A picture is worth a thousand words...

It took me quite a while to come up with a title for this post...basically, there were so many! But, in the end, I went with a classic.

Charlie and I were on our usual walk (ok, so we had our walk already, but I had to run home and get the camera, so Charlie got 2 midday walks in which he didn't mind...but just pretend this is our first walk). We go basically the same route everyday, some days I change it up, some days I don't. Today, I didn't, and it totally paid off.

When we go on out midday walks, Charlie always brings along his favorite toy, his Frisbee. He can't leave home without it!This is after me telling him "AUS!" or "drop it". He does this rather well, and then backs away slowly so that you can throw it for him.


First up is crazy birrd. Someone decided they didn't want this lovely piece of taxadermy in their house anymore, so what the hell, they just nailed it to a random tree. I've always been meaning to take a picture of it, and I finally did. However, it has seen better days. It's been on this tree for about seven or eight months.

Then, JACKPOT!!!
Can you just imagine what I thought when I saw a freaking bulldozer in the middle of the Waldnaab??? Yeah, first, I hope no one is hurt. Second, "why the hell was someone driving a bulldozer on the bank of the river?"

As we got closer, I saw the driver, and I thought it was funny since just the calves of his pants were wet, and not his entire body. Then I asked him if he was alright. He said that he was and that the bulldozer did this to itself. It decided to pop out of the e-brake and go for a swim.
I seriously could not stop laughing. I had to call Markus and he just couldn't believe it either. What a walk Charlie and I had.

And, now for me, the picture that is really worth a thousand words...This was the first thing that I saw on our first walk and I just couldn't believe my eyes.

A few things I have learned while being pregnant

I know, I know. I've only been pregnant for a few months now, but there are a few things that I have learned.

*When you drink sparkly water, and then must throw up said sparkly water, it is still sparkly. I think this is one of the weirdest things that I have learned.

*Gummy bears come up liquidy. Gross, I know. But this is something that I have learned.

*Your friends can give you advice for hours on end. Some of the things may work, some may not. You just have to figure out what works best for you. One of my friends told me that her "morning" sickness was over right after the 3rd month was over. Not so for me.

*Sometimes, my mouth tastes like I have been sucking on change. That's a pretty nasty taste.

*A 20 minute nap can do wonders for me.

*Don't take a bath when you are feeling nauseous. It'll make it worse.

*It doesn't matter if your mom didn't have morning sickness. My mom says she didn't, but I have definitely had a "healthy" dose of it.

*I love milk so much, but right now, I cannot stand the sight of it. Weird.

These are just a few of the things I have learned. I'm pretty sure that there will be more to come.

Are you serious???

Today started out so lovely, then it started snowing. And, at 3:14pm as I write this, it is still snowing. Charlie doesn't mind it though. He's really happy in any type of weather. Heck, today he decided to go for a dip in the creek that we always walk by. Now he smells kind of like a fish. However, this is not what I wanted to write about.

Markus and I went out for lunch today to Subway. I made the most WONDERFUL discovery there...they have BEN & JERRY'S!!! I'm so freaking excited I cannot even explain to you the excitement. We are going out to dinner with some friends tonight, and since Subway is open until 11pm, we going to hit that up on the way home just for some ice cream! That is wonderful! However, this is also not what I wanted to write about.

This is what I wanted to write about: As Markus and I were sitting at a nice window side table at Subway, a car pulled in to the parking lot and it's front end was facing us. I noticed something truly odd about the front bumper...there was a decent size hole in it and a crack next to that. However, the absolute worst part was that attached to that hole was some fur!!! Are you kidding me? Nope, I surely am not! There was FUR attached to the hole in the front bumper. Upon further inspection, you could see marks...bloody marks mind you...going back to the wheel base! Markus was the one that noticed that it was a car from the Czech Republic. Don't they have car-washes in the Czech Republic??? Or, is it like a status symbol to show off that you killed a little animal with your car? I don't know, but seriously, get your car washed!

I remember when I hit a squirrel in Dallas. Mind you, they are stupid, stupid animals and will run under your tire if you're not careful. Well, this one did just that...what did I do...I was crying for the rest of the day. I felt so bad. I even went back to where I hit the squirrel, got it, and buried it in the back yard. I felt really, really bad. So, my question to these people would be, "Are you serious?"

UPDATE: It is like blizzard conditions outside right now! Seriously, I'm ready for spring!!! Oh, and the mention of a blizzard, my mind immediately shot to a Butterfinger blizzard from Dairy Queen...yum!

Finally!!!

We have pictures of the baby (now to be refered to as peanut)! Woohoo!!! Peanut was moving so much though, that it was really hard to take any really good shots of him/her...let alone be able to tell the sex. The doctor compared peanut to a tadpole...always on the move. She used the word "Lebendig" and I translate that as animated. Just like his daddy...well, maybe at this time more like Charlie. :) Even though peanut was moving so much, there were 3 times that we were able to take a shot, so here they are! And, I've explained them out as well in a separate photo :). Yeah!!!

Oh, and the doctor took some measurements. From the top of it's head to it's tailbone is roughly 57mm...or did she say 75mnm...I'm not too sure. But peanut is hunched over, so he/she is probably a bit bigger. I was too busy watching peanut jump around, so I didn't quite catch it...but I do know that she said a 5 and a 7, just not sure of the order. Peanut's upper leg is 12mm. Those were some of the fun measurements.

The first one is the best shot in my opinion. You can see the arm and the fingers really good. Plus the head is there. Peanut didn't feel like giving us any profile shots though, but that's ok...there's always hope for next time!

Here is the second shot. Peanut is kind of laying on his/her side with I believe their butt towards us. So camera shy at such a young age!

Here is another good one. A view from the top. This is looking at peanut straight on. After this was taken, peanut continued jumping...I wonder when I'll start being able to feel all of the movements this little peanut is making.

So all in all, a great day at the doctor. She said that peanut was super active, a great sign, and looking to be in perfect health. All of peanut's measurements are where they are supposed to be (even if I can't remember what they are exactly). My next appointment is on April 7, so hopefully there will be another peanut update then!

UPDATE: Markus said that the doctor did in fact say 75mm. It's a good thing one of us was paying attention!

They've made it to Spiegel

My husband, Markus, was doing his usual search of the news this morning during breakfast, and what did he find? Obama Fingers have made it to Spiegel Online! The link is below...

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,612684,00.html

Come and get it!

What could be more yummy and delicious than chicken fingers, you may ask? Well, OBAMA FINGERS! Plus, it comes with curry dip. As Sarah said..."Well, he did live in Indonesia for a while..."

Now, you may think this is not an actual advertisement...I can assure you that it is 100% REAL! I saw it in about 2 or 3 ads, for different stores, this week.

Dusseldorf, Part II

I left off yesterday after the first parade. So, after the break we were off to the city so that the Musikzug could play at a church. It was quite interesting since we had to walk through the city and see all the party goers. Let me tell you, that was pretty interesting. Everyone was dressed up. We saw a guy dressed up as a bride (and the next day in the Bild Zeitung, we saw him in the paper as having the highest blood alcohol content of those surveyed). There were many dressed as clowns, which I think is a normal costume.

Back to the church. It was quite interesting. It was called the "Jazzkirche". It was pretty interesting, and a lot different than a Catholic service, and I kind of liked it. The guys that were playing the sax, piano, drums and bass were absolutely amazing. The Musikzug wasn't too bad either. They did a rendition of "My Way" that was really good.

Well, after the church, it was time to take on Dusseldorf. First things first...FOOD! We were all hungry, so we had to find something quick. We had decided earlier to go to Hooters (baby was craving chicken wings), so that is where we went. Unfortunately, it was quite disapointing. I have to write a whole other post on it later though...it was that disapointing.

After the disapointing meal, we headed back to the streets. It was quite fun I must say. Even though I wasn't partaking in the drinking activities (but who really wants to drink a beer that smells like dirty socks?) I had loads of fun. We were dancing in the streets to many fasching songs...they were quite funny. However, you had to be pretty careful. There were lots of broken glass pieces on the ground, plus there were loads of little schnapps bottles (think airline size) everywhere and a crazy amount of trash. I was wondering how they would get it all cleaned up by the next day. I wish I had my camera with me to take a picture of that amount of garbage! It was quite impressive. And, they did get it all cleaned up. They had these teams of street cleaning trucks that were out in droves that night.

Ok, back to the evening. After dancing in the streets for a couple of hours, we decided to move on to a bar. However, the thing is that in Dusseldorf, people can smoke in bars. Luckily, the bar that we went to had an outdoor area with heaters, so that is where I was with some of the others. The waiter was pretty funny. One of the girls that was with us tried to speak high German to him, but he could tell right away she was from Bavaria, so I tested him to see if he could tell I was from the States. It was pretty funny. He was like, "You're from the North, no wait Denmark, no wait Berlin, no wait the West." Finally I gave in and told him I was from Texas. He got a laugh out of that. Then I ordered an Apfelschorle, and he said, "What, you come all this way from Texas and you just drink juice and not our wonderful beer?" I then told him it wasn't wise for pregnant women to drink beer. So he brought the apfelschorle for the baby.

By about midnight, I am pooped, but I didn't want to make Markus go home early. So I had him put me into a taxi and send me home. That was nice. I got home, brushed my teeth and went to bed. I didn't even hear the other when they came home. I was that tired.

The next day, Rosenmontag, was the big Faschings Parade in Dusseldorf. Luckily, we didn't have to leave until about 11, so everyone got to sleep in just a bit. After everyone was dressed, the Musikzug played a bit for the Priest and the priest's helper (the dudes that allowed us to stay at the youth center). That was nice. Then it was off to the big parade.

The parade started at 1:35pm, but it took about 45 minutes until the Musikzug could start marching...they were number 33.12 in the parade...there were lots of people in the parade. It was quite nice (I'll get pics posted later) and luckily, it didn't rain during the parade, just a bit before. We marched for roughly 7 kilometers, but it really didn't feel that long. We were on TV, however, I don't know how long, or who exactly was on TV, but nonetheless, we were on TV.

The best part about the parade were definitely the kids. They were so freaking cute. All dressed up and screaming out "Hellau" (it's what they say in Dusseldorf during Fasching). They were quite disapointed that we weren't throwing candy, but, they were still cute nonetheless. The best costume that both Markus and I saw was this little kid dressed up as a kangaroo...and in the pouch was a little kangaroo. Our kid will definitely be a kangaroo in the future! Another awesome part of the parade is that I found 20 Euro on the ground! Woohoo! That was pretty great.

So, all in all, Dusseldorf was a great trip (minus the Hooters). I would recommend going to the Dusseldorf Fasching Parade...but be prepared for lots of drunken party goers.