January 1 – February 11, 2010
So, unlike I’d been hoping, things have not improved greatly healthwise. Nausea is under control with medication, but it’s still there, so it seems I’m one of those lucky few ladies who suffers from HG through their whole pregnancy. This sucks.
The nausea and exhaustion have left me with little enthusiasm for picture taking (or anything else, unfortunately), but here are a few shots I’ve taken since getting my new camera (yay!) for Christmas.
The aftermath of a small snowfall that hit the DC area just after New Years — Nothing like what DC looks like now. I had wanted to stay an extra month, but wasn’t able to get through to the airline on the day of my flight since there was a major snowstorm and apparently everyone had the idea of re-booking their flights (I spent 1.5 hours on hold). Not sure whether leaving mattered or not, Snomageddon-wise , since I hardly ever leave the house anyway and there’s over two feet of snow here at our house at the moment and it’s not always easy to get the car out.
My mom’s dog. She’s fifteen. Every time one of us kids went away to college, we were replaced by a dog. This is the last surviving one, my middle brother’s replacement.
Yep, self-portrait, taken with a DSLR. That took some effort.
Checking out my zoom lens. It was slightly annoying that my childhood home is now right under the flight path of airplanes (it didn’t used to be). Actually, it was a little cool to sit outside in the afternoon and watch the planes fly over. Oliver loved it. It was just annoying at 4am.
Baby bump, around New Years. Haven’t got a better bump picture in the meantime. Should do that.
Here we are, back in Germany now. This is Sheriff Ollie dressed up for the Fasching party (Carnival) of our Eltern-Kind-Gruppe (playgroup). I sadly missed out. I really wanted to go, but didn’t feel up to it, so no pictures from the actual party, although I hear Oliver was quite the “Lustiger Typ.”
Not taken by me, but I’m including it anyway. Today we found out we’re having another boy. I’m surrounded by testosterone! But actually, I’m quite practical about these things. We’ll save money this way since we won’t have to shell out on girl’s clothes and toys and whatever.
If you haven’t had a chance yet, there’s only 3 more days left to vote for this blog in the Lexiophiles Top 100 International Exchange and Experience Blogs 2010 contest. I don’t appear to be doing well, but there are apparently “voting irregularities” and the organizers are going to be manually counting the votes at the end, so who knows where I could end up. GO VOTE! (I’m about #12 on the list). And if you already voted, THANK YOU!!!! for your support!
To see more of my photos, visit my FlickR page
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Congratulations on another Junge!
.-= Rachel´s last blog ..On Learning French =-.
Congratulations on your next baby! Glad to here your feeling a bit better.. Can’t wait to see pictures of your new one when he is born, I bet he will be as handsome as his big brother.
The whole thing sounds just awful. And I know what you mean about feeling sorry for yourself about being far away from home. Most of the time, I don’t, but the time change is horrendous. The only time I can talk to my parents in the US is when I’m already exhausted (anytime after 3pm). Being sick makes it even worse. Is there any possibility that any family or friends from the States could come and visit, even just for a week?
I had Lyme Disease in my 2nd pregnancy and was undiagnosed for 4-6 weeks (don’t remember anymore). It really weakened me and made everything ache. My doctor wrote me a “prescription” for help. I have public insurance and don’t know what you have or what you have to do to get your Frauenartz to write you a prescription for that, but it was a godsend. I got to ask a friend, too! So, a friend who happened to be looking for work (she didn’t have a permit yet, though was here legally) and didn’t have any children came over up to 5 hours a day to help me. As much as physically helping me with my hyperactive 1.5 year-old, it was wonderful to have company every day until I gave birth. The pay wasn’t super for her, but it was better than what she was earning, and all she had to do was hang out with me. Because she got to know our older son so well, it was she who we called in the middle of the night to come and stay with him when I went into labor and had to rush to the clinic (before our parents had come – second kids sometimes come earlier than you expect).
Good for you, though, for admitting your loneliness and your needs. Sometimes, it’s good just to get that out.
.-= Saskia´s last blog ..Guilt by Association =-.
Hello Christina,
Just wanted to say thanks for your feedback on my post about Rottweilers and dogs in general on Toytown. I’m really glad to have found your blog and look forward to reading more. Also very jealous because Regensburg is (so far) my favorite place in Germany. I’m headed towards Augsburg due to that whole Munich-high tech thing, but my first choice would be your neck of the woods! Stay warm and hope you’re feeling better.
Best wishes from Emily (human) and Brogan (dog)!
.-= emily horch´s last blog ..Happy Seventh Birthday to Brogan Today! =-.
@Rachel & Erika: Thanks!
@Saskia: Thanks. I think I really did need to just get that stuff out because holding it in was bringing me down. Several people have suggested getting help and we’re going to look into that now.
@emily: Regensburg is great, but the Munich area is better for tech jobs. Good luck with your move and Happy Birthday to Brogan, Charlie’s birthday is tomorrow!
.-= Christina G´s last blog ..Weekly Winners – January to mid-February =-.