Valentine's Follow Up.

Sweet Hearts....

This year, Valentine's Day was very different from last years. Chris is over seas and I am staying with his parents. My loving husband however, had the forsight to buy my valentine's present prior to leaving and took it with him. It came a week early in the mail (and could not have arrived on a better day!). My package happened to arrive on the same day that he returned to the base over there and called home. I opened my package the day it came because, lets face it, life with a teething infant is not a walk in the park. I had reached the point where I needed something nice and happy to refocus my attention, so I opened mine. As luck would have it his package had arrived too. So I made him open his to (so I wouldn't feel so guilty about opening mine).

My loving husband not only replaced but upgraded my missing Ipod! :) And in a wonderful Valentine's Day color - Pink! My husband recieved a ton of junk food, and some various assorted things from Jane's Rustic Ranch Soap. How ever the big piece to his gift was Junior's 6 month photos (a few of which are on my current blog header). The 3 that are put together he recieved as a collection with the words "I love my Daddy" above them. I was informed that all of the pictures I sent where by far the best present I could have given/sent him! That made my day! :)

Sigh of Relief

Yesterday was a very stressful day for Chris and I. Unsure about what the Orthopedic Surgeon (OS) would say about his back, and knowing this could impact Chris' plans career wise and my immediate plans for the next 8 months we were a little on edge yesterday.

Chris does have a herniated disc. It's not causing him pain right now, and the OS said it was very minor at this point (as we could see from the MRI scan). He did not see why Chris could not stay in an "up" status for now, and treat the pain as needed. He even perscribed a non-narcodic pain reliever that was extended release, that he assured us would allow Chris to fly with.

Now he just has to go back to the Flight Surgeon here on the base and fill her in as to what the OS said. So basically - he still has physical therapy but other than that - he should be good to go and the only major decision he should have at this point is if he wants to get an easy set of shore duty orders that will allow him to finish his degree (which means a possible move to FL) OR he takes a set of shore duty orders that allow us to stay closer to home for 3 years (recruiting duty - which means Junior and I will be home - and so will he although working 12-14 hour days).

Reflection...Looking Back A Year Ago Today

A year ago today, pretty close to this time of day (3:30pm) things where drastically different then they are right now.

I was madly finishing up cleaning my house. I was attempting to doll myself up and make it to the airport early. The only person I had to worry about at that moment was me. I was rushing to get everything done before Chris came home from overseas.

Seeing him after six months was going to be awesome and well worth it. He was going to see me with blond hair for the first time in my life (my Halloween costume last year was Marylin Monroe - and I couldn't find a wig that looked right so I bleached mine) and see the weight I had worked hard to loose while he was gone in person.

I know with absolute certainty that the night he came home, Jr was conceived. Looking back Jr was worth the four year wait. I wouldn't change anything in my life right now, although sometimes I wish teething where easier for Jr and for me but I still wouldn't change anything. I love my son, I love my wonderful husband.

How many people can say with ABSOLUTE certainty what day/night their child was conceived? And quite honestly, you can't get much more planned then Jr was. And I am oh so thankful for all the smiles, silly faces and all the little funny things he does (like trying to eat his fingers and a spoon full of cereal at the same time).

Daddy Gets in on the FUN

Yesterday was spent working on the project car in the garage. However, prior to the fun really getting started, Chris fed Jr his morning cereal. Needless to say - Dad is not as skilled as mom at getting the cereal in and to stay in, but mom did NOT critize... and let him do it himself. Jr could have used more then just a wipe-y bath afterwards, but it all worked out in the end ;).

FINE!!! I admit it!

My wonderful husband pointed out to me this morning that I'm jealous. So many people from the iVillage message board that I've posted/lurked on have started having their little ones, and even two of my friends (one from there, one through blogging) and all I want is Jr to get HIS eviction notice so we can see/hold/cuddle him. According to Chris, I'm varying shades of green at this point.

UM HELLO!!!!! I officially have LESS THEN 30 days till my due date. I want my body back to just belonging to me (is this selfish? Yes. Is it a crime? NO.). I want to see my little guy and get to know him. I want to see who he takes after in the family looks wise. I want to see how the boys react to him, and the fact he's not going "home" at night, but is moving in with us. I want to see how much he changes the first day he's here with us, let alone the first couple of days.

Either way, I'm just ready for him to be here already. Everything is ready for him... all he has to do is follow Cooper's lead, and Emmett's lead ;) and then we'll all be happy :) (well except for Chris who is starting to realize his prized "sleep" is about to become non-existant.)

Who Knew?!

So you've all read/heard about my back/hip pain. Chris bought me a pool for Mother's Day. Yesterday it finally got put to use!

Chris got up early and let me sleep in yesterday. Little did I know he was getting some stuff done! He blew up my pool, took the dogs to the beach then went and picked up the trailer so he could do some work on it. I only woke up when he came upstairs to get his laptop. He then left to take the boys with him to get a spare tire for the trailer in preperation for his trip this weekend. When I came downstairs I found my pool not only blown up in the back yard but filled! I was shocked! But it was a good thing because it was really freaking hot here yesterday!

By 1230 I was ready to get in the pool! Laying in the pool was about the best thing I could do. Chris joined me after a little bit - and there are definite benifits to having olive colored skin ;). Poor Chris is no longer part of what his Dad calls the "White Belly Brigade". He's now part of the "Pink & it's going to hurt" brigade ;).

We also went to the family pool here on the base with Ronnie, Jess & kids. That made the difference between laying in the pool and being able to stand in water up to my neck. It totally made my back and hips feel SOOOO MUCH BETTER! And it wore me out! I slept last night - actually slept! I think that I may try to get up there every couple days and see if over all that helps with the amount of pain I've been having. Either way - yesterday was a great day! And not to mention that the kids had a great time at the pool! Trace loved going between the "kiddie pool" and the "big" pool. Colten (who didn't care for the beach so much) even seemed to love the pool!

What I was Doing 8 Years Ago Today

7:30Am – Just waking up. Eating breakfast trying to figure out how we were going to do everything done that needed to be done.

8:00Am- Getting fussed at by my mom to get in the shower so my hair would be dry by the time Annette got to the house to do my hair and make up.

9:00Am- Last minute fitting for my dress that Nana was still sewing. (my family likes to take things to the edge ;) )

10:00Am- Helping my mom finish the enchiladas for the reception. Played on the floor a little with my cousin who was trying to pull a “mini-me” stunt from Austin Powers and eat my mom’s cat.

10:30am Sarah and June showed up… the real preparation started.

11:00am Hair and makeup began. Annette taking care of me, Papa taking care of Sarah’s hair.

12:00pm Last minute “try on” of my dress with my shoes.

12:30pm Loading everything into my Nana’s van and making a mad dash to The Ranch.

12:45pm I got dressed, the staged photos began of me and mom, and my Nana and what not. (Cousin Kathy tried to slip me a beer to “calm my nerves” but Nana rejected it – She came back w/ beer in a pepsi can. Gotta love Chris’ cousins!)

1:00pm-ish Everyone got lined up to walk down the isle with Cousin Kathy filling in as the coordinator sending people at the appropriate time.

1:10ish – I walked down the isle with my brother (and almost lost a shoe) and married the man who’s soon going to be a daddy!

1:45pm-ish The party started for everyone else while the wedding party sweltered outside in the heat getting pictures taken.

2:30pm The party continued with food, beverages and dancing. All in all it was a lovely outdoor wedding that was a relaxed enviroment where everyone had fun. (including the kids who where using the chairs from the ceremony to launch themselves into the creek - in their underwear! Gotta love country weddings :) )

Happy Anniversary

glitter-graphics.com

To my husband of 8 years....

Sometimes Things Just Bite!

So my husband's command has this thing tomorrow where he has to show up in his full dress uniform. This totally blows for me - not because this is something I would normally have to show up for but because like many wives who love to see their spouses dressed in a uniform, I love seeing mine in his. I have to say there is something about seeing a man in crackerjack's (the full dress uniform for enlisted sailors - the most commonly known uniform associated with the Navy) that just does something for me.

The part of this that bites - with being on modified bedrest also means pelvic rest. (not that I have been all that interested in "extra ciricular" activities since the beginning of this pregnancy, nor am I really now.) However - if there was ever an excuse to be interested tomorrow would be it. It's not often that Chris wears his dress uniform, darn it!

Saturday In The Park...

No it's not the 4th of July but it feels like it!!!! It's freaking hot here today!!! 90 in the shade, pshhh! What EVER!!!!

Industrious Husband

My husband has decided not to make a cradle for Jr (mostly because he feels unsure about his ability to build something of this nature) but has decided to make a dresser/changing table combo. This should be interesting. (95% of his projects come out bigger & atleast 50-75% heavier then they where supposed to). We went and bought the wood today, and have to go to another store on Monday to get some air tool he decided he needs to make it look "professional". Trust me there will be pictures in the building, staining and finished stages.

Aside from that, my all so loving husband was kind enough to clean our tub this morning :)!! So after my nesting moment yesterday - our entire room has been cleaned from top to bottom! Juniors room is on my list for Monday but shouldn't require any help from Chris.

Chris' other accomplishments today:

He's been complaining about our lawn furniture's paint flaking off for a while now and how it needed to be sanded and re-painted. So here is a picture of him hard at work.

Other Projects

Also today, since my husband is feeling industrious :) We are going to finish (as Lizze calls them) 'The Dancing Letters' for Juniors room that will go above his crib on the wall, inbetween too pictures. Due to the nature of the beast with being in the military, we decided that we will mount the letters on this board so that we can move them easily and put them up in his room where-ever we move!

I can't wait to see them finished! Hopefully tomorrow it will be hanging in his room and I will be able to share it with you all!

Home Decorating Gone ..... Manly?

Okay so I posted sparingly this weekend. Not much really has gone on. Chris and I ran around yesterday morning and this morning checking on some things and getting a few things done.

Home Decorating

My husband is on a home decorating kick. Granted we aren't still living in the "young newly-wed" type of home furnishings that we use to. We have a nice couch and love seat as well as a recliner. My husband built our entertainment center which came out very nicely I might add (I just need to dust it more). But he's been in this "we need to decorate " mode. I've been eyeing this board at Hobby Lobby for a while, but couldn't see spending 60$ on it. Yesterday when we were in there, everything in the same section was marked 50% off. So I showed it to Chris, and he loved it!



Update On Juniors Room

Our entire trip to Hobby Lobby was spawned by the fact that I finished the drawing I did for Junior's room. I wanted to get it matted and framed in a frame that would match the crib and mat that would go with the room ect. I know I told you all I would show you what it looked like when finished, Well here it is! I took the picture at an angle because the lighting isn't great in his room (overhead lighting we had no choice on) and I didn't want the flash to show on the glass. There is another picture in there, on the wall that is of Chris as a little boy that I did from a photo I got from his mom but I will wait to post a picture of it till I get it re-framed after payday later this week so that they match :)

And ofcourse, my wonderful husband hung both the picture and the "key" board all by himself!

Insensitive Clod

I’ve decided that I am no longer watching A Baby Story on TLC. This isn’t because something bad happened, but because today there was a husband who actually had a clue.

It really sucks to figure out that while you are listening to this soon to be third time dad say ON CAMERA that he thinks his wife needs to be made to feel like she’s pretty while she’s pregnant, not fat or anything like that and he tells her at least once a day if not more that she’s pretty, and your husband only tells you things like this when you say something about him never saying nice things to me. Umm, when you say things like I’m your “gorgeous wife” doesn’t count when I make a comment about needing to hear it first. That kind of makes any comment you make at that particular point useless for about an hour or more.

You wonder why things for me aren’t like they use to be. Part of this is hormones, and part of it is you. Granted you’ve never been great about giving me compliments (like I only get them when I dress up or put make up on) but right now it really counts.

And I may not be on bedrest, but when I’m dealing with all the crap (health wise) that I am already and you get pissy because I either didn’t do anything all day while I was home, or make snide comments about it, personally my opinion is you can take a flying leap. And comments like what were made at dinner last night, really don’t fly to far, except to send my anger soaring, and really are not helping your overall situation right now.

What not following a routine can do..

Normally (as in like a year ago) Chris' squadron did PT (physical training for you non-military lingo types ;) ) 3 mornings a week (MWF) at 645. Well when things went down hill meaning that the heliocopters where not being cooperative and remaining in flight status, PT stopped. (lets concentrate on being ready for anything basically.) Well regardless if you PT or not, once or twice a year - I can't remember right now, you have to take a PT test. Originally it was set for last friday - but weather canceled that. So it was rescheduled for this morning.

Chris got up, went in the bathroom, came out got dressed [normally this would be where I get a kiss good-bye when he's getting ready for work but that didn't happen this morning.] and took the boys downstairs to go out. Well that tiny miss-step in not giving his wife a kiss like he normally does woke my sorry butt up at 6:14. Plus he left the landing light on out side our bedroom - which wakes me up anyways. Now that he's off to his PT test... and I've been awake for almost an hour I'm going to try to go back to bed. My head hurts, and I'm still kind of dizzy. Hopefully a small bowl of cheerios will help both of those.

Day - in Review

So you all saw what I woke up to. This is pretty much how the rest of the day went:

Chris continued to play video games (with the boys in various positions around him on the couch and the floor) till about 11 when we went and had lunch with some friends. Chris decided that since he had the day off he would get the trailer that he recently purchased registered after lunch (more on this later) and I wanted to go find a pair of slip-on tennis shoes that were supportive in hopes that it may help my back and feet from hurting so much. Bending myself in half like a pretzel just aint cutting it anymore.

That Damn Trailer
Turns out in the state of Texas - you can call one office of the Tx DOT and they will tell you one thing as far as what is needed to register a trailer (that is used for hauling, not to 'camp' in) but when you go in to the office to register they will tell you that you need something diffrent than what you have in hand and that your at the wrong office! When Chris bought the trailer, it involved an hour and a half drive south of here (almost to the border) to get the darn thing, then today we find out the guy that sold him the trailer needed to sign the title (that Chris had to pay to have printed) so that Chris could take it to the local court house to register it. Talk about a crock. Especially since before the guy sold it to Chris he went to his local court house (in another county) and got all the paperwork they told him he would need. (don't you just love the buracy?) So needless to say, poor Ronnie who though he was going along for a short trip to the DMV (like what would have happened in ANY OTHER STATE) got to go on an hour and a half drive both ways so 3 hours total in the car, oh and little Trace decided he wanted to hang "with the big guys". So he went too.

Meanwhile...
Jess, Colten and I went to the laundry mat to wash Jess' new comforter. It's pretty funny to try and entertain two adults for the hour or so it took to wash/dry the comforter, but it was even more intresting to try and keep a 9.5mo old entertained when all he wanted to do was crawl on what I'm pretty sure was a nasty floor. After that, we hit Khols, (a stop at Target to borrow their bathroom because Junior decided to play soccer w/ my bladder), Payless and Marshalls to try and find some cute but supportive slip on tennis shoes. Okay well maybe not cute, persay - but ones that I atleast liked. No luck - the shoes where either comfy and something I think my great-grandma would wear or cute, and would only be supportive for about a week. Maybe in a week or two I'll go for the orthopedic support shoes. We'll just have to wait and see. But at anyrate by the time we got home, I pretty much came in the house, went upstairs and found my heating pad and laid down for about an hour or so.

So all in all it was a day productive at getting not much accomplished!

Day Off...

This is what I woke up to this morning...

My husband playing video games... with the dogs hanging out with him. (normally they flank my bed till I get up.) I guess Chris lucked out and got a surprise day off from work. This should be interesting ;)

Tomorrow

*All of a sudden I have the song from Annie running through my head*

I get to start the wonderful referral process with Tricare to get referred to a surgeon for my gall bladder. For the record: I hate having to see a dr to get referred to another dr - and since my OB Dr G. wants me to see the surgeon I have to go back to see someone in the clinic here on the base to get the referral. It sucks.

Tomorrow I get to go have an ultrasound of my gallbladder at 815am - oh and did you know you can't eat or drink anything after midnight the night before?! I feel for the people at the car dealership,(we are taking the car in agian to get the tint corrected. Lets see if they get it right this time!)but I feel more for whom ever gets to do my ultrasound. I get very very crabby if I don't eat shortly after getting up. Don't believe me - you can ask Chris (and if you really do want to do this, email me and I will direct you to him). After the ultrasound I will be able to eat.

After getting the ultrasound done, I am supposed to pick up the report from Dr. G on Thursday and have my appointment with the clinic on Friday Morning. Hopefully the referral will not be an issue.

I also have my next Physical Therapy appointment Friday morning - I get to have a massage :) The physical therapist is going to teach Chris how to effectively massage my back. Now who in their right mind would complain about that?! :) I'm taking it as payment for putting up with having to run around to get this referral taken care of!

Advice, Husbands and burnt food OH MY!

Avoiding Unsolicted Advice
Good Luck! If you manage(d) to make it through being pregnant and avoiding unsolicited advice - please tell me how you did/do it! At this point in time, I am 4 months pregnant and have YET to avoid advice on things as trivial as a diaper bag. (love ya R) Now the advice on a diaper bag wasn't necessarily a bad thing, just we had previously had the conversation (twice) that I wanted to wait untill I found out what I was having before I started shopping for stuff like a diaper bag.

Advice has ranged from cloth diapering (who has the time?!) vs disposable, breast feeding vs formula, what to have/not have in the nursery, and oh how the list goes on. Can anyone make it through a whole 9 months with out getting un-asked for advice? Impossible I tell you! Give me someone who claims to have done it, and I will show you someone who is lying. Really. I have come to the conclusion that we as women are geneticly predisposed to the inablity to keep our opinions/advice/thoughts to ourselves. Other than an already thought-of-use for duck tape, I don't know anyone else who can do this either. (I know that I am guilty of this last one - on more than one occasion).

How Husbands Try To Avoid Cooking
They take a frozen meal, claim to have read the directions, and then burn it. Yes, the smell of a burnt pasta meal. You know the kind that are prepackaged and frozen with everything in them, all you have to do is heat them up on the stove? Yes one of those. Somehow my husband mananged to fill in his own read only part of the instructions, and though simmering a pan equals leaving it on medium high. We have an electric stove... the only thing you cook on medium high is water for boiling pasta. (and for the record- burnt pasta, vegitables and alfredo sauce are the equivalent smell of burnt popcorn! And it permeates throughout the house!!!)

Don't get me wrong, I love my husband. Very much so. However when he tries to get out of cooking, it just rubs me the wrong way. Especially right now - when he knows that smells still still bother me, and then he tries to bring me a bowl of another pasta dish that was left over from the other night. Yep... can still smell the other burnt pasta.

Husbands... Need I say More?!

So last time, I mentioned that for the past couple of weeks I've been sleeping not so well. (and this has yet to change). Chris is still whining that I've stolen his body pillow, and now he's commenced with telling grandpa everyone in the family that I've started stealing ALL his pillows in the middle of the night. Totally untrue with the exception of the body pillow, I can assure you!

My assumption is that this could possibly be blamed on the fact that the poor guy is now starting his third week straight of working. The Navy as an employer has it's perks at times but at other (like when aircraft won't stay in an "up" status) times not so much. So being the good wife that I try to be - hormones or not - I have been visiting the 3 Wal-Marts we have in this town trying to find him another body pillow so he'll quit whining be happy.

Today I finally found one! Who knew you could find a "full body pillow" at Bed Bath & Beyond for 9.99?!?! Granted it's not the best one (who spends 19.99 on a pillow?!) but now there will be two and I doubt I will want BOTH. So this should shut him up make him a happier camper! The only downer is that the freaking pillow cover cost more than the pillow it's self! 14.99$ for a pillow "protector". It's a freaking pillow cover already! This better keep him from whining!!!