Fairies and Haunted Houses Don't Mix

My husband has decided that Germans don't believe in connecting wire together. We went to three different stores yesterday on a hunt to find wire connectors so he could work on something with the car...I think he is trying to disable to DRL (daytime running lights). So I think he is going to have to order the wire connectors online. Might be the only way to get it done.

Then we went over to commissary where we had to get some groceries because we were out of about everything. I didn't even have milk so the kiddo couldn't have cereal for breakfast yesterday...but she did have eggs and a bagel! 

Then last night, the kiddo got all dressed up in her Halloween costume and we headed over to the bowling alley for some Cosmic Bowling and free candy!

My little fairy!

After we bowled for about an hour, we headed over to the Haunted House that the Special Forces section set up for the garrison. The kiddo did really well until I freaked out over the spiders and then she started crying about how scared she was. Thankfully, Daddy was there to rescue her and carry her on out of the Haunted House in one piece. She swears up and down now that she will never go into another Haunted House again. So, to make her happy, we headed over to the bounce house and the ball toss games where she had a blast...and even enjoyed it more when she got a cupcake and more candy. So in the end we left with a very happy child!

Happy girl!

Girl Scouts, Halloween Parties, and Frustration

Yesterday was the kiddo's Halloween party at school. I volunteered to help out. I ended up getting there a a few minutes late because there was literally nowhere to park. It was a bit ridiculous. When I arrived, I ended up helping out with the "cookie station". The kids took Halloween cookies and decorated them with icing and sprinkles. I thought at first that it would be a complete disaster and that these kindergarteners would make a complete mess of this station, but in the end, the worst that happened was we had a couple licked plastic knives and sticky fingers. Although, I have to admit, watching these kids decorate cookies with icing...I could feel my blood sugar rising!

Right after the "cookie station" help, I had to run over and turn in the paper work for Amélie to join Girl Scouts. She will be a Daisy this year (her first year doing Girl Scouts) and if everything works out, she will be on the same troop as her close friend, Annie (Annie's mom is also the troop leader, so I hope this works out since I know her pretty well). She and Bo will also be attending the Father-Daughter Dance next Saturday. Amélie seems excited about it. I was really hoping that we would have our place and stuff by then so I wouldn't have to buy a formal dress for her to wear (she has several), but it looks like that isn't going to happen.

On that note, after I turned in the paper work for the Girl Scouts, I went over to housing to turn in our 6th TLA (temporary lodging allowance) paperwork and to check on the status of our apartment. Needless to say, it looks like we will be turning in a 7th TLA because even though the people moved out 12 days ago, the place hasn't even gone through maintenance. Which really frustrates me. I asked the lady what needed to be done and she said that it needed to be cleaned and painted and that there was loaner furniture in the apartment from the previous tenants. She informed us that if we wanted to, we could move in while the loaner furniture was there and just have it picked up when our stuff was delivered and I told her "YES!" I just want out of this hotel. If it were up to me, we would have been in there already. Seriously, I could of had it cleaned and painted MYSELF by now if they would have allowed it. She called maintenance and told them that the place needed to be cleaned ASAP because as of Monday, we are past our 60 day TLA original allowing. We already had to have the commander sign off on 1 extra day and now we have to have her sign off of 10 more. It's just getting annoying. I am so tired of living in a hotel and housing keeps giving us the run around. GRRRR!!!!!

Anyway, after I dealt with all that mess, I went back over to the school to help out some more. I got there just in time to eat a hotdog and help with clean-up. I didn't intend to be gone so long, but housing really dealt me a fit.

When I got back to the hotel, I passed out on the couch. It was a good thing I set the alarm on my phone or I would have slept right through the time when I was suppose to go pick up the kiddo from school! The kiddo played for a little while on the playground with Annie and then we all headed over to the PX/BX where we picked up a few things we needed and spent some time in the Christmas section of the store. I found a tree I really want to get to replace the one we have which looks terribly pitiful. Now, if I can just convince Bo to get it for me...well, if we have a house to put up a Christmas tree!!!!!! 

Eyeball Deviled Eggs & Wormy Jello

Nothing of interest to report that happened yesterday. I did laundry that morning, finished up my Love & Logic class that afternoon, and let the kid play with her friend at the school park after I picked her up. Haven't been feeling the best since yesterday evening. Made "Eyeball" deviled eggs and wormy jello for the MOPS play group today.

They were yummy and I had plenty of leftovers.

And of course...week 24:

Tired Tuesday

Yesterday, Bo and I attended the Budget for Baby class. It was informative, and we got a lot a free things, which was nice. I wasn't too impressed with the blankets that were given out...I am not a big one on cartoon themes and I got a Clifford the Big Red Dog...but hey, its a blanket. Beggars can't be choosers, right? It will keep the kid warm!

After school, I picked up the kiddo and took her over to the doctor to get some what I thought were warts on the back of her leg checked out. Turns out they are some sort of mole, but they are spreading and the doctor doesn't like that, so he is referring her to a dermatologist to have them removed. That sounds horrible. I remember as a kid having to get warts burned off the back of my leg every year because they always came back. It was very painful and of course the smell of burning flesh wasn't very pleasant either. I really hope that Amélie doesn't have to go through something like that. I don't know if I could handle watching her cry, because I know EXACTLY how it feels.

While we were there, I asked him about a spot on her lip that I assumed was a cold sore. She is very prone to them since she had Stomatitis back when she was two. She gets them often, but this sore kept coming up over and over. It would go away and then reappear. I mean, she has had it three times since we moved here and we haven't been here a whole two months yet! So I figured I would ask what I could do.

Turns out, it isn't a cold sore, it is Moniliasis. According to wiseGEEK.com "Moniliasis is another term for candidiasis, an infection caused by yeast in the genus Candida, particularly C. albicans. This term references the former genus name for Candida, Monilia, and people may also use terms like “thrush” to refer to the same infection. Treatments are available to manage moniliasis, and in some cases, patients may need to be hospitalized to manage complex or concurrent infections, especially if they have underlying health issues."

So the doctor put her on some antibiotics and said he wanted to see her back in a week. BLAH!

After I got her meds, I got my B-12 shot and went over to TriCare to try and get reimbursed for that medication I had to get on the economy. By the time we got there, they were closed, so I was a little irate. I still had to go to the commissary to get some things, but I was so tired, I just ended up getting microwavable lasagna for dinner. I couldn't picture myself having to drag a bunch of groceries up to the hotel room as tired as I was yesterday.

The Verdict is In...Maybe

So, the doctor wasn't positive due to the baby's positioning. But he said he is about 75% sure that....

But, because her legs were so close together, he said not to run out and paint the nursery pink just in case he was wrong. Which I totally understand. My little sister was a boy until the day she was born! So, Bo and I are just going to stick with neutral until the baby is born. Then we will invest in pink (or blue), just to be safe. We are however going to just say "It's a girl" now, when people ask...just to prevent the hassle. Girls run strong on both sides of our families, so I would probably be more surprised if it was a boy anyhow!

Anyway, doc is making me check my blood pressure three times a day now. The protein in my urine was a little higher than what it should be, but nothing to put baby or I in danger any time soon. My blood pressure was a bit high as well, so that is why he wants me to monitor it. Of course, the high blood pressure is a huge sign of pre-eclampsia. That is how we caught it with my daughter. So I understand why he wants me to take extra precaution. He says if it gets about 150/90 to come in before my next appointment. It's obvious I DO have the pre-eclampsia, we just don't know the severity of it yet. So far, it isn't bad and is under control, but I am on the high risk list because of it.

Doctor also confirmed I have SPD (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction). Gives me a real excuse not to use the stairs anymore! Haha! No, in all reality, he told me to get a prenatal cradle and wear it 2-3 hours a day, stay off my feet as much as possible (I find this hilarious), no heavy housework, and to gently bounce on a yoga ball throughout the day. I ordered the prenatal cradle and the yoga ball yesterday. The prenatal cradle was expensive and for as much as I paid for it, it better give me some relief. It looks like a jock strap for pregnant women:

Not exactly the sexiest thing on the market, but from what I have read, it works. So my husband will have to deal with how unbearably sexy this thing makes me look. 

Knock, Knock

2.5 hours and counting....

Yes, that is how much longer it is until my next OB appointment where I will A) HOPEFULLY get to find out if I am carrying a boy or a girl and B) find out exactly how bad this pre-eclampsia is or could be.

So, as I was doing laundry yesterday and walking down the hall, I started laughing at the automatic lights. The halls in this hotel are equipped with those lights that automatically turn on when you walk by and I just burst out laughing because I remembered how much my daughter loves the lights. She thinks they are absolutely the most amazing thing she ever saw and loves the "magic in the lights". Yes, it is the simple things in life that make you smile!

But, then again, doing laundry...yes, what a pain. So, I went to run some loads of clothes. No problem. I finally found an open washer and ran my first load. I came back after I knew it was finished and noticed that the washer next to me was finished, as well as the dryer, but no one had moved the laundry over yet. I shrugged and switched over my own laundry and left. Well, an hour later, I came back to take my clothes out of the dryer and put in the next load...I still had two more loads to wash at this time...and looked over and that same load was still sitting there. An hour later. It really made me a bit irate that someone would do this. Seriously, keep track of your laundry. I make sure that if I have to leave while my laundry is going, I am not going longer than the time it takes for my clothes to wash or dry. So, I took those clothes out of the dryer, put them on the table, loaded the dryer with the wet clothes and started it. Then, I proceeded to put my last load in the washer. Was what I did wrong? I just wanted my clothes done faster and if that washer or dryer had been going, or even if it was a different set of clothes, I wouldn't have touched it, but still...that someone would leave their clothes there...in a public laundry room...for that long? It just annoys me and I would expect that if I had done that, for someone to do the same to me. 

I can't wait until I have my own washer and dryer again....

So this morning, after my husband left for work, I asked him to put the "DO NOT DISTURB" sign in the lock so housekeeping would wait to come by because I wanted to take a shower, but not be bothered by someone coming into the room. So I get into the shower and I hear my husband leave. About five minutes later, I hear my dog barking. I holler at her and tell her to be quiet, but she keeps up. So, I wrap myself in a towel and open the bathroom door where I hear this "knock, knock" at my door, followed by the words, "housekeeping". Well, I am a little irate. I figure my husband must have forgotten to put in the "DO NOT DISTURB" sign and go to answer the door. There, is the maid looking at me puzzled. I look into the door lock and low and behold the "DO NOT DISTURB" sign was right where it was suppose to me. I arch a brow and say, "Yes?" She asks, "Do you want housekeeping today?" I look down at the sign and back up to her...still standing there in my towel and say, "Can you come back in a little bit?" She looks at me and sighs, "When do you want me to come back?" Now...I am getting a little angry. "In an hour or so, please?" I say, trying not be rude even though secretly I wanted to throw the "DO NOT DISTURB" sign at her face. She huffs and rolls her eyes and says, "okay" and walks away. I'm a like SERIOUSLY?! REALLY?! I understand that a lot of people around here do not understand English, but during their training on maid service, maybe they should have been aware on what the "DO NOT DISTURB" sign means. I had never seen the woman before, so I assume she must be new. But still. It is annoying. I just wanted a nice, uninterrupted shower which is hard enough to get around here when you have a five year old. No, I will not miss having someone make my bed and take out my trash once we get our own place because at least I can have freaking privacy when I want it!!! 

Have I mentioned that I want my own place now???

Pumpkin Festival

So yesterday we headed to Ludwigsburg and did a tour of the Ludwigsburg Castle and attended the Pumpkin Festival that was held on the castle grounds. It was a lot of fun and we got a lot of pictures.

Ludwigsburg Castle

Amélie loved the festival and she loved even more the Fairy Tale Garden that is located on the grounds all year. It was very unique. The old Schloss (aka palace) in Ludwigsburg is also home to a fabulous garden filled with fun about fairytales! Frog Prince, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, just to name a few! There were so many, but I didn't recognize a lot of them.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair!"

Amélie on the dragon...no clue what this fairy tale is...

If you know this fairy tale, please tell me!

My little fairy on the boat ride through the fairy tale garden.

Amélie on the Frog Prince ride.

A soldier that will read your palm...

A giant that emerges from a castle when you knock at the door.

Unfortunately, since this was in GERMANY, the tales and stories were all held in GERMAN, so I didn't know what half the tales were. Plus, a lot of the things (such as Snow White) you had to say something in German in order for it to work. With Snow White, you had to yell into the mirror "Spiegelspiegel auf der Wand who' s das angemessenste von ihnen alle?" Which translates as: "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" But of course, none of us knew how to properly pronounce the words in German, nor could we say "geöffneter indischer Sesam" (open sesame). But we still had lots of fun!!

The Pumpkin Festival was wonderful as well. This year, the pumpkins were made into dinosaurs.

Dinosaur nest.

This T-Rex rawred and scared Amélie out of her pants as she walked by!

There were many carvings as well and pumpkin-themed food. I had the pumpkin soup and it was AMAZING!!!