First baby picture / Erstes Baby Bild

First ultrasound at 7 weeks. The arrow is showing the head. The oval thing just above the head is the yolk sack. The black background is the amniotic fluid. The baby is currently curved like shrimp and still has a little tail.

DUE DATE AUGUST 29th.

Mein erster Ultraschall mit 7 Wochen. Der Pfeil auf dem Bild zeigt auf den Kopf. Das ovale Dings ueber dem Kopf ist der Eiersack. Der schwarze Hintergrund ist das Fruchtwasser. Momentan ist das Baby einem Schrimp eher aehnlich und hat sogar noch einen kleinen schwanz. Man kann sehen, wie es sich an das Wandgewebe angehaftet hat.

Geburtstagstermin: 29ter August

Charlie has a new truck!

He said he was "just looking" and drove home with a brand new 2009 Ford F-150 5.4 Triton XLT truck yesterday.

See below.

Is Paul trying to reach out to see if it's real?

Mmh, with real wood lining! Heating & cooling seats.

This truck on the right is Paul's truck.

Let's see the power under the hood:

And the best thing about it: it can fit baby car seats - even TWO (let's hope it won't come to that, two that is). :-)

GOD is Good

Always a first

On Sunday we had several firsts. One of them was the unspeakable:

BARN CHRISTMAS PARTY.

Who would have thought that would ever happen? But it did! We love each other now. Yippieh!


We even brought (horse related of course) presents and food...


Which brings me to another first: I cooked little calzones. Yes, fancy with real dough that I had to roll out and stuff with Italian sausage, tomato, mozarella and garlick! Normally, I don't take the first attempt to a eating, just in case, but I think these turned out pretty good, except for the ones that were a little "flame kissed'.



Here lately, I am a real cook! That must stop! That's not like me! So, today I went and ordered us a smoked turkey for Christmas from Shane's. Mmh...looking forward to one, never had a smoked turkey! I am not cooking at Christmas! I might make a salad or garlic bread, but that's it! This year it's just Paul and I and the dogs, and the cat... By the way: meet Klaus: His typical facial expression....



Another first on Sunday: At the barn party I won a bracelet with horse stuff dangling off it! I've always wanted one like that! This one has horse heads, cowboy boots and horse shoes on it. Kelly made it herself. It is pretty. Thanks, Kelly!

Amish Friendship Bread

I have never heard anything like this before? Mush the bag for 7 days? Then divide the batter in 5 parts and give 4 away and bake the rest? Huh? How old is that batter? Yuk!

These were my thoughts at the barn that day when Kelly talked me into taking this goop in a ziplock back from her, called "Amish Friendship Bread". I have to say, I was not a good "musher". I poked it rather - 3 pokes a day...Paul would ask: did you mush the bag today? I'd say, uh-oh....thinking..oh, I better mash it once or twice before I go to bed....

Well, I found out that this is how sour dough works. Oma tells me that in our bakeries in Germany, bakers always keep some of their sour dough for the following day to start a new batter...so, I guess you can say the actual batter is ancient! Almost gross...how many hands have been in it? How many germs have jumped in it?

Even in the olden days, the batter has been kept and "fed" continuously. Past down from generation to generation. Who knows, this batter right here could be from Abraham's days!

No matter the age, it turned out pretty good! I even started to experiment: made one with vanilla pudding, one with chocolate, one in a 9x13 pan with apples on top etc. Took one to Sunday school, one to work and sent one to Paul's work. Those breads or cakes taste delicious and so moist. The one I took to work today lasted about 1 hour! People thought I was Amish, not German.

My first experience with sour dough. My brother Eric is a baker: This post is to you, Eric. Auch deine Schwester kann jetzt mit Sauerteig backen. Da staunste, was!?

Seuarkraut

Yes, I am venting...
Went in to work early this morning and even had to stay late too.
And what do I come home to? No not a messy house, BUT a plate full of Sauerkraut... YUK...

My loving wife knows that I hate Sauerkraut, but for some reason she thinks that I forgot that I don't like this stuff. So I threw a FIT!!! Yes I know you are thinking how good sweet little Paul do something like that? A Fit... Well it was not hard. I saw sour-crap on my plate and it was on.
After I got through showing my @#%, then she is still going to ask me to at least try it. I think she has lost her mind...
So she rakes the sour-crap off my plate onto hers,

NOW I'M THE BAD GUY...

Stop the Madness...........

Baby!

Na, how do I look with a baby? Aren't I a natural? I'm tickling the toe here. I don't think she's too impressed...

This is little Lara in Germany. She is is about 6 months old in the picture. I saw her during my visit in Germany 2 months ago. What a friendly baby. Always laughing and quietly playing. A role model for my future child for sure...:-) I'm sure her mom Nicole, my childhood friend, is very proud of her.

Schoene Gruesse Nach Wiesbaden an Euch, Nicolette!