I'll fill you in as I'm sure you've been waiting impatiently for me to do just that! But first, one observation: We've been in Germany 2 months and 1 day. In many ways I feel like we just got here, but in others I feel like we have been here much longer. 2 months ago today was Thanksgiving and we celebrated it with the Keslings. We had only been in country 24 hours and were so jetlagged. We were glad to be out of the confines of the hotel but were still looking around dazed and confused. Fast forward to today and I sit here in my house, fully furnished with my things that arrived (mostly) unharmed. I not only have my house set up, I have a baby nursery completely finished just waiting on its new occupant. How in the world did we get from hotel to home in such a short time? My only answer is that many prayers have been prayed and all have been answered. We are so thankful for the many prayer warriors we have standing behind us, lifting us up in their homes, churches, and small groups. Without those prayers, we very well may still be in a hotel waiting for a house to come available.
Now that I have shared that observation, I will look back at the past few weeks in a bit more detail.
10 Dec. We got our unaccompanied baggage, a WONDERFUL day! I put our Christmas tree up and a few of our personal photos around the house.
11 Dec. I took my second 3-hour glucose test and failed miserably. (I had passed the first one in the states, so I developed Gestational Diabetes at around 26 weeks.)
17 Dec. MY STUFF ARRIVED! Oh, what fun I had putting things where they belonged. Okay, fun might not be the word, but I was glad to fill our empty house with our things!
22 Dec. I finally had my diabetes appointment which opened my eyes to a whole new world. I never had any idea what managing one's blood sugar levels entailed. (The day before, Stephanie drove 2 hours here to get me, drove me and all 5 of our kids an hour and a half away to a Pharmacy that had what I needed for my appointment, the drove us back home. Then, of course, she had another 2 hour drive back home. Army is just family waiting to be introduced. I am blessed!)
31 Dec. We get our new (but old) car and have the freedom to drive to Ramstein Air Base to see our friends who had taken the ultimate adventure and flown Space-A to Germany!! We welcomed the New Year in but only barely, as the boys fell asleep 20 minutes before midnight and we had to work hard to keep our eyes open. It was very strange not being able to see the ball drop this year. I was NOT about to wake up at 6 am to see that... sleep was more important!
1 Jan. We spent almost the entire day at the Ramstein BX/PX because we had told the boys that our treat for the afternoon would be to see the "Squeakquel." When we got there to buy our tickets they were sold out. We were VERY disappointed. I decided to head back to the cashier and ask if there were any tickets left for the later showing and she said there were. But only 4. She sold them to me and then told me that Bailey would just have to sit in Matt's lap. NO PROBLEM! Only thing was that movie was much later than I expected. We ended up at the Bailey's house after 7, if I remember correctly. But we still had time to chat and visit before bedtime.
2 Jan. We took our first trip to a touristy destination: Triberg, Germany, home of the "House of 1000 Clocks." We ate real Black Forest Cake in the real Black Forest. We about froze as the temps were much cooler there than we had expected. We didn't get to see the largest waterfall in Germany because we didn't realize we'd have to pay to see it. None of us has the energy to spend the time outside to see it, plus we didn't really want to pay for it. So, we headed back to the Bailey's house for our 2nd night and had the men go get Doners for dinner. YUM.
3 Jan. What fun we had that morning! We got the kids as bundled up as we could and let them sled for about an hour! I believe that was the highlight of the weekend for my boys, considering the trip to Triberg was mostly an adult-fun kind of day.
4 Jan. I take my DRIVER'S TEST! And I pass! I studied a lot because I had heard what a tough test it was going to be. It was worth it and I was SO thankful to have passed! (Small note, today, the 26th, I got my real license in the mail! I've had the temporary one in my wallet thus far!)
5 Jan. I get a call at 4 pm stating that my car is here. WHAT?!? I asked if we could come right then but he said there wasn't time. I had to wait until the next day.
6 Jan. Now, I don't mean to undermine any of the previously mentioned amazing things I had experienced thus far, but there was something truly blessed in having my van returned to me. After being squashed in a tiny BMW, which we are absolutely grateful for, having my van which perfectly fits my family was truly a God-send. I love having my independence and I love being able to fit my family into one car without having everyone touch each other. Being in a BMW with 3 kids is like trying to fit all 5 of us in a queen sized bed and trying to get a good night's sleep. Could we sleep? Maybe. Could we get a good night's sleep? Uh, no. SO, spreading out in my van was glorious! And, on top of that, I had freedom to come and go as I pleased while Matt was at work. I had a drs apt later that week and was able to take myself! (I've learned that my van will fit in the parking garage but on level 4 my antenna will scrape the ceiling, freaking me out every time!)
12 Jan. I attended the required New Parent Orientation class at WAAF giving me a prized possession: A tag to place in my car giving me access to the "Expectant Mom" parking places at the post office, commissary, and PX! YEAH! And it lasts until Parker's 6 weeks old! LOVE parking up close, especially when it's snowing!
I also had another diabetes appointment (haven't been listing them all as they're mostly boring) but at this one the dr threatened me with hospitalization if my numbers weren't better in 48 hours. I cried when I got home, got over it, mentioned it in FB and had many people praying for me very soon. My dad fasted from sweets and soft drinks which is a very difficult thing for him to do, as he's the one who unashamedly eats dessert before meals whenever possible. I appreciated this more than he'll know!
13 Jan. I attended my first Chaplains' Spouses Coffee. It's good to be around other people in similar situations! Starting to get back into a normal lifestyle!
19 Jan. My first PWOC in Germany! Oh, how sweet it is. I actually had tears streaming down my face during worship as we sang, "In Christ Alone." So great worshipping with other women and then getting to sit and learn in an intimate setting with them. So great I can't put it into words.
I meant to mention that at some point the boys started going to AWANA. The first week all three were hesitant, but Carson and Bailey dove right in. Hayden said several times that he didn't want to go. The next week all three went and again and Hayden was still hesitant. Matt asked him afterwards if he had a good time and his much-too-mature-for-his-own-good response was, "If you're asking if I want to go back next week, the answer is, "no." Well, tonight happens to be AWANA night and he has not complained since and goes with no trouble at all. He actually has fun! It just takes him a while to warm up to new situations. He gets that from Matt, not me, but I'm sure that's pretty obvious to anyone who knows us! :)
22 Jan. I take the boys to our first homeschool co-op thing since Hayden was in Kindergarten. Physical Ed at WAAF and they really enjoyed it!
23 Jan. Oh, was this a lovely day! Matt had scheduled a Pedicure for me and gave me several hours off in the middle of the day. I went to Babies R Us and looked like an idiot trying to get a buggy. You have to put a Euro in the slot to release the buggy from the buggy in front of it, but I misread the sign and was trying to put in the wrong coin. I asked help from a German lady who sifted through my change only to discover I didn't have the right coin. She, thankfully, had left her buggy unsnapped and walked over and got it for me. I'm sure she walked to her car thinking to herself all sorts of less-than-flattering thoughts about me. Oh well, I got a buggy and shopped by myself for over an hour. It was heavenly!
25 Jan. I had my 2nd opinion diabetologist review my numbers and insulin levels. She told me that all looked fine and I should continue on as I have been. What a relief to know that so far I'm doing a good job!
26 Jan. And here we are, to today! Another great day of PWOC and AWANA for my family. Chapel services are what we get as a formal time of worship with other believers. I consider these two ministries as what "Sunday School" might be in the civilian world. Our SS class in Forest City was a group of people in a similar age group in similar life settings doing life together. We welcomed each others babies into the world, worked hard at Upward basketball, and played hard at softball. Not to mention, we ate together every Sunday night after church at Bantam Chef!
We don't have that same luxury in the military setting, but PWOC offers part of that to me, AWANA offers that to the boys. I wish there was something like this for Matt.
27 Jan - TOMORROW we get to go tour the hospital where I'll have Parker! Can't wait to see what is in store for me! I've heard so many stories!
It's hard to believe that all of the above has happened in 2 months. And even harder to believe that our 4th son is due in 51 days... less than 2 months! I love adventure and having a life that is sometimes a whirlwind! But I'm glad that we're here for 3 years and can get settled in and get more of a routine! Speaking of that, when I left the homeschool co-op Friday, a friend I had met at PWOC 3 days earlier said, "I guess I'll see you on Tuesday." That small comment made me realize that I am finally getting into a routine, one in which I'll see friends on a regular basis. It made me start to feel at home here. While I already feel at home in my home, it is great to begin to feel that way when out and about with other people!
Glad you have starting to get your bearings in Germany. And I'm also glad I stumbled across your blog so I can keep up with you guys!-Keri Rue
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