"TV" time for Sophie, or, fun German Youtube videos

Sophie has discovered the computer.

Actually, she learned about the computer when she was three months old. She would lay on the sofa next to Dan while he was scrambling to answer work e-mails. Now, at 22 months, she knows that the keys have meaning, and that you go to Firefox, then Bookmarks, then Sophie Websites to get to some fun stuff.

She's going to grow up with technology. Even though I wanted to wait until she was older, say five or six, until she got screen time, the reality is that the computer is part of our lives. Better to introduce it to her slowly and teach her how to use it. The cell phone is another story; not gonna happen (so says Mama now...).

This has also meant that we get to surf Youtube for cool stuff...some oldies but goodies, some new and sassy...and much of it is too fun to keep to ourselves (and the millions of other viewers who visit these sites). It's also given us a slice of German culture. So...click on the links, turn up the volume and enjoy.

Gummibear: Move over, Bob the Builder. This dancing little Gummybear is rockin', cute, and hipper than Haribo could imagine. Sophie flirts back. He sings in several languages. Here's the German version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLTWTKpP7g0&feature=fvw

Sesame Street, German style: Quick, how does the US version of the theme song go? It's all about sunshine and playing with friendly neighbors. The German version goes something like this: Der, die, das, who, how, what, how so, how does it work, why, who doesn't ask stays ignorant. Talk about transmitting, uh, different cultural values! We love it. The background looks a lot like Altona, a neighborhood in Hamburg, and the production studio is down the street from us....Sesamstrasse. This second clip has bubbles--fun!

Auf der Schwabsche Eisebahn: Only southern Germans could mix a cartoon donkey and monkey riding a train with techno music and all sorts of crazy camera angles. I wonder what this will do to Sophie's dreams...oh yeah, the donkey's name is Pferdle and the monkey's name is Affle, and they used to appear before and after commercials on the Schwabsche public television.DJ Mix Schwabsche Eisebahn When Sophie wants something more mellow, we switch to the more traditional version, which photos of the actual trains. Sophie really, really likes this melody; she asks me to sing it and she dances in circles. Is she pretending to be a train, or that she is riding the train?

Sophie claps to If You're Happy and You Know It. The boy in blue with glasses can dance! This video has links to her other faves, like Old MacDonald, the ABC song, and Barney.

Sophie does NOT get to watch Beinhart the Rocker, but I do. He's a motorcycle riding, beer drinking, police eluding hooligan. The people in the video are the band members of Torfrock who sing the song. Dengl, dengl, dengl, dengl...

And although she is an expert co-pilot when we drive on the Autobahn, she has not learned about Kraftwerk's Autobahn song. The blue background is the Autobahn symbol. Kraftwerk is the granddaddy of electronica, and this fabulous song is based on the sounds heard on summer road trips. The chorus, "wir fahren auf der Autobahn" means "we drive on the freeway." If you don't like the video, just crank up the music and close your eyes. It's worth it.

This video of Hamburg meine Perle (Hamburg my pearl) shows a collage of photos of this beautiful city. As the two fellows who I shared a table with at the bakery said, "Berlin may be the country's capital, but Hamburg is the cultural capital." The song is also played at the start of HSV football games with a twist on the lyrics, basically why HSV is better than the other teams. You decide who you prefer, HSV or St. Pauli. I'm looking forward to going to a Sankt Pauli game this season for the energy, and HSV for the experience, and I'll let you know whose scarf will be waved.

I'm starting to like this city. A lot. I don't know how long we'll be her, but, wow, it is fun.

Video and more pictures

Sophie is proving to be an engineer, poet, and athlete. She builds towers and organizes cupboards. Each morning begins with a lovely oration of profound thoughts from the night. She also holds the apartment record for dashing from room to room in les than five seconds. All this at age one!

Sophie also likes to share, be it her food, clothes or books. When we're at the library, she'll bring me or another child a book--fun! I love snuggling with her and reading together. While at Grandma and Grandpa's house, she discovered the piano. Hee hee hee.

She's an adventurer--practicing climbing on the bed and sofa (Lynn Hill and other climbers, watch out!). While we won't be ready for Yosemite for a while, we'll surely enjoy scaling the boulders in the park come summertime. She loves to walk around town looking for dogs and familiar faces. Her new quest is to find Christmas trees, bright lights, and flags flapping in the breeze. Her favorite flower is still the sunflower.

Our girl is a Nature Girl--likes the colorful leaves and the feel of fresh air, goes a bit nutty if cooped up too long inside or in shops. I'm looking forward to camping and adventures outside. We're experiencing a bit of Toddler Brain these days, as the teeth continue to come. Fortunately a trip to the park or beach helps mellow us all out. A warm meal helps, too. Recently at the beach,she discovered sea shells, volleyball, and sea gulls. Fun! She loves the waves. I won't be surprised if she decides to surf or boogie board!

Check out the video of her building a tower:

Fun at Half Moon Bay

It was sunny and warm on Sunday, so we hopped in the car and drove to Half Moon Bay. The drive is a delightful 30 minutes, winding through cypress and eucalyptus groves, past pumpkin patches and Christmas tree farms, ending at a lovely sandy beach embraced by high wind-blown cliffs.

Sophie likes the ocean. Our little beach babe kicked off her shoes and made a beeline for the waves. The frigid water didn't seem to bother her; when back on dry ground, Sophie played a bit to appease us, then scampered back to the water's edge.

We played and played. There's nothing like the beach to relax and renew the spirit. I'm particularly fond of the Pacific Ocean and the Northern California Coast. The air tastes fresh, the redwood studded hills tumble down to meet the sea, the grainy sand massages the toes. sometimes we see dolphins, whales, seals and sea otters. Sophie found some pretty shells, all worn smooth from their underwater tumbles.

Time to head back. Dan and Sophie fell into a deep sleep while I enjoyed a few moments to myself. We then met the rest of the research team at a burger joint for greaseburgers, milk shakes and curly fries. Yum.

Soon it will be time for a vacation, once all this crazy fabulous research is over. Maybe we'll find another charming beach town with a beautiful stretch of coastline, or maybe we'll return to this one. How lucky we are to live so close to paradise.

Lessons from my daughter

Sophie is a wise girl. Everyday she teaches me something new and reminds me about what's important in life. Here is some of her 11 month-old wisdom:

* Eat with gusto. Spoons and fingers are fun.

* When Papa (or someone else you love) comes home, stop whatever you're doing and give him a smile. Then a hug.

*It's ok to bury your head in Mama's lap when you hurt or are sad.

* Laugh often. Laugh with your whole being. Laugh so your eyes and face sparkle.

* Play with a friend. Understand that if they walk away for a minute, it's nothing personal--there might be a bird or a football to look at.

* Be honest.

* There's nothing like a good trip to the bathroom.

* Splashing in the tub is a great way to end the day, especially with colorful starfish toys.

* How lovely to fall asleep in the arms of someone you love and trust.

* Ask for what you need. If you don't get it right away, have a little patience, then keep on asking.

* Stop and smell the roses.

* Sing to the sunflowers, doggies and kitties.

* Staying up past bedtime is ok to do when there's a fun party happening.

* Spend time in nature everyday, often. Find a favorite tree and watch it change.

* Share. Say please and thank you in whatever language you speak.

* Breathe. Sing. Pray.

* Call things by name, like "nanana" and "cado" for banana and avocado.

* Read interesting books. Ones with lots of pictures are fun, but the ones with lots of words are good too.

* Nap--it makes Mama happy. :-)

* Sing "good morning day!", even if it's 5 am.

* Kick off your socks and shoes, and wiggle those toes. Hee hee hee.

* Keep on loving and learning. You might make someone's day with your sunshine.

* What matters most is family and God.

* And...be yourself. Who cares what the others think! You are wonderful just as you are.

Pumpkin Time

Autumn is here in the Bay Area (Yep, we're back in beautiful California; more on that later). Time to take our little pumpkin to a pumpkin patch.

Lita, Sophie and I went to one near Half Moon Bay. We bypassed the super cheesy ones with inflatable rides and noisy bouncy things, and honed in on one with lots of flowers, wooden structures and pumpkins. Sophie loved all the colors and textures. There's something to be said for crawling on the hay and running little hands all over gourds.


Enthralled by their shape and color, Sophie still points at pumpkins and squeals in delight. This makes our walks delightful, especially when she's snuggled up in the Moby wrap. Here's this cute kid with big blue eyes and a great smile, wearing an orange hat with a butterfly on it, pointing and "ooh! Ooh! Ohh!"ing at pumpkins carved and plain. Linus would be proud; he might think he found a companion to search for the Great Pumpkin come Halloween.


Speaking of October 31, Sophie went to her first Halloween party. She dressed as...what else...a pumpkin. She had a ball. So many colorful lights, sparkly things, and interesting people. Who knew that Jesters, Candy Corn, and Teletubbies lived nearby?

She also went trick or treating, and was more interested in picking the lemons off of the neighbor's tree than touching That Strange Stuff Called Candy (good girl, Soph!).


We bought two little pumpkins, and would like to make them into pie. However, that would take away Sophie's two new favorite toys--she picks them up by the stems and rolls them across the carpet. Hmmm....maybe it's time to take her to a turkey farm? :-)

Spring and Sophie Pix

Spring is here in HH. The flowers twirl in a kaleidascope of color, birds awaken us and sing us to sleep, there is a general feeling of delight (relief?) that the cold winter is but a faded memory. folks seem friendlier--shopkeepers make small talk, moms smile to each other on the street, the bicycle-riding grandparents call out "hellos". It's nice. A few weeks ago, we decorated the Easter Tree. Germans hang colorful eggs on the branches of a budding tree. Around Easter Sunday, the blossoms bloom, and spring is celebrated. Sophie was intrigued by the fuzzy buds and the smooth eggs. Sophie started eating carrots on Saturday. Loves them, especially steamed, and pureed with mama milk. She also has a new "game" that I probably should discourage, but it's sooo cute...when she has finished breast feeding, she looks up at me and laughs. Hee hee hee. This makes me laugh, which encourages her to laugh more. Soon we're both shrieking with delight. What fun. Her whole face lights up when she laughs. Sophie's gymnastic and yoga prowess continues to develop nicely. She can touch her toes, roll from left to right, and reach out and clutch a favorite toy both on her back and on her tummy. She also gives sweet "concerts" at around 6am...lots of la-la-las and ooh-ooh-oohs. Her voice is sweet and slightly husky, and reminds me of a jazz singer. She has two friends--Ace (who is five days younger), and Vesa (who is three days older). Here she is with Vesa at the ice cream parlor. Sophie also loves to read! She helps turn the pages of "Brown Bear", and snuggles in for "Goodnight Moon" at night. Can you tell that we love her? She went to a cafe with some friends from my German class. Everyone loved it! Dan and I were happy to help myself to the brunch buffet while our daughter basked in the glow of our friends' arms. Sophie is so cool. How did we get so lucky? So come on over to HH and spend some time with Sophie before she grows up. :-)

Baptism and More

Sophie is growing and changing before our eyes. What a delight!

On March 22, she was baptised at her American grandparents' church in California, St. Paul's Lutheran Church. Coincidentally, this date marked the 50th anniversary of her German grandma's confirmation, and the name of our church in Hamburg is St. Paul's. I love those synchronicities... :-)

We celebrated with a small family gathering that included yummy California cuisine and German cake. Sophie wore a hat that her great-great Grandma Annie made and a dress from Grandma.

This week's milestones include:

* deliberately grabbing for Rocket, her favorite purple bunny
* laughing when Dan plays peek-a-boo with her
* picking up Rocket and other toys
* holding her spoon...and choosing the colorful wooden one over the plain white plastic one
* staying in the classic tummy pose for about a minute, and lifting herself up when she's tired
* lots of singing to the bears
* sleeping for four hours at a time at night, sometimes, but more often in three hour stretches
* entertaining herself with the purple and pink elephant dangling toy while we ride the train
* full laughs when we play "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and "Way Up In The Sky"

She's even-keeled and lots of fun. I savor every minute of the joy and the snuggles for she's growing more independent and self-confident every day. She's now a proper little girl...not a newborn...she's growing up before my eyes. And I love her so much.

Here she is with her great-Grandma Love, Grandma Patti "Grammy Crackers", and Mama.