4 Weeks -- The "Before" Shot

22 JUN: I was 4 weeks, 2 days when I "officially" found out that I was pregnant. I had Buck snap a few pictures that afternoon to document the "before" the big belly days.

When I was pregnant with Brady, I took a picture nearly every week to document my growing belly. It's fun to look back at them, so I'll do the same with this one too. Here's the first in the series...

As of now, I'm feeling great...a little tired some days, an occasional headache, and I've definitely noticed a decrease in my energy level, but that's it. Certainly nothing to complain about. It's funny because most days, I wonder if I really am pregnant! This is just a weird stage where you don't look pregnant and don't feel it quite yet either. I've been trying to remember and I think it was around 6 weeks that I started feeling sick with Brady... It'll be interesting to see how this one goes!

Flashback Friday

After receiving news of our little Baby X, I've been doing a lot of reflecting on my pregnancy with Brady and those first few days and months we had with him. As I look at him now, it's easy to overlook how far he's come and how quickly he's grown. Today, I was looking back at pictures of him the day he was born and of those first precious days. The first picture is of the first time we attempted to lay him in his crib. That little 5 pound body was lost. He could have swam in that crib! As you can probably guess that moment lasted long enough for me to snap a picture and then he was back in my arms...

The second photo was taken last week. Now he seems almost too big for that very same crib. Tugs at my heart just a little...

We parents say it all too often, "They grow up so fast!". But it's absolutely true! At least we have pictures like these to remind us to slow down just a bit and live in the moment.

First Haircut

This morning we took Brady for his first haircut. He was so excited to sit in the big chair. He was honestly great for a 17 month old getting his first haircut! He got a little whiny every once in a while and occasionally wanted to wiggle around. The guy, Ulrich, or Uli, who cut his hair said he was surprised at how good Brady was. Most kids, scream and he has to stop the process, he said. Once again, mamma was proud of her little monkey. :)


All grins when he first sat in the chair...
Brady's "before" shot...

Wetting his hair...

Still getting ready...

The first snip...

"What is he doing to me?!"...

"Something to chew on? I'm happy!"...

"This is fun mamma!"...

I'll leave you with a little video clip...

Little Miracle

We just got home from the clinic where they confirmed that I am definitely pregnant! (The picture is of the home test that I took yesterday.) We are beyond thrilled! This precious little miracle is an answered prayer. For months now, we have been wanting to expand our little family. We just needed the other part to the equation...

With Brady, I wasn't so excited when I found out. It was my first pregnancy. I was scared, sick and didn't know what to expect. Honestly, vanity played a big part in my poutiness. I just knew that I would gain 100 + pounds and spend the rest of my miserable life trying to desperately fit back into my pre-pregnancy jeans. Much to my amazement, I did not gain 100 pounds, and what I did gain was gone in less than 3 months and I was quickly back into my jeans! Now, I'm ashamed that I ever felt that way. How could I? Why didn't I take the time to realize what a blessing I had been given?

However, when they put that precious little bundle in my arms, I could have cared less if I ever lost the baby weight. Nothing in this life could ever come close to comparing to that moment. I was holding a miracle!

So, this time around I vow to cherish every quickly passing moment. I will love watching my body change and grow and shelter this precious little one (which for now, I'll refer to as Baby X). This time around instead of wishing away the next nine months I'll, as Irma Bombeck so elequoently stated, "realize that the wonderment growing inside me [is my] only chance in life to assist God in a miracle".

Wow...That's hard to wrap my mind around. Not once, but twice, God has chosen ME to assist HIM in a miracle! I don't feel worthy of that honor. To HIM goes all the glory!

Love Letter For A Father

How great is a father's love? So great that He laid down His life for you and I.

I know of two father's who's love for their children is so great. They love deeply and passionately and would give their own life for that of their children. I am honored today to call them my husband, and my father. They are two men that I so greatly respect and so greatly love.

These past few weeks have been more than amazing. I have been able to watch my husband, Brady's father actually get to be a dad. And what an amazing father he is! He's patient, fun, caring, loving...everything a father should be to a little boy. He has the heart of The Father. I once read that, "Every father should remember that one day his son will follow his example instead of his advice." I know that Buck has taken that to heart. I hope that one day, our precious baby boy is exactly like his father.

Brady absolutely adores his daddy! His little face just lights up when Buck comes in the room. I see them together and feel so incredibly blessed.

This Father's Day, I honor you, my beloved husband. Because I don't often enough tell you what a wonderful father and example you are to our little man. Thank you for loving us so very much!

One of the most vivid memories I have of being a child is that of my father's hands. Rough with callouses, yet a soft and gentle touch. Every cut, scrape and bruise a visible symbol of the the love he had for us. I can remember seeing those hands bleed. I can remember seeing him come home hot, weary and with every fiber of his being exhausted after a 15 hour day at work. I can remember him waking up at 4:30 in the morning after that 15 hour day to have breakfast ready for my sister and I before he headed off again. I cherished those few quiet, stolen moments we had toghther every morning.

My father is a simple man of few words, but you can know that what he speaks he speaks with honesty, dignity and love. He is a man my sister and I can be proud to call father; a man with whom we can be proud to share his name. He is the man who taught me everything I need to know about love, dedication, faith and hard work by the simple elequoence of his example.

Today, I take this chance to honor you, Daddy. To say thank you for being the wonderful father you are, because I don't say it often enough.

I believe that a man best leaves his mark on the world with the love he gives his children. What a legacy these two men will leave behind!

Happy Father's Day!

A Few Firsts

Since Buck has been home we've been on the go a lot, and our normal routine and schedule have changed a bit. This has turned out to be a positive for Brady, as he's been able to see and do many things he missed out on when it was just he and I. He has experienced many "firsts" these last two weeks. Here are some pictures to documents those precious moments...

First forward-facing ride...

First "ferris-wheel" ride...

First time eating spaghetti...

First ride in the Kelty...(The next few pics were taken on our trip to the beautiful city of Idar-Oberstein. A seperate blog is to follow...)

First ice cream cone...(He's had ice cream before, just not in a cone.)

First time on his sit-n-scoot...

Lean, Mean, Dancing Machine

Brady LOVES to dance. He hears the music, says "dance, dance" and then those little feet are moving. (Wonder who he got that from?) The other day he was sick and whiny so we decided to put on some music to see if that would cheer him up. It worked! In seconds he was a lean, mean, dancing machine!

Baumholder

Oh, Baumholder. The quaint little village that we call home. It sits in the midst of a beautiful landscape, on a rise in the hills. There's not much to it, but I must say that I do love it, and the view from my window. I look out into those hills and see the fingerprint of God. It's absolutely beautiful...bathed by the sun, blanketed in the snow, lingering in the fog. Before coming here I was awfully skeptical. Anyone I knew who had been here hadn't had the greatest things to say about it. I think that's because they didn't take the time to get to know it, or appreciate it. While true it may not be much to see at first glance, once you take a closer look, take the time to learn the history, and believe me there's much history here, you can't help but fall in love. I did a little research and found out a thing or two about this little village and thought I'd share it with you.

For about 6 decades Baumholder has been a town of two nations. Germans and Americans live together as one. Our respect for one another has created and atmosphere of harmony and a place that is more than just a residential township. Baumholder began humbly as a farming community; families have tended to this land for centuries. Throughout those centuries, this town has suffered the destruction of war, occupation by foreign forces and starvation. For most people, Baumholder, a town of roughly 7,000 inhabitants, is just a place, somewhere in Germany, and for most of them it holds all the negative aspects of a troop training area (there's also a German training post here). However, there's much more to this town that's been around since about 500 A.D. if you take the time to stop and look.

I took a walk around town a few weeks ago with my friend, Monica and Buck and I took Brady to the lake in town. Along the way, I got a few great pictures. I thought I'd share them with you, along with a local favorite of ours...spaghetti eis from the Eis Cafe, a little ice cream shop in town.

This is my favorite picture of the bunch. We just happened upon the back of this old church and I snapped this shot...what's so cool about it is that I recently bought a watercolor print of this exact picture at a bazaar!

Spaghetti Eis...Not what you were expecting? It's vanilla ice cream put through a press to look like spaghetti. It's piled on top of whipped cream and topped with strawberry compote and coconut shavings...YUM!

I think this is the courthouse.

A window box alive with the color of spring.

I couldn't resist photographing these little girls. Each of their personalities came out in the photo. Can you guess who's the leader of the pack?

The Hotel Berghof...where we spent our first night in town upon arriving in Germany. The beds are not made for pregnant women in their 3rd trimester! :)

An old tower that's stood the test of time.

The view from our window.

The lake...

Brady really enjoyed feeding the ducks and running wild around the lake!

By the end of the trip, Brady had worn himself out and was in no mood to pose for pictures! :)