Well Jay is back home and life is returning to normal! Hayden is officially sleeping through the night, and that means a lot more sleep for me! Jay got home Saturday evening. While he was on his way back, we made a quick trip to Kreuzberg, home of the best beer in Germany and some say the world! It's brewed by monks in a monastery about 45 minutes from where we live, so we decided to take a ride up there on Saturday. It was a beautiful, cool day and quite a hike up that hill with the stroller and Jay's three-liter container to be refilled, so we got a nice workout! We dropped off the empty containers and walked around the grounds for a little while. It's a beautiful place, nestled between mountains and trees. There is a great view on top of the mountain, which is impossible to see with strollers so next time we're leaving the babies with the boys and taking a hike up all those stairs.

I was still getting over my stomach bug, so we stayed home Saturday evening and enjoyed being all back together again. We had a fun weekend, grilling out and showing Jay all Hayden's new fun tricks. His personality develops so rapidly, so it's fun to show off his new quirks. Oscar was very glad to see Jay, as we all were! Hayden tried applesauce and LOVED it, and has moved on to bananas which he doesn't like quite as much. He tried his sippy cup for the first time and is making progress with it!

Hayden had his six-month shots yesterday and was a champ! He only let out one good yell and then he was fine. It makes me sad to see those little band-aids on his legs, but now he doesn't have to get more for another six months. He's getting so big!

Another busy week

It's Friday, and we haven't updated in a week! We spent the weekend doing a final round of painting, finishing up the coat room and the upstairs hallway. The rest of the rooms either have too much furniture, too much on the walls, or just too much wall for us to tackle. But our house has a few splashes of color and that's good enough for us! We did lots of cleaning in conjunction with the painting, but it never seems to stay that way for long! Jay had to pack for the field and the laundry never ends, so we usually just accept our mess these days.

On Monday Hayden got his four-month shots. He didn't cry at first, but when the needle hit him a second and third time, it was just too much for him. He doesn't cry long but man it hurts my heart when he does! That afternoon I had a dentist appointment so Hayden went for two hours at the CDC. He cried a little this time, but the teacher thinks it's because one of the other kids wouldn't stop crying. He was fast asleep when I got there to pick him up, and was happy to see me when he woke up. We spent the evening relaxing, celebrating 27 years for mommy with no cavities!

The Army threw us for a loop this week so Jay was home and back out and now is home again from the field. He's going to a school earlier than expected so he's home to get ready for that. On Tuesday, we had a scrap party with some fun ladies and kids. We got a little scrapbooking done, but had a ton of fun with lunch and watching all the babies play. The big kids were our real entertainment, playing with the carseats and giving us a good laugh. We're hoping to make it a regular thing, because we ALL have tons of scrapping to catch up on!

I had another dentist appointment on Wednesday, so Hayden got to spend some time at his friend Addie's house. Lately he gets very frustrated if there are toys dangling above his face that he can't pull off, and he got a little cranky with Jenn about it. She gave him another toy, and he threw it across the room! Who knew our baby had such an arm? He jumped in the jumperoo, and we can't wait to get his jumperoo in so he can enjoy it at home.

Yesterday we had another session of baby massage and learned about colic and stomach massage. Massaging the stomach helps move out gas bubbles, but Hayden usually has no trouble moving those out on his own! We like it more and more each session, and will be bummed to miss the very last session because we'll be in the states! Hayden hasn't been sleeping well the past two nights which makes for a very tired mommy, so we're hoping an evening massage will help him relax and sleep longer.

This weekend we're going to the spring bazaar on post for wine and cheese from our favorite vendors. We're excited to have Jay home for a few days before he leaves again, so our weekend will most likely be spent hanging out around the house and making the most of our family time.

Busy day!!

Hayden was such a little trooper yesterday! We got up early and he took a daytime bath for once, so he'd be fresh and clean for his first photo studio pictures. We dropped Jay off at work and headed to the studio for his 1:30 appointment. He was fairly cooperative for a little fellow his age, as we moved and positioned and clicked and flashed for a good half hour. The photographer was repositioning him at one point for a new background, and I realized he had hit his limit. So we called it quits and packed up. We have an appointment on Saturday to go over our proofs and pick our favorites for prints. I can't wait!

Afterwards, we headed over to the clinic for his shots. He got one oral vaccine first, which was super easy. I think it tasted good, because he gobbled it up! We moved into the little room, and Bob got the needles ready. It was my job to hold his hand, so I didn't have to watch the needles. When Bob stuck the first needle, Hayden was surprised and then angry! He screamed and turned red and howled until he ran out of air. Meanwhile Bob was sticking needles two and three, and I had Hayden's pacifier ready so when he took a breath, I popped that in his mouth and he was content. So we're done with shots for two months. Hayden was a little warm last night but not quite fever-status, so it looks like he's reacting well.

Those two events went so quickly we had time to get the car inspected, run a few more errands and check the mail. Good news...his birth announcements have arrived! We had time to kill before Jay got off work (man I can't wait until we have a second car!) so I stuffed them into their envelopes while we waited. Today I've addressed and stamped and licked (gross) and they are on their way tomorrow when I go to the mailbox. Jay never remembers to go to the mailbox when I give him stamped envelopes, so I'm just waiting until tomorrow when we have another round of errands and appointments. Last night Hayden slept off and on most of the evening, so I had time to do a little scrapbooking. I'm on a roll, and might be caught up sooner than I thought!