No Time for Real Blogging

In the past week:
-Chase has given up her morning nap and is apparently cutting the top two teeth, rendering the remaining afternoon nap rather miserable and restless. Momma is exhausted.
-Wil has gone through yet another torturous test to reveal the first good news that the nerves in his leg are not permanently damaged! Hooray for good news!
-It's been very warm and we're spending a lot of time outside by the baby pool in the backyard.
-Chase had to stay at the CDC for a few hours while I had a follow up appointment with my dear optometrist, who re-examined my corneas and told me that they looked 80% better. Still have to wear glasses for a few more weeks though. Sigh. Also, my left eye is so bad (-11.75!!!), most companies don't even carry my prescription, so she's ordering me a freebie customized pair to try. Bless her.
-Now that we're free to leave the house in the morning since our kid doesn't want to nap anymore, we've been traveling! There's always a sliver lining!

To see the captions for each picture, just put your cursor on it. Gotta go now, Kid is crying. Hope you enjoy our summer pics!

Someone Should Take Phone Privilage from My Mother

Do you know how many phone calls and emails I got in a week about my lack of blog update from my mother? In seven days, she was averaging about 1.5 phone calls a day to pester me about my not putting up new pictures of her grandbaby. Mom, you are a total blog bully! I was busy! And for that I should hold this video hostage for a long time, but I'm a kind and sweet daughter--remember that!

Bubbles from UMA STEINHAUER on Vimeo.

I have loads of pictures to post but I'm just sitting on them for fun because I love harassing phone calls. Not really, MOM, don't call me about that. I gotta go. My kid has taken up a new wake up time of 7:15 a.m. Oh, how I will mourn thee, 8 o'clock.

Weekend Fun

We took full advantage of a warm and gorgeous weekend and spent most of our waking moments outside. Saturday started with our usual weekend stroll through the fields in our village. We stopped and picked a whole lot more wild blackberries than we did last weekend. I don't think any of us had eaten this much blackberries in our lives, and Chase is about to max out on her quota. She will take a long blink before deciding whether or not to open her mouth for one if it's offered. The novelty hasn't quite worn off for me just yet. I grew up a city girl and being able to pick fruits along the walking path was just something I read about. I always romanticized a quiet life in the country and have to say that actually living in our little farming village is even more amazing that I could possibly imagine. I love that the first animals Chase gets to visit on an almost daily basis don't live in the zoo and our truly "organic" produces don't come from the store. Anyhow, we had planned to take the boys to the lake for a swim that afternoon but postponed it until Sunday after an eventful morning pretty much did we all in. This was our first visit to Ohmbachsee (Ohmbach Lake), although I've been wanting to take the boys there for a year now. It was a lot smaller than I had anticipated, perhaps because I was used to the size of Mott Lake on Ft. Bragg. Nonetheless, the boys had fun swimming and making new friends, and we all enjoyed our first picnic as a family. And, of course, more wild blackberries on the trail around the lake were a big plus :). We wrapped up Sunday with a Thai dinner at home and a quick visit to our favorite gelato shop in town. Wil told one of his coworkers about our weekend activities, and his reply was "what kind of fantasies are you guys living in?!?" Ha! I don't know about fantasies, but life certainly has been very good to us this year in our beloved village of Langmeil.

As for the update on Wil's back, there's not much to share at the moment. He had the first steroid injection on Tuesday, which caused him quite a bit of pain for the following few days and, as we expected, doesn't seem to do him much good so far. He's doing well and continues to stay active, but I definitely get a bit more paranoid when he makes funny faces when moving around. He's been getting calls from my darling parents, who are worried sick about him, just about every other day, even though I keep telling them that not much changes from day to day right now. And I find it most adorable that my sweet father, who never uttered a word in English when I was living at home, is now calling to talk to Wil himself. I knew my family loved him, but our trip home in June really solidified their relationship. I mean, my dad learned and practiced another language just so he could chat with his son-in-law! That is pretty awesome in my book.

Now, onto some pictures and videos--the reasons why you are really here anyway, right?
:)

Brutus and his charge.

Chase has recently rediscovered her bouncy seat and loves to climb in with a book to read.

See you at the pool!
Her first time in the baby pool that I got on ramsteinyardsales for $5.
And let's not forget this adorable swimsuit that cost me 50 cents at Vogelweh's baby flea market.
Showing Papa bubble blowing technique.

Loves to read AND make a mess.

Ohmbachsee!


In case anyone ever wonders what's beneath all of Brutus' poof. The answer: not much.
Someone's getting tired...
Seriously, Parents, let's talk about getting me to bed.

Sometimes in the the middle of winter, you'll be thanking me for making you skip that morning nap and spend this glorious day outside.

And, of course, a blackberry video:

Blackberries from UMA STEINHAUER on Vimeo.

This one was shot after we came home from Wil's tuesday appointment at the hospital. Perhaps you can tell that the anaesthesia was beginning to wear off? Chase is far too big for her bumbo chair now, but she's obsessed with climbing in and out of anything within her reach.

Bathroom Fun from UMA STEINHAUER on Vimeo.

Asking her to identify different body parts has become one of our favorite games to distract her from a long car ride, and she's really good at it. I'll see if I can get it on video tomorrow.

Wil's Back Stuff

Wil started complaining of pain and discomfort in his lower back, which were similar to those he experienced before the surgery last February, around early spring. I think we both were hoping for the best but knew in the back of our minds that his back would not start hurting again if all were well. I should mention that the surgery only eliminated the numbness in his leg and foot, prevented further nerve damage, but did not change the way his back felt, so he has been living with what he rates as a 4 on a pain scale everyday since. This round of pain is on top of that. Well, after a few postponed MRIs, xrays, and a long wait, Wil finally got to hear the result of his MRI that was done in June. The verdict: a re-herniated disc and some scar tissues pinching more nerves. Before the last surgery, his wonderful surgeon sat him down and told him that the possibility of this happening again was likely in his case as the problematic disc was degenerative (he called it a "sick" disc). We knew Wil would need to have at least one more surgery down the road, and I was really hoping for wayyyyyy down the road. So now the next step is to go through the motion of physical therapy and wide array of therapeutic injections, neither of which worked for him the last time so we are not hanging too much hope on these. He already started physical therapy last week and will get his first set of injection today. Chase and I will be spending the afternoon with him at the hospital and drive him back home after he gets a dose of steroid in the spine. Good times. Will report back later.

Falkenstein Castle Medieval Fest

We went to a medieval festival at Falkenstein castle, which conveniently located in the next village over from ours. The weather was perfect--cool and overcast with no rain. We've been in Germany, and therefore away from the sun, long enough that the bright direct sunlight is actually unpleasant. We drove a few minutes from our house, parked in a pasture by a really pretty farm house, and then rode the bus up a really big hill to the castle. I have to admit that I always thought that medieval fests were kind of nerdy, even though I never actually attended one before. I was absolutely thrilled to be proven wrong, because it was the most fun we've had in a long time! There were so many knights in chainmails carrying around giant swords and axes. And I'm sure all the ladies were thankful for the cooling clouds because they were under some serious layers and head gears. It was so cool and really was like stepping back in time.

The food was great and the music was amazing! Chase totally rocked out and would have thrown her diaper on the stage had we let her.

A Total Medieval Rock Band Groupie from UMA STEINHAUER on Vimeo.

We came home and enjoyed some quiet cuddle time before bed together. Chase loves to brush her teeth right now and always insists that I do as well. My oral hygiene has never been better since we're brushing pretty much every time one of us has to go to the bathroom for any reason at all. Also, she's learning her animal sounds and it's freaking adorable.

Brushing Her Teeth from UMA STEINHAUER on Vimeo.

All and all, a perfect Saturday!

Sunday was determined not to be outdone and we saw horses, donkeys, goats, and a crane on our evening walk. I was beyond excited to see wild blackberries along our walking trail and picked enough to fill Chase's snack container. She ate the whole lot even before we made our way back home. I also got to taste some wild plums that were growing in the same area, and they were just delicious! I'm bring a giant bucket with us on our next walk. I feel truly blessed to have found our house in this little village that I have grown to love so much!

On Her Own Terms

On Her Own Terms from UMA STEINHAUER on Vimeo.

Chase's EDIS Visit

I started this post a few days ago but haven't gotten the time to finish, and you'll see why in a minute. The EDIS physical therapist paid us a visit on Wednesday. I felt a little silly making Chase the appointment to be evaluated for her slow walking progress, but it really started because of her new pediatrician. Our beloved Dr. Gardner up and left while we were in Thailand, probably because she knew that we would hang on to her legs, me on one and Chase on the other, pleading for her to stay in Germany with us had we been in town during her pcs. Anyway, we met with the new physician, who was more than professional and kind to my child, but he was a) not Dr. Gardner and b) kind of made me feel like it was my babying Chase that caused her delayed walking. I won't go into it, but I dialed EDIS as soon as I got home even though I knew it in my heart that my brilliant child was perfect the way she was.

Fast forward to Wednesday when I was a touch nervous about the visit because I knew how timid Chase could be around new people. Having a professional come to our house, where Chase was most comfortable and relaxed unlike most of the playgroups we attended, to evaluate the way we played was such a wonderful idea. Chase had just woken up from her nap and was in a really good mood when the therapist showed up. Ms. Angela was very knowledgeable, kind, and obviously very good with children, and Chase took to her right away. Together, they colored, stacked rings and legos, and she showed me a few ways to play with Chase that would also help strengthing her balance and lengthen those toddling steps. Speaking of toddling, I thought it was hilarious that Chase was standing and taking steps during Ms. Angela's whole visit as if to say "I told you I would do it when I was good and ready." Typical Chaster fashion. So at the end of the visit, the therapist showed me her evaluation score card, which basically indicated that everything was perfectly fine. Even with her slow walking, she was still within the average range for this age group. She was quite impressed with her signing and vocabulary, which made momma beamed extra brightly. One of the questions she had was about the words Chase knew. It actually took me a little while to answer, since I had never written them all down, so here's my opportunity to note her progress:

Words that Chase can speak at 15 months: Mamma, Papa, Paddeeee, Brrruuu (Brutus), no, mine, eyyyyee (eyes), nos (nose), schoooos (shoes), duc (rubber ducky), outsyyy (outside), hyyyyyyy (hi!), bye, mmmmmmm (eat and yum), Yais (Kun Yai--grandma in Thai), Tha (Kun Tha--grandpa in Thai), Non (my brother), hut (hat), sanwid (sandwich), wing (swing). I think that's it but might be missing a few.

Signs that she knows and uses regularly: Papa, elephant, bird, fan, banana, pineapple, dog, music, hot, bath, eat, more, fly, cloud, tree, sandwich. *Of course, I forgot her first sign ever, milk.*

Signs that she recognizes but can't sign them herself yet: flowers, bug, please, thank-you, momma, cat, chicken, bee, airplane, orange, grass.

She can identify her eyes, nose, ears, and mouth when ask where they are and would gladly poke you in the eyes and shove her fingers in your nose to show you yours as well. She loves to dance, climb, and, most of all, read. Her favorite book right now is "Big Red Barn", but last month it was "All Aboard for Dreamland!," which she conned her father into reading to her at least 3 times before bed every night in addition to the other 10 times I got dragged into it during the day. She would climb into her chair to read by herself for most of the time I need to make a quick dinner. Her brothers are her best friends and fierce protectors, and she has her Papa tightly wrapped around her chubby little pinkie.


The lights of my life.

Ever So Generous

Chase loveeeeesss to feed the boys, but she also loves food just as much as they do. She knows that the boys, and especially Paddy, will eat just about anything. So this is what happened when I mixed whole wheat, no-sugar-added Chex with a bit of gold fish crackers and gave them to her in the Snack-Trap. Momma didn't raise no silly baby! I'm now going to get a message from my mother about the double-negative sentence I just used...

Sort of Sharing from UMA STEINHAUER on Vimeo.

These two have such a special relationship. Just today when Paddy went downstairs to lay down after his breakfast, Chase crawled from room to room looking for him and yelling "Paddeeee....Paddeeee." And as soon as he heard her calling, he sprinted up the stairs to lick her face.

In other news, guess who toddled a couple of steps toward me when I waved a cereal bar in front of her face (I did say she was a pig)? Just in time for our physical therapist visit in a couple of hours....

P.S. The blog is not going private for about another week or so to give time for our friends and families to send me their email addresses, so that I won't get a frantic long distant phone call in the middle of the night telling me that my blog is broken. I'm looking at you, Peeps. We absolutely love connecting with old friends and making new ones via our blog, and it's really a shame that we have to go private for now.

Time to Go Private

I've been back and forth on the decision whether to make our blog private for a long time now. I put up the site meter just to get an idea of what kind of traffic we were attracting, and thankfully most have been our friends and families. But there are a few frequent and regular visitors that I can't really pinpoint, so I'm just going to take care of that nagging feeling I have now. There will only be more pictures and videos of the Kid, and I like knowing who's looking at them. If you would like to continue reading our blog, please kindly leave your email address for me in the comment section and I'll add you to the invited readers.

A Few More Videos and Some Pics

The quality of these are not the best because the setting on my camera was accidentally changed when I stuck the thing in the diaper bag. But bad quality is better than no video, no?

People always look at us a little strangly when we request a "Conehead" kiss from our baby.

The Three Kisses from UMA STEINHAUER on Vimeo.

The Wiggles and we have become good friends recently. Chase has their toy microphone and now this guitar that is a consolation prize from the chair incident. You Wigglies need to look into getting a volume control on your stuff.

Our Future Rock Star from UMA STEINHAUER on Vimeo.

I normally don't allow Chase to have sweets but we experienced a ridiculously warm and sunny day that caught us completely off guard while we were at Homburg flea market on Saturday. Chase was getting a bit dehydrated but refused to take any water because the heat was making her so miserable and fussy. I didn't want her to overheat and caved in to some icee. A stroll around a really big flea market is much more pleasant with a happy, albeit sugar high, baby.

Chase's First Icee from UMA STEINHAUER on Vimeo.

I know I've been lacking in the photo update department, so here they are in no particular order of cuteness:

How can I ever have a bad day with that smile?

A morning cheese and two little teeth.

See, Kun Yai, that's how I wear my babylegs.

This just makes me laugh.

The Naked Cowboy, you totally have a competition.

And look whose butt is actually touching the green stuff!?!