Two week check up.

Well today my sweet little Owen went for his two week check up and what was suppose to be a short trip to the clinic ended up turning in to an all day event. He wasn't suppose to get any shots today and he ended up getting one and also a heel stick (he was NOT happy) and sadly that wasn't the end of his day. After being tortured at the clinic for a bit we were told we needed to go back to the hospital because his circumcision needed to be re-done on one side. Poor little man has been out ever since!

However, all went well at the check up and Owen is as healthy as can be and growing like a weed! He now weighs 12.25lbs and is 22 inches long. The Dr. said everything looks absolutely perfect. Also his umbilical cord fell off today! :)

I had planned on taking some pictures of little man this afternoon and posting them but considering the day he has had I think I will wait until tomorrow or maybe Thursday. This momma is about to take advantage of him being so wore out.

I'll update more soon and promise to post some pictures of our handsome little boy!

Trying something new.

In addition to being new parents Dalton and I have decided

to go all out and try something else that will be completely

new to us. That's right...Cloth Diapering!

I'm sure some of you right now are in the process of thinking how disgusting this sounds, or how stupid it is, or probably thinking there is no way in hell you would use cloth diapers.

And I don't blame you at all. We were both extremely iffy on it in the beginning and in some ways still are. BUT after doing some basic math we discovered that we could end up saving $3,000 or more!! Of course a few things come in to play when figuring up these savings,

one being how long it takes us to get him potty trained and things like that...

But seriously who wouldn't at least want to give it a try after seeing a number like that? I will admit the initial price of these diapers were not cheap but there are many different brands and so far already I've learned that with cloth diapering you can make it as expensive or inexpensive 

as you want. They have so many options now and things that make it more convenient for both parents and baby.

I will say that after feeling these I'm glad to know my LO will have these on his bottom instead of that scratchy plastic that is in disposable dipes. Aside from saving money there are many other benefits from using cloth as well. One being few or possibly no rashes. Not to mention they are

absolutely adorable! :D And if you are one of those crazy earth mums then these are obviously better for the environment also.

A lovely lady here in Germany (that I met through a parenting fb page) gave me some wonderful advice on CD and really helped me get excited about it rather than being a nervous wreck about the possible disaster this could turn in to.  She also introduced me to this wonderful website. http://pinstripesandpolkadots.com/. It has all the info you need to get you started...from choosing your dipes to washing and taking care of them. I have to admit after actually sitting down and

doing some research it doesn't seem near as bad as I originally thought.

I can't wait for Owen to get here and grow a little so we can give these a try. And of course I will be updating on here to let everyone know how it's going :D So stay tuned.

Long time no blog...

Well ladies and gents I realize I have been doing a poor job of keeping up with this blog lately but things have been pretty busy around the Shannon house as we are preparing for the little one to be here soon.

I intend to do a better job however it may be after baby is born. Which should be very soon! :D

As of the latest on baby Owen we went to the Dr. yesterday 

and once again he is perfectly healthy and still growing.

He is also head down finally and ready to make his 

big debut.

The Dr. said there was no dilation yet but that it was beginning to open just a tad

so I'm hoping after we take our hour long tour 

of the vast wine cellars of the Wurtzburg Palace tomorrow 

that things will start happening. 

As of now that's all of the new information going on in the Shannon

house. Like I said I will try my best to keep everyone updated

however I'm not making any promises on how soon it will be before I post again. Until then take care and keep a look out for more post about the little ones arrival :D

D(ue) Day is quickly Approaching..

Baby Time is right...with only 36 days until D Day is here it is officially crunch time. Which means it's time to stop procrastinating and get busy. And according to my to do list I only have about 1.5 million things left to do. That's not that much...right?

I already feel like he has way more than he could possibly need or use but somehow I keep thinking he needs more. I have found however that I absolutely hate baby shopping and that it is only fun when it's for someone else. Otherwise it is incredibly overwhelming and frustrating. I would just like to point out that there is no need to have 50 different brands of the same product...how annoying!! Maybe it's because I have already became that mom that reads a hundred reviews and does hardcore research on it before making a purchase but regardless it would be much more simple if there were only 2 or 3 brands to choose from. Because especially for new parents it's just honestly too much.

UPDATE:

Just so everyone is up to date on how my little bun is cooking...we went to the Dr. last Thursday and everything is still wonderful..I haven't dilated any yet and he checked Owen's heart rate, blood flow, measurements, (you name it and he probably checked it)...and he said everything looked perfect! Plus Owen FINALLY let us get some pictures! Our next appointment is July 25th so I'll have more updates then so stay tuned......

Read All About It..

Because I'm so behind on keeping everyone updated this will be a slightly longer post as I have tons of things to share.

I think we should start with something good and exciting like oh I don't know maybe announcing the name of our sweet baby boy!

After finding out that we were pregnant Dalton and I shortly began searching for the perfect name and to both of our surprises we actually agreed on them rather quickly. We have had the names picked out since I was about a month and a half along but we decided to keep them to ourselves for the most part until now just in case we had a change of heart and wanted to change it. At first we had two boy names picked out but when we started playing with the middle names it just clicked and all came together so our precious baby boy will be going by.......

Christopher

I know I know it's adorable!!!

More about baby Owen...I went to the Dr. on June 20th and other than the fact that he is the most stubborn baby in the world everything was absolutely perfect. They monitored his heartbeat (which was the first time I've got to hear it) and also monitored to see if I was having any contractions...they checked to see if I was dilated any which thankfully I wasn't AND I was lucky enough to get to drink that delicious (horrid) concoction that they give you for the glucose screening. (which came back perfect)

He completely refused to show us anything other than him laying there completely still flexing his tiny muscle (he is definitely his daddy's child). As cute as it looked I would have loved to have seen his little face, maybe next time. We will have even more chances now that I will be going every two weeks to make sure everything is ready for baby to make his arrival..I love all of these little things happening because that means that he will be here soon and mommy and daddy can't wait! :D

Enough about baby, for a minute anyways...

I am incredibly blessed with wonderful friends and I was lucky enough that one of them was able to come and visit with me in Germany while Dalton was away. We had such a great time and it was so nice to see her. She stayed with me for two weeks and although I had to work during the week we were able to go out and travel some on the weekends. But as usual the most fun we had involved us sitting around being lazy, watching movies, pinteresting, catching up on girl talk, and eating chocolate cake. Oh and peach cobbler!! Not to mention Leanne had a tons of fun harassing my poor baby while she was here, she constantly poked at him and played with him watching him move and squirm and also she helped me put together his packnplay and swing which was interesting haha. I will definitely miss her now that she is back in TN and I can't wait to see her again at Christmas!! 

I love you Leanne!

And last but not least the more serious information, AKA the one I'm about to get in trouble for...

With daddy coming home soon Owen and myself apparently decided we needed to be a little adventurous by involving ourselves in a car accident yesterday which wasn't in any way our fault. Now before I get a hundred messages from parents and in-laws about what happened, is everything okay, and why in the hell I didn't tell any of you yesterday when we were talking just calm down, take a deep breath, and keep reading :)

The main reason I didn't tell anyone is because I was stressed out enough over the whole situation and to be honest I just didn't really feel like explaining a million times or answering a thousand questions..BUT Owen and I went to the Dr. today and he couldn't possibly be more healthy and the Dr. said everything looked completely normal. The seat belt did lock up which caused some bruising to the muscle and tissue but he said after a few days of rest and taking it easy I will be good as new! So no harm done which means there is no need to send me lots of hate mail for not telling anyone :)

HELLO... Third Trimester!

After 28 long weeks I can finally say I'm in my last trimester! Which means for all of you who love a good count down...only 84 more days until (insert adorable baby name here)will be here! That is of course if he sticks to the schedule. Our house is slowly filling up with baby things which means I should really be organizing and cleaning rather than writing this blog BUT this seemed much more enjoyable at the moment. Plus I have a special treat for those of you who have been hounding and harassing me about baby bump pictures (I won't mention any names...you know who you are :D) I decided that today would be the perfect day to give in....so in honor of the fact that I now only have 3 more months of being rather large here you go.....

Also I would like to wish everyone a Happy Memorial Day! And say thank you to all of the men and women who have or are currently serving our country!

Handsome like daddy...

     For those of you who have been wondering how "Baby Shannon" is doing, the answer is awesome!! We went to the Dr. today and everything was healthy as can be. He had a good strong heartbeat, great measurements, and finally has some baby fat on those adorable little cheeks of his! Although the Dr. had me a little worried when I asked if it was still a boy just to be on the safe side and he told me he THINKS it is but he couldn't quite be positive (because the baby wouldn't show off his goodies). So as of now it's still a boy but maybe to be on the safe side we won't order anything else until after the next appointment haha.

     He was so funny at the appointment! The doctor was trying to take his measurements and he was not happy about it so he kicked the ultrasound wand off! Then the poor thing got so frustrated he got the hiccups and just decided to be stubborn after that. So not only does he look like his daddy but has his attitude as well :D I'm completely okay with that though...I love them both to pieces and can't wait to have both of my boys around the house!!

                 Our Precious Little Boy!!

Such a lovely day..

Family Day/Dalton's re-enlistment

Since the boys are getting ready to leave the troop decided to let them off early today and throw a nice little family day. There was tons of food, games, and even a nice bounce house for all of the kiddos to play in. It was so nice to get to relax and spend time together and also to catch up with some friends..

Not to mention that the weather was gorgeous!! Which for those of you who have either lived here or visited know that's extremely rare. Judging by the red tints on my shoulders I even caught a little sun today (which I was in desperate need of).

Also while we were there Dalton ended up getting to sign his re-enlistment papers making everything official. We can't wait to get back to the states and to our new home away from home which will be at Ft. Belvoir, VA. :D

We're so excited!!!

For those of you wondering...I'll be 6 months on Monday!!

It's all about the sex....

As many of you know we weren't able to find out the baby's sex at our last appointment due to a certain someone being stubborn so we have been impatiently waiting for our next one in hopes that it would let us have a sneak peak and TODAY WAS THE DAY! After drinking half a cup of coffee and the Dr. constantly moving the ultrasound wand around and pushing on my stomach we were finally able to see what we've all been waiting for.  Also the Dr. informed us that the baby is as healthy as can be and that everything looked great. 

I had intentions of being really creative with this blog post and FINALLY allowing everyone to see the small bump I've acquired over the past 5-1/2 months but due to having a late meeting at work and just being exhausted it didn't happen. I promise to get one up soon but I really couldn't wait any longer to let everyone know that we're having a............................

.......................................

..............................

....................

...........

....

.

SWEET LITTLE BOY!!!

We are so excited and can't wait for August to get here so we can meet our son!

Which team are you on??

     With only 3 full days left until we know what our little one is (hopefully anyways) I wish I was back home so we could throw this cute little party and everyone could take their guess as to what it will be. Our families and close friends have already cast their vote, as for me I honestly have no clue. I have had dreams and feelings of both. But we will see soon :D For those of you who haven't made your guess yet you have until Wed. at 1:45 (German time of course). So go ahead and cast your vote!!

A Little Piece of History

     DACHAU

     This weekend my husband and I were lucky enough to experience a true piece of history. I'm sure many of you like me studied the holocaust during school at some point in your life and although I'm sure you were horrified by the tragedy of the concentration camps I can honestly say there is nothing like seeing it with your own eyes and walking the grounds were those poor innocent people once stood. Just seeing the walls and fences as we were parking gave me chills. Here are a few pictures from our trip and a little background information:

Incinerator Room

Gas Chamber

Bunkers

This is were a lot of the murders and torture took place.

Some of the other things we were able to see were the remembrance room, the church, the actual bunks were the prisoners slept, the front gate, and so much more. I have more pictures on facebook if anyone would like to see the rest of them.

Front Gate

Arbeit Macht Frei:

Basically translates to work frees or work liberates



There isn't room for the both of us...

     At a day past 19 weeks it has become apparent that there simply is not room for both me and baby in my size 0 jeans anymore. As for now the majority of them still fit but they are not nearly as comfortable as my sun dresses and cute leggings and tunics from Victoria Secret. (Dalton let me spoil myself a little). Also I made the mistake of wearing my maternity jeans the other day and they are so comfortable that I may Never go back to wearing regular jeans.

 It may not be very fast but the belly is definitely growing and the baby is becoming more and more active especially right about the time I settle into bed. I can't wait to go back to the Dr. next month and see how much it's grown! And also hopefully find out if it's a girl or boy so I can stop calling the baby it.

P.S. I'm still not quite ready to post a baby bump picture but I promise I won't keep you guys waiting much longer :D

Tiny kicks...BIG attitude

     As of a few nights ago I have been feeling the baby move on a regular basis. For now they are just tiny flutters or small thumps but I know soon they will turn into actual kicks and even small elbows. I can't wait until they grow stronger as our precious baby continues to grow. More than anything I can't wait until my husband is able to feel them with me. I constantly try to explain to him what it feels like but there are simply no words.

     As many of you already know we had another baby appointment today. We are of course always excited to go and see our perfect baby but this time we were especially excited because we were hoping to get a guess on the baby's sex. Each time we have been so far the Dr. has commented on how stubborn the baby is, it is either moving too much or not wanting to move at all. So why we thought this time would be any different I have no idea because sure enough the baby wanted to keep its back to us the entire time. It did allow us to get two pretty good pictures of its precious little face but of course it wouldn't show us what we really wanted to see. It seems our baby already has it's daddys attitude :D So for now it seems that we will just have to be patient and wait until our next appointment in April. The Dr. also informed me that before then I need to have a serious conversation with the baby about the word cooperation. We'll see how well that actually works.



Caution: Bump Ahead

Every since we found out that we were expecting I've had numerous people ask me the inevitable question...Are you showing yet? Or making comments that they can't wait to see my "bump", well up until now I haven't had a bump to show. Aside from the occasional food baby that I would get, which would be completely gone when I woke up in the morning. But get excited people because I think this time the bump is here to stay. There are no pictures yet but I promise it won't be much longer. For now it's still to small to post, the only people that can really tell are my husband and I and a few people I work with so for now you guys will just have to be patient while "B" and I continue to grow :D

The Joys and Pains of Pregnancy

     It is true (from what I've heard anyways) that every pregnancy is different. A few years ago I watched my sister breeze through pregnancy with no morning sickness or major complications what so ever. So far just within the first 4 months I am pretty sure I have already experienced every symptom possible. But hey aside from the morning sickness, sleepness nights, frequent bathroom breaks, killer headaches, and feeling like I literally can't even walk up the stairs without being out of breath pregnancy is great!  The important part is that so far with each Dr. visit we continue to get the news that our little one is still healthy as can be and is getting more and more ready each day to join this world. It truly amazes me how much he/she changes between each monthly visit. I am incredibly anxious to see what the little one will look like but judging from it's parents baby pictures my guess is that it will be pretty freakin cute :D