Glad We're in Germany!

Happy New Year!
I've been pretty bad about updating the blog lately.  We've been trying to take time to plan for the arrival of Baby #2.  I am probably "over prepared" but it helps me sleep better at night.  :)

We are excited for what 2010 has to bring and feel a bit rested after the holiday season.  Chad was able to spend a lot of time at home after he arrived back from his Brazil/US trip and Will LOVED having him around.  Will would get up in the morning and bring Chad his sweatshirt and hand him his glasses so he would get out of bed.  We'd hear the pitter patter of little feet walk into our room and I was thankful he'd go over to Chad's side of the bed. :)  It was a bit of an adjustment for Will when Chad went back to work but we'll get back into a routine here soon.

Now we're creating our 2010 travel calendar and trying to figure out where we will spend time in our last year in Europe.   We won't make as many flights as last year, but hopefully we will make the most of our time here.  It has been a great opportunity for us to see a lot of the world and as we reflected on 2009, we realize that we were able to see more places than we ever thought possible.  Hopefully, both of the boys will be back here and get to do it all when they can remember it!

Our list begins:
Hamburg, Germany (hopefully with Anna, Martin & Rosi)
Switzerland
Florence and Venice, Italy
Normandy, France
Prague, Czech Republic
Oslo, Norway
Malta
Mallorca
One more UK trip

Baby Boy #2 Update: The Turn Worked
We had an interesting week last week as we spent a few days at the hospital for appointments and "the Big Turn." Turning babies externally is not as common in the US and so I am glad we are here in Germany where they are willing to try,  we have good insurance, and we had Will here so we are familiar with the doctor and the hospital staff.

In early December baby boy #2 decided that he preferred to have is head jammed up into my rib cage making it difficult for me to bend over and breath and more likely to have C-section.  As a result of him being "breech," we went to the hospital last week and the doctor turned him.  We had to be prepared for it not working and maybe even having the baby last week (which would be fine because he's already bigger than Will).   The care again was very good and they kept me over night to monitor the heart rates. I had several ultrasounds and CTGs and all is good.  Again, I have been nothing but pleased with the care we are receiving here and it is so nice to know they monitor everything and really take time to answer all my questions.   I am thankful it all worked out and it happened so fast that I didn't even realize the doctor was turning him.  Now we wait and the chances for a C-section are low (we'll see about my pain tolerance).  Any day now we'll have to settle on a name for this guy.

We are also VERY VERY VERY thankful for our friends Anna and Martin who watched Will for us for almost 2 days while we were in the hospital.  The actual procedure was only a minute but the preparation and monitoring after took much longer.  Will and Rosi are so CUTE together and it makes a huge difference knowing he is in wonderful hands and having fun while we are in the hospital.  He also seems to be well behaved for Anna (which is also a plus).    The hardest part of this whole thing for me was spending the first night away from Will.   It was good practice for when the baby actually comes.