MaureenMacushla

In the USA. Turns out marrying is WAY easier in the states! We'll still have to file our marriage in both Germany and France (my partner is French), but instead of the huge dossier with birth certificates less than 3 months old, all we need back home is identification and to apply for marriage licenses ahead of time. I agree. I'm very blessed to share DNA with some pretty wonderful people, and I'm lucky to have shared experiences with them. Things were rough at times growing up, but my family members have turned into some pretty awesome people whom I truly enjoy, and some family that don't share DNA with me who are just as awesome. There's always drama, which I could do without, but we get through. It's hard being apart from people we love especially during the holiday seasons.

Thanks - I appreciate that. I saw the rest of my family when we went to the USA for Easter in April, except for her because she was in Afghanistan. I miss all my siblings, I just miss her more because it's been longer since I've seen her...

So... My youngest sister can't make either Christmas or our wedding. I haven't been able to hug her in over a year as she was deployed and then moved bases in the USA, and I live in Germany. I'm really bummed because she was able to go home for Thanksgiving and see ALL the rest of our family, but we'd already bought tickets for Christmas. Honestly, I'd rather she see some of our family than none of our family, especially after deployment, but I feel left out. Also, I feel like maybe I jinxed it by putting it on my miracle list before it happened. 😕 So, I guess I need to think of a new festivus miracle... Maybe I'll find the perfect winter courthouse wedding outfit today - that would count as a miracle!

I love calling US customery 'freedom units'. Made me smile. My sister is also tall and struggles with finding pants long enough. She has found some via Victoria Secret, and I think Title 9 Sorts might have some as well. As for sweatpants - she wears her husband's, he's taller than she is.

Our little rebel also had a difficult night - roughly the same timing, too. Here's hoping they'll sleep through the night again soon!

I concur!!!

Week 1: I took out an index card, wrote my grievences, and put it in the recycling bin - that should still count, right? Week 2: I find this SO much easier! My Festivus Miracles include... 1. Our beautiful baby girl (especially when she smiles) 2. Marrying my partner at the end of the month 3. All my siblings will be together for the first time in years to celebrate my wedding 4. Nearly reaching pre-baby weight (1.7 kilos to go) 5. Our daughter being born in Germany so I have a year of paid maternity leave tos spendwith her I know some of these haven't technically happened yet, but I'm still counting them!

End of week 1 update: Quest 1: Go To Dentist - Completed!!! Quest 2: Consistent Core Work - Minimum of 10 minutes core work on Monday, Wednesday and Sunday this week. Quest 3: Reduce Sweet Consumption - Only 2 Sweets consumed this week (I'm not considering fruit as sweets for this challenge) Level Up: French Language Acquisition - more than halfway through lessons in French Course Bonus Quest: Hit PrePregnancy Weight - Down to 69.8 Kilos this morning. Less than 2 kilos to go!!! Bring on week 2!!!

I too thoroughly enjoyed your story intro! You’re talented. 🙂 I will also be traveling during this challenge, transcontinental with a 6month old. I am praying we’re not those passengers that make everyone else miserable! i fully support your budget goal - I have been encouraged to make my own budget, because giving at Christmas is so fun and easy to get carried away with. Thanks for setting a good example! Best of luck staying healthy!

Condolences. Grieving is hard over the holidays. I sense an undercurrent of strength in your posts, even though it’s a challenging time. You are persevering with as much positivity as you can, and I admire that. Keep going - you’re tenacious and you will get through this.

I like this! Very little in my life is routine, but this type of list can help me stay on track until it becomes habit. Right now my ‘routine’ goal is focused on nap time. 6 steps, all alliteration (b), and location specific. Great start!

We had our first at the end of June. She too managed to sleep through the night around the 2 month mark, but she doesn’t believe in day napping. It’s all night or nothing! She slipped back into a midnight wake at 4months, but we’re unsure whether that’s a normal sleep regression or because we were traveling. Our daughter too! She’s turning 6months at the end of the year and she’s moving into 9m clothes! They grow so fast - it’s crazy! I completely agree that building a fitness routine (or even finding time to fit fitness in) is challenging with a newborn! I applaud you for being positive until you can build your routine.

Well done! It’s hard to carve out time for fitnesses with a newborn.

I think it’s the same in Germany. The midwives are very knowledgeable and competent, they are the primary professional in the maternity wards. The doctors are only called in for emergencies. If there’s failure to progress, you are repositioned and expected to keep trying unless the baby is in distress. Because there were complications and my daughter needed to be delivered quickly, I did receive synthetic oxytocin and although the doctor was on standby, it was the midwife calling the shots. A cesarean wasn’t even mentioned and ultimately the doctor wasn’t needed. I feel like this is typical in German delivery rooms - women are encouraged to deliver with as minimal intervention as possible, but that’s based on my experience in rural Germany.

So far, so good! Managing to keep to one sweet or less a day, I’ve got one core workout in this week, and I completed my Dentist Quest! I’m hoping to do a core workout today and another on Saturday!