took Nico to the movies for the first time this last weekend. He LOVED it!

We watched Madagasgar 3 with a colleague of Benedikt's, his wife and their cute 1 and a half year old boy.	The movie was in 3D so we all got these COOL glasses to wear. Nico actually kept his on for about 70% of the time. He just got irritated with them cos he couldnt see the popcorn box clearly!
The movie was EXCELLENT. So funny for adults and for kids!	He stood up for most of the movie and was pretty mesmerised by the whole thing. We were amazed that he lasted the whole 1.5 hours!

On a different topic, every week, each member of my immediate family (bro, sis, mum & pops) sends a group email to all of us telling us what they've been up to during the week and what's on for the weekend. Its now called the Weemail apparently (Weekly Wielopolski mail).
My brother is an adventure addict. He is always looking for new ways to explore and experience the world. He currently lives in Troon on the Scottish coast as his posting for these 2 years is as a search and rescue pilot.
These are 2 extracts from 2 of his recent emails:
Sunday I windsurfed from my house to the island you see out the window. About 35 km across fairly open ocean. Was quite fun and still pretty tired from doing it! Legs in tatters, took four hours in the end and got wet inside my drysuit cos I needed to pee. So peed out my special pee zip but then fell off my board and water and wee came to fill my drysuit, no longer dry.
Raced to catch the last ferry back, got on with minutes to spare much to amusements of passengers. Took my pee soaked drysuit off in front of them and made some new friends.
Then got on a train with all my windsurfing kit and about the drunken Neds, even the conductor had to smile. Good adventure. Apart from the final expensive taxi....

And as if that wasn't enough, here is his latest:
Also had an adventure on Friday. I kite surfed to Arran in about 25knots of wind on a big downwinder from my house. About 54km of kiting in hectic conditions with just me out in the open ocean. Was pretty scary and 3:20 of very hard sailing, body is battered and bruised and really sore but it was awesome. Saftey wise i had the coastguard notified, a radio on me, a sat tracker and a raft from work that is tiny but blows up automatically. I also had my mates on duty tracking and they flew out to see me, so there i was about 20 km from Arran, stunning mountain venue island to sail to and my own helo above with mates filming. At one point their downwash collapsed my kite and i wiped out, worried it would not relaunch but luckily all good.

He also makes the papers sometimes and recently him and his crew got an award from an Admiral for one of their amazing rescues in HECTIC weather.
Some photos of him in action at work: We are naturally all SUPER proud of him

We are freezing!

This is us watching telly in the evenings!!

So Joburg's winter has hit. As of this week, officially. I'd forgotten how cold it gets here. We can't get the heating to work in our house and its the coldest, draftiest, least insulated house EVER built. We go outside and take layers off... and when we come back inside we put them all back on! I sit at my computer with a beanie on and gloves and 20 jackets and a blanket over my legs. It's RIDICULOUS. We are fantasising about our well heated house that is very nearly built in Munich. Roll on the German winter, its going to be easier to handle than the South African winter thats for sure!

Nico in Holly's seat in Leanne's car. He still talks about this fun trip!	We went to a cool kiddies animal farm in Kyalami. Nico is trampoline OBSESSED lately!
Feeding the geese, ducks and chickens	Tractors are so much fun

So good news on the admin side of my life: I got my new South African ID book with Schneider as my surname. (Who is Sarah Schneider??!) Which took only 4 months :)
They did have to register our marriage in South Africa as well. The fourth country to do as much! (Don't ever marry a foreigner in a foreign country!!)
I straight away applied for my new SA passport and that took 4 days. Unbelievable! So after I got that, Benedikt, Nico and I had to go in and apply for Nico's SA passport. Which is due mid July so things could get close.
What is nice with my surname change is that it's just in time for our move to Germany (well that was planned) so I can start fresh as Frau Schneider. ie I won't have chemist accounts in one name and gym memberships in another and and and!
Next up, I have to change my bank account to my married surname. AND get a new drivers licence which means going in to some horrible germ infested building and waiting for hours and doing another eye test etc....Urgh!
Changing your surname SUCKS. I really don't like having to do it!

By the way, speaking of moving (AGAIN), I counted the times I've moved house in my life... it's up at 32!!! So after this move to Germany I'll be on 33. That almost one move for every year of my life. Hectique!

Here is a cute video of Nico.... he still can't say his 's's

Great news on the Nico front - he is off the bottle! My goal was to have him off the bottle by the age of 2 which happens at the end of July. But we are going to Mauritius at the end of June so rather than find an alternative to his home made almond milk that he drinks, I thought we should stop the whole milk thing now already. We replaced the bottle drinking session before bedtime, with story time. Which he LOVES.

Nelspruit to visit Bonnie and Abby

So this last weekend Benedikt, Boz and I drove the 3.5 hours to Nelspruit to visit our surster Bonnie. Bonnie's age is right in between mine and Mandy's and the 3 of us really were as close as sisters - we certainly spent a LARGE chunk of our childhood and early twenties together, getting up to no good of course.

To use my sister's words: "Abby has done nothing but entertain us all day! Oh my soul she is such a happy kid. She sings soooooo well. And had us all in stitches tonight with her wit."

Abby is Bonnie's 11 year old girl. She is just BURSTING with confidence. In a really nice way. Bonnie is such a good mom - she is fun and entertaining yes strict when necessary. Abby is so well adjusted and has good manners too. Well done Bones!

Nico was mad about Abby. He kept staring at her and wanting to be near her! And he would let her hold his hand etc, but no one else!	We spent Sunday morning in the beautiful town of Kaapsche Hoop
Sexy bums!The 3 of us did gymnastics together for years and years. Bonnie went on to do it even longer and was seriosuly good. She had her own personal Russian coach!	We went on a lovely 5km nature trail. But only did half as pancakes were calling. Abby climbed every rock formation!
Like I said, Nico would hold Abby's hand but not Bonnies. Little brat	The obligatory family photo. We need a fourth member dammit!
Kaapsche Hoop is well known for its wild horses. Although clearly some of them are now not so wild	Abby, Bonnie and Nico. We had such a good time, lots of laughs, lots of reminiscing and PLENTY of catching up of course. We hadn't seen each for 3 years after all

Benedikt is away A LOT for work in Howick these 3 weeks. We miss him tons. But at least I have a car! So last week Nico and I went to stay with Aunty Mandy in Brits the Pits.

I took Mandy's yoga class again, well just led them through parts of the Ashtanga Primary Series. Only cos I know it so well! Nico joined in as well :)

Gampa has been invaluable with Nico. He is just always there to listen out for him in the mornings when we go out exercising. And he is there for me in the evenings while I get supper ready. Nico just LOVES him Gampa. And LOVES running through in his pajamas at 7pm and saying goodnight to him!

And you may have noticed Nico's Hitler haircut in that photo of him in the bath? Yip, we turned our backs for 2 seconds while Uncle Collin was cutting his hair (as has become the tradition) and next thing we knew, Collin had the clippers out! Yikes, Nico's hair is now short short. But long on top as we stopped Collin from getting to that!
Oh well, it will grow!

Thai Massage

Killing time at the park over the road - Nico was at home all of last week! His school closed for 10 days as there was an outbreak of Hand, foot and mouth disease

So my good friend Leanne, who I've known since we moved as a family to SA in 1984, and I went for an AWESOME Thai Massage for her birthday last weekend. I couldn't let her go alone could I?
Leanne and I went to primary school, high school and university together. We also worked together for a domestic airline for a bit too. We've been the best of friends all along and its been so nice seeing so much of her during this time in SA. She has 2 beautiful children - Holly and Aiden - and a great husband, Lynton. Nico loves seeing Holly and our dogs love it when crazy Pepper visits too.

Two sexy inmates! They gave us these cool karate outfits to wear upon arrival	And straw slops! It really was an authentic place, with only real Thai, non english speaking, people working there!
How we felt after our 2 hour massages - lazy Buddhas! Man it was a wonderful - they bent us and stretched us and pushed every nook and cranny	We were so relaxed after it all. They massaged us on firm mattresses on the floor. All the better for stomping on you with their feet apparently!

Our week at Mum's

So straight after my one nighter in Shermany, Nico and I went to Gaga's for a week. We flew down on the Saturday to George which is a LOVELY little airport where Gaga picked us up and we drove the 2.5 hours to Swellendam. Nico slept beautifully in the car as planned.

I'm now going to use my mum's summary of our week as its spot on... so I quote:

Just spent a super week with gorgeous grandson and his great Mum here in Swellies. What a team they make! Nico is growing up so nicely and is at such a responsive age where everything you say and do with him is immediately absorbed and returned to you a thousand fold. He is such a confident, well adjusted little boy. Well done to his Mum & Dad for the great job they are doing! If he carries on like this we will have the brightest, most content, extremely sporty, strong, chatty happy little boy ever.
In the week Wewa & Nico were here we achieved so much from little Nico whizzing around on his bikey indoors and out, including ramping the path steps & crashing into walls at great speed ( he LOVED doing this ) He also loved racing up down the roads around here too ( when they were free of traffic!! ) His little legs going at a furious pace. No fear at all! Shades of his Uncle Mark at the same age!! We had Mother's Day breakfast at La Belle Alliance ( just at the btm of Faure St ) where Nico just loved spearing all our food with a cocktail stick and eating vast amounts of humous, cucumber and carrots this way .I was so impressed with his eclectic eating habits the whole week actually and doing the "oatcha dance" with him whenever anything edible went in his mouth is just so special especially when he joins in. We went to the swings behind the "Old Gaol", did some shopping in our Mall, went to the Fairy Sanctuary, played with giant Lego, made sandcastles in the sand tub in the garden & the 3 of us went on a 7km hike in Marloth with King Nico being carried aloft in the "back pack". Sarah had a well deserved massage from Elizma, the yoga teacher in Faure St, after the walk which she definitely needed after carrying 10kgs (plus the backpack) of special cargo on her back for 2 hours! Very impressed with that feat! Sarah even managed to sneak off for a couple of runs during her stay which she enjoyed. Nico was asleep by 7pm each night of course so Wewa and I were able to curl up by the fire with our wine and vegan choc cakes ( divine) & watch "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" trilogy borrowed from the Greens. A bit too scary for me in places but well worth watching. Oh yes, on the Monday night we had William & Sigi for a vegan supper which was delicious & mostly put together by our very clever vegan cook.... Wewa, and it was loudly acclaimed by all.

Thanks for that Mum!

We also went for a lovely tea with about 100 German ladies that my mum is good friends with, where Nico stole the show. It was always very funny going about town with Gaga as she knows everyone in the little dorp!

Our flights both up and down were just amazing. I always dread flying with Nico alone as its so difficult to bolt a toddler to a seat for those hours, but on our flights he had free reign as the plane was half empty. Woohoo! He climbed on every spare seat, ran up and down the aisles, played hide and seek with the other kids and generally had a ball. Everyone was just so friendly too, which is also what you hope for when flying.
I calculated the other day that Nico has flown 24 times already and he is only 22 months old. What a JET SETTER. Wish he earned miles!

My mum and other Grannys in Swellendam rotate a cot, a high chair and lots of toys for visiting grandchildren - very handy	Nico's COOL motorbike. He whizzed around on it at high speed but always seemed to brake in time thank goodness
Our lovely mothers day breakfast walk to a nearby restaurant which over looks the river	Sandpit fun - it was pretty chilly when the sun wasn't out - I loved the weather because of the log fires and electric blankets my mum spoilt me with!
Swellendam's mountains were burnt to cinders in January this year - it was funny to see everything so opened up. And sad to see a lot of black still. Poor wildlife that must have died!	Nico showing off with his hands in his pockets
Nico LOVES his Gaga! The two of them re-bonded :)	My Mum cross stitched this AWESOME height chart. Nico measured in at 81cm. So he has shrunk 1cm since February!
The hard life of an almost 2 year old. Watching TV is SUCH a novelty!	On the phone with Dad who was still in Germany. Nico LOVED 'speaking' to him every day
Playing with Gaga at the enchanting Fairy sanctuary that people come from far and wide to see.	This Asian lady took about 1000 photos of our lovely blue eyed blond boy at the airport - weird!

Germany for one night

So I'm sitting at Munich airport right now, using the free wifi on our fancy new iPad. We only arrived on Tuesday and its now Thursday and I'm heading home! So this is officially the shortest overseas trip I've ever made. Benedikt is staying on for another week for work.
We left Nico at home for obvious reasons- this sleep shortage is hard enough on us without a sleep deprived ratty kid in tow. Aunty mandy looked after him on Wednesday and this morning, while Gampa is looking after him right now. Am feeling slightly anxious re the latter baby sitter! But Pops has just sms'd me saying he ate a good supper and is now fast asleep for the night. Good, they survived the afternoon together. I just hope Nico sleeps through as Gampa may not hear him cry!! And good luck dad for the hectic 45mins before school at 8am tomorrow morning!
So on Tuesday we went to the bank and signed for the finance for our new house. Then went and signed for Life Insurance. On Wednesday we spent 2 hours with a lawyer doing the house transfer. Then went to see our actual house - its coming along nicely and may just be ready in time for our arrival - woohoo! We spoke to the tile guy and specified what we'd like and where. Such a pleasure when everyone from the tile guy to the estate agent to the building manager are all so capable and helpful.
So the garage on the right is ours. And next to that will be the carport, so basically joined onto the house. Apparently they drive the garage over ready made! Nice to see the house without the scaffolding. And we went for a quick interview with a little people school for Nico that is just 200m away from our house. Its really nice and would be IDEAL. But they have 55 kids on the waiting list! So lets see. Apparently they do take everyone into consideration. And most of those kids are 1 year olds, so we do have a chance. Fingers crossed cos we really liked it and it would just be SO handy - its no more than a 2 min walk away.
We stayed with Nina and Thomas and the cute little Milla on Wednesday night so it was great to see them again.

Nico's burnt hand

So we were supposed to have gone to Mauritius last week but Nico burnt his hand quite badly the day before departure... What a palaver! He burnt it on the stove top - EINA! The hot plate was actually off and when it had been on, it was only for about 30 seconds or so, (Nico had been playing with the dials) but clearly it was still hot enough to burn his hand when he leant over to grab something. (I had him on the kitchen counter while I made his lunch)

He didn't stop crying after 30 mins of running it under a tap so I figured it must be bad, although his hand was just red at that stage. So my dad took us to the local emergency hospital where the staff ushered us straight in to see a doctor - it was amazing. In Nairobi we would have had to have waited hours!

The doctor and nurse put a cooling gel all over his hand and wrapped it in cling film, followed by a bandage. The gel (burn shield) bought immediate relief for the poor little guy who had clearly been in a lot of pain. They also gave him strong painkillers which made him sleep for 3.5 hours! The doctor told us that we'd have to come in after 24 hours and have it assessed. But regardless he said, it would have to be in a dressing for the next week or so and we wouldn't be able to get that wet or full of sand. So Benedikt and I made the decision to postpone our Mauritius trip to the end of June. Which turned out to be not so expensive thank goodness. It just would have been completely pointless taking him on a beach holiday when he couldn't swim in the sea or the pool, nor play on the beach. And we weren't sure how good the local hospital would be for the re application of the dressing. It was totally the right decision.

We have only like 9 weeks left in SA! So we are making lots of effort to see as much of friends and family as possible. And making sure we go to all the places we want to and get all the necessary shopping done too. Some things, like clothes, are cheaper here than in Deutschland so it's a great excuse to clothes shop! Because of not going to Mauritius, we had a long weekend free which was great. We took Nico to the Jhb Zoo, the bunny park and to friends in Pretoria who have a little boy slightly older than Nico. which he loved of course - new toys and big trampoline! We also took Nico the dogs and met up with Mandy and Collin at this great place called Walk Haven. Everyone goes there with their dogs of all shapes and sizes and they all run wild! There is a dam and open space for the hounds to go mad. Malawi, my sister's dog, did not stop socialising for the entire 3 hours! He was very funny to watch. Horse and Mahindi on the other hand were happy to sit in the shade under our table after their one hour of mutt butt sniffing! Its such a great place, just a pity its an hour away.