I'm back in Germany

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...