It's been awhile

I was laying in bed this morning and realized I haven't blogged in awhile. And then I wondered why I hadn't blogged in awhile. Back when I had no time to blog, it seemed like such a neat thing to do. I wanted to post pictures and blog updates all the time. But now that I have the time, I rarely blog. I blame it on being pregnant and having no desire to do much of anything the last 6 weeks. But alas I'm actually feeling better and better. So here's a recap of some things that have been going on in our neck of the woods. This could be long...

Last Tuesday
I remember this day for 2 reasons. One my morning sickness had virtually disappeared. I felt normal for once and even cooked breakfast. Second, our larger trash bin FINALLY arrived!! This put me on cloud nine. Seriously you'd have to live her with a 2 year old to understand why a larger trash bin made me happier than anything.

Last Friday
I went to Ikea. I HATE ikea. Hate hate HATE it. I love their stuff and actually the store itself is awesome. But for one it takes forever to do anything, mostly because of language barrier and the fact Im usually tugging along a crazy two year old. But also because the lines are always so damn long. I got to ikea at 10am. Right as it opened. Yet the parking lot was already full. I mean seriously how is it possible to be that busy already? I just want to be able to peruse and slowly take my time to think about how the pillows or coffee table will look in my living room. I don't even know how to say excuse me in German yet, so I have to patiently wait behind people who decide to stand in the middle of the aisle. I also hate ikea because you have to do eveything yourself. You have to pull the furniture yourself from the shelves and then also load it to your car. It really makes me miss Target or American Furniture where people automatically just help you. Especially when you're there alone with a whiney 2 year old. And lastly I hate ikea because they don't take credit cards. Most times I don't know how much Im going to spend, so I have to wait until the end, then go to them atm (that charges me $4) to get out the right amount of cash. Basically ikea is awesome, but its a pain in the ass if you're a mom wanting to get stuff on your own during the week. And I refuse to ever go there on a weekened ever again. Last time I was there on a Saturday the whole process took 6 hours...grrr.

Last Saturday
We FINALLY got a GPS and went to Ramstein to finish up some Christmas shopping. Ramstein is an Air Force base about 45min away and is located in Kaiserslautern aka mini america. There are about 50,000 americans living there. Anyway they just finished building a new mall there. I was in heaven. It obviously has nothing on Cherry Creek mall, BUT it has absolutely everything I could ever need while living overseas. EVERYTHING. Including a cinnabon. No Chipotle, but oh well. Unfortunately I started feeling really quesy and tired, so we didn't get to look around everywhere. They do have a spa there and a hair salon which made me happy. It's like we get the best of both worlds. We get to live in Germany, but if we ever get homesick we can go to Ramstein for a temporary fix. Sometimes it;s nice to not have a language barrier and to not feel like a fish out of water. I sincerely have a new understanding for immigrants in the US. Can't wait to go back there.

Monday
Went to my doctor appt. Found out Im anemic again. I was with Lexi too, but it's no biggie. Just need an iron supplement. I also have low blood pressure, which isn't a big deal either at this point. Haven't gained any weight YET, but Im sure that is right around the corner. I have lost 8lbs so far, but Im sure I'll make it up in no time. My belly does look bigger and rounder than with Lexi already. I'll post a pic someday. Anywhoo the coolest thing about my doctor here is I get an ultrasound each visit. And not just a picture. I get to see the baby actually moving around. Just 4 weeks ago it looked like a blob. Yesterday I could see the feet, legs, hands, eyes, nose and fingers. It was stretching and waving and twisting around. Coolest thing ever!! Won't know the gender for a few more weeks. I think it's a boy, but there is no way of ever really knowing. I honestly could care less either way.

I also made a trial pumpkin pie Monday night. Stupid me started the process around 9:15pm. Apparently our can opener grew legs and ran away. I just had it last week and now it is nowhere to be seen. And my kitchen, which is the size of a shoebox, is completely spotless. So I begged and whined and forced Shaun to open my can of pumpkin with a screwdriver or a knife. He was able to do it, but I don't recommend that method to anyway. The pie took an hour longer than the recipe stated to cook in the oven. But it's the greatest pie EVER! It's Paula Deane's recipe and I highly recommend it!!

Today, Tuesday
I'm feeling better today. Still not perfect, but can't complain. There's this philosophy I heard about last year called the Secret. It popped up again in a conversation last week and out of curiosity I looked more into it. Oprah also endorses the philosophy and I love Oprah. I guess it's about mental strength and how your mind creates your reality. If you tell yourself you can't do it, you won't. So if you want something you put it out there for the universe to know. You tell people, but mostly yourself what it is you want. And you say things to yourself as if it already exists. For example evry morning I tell myself, I feel physically strong and well today. I will accomplish my goals and tasks for the day. It's totally hokey, but it kind of seems to be working. The human pysche is a sneaky little sucker. Anyway I haven't actually read the book or watched the video, but it seems like an interesting philosophy and way to live life.

I'm really looking forward to this week. Thursday is Thanksgiving and Shaun and I are cooking our first Thanksgivig dinner. A few people from Shaun's work or coming over. Then Friday is game night, which should be super fun. I already have the Christmas decorations up, except the tree. So Friday we will do that and then Saturday probably head to the Christmas market!! Can't wait. Welp, that's it for now.