Tuesday, July 26, 2011

The Loooooong Trip Over-Part Two

See Part One here


Ok, to finish off the trip...

After United guy ditches us, we go to the Customer Service desk which turned out to be zero help!  "Sorry, United is not answering the phone, there is nothing I can do".   SO we decide to check into a hotel and come back in the morning.  I mean, what else can we do?
18:30-Go see hotel guy at airport who is very friendly and helpful.  Hooks us up with a Holiday Inn Express.  Gives us directions and a pamphlet. 
19:00-Off to find hotel! I decide to just do exactly what the hotel guy says direction-wise...which get us lost.  Then I decide to actually look at the pamphlet and see that hotel guy left out one piece of information in his directions.  So we back track, fix the mistake and arrive at the hotel. 
19:30-We arrive at a 4-star Holiday Inn and what we booked was the 3-star Holiday Inn Express! YES, the hotel guy gave us the WRONG directions and the WRONG pamphlet.  Holy cow.  We try to just stay there except when you book through the airport they charge you 8 Euros and that is non-refundable plus we had already paid 33% of the other hotel (yes, also non-refundable).  Can we PLEASE arrive in America and never ever leave? 
20:00-So, back to the airport and back to the hotel guy to get correct directions.  Which we do. 
20:45-Finally, arrive at the correct 3-star hotel.  Eat expensive frozen pizza and drink overcharged cola.  Crash. 

Saturday:
7:00-Get up, shower, eat
8:30-Head to airport. 
9:30-Arrive at airport, wait in line, find out that we can come back to try to catch a plane via stand-by, but since we don't have our stuff, it's going to be hard to go back to the hotel and get our stuff and still make the plane.  But we sure are going to try!  We have to be back by 11:25 at the latest.
10:15-Back at hotel.  Rush around, pack, blah, blah, blah. We went ahead and checked out because we had booked two nights in case they were full, but were very optimistic that we would catch a flight.  Guess what?  When you book through the airport, you can't check out early! Well, you can, but you have to pay for every night you requested.  So we got to pay for a night in a hotel we didn't use!! Oh, Europe, your customer service skills are wearing me out. 
11:15-Arrive at airport! We made it! Yay!!!
12:25-Sitting on a plane, sitting on a plane (just sing that phrase in your head over and over and you can imagine how happy we were)
8 laters later with a time change, we arrive at the DC airport.   It's like 13:30 or something local time.   Our next flight was booked for 22:30, but turns out there is a flight that leaves from DC to WV (our destination) at 15:00 or something, but guess what?  Because we were assigned the 22:30 flight, we cant switch! America, you disappoint me.
Anyway, we killed 8 hours on a plane with a toddler, then 8 hours in an airport with a toddler, then a short 1 hour flight and then fianlly arrived in WV to visit Hubby's family.  We survived and she actually did quite awesome considering what we put her through.  Kids are so amazing!

All in all, it sucked, but it was just a trip and I've certainly dealt with worse! But, I'll tell you one thing, I aint flying United again unless I have to!

Friday, July 22, 2011

The Loooooong Trip Over-Part One

Well.  You know that saying "right across the pond"?  I used to say that.  Once you have had not one, but two not awesome experiences "across the pond", you realize that a 3,000 mile ocean is no pond.  I am only halfway joking as I know there are more serious issues in life than pleasant journeys :)

But, for real yo.  Check out our craaaazy 48 hour journey.

Friday:
9(am)-ish:  Get on train with a.) baby b.) stroller + carseat c.) 2 checked bags d.) 3 carry-ons
While on train, rearrange bags with Hubby.  Try to find the "best" way to carry all that crap.
9:15-ish: We have appoximately 2 mins to change trains...with a baby and all our crap
10:30-ish (ok, I am going to quit writing "ish".  Just know that I have no exact times!): Realize we are a carry-on short!  Which carry-on?  Why, the one with our diapers, our social security cards, our passports, our birth certificates, and our plane tickets.  Oh yeah, we are awesome.  And freaked out.  And now very, very sick to our stomachs.  Tell attendant who doesn't speak English.  Tell attendant via pantomime.  Attendant responds "Tell them in Nuremburg" and leaves us. Sad face.
12:30:  Arrive in Nuremburg.  Go to the office where you go when you are screwed.  Guess what?  Attendant doesn't speak English! Ok, to be fair, he spoke a little.  Enough to realize we are totally freaking out and need HELP.  Sit around entertaining poopy pants baby (diapers are in the lost bag, remember?  And we are in a German train station so noooo diaper stores!) while Hubs and attendant try to fix our situation. 
13:15-Attendant: "They did not find your bag".  Begin to hyperventilate. (Not really).
13:17-Ring, Ring! Attendant" Oh wait, they did find your bag".  Breathe again, just breathe.  This is what we have to do: rent a car, get a German road map, find a rinky dink town we have never heard of with no GPS, go get our bag, drive directly to Frankfurt to attempt to catch our 6pm overnight flight.  We go ask about a car.  Does the train station have one available?  Noooo.  However, the airport does and all we have to do is catch the subway, take a 15-min ride, and voila! We can have a car.  Go to ticket machine to buy tickets.  Insert 20 Euros.  Machine only takes 5 or 10 Euro bills.  Go to McDonalds to break our large bill.  Scarf down burger.  Feed baby french fries.  Buy tickets and get on Subway.
14:00-Get car. 
15:00-Arrive at rinky dink town and drive around for a looong time trying to find the train station. Get bag.  Feed baby real food and change poopy pants!
15:30-Give up on catching flight.  Decide to drive to Frankfurt in the hopes of getting on a later flight.  Call United and sit on hold for a full entire HOUR.  Run out of minutes on Hubby's cell phone.  Get out my cell phone and call mama!  Mama calls United and they tell her the plane is delayed so we still have hope of catching it.
18:00-Arrive at airport and watch our plane fly over our heads (can't know that for sure of course!).   Go to United desk, stand in line behind others.  German United worker to lady in front of us, "I must go".  Lady, "You are just going to walk away from us?" United worker, "Yes, I am".  What?  Excuse me?   Well, Toto, we aren't in Kansas anymore...(but we really wish we were!).  Apparantly, the desk closes at 6.  On the dot.  Redonkulous. 

Ok, kids, I gotta stop.  I'm giving myself a friggin' headache reliving this trip.  Stay tuned for part two!! And a happier ending :)


See Part Two here

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Wiggle Worm

Ok, so I really thought all toddlers were wiggle worms.  I wouldn't know personally since I only have the one, but that's what I thought.  I thought wrong.  We went to-and I absolutely cannot get over the cuteness of this name-"Baby Bookworm Storytime" today at the local library.  It's a 30 minute program.  You sing a little and then the teacher (who was a dude, but he totally rocked it) reads or just flips through a book depending on the book.  After each book, we sing a little song and point out body parts if the book addressed any.  For example, today we talked about hair and noses.  We sang "Wheels on the Bus", "Pat-A-Cake", the Open-Shut Hand song, and I learned some new ones.  We also talked about cows and what noise they make. 

Ok, TMI, sorry.  Anyway, there were maybe 8 kids there and 6 of them were sitting so nicely in their mommas (no daddys) laps.  What?  How do they get their kids to do that?  My child had to go around and say "Hi" and wave to everyone and then she wanted to show me everyone's "shuz" (Shoes for those of you who don't know baby speak).  And the books.  Baby Girl loves books.  Loves books.  I can't say that enough.  So every book the teacher was reading, she thought she should have.  She did fine when I told her no.  She didn't have any meltdowns or anything, but between her wanting to hold every book and wanting to touch everyone's shoes, I stayed busy!  Which I am certainly not complaining about.  It is my job to parent and I am so proud of her confidence and curiousity.  But I am left to the conclusion that all toddlers are not extreme wiggle worms as I once supposed. 

It all makes sense now.  In my womb, she kicked me all day every day.  Seriously, I do not know when the child slept.  Then as an infant, she was always moving her arms and her legs.  You see those adds where there is a momma gazing down at her little bundled up infant?  Not my child! She wanted to stretch and kick and look around!  Even as a wee little thing.  Once she started crawling, my hope of a snuggle bug really did die.  The only time I get to pretend she likes to snuggle is when she is drinking her milk in my lap (4 entire minutes of calm!) and for a few minutes right before bed.

One good thing about her constant motion is the child wears herself out and is a wonderful sleeper.  She is 15 months old and is just now starting to go to one nap a day (one really long nap).  Some days it's still two.  She also sleeps for approximately 12-13 hours every night! Bliss I tell you!

So, as dangerous as it might be, I am planning on Baby Boy being a calm snuggly little thing :)  Although I think being active is actually a wonderful trait for a child to have (no matter how much it wears me out) so maybe I should hope I get another wiggle worm! It's a good thing God gets to decide that because I would make the wrong decision for sure.

On the Baby Boy front, I am starting to get excited about having a boy! I have been praying about my heart in this area for months (no joke) and maybe God has determined it's time for some boy love to enter my soul :)  I was thinking about teenagers wearing itty bitty bikinis last night (some pictures I saw of teens in barely there swimsuits was really bothering me) and I just thought "Oh, thank goodness I'm having a boy!".  And, yes, I know they come with a slew of issues too, but string bikinis isn't one of them!

This afternoon, I get to be reunited with a dear friend of mine from Germany who is coming to live down the street from me!  That is how big God is :)  It's gets even better.  Our moms are friends, both or our husbands are deployed, we both have toddler daughters, and we are both pregnant with boys due a month apart! Sometimes I believe the lie that God doesn't do an adequate job of taking care of me and Baby Girl, but when things like that happen, I am totally humbled and realize how selfish I am to think that my husband could do better than my Creator. 

Ok, gotta run.  Have a great weekend!

Also, I don't nearly put enough pictures up, so here is one of my precious girl and my precious husband on the day he left. 


Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Long Overdue

And I would like to say that from now on I will be blogging regularly, but I can't say that with any surety.  I think I might blog more since I am finally settled after a crazy crazy crazy 4 weeks.  But no promises, ok?!  Like everything else in my life I am either at the top of my game...or the bottom.  It's a pretty frustrating way to live!

We had a horrible trip from Germany to the States.  I thought it couldn't get worse compared to last time and I can't decide if it was worse or a tie!  I will be writing about it soon trying to record every gory detail.  Trip aside and husband gone aside, I really like America.  Air conditioning, Target, family, my own car...pretty amazing stuff! 

The kids are both fine.  (It is weird to say that!).  Well, Baby Girl is definitely fine, Baby Boy (in my belly) hasn't been checked on since June 17th, but I think he's fine too.  I have an appointment next week to check on him. 

Speaking of Baby Boy, he is quite calm in utero compared to Baby Girl.  I rarely feel him kick (I'm at 20 weeks).  With my daughter, she kicked me hard all the time.  Maybe he'll step it up, but I like the thought of a calm baby/child since Baby Girl never stops moving!! I'll take a snuggler please :)

Speaking of my wiggle worm, I hear her waking up so I gotta run. 

Here's to the USA and more blogging!