Wednesday, October 19, 2011

My favorite little girl

Ally is three!  I am so proud and blessed to be her mom.  Here are some of my favorite things about her:

She can read!  Since I also love to read, we will sit on the couch together with our books and enjoy.
Her imagination.  She has conversations among her cars, toys etc. that are hilarious!  She also insists that she is a bird ;)
Singing.  She makes up songs and walks around all day singing to herself.
Independence.  She can get herself dressed, get a snack from the fridge, wipe her own bum, buckle her carseat, make her bed, and peel her own fruit.

I think she has inherited her father's height since she is taller than most children her age.
Every morning (around 8) she wakes up with a smile.

I love my little girl so much and can't imagine life without her!

opportunity missed

House hunting in Germany is a PAIN!  (that is why I sent my husband ahead to do it without me)  Apparently I should have been here as well...
J found a great house, in a great location, and signed a contract.  When he took it into housing, for some various issues, it was denied.  I'm still not sure why the base housing office can deny a house, but whatever.  So he tried to negotiate with the landlord over a few details that would allow us to rent the house.  We really really wanted it, because of the location, price, etc.  did I also mention that it was brand new?
The landlord and realtor one day just quit returning phone calls and rented the house to someone else.
Yesterday, I happened to meet the person who got our house.  Apparently the landlord fixed all the issues in our contract and gave it to this other family.  The kicker is, this house is a duplex, with an American family living in the other half.  Not just an American family, a family in our ward!
I admit that being pregnant makes me a bit emotional, but I cried yesterday with the knowledge that I could have had a friend right away, had we gotten that house.  I cried knowing that all those days I was throwing up and feeling miserable, stuck in my house without a car, I could have been meeting people and spending time with others of my faith.  I cried because I wonder what I did to deserve missing out on such a great opportunity that would have helped my transition here immensely.

Monday, October 3, 2011

A little bit of positive

I feel like my last few posts have been downers, so here are some positive thoughts.

Thanks to Zofran, I am back on track with my life.  I now feel (mostly) normal and am able to function as a person.  I have caught up on housework, unpacked most of the boxes, and am starting to gain (instead of lose) weight thanks to eating food!  I am back to baking and cooking meals, which pleases my family as well. I was really against taking medication while pregnant, but my doctor advised it so that I can be healthy and hydrated.  I feel so much better!  I have not thrown up for three days now and I don't miss it at all!

I wake up every day and just remember how cool it is that I live in Germany.  The scenery is gorgeous, my neighbors are friendly, and everything is fun to explore.  Ally and I go for walks to explore our fun village and she is constantly fascinated by the amount of nature.  She fills her hands with acorns, flowers, rocks, chestnuts, apples, leaves, caterpillars, snails, etc. and loves it.  We have a playground right across the street, but she spends more time observing and touching than she does playing.  I took my first touristy trip on the train to Trier, which is the oldest city in Germany, and saw some fun old ruins.

My house has a HUGE back yard.  We have a built-in grill and patio on the main level, landscaping and a garden plot on the second level, and a grassy yard with an apple tree, plum tree, and blackberries on the third.  We also have a gate connecting us to the next-door neighbors, who are our age with a 2-year-old girl.

I got my car!  I now have transportation to get me where I want to go.  That, plus feeling good enough to go out, means playdates and other social opportunites for me to make new friends.  We have enjoyed exploring the stores and trying German food.

Last thing on my list is getting internet hooked up at my house, which will hopefully happen today or tomorrow.  Be prepared for some pictures once my connection speed is up to it!