Time marches on

It's now one week since our little Gage entered this world. He had a bit of a rocky start, but he's doing great now. I have to be honest here. I have never seen a newborn who has adapted as quickly to life as he seems to have done. He nurses like a champ. Cymony is delighted with that bit of fortune as Micah never was able to get the hang of it and she spent five months pumping. That's devotion. Cymony has tried Gage with a bottle, but he's not particularly interested. He likes it first hand.

He came home from the hospital on Sunday, only to return Tuesday night after spending the afternoon in the ER. It turns out his circumcision stopped the flow and there was infection and he would have been in trouble. Fortunately, 48 hours after admission into the hospital, he was given the green light and is now home. He has been an absolute jewel since returning home.

Micah loves her little brother. She is fascinated with him and wants to help as much as Cymony will let her. We got a good laugh last night. She's been fascinated with his little eyes. You know the routine. Older (little) sibling just wants to poke them. Well, Joshua (friend of family and home teacher) looked at her doll. She had poked the eye in! So needless to say, we'll need to keep a close eye on her (no pun intended).

I've loved being with this little family in Germany. This place is so picturesque. I went for a walk this morning and went up the mountainside for 45 minutes before turning around and returning. The grade of this mountain could not be less than 15 percent. It was quite a hike. I passed an old man. We stopped to talk for a minute. Of course, I don't speak German and he used all the English words he could think of - none of them making any real sense. He then pulled me close to him so he could kiss me on the cheek. We said goodbye and went our separate ways. I thought that was really sweet. It started my day off on a delightful note.

Cymony drives all over like it's no big deal. I just hope they don't get tired of me and push me out of the car. There is no way I could get myself back to familiar territory. I have driven a few places with the GPS. That's no sweat. But without it? I'd be toast.

The military is a breeding ground to teach patience. I've been impressed at how patient Cymony and Danny are. There is no choice. The wheels move slowly with government work. For example, when Gage was told they were going to release him to go home, it was 3:00. Danny and I headed straight over there. We left the hospital at 8:00 p.m.! No apologies either. It is quite interesting to me.

I have pictures, but won't be able to post them until I return to the states on Wednesday. Of course, we all know it will take a bit of time to get back on board.