I think I'm in love...

For the last week, Annabelle has made my job as Mama rather easy. Of course, we are up in the night about three times for twenty to thirty minutes, but I can't complain because after she eats, Tiny Bit goes right back to sleep. Remembering when Katy Jo was a newborn, I was up walking around the apartment, rocking, singing and patting like crazy all in the middle of the night to get her to go back to sleep and stop crying. This one is different. Maybe it's just because it's the first week, or maybe she really requires more sleep. Either way, she is a good sleeper and I'm loving it!



It's also taken her about a week to really get the whole breastfeeding thing down, and now I feel like we have bonded a bit more because I'm not as frustrated with it as I was in the beginning.



Annabelle's nose was squished in utero and it's been fun to see it slowly realign with her face. It's still a little off, but she is getting cuter every day. She has the same little button nose her sister has, but besides that she has her own beautiful little lips and eyes that I could stare at all day. She rarely opens her eyes though...



Last night she basically slept through her first bath. I thought she would scream for sure because it's a bit chilly here and I knew she wouldn't like feeling cold. But, she did amazing.



She has also put up with all the expected lovings from big sis... pokes in the eye, spontaneous and rough hugs, and loud noises right in her face. Its been so fun to watch Katy Jo's curiosity and love for her new baby. We love our new little bundle.

It's Okay to be Nervous

"Tiny Bit" has arrived. Not to be confused with Katy Jo, who will always be our "Little Bit," her little sister Annabelle Joy was born at 8:10 AM this past Monday. After my complicated delivery with Katy Jo, I opted for the C-section. The day my labor started with our first, I was totally not nervous or scared. I've heard this is normal for first-timers, considering you are clueless to the pain. With this one, I too was not nervous at first. I was anxious to meet her of course and couldn't wait to see her face, deciding in an instant who she looked like (as a side note, I haven't figured that out yet). We checked into the hospital at 5 AM after getting up in time to do my hair, put on a little mascara and then wait around for Bo to get his stuff together and grab coffee. I was calm, determined and, despite being sad that Katy Jo was losing her title as "the baby," I was very excited to hold another little preciousness.

It didn't take long for my nerves to get to me. As soon as the nurse stuck me and I knew she missed, I was tense. She continued searching around for my vein, while complaining that it was rolling. I know I have perfectly good veins and I could have gotten an IV started on myself quicker than she did. During this procedure, she went on to tell me that I seemed nervous and needed to relax. Not cool. Mental note for when I return to work: patients are very much allowed to be nervous in the moments before their belly is sliced open.

We did manage to get IV access and it was soon after this I was escorted to the OR. I knew the drill. I knew exactly what to do and how to do it best to make everyone else's job easy. I dropped my shoulders and arched my back like a cat as I sat completely still, focusing on my breathing as the spinal went in. Thank goodness it was a good epidural! Still, I had never felt my legs become huge heavy logs that I could not control. The anesthesiologist said I was numb as driftwood. It was an overwhelmingly scary feeling when the heaviness crept up, and I was nervous again that I wouldn't be able to breath. You lay there, with everything strapped down, an oxygen mask over your nose and mouth, and all you can do is stare at the ceiling. No, they don't have cute picturesque light fixtures or anything like they do at the dentist's office. I'm not sure why. I must have asked the doctor a million times if she had tested yet. I trusted her fully, but was scared out of my mind that I would be able to feel the first incision and no one would listen to me. I could very much feel the Foley catheter insertion as well as Dr. Rutter's hands and she felt the baby's position one final time. Finally, they did do the clamp pinch test and I was so numb I didn't even know it.

The surgery was well under way, when Bo was given permission to come join me. I was so relieved to see him and have someone there to catch my falling tears. It must have been about ten minutes later, I felt them push up top and retrieve my new little one. Dr. Rutter flashed her before us on her way to the pediatrician. My second baby did not look like my first one. She had the same dark hair and little button nose, but that was it. She was her own little perfect person. And I wasn't nervous anymore.

Katy Jo Strawberry

Halloween was quite exciting around here as Katy Jo had her first real trick or treat/fall harvest fest experience. Her costume came courtesy of Aunt Bonnie and suited her well- a bright beautiful strawberry. Katy Jo's cousins nick-named her "Strawberry" before she was even born and after a strawberry baby shower and all things strawberry- it's kinda her thing.

Our first stop was next door, to Ms.Donna's house, who truly spoiled Katy Jo. Then, after taking advantage of 50 cent corn dogs at Sonic (who can pass that up?), we hung out at church for the evening, enjoying games and lots of candy.

I think Katy Jo was perfectly happy to just bounce around, people watching, while eating more candy than she has ever seen in her life. It was a fun night for all.

Virginia is for families

Family time, here we come...

Upon finding out that Bo had another "interview" up north, I scheduled a trip for my mom's sixtieth birthday celebration around the same time as Bo's trip. Little Bit had to be included in the festivies, of course, and I wanted her to get in some more cousin time. Katy Jo and I stayed for almost two weeks in my sister and brother-in-law's place. It was a crowded house - my parents had already been houseguests for over two months while they looked for their own place. Steph and Ryan were both super great hosts and put up with four kids under one roof.

Unfortunately, my mom's birthday was a somewhat chilly and overcast day. Well, that didn't stop us.

We went ahead with the birthday plans to go on a fun walk around the Great Falls, and then enjoyed a picnic complete with Bonnie's chicken salad sandwhiches, chips & dip (yum!), fruit and a special German Chocolate Cake which Omi's oldest granddaughter, Lizzy, helped bake.

It was a fabulous time with the whole family there, minus my Bo. The sights were gorgeous and the kids were all well-behaved. I was so happy to be a part of it!

The rest of the time was definitely all about the kiddos. We had park dates, tons of play time and loads of delicious meals with kids screaming (mine!).

One morning, Steph and I went out - just the two of us - and devored fresh bagels with tons of cream cheese. This has been an ongoing craving of mine since returning from Germany, where bagels were scarce. After this special breakfast, we spent the next few hours having sister time, shopping and running errands. It was perfect.

The best part of the trip was getting to watch my baby play and interact with her family. Lizzy and Ruthie wanted desperatly to play with her, which was difficult since she is still little and only knows so many words. She spent lots of time in the playroom, backing up into Aunt Bessie or Omi's lap. Papa spoiled her with two of her favorite things - watching her own videos on Youtube and taking long baths. I think she had a ball! Every morning, we woke up in the basement and she practiced saying her new word, "Upstairs!" She knew that was where the people were.

It wasn't until the very last day, while we were on our way to the airport, that Katy Jo finally said, "Papa." So cute. I keep practising everybody's name with her and hope to be up that way again soon.

I heart Fall

Last October around this time, we were enjoying Basel, Switzerland's Herbstmesse (a huge carnival) with our little baby, Katy Jo.

This year, while we aren't in gorgeous Germany soaking up the fall colors and pumpkin soup at Funfschilling, we are having fun welcoming in the new season with our little toddler. We recently took Katy Jo to the local pumpkin patch in downtown Buda to pick out her favorite pumpkin.

Last night, Bo finished up the job of carving two amazing jack-o-lanterns. Our baby is too little to participate in this, but she sure did enjoy watching and marveling at the final production.

new skin

On November 19th, 2010 I received a phone call at home from Bo informing me that he had hurt himself. He told me that while playing goalie in a soccer game with his Personal Fitness class, he came down wrong on his foot and now it was swollen and painful. His friend, Dan, took a closer look and recommended he take a trip to the ER. I didn't think much of it and just went along. It was our first trip to the Müllheim ER and I had no idea it would be one of more than a dozen to come.

November 19: cast placed

Christmas 2010: home in Houston - seen by Orthopedic doctor. Cast removed. Bone still completely broken. Told by US doctor, "I would have scheduled you for surgery as soon as you injured your foot. This bone rarely heals by itself."

January 3: Boot and ultrasound therapy

(Bo was also in a car wreck while driving back from the doctor's office)

April 12: surgery including shaving part of tibia bone to place on broken foot bone and metal plate bolting everything together

May 12: London field trip - swelling begins, limps into walk-in clinic

May 15: returns home with severely infected foot - back to Müllheim ER, admitted into hospital

May 16: early morning surgery (removed extensive amount of infected tissue as well as the metal plate) Doctors discuss risk of bone infection. Prescribe wound vac x 2weeks while in hospital

May 17-June 1: Daily trips to the hospital, at first with Katy Jo and then rescued by mother-in-law who came as support for two weeks

May 29: Bo allowed home for 2 hours for Katy Jo's first birthday.

June 1: June 14: biweekly trips to the ER for regular check-ups and re-wrapping of bandages.

June 4: Stevie and Jenny visit and help us pack for our shipment home.

June 14: Last Müllheim ER visit. German doctors suggest a skin graft because they do not believe new skin will grow. We decide to have procedure done in the States.

June 28: Return to the US

June 30: Seen by Wound Care doctor in Austin, TX. Schedules skin graft surgery on July 14

July 13: Surgery cancelled

New Skin Growth!

Sept. 28: foot officially declared healed!

Went running this morning!

summer time

I definitely have some catching up to do in terms of Katy Jo's latest little accomplishments, which, by the way, we treasure around here. There is nothing more exciting than witnessing your daughter learn how to do something new or perhaps attempt to say something new right in front of your eyes. We are loving it!

Our last week was filled with great times visiting my grandparents (Poppy and Aunt Jan). We quickly noticed all the new little things Katy Jo learned from her Aunt Jan. For instance, she can now fold her hands together, signaling that it's time to pray (she does this multiple times during any meal time or snack, so we know she's extra-spiritual). We also enjoyed watching her wave and get excited to see "Sparky," the stuffed elk, anytime we went up or down the stairs. Our visit to Houston was also a fun time to see old friends. :)

Now we are back in Buda, still playing this game called the ministry job search. Meanwhile, Katy Jo is entertaining us with her "mean face." This is a combination of a frown and upward eye movement, or sometimes she even rolls her eyes. So funny!

Almost every day we go swimming, and this has been so exciting just to see how fearless she is in the water. It's a little scary, but we are keeping a close eye on her.

More summer accomplishments to come...

5 more months

As most of you know by now, we are expecting another little one in December (surprise!) Last week we had our first prenatal appointment here in the US. It was nice to actually be able to make conversation with the nurses, ask questions, etc. My good friend, Jenny, had recommended the OB doctor to me and I was very pleased. She was super nice and understanding. Plus she had some good insight on our future decision between having another vaginal delivery or cesarean. Glad we have time to think about that.

We have about five months left of being our little family with just Katy Jo. To me, this is the biggest thing I think about when contemplating the new baby. The fact that my precious Katy Jo will soon be a big sister and not the little baby. This, for good reason, makes me a little bit sad. In my own controlled plans, I had envisioned loving just Katy Jo for quite some time, giving her all of our attention and well, basically just spoiling that little cutie. :)

I hope this new blessing will not automatically require Katy Jo to grow up quicker. And I also plan on trying my very best to show equal love to each baby. No favorites here. I'm sure once the new baby does arrive, I will be overwhelmed with plenty of love to go around. But, for now, I'm focused on my only child. :)

my little walker

Ever since we came home Katy Jo has been perfecting her walking. This past week she has gotten really good. She is pretty steady on her feet, but the funny thing is she still holds her arms either straight out in front of her (like Frankenstein) or out to her side. So funny to watch!

I've been trying to document what she has been up to...

The Tables Have Turned

Over the last ten years my parents have said multiple goodbyes to me and my sisters when we've moved, to Belton, College Station, Nyack, Fairfax, Gainesville and Kandern, Germany. They have helped prepare us by packing, shopping and even driving us to some of these locations. They have come out to the driveway of their Houston home and waved goodbye until we couldn't see them anymore. Three summer ago, one after another, all three of us sisters left town for good. At that time I had no idea how hard that must have been for my mom and dad. They have always been the ones staying, wishing safe travels and hugging away sad goodbyes.

Yesterday, the tables turned and my parents are no longer the ones left behind. In the midst of a crazy morning which included professional cleaners and movers in my parents' home, telling my sweet Bonnie (who had flown in for one last visit) I would see her soon, and trying to help my mom with all the many last minute things ... I had to say goodbye to the ones who were always there for me. Now it was their time to leave.

Thanks to retirement, today they will embark on the adventure of driving to Virginia to begin the next chapter of their lives.

Safe travels, Mom and Dad.

Look at me!

We sure have been enjoying all the little things that Katy Jo now knows how to do. I will admit she is still lacking in vocabulary and, perhaps, her walking skills. But that is fine by us. We have heard her say a few words: "Dada," "yes," "hi" and she shakes her head for "no." So cute.

Katy Jo enjoys brushing her teeth, and not only brushing her hair, but scubbing it during her bath. We have seen her climb all over boxes, into baskets, and more.

She can now hold and actually drink from her sippy cup.

I have often found her in her room sitting on the floor looking through her books. Bo, proud daddy that he is, says, "That's my girl!"

At times we have caught her putting food on her spoon. :)

My all time favorite little accomplishment is her sweet ability to give smooches! We love that we daily get kisses from her. :) Makes our world seem perfect.