Trip to Holland

Last weekend we took a three-day trip to Holland. We drove our new-to-us car and were very impressed with the gas mileage. Overall we averaged 43 miles per gallon! We were able to fill up in Xanten, near the border of Germany and drive around the Netherlands including the coast and back home on one tank of gas. Not too bad for a 9-year-old car.

Holland is one of our new favorite countries. It was beautiful. The people were also very friendly. We drove there Friday and went to Clara Maria Cheese & Clog Farm. We learned in German how they make wooden shoes and cheese. The wooden shoes and cheese are made completely on their farm. We sampled around 10 different kinds of cheese. It was the best cheese we have ever had. So we splurged and bought some.

On the farm

Some of the cheeses, so good!

Where part of the tour for the cheese process took place.

Where the wooden shoes are made.

Some of the cows on the farm.

Friday night we went to Naarden Vesting and ate at a family restaurant in the star fort. It's a fortified city with a large moat around it with borders shaped like a star.

Saturday we spent the whole day in Amsterdam. We took the canal boat around the city. It was neat getting to experience Amsterdam on the water. Canals run through the whole city. Our boat passed the zoo and we got to see a few animals as well as many other sights. We decided to tour the Houseboat Museum because of the popularity of houseboats in Amsterdam - we wanted to see what one looked like on the inside. Many of the houseboats look like trailer houses on water. Others look really nice. Here are a few pictures:

On the canal tour

A few animals at the Amsterdam Zoo from the canal

Houseboat Museum

Inside the Houseboat Museum

A few houseboats

Our favorite stop in Amsterdam was visiting Anne Frank's house. Collin was in the one act play in high school and we have studied her story. It was very touching and sad walking through the house her and her family hid in during WWII. We got to see her original diary and were really glad we were able to visit her hiding place. Here's a picture of the secret door leading up to the annex.

Some call Amsterdam the Venice of the north. We are not sure which place we liked better, Venice or Amsterdam. We both think Amsterdam has better and cheaper food than Venice. Amsterdam is a lot bigger than Venice and the canals measure 65 miles long. Here are a few pictures of the canals and landmarks in Amsterdam.

Nemo Museum

Sunday we awoke to rain. We were not expecting rain and sadly had to cancel one of the main things we were planning to do in the Netherlands, visit the Keukenhof Gardens and see all the pretty flowers. It is supposed to be the most beautiful garden in Europe and is only open during April and May. We drove by and took a picture of the garden from the street. We also were able to see rows and rows of tulips along the road.

Picture taken from our car of the Keukenhof Gardens

Tulips on the side of the road

Rather than visiting Keukenhof in the rain we decided to drive to the beach and then home. We finally got to see the North Sea. We stopped at the Zandvoort beach. We got out and walked in the wet sand, took a few pictures then stopped in a little restaurant and bought a cookie. There's a special cookie that is kind of like a sugar cookie with marzipan that is a specialty in Holland. Collin discovered it in Amsterdam and we decided we had to have another one. Overall we had a great time and look forward to visitng Holland again.

Zandvoort beach

Diabetes Test and Big Baby

Last week I went to the doctor for a regular visit. I took the gestational diabetes test, got really weak, turned pale, and felt like I was going to pass out. The doctor had me lay down because my blood pressure went up. This is how my gestational diabetes test worked. I could not eat for at least 12 hours, so as soon as I got to the doctor they took my blood, blood pressure and weight, then gave me a glass of sugar water. My doctor then did my regular check up which consists of an ultrasound. An hour after I drank the sugar water the nurse took my blood again then gave me a shot. I got a rhogam shot because I am Rh negative - this just means my blood type is negative. About 15 minutes after my blood was taken a second time and I was given the shot is when I started feeling bad. I was told to wait in the waiting room but felt like I was about to throw up so I went in the office area and did my best to tell the nurse in German that I felt really sick. This is when the nurse took me to a back room and took my blood pressure. My blood pressure was high so she went to get my doctor. My doctor told me to drink lots of water and lay down on my side and put my feet up. She told me we may need to stop the gestational diabetes test because she didn't think I have it but I told her if I can finish it I would like to. Around 45 minutes later they took my blood again. Immediately after they drew my blood for the 3rd time I ate a cereal bar that I brought with me. The nurse asked me if I was driving home and not me not to. She said I was still very pale and that I needed to call someone. So I called Collin to come get me. He was with me at my doctor's appointment earlier but had to go to a meeting at work and could not stay. Thankfully he was able to come back and get me. Meanwhile, the nurse gave me some hot tea and gummy bears - I did not want gummy bears but ate them anyway.

One other concerning thing was my doctor told me that my baby is now measuring 3-4 weeks bigger in size. My doctor arranged for me to get a second opinion on the size of the baby from another doctor since he was 2 weeks bigger than the typical age two weeks ago. On Wednesday we went to the other doctor. He has a really nice office and very high end equipment. He did a thorough ultrasound that lasted close to 45 minutes. He measured everything including the resistance of blood flow in our baby's arteries. It was really neat to see the blood flowing and to be able to see his fingers, toes, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, etc. It kind of made me wish I was going to this doctor. Collin and I were both amazed with his ultrasound machine. His English was also better than my doctor's so I was able to ask more questions. Basically he took all the measurements and charted them for us on a graph. It showed that our baby is 3 weeks ahead of the average baby due around my due date. But according to the data information he's still within normal range, he's just on the bigger more developed end of things. So an average baby would be at 50% and our baby's development is in the upper 80% and 90% range. The doctor said this is fine and everything looks great and that I just have a big baby. He said that it is better to have a big baby than a small one. He didn't think there was a problem with me going to full term but thought I may go into labor a week early but that would not be a problem and that I probably will not have to be induced but should still monitor his growth. I am just glad our baby seems to be healthy and everything looks good. Please keep us in your prayers.

Successful Shifting

After church this morning Collin took me to lunch and then out to give me my first standard transmission driving lesson. Since most German stores are closed on Sunday there are plenty of empty parking lots in our area to practice in. We went to one of the grocery store's parking lot and I was taught how to drive our "new" car. I only killed the engine a few times before getting the hang of releasing the clutch as I put my foot on the gas. It was actually really fun to drive once I learned how. We are planning on having another lesson soon.

This lesson I only made it to 3rd gear and practiced starting, stopping, up shifting, down shifting, parking, and reversing. I do not feel comfortable driving the car alone yet nor do I feel ready to drive on the autobahn. I would like to sincerely thank my husband for being such a wonderful and patient teacher. He encouraged me the whole time as he talked me through the steps.

Birthing Class

Many people have asked me about being pregnant in Germany and how the care is. I will try to write more about my experience as I am getting closer to delivering. This is my first pregnancy so I am not very familiar with the American system other than what my friends and family have told me about it.

Yesterday we went to an American all-day child birthing class. Our teacher was great, she's a labor and delivery nurse who taught us more about the German birthing system. Unlike in America, most people have a midwife who delivers their baby rather than a doctor unless there are complications. From what my friends have told me who have used a midwife in the States, the midwives over here have very similar practices.

The midwives are big fans of natural, drug free labor and deliveries. Epidurals are available but not commonly used and can sometimes be hard to get - meaning they can take a while to receive and you have to be dilated a certain amount before they will give you one. This can be both good and bad depending on how you look at it. They like to teach women how to breath, move, and naturally deal with the pain. We learned breathing techniques, stretches, relaxation methods, and a whole lot about the birthing process. We thought it was very informative and are feeling more comfortable about having the baby over here. The midwives seem to be very caring and supportive of the mothers giving birth and will work with you and help make your experience as good as possible. I have been very impressed with all the midwives I have met so far. Since my doctor does not deliver babies and she does not work at a hospital I have had to find a hospital and midwife to aid me in the birthing process. I feel very blessed that Collin is very patient. He will be a great partner in child birth - I feel so blessed!

National Prayer Breakfast - Take Two

This morning we went to the actual National Day of Prayer Breakfast. It was much more like we thought it would be like. The room was a lot larger than the room we ate breakfast in last week. A band and choir welcomed everyone in and there were lots and lots of people and probably six times more food than the little room had last week.

The band and choir were great. Pastor Tom Holiday from Saddleback Church in California was the main speaker. His message was really good on priorities and love. One thing that really stuck out to me was that sometimes we get so busy trying to "succeed" that we miss out on relationships with others. At the end of your life it really won't matter too much how much you had accomplished if it did not include having meaningful relationships with others. What a lonely thought! God calls us to love and have fellowship with one another. Life is much more fun when you are experiencing it with other people.

The 58th Annual National Day of Prayer is May 7th this year. The theme for this year is "Prayer... America's Hope" and is based on the verse from Psalm 33:22 which states: "May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you." It is awesome that our country still has a day set aside for prayer. During times like these we especially need to be prayerful! We hope you will be able to participate in praying for our country on that day as well as the rest of the days of the year.

We got a car!

We bought a second car! It's a European specification, 2000 Ford Focus and it's a lot of fun to drive. We bought it from a nice couple in the area and brought it home tonight. It's going to be my commuter car for when I don't ride my bike to work. It has a standard transmission, so as soon as Marisa learns how to drive it, she's gonna be racing it at the local Formula 1 track, I just know it. A few things we like are: it is able to carry a car seat safely, has 4 airbags, a nice stereo with an iPod controller, A/C, and it gets good gas mileage - great for exploring Europe! It has a comfortable ride and we think it will make a great second car. The best part about it is that we paid cash for it, taking Dave Ramsey's advice. Click the link and watch the short video. You won't believe how one decision can change your life.

Spargelicious!

We tried a local specialty this week: white asparagus. Asparagus is called Spargel in Germany, and you see hand-made signs everywhere when it is in season. They cover the asparagus up to keep photosynthesis from happening, which keeps it from turning green. (Poor little asparagus...treated like a mushroom). That is supposed to make it sweeter and more tender. Click the title above for more info. We bought it at a roadside stand nearby. They had five or six bins with different prices.

The more expensive kind is fatter and whiter. We opted for the second to cheapest for our first try. See the pink?

The lady at the stand told us we should peel the tough sides off - and offered to sell us a peeler! Our OXO peeler will do just fine, thank you.

She also said cook it in wasser, but we think we'll try to steam it next time. Marisa did a great job of cooking them up and I thought they went well with the chicken breast and sweet potato.

Okay, quick backstory: Last year when we first moved into our home, we heard about Spargel and even saw a few statues of it in a nearby town. Getting into the spirit of things, we tried to find some to cook but the season was over. We went to the American store which sells some local products and were excited to find some. When I got it home, I noticed on the back it said, "Made in China!" (By the way, we still haven't tried the canned kind from China). Ha! At least we were finally able to try the local version this year. Happy Spargel season!

National Prayer Breakfast - Take One

Yesterday morning we woke up a little early to make it to the National Prayer Breakfast that was supposed to start at 7:00am. When we arrived at the Pavilion dining room we were a little surprised that no one but us was there except the guy who was setting up the breakfast buffet. We asked the man if this was the right place to meet for the National Prayer Breakfast and he said yes. I then looked at my watch and saw the time was now 7:05 and as I pregnant woman I was very hungry. So I asked him if it was alright if we started eating and he said yes.

We piled our plates high with delicious food and still we were the only ones there. We said our own prayer for our country, family, and friends. We talked about how there must have been poor communication for us to be the only ones there and maybe they changed the time to 8:00am or something like that. Finally around 7:45 a woman walked in and asked us if we were there for the briefing. We asked her if she meant the National Prayer Breakfast. She said "no, I'm here a little early for a briefing I'm giving that starts at 8:00am." We looked at each other and thought maybe we had the wrong room. So we asked her if she was sure that was her room and if so did she know where our room was. She asked to see our tickets. Then she said, "your breakfast is not until April 17th." Embarrassed, we quickly cleaned the table, apologized, told her the food was really good and promptly left! We're looking forward to the real National Prayer Breakfast.

German Zoo and BBQ

Last weekend we went to the Heidelberg Zoo with one of Collin's German friends from high school and his family and friend. This was our first experience visiting a zoo in Germany. The zoo was really nice, it was smaller than the FW Zoo but was nicely kept. One interesting difference was there was not as many barriers between the people and the animals like there are at many of the zoos in the States. We thought this made it easier to see the animals.

After the zoo we went to our first real German barbecue. The difference between a German and Texan barbecue is that our German friends barbecued all pork. They had pork steaks and sausages. All which were really good. They also had a good salad, french fries, and round potatoes. In Texas a traditional barbecue usually consists of beef steaks, chicken, hot dogs, chips, potato salad, and beans. We had a good time.

Here are a few pictures from our zoo trip.

Spring and 3rd Trimester

The weather has been gorgeous since we returned to Germany. After a long, cold and dark winter, the sun has finally shown its face again. Germany moved its clocks forward for Summer Time last weekend. The days are beginning to be longer again. The birds are singing, flowers are blooming, and the weather is warm, it has been in the 60s and low 70s this week. If this is what spring is like we wish it could be spring all year!

I had a doctor's appointment last night and everything looks great. My baby measures two weeks ahead of schedule. I am 27 weeks and the doctor said my baby is the size of a 29 week old which means he is about 1.13 kg (2.5 lbs) and around 38.1 cm (15 inches) long. She said the baby is very healthy and looks great. She also said that my weight gain is also really good. I had a few concerns but she said she sees pregnant women every day and my weight gain is perfectly normal. We even got to hear the baby's heart beat for the first time. The test takes about 15 minutes. They attached a heart monitor to my stomach which charted the baby's heart beats. It was really neat! My doctor will do this test every visit from now until delivery. I am also going to have appointments every two weeks instead of once a month. The count down has begun!

Here is a picture from the 4D ultrasound last night. His hands and feet were covering his face so it was hard to get a good picture of him.

We also received our stroller and car seat in the mail yesterday. We ordered them from Target.com last week and were pleasantly surprised to receive them already. They also sent us our pack-n-play. I do not think we have ever received items online this fast before. Collin put together the stroller last night and we love it! We were a little concerned because we did not see it in person and they could not ship the one we originally wanted. Once Collin put it together we discovered it is perfect! Thank you again to all who gave us Target gift cards. We really appreciate it. Now all we are lacking is a crib, rocking chair, some furniture for the baby's room, and a few small baby items. Hopefully within the next month we will have the baby's room ready for him. We are so excited!

Texas - Home Sweet Home

We just got home from spending two weeks in Texas. We never would have thought vacationing in Texas would be so much fun! We got to see lots of family and friends. Thank you to everyone who showered us with baby gifts and warm wishes. We are overwhelmed with gratitude and feel very blessed.

Our time in Germany has been fun yet often stressful. It was a huge relief to come home and not have to try and translate a simple conversation. I also enjoyed randomly waving at people when we were driving just to see them wave back - not very common over here. Many people seem to take a little longer to get to know people. We have some great German friends who are very friendly, so there's hope! But Texas is our homeland.

While at home, we ate Mexican food at least 8 times. So good! We spent a week with Collin's parents and a week with mine. We were able to visit with our Legacy family two Sundays. They are very special to us. We wished we would have had more time to see more family and friends but we were constantly on the run. We enjoyed getting to see everyone we did. There are several people we hope to see next time we are in town that we were unable to see this time.

Here are some pictures from our visit back to the States.

Some of Marisa's family at Uncle Julio's

Marisa, Amy, and Chase

Audra, Marisa, Karen, and Michelle

Shawn and Marisa - Mr. Southall made this rocking horse for my son. He made Shawn one 29 years ago and he still has it! It is a very special gift.

Collin and his dad

Sabra and Marisa

Shane, Collin, Steve, Jim, and Orlando

clockwise from left: Tricy, Shaugna, Deidra, Larissa, Marisa, and Collin's mom

Shane, Debbie, Marisa, Collin, Jim Jr., Viola, and Collin's parents

Here we are in front of one of Collin's favorite mexican food restaurants

Larissa and Marisa

Marisa's parents

Emily, Mary, Tracey, and Jessie

Marisa and her sister Michelle

Marisa and her dad

Brandon, Chase, Marisa, and Collin

Marisa with some of her old co-workers:

Emily, Kelly, Marisa, Taylor, and Tracey

Proud fathers to be! Bernd, Phillip, and Collin

Proud mothers to be!

Joceyln, Marisa, and Ashley - we are all due within two months of each other!

Rose and Marisa

Marisa, Collin, Kevin, and Elizabeth

Marisa and Grandmother Dot

Collin and Drew