08.27.08 ~ Week Twenty-Six

The Second Half of Our Germany Trip
After Opa’s birthday extravaganza in North Germany, Vera, Jonas, and I piled back into our rental car and headed back down to Frankfurt to spend the remainder of our Germany time with Beate and the other Benz’s. Opa Karl drove up from Heidenheim and Charlotte, Chris, Manuel, and Snoopy were also around. Generally this part of the trip was more relaxing – but definitely wasn’t lacking in adventures of its own. I got my chance to finally get some exercise when together with Beate, Charlotte, and Opa we spent a day in Weinheim. There we hiked up to the castle and then up what seemed like a million tiny spiral stairs (constructed about 1,000 years ago) to the highest tower of the castle. The view from there was amazing and totally worth the burning in my thighs when we finally made it back down. I could tell that I’m carrying a little extra weight these days!

We also took a day trip to Stuttgart, so although we’ll have to take him back so that he can actually experience it, our little turkey has already visited the birth city of his mama (and his aunt Vera and uncle Jonas and ‘his Klaus’ – who prefers not to be called Grandpa or Opa). Jonas, Vera, and I borrowed Beate’s car and took off on our own. Bodo, Walle, Bjorn, and Antje met us there and we spent the day wondering around the city. It was very un-Philipsen of us not to have an itinerary. With the only real plans being a dinner reservation, we did whatever we felt like all day long and magically the whole group was in agreement the entire time. We went shopping, bought and ate snacks, went on an “urban hike” around the outskirts of the city (on the Blue Sock Trail – or something like that) and visited the market. Again, I got my fair share of much needed exercise but was really glad when we sat down to our huge Italian dinner at the end of the day. But perhaps the biggest (and most traumatic) adventure of the second half of our Germany trip was in Bensheim when Jonas, Vera, and I decided to take Snoopy on a walk – without Beate. As soon as we were in the woods behind the house we took him off the leash like she always does – even though we were pretty hesitant about it. The entire walk went well until we came upon Snoopy’s nemeses, two giant german shepherds who live just down the street from him. They were on the leash with their owner – but their evil will and unwarranted aggression is known throughout the land. For example, just a year ago one of them bit Snoopy on the nose through the fence as he was innocently walking by their yard. This has resulted in a ritual of crossing the street when walking past their yard with Snoopy. So, Snoopy being the kind, friendly, curious and slightly reckless dog that he is ran right up to the two of them as they approached us on the trail. Both of them started pulling on their leashes, barking, growling, and snarling at him. One, in fact, pulled free from her owner and began attacking poor Snoopy. Snoopy rolled onto his back in full surrender posture, but she kept on biting and growling anyway. Her owner was busy wrestling back the other dog who she still had a hold of. So Jonas (our hero) jumped into the middle of the dog fight, grabbed the evil german shepherd by her collar, and pulled her off of Snoopy. Then Vera got poor Snoopy off the ground and pulled him aside. Where was I? Keeping a good safe distance. No jumping into dog fights for this pregnant girl – sorry Snoopy. After a trip to the vet and rows of staples in multiple wounds, luckily Snoopy ended up ok (and seemed to forgive us). But I think we all learned two very valuable lessons – one Jonas is crazy and lucky that the evil dog didn’t bite him too and two, never send Nina alone with the dog, if he gets into trouble, she won’t do anything.

Aside from the dog mishaps on this trip (ironically the Snoopy incident wasn’t the only one since my dad was also bitten by a dog while we were in Germany – luckily sans need for staples), the trip was a raging success. From my big-bellied perspective it was reassuring to be there while I was pregnant. After a good dose of Philipsen family history (during Opa’s birthday tours) and good, old fashioned, quality time with the Benz’s, I feel really proud to have created a new little member for both families. It was a nice reminder that there are many people who are going to love and care for him once he’s here. But more importantly our little baby is going to have such a variety of influences in his life. The differences between Jason’s family, the Duff’s, the Philipsen’s, and the Benz’s are pretty vast. But the beauty is that since each family has its own rituals, history, and lessons to influence the little bugger, he won’t have a choice but to grow into a very well rounded adult.

Another Visit with the Midwives
Have I mentioned here how much I like our midwives? Despite the appointments being pretty uneventful (thankfully), I really look forward to them. Both Barbara and Elizabeth are so sweet, knowledgeable, and attentive that I would probably drop by their office without an appointment to just to hang out and try to be friends with them if that weren’t a weird, creepy, and intrusive thing to do.

Anyway, on Monday my appointment was with Elizabeth and everything (urine, blood pressure, and baby’s heart rate) was normal and healthy. I did learn, after stepping on the scale, that the Nutella and white bread won out over the vigorous walking in Germany. I had gained seven pounds since my last visit (which was only five weeks before – meaning I should have only gained five pounds) brining me to a grand total of 20 pounds gained since I’ve gotten pregnant. No wonder my thighs were burning after climbing the tower stairs in Weinheim! The last time my body saw such rapid weight gain was freshman year in college – and back then at least my general drunken stooper kept me from caring. Elizabeth did warn me that my weight gain better balance back out or else they would yell at me at the next visit. Back to organic cold cereal for this girl!

I also had my glucose test and was told I would get a phone call only if something came back abnormal from the blood test. So far, so good, no call yet. I also took the opportunity to ask Elizabeth about my lopsided belly. It’s pretty easy to see (and for me to feel) that the baby is always hanging out on my right side. Elizabeth poked around a little on my belly and told me that was actually quite normal. Actually what I mean by poking is that she took two fingers and dug them deep into my belly, poked around on few other spots, and then concluded that the baby’s head was down, back was on the left, and feet out to the top right. Amazing. I couldn’t believe she could actually feel the baby’s body parts through my skin, muscle, and uterus. But as fascinating as it was to know exactly how the baby was positioned at that moment (something I’m constantly trying to guess by where I feel movement), I will NOT be trying that trick at home. She said most babies prefer one side and that it’s most commonly the right side. Her guess is that they want to be away from where the stomach is since it takes up a lot of room and it’s pretty noisy. I thought that was funny since I could imagine our little guy in there pissed off about the neighboring noise (like my Dad gets pissed off at the sounds of neighbors using leaf blowers) and swimming over the opposite side in a huff. Sorry kiddo, but that’s a luxury you won’t have soon – any more growth and you will have reached capacity, with no more space for swimming!

Our One Year Anniversary
In addition to our appointment with the midwives, Monday was also the date of our one year wedding anniversary. It’s hard to imagine that a whole year has gone by since our wedding (which I can remember like it was yesterday). But at the very same time, I can’t believe that it’s only been one year since so much has happened and changed in that time. At work, my friend Anna asked me what we were planning on doing to celebrate and then quickly stopped herself before she finished the question. Instead she commented that it really doesn’t matter since we can’t possibly get ourselves into more trouble than we did on our six month anniversary. That reminded me that it was only six short months ago that Jason and I were sitting over dinner planning out our long term goals. Those original plans have been seriously adjusted in the last six months. But, over our one year anniversary dinner, Jason and I both agreed that, given the chance, there is nothing we would change about the last year. We’re very happily anticipating the birth of our first child and the importance of timing and plans pale in comparison.