This week’s briefing is brought to you by our guest writer, Baby Teddy.
Turns out they make dogs in different sizes. We had two dachshunds join us this week and apparently they are here to stay for the rest of the summer. I think they came with the apartment rental? I made a deal with the dogs where I’m allowed to touch them as much as I want as long as they are allowed to lick my hands and face after Mom spreads various pureed fruits, vegetables, yogurts, and grains on my body. Some of it ends up in my mouth too, but I don’t think that’s breaking my bargain with the dogs. The dogs sleep even more than I do and are very cuddly, so I think it’s a net positive to our household.
Mom insisted it was important for us to visit Germany’’s three largest cities, so we completed that list by spending a night in Hamburg this week. Trains have been my favorite part of our Europe life so far. There’s a lot to see out the windows, everyone smiles at me, sometimes I meet other babies, and I consistently nap well in Mom’s lap despite otherwise being generally unwilling to nap on-the-go. When we visit new places, we go out exploring for a couple hours and then head home to nap. We always meet the nicest old ladies, and some of them are so excited to meet me that they grab my feet in glee.
Mom and Dad try to get me into bed not too late, which I appreciate. I tried keeping track of all the cool cribs I’ve slept in, but unfortunately I cannot count past eins at this time. The crib in Hamburg was exceptional. It even came with a little book about Fußball and a tiny pillow. It was located in what looked like a freight train filled with shipping containers and made me feel very cozy, though Mom and Dad were a little more hesitant about the aesthetic. Mom’s favorite part of the shipping container was the magical standing shower that had excellent water pressure and hot water. She seems to be over the whole sitting/kneeling for lukewarm showers in Berlin. Mom and Dad haven’t prioritized bathing me since we left Bloomington, so I don’t really mind either way.
I liked Hamburg the best out of the three of us. The harbors were fascinating and I adroitly navigated an old Soviet submarine while strapped to Mom’s chest. She bonked her head a couple times, but I wasn’t as clumsy. I expressed my satisfaction by yelling in excitement and kicking my legs into Mom repeatedly. It was pretty cold in Hamburg, which made Mom and Dad a little grumpy. It made me feel like a true seafaring baby–I think I’d like boats just as much as trains.
Another favorite part of Hamburg for me that was a lowlight for Mom and Dad was being carried up and down some very steep, narrow wooden stairs in my stroller. I felt like a true king and was not at all concerned that either of them would stumble despite the sharp stair angles. For some reason, we only went up and down those stairs once, but it was a place I’ll never forget.
I have a lot of adoring fans in Germany at large, but my #1 fan from Tübingen came to see me this weekend. I wooed her as a newborn and now I have a lot of new tricks, so I was happy to show her how much I’ve grown and all the noises I can make. She took me swimming and I’m not sure if there were more people crammed in that pool or in your typical afternoon subway car. It was pleasant, but a bit overwhelming, and I fell asleep immediately upon being put in my stroller–something I have resisted doing up until this point (mostly just to show Mom and Dad that I’m the one in charge).
I met a couple of Mom’s friends in Marzahn and despite offering them my best smiles, they did not share any of their ice cream with me. Let the record show that I resent that. Chances are good I would REALLY like ice cream if someone would like to help me try it. I finally got to hear Mom talk German with people who aren’t me, but everyone chatted too quickly for me to get what was going on. I decided to spit up all over Mom as a way to try to get them to talk more slowly.
We also visited the three exhibits currently on display at the German Historical Museum. I learned a lot about Karl Marx, Angela Merkel, and Richard Wagner. I got to see lots of photographs of Angela Merkel from the past thirty years and Mom got a little weepy because Angela Merkel is on her short list for most important leaders of the past century. I was a fan by the end of the exhibit too.
Mom and Dad both did a lot more work from home this week than I was used to. Mom had some online meetings and did some writing and reading while Dad graded a lot of student papers and virtual presentations. He gave me some good tips for organizing an essay, which I’ve tried to apply in this guest post. I hope I still remember how to correctly cite sources by the time I actually have sources to cite, as well as what counts as a peer-reviewed source. Having both of them work more wasn’t too bad–I was happy to spend time rolling on the ground with my dog friends and yelling at my toys. When Mom and Dad weren't working, we went on some walks with the dogs to the Humboldthain park nearby. Even though I haven’t complained about the many loud cities we’ve been in, I really like the park and how quiet and green it is. There are lots of dogs and families there. I’ve heard enough Turkish that sometimes I forget that’s not one of the languages I’m trying to learn right now.
I’m still happiest when I go to bed before 6pm and even though the sun rises around 4:30am, I generously sleep in until around 6am. Despite Mom’s worries about disrupting our family life to come here, I’d give it all a 10/10.
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