Is it only the end of March?  I was just looking through some photos and realized just how much has happened.  Not actually sure we really did this much, but I guess the photos, ticket stubs, and Facebook check-ins prove it.

Yes, we are officially over-stimulating our new son.

Here’s a quick rundown of where we’ve been and what we’ve done:

• New Years – took Drake (then 4 weeks old) to the center of Basel for the fireworks.
• Jan 3 – Freiburg, Germany – took Drake and Sonya’s parents for a great day of sites and nappy changes in restaurants and train stations.
• Sonya’s parent’s were in town for three weeks and left on the 5th (houseguests 1 & 2).
• Michael Saucier arrives on Jan 8th (houseguest 3)
• Jan 20 – My sister Robyn arrives from the US (houseguest 4)
• Jan 20 – Sonya’s birthday – a night out with Drake and my sister at Oliv, one of our favorites in Basel.  Drake was not impressed with this visit.
• Jan 22 – I proceed to get deathly ill and am down for the count for over 10 days.  Damn you, lack of sleep!
• Jan 26 (while sick) – Robyn babysits while Sonya and I celebrate our 1 year anniversary at Stucki, the nicest (and most expensive – yikes) restaurant in Basel.  Can you believe we were in Sri Lanka just last year and about to go on tour?
• Jan 30 (while sick) – Strasbourg, France – Drake, Sonya, my sister and I head North to France for some great food and a wonderful day seeing the sights.
• Feb 7 – Business trip to Paris where I reconnected with two great friends, Patrick Duboys and Guy-Michel Pambi.
• Feb 9 – Train from Paris to Cologne where Sonya and Drake are waiting.  It’s business for me, but fun for the family as Drake spends his first couple of nights out of the country.
• Feb 13 – Bern, Switzerland – Getting Drake’s passport (yes, his previous trips were technically illegal) and seeing the capital.  Great city.  Go there sometime.
• Feb 20 – We host the reunion of our antenatal class where six babies meet each other for the first time.  Tired parents, great food and paparazzi everywhere.
• Feb 24 – Michael Saucier returns as houseguest #5.
• Feb 28 – My parents arrive (houseguests 6 & 7) to meet their Grandson for the first time.  Amazing.
• Mar 3 – Dad’s birthday, and we go to Mulhouse, France to see one of the most amazing car collections ever.  If you like cars, stop reading and plan your trip now.
• Mar 7 – Strasbourg, France with the parents
• Mar 9-10 – Zermatt, Switzerland and the Matterhorn, followed by 5 hours on the Glacier Express through the alps to Chur.  Another must see in Switzerland.
• Mar 12 – Amy Adams Harding, on a business trip in Zurich, drops in for a day as houseguest #8
• Mar 13 – Wil am Rhein, Germany – A visit to the Vitra Design Museum and the Frank Gehry exhibit with my parents.
• Mar 14 – Fasnacht (Carnival) starts at 4am, just after I drop my parents at the airport.  We spend the next 3 days with Drake seeing this fantastic event which takes place all over the city.
• Mar 17-20 – Paris, France – It’s Sonya’s last weekend of maternity leave so we go out in style by taking Drake to Paris for 3 days.  Great food, great friends (thanks Patrick & Jeanette!), great sites, and even great exercise lugging Drake around in the Baby Bjorn.

It wears me out just thinking and writing about it, much less doing it.  That said, I wouldn’t change a thing. 

It’s interesting that I once had a goal of visiting 40 countries before I was 40 years old (I hit 45!).  Drake visited 3 in his first 3 months.  Ugh.

Until next time…

Robert (and Sonya and Drake)