It's Sunday morning and I'm up early. I've been up since 4:00 due to back pain and jet lag. I know back pain is par for the course with pregnancy, but I think it's worse at this point because of the long plane trips I've taken (Grandpa's funeral & Alaska) where I sat in uncomfortable airliner seats for hours on end. When I go to the doctor I want to ask about seeing a chiropractor. I think with some back adjustments I wouldn't have to deal with so much pain. Meanwhile, I'm sure Sam's enjoying having the bed to himself :)
We'll be going to church later this morning, then we'll probably drive out to Robinson Barracks to check the PX for baby furniture. I'm still trying to figure out how to get a crib, dresser, changing table, car seat, stroller, etc., here in Germany. I could go to the German stores, but I prefer what I can get in America. Besides, I bought a crib set while in Alaska and I'm pretty sure the crib dimensions will be different in Germany, so the sheets and bedding probably wouldn't fit.
The plan was to order the furniture through the PX, but after checking there yesterday we found that it can take 3-6 months to receive an order. I really didn't want to wait that long, but I've checked online options (Walmart, Target, etc.) and they won't ship oversize items to APO addresses. Just another little frustration with living overseas. It's not as easy as just running down the street to a store. So, all that to say it looks like my only option is to order through the PX. I'll try to get the order in this week. With any luck we'll get it on the shorter end of that estimate.
On the other hand - I'm so happy about what I bought for the baby in Alaska. I bought lots of clothes - 3 months to 24 months. I found good sales, so I didn't pay full price for anything. I'm so glad I bought clothes there because I would pay much, much more here and still not have the selection. I'm excited to get the nursery around and get all the clothes put in place. That's probably the biggest frustration with having to wait on the furniture. I want it now, so I can start setting up the nursery. I'm just impatient that way.
After a wonderful 5 weeks back home in Alaska, I arrived back in Germany last Wednesday. The trip is never enjoyable, but I must say I was very blessed to have open seats beside me on all legs of the trip. I know Mom was praying for that and God saw fit to answer. I was very thankful because I could at least change the way I was sitting from time to time and try to alleviate the back pain.
On the flight from Anchorage to Chicago it turned out that the pilot was a friend of ours. We were friends with him, his wife and daughter in Hawaii. He is an airline pilot and they moved to Alaska when he took a job with Alaska Airlines. I heard him over the speakers and asked a flight attendant if it was Tom Sharkey. Sure enough...it was. Funny, how just knowing he was at the controls made me relax a bit. I don't like flying and try to put the "what ifs" out of my mind, but it was very comforting knowing who was at the control of that big plane. I met up with him in Chicago and we spent the 2 hours I had there catching up.
I had an interesting flight from Chicago to Frankfurt. Unbelievably, the plane was only 1/4 full (if that), which meant people could pretty much choose where to sit, so I had my row (two seats by the window) to myself. I've never been on a flight that empty and was looking forward to it. However, just a couple of hours into the flight we thought the pilot was going to set the plane down and have a couple thrown off. They were acting bazaar and would not listen to the flight attendants. Even during take off the woman kept getting up and running down the aisles. It was odd. Later the husband was found in the galley trying to steal alcohol, after he had been told that he would not be served any alcoholic beverages based on their behavior. Earlier in the flight they had been seen taking pills. Not knowing if they were high or drunk, the flight attendants finally confiscated their carry on bags until we reached Frankfurt. The flight attendants were working overtime to keep them seated and finally several hours into the flight they went to sleep. When they woke up, as we were approaching Frankfurt, they didn't seem to have any recollection of what had happened. They were still handed over to the authorities in Frankfurt. In all my travelling I've never seen that.
I'm still trying to recover from jet lag. As of today, I still have not unpacked all my suitcases and the boxes I shipped from Alaska arrived, so I have lots to put away. I've just been so tired that it hasn't gotten done yet. Yesterday, we drove to Triberg (in the Black Forrest) to see about the clock Mom and Dad ordered while they were here. Unfortunately, the clockmaker was not there, but we were able to speak to his mother. Hopefully, we will get pictures from him this next week.
We stopped by Hornbach on the way home to pick out paint for the nursery. I chose a very light pink. I don't want the color to be overwhelming, but neither do I want white walls. The crib and dresser will be white, so I think it'll look good with the light pink walls. Speaking of Baby...she is kicking almost constantly anymore. I really love feeling her move. For me, that's one of the best things about being pregnant. Her kicks are getting much stronger. It surprises me when I feel a hard kick. Yesterday morning, we were laying in bed and Sam was able to feel her quite a bit. He still hasn't felt one of her hard kicks, but I'm sure that's coming. Our next doctor appointment is February 6th. I'm looking forward to seeing the ultrasound again and hopefully confirming that she's indeed a little girl.
Well, I have lots to do, so I better get off of here and start down my list. Until next time...
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Friday, January 09, 2009
A picture update
I was finally able to download some pictures on Mom and Dad's computer so thought I'd post a few from our time here in Alaska. This post is a little heavy on the pictures.
Here are Sam and I after church on Sunday morning. That afternoon we all went caroling and then over to some friend's house for snacks.
Here are Sam and I after church on Sunday morning. That afternoon we all went caroling and then over to some friend's house for snacks.
Christmas morning we gathered around to open gifts. Chad had come down from Fairbanks the night before. Mom and Dad's Rottweiler, Lucky, had a ball tearing up all the wrappings from the gifts. We had trash bags to put all the trash in, but Lucky had another idea.
Sam and I on Christmas morning
Lucky in the middle of the mess.
Lucky Dad got a new .45 for Christmas and Chad had his .22 along, so the next day we all went out to target practice in the driveway. Since it was pretty cold, it didn't take long for us to be finished and ready to head back inside to warm up.
Dad and Sam being silly
Taking my turn at shooting. (My belly really isn't that big yet - I was wearing Sam's coat)
Mom decided to join us.
Chad, Dad and Mom While growing up we only had wood heat, but after all of us kids left Mom and Dad got a Monitor stove. They use the Monitor alot, but still supplement with wood heat, which I love. While Sam was here he spent quite a bit of time filling the trailer by the front door with firewood and bringing loads of it in to burn. With the cold weather we've been having it didn't take long before his face got all frosted up from being outside. I think he really enjoyed it though. There is nothing more invigorating than being out in that cold weather. It's so fresh.
Sam's proof that it was indeed -35
Looking all frosty from being outside.
Fog swirling around Sam from the door being open.
Sam had to fly out of Fairbanks on Sunday evening, January 4th. We would not have normally travelled such a distance at -40, but since we had to take Sam to the airport anyhow Mom and I stayed up there a couple of days to get some shopping done. I've never seen the ice fog as bad as it was in Fairbanks those few days. It was so thick that we could only see about a block in front of us. The ice fog was making the trees beautiful though. They all were covered with thick frost.
Prior to coming to Alaska I knew I wanted to get a lot of shopping done for the baby while here. I feel more comfortable shopping in stores I know. Back in Germany we do have the PX, but it's not a real big store and besides that what you buy there everyone else has as well. There are German stores, but the sizes are completely different and I thought I could get better deals here in the states. We'll have to get the bigger items for the nursery in Germany (I think we'll put in an order at the PX when I get back), but I took advantage of some good sales here to get us set up with baby clothes. I never knew shopping for baby clothes could be so exhausting though! Between the cold weather and trying to plan what we need for the baby it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, even though we did enjoy it. It was confusing thinking about what we needed for 3 months, 6 months, 9 month, etc. Thankfully I had Mom to help. After finishing at the first store we headed back to the hotel to drop off what we bought and take a breather.
When we finished shopping the following day I felt pretty good about what I'd bought. Obviously there will be other things to buy, but I feel like we have a good head start.Before we left the hotel that second morning in Fairbanks I called our house in Germany to make sure Sam had arrived safely. He was there, but his luggage had been lost. It's an exhausting trip, but I was glad to hear he had made it safely. Gabby is driving him crazy. He said she won't move more than 2 inches from him. She follows him everywhere and keeps pestering him for some lovin'. I think she's more dog than cat sometimes. When he woke up the following morning he saw that through the night she had brought in 5 of her toys and dropped them by the bed. I'm so glad he's home with her. It's hard on her when we're away for so long.
Well, that's about all I have for now. Mom and I are going to get ready and meet Dad for lunch this afternoon. I enjoy just being home, but it's nice to get out of the house every so often. I have another week and a half here and then I'll be heading back to Sam. I'm not in a hurry to leave home, but it'll be nice to be back with my husband. Until next time...
Saturday, January 03, 2009
We're having a little......
We have been home in Alaska for a little over two weeks now. It's been so busy that we haven't really had a chance to just relax, let alone update the blog. I think the last time I posted before leaving Germany mentioned that we were going to the doctor and hoped to find out the sex of the baby. We didn't get to the doctor that Monday because they called to change our appointment, but were able to work us in the next day right before we headed out of town to Frankfurt. The doctor checked lots of different angles with the ultrasound and as far as she can tell (she's 80% sure) it seems we are having...... a little girl. I wasn't at all surprised, because from the beginning of the pregnancy I felt like it was a girl. I don't know why, but it just felt that way. I feel even more sure since my sister, Kristy, found out they're having a little boy. She's due just a week after us and had her ultrasound in the same week of pregnancy as I did. They had no doubt that it was a little boy, so since we saw nothing to indicate "boy", we feel pretty sure. I'm glad that Sam really didn't care one way or the other. We eventually would like both, so we're happy with having a baby girl first.
Some people would prefer to be surprised, but I've really enjoyed knowing what we're having. It makes it more real being able to call the baby "she'' versus "it" and we can start to concentrate on girl names, which we haven't bothered with until now. On top of that I can do some much needed shopping while here in Alaska and buy girl things instead of everything in neutral colors.
Also, another pregnancy milestone - I felt the baby move for the first time on Christmas Eve. That was a really neat experience. I was just waking up and kept feeling bumps in my belly. I counted about 10-15 bumps. It was different than I thought it would be, but really pleasant. I've felt her just about every day since and find myself looking forward to feeling her again. It's usually when I sit or lay down that I feel her start to move. Sometimes at night if I turn over it seems to wake her up and she starts moving. It definitely makes being pregnant more real to feel her moving around. Sam felt a little bump last night for the first time, but at this point you have to be really patient and wait a little bit to feel her.
We had quite the trip here, but should have known better than to travel during the holidays. I guess that's what we have to put up with if we want to spend this time of the year with family though.
We left Frankfurt on Wednesday (Dec 17th) at around 10:00am and 48 hours later we landed in Fairbanks. Every one of our flights were delayed or cancelled. We were stuck in Dallas for a long time because all flights to Las Vegas had been cancelled due to snow. Our luggage was scheduled to go to Las Vegas so we had to track it down before we could reroute to Seattle without going through Las Vegas. What a nightmare! We were sent on a wild goose chase for hours before someone finally helped us track down the luggage at 11:00pm. We had been there since about 5:00pm trying to find it.
We finally got to Seattle and ended up sitting in the plane on the tarmac for 2 hours after landing because there was no gate available for us to unload at. The flight out of there to Anchorage was delayed, but when we did finally get on that flight we sat on the tarmac for another 2 hours waiting to have our plane de-iced. I guess that's what happens when it snows in the lower 48 - no place seems to be prepared for it. Being from Alaska it just seems ridiculous to have so many flight problems due to snow. If snow and cold weather stopped flights in Alaska there would be none from October though April.
Due to us sitting on the tarmac so long in Seattle we missed our flight to Fairbanks from Anchorage, but thankfully they were able to get us on the last flight out at 11:00pm. We finally made it into Fairbanks at midnight, which was 10:00am in Germany (Dec 19th). I was so glad to be in Fairbanks and off those planes. It always feels right to get back home.
As I said earlier, it's been incredibly busy since we've been here. Coming right before the holidays left us with a lot to do. Seems we haven't had more than a day or two to just relax, but I've enjoyed it all the same. The day after we got in was the church holiday potluck. It was nice seeing everyone again. That evening we went to see a drama put on by my cousins, but I was so tired from jet lag that I was falling asleep and couldn't finish it. They organized the Delta Christian Drama Association several years ago and put on yearly dramas for Christmas and Easter. They do a great job and I've been looking forward to seeing one in person, but it just wasn't going to be this year. We'll have to get a DVD of it once they come out.
Then Sunday was the church Christmas program and we went caroling that afternoon. I so enjoy being back home doing all the traditional holiday activities. Monday we went to Fairbanks because that was the one day we had to get some shopping done before Christmas. We spent the night there on Monday because Sam and I had dentist appointments early on Tuesday morning. I was concerned about going to the dentist because we haven't had a cleaning in two years. Our last was before we left Hawaii and I just haven't found a German dentist I care to go to. Thankfully though we've done a good job of cleaning our teeth because we had no cavities.
We had a really nice Christmas day. My brother came down from Fairbanks on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning we opened our gifts then Mom and I started on dinner. We had various friends and family over for dinner. It's so great to be back with people I know.
Jet lag permeated that first week here due to the 10 hour time difference from Germany. It hasn't been as bad as it could have been, but every evening around 7 or 8 I would just give out and had the hardest time keeping my eyes open. It's getting a lot better though.
Every year for New Year's Eve, Mom and Dad have a party. This year was no different, but it's been pretty cold so we didn't have as many people as usual. It was a nice size crowd though and we enjoyed good food and company. At midnight we all headed outside to watch Dad and Bill set off the fireworks. Usually we have a big bonfire to stand around, but due to the cold (it was -50 that evening) the guys didn't feel like being out long enough to get it going. So, we all just stood outside for 15 minutes to watch the show then headed back in.
Sam leaves tomorrow evening to fly back to Germany. I changed my ticket so I'll be here until the 20th. I'm sure that still won't be long enough, but I guess I have to head back eventually. As much as I love being home and with my family, it's been hard because of realizing that the next time I come home it'll be with a baby. It's difficult to want to go back to Germany. I was alright being so far away until we got pregnant, but now it's just hard having that distance between us. Knowing that Mom and Dad will probably only see her once a year breaks my heart. That's not what I wanted for my child. When we moved there we planned on 5-10 years, but I dare say we won't be there 10 years at this point.
I'm going to miss Sam and I miss my Gabby too, but it's easier to stay a little longer at this point since I'm already here. I'm dreading the trip back no matter when I go. There is nothing about that trip that's fun.
Mom and I plan to go to Fairbanks a couple of times while I'm here to get some shopping done for the baby. There is so much that I need to get since, at this point, I have bought next to nothing. When I get back to Germany we'll have to get the nursery furniture ordered. All of the floors in our house are either tile or wood, so I want to get a big rug for the nursery. I'm going to check in Fairbanks to see if I can get one shipped from here. I haven't been crazy about the rugs we seen in Germany. Same thing with a rocking chair for the nursery. I want to check a furniture store in Fairbanks to see if we can get one shipped over. The PX doesn't have much of a selection and I don't care for the German furniture. Sometimes it seems a little overwhelming when I think about all that still needs done before this little one arrives. It's terrifying to realize we only have 4 more months.
It's -50 again today, so we're just staying around the house. We'll play some games or watch movies. I'm hoping it warms up a little before we head out to Fairbanks tomorrow. I'm not able to download pictures here, so I'll try to post some later. Until next time...
Some people would prefer to be surprised, but I've really enjoyed knowing what we're having. It makes it more real being able to call the baby "she'' versus "it" and we can start to concentrate on girl names, which we haven't bothered with until now. On top of that I can do some much needed shopping while here in Alaska and buy girl things instead of everything in neutral colors.
Also, another pregnancy milestone - I felt the baby move for the first time on Christmas Eve. That was a really neat experience. I was just waking up and kept feeling bumps in my belly. I counted about 10-15 bumps. It was different than I thought it would be, but really pleasant. I've felt her just about every day since and find myself looking forward to feeling her again. It's usually when I sit or lay down that I feel her start to move. Sometimes at night if I turn over it seems to wake her up and she starts moving. It definitely makes being pregnant more real to feel her moving around. Sam felt a little bump last night for the first time, but at this point you have to be really patient and wait a little bit to feel her.
We had quite the trip here, but should have known better than to travel during the holidays. I guess that's what we have to put up with if we want to spend this time of the year with family though.
We left Frankfurt on Wednesday (Dec 17th) at around 10:00am and 48 hours later we landed in Fairbanks. Every one of our flights were delayed or cancelled. We were stuck in Dallas for a long time because all flights to Las Vegas had been cancelled due to snow. Our luggage was scheduled to go to Las Vegas so we had to track it down before we could reroute to Seattle without going through Las Vegas. What a nightmare! We were sent on a wild goose chase for hours before someone finally helped us track down the luggage at 11:00pm. We had been there since about 5:00pm trying to find it.
We finally got to Seattle and ended up sitting in the plane on the tarmac for 2 hours after landing because there was no gate available for us to unload at. The flight out of there to Anchorage was delayed, but when we did finally get on that flight we sat on the tarmac for another 2 hours waiting to have our plane de-iced. I guess that's what happens when it snows in the lower 48 - no place seems to be prepared for it. Being from Alaska it just seems ridiculous to have so many flight problems due to snow. If snow and cold weather stopped flights in Alaska there would be none from October though April.
Due to us sitting on the tarmac so long in Seattle we missed our flight to Fairbanks from Anchorage, but thankfully they were able to get us on the last flight out at 11:00pm. We finally made it into Fairbanks at midnight, which was 10:00am in Germany (Dec 19th). I was so glad to be in Fairbanks and off those planes. It always feels right to get back home.
As I said earlier, it's been incredibly busy since we've been here. Coming right before the holidays left us with a lot to do. Seems we haven't had more than a day or two to just relax, but I've enjoyed it all the same. The day after we got in was the church holiday potluck. It was nice seeing everyone again. That evening we went to see a drama put on by my cousins, but I was so tired from jet lag that I was falling asleep and couldn't finish it. They organized the Delta Christian Drama Association several years ago and put on yearly dramas for Christmas and Easter. They do a great job and I've been looking forward to seeing one in person, but it just wasn't going to be this year. We'll have to get a DVD of it once they come out.
Then Sunday was the church Christmas program and we went caroling that afternoon. I so enjoy being back home doing all the traditional holiday activities. Monday we went to Fairbanks because that was the one day we had to get some shopping done before Christmas. We spent the night there on Monday because Sam and I had dentist appointments early on Tuesday morning. I was concerned about going to the dentist because we haven't had a cleaning in two years. Our last was before we left Hawaii and I just haven't found a German dentist I care to go to. Thankfully though we've done a good job of cleaning our teeth because we had no cavities.
We had a really nice Christmas day. My brother came down from Fairbanks on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning we opened our gifts then Mom and I started on dinner. We had various friends and family over for dinner. It's so great to be back with people I know.
Jet lag permeated that first week here due to the 10 hour time difference from Germany. It hasn't been as bad as it could have been, but every evening around 7 or 8 I would just give out and had the hardest time keeping my eyes open. It's getting a lot better though.
Every year for New Year's Eve, Mom and Dad have a party. This year was no different, but it's been pretty cold so we didn't have as many people as usual. It was a nice size crowd though and we enjoyed good food and company. At midnight we all headed outside to watch Dad and Bill set off the fireworks. Usually we have a big bonfire to stand around, but due to the cold (it was -50 that evening) the guys didn't feel like being out long enough to get it going. So, we all just stood outside for 15 minutes to watch the show then headed back in.
Sam leaves tomorrow evening to fly back to Germany. I changed my ticket so I'll be here until the 20th. I'm sure that still won't be long enough, but I guess I have to head back eventually. As much as I love being home and with my family, it's been hard because of realizing that the next time I come home it'll be with a baby. It's difficult to want to go back to Germany. I was alright being so far away until we got pregnant, but now it's just hard having that distance between us. Knowing that Mom and Dad will probably only see her once a year breaks my heart. That's not what I wanted for my child. When we moved there we planned on 5-10 years, but I dare say we won't be there 10 years at this point.
I'm going to miss Sam and I miss my Gabby too, but it's easier to stay a little longer at this point since I'm already here. I'm dreading the trip back no matter when I go. There is nothing about that trip that's fun.
Mom and I plan to go to Fairbanks a couple of times while I'm here to get some shopping done for the baby. There is so much that I need to get since, at this point, I have bought next to nothing. When I get back to Germany we'll have to get the nursery furniture ordered. All of the floors in our house are either tile or wood, so I want to get a big rug for the nursery. I'm going to check in Fairbanks to see if I can get one shipped from here. I haven't been crazy about the rugs we seen in Germany. Same thing with a rocking chair for the nursery. I want to check a furniture store in Fairbanks to see if we can get one shipped over. The PX doesn't have much of a selection and I don't care for the German furniture. Sometimes it seems a little overwhelming when I think about all that still needs done before this little one arrives. It's terrifying to realize we only have 4 more months.
It's -50 again today, so we're just staying around the house. We'll play some games or watch movies. I'm hoping it warms up a little before we head out to Fairbanks tomorrow. I'm not able to download pictures here, so I'll try to post some later. Until next time...
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