The Bolton Life

IT'S ABOUT TIME!

2011-01-10T13:21:00.002+01:00

More info later.. Momma is POOPED!

PERHAPS....

2011-01-03T14:41:00.001+01:00

...we will have a baby in the next 48 hours!

:)

This is what happens...

2010-12-08T17:17:00.000+01:00

...when a 4 year old is left unattended long enough for Momma to take a shower!...when that 4 year old doesn't drain the bath-tub after washing off all his "tattoos" and "make-up"!

Lighting of the Tree Ceremony in Baumholder

2010-12-05T16:39:00.000+01:00

Nothing better than starting a chilly evening out than with Starbucks Caramel Apple Cider! Mmm, my favorite. Terry had his regular Caramel Macchiato, and Nathyn decided he likes Hot Chocolate the best. Oh well, their loss I say!

We started outside and watched the lighting of the tree and awaited the arrival of Santa Claus via the fire truck. I have to be completely honest too, the look of amazement and happiness on my son's face with the fat man got off the truck had me in tears. :)

We went inside the community center, picked up a few treats and freebies & Nathyn even got a Wall-E DVD. Then onto the Santa Claus like which literally lasted an hour and a half... HOLY MOLY! Terry stood in line while Nathyn and I wondered, collected candy canes and walked ballet performances of the Nutcracker and other seasonal songs.

Doesn't the little girl dead center look to be having a FANTASTIC time? :D

Nathyn was mesmorized! We spent most of the evening standing at the rope watching them dance.

Then on to Santa! I liked this picture that I took better than the one provided. :)

The snow has gotten a bit thicker since Thanksgiving. Nathyn and Terry love it.. me? Not so much!

Let the Christmas Season begin!!!

Nathyn's 1st School Pictures

2010-12-01T14:55:00.000+01:00

Sure Start '10-'11

Gavin's 3D Ultrasounds

2010-11-30T20:49:00.000+01:00

28 Weeks :)

32 Weeks :)
Gavin got chuuuuunky, haha. He was playing shy this day.

My next 3D ultrasound will be December 28th. I get a regular one every Tuesday, but they don't give pictures then. Boooo!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 2010

2010-11-26T13:49:00.000+01:00

Happy Thanksgiving! And surprise, our first snow! How strange it was to celebrate our first BIG holiday here without and family or the familiar faces we are used to seeing! Terry and I have a schedule every Thanksgiving, and we go from house to house visiting loved ones. This year we stayed in and although I contemplated a little "chicken dinner" instead of going all out for the three of us, I decided to do it big and invite the single soldiers from the barracks to fill their bellies as well.

Good idea, right?? Yeahhhh, I thought so too, until I stood in the kitchen 30 weeks pregnant on swollen feet for 8 hours cooking non-stop! It was worth it though, I'm glad to have made people smile! :)

An excellent idea right here! I injected my bird with Tony Chachere's Creole Style Butter Marinade, smothered a bunch of butter under the skin, followed by some uncooked bacon strips and cooked in a Turkey bag. Little over 3 hours later, out popped this beautiful little thing! By far the juiciest and most flavorful turkey I've ever had & I got nothing but rave reviews!

Terry tried his hand at a new bacon and bacon cheddar stuffed mushrooms recipe and they were also a hit! I think the tray lasted a whole.... 8 minutes?! Good job, Honey!Between appetizers & dinner time, the boys got in some play time! Nathyn loves playing with the guys. It's always a show when we get a group together.Favorite part of the day?! DIG IN time!And thank you very much to the Titan Platoon for recognizing us in the December newsletter! It was our pleasure and we'd do it again given the chance!

Another Anniversary! 9 years today!

2010-11-21T14:34:00.002+01:00

Today Terry and I have been married 4 years, and together an amazing 9! We spent the afternoon cleaning the house, organizing all the things from our baby shower and watching movies. Then when evening came we put up our Christmas tree. Perhaps this will be a new tradition..

BEFOREAFTERNathyn's way of helping. He's too silly!Our very first full size Christmas tree as a family! It's beautiful.
And this is a video I made for Terry for our anniversary. I love it, Nathyn loves it, and the look on Terry's face was priceless. Happy Anniversary my love!

OUR BABY SHOWER!

2010-11-20T14:24:00.000+01:00

Thank you SO much to Miss Marsha for throwing me a wonderful baby shower!Unlike my first shower, this one was much more traditional. It was lovely! We played games...

Terry played with the gifts as I opened them...

There were lots of yummies from Marsha and a friend LaRee. And they had my best interest in mind when making the menu diabetic friendly! Thanks girls!

The kids had lots of fun playing with playdough while the grown-ups played our games.

I got SO many wonderful gifts. What great friends I have here!

We shared lots of laughs! :)

YAY! Turtles, my favorite! :)

Thanks again to Marsha who worked so hard while she had so much other things going on! She's truly a remarkable lady! And to all the people who came and celebrated the upcoming arrival of my newest little monster.

Family Portraits @ 29 Weeks Pregnant

2010-11-18T19:53:00.000+01:00

LAYING ON THE BEACH

2010-10-14T20:17:00.003+02:00

My baby doing some serious lounging! :)

Laying on his back, legs stretched out and ankles crossed. Life doesn't get any better.

KAISERSLAUTERN ZOO

2010-10-12T17:32:00.005+02:00

My AMAZING neighbor mentioned in a previous post coordinated a trip to the K-Town Zoo on Sunday. T'was nice to get out of the house, Nathyn had a blast, and I met a couple nice new chicks. Really, I don't call girls "chicks".. Anyways, I forgot my camera so these are stolen from Marsha (the kick ass neighbor!).

I LOST MY HEART

2010-10-09T22:24:00.002+02:00

She packs. She moves. She follows. Why? What for? How come? You may think she's lost her mind. Actually,she's lost her heart. It was stolen from her by a man. A man who puts duty first, who longs to deploy, who salutes the flag, and whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Army Man, She will remain his Army Sweetheart.

RANDOMNESS AND SUCH

2010-10-07T11:31:00.005+02:00

Nathyn has bronchitis so he's home from school all week. He has more energy than ever in between coughing and wheezing. Crazy kid.
Since changing the dosage on my blood pressure medicine I've been feeling a bit better, but still not 100%.
I go in today for a blood pressure check to make sure it's not going up. Hopefully all is well.
On 26units of insulin, my fasting blood sugar was finally where it needed to be. Still having a bit of trouble finding the right breakfasts to get my blood sugar down after that. It's not too terribly bad though.
My next OB appt is October 20th. Next high risk appt is November 14th. WIC, January 5th.
I technically have 16 weeks left of this pregnancy. I'll schedule a c-section 1-2 weeks early, so it actually will be only 14 weeks left. I'm wondering if this baby comes early like Nathyn did. Then only 11 weeks left. And I've read a TON of cases where Mothers who had preeclampsia and delivered early in the first pregnancy actually deliver earliER in their second. So it COULD be less than 11 weeks. That's scary. I need to get on the whole baby shopping thing!
Terry left last Saturday for the field. His command didn't honor the note from my doctor; we're both pretty upset. He's supposed to be back on my Birthday. I hope the schedule doesn't change. If he's not back for my birthday, he will be missing 3 years in a row (last year, this year and next year thanks to the upcoming deployment).
I've been driving against doctor's advice but I really have no choice.
Life would be SO much easier with Terry around right now, especially now that my lovely son has shared all his sick germs with me. But I'm glad he's getting the training he needs.
I have an amazing friend downstairs who has been a HUGE help to me! I'm definitely thankful for her. It's very comforting knowing I have someone so close that I can go to for darn near anything. It doesn't hurt that my kid AND dog love her and her whole family too!>

And at this very moment Nathyn is trying his hardest to get his "Baby Bear" from out of my closet. It's one of those fur real friends that he got for Christmas last year. It's in the closet because he says it talks too loud at night and keeps him awake. I told him if he wanted it, he had to get it. He is one determined little boy! :)

SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM?

2010-10-03T09:44:00.002+02:00

You know the feeling you get when you ride on an AWESOME roller coaster? Lots of speed, twisties and turnies and loop-da-loops? You hop off the ride and for just a few seconds your head is spinning, can't really walk straight, a bit of nausea creeps up, you can't catch your breath and sometimes you even see spots? It's the BEST feeling in the world, right?? Well, I've had that feeling for 11 days now. I've seen 4 doctors and no one knows what's wrong. They've checked all they can think to check (as far as they're telling me) and so far everything comes back perfectly fine.. blood, urine, blood pressure, blood sugars, even an EKG for good measure.

I came home the other day and decided to look up a few of the medications I've found, most specifically, the Labetalol for my blood pressure. On Sept 22nd the doctor increased my dosage from 100mg twice a day to 200mg twice a day. The next day I started feeling like crap. Here's what I found pertaining to side affects...

slow or uneven heartbeats;
feeling like you might pass out;
feeling short of breath, even with mild exertion;
swelling or rapid weight gain; or
nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).

Less serious side effects may include:

tingly feeling in your scalp
dizziness, spinning sensation;
mild nausea, upset stomach;
tired feeling

My scalp isn't tingly, definitely haven't lost my appetite, and my poo isn't funny colors, and I'm NOT yellow. Other than that... I pretty much have all of these symptoms. I've whacked into a few walls, taken 2 falls, I can't drive and I'm constantly feeling like I'm bouncing all over the place when I'm sitting still and it's making my sick to my stomach! I've complained and complained and NOTHING. Yesterday I called Labor & Delivery and told them what I FEEL is wrong so I went in, went through a BUNCH of tests and after everything came back normal, the doctor decided to lower my Labetalol back to my original dose. I really hope this works. Suppose I'll know by Thursday.

Because of all the problems I've been having,and the fact that I just started insulin shots, my doctor wrote this letter for me.

Terry was due to leave Saturday the 2nd back to the field for a month but he turned this in to his command so that he can stay back to take care of us; make sure Nathyn gets to school, do the cooking since I've had trouble standing that long and help out with driving me to me appointments and to do the household shopping. He also wouldn't get any cell phone reception where he's going, so there would be the constant worry between us the whole time.

Terry left Saturday the 2nd at 0630. I was pissed. He was pissed. I'm home with Nathyn, he's sick, I feel like I'm on drugs, and the house is a mess. Thankfully I call from him yesterday and he does in fact have reception where he is [enter sigh of relief here]. Hopefully I find the strength to make it through this month, but it's gonna be tough.

22 WEEKS @ HIGH RISK SPECIALIST

2010-09-22T19:27:00.005+02:00

Today was my 2nd appointment with the high risk specialist. I hate the drive out there (about 40 minutes total) but I LOVE that I get to see my baby so often.Gavin is growing right on track so far which is quite relieving. I'm nervous he'll be big from the diabetes, and worried he'll be small because Nathyn was so small. These "checks" are a real nerve settler.

So far every thing with Gavin is perfect, heard his heart beating and watched it pumping away, say his tummy, legs and arms, and a few other parts. He bounced around and put on quite a show for Daddy and I.

My blood sugar levels aren't exactly where they want them, meaning not as low, but they are keeping me on the same medication dosage for now. My blood pressure isn't coming down either which is what I'M most worried about (because of preeclampsia) so my doctor doubled my dosage and sent me home with a blood pressure taker and I'm instructed to turn my numbers in in 2 weeks.

But for now, no major worries, thank God. :) Next appointment with the regular OB is in 4 weeks, and then back to the high risk specialist 4 weeks after that.

PELVIC PAIN, ANXIETY & THANKSGIVING

2010-09-19T11:11:00.003+02:00

At 13 weeks pregnant I made a trip to the ER. When the triage nurse asked what I wanted to be seen for, it was hard to explain. The best I could come up with is, "My vagina hurts". Still, 9 weeks later, I have a hard time explaining it but after much thought I came up with this...

You know when you're about 12 years old and you think it's funny to ride on a littler kid's tricylce? So you hop on, your knees touching your elbows and you pedal like a mad man while the wheels peel out a few times underneath you. After a few seconds, the tricycle has had enough... it jumps out from in front of you! Bike goes forward [after your wheels finally get good traction] but your body doesn't move. WHAM! Your ass hits the concrete. Now, your tailbone is bruised and it hurts to walk for a week.

Yeah, it's something like that. Only, when that tricycle flew out from underneath me this time, somehow my vagina hit the concrete instead. Yes, it feels like I bruised my tailbone... in my vagina. Getting out of bed is painful, sitting at my computer desk hurts, making left or right turns in the car is uncomfortable. I asked the doctor about it, they have no answers. It's getting worse. It puts me in a bad mood!

I'm 22 weeks pregnant now, which normally leaves about 18 weeks left. However, I get to schedule my c-section 1-2 weeks earlier so I have about 16-17 weeks left. I'm excited. I want to hold my baby, I want to witness the love and passion in my husband's eyes when he holds his beautiful creation, I want to see Nathyn shine when he finally meets his little brother.

Every time I think about the birth of this baby it makes me nervous. Anxiety kicks up, I panic a little bit, my day is ruined and then I cry. I don't want it to be this way, and in no way to I regret having another child. Terry deploys somewhere about a month or so after Gavin is to be born. It breaks my heart to know that my husband will be gone for a whole year. I think about all the things Terry will miss, I wonder how the baby reacts when he's finally home, how Terry will adjust to coming home to a wife and TWO kids instead of one. I hate thinking about it, but I can't help it.

And lastly... I'm hungry! I can't help it, but I am! I still haven't gained any weight and actually have lost 14 pounds since my initial pregnancy weigh in. WOOP! I want Thanksgiving SO bad, and I think I might not be able to wait the 9 weeks to make it. Too bad Terry leaves in 2 weeks for another month. So my newest assignment... finding someone to eat my Thanksgiving in October! YUMMM!

SETTING CHANGES

2010-09-16T12:09:00.002+02:00

Changed a couple settings. Most important is not accepting comments from anonymous people anymore. I've gotten a few rude ones, and TONS of comments from people that don't sign who they are. If you're an anonymous commenter, then please create an account. It's easy to do, and you can comment all you want! Thanks!

IS IT THAT TIME ALREADY?

2010-09-15T14:50:00.004+02:00

Today was Nathyn's FIRST day of school! Pre-school anyways, but school none-the-less. He's been begging me to let him start for over a year already, so today was very exciting for all of us! Terry even was lucky enough to get off of work to drop him off and pick him up for his very first day!

And of course... PICTURES!

MEET THE NEW LIL' MISTER!

2010-08-25T21:59:00.003+02:00

This is Mr. Gavin James Bolton
Blowing kisses to Mommy! :)

And the little man's goods. A bit impressive for just 18 weeks, eh? haha

ANOTHER CALL FROM THE DOCTOR...

2010-08-20T22:41:00.002+02:00

I've never had a doctor call just to say hi, to see how I'm feeling, or ask me to coffee. Actually, I can't ever recall having a doctor call me before in my whole life.... until this pregnancy. It's to the point now that I never want to answer the phone. :(

First call... my glucose tolerance test came back icky. Was referred to a gestational diabetic specialist to start the finger poke 4 times a day to confirm whether or not it was gestational diabetes or not. I hate poking myself. It hurts. A lot. And it doesn't get easier as time passes. 4 times a day. I hate it.

Second call... I need to make an ultrasound appointment for the lump in my breast. My reaction? OMG, it's cancer! Made an appointment, it's a month out. Gotta love stressing for a month.

Third call... my pap test came back abnormal. Again, my reaction? OMG, it's cervical cancer! The best part about it... there is NOTHING we can do until 8-12 weeks POST-PARTUM! In the meantime, I stress about WHY it would come back abnormal.

Fourth call... Boob ultrasound came back fine. Well, kinda. It's not a breast lump (thank God), it's a piece of my rib sticking up under my boob. No idea why. Apparently I could have broken or fractured a rib some how without knowing. I guess I gotta get that checked out now. But hey, at least it's not cancer, so this isn't all bad.

Fifth call... Today the diabetic lady called me about the blood sugar readings I sent her. I definitely have gestational diabetes. CRAP! I didn't want that at all. I'll be started on a medication similar to the metformin on Wednesday.

Needless to say, I'm frustrated. Irritated. Completely overwhelmed. With all this medical stuff, with things going on where I live, and a million other things. Not to mention the 1/4 of a tank of gas it takes to get to and from just one doctor's appointment. *sigh*

GOOD THINGS THOUGH, I have another ultrasound on August 25th (Terry's birthday) for a fetal growth scan with the high risk specialist. They want to be sure the baby is growing as well as it should be so I don't have another itty bitty baby like Nathyn was. He was just under 4 pounds. From the conversation with the doctor today I pretty much got that I'm gonna be at the doctors A LOT with the goals of carrying to 40 weeks and delivering a big healthy baby. We'll make plans to keep my blood pressures low to avoid preeclampsia if possible and keep my sugars as low as possible so the risk of preeclampsia doesn't raise even more.

This would be easier if Terry was home. But I'm not going to complain too much about that. I like that he goes to field training and learns all that he does. I want him to be as prepared as possible for the upcoming deployment.

That's all I know for now. I'm sure there's much more to update about after the next couple of appointments and I'll have more answers.

HELP! I NEED A MAKEOVER!

2010-08-15T15:36:00.001+02:00

I need a bloggy make-over! Who designed your blog? Who would you recommend? I just don't have it in me and I need

HEEELLLLPPPP!

Please, thanks, and have a GREAT day!

OOOOH, BABY!

2010-08-14T23:25:00.000+02:00

Terry left today for the field (boooo) and my ultrasound to find out what the baby is was scheduled for when he'd be gone (another boooo). So we decided to get one early. BUT, stinky, stinky baby didn't want to cooperate. Anywho, here's a few pictures and a little video to share. :)

INSIDE CASTLE WALLS- Kusel, Germany

2010-07-30T15:23:00.004+02:00

TRIBERG WATERFALLS- Black Forest, Germany

2010-07-30T13:54:00.005+02:00

Germany's tallest waterfalls in the Black Forest.

Followed by dinner at a little cafe that sat right along the bottom of the falls. Hearing the water while eating is such a neat experience.

GIANT FOOD! Waldgeist Restaurant

2010-07-30T13:36:00.004+02:00

Waldgeist Cafe und Restaurant Info

OLDEST CITY IN GERMANY- Trier, Germany

2010-07-30T12:46:00.003+02:00

4th of July!

2010-07-29T14:23:00.003+02:00

Waiting NOT so patiently for fireworks to start. If you don't smile, you're not human!

And the fireworks and music began!

Frankfurt Zoo, Frankfurt, Germany

2010-07-29T13:23:00.004+02:00

Frankfurt Zoo

Nathyn's favorite part of the zoo. BABOONS!

And Nathyn ended the day with a splash! :)

Rhine River Cruise, Bingen, Germany

2010-07-29T12:44:00.005+02:00

Capt. Nathyn

FLASHBACK FRIDAY

2010-07-16T23:14:00.000+02:00

Just four months after we had gotten together. I was 15, Terry was 14.April 2002

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! HAVE SOME LASAGNA!

2010-06-20T19:36:00.006+02:00

Let me start by saying Happy Father's Day to my husband, an AMAZING father! Also to his father, Terry and my father, James. And to all the other daddies, soon-to-be daddies, and single Moms!

For Father's Day my husband requested his favorite meal for dinner, my lasagna. :) I figured since I was taking the (long) time to make it, I'd snap a few pictures and share the recipe with all of you!

First you chop, chop, slice! CHOP! I start with carrots, onions and mushrooms, YUM!

Melt some butter in a deep skillet and throw in all the veggies. Stir them around, let them love each other.. smell the aroma! Mmmm....
When your veggies start to brown, throw in 1 pound of LEAN ground beef and 1 pound of mild flavor sausage. I seasoned with a little Mrs Dash Garlic & Herb and a bit of fresh ground pepper. Add in one medium chopped zucchini for the last 3-4 minutes of browning.
Then you throw in all this deliciousness. Obviously you can choose any sauce you'd like. Today, Terry chose Parmesan and Romano. We heart cheese around here! I also add a can of diced tomatoes that are flavored. Again, choose your flavor. The spaghetti seasoning packet is to thicken the sauce from the extra juice from the tomatoes. Plus, adds more yummy flavorrrrr!After you add the sauce and tomatoes, turn it down to low and cover. This will help those veggies get extra tender and delicious. In the mean time, let's make more CHEESE!

Thaw [according to package directions] on 10 oz package of frozen spinach. To the spinach add 1 pound of Ricotta cheese, 1 egg, and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.
**Have I mentioned yet that we LOVE cheese?**And back to the SAUCE! As if we didn't have enough cheese already, let's go ahead an add a block of cream cheese to our sauce, like so....And stir until it looks like this:Time to LAYER! Start with PAM! There will be NO sticking in this house. Then cover the bottom with sauce, a layer of cooked lasagna noodles, then schmear on the spinach ricotta.Repeat! Sauce, noodle, ricotta. And PLEASE my friends, DRY THOSE NOODLES! Your sauce's worst enemy is WATER. Don't do it! When you get to the top layer, treat your self to even more cheese.. this time, shredded.Put it in the oven that you've preheated to 375* F and set the timer for 30 minutes. Because you have absolutely nothing better to do, take your kid outside to ride his new bike that he got for his birthday.Once he's nice and sweaty, you know it's time to heat. Take the lasagna from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes. Or you will have lasagna soup. While the lasagna is resting after so much hard work, toast up some garlic bread. YUM!

When it's done, you should see something ever-so-spectacular. This:You serve your husband, it is Fathers Day after all. He loves it. :)**Note how we broke out our finest China? Hey, I cooked, I don't want to clean, too!*
Bubba... not so much love. He's never like "beezonya". I swear he's not our real kid.

Day #7: PICTURE THAT MAKES ME HAPPY

2010-06-10T13:20:00.003+02:00

This will forever be my most favorite picture of my son. It makes me happy. :)

DAY #6: WHATEVER TICKLES MY FANCY

2010-06-09T16:34:00.004+02:00

Let me start with a few things that do NOT tickle my fancy.

Wanting something REALLY bad and not being able to get it, no matter how hard you work.
Going to TONS of doctor's appointments looking for answers, but not really getting any.
Getting a MILLION negatives, when all you want is that one positive.
Finally finding a doctor that cares, but getting an OB that disagrees.
WAITING. Waiting for what seems like the impossible.
Panicking that you aren't gonna make a deadline. That things won't work with all of my husband's crazy training.

But what DOES tickle my fancy, is the fact that there are miracles. For the fact that something miraculous happens at JUST the right time. When you least expect it, something ever so positive pops up.
Yes... this definitely tickles my fancy. :)

10 weeks, 2 days. Due January 5, 2011.

DAY #5: MY FAVORITE QUOTES

2010-06-08T16:05:00.003+02:00

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it."

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you'll land among stars." - Les Brown

DAY #4: MY FAVORITE BOOK

2010-06-07T12:56:00.004+02:00

Because I have not read as much as I should have in my adult life, it's a bit hard to choose a favorite book. I really liked the VC Andrews series, but other than that and a few random (Dan Brown and Dean Koontz) books I really haven't read much. So instead, here were my two favorite books to read while growing up. I owned them both, and I've read them WAY more times than I can remember. I had actually mentioned awhile back that I'd like to dig out one of these and start reading it to Nathyn. I bet he'd like that.

DAY #3: MY FAVORITE TV SHOW

2010-06-06T11:29:00.003+02:00

I'm ashamed to admit, but I LOVE TV! Probably too much. I have about a million favorite shows. I narrowed it down as best as I could. :)

DAY #2: MY FAVORITE MOVIE

2010-06-05T11:03:00.005+02:00

If you haven't seen it, watch it NOW! I've seen it 1,048 times and I could watch it a million more! This seriously is my favorite part of the whole movie! *tear*

UPDATE: Ok, I seriously cried watching this after I posted it! haha I need to buy another copy.. mine is stuck in my storage unit back home.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY "PAPA"

2010-06-04T11:56:00.003+02:00

Nathyn says, "Happy Birthday! Birthday is for presents. I will get you a spiderman present betuz spiderman is for boys. Papa is a BIG boy, yes or no? YES! He's hecka big. I miss mine Papa. We need to go to Papa's house for his birthday party, I'm gonna go get dressed now!""Dad! A very happy birthday to the best father-in-law I could have hoped for! I hope you get the wonderful, relaxing birthday that you deserve. WHAT? 26 more days!" -Kegan"Happy Birthday, Dad. I love you lots and I really can't wait to see you in July! Hope you have a really good day. Love, Terry Bob."

DAY #1: MY FAVORITE SONG

2010-06-03T11:14:00.000+02:00

I discovered the song Christmas of 2005 when I got the Reba's #1s CD set as a gift. It was the first time I had heard the song, and being pregnant, well it touched me. I listened to it over and over and over again and cried 90% of the time. Still not sure why I do that to myself. :) Anyways, it's definitely been one of my favorites since then.

**Life has no guarantees, but always loved by me, you're gonna be!**

30 Days About ME!

2010-06-03T11:12:00.000+02:00

Ok, so I'm gonna try my first XX Day Project, and this one is all about ME! Hopefully I can stick to it! :)

Day 01 - your favorite song
Day 02 - your favorite movie
Day 03 - your favorite television program
Day 04 - your favorite book
Day 05 - your favorite quote
Day 06 - whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 - a photo that makes you happy
Day 08 - a photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 - a photo you took
Day 10 - a photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 - a photo of you taken recently
Day 12 - whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 - a fictional book
Day 14 - a non-fictional book
Day 15 - a fanfic
Day 16 - a song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 - an art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 - whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 - a talent of yours
Day 20 - a hobby of yours
Day 21 - a recipe
Day 22 - a website
Day 23 - a YouTube video
Day 24 - whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 - your day, in great detail
Day 26 - your week, in great detail
Day 27 - this month, in great detail
Day 28 - this year, in great detail
Day 29 - hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 -- whatever tickles your fancy

OUR 1st SOLDIER SHOW

2010-05-22T12:39:00.004+02:00

Nathyn and I attended our first Soldier Show last night and we had a blast! It's a 90 minute concert [for FREE] full of singing and dancing and fun! Nathyn was being really shy at first, but eventually he got into and was clapping and semi-dancing. Terry has been working late, and will for another week and a half or so, so he wasn't able to come. But we had lots of sun anyways.

The U.S. Army Soldier Show is a highly integrated, high-energy ensemble production, offering a wide range of popular music and stage spectacle to Soldiers and Family on Army Garrisons world wide. It's a show for soldiers, by soldiers! Wanna read more about the 2010 US Army Soldier Show? Click here!

Hopefully this is a show we'll be able to catch every year!

DO I OR DON'T I...?

2010-05-20T13:03:00.006+02:00

...have PCOS?

Like we all know my PCM (doctor) diagnosed me with PCOS a few weeks ago and referred me off to OB/GYN for further treatment. I saw the patient liaison at the health clinic and booked an appointment with a German doctor. I saw her Monday, 17 May.

The wait was WAY longer than I would have liked, little over an hour. Kegan does not wait well. I was finally called in and was seated at a desk in an office.. weird. And then began the questions...

[I'm in the italics]
When was the last time you were on birth control? June 2004.
Do you have any children? One boy, 4 years old in June.
Oh, so you do ovulate! How long were you OFF BC before falling pregnant? Uhm, June 04 until Nov 06. Sooo... 18 months?
Wow, that's a long time! How much do you weigh? About xxx pounds. [Sorry, not sharing LOL]
REALLY? Wow... really? That's a lot! Uh, yeah, I know.

There were more questions; who diagnosed you with PCOS? What made them think that you have PCOS? [I answered]. That doesn't sound like PCOS to me. I don't think you have PCOS. You need to get an ultrasound, go sit in the hallway and I'll call you again.

In the hall I was talking with Terry. "Great. Now I have to book an appointment for ultrasound, and Lord knows how long that's gonna take. Then I have to wait for results, come back for another appointment so we're pretty much starting all over again. This is SO frustrating. I don't like this doctor, we should just leave, LET'S GO." The doctor called for me again.

Ok, so I was jumping the gun a little bit. It would definitely be an understatement to say I'm becoming quite frustrated with the whole situation. Maybe we're not supposed to have more kids... Maybe there's a reason behind all of this? Maybe we should just give it a rest and forget about it.

We walked into a second room where the doctor was waiting. I was definitely surprised to see what? An ultrasound cart. "Please step behind the wall and get undressed and come to the table." Thank God I came prepared with a long shirt. I changed and came to the table. She checked me out quite thoroughly and said everything looked fine, then began the ultrasound. She was very descriptive! She let me watch the screen as she pointed out each my right ovary and fallopian tube, my uterus and a pocket of fluid that she said represented that my right ovary had previously ovulated. WTF? Then what are we doing wrong? Then she proceeded to my left ovary and showed me "the cyst". The stupid cyst that put me in surgery in September. It's back.

When I went in for surgery in September the cyst was not removed, but rather cut into and drained. Had he removed it I would have lost my whole fallopian tube and ovary. Because he knew Terry and I wanted more children, he decided not to lesson our chances. But had he just taken it, I wouldn't have to have surgery again. Ugh! At that time is a little larger than 7 centimeters. Right now it's about 4 centimeters. Crap. Another surgery, I just know it. This sucks!

Dr. Mueller (my German OB/GYN) says that it's possible for this cyst to go away on it's own with my next menstruation. However, that menstruation is going on 3 weeks late according to the schedule I've been on since September's surgery. Aunt Flow was MIA for 6 months prior to that. This could be a long wait. So, as it stands, this is the plan:

- Finish the next 3 weeks of Metformin, repeat lab work, then discontinue taking it.
- Wait for menstruation.
- When menstruation occurs, call Dr. Mueller's office and make an appointment.
- During this appointment she will repeat the ultrasound to see if the cyst has gone or if it still rears it's ugly head. Depending on the cyst situation, we will take one of two paths.

1. If the cyst had flushed itself away with my menstruation then we can start Clomid. [Don't know what Clomid is? Click here.] Obviously this is the ideal situation.

2. If the cyst is still there I will be scheduled for surgery. I'm really hoping at this point that this doctor is comfortable enough to perform a laproscopic surgery instead of slicing me wide open. My last doctor did, but was a little hesitant because I'm obviously on the hefty side.

So, now we wait. We wait for three weeks to pass. Then we wait again for Aunt Flow to visit. I've never WANTED a period so bad in my life! Hopefully it doesn't take forever. What if it does? What if I go 6 months again? We are on a big of a time schedule. I don't want to wait YEARS. I'm panicking.

Ok, that is all for now. Suppose there will be another update in a couple months. Nothing more I can say for now. :(

*sigh*

NATHYN'S 4 YEAR PICTURES

2010-05-19T15:25:00.003+02:00

His birthday isn't until next month, but it's close enough. Plus, this was a special they were advertising in the PX where they were doing portraits for one day only. I absolutely adore how they turned out!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2010-05-19T10:52:00.003+02:00

Sweatin' to the Oldies

with Daddy, Nathyn & Uncle Eric

RIDING 'ROUND IN GERMANY!

2010-05-18T19:24:00.004+02:00

Went on a loooong drive today, 4 hours to be exact. My friend Bryant drove so I could take some pictures. It was fun, good company, and quite relaxing. Hooray for last minute road trips to no where!

Roads between the towns.

Driving through a town. All the small ones look the same. =)
"She thinks my tractors sexy..."

The steeples in the towns are my favorite.

Open fields and windmills. Breath taking!

Not sure what town this was, but it's definitely a bigger one.

Another shot of the same town.

I think the German houses are so pretty!

"Here is the church, here is the steeple..."

I have no idea where this little road went to. But it was cute!

Terry loves the yellow flowers. <3

This is the CUTEST cow EVER! It was talking to me.

You know you wish your gas prices looked like this! But, it's in EURO and it's per liter, not per gallon. So really, it's not cheaper. Tricked me when I first got here though.

Now that I have a car, I'm hoping we get lots of little driving trips in like this so I can get MORE and MORE pictures. We didn't stop to take any, I just took these from the passenger seat while my friend drove. We had lots of fun though. Hope you enjoyed them. :)

FIELD TRAINING PICTURES

2010-05-12T18:02:00.003+02:00

Yay! Terry brought home pictures from when he was in the field. I forgot all about them until now. Enjoy!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2010-05-12T13:48:00.003+02:00

Even the BUGS in Germany are beautiful!

COOKING WITH BUBBA - BREAD PUDDING

2010-05-11T14:47:00.005+02:00

Nathyn asked me if we can bake a cake together the other day, but we don't have any cake mix. So I improvised and looked up a recipe for bread pudding!

Nathyn had lots of fun ripping apart 7 pieces of bread and putting them in the pan. I'm pretty sure he only sneaked a bite or two. We don't have white bread so we used our 100% Whole Wheat with added Fiber bread. Still just as delicious. Then he topped the bread with approximately 1/2 cup of raisins [2 toddler handfuls]. Another 1/2 cup went directly into his mouth. =)While he did that I measured out two cups of milk, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and cracked three large eggs into a cup. He added each cup to the large bowl and I mixed it up with my hand mixer.

Then we poured that mixture over the bread. Nathyn used a large spoon to push the bread down to make sure it was completely soaked.After we were sure all the bread was coated we baked it in the oven at 350* F for 45 minutes. After it cooled for just a few minutes we dished it up. It was SOOOO yummy! Definitely a comfort food and perfect for chilly weather. Only thing that would have made it any better? A dollop of Cool Whip.
You should try it too! It's so simple and yummy! What's your favorite simple and delicious treat? Nathyn and I are taking suggestions for our next project!

P.S. Today is Lily's 8th Birthday! =)
Here's her 4 years ago & her today. She's so old!

PIZZA!

2010-05-09T16:23:00.002+02:00

How super fun was this? Terry and I made home-made pizza!

Ok, well, semi-homemade. We cheated and used this dough & pizza sauce...

Then we added cheese, pepperoni, fresh sliced mushrooms and jalapeno olives!

Needless to say we are incredibly impatient, and not to mention particularly hungry on this day, so we didn't let the dough "rise" as long as we were supposed to. Didn't matter to us! We were starvin'! 15 minutes in the oven and out came some über deliciousness!! YUM!I felt SO much better eating this than ordering delivery. It was fast, easy and very inexpensive. And my favorite part? It didn't come out super greasy! YAY! And it's something super fun for Nathyn to take a part in as well. Perhaps we'll have to schedule in a pizza family fun night every couple of weeks.

NIGHT TIME TALKS

2010-05-06T11:36:00.003+02:00

Me: I really want to get highlights in my hair again, so I feel like it's worth doing. It's so boring right now.

Terry: Then go get your hair done, Babe.

Me: Honey, you can't give me the world, ya know.

Terry: Yeah, but I can try.

And then we went to sleep. I love this man. =)

NATHYN FREE...

2010-05-03T12:48:00.004+02:00

...is the way to be!

Or so I thought. I got a sitter yesterday for about 4 hours. It's only the 3rd time since I've been here that I've been without him. 1st two were for a doctors appointment and then the day I took my driving test. My reason for getting a sitter today? Just cuz... =)

Terry will be home very soon [hey army, thanks for the horrible scheduling job, total dislike] so I wanted some time alone to CLEAN and get the house nice and fresh for him. I definitely didn't get as much done as I had planned, but the few hours alone was worth it! I watched a movie [The Lovely Bones = love!] and folded like 8 loads of laundry and cleaned our room. Then I cleaned Nathyn's room and got it looking decent!
I super cleaned the bathroom, too. For some reason that's my favorite to clean. I clean it when it doesn't even appear to be dirty. Hooray for disinfecting! haha
But that's pretty much all I accomplished. I COULD have done more, but I enjoyed my time. I definitely missed Nathyn and called for him to be brought home, even though the sitter said to take my time! I couldn't help it!

Nathyn and I are excited to have Daddy home again! He knows he's coming so there won't be any big surprise this time. It's actually quite beneficial for me though, because now he's been extra "tareful" to keep the house clean for Daddy. =) He's such a good boy!

Mister "Is it time to go to school yet" has been working in a phonics book the last few days. He really likes it, so hopefully he takes this attitude with him to school. I've been helping him when he asks, and he likes doing the activities with me. I'm thinking that maybe I'll pull a page or two out and sit and do them with him everyday. I know he'd love it!
I've also been thinking lately that I might want to get a job. Like, a REAL actual factual job. Right now I'm babysitting, and have kids a good 5 days a week so I'm making my own money. But I want to have a schedule. I want to wake up early, take Nathyn to school and go to work. There are quite a few entry level positions open here on post. I won't be applying yet as I'm going to wait until Nathyn and Bre [the little girl I have 4-5 days a week] start preschool and see about them both getting into full day care. Not for sure yet, just a thought.

In the next few days Terry will be finishing up his loan paperwork to get a car! HOORAY! Finally! Now that I have my license I'm going to be DRILLING him with the book until we're confident he'll pass with flying colors. I'm actually thinking about making some flash cards.. hmmm. So yeah, I'm definitely hoping everything with that goes according to plan!

That is all for now. Gonna go shower, switch laundry, take the dogs potty, feed the rabbits and clean the kitchen. It's all never-ending, right? =)

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2010-04-28T15:29:00.000+02:00

Does this count? :)

SACRAMENTO RIVERCATS - MILITARY APPRECIATION

2010-04-28T12:13:00.004+02:00

What a great way to show your support and enjoy a great evening out with family & friends!!

I'm passing along information about..

Come Celebrate Military Appreciation Night with The Sacramento River Cats!

Thursday, May 20th! 7:05 P.M.

The River Cats pay tribute to our military with a Camouflage River Cats Hat giveaway (First 2,500 fans) and special in-game tributes.

The team will wear commemorative military uniforms. A team autographed camouflage jersey will be auctioned off at the end of the game.

Below is the link where you can purchase tickets at a discounted price...

Buy your tickets NOW don't wait till the last day .Tickets are subject to availability.

Please send this out to ALL so they can take advantage as well.

These tickets can be printed at home and they are waving all the fees that come along with purchasing tickets through Ticket master or their Box Office on the below link only.

You need the special offer code. "USA" when you click the link below to purchase tickets.

https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/go.htmI?l=EN&t=rivercats&o=1950683&g=7115

For those who have questions or buying 10 or more tickets contact Lysa Santizo, River Cats Ticket Sales Representative at 916-376-4822.

EASTER - BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!

2010-04-27T17:39:00.000+02:00

Nathyn got his package from my Mom today with lots of Easter goodies.

And yes, that's a 32oz bottle of hot sauce. My FAVORITE kind. They don't sell it here!

DIRTY BOY = HAPPY MOMMA

2010-04-24T21:58:00.003+02:00

I know a lot of mom's out there are confused by my title. But it's SO true! I know when my son is filthy dirty after a long day that he had FUN! Today was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and warmed our skin, the breeze was gentle and refreshing. Had a BBQ at the battalion with friends and Nathyn romped around with his friend Anastasia. He played, he ran, he dug in the dirt, he kicked rocks, he picked flowers! He was a BOY, he had FUN, therefore, I am a HAPPY MOMMA!Cleaning the bathtub after the extra fun days is a chore, but SO worth it! Here's to a Spring and Summer full of dirty hands, ripped pants, skinned knees and tub rings!

$40 GIVE-AWAY & SUPPORTING BREAST CANCER!

2010-04-22T09:51:00.000+02:00

ARMY BRATS AND ME: Woohoo I am 40! Lets Celebrate with a $40.00 Giveaway!!!!

Head on over and check it out! Help promote her mission to support women battling breast cancer, both emotionally and financially, and get a chance at winning $40!

Thank ya'll!

DIET DAY #1

2010-04-21T21:40:00.008+02:00

Today was the official start of my diet (I played with it the last two days, so I don't want to count them) and I have to say, in all, I'm impressed. Today lacked a little flavor but I'm certain I can adjust. Be warned here and now though that I will complain about a few things. I followed my the diet given to me by my dietitian. Here's how my day went.
BREAKFAST -

2 oz grains - 1 CUP OATMEAL W/ CINNAMON
1 serving dairy - 8 OZ SKIM MILK
1 c. fresh fruit - 1 CUP SLICED BANANAS, STIRRED INTO OATMEAL
1 oz lean meat - 1 EGG, SCRAMBLED, USED A BIT OF MILK FROM MY 8 OZ

I like breakfast. The oats were a little bland so I may try sprinkling a little Splenda in them until I can find a better sugar substitute. The bananas helped a lot though. Drinking the milk was not my favorite, but I've never been a big milk drinker. I'll get used to it.

LUNCH -

2 oz grains - 2 SLICES WHOLE WHEAT/ HIGH FIBER BREAD
2 oz lean meat - 2 OZ LEAN TURKEY LUNCH MEAT
1 serving vegetables - 3/4 c. CARROTS, 1/2 c. SALAD (NO DRESSING)

1 serving of vegetables is 1 cup of fresh/cooked veggies or 2 cups of salad. I chose a little of each for variety and to trick myself into thinking I'm eating more than I really am. :) The salad was icky, tasted like dirt to me so I put it on my sandwich. I used no mayonnaise, just mustard and fresh ground pepper on my sandwich. I also learned today that carrots (raw) make me gag. Another thing I'll just have to get used to.

SNACK - (No PIC)

Yoplait yogurt, 1 c. diced apple.

I diced the apple and mixed it in the yogurt. It was a nice treat.

DINNER -

2 oz grains - 1/2 c. COOKED RICE, 1/2 c. CORN
3 oz lean meat - CHICKEN W/ GARLIC & CRUSHED RED PEPPER, GRILLED W/ EVOO
2 servings vegetables - 1 c. BROCCOLI, 1 c. SALAD (NO DRESSING)
8 OZ SKIM MILK

Again, icky salad so this time I mixed it with the chicken. Gave myself a variety of grains with corn & rice, and a variety of veggies with broccoli & salad. Seasoned the rice with a bit of garlic & fresh ground pepper. I was very satisfied with this meal though. The milk was even refreshing. When I measure it out and know that I only have that much to drink, I make it last! Much better than 1 or 2- 16 oz glasses of Sweet Tea.

The drink I had with lunch was a suggestion from the nutritionist as well. I HEART SWEET TEA. I drink it everyday, A LOT! Obviously that's a ton of sugar and a bunch of calories! Her suggestion? Brew a gallon of tea but omit the sugar and stir in one container of Crystal Light to flavor. I went with lemonade this time, but I'm definitely going to have to try something different, maybe strawberry, next time. It's okay, but not the greatest.

I didn't stray from my diet one bit today. Total I consumed about 1200 calories. I SO wanted to eat the 2 bites of left over macaroni and cheese from my son's lunch, but I practiced some of that self control and I passed. That's something to be proud of.

I'm very optimistic about this, and can't wait until I start seeing the results (other than the gas, compliments of all the veggies I'd assume. Sorry, TMI).

Tschüß!

EXERCISE & DIET PLANS

2010-04-19T21:56:00.003+02:00

I saw a nutritionist today. And a physical therapist, too, to make up diet and exercise plans. I was SO relieved to be the ONLY one in the class today. I got to ask about a million questions and all of their attention was on me. We worked me up a little plan for me to try for the next 4 weeks, then I may make an appointment to go back in for a follow-up and to make adjustments if needed. At first I was really embarrassed to be in there, I am not all excited for someone to be critiquing my weight, but I had said I want to be healthier, so I'm doing what it takes.

Anyways, here's my little sample menu. My biggest problem is that I don't eat often enough, and when I do eat, I eat way too much. Normally I skip breakfast, have a late lunch around 3pm, then a late dinner around 7-8pm with portion sizes much too large and not a balanced diet. So hopefully this new schedule will help with that. That's the idea anyways.

BREAKFAST -

2 oz grains (1 c. oatmeal, 2 c. cereal, 2 slices toast)
1 serving dairy (1 c. fat free milk or yogurt)
1 c. fresh fruit
1 oz lean meat (1 egg, 1 oz Canadian bacon, optional)

LUNCH -

2 oz grains (2 slices bread, 1 cup cooked starch)
2 oz lean meat (skinless poultry, fish) if not having with breakfast
1 serving vegetables (1 c. cooked or raw, 2 cups salad)

SNACK -

Fat free light yogurt, 1/2 c. fresh fruit, 1 c. fresh veggies (baby carrots, red peppers, ect.), 1 serving whole grain cracker/starch (if not having 2 oz at breakfast or lunch)

DINNER -

2 oz grains (1 c. cooked whole grain starch or starchy veggies)
3 oz lean meat
2 servings vegetables (2 c. raw or cooked, 1-2 c. salad)

Daily Amounts:

Fruits: 1.5 cups
Vegetables: 2.5 cups
Grains: 6 oz (At least 3 oz whole grain)
Meat/Beans: 5 oz
Milk: 3 cups
Oils: 5 teaspoons

Discretionary Calorie Allowance: 195/day (snacks, desserts, ect).

My biggest challenges? Cutting the carbs (pastas & rice), drinking milk (icky!) and eating more fruit! I'd rather eat veggies ALL day! Other than that, it's seems pretty manageable. Pair that with 40 mins of exercise 4-5 days a week, and we should see some results. I'm sure there's tons of you out there that can manage MUCH more then this, but keep in mind that I'm just getting back into the whole exercise thing again. I'm ashamed to say, but being a stay at home mom has really got me more on the inactive side. My exercise consists of taking the dogs down to potty 4-5 times a day. I am on the fourth floor, but it's not nearly enough.

So here's to dieting and exercise.. and hopefully a healthier me!

FUN IN THE KITCHEN

2010-04-18T13:10:00.006+02:00

Hubby and I had SO much fun during his "spring break"! We gots LOTS of cuddle time in, watched 3 movies, hung about 20 pictures on the wall, went shopping, paid bills, and my favorite, COOKED together!

We made a home-made cheesecake one day and it was SO good! We got the recipe from a friend here, but we left out some of the sugar, and I altered it just a touch, I always have to do something to make it "my own". The recipe is super simple too! Next time we make it I'll take pictures and share the recipe. :)

Apparently he didn't find the flour in his face as hilarious as I did! Don't worry, he's only joking.

See! I told you! :)

Another day we made the most delicious home-made beef stew! It's always been one of our favorites, and I've made it a few times before, but this time it was extra delicious! Maybe it was all the LOVE we added in!

Bubba dug right in, too! He loved it!

Nathyn has finally graduated to wearing "big boy" undies! He only wears pull-ups at night time and it's been like that for about 6 months now. But he just recently quit having accidents throughout the day about 3.5 months ago. I was nervous to let him wear undies though, because every time I put them on him during the potty training phase, he'd potty in them. So he hasn't worn any underwear this whole time, just pants. Daddy bought him 6 pair of Mickey Mouse (his favorite) undies from the PX. Bonus for us, they were on sale! Nathyn is so happy about it that he even wears a pair over his pull-up at bed time!

Well, Terry heads back to the field today. :( He'll be gone about 2.5 weeks this time. I'm really hoping the time goes fast, but I'm pretty sure I have enough to keep me busy, so I'm not too worried about it. But of course, we'll love and miss him like always!

I'VE OFFICIALLY BEEN DIAGNOSED

2010-04-16T09:57:00.006+02:00

Ok, for my family and friends, I'm gonna link LOTS of stuff so you can read about each thing if you want to. Let me know if you have any other questions.

I finally had my results appointment yesterday after all the blood work and ultrasound that I had done. The doctor officially diagnosed me with PCOS, or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. The criteria for PCOS are as follows;

1) oligomenorrhoea
2) any form of hyperandrogenemia, either clinical, being hirsutism, acne or endocrine which means the hormonal diagnosis of high androgen levels, [don't have this one] and
3) the ultrasound picture of polycystic ovaries.

"Those three are the major criteria but it’s important to realize that in order to make the diagnosis it doesn’t need to fulfill all three criteria but only two out of three. That makes it into a heterogeneous, so if you have polycystic ovaries and hyperandrogenemia you don’t need to have cycle abnormalities for the diagnosis. Or if you have cycle abnormalities and polycystic ovaries you don’t need hyperandrogenemia for the diagnosis."

I was put on Metformin to help regulate my insulin resistance (side effect of PCOS). I'm currently taking on 500mg tablet each evening, and will switch to 2-500mg tablets, one every 12 hours, on April 22nd.

I also got a referral to see an OB/GYN. Reason for Referral:

"Patient is a 23 yo G1P1 with borderline oligomennorhea [rulled out after bloodwork] and possible infertility [confirmed after blood work and ultrasound]. Patien with essentailly normal laboratory workup for infertility [all my hormone levels are normal] but with concerns for insulin resistance with possiblility of PCOS [both now confirmed with further lab work and ultrasound]. Consult place to OB/GYN for further evaluation and treatment as need for fertility with consideration for hysterosalpingogram post ultrasound. Consider Clomid. Thank you."

However, the American Hospital in Landstuhl is not currently taking civilian patients and are only seeing active duty members so I had to see our patient liaison for help in scheduling an appointment. "PT IS REFERRED TO DR VON DER OSTEN/DR MUELLER FOR EVALUATION AND CARE. INITIAL APPOINTMENT IS MON, 17 MAY 10 AT 1140 HRS." It's a German doctor, but is English speaking. I am hoping to have a lady from the liaison office accompany me to the appointment for assistance.

The downside to seeing a German doctor instead of American? The German doctors don't perform the hysterosalpingogram that my doctor is requesting. Instead, they perform a laproscopic surgery to inject dye into my uterus and watch how it distributes through my fallopian tubes to determine whether or not my tubes need to be widened to allow eggs to pass. Right now we aren't sure if this procedure is necessary. They may find that we don't need this test, and can start on Clomid sooner, rather than later.

I also received a consult to see a nutritionist. "Approximately 50 – 60% of women with PCOS are obese. However many women with PCOS experience difficulty losing weight, possibly due to high insulin levels promoting fat storage. Since high levels of insulin can cause a multitude of problems for women with PCOS, a better diet would be a low glycemic index diet." The appointment with the nutritionist will help teach me the difference between regular weight loss dieting, and dieting for individuals with PCOS and insulin resistance. I'll be scheduling that appointment on Monday.

So now I just wait for my OB/GYN appointment and continue taking the Metformin for 8 weeks. After 8 weeks I will go again to have my insulin resistance tested, and have the medication does adjusted from there.

Thanks to everyone for supporting us, sending us good wishes and checking in to see how things are going. Terry and I really appreciate all the love and support we will get. I'll be sure to update again when we have another appointment.

MY STUFF IS HERE! TERRY INCLUDED!

2010-04-14T09:58:00.006+02:00

Our household goods finally got here, and I can't wait to sleep in MY bed tonight! This government bed is NOT my favorite!
And Terry got in at about 2:30 this morning. I didn't tell Nathyn he was coming, so when he woke up this morning, he had a wonderful surprise!
I'm so glad to get a few days with my hubby. On Sunday he's back to the field for a few more weeks.

JUST LIKE MOMMY

2010-04-13T20:07:00.002+02:00

Apparently Nathyn is allergic to the stickiness on the band-aids we bought here. I normally have a reaction to it too, but he never had until now. See the mark on his chest... Maybe it's just the brand?Just added band-aids to my shopping list! Guess we'll try again!

And yes, he has a Crystal Light mustache. THIS is why I don't buy red drinks.

GIVE MY COMPLIMENTS TO THE CHEF!

2010-04-10T19:35:00.002+02:00

And this time the the chef was... NATHYN! My little man asked me ever so nicely if he could "took" dinner last night and I couldn't say no. I LOVE cooking and I love trying new recipes. Rumor has it I make some pretty decent stuff, too! =] It's starting to seem like Nathyn feels the same!

Nathyn wanted no part of the beef stew I had planned on making, he had ideas all his own! I told him he could make what ever he wanted to. And he did!

First he chose chicken nuggets. We found these dolphin and whale shaped ones at the Commissary after Daddy left to the field and decided that without him around, we could enjoy some breaded, processed chicken product! He argued the fact that he was making WAY to many. His response? "Just put it in a bag and I can eat it for breakfast!" I obliged.

Next he hit the pantry to "whats next". He pulled out macaroni noodles, a can of onion and green pepper diced tomatoes, and alfredo sauce. From the fridge he chose shredded cheese and insisted I bring out garlic powder and chili powder from the seasoning cabinet.

It was not the tastiest in the world, but he was SO proud of himself I had to eat it. Maybe if we have enough of these cooking lessons he'll be ready to feed an army when he's older!
P.S. Why is my son's hair turning a reddish color? Weird...

LOVELY LADIES & LONG LASHES

2010-04-10T16:00:00.006+02:00

**FIRST, let me start by wishing a VERY Happy Birthday to Aunt Shauna from Terry, Nathyn & I! Hope you have a WONDERFUL day full of smiles and LOVE!**

Things have been mighty boring around here lately. Haven't done much but clean, go to a few doctor's appointments, and play with our new friend Breana. I currently have her 5 days a week, and she's SUCH a pleasure to have around! Unfortunately she'll be going to pre-school very soon, so Nathyn and I are hoping to get another friend to play with us after she leaves.
The past two weeks have been full of doctor's appointments, and I'm SO glad to have a break! I'm doing some follow-ups from the surgery I had last September and want to be sure that every thing is looking good. I'm also getting all my labs up to date and current so that I'm established in the military's system. We're hoping to see what the cause of our infertility is as well, so wish us luck!

And ladies, would you KILL for these lashes or what? Nathyn has grown quite fond of the "hair" on his eyes lately, and has asked me several times to take some pictures of it. He is such a silly kid! Here's the lashes!

He was actually sleeping in this one. He looked so beautiful, I had to snap a picture!

And lastly, Terry will be home in 4 days for Spring Break! He stays for 4 days, then back to the field for two weeks. We can't wait to see him again!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2010-04-07T13:16:00.004+02:00

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2010-04-01T00:52:00.001+02:00

P.S. I miss my husband.. a lot.

AND HE'S OFF TO THE FIELD...

2010-03-26T23:04:00.005+01:00

Terry left this morning for field training.. bummer. He's supposed to be gone for about 30 days, but there's a good possibility that he'll be home between the 14th - 18th for Spring Break. So yeah, it's not too terribly bad.

Anyways, how did mine and Nathyn's first day alone go? AWFUL! It was a disaster. He threw up, dog pooped on the floor, the other dog got into EVERY thing and made a huge mess. So I crated him for a little while.

I swear I'm gonna lose 20 pounds this month taking them dogs up and down the stairs (hooray for the 4th floor apartment, right?) 6 times a day! I'm used to doing it maybe twice, Terry normally does that! However, I'm hopeful that one disastrous day is not setting the scene for weeks to come. I stayed positive.

Then I went to take a shower. Shame on me, I left a sicky 3 year old unattended. I came out to find this...

Apparently he was hungry. Mind you, this is AFTER I almost burnt our kitchen down making him some soup... Cheers to a better tomorrow!

P.S. Our household goods are in Germany! Just waiting for them to be cleared through customs, then I can make an appointment for delivery! [Insert a leap for joy HERE]

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2010-03-24T18:45:00.003+01:00

Bubba makes PTs look gooood!

WALKING DOWNTOWN

2010-03-23T11:41:00.005+01:00

I finally remembered to take my camera with me when we went to downtown Baumholder yesterday. We only walked the main road, got something to eat, had ice-cream ( see here ), and dropped my wedding set off at a jewelry shop to get a quote on having my diamond replaced (I go back on Friday to get the prices and pick a diamond).The main road.

Spiral stair case and a pay phone.

We found this little "bridge" thing that you can walk out onto that overlooks a little park-like area with a [neglected] pond.

And HOORAY! I found another Thrift Shop! I have yet to come across it when it's actually open though... maybe someday soon I'll drag our butts downtown early enough to make it there.

EISDIELEN

2010-03-22T20:55:00.001+01:00

Italian ice cream parlors (Eisdielen) have been popular in Germany since the 1920s, when many Italians immigrated and set up business. As in Italy itself, ice cream is considered a traditional dessert and the ice cream at an Eisdiele is still mostly hand-made.

Today we had the pleasure of eating some delicious Eis downtown after our doctor's appointments. It was SO delicious! One difference between this "Italian" ice cream compared to American ice cream sundaes? Our ice creams had the whipped cream on the bottom under the ice cream, rather than on top. I actually liked it better that way!

Terry and I shared a "Spaghetti Eis".

Whipped cream topped with vanilla ice cream (strung like spaghetti noodles) covered in strawberry sauce and sprinkled with coconut (the "Parmesan cheese"). Isn't it adorable?? And it was SOOOO delicious!

Nathyn had a "Mickey Maus Eis".

It's adorable! And he LOVED it.

IT'S PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME!

2010-03-19T14:42:00.001+01:00

Nathyn made his first sandwich all by himself! He didn't ask, which wasn't cool, but it was SO cute that I had to let him finish.He was might proud of himself in the end! [sigh] Where have the years gone??

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2010-03-17T09:53:00.002+01:00

My husband knows how to sew??? Apparently the Army taught him... who knew? :)

RAMSTEIN & DOWNTOWN!

2010-03-16T14:56:00.005+01:00

I finally made it out the front gate! On Saturday we went to Ramstein with one of Terry's sergeants and a few of his buddies and it was SOOO nice to get out! We drove to Ramstein, about 20 minutes down the Autoban. Tons of people have asked me about the Autoban since I've been here, and I'm sure they think a lot like I did before I got here. I thought it was some super ginormous high-tech fancy freeway that you can fly down as fast as you want like a racetrack, but boy was I wrong! There are rules! Drive in the right lane, left lane is used for passing only. And here's what it looks like.

2 lanes, with a merging lane on the right from an on-ramp.

Pretty boring huh? Anyways, we went to the PX in Ramstein and HOLY MOLY, I was in HEAVEN! It's like a mall, it so HUGE! It seriously puts an PX I've ever been to to shame. There's a food court (we had fish & chips) and TONS of little stores but nothing is as wonderful as the PX. It's bigger than any SUPER Walmart I've ever been to! Now I have even more of a reason to save for a car and get my license here! I have to go back!

Completely UNHEALTHY, I know. But it was OH-SO delicious!

Anyway, Terry hollered at me for not taking pictures on the way there so I snapped a few on the way back. PLEASE excuse the horrible quality, I was shooting from the car, through a dirty window! Anyways, here's a little of Germany. Enjoy!

Another shot on the Autoban.

These things are everywhere... for electricity? I have not idea. But I like them, they're HUGE!

Along side the Autoban. All the little cities/villages here look the same to me. But I love them, too!

Back in our little town.

Saturday night Jess (Terry's buddy's girlfriend & Native German) and I went wandering the streets of Baumholder. It was exciting to actually see what this town had to offer. We stopped in at a little pub and I introduced her to a Long Island Iced Tea, and after we went to have a Kebab, and let me tell you, it was WAY more delicious fresh than when we have it delivered. YUM! She lives in Paderborn, about 5 hours from here. I can't wait until she visits again so we can wander some more. That and she teaches me German. I'll be a pro in no time! ;)

HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY

2010-03-11T10:03:00.000+01:00

To my best friend, Shana! I hope your birthday is full of love and all that other good stuff! I miss you BFF!

I LOVE YOU!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2010-03-10T20:16:00.001+01:00

LOVE.

ZZOOOOOMM!!

2010-03-09T16:22:00.001+01:00

Yay! I finally got a new lens. Well, I got two actually, as well as a couple filters. I'm SO excited. I've been so busy that I haven't had the time to really check them out yet, but now that things have calmed down around here these new babies are going to get my full attention! Now I need a tripod though. This lens in particular is very long and even though I don't shake much, the slightest movement in my hand can cause a serious blur! ugh.

Here's the picture I took out of my window the day after I got here. I zoomed in as far as the lens would go. The arrow is pointing to a clock down in town. You can click the picture to enlarge it to see the clock tower a little better.
This is the picture I took the other day when I opened my new lens from the same window and the clock tower is very noticeable now.. I zoomed in as far as the lens would allow. No cropping or zooming in editing. AMAZA-ZING!
I can't wait to learn more! Next month I will be ordering a "How to" photography book series. It's very reasonably priced and is easily understandable for a beginner such as myself that knows pretty much nothing. I'm very eager to better myself and have LOTS of research to do!

MORE OF GERMANY'S WONDERFUL WEATHER!

2010-03-01T16:22:00.003+01:00

Yes, the weather here has a personalitly disorder! One day it's snowing, the next bright & shiny, back to snowing, maybe some rain and then there was Sunday.... WIND! We lost power for 2 hours so we spent most of that time in the kitchen window with Nathyn. He laughed and laughed and giggled for the longest time, he was so delighted at the huge gusts of wind! Even more so by the flying paper, leaves, garbage bags and even whole barbeque grills! It was a wonderful afternoon!

SAN FRANSISCO

2010-02-27T13:50:00.000+01:00

Came across some old pictures of San Fransisco I took on a trip last year. Thought I'd share =)

LESS SNOW, MORE SUNSHINE!

2010-02-25T19:15:00.003+01:00

We've had a few days of rain, but in between we get these beautiful days of sunshine! It's amazing how different everything here looks without a blanket of snow covering it!

BRANDON NEEDS YOUR PRAYERS

2010-02-25T11:31:00.005+01:00

Brandon and his family have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and they will always be a part of my family for as long as I live. Right now, my family needs your prayers.

Brandon had been sick on and off for a few months. He went to the emergency room and they determined that he had blood poisoning and began treating him for that. It wasn't working though, so he went back again. At this time they found something much worse.

Brandon is in heart failure. He has fluid around his heart, and only 20% of his heart is working. He is also in liver failure, his liver is enlarged. He's also fighting a seriously bad lung infection. The hospital he checked himself into wanted to transfer him down to the Bay Area (California) to see a heart specialist. I don't think this is going to happen. Brandon has far too much to fight, and the doctor's are saying there isn't much that they can do to help him.

Please pray for Brandon. Make his stay in the hospital as comfortable and as pain free as possible. Please allow his family to see him, and help them to stay strong for him. This is a very hard situation for everyone, and I'm very sad that I can't be home to be apart of this. I especially wish I could be there for Jason (Brandon's brother, and one of my very best friends).

I believe in miracles.

MATERNITY SHOOT

2010-02-24T15:12:00.000+01:00

I did a photo shoot for my friend back home about a month before coming to Germany. I haven't had the chance to edit all the photos yet because they are on my desktop, and that won't get here until sometime in April (ugh!). Anyways, I thought I'd share a few shots with you. I so wish I was there to photograph little Skylar when he's born!

PHOTOGRAPHY LOVERS... HELP!

2010-02-23T12:00:00.006+01:00

I'm in the market for a new lens for my camera but not exactly sure which one to get. I have the Canon EOS Rebel XS and the lens that came with it, EFS 18-55mm.

What do I want it for?
- Mostly landscape/distant photos. There are lots of views here in Germany and I want to capture these memories! I want a good zoom to capture things farther away.
- I also take TONS of pictures of my son! I'm a sucker for the blurred background, I think it makes for a beautiful photo. I get that sometimes with my lens I have now, but not nearly as often or as strong as I'd like it to be. (And doing it in a photo editing program takes WAY to long, and to me, doesn't look as natural.)- Close-ups! Snowflakes on a leaf, bugs, flowers... things of that nature.I know I'll probably need more than one lens for these different things, that's why I'm asking for advice. I've been looking at a couple lenses, but the reviews on them are always split right down the middle. Does anyone have the Canon EFS 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS or the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III? Canon's Compact Micro RF 50mm f/2.5? What are the pros and cons? Do you love it, is it worth the money?

I'm no professional, completely do this out of hobby. I would prefer something simple to use, but I'm totally willing to learn something a little more complicated!

What lenses do you have? What would you recommend? I don't need anything in the super high-priced range, but I'm willing to pay for a good lens. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thank you!!

SOMETIMES I HONESTLY THINK...

2010-02-22T21:28:00.003+01:00

...it can't possibly get any better than this. =)

WEEKEND SUCCESS!

2010-02-22T15:13:00.009+01:00

I had such a great weekend! I really wish Terry didn't have to go back to work today, but hey, it's his job! We had tons of fun, got a lot of things done on the house, and had lots of time to PLAY!We started with getting Nathyn a hair cut! He wants his hair to grow out and honestly, Terry and I would like to see what he looks like with longer hair too. But that child's hair was out of control! I asked the barber just to clean up the sides but he ended up cutting quite a bit off the top also. It's okay, at least it will all grow a little more evenly now. Here's before and after...

On Saturday we walked up to the Home Furnishings store and bought a few pieces of furniture for the house (finally!). It won't be delivered until the 4th, so I'll be sure to update then. We got Nathyn a set of bunk beds (full/twin) so we have an extra bed for visitors. We also got him a small bookshelf and a tv stand for his room. For the living room we got a 9'x15' rug and I absolutely CAN NOT wait for it to get here. We also got a desk and chair for our computer "area". And lastly, we got a TV stand for our new TV!I have a feeling Nathyn loves it... What do you think? It's a 42" JVC 1080p LCD. We got it at the PowerZone and got a pretty good deal compared to most of the prices back home in Sacramento. Terry really wanted the 50" but we decided to use the price difference to get a home theater system instead. Totally unnecessary, but totally worth it! haha

Thanks to another wife here I was introduced to Baumholder Bookoo! It's pretty much our version of craigslist here. Anyways, instead of spending WAY more than we wanted to on a set of couches, I found a really nice set on this website for a really good deal. The man selling them was even nice enough to come pick Terry up to help load them from his house and then help Terry carry them up to our apartment (don't forget, we live on the FOURTH floor!). They are SO comfortable, I love them!

**Any one notice Nathyn's face?**

Because we got the TV, we also had to get curtains. There was WAY too much light coming through our window, and actually watching the TV was almost impossible during the day time. Our options were hunter green, blue, or red. We chose the red. I would have preferred a light green color, maybe tan, but this will do.

**The chair on that side wall is where our desk will go when it gets delivered.**

We re-arranged our living room and for right now it's a little on the small time. If you look at the picture below you can see that the "dining area" is directly behind our large couch. The table that we are borrowing is a little large for our little family, so once we get a smaller table (I'm thinking a round 4-seater) then we'll be able to open the living room a bit more. Our previous layout was much more open, but that's an invitation for a race-track for a three year old, and then people think it's okay to play fetch in the house with the dog. Small and intimate works for me!

**The TV & accessories are on our loaner desk until our media shelf is delivered as well.**

Lots of family have asked for pictures of the whole house but I'm trying to get it put together little by little before I go showing it all off. But I had to share this one... I told Nathyn to go clean his room Saturday morning and was quite surprised when I walk in 10 minutes later to see this...
And then Terry started laughing and pointed out this..Oh well, at least he tried! We definitely need to perfect the whole "cleaning" thing.

Terry and I closed the weekend with an awesome session of cuddle time after Nathyn went to bed (without fuss thanks to his new fishy night-light) while watching Paranormal Activity.. My opinion? Scariest stuff I've ever seen.. which makes it AWESOME!

MEET ANASTASIA!

2010-02-19T10:54:00.005+01:00

Yay! Nathyn got to play with someone yesterday! One of Terry's buddies asked if I would keep an eye on his daughter for a little bit while he finished up at work. Of course I said yes, I've been having baby withdrawls! He picked Nathyn and I up at the PowerZone (store that sells electronics, toys, pet supplies and sporting goods) and then dropped up all off at our apartment. Anastasia warmed right up and was such a blast!Nathyn was very excited to have someone over and immediately started asking about a million questions. Where's the baby gonna sleep, Mom? And Does the baby need to take a bath? She's not exactly a baby, she just turned two, but she's younger than Nathyn, therefore, she's a baby.Nathyn had just gotten this cool new toy at the PowerZone and after 5 solid minutes of "MINE!" and "NO, IT'S MINE!" they had an excellent time playing together. Her little shrieks of delight and hysterical laughs were wonderful! She was a pleasure to have!Come back soon, Anastasia!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2010-02-17T22:39:00.002+01:00

Haha.. Can you say "bed head"?

DO YOU HAVE HARDWOOD FLOORS?

2010-02-17T10:15:00.003+01:00

Then I highly suggest you get one of these bad boys! I picked on up at the PX after sweeping our entire house and almost breaking my back (OUCH!). It was only $20, and I was definitely skeptical because it looks and feels super generic. But I LOVE IT! My lab sheds like crazy, my son rips paper up into tiny shreds, and my husband tracks in dirt and grime when he gets home. This thing is amazing! GET ONE!

Anyways, today is house cleaning day. Getting down to the nitty gritty. We're on day 2 of sunshine and I couldn't be happier! I was almost beginning to think the sun didn't shine here! Terry and I finally got our taxes back so I'm hoping he gets home at a reasonable time this evening so that we can check out the Thrift Shop here on base for furniture. We wanted to buy brand new, but we've decided it smarter to save money where ever we can, and hopefully put away for a rainy day.

I called and enrolled in WIC yesterday and have my appointment on the 26th. I had given up on WIC after Nathyn got off formula because we didn't really need it. Now Nathyn is strictly on soy/lactose free milk and that stuff gets seriously expensive so any help in the milk department is greatly appreciated!

Nathyn asks me every day if it's time for him to go to school yet. He said he needs to go to learn how to talk like the taxi guys (speak German) so he can have friends in Germany. I thought it was super cute. He already says thank you & goodbye, and sometimes you're welcome. I was against learning German before I got here, but I'm starting to think it may not be a bad idea. We shall see. I'm gonna head to the education center sometime this week to see what my options are for school as well. I want to utilize my time wisely and perhaps get a degree while I'm here, unemployed. So hopefully they have a program that interests me.

And I'm off to finish the never-ending chore of housecleaning. The sink is actually full of dishes, a first since I've been here. I'm thinking I'm coming down with a cold or something... I'll go ahead and blame that! ;)

WHAT IS THAT?!

2010-02-16T14:54:00.000+01:00

Woke up this morning with an super cute note from my husband that he left before leaving for work. Normally I wake up with him in the mornings and make breakfast, but for some reason I didn't wake up until he was kissing me goodbye. The note was a nice little surprise when I woke up later in the morning.

Ok moving on. I already showed you the cool windows & the German potatoes. Since then I've been compiling some pictures of other things that are "different" from back home to share with you (whomever you may be...)! Since I showed you food before, I'll start with the food now.

I know there's nothing spectacular about Hellman's mayonnaise considering they sell it on the East Coast in the states, but it's different from California so I'm sharing it. And Edy's ice cream... I'd never even heard of it. Obviously it's Breyer's, I just thought it was odd.
We can not buy a gallon of milk in the commissary on base. Only these half gallons. U.S. Forces Europe milk. Yes, it kinda makes me feel special. No, it does not taste different. My favorite question about the milk came from Nathyn, "Mom, is it birdie's milk and not cow's milk?" Gotta love the kid.
Just in case I burn the whole building down while cooking on our [stupid] electric range (I am NOT fond of electric ranges) we have a sprinkler system. Hooray for safety!

These knobs on the wall are to turn off the main water line. Kinda odd that they're just hanging out on the wall in the kitchen though. There's a set in the laundry room as well as in the bathroom, too.

This is our heater. There's one in the living room, Nathyn's room & in mine and Terry's room. They are stuck to the wall under the windows and the temperature is controlled by turning the knob through numbers 1-5.

On either side of the bed in our room we have this assortment of plugs and a light switch. There are 2 110 outlets and 2 220 outlets. I can't even explain how awesome it is to be able to turn the light on and off from laying in bed though! Ultra convenient!

These are our schnifty light switches! Push on, push off. And when it gets dark the little center light turns orange. Night light! Now if only I could get Nathyn to quit turning the lights on and off every day!

Front door. The knob below the handle is the lock. Turn it to lock it. It's weird. And when you unlock it from the outside, you literally have to turn your key in a complete circle about 4-5 times. Totally inconvenient with a handful of anything.

And that is all for now. I'm going to go back to enjoying this beautifully sunny day in Germany. It's the first day that the sun has made an appearance that lasted longer than 30 seconds and I'm loving it. The view out of my windows is much different in the sunshine!

MY FAVORITE SHOTS

2010-02-15T10:58:00.000+01:00

Just a few of my favorite photos. =)

Mmm.. DELICIOUS!

2010-02-12T08:25:00.000+01:00

I was a little disappointed that I hadn't tried any German food yet. Well, I still haven't! But we did have a Turkish sandwich called a Döner kebab for dinner last night. It was very delicious and got delivered to our house. The whole time I was eating it I kept saying, "This tastes a lot like a gyro (something I haven't eaten in YEARS!)". Today I looked it up and Wikipedia defines a Döner kebab as:

"a Turkish dish made of lamb meat cooked on a vertical spit and sliced off to order. Two similar dishes are called shawarma in Arabic and gyros in Greek, although ingredients and sauces differ."Inside was the lamb meat, lettuce, shredded carrots, purple cabbage, pepperoncinis, thinly sliced onions, tomatoes, a creamy white sauce and some sort of spice. The bread (described as a thick pita) was definitely fresh baked and very delicious!There ya go! If you ever go to Germany (or Turkey) be sure to get a kebab. However, apparently here it's pronounced KAY-BOB, or at least that's what I was told.

Mmmm....

DID I FORGET TO MENTION?

2010-02-11T08:42:00.000+01:00

Nathyn wears glasses now, FULL TIME! He begged me to make him an eye doctor appointment after he went with me to mine (and yes, I have glasses now as well) so I finally did. Turns out my kid can't hardly see at all!! I let him pick out his own pair and he refused to get a pair that didn't match the shirt he had on at the time. Thank goodness it was a black, gray and white shirt! Isn't he just adorable though?!
P.S. This is the face he makes when he eats Flaming Hot Cheet-os!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY #2

2010-02-11T04:48:00.000+01:00

Nathyn is super excited when his Daddy gets home from work! As soon as I start making dinner he runs to his window ever 5-10 minutes to see if he sees him coming!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2010-02-10T09:44:00.000+01:00

I just woke up and...
IT'S SNOWING!!
(06:44am)

STAY AT HOME MOMMY & A BORED BABY

2010-02-09T19:23:00.000+01:00

Poor Nathyn, we didn't have much room for toys in our luggage and he really doesn't have anything to play with here. We did bring a few movies but I really don't like him sitting in front of the computer screen (we don't have a tv) watching cartoons all day so we've been trying to occupy our time other ways. Trust me, it's a tricky task in a half empty house and a country that you don't know your way around yet. They other day we walked to the PX and thrift shops but had no luck in finding any toys. Because of lack of anything better do, Nathyn had become very interested in anything and everything I have done! For example, he now knows how to shave legs (don't worry, the razors are up high), put on eyeshadow, mop with a Swiffer WetJet, and has even gotten a few lessons in cooking!
Hopefully our taxes come soon so we can take a taxi to get him some activities and toys to hold his interests. It really would be nice to be able to use the restroom on my own again! :)

PRECIOUS MOMENTS

2010-02-09T02:33:00.000+01:00

Nathyn sure missed his Daddy. It really warms my heart to see them together again.

I LOVE MY BOYS!
(and Lily, too!)

SWEET JESUS, WE HAD COMPANY!

2010-02-07T19:08:00.000+01:00

And we could do whatever we wanted to, and be as loud as we want, and not have to worry about being quiet because our parents are in bed. Aaaahhh, I missed this. I had the pleasure last night of meeting a few of Terry's buddies. I was even talked into making homemade lasagna at 11:00pm too! It was fun though, and oh-so-nice to have friends over!

Nathyn got himself a new best friend, meet Eric! Somehow after only knowing him a good 30 minutes Nathyn was able to convince Eric to take him to bed and read him stories. After 4 books Eric finally retired and tucked Bubba in for bed. Nathyn said goodnight and was asleep within 5 minutes without so much as a peep! WHAT?! Why can't he do this for us???I then had the pleasure of watching Terry and Eric wrestle and meeting a few of his other buddies (Ward & Birkett). It was a fun night!
I have a feeling Nathyn isn't quite used to sleeping in such a big bed yet! His bed back home is a toddler sized bed and the loaner here is a twin size. I've caught him in many funny positions! Terry and I are gonna look into getting him a twin bed now though, we think he's ready to get out of the little toddler bed and it's nice because we actually have room for him to have a larger bed.

WEIRD WINDOWS & PECULIAR POTATOES

2010-02-07T01:50:00.000+01:00

I love the windows in our apartment! They are definitely different, and I've never seen anything like them before. I will miss them when we have to leave here!

THEY OPEN ALL THE WAY...OR JUST TILT DOWN. AMAZA-ZING!

Lots of people have asked if the food in the stores is different or not. Terry & I went shopping at the commissary and the answer is.... no. While they do carry some German brands & products, most of what they carry are the name brand items that we have back home. With the exception of one thing; produce! I never would have though, but the produce is all German. The cucumbers are shaped differently, the mushrooms are more white than back home and the yellow onions are GINORMOUS! I couldn't believe it. And, get this. I couldn't find any brown potatoes! They have red ones or yellow ones...
We bought the yellow ones and boy do they taste different. Almost have a buttery taste to them. I'm thinking they'll be good for mashed or baked potatoes but the friend potatoes Terry made this morning? Not so great. The consistency is different and much softer than a regular brown potato.

Ok, now that I feel like a nerd for analyzing a potato for the world I think I'm gonna go! HAH!

WE'RE FINALLY HERE!

2010-02-06T07:39:00.000+01:00

It took what seemed like forever but we are finally in Germany! It's amazing! I love our apartment, it's very large and spacious. The views out the windows are simply incredible, I find myself standing at them just staring outside. There's snow everywhere, and although I'm not one for the cold, I have to admit it's beautiful!

The plane ride here was very long but Nathyn was so good the whole way. He took a couple good naps, and even entertained himself so quietly while I got a little shut eye myself. He did really great for an 11 hour flight! When we stepped off the plane Nathyn looked around and then up at me and says, "Mom, we have to get back on the plane, we're not in Germany yet! I don't see mine Dad!" It was too cute. It took us over an our to find Terry because we had to go through customs, baggage claim and the veterinary services before they would give me my dogs. I swear when Nathyn first laid eyes on him he had to have ran 90 miles an hour straight to him!

There are tons of things different here than back home, and I could go on listing them for hours! It's really neat though, I love this place and I'm very happy to call it home.

Shame on me, I got no pictures on the flight or on the car ride from the airport to our post, but here are some pictures of the views from our apartment!

THIS IS OUR LIVING ROOM WINDOW. I LOVE THIS VIEW!
THIS IS OUT OF MINE & TERRY'S BEDROOM WINDOW. THERE ARE ROWS OF THESE HOUSING BUILDINGS AND THEY ALL PRETTY MUCH LOOK THE SAME.
AND HERE IS OUT NATHYN'S WINDOW. MORE PICS COMING SOON!

CHARLIE UPDATE

2010-01-10T09:15:00.000+01:00

So, Charlie did fine. He got his surgery for his abscesses and was neutered (poor guy!). The vet sent him home with two drains in his armpit and it was by far the most disgusting thing ever! Thank goodness Terry's mom was there to help out, she did all the cleaning of the wounds. He has to take a liquid pain medication, antibiotics, sedatives and benadryl each day for a total of about 12 pills a day. What a pain! But all came out well and his drains were removed and he's doing great now!

See what a pain it was? Mom held him down with a hot compress on the drain while Dad uses zipties to repair his e-collar. That dog ran into EVERYTHING with that collar. It needed several repairs! haha