Alex is going to be a big brother!

Today was a truly amazing day.  Two days before Dan deployed we found out that I was pregnant.  Both of us were excited yet so cautiously optimistic since just the month prior I had experienced a miscarriage.  We had not even planned to get pregnant this time because of the month prior, but God had his own plans for us!  We were both on pins and needles wondering if this pregnancy was going to be viable.  Today I had my first ultrasound and at only 6 weeks and 1 day we could already detect a healthy heartbeat.  My nervouos and fluttering stomach quickly disappeared and my eyes welled up with tears of joy.  Dan, unable to be with me, I am sure was just as nervous as I.  The baby's due date is March 20th.  We are praying that there is a way for him to get back in time for the birth; it will be tight!

A day at the Splash Pad

It was a beautiful day in the PNW and I had promised Alex a trip to the Splash Pad.  Of course my morning sickness was in full gear today so getting out of the house took a little extra push.  Alex loved all the bubble jets and how they would turn on and off.  He kept asking me "where'd they go?"  It's so cute to see his little expressions along with it.  He wasn't so crazy about the water spouts up high, but by the end of the morning he was trying to tackle the water gun.  Good thing he is too short to reach it or I fear I would have been his number one target!  There was a park right next to it and Alex got to experience his first merri-go-round ride.  He was cheering "yaaaaay" until the boy pushing got a little too fast and then it was "all done!"  We followed this with a trip to Shake N Go and then a nap for Alex and Mamma.  We are definitely going back to the splash pad soon!

Our first weekend and a busy one at that

This was our first weekend without Dan with us.  I introduced Alex to Daddy's prerecorded story time.  This was such a big hit with him that he was kissing the monitor and incessantly waving and saying "hi dada"; the rest of the weekend he did not let me forget that he gets to have story time with Dada before bed.

Alex and I went to the park along with some of the other Navy wives and children.  The wives stayed busy making deployment calendars for the wardroom aboard the ship while the little ones played on the playground.  It was a beautiful afternoon and fun and productive one as well.  We spent Saturday evening over at a good friend's house.  Alex had a blast playing with Juliette's (Juju) lawnmower and playing with playdoe on the back deck. It was really nice having a chance to talk with another adult; things can feel so isolated at times.  Sunday was a beautiful day as well (something you don't always get a chance to say when living in the PNW), but I had errands to run including getting gifts for Alex's upcoming 2nd birthday!  I truly can't believe that my little baby is almost 2yrs old!  He was a real trooper putting up with all the shopping.  I am sure the hotwheels car I bought him and the chicken nuggets, apples, and goldfish I packed for him helped him make it through it.  He was such a little chatterbox today; I don't think he stopped talking the entire 3 hrs that we were out running errands.  Needless to say, he crashed upon arriving home.  We hope the next week will go by smoothly and that we will get to talk to Dan soon.

Haze Gray and Underway....Daddy is out at sea

Today is the day that we had to say our goodbyes to Dan.  He deployed aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln for an 8 month tour to do his part in defending this great nation.  I don't think it hit us until this morning how much of a struggle this is going to be for us all.  This will be Dan and I's first deployment to experience with a child.  Neither of us were prepared to hear his cries for his Daddy and the tears rolling down his sweet little cheeks.  We have done so much to try and prepare things for Alex so that he does not feel disconnected from his Daddy, but the emotions were something that neither of us could prepare for; including our own.

Scenic Railroad Tour

We booked a trip on the Scenic Railway Tour down by Mt. Rainier for our little engineer.  The deployment date is soon approaching, so all our trips were about Father and son enjoying activities together.  I think this is Alex's 4th ride on a real steam locomotive and he loves them each and every time.

As you can see by his facial expression, he is saying "choo choo."  We were in the first passenger car and Alex loved hearing the sounds of the steam engine.

Our mid-way stop by a lake.

Alex and Daddy pretending to fly.

Mt. Rainier in the distance.

Alex and Daddy in the rear "open" car.

Museum of Flight

Our last weekend before Dan's deployment, so we are trying to hit all the places we have talked about seeing or doing but have yet to get around to.  What better place for a Navigator to take his son to than Boeing's Museum of Flight.  When we first arrived they had a plane ride on an old bi-plane getting ready to take off.  

Alex on a mock-up of a 737.

Alex and Daddy being goofy.

Prototype of a "car-airplane," kind of goofy looking.

Family Pics

We decided that we needed to get some family pics taken before Dan's upcoming deployment; it will be amazing to see how much Alex grows from the time these are taken till next year when Dan returns.  Alex was such a handful this day, he would not sit still for anything and as you can see offered no smiles in family pics.  We did get some really great pics despite a very difficult toddler.

Victoria BC

This was the second part of our pre-deployment leave.  We took a trip up to Victoria, B.C.  Our first stop was Butchart Gardens.  This was an amazing place; the gardens were gorgeous!

Alex got to experience his first carousel ride.

After an early morning start and ferry ride, Alex was clearly in no mood after the carousel so we worked on getting him to take a stroller nap before proceeding to the rose and Japanese gardens.

The Rose Garden

Entrance to Japanese Garden

He is back and happy after a nap and some gelato.

After Butchart we headed back to checkin to our hotel.  This was an amazing hotel.  It's design is based on Green Building principles.  For instance, the floors are heated in the bathroom and uses Geothermal Heating (heat captured from deep beneath the ground's surface).  They try to use as many sustainable or recycled building materials/furnishings as possible.  

Alex's favorite part of the hotel; these round sofa pillows that he called "Cocoa".  Don't ask me where he got that name from; I have no idea.

Today we started the morning off with mass and breakfast at the Inner Harbor.  After a brief toddler nap at the hotel we went back to the Inner Harbor for some sight seeing and a trip to the Royal British Museum.  

The Empress Hotel

These "mime" acts where everywhere at the Inner Harbor.

The Parliament.  I wanted a night time shot because it is covered in lights and it is gorgeous, but with a toddler it is sometimes difficult to plan night shots when the sun doesn't completely set until after 9pm.

Alex running off some energy in front of the Parliament.  

We had a wonderful time there, but as with so many trips we needed more time.  There is so much to do; you really need 4 or 5 days.  It was nice to be able to take a ferry vs flying.