Archive for category Colin
Colin and the rubber ducks
I bought my wife some rubber ducks for Valentines day, a devil and an angel. Actually, they were meant for Colin, and my wife discovered them in my drawer the other day.
However, the wee man is enjoying them – guess that’s the main thing!
games for toddlers on the keyboard
I just had Colin on my lap and he was hitting the keyboard really hard whilst I was trying to write another blog post.
He is all fascinated by the screen and a quick search on Google revealed a great game: the toddler hits the keyboard and the random letter he hits shows up with an example of a word with the letter, e.g. “a – apple”.
Check out the fun here.
Progress Report Colin
Hello,
What might sound like a chore is not. I just thought, and my wife told me off, that I haven’t given an update on Colin lately.
Last week he turned 5 months. Not only did he start to sit up, he also got his first two teeth. It is amazing to see how quickly he seems to develop once of a sudden. I helped him last weekend to start rolling over but he starts doing it himself now. He is actually turning 180 degrees in his bed to get his great grandmother’s toy. He is still so lovely when you wake him up in the morning, he looks at you, realises it is you and then puts on this big smile you just cannot resist.
And, of course he loves his hippo in the bath I was writing about yesterday. He has changed so much and is given so much more back from what he used to. I remember the first few weeks when I was struggling to see the “joy of fatherhood”. But instead, I now really love to see him grow, doing more things each day and explore things too. He is soo curious! Also, he discovered his feet, so not long now and he will be crawling all over the place.
He also started laughing a lot, crying less and properly eating. Luckily he passed the “blowing raspberry” stage whilst eating very quickly. Saves a lot of cleaning 
I will shortly publish some pictures, however you can see them on my Facebook profile or on request we can send you a link to our online album. He is so gorgeous, and I am not saying it because I have to! He just brings so much joy into our life, it is amazing.
With Love,
Volker
Sunday Column (35)
Posted by Volker in Colin, Sunday Column, family on 25/10/2009
Another week, another Sunday. And it is a sunny Sunday
This week, after a few days off, passed quickly but different to many other weeks. I believe every time you have some time off and go back to work, you start thinking about things and re-calibre your work. Hence it seems as if you get less done but you actually work more productively.
Anyways, Tuesday was our 2nd anniversary. I cannot believe how quickly those two years passed. And, we are still very happy together and have enjoyed the time together. With the house, boy and all, we are very settled and happy how and where we live. We enjoy what we have, and this is one of those unbeatable feelings to have. Happiness.
On Thursday, at Tai-Chi, we started refining the form. Particularly with the speed and control. Wow, I felt very tired after the session and now start noticing how much good it does for me. Also, I found out that my old work is not doing too well and people seem to not get paid and made redundant. Hence I am feeling very sorry for them, looking back I am glad I got made redundant whilst they could still pay me. Also, I think that it is such a shame for so many people not knowing what the future holds. All I can do is to offer my help. Fingers crossed it works out for everyone.
At the weekend my cousin was here. Her boyfriend works for an airline so it is easy for them to get flights from Zurich to London. It was a lovely weekend. Too much wine on Friday, a mess on Saturday and a lovely walk on Sunday. Time, although we gained an hour with the change to the winter time, was too short and they had to leave just around 2 pm again on Sunday.
It is so nice to stay in touch with family, sharing values and time, and having Colin meeting my cousin and his godmother. Talking about the family, the grandparents, the parents and how things have changed since we were young is interesting, fascinating and scary at the same time. It is so enjoyable and I hope that Colin will appreciate a German godmother that will teach him “Ballueder Family Values”
With her being a trained acupuncturist, I got rid of some back pain and enjoyed some needles being stuck into myself
Another topic that came up this week was the boy: I enjoy it so much more to be around him. He gives me so much back when I come home from work or wake him in the morning. Just the smile at me and the touching, grabbing and love he shows me, makes me feel so good. Whilst at some point I wasn’t sure how much I enjoy having children, after 4 months I want to have the next one…or two 
We shall see.
Also, we bought instant coffee and, although difficult to admit, I actually don’t mind it too much. I will never be a big fan, but I do enjoy it now and then for a quick cup of coffee. Letting go of my standards is not what I had in mind, but maybe getting used to more average supply of coffee (and same is true for wine after my month break), is not a bad thing in the recession.
This brings the week to a close. I could go to sleep and curl up in my bed, watching the wind in the trees, chasing the leaves around the garden. I love autumn with its fascinating colours. I have some things to do this afternoon, but hope that tonight I put on a nice fire, maybe a nice take away and a nice movie. Just chilling. That’s Sunday, that is autumn.
Love and Happiness to you all,
Volker
Sunday Column (25)
Posted by Volker in Colin, Sunday Column, house, personal on 16/08/2009
Oh dear, this week was full of swine 2 if not 3 of my work colleagues went home and 2 came down with the flu. You already know how paranoid I am, so it didn’t help. Still feeling ok, however having a sore throat and itchy ears. The curry on Saturday night surely helped to get any viruses out of my body – I hope so anyway 
Vodafone exchange my Blackberry Bold within 24 hours and the new one runs fine. Either Ubertwitter caused a crash on the system, which I doubt, or the first one was faulty. Not sure. Fingers crossed! The new one is working so well, I absolutely love it. Will write a review at some point. Need to insure that the Bold though, don’t want to pay for one, in case anything happens to this one. I am far from having installed a lot of programmes but just for my emails, Facebook and Twitter, it is great I know, I will install more programmes, but currently I think a lot about complexity in life. But I write about that later this week on Thursday!
Then, I bought myself an ugly and awful alarm clock. Just because I am used to 2 alarms, I decided to buy the cheapest digital alarm clock there was on Amazon. I love their horrible alarm ring tones and its red colour Hilarious! 
Other than that not much happened this week. Things have been busy but ok at work and we made progress with some clients. Things are picking up and I am getting more into a routine. Saying that, I don’t enjoy my Tai Chi as much as I have to and would prefer to do something more active. However, my left knee is hurting – for no apparent reason – and I am wondering if should go and see a doctor after all. Hmm, decisions decisions.
Our son has been growing massively. They say that they now put on 1 kilo a month. Wow, he will be really big soon! We went to Sidcup on Saturday and he pooed whilst we were in heavy traffic. It took us a while until we could change him and boy, it was a huge mess. But we managed. He managed to get through a few sets of cloths on Saturday but luckily slept well all night. So overall, I am really pleased with the way he grows up and we grow to coping with things. I try to take care of him most Sunday mornings just so that my wife can have a lay in. This time becomes really special for me, I enjoy feeding him, sitting in the living room and playing with Colin. Normally, whilst he naps, I manage to get a coffee and my blog posts done
In our garden I found tomatoes and what looks like melons growing. Surely they are courgettes that will change their shape later but sometimes I wonder. Never grew melons or tomatoes. Again, I need to update you on the garden. But with the weather being so poorly, I haven’t had much time but cutting the grass and tidying up a bit.
Next weekend we hope to finish the renovating in the living room. Would be good to actually have that done and then think how we might change things around and whether we get more furniture in or leave it less busy. Shall keep you posted on that one too.
To finish up a nice week, we had visitors on Sunday and a nice diner. Have a great week!
Being a dad – 8 week review
Today I want to look back. Back to almost 8 weeks of being a first time dad.
The first 3 weeks were very busy. As I wrote previously, we had to go back to hospital and in between us getting used to the new addition to our family, I had to go and find myself a job. But it all worked out and after we had him 3 and a half weeks, I went back to work. Maybe that is what the horoscope on Friday was all about?
Looking back my job change could have not come at a better time. I had over 3 weeks with my little Colin Heinrich, could feed him, change him, bath him. However, already then I noticed that my wife took over quite a lot. And, I want to be honest, I not only let her but really liked her to. This is not because I don’t want to deal with him and his mess, or I don’t want to be responsible for him but the idea my wife and I have is that she will stay at home as long as possible to take care of him.
So will we have a typical 1950s marriage where Jenny is the housewife and I am the husband and bread winner? I don’t hope so, and Jenny surely doesn’t think so I always say to Jenny she is the home manager, e.g. she needs to delegate to me what needs to be done and I rely on her being able to manage the household. This includes for instance to iron my shirts. We both hate it, so she is managing me to outsource it Luckily there is a dry cleaner and ironing shop down the road which takes care of the problem. I even suggested a cleaner but at the moment we are managing and wanting to manage without one. However, this might change, so I can focus on work and the family at the weekend, and Jenny can solely spend all her energy for the boy. I believe this is a perfect life?
Whilst this sounds very posh, it is not. I hardly know anyone in our situation who doesn’t outsource some of the house work when having a child and the other partner is working, in my case I leave the house at 7.45 am and normally return about the same time in the evening. Living in London comes with a long commute and a career with long hours in the office. But as dedicated as I am to my job, as dedicated is Jenny to having children and a family. The perfect symbiosis.
So looking at the situation after 8 weeks I notice that Jenny does all night time feeds. That works out fine, so that I get 5 hours of sleep in one go, sometimes a bit longer. But I still wake up and you don’t sleep as well because you listen whether the boy is crying or not. And I don’t mind getting up if I have to, but find it difficult to be up most of the night and then go to work. Before he was born, I was sure that I could cope with little sleep much better, but after about 6 weeks, it starts wearing you down. With new feeding habits we even get a little bit longer to sleep and I use the weekend afternoons for another nap to catch up on some sleep.
Also, I was complaining a while ago that I didn’t get enough back from Colin. But that changed a lot. He is now following you with his eyes, builds stronger rapport and is more interactive. He smiles at you whilst you rock him to sleep or when you tickle him. Or when he has a poo
The older the baby gets, the more interactive it becomes and the more I enjoy it. I cannot say that I didn’t enjoy it before but the joy increases day by day. He now settles easier (most times) and daddy is used to changing nappies or bathing him. However, with increased work load, I see less of the boy during the week because we trying to get him used to going to bed early. That is surely something I don’t enjoy but cannot change.
Often, when I talk to older folk, they say that they regretted that they didn’t see their children growing up because of work and extracurricular activities. However, I do not not see him growing up, I just see less of it. I make up by standing on his cot before I go to bed or trying to spend more time with him at the weekend. It is either that or giving up my job and career which I so much enjoy. And that is not an option, also because I am the “classic bread winner”
So after 8 weeks I can look back and say that it was all well worth it and … that people are right saying that having a baby is more work than anyone ever tell you it is!
Sunday Column (21)
Posted by Volker in Baby, Colin, Sunday Column on 19/07/2009
Time seems to fly, doesn’t it? I keep saying that every week.
This was my first full week at my new job and I really enjoy it. I believe it is the first job change where I change within my expertise, working in the field of Search Marketing, Social Media and Digital. And, I really enjoy my new colleagues, the office, the work, just everything.
On Tuesday I was supposed to meet a friend in Soho. I tried finding him, but instead I ended up in a studio where they did some nude paintings. Not that I minded, but was kind of confused. Guess that is Soho for you, you never know what’s behind the next door. Unfortunately, I never found my friend who I still believe was the model
On Thursday I noticed my progress in Tai Chi after practicing almost every day. I have been getting into a routine to do a 10 minute practice session every morning before I go to work. Not on Thursday though. I slept in and only got up a 7.44, leaving me 20 minutes to catch my train. Luckily my neighbour gave me a lift and I made it in time. I only slept in 2 days in my life and surely that is the last thing I wanted to do in my first day at my new work.
On Friday for lunch I met a good friend for a catch up and at night I met another friend of mine in the Hospital Club. If I say friend this is due to us knowing each other for over 2 years, however, never really had the chance or time to sit down and just chat. And we did just that on Friday and it was really good. And, as he didn’t drink alcohol, I didn’t drink either, ending up with lots of Apple Mint drinks. Very enjoyable night.
Saturday got us some more “baby visitors”. Our friends from Essex came over and we spent a lovely day in Beckenham, having pints and food in the Ye Ole George. Colin behaved himself most of the time and honestly, I just felt knackered after an afternoon in town.
I seem to be coming down with a cold or something. Of course I am paranoid that it is the Swine Flu, but that might just me thinking that because it is all over the news. My throat is a bit sore and I could sleep a lot.
My wife luckily does most night shifts with the boy and I am left with the “just before bed” feed. However, I just don’t seem to get enough sleep and with the weather being poorly, muggy and me feeling too warm and uncomfortable, I just seem to be worn out. That is of course only temporary. They say after 6 weeks, e.g. end of next week, babies are getting quieter and I hopefully get some better nights sleep. I probably shouldn’t complain, it could be a lot worse, but guess being tired just makes you moan The boy is really great and gets more interactive by the day. Really enjoying it!
Sunday, as of above, was just chilling out. We had to do some stuff in the house and sort some bits and bobs. But that was it really.
Have a great week. The weather isn’t suppose to get much better, but enjoy the British summer anyway
reflection on tradition
Tradition, they say, is not about preserving the ashes. It is all about keeping the flame burning.
I am a member of a German Fraternity, Corps Franconia. We fence and accept any member, no matter which political, religious or ethical background that person is. I loved being an active member and also joined the London meetings. As an alumni I support the younger generation. It works like a pension system – just that it really works. When I was younger I got cheap beers and accommodation and now the younger generation does.
Anyhow, the reason for posting here are thoughts I have as a new daddy. We named our son Colin after my wife’s late brother and Heinrich after my granddad. These names have both history and Heinrich even tradition within our family. It was important for me to give my son a name that is related to both our family histories.
My wife and I want to teach our son where his names are coming from and what they mean to us and hopefully what they might mean to him. You might think of Hellinger and any pressure we might put him under. But we don’t want to put any pressure on him at all. At the end of the day it is his decision what he wants to do with his history and whether he likes to carry on the tradition, maybe naming his children after his granddad or dad We just want him to be connected to his roots. A Scottish-German boy, born in England. His god parents are German, Scottish, English-Turkish and Kenian-Indian. We love to give him the influence of the country we live in.
At his birth, without asking, I assume we had about 10 nationalities. African, European, Asian…..and that is what makes London so great. However, coming back to tradition, as said initially, it is not important to have a shrine and keep ashes of loved ones or of your family history in there. It is about passing the values on, family values in particular, keeping dreams and rituals alive in a society where all of those individual ones seem to be melted together.
I just hope that Colin will grow up with an understanding of his history and tradition and that he values the same things his families has done for years. To grow up to be a Clouston-Ballueder and to be the one that carries on with the tradition. There is a lot of hope on these small shoulders, but it is with love, support and no pressure whatsoever. I just wanted to write about, how proud I am of having this wee man and thank my wife!
If Colin reads that in a few years time, he might be laughing at his old man, however – just some personal thoughts
Sunday Column (18)
Posted by Volker in Baby, Colin, Sunday Column, personal on 28/06/2009
Another week? Not a normal week, that is for sure. Monday I spent all day preparing for a big presentation on Tuesday. That presentation went really well, showing off my knowledge about incorporating SEO, PPC and Social Media in Business Development/Marketing: my topic, my passion! That was good and the feedback was good too.
Another couple of companies and recruitment consultants got back to me and it was all looking good for offers, opportunities and future job offerings. Given the recession, I have done well securing interviews and offers. Now, fingers crossed.
However, nothing was decided early this week. Wednesday through to Friday I spent waiting. Waiting for 2 things: Jobs of course but, almost more important, waiting to understand my boy.
Colin decided to get louder, more noisy and grumpy. Oh dear, whilst it is totally normal, we didn’t know what to do. We had a health visitor around who gave us a great introduction on what they do and how they monitor babys’ progress. I should mention the health visitor came as a routine and not because Colin got louder! There is great support for children and families here in the UK. Also we had someone around that solely looks after breast feeding mums. That was helpful too. Overall, Colin is more awake, needs more attention and just takes up more time. Difficult to hold him and do work or write blogs at the same time, but we are coping
So overall this week was all about our wee boy. Getting an understanding of his needs and wants and see how much we need to feed him, what kind of food (bottle or breast) and if he is ok. Because you are worrying if he does not settle at all. Hence it is good to get advice on what to do and the support scheme here in the UK is fabulous. It might be better in other countries, but for what we need, I am very surprised how good it is. At least I know my taxes and NI are well spent … at least in some areas.
Bottle or breast? That decision is really with the mother, mainly because she is the “main feeder“. However, whilst men always want women to breast feed, I think it is important to take the mother into consideration as well. This article from KindsHealth says “The AAP says babies should be breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months. Beyond that, the AAP encourages breastfeeding until at least 12 months, and longer if both the mother and baby are willing.” That is in an ideal world. The quality of breast milk, they say, is better for the baby and will avoid some allergies in the future. And, by using formula, “be assured that your baby’s nutritional needs will be met“.
So feeding formula is nothing to worry about, probably less to worry about for the mum because she knows how much milk she gives to her baby. This is an ongoing discussion we have, and many other parents I was speaking to, and it comes down to personal choice, and the mother’s feeling. After all her sanity and her well being are as important as the baby’s needs. So I support my wife in whatever she decides to do.
Enough about that – could write a whole blog post about it. My paternity leave ended this Friday. However, I took Monday and Tuesday off as well. Reason is that I hope to sort out my job situation for the 6th of July and not return to my current work at all. But, without official confirmation, I don’t want to blog about it yet.
Friday night we had some friends around and with the muggy weather watered down our thirst with wine, whisky and had some pizza. Saturday and Sunday really flew past, and I had great moments with my boy. I really appreciate the time I can take at the moment to see him grow up and everyone warns me that this time never comes around again. Of course it doesn’t but will I realise it in time.
Have a good week next week and I keep you posted on the job situation.
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