There's nothing very news worthy going on here, but we're sure having beautiful weather. It seems like we went very quickly from a chilly spring right into summer. This week we've been having temps in the 70's with lots of sun and blue sky.
I have an ever-growing list of things that I need/want to get done before Baby's arrival. I think I work best when down to the wire and so now I feel a definite need to get in gear and start checking things off my list.
One of those items on my list was to contact a photographer for maternity photos. I'd left a message a couple of days ago and she called me back yesterday. She has a combination package for maternity photos, as well as, a newborn session. I think we're going to have pictures taken on the 26th, when I'm at 38 weeks. I don't like getting my picture taken, but I love having them when it's over and I want to capture this time in our lives in photos. For the newborn photos we haven't decided if she'll come to our house or we'll go to hers, but we have a little bit of time to think that through.
I'm trying to think of poses that I've seen that I really like. It's hard to find good sample photos online. So many are nude maternity photos and that's not quite what I'm interested in :) I'm sure she's done this before though, so she should have some nice ideas. She usually does the shoot outside, so I think we'll go to a local castle or monastery for the backdrop.
Sam finally bought a scooter last week. He's only been talking about it for the last 18 months. He ended up getting a used one, but he's pretty happy with it. Yesterday, for the first time, he drove it to work. It takes him a little bit longer, but he said it was a very relaxing ride with the weather as nice as it's been. According to the weather reports we're supposed to get rain starting tomorrow, so his scooter riding days might be short lived. I say a prayer for him every time he gets on it. With how people drive around here it causes me concern to have him out on the road with so little protection.
Yesterday we attended the first of our birthing classes. This one provided alot of good information in regards to acquiring birth certificates, passports, social security cards, etc., for the baby. Being overseas makes that process much more tedious and much more important. Since she will be born in Germany, the first thing we have to do is get a German birth certificate (which could take up to 4 weeks). Also, since we are in Germany, the name we choose has to be approved by the authorities. Hopefully that won't be a problem.
I have an ever-growing list of things that I need/want to get done before Baby's arrival. I think I work best when down to the wire and so now I feel a definite need to get in gear and start checking things off my list.
One of those items on my list was to contact a photographer for maternity photos. I'd left a message a couple of days ago and she called me back yesterday. She has a combination package for maternity photos, as well as, a newborn session. I think we're going to have pictures taken on the 26th, when I'm at 38 weeks. I don't like getting my picture taken, but I love having them when it's over and I want to capture this time in our lives in photos. For the newborn photos we haven't decided if she'll come to our house or we'll go to hers, but we have a little bit of time to think that through.
I'm trying to think of poses that I've seen that I really like. It's hard to find good sample photos online. So many are nude maternity photos and that's not quite what I'm interested in :) I'm sure she's done this before though, so she should have some nice ideas. She usually does the shoot outside, so I think we'll go to a local castle or monastery for the backdrop.
Sam finally bought a scooter last week. He's only been talking about it for the last 18 months. He ended up getting a used one, but he's pretty happy with it. Yesterday, for the first time, he drove it to work. It takes him a little bit longer, but he said it was a very relaxing ride with the weather as nice as it's been. According to the weather reports we're supposed to get rain starting tomorrow, so his scooter riding days might be short lived. I say a prayer for him every time he gets on it. With how people drive around here it causes me concern to have him out on the road with so little protection.
Yesterday we attended the first of our birthing classes. This one provided alot of good information in regards to acquiring birth certificates, passports, social security cards, etc., for the baby. Being overseas makes that process much more tedious and much more important. Since she will be born in Germany, the first thing we have to do is get a German birth certificate (which could take up to 4 weeks). Also, since we are in Germany, the name we choose has to be approved by the authorities. Hopefully that won't be a problem.
Once we receive the German birth certificate, we can then apply for an American birth certificate and her passport (which could take up to 12 weeks). We cannot leave the country until we have those two documents in hand. We're hoping to fly back to Alaska in September, but we'll have to see how long it takes to get everything we need. Once we receive her birth certificate and passport we can finally apply for her social security number and her official passport (the official passport is required because we are here under official orders, not just tourists). So, as you can see it's quite a lengthy process and one we need to get started on as soon after birth as we can. One of the items on my to do list is to get all the paperwork in order so we can have everything ready to go once she's born.
I also need to pack for the hospital. It feels like the due date is out there a long way because I just can't fathom it being as close as it is. However, I need to get packed just in case she decides to make her debut a little early.
Another hassle with living overseas is we pay all the doctor bills up front then send in receipts to our insurance for a refund. It's not been a problem, just time consuming. We get so many different bills and I have to do a request form for each. So, doing that and tracking them all takes quite a bit of time.
The other day I got the co-sleeper put together and took the car seat out of the box. I think the co-sleeper will work very well. I kind of gave up on figuring out the car seat at this time though. It looks confusing. We'll end up taking it to a certified car seat inspector on Patch to make sure we have it installed correctly.
I also need to pack for the hospital. It feels like the due date is out there a long way because I just can't fathom it being as close as it is. However, I need to get packed just in case she decides to make her debut a little early.
Another hassle with living overseas is we pay all the doctor bills up front then send in receipts to our insurance for a refund. It's not been a problem, just time consuming. We get so many different bills and I have to do a request form for each. So, doing that and tracking them all takes quite a bit of time.
The other day I got the co-sleeper put together and took the car seat out of the box. I think the co-sleeper will work very well. I kind of gave up on figuring out the car seat at this time though. It looks confusing. We'll end up taking it to a certified car seat inspector on Patch to make sure we have it installed correctly.
I did manage to get all of the baby's clothes washed and ironed this week. It took quite awhile since we have clothes ranging from newborn through 24 months. I continue to search the sale racks and was able to get quite a few clothes when I was home during the holidays. It would be nice to have the dresser in the nursery to get everything put away, but for now we're only using this closet that's in there. It'll work fine until we can get the other furniture.
As you can see, not that much new is going on with us. We're still just consumed with baby preparations. It's fun, but a little overwhelming some days. I'm trying to enjoy it because I know this is a special time in our lives. I've really been feeling good lately other than the water retention, which I think the tea may be helping with....finally. It's been nice going to the gym with Sam in the mornings. I know these days are short lived, but I love spending that time with him. I enjoy my pregnant belly. Never before in my life have I felt so free to sit on the couch with my belly out there for all to see. I love feeling and watching her move inside of me. It's quite the experience and something I try to share with Sam, but it's hard for him to really understand.
Well, I've missed a week or two of pictures, but here are the ones we took on Sunday. I wanted to have one with Sam so I tried to prop the camera, but it didn't work so great. It turned out that we were looking down at the camera....not the greatest angle for anyone, let alone someone who is 36 weeks pregnant :)
Well, I've missed a week or two of pictures, but here are the ones we took on Sunday. I wanted to have one with Sam so I tried to prop the camera, but it didn't work so great. It turned out that we were looking down at the camera....not the greatest angle for anyone, let alone someone who is 36 weeks pregnant :)
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Sam and I trying to get a picture together - of course Gabby had to get in on the action.
Just 4 more weeks to go!
These next two pictures were taken by Marika when we were at their place a couple of weekends ago. She had told Mom she would get some belly pictures of me. Oh, joy! I was 35 weeks in these.
Sam and I at Marika and Jason's on 5 April 2009..jpg)
Well, that's what's going on here. Until next time...
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