Summer Fun!

Hallo from Bonn! It was a busy June for us. I went back to work part-time and we hired a nanny to watch Reed. I wasn't too excited about leaving Reed with someone else, but my Mom and Dad were still visiting us so they helped ease the transition. We also used them as our "nanny cam". Turns out, Maribel is like the Baby Whisperer with Reed. He adores her! In fact, he acts like he never noticed me being gone when I come home 9 hours later. I guess that's a good thing???

We went to Paris for a long weekend to visit my mom's cousin, Janie, and her family. The four of them flew from Phoenix and enjoyed a two week stay in France. Janie's son-in-law is a French enthusiast and was a great tour guide. We went wine tasting with them and had a great time. Neither Rich nor I remember all of the things we were supposed to retain for future wine conversations, but we do remember the taste of the wine getting better and better with each glass. One bit of information that we did remember the next day was that the average price for a bottle of wine (from the supermarket) in France is 3 euro! The next day, Rich and I took a trip to the supermarket to confirm this. Sure enough it was true! So we packed up the car with several bottles of wine (and Mom, Dad and Reed) and headed back to Bonn. Below is a pic of us eating at a cafe by the Eiffel Tower.

Mom and Dad offered to watch Reed for another long weekend (gotta love these German holidays) which coincided with my birthday, and we gladly accepted! We drove down to Lake Como in Italy and spent three days in Lenno lounging around the pool, exploring the lake via ferry, eating great Italian food and drinking Italian vino. It wasn't all play though, we did go on a few challenging runs through the hills. I spent most of the run trying to catch up with Rich. I like to point out to him that if I had longer legs, I would be able to run the same speed. For some reason, it makes me feel better to say that while we're running. ;-) When we left Como we agreed that we could spend the majority of our traveling time in Italy. You can't beat the scenery, food and fun people. Below is a pic of Bellagio which is one of the little villages that sit on Lake Como. For those Vegas lovers, the design of the Bellagio Hotel is based on this village.

Mom and Dad left at the end of June after a 7 week stay. We were definitely sad to see them go! The picture below was taken at a beer garden in a park near our house. Reed had a lot of fun with them and was so comfortable with them that we think he was confused as to who his real parents were by the end of their trip. :-) It'll be good to see them soon. Speaking of which, we don't have any big travel plans in July but we are going to be spending the first two weeks of August in Ohio. Rich's kids will be joining us during this time as well. We are very much looking forward to seeing family, friends, relaxing and enjoying the high humidity of the Midwest!

Cruisin'

What's cruisin? We were. Life is too. Time is flying, Reed is growing, will everything just SLOW DOWN?? Well, since we all know the answer to that, we better take advantage of every chance we get to have some fun! And that's what we did at the end of May.

As you know, Pam & Gary have come out for a 7 week visit. Bonn isn't that big, and there's no way 7 weeks of pushing Reed around the same city center would cut it, so we decided to take a 7 day cruise through the Adriatic & Aegean seas. We left from Venice, stopped (in order) at Dubrovnik, Athens, Izmir, and Split, plus had a couple of days at sea. It was incredible! Made more so because the adult-to-kid ratio was 4:1, meaning Makayla & I had a few dinners out alone, and a couple hours of relaxation on the pool deck! Ahh....

Before you shut your browser in disgust, I'll stop waxing on about how amazing our holiday was, and jump into a few pictures with the highlights.

Venice was gorgeous. I took this picture as the ship was leaving the city, it gave a great perspective on just how big Venice is. We had just one evening there, but were able to get a taste of the good, and bad, that it has to offer. Great food, unique character, and on Saturday morning, huge crowds.

This is a view of Dubrovnik, Croatia, as we were pulling in. We anchored off shore here, and rode small boats into the harbor. You can see the walls around the old city (middle left of photo), which is where we spent the afternoon exploring. We roamed the side streets and discovered the wonderful character of the city away from the tourists. We even stopped for a drink at a literal hole-in-the-wall, where we stepped outside the wall and sat for a beer on the edge of the cliff. Dubrovnik was the pleasant surprise of our trip!

Greece. Athens. Acropolis. Parthenon. Need I say more? I think we were all in awe of the beauty and ancient architecture at the Acropolis. It's one thing to read or study about the skills of the ancient Greeks, but it's another to see it up close. The weather was hot, so we all stopped for a cold drink in the city as well. We also bought Reed a new sun hat at Mothercare (Andrew I had no idea Mothercare has expanded to Greece?!) since he managed to outgrow his old one half way through our trip...

Ephasus, Turkey. We docked at Izmir, the second largest port in Turkey after Instanbul, and a guide drove us to the ancient Roman ruins of the city of Ephasus. We were blown away by the scale of the city. We wandered down Roman roads, with homes and shops along each side, photographed a massive library, and posed for this picture in front of a huge amphitheater. With so much of the city preserved you could get a real sense for life at that time, it was quite humbling. Before arriving at Ephasus we stopped at a small chapel built on the foundation of a modest house that is believed to be where Jesus' mother, the Virgin Mary, lived out her last years. Regardless of what your beliefs, it was a somber and emotional place, and I'm thankful to have seen it.

No vacation is complete without a little holiday romance, right? Well, ours was no different. On our tour at Athens we sat next to some girls from Texas & New York, and one of them took a fancy to our son. Needless to say, the feelings were mutual, and the pair were seen together quite often during the rest of the cruise! Here is a picture of Reed & Erika in Split...

One more thing every vacation has is an ending. And after a final night spent in Luzerne, Switzerland on our drive home, ours ended as well. I returned to work last Monday, and Makayla returns to work tomorrow, after about 8 months off. Reed will be in good company, staying at home with a nanny on the 3 days each week that Makayla is in the office. Wish us all luck with the transition!

~Rich

Family Time!

Reed and I spent the last two weeks of March visiting friends and family in Ohio. It was great being home and Reed really enjoyed being spoiled again. He spent a large portion of his time being carried around on his "throne" listening to Motown music with Grandpa Gary. As you can see from the picture below, he could only make it through a few songs before falling asleep in his furry, Ohio State blanket. I spent a lot of time eating, shopping, catching up on sleep and just hangin' out. It was so nice to relax and be home although we would have enjoyed it even more if Rich could have been with us! We're hoping to head back for a couple of weeks in August.
The day after returning from Ohio, Rich's brother, Andrew, his wife, Katherine, and their almost 2 year old daughter, Parker, came for a visit from Seattle. We spent the week hanging out with them in Bonn. While the first couple of nights were a little rough (Reed and Parker were quite jet-lagged and spent a few hours taking turns waking each other up), we had a great time touring new places around the city and soaking up the April sun! Below is a picture of Andrew "chillaxin' with Parker and Reed" at a beer garden along the Rhine river. Parker was kind enough to allow Reed to borrow her shades for the picture. Also included (big surprise!!!) is a pic of Rich's lunch. Once again, the Germans are making a good impression on Rich with their currywurst specialty!

We spent a windy afternoon in Cologne as well. Katherine and I are standing in front of the famous Cologne dome which is one of the only landmarks that remained standing after the WWII bombings. Most of the city was destroyed during the war. We're very proud to say that Reed held his bottle by himself (well for 20 seconds!) for the first time in the local Kolsch beer pub. What better place to hold your own bottle for the first time?!
We just found out that next weekend is a four day weekend for Rich because of Easter. It's safe to assume that we would have known this if our German was better and we could have read the email communication including this info. ;-) Not much time to plan a big trip, but we're hoping to get away for a couple days to explore a new city. Stay tuned!

Boring Can Be Good

I'll start this post off with a warning: there isn't much happening here in Bonn right now. Nothing exciting to report, no big adventure we've just returned from and, thankfully, no new injuries! Basically, we're living life, but in Germany.

So what has happened since our last post? I took a 10 day trip to the US, which was a good mix of work and family time. We celebrated Clara's birthday while I was home: pizza and cupcakes..the girl is easy to please (sometimes!). I spent almost every evening with the kids, which left very little time to see anyone else. I did manage to have a nice evening with Sara, James & Tim (Brian was in Costa Rica) where we enjoyed home made sushi courtesy of Sara, and some excellent chicken & gambas (prawns) whipped up by James & Tim. I brought my smiling self & a bottle of vino.

Instead of staying in a hotel, I shacked up at my brother's place. It's much more fun to stay with Andrew, Katherine & Parker! My little niece has turned into quite a charmer!! In return for letting me impose, I took A&K out for a great dinner at Crush on my last night in town, and billed it to the company. Travel for work does have its perks!


Back in Bonn, we took Reed in for his U4 this week (4 month checkup) and it turns out he's a 4 month old. Happy, healthy, and exactly 50th percentile in both height and weight. Truly unremarkable, which for a doctor's visit is perfect. The doctor did tell us that Reed is turning over the wrong way (stomach-to-back rather than back-to-stomach) but I'm thinking this is a German thing...

Not much else to report on. Dinner with friends tonight, then back to the grind. Oh, one thing to inform everyone on: Daylight Savings Time happens on different days in different countries. So while in the US this Sunday the clocks rolled forward an hour, it won't happen to us in Germany until March 27th!! So for the next 2 weeks we're an hour closer....

Tchuss!

A Major Milestone!

Yes, it's true. We are the proud parents of a baby who can roll over. We feel a bit guilty about the whole though because we've been doing "tummy time" with Reed on a blanket which we lie on top of our soft, thick, shag rug. I decided to lay his blanket on the hard carpeted floor today and 10 seconds after putting Reed down, he flopped right over. We'll have to remember to tell him when he's older that the shag rug was our way of showing him that "Life's not always easy." In fact, we may start teaching him how to walk in the snow so that when it melts, he'll be up and running in no time!

Parlez-Vous Francais? Oui! Oui!

We're not going to lie-it was really nice visiting a European country where one of us actually does speak the language--well, sort of speaks the language. We had a great time in Paris. The weather didn't cooperate, but we let that slide since everything else turned out great. I think we each gained a few pounds from eating crepes and chocolate croissants, but who can turn down those fabulous bakeries and food vendors on the streets!? Not us. We stayed in a hotel that was located a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower. I went running one morning around the Eiffel Tower, over the Seine River and through parts of the city and I have to say--it was pretty cool! I couldn't have imagined myself running through the streets of Paris a year ago before we made the decision to move.

Here are some pics of our first day walking down the Champs de Elysees.
We woke up Saturday morning and decided to walk to the Louvre. It was raining but Rich said he remembered it only being a 20 minute walk from our neighborhood. FORTY-FIVE minutes and an inch of rain in our shoes/stroller later, we get to the Louvre. Per the wait sign, the line was over an hour long. Lucky for us, a guy selling trinkets walked over and told us we didn't have to wait in line if we had a stroller. We didn't believe him so we asked the people to hold our place in line. We owe this man!!!!! We walked to the front of the line and were escorted into the doors immediately! We put Reed in the baby bjorn and he managed to stay awake for the Mona Lisa. So the next time you're in Paris, make sure you go with someone who has a stroller!
Rich is in Seattle for the next week and a half for work. He's really looking forward to spending time with Clara, Elise and Ben and also seeing some friends while he's there. Reed and I are chilling in Bonn. I think he sensed that his Dad was gone last night because he was on his best behavior. We'll see if he keeps that up for another 10 days!

Au Revoir!

Back in the swing of things...

Now that the holidays and jet lag are over, we figure it's time to get back in the swing of things. For starters, we both need to hit the gym! Rich's surgery went really well last week and he's been given the "OK" to ride a stationary bike and work his way up to running in a few weeks. He was on crutches for a few days, but can walk without them now and feels pretty good. Our gym is at our office which means two days a week Reed gets to have lunch with Dad in the cafeteria while I go to the gym. So far it's been uneventful as Reed has slept through both lunches, but I expect a good story in the near future....

We're learning we're not the only ones who need a schedule. Reed is getting to the age (3 months!) where he needs to start sleeping and playing on a slightly more strict schedule. Up until this point, we've been playing "peek-a-boo" at all hours of the night. Although it's fun to watch him smile, laugh, and kick his arms and legs at 3am, it's not nearly as fun when he gets tired and cranky and can't fall asleep. We'd be lying if we said the last couple of weeks have been a piece of cake, although we may have made it through the worst part. He has been sleeping like a champ the last couple of days which has made all three of us much happier!

We are headed to Paris this Thursday for a long weekend. We forgot that Valentine's Day was this week so it will be the perfect way to celebrate. We weren't sure if Valentine's Day existed in Germany, but after walking through the city center this past week and seeing all of the stores with "Valentinstag" heart decorations in their windows, we're pretty sure they do. Since Germans are pretty generous with holiday time, we were hoping that Rich would get the day off work, but it doesn't seem that they've recognized it as a "national holiday" yet. :-)

Tschuss!

Playing Catch Up!

We admit it-we have been very lazy in our blog updates. So we've condensed our 2 month US holiday trip below. Hopefully this will catch everyone up on our busy lives. Funny how the length of time since our last blog post and the age of Reed are so close!

Due to popular demand, we thought we should share a recent picture of Reed. Here he is with Grandpa Gary. As you can see, he's a very happy baby! And why wouldn't he be? He was held the entire time we were in the US!


Our first stop in the US was O-H-I-O. We had a great time spending 9 days with family and friends! Unfortunately, Rich wasn't able to participate in the first family Christmas party due to some serious jet lag (or Jack & Coke). But, he wasn't alone-Reed and my cousin's little girl, Abby, were right there with him.


Mom and Dad also hosted an Open House to introduce Reed to most of the state. He had a great time and experienced the same thrill when he woke up Christmas morning to open presents.


Next stop-Seattle! We spent a few days with Rich's parents in Bellingham which was very relaxing. In fact, we extended our stay another day so that we could take advantage of the good company (and good babysitters!). Rich's kids got to meet Reed for the first time which was pretty entertaining. They're already asking if we think we'll have another one....and, they've requested a girl. We told them it was dependent on if they could guarantee us that they'll get full college scholarships. While we left Seattle feeling like we saw a lot of people, we still wish we would have had another week to visit more friends. Next time!


Our last stop in the US was Florida. My parents rented a house for the month of January. Who can pass that up right?! So, Rich stayed for a week and I stayed through the end of January. I was a little worried that it would be hard to take care of Reed by myself-what was I thinking? I didn't even see the little guy unless I hunted him down. He was either rocking in the chair with Grandma Pam, taking walks in his stroller with Grandpa Gary, or watching movies into the wee hours of the morning with Uncle Nate.


The only thing that would have made the Florida stay better, would have been if Rich joined us, but I guess someone has to work in our family. That being said, Rich managed to keep fairly busy while were away. He went skiing in Austria with some friends and had a great time. He enjoyed the traditional "apres ski" event which included drinking beer and wine in outdoor bars in 15 degree weather. Unfortunately, he hurt his knee while skiing and after getting the MRI results today, it looks like he'll be getting surgery Thursday. He tore his miniscus, but was assured that it's a minor outpatient surgery and he'll be back on the slopes in a month. Knowing Rich, he'll be back on the slopes next weekend.

What's happening now? We're back in Germany and getting adjusted to the time zone. It's a LOT easier to do when you aren't used to sleeping regular 8 hour nights. I guess I owe a big Thanks to Reed for that! We're hoping to do a road trip in a few weeks so be on the lookout for a new post!

Ciao!

Happy Holidays!!!!

So it's official. We are parents of an "almost" one month old and have no idea what has taken place in the world during the past 30 days. We do know that Reed eats every three hours, poops and/or pees every two hours, growls at anyone who watches him while he's eating, and enjoys foot massages and relaxing baths as often as he can get them. We also know that it's best to not look in the mirror at ourselves until we can start getting a few more hours of sleep. It actually hasn't been that bad, but the baby arrival did hit us hard...especially me who was a rookie up until now.
Having my Mom and Dad spend the past three weeks with us was the best Christmas gift EVER! They cooked, cleaned and volunteered for baby watch night shifts. It doesn't get any better than that. We're pretty sure Reed wore them out as well, but then he'd flash them a smile and they'd be putty in his hands. Suckers!!! It'll be nice to see them again as well as the rest of our family in Ohio when we head back to the States next week.

As for the rest of our travels, we will be in Ohio Dec 17th through the 26th and then head to Seattle from the 26th through Jan 4th where we'll get to introduce Reed to his other siblings and spend time with family and friends. From there we'll fly to Florida to meet up with my Mom and Dad again. Rich will leave for Germany on January 10th (someone has to work, right?) and I'll stay in Florida through the 28th and head back in time for Rich's birthday. Crossing our fingers for warm weather!

Happy Holidays!

What happened to our free time?!

I'll tell you what happened, Reed happened! Wow, I can't believe he will be 7 days old tomorrow! This week was a blur. We drove to the hospital, checked in, Makayla got prepped, I dressed up in scrubs, and then Reed was born! That was the "easy" part! The rest of the week was about Reed adjusting to life on the outside, Makayla recovering from a C-section, me hovering around trying to help, and two parents trying to get to know their new son. Add the arrival on Wednesday of the two new Grandparents, Pam & Gary, and that pretty much sums up the week!

The stats on our little guy:

Born at 1452
Weighing 3.54 kg or 7lbs 13oz
Stretching to 53cm or 21 in
Likes: being held, warm milk, & fleece
Dislikes: not being held, dirty diapers, waiting for his next meal

If the stats aren't enough, we've also uploaded a few choice pictures to capture his first week.

from Bonn..

Tick Tock, Tick Tock!

The new addition to our family is almost here! For anyone not in the know, Reed will be born on Monday via scheduled C-section!! I thought it would be a good idea to try and squeeze in one last trip before the baby comes, so I mentioned a weekend in Paris to Makayla on Thursday. This proposal was quickly shot down by an eye roll and a comment including words that shall not be repeated (just kidding, it wasn't that bad!). I think she appreciated my spontaneity.

So,we are spending our last "sans baby" weekend resting, finishing final preparations, cleaning (of course!), and playing with our new car! I can't deny it, the arrival of our new wheels yesterday was a little like another child being born..it's so shiny, and fun to play with. The leather is smooth like a baby's bum, and smells so good! Ok, ok, I know it's just a car, but it is nice to be rid of our loaner that smelled like smoke, and only had two doors. And, wouldn't this have been a great car to drive to take on a 4 hour drive to Paris?!

Last weekend we spent the day in Maastrich, a city in the Netherlands just a little over an hour from Bonn. I realized recently that an old friend from Amazon, Sylvia, has moved with her husband back home to Maastrich, so we used the opportunity to visit her, meet her 2 yr old daughter, and explore the city.

I'm not sure what was cuter, the city center, or her daughter Sadie! We had fun getting to know both. We also had one of the best waffles we've had in Europe so far. Fresh off the griddle with powdered sugar...mmmmm! Does it get any better than that?

Hamburg!

Wow, what an amazing city! Although the weather was not overly cooperative in Hamburg, we had a wonderful time touring the city. There are approximately 2 million people living in Hamburg and it's the 3rd largest sea port in Europe behind Antwerp and Rotterdam. The city is currently working on a 1 million square meter development project located right on the port which will be completed in 2020 and will accommodate approximately 1500 new houses/condos as well as new commercial and office space. The picture above is Hamburg's City Hall which is still in use today. I asked Rich to take a picture of this building two different times while we were there, not realizing it was the same building, so it was definitely my favorite!
Above is a picture of us standing down by the port and fish market. Every Sunday, between 5 am and 9 am you can head down to the market to buy fresh fish. Unfortunately, we were not up in time to enjoy the fish market, but still managed to have a good time walking around the area...about two hours later! Behind us (and through the layers of fog!) you can see some of the condo construction.


We found a new favorite coffee shop in Europe. Balzac coffee (get your mind out of the gutter people!). We went to this spot a couple of times for coffee and pastries. There are quite a few of them located in Hamburg, but we haven't seen them anywhere else in Germany so it may be a local spot. Next time any of you are in Hamburg, make sure you hit up a Balzac coffee! :-)

No trip is complete until Rich experiences some good food! He'd been eying up this Currywurst stand for three days so on the last day he enjoyed some Currywurst with the rest of the locals. 2.70 euro for a sausage covered in curry sauce and a roll on the side. Not tempting to those with a weak stomach (or 37 weeks pregnant), but a real treat for those "food enthusiasts."












These two pictures were taken as we walked around the inner city lake (meaning it was located within the old city walls that were used to protect the city). The lake is approximately 1.5 miles around and is connected to the outer city lake which is approximately 8 miles around with beautiful multimillion dollars homes surrounding it. It looked like the perfect running spot so we may need to make a trip back in a few months just to experience it!

In collarbone news, Rich is on his road back to recovery! He's feeling much better and has a doctor appointment this week to get his stitches removed and start some physical therapy. He should be 100% in a couple more weeks. In baby news, no big news...except me! November 15th is still a go! The doctor confirmed last week that baby Temer has gotten settled low in my stomach so no real chance of him turning around now. We're ready though and are counting the days down! Based on his high activity level and ninja-like moves, he is counting the days down as well. I think November 15th will be a great day for all those involved. :-)

The German Medical System...From the Inside

I am happy to be writing this post from the comfort of our living room after spending Montag through Mittwoch (Monday - Wednesday) in the Krankenhaus (hospital). Surgery was Monday morning, and I am now the proud owner of a bionic collarbone!

You can see the seven screws holding it in place...this baby won't be going anywhere! I learned that collar bones heal more slowly than any other bone in the body, so they want me to keep the plate in for at least 18 months, if not the rest of my life. We'll see, if I go pro in cycling I may not want that extra weight slowing me down!

The contrast between German and American medical practices and processes is very interesting, at times awkward, and always entertaining. For example, on Monday after I've checked in for surgery, I'm shown to my recovery room on the second floor. There are 3 beds in there, and I'm the third patient in the room. The guy by the window is getting ready to check out (I'm told) and the guy near the door and our shared bathroom is laying there with a bag of plasma dripping into his IV. I'm shown which locker is mine to stash my clothes, then promptly asked to remove my shirt so the nurse can shave my chest and armpit for surgery. Awesome. I'm fairly sure in the US I would have at least had a curtain enclosing my bed while they prepped me, and in my past surgeries all my pre-op stuff was done in my own room.

And then there's the sponge baths for the less mobile patients (guy with plasma had a new hip put in, not real mobile at the moment), that are given immediately after breakfast is delivered. (I'll get back to meals in a sec). So there I am, sitting in my bed munching on some rye bread, sipping my coffee, and watching the nurses cleaning my roommate's surgery site. I won't go into too much detail, but let's just say I had to leave the room and continue my meal in the visitor waiting area...

So, food. I experienced my first traditional German breakfast in the krankenhaus. How fitting. Day 1: Nurse lifts the cover off my tray. I see a roll (good), butter, jam (better), some rye bread and sliced cheese (ok...) and...what the hell is that??!! Some sort of sliced bologne looking stuff with scattered olive green things all through it. The nurse sees my look of horror, and tells me how awesome the stuff is. Uh huh.. goes great with soapy water, lots of stiches, and a side of old man butt crack. I asked if they had eggs. They said yes. Day 2: tray removed showing me a roll, jam, rye bread, cheese...and a hard boiled egg. I really miss IHOP right now.

At some point during Monday night a new roommate joined us (bed near the window). Turns out he was crazy. Really. He was old and had dementia, which is actually sad. But in the middle of the night, when the morphine pills and IV of pain killers were still not enough to smother the pain or at least knock me out, the last thing I had sympathy for was the crazy guy next to me who moved his legs back and forth all night, scratched uncontrollably, and then fell asleep, only to stop breathing and wake up gasping every 10 seconds. I found myself wishing he would just not wake up. Believe me, in the morning when I realized his issues I felt horrible, but I'm sure you know how it is when all you want is a couple hours of sleep!!

After some more xrays, some range of motion checks, and getting my infamous "pink paper" signed by the doctor, I checked out Wednesday morning and walked home. Just 2 days after the surgery and I'm already feeling so much better, and so much less pain, than last week. It's awesome! Doc says I can start exercising soon, but can't lift anything too heavy for about two months. Luckily Reed shouldn't be hitting double digits until the new year, so I'll be more than able to haul him around.

Through all this Makayla was great, even when she had the stomach flu (Monday night - Tuesday) she was really just worried about me, and feeling bad that she couldn't be with me at the hospital. I assured her I was perfectly happy with my roommates, rye bread, and mystery meat. We're quite the pair right now!

Late breaking baby update: We met with the doctor today at our hospital and have scheduled a c-section for November 15th, on the assumption that Junior will continue to be uncooperative and keep his head upright. Sarah, we've done our best to maintain a healthy margin between his birthday and Thanksgiving. This should hopefully minimize the number of pumpkin pie birthday cakes, and gravy boat presents that Reed receives...

From Bonn.....
Rich

Hot off the press!!

It's only been 24 hours since our last post, but we have a couple updates that we want to share with everyone. First, Rich's surgery has been postponed to Monday morning. He went into the hospital this morning to fill out paperwork, meet the doctors, and receive his free sandwich and coffee they offer to upcoming surgery patients, and was told that since he has a nasty scrape on his shoulder (also a result of his cycling accident) they don't want to risk the possibility of infection by making a small incision on his collar bone. So, Monday it is!

After leaving the hospital, he walked a quarter mile down the road to the baby doctor's office and met me just in time for another ultrasound. It appears that Baby Temer either isn't paying attention or the flashlight bulb wasn't bright enough to stimulate his curiosity and make him turn his little body around! He's also dropped lower so the doctor feels there's a good chance he's staying put. Our fingers are still crossed, but we've also made an appointment with the hospital for next week to meet with the surgeon and schedule Baby Temer's future birthday. His current due date is November 23rd, but it sounds like they'll do a c-section anywhere from 7 to 10 days before his due date. If anyone feels strongly about which day they think he should be born, please let us know and we'll take your comments into consideration. :-) Selfishly, I'm just glad I don't have to post a belly bump picture for week 39 or week 40.

Planes, Trains, and Krankenwagens

I had the chance to ride in a German ambulance (Krankenwagen) this last Sunday after hitting an unnoticed bump in the pavement (at rather high speed) and landing head and shoulder first on the ground. While the ride was entertaining, the broken collar bone definitely was not. After additional consult with a doctor on Monday, I have decided that surgery is the best option for quick recovery, and go under the knife this Friday. As Makayla said, someone has to be able to lift the baby when he's born..and the doctor assured me the plate they'll attach to my collar bone will have me back on the bike, I mean, able to hold babies, within 2 weeks time!

On a happier note, I had a great, but quick, visit back to Seattle last week. I was with the kids almost every day, worked a lot, and tried to spend time with family and friends. Unfortunately, I caught the cold that had been going around the office in Bonn, and so outside of work and the kids, I spent much of my free time at home in bed..
One highlight of the visit was being able to celebrate Elise's birthday. We were lucky that one of my aunts & uncles, plus my Grandma, were also in town visiting, and so Elise's party was a chance for many Temers to catch up! For me, nothing could beat just getting to spend time hanging out with the kids.

The rest of the week was a blur of work, soccer practice, dinners, homework, and nose blowing. I had a really nice dinner with Sara, Brian, and James, hosted by James, and managed to catch up with friends from work each day over lunch (did I really eat at the same Mexican place three times in one week??)

And of course it was so nice to spend time with my bro & sis-in-law who let me crash with them for the week. Parker took some of her first steps while I was there. I think this picture is her clearing the deck for a possible take off..

All in all it was a good week that went by way too fast. There were so many other friends I wanted to see, and if you're reading this, please understand, and we'll have another shot in December!

It was also good to come home, and by home I mean Bonn, because, as they say, home is where the heart is..

The Vacation is Over.....

Well, it's been about two weeks since Pam (Mom) came to Bonn and Rich left for Seattle. I wish I could say that we spent those two weeks traveling through fantastic European cities, eating delicious meals including wines and cheeses from France, and shopping in Milan......but, that would be quite a stretch from the truth. In fact, we didn't travel at all (except for a one day trip to Cologne which is 10 miles away), we only ate a few real dinners, and I bought one maternity sweater from H&M that is pretty ugly.....but warm. I CAN tell you, however, that we had a great time catching up on our favorite American tv shows, baking apple dumplings and a lemon bundt cake, assembling bouncy seats, packnplays, jumperoos and chilling! We also took a few trips to our favorite park in Bonn and walked along the Rhine River in the sunny but windy weather. Hopefully the trip was not too mellow for Pam...I think she'll cut me some slack due to the 8 1/2 months pregnant thing I've got going. I'll be dropping her off at the airport tomorrow and, assuming no delays, Rich will be getting in at the same time. We are looking forward to her next visit with Gary (Dad) in November! We're pretty sure things will be a little more chaotic then with a newborn hanging out with us.

Speaking of which, Baby Temer has not been cooperative in terms of positioning. He is still in a breech position so the doctor gave me some yoga exercises to do that may "encourage" him to situate himself in a more favorable position for his upcoming grand entrance. Initially, I laughed when I read about some turning tactics online that involved shining a flashlight on your lower stomach. Apparently the light would arouse the baby's curiosity and he would move his head down towards the light. Funny right? Well, a couple of days ago the doctor informed us of possible manipulative turning techniques they could perform in the hospital.......two hours later I was hunting through Rich's tool box looking for the mini flashlight! More to come after we visit the doctor at week 35.....cross your fingers that Baby Temer sees the light!

A Touch of America!

Pam (Mom) arrived bright eyed and ready to hit the streets of Bonn this week. And, she didn't come alone! She brought an extra suitcase filled with the "good stuff" which included Esther Price candy (thanks Dad!), brown sugar, crisco baking bars, clothes that fit around the growing belly bump, and about 20 other things that we had ordered from Amazon and had sent to her house including four 8x10 frames for the baby nursery. We owe this woman! It's probably best that she's unaware of the even longer list we have ready for her and Dad to bring to Germany when they come in November. ;-) We took her to a few of our favorite spots for dinner. Above is a picture of us eating at "Tacos" which is the only Mexican restaurant in Bonn and has pretty good food. It's crowded all the time and, after a couple margaritas, Rich came up with the idea that we should open up another Mexican restaurant in Bonn to compete with Tacos. We'll see about that……

Rich left for Seattle on Saturday and we all know what this meant right? The ultimate driving test for Makayla. Surprisingly, all went smoothly. In fact, the hardest part of the drive was having to pull out of that tight spot Rich pulled into at the airport! Well, that coupled with the fact that at 8 months pregnant, the need for an easy access bathroom is essential and the easiest rest area (meaning an exit with a zero incline) to stop at is about 1 hour into the 1 1/2 hour drive home. Mom and I did run into a few "hiccups" driving around in Bonn, but in the end…everyone was fine. :-) I looked over at her at one point (I believe it was after my second stall and third honk) and asked her if she was more nervous than me. She looked straight ahead with her hands (and white knuckles) wrapped tightly around the purse in her lap and said, "I think we're about the same."

We have AMERICAN television! It's been a long 10 weeks with no TV, but the wait is over. We're not sure why we didn't think of it before, but Rich realized that we could probably buy some tv shows via Itunes which is hooked up to our TV through our computer. Sure enough, he checked it Saturday morning and saw that we could access this season's TV shows. So, Mom and I spent several hours this weekend catching up on all of our favorite shows…..and everything else that sounded halfway entertaining. This, coupled with Esther Price candy eating, was a great way to spend the weekend. Thanks Rich!!!!

We also worked on decorating and organizing Reed's room. We're not done, but definitely got a good start. It's hard to believe that we've done approximately eight loads of laundry for a little guy that isn't even here yet. And based on what I've heard from Mom and Rich, he won't even appreciate all this work we're doing for him! ;-) I'm pretty sure that we'll need to change his outfit 4 times a day in the first three months in order to get through all of his outfits. They also said that wouldn't be a problem!

Tschuss!

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

We had our 30 week ultrasound last week! Don't think it's something they normally do in the US, but it's standard here and we were happy to sneak some more peeks of the baby. Our doctor was on vacation so we met with her German speaking partner. When she started the ultrasound she pointed at the baby and said, "ahhhh, pooh pooh". We weren't exactly sure what that meant, but soon realized that the baby is in breech position. Hopefully he cooperates, and turns himself around. Other than that, all looks good! It's hard to believe we only have nine weeks left.

We spent most of last week continuing to unpack, organize and assemble things. We're happy to report that, as of Sunday night, 90% of our flat is complete. Makayla's mom, Pam, is coming to visit this week for 10 days, so we figured it would be a good idea to buy a bed frame for the mattress sitting on the floor in the guest bedroom. Of course, you knew it couldn't be quite that easy, right?? Well, the good thing is we bought the bed frame. The bad thing is that bed sizes in Europe are different than the US, so the frame is slightly bigger than the bed (sorry Pam!). Nothing a little padding, duct tape, and finger crossing can't fix.

We're also proud new owners of a dishwasher and a "working" American grill! After using sign language to buy a propane can at Knauber (German Home Depot) a couple of weeks ago, Rich discovered that American grill parts don't play nice with German propane can parts, and we needed a European thingy to connect the two. He managed to hunt down a store in Austria that carried one, and we received it just in time for the weekend. We decided to invite some friends over for dinner on Saturday night just so we could use our grill and our dishwasher. Unfortunately, our lack of German speaking skills bit us at the meat market when Rich accidentally ordered WAY too much steak (and Makayla would like to add....WAY too expensive), but the weekend called for a celebration so we made sure to enjoy every last bite of it.

In other news, Rich will be heading back to Seattle this weekend to visit his family. It's hard to believe that we've already been here for 2 1/2 months! He'll be working while he's home, but hopes to organize a night so that he can see many of you. He'll be sure to send an email out with some details.

Oh, and we spoke too soon regarding our internet/phone. Apparently, Telekom lost our order (again!) and we are now scheduled to have our internet/phone installed on Oct 1st. We were able to "borrow" our neighbors wifi, but still don't have access to our home phone which means no free calling for another week and a half. Bummer.

Last but not least, Makayla had another successful driving experience this past weekend. She came very close to 6th gear, but unfortunately downshifted to 4th on accident. Other than that, she is confident with driving to the supermarket (approx 1.5 miles away) which is great news as the pressure is on with Rich leaving town and Pam's shared lack of manual driving skills.

Ciao!

Bruge, Brugges and more Brugge!

No matter what country you are from or how you spell it, we had a fun weekend in this charming Belgium city! Not only was it a new European city for us to visit, but we were able to explore it with four of our great Chicago friends. Above is a picture of the city center called the Market. The single building is Brugges Post Office and the buildings behind Makayla are restaurants and pubs.

A trip to Brugges is best chronicled by the food eaten and beverages drunk! Belgium is known for it's beer, waffles, chocolate, and fries. We made sure to sample all of them in the 2 days we were there!

We made several stops at The Chocolate Line, one of Brugge's most well known chocolate shops. We just kept finding new reasons to go back for more, such as needing to take a photograph to remember it by..oh and maybe we'll get just a few more of those salted caramel pralines while we're here...






You can buy baking chocolate by the gram, or kilo! It's sorted by the country of origin of the bean, and the corresponding cocoa content. Yes, I admit it, we crossed the border with over a kilo of the good stuff in our trunk!





Friday night we ate at a fabulous restaurant known for it's traditional Flemish dishes, called Da Vlaamsche Pot. Rich had the Flemish beef stew, and Makayla had chicken baked in a pastry with cream sauce. Yum! Our inn keeper told us she has never known anyone who could finish their meal. Well, she can't make that statement any longer! Rich started with the house made pate, devoured the entire stew with fries, and even had room for a traditional custard with chocolate sauce to finish it off. Mmmm....I'm getting hungry just writing about it!




But of course, it isn't just the food that makes the meal, it's the company you share it with as well. We timed our trip to Brugge to meet up with our friends Mel, Eric, Bria & Jon at the start of their 3 week vacation. We ate chocolate, climbed a clock tower, and sampled many, many beers. Did I say many? Yes, we had a few..

This picture was taken early in the evening, after we enjoyed a great meal of tapas at Cookies, hidden down an alley less than 3 feet wide at the street. We walked 10 feet down the alley from Cookies to Staminee De Garre, home of many good beers, and one very dangerous beer, known only as De Garre, and available only at the pub. This was also the point where the night takes on two different versions depending on if you talk to Rich or Makayla. See below.

Rich's version: Rich was pleasantly surprised at how well he was able to handle the dangerous beer and figured it had to be due to the tolerance he'd built up over the last two months in Germany. In fact, he tried to persuade everyone to stay for a 3rd beer before heading to a different pub. Mind you, the pub has a 3 serving limit on this particular beer, and there's good reason for it. Luckily, he was unsuccessful with his attempt, but was still able to enjoy another couple beers at the next pub. He, along with the rest of our gang, also discovered and nearly perfected a challenging game of balance and coordination before calling it a night which ended in quick goodbye hugs.

Makayla's version (aka...the sober version): Makayla had a great time talking and laughing with everyone....until approximately 11pm. After standing behind Rich and shaking her head "no" when he tried to convince everyone to stay for one more De Garre beer, the group decided to stop at one more pub before calling it a night. Her attempt in trying to persuade everyone to eat some fries on the way to the pub was, unfortunately, rejected by all. The night ended at the bars with a very loud game of "flip coaster" which began with Rich asking all of the tables in the pub if we could borrow their coasters (this was after the Manager told him "no"). After collecting approximately 20 coasters, our group took turns seeing who could flip the most coasters off the table and catch them in the same hand. Makayla will admit it was a pretty funny scene, but is fairly sure that the rest of the bar had a different opinion. The Americans definitely made a name for themselves!

The night ended with Eric yelling "hugs and cuddles all around" and then making plans to see us soon when we visit Chicago.....this was shortly after we made plans to meet the next morning before driving back to Germany. Needless to say it was a great night, in spite of the fact that Makayla was the only one walking home in a straight line.