Turkey Day...Austrian Style

A lot of friends and family were worried we wouldn't be able to participate in a proper Thanksgiving here in Austria.  Boy, were they wrong!  We spent Thanksgiving with several other American families (and one young man from Tanzania) at the Shaffers' house.  They were all people who attend church with us at the Chapel.  I cannot begin to describe to you how wonderful it was to engorge myself (and Eli) in all this wonderful food!  We had all the traditional food items:  turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet pototates, cranberry sauce, and way too many pies!  I think Jer and I each had three plates of food, and then we proceeded to have three pieces of pie...so sad, I know.  I honestly believe I may have doubled Eli's weight in one day.  We were all rolling on the floor in agony after it was over with, but it was worth it.  As Jeremy told the guy from Tanzania, "it's not Thanksgiving unless you're miserable!"  

A big thanks to the Shaffers for a wonderful day of food, fun, and fellowship!  :o)

Shock and Awe

This expression was plastered on my face all night long.  We had another childbirth class last night, and we watched videos of different births.  I’m just so glad Jeremy was there to hold my hand!  This was so different than TLC’s “A Baby Story” that I used to watch with my college roommate and cry over.  It was definitely gentler than what I saw last night.  Of course, it was still amazing when the baby arrived, and the parents were so happy.  I’m still chanting, “Bring on the epidural!”  :o)

We also got another baby care package from the States yesterday, and I want to share one of Eli’s presents from his Uncle Jake and Aunt Dani! 

The front:

The back:

This little guy is going to be the best toilet-humored dressed baby in Austria!  :o)     

Frosty Is Mine! (A Christmas Tale)

Going along with the last post, I thought I would share a Christmas story with all of you (lest you run into my mother and get the INCORRECT version).  Like any good story, it is filled with love, greed, deception, and finally justice. 

Many, many years ago when I was a wee lass, my mom came home with two new stocking holders.  One was a Santa Claus, and one was a snowman.  They were both very cute.  Mom asked me which one I would like to have to hold my stocking.  Even though I liked them both, the snowman was infinitely better than any I had ever seen.  He had a crooked smile, rosy cheeks, and his arms were wide open as if to welcome me into a snowy hug.  I loved him at first sight!  When I declared my choice, I was so enthralled with my new gift, that I barely noticed my mom’s stricken face.  It would take years to bring forth the brewing emotions deep inside of her…

Fast-forward around 10 years or more when I am packing up items of mine to move into my new apartment with my just-wed husband.  My mom and I are going through the Christmas decorations, and I pull out Frosty the stocking holder to put into my pile.  That same stricken look haunted my mother’s face once more.  “What are you doing?!” she asked rather wildly.  I told her I was taking my stocking holder that I’ve used all these years.  It was too much for her to handle.  She declared, “That stocking holder was never meant for you!”  My mouth fell open.  Questions began swirling inside my head.  It was never meant for me?  Did she have another daughter who adored snowmen?  Was my mother losing it?  She finally started to explain that she just assumed when she bought the two stocking holders that I would choose Santa.  From the moment she picked out the stocking holders, she considered Frosty her own.  So, she had “let” me use Frosty all these years, but it was really her stocking holder. 

I pondered over this for several minutes.  But I still felt like Frosty was rightfully mine.  She gave the choice, and I picked him.  If she had said Santa was mine, and then I had pitched a fit to get Frosty, I could understand her reasoning.  So, I fought for my right to Frosty, and she gave in.  It doesn’t mean that she doesn’t mention her “sacrifice” every year, God bless her. 

So, here is a picture of my beloved Frosty:

I ended up giving him a hanger-ectomy a few years ago because he was such a lightweight, he couldn’t hold up my 8 lbs. stocking.  I filled in the spot with white paint and gave him a belly button.  I’m always afraid to have Mom visit when the Christmas décor is out because I never know if there will be a snowman-napping.  I guess I’ll just have to trust God to protect my little Frosty!

Love you, Mom!  :o)

Blogging In A Winter Wonderland

Today is the eventful first snow day!  Jeremy and I were busy making enchiladas in the kitchen when it came a mini blizzard.  The snow was a weird mixture of ice that made it look like Dipping Dots ice cream.  Yummy!  :o)  Here is a picture from our living room window…I love how you can see the Gloriette lit up!

It was also the first day of the Christmas market at Schönbrunn Palace.  Since Jer and I only live a block or so from it, we plan on going frequently for mass quantities of hot chocolate!  Here are a few pictures of our first tastes of chocolatey goodness today:

I am also proud to announce that our Christmas decorations are up!  I really like not having to wait until after Thanksgiving.  Since we left over half of our decorations back in the U.S., we don’t have that much to put up, but we did bring our favorite ornaments and such.  

For whatever reason they don’t make light-up Christmas tree toppers here.  We were geniuses and brought our own from home, but forgot we can't use them because of the different voltage.  Maybe one day we can rig some light behind it redneck style!  

Our favorite Vienna ornament with the Gloriette painted on it.

These are our stockings with a mini one for Elijah.  He’ll get a proper one once he’s out of the womb, I promise!

Table décor with reindeer made out of jingle bells.  And yes, Jeremy picks them up and shakes them anytime we sit down to eat!

And this is the real Reason for the Season!  Merry Christmas everybody!

Big Ol' Baby Boy

Yesterday I had my most recent checkup at the doctor.  I always look forward to these appointments because it is the little opportunities we have to actually “see” Elijah.  It started off by getting my current weight.  Unfortunately, I can’t see the scale anymore due to my burgeoning belly, so Jer had to read the new number.  When he said the weight number, I about fell off the scale!  How did I gain 11 lbs. in two weeks?!  I was fretting about this while waiting for the doctor, and Jer suggested we weigh again just to be sure.  Sure enough, apparently I was standing weird on the scale for him to see around me because it was 8 lbs. less than what he originally read.  Whew!  So, I’ve gained a total of 13 lbs. this entire pregnancy…not too bad!

On to the exam room!  I asked my doc for printouts of the ultrasound for my baby book, but unfortunately, after 20 weeks, it’s hard to get a “good” picture.  Here are the three we were able to get:

This is a picture of the top of this head...he looks brainy to me!

This is a shot of the umbilical cord...it's neat how it looks all twisty!

The ultrasound did show that Eli is no longer breech!  Yay!  I was really happy about this, but it was just confirming what I already expected.  I had been feeling hiccups way down low, so unless he had severe butt twitches frequently, I figured it was safe to bet that he was head down.  He is also apparently measuring early.  According to his measurements from the ultrasound, he is a couple of weeks ahead of schedule size wise.  If this is the case, he should currently be around 20 inches long and at least over 5 lbs.  This is honestly kind of a relief because on the way to the doctor, I told Jeremy I did not see any way my belly could get any bigger.  There are times at night when I switch sides, and for a split second, I’m afraid I’m going to die on my back like a turned over turtle!  Ok, maybe “die” is a strong word, but you women who have been pregnant know what I’m talking about…you can’t breathe on your back with 5 lbs. of baby sitting on your diaphram! 

Anyway, if he really is at 35 weeks instead of 33 weeks, this could mean one of three things:

1. His weight gain will taper off, and he’ll still be born at the same time and at a normal size.
2. I will, in fact, have an early Christmas baby.
3. His weight will continue to gain steadily, he’ll be born at his original due date, and he’ll probably be large enough to walk out of the delivery room. 

I’m obviously rooting for options one or two.  :o)

Youth Retreat 2008

A couple of weeks ago while Jeremy was in Japan, I had the honor of attending my church’s (International Chapel of Vienna) youth retreat as a chaperone.  Some of you may know Jeremy and I were youth leaders at a church in Knoxville for a while, and it was one of the greatest experiences we had there.  I had wanted to start helping out again with youth now that I have more free time, and Terry Kole, organizer extraordinaire, threw me in head first at this retreat!

I was originally going to be a counselor, but after seeing the daunting schedule, I was not sure I could keep up physically.  I know I keep mentioning this, but I’m pregnant!  So, I didn’t think it would be fair to any teens that were assigned to me to be stuck with the “lame pregnant lady who can’t even climb stairs.”  Terry thought it would be a good idea for me to be a “floater” and just go around helping wherever I’m needed.  This ended up working out wonderfully, and it ended up giving me the opportunity to get video footage for Jeremy to make one of his spectacular montages. 

The retreat was held at a boarding school here in Vienna.  I honestly didn’t think boarding schools existed…I thought they were only in movies when a new wife or husband married a rich spouse and sent their existing kids away in order to move in on the money unhindered.  But alas, they are there and thriving and ready to take on 50-60 teenagers hopped up on caffeine and chocolate for the weekend!  The theme for the weekend was “Got Change?” which is a great topic for this particular group of kiddos.  Some of them have lived in a different country every year of their life, and they have to deal with an ENORMOUS amount of change.  It can get pretty hard to deal with sometimes, so it was a good chance to remind them that God will always be a constant in their lives!  

One of the things I got to do was take a group for an hour on Saturday to teach them a song with harmony to perform.  I wasn’t expecting a large crowd (especially since one of the other workshops they could choose was simply “games”), but I had a wonderful turnout!  I taught them the song “Sing, Sing, Sing” off of Chris Tomlin’s new album “Hello Love.”  It was so much fun! 

All in all, I’m so glad I went.  The youth were amazing, and I also had a wonderful time getting to know the other counselors/chaperones.  It was a warm and fuzzy weekend all over!  Well, except for the poor kid who got knocked in the face playing rugby…I’m guessing he didn’t think eye surgery was the best way to end the retreat.  :o) 

Below is a highlight video…the song playing is the one I taught the kids!

Less Than 8 Weeks!

Well, it’s about 45 degrees outside and rainy, so it seems like the perfect time to stay inside and do some blogging.  First to report…Jeremy is back home!!  I can’t tell you how happy this makes me.  It’s been lonely in this apartment without him.  No one compliments my dorkiness quite like he does!  I’m glad he’s scheduled to be here from now on until after Eli is due.  Not to mention, it’s a whole lot easier getting groceries when you have an able bodied husband to lug them up the stairs for you!  :o)

Now it’s time for our monthly allotment of showing off my current girth!  I’m over 32 weeks, which means I could give birth NEXT MONTH!  Can anyone say Christmas baby?  Anyway, here it be:

Jeremy was a little surprised by my growth the three weeks he was in Japan.  He said my tummy is a lot “rounder.”  I think that’s code word for “fatter.”  But I think he’s right…I’ve now started to expand on the sides as well as straight out.  I guess that’s what happens when you are now carrying a 4 lbs., 17 inch boy!  Another new development while Jeremy away is the force of Eli’s kicks.  He has officially kicked hard enough to knock a TV remote off my belly and even throw me off balance.  Eli has also found my secret ticklish spot on my hipbone.  If you are around me any time soon, and I start laughing randomly and jumping up and down, you now know why…I’m not insane, I simply have a baby in belly trying to torture me with the giggles!  :o)

Not much has been going on lately.  I did decide to get the new hearing aids.  I feel like they really make an improvement in what I can hear.  I got to test them out in all kinds of situations, and now that I’m adjusted to them, I’m quite pleased with them.  I have also been to two other childbirth classes.  It’s a little frightening at times, but I’m learning a lot.  I’m happy that Jer-bear will be able to attend the last of the classes with me though, so I can hide my face in his shirt during the really scary parts!

I am very excited because the Christmas season is upon us!  The first of the Christmas markets open this weekend, and we are decorating next week.  I have already started listening to Christmas music on my Ipod too!  It may be a little early, but remember, they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here…I’ve got clearance to go all out!  :o)

Happy Voting Day!

Finally!  I don’t know about all you readers out there, but I’m ready for this election to be over.  I’m pretty sick of it, and I don’t even live in America!  It just seems like this election has been ridiculously tumultuous, and it has torn apart many people.  I do honestly believe that even if you think that neither candidate is the perfect option, you should do your part and VOTE!

And if all else fails you can look forward to this in the future:

And now time for “Ranting with Kristi.”  I’m not really sure what it is about repairmen that come to visit your house.  In all my experiences, I have never been happy with the time they decide to show up.  Of course they give you this block of several hours that they will come.  I have no problem with this.  I understand they have other places to be and things to fix, and they have no idea how long it will take.  However, in America, it seems to be the norm that they will inevitably show up PAST the times they set…even though it may be a 6 hour block they give you to be “ready” for them.  In Austria, it’s the exact opposite.  They will give you a time, and they will show up and hour or two earlier, which is just as frustrating.  Jeremy and I have been out and about running errands when we get a call from a frustrated repairman waiting on us.  What?!  Today I had a gas heater repairman show up an hour and a half early when I was in the shower.  I heard him pounding on my door, but what was I to do?  Go answer the door half naked, dripping wet, and by myself with no husband around?  I don’t think so.  He eventually left and came back 30 minutes later when I was at least clothed.  I urge all repairmen of the world to please try to honor your time agreements!  Or at least call to give us a heads up, so we can rearrange our schedule.  This now ends our time for “Ranting with Kristi.”

I will get back on in a day or so and give you all a run down of what happened at the youth retreat this past weekend (maybe even with an awesome video).  It was really wonderful, and I can’t wait for next year!

I’m anxiously counting down the days till my dear Jer bear returns to me…only 5 left!!