My favorite days

Some of my favorite days living in Switzerland and being a stay at home mom are those that I feel like I fit in like a local and seem to "know" what I'm doing with my daughter. I've been lucky and had quite a few of those lately... It helps me realize it really is the little things in life. And when I don't have one of these days or moments all I can do is laugh and move on. If someone wants to give me a dirty look for being a foreigner or a mom who's child is crying, so be it. These are my favorite days...

• I go to the grocery store and actually have a short (ok, very short) conversation in German with the cashier. It doesn't happen often, but I feel like a rockstar when I actually understood what they asked me and answered back appropriately (or at least so she could understand me).
• Emma rides in her stroller without crying. So far the stroller hasn't really been Emma's cup of tea, so I like to say we're doing "stroller training." She's improving as she gets older it seems, but there are many days where her tolerance is still very short. So when she rides along happily I shout for joy. And the other day when she was a happy rider for quite awhile and then wanted to get out by the time we got on the tram for the ride home I was happy to take her out and hold her. Even so much so that I sat in what I consider to the "cool kids" seat at the back of the tram. It is slightly higher than the other seats and seems to be the favorite spot for kids to sit. Yet Emma and I sat there while she looked so cute all bundled up with her pink kitty hat on. And she even must have been smiling at all the other riders because much to my shock I had someone help me get off without even asking for it, which rarely ever happens!
• I go skiing for the first time in the Alps and have made such great friends here that show me the way so I don't have to feel like I don't know what I'm doing when I get to the slopes. And when I make a complete fool of myself riding a "T Bar" for the first time all I can do is laugh!
• Going for a run in the snow. The last two weeks we have been living in what feels like a snow globe getting a small amount of snow each day. It is absolutely beautiful, but makes it treacherous to get outside somedays. Yet I'm starting to feel like a local as I strap on my Yak Traks and run without hesitation no matter the conditions.
• Emma and I go to a Mommy and Me yoga class and she is one of the few that plays happily the whole time while many of the other babies are less content. I feel like Swiss moms have perfect babies that don't cry, so maybe I fit more in at this english-speaking class with foreigners that don't have such "perfect" babies. Yet, knock on wood for the first two weeks Emma has been a little social butterfly in class.
• I get stopped and asked for directions and I know where to go! Of course, they asked me in English otherwise I would have no shot at helping them. But regardless living here long enough to know my way around enough to give directions makes me feel like I know what I'm doing!

I soak up these moments because I know they are fleeting. Especially right now as Emma politely reminds me that she's still in charge and if 15 minute naps is what she likes to do, so be it!

Emma feeling content definitely makes for a happy mom!