Big first today: first solid food. Kinda solid - pureed parsnips were served, worthy of the finest of restaurants. Karl got to wear his bip that says "Give peas a chance" which Sabine had sent him. He also got to use the very hi-tech spoon that changes color if the food's temperature is not right which Grandma had brought him. 
Curiosity quickly gave way to disgust and we had our first outright generational conflict. "Solid food's great, Karl!" - "What do YOU know... puhleeese - what's the last time YOU had delicious, convenient, healthy milk?!" - "But solid food is the way to go!" - "Uh, c'mOOhooon. Solid food's SOOOO 20th century. Ya think we gonna have solid food on our mission to Mars?" - "Well, if you don't want to, I'll just force you..." - "Tyrant! I spit at your pitiful effort of parental control..." *#!#@&$*#%@@!!!*$^& (cursing and struggling ensues).
Whole event ended in a stalemate, half of the pureed parsnips on dad's shirt. To be continued.....
4/30/08
Give Peas a Chance
4/29/08
La Gomera VI
It's a rainy day today, so this is the perfect time to bring you the last post from our vacation that took place, like, I don't even remember. This is one of my favorite shots. It was taken right after Karl had learnt that sand in your eyes sucks and that waves crushing on pebbles can make a lot of noise.
Below some more random shots, Karl in his Safari suit, meeting cats and practicing a full split.
4/27/08
Chef Karl
Omi was supposed to be here this weekend and I wanted to use the occasion to show her the basil plant she saved the last time she was here. It only had two leaves left, but my mother told me how to take care of it and so it grew to be a pretty big plant. Unfortunately Omi is a little sick so here's an electronic factual report of the plant development. Karl apparently really likes basil. Maybe he will be a chef? His first cook book could be titled Clever Cooking with Karl Kreye.
Get better, Omi!
Oral Inspection
Yes, I know, not a lot of postings this week. For some reason the days were really busy, a lot of paperwork came my way and the nights weren't too quiet either. Everything is good though and even the weather is back to being beautiful. We do have quite a few good pics from this week. And, believe it or not, there's still some Gomera stuff I'm tempted to share with you.
For now, here is a picture of Karl using his still very limited sitting capabilities to orally inspect what is supposed to be inspected by hand. You can never be thorough enough.
4/23/08
4/20/08
Paci-Flyer
Karl's already thinking way ahead into the future, so today he was pondering role models. He couldn't decide between Red Adair and Chuck Yeager. Since we didn't let him play with matches to try out the whole Red Adair thing, he took an exhilarating ride on the Paci-Flyer. While the brand name sounds like Willy Wonka's marketing department came up with it, Karl sure likes the high speed capabilities of his new toy. Here he looks like he's pulling some major Gs in a tailspin, which is why we called him "Maverick". Alright, just for like a second, since that's already McCain's handle.
4/19/08
La Gomera X
Sand was definitely a big hit with Karl, after we had trucked down the steep mountain road to the beach. He was totally mesmerized, probably wishing his motor skills would allow him to start with the whole sandcastle thing already. 
The whole outlook of course changed radically, when Daddy didn't pay attention for about five seconds and Karl rubbed his eyes, not knowing yet, how it feels to squish volcanic chrystals into your eyeballs.
4/18/08
La Gomera IX
I still have material for a couple more Gomera posts and since the days are slowish in Munich I will keep throwing them in. In the picture above you can see my two favorite men in the whole wide world checking out a big flock of goats (some of them in the background). We also met a donkey, but Karl was sleeping. I demonstrated the typical donkey sounds to him later that day. 
For our little hike to the highest peak of the island, the Garajonay, we switched from the stroller to our carrier. The trails on La Gomera are pretty rough and Andrian was scared that Karl would get a whiplash. I think he's fine though. If he lost a couple of brain cells maybe his friend Bruno can borrow him one of his.
4/15/08
La Gomera VIII
I still got more Gomera pictures to share with you! Which is good because otherwise there's not a whole lot going on right now in rainy Munich, apparently one of the coolest places in the world. Uncooly cool as my friend Jennifer put it.
Anyways. So we went to the beach pictured above. It was beautiful, deserted and very hot. Andrian an I took turns swimming in the gorgeous water while Karl was hanging out in his makeshift sun hut inspecting local minerals.
4/13/08
Playpen
After weeks of research we finally found a playpen for Karl that we like. Okay, technically it wasn't that hard, but there's very few that are white and foldable. Whatevs – he LOVES it. I wasn't so sure if he needed one since there's really nowhere he could go in our apartment. When I stayed at my parents place in Bensheim though I noticed that he totally enjoyed moving around between the lattice bars. After ten minutes on his new playground he even rolled from his back to his tummy for the first time because he was reaching for something. Here's an account of its equipment (because I know you want to know): 1) The crazy Kolle bunny, 2) Karl's beloved baby blanket made by Maria, 3) Wooden pig Rosina from Carolin and Ivo, 4) Fisher Price plastic toy because he's so into plastics, 5) Adventure cuddle blanket from Maria, 6) Pacifier with string, 7) The vegan bean from Mama Beanz, 8) Hello Kitty Bag from Mama Beanz containing more toys, 9) Elephant from Omi, 10) Namesake Franzi soccer player, 11) Another Fisher Price plastic toy because he's really into plastics 12) Condor beach ball from our trip from La Gomera.
So many things! He had to take off his socks before he could start playing.
4/12/08
Premium Tummy Time
The weather was grim today and we couldn't go to the big Theresienwiese flea market as planned. Not that we needed anything, but it's the best market to browse around. Just not in the rain. Instead Karl spent some premium tummy time on his father.
4/10/08
La Gomera VII (Spring Training)
La Gomera is of course also the site for the spring training of the "Diaperpant Rockets". Here he was getting ready for the morning games. He did score a few touchdowns and is a mighty tackler, felling babies twice his size. He did overdo the whole warpaint thing though. So it didn't quite strike as much fear into the hearts of his opponents as planned, but at least he didn't get sunburnt.
4/9/08
La Gomera VI
I had never really heard about dragon trees, but they seem to be super special, because this one was mentioned in all the travel guides we had. It is about 150 years old and sure enough very pretty yet impressive. It is also unconveniently located in a deep hot canyon. Pew!
More Shots
We went to the pediatrician today to get Karl his second set of immunization shots. Since their office is located right next to the Englischer Garten we went for a long walk. As you can see here the weather is beautiful again and the ducks are sleeping.
4/8/08
La Gomera IV
The laurel rain forest in the Garajonay National Park of La Gomera is part of the Unesco World Heritage Forest Programme. Walking through it feels like you're in a fairy tale since it's almost always covered in a misty fog. Karl was stunned by all those shades of green and put on his cutest look in order to survive possible attacks by green forest monsters who probably live there. It seemed to work because we managed to finish the walk safe and sound (although it's not an easy task to push a city stroller on muddy mountain trails).
Our camera was confused by all the fog so the image results are questionable, but it really was the most beautiful nature trip.
4/7/08
La Gomera III
See the little Church in the second picture of the last entry? It had to be our first walk of course. Sun! View! Ocean! And Karl was sleeping.
We got our car seat back on the second day which Karl was only medium happy about. This is also the last time we've seen him tired ever since. For some reason our vacation made him totally hyper. Too bad he's still too young to go to a boxing gym. Speaking of boxing: A big shout-out to my former team mate and sparring partner Yuko Yamamoto who fought herself all the way up to the Golden Gloves Finals at Madison Square Garden next weekend. Congrats! I so wish I could be there.
P.S.: Thank you, Maria, for the awesome outfit! WE LOVE IT!
La Gomera II
Turns out you need a lot of patience to travel to La Gomera. It actually took us 14 hours to get there. Partially of course because Munich airport is located somewhere in Russia. Another reason was that our car seat didn't make it on the flight to Tenerife somehow, so we ended up missing the boat to the island.
It is totally worth it though. Check out the view from our little bungalow. Pretty similar to what had been promised (see two entries below), huh?
Even though he had 14 hours, Karl didn't get through all the magazines he got for the trip, so he was still doing some reading after we had arrived. In the background you can see his mom resting.
4/6/08
La Gomera I
Yes, we're back! It was great. The island is amazing, the weather was beautiful and Karl the best travel companion. More to come...