Caden's First Trip to the Dentist

It is recommended that a child visit the dentist after they turn 1.  So we decided to take Caden to the dentist in Texas rather than in Germany.  He really did not appreciate being "held down" while a stranger messed with his teeth. He's smart, I wouldn't like that either.  Thankfully he loves his parents brushing his teeth and will even help us and sometimes cries when we take the toothbrush away.  That's when we know he's just chewing on it or playing.  Caden's 12 teeth look great.  The dentist cleaned his teeth and flossed them.  We were not aware that we needed to floss his teeth so that's something new for us to do.  We were also told to start using fluoride toothpaste on his teeth.  There's a lot of controversy on that matter so we think we're going to wait until he can spit the toothpaste out of his mouth before giving him fluoridated toothpaste.  What are your thoughts?

I'm happy sitting in this chair

I'm not liking this!

Mommy, don't you see what they're doing to me?! (He seriously cried the whole time, I felt so bad!)

All done!

Caden and Friends

Having a kid is so much fun.  I LOVE being a mom.  We had Caden at a great time.  Many of our friends in Texas had kids around the same time we did.  One of my favorite things to do is take Caden to play with his friends.  Not only does it give him a chance to play with other kids but also gives me a chance to catch up with my friends.

We also have a lot of wonderful friends who do not have any children yet and we love seeing them too.  This coming week we hope to see more friends and family since Collin is on vacation and not working.  Yay!  He worked very hard these past two weeks and learned a lot.

Thursday morning I met up with an old friend from high school.  She has a four-year old that is so cute.  We met for breakfast.  After Shea picked her daughter up from pre-school it was time for Caden to take a nap so we didn't get a chance to let them really play.  Sadly, Bria locked her mom's keys in her car and they had to wait for someone to come unlock the car.  Meanwhile I needed to get my son down for his nap.  They were gone by the time Caden was sleeping.  We had a great time catching up over breakfast.

Caden and Bria

Friday morning I went to see my friend Emily Campbell and her son, Ryan.  Ryan is 7 months and a very happy baby.  It was neat seeing Caden around a younger child.  Caden mainly wanted to chase their cat but he seemed to think Ryan was cool too.  I know as they get older they will enjoy each other more.  Emily and I also went to school together.

Caden and Ryan

Friday evening I had a lingerie shower for my sister and stayed out until 10:30 with her and her friends.  I know, I'm a night owl, haha.  I had a great time seeing some of her friends and hanging out with her too.

Girls Night Out

While I went out with the girls Friday night, Collin invited his friend Burt over.  They stayed up and talked until almost 1am!  Talk about a night owl.  They have been friends since kindergarten and Burt was in our wedding. 

Today we met up with our good friends Andrew and Rose.  They have two kids, Austin and Avery.  We had planned on meeting them at their new house but we're sharing my parents' cars and were unable to borrow a car until it was too late to drive out there.  So we met them for dinner.  Collin and Andrew went to graduate school together and both worked for the same company after college.  Thankfully they both have moved on and have more family firiendly jobs now.  We also used to live on the street next to each other.  They are such a neat family and we have missed them a lot.

Rose, Austin, Avery, and Andrew

Having Fun!

We have really missed living in Texas.  It has been so nice being home and seeing our family and friends.  The first week we were home I was sick and Collin was working and staying in Dallas.  Thankfully I was feeling well enough to meet one of my good friends, Chase, for lunch.  Chase is pregnant with her first child, a boy.  I'm so excited for her and Brandon.  We had a great time eating BBQ and catching up.

This past weekend was fun.  I went out with my two good friends Ashley and Jocelyn while Collin hung out with his good friend Bernd.  We spent Friday night at Bernd and Ashley's house.  It was nice seeing them and watching our kids play together.

Off to hang out with the girls

Caden and Autry on a magic rug ride

Sunday after church a big group of our good friends got together for lunch.  I love our church here.  Legacy is a large congregation but has a small church feel to it.  If you are looking for a church in the mid-cities area I'd highly recommend visiting Legacy. 

Monday I got together with Ashley and Jocelyn for a play date.  Collin and Bernd went to play golf.  Philip would have joined them but he's out of town because his mom is really sick.  Hopefully we'll see him this weekend.  The girls' went to a neat park in Grapevine and then went back to Ashley's to swim.  Here's a picture of our three sweet babies.  We were all pregnant at the same time.

Autry (May '09), Caden (June '09), and Levi (July '09)

Other than that I have been busy helping my sister get ready for her wedding.  I went to one of her bridal showers and have two more this weekend.  I went with her to her dress fitting and even got to take some bridal portraits of her.  She is a beautiful bride!  Michelle and I have also enjoyed getting our nails done and hanging out.  I have missed my sister and am so glad I got to come in town as early as we did to participate in some wedding planning.

Most of Michelle's bridal party after her shower

Last night my parents watched Caden while Collin and I went on a date.  We ate at Simply Fondue which was really good.  We had only been to the Melting Pot but wanted to eat downtown and noticed that was new.  My dad tried putting Caden to bed and almost had him down but he kept waking up.  Thankfully we weren't too far away and got to spend a few hours together before coming home.  I really appreciate my parents for watching him and helping it.  It was a MUCH needed break.

I got to take Caden to see Great-Grandmother Dot yesterday.  She's my closest grandmother.  She smiled a lot when she saw us and loved watching him.  I can't wait to see her again.  We've seen my other grandmother and Cathy's mom is coming in town this weekend.  We always wished we had more time when we're in town but are never able to see everyone we want.  Next weekend we get to see some of Collin's family before heading to his hometown to see his parents.  We are really looking forward to seeing his mom and dad and brothers, sister-in-laws, and all his nieces and nephews. 

There is so much more to write about but my time is limited.  To sum it all up, we have enjoyed being home so far.

Made it to Texas

About a week ago we flew home to Texas.  My sister is getting married and I really wanted to make it to all her showers and be here to help with wedding preparations.  Collin worked really hard and got some training approved about an hour from my parents' house so we were able to come earlier than we originally thought.

Last year when Caden was 2 months old we made the trip overseas and it was exhausting.  Although at that time I was up around the clock with him anyway so jet lag and establishing a new schedule wasn't as difficult.  My how things have changed.  We went ahead and paid extra for a seat on the plane for him.  He only slept 1.5 hours on the plane.  Which was actually a pretty normal nap.  We had a difficult time getting him to sleep because he wanted to explore the plane and say hello to everyone.  But he finally gave in when Collin took him mid-plane and rocked him in his arms.

I, on the other hand, did not do so well.  I got a horrible headache about 6 hours into the flight that turned into a migraine.  They served us pizza and seeded grapes for dinner - a terrible combination.  As my migraine progressed so did the nausea.  When we were about 30 seconds from landing I threw up, thankfully in a barf bag.  I have never thrown up on a plane before and I don't get motion sickness.  It was from the migraine.  About a month ago I threw up one evening when I had a migraine but won't say where. 

Saturday I went to my sister's first bridal shower.  It was really nice.  By Saturday evening I started feeling sick and got another migraine.  Sunday morning I woke up with a sore throat and a pounding migraine.  We headed off to church but I felt like I was going to throw up at any moment so we turned around and went home.

Monday I met my best friend since 7th grade for lunch.  She is pregnant and just found out she's having a boy.  I'm so excited for her!  I was feeling better in the morning but by the evening felt horrible.  Tuesday I had to cancel a play date I was looking forward to and went to the doctor.  I got some medicine and today I am finally feeling better.  I ended up having a viral infection and allergies.

My sister and I went and got our nails done and I got a facial today.  I have really enjoyed hanging out with her.  Being away from family and friends makes living in Germany difficult.  Tomorrow I'm going to my first ladies' night out (since Caden was born) with some really good friends.  I'm looking forward to it.

Overall, it has really been nice being home.  I have enjoyed my parents and seeing my siblings.  Caden has had a lot of fun!  He likes chasing my parents' dog and hanging out with my dad.  I'm looking forward to seeing more of our family and friends.  Collin is working the first two weeks we're in town so Caden and I have missed him.  Thankfully we've been able to eat dinner with him.  He's such a hard worker and great dad and husband. 

Caden is 14 Months Old Today!

Caden is 14 months old today.  He is growing and learning new things every day!  A few new accomplishments this past month.  He has mastered the use of a fork and spoon.  It's amazing how "clean" he is when he eats.  He can now feed himself cereal in milk with a spoon.  Yesterday, I sat a bowl of yogurt in front of him and he did great eating it too.  I was so proud.  He can feed himself French Toast and eggs with a fork.  Pretty much anything that we eat and is healthy we'll let him try.  Thanks to my sweet mother-in-law for encouraging us to let him feed himself with utensils.  I think he has picked it up quickly and is doing great!  Caden has also gotten better at not dumping his bowl or plate over.  He also no longer throws his cup on the floor.  If he doesn't want it on his high chair he puts it on the table. 

Caden feeding himself yogurt

He is full of energy and constantly on the go. Caden continues to have a sweet personality and is very friendly. He loves meeting new people and seeing people he knows. His can now "run" but sometimes falls over. Usually he catches himself, which is great. He gets into everything if we're not careful, including the trash. When I was cooking the other day he dug in our kitchen trash in less than a minute and had egg shells on the floor playing with them. Gross! He also has a tendency to want to dig in his diaper trash can too. Nasty! So needless to say, I do a lot of cleaning and cleaning up around the house. Caden keeps his mama busy. Not to mention when he takes his diaper off. Thankfully he has not taken any poopie diapers off yet. He now sometimes will point at his diaper when he needs to be changed. One of the benefits of cloth diapers, I think. Such a helpful young man! Caden also likes to get on his hands and feet and look upside down between his legs.

 

Lately, he is sleeping more and better.  He now sleeps around 12 hours at night and usually takes a 1.5-2 hour nap in the afternoon.  He never slept that long during his first year for a nap, or if he did, it was very rare.  It's nice to finally be able to get some things done around the house.  I'm also able to get him down overall much faster for his naps.  Today I lucked out and got him down in less than 10 minutes!  That's the fastest I've ever been able to get him down except when I used to nurse him to sleep.  One new thing we have done is let him hold a blanket while we read to him and rock him to sleep.  He seems to really like holding a blanket, more so than a stuffed animal. 

A few of Caden's favorite toys and activities are: stacking boxes - he loves to stack boxes and other things; puzzles; his shapes sorting cube; his push popper toy; making music - on our piano, his keyboard, drums, and his xylophone; Caden loves to read books and some days he is very picky about what books he wants read to him; he's getting really good at identifying objects in picture books such as fruits, vegetables, and animals; he likes kicking balls, crawling through tunnels and under the kitchen table; bringing us things; talking; singing; and dancing to music.  Very recently he discovered he can turn off and on the lights with the wall switches.  For months he has enjoyed reaching for the pull cords on the ceiling fans and lights, but now he is tall enough to reach the light switches by himself so he's all over it!  He also likes opening and shutting doors and drawers.

Caden now weighs 24.1 lbs and is a joy to have.  Here are some recent pictures.

I'm pointing at you!

I love clapping and laughing too!

My Dad is the best!

I'm leaning up against my mom because I love her!

Auto & Technik Museum Sinsheim

This past weekend we finally went to the Auto & Technik Museum Sinsheim.  It is a large museum that houses over 3,000 exhibits from all areas of technical history.  There are two large buildings full of old expensive vehicles, trains, and there are even a number of airplanes you can explore on top of the buildings.  There are also many war vehicles and tanks located outside the museum that are part of the exhibit.  The museum was very educational and a great place to see the history of automobiles and technology throughout the world.

In addition to the museum there is also a small amusement park outside the museum that looks like a lot of fun.  Caden is too young to ride on the rides now but there is a park he could play at.  Sadly we didn't have enough time to let him play at the park this time since we spent so much time in the museum.  There is also an IMAX 3D film theater.  Collin and I hope to go back and see an IMAX sometime on a date.  We just need to find a babysitter.

Here are lots of pictures.  Enjoy!

 Outside the museum

 There are wax people next to most of the cars showing what people wore from that era

War Helicopter

 Caden exploring the war tanks

 A fighter plane that you can actually pay to "fly"

Old Tractor

 Me and Caden waiting in line to walk through one of the airplanes on top of the roof

 Collin and Caden inside the airplane

 Caden sitting inside an old car

 I decided to join him!

 One of the many limited edition and expensive cars at the museum  

Two Years in Deutschland

Yesterday was our two year anniversary of living in Germany.  Have we really been expats for two years?  Some days it seems like only yesterday we moved here.  Other days it seems like we've lived here a lot longer.

Collin and I have grown so much since moving overseas.  Not only have we grown as a couple but also individually.  For me personally I have become much more assertive.  Germany has helped me in this regard.  I also have become more compassionate, thanks to all the loneliness and frustration that comes with living in a country that doesn't speak your language. 

Here's a brief flashback to two years ago.  Collin and I arrived early Monday morning.  His new boss picked us up at the airport.  Our plane was delayed.  Neither one of us had ever been to Germany before.  We were each others only friend in a strange country.  That was tough.  We lived in a hotel for the first two months before moving into our house.  Our furniture did not arrive until almost 2 weeks after moving into our house and we had a lot of problems here.  We had one car for the first 8 months.  I got pregnant in less than two months of living here.  Collin went to work all day while I tried learning German and walked around the communities exploring our new country.  I joined some ladies' Bible studies and did a lot of thinking and writing. 

Our first weekend here our rental car got locked in a garage downtown.  We had no idea that they closed certain underground garages after 9pm!  It too a while to find someone willing to help us.  Finally after over an hour we were able to get our car out and head back to our hotel.  We quickly signed up for German classes after that.  We experienced the importance of knowing German.

Not having a job when we moved was very difficult for me.  I wanted to work but there was nothing in my field.  Once I was pregnant and my German doctor found out I wasn't immune to rubella I was told I couldn't go to church, Bible studies, or get a job until I was at least 20 weeks pregnant.  By the time I hit 20 weeks there was no point in finding a job because I had decided that I wanted to be a full time mom and stay home with our child.  Little did I know how tiring and challenging that would be!  At least once a week I think about the material things we could have if I worked, I'm sacrificing a lot of money for this child, and at the same time I could not imagine my life any different.  Sure we have less money than a lot of our friends but we manage well and still have been able to take some incredible vacations.  We have learned to do without and stay out of debt which means a lot to me.

Most of the time we eat at home.  If you've ever been to Europe you know how long it can take to eat out.  Caden does pretty well when we go out to eat but he has his moments and doesn't want to sit there more than 10-15 minutes sometimes.  However, I do agree with the Germans that going out to dinner should be a celebration.  I appreciate the fact that we are never rushed out the door after our food arrives with the waiter saying "I'll leave this check for you when you're ready."  It's nice having a table for an evening and being able to talk and take our time eating.  With the price of eating out, shouldn't it be a celebration anyway?  Eating out is considered a luxury.  Most of the people in the world prepare their own food.  One time in France we asked a lady where a good restaurant was.  She didn't know because she never eats out since she lives there.  She said she always goes home and cooks her food.  Interesting.  Could you imagine never eating out in your hometown?  I personally cannot.

Yesterday our neighbor finished a beautiful hand-carved copper picture of the Heidelberg castle for us.  We felt so honored that he made us such a special gift.  It took a while to make friends here but I know the few German friends we do have will be our friends for life.  I think about all our "friends" back home and wonder how many of them would be there for us if we needed something at 3am.  I'm sure if you are taking the time to read this then you are one of them and we thank you.

Our time in Germany is going quickly.  We would love to host any of our friends during this next year.  Germany is a beautiful country and there is a lot to see and do.  We live in a pretty central location in Europe and LOVE having friends and family visit us.

Here are a few pictures of our beautiful picture and a few of Caden too. 

Our good friend and neighbor, Michael, giving us the beautiful copper picture

He did an amazing job!

Our little guy in action.  I finally got a shot of him smiling while he was on the go.

He's such a happy and sweet child.