18 weeks with Henry

Yes, here it is :)... Henry posing at 18 weeks along

Ms Zoe

Enjoying strawberry milkshake:Zoe's booboo:
Baby squirrel:
Being very grumpy - life is sooo hard:
Camera? Cool!!!
Playing around:

Happy Easter!

I wish everybody a Happy Easter weekend. Unfortunately here in the USA we have to work FR and also MO... urgh... so everybody in Germany, enjoy the days off you get for free :).

Did you know that the UK has a day off at the day of the wedding of Kate and William? Too funny... I'm so excited about it, of course I'm gonna watch it :)...

Yesterday we went to Silke and Joe for a Easter-Fire BBQ, it was so much fun. Of course we were more Germans than Americans *lol*... Wow, I think only Frank and Joe were Americans! It was great, the sun was shining and the kids had a blast as well as us adults. With Zoe being the youngest and not walking yet, she wasn't able to totally go with the kids but they let her play with them and Zoe was busy crawling through the grass, go up and down the deck and have FUN FUN FUN. Now I have the first pair of jeans with grass stains in it *lol*... I guess I have to get used to dirty clothes sooner or later... with a boy on the way I can only imagine how much I'm gonna use the washing machine soon *lol*. It slowly sinks in with 'having a boy'... Silke is going to lend me all her clothes that she had with Janos, that's making everything a lot easier... I guess I won't use most of Zoe's clothes again :(... she's still getting mistaken for being a boy even though I kind of dress her girly, but everybody loves her smile and thinks she's a Cutie :). She says 'Hi' to everybody when we go shopping and brings a smile onto most of the American faces ;)...

She's very much trying to put on socks and shoes by herself... very determined that she's gonna succeed one day, too cute :). Taking shoes and socks off isn't a big problem but she really want to put them back on again as well. She's a very happy baby, got over her sickness, just a little runny nose (like normal)...

So... we won't do any Easter Egg hunt today... I bought some dying stuff for eggs but I figured Zoe is too young to do all this. I bet though she would find each and every egg with her scanner eyes :). Next year I'm gonna do it though, the whole program... it's gonna be a blast... I remember us kiddos being so excited searching for the Easter Eggs. The one Easter I have pretty much in my memory when we just moved to Delmenhorst and we were Egg hunting outside, my basket was hidden behind the bath tub that was still standing outside on the patio *lol*... and Dana and I got a little frustrated because we couldn't find our baskets right away *lol*... maybe it's just so good in my head because we saw video footage of it later in our teenage years... yeah, good times...

It's a BOY

Who would've thought this... but we got a few confirmations that we're going to have a little boy... it's still very weird just thinking about having a boy. He looked soooo handsome and has big hands and feet (and a big you know what... I couldn't believe it!!!).

One side shot totally looked like my mom... I could see her nose/mouth/chin expression in him... that was so amazing. And he was moving A LOT... very camera ready and wanted to pose all the time ( I like that).

Here some pics of our little new addition called: Henry

His name will be: Henry Michael - named after both our fathers :)
Here his foot:
and his hand, showing us the way:
his hand again, he was opening and closing his fists a lot... that was sooo cute:
Yes... what a surprise... :)... cool thing... now I can go shopping all over again for blue *lol*... and of course he's getting a blue themed room :). So I have one pink and one blue :)...

First BooBoo and Baby Movements

This morning started scary! Zoe was standing in her chair, leaned against the arm with the toys on it and of course Zoe lost her balance and was hoping the arm would hold her... well she fell head first off the chair against the stone of the fireplace :(... luckily she was fine after a little crying... she has a little bump on her forehead but other than that she was herself for the rest of the day... of course nothing has to touch the bump or she would be hurt.

Oh man... that was scary!!!

Our second one made it's appearance today by making me feel movements. It is incredible... I remember feeling Zoe move in my belly and I was so sad that she'll be out some day and that I would miss it big times... honestly I haven't even thought about that at all... I guess I was so busy being a mom *lol*... and now I have the opportunity to feel it all over again *YEAH*.

Unfortunately I got sick over the weekend... I'm just not a fan of being sick... it doesn't fit well together with being a mom AT ALL!!! Well... I'm getting better now I think...

Ms. Cutiepie

Zoe is walking

very good week

Hello... time to write some stuff in order to keep you guys updated. It's been a very good week. Frank was very busy at work so we had about two days this week we had 'girls only' days ;). Zoe was in the best mood ever... very happy and easy going until yesterday morning when she woke up crying and telling me to give her tylanol!!! She gave me the tylanol and was demanding to get it! It's unbelievable! She was good all day but at night she wasn't going to bed and so she was up until about 10PM or so... this morning she woke up with a stuffy nose, Frank had already his sore throat the other day, now I have it and Zoe has the runny nose. She always gets a cold when she's teething with all the 'hurting' she had yesterday we kind of figure she's teething again... I mean there are not many teeth missing anymore... 4 mullers and the 4 corner teeth... that's it.

On Thursday Zoe and I went to the midwife again and all the blood work came out good... nothing wrong, we did draw another set of blood this time to check for down syndrome and other genetics since I missed the ultrasound in the first trimester where they check for most of that stuff. Well, I'm not worried but I just get it done. My midwife surprised me with great news, she's pregnant as well :). Due end of November though... lucky me... so there is still a chance that she can deliver our baby if she'll be on duty that day. It doesn't really matter to me since I'm gonna be in this 'trance' anyways... but it's nice to know that she'll be there for my checkups every time until the end. I really like Jenny a lot and she might even move into our neighborhood :). They're looking to buy in this neighborhood but so far the houses were gone before they could put in an offer!

I'm very excited for the ultrasound appt. next FR!!! Well find out the sex... and I'm soooo curious... oh my!

Ok, time to celebrate some 1st birthdays :). We already celebrated Kaitlyn's 1st birthday on Wednesday and today at 1PM we celebrate Ella's 1st birthday that was on THU and at 5PM today we celebrate Charley's 1st birthday who's birthday was yesterday and tomorrow we celebrate Josh's 1st birthday. Crazy, isn't it?

Playing in the Yard

Standing and Cleaning UP

Zoe telling us...

New Carseat

'I love it Mommy!!!'

Franziska's Farewell Party

:(... Yes, it was time already to have Franziska's Farewell Party because next FR she's going back to Germany with her husband Oliver. It was a great time with them and I might be able to see her one last time next week. We celebrated already with a nice dinner alone (no baby, just me and her) last THU which I really enjoyed. Time to talk and enjoy good food. The party yesterday was very nice as well. Zoe enjoyed it I think the most *lol*... first there was a little dog that was running around and Zoe was just cracking up all the time and tried following him. Then there was a group of men who she entertained with peekaboo and super big smiles that was just so much fun to watch... Frank is already worried what he might have to deal with in Zoe's teenage years *hihi*... Zoe is literaly steeling people's hearts. We get so many compliments on how good she always is and how happy etc. and we make some couples even wanna have babies as well after they see there are also good babies out there *lol*.The baby belly is growing, some days it looks smaller than others and I really don't 'feel' pregnant anymore!!! It's kind of scary but I think everything is fine... as long as I'm getting bigger the little one is just enjoying her/himself and lets me 'enjoy' the pregnancy.

Right now I'm enjoying an empty house... that's right!!! Frank and Zoe are out shopping alone :)... it's so cool. In my teenage years an empty house would mean to crank up the music, watching TV... being a mom an empty house means getting quickly things done, relax on the couch while updating blog/ information online, no music, no TV... just enjoying the quietness!!! It's amazing how much people change after having kids... urgh... sometimes it makes me really mad not being the chatty crazy girl anymore at parties and enjoying myself. Now I'm just sitting around, being quiet, take care of Zoe (there are a few mom's night out that I enjoy but I don't enjoy them in a group anymore - I have a lot more from a nice dinner with one friend)... the solution is to not think how much you changed... just take it as it is and go with the flow... adjust your style *lol*... I'll be back some day...

Did I tell you that I started pilates again? Uhhh, I love it... Wednesdays' night when Frank is in town I get to go to Pilates and I really enjoy the hour to workout my body and mind. It's so good for me I'm glad I found this place and am very happy when I can go. I literally feel like totally energized when I come back home.

Today we're going to get 27Degrees Celcius... don't be jealous ;)... it drops down to 15 by FR. It's very nice here, the spring seems to be on the way. Frank even started getting the landscaping organized *YEAH*... it seems we'll stay here at least another 2-3 years which is kind of nice. We already started BBQ season, even when it's very cold outside, it just tastes so much better to eat a very nice grilled piece of meat.

Curious Look

Unhappy Zoe, questioning why she can't have the camera!WHY NOT? I'm old enough!!! That's not fair!
I was just going through pics from half a year ago... Zoe grew up way too fast!!! The pics of our little baldy... sooo cute!!!

Zoe is doing great. She has lots of fun... walks and walks and walks along things... it could happen any day now... we'll watch out for it so we can video tape it. Did I mention already that she's talking a lot?... I mean 'brabbels'... it's sooo funny!

Dancing with Sesame Street

Zoe loves Elmo. I'm glad we have sesame street! Every morning I let her watch some sesame street so I can continue working ;) and when the tunes come up on TV she's smiling big times and chills out in her chair until she's tired of watching it. But Elmo's world is always a great part of it. I need to get the german version for her... still haven't looked into it. But I'm sure I can get it somehow to show it to her in German... enjoy

Here we go again - 14 weeks

Here some pics I found on my cell phone. When Franziska and I picked up Jennifer from the airport (some weeks ago) I saw this crazy couple hugging in the middle of the street. I guess they haven't seen each other for a while ;). She was so happy to see him, she jumped out of the car without putting the car into 'Park' or turning off the engine *lol*... I was cracking up and had to take a picture:Sleeping Baby Girl
Zoe busy reading a paper
Looking outside
And here we go again... The baby bump :)... since being pregnant I gained about 7 lbs (about 3.2Kg)!!! Urgh... I'll never get used to gaining weight ever... but I'm curious how much I'm going to gain this time. Last time I think it was almost about 35 lbs!!! Well, only 6 more months of stretching and then I'm gonna work on getting back into shape again. I did it once, there is no way I won't be able to reach my goal next time ;). The easy thing is... last time I lost about 20lbs prior to pregnancy weight next time I only wanna loose 5 lbs prior to pregnancy weight... that's gonna be an easy task. I'm glad I did the big pound shedding last time with only one kid to watch, with two it's probably going to get a little harder to find time for my workout but I WILL FIND A WAY ;). I'm determined ;). I might sign up for the gym again where they have day care for the kids so I can have my 2 hrs of workout a day if I can fit it in my day. It's so important to take care of yourself and feel good inside and outside. A happy mommy is the way to go, then you'll have happy kiddos and a happy hubby as well :).
Frank hurt his back somehow and Zoe is not feeling well either today. Something is up with her. She's in her 'I'm-not-feeling-well-mood' but I have no clue if it's still the teeth or another one coming out or maybe a cold? We'll find out sometime during the next hrs or days. I kind of think she's getting sick again since she woke up sweaty again and I think 4 teeth in one week is enough for such a little person.

Up and Down

Guckt Euch ihre Haende an am Ende des Filmes... ich sage nur: Mama und Oma Canto ;)

The Dishwasher, me, myself and I...

Yes, that's right... hubby is gone shopping doing his thing, Baby is fed and taking a nap only the sound of the running dishwasher is disturbing the peaceful quietness in the house right now... 'YEAH' for mommy who has a few minutes to herself since it's the weekend and the work laptop is shut down!!! Very rare these moments these days. That's probably why you haven't heard anything from us lately...

We're doing great... Frank has a LOT of work since he volunteered to take on another big position which hopefully turns into only one before the baby comes along. So far he managed everything for the new dept. to run smoothly again but it's still a lot of meetings etc. and he's very tired at the end of the day. But when he comes home our daughter is blooming like crazy and is telling him a lot of things. She's so chatty these days... it's not English nor German but it's so much fun to just watch her and it brightens up our day a lot.

Zoe likes dancing to songs, which is more a 'up and down' exercise or walking along the furnitures like crazy *lol*. She goes up and down the stairs by herself, likes to hang out with us on the couch while bouncing from one parent to the next, getting into everything her eyes discover. She loves to walk but since she needs help from us or the furnitures, she's not as free as she wishes to be. She builds towers with her blocks and also pretends to read books... or maybe just looks at the pictures. There are times when she totally plays by herself and times when she's very clingy. Not to mention she got four new muller (Backenzaehne) in the last week which hurt her a lot. She can also throw fits very good (pretty annoying for me) but it can't always go her way!!! Then she cries like crazy with big crocodile tears and wants to be hugged to know everything is alright... she's too funny!

Now to the little one... she/he's doing great so far. I've started already the second trimester and wow what a different... I got my energy back... I was getting depressed already with being so tired all the time and had no energy for anything and addtl. Frank was on bz trips a lot... it was so bad... last weekend I finally said: ENOUGH... get back on the horse Rona and get your life back together! Good for me that the 1st trimester ended and my energy came right back and I'm back to normal (FINALLY). My body changed already! I guess I owe you guys a belly picture. I still don't wanna admit I'm getting bigger *lol*. I went to the office yesterday and one of the ladies said: 'Man, you're getting big!' Wow... that wasn't what I wanted to hear AT ALL!!!

Last Wednesday I went to Pilates which I really enjoyed after a crazy day with Zoe. Time for myself and doing something for my body is always the best treat being a mom. Unfortunately the baby didn't like it as much, I had some abdominal pain afterwards and since then I experience some little pains in that area but might be just the baby growing which was mentioned in my daily newsletter I get. But I'll definitely let the instructor know next time I go there. This pregnancy seems to be feeling the same than with Zoe... I can't find any differences so far besides having a toddler around while being pregnant is a bit more challenging.

Only 6 more months!!! Gosh, these pregnancies are going by so fast!!! I can't wait to welcome our second one and look forward to the craziness we're going to have, I bet it will be much wilder than now and more life in the house which I look forward to a lot. It hit me the other day when I told Frank... it's just so nice to know that the family is growing again after so many years of loosing one family member after the other.

But for now I'm glad it's still in the belly and I only have to take care of one *lol*. Zoe is growing so fast!!! She seems to only want to nap once now which is uncool for my work. I had to change my schedule again and it's getting more and more challenging to get work done. But very seldom I had to move my work hrs into the nights or weekends... so we're still in the green. I so look forward to take off work for 3 months after the baby will be born. That's gonna be a great time to just enjoy motherhood and not to worry about when I'm gonna be able to get my work in. I have to look into a sitter who can come into our house to watch the kids while I work when I will get back in 2012... but I'm not really looking into it yet... I'm just not the biggest fan of it yet but I guess I have to find somebody because with two kids I won't be able to manage it myself. I'd really love to maybe at least go into the office once a week since I really miss the socializing with the coworkers but then on the other hand I don't wanna leave the kids alone with a sitter at home. But maybe once I find somebody I really like and I feel comfortable enough I'll go that route and enjoy one day in the office.

Ok... that's enough updates for right now I think... I'll try to get my belly picture taking this weekend. Right now I'm too lazy for it but I'll take it, I promise ;)... have a great weekend everybody.

Oh, and before I forget, I removed the anonymous writing option for comments since I got a few very bad comments that luckily got filtered by the spam filter of the blog. But nevertheless I don't want to get the emails either and it was either protect the blog with a userid and password or remove the anonymous option for the comments. I guess everybody agrees that this is the best option I chose ;)

Little Stinker and Reading books ;)

Dancing and building blocks