Sugar and Spice........

Sugar and spice, and everything nice......I guess I will have to find a new title for the blog now since we have added sugar and spice to our household. That's right ......Miss G was born last Thursday at 5:27 pm weighing in at 8lb 13 oz and 21 inches long. Basically labor was the same as it was with little man. I tried desperately to go into labor for a week b/c daddy was coming home for a visit and there was no way he wasn't going to meet her. So I cut grass, walked , drank special teas, had the doctor do stuff, and ate raw oregano and basil. The Dr. claims it was him that brought it on.....I am not sure since I was in the middle of trying so many things......but anyway. On Thurs. am I woke feeling fine and as soon as my feet hit the ground I started having very irregular contractions just like with little man. Went in to see if anyhthing was going on and they said uh , dear you are 5 cm dilated......so my comment was ......guess that means I am not going home , huh? And after a trying, failed epidural on the right side I finally got a spinal and moved on to push for about 10 minutes and she was here. It was beautiful and bittersweet too. Wish daddy could have made it but he got here the next day and joined us. Little man is a great big brother who comes running when she cries and always wants to kiss her and love her.

We had a nice few days as a family and with my mom's help were able to relax some. Then daddy left. It was harder this time.....I'm gonna say b/c of hormones. It's been harder for little man this time b/c he is more aware of it. He misses him so much and doesn't understand and asks for him constantly. Its that stuff that makes it hard for me to hold it together but I do and thankfully it's getting easier to come up with clever answers.

G is so cute....a little orange from jaundice but still precious. She looks more like mommy is what they are telling me but has daddy's huge feet.....it's so cute. This dainty little baby girl....wait she was almost 9lbs so not so dainty but still a baby girl with these feet....it's so funny. We are glad to have her and be blessed with her presence.

Everyone has been so sweet and wonderful and we thank you all for your support and love over the past few weeks. I will continue to post pictures of her and little man when I have time.

Brain freeze

No, that doesn't mean because of the pregnancy I have a brain freeze of thoughts.....wait , maybe I do.....it's more like a brain lapse sometimes.
First off, I am proud because the last two weeks have been so busy and gone so fast we are two weeks down in this thing....woohoo!
Now on to the brain freeze. Little man and I ventured to Costco this am and on our way out we were sharing a smoothie. Then out of nowhere he started handing me the smoothie saying "cold drink, cold drink" .....I took it.......then he says " hurt eyes, hurt eyes" so it scared me right? Then I realized he had taken too long of a drag on the straw and given himself his first baby brain freeze. Poor thing I couldn't help but laugh.......and then I did the same thing :0- What I get for laughing huh? :)

Thanks

Just wanted to say thanks to all of you for calls, cards, letters, emails and prayers. It has been an emotional week but you have all kept me so busy I didn't have time to sit down.......which is a good thing :)
I am so blessed to have such good friends and family to look out after me and give me and daddy such support. He is grateful as well! God has lifted me up this week in a way I never knew before...it's been amazing. He gave me tremendous strength and a better attitude about this whole thing and I know now I can do it.....even if I have to stay here for winter because He will provide for my needs emotionally. He has lifted the burden off of me and given me a different outlook.....and lead new people into my life that have been such a blessing.

The ladies of my playgroup had a baby shower complete with a sassy cake (thanks K) and beautiful flowers....it was a group thing since one just had a baby girl and the other three are all having baby girls soon. It was beautiful and brightened my day......thanks ladies!

Little man is doing well,snuggling up to daddy doll and saying prayers with daddy every night and still talking about airplanes constantly. We have pinned up his airplane in the room so little man can see it all the time.......he runs to the windows to see the helicopters each time they fly over and gets so excited....it's very cute! But hey I am a little partial.

San Diego.......and hellos.......

Meeting Elmo and giving him five




family pic
no sand on my toes daddy

birthday boy

Well, I know it's been a while so here goes........


In late March we went to San Diego for a friend's wedding. We decided to turn it into a little mini vacation before daddy's deployment. We visited Sea World and the Wild Animal Park and enjoyed the sunshine and beaches. Little man had a blast learning about and seeing whales , dolphins , giraffes and many more but the polar bear was by far his favorite and the lions. We talked about polar bears for weeks. He did have a nice time with our Breakfast with Elmo and Friends. That was a big hit and well worth the money. He met Elmo, Big Bird, Count , Cookie Monster and Bert. Great fun!
Little man was so good ....at the animal park he had an explosion of massive proportions after we had been in line for about an hour to do the safari ride......there was no turning back and luckily I had replenished the wipes and diapers, right?? But did I remember shorts.....no, but had a great onesie...like that helped. So we managed to use all of our wipes in one diaper change until one other mommy saw me and offered me more....thanks to you understanding mommy of another toddler......and little man had no more pants so he walked around in a onesie , a polo and crocs the rest of the day.....boy did we get funny looks , hey we're from AL dressing him like that was normal :) Not really but it was funny so I will post pics of pantsless child later.

Then we had another eventful day but not the kind you want to remember. LM had a fever and it rose RAPIDLY.....we tried to bring it down but it didn't help and he ended up having what they call a complex febrile seizure at the Navy Lodge in Coronado, ambulance arrives, go to hospital (short version of course as most of you have already heard this in great detail). Arrive at hospital and notice he isn't using his left side at all. His face is droopy, can't use his left side at all.....that's when we got really scared. His movement came back in about 8 hours which they said is atypical for it to take so long to come back. ........he went through a batter yof tests that would make any mother cry to watch her kid go through and being pregnant I couldn't do so many things with him like xrays, CTscan , etc. so very happy daddy was there to do it with him. LM was scared and is still a little leery of dr.'s and nurses. All in all he is fine and febrile seizures are very common but it was likely caused by a virus that was going around. It's the complex part that worried us.....because the prolonged paralysis on one side isn't normal but we will just watch out for fevers and hopefully be able to control it somewhat.

So that was SD and then we came home and were all sick for a while with a nasty cold being back in the oh so pleasant 40 degree weather and rain. It was nice to be home but not with this weather.......we actually had snow last weekend 2 inches to be exact and this past weekend we had 70 and sunny.....insane!!! But i suppose the south has had unusual weather this year as well.
We did celebrate LM's birthday early with an Elmo party with a few friends. It was a nice time and he talked about birthday cake and presents for a few days and still sings happy birthday to himself from time to time :) Little does he know he gets to have two birthdays due to daddy's deployment this year.
We have enjoyed our last few weeks together and done some fun things with LM and tried to spend some time together amongst the running of errands and the many things to take care of while daddy is gone. I have learned to use the mower, weedeater, do various things to the cars, put car seats in (yeah, daddy always did that), etc.......still trying to sell our car, no luck so far.
If you know anyone who needs an extra car here in WA let us know......
So today was the day and we had dreaded it for the last few days. We have had some nice farewells from the Wing and everyone has been so supportive and helpful. I through the Lord mustered enough strength to hold it together for my boys and did minimal crying. We went to the airport and there was another family there from the wing going through the same thing so we all stood waving bye to our loved ones and shedding some tears together. LM loved the airplanes and cared way more about that. Daddy of course held it together very well as usual but I know it was killing him to hear that boy say I love you daddy! He told the dogs to be good and not have any drama this year, we'll see if they listen. It was tough , not gonna lie, but I have to buck up and do this now.....got two babies and three furry ones. I can't bring myself to clean up his messes , like his towel in the bathroom and shoes left out right now. That might mean he isn't going to come home and do it himself tomorrow or next week so I am not facing reality in some ways I suppose but I knwo i'll get around to it, not just yet though :) I know God will get me through this next year without my best friend by my side because this hello (goodbye) went better than I thought it ever could...and we both will be stronger for it. I'll keep yall posted and I know Daddy would love to hear from anyone anytime as that is his connection to home......he'll need that support too :)

I've switched to the dark side.........

Say cheese............
buddies
can I serve you up a doughnut
Me and my beau beau

.......meaning we got a minivan. A Honda Odyssey to be exact and I definitely don't feel too cool anymore but after 30 and walking around with juice or baby drool on you I suppose you passed cool a long time ago. We looked for a while and finally found what we wanted.....daddy had to have the stuff. If he was to drive a minivan he needed "stuff".......sunroof, leather, etc. Little man likes it a lot because he can walk around in it and our monstrous dog looks small in it. It's definitely easier to get little man in and out and am sure it will be much easier with baby girl too.

Little man has become our repeater.....he repeats EVERYTHING and is so articulate. We of course think he is a genius but sure he's just a little above average. We are gearing up to take him to San Diego and Sea World for a little family getaway before daddy deploys. Daddy has a wedding and we are tagging along. I am so excited I can't stand it.....that must mean we definitely need a break from Whidbey weather and some sunshine would be nice.

We are going to hunt Easter eggs this weekend with about a hundred other kids on base so that will be a new experience for little man and I am sure he will love it and we'll definitely take pictures. I am attaching some new pictures of him along with some friends. .......

Funny

I should say that after my previous post was a bit of a downer please stay tuned for the next year's adventures because you know there will be an appliance coup, extreme weather and other seriuosly hilarious stuff that will happen to us while Daddy is gone. For those of you who want to know what it's like to be a military mom/ wife read E-mail to the Front and it will crack you up ....(put it this way one chapter is named : You're off saving the world and I am cleaning up dog vomit...)..........great book about someone exactly like daddy and a mommy in a situation like mine and so many other wives. I know so many moms are single and do it everyday and I commend you!!!! Big pat on the back!!! :)

We will be having an Elmo party for little man's second birthday.......so he is pretty excited and has been looking at the plates and wants to use them now but he'll have to wait. We'll do it early with Daddy and then do it again for his real birthday( a small party since I will be days from my due date) What if she comes on his birthday? What will I do, tell her she can't come out til midnight , that's what I will do because they can't have the same birthday.......do you think that would work??? ;)

Que sera , sera......

As many of you know by now we are expecting some big changes here.......Daddy is going off to serve in a less than desirable location while little man and I stay at home and have a baby and adjust to life without daddy. I won't get on my emotional rant too bad today but all I can say is thanks for all your support. We are doing much better now that there are actual orders and dates and no when and where hanging over our heads like for the last month.

We are just preparing but as the time closes in it seems to feel there is much pressure to get things done and not leave a thing unsaid. I know Daddy is just ready to go and get it over with and in a way me too except you really don't want them to leave because you are scared and fearful of being by yourself for so long. Luckily I have the munchkin to keep me busy and one coming. Mommy can do this , I can handle it but it's hard to see little man with daddy and loving on him and playing with him it almost brings me to tears each and every time because I don't know how to tell him where daddy is when he leaves and how will I hold it together when he asks for Daddy. That is what is killing me.....but I will do my best and keep things as normal as possible and cry in the shower I suppose. Can't let the little man see me cry! And we are getting a "Daddy Doll" to carry.

We have decided to stay here in our current location, or the Navy decided for us because we were just shy of moving home by 9 days. However, in all honesty I dont' know that I would have anyway. It would have put us moving cross country 3 times in a little over 18 months and that's a lot with 2 kids and 3 dogs. It's hard for people to understand why you wouldn't just do it anyway but when we move as much as we do already......whew....and by the time I got settled in who knows where it would be time to pack up and move again. It's also hard for people to understand that you need to feel part of something and feel connected to what your husband is off doing. By being in a military community I feel the support and the unspoken words, it's like a club you have joined and it's what keeps you going knowing that someone down the street is experiencing the same thing. I also want to keep things as normal as possible for little man and for my sanity to make the time go by faster. Once you have been here it's very hard to explain to people who haven't been here although they all are sympathizing they can't really know or imagine your emotions and the strength it takes to get up everyday and keep going when inside you are breaking.......that's where support and Faith come in......thank goodness I have both.

There may be a chance that we are going home for the long winter here but all depends on the baby and how she is settling and little man as well. It's going to be a big year for him, big boy bed, potty training, daddy leaving , baby sister, etc. so we won't disrupt his routine too much.....we'll see. Also depends on if daddy gets R&R during holidays or not, if so we'll stay here and give him a chance to rest and get to know his baby girl.....maybe we'll go to Hawaii or meet up there.
It would be a long drive or flight either way.....and I can't just go home and leave my dogs for so long not to mention it would cost a small fortune to do so.......on another subject, why is is so hard to find a reasonable kennel? I don't need tv's and couches for my dogs......just a place to run and play and to be fed without charging $5-10 / dog for 30 minutes of playtime........CRAZY!!!!!!!!!
Okay that was my rant..........
On a different note little man is using his imagination a lot lately .......he talks to his stuffed animals and rides them on his tricycle, they sit at the table to eat with us....it's precious. He talks so much now, is this my payback?? He loves Curious George and Mickey Mouse and Elmo. He is learning about snot and "boogies" and often comes to me with a big boogie on his finger which is lovely. Last night I found two footballs in his bed......does this mean he will be a quarterback? I would prefer he play soccer but sure he will love football since daddy is already teaching him to catch the football, which he can........absolutely amazing he can do so much. Each day we learn from him. Anyway, we'll post more later with some more pictures.