He's here!

11:43 AM, 23rd October, our "little" Ezra James arrived. I say "little" because he weighed in at 9 pounds 6.27 ounces! He was almost 21 inches in length. It was a great labor experience for me, quite intense at the end, but not too long or tiring, as far as labor goes. Here's the whole story:

1 AM: I wake up from a dream, thinking I have to go to the bathroom, only to find that I wet the bed. Or, no, wait, I'm not doing anything! My water broke! This did not happen with Stella, so it was a total surprise. I had no contractions yet, so Nick and I got up and finished packing our hospital bags so that we would be ready to go when the time came. Stella was sound asleep, and I got a snack before heading back to bed to hopefully get some sleep to prepare for the task ahead. I was only mildly successful, what with anticipation, trying not to forget to get that one last thing packed when I got up, and with every contraction (not painful yet, thankfully, and about every 20-30 minutes), more water coming. It's amazing the power of movies on your ideas of what things will be like when they happen to you. Water breaking is not some huge gush, at least it wasn't for me, and then it's done. It would be too convenient! 6 pairs of pants later around 5 AM it finally stopped and I was able to sleep for about 45 min - 1 hour.

6 AM: I got up and ate another snack, went back to bed and Nick got up to get ready for the day. Nick made phone calls to let our friends know we were going to the hospital soon, and would be dropping Stella off at their house when I felt ready. I think our friend Melody thought I was crazy for staying at home so long, but I really didn't feel in any rush, since the contractions weren't bad at all.

8 AM: I got up at about 8 and ate some more, since I was still feeling okay. Contractions were starting to be uncomfortable, but I could still walk and talk through them, and they were still about 15 minutes apart.

8:30 AM: Stella woke up. I really didn't want to have to wake her up, and am thankful I didn't have to. We definitely would have, had we felt it urgent to get to the hospital. I wanted her to have as "normal" a morning as possible, so that when we dropped her off she would be excited and happy and not half asleep and grumpy, and upset that Mommy and Daddy were going somewhere and she couldn't come. She was very excited to find out that her baby brother was coming. She said, "Mommy and daddy go to the hospital to see the doctor. I go to the Bloker's house." Perfect!

9:30 AM: Stella is dressed, fed, and ready to go. We head for the Bloker's house and drop Stella off. It was so wonderful to have them available to take her, as they have 4 kids for her to play with and distract her from the fact that Mom and Dad aren't there. SUCH a blessing! At this point, my contractions were getting stronger and 5-10 minutes apart, so I definitely felt ready to get to the hospital, but still no pressing concern that we had to get there immediately.

10:30 AM: Arrive at the hospital. Nick wheeled me in, as every time I stood up I would have more contractions and felt it unneccessary to walk to the delivery ward in order to help move things along. They strapped me up to a monitor for 30 minutes (standard practice here, to get a baseline for how the contractions are going and how baby responds to them, then they let you off and labor without them), and started an IV, since my water had broken. They do this so that in case you start showing signs of an infections (no barrier between baby and the outside world anymore), they can immediately start you on antibiotics. Also, they give you some anyway if you haven't delivered within 12 hours of your water breaking. Meanwhile, my contractions were getting stronger and I could not get comfortable on the birthing chair/bed like thing (we so meant to take a picture of the room, since it's different than the labor rooms I was in in the States and can hopefully do that when we get our check-up). Nick took this time to go park the car and unload our stuff and get the last check-in stuff done with the hospital.

11 AM: I am unstrapped from the monitor, and the midwife checks my dilation. 4 cm. I was a little disappointed, as when I had Stella, I arrived at the hospital at a 7. You have to get to 10 cm, for those of you who don't know, and they "say" average is about 1 cm an hour, which proved true with Stella. So I'm thinking I'm in this for a few more hours, which I was not really looking forward to. The midwife asked if I would like to try the birthing tub, and I said yes, as a nice warm bath sounded very soothing. I had to go to the bathroom, so Nick helped me there after about 10 minutes of waiting until I felt like I could walk. Thankfully, a toilet sits about 6 steps from the birthing tub, because once I sat on it, it took me about 15 minutes before I felt like I could stand, the contractions were coming so hard and fast. At this point Nick started getting a little uncomfortable, as he did NOT want me to birth our baby on a toilet! Nor did I, for that matter. I was finally able to stand, and he helped me get into the tub, which I immediately fell to my knees into the water, completely unable to help him get me out of my nightgown.

11:30ish AM: A couple of HARD contractions in the tub later and I suddenly felt like the baby was about to birth himseld. The midwife had, after starting the water in the tub, left the room, so Nick ran out to the hallway, and yelled for someone to come, cause the baby was coming. I was still not actively pushing at this point, and was so overwhelmed with how hard and fast things were moving, I couldn't control my breathing (Nick and the midwife and our doctor, who arrived at the next contraction, had to keep reminding me to slow down my breathing or I would have probably hyperventilated!), nor could I control the sounds coming out of me. I think Nick was rather taken aback, as he said later that he could not believe they were coming from me, and joked that I sounded like a wildebeast. Ha! I don't think there were any other laboring moms there that morning, so thankfully I don't think I scared anyone else!

11:40-43 AM: Our doctor gave the go ahead to push on the next contraction, as the midwife said his little head was right there, which it definitely felt like, so on the next contraction I pushed with all my might and out he popped, right into the water. The midwife caught him and brought him up out of the water and helped him get breathing a little bit. The birth was so fast and crazy, I just can't describe it. A stark contrast to Stella's labor, which was much longer, but not quite as intense. I pushed for an hour with her, though, so I was completely and totally exhausted and couldn't even hold her myself when it was all said and done! Our little Ezra, though, he was ready to be on the outside. It's amazing that a 9.5 lb baby can happen so fast! And I could feel the weight of him as I held him. He's a chunk! I must say, too, water births rock! The water really helps relax you as much as you possibly can relax while in labor, and it supports your belly and body so well, it was much more comfortable. I highly recommend it. A few minutes later, Nick cut the cord. Ezra was having a little trouble breathing (they didn't suction his mouth or anything right after birth like they do in the States), so Nick and the doctor took him to give him a little oxygen and suck his lungs out a bit while the midwife helped me out of the tub. The doctor was not concerned, as his legs and torso had pinked up, but his little face was so purple that Nick and I were a bit alarmed. He sounded better when they brought him back, and we were back in the delivery room for the weighing, measuring and the doc helping me finish the delivery process and make sure all was okay. Ezra still sounded a bit clogged up so they went and suctioned again. Doc was still not worried, and as his color was slowly improving, Nick and I felt better. The doc was impressed that I delivered such a big baby, as a rather "tiny" person he would say, and so quickly, without any drugs. I wouldn't have had time for them this time anyway!

12:30-3 PM: Waiting. They have you wait in recovery for a while before they wheel you over to the postpartum area. It was kind of annoying after a while, but nice just to relax and soak little Ezra in. He looks so muchlike Stella did when she was born, it's amazing. I'll post a pic of each of them on our flickr site to show you. He still sounded a little congested or something, and made funny little squeaking noises that were so stinkin' cute. He was a little low on the blood sugar test, so they brought a bottle of electrolyte stuff, which he sucked on with a vengeance! Nick took a little time to step outside and call our friends watching Stella the good news. It was fun hearing his end of the conversation while he talked to her. The first thing she asked was if we were at the hospital and if her baby brother was there. So sweet!

3 PM: Arrived in our room, and were thankfully able to get a private room. Our insurance only covers a double, so we had to pay the difference, but it's totally worth it! Nick was able to stay with me all three nights we were there. We then were finally able to get a phone card and call our families and share the news, which they were very excited to hear. We also called our friend Becky, because Ezra now shares her birthday!

So that's the story of Ezra's birth. We enjoyed our stay at the hospital--the first 24 hours, especially, since they don't come and bug you and check how you're doing every 2-3 hours like they did with Stella (ALL NIGHT LONG! So annoying!), so we got some good rest and Ezra slept most of the first 24 hours, eating about every 4 hours or so.

Stella came to visit us in the evening of his birth day. She walked in the room and immediately asked, "Where's my baby brother?" Then she spotted me on the bed (mind you, under covers and holding Ezra) and said, "Mommy, your big belly is gone! You have a little tummy. My baby brother came out of your tummy! I have a little tummy, too!" It was so stinking cute, and I had it on video, but then somehow it got taped over with some lovely footage of the wall. Grrrrr... we still have some of her holding him, which is the first thing she wanted to do when she spotted him. She's doing REALLY well with having him here now. She always wants to help, which is wonderful, and we try to have something for her to help with on every account. She puts the dirty diapers in the trash, hands me wipes, brings a blankie when he needs one, etc. The only thing she got upset about was when she wanted to help me nurse, and I told her she couldn't. She wanted to help Ezra open his mouth, but there's not much you can do for that! It was quite funny. She came and visited us every day except the day we went home, and spent a few hours with us each time. They have a nice reception area with a big box of toys that we would visit with her, and she played with some other American kids that were there visiting their new siblings. We are very blessed to have such a sweet little girl for Ezra's big sister!

We stayed until Friday, and enjoyed it very much. Everything is very clean, laid-back, and the staff was very helpful, informative, and non-invasive. We had a few visitors each day, which broke up the time very nicely, and it was fun just sharing our experiences with all of them. Plus, we got some lovely flower arrangements and "Presents!" as Stella was so excited to see, even if they weren't all for her. I think most of the fun is opening them, anyway! Friday Ezra was circumcised, a for real surgery experience here, down in the OR and everything. A little local nerve block, and for him, some sedative since the surgeon kept remarking how strong he was and wouldn't stop flailing his limbs every which way!, a few incisions and snips, and an hour in recovery. We got him back at 10:30 AM, and having not fed him since 5 AM both he and I were very ready for a nursing! Thankfully, my milk arrived Thurs, so he isn't jaundiced at all like Stella was. He IS a very vigorous eater, I must say. I think it's his favorite past time!

Friday evening we were able to leave. We were a little concerned we might have to stay longer at first, since they didn't really know when exactly the circumcision would be done, and you have to wait a few hours (one person said 24!) before they check and make sure he's okay to leave, and were worried if they didn't do the procedure Fri, and the don't do them on the weekend, that we'd have to stay til Monday, or leave and then bring him back, or whatever. It all worked out for the best, though. We left, picked up Stella, and arrived home around 6 PM. Our church is providing dinner for us every other day for 2 weeks, and our first meal arrived soon after we got home. We were all quite hungry! (Speaking of, someone is paging me from his crib!) It's such a wonderful blessing to have meals provided! If you know someone who's had a baby, bring them a meal, even if it's just take-out, and you will make their day! I will never forget our first one with Stella, from our friends, the Waites--BBQ chicken lavosh, mandarin orange spinach salad, and homemade chocolate chip cookie ice cream & peanut butter sandwiches. All are favorite foods of mine! It is very nice to be at home, with the comfort that brings, and just to be able to start settling into a new routine. Nick is taking off work, I believe until Friday, and then my parents arrive Saturday (to which Stella always says, "woo-hoo!").

As for Ezra, he's a very sweet little guy. Like I said, he loves to eat! He's also been very alert yesterday and today, eyes wide open just taking in his surroundings. He and Stella took naps at the same time yesterday afternoon, which was awesome for me because I was able to get a good one in, too. He's been really good at night, too, only waking up 2 or 3 times. I feel like Stella was up way more than that, but it might have just been that I didn't really know what to expect with her, since she was our first. Ezra's breathing has gotten much better, and he's figuring out how to eat and be able to breath without choking or holding his breath forever. He's apretty quiet little one, not crying often, unless he's hungry or being changed. Speaking of being changed, he's nailed Nick and I each at least once with his fountains. Stella witnessed one, and she cracked up laughing. Mikki, those pee-pee tee-pees will come in handy, I think, once he's all healed up. And, even his cries are not really loud, which is a blessing! He more whimpers, squeaks, or grunts, really. We'll have to get some video of it up for all of you to enjoy.

All in all, it has been just wonderful so far. Thak all of you who have been praying for me throughout this pregnancy and delivery, know your prayers have been answered. Oh, and I appologize for the novel! Those of you who know me well know I have a tendancy for this, I just want to share our experiences with you!

Erin's visit

Our last visitor, before the baby arrives, was Nick's sister, Erin. The day she got here, after a little afternoon siesta, we headed out for a fest in a nearby town. It was a harvest fest, so they had a lot of fresh produce, and even a booth with things made from pumpkins--wine, liquor, pumpkin seeds of different flavorings, etc. They had wasabi pumpkin seeds, which Nick enjoyed. Erin was very happy to have here true bratwurst with a glass of beer, at an authentic festival no less. It was a lovely evening, and we enjoyed some Flammkuchen (a pizza like thing with onion, bacon/pork bits and a cream sauce. Yummy.) and neuerwein (new wine). The only detraction from the evening was when Stella went wandering. This was our first true "fright" we had with her wandering off. She had been playing on some big rocks next to our table, and they were taller than she was so she would be out of sight for a little bit before she climbed back on. Well, it had been a couple minutes since I last had eyesight of her, so I went around the rocks, and there was no Stella. I couldn't see her anywhere, so called to Nick, and we started looking. He immediately headed for the parking lot, ready to fight to the death if need be, and the rest of us spread. I assumed she either wandered toward the corn maize, since she had been asking to go in there, or over to another play area full of hay that kids were flinging around (driving my allergies royally bonkers!). Sure enough, our friend Melody, along with Erin, spotted her over in the hay. She was quite upset to hear that she had scared Mom and Dad, and after a stern talking too looked like she was about ready to cry. At least we know she had good intentions, and didn't mean make Mommy and Daddy worried. You never can be too careful, unfortunately, but we're thankful that she was alright.

The next day was Sunday, and we were in town so we went to church that morning. Erin said the service was similar in style to hers in NY, and we were glad that some of our friends there were able to meet her. It's nice to have your two worlds (back in the States and here) collide and actually get to have everyone interact. The rest of the day we rested, as all good Sundays should be.

Monday we headed up to the Mosel, in the hopes of catching a wine fest that was mentioned in the paper. It turned out that the fest was actually to be the following weekend, but the day was so nice it didn't really matter. We decided to catch a cruise on the Mosel, which we hadn't done yet. Stella was quite excited to get to ride on a boat! While we waited, she was entertained by a fairly large group of swans that were hanging out by the river. The ride itself was beautiful. The river is flanked with hills on each side covered with either vineyards or forest, with towns every few kilometers. The sun was shining and there was a light breeze, so we sat up on the top deck and enjoyed a nice lunch and a bottle of local wine. We took the boat to Bernkastel-Kues, which Nick and I had visited the weekend of his birthday. We spent a couple hours wandering the small, crooked little streets, bought some wine to bring home, and ate some yummy crepes and ice cream. As we were headed back to the boat, we could see some pretty serious rain clouds a comin', so decided to stay below deck this time. A good decision, as it soon began to rain pretty steadily. Stella had fun playing with the table decorations, and was treated to chocolate from the Germans sitting at the next table. I think German folk must walk around with some sort of candy always at the ready, because people give her some all the time! By the time we got back to the car the rain had stopped, though it was a bit cooler. It was a very nice way to spend the afternoon. I must say it would be really fun to get a bunch of friends and ride the boat on the whole route. I'm sure you can rent them, too.

Tuesday we weren't planning much. Erin watched Stella while Nick and I went to a Drs. appointment (starting the last month of pregnancy!). She said she read the book she brought to Stella about 10 times, played with her Russian nesting dolls (a baby, mommy, daddy, baby sitter and I don't remember what she calls the other ones), and answered about a million questions. Typical morning with Stella. Our appt was all good, we came back for lunch and decided to take a little trip to France that afternoon. A friend had recommended a town called "Bitche," and yes it is pronounced that way. It's a little town just over the border, and it's where the French have a huge old citadel. They would retreat there when they were at war and it wasn't looking good, mainly when the Germans were whipping up on them pretty badly. It sits at the top of a hill overlooking the town. It's a pretty impressive building/fortress. They have an automated audio tour that you can follow through the whole thing, explaining what went on where. We didn't do the whole tour, just because we got there a little late to be able to do the whole thing, but it was a really cool place. It was really sunny and the view was amazing. There's also a really cool garden at the bottom of the hill, called the Peace Garden, that we were only able to breeze through before it closed. They had a bunch of really cool garden art/plant sculpture stuff that would have been fun to spend more time enjoying, or to picnic there, but we'll have to save it for another time. We also managed to find a bakery that had my favorite French dessert, mille feuille (sorry if it's spelled wrong!), and it was very tasty. After a simple dinner at a place on a lake, we headed home.

Wednesday Kent, Erin's boyfriend, arrived. It was a treat to be able to meet him and get to know him a bit, since they've been dating for a while now. We really enjoyed our time with him, and I think Stella did even more. She's always thrilled to have someone new that will play with her! We appreciated it, too, of course. We went to a castle and wildpark nearby for the afternoon, even though the weather wasn't ideal. Kent was welcomed to Germany with steady, grey rain and about 50 degrees F. Can't have sunshine every day, I suppose! Thankfully the rain stopped so we could go and enjoy the animal park. Stella LOVES this place, we've been there a couple times, though she didn't want to go in the petting zoo this time. Last time we made the mistake of bringing the boxes of animal food in the pen with us, and were practically stampeded. A 2 yr old doesn't stand much chance against a fleet of goats, and she was pretty freaked out. I was angry because they kept jumping up on me and pointy goat hooves don't feel very good on a pregnant belly! Stella was satisfied by feeding the goats through the fence this time. This place also features a variety of birds of prey, and has a falconry show daily. Unfortunately the weather prevented the show from happening while we were there, but we still got to see all the birds out on their posts. Stella loved that. They have the names of the birds on plaques in front of them, and she kept asking what their names were. It think her favorite was Alfred the vulture. Let's see...we also saw a lot of deer, some really shaggy ox/cow things, elk, very stinky boars, a variety of chickens and geese, bunnies, guinea pigs, and some extremely fat pigs. Oh, and a few ponies whose offspring was running around the pen trying to get its mom and dad to play with him. It was quite entertaining.

That evening we went out to eat at our favorite restaurant, treating Erin for her birthday. The place is great for many reasons: excellent food, excellent service, they have a toy box for kids, they take credit cards, speak English, will give you tap water, and it's reasonable pricing! Can't go wrong. We enjoyed a relaxed meal, and I had some very yummy pumpkin soup, although I couldn't fully taste it as I was coming down with a head cold. It was a very nice evening.

The next morning, Erin and Kent were headed for Austria. Erin works for the magazine, Town and Country Travel, as the editor of their online edition, and so they sent her to a very posh new hotel in Austria to review it. Sadly, it took Kent and her away from us, but we are thankful for the time we were able to spend with them. And who could say no to an all-expense paid weekend at a REALLY nice hotel? Judging from their pictures, it was a lovely time. We were not able to see them again before they left, and look forward to seeing them (or at least Erin, and hopefully Kent) when we're back in the States this winter.

Chad and Allison Visit

A couple weeks after Grandma and Grandpa visited, we had our second round of guests. Chad and Allison, good friends from college/dental school, came for a week. It was a bit of a whirlwind, as they planned to see quite a bit of the sights while they were here, and we went along for the ride.

We met them the evening they arrived up in Baccarach, a town along the "romantic" Rhine river. We had never been to one of the Rhine towns, and enjoyed an evening of walking through the town (much like Cochem or Bernkastel-Kues on the Mosel River), catching a yummy dinner at our hotel, and topping it off with a prolonged stay at a Weinstube (wine house). The wine was quite yummy--we tried a medium and a dry Riesling. Stella entertained herself by going from lap to lap, drawing and chatting away. Later on there were some boys playing on car scooter things (making a royal racket mind you, as it was on cobblestone!), and you could tell Stella really wanted to go play with them, but she was a bit intimidated I think. For one, they were a little older than her, and were German so she couldn't really understand what they were saying. Just watching them was quite interesting for her though. We also sampled a plate of homemade cream cheese herb spread stuff, with veggies and pretzels and yummy bread. It was delicious. The place itself was just really nice--in an open air courtyard surrounded by really old buildings, one of which used to house the old Post Office (think back in the horse drawn post wagon days). A very nice evening. We headed back to the hotel, and Nick and Chad stayed up for another hour or two (amazing to me on Chad's part, having just arrived in Germany that morning!), while Stella, Allison and I crashed. Oh, and our hotel was really cool--a tower in the old city wall. Chad and Ally had the top of the tower for their room, while we were one floor below. Somehow every hotel we stayed in we mananged to be at least 2 floors up, (no elevators, of course!), one time we were on the 5th! Needless to say, this pregnant lady got her exercise!

Next day we headed home so they could see where we lived, and pretty much just hung out. Their luggage did not arrive with them, so we were hoping it would show up. We all rested a bit that afternoon, and then we caught a bit of a village carnival that evening. We got home just before the luggage arrived at 10 pm. They were very thankful to have fresh clothes and toothbrushes (really, a dentist SHOULD have extra toothbrushes at the ready at all times, but we were without!).

Next morning was Sunday and we had hoped to go to church, but because of where we wanted to get to that day decided to head out early instead. Chad and Allison rented a snappy Mercedes sporty convertible (can't remember the model), and made it down to Fuessen (by Neushwanstein) about 3 hours before we did, if not a little earlier. Sadly, we only left about 20 minutes after they did from our house. They had the fortune of missing a few frustrating staus (traffic jams) that we got stuck in. We ended up making it, though, and found them at a fest in the area. They had scoped out a hotel and so we met up there, dumped our stuff, and Stella made a new friend. Emma and her parents were staying at the same hotel, and she was playing outside on the playground when we arrived. We all decided to go catch some dinner together down the street, and enjoyed meeting some new people, and Stella loved having a friend, I think just as much as Emma did.


The next day we walked up to Hohenschwangau (one of Ludwig's famous castles--the one he grew up in) and got tickets to tour it and Neuschwanstein that day. It was a beautiful day, perfect for being just on the northern edge of the German Alps and enjoying the scenery. The castles were gorgeous, of course, and we just couldn't help thinking of the crazy expense it was to build them in the early 1800s. Neuscwhanstein STILL isn't finished. The forest area right around it is just lovely, and Stella enjoyed running around a bit with us. She also liked looking at the elaborate paintings in both of the castles, and picking out the animals in them.

We went back to the fest we had met Chad and Allison at the day before, because when we had arrived it was closing down. This day, however, it was in full swing. The Bavarians really do it up in style, too, as most (literally, more than half, if not two thrids) people were in full traditional garb--lederhosen. It was so cool. Wee babies all the way up to grandparents, and all ages in between. Yes, even teenagers. It was very cool. Nick, Chad and Allison enjoyed a beer and we walked around and looked at the various booths of goods available. Stella played a little bit on the playground there, said hi to the cows, and then we headed out. Oh, the festival was to celebrate the time when the cows come down from the mountain to winter in the valley. I think.

We then moved on to the Wieskirche, a gorgeous pilgrimage church in the area. While we were there, a woman was singing to a gentleman playing the church's organ, rehearsing for a performance. It was lovely, with the sun pouring in the windows and beautiful music to listen to. Stella also enjoyed this place, because there were cows, horses, and a goat to look at and pet outside. I think the goat got a little irked that we weren't feeding it, though, because it nibbled on Nick's leg a bit.

That evening we headed on to Garmisch. We got there too late to really do much, besides find a hotel and some food and walk around a little bit in town. It would have been nice to actually enjoy some time by one of the lakes or a little hiking trail or something, but oh well. We found a very nice Gaestehause downtown with a very kind gentleman who gave Stella a toy AND a piece of candy. He also recommended a restaurant that was literally the best German cuisine we have had since we've been here, and it was reasonable to boot! I think the name was Zum Wildschuetz. I would highly recommend it! We then headed back to the hotel to get Stella to bed.

Unfortunately, the next day it was steadily raining, so we had no chance to get out and enjoy the beautiful mountains, so we headed on our way towards Munich. We stopped for lunch at the Kloster Andechs (a monestary). They are famous for their brewery, so we had to sample some of their fine beers. The best, by FAR was one called Apfelweis. It's a beer made from apples, and is way better than any kind of hard cider or whatever I've ever had. Unfortunately, we could not purchase any to bring home with us! I think it's either a seasonal thing they don't make into bottles, or they were out, or maybe it goes bad fast. I was a bit disappointed, though! We then continued on to Munich, and checked into our hotel (5 stories up a windy staircase!). We spent the afternoon meandering around the old town center, and watched the Glockenspiel chime at 5. It was under construction, so there was no music, but Stella enjoyed watching the figures go round and round. I think she had more fun chasing the pidgeons, though. Then, we headed off to the Hofbraeuhaus to meet up with one of Allison's friends. We spent 4 hours there, including dinner, and I was just amazed at how well Stella did just hanging out. She was, of course, thoroughly entertained by the people all around, and the live polka band that played not too far from our table. She is a trooper! The food was quite mediocre, and the beer okay, but the atmosphere is what this place is all about. Allison's friend, Ula, was very nice and we had fun talking with her. Nick and Chad walked Stella and I back to the hotel so we could go to bed at a decent time, and went back for a couple more hours. There was a group of Brits at the table next to us, at least some of which were in their military, and were quite nice guys to chat with as well. They were on holiday, and had meant to hit the Octoberfest, but missed it by a week. Ooops!

Next morning Nick, Stella and I had a nice breakfast with Chad and Allison, and then headed back home. They stayed in Munich for the morning and then headed on to Rothenberg (we had just been there with Nick's folks a few weeks before, so opted out of going again). We said our good-byes and parted ways. It was very fun to travel with them, and just to be able to spend some time with friends from back home here in our "home."

Grandma and Grandpa Schulte's visit

Well, Grandma and Grandpa Schulte were our first visitors this fall, at the end of August and through Labor day. Stella was so funny, she would run around the house every time we mentioned their upcoming visit and yell, "Grandma and Papa coming! Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo!" and do her funny little skip-hoppy woo-hoo dance. I'll try to get that up on YouTube as well. I have a few seconds of it on video. Funny stuff. That being said, she was very excited, as were we. Grandpa had not visited yet, so it was fun to be able to show him where we lived.

The first thing we did was go to a festival in a little town about a half hour from here. It was a historical fest, meaning that they celebrated historical trades, like blacksmithing, barrel making, spinning wool, horseshoeing, etc. It was really cool because they had people who actually did the trades demonstrating for everyone to see. And, the kids could participate in some of it. Stella is still a little young to do too much, but she definitely enjoyed seeing the animals that were there. She saw a goat being milked, which was the funniest thing, because since she's potty training, she thought the goat was going tee-tee. So when I explained to her that it was milk, she said, "Milk come out the goat's bah-min." Meaning, milk came out its bottom. Gotta love two-year-olds. We also enjoyed some fresh-pressed apple cider, tried some apple wine or beer, I can't remember, (and no, I did not drink too much of it, I honestly can't remember if it was wine, but tasted like beer or what), some yummy and hearty bread, and some delicious pork steak cooked over an open fire. It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon. Then, Nick got to run a couple miles to go get the car because the shuttle bus stopped running, even though there were about 25 people waiting for it! Good thing he's in good shape. (Oh, by the way, we sold our VW Golf wagon and bought an '86 (?) VW camper bus with a pop-top. This one doesn't have all the kitchen stuff in it, but that's okay. I'll have Nick do a post on that event, as he took care of it. We haven't taken it camping yet, but plan to in the near future. The thought of climbing down from the top through a 1.5 foot wide opening with a huge 9 mo pregnant belly to go to the bathroom a couple times during the night just isn't too appealing to me. :) )

That evening, we went over to our friend's the Blokers' house to hang out and go to the carnival that was going on in the platz next to their house. Stella rode on the merry-go-round and had a blast, and the Bloker kids, their dad and Nick rode the bumper cars. Then, we all retired to their house to hang out and gain a mild sugar rush from the crepes and candy we purchased. Good times!

On Monday we traveled to Schwaebisch Hall to visit Domi, the foreign exchange student who lived with Nick's folks for a year, at his parents' house. It was fun to take the bus out for a longer drive, and proved to be a smoother ride than our last one was. We only got to spend one day and evening at their home, but thoroughly enjoyed their company, hospitality, and, as always, amazing spreads of food. Stella had a blast the afternoon we arrived, playing in their hammock in the backyard. Domi was sitting in it, then she would ask to get in, then tell him to get out, and then back in, and to swing, or not swing, etc. She's definitely the first child and a girl! She also had fun playing in their little fountain, and managed to get her pants completely wet. What else are fountains for?

When she took her nap, Domi took us for a little tour of Schwaebisch Hall. The cathedral there, St. Michel's, has a theatre festival (freilichtspiele) during the summer, and was going on while we were there. The unique thing about this particular festival, is that the productions are set on the steps (VERY steep steps, mind you) that lead up to the church itself. You can see a few pictures of the church and the steps here. The night we were there, they were showing Romeo und Julia, which Nick and I thought would be really cool to see, even if it was in German since we all know the story so well. So, after a delicious dinner at Domi's house, Nick, Barbara (Domi's mom) and I went to the show. It was so cool! It was set in a more modern time, but still with the traditional language (it was interesting picking out the lines we knew, even in German), and their dexterity on the steps was impressive. I had to hold onto the railing and have Nick's hand holding my other arm to feel comfortable, especially being 8 mos pregnant, so I can't imaging literally running around on them, all the while remembering your lines. The only goof we saw was a candle get knocked over, and no one got burned. It was quite unique!

After our visit with Domi, we continued on our way to Rothenberg o.b. Tauber. We visited last year when Nick's mom was here, and she wanted to take Gordy to see it as well. It was nice being there during warmer weather. We got there in time for dinner, and then took the Nightwatchmen's tour, followed by a stop in the infamous pub, "Hell." The next day was gorgeous, and while Gordy went through the Torture museum, the rest of us went for a walk around town for some window shopping. We spotted a park outside the city wall and stopped so Stella could have some play time. Thankfully parks and playgrounds are plentiful in Germany, and it makes traveling with children SO much easier. Plan a little time in for Stella to run around and she does so well while doing other things like sitting in her stroller through a museum. Well, it was a very nice day and Stella had a lot of fun playing, until she suddenly realized she needed to go potty. No toilet in sight. Well, she knows how to squat (with Mommy or Daddy's help) in the grass, because when we go out in our backyard it's about 5 minutes walking to get back in the house, so we just found a more private spot to squat. No one else was around, so it wasn't a big deal. That is, until she was done and I looked down to find a big turd perched triumphantly atop the grass! I cracked up laughing and Stella pronounced, "Mommy, I go poo-poo in the grass!" No warning or anything. I think Nick was laughing so hard he was almost crying. Stella was quite proud. So we found a plastic bag to take care of it, and tossed it in the garbage. Too funny! The rest of the trip to Rothenberg was quite uneventful.

The last touring we did with the Schultes was a "short" (I'll explain) trip to see Burg Eltz, a castle up on the Mosel River. As we were loading into the van, Nick thought it would be fun to ride the train instead of drive up. I ran in and checked the train schedule to see when the next one was leaving, and it was within the following 30-40 minutes, so we all agreed to try the train. See, they have these special tickets where you can get 5 people on one ticket for 25 euro and ride wherever in the region all day until 3 am. Not a bad deal. Depending on where you're going, you can even go as cheaply as 17 euro. So we get on the train, with travel time there extended about an extra hour to 1.5 hours, but it's a nice day and the scenery on the way is lovely. Plus, Stella was STOKED to go on a train. The only pain with these tickets is that you can only ride the slower trains that stop many times. It wasn't a big deal on the way there, so we decided to go see the castle, and ride the train a couple towns back to eat dinner and then catch a train home. Simple. We arrived at our destination, and had about 45 minutes of a hike up to the castle. It was a beautiful day, and the forest was gorgeous leading up to the castle, and not much of an incline so this preggo lady handled it quite well. The castle itself is very cool, and is actually still occupied by the Eltz family at times. It's been in their family for 840 years, was built in 1472 (though the foundations were from the 1100s), and looks pretty much the same as it did 700 years ago. We took a very nice tour of the castle and had some time for some photos out in the courtyard (the lighting was so nice!). I would recommend a stop here if you're in the area! It's, I would say, just as nice as Neuschwanstein (in Bavaria), just not quite as big and WAY cheaper! Funny thing-Gordy was wearing a Nebraska shirt and there was an American guy who noticed it and said, "Nebraska fan, eh?" I can't remember where he was from, though. Anyway, after spending a couple hours there, it was time for the hike back, at a slightly quicker pace, to catch the train. We then took it to Cochem, and ate a lovely dinner at the same restaurant that Stella got sick outside of the last time we were there. No problems today, thankfully! After a great big, "AHHhhh that was delicious," we went back to the train station and our adventure really started.

It was about...9 pm, I think. The train schedule had no trains listed on it that went all the way through to our home train station, which was slightly troubling. See, the thing is, evening trains don't run as frequently as the daytime ones, and they stop way more often since there are fewer trains. That means a much longer ride home, or at least we hoped we'd be able to get home! The only thing we could guarantee was getting to the next major interchange. When we got there (oh, maybe at like 11 pm, I can't remember now. It's all a bit hazy. I'm sure Nick and Gordy could tell you the precise time we arrived at each stop, since they were obsessively checking the route map to see if we really were stopping at EVERY SINGLE station between major stops. They would then come sit back down and say something lovely like, "Only 32 more stops between here and home. Averaging 3-10 minutes between stops, we should be there sometime next week." Ha. haha.), we found a train leaving in about 20 minutes for the next major interchange. Still no train listed through to our station. Bummer. We arrived in another major station about 45 minutes driving distance from home at about 1 am, I believe. We could get to the next closest major town if we waited about 30 minutes for the next train, but with no guarantee of a train all the way home by 3 am, when our tickets were no longer valid, and then we'd have to buy another ticket. Options at this point: 1-take the risk and go on the next train. 2-get a hotel room and get some SLEEP and take a train the next morning (would have been okay if we had been in a more interesting town; this one was pretty much just a normal city.) 3-fork it for a cab and be home in 45 minutes. We all voted for option 3 and were home by 2 am. Lessons learned: PLAN YOUR RETURN ROUTE before getting on a train! Had we figured out when the last through train left, it would have saved us a lot of hassles. Train travel takes a bit more planning than just hopping in the car. Thankfully, Stella fell asleep at aourn 10:30, so that saved us many headaches of dealing with a cranky, sleepy toddler. Nick's comment, "I'm NEVER doing that again." Well, not that way anyway. I still like trains, not dealing with traffic and parking and being able relax and not think about how to get somewhere, but next time we'll plan it a bit better. :)

The last few days of their visit were relaxed as we just hung out at home. We had some preparations to do around the home, getting baby clothes sorted out, putting together some bookshelves, and Nick and Gordy spent time tinkering around with the electrical stuff in the van (stereo wiring and such--a big jumble of cables. Still not functioning properly...). Then, Stella and I took Grandma and Papa back to the airport, where she said she wanted to go on the airplane, too. Tore my heart out when I had to tell her that she couldn't, and that they were leaving and she couldn't go with them, and she pouted her little bottom lip out and tears welled up, and buried her head in my shoulder and wouldn't wave good-bye. Which, of course made Grandma cry, and Mommy got a little choked up. It's much harder when kids are old enough to understand things like that! All in all it was a very nice visit, and we enoyed it thoroughly!

Been a long time

Well, we have thoroughly neglected our blog! It has been over two months since our last post. A little update first. My Bell's Palsy is about 98% better. No one can tell I even had it, which is a huge blessing. Thank you, all of you who prayed for me! The only residual effects that I can tell is that my hearing is sometimes more sensitive and a little muffled in the left ear (the side that was affected), and some of my muscles don't move quite the same way. This is most noticeable to me when I'm yawning or smiling REALLY big. I don't think anyone else would notice, though. Most of the effects were gone within 3-4 weeks, which was very nice. I'm thankful it was not a prolonged ailment!

Other than that, Stella just continues to get bigger, converse even more skillfully (like using correct past, present and future tense a lot of the time), and ask a million questions about what's going on around her. She's especially excited to meet her baby brother, and I think she actually understands that there will be a baby in the house soon. This morning she asked if he could come out now (I had a Drs. appt this morning, which I think spurred that one). And, she's asked to hold him. Sweet girl.

That being said, I'm in my 37th week, and all is looking good. He's developing well, and showing all the signs of getting ready for coming into the world outside my tummy. We are eager to meet him, and hope he comes a little early like Stella did. My parents are coming to visit in early November (Stella will tell you, "Grandma and Papa coming in Nobember!"), so it would be nice to be out of the hospital and settled at least a little bit. But, we have no control over that of course. Oh, and I'll post some new ultrasound stuff on YouTube as well, although the angles aren't as great just because he doesn't have as much room to move around in there anymore. You'll have "real" pictures soon enough!

Other than that, we have been busy with many guests visiting. I am going to post about each visit over the course of this week. We have a ton of new photos up on Flickr, as well, so enjoy those.

Funny face

Well, we had an eventful day yesterday! I woke up, and while I was making my breakfast I noticed that my face felt kind of funny. Specifically, when I licked my lips I couldn't move them properly, nor could I blink my left eye independently from my right. Nick was at work, so I was left with my mind racing as to what the heck was wrong with me. I tried to ignore it, just figuring my face was a little "sleepy." I tried a few more "tests" like raising my eyebrows, and my left one didn't move much, nor did I have much of a wrinkle in the left forehead. The first thing that came to mind, frighteningly, was the beginning signs of a stroke (I had no knowledge of anything else that could suddenly cause paralysis to one side of the face.) Still trying to not freak out, I sat down to eat my cereal, and as I took the first bite, milk ran out the left side of my mouth. Well, that was the last straw and I just broke down. Being 27 weeks pregnant makes and weirdness that goes on with your body a bit more troubling. All the "what ifs" were too much for me. I called Nick at work, and he, so wonderfully calmly (which was so comforting to me), told me to call our ER doc friend and get a preliminary opinion from him, while Nick would work on getting out of work to go to the ER with me. Stella was still sleeping, thankfully!

I called our friend Mike, and felt a little bad as he had been on the night shift and I woke him up, and he said I should go on to the ER to get checked out, but thought it was most likely something called Bell's Palsy, which I had never heard of. I then called our friends to see if they could take Stella, and Ben came to pick us up and go get Nick. I must say, it is so comforting to have such a great group of friends and community at our church who truly drop everything at a moment's notice to help when needed. Nick and I made our way to the ER, Nick very calm and cool, me still quite shaky. One of the oral surgeons at the clinic also told Nick he would suspect Bell's Palsy, as well, so I think that was comforting to him. I still didn't know what it was.

Thankfully, we were in and out of the ER within 1.5 hours. Our pastor, his wife, and assistant pastor, all came to visit while I was there, to pray and comfort us. I am so grateful for them! The doc confirmed Bell's Palsy. It's paralysis of usually one side of the face, caused by inflammation of or around the cranial/facial nerve. The pressure on the nerve causes malfunction and makes your muscles not work. It's usually caused by a virus in the ear or that area, and will start getting better once the virus runs its course. They prescribed an antiviral, which may or may not help, and sent me home. The whole time we were there, Nick couldn't stop giggling, which made me smile and laugh, made him laugh harder because of how silly I look. We are very relieved to have such a relatively minor diagnosis, however annoying it may be to me! The baby is perfectly fine, and this should not affect him at all.

This is me smiling:


What I have learned thus far is that this typically resolves itself sometime within a couple weeks to a few months. Basically, once the virus is gone, the inflammation reduces, and allows the nerve to repair itself. It really all depends on how much damage was sustained. Most people have complete recovery, which is good to know.

Some funny things--I look ridiculous, for one, when I smile or laugh because half of my face does nothing! I can't blink my left eye, which is actually the biggest concern because it won't stay properly moist. They did give me eye drops to help with that. Also, tears tend to pool which cause some blurry vision. AND, I have to tape (yes, tape!) my eye shut when I sleep so it is protected from scratches and such. Nick thought that was particularly funny. Now all I need is an eye patch. AArrrr.

This is me "closing" my eyes:


Some annoying things--I have to be really careful when I eat or drink, so I don't chew my cheek up, or spill food out of my mouth. I can't sniffle or blow my nose correctly. Brushing my teeth is kind of weird, since I can't spit right either. Washing my face--I had to hold my eye shut with a finger so no soap would get in. It's really amazing all the fine detail little things your facial muscles do that you just don't think about.

Really, we are very thankful that it's not anything super serious, and there's a couple other ladies I know of who have had this before (one while she was pregnant as well). Hopefully it will run its course soon and we'll just be laughing about it. It really is quite funny. So that's my story! Quite a little adventure...

So funny, I have to laugh (plus Nick keeps making me laugh, then he laughs because I look funny, then I laugh more...)

Cochem and the Mosel River

Nick had the day off this Friday (I'm assuming it was for Easter, even though Easter was last weekend. The Air Force has been frustrating with family days and holidays lately. Apparently there's too many people getting DWI and DUIs, so they've been taking away some of them, punishing a LOT of families for a few people's mistakes. I'm sure it's really going to stop them from drinking. Anyway...). So we decided we would go to Cochem, a town on the Mosel River. The Mosel is a river that runs from France into Germany down to the Rhine. It's a really windy, decent size river, through an absolutely gorgeous valley, with steep hills on either side. And, there's a ton of vineyards all over the hills. They have boats you can ride up and down the river, as well as a walking/bike path that follows it almost the whole way. Very nice. We were going to go on Friday, but Stella got sick late this week, and we thought it would be best to let her rest Friday. Plus, it was supposed to be 75-80 Saturday, so we were all for a nice trip.



We got to Cochem after an actually pretty drive along the autobahn for a change (usually it's pretty dull), and stopped at a restaurant a little off the beaten path for lunch. Stella was clamoring for pizza, so we had to honor that, since she seemed to be doing much better. It was the first time she actually seemed really interested in eating for a few days. We had a very nice lunch outside on their patio, and Stella had a lot of fun trying our food, and then riding on this rocking horse thing that was in the platz. She was in a great mood. Once refueled, we headed up to the main attraction of the town.



Cochem is known for its very nice castle, perched atop a hill in the middle of the town, its wine (like every other town along the Mosel), and the very nice riverside streets with shops and restaurants and stuff. The castle is really nice. It was completely destroyed in 1689 by King Louis XIV of France, and sat in ruins for 200 years. Then, they rebuilt it according to some old plans they had. It's quite amazing how they can do that. We took a tour (unfortunately in German, but we had an English info paper to read instead), which was cool to see some of the inside of the castle. Really, it was just so nice to hike up to the castle and enjoy the view and the lovely weather outside. Stella did quite well, although during the tour she was a bit cranky as it was naptime, and crashed afterwards. She just wanted to walk around (or, be pushed in her stroller) on the "mountain." She was still not quite herself, but we figured instead of her sitting around the house watching movies, she could just sit in her stroller and watch the scenery roll by.

*WARNING--the following is a description of something rather gross that happened next. Those with a weak stomach be warned!*

Well, we thought we'd be "sneaky" and stop for a little while so Nick could have a glass of wine, and I my ice cream I'd be wanting all day. There's something about walking around in beating down sun that just makes ice cream so wonderful... Unfortunately, Stella has ice cream radar that is finely honed, and woke up the instant we stopped, and kept asking for some. Mom couldn't resist and shared. BAD idea. Mom got up to go to the restroom, and came back to Daddy holding Stella, who was very upset because she had just thrown up all over Daddy, who I must say handled it all amazingly well. We have passed the parenting embarrassment test with flying colors, if you ask me, as we were in a very public place, still at the restaurant (though outside and on the edge of it thankfully, so as not to have her getting someone else or their stuff covered in grossness!) and didn't get embarassed. There's something about it being your kid that you just couldn't care less what other people think, you just want your child to feel better. You do what you can to conceal/clean up the grossness, but there's only so much you can do. Thankfully, we were right by a patch of grass and most if it got there, not on the table, etc. AND, Mom thought ahead and brought a change of clothes for Stella, and Daddy even brought some, too. So while he went back to the car, Mom got Stella all cleaned up, only to have a repeat 5 minutes later, though we all stayed clean this time. I felt kind of bad for the other people in the area having to watch, but what are you supposed to do? You can't run to the bathroom with a 2-yr-old mid-sickness, or really move anywhere. I just didn't make eye contact with anyone, only heard a few tourist walking by going "Aw, crap! Gross!" (Yeah, I'm pretty sure they were American. Other people probaly said stuff, too, but I couldn't understand it, so that was nice) So we pretty much buzzed out of there as quickly as possible, after cleaning it up as much as we could.

On the way home, we decided to follow the "Moselstrasse" instead of the autobahn for a while, just because the weather was so nice and Stella was calmed down and watching a movie (Thank you, Schulte's, for that wonderful DVD player! It should come in handy on the airplane and subsequent car trips, as well!). It is a beautiful drive. We passed many, quite full, campgrounds on the way and hope to stay at one of them sometime soon. Anyone who comes to visit, we have extra sleeping bags! The only problem with driving this road is that it takes about 3-4 times as long to get home. We didn't go the whole way home that way, but stopped for some dinner at a very nice, though rather expensive for how much food you ("don't" as Nick would say) get. It was very tasty, though, and Stella had the worst diaper blowout I have ever seen while we were there, so I think it made up for it a little bit. We ended up home at about 9, gave Stella a dip in the tub, and got her to bed. We crashed very soon thereafter, especially Nick, who had started the day with a 6 am bike ride with a good friend of ours.

After a lovely day, even given Stella's incidents, we were quite tired. I am very thankful for the circumstances of her incidents as well, especially since we weren't at home with a cabinet full of cleaning products and laundry. Advice for parents: having your kid get sick outside is much better than inside a restaurant, or even in your car for that matter. All in all, it wasn't that bad, and the weather and beautiful scenery more than made up for it. I hope we didn't gross you all out too much, but hey, wait till you have kids. I feel like we just got initiated into a club!

Easter

So here she is, our little Easter girl, all dolled up. And, yes, Mommy made her dress.





Our day was very nice, especially since the sun was shining (and has been ever since!) and it was about 60-65 outside. A VERY nice Easter this year! Our church service was very nice. Afterwards we had some friends over for a big Easter lunch, along with some of Nick's co-workers.





The kids had a lot of fun out on our patio with a little Easter egg hunt we put together. Stella didn't quite "get" it, but with Mommy's help she found 6 eggs. She was having a lot more fun shaking the eggs (with coins inside they make very fun noises) than looking for them, but that's okay. There were gummy bears in some of the eggs, and she wanted to eat them immediately, of course. Then, she felt she didn't get enough, so she kept stealing them from the other kids, who kept thinking it was their siblings. Oops! We got it cleared up quickly, though. The rest of the day we spent just hanging out, enjoying the nice weather. We hope you all enjoyed your Easter as well.

Fun with Stella

So I know we're terrible about updating this, but we haven't really done much interesting stuff lately. The most interesting stuff is just cracking up at Stella's random antics. So I figured we'd just have to do a post about her.

The other day, while Nick was at work, she had a particularly fun-filled day. First, while I was getting the breakfast dishes cleaned up, she decided she would help clean up, too. Apparently, with spring here and all, she figured we wouldn't be using the fireplace again soon, so she took her broom and started "cleaning" the ashes out. Onto the floor. Awesome! (she has done this a couple times now, and I have been completely unable to hear her do it, or catch her in the act.) So then Mom decides, well, might as well vacuum today instead of tomorrow.

While vacuuming, Stella decided she was hungry, and helped herself to a little snack. She came out of our room and Mom found her with while all around her mouth and a fairly chewed up chapstick tube in one hand. Gross!

Then, while continuing to clean the floor, Stella thought she'd have some fun with her rainboots and go splash in some puddles. Only it hadn't rained in about a week, and she was about two pairs of shoe-changes after her rainboots (she must have forgotten that she changed her shoes!) and the only puddle she could find was Jackson's dog dish. Quite inventive, I must say.

Well, Mom finally decided that she needed to lay down for a few minutes after all the excitement of the morning (and trying to get over this obnoxious respiratory cold during which she pulled a muscle in her ribs--believe me, so not fun!) and Stella found some laundry that was drying on our radiator. She decided to "help" Mama by putting some of it away (on the floor) and bringin one particular undergarment to her resting mother, saying "Nurse! On." Like I said, she's clever.

So that's one day. The next day, we had gone to the PO to get mail, and Stella received an Easter package (one of 3 she received, in addition to two Easter baskets from our landlady and the people we buy milk from--she has enough candy to last until she's 5!). So later, when Daddy came home from work we opened the package. Inside she found some stickers, in addition to some other fun stuff. She played with Daddy for a while, and ended up with a sticker on her forehead. Later, after dinner, she decided she was still hungry, and chose a black crayon as a tasty snack. Mom and Dad thought that wasn't the most nutritious option, and gave her a cracker instead.



The following day was pretty normal. When it's nice outside we usually either just go outside to our lovely and huge backyard (up beyond our landlady's amazing garden), or go for a longer walk up on the trails at the end of our street. This evening we decided to go out on the "grass" as Stella had named the backyard. She gets this really hopeful, sweet look on her face, eyes opened really wide, and asks, "Gwass? Gwass? Puh-wease?" How can anyone resist that? So off we go. Now, our neighbor upstairs has a daughter, Lena, who is...eleven, I believe. They have a trampoline in the backyard. After a major windstorm last fall (hurricane velocity winds reported at some of the bases!), it seemed to be completely kaput. However, there was some miracle, and much to Stella's delight, it has reappeared. Naturally, once we get up to the top of the backyard, the first word out of her mouth is, "Bounce! Bounce!" This time, we thought we'd bring the camera along. Here's my fave shot.



I think we'll call it "The Ascension of Nick" for now. You can even see his shadow on the ground. Too cool. Anyway, Stella had a lot of fun bouncing with Daddy (my sore rib muscles wouldn't allow me to bounce without pain) and she even learned a new trick. I'm going to attempt to put a video here on our blog, but if for some reason that doesn't work, you can view it on our YouTube site here . So here goes!



Pretty funn stuff. She was very proud of herself, and after doing it a couple times more, told Daddy, "High five!" Love it! Oh, and by the way, I have enabled comments to be left on our blog now, if you so desire. More to come soon...

Birthday weekend

Hey, it's my birthday. Or, was. Don't feel bad if you didn't call, or send a card, or just plain forgot. Chances are I did the same to you, and I don't keep score. So, I thought it would be fun to go to Florence to celebrate (yes, as in Italy).

Wait, where are we again?

No, that's not Italy. Paris? What? How did we get here? I said FLORENCE. Firenze, Italia. Vorrei andare a Firenze, per favore! Dove siamo? Paris? WHAT is going on? Aw, crap. What did I do? Well, it goes a little something like this...

So Ryanair has ridiculously cheap flights (like $60 roundtrip for TWO), and the airport is only an hour away, who could resist that? Hip, hip, hooray! I was excited. Stella stayed with friends (who, by the way, were wondering if we had a will, so that if something did happen to us they might be able to keep her. Ha! She's too sweet.), and Jackson stayed with another friend in our dog-sitting "co-op." All was set, and we even added a little extra time for the snow that started the night before our trip. It was the ONLY snow we've had all winter, which amounted to all of 2 inches and apparently melted the next day. So off we go to the airport, arrive with plenty of time, park the car, walk to the terminal, and get in line for the online check 'n go stuff. A little background here, Ryanair allows you to check in online, but with either an EU/EEA issued passport or Nat'l ID card. I chose to not take bags and do the online check-in because the airline charges you per bag (and everything else, since they charge you so little for tickets). That little voice inside my head was saying, "just double check and make SURE you can use your German drivers license for this," but I chose to (arrogantly) ignore it. Don't ask me why, I just did. Even at the airport, I figured if we needed something else they would check it when we went through security. (I'm not even sure they OPENED my passport to check it.) But, we got through security just fine and sat down to wait the hour until our flight. Out comes the airline personnel, ready to check us in at the boarding time, and calls for the online check-in folks, since we get to board first. A couple goes up ahead of us, goes to the plane. We go up, she takes a look at our ticket, and then sees our drivers' licenses and asks what it is. We hand her our passports and she says, no, these are not EU issued. She says, just a second and get on the phone (when is it EVER a good sign when they get on the phone?). She comes back and says, "I'm sorry, you can't use online check-in if you're not an EU citizen. You can'e get on the plane." WHAT? Nick starts pulling out his military ID, his SD driver's license, his Geneva Convention card (in case they thought we were terrorists?) and she just laughs, and says "I'm sorry. It's our rule. I believe that this is you, but I can't let you on the plane." Can we go re-check in at the counter? "Counter closes 40 minutes before take-off." Fantastic! Can we switch to another flight? Sure, for 800 euro (what it costs to buy a ticket that day. $1000. Each.) What about tomorrow? 90 euro. Awesome. Here's the kicker. We ask her if we had checked in when we got to the airport that morning, could we have gotten on the plane? Drumroll.....................

"Yes."

So that's what pride does for ya. I knew better, I knew I should have double checked, I KNEW I was wrong, but I did it anyway. And I have no idea why. So, back to the airport, I cry the entire way out of the airport (and off and on throughout that day) and we get to the car and are like, what now? Stella and the dog are happily being taken care of, Nick took leave for the weekend until Tuesday, and we have no trip. (Keep in mind, too, that I am NOT a person accustomed to abrupt change in schedule. Yes, I am a "J" through and through.) We decide to go to Paris. Mind you, we have no hotel reservation, it's Saturday, and we have no guide book or map of Paris or France for that matter. All we have is us (rather torked off and upset), stuff, a car and a GPS (which rules, by the way). Do you know how much gas costs in Europe? $5-6 a gallon. Do you know how many miles it is to Paris from us? 300. Did you know they like toll roads in France? 20 euros worth one way. Our bill for traveling to and from Paris? A mere $250. (Well, $310 if you count the plane tickets we bought just for the fun of it. Ha!) So this is rolling around in our heads and we decide to try and get off the freeway for a while to clear our minds. We thought a nice little chalet or chateau in the champagne region might be nice for the night. We walked for a little while in a little town (can't remember the name and we didn't take any pictures. What can I say? We were a little upset.) and it helped. No chalet to be found, (at least not one reasonable or with a restaurant within walking distance) we headed on to Paris. Traffic coming into Paris on a Saturday night at 7 pm was not on our minds, so when we hit it, I was despairing. Maybe we should have just stayed home. What if we can't find a room? Look at that crazy idiot on the motorino flying inbetween the lanes of cars! What are we going to do? (Make sure you pay real good attention when changing lanes in Paris. Those little motorbikes come out of nowhere. Thankfully, Nick was driving. My eyes were too puffy.) Well, we had some friends who had been there the week before and mentioned a hotel near Notre Dame so we headed there. Yup, no room. He even said there was NO way we would find one in all of Paris (ha!) that night. They were ALL booked. So we went next door and they had one. (I should have gone back to the first hotel and just let him know that we have a God who even thinks about hotel rooms, but I spared him.) It only cost 75 euro a night (still a lot) which was actually quite good for downtown Paris. It really was quite a find, as they had free kitchen facilities to use (buy and cook your own food) and free laundry. Plus, they included breakfast. Not bad, and good to know for next time. I must say, Nick really did well through all of this. If it had been up to me, I would have gone home and crawled into bed and pouted. He held his ground and led me on, and we had a very nice weekend. And now that I've told you all the drama of how we got there, here's what we did:

That night, as it was 8:30 PM by the time we got checked into our room and all, we just went out and walked and found a place to eat. It's really expensive to eat in Paris, especially when you don't come prepared and don't know where all the non-touristy areas and down-home type restaurants are (i.e. where the locals go). So we forked it out for food that was good, but not what I think of when I think of Paris and it being the headquarters of all things gourmet. Anyway, wine helps. I'm just amazed that I didn't pass out hours before from not eating anything (those sugar lows are not fun), and enjoyed eating at 10 pm. It was fun, too, just walking around Paris by night and seeing Notre Dame all lit up. There was a little pedestrian zone/restaurant area (the kind where they have someone outside convincing you to come in and eat) and it was packed. We tried to find some live music, but were unsuccessful.

The next day we visited the Louvre. Well, we visited SOME of the Louvre. Maybe 1/5 of it. We saw the Mona Lisa, of course (Nick was wondering the same thing I have always wondered and every art critic/theorist pondered, what's the big deal about that painting?) We saw the Venus de Milo and Victory of Samothrace, and a ton of paintings. Our favorite (yes, we both agreed!) was Paul Delaroche's "Le jeune martyre" (the young martyr). You can see it here It stands out from all the busy painting that are in the same hall. We saw Napolean's apartments (which explains the above picture. Napolean didn't have blue jeans, or t-shirts for that matter, I don't think.) After a light lunch, we went for a stroll and headed over to the Opera house. It's an impressive, ornate building, but we elected to not go inside this trip. Then, we took the tube over to the Eifel Tower. It was a fairly nice day, not too cold, so we walked around the park for a while and decided to head over to the Arc d'Triomphe. We sat and watched the traffic go round and round, and waited to see an accident, since there's at least 3 lanes of traffic in the circle, no lane markers, and motorinos zipping in and out and around, and the brave bicyclists to boot. All to no avail, but it was still fun. We then went a sadly unsuccessful hunt for a little patisserie for a nice afternoon sweet, but found NOTHING. How does one not find a pastry shop in Paris? I'm still at a loss. We must have been on the wrong streets. Even tourists like pastries, dang it! I didn't even get to have my mille feuille! Grrr! That's like my favorite thing! And it was my birthday! Don't tell me I'm going to have to go to OMAHA to get one? That's just crazy talk! (can you tell I'm still a little upset?) So anyway, we went back to the hotel to relax our feet for a little while (mom, I should have brought a pedometer), and figure out what to do for dinner. We, again, wanted some live music, but were stumped. Most things either started really late, or were already going, so we just went and had some dinner, and walked around a bit.

Our last day we started out at Notre Dame. We went inside and watched a little of the (sadly very small) mass that was being conducted, and just took in the building. I went crazy taking tons of pictures of stained glass. They have some really beautiful panels that are just patterned, and not of scenes or people that I really liked. The building, of course, is amazing. So richly detailed and ornate. I wish churches today, especially given all the amazing technology we have to help us actually put them together, would try a little harder to give God a beautiful house and not just a big one. Then, we took a walk around the park around the church and just enjoyed the SUNshine. The sun likes to hide in the winter here in Europe, so whenever it is clear and blue sky, you make the most of it (we even had a picnic earlier this month because it was so nice!). We planned to go to Sante Chappelle, too, but the line was too long, so we just trucked along and took the tube to Montmarte/Sacre Cour.

This is one of my fave spots in Paris, so I wanted to make sure Nick got to see it, especially with such nice weather. Plus, I was told that the fabric/textiles district is right there, so we definitely had to check it out. It's such a lovely spot, up on the hill, to see the whole of Paris from above. And, of course, the church is gorgeous, too. If it had been a tad bit warmer, a picnic would have been nice. But, it is January. We enjoyed taking a walk around the grounds and soaking in some rays. Then, when I could stand it no longer, I had to make a break for the fabric shops. Much as Nick would have LOVED to come with, he chose to hang out by the church instead. :) It was quite fun for me, and I did have some material in mind to try and find and was successful. Plus, the prices were actually reasonable as opposed to most of what I've found here in Germany (15 euros a yard for regular old cotton prints/quilting fabric? Are they crazy? I can order it in the states and have it shipped here for half that!). I will post a picture of Stella's Easter dress when I finish it. After I got my fibre fix, we walked back down to a more main-drag street and got some lunch, and headed back to get the car. Oh, and that was one good thing that happened, we only had to pay to park for one day. At least there was a little grace in that. (And, by the way, there's a ton more pictures on our flickr site, which you can get to by clicking the link over to the right.)

And all things being said, it was quite a nice weekend. As Nick says, try to think of it as if we were never planning on going to Florence, and all (or at least most) of the frustration fades. I still want some mille feuille, though. I guess we'll just have to go back...

Heidelberg

So last weekend we decided to take a day trip to Heidelberg. It was a usual grey, cloudy day, but at least it wasn't raining. Surprisingly, it wasn't even that cold. 50 maybe? I don't really know. Anyway, so we went to the Tourist Info office, which is a good place to stop in any town, especially if you don't have any plans of what to do, or where anything is. Usually, they'll give you a map of the city for free (yup, free!). We knew there was a real nice castle, but didn't really know anything else. We decided to check out the old downtown area which has the longest walkplatz (pedestrian only) street in Germany. On the way we stopped so Nick could check out what kind of bikes people ride in Heidelberg.

So we went, ate some yummy Thai food, and window shopped. We then made our way to the castle.

It's a pretty impressive building, since a lot of it is still intact. We did not take a tour inside the castle, so to save it for another trip, probably when someone visits us. The way up was a little steep (I think there's probably a little easier route, but no matter), and Stella was getting a little antsy, as it was past her nap time already. Up on the first level there's a really nice view over the city so we stopped to take some photos and let Stella out to run around a bit.


Much better. She had fun as we went along just walking around the grounds with us, and nearly walking into a number of people. Why do all children have a funny way of walking in an opposite direction of where they're looking? She really enjoyed walking on a specific line of cobblestones that edged the walking path, and tried to keep on it like she was walking a tight-rope.
We just walked around the grounds, enjoying the view and being outside in the fresh air. It was quite lovely.

We also took a quick peek at the Apothecary (Pharmacy) museum. It was pretty cool, but I'm sure much more interesting for those who are pharmacists (Tim).
We then walked back to the city and Stella fell asleep on the way (at 5:30!) and we decided to just walk around and find a place to eat, then head home. We found a nice restaurant with a cozy table in the back where Stella could play, and had a pizza and some wine to finish off the day. We'll definitely return!