normal

It's so nice to have everything back to normal around here. Doc is home and we could not be happier. I think missing her 4th month was just horrible timing for him. She went from a blob with hair and a big smile to a baby on the go with a personality and a big smile. She has changed so much. She is one arm on the ground away from crawling! He's pretty sure she forgot him but who knows, she is so good with strangers.

Our plans to meet him at the gate on Friday were ruined when it took us an hour to go 10 miles on I-5! Some accident closed an exit so when we should have been parking at SeaTac we were just passing McLewis. It was OK but I know Doc would have loved to be able to hold TC right away.
Saturday TC got her first haircut! No major changes I just couldn't deal with her mullet any longer so I cut it off. Doc was being an ass about taking pictures, I really can't stand him sometimes - he goes out of his way to piss me off because he thinks it's funny. He knows that I really want a lot of pictures so he refuses to take them even though he knows that it will take him longer to take several bad ones than it would for just one good one. This is the best one I got.
I'm still upset about it because her first haircut is a big deal. I am trying to remind him that it's not just me who is losing out, TC is too. If she's anything like her mother she's going to want pictures. Before I went home there are so few pictures of me with the baby you wouldn't even know I existed. I hope he will get better about it.

I know, I know he just got home and I'm complaining about him but like I said everything is back to normal :).

I am still amazed about how much TC h as changed in a month, we removed the pillow from under her jump-a-roo because she can now reach the floor (and she's out of the 0-3 pants!) she jumps around like a crazy lady.

taken moments ago - where is my baby??

That's not the coolest thing, now if she wants to get in there she either rolls over to it or scoots over to it to let us know. CRAZY! Also I think she knows "legs down" because I've been saying it to her from day one during diaper changes, now she lays on her changing pad grabs her feet while I clean her off and when I say "legs down" she puts her legs down so I can put on a clean diaper.

I know, I think my kid is brilliant but who doesn't think the same of their own kid?

The rest of my trip home

I will pack the rest of my trip home in this post, I hope you're ready!

Friday I spent the day with D and my 17 year old niece - ugh 17 year olds! We went to the local zoo, then visited our grandmother again, had some amazing Pappa Gino's pizza (the did not have a baby changing table, I still need to email their home office about that - luckily I was in a good mood and didn't change her in the dining room), spent some time at the mall I worked in through out high school, then we went back to my brother's and finally ended up at my sister's house. LONG DAY!
Saturday was my family's day so we went to my stepmother's house north of Boston. It was great to have everyone there (minus my brother in CA). But I hadn't seen my Godson since 2008, the last time I was hope I was pregnant and he had H1N1 and I had to fight with my sister to keep her entire family away from me! My stepmother's husband is a piece of work (she married him after my dad died) and she called him Opa to TC and I later let it be known that he is not her Opa, grandpa, grumpy or any form of that - my father is dead and so is TC maternal grandfather. He also smoked the whole time! I did my best to keep TC away from the smoke and I think I did a good job of it but he was not happy when I told him he would have to wash his hands before holding TC, he didn't hold her.

It was just a nice day, the kids played and everyone got to love on TC. When it was time to go I kind of lost it, I know this is my life and I continue to choose my husband's career and have no problem with it but TC doesn't get a choice. There are all these people who just LOVE her and I had to take her away from them.
Sunday was another great day, started with church at DH's home church - people were so excited to meet TC and it never gets old when people want to tell you how amazing your husband is. Then it was off to the in-law's house (Doc's grandparents) for a cookout (that's what we New Englanders call a BBQ). More TC loving - she was a trooper always with a smile on her face, I think she could feel the love that surrounded her all week.

Monday morning was spent at my SILs place, Doc's dad and grandmother came over to hang out until my stepmother picked me up. When she got there I lost it again (like I'm trying not to do now). TC is blessed with a huge family full of love for her but if we don't get the PCS I want she will not know them. From there we went to Friendly's for lunch and met D there - SOOOO yummy!

Tuesday morning we were off to the airport, I got my final Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee and we were off.

Anyone still reading this? Back to regualer blogging tomorrow - I have A LOT to tell you.

Show your support

No real blog today, I'm having too much fun to sit and write one but I' popping in quickly to ask you all, especially the runners, to pop over to Amanda's blog at Tales of a Working Mother and leave her a comment of support as she prepares to run her very first half marathon tomorrow! I am sure she would love all the extra support even if you've never seen her blog before.

If you do please just call me Amber as some of her readers don't know about my blog.

Good luck Amanda - you are going to kill it!

Day 25: Your day, in great detail

My day is boring, hanging out with TC all day but in a few we are packing up to head to the airport to pick up Doc! We are going early because I am hoping to flash my military ID and get pass to meet him at the gate.

I'll tell you about my day with D tomorrow but here is a preview.

Day 24: Whatever tickles your fancy

Doc comes home tomorrow, I miss his face and I can't wait to see him with TC now that she's a totally different baby than she was when he left. His drunk ass sent me a really stupid picture yesterday so I have to share it with you all, maybe if he finds out it will teach him not to get drunk and send myspace quality pics haha.
What a tool.

day 2. first beach trip

Scarborough Beach Narragansett, RI

I knew that we just had to hit the beach while we were home and I knew that would be the perfect opportunity to see my friends since most of my days would be filled with family. My college friends Tia and Jenn came, Jenn with her amazing son B and my oldest and dearest friend Amanda with her way-too-smart-to-be-two-year-old daughter Maddy came. The rain in the AM and most schools still in session made for a quiet beach so it was perfect.

TC seemed to really like it, even if the sun shirt I got her was a bit snug - it said 6 months! It had SPf 50+ so she wore it.

She slept most of the day which gave me a chance to catch up with my girl friends. I am so glad to have such great friends, we all have grown and changed so much through the years but we seem to have done it at the same pace so we are always on the same page. I am picky about who I spend my time with and these women are the best, I knew that mixing my college friends with my long time BFF would be super easy because that's just the kind of women they are, not a bit of bitchiness or cattiness in the group and when there are four women together that's kind of amazing.

Of course TC was a hit, she did so well and I had my alarm set for sun block application (Neutrogena® Pure & Free™ Baby Sunblock Lotion SPF 60+ is approved by dermatologists for babies since the active ingredients are Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide) too bad I didn't apply it to myself with the same vigor, I left with red legs. I didn't let her near the water, that part of the Atlantic is still pretty chilly in June. She enjoyed the sand. Here are a bunch of pictures from the day. (As always, click to enlarge)

My trip day one

It was a good trip! TC was great on both flights, we flew direct from Seattle to Boston. She was a bit fussy at times but that's it. On the flight home she had a blowout but didn't get it on me - YAY!

The flight must have pooped her because TC slept through the night for the second time ever!
The next day TC and I met up with our fellow RI army wife and an amazing friend and mother out for a picnic. (Yes I am from MA but on the boarder of RI and I spent my from 99-06 in RI.) We were so lucky to be home at the same time! Her daughter is a few months younger than TC.

TC pinned her

I wish we lived closer!!

From there I went to visit my grandmother, she had NO idea I was even in town. She lives at an assisted living home in my hometown. The nurse went up to get her and as it registered with her who I was she was beside herself. She was so happy to be the first on my side of the family to meet her. And her face when exclaiming "oh she looks so much like Roger" (my dad) had a mix have joy and sadness that I can't put into words but it's exactly how I feel when I am caught off guard by my father's eyes looking at me from TC's little face. She was in awe of my breastfeeding, she said she was never able to do it with her five kids. She stood right over me and just watched telling me how proud of me she was. Anyone one else and I would have had a problem but with gram it was a beautiful memory I will always cherish.

She's 88 years old on the floor like that!

From there we were off to my brother's house to see him, my SIL and their kids. D came down after she got out of work. It was so great to see everyone, I can't believe how big my niece and nephew are getting! The kids started playing right away and were very excited to meet their new cousin. We called my aunt and she came over, I wasn't able to see her on my last trip because she was with my cousin in the hospital. She actually hugged me before TC! Then her son (my cousin) came over with his 2 kids, it was a nice little family reunion.
Then we headed back to my SIL's house. It was a long day and made longer by Doc fighting with me, I guess he didn't think I would be seeing my brother - I don't know where he got that idea but we really need to work on getting passed this because despite their problems these people are family.

Stay tuned for day 2, beach day!

A YouTube video

I love this one because it stars my critters!



Don't pay attention to the predeployment mess in our old apartment.

We're back!

A full recap to follow (after my laundry is done) but here is a taste.

Day 22: A website

http://textsfromlastnight.com/

Makes me laugh every day, some people are seriously messed up!

(I should be back in WA today so if I haven't been posting about my trip get ready to hear all about it)

Day 21: A recipe

Doc LOVES Lemon bars here is how I make them with my Pampered Chef Bar Pan, it's easy and yummy!

Base and Topping
* 1 (18 1/2 ounce) package yellow cake mix
* 1/3 cup butter, softened
* 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Filling
* 1 (3 ounce) package lemon pudding mix (cook-type)
* 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
* 1 lemon, juice and zest of

Glaze
* 1 cup powdered sugar
* 1 lemon

Day 20: A hobby of yours

I love scrapbooking. I have my wedding one, one started for Moses and I am collecting things for TC's book. I am going to use all the cards from her shower and after she was born in it.

Day 19: A talent of yours

I'm a talented painter, I haven't done it in years and I don't have any of my own pieces. Everything I've done in the past few years have been gifts and before that I lost all my canvases when the basement flooded in my childhood home.

My hometown paper is a regional paper and is one of the top 5 circulated papers in Massachusetts and senior year my painting was chosen for student artwork of the week.

I really should start up again.

Day 18: Whatever tickles your fancy

June 2007, D's Bachelorette party

I scheduled these posts before I left for Massachusetts, today I should be hanging out with D, I hope I'm having a good time!

Day 17: An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)

There is a painting of the chapel at the campground I spent my summers at growing up, I don't have a copy of it so I can't share it but that is the only painting I would want to feature.

Day 16: A song that makes you cry (or nearly)

This one is easy, If You're Reading This by Tim McGraw. I don't think I need to explain why.

Day 15: A fanfic

I had to look this one up, wikipedia said:

"Fan fiction (alternately referred to as fanfiction, fanfic, FF, or fic) is a broadly-defined term for fan labor regarding stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator. Works of fan fiction are rarely commissioned or authorized by the original work's owner, creator, or publisher; also, they are almost never professionally published. Fan fiction, therefore, is defined by being both related to its subject's canonical fictional universe and simultaneously existing outside the canon of that universe.^[1] Most fan fiction writers assume that their work is read primarily by other fans, and therefore tend to presume that their readers have knowledge of the canon universe (created by a professional writer) in which their works are based."

Sounds lame.

getting ready to go!

I just wanted to update before I take off. TC had an appointment yesterday and they have decided to call it involuntary shakes as a reaction to her four month vaccines. I'm happy with that and hope to never see it again. It doesn't change my mind about vaccines, I'm sure what she went through is nothing compared to what she was immunized against.

We are off and when we return next week we will only have 3 days until Doc is home!!

"Drescher, most famous for her loud, nasal voice and her role on the 1990s TV series The Nanny, advises readers to "open a mouth" when dealing with their doctors in this down-to-earth account of her experience with uterine cancer. In the book which serves as an unexpected follow-up to her 1995 memoir, Enter Whining the actress describes living with symptoms for more than two years while shuttling from doctor to doctor without a diagnosis. She then depicts the hysterectomy that followed as well as her recovery, focusing mostly on the support she received from her friends and family and her first post-divorce boyfriend, who is 16 years her junior. She also devotes a chapter to the loss of her beloved dog, Chester Drescher. Consistently frank about her emotional ups and downs, Drescher addresses important quality-of-life issues such as fatigue and sex. Yet it is her storytelling skills and humor that make this uncomplicated book a good read. Although Drescher sometimes lapses into therapy-speak, tracing everything back to childhood, her one-liners can be priceless. Readers will warm to this straight-talking Queens native, even if they do tire of her celebrity woes (such as facing the paparazzi too soon after surgery).
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition."

She has a great story to share.



PS
I've scheduled my 30 posts while I'm away, hopefully I will have a chance to really blog while I'm home - if not I'll be back on the 22nd.

Day 13: A fictional book

"For fifty years, Anna Schlemmer has refused to talk about her life in Germany during World War II. Her daughter, Trudy, was only three when she and her mother were liberated by an American soldier and went to live with him in Minnesota. Trudy's sole evidence of the past is an old photograph: a family portrait showing Anna, Trudy, and a Nazi officer, the Obersturmfuhrer of Buchenwald.

Driven by the guilt of her heritage, Trudy, now a professor of German history, begins investigating the past and finally unearths the dramatic and heartbreaking truth of her mother's life.

Combining a passionate, doomed love story, a vivid evocation of life during the war, and a poignant mother/daughter drama, Those Who Save Us is a profound exploration of what we endure to survive and the legacy of shame."

This is a really good book.

Day 12: Whatever tickles your fancy

Thank you God for my little girl, please keep her safe and healthy.

Update

We just got back from the ER and after a cath, IV stick, CT scan they didn't find anything. Which I am glad for but I really want to know what happened. Did she have a seizure or just spaz out? Is it going to happen again?

My poor little girl had no idea what was going on or why she was being poked and probed. I can't explain it and if you've never seen it I hope you never have to but seeing her little 16lb body on a table with her little head held in place in front of the CT Scan...I was so helpless.

We are going back on Monday for a follow up I'm praying for smooth sailing until and after that.

I took pictures to send to Doc through out the day, look how brave my little girl was.

Waiting to be seen

Hanging out

Quick cat nap

Her paddle arm