Thinking Thursday

I have been pondering about another baby. There, I said it. I know, like, 3 posts ago, I said way later. It's a combination of things. For two days in a row, Wil asks Chase "do you want a little brother or a sister?" I pretended to ignore it, but I could hear myself going "WHADDD?!?!?" in my head. I'm beginning to melt every time I see little tiny babies, all wrapped up in a yard of fabric and looking mighty E.T. adorable. Probably because my baby is beginning to NOT looking like a baby anymore. Then two of my closest friends here just went and got themselves knocked up :P. I think there are very few things in life that can make pregnancy more tolerable and even possibly, gasp, FUN (!!!), and having dear girlfriends to go through it together is on the top of my short list. Are we ready? I dunno. With Chase, we knew we were and our timing was perfect. I craved a baby and she was the answer to my prayers. I want to have that same urge before heading down that road again, because when that sciatica kicks in, I'm going to need a good reason why I volunteer to be a human punching bag. Another tick mark for the "con" column, which might sound utterly crazy to some, is that I feel like I will be cheating on Chase. I can not express the love I have for this little Monkey enough, and I am just not very good at multitasking. Just ask Wil, I really can't type when he's talking to me. I don't know how to tend to a needy newborn and still meet the needs of my adventurous toddler through the fog of sheer exhaustion. It was a bad hormonal trip after Chase was born and I fear that there's a whole lot more at stake than my sanity this time around. But then again, I know what to expect and ask for help if needed. You see what's going on in my head now? My two remaining brain cells from college just keep shouting back and forth at each other.

"You can do it! Motherhood is a joy!"
"Are you insane?!? Remember how long it took you to stand up straight without crying?"
"That's why you should do it now. Wil's not going to deploy and able to help!"
"Ummm, he leaves at 5:30 A.M. Then you are home with FOUR kids!!!"

I clearly need more time to think.

Life in the Slow Lane

I know I owe you two weeks worth of pictures. While I'm not a big fan of slide shows, it's by far the easiest way for me to upload pictures right now. I can export my pictures right out of my iPhoto to Facebook, and from Facebook I can just have a slide show ready with just a few clicks. Lazy blogging at its best. You know you still love me.

I Blame the Crazy German Weather for This

I must say I feel a smidgen bad for laughing every time I watch this clip. Just a smidgen since it's still mostly hilarious.

That Green Stuff is Coming to Get Me from UMA STEINHAUER on Vimeo.

Two Peas in a Pod

I promise a longer post soon, but right now I have a few cute videos to tide the grandparents AND Kwan over until then.

When Chase is not trying to run over Brutus with her walker or rearranging her book case again for the 5th time in 2 hours, she can often be found around the house hanging with Paddy just like this. Cute overload minus the dry-heaving part.

Two Peas in a Pod from UMA STEINHAUER on Vimeo.

And this one is pretty much us everyday after our dinner and walk. Life is good and fun!

Baby Obstacle Course from UMA STEINHAUER on Vimeo.

Uma 2.0

I had to hear it from my mother, whom I knew loved me unconditionally and only wanted the best for her children.

"You've got to start taking better care of yourself because you're beginning to look like the maid."

She was absolutely right. I was never a girly girl, but somewhere after Chase's arrival and the aftermath of hormonal mess, I really let myself go. I gave up on my unruly hair and had it in a permanent pony tail. I started using my make up brushes to dust my sewing machine. I was kind of oblivious to the fact that I had been wearing the same five t-shirts for at least a year. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I mean, things must have looked that bad for my mom to bring it up. I think the last straw came when she discovered that I was still wearing some of my postpartum undies while sorting through laundry one afternoon. I was ordered to get a haircut and go on mandatory shopping trips. She even bought me a stack of pretty lacey underwear to replace the unfortunately high-waisted white cotton hold-in-all-my-flubber pairs. I always told Wil that I just wanted to look more like a well-rested, pulled-together, polished version of myself, and now I can say that I really do. I don't know why it took me so long to get it together, but I'm glad it was my mom who made it happen while we were home in Thailand. She still does know best. Thanks, Mom. Will send pictures soon.

On to Chase related news. Wil and I left Germany for our vacation with a sweet baby, who was content to sit on her floor mat and flip through the pages of her many books, and we came home with a mobile, opinionated, and loud soon-to-be-toddler of a creature, who can response "no" to our suggestions, point to an object that she wants and says "mine," and is an expert stair climber. Brutus and Paddy didn't quite know what to do with her at first, but they have adjusted well and been playing hide and seek with the baby after dinner pretty regularly. We are all just in love with Chase, and, to answer the same question that was repeated over and over again in Thailand, not ready to add to our brood. Wil and I agree that our family is just perfect exactly the way it is right now. Things may/may not change down the road, but, for now, Brutus, Paddy, and Chase will remain your only grandbabies from my womb, Grandparents.

We are all slowly getting back to our old routine, and when it's not pouring down rain, windy, and cold, I find myself actually enjoying being back in our little village again. Nothing will compare to being in Thailand with my family (AND THE FOOD!!! THE FOOD!!!), but I'm doing better. Promise a much more witty posts in the coming days, probably right after I convince my stomach that rejecting every single meal that is not Thai food is not a good idea.

I Left My Heart in Thailand

We arrived back in Germany on Friday. It was very hard for me to say goodbye to my family again. Admittedly, the first few weeks without Wil there was rough. Chase was very well-adjusted but I could not say the same for myself. I didn't plan for us to do anything until Wil joined us and sometimes was bored out of my mind just hanging around the house with Chase after everyone went back to work. Things much improved after my Best Bud arrived. Together, even the most mundane things were entertaining and fun. We went on afternoon dates a lot since the babysitters-grandparents practically shoved us out of the door everyday after we put the baby down for her nap. It was weird to leave the house without a diaper bag and all the baby gears. I even bought a purse just to put my stuff in when we were out and about without a baby. If you know me well, you know that's a giant leap. We shopped, ate, ate, ate again, saw lots of beautiful places, and generally enjoyed being babied by the parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. I introduced Wil to my "little" cousins, whom now towered over me and either in college or about to be. I came from a huge family and poor Wil was having the worst time keeping our family tree in his head straight. He'll tell his version of our trip later with his very own post. I have tried very hard to find the right words for our experience and don't think they will ever come easily because I'm still very emotional. I miss my parents and my siblings. I miss my grandmas and all of their fussing over me and the baby. I miss hanging out with my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I hated leaving my grandpa again because I knew he would be a little more quiet and frail the next year although his smile would always be sweet and assuring. I felt selfish taking the baby away. She was the apple of everyone's eyes and the bell of the ball everywhere we went. Dad and Chase loved napping together and the baby took to mom immediately and they were the best of pals. I truly do believe that Chase saved many of her firsts for the right time, and being there in Thailand surrounded by love, she abandoned her previously preferred mode of transportation (rolling) for some serious crawling and cruising, learned to stand on her own and probably on the verge of taking her first steps, talked all day with her imaginary friends and had real conversations with the rest of us, ate far more mangos, durians, rambutans, papayas, and mangosteens than she probably should have, attended her first fencing match and cheered on her uncle with screams and fist pumps, loved all of my mom's crazy dogs and called them all "Boooozzzz," had her first swimming lesson in the same pool that I splashed around in as a child during our family vacation and enjoyed playing with and eating sand on 4 different beaches, and had her first haircut by her great-grandmother. The list goes on and on and she will surely miss having at least 3 pairs of hands fighting over which got to hold her first. I ached for the boys everyday, but, at the same time, never wanted to leave. We started Skyping with my parents this weekend, which has made being apart a bit more tolerable. I can sit here and type for days, but there's not enough toilet paper in the house for me to keep blowing my nose. I miss and love you all more than I can ever put into words. I don't think I can wait until next year to see your smiling faces again.

Here are just some of the pictures we/our family and friends took. There are thousands that we still have to weed through, so please be patient with us.

Life is a Beach

I would love to tell you more about what we've been up to, but it would take time away from all the eating the grandmas are forcing me to do. We're having a great time. I'm sure you would agree.