Appointment with the Specialist

This afternoon I had my doctor's appointment with the specialist in Mannheim, regarding the fibroid.  Before I give the update I need to brag on Caden.  He did wonderful!  We were away from the house for 4 hours and he did not have any accidents.  We also met Collin for lunch today and he stayed dry the whole time.  He is doing very well with potty training, I am so proud of him!  He fell asleep in the car on the way to Mannheim.  Collin held him while I had my appointment and was afraid he was going to pee on him.  I told him he wouldn't and he just needed to take him to the bathroom once he woke up. When Caden woke up, Collin took him to the potty and he didn't have an accident. Hurray! I know Collin was happy too, he told me earlier that he didn't have a change of clothes for himself! After my doctor's appointment we went to the Christmas market in Mannheim - pictures to come later.  We ate dinner and Caden rode several rides.  I am glad we're taking the chance and potty training - Caden only wears a diaper at night, no pull-ups when we go out, just underwear and pants.  He's also happier not wearing diapers and being a big boy and his Mama is overcoming her fears of potty training. 

Okay, back to the appointment.  Thankfully the fibroid is outside my womb. The doctor said it's about 3cm and he doesn't think it is causing the miscarriages but he also doesn't know for a fact that it is not.  He recommends I have it removed.  However, he also said that I don't have to have it removed if I don't want to.  He said I could try again to have another baby and there may not be any problems.  However, the fibroid most likely will continue to grow.  Collin asked if it will be more difficult to remove if we wait.  The doctor said no and that it is actually easier to remove them when they are bigger.  He said some women have a lot of fibroids and have babies just fine.

If I have the fibroid removed I would have to spend 2 nights in the hospital.  I spent 4 nights in the hospital after Caden was born and I am not a fan.  But it was different with Caden, I had no clue what to do and could not sit down.  So having a surgery that may not be necessary and spending 2 nights away from my family in Germany does not sound like something I want to do.  I have to go back in about two weeks and give more blood samples to my German doctor.  Monday I have an appointment with an OBGYN on base.  I was super lucky to get this appointment.  I'm going to have her check my blood for various things that American doctors check for such as my hormone levels and to see if my blood is clotting and preventing the baby from growing.  I have read quite a bit online that taking Baby Aspirin could help prevent a miscarriage.  So I'm going to talk to the doctor about that as well.

So the good news is I don't have to have it removed.  The bad news, the doctor was still uncertain if the fibroid is causing the miscarriages.  I asked him if he thought it would be okay for us to try a third time to get pregnant before having the surgery.  He said that would be fine and he didn't see any reason why I could not do that.  Finding someone to watch Caden for two days while Collin is at work is almost impossible.  So really it would be better to have the fibroid removed in the States.  Also, German hospitals are not that enjoyable to me.  Of course no hospital really is.  I'll have a follow-up visit with my main doctor in a few weeks after she takes more blood from me.  I have given more blood in Germany than I have in my entire life!  I'm just going to praise God that I don't have cancer and that it is not urgent that I have this surgery at the moment.  The doctor did say that eventually I will probably need to have it removed.  Please keep us in your prayers.  We would love to have another healthy baby.

Thanksgiving and Potty Training!

We had a nice Thanksgiving this year.  We certainly missed our extended families...a lot!  The stomach flu that I got on the retreat last weekend also got a few other people from church sick that went to the retreat.  So we decided to just do Thanksgiving as a family and not join our sweet friends from church just in case Caden's immune system was down.  We want to keep him well.  Getting good medical help for him is very difficult here and he is finally do very well, healthwise and not throwing-up. 

Turkey Schnitzel out

To celebrate Thanksgiving, we went out to lunch at a greek restaurant in town.  Their special was turkey schnitzel so we had that.  For dinner we cooked some ham, sweet potatoes, and green beans.  Collin picked up a pecan pie the other day when he went to the commissary.  It was delicious!

Thanksgiving at home

Yummy!

The biggest thing we started was officially potty training!  Caden has done great!  It is so hard to find a time when we can be home enough days in a row to potty train.  He was almost potty trained at the end of August/September before we went home to the States.  While overseas we stopped the training, then he's been taking iron which makes his poo very black and sticky so we decided to wait.  He has been going in the potty for a while now.  When we're out if we ask him if he needs to go, he usually goes.  Same when we're home, we just haven't taken the chance of taking the diaper off and letting him really go on his own.  Here's what we did and how he's done.

Hey!  A little privacy please.

Thanksgiving was Day 1.  Caden peed in the potty with no accidents at home.  We're doing the bare bottom method but when we went out we put a pull-up on him.  He peed at the restaurant but at Toys R Us (we needed to do some Christmas shopping price comparisons, and yes, everything was open in Germany on Thanksgiving since Germans don't celebrate the holiday), he peed in his pull-up.  He didn't poop all day which is no like him unless we travel.  Typically he'll save his poop until we get home.

Friday, Day 2: Caden did great peeing in potty.  This day we didn't remind him and constantly ask him if he needed to go, just occassionally and he did great!  We had to run an errand and ate lunch out, put a pull-up on him to do that.  Got home and he pooped in it.  Then later started to poop in his log cabin upstairs, Collin caught him and put him on the potty.  He finished there.

Saturday, Day 3:  After breakfast Caden ran and sat on the potty.  He peed and said excitedly, "I went pee pee in the green potty!"  We cheered for him and were very happy he took the initiative to go on his own.  He passed some gas this evening so I asked him to sit on the potty and see if he could poop.  He did and was super happy about it!  We were too!  No poop on the floor.  Collin reminded me of two setbacks today while they were together. It seems that all the diaper-free time and has got him thinking of all the ways one can pee.  Two times he stood on exercise mats and peed on them. Both times he announced that he was going to pee on the floor but Collin couldn't get there in time to stop him.  Collin then put him on the potty and Caden peed some more then, laughing like crazy.

Tomorrow we are venturing out without a pull-up.  Hopefully he'll make it through church.  There's no bathroom upstairs where we worship.  You have to go outside, down a sidewalk, into the other building.  Wish us luck!

What Keeps You Going?

With the Nelsons in Rothenburg, Germany

This past weekend we finally made it to the Euro-American Family Retreat in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. This was our third time to visit Rothenburg. For the past four years we have wanted to go to the retreat but usually are unable to make it mainly due to lack of vacation days. This year we decided to go to at least part of it. We wish we could have gone for the whole time but Collin doesn't have the extra time off since we go back to the States once a year.

The theme this year was "What Keeps You Going?" Lots of people from all over Europe attend this retreat. Mostly missionary families. Even though we are not missionaries, many things that were talked about at the retreat apply to us. Tony Coffey, who has been a missionary in Ireland for over 20 years, lead the daily Bible study. He talked about different prophets and how many felt like they were failing. Yet, God took their failures and hard times and used it for His glory. God looks at our hearts. If our hearts are in the right place that's what is most important. Again, a lot of this applied to missionaries and how many are planting churches and how slow the process can be. But even in our own lives, when we talk with unbelievers and are reaching out. It's not always an instant success. Many people will actually walk away. But the fact that we're trying and want others to be saved is what is most important. If you are a Christian, think about how thankful you are that someone shared with you the gospel. There are many people who don't know the truth and have no hope. However, if we are willing to be open and share with them, they may be changed forever, just like we were. So when asked, what keeps you going? What does? For me, I think it's knowing that after this life is over my life will continue with God in Heaven.

They provided childcare for kids 2 and up. We were uncertain if Caden would do well since he doesn't like the childcare at the military chapel but he loves Sunday school at our church. Thankfully, he did great! Here are a few things he said when we picked him up on various days: "I had fun playing with the kids," he said everyday. "We jumped on the bed, it was fun," when they stayed in one of the hotel rooms. "We played with buttons," when they did crafts one evening. No fussing or complaining at all. I was so glad. It meant Collin and I were able to enjoy the speakers.

Caden and his friend, Natalie Hutto looking at a magazine at a restaurant

The retreat was from Saturday to Wednesday. We had to leave Monday after the morning session. Several families from our church in Heidelberg attended which was great. We also go to see our friends the Nelsons who are missionaries in the Ukraine. They had planned to come stay with us Friday night before the retreat but their son, Caleb, got sick. He was throwing up a lot and we all thought it was best if they stayed in a hotel. Saturday morning he was feeling better so they came over and we took them to Heidelberg and did a tour of the castle. We love this family. They are so precious and love people and the Lord. Saturday night Olivia threw up in the car on the way to the retreat. Sunday, David was sick throwing up. Then Monday night after we got home, I started throwing up and was very sick on Tuesday. Today is Wednesday and so far Collin and Caden have not caught it. We're praying that I was the last to get it. I have not been that sick in a long time. I'm just glad it was short lived and everyone seems to be better now.

Castle grounds in Heidelberg

Sunday we took a day trip between sessions to Nuremberg. We went to the Documentation Centre Nazi Party Rally Grounds. We have been wanting to go here for a while but typically run out of time off. The retreat was in Rothenburg and the Nazi Documentation Centre was an hour away. It was really neat to see and learn more about Germany's somber history, espcially with regard to WWII. Chasing a 2-year old added to the fun as he wanted to get into the exhibits or try and squeeze through small spaces where Mommy and Daddy could not fit. Needless to say, we didn't get to spend as much time as we would have liked as it is challenging keeping a bored, energetic little guy out of trouble.

Caden having fun at the documentation center

Overall we had a great weekend and wonderful fellowship. We're looking forward to Thanksgiving and spending it with friends. It is still so strange to live overseas away from family. The holidays make us even more nostalgic for home.

Happy Birthday, Michael!

We have been super busy lately!  Last weekend our dear friend and next door neighbor, Michael Robl, turned 50! Michael and his family have been super kind to us since we met them three years ago.  Anytime we need a German's opinion or help with something, he is willing to help if he can. To celebrate his birthday, his family had a surprise party for him at the fire station in town. Our fire station is almost 120 years old and is really neat! He knew he was having a birthday party but didn't know they changed it to a surprise. His wife blind folded him and took him to the car. She drove around and stopped at the fire station. They led him upstairs to the party room where everyone was lined up to surprise him and sing "Happy Birthday."

The fire station was a great place for a party. We even got a tour of the trucks. Blue Rock loved that! We all got to go inside them and look at the equipment. Michael's son, Markus, is in the fire brigade and gave everyone a grand tour.  Caden LOVED it!  At first he was a little scared of the big trucks but later enjoyed getting in them and seeing the hoses and equipment.

Germans celebrate birthdays a little differently than Americans, which I actually like. The two biggest differences are: the birthday person provides food for everyone and secondly the party lasts longer than 1-2 hours. For example, our friend catered a yummy lunch and a few hours later provided a variety of cakes and coffee. His children provided some entertainment by having him play a game of guessing some famous Broadway music. They also created a beautiful slide show of his life. We had a wonderful time. We were only able to stay for about 4 hours because Blue Rock started getting restless and tired. I'm not sure when it was really over. He was just starting to open some presents from family when we needed to leave. Happy birthday Michael! We felt very honored that you invited us and had a wonderful time!

Eppelheim's Fire Station

Delicious lunch!

Yummy cakes!  There were even more than this!

Sitting in the big fire truck - Caden was a little scared

There's one good looking fireman!

Caden hanging out with the big kids

Caden trying on a fireman's hat

These were just a few of the trucks at the station

"Look, this tire is as tall as me!"

Salt and Pepper Fun!

The following activity Caden thought of completely on his own.  While I was getting ready this morning, Caden decided to reach for the salt and pepper shakers.  Boy did he have fun!  He emptied both containers and spread the salt and pepper everywhere!

Where I found him, "innocently" sitting at his craft table holding the salt and pepper shakers

Fun with shapes!

Where it started, in the kitchen

While I was scoping out the mess, Caden plays with his trains in it

Not good

After it was all cleaned up, he decided to lay on the coffee table

Empty salt and pepper shakers

Caden read his first word out of context!

Caden is starting to sound out words and he knows quite a few.  However, he doesn't usually see a word and tell us what it is unless it's his name, which he knows very well.  Numbers and letters are a different story.  He started pointing out letters when he was 17 months old.  We first noticed this when we went to dinner in Mannheim one evening and he was pointing and saying the letters on random signs.  Last night was different.  While we were eating dinner, Caden read his first word, out of context, that was not his name.  He seems to know a lot of words but usually tells us them when we're reading a book.  Or if he sees his name written somewhere, he is quick to point it out.  Last night was different.  He noticed one of his trucks on the floor near the wall.  He said, "I would like that cat, please."  Collin and I looked at each other then looked to where he was looking to see if his stuffed cat was over there.  There was only one thing, his Caterpillar truck that says, "CAT" on the back, which was facing the table.  It was solely lying on the floor near the wall.  Neither Collin nor I have ever called that truck a cat or caterpillar and he knows what a truck and a cat are.  We were both amazed.  Caden, you surprise us everyday.  We love you!

Caden playing with his cat

Caden Update

We just spent 2 hours at the doctor's office this afternoon/early evening.  Two weeks ago we finally got in to see the allergist.  We drove 1 hour and 20 minutes each way to go to the main Military Hospital in Europe, the only facility within the military that has an allergist.  It was a waste of time.  They couldn't do the same kind of testing we needed.  The Army dropped the ball in scanning in our medical records and out of a stack of probably 30 pages only scanned in 2!  We should have brought our records with us but we believed the correspondence office when they said our records from the States would be in the system.  The doctor would only do a prick test for foods we thought he may be allergic too.  Considering he doesn't have the typical reaction to food that people with a food allergy have (swelling, rash, etc.) we were not sure.  We had them check for the three things he's had that he's thrown-up after eating: oranges, pineapples, and milk.  He didn't show an allergy to any of that.  So we're most likely going to have to go to a German allergist if we want to find out what his allergies are, which is something I didn't want to do.  I really prefer Caden's medical records to be in English.  Also German healthcare is a little different than U.S.

Yesterday we took him to get his blood levels checked to confirm the iron is working.  Before anything was done we asked the lab tech to look at the request to make sure they would test for what we needed - a CBC (complete blood count), because we need to make sure his iron supplements are working.  The lady assured us that they would do a complete test.  Well, today I found out they didn't.  Thank you, Army.  I hate having to put my child through excessive testing. 

Also, when I called to find out the results of the iron test over the phone, the nurse kept stalling.  He finally said something didn't look right, not his hemoglobin levels but his white blood cells.  He said he was trying to get the doctor but she was busy with patients.  He said it looked like he may have a virus or bacterial infection.  I told him that two days ago when we were at the park, a kid started coughing right in Caden's face.  What does Caden do?  He gets right up in the kids face and laughs, thinking it was funny.  I asked my neighbors daughter to pull him away, she was with us, and to take him to play away from the coughing child.  So I thought maybe Caden had a cold.  He is congested and has a runny nose but doesn't have a fever.  The nurse said we'll see if he could get us an appointment.  Sadly, we can only get an appointment for the day we call in and we can't call in before 10am.  It's because of our status in Germany.  Well, praise God we got in!  I called around 1:30pm and there was a 3:30pm opening.

What we found out is that Caden had to get a nebulizer (breathing treatment) and the doctor thought he may need two breathing treatments (which he hated!) and a shot.  What?!  He was wheezing really bad and she said it's stuff like this that puts kids in the hospital.  Seriously?!  What kind of mother am I?  I thought he just had a cold.  I'm so glad we got an appointment.  Thankfully he only had to have one treatment.  He had this treatment last year one time when he was sick and not breathing well after we had gone to the German pediatrician and the German ER and got no help.  She also prescribed an inhaler for him.  She said if he wakes up coughing at night to give him a treatment every four hours.  They can't tell us if he has asthma or what's causing this.  They said it could be the weather, an allergy to something, a virus, really anything.  They told us we need to come in tomorrow and get his lungs checked out.  Please say a prayer for him.  He has had a really rough time lately. 

Baby Update

I went back to the doctor this morning.  My doctor confirmed I had another miscarriage.  It's just heartbreaking.  I am so sad and at a loss for words about it.  Dr. Simsch was concerned about the fibroids and is referring me to a specialist in Mannheim.  She said she was not sure if the fibroids are causing the miscarriages but it's a possibility especially since they are quite large and I didn't have them when I was pregnant with Caden.  Also since I had two miscarriages in a row at about the same time, this is not normal, she said there is something causing this.

Collin called to make the appointment and we need the physical referral from the doctor, which we found out our doctor has to mail us.  Why couldn't she just give it to us when we were there?  I don't know, it seems like this is how everything moves here, slow.  Hopefully next week we'll be able to schedule an appointment and find out what's wrong.  Dr. Simsch said that I look healthy, my overies look good, and we hope to find out what is going on.  Thanks for your prayers.