Why I am not a good blogger...

And I knew this would happen once I had been "off Facebook" for long enough. I would get frustrated with the blog. No real comments. No better connection with people. Not worth it? I mean, I suppose I don't have to see many people's Donald Trump support posts or "why Hillary Clinton in the anti-Christ" posts. I suppose that is helping me out in the long run. But, I realized the reason why my blog is not "popular" even among my friends. I'm not posting controversial things. None of the "Why Europe is SO much Better than the US" posts. or "Why the Republican Party is Certifiably Crazy."  Or what if I wrote about my experience as a Mom... "I Let my Kids Watch A Lot of TV and I Don't Care What You Say" or "Your Kids Should Already Recognize Letters" and "Why My Kids Don't Speak German." I'm sure that'd generate a lot of traffic or comments. It's funny, but you'd think after 36 years I would have learned to be at peace with not getting what I want from people. :) And really, I'm mostly just journaling our time here, so I really shouldn't expect to get anything out of it other than a record...

And with that... here's what we did this weekend. We've had a fairly regular tradition of going out to eat with Montanna's coworkers a few Fridays a month. Usually we go to the same place (good food, good place, if it ain't broken, don't fix it, am I right?) but this time we decided to try something different. Because we always bring along our young kiddos, we were looking for a family friendly place, and we found a great Ethiopian restaurant called Safari. Not having much experience with the food, we opted for a platter that had several different dishes on it, and we asked for it to be spicy. It was soooooooooooooooooooooooooo good. On the way home, Montanna and I were trying to pinpoint exactly what was so good about it, and I think we narrowed it down to being hearty (like a stick-to-your-ribs meal) and how satisfying it is to eat with your hands. I'm not sure it's the best place to eat during very warm weather (although each dish came with a tiny salad garnish that was AMAZING, so if I could get that on a hot day, I'd be happy).

Our platter for 3. The rolled up things were the bread we used in place of silverware.

 On the platter were stewed lamb, beef, and some chicken legs. Also a variety of what appeared to be lentils (kind of a mushy lentil?) which were very well flavored especially when mixed with meat, and some stewed potatoes, cabbage, and carrots. Also, eggs.

Flames below the Gored Gored.

I also took a picture of our friend's dinner because it was presented in such a cool fashion. We had dessert; mango topped with yogurt and cinnamon. We had coffee as well. The coffee had a distinct flavor (lemongrass?) and it was served with popcorn, which the kids adored. As is the case with most restaurants in Europe, there was no kid menu (though kid menus are fairly standard in tourist areas), and I anticipated that Phoebe wouldn't be interested or able to eat there, so we brought her food. It's a good thing, because they seemed to prepare most everything with ghee (which is dairy). So, they munched on "jam sandwiches" (sunbutter & jelly), apples, chicken, and marshmallows. Yum.

On Saturday we decided to check out Olsbrücken's Torch Hike. So the story is that every year, the villagers light torches and hike up to the Schutzhenhaus and burn away winter with a big bonfire. There are brats and drinks for sale. We thought that sounded like fun.

Obligatory "before" picture

Eerie procession

Umm, how handsome is my husband in this pic??

Lesson learned: when torches are involved, someone's face is going to be obscured.

I really enjoyed it. Apparently there was an Eisbar set up, which sounded pretty cool, but being pregnant, I didn't enjoy anything stronger than a coke. I also didn't bring my camera because I figured the pictures wouldn't be good. Well, lesson learned there too. Next year we're definitely bringing the "good" camera. The hike, although it was super short, really wore me out. This pregnancy is kicking my butt, but I'm savoring every minute of it.

Here's a video of the timber going up in flames. Sorry about my silly laughing.

The allergy clinic...

As most of you know, our Phoebe has food allergies (milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame). She also has had issues with asthma, eczema, and seasonal allergies. Every year, we have her blood tested to check the level of antibodies (IgE) to a particular set of allergens. This year, I was hoping that she would demonstrate lower levels and perhaps be cleared to eat more foods. I totally neglected to have them test for common pollens and other environmental allergens, but as it turns out, the clinic did it anyway. Super awesome!

Unfortunately, her blood tests didn't seem to yield much hope. Nothing seemed to have dropped to a low enough level to warrant trying to incorporate them into her diet. And the environmental allergies were pretty bad too, but we knew that about our Sneezy Phoebs. In any case, the pediatrician suggested that we go to the allergy clinic anyway, and I'm so happy that we did!

Phoebe's blood test results

So, today was our appointment at the allergy clinic. Aside from having to park in BFE, and having Phoebe drag me along which seemed to really irritate my stretched round ligaments, we finally found the clinic, which is hidden deep in the halls of the "most state of the art [American] military hospitals in the world" according to an Al Jazeera reporter.  One of the cool things about going to this clinic is that I had a friend there! We met almost a year ago while taking prerequisite science courses at the local community college here. She and I both share a passion for hard work and good grades. So, since our last class together ended in December, I have missed chatting with her and hanging out. Somehow she managed to be able to help us out.

I spoke with the doctor at length about Phoebe's allergy history. Starting with her eczema (5 weeks) and her first allergic reaction (~8 months) to outgrowing soy and wheat (~3 years) and sneezing all the time. He had a glimmer of hope to offer us with regard to eggs, so that was cool. Apparently, Phoebe may be one of the many kids who can tolerate small amounts of cooked eggs. So, we signed up for a "muffin test," and we will be doing that in a few short weeks. We also talked at length about allergy shots. I think those are definitely in our future, but there are several factors to consider when undertaking such a long and involved process. We haven't talked as a family very much about it, but it seems that it's best to put off shots at least until we PCS to our next duty station. I'm cool with that. Phoebe is allergic to many grasses and the FDA has just approved a sublingual tablet for grass allergies that works much in the way an allergy shot does. (There are no allergy shots for foods.) We may begin that tablet before we move and using it will not interfere with our plan to begin shots in the next few years.

Then, we did some skin tests for environmental allergens (this is what made our shot conversation relevant). Phoebe was so terribly brave. There were tears, but no fighting or screaming, which is always appreciated by staff, other patients, and of course parents alike. We then passed the time playing games and eating candy (Thanks, MB!).

Moments after application.

a few minutes after application

Ready to read the results

My good sport, playing a matching game while we wait.

 I'm so happy that after what seemed like totally disappointing news from her 5 year well-check that we're now looking at finding some relief from the environmental allergies and restrictions in her diet. Wish us luck on our blueberry muffin challenge!

Have you, dear reader, had any experience with allergy shots? The world of treatment for environmental allergies is all new to me (aside from Claritin, etc.).

Happy Valentine's Day!

We were definitely looking forward to a 3 day weekend. We'd had a super busy week the week of Phoebe's birthday, and I think we were all looking for a little rest. We even managed to sleep in. On Saturday, we'd planned on taking an awesome torch (like fiery torch) hike in the woods and light a bonfire of Christmas trees, but the mayor decided to reschedule the hike in the hopes of better weather. Look forward to a post on that, weather permitting.  Montanna and I had been super impressed with our initiative in getting out and "doing something" cultural. Oh, well.

So we decided that the next day we'd do something with the kiddos. We considered seeing Kung Fu Panda 3, mostly because it's the only kids movie out right now. Then, we decided that it wasn't worth the money, and instead we went bowling. And it was a blissfully slow day at the alley! And they had a special. Here are some pictures...

Vivi liked crouching and watching people bowl.

Umm, the food here is actually good.

This picture happened because I forgot to disable the self-timer.

Phoebe and I had some fun with the self-timer when Vivi and Daddy were in the restroom.

She was just generally unable to remain in the designated non-bowler area.

Trying to open some Valentine's chocolate.

Phoebe at work.

Vivi's turn.

Tickle monster.

Phoebe pouting after she pushed Vivi down for not backing away during her turn. Also, congratulated the dude in the background on getting Kirby Smart as a head coach for his football team. We both agreed Kirby was awesome.

Daddy helped Vivi bowl because she was kind of pouting after falling on the hard bowling floor.

Look at that pose.

Counting the holes in the balls.

Serious goofball.

So, over all we had a fantastic Valentine's day. We wrapped up our day by eating leftovers, skyping with Sophie, and talking with Grandpa E on his birthday. Hope you guys had a spectacular evening too!

Happy birthday, Phoebe!

This Saturday, February 6th, our little girl Phoebe turned 5. She is 9 1/2 years younger than Sophie, so having her was a lot like having a baby for the first time. I hadn't been married when I had Sophie, so that was different. I had long forgotten the baby/toddler years now that Sophie was self-sufficient (for the most part) in terms of bathing, dressing, sleeping, and eating. I hadn't saved a lot from Sophie's babyhood, aside from a few toys and books, so the process of acquiring all of the baby things was again new and exciting. Anyway, though she was due on my birthday, she ended up being born 8 days late on Super Bowl Sunday. I think the Packers won. I put the game on in my room, but I was a bit tired, and just enjoying snuggling my delicious little newborn.

Birthday

She had her umbilical cord wrapped three times around her neck and wrapped around her arm and legs, so that lovely scratch on her forehead is from the catheter used to supplement the amniotic fluid to relieve pressure on the umbilical cord during contractions. Her heart rate would slow during my contractions, so they were somewhat worried. Luckily, we chose one of the best hospitals in the area for the births of our girls, and they managed everything really well. She was the most calm, sweet little baby. She didn't cry during any of her exams or injections in the hospital, and they kept telling me how awesome that was, considering some of them were considered painful. She was a perfect baby, and we all left the hospital after the standard 48 hours.

One year.

Two years.

Three years, first year in Germany.

Four years old.

5 years old with her 70 year old fossil dust. Chair picture coming soon.

For the third birthday in a row, we have visited a local dinosaur museum. It has a lot of information, but the coolest part of the whole experience is the habitats that they have recreated with animatronics. You feel like you've stepped into a dinosaur's territory. There are a ton of cool things to see, especially if you are young, love dinosaurs, and have a bit of imagination. They also have an indoor park, which is great for a February birthday. So, we toured the museum again. Phoebe worked on a fossil and was gifted some 70 million year old fossil dust (see above picture). And we played. Then, we came home, had friends over for beer brats and cupcakes and presents. It was a great night. A wonderful day and evening to commemorate the birth of our Phoebe.

Phoebe's fossil gift

One of the more intense scenes from medieval England

Nothing like some cotton candy after playing for a few hours.

Way too happy about medieval torture.

Vivi wanted to do it too.

Vivi is drilling away at the fossil.

Phoebe taking her turn with the fossil drill.

Vivi, Phoebe, and her friend who joined us at the museum that day, in one of the habitats.

Altogether it was a wonderful birthday. We're so happy to have such an incredible child in our family. Just for posterity's sake, let me talk about Phoebe as a five year old. She's still allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, and sesame, and it doesn't look like she will outgrow any of those allergies any time soon. She's pretty good at counting, and we're working on learning how to read. She knows a lot about dinosaurs and planets. She also has a healthy appreciation for princesses. Her favorite holiday is Halloween. Her favorite structured activity is gymnastics. She's also in a combination tap and ballet class that she enjoys. When school starts, we may not be able to continue with both, but we shall see what we can handle. She's still sucking her thumb. She and her younger sister alternate playing well together and fighting with another. She adores her older sister. She's looking forward to having a baby around and says that she can sleep in her room, under her bed. That's our Phoebe! 

A baby overseas

Well,  you probably know that I am eating for two these days. Since I am having a baby in Germany, I really wanted to use my personal blog to chronicle my personal experience receiving German maternity care. I have had three babies in the United States, so when I had the opportunity to receive care at the American hospital on base or the German hospital, I opted to go to the German hospital. I had heard really good things about delivering at the local hospital, and with Germany having a better record of maternity care than the United States, I didn't think it was that big of a gamble.

In July of 2014, when I was 4 months pregnant, we learned that I had lost the baby. We had been seen at the American hospital (I was less adventurous at this point in our stay here), and I have to say that I was treated well for the duration of my pregnancy. They were particularly accommodating in dealing with my loss. We decided to wait for quite a while before trying again, mostly because Vivi was still in the pre-terrible twos, and we wanted to figure out living here a bit before we added another baby to the mix. Not to mention, I felt we needed to heal from the loss first. I certainly don't judge those who decide to try and get pregnant right away after a loss--we just chose to wait because it was right for our family.

Anyway, we had initially planned to wait until 2016 to conceive, but I felt that I wasn't getting any younger. Montanna and I have always been incredibly lucky to conceive quickly, and this time was no exception. So, with great fear & anxiety, we discovered the news in October. I didn't want to tell anyone until I made it for a while and saw a healthy baby on the ultrasound. I knew that seeing a healthy baby at one point didn't mean that everything would be ok, but For some reason, I felt like I had to see it this time.

In November, I was able to get an appointment with my German doctor. She and the staff were so incredibly nice and kind. My first appointment consisted of the normal weight, blood pressure, and urine check. Because I was American, I was told that I would have to fill out "a lot" of paperwork, which only ended up being two short sheets of paper. Nothing like the books I am used to filling out. Then, the doctor interviewed me on my pregnancy history. This was pretty uneventful. Then, I told her I was very nervous because of what had happened, and she said, "Well, let's go look!" So, we went in, and she allowed me to take a video for my family. It was wonderful.

So, after that I appointment, I felt confident enough to share. With my previous pregnancy, I had only told a few people that I was expecting, so when I experienced the loss, it wasn't very public. I decided to go back to our old method of letting everyone know pretty early. It just felt right.

So, I shared this picture of the girls on Facebook. It was pretty exciting. From that point on we have had a fairly uneventful pregnancy, which is what you'd like! Each appointment with my doctor, every four weeks until 8 months, consists of blood pressure, weight, urine check, and ultrasound. After 16 weeks, I received what's called a "Mutterpass." It's a small book that contains all of my test results and pertinent pregnancy information. If I need to go to the emergency room anywhere in Europe, I can hand over this information to the physician and not have to rattle off all of my information while I'm in a state of distress. It's pretty cool, I think. I hope I get to keep it after I deliver.

It's no secret that we've been wanting a boy. I feel like I was a bit to preoccupied with gender in my last pregnancy. Not that my preoccupation was "why" I lost the baby, but I do think losing that baby made me especially focused on having a healthy baby and pregnancy and seeing the gender as an afterthought. Really, I was just convinced that we were having a girl. But, I thought, on the off chance that we happen to be having a boy, I wanted to find out by myself so that I could do something special to surprise Montanna. So, I went to my 16 week appointment by myself, but our silly baby was in a crazy position. Its hands were above its head, and its legs were crossed and feet up by its face. Legs were completely closed! Bummer. So, we scheduled for the next appointment (January 26th) and hoped we'd be able to see then. Well, I thought that I would make an appointment for the week prior to this appointment, but when I called the elective ultrasound place, they had an opening that day (January 8th). So, I quickly got ready and took the kids to a friend's house. Well, after waiting thirty minutes, they called me back into the room, and the doctor told us...

It's a boy! Holy cow! I couldn't believe it. In fact, I kept telling the doctor this, and he'd say to me, "Well, I don't know what this little dangling thing is, I only deal with women." He was really funny. So, I took this photographic evidence, picked up the kids, and we went to buy a little boy present and go surprise Daddy. I bought this little set that said, "Future #1 Draft Pick" (we're pretty big football fans). I put that outfit and the ultrasound pictures in a gift bag with pink tissue paper in it. When he pulled out the shirt he said something like, "A girl draft pick?" I know he was thinking that I would come up with some feminist thing about girls of the future being able to play football/be drafted, haha. So, it was pretty awesome to see him realize that I was being typical. :)

And that's about where we are now. I am just over half way done, and our little boy so far has been checking out to be super healthy and doing great, for which we are thankful every day. Being pregnant with a boy has definitely been a little different than when I was pregnant with the girls. I am definitely less emotional (lack of extra extra estrogen?). I have had a few more tummy troubles than usual. And I seem to be carrying a lot higher than I usually do. I do think being pregnant several times lends you an interesting familiarity that you generally don't get when you're pregnant once or twice. I definitely feel like I know what to expect, and I suppose I have an easier time planning around it.

I'm definitely excited to welcome a baby boy to our household in June!

Approximately 21 weeks.

A year in review...

I am looking forward to keeping this blog so that it may be an instant "year in review" for next year. Plus, perhaps it will inspire us to get out and do more stuff. I assumed that getting out and traveling in Europe would be totally easy, but it hasn't come easy to us. The normal day-to-day activities have really slowed us down in terms of checking off countries we've visited. In some ways, I am fine with that. There's no need, in my mind, to have said that I have visited every country or city in Europe. I want to go to places and really get a feel for them. I guess that's why we have visited some of the same areas several times. We also like staying local and getting to know our community. In any case, even though I posted about all of this stuff on Facebook, here's what we did last year...

January -

We rang in the New Year at home. Just like Americans, Germans adore fireworks for their New Year's celebrations. Fireworks do go off all day sporadically, but when the clock strikes midnight, you'll hear a constant popping of fireworks for at least an hour. It's a pretty spectacular thing to see. Unfortunately, both the kids had fallen asleep by this point.

February -

Phoebe turned four, and we visited Das Praehistorium again. In fact, we are going there for her 5th birthday as well. It's a wonderful animatronic dinosaur "museum" type place with a playground. There are several rooms and a "time travel" area that are decorated in unimaginable detail and feature really clever animatronic dinos. We enjoy going once or twice a year.

March -

I began taking prerequisite courses for a degree in Nutrition with the goal of becoming a registered dietitian in the (distant) future. My first course (after not having had biology since 2004) was Microbiology. It was incredibly difficult, and I had to study several hours per day, but I ended up with an A. An A+. Montanna and I also traveled to Strasbourg for a weekend alone, which was great!

April -

School continued for me, and we decided (against all better judgment) to get a puppy! What were we thinking?! It's a well known fact that I am not a dog person. I can't say that almost a year later that I am much closer to being a dog person, but I suppose he can continue living here. We named him Siegfried after a famous German legend.

May -

School finished! Ahh, what a wonderful relief! Montanna was also given the opportunity to be commander of his squadron for a few months while we waited for his incoming commander to arrive. All in all, I would say it was an experience that will aid him in the future. We kept it local for the most part. I took some pictures of the girls in harsh and terrible lighting for Mother's Day, and we visited some of the local festivals that were beginning now that the weather was warming somewhat.

The yellow flowers are canola. Easter/Mother's Day dresses provided by Montanna's mom.

June -

So, I have an incredibly supportive, wonderful husband who works tirelessly, usually over 50 hours a week, yet never hesitates to put the kids to bed, give them a bath, make them dinner, etc. We usually don't do big gifts or anything for Father's Day, so I thought it would be the perfect time to surprise him. There just so happened to be a Belgian beer festival taking place in Antwerp, so I set up child care (thanks, SL & J), did a ton of research on the beer, made sure that he could leave the country, and reserved us a spot on a bus headed that way. It was a fantastic success, though it perhaps left us with a few blisters and a bit of a dehydrated headache. We heard a lot of hype about German beer before we moved here, and I can't say that I appreciate anything aside from the size of German beers. Once you've had a few, you've pretty much had them all. Belgian beer...well, it hardly ever disappoints.  We have been able to visit Gent, Brugge, and Antwerp, and I have loved all three cities. Montanna liked his Father's day trip.

 This statue commemorates the slaying of the terrible giant Druon Antigone who illegally levied a 50% tax on ships that wished to pass. The figure depicted, the hero Salvus Brabo, heard of this terrible giant and sought to put an end to his tyranny. After several days of fighting, he managed to slay the giant, slice off his hand, and throw it into the river. You can purchase chocolate hands at nearly every chocolate store in Antwerp.

Montanna is pre-gaming a beer festival with beer, and I decided to have a coffee.

This is the daily menu from a local beer bar/restaurant. Billie is the charming French bulldog who will greet you when you pass by on the street and invite you in; however, he will ignore you once you become a paying customer. The food at this establishment is probably the best I have had in Europe.

July --

The weather in Germany is fairly cool. November through February are generally cold with a little snow. The rest of the months, excepting a few weeks in July and August are also cool, with daily highs averaging in the 60s and 70s, and the warmer days reaching the low 80s. Nights in these "warmer" months are usually in the low 50s and 60s. NOT LAST SUMMER. Let me tell you. A few days without AC is fine, especially when you can open your windows at night and let in the cool 60 degree air. Last July and August we had weeks of temperatures in the upper 80s and 90s, and the lows stayed in the high 70s! It was horrible. I would find an excuse to drive somewhere in my car nearly every day just so I could blast the AC. We went to see movies on base. We bought a crappy pool for over 50 euros. We visited the fountains in villages. Anyway, it was hot, but that didn't stop us from enjoying our village's local chicken festival. It involves a ton of rotisserie chicken, liters of beer, and a band playing your favorite songs from the 80s and 90s. Super fun.

We got into a bit of a drinking contest with Germans, and let me say that I did not have this smile on my face the next morning.

Americans representing.

Such a good daddy.

 August --

School began again, and Sophie headed back to Texas. We continued along the festival circuit. We traveled to northern Germany to a town called Xanten to visit good friends. The kids had a blast, and the parents managed to have fun as well. We also traveled south of Strasbourg to do a little more exploring, and we discovered Cigoland, a super cute little amusement park, Monkey Mountain, and a pretty cool castle.

Xanten, downtown

I loved this picture of Vivi trying to eat her ice cream like Daddy.

We managed to get a picture of the whole family together, and in front of a windmill too!

A view of the town, Kintzheim, which is along the Route de Vins (Wine Road) in France.

The littles enjoying an amusement activity.

A view of Monkey Mountain.

September --

As it turns out, festival season never ends in Germany. Montanna's parents were able to come out and spend time with some of their grand children and see a few sights. It was a blast, but a bit exhausting! We managed to visit the Pumpkin festival in Ludwigsburg, which is the largest pumpkin festival in the world, and probably the prettiest, in my opinion. We also took the grandparents to Strasbourg, and we visited the castle Haut Koenigsbourg as well. Then, we visited the lovely town of Brugge, Belgium with our friend Matt.

Pumpkin festival in Ludwigsburg. One of the lovely sculptures.

Grandma & Grandpa with some grand kiddos & their #5 son

Grandma and Grandpa with the kids in Strasbourg, France

Father & Son & grands/daughters in front of the famous Notre Dame Cathedral in Strasbourg

An art instillation in Brugge.

The horse-drawn carriage ride that has made Brugge the girls' favorite city in Europe.

The square in Brugge.

I took this beautiful picture with my phone! The water was so still this morning.

October --

We learned that we are expecting another baby! However, we kept   the news from our friends and family for a bit. We kept it local because of colds, first trimester pregnancy discomforts, and because we knew that we would be traveling a lot in November and December.

Montanna and I were Darren and Samantha from Bewitched.

Our little princesses for Halloween.

November --

Well, in November I was still taking Anatomy and Physiology. And let me tell you, enduring cat dissection during the first trimester of pregnancy was difficult. Luckily my lab partners sympathized with me and allowed me to read the directions most of the time instead of doing "hands on" participation. We told the world we were having another baby. We visited our friends in Xanten again for their annual Pie & Vine (it's a wine and pie contest, yum). And we enjoyed Thanksgiving with friends.

All the secret wines, lined up.

One of the beautiful pies.

Festive party-goers.

It's a baby! Sophie was thrilled too.

December --

Whoa, December was a whirlwind. We had the squadron Christmas party, we had a million colds. We traveled up to Xanten to see Star Wars and attend a birthday party. We visited a few Christmas markets. We had doctor's appointments. We went to Strasbourg again. We opened presents. It was a great time, but we definitely looked forward to the quiet of early January.

In the Netherlands, grabbing a quick pizza before watching Star Wars episode 7.

We're at a movie! Without children!

We took the kids to a children's Christmas circus in Xanten. They loved it and may want to be clowns and acrobats when they grow up.

Rudolph the red-nosed Herc.

The girls got presents from the Squadron Santa.

The German equivalent of boy scouts traveled to Israel (Bethlehem?) to light a candle, and they brought that light back to Germany. Here it is (in Xanten). Pretty cool.

Vivi had unmatched enthusiasm on Christmas morning.

And that's about it! A pretty great year!