Trip to Gemünden

The trip to Gemünden went well. Clint's course was really challenging, but good. Heidi traveled well and of course everyone loved her! Here is a group picture of everyone that was there during the week.


(I was taking the picture)

Of course there were others there on the weekend. Pam and I left on Wednesday to head back to Chemnitz. I'm really glad we got to go for a little bit though. I ended up helping Joy in the kitchen a lot when Heidi was sleeping or being entertained otherwise. :)

We got to take a couple of walks when Clint had free time and I took some walks with Heidi by myself as well.



Also, I got a pretty cute video of Heidi while we were there.



We took Heidi to get her second immunization shot and she did really well again. She cried only for a few seconds again and then was calm. She also now weighs 10 lbs. 15 oz.!

Disadvantage to bottle feeding

I have come to accept that Heidi will be fed by the bottle, but there are still some disadvantages to it. For example, when she wakes up in the middle of the night and is hungry, she wants food and wants it now! However, it takes time to mix up the formula and to heat it up. So, this is usually what she looks like when she's waiting for her bottle:



Even though it is sad, there is still something so cute about her cry. Especially when she gives those pathetic little whimpers. She does that especially when she's getting tired.

Thankfully, her crying stops immediately as soon as we give her her bottle.



Of course there are many advantages to bottle feeding. One of them is that Clint can feed Heidi and have that bonding experience with her. :)

New Photos and Videos

This is just an update to say that I have posted new pictures and videos. All you have to do is go to the side bar and scroll down until you see them. If you click on the picture it will bring up the photos and the video you choose.

In other news... we went to the pediatrician and weighed Heidi again today. She now weighs 9 lb. 13 oz.! She is definitely filling out since she has been on the bottle. That just reassures me that our decision was the right one. She's getting some cute chubby cheeks! :) Also, she had her first immunization shot today. I figured she would scream her head off, but she only cried for a minute and then was smiling again and happy. I was amazed! What a good little girl we have! :)

I guess since I am already at it and posting some news I will post a pic of Heidi on Easter Sunday. We had to bundle up that day because it snowed all day long here. So much for the beginning of Spring! But, it was actually nice since we haven't really had a normal winter here. That is about the most snow we have had all winter.


Doesn't she have the sweetest smile?


The pretty blanket behind her was made lovingly by her *Aunt* April (one of my best friends). Thanks April! :)


Heidi wearing an outfit that her cousin Lydia couldn't wear anymore. Thanks for sending it Jonathan and Lana! She looks cute in it!


Mommy and Heidi



Heidi is trying really hard to use her hands more these days. She is doing pretty well. She picked up a toy all by herself for the first time the other day! Of course I put it on her tummy for her, but she was able to grab it herself.

Uploaded Videos

Here are the last videos I have uploaded. Enjoy!

A much happier update

I'm blessed. I just felt the need to say that. Things have been rough for a few weeks, but they are getting better and I have a great family and wonderful friends that have been there for me. I have a God who has protected me and given me strength. What more could I ask for?

I wanted to also add to the last post that we have some great friends who are like a second family to us here. We are so thankful and blessed that they have been so willing to help us, support us and do anything for us in this time of difficulty. Thank you Karen, Larry and Pam!

I went to the hospital yesterday for my daily cleaning and re-bandaging. The doctor said that it looks really good and is not nearly as deep as it had been. I don't even have to go back to have it cleaned again! I need to go into my other doctor on Tuesday to get it checked out, but other than that I can clean it myself at home and it should heal up nicely. I was so relieved to hear that!

Clint is taking a course called ETM (Evangelism, Teaching and Media). Next Sunday he is going to an intensive week at a church retreat area in Gemünden, near Frankfurt. Because he will be there the entire week and he didn't want to miss the whole week with his girls, Heidi and I will be going from Sunday to Wednesday and riding back with Pam. He will come back the following Sunday.

I know I haven't been very good about updating photos and videos. Just so everyone knows, not all our videos will be great and exciting, but I know our family really wants to see Heidi as much as possible so this is for them! I will post a few of my latest favorite pictures and a video.


Heidi making her dancing debut at the dinner for our older members.


Family photo!


What a big smile!

P.S.

I left out a MAJOR detail...

I have the most amazing husband who is also a wonderful Daddy! He has been so great to take care of me, come visit me, be there for me when I came out of surgery, bringing Heidi to see me, and taking care of Heidi all at the same time.

He has been so great and I am so thankful to God to have him in my life!

Thank you sweetheart! I love you!

Home

Some of you may not know what has been going on the past week so I will fill you in...

In the last post I mentioned that I was fighting an infection that just was not clearing up. Well, it got worse. It started out as Mastitis, which is very common in women who just had babies. It usually happens when a milk duct gets blocked. It ended up turning into an infection. I went to the doctor and got antibiotics to get it taken care of. Actually, back up... the very first sign that I had an infection (I had a fever), I actually went to the emergency room (Feb. 23) because I knew how dangerous it could be. It had recently happened to my sister-in-law so I really didn't want the same thing to happen to me. After going to the ER, my midwife even came to the house and helped me with it that week and it actually got a lot better. It was almost completely gone. Then a couple of days later I got another blockage! So I tried really hard to get rid of it before it got worse, but it didn't get better. That is when I went to the doctor and got the antibiotics.

After a long Friday afternoon (March 7) of trying to find a doctor that was open I finally discovered my gynecologist was open and went to him. (Sorry if any of this is TMI (too much information)) :) Anyway, he gave me an antibiotic, I went to the pharmacy to pick it up and went home. As soon as I got home I saw that on the box it said Penicillin. "Oh no!!!!" I was so mad because I am allergic to Penicillin. I called my doctor back to tell him about it. He said it wasn't straight Penicillin and it was the only antibiotic that was safe for Heidi so he suggested that I try it anyway and let him know right away if I had any problems. I took it for 6 days and had no reactions to it that I noticed until the 6th day (March 13th). I started noticing a rash all over my body. During this time the infection did not get better, but worse. I also noticed my body getting very very sore to the point where I could hardly move my arms let alone pick up Heidi. It was so awful.

On Thursday, the 13th I went back to my doctor and told him it was not better. He then gave me his apologies that it had not worked and sent me to the hospital. He said I would probably have to have an intravenous antibiotic and the two choices would be either: one that Heidi couldn't have and I would have to stop nursing, or one that would reduce the milk and could leave me with not being able to nurse her anyway. Great choices, huh? He also said I would probably have to be there a couple of days. With this great news, Clint and I went home to eat lunch and to pack a bag for me and for Heidi, in the hopes that she could stay with me.

When we got to the hospital, after getting sent from one floor to the next, one nurse to the next doctor, it was finally decided that the infection had become an abscess and the only thing they could do for it to heal was to operate. They told me to come back on Friday and they would make an incision to drain the abscess.

The operation went well and I got to come home from the hospital today. The only thing is that they had to leave the wound open and clean it out everyday until it begins to grow back together and heal on its own. (Sorry for all the gory details) Anyway, so all I need to do now is to rest and go back to the hospital everyday for them to clean it and change the bandages for awhile.

It's really not as bad or painful as it sounds though. Thankfully the incision they made was really small and when they clean it, it doesn't hurt that bad. The only thing that has still bothered me has been my arms. They still hurt sometimes, but I can tell that it is also getting better. Hopefully this will all be cleared up soon.

I just wanted to thank everyone who knew what was going on and was praying for me. I also appreciate the continual prayers that are being said for me.

Oh, I almost forgot to write about the worst part of all of this. The doctors all strongly suggested that I stop nursing her immediately. They all felt it was the only option. Although, I know that there are other options out there, Clint and I decided that with all the problems I have had up to now with nursing, that it just is the best decision for us. Even the day before I went to the hospital we went to the pediatrician and she said that she wasn't gaining enough weight and that I needed to supplement with formula anyway. As of the last time we weighed her she was just 8 lb. 6 oz. which isn't much at almost 2 months considering she weighed 7 lb. 11 oz. at birth.

Anyway, to sum it all up, we felt that maybe this is just the best thing to do... plus all the doctors really wanted me to stop nursing anyway. I am still really sad about it though and have pretty much cried everyday since I found out. Well, today I haven't, which brings me to my next thought.

The more I was upset about everything that has been going on the more I prayed about it and thought about it. I came to the conclusion that it all was something I could not control... I did everything I could do by going to the doctor to get it taken care of as soon as possible and all the doctors did what they could do too. The only one who can control it is God and so I have been praying that I can let go of it to Him and He can heal me and take care of Heidi and keep her healthy even though she has to take the bottle now. I know that a lot of babies have to bottle feed and they are healthy so I just have to leave it up to God now and not worry about it.

Well, I'm sorry that this is so long, but I guess I just wanted to updated everyone and ask for prayers for me and for Heidi now. I love you all!

Short Update

For those of you who haven't noticed it yet, there is now a link on the right hand side underneath the link to our Flickr pictures. There you can see videos that we have uploaded to You Tube. Check them out! We will try to keep them updated.

Just for a short update of what is going on right now...

Heidi is doing great. Her face is getting much better. She had a problem with acne and dry skin but the cream we are using seems to help a lot. She still has gas pains a lot and it seems to really bother her, but we are hoping this will be over soon?? She does fairly well with sleeping at night. There have been some bad nights off and on, but I think she is slowly getting more adjusted. She is such a joy and is smiling more and more (pics and videos to come soon, hopefully!) and sometimes we think she is on the verge of trying to laugh. She has started cooing and it is so sweet to hear. She's really a doll!

I've been better... Right now I am on antibiotics for an infection, but it doesn't seem to be clearing up quite yet. It is really frustrating and so I could really use your prayers on this. I go back to the doctor tomorrow, so we will see what he says.

The Decline of the Dollar

I just read an excellent blog written by a woman who not only was a missionary in Europe herself, but now works for Missions Resource Network in the Dallas/ Ft. Worth area. If you are interested at all in knowing how the decline of the dollar affects us here in our work, please read this. She states perfectly how difficult it is and exactly what people can do to help us and others like us in this situation. Thank you for your prayers in this situation.

Blogging again... so soon?!

Heidi is asleep right now so I thought I would take the opportunity to post something really quick. We have taken several cute videos and I have wanted to post something for a while so I will try to do that. This video is one of the first videos we took in the hospital. The first part is just her sleeping, but then she does what Clint likes to call her "Hallelujah" move. You'll see what I mean. :)

5 Weeks

Wow, so it's been over 5 weeks now that Heidi came into our lives. It's hard to believe that our little baby is already a month old! We have been enjoying our time with her and trying to get used to the new routine of things. Well, it's difficult to really update on what all has been going on in the last 5 weeks, but I will post some pictures of Heidi that we had taken at the hospital when she was 3 days old. Isn't she a cutie?! She's even grown and changed since then and hopefully I can update with more pictures soon. Heidi has been smiling at us a lot lately. It is sooo cute. And she has a favorite game that her daddy invented. I hope I can get it on video and post it. She smiles really big when we do that with her.

BABY HAS ARRIVED!!

Hello All,
April and I would like to introduce you to the newest member to our family. Heidi Beth Everhart was born on January 20, 2008 at 12:45 pm German time (6:45am Eastern time in the States). Weighing 3490grams (7 lbs 11 oz) and was 49cm long (19.3 inches). She is a beautiful baby and her and mom are both doing well....sore and tired, but healthy and happy. More info to come later (probably from April :-)

Nothing New

Well, I went to the doctor yesterday and today and there is still nothing new to report. The baby's heartbeat still gets an A+. Today the doctor said that he didn't want to do anything right now because the baby is doing so well and he would like it go as natural as possible without drugs. He said that it is really best for me and the baby which Clint and I both agree with. So, even though I am soooo ready for it to happen, I guess we will just try to be patient and wait for the right time. We have another appointment on Sunday. I've been getting walks in everyday. I'm feeling really tired today. I didn't sleep well last night. I think I will be sleeping in the recliner from now on since my hips hurt too much at night. I did that the other night and got a lot more sleep than I did in bed last night. Anyway, that's about all I got to say about that...

Week 40+

Well, I am 4 days over my due date and am still here waiting. It's getting quite old if you ask me, but I do have reason to believe that it will be soon. I went to the hospital on Tuesday to get a check-up and will be doing that every two days to find out if the baby is still doing well and if anything needs to be done.

First of all I had noticed that on Sunday/Monday the baby had dropped quite a bit. I could feel so much more lower pressure not to mention the fact that my bladder feels constantly squishes from that pressure making me have to use the bathroom what seems like every 5 minutes. Plus Monday night was the first night that I felt I had finally reached the miserable point. Because the baby is so low and putting so much pressure on my pelvis/hips it was painful to lay on my sides as well so I was constantly turning. Then, I had to get up about 6-7 times to go to the bathroom.

On Tuesday we went to the hospital and I went to the same place I did last time to have the CTG (check the heartbeat and if I'm having a contraction). They asked me my name and when I told them they asked if I had an appointment which I didn't really because my doctor just told me to go in and start doing that every two days. When I told them I was over my due date they understood and let me come right in and get strapped up to a machine. At first the nurse had a hard time finding the heartbeat but then realized it was a lot lower because the baby dropped so that also confirmed that fact.

After doing the CTG I went in to see the doctor and he said the heartbeat was great and even gave it an A+. Then the line below that showed that I had a contraction. He asked if I had felt it and I said no. It was weird. I thought for sure I would notice if I had a contraction. Then I realized that maybe I had felt it but thought it was the baby moving. It wasn't painful though. The doctor said that it was good and that I should come back on Thursday so I made an appointment for 12:00. I will let you know what he says today.

Since my appointment I had made it a point to really pay attention to see if I felt anything and to see if I thought it was the baby or a contraction and I think I have been having some contractions off and on since then. I think I can now tell the difference now that I know what to look for. So that is good news that there is some progress. Keep praying for me!

I'll end this post with a couple of recent pictures.


Clint and me- 39 weeks


Present exchange- we got together recently to exchange presents since the Sullivans were in the States for Christmas


With Clint


Me at 40 weeks


Clint kissing the baby! Also my yucky stretch marks and almost nonexistent belly button!

New Year's Eve

Before I tell you about New Year's Eve I will give you an update about me and the baby. I think some of you may have been checking the blog to see what is going on and I haven't been really giving you any updates lately.

As you have probably already figured out, I'm still waiting. The baby's due date came and went and the baby is still snuggled comfortably (for him or her, not me) in my tummy. :) I went to the doctor on Friday and everything is looking really good. It is just a matter of time and how long it takes me to dilate and begin having contractions. I will begin going to the hospital every other day on Tuesday (tomorrow) if nothing happens before then. They will check the heartbeat and from there decide what needs to happen: whether they need to get things going or if I should just continue to wait for the baby to make a move. I will try to keep you updated. I'm actually feeling pretty good though. I am just so ready to have the baby and not be pregnant anymore! Please keep us in your prayers!

New Year's Eve was fun. We had a party at the church building and we played games, ate some good food and shot off fireworks at midnight. I will just leave a couple of pictures here for you to see.


Playing games


Linda and me at midnight


Clint and me at midnight


Enjoying fireworks at midnight

2nd Day of Christmas

Clint and me at Wasserschloss Klaffenbach

In Germany, December 26th is also a holiday known as the 2nd Day of Christmas. I have to admit that it's really nice to have another excuse to be lazy and relax for another day. :) We ended up sleeping in and relaxing in the morning and then met up with Karen and her family and our friend Seppel. We took Snickers with us to a castle here in Chemnitz called Wasserschloss Klaffenbach. Last year we went there and just took a walk around the area and through the woods that are nearby. So we decided to do that again this year, and of course Snickers loved and I think everyone else had a good time too.


Dustin with Snickers, Wanda and Karen

I think afterwards we went back to Karen's and had some coffee and hot chocolate and leftover pie... yummy! Then we played Hand and Foot for quite a while. Then we ended up watching a movie. So once again it was a relaxing, fun day.

Christmas Day

Clint and I got up and began preparing our food for Christmas dinner. In between we opened our presents and got ready for the day. A little before 1:00 we headed over to Karen's with our food and started getting the table ready and enjoyed a very delicious meal with Karen, her family and our friend Stefan.


Ready for our yummy meal!

After dinner, we cleaned up and sat at the table and played Phase 10 for quite a long time. I think the game lasted a couple of hours!


Snickers joined in on the Phase 10 for a little bit. :)

After that we called the Sullivans in the States to wish them a Merry Christmas and talk to them a little bit. They were have a nice Christmas in New Mexico. Afterwards we warmed up some leftovers for lunch and sat down to watch a movie. We watched "Santa Claus 3". All-in-all it was a nice relaxing day.

Christmas Eve

Rochsburg Castle

Christmas Eve was a good day. I went with Karen, Wanda and Dustin to a castle nearby called Rochsburg. It wasn't actually open so we just went and walked around it and took pictures, but it looked really neat.


Wanda, Dustin and me at Rochsburg Castle on Christmas Eve


Karen and me at Rochsburg Castle


Apparently, we were only 1 km away from America! :)


Me on Christmas Eve at 37 weeks pregnant

We were invited to go over to the Moehler's for coffee that afternoon and so at 3:00 we went over there to spend a couple of fun hours with Guido, Silke, Luca, Giulia and Timon! We had some yummy cake, hot chocolate, tea and afterwards we sang some German Christmas songs together. Then, Guido read the story of Jesus' birth. Of course, the kids were so excited that it was Christmas Eve that they kept asking over and over if they could open the presents. So, finally they let them each open one gift each and after that they were very quiet and preoccupied with their new toys! We had a great time with them and were so thankful for the invitation to spend some time with them on Christmas Eve!


Timon and me


Giulia loves playing with the camera.


Guido reading a story


Timon and Luca watch Giulia open her present.

We met up with Karen, Wanda and Dustin and left for the annual Erzgebirgsfahrt (drive through the Ore Mountains). There was a layer of snow and the lights looked beautiful. We made a stop at Wolkenstein where we stop every year and got out and walked around the center of town and around the castle.


Pyramid in Wolkenstein


Schwibbogen in Wolkenstein


Wolkenstein Castle

After our drive and singing Christmas carols along the way, we went back to Karen's house and ate our traditional cheese Fondue meal. It sure was tasty! Afterwards we watched "The Christmas Story" (or at least we tried... Clint and I both fell asleep). I believe Snickers slept too. :) Then Karen read "The Night Before Christmas" before we all went to bed!

Acupuncture

I had my first acupuncture at the last birth class and made another appointment for yesterday afternoon. It didn't really hurt at all. I guess I just sometimes felt a little prick when they put the needle in, but other than that you can't tell anything about it. I have no idea if it will help or not, but I guess we will see.

I had an interesting discussion about it with a friend. They had questions/ concerns that acupuncture originated from an Eastern religion called Taoism. I guess up until the point it was brought to my attention I hadn't really thought about it that way. I know that it did originate in Eastern religion, but I guess for me it is just a modern alternative medical procedure to use instead of medicine or other unnatural ways. Germans are really into the natural things so I think that is why it is so popular to do it here. To me it seems like a good idea to use it if it can help in pregnancy and other areas without having to go to drastic measures or use lots of medication... that is just not healthy in my opinion.

I understand my friend's point of view on the fact that we should not be putting "any other gods before us". For me though, acupuncture has nothing to do with any Eastern religious god, but just using a technique that in my opinion came from God's creation. I in no way think that by doing this procedure it means I am worshiping some other god. I also pointed out the fact that most of the nurses and doctors that I know who use the procedure are probably not even religious at all. Although, I even know a doctor in the States who is a Christian and he uses the procedure in his practice.

For me, I feel comfortable using it in a medical way and it doesn't bother my conscience or affect my relationship with God in the least. I still know that God is in control of my life and my health. I continue to pray that He watches over me and the baby and that He takes control of everything. However, I do believe that if it bothers someone's conscience they should probably not take part in it. If you feel it is wrong, then you definitely shouldn't do it. Don't let something like that affect your relationship with God.

Please share your thoughts on this topic. I am interested in what you all have to say about it.

Final Birth Class

Tuesday the 18th was my last birth class. Clint was able to go with me this time! Although I think afterward he said it was all stuff that he has already read about and knew about, he was glad that he could go with me. I guess the most important part of it (to me) was getting to watch a video of several different women giving birth. It was a lot longer than the first video we watched and we got to see the different things/ positions they did to help throughout the process. It was again a little bit scary, but amazing to see the sweet babies at the end and how all the mothers are so happy. I guess we are ready for the baby now!

Schwarzenberg Christmas Market

Arnold Schwarzenberger... ha ha... get it? Instead of Arnold Schwarzenegger. :)


This was a pretty door that we saw in Schwarzenberg. Above it is a typical Ore Mountain Christmas decoration called a Schwibbogen.

Last Sunday Clint and I went with Karen, her mom Wanda, nephew Dustin and niece Carla to the Christmas Market in Schwarzenberg. It was one place Clint and I have never been in the Ore Mountain area. We had a good time enjoying the yummy food they had and doing a little shopping and walking around. Here are a couple of pictures from our time there.


Clint and I in the center of town.


Schwarzenberg Castle



Here is a small glimpse of the Schwarzenberg Christmas Market. This is in the center of town and only a small portion of the market. There were many more booths that went throughout the small streets.

Weihnachtskaffeetrinken

Every year we have a Christmas Coffee/ Party at church. This year the children's class had a special presentation for us. They were so cute. I wanted to post a video but I think it is too big and I haven't quite figured out how to do that kind of stuff. You will just have to imagine how cute they were. :)

Everyone brought cake and sweets to the party and we drank coffee (and Clint and I made egg nog! I also made gingerbread... or attempted to) and had a good time together. We also sang some Christmas carols together. All-in-all it was a really good time with our brothers and sisters in Chemnitz!

Here is a picture of Clint and I at the party.



Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our family to yours!

Week 35 Baby Update

Last Friday was our latest appointment. They did all the regular check-up stuff... checked the heartbeat, to see if there were any contractions happening, weight, hemoglobin, etc. The heartbeat sounded good, there were no contractions or any other signs that the baby was beginning to progress. My hemoglobin was about the same as last time, even .2 lower so that means I am still not getting enough iron. The doctor prescribed a different iron pill and has me taking it twice a day rather than once a day. The doctor didn't even do an ultrasound or check if I was dilated at all. He did a blood test to check for streptococcus. That all came out fine. My next appointment is on the 30th due to the office being closed during the holidays. I will let you know how that goes! At this appointment Clint and I decided to take the mp3 player to record the heartbeat and also had our new camera with us that also has video. I will try to post something here. We wanted to get a video of me with the straps on my stomach and the baby moving around, because it seems like every time I go in to do that, the baby moves a lot, but we didn't really get that on video this time. So I guess the video isn't all that exciting. :)

Goings-on

I will try to update about the things that have been going on in the past week or so.

First of all, I had another question to answer. Feel free to ask more questions, hopefully I will be able to answer them.

Quesiton:

"Do you know how long you'll stay in the hospital after Baby Eby is born? Is it up to you or will insurance only pay for so many days?"

Answer:

I think we will be in the hospital for about 3-4 days. I am not really positive about this but from what I have heard I will have to stay for at least a couple of days. Obviously it depends on how the birth goes and if there are any complications, etc. With the price of the medical system here in Germany the insurance paying for our hospital stay is not an issue. I guess whenever they feel I am ready to go home then they will let me go home! I hope that helps.

On to the goings-on...

On Thursday the 13th Clint and I headed out to Dresden to Grady and Allison's apartment. They gave us a chest of drawers, lots of baby stuff and a coffee table. After packing it all in the van we went to lunch with them. It was good to spend a little bit of time with them before they left. They have since made it to Minnesota and are doing well there. We miss you guys!

Later that afternoon Clint went to help Karen get her Christmas tree and when he got home he told me that I should look in my stocking. I thought that was weird since it's not even Christmas yet but I looked and found two tickets to see Jekyll and Hyde! They were for that night at 7:30. So we both got ready and went to the Christmas Market to eat some food and headed to the opera house! It was a great show and I really enjoyed my present! I was so excited because I had been wanting to see the show for months now since it has been playing in Chemnitz. Thanks sweety!

I will update about more of the week later...

Questions

On my last post there were a couple of questions in the comments that I thought I would clear up for anyone who is interested.

1. Do the babies have to stay in the nursery? No, as far as I understand it is your choice whether you want the baby in your room or to stay in the nursery. I definitely want the baby in the room with me! :) Of course there might be times they have to take the baby to do tests or checkups to make sure everything is ok, but other than that I want the baby in the room with me.

2. Can Clint stay with you in the room? Yes. We should have a private room so it will be nice that he can even probably order a bed or cot to be brought into the room to sleep in. When I was in the hospital in July they told us they could do that but we never did for some reason... he just always slept in the recliner. But I think it would be more comfortable to get a bed.

3. Do you deliver in your room or go to a special delivery room? No, there are separate rooms for delivery and then the recovery room (if that is what they are called). When we took a tour of the hospital they showed us several different rooms where the actual labor and delivery would take place. Then last time was when we saw the room we will get to stay in after the delivery.

Birth Preparation Course #4

On Tuesday I had another class. This one went well. We got to do a little tour of the rooms where we will stay after the birth. We looked at a 2 bed room that was empty. It was nice, but I just think it would be so much nicer having a room to yourself... especially when there are crying babies involved. Anyway, we should be able to get a private room because our insurance is private and that is the kind of room I had when I was in the hospital before and they paid for it.

Then after looking at the room we got to go see the nursery where the newborns stay. There was only one baby in there, but he was so sweet. He was so little and cute. Our midwife asked permission from one woman if we could look in her private room and she let us so we went in there and she had her newborn with her. She said the baby had come 4 weeks early.... wow! I can't imagine... that would be me having my baby right now! It's hard to believe that it could happen at any time now.

The second part of the class we discussed breast feeding, baby skin care and things like that. I guess I will be doing the acupuncture on the 18th. Then apparently it is something that you do once a week so I will have to continue to make appointments after that, even though it is the last class. That is the class that Clint can come with me to so he will get to see the acupuncture. It should be interesting.

On Tuesday we also went to a second hand store down the street for babies and children and we bought some clothes. I guess we are pretty much ready for the little angel to come. :) There are still some things I would like to get, but I guess we have the necessities. Well, we still need diapers and some other things but we are slowly getting there!

Christmas Market

Chemnitz Christmas Market

Well, it is that time of year again. Time for the wonderful smells of roasted almonds, hot chocolate, glühwein, crepes and all the other wonderful foods served at the Christmas Market. The crispness of the cold air combined with the Christmas music that plays throughout the market just gives you the feeling that Christmas is here! Plus, what a wonderful feeling to be walking around and seeing all the people with smiles on their faces. This time of year and the atmosphere the market brings seems to brighten people's faces and spirits. It's a time during the dark cold winter that everyone celebrates together with family and friends and some even remember why this time of year and all times is a happy time... Jesus.



Clint and I went to the market on Saturday and enjoyed just walking around and seeing all the sites and taking in all the smells and of course eating a few tasty treats as well! Our plan is to go again tomorrow evening. It should be fun!






Chemnitz Medieval Christmas Market- doesn't that pig look yummy??? Mmmm. :)


Musicians playing in the Medieval Market

Birth Preparation Course #3

Last Tuesday's class was good again. I don't know that I have anything really exciting to report about it, but I thought I would try to write about it anyway for those of you who are interested.

The first hour was spent listening to the midwife talk about the process during which we will be dilating. She once again got out the fabric pelvis and showed us some examples of the different sizes of dilation. (Don't worry, it was just a piece of wood with different size circles on it to show the progress.) This part was a little difficult for me to follow everything that she was saying for a couple of different reasons. 1. She tends to talk a little fast. 2. I was tired and it was 7:00 p.m. 3. I think she has a bit of a Sächsich accent. (The dialect from this region which can be difficult to understand if you have always tried to learn Hochdeutsch.) But overall I think that I understood most of what she said. This time she actually stayed on topic and I didn't get frustrated with her going off on some random tangent. Although I am glad she is sharing so much information with us, it is really difficult to sit still and listen for an entire hour. The reason for that is because it is so uncomfortable to sit on the floor (on mats) for that long. There are some pillows and most of us end up leaning against the wall with the pillows, but I ended up lying on my side by the end of the first hour because I was so uncomfortable.

Then we got to do some more exercises such as breathing and with those big exercise balls you can sit on. We did different techniques that can be used when we are in labor to relax us and help us breathe steadily and in a relaxed way. We also got to give each other back rubs again which was very nice. We also did some other breathing exercises standing up or leaning against the wall or a partner's back. She also told us how our spouses can help us in these positions.

The last part of the class we watched a birth video. I'm pretty sure I have seen one before in school at some point, but with the event coming up so soon, it sure is scary to watch! Although, I know it will be fine, it kind of makes you think... that is going to come out of me where???!!! But at the end of the video when the mother is holding her baby and is so happy that all the pain looks like it has vanished from her face it made me tear up and get excited about experiencing that moment when Clint is by my side and we are looking at our precious child for the first time. This is going to be an amazing, unforgettable experience! :) Praise God for his amazing miracles and blessings in our lives!

Baby Checkup- Week 33

On Friday we went to the doctor for our checkup. Once again they strapped the heart monitor and thing to detect contractions on to my belly to check the heartbeat. The heartbeat was perfectly normal and there were no signs of contractions. (I also have not noticed any so I wasn't expecting to have any then either). My hemoglobin was low which means that I am not getting enough iron so the doctor prescribed some iron for me to take. Although, don't worry Mom, it wasn't too low, it was just right at the border and he is not concerned about it.

He did another ultrasound and I asked him once again to let us know if he can tell if it's a boy or a girl. He acted like he had no idea that we didn't know already. He said, "Oh, you didn't find out at the specialist?" (which was back in September) He apparently doesn't remember all the other times I have been there asking him to look and to tell us. :) Anyway, I felt like he looked really really thoroughly this time. He was able to find the place of much secrecy, but still could not really tell us if it was a boy or a girl. He said, "Well, it could be a boy, but I can't be sure. Then he pointed out that even in girls at this late in the development, they tend to get swollen up in that area due to hormones so that it doesn't really look like a girl. I had never heard that before, but anyway... we still don't know. But you know what? The baby is going to be here before we know it and we will definitely know then! It might be fun for it to be a surprise when it's born! So just in case you are holding on to the hopes that we will find out before the baby is born... please don't. I mean, we basically gave up that hope a while ago and are ok either way. We are just happy to know that the baby is healthy.

The doctor also said that the head is down and in the right position and I am not dilated at all yet. So, all was good and healthy which is wonderful to hear. We go back to the doctor in 2 weeks on December 14th! The appointments are getting closer and closer together! :)