Living green

The green craze has taken over Hollywood, so a few months ago I bought a few books on "living green" and trying to extend the life of our planet. It's amazing to think how wasteful we are as a society, and the impact we're making on the planet. It's also incredible to think of how simple it is to take steps to reduce that impact.

One of the things I love about living in Germany is that they recycle literally everything. At our house alone, we have the ability to recycle paper, plastic (including styrofoam and the milk-carton-paper-plastic that they can't in the states), metal; and we have a bio can for food (which means our trash can doesn't stink!), grass clippings, leaves and yard waste. But ON post we can also recycle glass, old electronics, light bulbs, bulk household items (like mattresses), old clothes (that are donated to needy organizations)...so really there is VERY little that actually gets thrown away in our trash can. Also living in Germany, they don't sell weed killer, so this spring I got a chance to use my homemade weed killer from my "Gorgeously Green" book.

Being pregnant I have a much bigger stake in making sure our house is more green, because it's more healthy for all of us! I don't think I'm brave enough to try cloth diapers, like the Binkleys, but I would like to try the chlorine-free diapers by Seventh Generation. Luckily, I discovered this week that shopping my registry earns me free diapers from Seventh Generation...good work, Amazon! We bought some of their wipes, now that our commissary carries the brand, but don't have a baby to try them out on yet! We've looked at a few organic cookbooks for toddlers, and have switched to many "green" cleaners in our house to reduce the amount of chemicals we're putting into the water. Thanks to all the press that "living green" has gotten in recent years, organic products have exploded onto the market and are affordable, so we don't have to be rich to help save the planet! There are also a ton of baby clothes out there made from organic cotton, many of which encourage free trade in developing countries, so really everyone wins.

Even Oscar is helping! We've looked at some biodegradable bags to pick up after him with, and his organic puppy shampoo is awesome. It's less expensive than the shampoo we used to use, it smells fantastic and gets him super clean. I picked up some eco-friendly trashbags last week, and if I could find paper towels made from recycled paper we'd be set. Luckily, I don't even have to stop using the dishwasher since we don't have one of THOSE in Germany either. There will be a lot of things that will be easier to change when we get back to the states, but for now we're doing our little part to extend the life of our planet for Baby Hayden, and his grandchildren!

28 weeks

Well somehow we've flown right to the third trimester! It's gone by so fast but we still have so far to go, it seems.

Hayden is crazy in his activity lately, bouncing all over the place. He feels much bigger as well, and continues to wake me up in the middle of the night (several times) to use the bathroom.

Next weekend is my baby shower with my Anvil troop ladies, and I can't wait! My friends are awesome, and I'm excited to spend some fun time with them amidst ducks, frogs and dinos! As a result I've been put on baby-shopping-hiatus so there's something left for my friends to buy for Hayden! We got Hayden's Itsy Bitsy Spider seat from Heidi last week, and I can't wait to put him in it. Thanks, Heidi! We also got some cute new clothes from one of Jay's soldier friends, David, and it seems like baby clothes get cuter and cuter. It's hard to resist the urge to wash and organize everything, but I'm trying to put that off until closer to the end.

Now seems like a good time to start making and finalizing lists...packing list for the hospital, our birthing plan, our contact list, etc. We've also decided that Oscar should get a new bed right before Hayden gets here, so he doesn't feel left out. It's fun getting the house ready for all my boys!

Moving around

It still startles me every time I feel Hayden move. And he is an active little fellow! He's very responsive to Jay, who likes to poke and push to make him move around. His favorite time of day is of course, whenever I lay down. I thought it was only at night, but Jay and I took a nap today and discovered that as soon as I'm laying down and still, he takes the cue to start bouncing around in there.

It's so hard to imagine that in a few months, this little guy that does all this moving will be our wiggling, breathing little boy. But it gets more exciting every day.

Oscar is definitely more protective these days, accompanying me every time I go down the stairs and especially the basement. He used to be content laying at the door, waiting for me to come back; but now he likes to trot ahead of me and look around. He's my little shadow, until Jay comes home and then he's attached to Jay. He's doing well roaming the house outside of the crate, except for a few mishaps with socks and tissues today. But overall, he's acting like a grown up!

Congratulations to Bryan and Elisabeth, who welcomed Camden Anthony Watts this week! He made his debut a few days later than expected, but I'm sure it was worth the wait!

Sleep!

Throughout this pregnancy, I've discovered sleep to be a most precious commodity. During my first trimester, I slept ALL the time. Went to bed early, napped often during the day and early evening, sometimes Oscar even let me sleep in!


Lately, there has been no good sleep for me. Jay and I have decided we definitely need a new mattress, because ours is sort of sinking in the middle which causes us to roll towards it. Besides that, I've had to get used to sleeping with a pillow between my knees to take some of the pressure off of my back. It's hard to roll over with that, and I switch sides pretty often while I sleep. Finally, I wake up about every 2-3 hours to pee. That's something that's been hard to get used to. But three more months, and it will all be worth it!

Tonight I'm up late and can't sleep (again) but I'm hoping getting back to our normal routine will help with that. We'll see!

Our trip to Rome

What an amazing trip! Rome was our big destination while Jay was on leave, and it exceeded every possible expectation we had.

We took a late flight Friday evening and were in our hotel in Rome, just west of Termini (the main Metro/Bus terminal) by 11pm. We got up early Saturday morning and headed to Vatican City. A quick run through security and we were inside St. Peter's Basilica. Truly the most remarkable of the 900 churches in the vicinity, we saw Michaelangelo's Pieta, the statue of St. Peter, the incredible dome, and marveled at the sheer size and magnitude of the historic basilica. We braved the steps to the top of the dome (320 of them, AFTER you take the elevator halfway up) and it was worth every bit to see all of Vatican City and much of Rome from the top.

The Vatican Museums were closed early on Saturday, so we visited the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. We had some amazing salads for lunch, and gelato of course!

Sunday morning we faced the lines at the Colosseum, which we bypassed mostly thanks to our Roma pass! We marveled at the sheer size of the monument, and spent plenty of time walking around and looking at the exhibits inside. We toured most of the ancient city including Palatine Hill, Circus Maximus, the Roman Forum, Il Vittoriano and Piazza del Campidoglio. The heat sent us inside after lunch, and we went back out in the evening to enjoy the city and take some night pictures and to eat some fabulous Roman pizza!

Monday morning we headed straight to the Vatican Museums to view the masterpieces inside the Sistine Chapel (the one place you can't take pictures), after an hour and a half wait to enter. We grabbed paninis and went back to our air conditioned hotel room to get out of the heat for a bit. After that, it was to Centro Storico to see Il Elefantino, the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. Unfortunately Bernini's "Fountain of Four Rivers" is undergoing extensive renovations to remove years of weather and environment from the masterpiece, so we could only see it through the fence. But we enjoyed the Piazza, and had a fabulous pasta dinner at sunset. Later we had wine and dessert (well, Jay had wine) and espresso at a cafe near our hotel, which was a fabulous ending to our Roman vacation.

Tuesday morning we boarded a plane to head back to Germany, pleased with our Italian adventure but certainly ready to be back in our house! It was such an amazing experience, and I'm so glad we finally got to go. Special thanks to the State Department, who somehow managed to get Jay's passport finished in EIGHT days without a rush order, which was the only reason we were able to go. It was definitely the trip of a lifetime!

26 weeks

We had another doctor's appointment on Wednesday. This one was an early one, since I had to do the blood glucose test for gestational diabetes. Basically I had to show up at 8 on an empty stomach for them to test my blood. Then I had to drink a GIANT cup of sugar water and have my blood tested again in an hour, and in another hour. The test is to see how my body is processing sugar. After the long two hours, we're good to go with no gestational diabetes!

Our ultrasound did not produce any good pictures, since Hayden was in an "impossible position" which means his back was to us. We got to see his little feet and hands, and also checked the heartbeat since Jay hadn't heard that yet. He is growing well (but not too big!) and hopefully our next appointment he will be in a different position so we can do the 3D ultrasound.

My weight gain is moving along steadily, which the doctor said is fine since I didn't gain much at all in the beginning. At our next appointment I'll also get the Rhogam shot (since I have A- blood and Jay has O+), which will be on the 25th of September. For now, all is well though!

Hayden moves around all the time, most often when I eat. He has taken recently to kicking in rapid succession, which feels funny for both me and Jay. It's like little flutter kicks, so maybe he's trying to rival his daddy's six-pack before he comes out!

We also got Hayden's stroller in the mail this week (thanks Gloria!) and put it together. Now all we need is the baby to put it in! It gets more exciting with each passing week, but we're glad he's still in there growing and getting big. This week I went to the PX in Ramstein (about 2.5 hours away) and they had our crib assembled in the baby furniture section. It was exciting, since we won't actually be able to put our crib together until we move back to the states. Right now most of his stuff is in the basement, waiting patiently to either be put in the nursery or be packed and shipped to GA.

Only three months to go!

Our trip to Garmisch

What a busy and eventful trip! We started out the trip with a convoy south with our friends the Flemings and the Pollards to Neuschwanstein castle in Germany. There are actually two castles in Schwangau, but the Neuschwanstein is most well-known as the "Disney castle", as it was the inspiration for Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle. I had visited it once before this past December when Susan and Shane were here, but it's completely different in the summer time! We hiked up to both castles but chose not to actually go inside, as most of the rooms are unfinished and you can't take pictures inside. This time the Marienbrucke (a bridge overlooking the castle) was open so we hiked up there as well for the "fairy godmother" of all views! It was amazing, and even the kids did well on the long hike!

Monday we headed to Partnach Gorge for a walk through the picturesque rock formation, complete with waterfalls and raging rapids. Another good hike, but worth all the exercise for the views! The gorge is just outside the Olympic ski jump stadium, which is being used again in 2011 for the Alpine Ski Championships.

Jay got in a few holes of golf while I napped, which was nice for both of us! We figured we needed to get in a little relaxation on this vacation! We spent some time at the pool and the hot tub (just feet in the hot water for me!) and enjoyed some time just hanging out with each other and with our friends.

On Tuesday we broke from the group a bit and took a drive to Salzburg, Austria. We spent a little while there, touring the city and taking in the scenery. The Hohensalzburg Fortress was most impressive, and quite a ways up! From there we headed to Berchtesgaden, home of the Eagle's Nest. All that remains of the one-time resort created for Adolf Hitler is a restaurant, but the view is spectacular nonetheless. We opted for the bus ride as opposed to the four-mile hike up the mountain, and it was worth every (euro) penny. Jay has wanted to see the Eagle's nest for a long time, so it was awesome to finally see it. We tested out the Thai restaurant in Garmisch (not bad) and Jay got in some slot machine and German beer time back at the hotel. Again, early to bed for me!

Wednesday was our full-on lazy day. We slept in, ate breakfast in the room and did a little shopping before my FAVORITE part of our vacation: our massages! Jay got a hot stone massage and I enjoyed an hour-long maternity massage. Just what we needed! It was a great way to cap off our week, followed by a nice dinner and a walk outside in the Alps.

Thursday we got up and checked out of the hotel, and headed to the Dachau Concentration Camp memorial site. I had visited Dachau last summer but Jay hadn't yet been, so I was glad to give him my mini-tour from what I remembered and had read. We saw a few things I missed on my trip last June, so it was worthwhile for both of us.

Now we're back home and getting ready for our next trip, Rome! We fly out tomorrow evening, taking advantage of the time I can still fly and the places we haven't seen in Europe yet. So far, Hayden has been pretty cooperative and I've tried to be hospitable with extra water, good walking shoes and always a snack on hand. Wish us luck!