*Now a few hours after I first posted this entry, I just realized that today is Monday and not Sunday. Haha. Thank you, USAREUR, for a 4-day weekend.
The first video was shot over a month ago on the day that her fever, which was caused by that crazy infection, broke. Speaking of which, Chase's ultrasound came back clean! I'm so beyond thankful and hope that we'll never have to experience such a horror again. Look at my poor baby. You can tell from her eyes that she had been so sick.
Chase has an incredible memory and loves to sing. I was surprised the first time I heard her sing a whole nursery rhyme without skipping a word, and since she has moved on to other non-children songs she hears around the house or in the car. This is one of my favorites. I sang "I Will" to Chase the whole time she was in utero mainly because my pregnant brain wouldn't allow me to remember words to any other songs and I loved the lyrics so much. I sang her the song at 1 a.m., 3 a.m., 5 a.m., and pretty much at all odd hours of the night when she was a newborn hoping to lull her into a peaceful slumber. Maybe she also loved the song and wanted to hear more or my singing was that bad because the child was always wide awake. I thought it was adorable when she could string words together that one of her first sentences was "Momma sing Chasey song?" This was from a few weeks ago and she has learned a few more verses since.
Last but not least, we had a really warm week a few weeks ago. That might have just been our whole summer, since we have had to break out heavy jackets these past few days. Remember that European houses don't come with A/C, and I'm not plugging in our portable one because we just got a refund from the power company and I would like to keep it that way until we have to PCS at the end of the year/beginning of the next. Brutus just knows better than to leave the cool basement, but poor Paddy is just not getting it. As it normally goes in this house, if you are outside, you can expect to have a wet and slimy tennis ball dropped on your foot repeatedly by the most persistent Lab you'll ever meet. He had a mild heat stroke from our long walk last year, and now we have to watch him closely even for a short session of fetch during the German warm spell. I'm not being mean, people. My two older kids are going to hate Georgia.
I'm running a little short on time and energy this week, so here's some new pictures for the grandparents until we can get a real post together. Have a great Father's Day weekend!
Man, I love this funny 2-year-old stage. Chase's been talking for a long time, but now she's really absorbing and repeating back everything she hears around her. We have hilarious conversation all day and I wish I could share everything she says but that post will be really really long since the child is basically a parrot. She's also a sweet little darling and loves to show her affection through both her action and words. Behold:
Whenever I'm out of her field of vision for a minute, even if it's for a short potty break, she will tell me when I return "I'm so happy to see you, Momma!" And it normally comes with a big hug. Oh, yeah, I have it very good.
She's been watching a lot of TV these past couple of months because I didn't feel well and picked up all kinds of funny things from "My Friends Tigger and Pooh" and "Blue's Clues." For example, if I'm being goofy around her, she will say "silly old Momma," and something that requires a bit of thoughts behind it gets "think, think, think" in her Thinking Chair. Oh, we also sing "The Wonder Pets" songs all day long. They are surprisingly very catchy.
I finally caved and let Wil turned her car seat around on the drive home back from Paris. My goal was to keep her rear-facing until 35 lbs, but it proved to be very challenging physically for both Chase and I to accomplish. She's gotten so tall that I had a hard time putting her in her seat without bumping her head on the door frame several times before I could finally cram all of her long limbs into that confined space. Plus with me getting bigger everyday and easily winded, the task of going anywhere in a car was becoming more and more dreadful. Chase didn't really sleep much in the car anymore either, so any long drive with her was increasingly traumatizing for both the screaming kid and stressed out parents, and we thought she might be a touch more cooperative if she could see where she was going and things that were around. The first time she saw her forward-facing seat, her eyes got as big as giant saucers. Wil was still making a few adjustments to the straps and she exclaimed "Papa turned my seat around!" She's still saying that excitedly every time we get into the car, which only adds to Wil's "My Papa is My Hero" points.
The first things she saw in her "new" seat were cows grazing in a pasture. That was it. For the next 4 hours, it was "I Spy" but only with cows. White ones, brown ones, spotted ones, big ones, little ones, momma with babies,...etc. And because the first cows she saw in her seat were from the outskirt of Paris, the first time we saw a herd of cows after our trip, she informed me that we were back in Paris again! A few days ago after an outing with her father that took them through a scenic (cow) route, she came bouncing into the house and could barely contain her excitement telling me that the cows were happy to see her and wagging their tails. Tonight on our way back from dinner, we had to stop and let her say hi to our village cows. "Look at the cows, Baby" she told her baby doll while holding her up to the window. "They are playing and the babies are drinking milk!" We couldn't stay long because a storm was coming through and our boys weren't a big fan. As I was telling her that we had to go, she yelled out "night night Cows. I have to go to the house to check on Brutus and Paddy. Storms make them nervous."
My neighbor has a couple of horses that live across the street from our backyard. Chase loves them and we have to visit them whenever we can. Today we witnessed one of the horses successfully operated something that looked like a water fountain to me (although Wil called it a water trough) and were mighty impressed. Chase told him "good job, Mr. Horse. I'm very proud of you!"
In the car, Chase only wants to hear one song--"Papa Song," which is actually Usher's "U Got It Bad." One day Wil was singing along with the CD and I suppose she just thought that Papa was Usher. It was cute about the first 500 times, but now Papa is desperate to show her that he also sings variety of other songs that she can choose from.
I can go on and on about this amazing little kid, but I think I'm going to head to bed early and upload a video of her singing the Beatles' "I Will," which she has dubbed "Chasey Song" because I had been singing it to her since she was still in utero. It's beyond adorable and worth the wait :).
When we finally realized that this year would be the last for us in Europe, the panic set in a little. We've had plenty of reasons to postpone traveling (back problem, difficult pregnancy, back surgery, paying off debt, new born, back surgery, saving money, more morning sickness, etc.), but this year was it and we had to get out and see the rest of Europe. We've seen a lot of Germany and a wee bit of France through our day trips and short overnight stays, but that was about it. So I watched airfare sales like a hawk and did all kinds of research to line up our trips. Prague was supposed to be the first stop to coincide with Wil's school stuff near the boarder. He left for school right before I had to have my wisdom teeth pull, and as I mentioned before, I thought the exhaustion I felt while visiting him was a result of an infection. I was infected alright. With a baby. So needless to say, we didn't see Prague unless Prague was located on the back on my eyelids that were tightly closed. No worries, he'll be in school plenty more times this year, so I think Prague is well-covered. Next was Cinque Terre and the third was Rome. I booked both these trips before I realized that I was pregnant and was mighty grateful when I found out that we were indeed pregnant again that I could lounge in the relaxing Cinque Terre during my rough first trimester (it was still rough even with Zofran) and was hoping that I would have more energy to brave Rome as I went into the second trimester. Well, I was half right. Cinque Terre was everything everybody told us it would be and more. The lemon trees were heavy with gorgeous fruits all over the 5 villages, the sun was out, the sea was a captivating shade of blue-green, the food was amazing, and the view everywhere was breathtaking. I don't have enough big words to describe how great the trip was, so let's do it with some pictures. Oh, we also got to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa while waiting for our trip back home, so that was a nice little cherry on top of an already exceptional experience.
We took that trip at the beginning of April, a few weeks before Chase's 2nd birthday. The rest of April was occupied by my all-day sickness and Chase's first ever experience of getting to watch TV everyday. Then came May. If you read our last post, you know how horrendous May was in this household. Hospital visit after hospital visit. I had never been so scared out of my mind--not even when Wil was in the operating room for 10 straight hours. Her first ever sickness that required an aid of antibiotics turned into a 2-week battle with a raging infection and fever that were caused by a virulent bacteria that just wouldn't die. Well, not after the first two antibiotics anyway. I had already abandoned the idea of going to Rome, because there was no way Chase was going to get better in time and I was beyond exhausted. My mind was not anywhere near traveling, but after nearly two weeks of 103˚-104˚F fever that I didn't even know a tiny human body could sustain, antibiotic #3 came through (I LOVE you, Cefdinir) and she slept 8 hours straight without fever or upchucking. It took a few more days before the dreaded temperature finally went away for good, and then the boys got sick. First, it was poor Paddy, our beloved 102-lb big boy, who had explosive diarrhea all over the house. And this was 2 days before Rome was supposed to happen, ok? We cleaned up the mess as much as we could ourselves and called in the professional to finish the job. Now I really wasn't going to Rome, but my husband wouldn't budge. "We needed a break," he said. Yes, we sorely did.
And so, last Friday we made our way to the airport. It was the first time we used Frankfurt International Airport's Holiday Parking, which is basically a long term parking, and I did enough research and asked around to know that I should budget about 30 additional minutes for catching a shuttle back to the airport (Holiday Parking is so far away from the main airport and remote, we actually drove pass a sign that said we were leaving Frankfurt altogether on our way there). We parked our car, dragged our luggage to the shuttle stop, and waited. There were a few people there ahead of us and they said they had already called for a shuttle. We waited some more and more people joined us. About 5 more calls were made through out the hour that we were stranded there (there were no taxis around either) and by the time the airport people sent out a big enough bus to pick up all of us, we knew we were going to miss our check-in time. No problem, I'm sure they can bump us to the next flight with a small penalty, right? No, apparently. Because the tickets I got were on some kind of super sale and came with super strict restriction, no changes could be made at all. But "good news," the ticket agent informed us. There are just enough seats available on the next flight to Rome but it's going to cost 500 Euro for 3 new tickets. I looked at Wil and he looked at me. Of course, this will be happening to us. We tried contacting the airport authority, who were nice enough to tell us that we could file a claim but there was no way in hell we were going to get reimbursed today, if at all, to use the money to buy the new tickets. I wasn't about to fork over more money without a guarantee that a check was on its way to our house. So there we were. 8 o'clock in the morning at Frankfurt airport, all dressed up (except for Slacker Chase, who was still in her PJs), with luggage in tow, and nowhere to go. Mad wasn't quite accurate for my state of mind. While in the car on our way back home, Wil and I quietly discussed what the heck we were going to with our 4-day weekend while Chase asked loudly and repeatedly what happened to the airplane. We couldn't stay home because I would end up killing the first stranger that unfortunately rang my doorbell. A quick trip home to regroup, do research, eat, and we decided to drive to Paris. We would get there by dinner time and the forecast said Paris would have the best weather out of all the cities within our 4-hour drive radius. The drive was boring for about the first 3 until Chase started to come undone. The poor baby had been through so much the last month plus she had been up since 5 a.m. that day for the trip that never was. Rush hour traffic on a Friday turned our 4.5 hour trip to an almost 6 and Chase was losing it by this point. I climbed into the backseat with her to feed her a soggy chicken sandwich that I brought for emergency pregnancy hunger pang. She devoured almost all of it before we reached the hotel. And that's where the ugly May ceased to exist and we were brought back to life by Paris.
There's not much more I can add to what has already been said about Paris besides that it was fabulous to the infinite power and was exactly what we needed. We took the subway everywhere, which delighted our darling baby, aimed to get lost and wander, and always came upon a gigantic historic structure with a huge surprise. The food, the energy of the city, the street performers, the sites, the crazy people, our hotel, Paris' parks and playgrounds, their surprisingly friendly and eager to help locals, the food, the food, the food!!! We walked 4-5 hours straight everyday and by the time we crawled back to the hotel around dinner time, I felt like I might be giving birth in the bath tub. But by the end of a fantastic breakfast buffet spread the next morning, we were ready to tackle everything all over again. It was the most amazing trip of our lives. Wil and I got a chance to relax and reconnect after having been so stressed and survived the worst 2 weeks of our lives with bare minimum sleep. It also made such an impression that Chase is still talking about it 4 days later, which in toddler time is about 100 years ago. Our second night there before we headed out to dinner, Chase was getting her diaper changed by Wil while I was stroking her hair and we all were sitting on the bed together. She looked up at me with a smile and said "thank you Momma, I had a lot of fun today." Tears. Thank YOU, Paris!
I'm finally beginning to feel like my old self again. Still very tired and getting big, but I don't have to hold my breath anymore when my husband gives me a hug. I don't know what it is about Wil and my pregnancies. The last one it was his deodorant, which I had personally picked out, that sent me running to the bathroom. This time I'm convinced that he smells like a field of wild dirty mushrooms. Thankfully, he never takes my pregnancy crazies seriously and carries his laid back attitude and calm demeanor through everything he has to shoulder on since I practically became a vegetable. Chase and Wil were always inseparable, but I think my being out of commission for a few months had really strengthen their special bond. While we were on vacation, she kept asking if he had to go back to work and I could see a sign of relief and joy washing over her face as he told her that he was going to spend the whole 4 days with her. My feeling was a little hurt when I first got sick that she would ask for him as soon as she opened her eyes in the morning, but I quickly got over it because I knew it was just her way of coping with our changing lifestyle. We used to go to playgroups and story time almost everyday of the week, and suddenly her father coming home from work was the highlight of her day. Seeing them together now only makes my heart grow a little puffier. And if I thought the month on April was terrible, it was only because I didn't know that hell was waiting for us in May. I don't want to rehash everything (I'm sure you had enough of my "puke, AGAIN!" updates on Facebook), but Chase's battle with antibiotic resistant bacteria that first caused a simple UTI that eventually turned into a full fledged kidney infection took a lot out of all of us. All the fear about what if antibiotic #3 also failed and the guilt that I should have acted sooner when she kept complaining still haunt me. I was so grateful that Wil was able to take time off from work to help care for her. As wonderful as it is to have a partner with whom I can share the good times, there is such peace to know that he will always be my rock during the worst and the scariest of times as well. Even baby Chase senses that. Whenever things are not quite right in her world, be it a broken piece of toy or a stain on her shirt, she would say with resolution "Papa fix it!" So it was only natural that all she wanted when she was so sick beyond words was to curl up on his chest and refuse to budge. Because he was going to fix it. Because he was going to take her fever and pain away. As the 4th anniversary of our marriage is approaching, I'm again reminded of how truly blessed we really are to have found each other and to be able to share our wonderful life and children.
I'm working on gathering pictures from the past few months, but for now there's a whole lot of work to be done around the house. Poor Wil can only do so much after work, so I guess I'll see you again after our laundry room no longer looks like a landfill, the dogs are brushed, the meals are prepared, the house is cleaned, and the baby is fed and happy. This might take a while.
It's really hard to believe that last year today, Chase and I were on our first trip to Thailand together. I couldn't sleep last night and was looking through the videos and pictures from our trip along with the other 5,000 or so that was on the computer. It was such a trip down memory lane for me. Her tiny, round body with sweet baby rolls all over. Those two bottom teeth that I never thought would show up. How she used to call herself "Che, Baby." I can't believe it's only been two years since she came into our lives. On April 25th, my darling baby turned 2, thus officially surrendering the "infant" status forever and now requires her own seat on an airplane. I'd been whispering into her ears for days that her birthday was coming up and never managed to not tear up a little. Her last birthday as an only child. Maybe the last birthday that she would say something as adorable as "Ma buy Chase a crane?" when I asked what she wanted for her birthday (more later on the crane). As I lay pathetically on the couch this past month, I often question my decision to get pregnant again. Didn't I know that this pregnancy would suck (remember the last time?!?)? Was our party of five not enough already? Didn't Chase deserve our love and undivided attention? Wil was more than happy with our perfect little human, whom, according to her father, broke the mold when she came into the world. How will I be able to teach her to read before the age of three when I have another baby permanently attach to my chest? Then Chase came out of her room, her arms full of dolls and stuffed animals. One by one, she gently guided them down her little slide and said "I got you!" I knew then that our second, and LAST, baby was a gift to us all. To teach me about more patience, love, and better time management. To be adored by the best father in the world and give him the kind of family he dreamed about as a child. But most of all, this is Chase's baby. When I'm on my death bed and look back on this time, I will know that it was the right decision to give my children each other to love, care for, and shoulder life's unexpected challenges together. Or that's what I will tell myself when I threat to ship them off to military school if they don't stop pushing each other down the stairs or clawing each other's eyes out again.
Even though I'm mostly at peace with the pregnancy, it's still bothering me a little that I don't yet feel a strong connection with this human parasite that is sucking the life out of me. I thought I felt a kick last week, which was probably more like gas, but I didn't get really excited about it. I'm trying to tell myself that it's because of the exhaustion and nausea and not for the lack of love or enthusiasm. I know it will come. Trust me, Baby, I won't short-change you of motherly smothering. Clearly, spending too much time on the couch this past month has not been good for my mental state.
Goal for May: puke less, sit upright and shower more often, embrace comfy maternity wear, and blog more--with pictures (you're welcome, Mom). I will attempt to catch you up on our lives in Part II of the very long April. See you soon, Peeps.
I have been feeling rotten lately. Most of the time, this ill-named morning sickness just makes me feel like I'm having the worst motion sickness all day even though I'm laying perfectly still on the couch holding my head in my hands mumbling some questionable language for a nearly-2-year-old to hear. Since last Friday I have hardly left my couch, and I think my darling baby is beginning to think that's where I belong because whenever I tried to walk around the house today, she would grab my hand and order "ma, couch!" Wil has pretty much taken over the care of Chase as soon as he steps his foot inside. Bless this very kind and patient man. I couldn't have chosen a better person to share my life and children with.
It was high time for self-pity, but Chase made sure our day was the best it could be. After ordering me to stay reclined, she would climb in next to me, attempt to put a cover over both of us, and snuggle up her little body to mine. What followed belongs in Sweet Baby Hall of Fame.
Chase: Snug bug! (snug as a bug). Papa taught it! (whenever she says that while I tuck her in, I always amusingly ask where she learn that and she would proudly tell me that her father taught her.)
Me, sniffling now: Thank you, Baby.
Chase, petting my leg: Ma feel better?
Me: Yes, Baby, you make me feel so much better already.
After a few more minutes of cuddling and Nemo, she would look at me and ask:
Chase: Momma sick?
Me: I don't feel very good. My tummy is not happy.
Chase: Chase sick?
Me: No, Baby. You are thankfully very healthy.
Chase, with both arms raised in exuberant joy: Chase healtfy!
We went on to have a conversation about what was going on and at one point she seemed satisfied with my explanation about the baby in momma's tummy. She petted my stomach and kissed it before looking at me and ask "Chase in momma's tummy?" before curling up on top of me for a few more minutes of uncomfortable snuggling.
By the time Wil came home, she had a full report for him in between pasta bites during dinner:
Chase: Momma tummy hurting. Baby in momma's tummy.
Wil: Yes! Momma is not feeling very good, but she will be ok.
Chase: Momma tummy hurting. Ma feel better. Chase healtfy!
