Here's a few more pictures: Jordyn in the hospital &a playground, the boys practicing their salutes- and one in front of our house.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Hello, Again!!!
Well, as Matt told you, this last week did NOT go as expected. There's nothing like throwing me into the German culture than to put me in a hospital with everyone speaking German! I learned lots of German words in that little amount of time. To make a long story short, Jordyn is home and doing well. Her kidney infection is cleared and she received good care. She is still on antibiotics and has to return in 4 weeks for a test to see if she has reflux. I had this as a child and so does my niece. I had surgery at a very young age, but now they treat it differently and a lot of children grow out of it. Her ultrasounds indicated she may have reflux too, but they won't know for sure until she has the other test. (It is NOT a pleasant test either - I have done it as an adult and its awful! I remember thinking I would rather be having a baby)
As far as the hospital and doctors they were all fairly nice. Their bed side manner is not the best, but they are usually helpful. The biggest problem I had was with my bottles. They either brought them to me scalding hot or freezing cold, couldn't get the amount right, took about 45 minutes to get them to me after I asked and they lost a bottle. Anyway, there's more to it than that, but you get the idea. All the doctors spoke English to some degree which really helped. My first roommate was a German woman who had been married to an American some time ago so she helped translate. My second roommate was an American from the same AFB so I could actually talk to her, lol. Anyway, German medicine calls for extended periods of time in the hospital - unlike in the states. They want you to stay and stay - I had to BEG a few days before they agreed to let me leave. The boys were very emotional about it all and school started on Monday for Landen. I had only been here a week at the time and I wanted out of that krankenhaus (hospital)!!!! Daddy did a great job bringing me clothes, food, and taking care of the boys.
Speaking of school, Landen had his first day of school! He is in the 3rd grade and his school is really nice. He has had a great week so far, but is having a hard time waking up in the mornings. They have a full computer lab - plus 4 computers in each classroom, a huge library, an art/music/PE/German teacher that they rotate each day. I think it will be a nice switch from what we came from! I have already gotten more information in the first week than the whole year in Jacksonville.
I'm attaching a few pictures of the hospital and Landen going to school, as well as one of our house. Obviously, the pictures of the inside of my house will still be coming. I still have boxes everywhere and am working on getting it all set up. We've ordered some furniture from Belgium but it will be 10 weeks before we get it. We are also waiting on some storage for the kitchen.
Thank you for ALL of your comments and emails. I learned that a lot of people actually read this blog!!! That's good to know. Oh - congrats to my sister for getting a job. She is now officially a tax lawyer. And a special thanks to Nana for flying out to help us during our "trying" time last week. I appreciate all the dish washing, nights at the hospital, and walks with the kids. We love you!
OH! One more thing - Happy Birthday to my nephew Connor! The boys miss you and wish they were there to celebrate with you!! Happy 6th!
I'm having problems getting my pictures to post - I got a few, but will try the others later.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Jordyn is home!
We brought Jordyn home today! Both her and mommy are doing well. Once Jolee is resting and back into the swing of things she will make a more detailed post with pictures. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers!........Matt
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Jordyn in Hospital
Hey everyone its Matt.....some bad news. Jordyn was admitted to the hospital yesterday with a kidney infection.....a German hospital. She was still running fever so we called the base clinic for an appointment and they told us to go to the emergency room. So we loaded everyone in the car and drove to Wittlich (pronounced Vittlich) to the St. Elisabeth Krankenhaus (Hospital). We went there thinking we would have to spend a couple of hours there at the most, but after they saw her they told us she would be staying there for a WEEK! So here is Jolee, been in Germany for just a week, and now her baby is being admitted to the hospital for a week. Well, Jolee has been awesome. She is the strongest women/person I know. She is in a foreign country and a foreign hospital and still has a smile on her face. I am truly lucky to have her. Jolee is spending the night, and all day for that matter, with Jordyn in her hospital room. Everyone at the hospital has been excellent. We feel she is in good hands. The language barrier has not been too bad.
So everyone please keep Jordyn and Jolee in your prayers.
So everyone please keep Jordyn and Jolee in your prayers.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Home, Sweet Home.... Kinda
Well, we made it. We are officially living in Germany! I'll give you a brief synopsis of the trip and fill you in on whats going on. I've got so many boxes to empty and things to do that I can't spend a ton of time. I have so much to tell....
For those of you I didn't talk to, here's a quick overview of our trip. We were supposed to head out of Little Rock on Thursday and be in Germany by Friday afternoon. We checked into the airport (outside w/ the porters) and got our boarding passes. My father in law was set to fly to Baltimore with me so he was with us. We were told our plane was delayed by 3+ hours so we chose to go back to my brothers house instead of hang around the airport w/ 3 children. That was mistake #1. Before we head back, I call to make sure we aren't delayed anymore and low and behold - our plane was NEVER late in the first place and it has departed!!!! Devastated - we get back to the airport to see if we can get on the next plane. Thanks to a rude lady, nope, we can't. I sit in tears w/ 3 kids who were ready to see daddy and tell them we are going back to my brothers house. Hayden asks, "one more night?" "yes, honey... one more night". I make several phone calls and end up driving to LR Air Force Base the next morning to get everything re-scheduled. They put us on a plane heading out the next day (Sunday) so I once again have to tell the kids - "just one more night!" Poor things. Oh, I forgot to leave out the fact that ALL of our bags made it to Baltimore - so they are no longer with us and we have no clothes. We wear our clothes 4 days straight (yes, we washed them every night.) I did end up going to Target and spending about $150 on underwear, extra clothes, toothbrushes, etc.... and my parents, who stayed in LR until we really got gone (thank you!) and brother made lots of donations. We had to buy more baby formula, diapers etc... it was such a nightmare!
On Sunday morning - we head out to the airport, needless to say my father in law doesn't get to go with us. He did, however, see me through until I got re-booked and tried his best to get the bags back. Thanks, Pops! He stayed so calm through all of it - I bursts into tears about 15 times. LOL. So, we check into the airport - get through security and that is quite an event in and of itself when you are flying by yourself with 3 small ones. We made it through (I'm sure we were a sight) and the worst thing that happened was that Jordyn had a dirty diaper that I could smell, lol. First things first, we changed her diaper got some breakfast and got on the plane. OH - and now my bags are no longer in Baltimore - they are officially losts :-(.
Hayden has flown before, but he was a baby and doesn't really remember. He sang, "I believe I can fly..." at the top of his lungs as we took off into the air. Jordyn cried the first 30 minutes straight and then fell asleep the second half of the flight to Dallas. We landed, found our way around the airport (including riding the sky rail) and got to our next gate. I found the kids some lunch - oh yes, Landen spilled an entire coke all over the floor which is always fun. It went straight onto Hayden's beloved bb (blanket) but we recovered. During that fiasco, I thought I heard a page for my name. I called Matt and they were all trying to get a hold of me. My phone was shut off - I had given a few extra days notice, but should have given more. Anyway - they found all of my bags and they were suppose to meet up with me in Dallas!! :-) I wasn't counting on it, but excited.
After 3 1/2 hours in the airport, we board our next plane. This one is just a short 9 1/2 hour flight. There is a poor man sitting between all of us on the plane and thankfully, he agreed to move over so I could be by all of them. In a nutshell - the boys did really well. They went to the bathroom a million times. Jordyn cried a good 4 + hours of the flight and slept part of the rest. I forgot to mention Jordyn had been running fever and I had been to the doctor the day before we were "suppose" to leave. She broke out into a rash the day after we got here but seems to be fine now. I didn't sleep a wink on the flight, Hayden slept from about 8:00 to 11:00 pm and Landen might have slept an hour.
Finally, we touched down!!! Only, we were now in Frankfurt, Germany instead of Ramstein and had a 2 1/2 hour drive ahead of us, as opposed to a 1 hour drive. We get through customs, find the baggage claim (just followed the crowd b/c there were not many English signs) and called Matt. He was right outside the baggage claim but couldn't come into help me! I get two carts - and lo and behold - all 8 of my bags are sitting there waiting on me, plus the one I checked in with. I push a cart, Landen pushes a cart, and Hayden has to push Jordyn in her stroller. Out we come and there stands Matt!!! RELIEF!!!!! I was so happy - we did it! BTW, I don't plan on doing that again by myself unless I have to. I've learned to never say never.
We made our drive home and I stayed awake for the pretty drive home. I've never seen so many vineyards and windy, curvy roads. It is really hilly and green everywhere. The weather is brisk and cool - a far cry from the 100+ in Arkansas we were having before we left. The house is great - its 2 story with LOTS of room downstairs. I'll get some pics up when I get everything settled in like I want. It will probably be a week or two. The Air Force Base is bigger than I expected and fairly nice. Matt definitely made the right decision to live off base. It was also really nice to have food at the house, diapers & toiletries. Good job, daddy!
I will be posting a lot more about where we live and what its like. The name of the village we live in is Herforst. I need to go work on unpacking some more boxes. Mom & Dad, Nana & Pop, Uncle Derek & family, Uncle Steve & family, Aunt Terri and all our friends - we miss you all!!! Thanks for a GREAT summer of fun. All of your help is much appreciated - babysitting, laundry help, cooking dinners, and entertaining. It really went very quickly and the boys had a blast staying so busy. Hayden is swimming w/o his floaties which is his big accomplishment for the summer. Landen got to pitch on his cousins baseball teams tournament game and struck somebody out! That was his highlight....as well as learning to do a back dive and back flip off the diving board. It was hot, but fun! Jordyn is standing by herself more and more, but not walking. Oh yes, she is finally clapping too!!! I tried all summer.
One last thing - I PASSED my drivers test today so I can officially drive in Germany! Woo-hoo!!! I made a 94 and was glad to get that thing behind me.... I studied quite a bit.
More to come.... check back periodically. Thanks for all your emails!
For those of you I didn't talk to, here's a quick overview of our trip. We were supposed to head out of Little Rock on Thursday and be in Germany by Friday afternoon. We checked into the airport (outside w/ the porters) and got our boarding passes. My father in law was set to fly to Baltimore with me so he was with us. We were told our plane was delayed by 3+ hours so we chose to go back to my brothers house instead of hang around the airport w/ 3 children. That was mistake #1. Before we head back, I call to make sure we aren't delayed anymore and low and behold - our plane was NEVER late in the first place and it has departed!!!! Devastated - we get back to the airport to see if we can get on the next plane. Thanks to a rude lady, nope, we can't. I sit in tears w/ 3 kids who were ready to see daddy and tell them we are going back to my brothers house. Hayden asks, "one more night?" "yes, honey... one more night". I make several phone calls and end up driving to LR Air Force Base the next morning to get everything re-scheduled. They put us on a plane heading out the next day (Sunday) so I once again have to tell the kids - "just one more night!" Poor things. Oh, I forgot to leave out the fact that ALL of our bags made it to Baltimore - so they are no longer with us and we have no clothes. We wear our clothes 4 days straight (yes, we washed them every night.) I did end up going to Target and spending about $150 on underwear, extra clothes, toothbrushes, etc.... and my parents, who stayed in LR until we really got gone (thank you!) and brother made lots of donations. We had to buy more baby formula, diapers etc... it was such a nightmare!
On Sunday morning - we head out to the airport, needless to say my father in law doesn't get to go with us. He did, however, see me through until I got re-booked and tried his best to get the bags back. Thanks, Pops! He stayed so calm through all of it - I bursts into tears about 15 times. LOL. So, we check into the airport - get through security and that is quite an event in and of itself when you are flying by yourself with 3 small ones. We made it through (I'm sure we were a sight) and the worst thing that happened was that Jordyn had a dirty diaper that I could smell, lol. First things first, we changed her diaper got some breakfast and got on the plane. OH - and now my bags are no longer in Baltimore - they are officially losts :-(.
Hayden has flown before, but he was a baby and doesn't really remember. He sang, "I believe I can fly..." at the top of his lungs as we took off into the air. Jordyn cried the first 30 minutes straight and then fell asleep the second half of the flight to Dallas. We landed, found our way around the airport (including riding the sky rail) and got to our next gate. I found the kids some lunch - oh yes, Landen spilled an entire coke all over the floor which is always fun. It went straight onto Hayden's beloved bb (blanket) but we recovered. During that fiasco, I thought I heard a page for my name. I called Matt and they were all trying to get a hold of me. My phone was shut off - I had given a few extra days notice, but should have given more. Anyway - they found all of my bags and they were suppose to meet up with me in Dallas!! :-) I wasn't counting on it, but excited.
After 3 1/2 hours in the airport, we board our next plane. This one is just a short 9 1/2 hour flight. There is a poor man sitting between all of us on the plane and thankfully, he agreed to move over so I could be by all of them. In a nutshell - the boys did really well. They went to the bathroom a million times. Jordyn cried a good 4 + hours of the flight and slept part of the rest. I forgot to mention Jordyn had been running fever and I had been to the doctor the day before we were "suppose" to leave. She broke out into a rash the day after we got here but seems to be fine now. I didn't sleep a wink on the flight, Hayden slept from about 8:00 to 11:00 pm and Landen might have slept an hour.
Finally, we touched down!!! Only, we were now in Frankfurt, Germany instead of Ramstein and had a 2 1/2 hour drive ahead of us, as opposed to a 1 hour drive. We get through customs, find the baggage claim (just followed the crowd b/c there were not many English signs) and called Matt. He was right outside the baggage claim but couldn't come into help me! I get two carts - and lo and behold - all 8 of my bags are sitting there waiting on me, plus the one I checked in with. I push a cart, Landen pushes a cart, and Hayden has to push Jordyn in her stroller. Out we come and there stands Matt!!! RELIEF!!!!! I was so happy - we did it! BTW, I don't plan on doing that again by myself unless I have to. I've learned to never say never.
We made our drive home and I stayed awake for the pretty drive home. I've never seen so many vineyards and windy, curvy roads. It is really hilly and green everywhere. The weather is brisk and cool - a far cry from the 100+ in Arkansas we were having before we left. The house is great - its 2 story with LOTS of room downstairs. I'll get some pics up when I get everything settled in like I want. It will probably be a week or two. The Air Force Base is bigger than I expected and fairly nice. Matt definitely made the right decision to live off base. It was also really nice to have food at the house, diapers & toiletries. Good job, daddy!
I will be posting a lot more about where we live and what its like. The name of the village we live in is Herforst. I need to go work on unpacking some more boxes. Mom & Dad, Nana & Pop, Uncle Derek & family, Uncle Steve & family, Aunt Terri and all our friends - we miss you all!!! Thanks for a GREAT summer of fun. All of your help is much appreciated - babysitting, laundry help, cooking dinners, and entertaining. It really went very quickly and the boys had a blast staying so busy. Hayden is swimming w/o his floaties which is his big accomplishment for the summer. Landen got to pitch on his cousins baseball teams tournament game and struck somebody out! That was his highlight....as well as learning to do a back dive and back flip off the diving board. It was hot, but fun! Jordyn is standing by herself more and more, but not walking. Oh yes, she is finally clapping too!!! I tried all summer.
One last thing - I PASSED my drivers test today so I can officially drive in Germany! Woo-hoo!!! I made a 94 and was glad to get that thing behind me.... I studied quite a bit.
More to come.... check back periodically. Thanks for all your emails!
Saturday, August 4, 2007
6 Days to go....
But, who's counting? The boys! Me to for that matter. The last 6 weeks have gone fairly quickly but I am ready to get back to being a "normal" family (if there is such.) I've got lots to post about, but no pictures really.
I had a great girls trip with my two friends Mitzi & Kristy. I just love getting together with them. We had a fun trip to Tulsa together. The only thing that was wrong was we didn't get to stay longer than one night. I have pictures, but will have to post them later. I love you girls!
The boys are having lots of "I miss daddy" days. We cry, laugh and cry some more. There have been a few days of crying recently - doesn't that surprise you? One day I think there was one of the four of us crying from the time we woke up until we went to bed. I had gotten some mis-information about my flights and was having a meltdown. To make a long story short, my wonderful father in law is flying to Baltimore with me! I couldn't figure out how in the world I was going to get my 8 bags plus 4 carry on bags, a stroller/car seat, and three kids' from baggage claim to the international gate - especially with an 8 hour layover in Baltimore! Not to mention taking them to the bathroom, feeding them, etc. I can't re-check my bags until 6 hours prior to departure. Anywho - it will be as easy as pie now that I have help on the first leg of the trip. Ok, not as easy as pie, but easier. Thanks Pops and Nana!!! Daddy has everything waiting for us on the other end so it will be a great relief to see him!
I know these are all random thoughts and there is no organization to this post. Sorry. Tomorrow Landen is getting to play baseball with his cousin, Jack's baseball team! He is so very excited and a little nervous. He didn't play all-stars this year because of the move so its been a while for him. They are playing in a kid pitch tournament and Landen may even be able to pitch a little bit! It is going to be HOT, but hopefully they'll have fun together. I think they are going to be playing against 9/10 yr old teams so it may not turn out too pretty. LOL
Jordy Pordy Pie is doing great. She's just the sweetest thing ever. She'll be 10 months on Monday so I thought I would write a little about her. I doubt I am able to on Monday because I am packing to head to Little Rock for a couple of days before we fly out.
Jordyn - your not walking yet, but VERY, very close. You are cruising around furniture and letting go to move from one piece of furniture to another. You really don't have a walker to practice with much, or you might already be well on your way. You are turning your fit "inward" instead of in your usual "ballet" position. I think it won't be long. You still crawl and pull up at lightning paced speed. You still get very startled at loud noises and cry when other children (including your brothers!) cry. You are just Ms. Sensitive. :-) Let's see... You have gotten to know ALL of your grandparents really well and will go to them at any time. Mommy has really enjoyed this part of it! However, daddy is missing you like crazy. You can open and close doors/drawers and you LOVE to empty everything out of a drawer and hand it to someone. You talk quite frequently with all kinds of sounds and you can wave bye, bye as well as put the phone to your ear. Nana says you can say, "chicken" among other various words, but I think Nana is a little coo-coo. LOL Pawpaw seems to be one of your favorite people to see and Nana and Grammy are so good at taking care of you. They know your schedule and I don't have to worry a bit. Let's see.... you definitely have a favorite stuffed animal - its a pink/white checked bunny rabbit. You love to rub its ears and lay your head on it. You also get very excited at the site of a baby doll. There are definitely days you are fussy, but overall you are still very easy going and easy to take out. Oh yes, you enjoy clicking your tongue and imitating people too. You're wearing mostly 18 mo clothes and weigh 20.4 lbs as of a couple of days ago. The rolls on your legs are growing and cute! You still do not have any teeth and I have a feeling you are waiting to pop some on that airplane ride to Germany. You are eating all kinds of baby food, plus cheerios and some dissolvable snacks. I gave you meat sticks for the first time the other day and you LOVED them. You can also eat a cracker and chew on a corn cob for hours on end. Ok, not hours, but it occupies you for a while. You also still love your brothers and give them lots and lots of hugs and kisses. You can also wave bye-bye to people, but I still can't get you to clap. It will come... by our next post, maybe. Happy 10 months on Monday!
Now that I've written a book, I best go. Its getting late and it will be past my bedtime before I know it. I'll let you know when we make it over to Germany! I can't wait to get back into posting all the time and adding some pictures.
I had a great girls trip with my two friends Mitzi & Kristy. I just love getting together with them. We had a fun trip to Tulsa together. The only thing that was wrong was we didn't get to stay longer than one night. I have pictures, but will have to post them later. I love you girls!
The boys are having lots of "I miss daddy" days. We cry, laugh and cry some more. There have been a few days of crying recently - doesn't that surprise you? One day I think there was one of the four of us crying from the time we woke up until we went to bed. I had gotten some mis-information about my flights and was having a meltdown. To make a long story short, my wonderful father in law is flying to Baltimore with me! I couldn't figure out how in the world I was going to get my 8 bags plus 4 carry on bags, a stroller/car seat, and three kids' from baggage claim to the international gate - especially with an 8 hour layover in Baltimore! Not to mention taking them to the bathroom, feeding them, etc. I can't re-check my bags until 6 hours prior to departure. Anywho - it will be as easy as pie now that I have help on the first leg of the trip. Ok, not as easy as pie, but easier. Thanks Pops and Nana!!! Daddy has everything waiting for us on the other end so it will be a great relief to see him!
I know these are all random thoughts and there is no organization to this post. Sorry. Tomorrow Landen is getting to play baseball with his cousin, Jack's baseball team! He is so very excited and a little nervous. He didn't play all-stars this year because of the move so its been a while for him. They are playing in a kid pitch tournament and Landen may even be able to pitch a little bit! It is going to be HOT, but hopefully they'll have fun together. I think they are going to be playing against 9/10 yr old teams so it may not turn out too pretty. LOL
Jordy Pordy Pie is doing great. She's just the sweetest thing ever. She'll be 10 months on Monday so I thought I would write a little about her. I doubt I am able to on Monday because I am packing to head to Little Rock for a couple of days before we fly out.
Jordyn - your not walking yet, but VERY, very close. You are cruising around furniture and letting go to move from one piece of furniture to another. You really don't have a walker to practice with much, or you might already be well on your way. You are turning your fit "inward" instead of in your usual "ballet" position. I think it won't be long. You still crawl and pull up at lightning paced speed. You still get very startled at loud noises and cry when other children (including your brothers!) cry. You are just Ms. Sensitive. :-) Let's see... You have gotten to know ALL of your grandparents really well and will go to them at any time. Mommy has really enjoyed this part of it! However, daddy is missing you like crazy. You can open and close doors/drawers and you LOVE to empty everything out of a drawer and hand it to someone. You talk quite frequently with all kinds of sounds and you can wave bye, bye as well as put the phone to your ear. Nana says you can say, "chicken" among other various words, but I think Nana is a little coo-coo. LOL Pawpaw seems to be one of your favorite people to see and Nana and Grammy are so good at taking care of you. They know your schedule and I don't have to worry a bit. Let's see.... you definitely have a favorite stuffed animal - its a pink/white checked bunny rabbit. You love to rub its ears and lay your head on it. You also get very excited at the site of a baby doll. There are definitely days you are fussy, but overall you are still very easy going and easy to take out. Oh yes, you enjoy clicking your tongue and imitating people too. You're wearing mostly 18 mo clothes and weigh 20.4 lbs as of a couple of days ago. The rolls on your legs are growing and cute! You still do not have any teeth and I have a feeling you are waiting to pop some on that airplane ride to Germany. You are eating all kinds of baby food, plus cheerios and some dissolvable snacks. I gave you meat sticks for the first time the other day and you LOVED them. You can also eat a cracker and chew on a corn cob for hours on end. Ok, not hours, but it occupies you for a while. You also still love your brothers and give them lots and lots of hugs and kisses. You can also wave bye-bye to people, but I still can't get you to clap. It will come... by our next post, maybe. Happy 10 months on Monday!
Now that I've written a book, I best go. Its getting late and it will be past my bedtime before I know it. I'll let you know when we make it over to Germany! I can't wait to get back into posting all the time and adding some pictures.
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