A year's worth of stuff

Right before Hayden's birthday, I started to think about all the things he's accomplished since turning one. It's quite a list!

*walking
*feeding himself
*learning to use utensils
*learning lots of words
*turning words into phrases
*drinking from a cup
*putting himself to sleep without a pacifier
*climbing
*sign language
*learning songs
*brushing his teeth
*brushing his hair
*putting on lotion
*pulling up/down a pull up
*using the potty
*dancing
*recognizing faces, people, etc.
*recognizing inanimate objects

There's a whole host of things he seems to learn on a daily basis, but what a list! I love how he soaks up everything around him and loves to try new things. He is fearless! I can't wait to see how much he grows and learns this year!

Check ups all around!

Hayden's two-year check up was on Tuesday, the day after his actual birthday. He was very reluctant to let the doctor touch his belly and was really shy when she needed to take a look inside his pull up. I guess it's good that he's uncomfortable with strangers messing with his baby parts! Everything looked good, except his little ears. He's been battling an ear infection that's been lingering since about September, and just can't seem to shake it. We are trying another, stronger antibiotic to see if it that will knock it out for good. It's hard since Hayden doesn't have a fever and doesn't seem to be in pain. Let's hope it works!

Oscar also needed a check up before the flight, so we went today. He needed one shot and an intranasal vaccine, which proved to be pretty difficult. Oscar has lost TWENTY pounds in the past year, so his svelte body makes him more limber and wily. I ended up having to sit on him, backed in the corner while holding his head up just long enough for the vet to put his nose vaccine in. He passed all his tests and his weight loss makes him run around like a puppy again: he is so full of energy! He definitely knows something is up, and I'm nervous for the flight with him on Saturday. But the good news is that we only have to do it once!

Happy Birthday Hayden!

Hayden's 2nd birthday fell on a Monday this year, so we celebrated the day before. Hayden was excited to see his friends and we were excited to have one last birthday party with the people that have become family during our time here in Germany. Since everything was packed up and it was so close to us leaving, we had a small get-together at our house. We had hot dogs and all the fun sides, and decided cupcakes would be easier than a cake. What a fun day we had!

All Hayden's friends were here, big and small, and two of our friends returned from deployments just days before the party...what a great gift! Hayden played with his new toys and books and was really good at sharing his new stuff. He decided for his birthday lunch, he'd skip all the stuff mom cooked and eat yogurt instead. His birthday = his rules! We put in Toy Story 3, a gift from mom and dad, and enjoyed a few hours with some of our favorite people. We will sure miss them when we leave!

Hayden visits the dentist!

We have been waiting forever to get a pediatric dentist here in Schweinfurt, so I was super excited to meet her by chance at the bank one day! I immediately called and scheduled Hayden's first dentist appointment on November 2nd. Jay and I both got to go with him, which was awesome. We walked into the room and let Hayden look around and take it all in first. We decided to let him try to lay down in the chair by himself first, with mom's lap as a back up plan. He was cautious but brave, and spent the entire appointment in the chair alone! What a champ!

Dr. Carol checked out his jaw and gums first, and then his teeth. When she started to put the toothbrush in his mouth to brush a little, Hayden actually took it from her and showed her how he does it at home! She was so impressed with him. He had a little bit of plaque buildup on his front teeth, and even let her use the "scary" tool to scale them! We had no idea what to expect from his first dental experience but Dr. Carol was absolutely blown away by how well he behaved and what little resistance he put up. She finished up and gave him his new toothbrush, and took him to the toybox to pick out a toy. Unfortunately, he was less interested in the give-away toys and more interested in the books that have to stay. We promised him a new book for being such a good boy, and he seemed okay with that. We are so proud of him!

Happy Halloween!

This year we knew Halloween would be a little different! Hayden wasn't quite walking last year, so he spent most of trick-or-treating in his stroller watching all the action happen. But this time, he got to do his own trick or treating! He got very shy as we walked up to each house, but he managed a few thank you's and some big smiles!

I got my dinosaur wish this year, and it was too cute! We liked his costume because it came with the suit (tail included!), the head piece, gloves and the feet just strapped over his real shoes. Perfect! We anticipated having trouble getting him in it, since he's pretty particular about headgear and new things. We tested it out on Saturday for some Halloween photos, which was a giant FAIL. He wouldn't wear it, so we decided not to push the issue and got his hair cut instead. Which was the easiest one yet! On Sunday we tried it on again, snapped a few photos and took it off so he wouldn't get tired of it. We figured once we got to the Pollards' house, he'd see everyone else in costume and understand a little better.

We got to the Pollards and everyone was so cute in their costumes! Hayden warmed up to the idea, and since we were going outside he knew he'd need a hat and gloves so he didn't put up a fuss about those either. He was shy going to the houses for candy, and definitely confused as to why they were putting it in his bag instead of his hand, and why he couldn't eat it all then.

Every few minutes he would get tired of the gloves or head, so we had a lot of on-off until he decided he was done with both and we decided that was okay. After a round on Jackson street and a few other stops, we figured the kids had enough candy and we headed back to the Pollards for some soup and yummy desserts. The kids all had a great time playing and we were grateful to be relaxing with good friends on our last holiday here in Germany!

And so far, Hayden prefers a lollipop to chocolate, and M&Ms are a front runner since they're his "treep" (treat) when he goes potty. Good choices, little man.

Wedded bliss

In October, I got to go home for the wedding of one of my very best friends from college, Lizard. I've known her since Freshman year and she's one of the most wonderful people I know. I was sad to leave Jay and Hayden home, but excited to see my friends for the weekend. Yes, I flew 9 hours across an ocean for the weekend. It was definitely worth it!

We dropped Hayden off at school in the morning but I couldn't take him in and say goodbye. I've left him for six days once, but I was less than 2 hours away in Mainz. I knew this would be tough, so I let Jay take him in to avoid mom's breakdown. He got out of the car, walked towards school, turned around and said "Bye bye mommy, loves you!" Instant tears, but I got it together by the time Jay was back. We had a quick, uneventful ride to Frankfurt thanks to Jay's new airport shortcut. I got there in plenty of time, checked my bags, went through security and waited to board. Once on the flight, we were delayed on the flight line and I fell asleep before we took off! It was a short lived nap, and I realized pretty quickly that my plan to sleep all 9 hours of the flight was moot. I got in some reading and four movies, and soon enough we landed in CLT! I got my bags, texted Jay, got in trouble for being on the phone because I wasn't finished with customs, and got to my rental car place. Picked up the car, realized I didn't know how to plug in the GPS, finally figured it out, called my mom and the bride and got on the road. I had Mapquested the ride down so I sort of knew what was ahead of me, but was unfamiliar with the brand of GPS I rented. About 3/4 of the way down I realized it was set on Central time and that I had another HOUR to go before I arrived. Talk about disappointment!

I arrived in Myrtle Beach, SC at the hotel around 8 and headed up to my room. The girls were waiting on me to go out, but understood that 9 hours of flying and 4 of driving on little sleep thanks to Hayden's ear infection were enough to put me down for the count! They went out and I showered and passed out, grateful to be in the bed finally. They came in around 230 and I rallied for a little catch-up time with the bride. I met the groom for the first time, as well as some of the wedding party, and we stayed up until about 530. Our time was limited, so we had to use it well!

Friday was all about getting prepared for Saturday. We had Bojangles breakfast before heading out to get manis and pedis. I did a little shopping, and before we knew it the time had come for the rehearsal. It was so great to see Lizard's family and to meet Matt's, and we had a lot of fun practicing for the real thing. The setting was beautiful, overlooking the beach on a sunny weekend. We had a wonderful dinner and some equally wonderful mojitos! I met up that night with Watts and Katie and then headed back to the hotel to sleep!

We woke up Saturday ready to get this party started! Quick breakfast, Starbucks run, pick up the dress and off to the bridal suite! We had hair and makeup and snacks and champagne all while getting ourselves and the bride ready for the big day! It went by so quickly and before we knew it, we were walking down the aisle. What a perfect ceremony! Matt had to kill a bee with his bare hands, and suffered a minor sting but shrugged it off. The weather was beautiful, the vows were perfect and the bride was exquisite. After that it was time to party!

We headed to the reception and enjoyed Asian-style food for dinner. We watched the first dance of the bride and groom, and a wonderfully choreographed father-daughter dance that had us all in tears and then in stitches. A Disney-themed reception full of fun, drinks, food, dancing, karaoke, photo booth and some great toasts...what a night! We finished up with sparklers as the bride and groom took off on the golf cart into the night!

Sunday was a day of driving, as we headed back to NC to visit a few friends, catch up and CRASH! I was so exhausted from the weekend, but of course couldn't sleep in on Monday morning. Instead I headed to visit Stephanie, who was unable to serve her bridesmaid's duties due to a baby that wanted to come too early! She was on bedrest so I stopped by to visit and show off some pictures from the wedding. We missed her there but moms have to prioritize! It was so good to see her and her family on my short trip. I had some time to kill before my flight so I headed to the mall for a little retail therapy. I picked up a few things for myself and for Jay's birthday, grabbed Panera and headed back to the airport. They're a little more efficient at the CLT airport than in Frankfurt, so my three-hour prior to departure arrival had me through security 2 hours and 45 minutes before my flight. I made a last round of phone calls, picked up a book for Hayden in the airport and took a little nap at my gate before we departed.

Soon I was on the plane and flying back to Germany. I landed at 7am on Jay's birthday, and he was waiting to pick me up when I got off the plane. It was nice, as usually our roles are reversed and I'm picking him up! I came home and unpacked and in the afternoon, I was able to go in and pick up my bubba. I missed him so much, but I'm so glad I was able to go home for the wedding.

Fall fun

Last weekend we took a trip to the Wildpark with some friends to take a few pictures in the fall leaves. We did this last year with the babies, and we loved it! This year Jenn & Addie weren't with us but we added some other friends. It's amazing to see the difference in the kids from year to year. Last year, the boys weren't quite sturdy at the walking yet, so we could plop them in a pile of leaves and snap away. It proved more difficult this year, but we had a blast on the playgrounds and checking out the animals in between shots. I even convinced Jay to take a few family shots, and I think everyone left happy.