16 weeks and in the states

YEAH!!!! We made it to the states last week and had a great adventure getting here. LOVE the opportunity to fly on space availability, but you just have to be able to take a deep breath and go with the flow. We tried to get out of Germany on Friday the 4th, Donny's first day of leave, we had the house all closed up with all the power off and a few of the heaters set at the lowest setting as to not let the house freeze while we are gone. Arrived at the terminal a few hours before the roll call to find out if the flight to Jackson was going to have any open seats. Unfortunately there was zero seats released :( but we talked to the counter and they had a great idea, fly into Baltimore the following day and then catch the Jackson flight on Sunday that was also a medivac out of Germany. The C-17 stops at Andrews AFB which is an hour drive from Baltimore to drop off patients before continuing on to Mississippi. The only difference in the Balitmore flight is the price, it is $29 a seat versus free on a C-17, but the hard part is just getting back to the states, so we decided that was the best option. The following morning we woke up and got down to the terminal to get our name on the list. YEAH!!! They called Killian and we got in line to load out bags. It was a JAM PACKED flight with only 39 seats released at Ramstein, it was a flight that was bringing home our soldiers from a year deployment :) Kiefer is so adorable cause he learned that they are called soldiers and salutes now (with his left hand) SO FREAKING ADORABLE!!!! I <3 him so much it isn't even funny... Okay so we made it to DC and it took 30 min to get through customs and 3 HOURS to get our bags, I swear there was 1 bag every 5 minutes coming down the carrousel.... BUT we finally got it, got to the rental car place and got our car. We had reserved one at the terminal in Ramstein before we even took off as soon as we found out we were on the flight and booked a room in DC... I asked at the counter to make sure we could drop it off at Andrews and they said Yes, no problem... So we were off to the hotel, after being awake for 24 hours and flying thousands of miles we were in DC... Of course I miss a turn while on the way to the hotel, BUT all of a sudden we are right in front of the CAPITOL BUILDING!!! It is HUGE and gorgeous... Then we got to the hotel, we stayed at a Holiday inn right across the street from the Air and Space museum and so close to all the monuments.... The following morning we woke up and walked down to McDonalds and got YUMMY american breakfast, for those of you who have never eaten at a German McDonalds they DO NOT have the same breakfast choices :( and connected to our hotel was a Starbucks!!! Absolutely amazing, I want more just thinking about it now... We then took advantage of not having to be at the terminal till 1600 and walked around the monuments, just incredible!!! Then we head to the terminal, get all checked in and ask where we can turn the car into and there is NO BUDGET anywhere close to the base. The closest one is near our hotel which is 30 minutes away and our roll call for seats is in 90 minutes... I get on the phone and start crying and screaming at the agents about how no one can help us and I get NO WHERE, so we leave to take the car back cause we HAVE TOO!!!!! We get there turn the car in are running around like crazy people trying to get a taxi and finally get back to the terminal 3 minutes before they open seats... That is the condensed nice version of the ordeal, it really sucked and not ONE person tried to help us, 5 suitcases, a toddler in a stroller, 2 backpacks, a trunki, and a carseat.... All I can say is welcome back to America is how I felt... WELL we get on the flight in Andrews and arrive in Jackson at 7, got picked up around 8:30 and finally get to see the family :) drove to Calladonia the next day and just relaxed at my father-in-laws house for the next 8 days. I got sick, not just kinda sick, but stuck on the couch hacking up a lung... I think in the last 8 days I went through 5 boxes of tissues and 3 bags of cough drops.... Today is the first day I finally feel like i could be recovering, sucks not being able to take any medicine and the cough drops are the most all natural drops that i could find, so they only helped for a few minutes when i sucked on them, but I will take any relief... Missed meeting up with some great friends and a wrap party i was REALLY looking forward too, but i couldn't have gone anywhere and seen anyone... What a great way to start a vacation..... Now we are in Jackson, leaving in 2 days for Phx to meet up with my side of the family, I am so excited to meet my nephew and we are going to Vegas and having Thanksgiving!!! We are also getting a 4d ultrasound next Tuesday to find out the sex of the baby :) I am having a hard time getting my ultrasound scheduled in Germany though, kinda hard when have to call internationally and being 7 hours behind, I will get it scheduled though, but I am not in a crazy rush cause I will already know the sex, well hopefully...... I need more starbucks!!! Guess i will have to try and find one soon..... <3

15 weeks....

What an insane last 2 weeks to include a few days of Halloween fun... Thank goodness that all the sickness feeling has disappeared and life has moved on and back to normal. Except that exhaustion is insane now... Today we had a baby appointment before heading back to the states and got to hear the heartbeat, what an incredibly comforting feeling when you wonder everyday how that little baby is doing? I think I have began feeling little tiny movements, mostly when I am laying down or slouched over, nothing crazy, but kinda like a little jumping bean :)

      This last week was Halloween and I was Optimis Prime, I was making sure my friends were taking good pictures on me... This one is for my baby belly book....  Sometimes I am more belly looking than others...

VERY EXCITED for my old navy order with sweaters and yoga pants, so comfy!!!!

13.5 weeks and time for some skating...

We had a great family day today over in Zweibruken when we decided to go ice skating... Kiefer has been roller blading around the house for month and lately he lives in his skates at home so he was really excited when we got his skates out to go in the car...

He was ready to go out on the ice, skates and gloves on... We are still working on the balance and having to push off, but he was so excited to be out on the ice...







Pic with mommy too....

Almost through our 13th week and into our second trimester...
 I think I have plateaued out right now on feeling bigger and I think I felt like I was bigger because I was actually farther along... Here is my pic with Kiefer at 13 weeks 5 days, pretty similar but I am a whole lot healthier this time around and taking my Greens daily... 











Loving that I no longer feel sick all of the time and the food aversions are better... Driving home today from skating ALL I could think about was fried rice, thank goodness our favorite Thai restaurant is open on Sundays (they are closed on Monday though) so we just ordered take out and brought it home :) Happy tummy means a happy mommy <3



We decided to just keep on waiting till we tell people out here... Why not? I am going to take pics of Kiefer this week and put them up sometime soon, but for now it feels kinda fun to have a secret....

Love you all

13 weeks

After looking through facebook today I kinda want to just keep this baby on the DL, everyone posts the second they find out they are pregnant... Taking the pics of the test and just sharing with the world right away... I feel like we are keeping this between the family and friends that need to know, I mean of course people might figure out if I get a belly, but hey its winter and I don't wear tight clothes really...

So the nauseous feeling has been becoming less and less, but I DO NOT like brushing my teeth in the morning... Reason because I brush my tongue to get all those germs off and every time that action makes me throw up, no matter how soft or little I do it, as soon as it touches my tongue, I lose....

LOVING pickle juice so much, as I did when I was younger... During my pregnancy with Kiefer it kinda subsided and after he was born I could care less than eat some pickles just because.. BUT OMG, I have sat down a few times and eaten a whole jar and drank ALL of the juice, so yummy!!!

I am still down a few pounds, I think that has something to do with the food aversions and that I am still doing zumba one day a week and trying to do something a few other days... All in all just staying crazy busy...

Half way done with this semester of school and just counting down the days till I can transfer, I have invested too much to drop these 2 classes, I can at least say I did them and then move on...


Last bit is the little butterflies I have been starting to feel the last few days, but I know that they are not nerves nor gas... This pregnancy has been so opposite to include this, i didn't feel anything with Kiefer till after the 16th week and now I feel this one at the end of 12 wks... Kiefer tells me that he loves the baby <3 and when we wake up in the morning he asks if the baby slept ever? Meaning all night long... He gets there is a baby in there, so now to see how he deals with it as the time goes on...

Love you...

Fast forward 10 days please.... Change of due date...

FINALLY got in to see if there really is a baby in there and YEAH!!! There is was just chilling with the little heart just a beating away... Kiefer was so adorable during the entire ultrasound too, he just kept saying, there's a baby in there, I see it... The doctor was really nice too, talked to us about trying for a normal birth after having the emergency c-section and he seemed positive. After measuring the baby they changed my due date from 4 May to 26 April, fast forward 10 days in this pregnancy.... So we will just have a little baby that much earlier now... Dr only took 2 pics and he kept one for my records and gave us this one... I asked him about the placenta placement, due to being able to tell the sex of a baby early by 97% accuracy rate, but mine is right in the MIDDLE!!!! so we won't know till the next scan...

Boy do I feel better after seeing little babies heart beating away.... PHEW!!! But now it also feels real, 2 kids and one back in diapers, man it felt so good to be diaper free for the last 6 months...

Love you all, Casey

11 weeks - Appt tomorrow :)

       Tomorrow is our first doctors appointment, we will get to hear the little one's heart beat for the first time and get an ultrasound... We are all SUPER excited to finally get in and be seen, waiting till 10-12 weeks for your first appointment just has taken FOREVER!!!
     This week Kiefer was really sick most of the beginning, but he was feeling well enough to attend his class field trip to the Sunshine Pumpkin patch. We took our first belly pic this week. I just feel bigger this time around, I can't wait till we get the ultrasound we find out how many there are in there... I am officially in my size 12 jeans, I tried squeezing into the 10's, but talk about uncomfortable... So I just moved up to the comfortable ones...
          This week was a little hard on the stomach, woke up with horrible morning sickness a few times and even had some evening sickness... It has to get better, it just does.... I will let everyone know how tomorrow goes, our appt is at 1340, so I should have a posting completed by the afternoon for everyone, cept Dayna, you can read about it in the morning when you wake up... Love you all

10.5 weeks....

Not too much has been going on except for the eating part of life... Example Monday night we were going to make taco's and taco's sounded great... By the time I made everything, the smell disgusted me to the point that I was almost sick and had to lay down and drink ginger ale... Any smell of a left over makes my stomach turn, so lately I have been keeping up on the dishes and any plates in or around the kitchen....

Our first appointment isn't until Monday and it is dual appt to get a physical exam and an ultrasound done to see this little person and I can't WAIT to hear or see a heartbeat!!! I just know when that happens all the fear I have will dissipate...

As far as body stuff going I am super stoked to say I haven't gained a pound yet!!! I am eating as well as I can, this kid is so opposite of Kiefer it is crazy! I eat according to cravings most of the time... Trying to go to the gym 3 times a week and walking when we can, its been rainy and cold here lately so not a lot of opportunities to take an evening stroll... Been feeling stretching cramps every once in a while, I don't mind them cause I am happy to feel them, but I don't really like them that much... Feeling bloated as can be and I don't wanna my jeans at all right now, just my yoga pants :)

Love you all and I can't wait to post pics after Monday....