First Few Days at Home

(L) Grandma with Lucas

(L) I think every baby screams through their first bath. (R) Jack trying to rock the baby.

(R) Giving Lucas a toy. Jack seems to like the baby. He is doing well with it.

Proud parents -- we love this little one!

Hospital Photos

Germans dress their babies in so much clothing, even in warm weather. The hospital was no exception. Look at the number of layers they put on this child! I call this his snow suit. Keep in mind it's June and there is no AC.

Jack came to visit.

(L) Dinner at the German hospital. Breakfast consisted of 2 hard rolls with some butter and jam, and a cup of plain, unsweetened yogurt. Lunch was a cafeteria-quality hot meal. Dinner was sliced bread, definitely the worst meal of the day. For breakfast and dinner the only beverages available were tea, coffee and water. For lunch I was able to get some juice. (R) the view out my room window. This hospital is set back in a forest and so pretty.

(L) Ready to go home; (R) us in front of the hospital

Our first family picture upon arriving home.

Other interesting things about my German hospital experience:
*I wore my own clothes the entire time, including during delivery.
*When the nursery wanted the baby, they'd call and ask me to bring him up. During the first day or two I'd then ask them to come get him!
*The day after delivery a lady came in with a list of exercises they wanted me to do. Right!
*I delivered while kneeling up. Makes sense to have the help of gravity. I'm sure that would have made Jack's delivery shorter.
*They didn't bathe the baby until 2 hours after birth when I was moved out of the delivery room. They just left us to hold him those 2 hours, although the yuckiness had only been wiped off with a towel.
*We were left to guess conversions at first since he was measured in grams and centimeters.
*Currently in Germany they do not circumcise baby boys until they are at least 4 weeks old. We will probably take him to the American base to have that done sooner.

Significance of baby's name:
Lucas is a popular name here in Germany, and it is also the middle name of one of Aaron's best friends, Ben Boruchowitz. Brian is after my dad, Brian Higgs.

Introducing...

Lucas Brian
born June 23, 2009 at 4:20 am
7 lbs, 9 oz
20 inches

more pictures and details to come

A Prisoner In His Own House

Jack likes to pull the baby gate closed if it is ajar. The problem is -- sometimes he's on the wrong side when he does that.Jack got his cast off on Monday, but still is not walking. He's back to his speed-crawling.

Surprise Baby Shower

I have the greatest friends a girl could ask for! We were supposed to go out for dinner together last night, and instead they surprised me with a baby shower! Everything was so well planned out -- the food, the games, the decorations, the guest list. I can't believe how much work they put into it. I am really lucky to have such great friends! Thank you all!!

Working in the Garden

Jack's Little Accident

On Monday when I was mopping, Jack slipped on the wet floor and hurt his ankle. For two days he wouldn't put any weight on it, wouldn't stand up or walk, so yesterday we took him to the doctor. He screamed through his entire x-ray experience. Aaron went in with him; they wouldn't let me in because I am pregnant. And it was horrible for me because I just had to sit outside and listen to him scream for 15 minutes, and wonder what they were doing to him and why it was taking so long. Anyway, we weren't clear on the actual diagnosis, but the message we got was that two bones were rubbing together. It's not broken. They put a cast on him, and he will need to continue to be carried around until Monday or Tuesday when we take him back in to get another lighter cast that he can walk on. He doesn't seem to be in pain, though. I'll admit, baby casts are pretty cute.

Here's large me at almost 38 weeks. Just thinking about carrying him around for the rest of the week makes me ache even more.

Injured babies get to watch movies.

Bedtime Stories

This post is for my dad.

The yummiest face -- this is an image I always want to remember.

Five Years of Marriage

Aaron & Harmony

June 5, 2004

We met at a church activity in February 2003 while we were both attending Brigham Young University. Aaron had recently moved into my ward (church congregation). We started dating, and Aaron graduated that April. He stayed in Utah for the summer while I went home to Idaho to work (a 5-hour drive from Provo). We saw each every other weekend or more throughout the summer. In August of 2003 Aaron began his job in Maryland, and I began my senior year of college. By October we were engaged. We'd fly back and forth to see each other once a month, back when plane tickets were more affordable. It was an 8-month long-distance engagement, which is very long for Mormon engagements. We waited to get married until I finished my last year of college. Let me tell you, it was a long 8 months. We emailed and talked on the phone A LOT. Finally in June 2004, only a few days before the wedding, Aaron flew out west and we were married in the Idaho Falls Temple. We were so happy because, after being separated for 14 months, there would be no more saying goodbye; we finally got to stay together and spend every day together. I moved to Maryland and we lived there for 4 years, and have now lived in Germany for 1. After 5 years of marriage we are just a few weeks away from being a family of 4, and so blessed!

Happy Anniversary, Aaron!

(last year's post has more pictures)

Happy Birthday, Aunt Jaimie!

Happy 23rd birthday to my sweet sister, Jaimie! How lucky I was to grow up with my best friend.