The Sleep Sack

Sleeping sacks are super popular in Germany. They are great since they are basically wearable blankets and kids can't put it over their heads. Great idea. The only problem, in Germany, they cost roughly an arm and a leg. Ok, 60 Euro or so, but seriously expensive. So I was looking online to see if I can get some while here in the US. Low and behold, Carter's makes some! Sweet! They are out of fleece, so decently warm and they are cheap! Normal price, they are 20 bucks! YES! So, the other day, we were at Kohl's (one of my favorite stores) and they had them there, on sale...for 8 (yes eight!) dollars! We bought 3. They are super cute and Amelia likes them. There is only one problem. I have only seen them for 0-9 months. I hope that they make them bigger too...or I find them elsewhere here for cheap and bigger. :)

The second night...

...was really good with Amelia! I think she is coping with jet-lag much better than Markus or I am! However, she is allowed to take naps during the day, so that may have something to do with it. :) Last night, she was passed out by 8:30pm and we went to bed at 9:05pm (I'm very proud of that 5 minutes there!). I nursed her a bit, and she passed out again and only woke up at 2 and 5 to nurse for about 20 minutes and then went back to sleep. As I am writing this (7:25am) she's still asleep with Markus upstairs. Not bad little girl! Keep it up!

The trip...

...lasted 24 freaking hours! It was long, there is no denying that one, and had three different stages, but luckily, it was pretty good. We got up at 3:00am on Saturday, showered, got the car loaded and got Amelia ready. Unfortunately, the road crews weren't as on top of it as we were. The roads were AWFUL! We had to drive from Weiden to Nuremberg, which normally takes only an hour...Saturday, it took almost two....causing us to almost miss our first flight. Markus was awesome with driving...it was stressful, but we made it thanks to his awesome driving skills.

So, we're at Nuremberg Airport, and there are about 50 American kids (ok, early twenties) there wanting to check in as well. It was getting pretty close, and there were two nice ladies in front of us whose flights were at noon, so they let us skip ahead...why they were there checking in at 6:30am, I have no idea. We get checked in with only a half an hour before our flight...Phew, that was close! We get to the gate and we only have enough time for each of us to go to the restroom before we have to board.

Stage one -The first flight: This was the flight from Nuremberg to Frankfurt. We get loaded on to the plane, and then we wait...and wait...and wait...ok, it was probably only about 10 minutes at first, but then an announcement was made that we weren't clear for takeoff for another half an hour or so...an hour later, we were in the air. Amelia nursed while we were taxiing to the runway...and then we had to wait in line...Note to self: don't start nursing until we are cleared for takeoff and are gaining speed on the ground. She was done nursing before we took off, so we had to make her suck her pucky to help out with the pressure and her ears. This worked. She slept the whole half hour that the flight took. Wow...no screaming. Awesome! You're such a great kid Amelia!

Then we get to Frankfurt and have to traverse basically the entire city of Frankfurt to get to the right terminal. We were basically running at this point since the delay in our flight from Nuremberg caused us to have only a half hour in Frankfurt...not fun. We get to the gate right as they are making the announcement that "those traveling with small children are able to board at this time..." Sweet....just made it.

Stage two - Frankfurt to Houston: We pass through the gate and are herded into a bus that will take us to our plane. Alrighty, we can do that :). We get into the bus which was roughly heated to the temperature it is in hell...while it was about -12 degrees C outside. Not good. I'm just getting over being sick, I don't need to get sick again! But surely we can't be on the bus too long. We'll get to the plane and get off the bus and right onto the plane...nope. I was wrong. We stayed on this bus roasting until Markus asked the bus driver to turn off the damn heat. At this time, Markus is sweating bullets and is in his t-shirt. I've got Amelia, so I can't strip down and I'm so freaking hot and sweating as well. Amelia is getting pissed since we have her bundled up for the -12 weather, but in the bus it is about 90000 degrees. We get her de-layered. Right after we get her de-layered, they let us off the bus. Great...time to re-layer. We get out of the bus, and then have to wait in a line that is taking for-freaking-ever to board, and we were sent to the stairs that go up the back part of the plane...where everyone sitting in economy is supposed to go up...and the wind is going like no other...and the stairway isn't covered (unlike the stairs at the front at the plane)...Markus and I look at each other (after waiting in the line for the back stairs for about 5 minutes in the -12 weather) and we both agree, "Screw it, we're going to the front."

So, we get boarded and get to our seat. The stewardesses are loving Amelia and her hair. Everyone is amazed by her hair...I'm still amazed by her hair! Anywho, this flight is only about 20 minutes delayed (made up in the air...sweet! On time!). As we are taxiing to takeoff, Amelia decides it is a great time to be super tired and unable to be calmed....so she was SCREAMING like she was roasting on a spit or something! Oh lord...I'm thinking...I hope and pray it isn't like this the entire time! We finally get her calmed after about a good 15 minutes of screaming, and she just passes out cold. Phew...crisis averted. Number of bad looks at this time: 3 (mainly from this Turkish ass that was in the row next to us).

Throughout the rest of the trip, Amelia was AMAZING! She didn't cry, she smiled, she looked at everything and everyone. It was so cute. Number of good looks: Loads. Ok, this is going to be better than I thought.

Oh, and I forgot to say, we had those seats right at the bulkhead where you can attach a bassinet to the wall....If you are traveling with an infant, this is seriously the ONLY way to do it...it was great. And Amelia really liked it too. :)
About half an hour before landing, I'm starting to dread the change in pressure again...and I had every reason to be worried...right after this thought, Amelia started screaming again...yup, starting our descent. She didn't want to nurse...she didn't want her pucky...she wanted to scream...and scream she did for about 10 minutes before she passed out again. Total number of bad looks: 5 (again, mainly from the Turkish ass in the row next to us).

Alrighty, we made it through our flights...we get out of the security area, see my mom and are just completely elated. She gets to see Amelia for the first time since the birth...it was quite funny too, she didn't say hi to Markus or I...she just went straight for Amelia...totally understandable...I would have done the same :).

Stage Three - The drive: This wasn't so bad. We had to stop once so I could change Amelia and feed her, then she was passed out for the rest of the trip. The only bad part was this huge wreck on a little farm road (in which there is no other way to go except for on this one road). This caused about an hour delay. So a drive that should have taken about 3 hours took about 5...Man, I just want to be in my bed, in my room in Wimberley!

We get in at 9:00pm...and then were in bed by 9:20 pm. This was roughly 24 hours of traveling. Amelia was a champ and I'm totally impressed by what an awesome kid she was! I just hope that she's as good on the trip back!

Oh, and so far so good on the jet lag of an infant. She slept last night when we got here...I was the one that was up at 4am...not her. I finally got up at 6am, which in turn caused her to be up as well.

Oh, Texas! How I've missed you! I love being home and I can't wait to see all my family and friends that are coming to Wimberley and those I'll see in Houston! Woohoo!

Stupid cold!

So, I've got a cold. It decided to rear its ugly face at 3am...DAMN YOU COLD!! Luckily I have some of the best in-laws in the world and Franz and Marianne came to Weiden to watch after Amelia so I could run over to the doctor. I wanted to go to the doctor because A) I have no clue what I can take to combat a cold while breastfeeding and B) I wanted to be sure it wasn't a sinus infection...Well, it is a sinus infection and my doctor wants to combat it with antibiotics. Wait a sec...I thought I couldn't take antibiotics??? Well, I can. There are a few antibiotics that I can take, and yes, a little bit will get into the milk, but the doctor assured me it will have no ill-effects on Amelia.

So, now, I'm going to sign off and probably t he next post I make will be made from the US of A! I hope this achy feeling goes away soon...and the pressure...and the sore throat...

From Scratch...Tomato, Basil, Feta Quiche

This is another one of our recipes that I use all the time...at least once or twice a month. Oh, and I make these in Germany, where you can buy a basil plant for about 2 bucks, but I know in the US, basil will cost you an arm and a leg...you can use whichever herbs you have...dried works fine, but fresh just makes this recipe super good

Enough pie crust for either a spring form or a pie pan
1 package of feta
1 basil plant
3 or 4 roma tomatoes
3 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup cream
2 tea italian herb mix
salt
pepper


-Slice and de-seed the tomatoes and place in the bottom of your springform or pie pan that has the pie crust already in it.
-In a food processor, put in the feta and the basil and mix until the basil and feta are mixed together.
-Add in everything else and mix until smooth-ish (should be a few feta chunks)
-Pour into pie pan or springform and place in a 190 C pre-heated oven and bake for bout an hour. The top should be golden brown.
-Enjoy!

From Scratch...Smoked Salmon Pasta

This is a super easy recipe that takes no time at all to whip up, and it tastes pretty good! We make this at least 3 or 4 times a month

Enough pasta for two (reserve some of the pasta water)
50-75 ml. of cream
200 g. smoked salmon
loads of dried dill
freshly ground pepper

-Cook the pasta according to the package directions
-In a pan, cook the salmon just a bit (about 4 minutes before the pasta is done), add the cream and dill bring to a boil and add a bit of the pasta water
-Add cooked pasta to salmon mixture...if it looks dry, add a bit more of the pasta water.
-Add freshly ground pepper to your taste
-Enjoy :)

Oh, and don't add any salt to the salmon mixture...the salmon is salty enough...I made this mistake once, and never again... :)

One Stylin' Dog

Charlie got a new cone thing since he absolutely HATES the big plastic one. This one is an inflatable tube that goes around his neck and works the same as the cone, just better...and much more comfy for my Charlie dude! We were at the vet today to get some more shots since he can't take pills right now (his tummy is still sensitive), and the vet loved it! He said that he would like the name of the website where I bought it so that he can get a few for the more sensitive dogs (and cats) that need the cone. He also said that Germans aren't really like the Americans (duh!) in respect to how much money they spend on their animals, but he also said that this is all changing. I think that this little extra comfort for Charlie is totally worth it since he'll have to wear this thing for at least a few weeks. But yeah, he got loads of compliments on it...he's so trendy :).

Charlie and his stylin' cone (you can see the old one in the background)

One tough dude

Here is Charlie recovering on his blanket throne in the living room, which will be moved into the bedroom tonight...he is one tough doggie!

And he's home :)

Charlie came home at about 6pm. What a long, stressful, not fun at all day for him! But there is some good news too! When Markus went to pick him up, he asked about how the surgery went. They said beautifully, and that his intestine with all twisted/knotted, you get the picture. This is great news though since they didn't have to actually cut into any of his organs! This means that recovery will be just a bit easier, since they still had to cut through his stomach muscles and that hurts! But our little dude is home and asleep on a blankie on the floor...with his cone around his head.

We have to go in tomorrow for another IV and probably some meds, but maybe he'll get to eat something tomorrow! First time since Friday morning! The only thing is, we have to carry him everywhere...up the stairs, down the stairs, to his patch of grass to pee...thankfully, Markus is going to take him down the stairs and to the car tomorrow before he goes to work...and he'll most likely go to the vet with us...and Marianne is going to come up tomorrow while we're there to help out with Amelia. I'm so thankful that she lives so close!

Alrighty, that is all for today. I'm completely relieved that our little Charlie dude is back and that everything went as well as it did. He'll make a speedy recovery since that is just how he is. He'll be back being his old self in no time (but of course we'll limit him until he is truly ready for action).

Finally...

The vet called and said Charlie was a trooper and the surgery went smoothly. YAY! What happened is that his large intestine twisted (think wringing out of a cloth) and that is what was causing the blockage. I'm not sure if he had to actually cut into the intestine or not, so I don't really know recovery time, but I'm guessing a few weeks. Poor dude...but at least he is an ALIVE, healthy dude again. Now to think of ways to pamper my little dude :).

Oh, and we get to pick him up either this evening or tomorrow, depending on how he's doing. :)

One crazy night....

Charlie threw up again at about 3am, so we immediately called the vet (it took him a while to call back, which is totally understandable in the middle of the night). He said we needed to come in ASAP...he'd be there by 4:45 so we should be there too. Markus took Charlie over, and Charlie got some stuff to eat, special stuff, no idea what it is really. They can track it via x-ray and see how far it gets, if it gets anywhere...well, after half an hour, it didn't get out of the stomach...bad sign. So, the vet decided it was best to do surgery right away. Charlie went under the knife around 6:15am and the vet said it would take at least 3 hours...so we're waiting....and waiting...and waiting...this is seriously the longest three hours of my life...10 minutes feels like 10 hours...I've gotten roughly 3 hours of sleep (mostly from about midnight until 2...and from 2 until now (9:30) roughly an hour)....just waiting on the phone call...

...and the waiting continues...

Charlie boy

Poor little Charlie boy is sick. We had to go to the emergency vet today...Charlie had blood taken, an X-ray made of his stomach and an IV. Turns out he has a stomach and an intestinal infection...poor puppy! No food or water until the doctor gives us the ok (we go back in tomorrow morning for another IV and another assessment of how he's doing...Right now, Markus is cuddling with him on the floor, Amelia is passed out in her stroller bassinet...and I'm about to be passed out on the couch I'm so tired!

This also means that the posts that I was planning on doing to day about my "from scratch" challenge are being put on hold...I did make Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta, Eggplant Parmesan and will be making a roasted chicken with scalloped potatoes tonight. So, these will just have to wait until my four-legged child is better...

Amelia's noises

We were able to get a cute video of Amelia making her noises...too cute!

Another cute video...

It is officially official!

Amelia is a US citizen! Woohoo! Here are some pics to prove how happy she is to have dual citizenship :) Oh and that pic with her passports is her passport pic...too cute!

From Scratch...Tortilla Soup

Last night I made tortilla soup from scratch and good lord was it good! Luckily, I made a HUGE pot and now separated into 3 ziplock bags in the freezer for future meals! AWESOME! It is super easy to make and it is seriously really good. Normally, Markus hates soup...I mean he really despises soup...but this one, he just gobbles up! Score!

So, the recipe so that you can make this yourself!

2 tbs. olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 can green chilies (if you can't get green chilies, then use a jalapeno seeded and cut small)
1 or 2 cans of corn, drained (it depends on how corny you want it)
1 or 2 cans of kidney or black beans (again, depends on how beany you want it)
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 cup white wine
4-5 cups chicken broth
3 chicken breasts, whole

Extras:
sour cream
tortilla chips
cheese

Saute the onions in the olive oil in a really big soup pot.
When the onions are golden-ish, add the garlic and saute for another minute.
Add in everything else and bring to a boil.
Boil for about 15 minutes, then take out the WHOLE chicken breasts and cut into chunks or shred...whichever you prefer.
Add the chicken back to soup and simmer for about 45 minutes.
Serve! You can add in some sour cream and cheese...I do...then I crumble up some tortilla chips and put them in there too, or I use the soup as a dip, or I do both! :)

I hope you like this recipe! It is pretty simple, especially if you get everything chopped up before you start cooking...then it goes real fast!

From scratch...

I was a bit shocked to learn today that my lovely cousin Kira was planning on using ready mashed potatoes for her Thanksgiving dinner she is hosting. At first she just told me that she's doing mashed potatoes, the turkey and the cherry pie...I asked her if she was making them all from scratch (well, obviously the turkey will be bought...but her husband will be brining it.). I was a bit shocked to learn that she was just going to use ready mashed potatoes...luckily she will be making the pie crust for the cherry pie, and just a canned filling. I am sure this is the case with loads of families this holiday season though, not just with my cousin...besides, I believe I convinced her to make her potatoes from scratch...and then she'll also be a believer that mashed potatoes from scratch are super easy and the way to go!

This got me to thinking about how we (as a people in general, not just my husband and I) are eating. How is it that we have come so far in evolution, but insist on powdered mashed potatoes? Well, it is probably because we have come so far in evolution that we used these quick canned meals, ready meals...you name it. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of Maggi Fix (a packet of powdered sauces that help out meals) and I use them often during the week. But this is a holiday! I wonder how many other American families are going to used pre-made things instead of trying their hand at making them from scratch?

I used to be of the thought that if it is in a can, dammit I am using it since it is simple! But seriously, making things from scratch is also pretty simple! Mashed potatoes, for example, are one of the simplest things you can do. Peel, cut into chunks, boil until tender, drain, mash with butter, milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder (or real garlic) and onion powder. If you have a pressure cooker, then it makes things go a whole lot faster!

Before moving over here, I would make dinner by calling the local take-out. Now, that really isn't an option, plus, it is my opinion that Germans are more about cooking a meal and sitting down at the table as a family rather than in front of the boob-tube. Because of this, I have re-discovered my love of cooking and if I could, I would cook from scratch every day instead of using Maggi Fixes, but alas, with an almost 10 week old, this isn't really that possible. I try to at least make dinner from scratch at least 4 times a week, and so far, it works out pretty well. Tonight, for example, we are having tortilla soup. Yes, this requires canned stuff, but it is all canned veggies. I think veggies in a can are pretty good, especially since you can't really find sweet corn at the ready here in Germany!

So, this is the challenge to myself for the coming months/year. I am going to make at least 4 meals from scratch each week and post about at least one of on the blog. There might not be time to get around to posting about all of them, but nonetheless, this is the challenge to myself.

To start, I'll be making tortilla soup. You can play along with or just read about this little adventure...This week should be pretty easy considering I'm making loads of stuff for our Thanksgiving feast on Saturday... :)

New Pics...round 2

Of course there would be more pics! I couldn't stop at just 5!

New Pics of Amelia

Well, duh! What did you think? I'd go a couple of days without posting a pic (or 10) of the cutest little baby girl on the planet? Ok, ok...that has happened before, but today she was smiling just so much! I absolutely LOVE that she is smiling so much! She is such a precious little pea, I just can't stand it! So, here you go...your Amelia-fill for the day :)

A video!

I'm trying my hand at posting a video to this thing...and a better muse to use than Amelia! She's in her chair chillin. She loves it! She kicks her feet and her little hanging toys move and she laughs...pretty cute! I sound like an idiot, so mute your computer if you'd like...no seriously... :)

Going out

Last night Markus and I went to a birthday party for Markus' cousins. This was a pretty special birthday too. They are triplets and were celebrating their 90th birthday...get it? I thought it was cute. It was loads of fun, and we were there without Amelia...for the first time ever. She was chillin' with Oma and Opa. I had pumped, which was a good thing, since she got a bit hungry while we were away.

So, the party. It was great fun. Seeing some people that I haven't seen in a while, and meeting some new people. It was nice. I'm a bit hoarse from talking so much. I even had a beer and a half. That was nice...and yes, I was a bit tipsy. I got to watch Johannes and Tobi kick some ass at fussball (or kicker for you German folks). That is always fun. They get so serious and they have this stance...I really wish I had my camera on me last night so that I could have documented this.

All in all, loads of fun...but there was one thing on my mind all night. Yup, that's right...Amelia. This was the first time that I left her at Oma and Opa's for an extended period of time. Yeah, I got my hair cut last Friday and she chilled with Oma...but that was only about 45 minutes. And I have left her at home with Markus while I went to the store and that was maybe an hour and a half....This time it was a whole 4 hours.

I know, I know. Having some time without her around is nice...but I really missed her. This was the longest I've been away from her since the first night when she had to be under observation for 12ish hours. We got to the party at about 8pm, and at around midnight, I couldn't take it anymore...I had to get back to my little girl. I think all moms who leave their kids for the first time can totally understand this. I am sure it will get a bit easier as she gets older, but right now, at only 9 weeks, it is pretty hard to leave her. She is just my precious little pea and I want to be there for everything! :) We'll see how the next time goes...

Amelia's getting stronger

Well, obviously. She is getting older, but it is always awesome to see just how strong she is getting! Yesterday on her 2 month birthday, we were over at my in-laws, as we are every Wednesday. Amelia absolutely loves baby massage. I usually do this while we're over there since they have a wood burning stove in the living room and we can do the massage on the couch....much more comfy than on the changing table with the heat lamp on. So, we heated up the living room with the wood burning stove to the point where Marianne and I were sweating bullets, but Amelia was pretty comfy, considering she needed to be naked! She knows what is coming and starts smiling and giggling and it is pretty darn cute! When she's laying on her back, she is kicking her legs and moving her arms, basically being one happy kiddo. When she's on her tummy, she is just wanting to crawl. She tucks her knees up under her and then pushes with her toes (I've got some pics of that, but since it shows her completely naked, I'm a bit reluctant to post them since anyone can see the blog). Then she also like to lift up her head...and really high. It is so great to see...and below are some of the pics from the massage session :)

"I love baby massage!"

"Hey mommy! Look at me!"

And, of course, Charlie wanted to get in on the fun. He decided to nap by the fire...

Amelia's US Citizenship...

...is almost official! I sent in the documents that they needed...luckily my social security statement of my earnings since 1989 was proof enough that I lived there for more than 5 years after the age of 14. We should be getting her passport and her Consular Report of Birth Abroad Certificate in the mail within 10 or 15 days!!! So exciting!!!

One annoying thing though. On November 3, I did order my high school transcripts from the Dallas Independent School District Office of Records...it still isn't here. Luckily, my lovely parents are much more on top of it than DISD. Thank you mom and dad!

Dear Amelia

Dear Amelia,

Tomorrow you are going to be a whole 2 months old! Where has the time gone! You are getting bigger and stronger and cuter by the minute. Right now you are snoozing next to me on the couch. Lately though, you've really only like snoozing on mommy or daddy's chest. That's pretty nice, but after a while, mommy and daddy's backs hurt and when we try to put you down, you are wide awake. So, daddy tricked you last night and laid you down on your tummy and you just kept right on snoozing. Yay for daddy!

In the past month, you have been doing some awesome things! You have started smiling more and more....and you realize what you are smiling at. Also, you are beginning to laugh. No sound is coming out yet, but pretty soon, you'll be giggling with the best of them. You REALLY like it when mommy sticks her tongue out at you. You think that is just hilarious. Also, you LOVE baby massages! You smile the entire time, and then afterward, you are so relaxed, you pass out for a couple of hours. However, whenever mommy wants to take a picture of you smiling, you find the camera just so interesting, you stop smiling and you just stare at the camera.

Your little neck muscles are getting stronger too. You are holding your head much better than a month ago. It is still just a bit wobbly, but not as wobbly as before. :)

Things are much more interesting, probably because you can see them better. One thing that you absolutely love are lights. You can stare at them for hours...well, really minutes, but it probably seems like hours to you. I can't wait to take you to the Christmas Markets here in Germany to look at all the new things, and I think you are going to go nuts with all the lights in the US. They love their Christmas lights! Grandpa and Grandma are getting the Christmas tree ready, and don't you worry, there will be plenty of lights on it!

"So full of milk...can't smile, must look at that interesting thing mommy has in front of her face...woah...interesting..."

Some things that I have realized about you is that if you don't really get two or three good naps in during the day, you are up a couple of times at night...however, if you do get your naps in, you sleep through the night. It doesn't really seem too logical, but hey, that's what you do.

You are just a growing little bug! You now weigh 4590 grams (10.3 pounds)...I'm not quite sure how long you are, but I've had to pack away your newborn clothes already. Your just too long, and your giant feet don't fit in them anymore!

What is also cool is that a) your hair isn't falling out like most people said would happen and b) it is getting a lot lighter. So you just might have blond curly hair! Mommy knows absolutely nothing about styling curly hair, I'll have to get some tips from Aunt Sabine.

All in all, you are a pretty awesome baby! You're pretty cool whenever we go anywhere. You just want to look around and take everything in. It is quite adorable.

Sweet little baby toes...
I can't wait to see what the next month will bring us. You are just growing and growing, I just have to keep telling myself to remember all of these little things since before I know it, you are going to be going to college.


I love you to bits and pieces,
Mommy

Charlie the Delivery Dog

I ordered something from Quelle, Germany's largest catalog store (think Sear's Catalog) who just went bankrupt so everything in their store is on clearance. It took a while since everyone and their mother was trying to get on their store to order stuff...I was smart and decided to give it a try at 5:30 in the morning when I was up to nurse Amelia. It totally worked. I ordered her some long sleeved shirts and a nursing tank top for me. It came today in a nice box, which Charlie was oh so happy to bring to me...well, bring to me, show me and then play keep away. He was pretty proud of the box though...it was quite cute.

"Ok, I've got the box...now try to get it from me!!!"

"No, seriously...Chase me or you won't get your box!"

We finally got the box away from him and unpacked the shirts and gave the box back to Charlie, but now it was sooo uninteresting and he hasn't looked at it since...silly puppy!

Amelia & Charlie

We were having some family floor time today, which we do just about every day, but today it was special. Charlie was here! We have him for the weekend, and he seriously cannot be any cuter with Amelia! All he wants to do is lick her hands (since there is mommy milk residue on them!) and sniff her face (for probably the same reasons). We were listening to some of her songs while cuddling on the floor and Charlie decided that he also wanted in on the action, so he came over an snuggled right in. I had to get the camera. It was way too adorable! So, here are some pictures of the adorableness!

Cuddle!

I want to snuggle with you!

Nap time??

Ok...Enough with all this sleeping! Let's play!!!

Oh, and I know Charlie's collar is on upside down...I noticed it after I took all the pics...Markus put it on half asleep this morning :)

Amelia is a US Citizen...

...well, almost.

We had our appointment at the US Consulate in Munich today at 10am. We leave the house at 7am, giving us 3 hours for a 2 hour drive. Thank goodness we had that hour leeway! There was a horrid wreck on the A93 south of Schwandorf, which added an extra half hour to the drive. A semi decided it wanted to try to break through to the other side...it was great that I wasn't driving so that I could be a full fledged rubber-necker. It looked pretty bad, but it also looked as if no one was dead, so that is a positive thing...the middle railings...well, they were really bad off and would have to be replaced. Then there was road construction galore, which we totally expected though.

In the car with all the paperwork (the paperwork that I thought was full and correct that is!)

But, alas, we make it to the consulate at about 9:30. We make it through security...no phones or cameras, but that was expected. They also took Amelia's musical elephant...that was not expected. She was cool with it though.

Walking over to the consulate

The amazingly beautiful US Consulate in Munich...I hope you notice the sarcasm!

About to go in...no cameras are allowed inside, so this is the last that I was able to take...plus, the batteries died about 2 seconds later...

Then the waiting game starts. Luckily, now, for all services, you have to have an appointment. You still have to wait, but it isn't AS long as before. After about 20 or 30 minutes, we get called to a window to hand over all our documents so that they can start processing all this stuff. At the same time, Amelia decides that she is starving. Luckily, this mommy was smart and pumped the day before, so I had about 3 ounces of mommy goodness. Markus went to warm it up under running water and fed her while I delt with the paperwork.

I come to find out two things are wrong. WTF!! I checked everything roughly 9 million times to be sure it was all correct! Well, turns out, we had the wrong type of birth certificate...oops. And then I didn't have enough paperwork to prove my citizenship! Again, WTF? I have my passport, what more do they need? Well, they need proof that I lived in the US for 5 years. Dude...that was no where on your little checklist that is on the website. It just says that I need to bring something to prove that I lived in the US, they didn't specify the length of time I needed to prove. No worries though, I can mail all this in and we don't have to make another trip down to Munich.

The officer that helps us out is nice and so that is good. Markus made a comment that they imported everything from the US...the doors, the chairs, the weird movie that they had playing. It was cool...It was also Amelia's first trip to the US (sort of :)...).

So, now all I have to do is pop all this in the mail and in a few weeks, we should have all of Amelia's US citizenship stuff (passport, Consular Report of Birth Certificate, social security card). It was a pretty successful trip to Munich I must say...oh, and we had enough time to run to a Starbucks for a half caf caramel macciato and a blueberry muffin...just a little taste of home...even if the guy behind the counter looked at me like I was retarted when I wanted a half caffinated haf decaffinated coffee. Whatever.

Oh, and on the ride home, I made some smart ass comment that Amelia hasn't pooped since Friday and that she's just waiting for a chance to have her daddy change that one...yeah, she pooed roughly 5 minutes AFTER Markus left again for work...thanks Amelia!

UPDATE: My friend Tammy explained the reasoning behind proving you lived in the US for 5 years...You have to live in the US for 4 years as an adult citizen in order to pass on US citizenship to your children. So miss Amelia, looks like you'll be living in the US for 5 years at some point in time in your life! :)

Amelia has a Boyfriend!

We were at our friend's house for his birthday dinner the other night. It was the normal people there, Hias and Ramona (the hosts), Fischi and Katl, Gonso and Claudia with their two sons, Moritz and Jonas, and Stefan. It was loads of fun. Hias and Ramona made some really awesome lasagne, and this wonderful Italian layer cake thing...kind of like a tiramisu minus the coffee and with lemon zest in the marscapone cheese...quite good. Amelia slept for the first couple of hours, which rocked so that I could eat with two hands instead of one :). Thank you little girl! I finally decided to wake her up so that our friends could see that yes, she is sometimes awake (most of the times that we've seen them, she's just slept)...and I also decided to wake her up becuase my boobs hurt.

Well, after she was well fed and burped, she got passed around to all the ladies and one little man in particular...Moritz. Moritz was absolutely smitten with Amelia. It was too adorable, and I am so happy that I had my camera so that I could snap some pics of the adorableness! Enjoy!

Moritz and Amelia
"Go give her a kiss on the cheek Moritz!" "OK!"
He kept going up to her to give her a hug or a kiss on the cheek...too cute!!!

A big smile!

Amelia has been smiling for the past week or so, but every time I went for the camera, she was more mesmerized by the camera and stopped smiling. However, tonight, Markus was making her smile, so I was able to snap some cute pics...and one of a really big smile :)

Ok, Daddy...do something funny!


Daddy is so silly isn't he! :)

Amelia's new trick

Amelia has a new trick and it is lifting her head! YAY! She really only does it when she's on our chest...she hasn't gotten the hand of it while she's on the floor, but I sense a breakthrough with that coming sometime soon. Markus was able to catch a couple pictures of the big event last night, so enjoy!