Thanksgiving, Christmas Markets and Bryan!

Christmas time in Germany has been magical! We have loved exploring the different markets and enjoying all the festivities! So far we have been able to go to Wiesbaden, Rudesheim, Heidelberg's markets, and hoping to make it to Mainz this weekend.  Each one is little different but they all have beautiful lights, vendors selling food, drinks, craft and Christmas decor. And we get to bring Achilles with us to all the markets which is always fun!
The Christmas Market in Wiesbaden has a beautiful ice skating ring in front of the gorgeous Kurhaus and Theater that I want to skate on so very badly.  Next year! But for now I love watching!
Clayton and I have enjoyed trying some of the new foods they offer.  Lebkuchen cookies (taste like gingerbread cookies) and special hot chocolate has been my favorite so far. YUM YUM
Here is a picture of Wiesbaden's Market.  Gives you a good idea of how it looks!  (Picture not taken by me. got it off of http://blog.autoeurope.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/christmas-market-frankfurt.jpg)






We were in a festive mood this year and decorated for Christmas. Our apartment is on the smaller side, so we decided to go with a small Christmas tree less than 3 feet tall. It is perfect for us! (I went to take a picture of the Christmas tree and half the lights have gone out..... ARG! Picture may come later) Here is a picture of the outside of our apartment all decorated!

Thanksgiving was great this year. A little different celebrating it this year in a country that doesn't celebrate it but we had a good time.  Clayton baked a small turkey and I made all the good Southern sides:  sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, black eye peas, stuffing, homemade biscuits, sweet tea, cranberry sauce, and apple pie. Lots of food!! We were able to have one of Claytons co-workers come over for dinner that didn't have family in the area.  There was a ton of food left overs.

Baby Bryan is still doing great! Still "cooking" away! Due date is quickly approaching! 1 month!! The doctor told me to go ahead and pack the hospital bag and install the car seat, so we are all set and ready.  Putting the car seat has made it very real!  There will be a sweet bundle of joy in that seat extremely soon. EEK!
Here is the most recent picture of our little man.  The thing to the left is his knee! He is definitely running out of room but you would never know it from all the moving he is still doing! The doctor last visit called him "spunky" from all of his wiggling, kicking and rolling around he did at the last appointment. I think that is the perfect description for him. Already in so much love with our baby!! Check out those sweet cheeks and lips!! I see the Turners lips already!

Here is our Christmas card photo!!  We took it at the park in our neighborhood and just set up the tripod.  Super impressed Achilles is looking at the camera and didn't get too excited about the running back and forth. Last Christmas card as a family of 3!

Halloween, Pregnancy Questionnaire and Random updates!

 Fall has been beautiful here!! The leaves are gorgeous!!!  Here is a few pictures from Achilles and I exploring around the neighborhood.  Weather is getting chilly here quickly, so we are enjoying the outside while we can!

Halloween was lots of fun this year! Germans do not do Trick or Treating but our military housing is open to the public and they came on post to enjoy the American tradition!! Most of our trick or treaters were German.  All of their costumes were homemade and made of sheets, and boxes. I was impressed!! Most of the kids came up and sang "Trick or Treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!!" with a huge smile. There were many people that came through we ran out of candy in less than hour!

 
We officially bought my (and Baby Bryan's!) plane ticket to Georgia in March for Mckenzie and David's Wedding!!! We are extremely excited for them and cannot wait to celebrate with them soon! Will be here before we know it.

 This week I am starting to take a German Language class on post!! Hoping it will help me with getting around and being able to communicate a bit better. Will definitely let you know how it goes and what I learn! 

I also started with PWOC (Protestant Woman of Chapel) a few weeks ago and have been loving it.  The bible study has been great and have been able to meet some amazing women.

 I thought it would be fun and do this pregnancy questionnaire!


How far along? 30 weeks and 3 days!
Total weight gain/loss: about 15 pounds so far!
Maternity clothes? Most definitely. Not too many non maternity things I fit into anymore.
Stretch marks? None yet!!
Sleep: Starting to have trouble sleeping and getting comfortable.  Pregnancy insomnia is real.
Movement: So much movement!! Kicks, hiccups, rolls. He is a mover
Food cravings: No huge cravings! Beginning of pregnancy was Eggplant Parmesan but not so much anymore
Anything making you queasy or sick: Meat is still kinda a hit or miss
Have you started to show yet: Oh Yes!! There is definitely a belly
Labor Signs: Not yet, just the Braxton Hicks. Baby needs to "cook" a lot longer!!
Missing anything? Zipping up my winter jackets, beer, sushi, coffee, wearing belts, and sleeping on my stomach and back!
Belly Button in or out? In for now... But it is sure shallow
Wedding rings on or off? Still on!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Today happy! haha depends on amount of sleep I get
Weekly Wisdom: Listen to your body...
Milestones:Baby Bryan is weighing over 3 pounds!!

Car accident

Just wanted to take the time to thank everyone for the thoughts and prayers for baby and I. Baby is doing great and I am still just a little sore but getting better each day! We have a doctor's appointment this week to double check everything.

So here is what happened:

I was trying to merge on the autobahn (highway) and was speeding up to get over (it has been sleeting that morning) and when I sped up the tires lost traction and I spun out of control. The truck hit the guard rail, bounced into the next lane and hit a semi-truck. It all happened very quickly. 

There was an American couple that was behind me that was such a blessing that they pulled off and where able to help by calling the police and sitting with me. I started having some contractions right after the accident, so an ambulance came and they recommended I spend 24 hours to be observed.

 Being in a foreign hospital was a bit of an experience. Most of the nurses and doctors spoke English but there was a little bit of a language barrier. The food was different. I had a very kind German roommate and she was getting a lot better and more food than me. I could never figure out why. Haha I am going to assume language barrier. Here is pictures of my dinner and breakfast. 

I am guessing that the meat is German baloney. 

Clayton was out of town for training during this time but was so lucky to be able to talk to him on the phone seconds after the accident and have his amazing coworkers and neighbor help out. 

Here is a picture of a bit of damage to the truck that the police took. I was already in the ambulance. 

The semi-truck, that was hit, only had damage the size of a quarter. 

God was definitely looking out for us that day. There could have been many different variables that made the accident so very much worse. If the airbags went off, if I was driving a smaller car, if there was no guard rails there, things could have been much much worse. 

Thank you again for all the thoughts, prayers and love. 

Lunch date, pen pals and little man update!

Clayton and I were able to go on a date last weekend and enjoy the beautiful weather of Wiesbaden. We tried a new place called, Das Burgers. A yummy burger place that we truly enjoyed! Defiantly a place we will have to re visit. The picture below is views of walking around Wieabaden and the beginning of Fall!

Clayton, Achilles and I went for a morning walk to the town near our neighborhood  and found this delicious bakery!! It was so very busy and did not disappoint! Croissants, pretzel, apple strudel and a bread I cannot pronounce or spell was what we tried.  They were all amazing!! Cannot wait to try more. Yumm

I have pen pals!! Mckenzie's 3rd grade class has started writing me letters and drawing pictures. They are so sweet and their letters make me giggle. Lots of questions about Germany, the baby, and if there are beaches near by. The picture below was one of my favorites!! Looking forward to more letters to come!

I attempted to make sunflower seeds! These were the sunflowers from infront of our apartment. I enjoyed them so very much when they were in bloom! The sunflower seeds turned out okay. Defiantly not as yummy as the store bought seeds but fun to make!!

Will leave you with a picture of our little man!! He was being shy and covering up his face. Bryan is measuring about 2 pounds right now and is very healthy. Officially in my 3rd trimester!! Baby will be here before we know it. 

Few pictures and small update

Fall is defiantly in the air here!!! Getting much cooler outside and the leaves are changing. Here is a picture of the park near our apartment. So pretty. 

My belly is growing by the day and Bryan loves to kick, roll and move.  Achilles has become super interested on what's going on in there!! He loves to stare, sniff and snuggle with it continuously. It is very very sweet. 

Achilles pouting after I got onto him

Had a good doctors appointment this week!! Bryan is a very healthy boy. We are so very blessed. Had the glucose test done and everything came back perfect.  The sugary drink they give you here is much better in the States! Tasted just like yummy cranberry juice!  The doctor did some fetal monitoring again and the Braxton Hicks are better!!! Great news all around!! 

I will end this update with a picture from our walk this morning. Bigs moved a little during the panaramic shot so his face looks silly. 

It's a...........

So sorry it has taken me so long!!! But Clayton and I are super happy to announce we are having a Baby Boy!!!!!

We could not be more excited!!!! Had an ultrasound on Thursday and Doctor said baby looked healthy and everything looked great!!! Was  my first time at a foreign doctor, so that was a bit of experience but I think Baby and I are getting great care. Here is a picture of baby waving hello!! 

So for Boy names!! For those of you who don't know it is a very easy choice! His name will be Clayton Bryan Turner the 5th!!!! And will probably be called Bryan. We are happy and honored to continue on the family name. Feels so good to have a name and start trying to picture this little boy inside!!

The doctors office I go to is very close to our apartment, so for this visit I chose to walk!! It was such a gorgeous day!! Here are some pictures from my walk! (Was only about 1.5 miles)

Also, on Thursday we received out house hold goods!!!!! Yayyy!! But that did mean that Clayton was unable to go with me to the doctors appointment. I had the doctor write down the gender (in a very thick card and envelope, so I couldn't cheat) and Clayton and I walked over to the town next door for some yummy icecream with Achilles. We sat at foot of an old church and were so excited to find out!! Here is a picture of Clayton and Achilles right before we opened the envelope!

I am working on setting up the house now (slowly and carefully, no heavy lifting promise) and will try to update sometime next week with the apartment pictures! 

I will leave you with one last photo of Achilles and I walk the moment he saw a colony of bunnies!!! (I had to look up what a group of rabbits was called! Learned something new!)

Long walks, drivers licenses and a bit more

I got my German Drivers license today!! Wheeeew! I would show you a picture but it isn't very impressive. No picture taken and it is a temporary one, so it is just  a flimsy paper. The rules of the road here are very different. The more I learned the more freaked out I got!! Claytons truck came in this week!! Hoping with my license and not sharing a car, it will give me more freedom to make friends, and meet people!

Achilles and I have been adventuring the areas around us. I have been a little cautious because my phone doesn't work outside the house (Internet or cell service) so I have to rely on my sense of direction.  And for anyone who knows me that is scary. Here are a few pictures from our walks! The field is about 1.5 km from our apartment. Not sure what kind of rout it is growing. The view is overlooking the city of Wieabaden. When it isn't too cloudy you can see everything. It is beautiful!! 

 

 

We still have not gotten our house hold goods yet but told they are in country! They just have to go through customs which I have heard can be a lengthy process. So close but so far. 

We are liking our apartment a lot so far. We have basement storage area that is off the main stairwell that is a pretty good size.  Here a picture of the stairs leading down to the basement. Doesn't have to be said but I walk very fast up and down the stairs. Pretty sure a horror film could be made there. 

Achilles has loved being able to watch everyone! Here is my sweet watch dog. 

That is all I have for this week!!! Hoping for more adventures to come! 

Exploring around town

This weekend was Wiesbaden's Wine Festival! Clayton and I walked to down town from our house, only about 1.5 miles away. The weather was perfect, 75ish degrees. There were tons of people!! Some things I didn't know about Germany that I learned there. #1 bathrooms are not free. You must pay for them. And for someone who is pregnant you can seriously rack up a bill. Haha #2 Most people speak English here but no menus are in English. All the food smelt so very good but I could not read any menus to order and was way to chicken for now to point and see what I got. But promise to try to soon and let you know!! #3 Wiesbaden is known for their Riesling wine! There are the grapes growing everywhere here!

Here are a few pictures

It was a great date night for Clayton and I and was great to see more of the city!! 

The picture above is the entrance to our apartment! Defiantly a God wink that sunflowers were planted outside and were blooming when I arrived. Most of the buildings don't have any greenery around but someone in my stairwell has a green thumb! 

Update on belly! Defiantly growing! Baby T is a mover. Last night was the first time I see see movement from the outside!! Clayton was able to feel baby move for the first time!! So special!

 

If there is anything special you would like to see pictures of or hear about let me know!!! 

 

We have landed in Germany!

Achilles and I have made it safe and sound to Germany!! It has been quite an adventure getting here.
I guess the best way to start is on Friday! My mom and dad were AMAZING and drove me Baltimore. (for anyone who doesn't know, because I was flying with Achilles, for him and I to fly from Atlanta to Baltimore was going to be extremely stressful and tough for me to do it alone. And they are the best parents ever and drove us) So we started our drive up on Friday afternoon and drove just over the Virginia boarder, stayed the night in the hotel and woke up and started driving to my sweet friend Chelsea's house in Northern Virginia! Once we got there Achilles got to see his best doggie friends in the whole world Saddie (Saint Bernard) and Cooper (Catahoula Leopard Dog) It was so cute to see them together and play the way they always have. Always amazing to see Chelsea and her family!!
My mom, dad, Chelsea, Achilles and I went and walked around the Memorials in D.C that night and it was so beautiful and striking.  The weather was much cooler and it wasn't too crowded! Very glad we were able to go and have Chels as our tour guide. Here is a few pictures of times in the car, hotel and D.C.!

Chelsea and I sharing a seat in the car and Achilles also wanted to sit in my lap. He thinks he is a tiny dog.

Tons of car ride snuggles. LOVED every second.

Achilles getting spoiled by my dad

 

D.C at night! So beautiful

D.C at night

Bat dog!

I was going to write about getting to the airport and that whole ordeal, but jet lag is kicking by bum and I must stay awake to get on this time zone, so Achilles and I are going to walk and explore. Hopefully not get too too lost as we check out our surroundings!  But I will leave you with the most recent picture of baby T. This is the second ultrasound where he/she has been sucking its thumb!!

 Still sucking his/her thumb!

I am going to work on some pictures of the area for the next post. We don't have our furniture yet so no pictures of the apartment. 



“I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” – Mary Anne Radmacher