18 Weeks and Growing!

Here is an update of the bump and how much we are growing. This little one sure has gotten active and I LOVE feeling it. Shaye desperately wants to and repeats how "unfair" it is that he hasn't yet, but I think the baby just needs to be a bit bigger to be strong enough for him!

Here are some sure ways to tell you are growing that I learned this last week...





1. The skirt you wore on Saturday no longer fit you on Thursday.


2. People say, "How far along are you" and follow it with, "and you're that big??" (not sure I like this one)


3. You find your belly button becoming very shallow and disappearing much earlier than you ever imagined!





Another appt next week, which mom will get to attend- YAY! More then to tell you all how wonderful and healthy the baby is!

Germany

Shaye and I had a GREAT time in Germany and were reluctant to come back! The weather was absolutely beautiful and we were able to see lots.

We took a drive to Luxembourg where we visited the American National Cemetary where mhistory buff husband was able to visit the gravesite of General George S. Patton.

We also went into the city of Trier where we saw the glory of the town center... a magnificent church... ruins/remains of an old Roman building and Roman baths... and an outdoor Amphitheater.

The town....

View of the church (from afar) and the amazing Organ inside!

Roman Baths...

A couple of Dustin and Shaye's highlighted moments...

Dustin and I comparing bumps at the Amphitheater ;-)

Our last full day, we went on a River Cruise down the Rhine River. The river is surrounded by cute German towns, tons of vineyards, and old castles... both as ruins and those that have been restored as hotels. It was a little cloudy, but another amazing day! We started off in a town called Bingen and ended in the town of St. Goer. Both very quaint and dedicated to the tourists. We saw every beer steine you could ever imagine, including the World's Largest :) and an array of Cookoo clocks.

The decorated mice were all over Bingen and the fountain was in front of the town's castle.

View from the cruise as well as one of the many castles we saw.

Finally, we spent loads of time in towns around Ramstein (the base where we stayed). Landstuhl and Kaiserslautern (K-town) were fun, lively, and very welcoming communities. Everyone, no matter where we went was amazingly friendly and helpful with the language barrier as well. In my absent minded state these days (I really am ashamed to admit how bad my memory has been lately), I didn't have my camera one full day so our dear friend Dustin will be giving Shaye all of his pictures Tuesday when Shaye makes a trip back to Ramstein for work! So instead, I leave you with a beautiful German town (they all seem to be set down in the valley) and a funny story...

The picture you see here was a sign along the roadside when we first got into Germany.... driving from the airport. I stupidly asked... Is Ausfahrt a really big town that we are driving around or what? after seeing several of these signs. Shaye laughed at me, where Dustin was a bit kinder... Ausfahrt is the German word for Exit!! :-)

Just a quick note...

to tell you all that we are off to Germany. We will be home Saturday and make sure to update with more pics and tales of our adventures. Oh, and it is time for another belly picture... I decided this as I was packing tonight and pants that fit me last week no longer fit! I happily got online and ordered some prego pants and am anxious to get those as well as some great finds Jess has graciously placed in the mail for me!

In case you hadn't heard (since I called so many people that day), I finally have been feeling the baby move!!! It is a very exciting and weird feeling all at the same time. It comes off and on, but it is definitely baby and I am excited for the day when Shaye can take part in it as well. I know, I know, I say that now and will be complaining about my ribs in future :)

Talk to you all soon! XOXO

HAPPY BIRTHDAY...

Rylee!!! (one of my most dedicated blog readers ;-) And Sara on Thursday!
Hope you guys have lots of fun celebrating.

Shaye and I are doing well. Did I mention previously that Shaye is back in his habit of running? This is nice to see as it is the first time since his back surgery this past fall. I take it as a great sign that he is feeling well again. He runs on his own and with a really good friend of ours (Neil)here in England. They even participated in a 5 mile run last Friday in a nearby town and both did really well!! They continue to train and are even talking about the London Marathon... so we'll see, but I know they are enjoying themselves (crazy people - who likes to run?:)

I am in my last week of school! I'm ready for this as the fatigue part of pregnancy is starting to set in. The nausea comes and goes, but I am optimistic that my "good" days are a sign that I'm that much closer to being nausea free. 16 weeks of pregnancy has also brought on... "oh, my, look how you're growing" and "can I touch your tummy" Weird! But exciting as well!

Shaye and I are headed to Germany next week - Ramstein to be exact. We have a friend from SD stationed there and found great rates on plane tickets so we are going for a visit. We are going to take advantage of the sights with a cruise down the Rhine River, a stop at a German castle, traditional German food, and surrounding areas. I'll definitely update with photos!!

Oh, the BIG ultrasound has been scheduled for July 21st. It is a ways from now, but with timelines and our vacation - it is the earliest appointment. Let's hope the little one cooperates with us so we will all know... HE or SHE?

Until next time...

Do you have your belly button pierced?

Yes, After being asked this several times on several different days I decided that it was time to take the ring out. Apparantly, the bump is now large enough to reveal my secret, and I suppose after 9 years, the time has come to part ways!

Well, we are 15 weeks and counting! Today was another doctor's appointment and all went well. The heartbeat is strong and both of us check out healthy. The tech did say, "Well, this lil one is definitely moving" as she tried to get it to stop long enough to monitor the heart rate :) And I am finally gaining some weight! This is good news as the nausea is more and more under control each day. I'm really looking forward to the time when I can truly enjoy being pregnant! Hope you enjoy the new belly pics and also, below, you'll find a video of one of our many walks with Daisy. She loves running through the wheat fields behind our house and the wheat is tall enough now, well... you'll have to check it out for yourself!

USS Cole

Shaye had a great opportunity to go see the USS Cole yesterday. He went with the Navy Chief he works with here and got a tour of the ship as well as the luxury of dinning in the Chief Mess Hall (but the food left nothing to brag about). He said it was slow around there because they were at port and most people take this opportunity to be out and about and off the boat! He also got a coin from the Chief who was giving them the tour - very cool! Hope you enjoy some pics from his exciting day out...

The ship and Chief peekin out for a pic.

Lookin off the front of the ship and a 5 inch diameter gun (there is a British aircraft carrier ship in the background).

Shaye was quite happy he opted out of the Navy after seeing these luxury accommodations. There were cozy in this hall with 12 beds stacked from the floor up... watch your head!

Shaye driving the ship ;-)

The stars are a memorial for the fallen sailors from the bombing on Oct. 12, 2000.