Our Apartment

So, I think that delicious pizza I had a few nights ago finally caught up with me...or Stella rather. Leon didn't go to bed again last night because he took too long of a nap (I was out shopping and was supposed to wake him up when I got back...which was supposed to be a lot earlier) and he said that Stella was crying about every 10-15 minutes. I just remember waking up at 2:30 feeling like instead of sleeping, I had be letting multiple buses hit me.

So I'm exhausted this morning and don't know if I have any energy to leave the apartment. Which makes this a good day to let you in to our lovely little abode.

 The front entry

The front door...Amazing! I actually really like the entrance way. It has a perfect spot for what we've already started to pile there...The backpack, grocery roller cart, a few bags and shoes. And note the bag of trash. Very important.

If you walk straight in from the front door, the bathroom is on your right. Complete with a bidet. For you non-Europeans, here's the definition of a bidet: A bidet is a low-mounted plumbing fixture or type of sink intended for washing the genitalia, inner buttocks, and anus. Lovely, isn't it! My definition is a sink that is impossible to keep children out of  and a great place to lose your keys.

The big buttons on the wall about the toilet are for flushing. I actually find the flushing fascinating. It kind of reminds me of a bubbling hot tub. With some obvious differences. You can sort of see that our over-sized (awesome!) bath towels have the Vatican emblem on it. In the top left corner, you can see the smallest white corner. That's a strategically placed cabinet for smacking your head into when standing up from the toilet. And in the right corner is a small enclosed shower.

Across from the shower is the sink. Low enough for Emma to have a good time in it. I also really like that she can see herself in the mirror, so that every time I've sent her in to wash the peanut butter off of her face, she actually comes back perfectly clean. 

Walking straight from the toilet is a hallway. On the left is the kitchen. Complete with an ity-bity washer, dryer (left of fridge), stove, and fridge. Seriously, I've never seen appliances so small. These people are clearly not living the American dream. The cabinets look plain white, but if you look at the slightly reflected part above the sink, you'll see they're shiny with matte stripes. Pretty cute.

Speaking of pretty cute...

Stella always wins that one. Especially when eating.

Oh yeah! I really cool element in the kitchen is the dish rack directly above the sink. You've seen the kind where the plates and bowls are stacked vertically like a bookshelf. Well this one has a metal grate beneath that so you can put the plates and bowls in dripping wet. You can place cups and silverware on the tray and they all just drip into the sink to dry! That's the only reason why there are no dishes on the counters in these pictures. :)

Moving on. Then there's the cute team, in the living room

Here's Stella drawing on the living room floor. Totally at home.

 and another, looking out on the small enclosed patio. Through it you can see the washer in the kitchen, so you can walk completely around.

Then the floor of the girls' room...already broken in...

Another shot of a messy girls' room...

We stole the twin bed mattress to be the baby bed next to our bed.

Here's Emma in day 2 or 3 of jet lag in her room.

And one of the coolest features is the larger patio...

A little bare, but will be awesome with a bunch of plants

Looking up from there...

See! A tree!

Then the other corner...

Ooooo...chairs!

And up from that view...

Very Roman arches I'm sure.

Now you know the worst its going to look like when you visit. Hopefully we'll be more settled in soon. And by that, I mean we'll be surrounded by more of our familiar crap. :) I mean personal belongings.


Peace!