Short Update

So, I am officially a horrible, horrible blogger. I have started 2 blogs and never finished them.
So here is a short update of what has been going on the past few months.
Well, for starters since I was pregnant in my last blog, Tristan was born on March 23rd at 12:28 AM. He is now a little over 5 months old. He is VERY active and keeps us so busy! (We love it though!) He has been rolling over for a month now and can sit up by himself for a good amount of time as well as stand by himself holding onto something. We are pretty amazed by him and have soooo much joy having him! I can tell you that being a parent is very humbling and everyday I feel so unworthy to have this blessing that God has given us. Here are some pictures!

I dislike our apartment. Trying to be content with it. It’s not a bad size apartment, but it is feeling pretty crammed and the set up is not very good. Especially the kitchen, which is hard because I really enjoy cooking and baking but DO NOT enjoy being in our kitchen.
My German is improving and can carry on conversations now. I should study more independently…But with Tristan here the last thing I feel like doing in my free time is studying German. Ben and I speak it quite often and it has become natural for us to speak both languages in our home…Which may be a little confusing for Tristan in the near future.
I was going to a nursing cafe but it is out for the summer. I really enjoyed attending and got a lot of practice speaking German. It is in the Baptist church here in Giessen and put on by my midwife. (Who always forces me to speak German even though she can speak English. I appreciate it a lot….Afterwards at least after I realize I CAN speak German. I am always afraid to initiate a German conversation.
I will get to see a friend from Hungary this weekend!!! She is actually German but we met in Hungary. I am so excited to see her. Our other friend will be with her as well who lives in the area that she is from.
We went on vacation to a few different places. First we went to Bremen and up to the North Sea. This was a great time! Although the North Sea was very cold and windy and the tide was out 5 or 6 MILES so we walked about a mile out in about ankle deep water. It was still VERY cool! We also went to Neuschwanstein which was beautiful! You can click here for pictures.
We will be spending a week at my in-laws which I am so excited about!! Then we HEAD TO AMERICA ON THE 24TH OF SEPTEMBER!! WOO HOO!! I will spend a month there and Ben will be there for 3 1/2 weeks.
Yes, so that is a short summary of what is going on. I promise to get better at blogging and make it more of a priority!

 

Update!

It’s so hard to believe that I am finally down to the final week until my due date. March has flown by so fast, I sometimes feel so unprepared for Tristan to come home. Although I am more ready than anything.  We went to visit the hospital where the birth will take place a little over a month ago. We went ahead and  registered so that we wouldn’t have to worry about it when we get there for the real thing. I am really happy with our choice of going to the St. Josef’s hospital. There are two here in Giessen. A University Hospital as well as the one that we chose. We asked around and got recommendations for St. Josef’s. I met my doctor (who looked only a couple years older than I!) and she was so kind and sweet. Not at all what I had imagined! You can tell that she really cared. She toured us around to one of the labor rooms. There was a bed, a rope hanging from the ceiling to hold onto if you are laboring standing up and wooden bars on the wall as well for the same reason. She then showed us the water birthing room (which is what I am planning to do). I was SO excited to see how nice it was! They have a huge “tub” (looks more like a Jacuzzi) that is specifically designed for water births. The room was really nice and you can dim the lights to when you look up there are these little lights in the ceiling that are supposed to be “stars”. You can of course bring your own music to listen to. We also got to see what one of the recovery rooms looked like. They were small, but comfortable.
I have been reading online for different things to bring to the hospital. I haven’t really packed yet for the hospital because I feel confused on what I will REALLY need! I have my bag set by the door in our bedroom, looking like it’s all packed and ready to go, but the only thing it’s filled with is FOOD! SO, this is where I could use a little help. J For those of you who have stayed in the hospital, what are the important things to bring? I really do not want to bring a bunch of stuff that I do not need, but also I do not want to leave anything behind that I might want or that would be important.
Here in Germany you have the option of going home a few hours after birth. I really liked this idea at first, but then decided that since I don’t have family around for support, it’s probably better to spend the first few days in the hospital. I am sure it will also be nice to have the help of the midwives at the hospital with any questions I will have.  Another nice thing will be that my midwife will come a few days after I am home to help me and make sure that Tristan is gaining weight…etc.
I have been going through this “nesting” phase, which is really good because before this I had so little energy or motivation to do a lot around the apartment. We got all of Tristan’s things put together and his bed comes this Friday.  Ben’s family have been such a big help with getting everything ready as well. We went to visit them for a long weekend in February and then his mom and brother came back with us for a few days. It’s always great when his parents come because we are able to get so much done around the apartment. J I will add a link at the bottom to where you can look at pictures of the apartment.
The past month has been pretty uneventful just because we aren’t able to do a lot. ( Or, shall I say I am not able to do a lot). We spend a lot of time watching movies… Being on the computer and I have gone through Tristan’s things about 100 times! We try to get out of the house and go for a walk. I enjoy walking to this store that is I suppose closest to what Target is like. (Minus the cute clothes…) haha.
Most people know about the school shooting that happened here not so long ago. I have to say I was so shocked. I always hear Germans usually talking about the States and the gun control problem that we have there, so I guess I kind of assumed that Germany was just some happy fairy tale land that nothing bad (like shootings) happened. Or, at least not very often. I was also surprised when I found out that it wasn’t the first time it had happened and there were occurrences in which more people had died in years before. It is so traumatic and it raises fears in me that it could happen again. Not to mention that we live in a Christian school building. The first few days after the shootings I have to admit I was a little paranoid. I was worried that it might encourage another student to do the same act. Not to mention on a religious school property. This made me start praying for the German schools and for the hearts of the German youth. God IS really doing a lot of work in Germany, but there is still such a great need for Christians to reach out to the youth. One time when Ben and I were out,  Ben had made a comment as we walked past a group of teenagers. He said something along the lines of “it’s unbelievable how angry teenagers look. It has gotten back to this ’I don’t care’ attitude”… It was amazing that we could just see by looking at them that there was something missing. They so badly need the love of Christ in their hearts. They need to know that someone does care and love them. I know that God did not just lead me from my home country into Germany ONLY to marry a German. (Although it is pretty exciting.. )  In His plan I know he will use me in this foreign country and there is a reason that I am here in Germany. I want to just ask you all to be praying for the ministry that Ben and I have here now and also for our future ministry. We really want to be effective tools for God and we want to continue to have willing hearts to serve him…Wherever and however that might be! I want to someday stand in Heaven and meet all of these people that came to Christ because of my obedience to Him. I also pray for the hearts of the Christians around the world. That they will have a burden for the lost to “go out and make disciples of ALL nations”… It is a command and our purpose as believers. We are here to continue the work that Christ started. Another prayer request would be that Ben would be able to find a summer ministry. He has to do it for 4 weeks. We aren’t really sure if he HAS to do it this year or if he can wait to do it next year. Nonetheless, it’s something that we would really appreciate prayer for!
So… That’s about it. Here is the link that you can go to in order to view pictures of our apartment!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2010550&id=1109760128&l=2b1bf58584

 

3rd time’s the charm!

So, most of you know that Ben and I are expecting our first baby in the end of March. We decided that we wanted to find out the sex of our baby. From the beginning I was sure that it was a boy.  I just had this “feeling” that’s what the baby was. (They say that 53% of moms guess right..So I had a chance!)   Now, my mom was 100% sure that it was a girl. She was so convinced that it was a girl, that she sent us a few girl things in the mail.
My family also wanted to really know so that they could buy the baby clothes for Christmas. So, the moment of truth came. As I was lying on the bed during the ultrasound and my Doctor was checking for the sex of the baby, she couldn’t clearly see because the legs were closed. So, she looked some more and then said, “ I am going to say it’s a boy. I am not completely sure, but I am going to say it’s a boy.” Ben and I were thrilled and I went home to share the news with my mom so that she could pass it along to all of my family. She was of course  surprised and couldn’t believe it! A few days before we left for the States I had another Doctor’s appointment. During my appointment, we asked her if she would look again to see if she could tell for sure the sex of the baby.  As she was looking, she said that she was again not sure because of the same reason as last time, but she then changed her mind and said , “ It looks like a girl. It could be a girl.” Ben looked at me, I looked at him and we started to crack up. It was pretty unbelievable! We were of course thrilled at the thought of having a little girl as well. So, after we got home I called my mom and told her  the news. She was excited to hear that.  But, since we weren’t 100% she made an appointment at a place where you can get 3D ultrasounds. After we got to the States a few days later my sister had an appointment at the gynecologist. We were hoping that MAYBE the doctor would be willing to do an ultrasound on me to see if HE could tell the sex of the baby. So, my mom and Ben also came with.  The Doctor was more than willing (they just got a new ultrasound machine, so It’s like a toy for him). Right when he put the  control on, he said “ I know what it is!”. He of course waited until the very end to show us what sex the baby was. He went through and measured the head, the chest, showed us this cool effect with the heartbeat…etc. Then, at the very end ,he went down and found the sex of the baby and froze the screen. Sure enough, it’s a BOY! I felt very relieved to finally know and my family as well since they had gotten all of this boy stuff! So, our little boy went from being a boy, to a girl and back to a boy again! My mom had told everyone at work that it was a girl after our last appointment. Well, one afternoon someone knocks on the door and it was someone that my mom worked with. She had gotten her a gift and also had a small gift for Ben and I. I opened it and in it was a small ornament of a pink stroller. We then told her that it was a boy and she was so embarrassed that she wanted to take it back. We told her that we would love to keep it and that it was funny. ( I am sure Tristan will find it funny some day too. .
So, for all of you out there who were wondering, Tristan Simon Misja will be here at the end of March!

 

Wir gehen nach Amerika!

On this coming Wednesday (December 17th) we will be traveling to the States for a little over two weeks. I have not been back since September 10th, 2007 . I am really looking forward to being back and spending time with my family. It will also be nice to hear English everywhere! I have a feeling that it will take me a couple of days to adjust back to the American culture.
On our way to the States we fly out of Frankfurt on a 10 o’clock flight. Then we head to Amsterdam, then to Memphis (Tennessee) and then our final destination, Dallas, Texas.  We get into Dallas at 9:30 PM. The next day will be used to relax and sleep. (Although, I do not want to waste my time, so I am not sure how much sleeping I will do!!). Then on Friday we will do a lot of site seeing and take Ben to a couple different places. At night we will be going to downtown Dallas. There is a lot to do there and a lot of open bars and karaoke. Ben will HAVE to experience this, as well as riding on a mechanical bull. I am VERY excited to see him do this! For me, I find it hard to see a German as a cowboy. I am sure that he will embrace the moment. J We also got tickets to see the Dallas Mavericks play. This is Dallas’ NBA team. Dirk Novitzki, who is German, plays for them. We thought this would be a nice experience for Ben to have! We will be spending 5 days outside of Nashville, Tennessee at my Grandparent’s house. We will be spending Christmas there. My aunt Allison, her boyfriend, my mom, her boyfriend, my sisters Ashley and Courtney, Ben and I and my uncle John will all be staying at their home. They have a large house, but it will be a tight squeeze! It is always a nice time when family gets together! While we are in Nashville, we will go to quite a few different places. We will go to a few places downtown, one being “The Wild Horse Saloon.” This is a restaurant and  a place where they also have country bands come and play. The best part is that they have a dance floor for line dancing. J Every night they have a professional line dancer come out and give lessons. We will take part in this! Ben has never line danced before, so this will also be a new experience for him! On Christmas Eve we will go to a church service and then out to a place called “Opry Mills Hotel”.  Here, they have a HUGE room with a ton of Christmas lights, statues, Christmas Trees, and a HUGE snow slide! They make it look like a Christmas Wonderland. After returning to Texas we will go to a professional hockey game and spend a few nights in Houston, Texas to look at NASA and a solarium that is there. Of course we will also be doing lots and lots of shopping! Something that I really like about the States is that things are not as expensive as in Germany. I LOVE Germany, but this is a bonus about the States! We leave the States on the morning of January 4th and arrive back to Germany on the morning of the 5th. Ben will have to start school the next day, so I am sure that he is going to be exhausted! I know that we will have a good time, so it will be worth it. J
I will make sure to write about our trip and to put pictures up.  Below I will leave our contact information just incase you need to get in touch with us. I wish you all a wonderful and blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Lots of Love,

Whitney

Whitney’s mom’s number: (001) 972-814-3381 (Her name is Kim)
Whitney’s sister’s number: (001) 214-862-8970 (Her name is Ashley)
They will know that we gave this out if you need to get in touch with us. Just ask to speak to either Ben or I!

 

Life in Germany

I have been living in Germany now for six months! We were living with Ben’s parents for the first five and for a month now, we have our own apartment in Giessen, where Ben is studying at a Christian seminary. As Ben is making the adjustment to studying again, I am waiting to start my immigration course.
Our apartment is in a great location. We also live in a nice building on the property of a Christian K- 13 grade school. (There are 13 grades in Germany!) We live 8 minutes away by foot from Ben’s school, 5 minutes from the grocery store and 20 minutes away from downtown Giessen. The apartment is decent size, consisting of a living room, 1 bathroom, kitchen, laundry/storage room, and 1 bedroom. We were able to paint so our entry way is a “sunflower” yellow, our kitchen is a light blue and the rest of the walls of the house, except one wall in the living room which is a bright green, are an off-white color. We haven’t done a lot for decoration yet, but that will eventually come! A common thing in Germany is that apartments aren’t usually furnished with things like a fridge or a stove. That means the renter is responsible for their own. We only recently got a stove, but we are waiting for it to be fixed. The school that we are living in gave it to us because they do not need it anymore. That will be nice once it is up and going! Our microwave also has a grill in it, so that has allowed us more food options! We have a fridge because the school is letting us borrow one until one of theirs breaks. I am very thankful for everything that we have and find it kind of fun to have to be creative when it comes to meal choices! We are lacking in nothing and we are so thankful to the Lord for that! We have had one minor issue so far with the apartment and that was the toilet was leaking. We would have to mop up the bathroom floor at least 5 times a day, hoping to catch it before it would reach the living room carpet. We had it like this for a few days until the janitor came to us and asked if our toilet was leaking because the ceiling was! He was able to fix it in about, oh, 30 seconds! He just twisted this little knob out and then twisted it back in. I am very happy that that is fixed!
While Ben is keeping busy with school, I am at home taking care of the house. Right now I am a little bored since I don’t know a lot of people very well and I don’t have a lot to do to keep me busy. Ben has class Tuesday-Friday, 8-1. Wednesdays he has a class from 2-3. I get up with Ben at 6:45 to have breakfast and spend the morning with him while he is here. After that I usually find something to do around the house that will keep me busy for a little bit. I spend a lot of time on the computer now that we have internet, which really helps time go by faster! I also study German, not as much as I should, but I am trying to motivate myself to do that more. This Monday we are going to the immigration office to hopefully sign me up for an integration course. I am required to take 600 hours of German language and 45 of German culture. I really look forward to starting this! It will be nice to have something to do and I also really look forward to speaking fluent German. As of right now, I understand a good amount, but speaking is where my challenge is. Ben and I will speak together around the house, but then we are back to speaking English just after a short time! I am only brave enough to speak to Ben in German, unless I absolutely HAVE to speak German to another person while I am out! I know that if so many people would not speak English, I would be able to speak better German. I am also very thankful for this though as it definitely helps me feel more comfortable here. Although, I won’t feel fully integrated UNTIL I learn German! It is the language barrier that keeps me from really feeling connected. I feel like I am pretty well adjusted as far as the culture goes and how things and people look. I really long to speak German and to be able to connect with Germans on THEIR level instead of them having to speak English with me. Sometimes this mountain seems so big and I think “How in the world will I ever learn this language!?” I really like German, although it is a complex language. The grammar is sometimes very similar, identical actually to English, but then sometimes the grammar is WAY different! They also have very special sounds that we do not have in English. This is the part where I am not so comfortable in. It is very unusual for me to hear myself making these German sounds. A lot of times I try to soften them, but it just doesn’t work that way. J At our wedding I tried to speak to Ben’s little cousin in German. I said, “Was machst du?” Which is “What are you doing?” . Well in German the “ach” is a hard ggghhhh sound that comes from the back of the throat. Yes, very hard. She kept saying “Was?” (“What?). I then just stopped trying and laughed at myself at my failed attempt to speak German to her. A lot of times when I try to pronounce this “machst” it is too soft and it sounds like another word “magst” which means “like”. I know that with practice, I will be able to master these sounds!
We will be flying back to the States for Christmas. I am really looking forward to seeing my family and a few of my friends! We will spend most of our time in Texas and Tennessee. It is hard for me to believe that I has been over a year since I have been back! It will be very strange for me to hear English everywhere. It will be a welcomed experience. J I also am excited for Ben to see and experience the culture that I come from. I am sure that he will notice more differences in cultures than I am able to. He observes things like that much more and I have gotten so use to how things are done in Germany, the two cultures sometime merge together in my mind! Ben sometimes asks me if we have, for example, a certain make of car in the States and I can’t remember if it was in the States, or Hungary or only Germany that I saw them!
A lot of people know by now, but for those of you who don’t, we are announcing the arrival of Tristan Simon Misja next Spring!
Thanks for reading! J

Love,

Whitney