goings on

Yesterday Miles and I were getting back from the store when we heard screaming down the road. The german shepherd that lives a few houses down had attacked a preteen girl and mauled her face. I helped her home and, being that I speak no German, there was little else I could do. In the end, the dog was put down and the girl is okay. I haven't been able to get it out of my head, though. It's a day later and I still feel sick to my stomach over the whole situation. I think that it's at least partially because I am so scared that Ros will do something like that since he decides to randomly hate people. Though I feel horribly for the girl and the people who lost their pet, on a personal level, I also feel warned. . . I don't know. I'm just rambling.

For years, I have wanted my own little craft/painting area. I finally got the inspiration and motivation to go out and get the materials needed to build a craft table in my dining room. It's a pretty large room and our furniture is white-washed pine(you can still see the knots and wood grain through a very light white paint wash). I went to the hardware store and found pre-cut pine counter tops and legs (with the leg holder things, for lack of a better term), and I made a corner table in just a few minutes. It was so inexpensive and easy that I don't know why I didn't do it a long time ago. I just have to get some white paint to white wash the table with, and it will fit right in. In a few weeks, I am going to get a sewing machine and storage for my materials. I am so excited!!

Other than that, Noah's colic is all but gone and lo and behold, there was a smiling, happy baby under all that belly gas!! Lea has been especially rambunctious lately. I took a shower with her yesterday on the recommendation from my MIL. I was sitting there thinking about how beautiful and bonding the experience was when Lea pipes up with "um. . . Lea peed? On mommy?" Oh yea, she did. Gotta love it!

Little Noah's first shot was yesterday. I'm not going to delve deeply into my views of vaccines or my reasons for doing what I do because that would call for a post that I am just too lazy to write. I am putting Noah on a very spaced out immunization schedule. This means more visits to the clinic, but only one vaccine at a time, once a month. I am omitting Hep B until he's older because I've yet to hear a valid argument as to why it's necessary for an infant to have this if he or she isn't living in a 3rd world country OR getting regular blood transfusions.
He got the HIB vaccine, and his little leg ended up swelling and he was VERY fussy for about 4 hours. I holed up with him in his room and rocked him until we both fell asleep for the night (thank goodness for comfy rocking chairs). He awoke this morning smiling and babbeling with no further symptoms. I am relieved.
I am painting Lea's room in the next couple of days. Two walls will be a light purple that I picked yesterday. I am only doing the "easy" walls facing opposite of each other since I'll have to paint it back before we leave. I am excited to make this place feel a little more like a home. I have had my doubts about living here, but it looks like we will for the next two years, so I want to make it cozy. I guess it's time to get to work!!
I started running, and while I can't say that I am very fast at all, it hurts in that oh so nice way. I get an endorphin rush every time I head out, and that's important to me since I tend to lull during the dreary months. I have to at least have a walk a day or I am almost impossible to deal with. . . like a puppy (or Roscoe for that matter).
I am going to take the kids upstairs now and see if they'll actually let me shower this morning.

Time Doing What it Does Best

Flying. Today Noah is two months old, and tomorrow I am 25. How does that work when he was born a few seconds ago? I feel like I am clutching sand here, folks. My husband and I have been married for almost four years, but that makes no sense to me since it feels like yesterday that I was stationed at Ft Drum and we were just starting to date. At the same time, I know that I have settled down so much since then. At that time, I couldn't go for a week without either taking a road trip, jumping out of an airplane, or climbing a cliff-face. My restlessness evaporated with every extra bit of responsibility that I took on. It had to happen and it was a good thing. I've never been this happy.

So updates. . .
-I can't keep clothing on my toddler. Every shirt is a battle, and pants? Forget it-- they're too easy to take off. Diapers will stay on if I'm lucky and if she's not telling me that she has to use the potty just so I take it off of her.My area rug may not survive her potty training.

-Noah is smiling a lot and even laughed this morning. He makes good eye contact and I take him to the doctor's next week and I'll find out how much he weighs. We've exclusively breastfed and have only come across minor hitches. The tip of his tongue is a little m-shaped (though he's not tongue-tied) and I think that this affects his latch. We've pretty much worked through it, though. He still cries quite a bit, but I THINK it's dying down.

-Roscoe is still naughty and the neighbor's kid is getting pet rabbits that he's keeping outside. Naturally, this is cause for concern.

-One cricket is still alive, and I have reason to believe that she ate the others. I think that Roscoe respects that and has thus chosen to let her live.

- I am reading Name of the Wind again and it still rocks my socks off.

- My husband gives me lusty thoughts (sorry if it's TMI, but this IS my blog)

Yah! A year in Germany

One week from now will mark one year that we have been here (longer for Miles since he came early to set up shop). When we first arrived, I was charmed. This wore off quickly when a bit of the culture shock and my distaste for extremely rude people set in. I've since gone through stages of adjustment and reached the conclusion that while Germany is a good place to visit, it's not home. The government is way too big here-- it's not the land of the free by any stretch. Sure you get free health care, child care and education, but you also get taxed up to 70 percent and you can't even carry a slingshot for home defense. So the Germans can have fun with that. I miss America. Go guns and student loans! Yeehaw

In other news, the family is doing well. We're very busy. Lea is a wonderful big sister and Noah is a cutie who is growing like a weed. He still cries a LOT, but it tones down when I hold back on dairy. I am soaking it up regardless because I know that he is our last and I'll never get this back. I am loving life and every pooey diaper that comes my way.

School is going well, but I have decided that yet another semester will be spent part time. That makes two part time semesters in a row and is under a personal goal that I set for myself, but I think that I need to prioritize. Heavy work loads make for stress which makes for irritability which makes everyone around me suffer. On the bright side, I checked out my degree audit this morning and I can see that I have only a few more semesters to go before I get my degree!

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