Halloween

Well it has been a while since I last posted anything.  Things have been busy since Halloween weekend, which started off with Alex getting congested and me feeling under the weather.  I thought we might end up missing out on the festivities, but after spending the day vegging around the house, we felt well enough to go trick or treating.  This was Alex's first year to go trick or treating.  Last year he was just learning to walk, he was a late walker at 14 months, and it was raining.

After a few houses he began to really get into the whole concept of dressing up and going door to door and getting candy.  He is still not crazy about all the scary decor and was in awe at some of the costumes.  He had a fun time!

Look Dadda, I have candy!

We spent about an hour going door to door before returning home and handing out candy at our house.  Alex had almost half a bucket of candy, which was more than he could eat in a years time.  As I was handing out candy to the trick or treaters he began to panic that I was handing out his own candy.  I quickly showed him his bucket was far from reach in the kitchen and he settled down.  He must have had at least 4 pieces of candy that night; he was soo excited since we do not normally give him candy.  When he wasn't looking I raided his bucket for the candy I do not want him to have and added it to the bucket of candy I was handing out.  Stuff like nerds, taffy, caramels, sour heads, etc he is not capable of eating yet without them posing a chocking hazard.  I am sure he is fine with that so long as he gets to keep the chocolate candy and M&Ms.

The following weekend had a rocky start and had its ups and downs.  Thursday night, Alex got sick at dinner time.  Let's just say we both needed a warm shower afterwards and my carpet required steam cleaning.  I was fearful that he had a stomach virus and that I would miss my dr's appointment the following morning, but things did not seem to progress and he finished the night off eating about two dozen saltines.  The next morning he was feeling great and I went to my 21 week OB appointment.  Everything checked out great.  She is measuring spot on, has a great heartbeat, and is very active.

Saturday morning started off great.  We had a SOALA function to go to later that morning and Alex helped me get pancakes made while I was finishing up some Monkey bread to take with us.  He had so much fun pouring in the ingredients and mixing.  We headed out to the meeting, when I realized half way there that the meeting was a 1/2 hour later than I thought.  No worries, Dan called my cell phone that very moment and I pulled off into a parking lot to take the call.  Alex talked to Dan for a good while; this was surprising because he is just not at the age where he will talk on the phone for long.  After arriving at the meeting he began to get very clingy and would not socialize with the other children; unusual for him as well.  As the meeting got started, he climbed into my lap and fell asleep (very unusual as well).  I noticed that his head was beginning to feel extremely hot and he was now running a fever.  I knew a cold was brewing.  What I didn't know is that this cold would linger for nearly a week and would make getting sleep very challenging for me.  This weekend he was finally on the mend and we had a relatively good weekend.

My little helper.

Sick little Santa (this hat made him feel better)

Getting ready to go back to school after being home sick

for several days; he made sure he grabbed all his favorite 

things to take with.

All ready Mamma!

Is it Friday yet!

This week has been a rough one.  Alex has taken those terrible two tantrums and bouts of defiance to a whole new level this week and trying my every patience.  Remarkably my patience has lasted through them, but with all these hormones raging through my body from this pregnancy, he brought me to tears yesterday.  I was actually able to call Dan and he talked me through it; he is always good about that kind of stuff.  Today was better, only little melt downs here and there but nothing we couldn't quickly work through.

We were getting ready for bath time when Dan called.  He had 45 minutes between meetings and was able to talk to us for quite a while.  Alex's face lit up when he heard his voice.  He kept telling him "I miss you dadda."  Made my heart melt!  Bath time obviously got off to a late start.

This has been a very busy week and I am really looking forward to a less stressful day tomorrow; no work and Alex is at school.  This translates to tantrum free errands.

Is it a girl or a boy?

Friday was the day Dan and I have been so anxious for; it's the day that I had my ultrasound to determine if we were having a boy or a girl.  This whole week has been a crazy one with work deadlines and some unfortunate news in the family dealing with my father-in-law's health, so I really have not had a chance to get too excited before hand.  I dropped Alex off at school and headed over to the hospital.  I got checked in and received a call from Dan who was checking to see that everything was on schedule and when to call back to get the results.  Shortly after they got me ready the tech began with the brain, and then moved to the heart; deep down I wanted to tell him enough already, tell me what we are having!  I knew they had a progression of measurements, etc that they needed, so I tried my hardest to have patience.  Finally he got down to the legs and positioned a perfect bottom up view.  I was looking at two legs sitting indian style and a set of buttocks with nothing inbetween.  The tech said, "I think we have a girl."  I said, "are you sure, you sure it isn't just hiding."  He told me that he was going to move around and get some more measurements and he will come back for another look, but he was pretty confident based on her positioning that it was in fact a girl.  I was so giddy with excitement and so wanted to be sharing this with Dan.  I think he checked another 3 times for me just to make sure.  I am thrilled that we are having a little girl and was anxious to share the news with Dan.  After the appointment was done, I eventually got a call from Dan to share the news.  I am still a bit in disbelief that we are actually having a girl!

This weekend was supposed to be a cold, wet, and blustery weekend.  Saturday, Alex had a Fall Festival party at his school.  They had pumpkin carving, face painting, and art tables set up.  Alex dressed up in his Halloween costume, a flight suit that Dan recently sent him.  He got so many oohs and aahs from teachers as well as parents.  He was definitely adorable!  Despite the fact that the party was right during nap time, he had a really fun time.  What toddler wouldn't love stickers, drawing, stamps, and playdough?

Our little navigator.

Face Painting time; so serious and so still.

 Yeah, playdough time! 

 "What are you?"  Teletubby.  Tele who?

 Making a Halloween door hanger.

 Yummy pumpkin spice doughnuts.

 How much chocolate can I get on my face?

Sunday was a pretty uneventful day.  It rained all Saturday night and continued into the morning and the wind had really kicked up.  After church, we went to JoAnn's to start my search for the perfect little girl nursery fabrics.  Alex was having no part of this, so this trip was short lived.  The rest of the day was spent napping, doing laundry, and cleaning the house; not much to write about.

Dan, we really miss you and hope you get our care packages soon!

Fall is here

This weekend was a fun and busy one.  The weather was gorgeous; it was sunny, and (despite starting out in the low 50s) it warmed up to the mid 60s.  It was perfect weather for a trip to the pumpkin patch.  We headed out early, around 9am, to Craven Farms so we could beat the crowds.  We started off by getting some hot apple cider to warm up and some fresh kettle corn; something I have been craving.  It was really foggy in the valley, but that didn't stop us or Alex from wanting a hay ride.  He had been talking about that hay ride for days.  The hay ride goes around the pumpkin fields and then into the corn fields, winding here and there through scarecrow decorated clearings.  I don't think Alex's eyes ever saw the scarecrows; his eyes were fixated on that humungous tractor.  After the hay ride, we headed over to the pumpkin fields and picked out our pumpkin.  I think Alex had his eyes set on some larger ones, but Mamma helped convince him that the medium sized one was a good choice as well and one that I could actually manage to get back to the car.  Alex had a really fun time in the pumpkin fields, but by the time we were all set to go, Alex was covered in mud; Mommy forgot his rain boots.

Alex loved the kettle corn

 Here you go Dadda

 Our little pumpkin

 Alex liked the really big pumpkins

 Searching for the perfect pumpkin

 He felt the need to brush the dirt off every one

 Alex discovered the big ones make perfect seats

 ....and the little ones stacked make a great perch

That afternoon we got the front porch decorated for Fall and Halloween.  Alex had helped me pot some mums and while he was down for a nap, I put out the Halloween decorations.  He is not so keen on all the spiders, skulls, and monsters that he keeps seeing at the stores, so I knew he would probably not like this part of decorating.  

After getting all the halloween stuff up, I took him out to see it all and was surprised that he did not seem frightened by it at all.  He was very cautious not to get to close to any of it, though.  

Sunday was a day of errands and baking, but it was another gorgeous day, so sometime had to be spared for some backyard fun.  We are preparing another care package for Dan.  I baked zucchini bread and homemade brownies for him.  I always enjoy preparing his packages, especially when there is an upcoming holiday that you can incorporate into it.

During one of our errands, Alex got a new pair of Thomas sunglasses.  This is him sporting his new shades at home.  He doesn't like them over his eyes, so this is the only way he wears them.  Funny thing is, whenever we were outside, he was requesting them.  

Dan has been gone nearly 6 weeks, but it seems like it has been a lot longer.  I am sure the next 2-3 months will fly by with all the holidays.  USS Abraham Lincoln along with the rest of it's fleet has made their way through the Pacific Ocean and continuing through the Indian Ocean.  Last weekend they had a port visit in Malaysia, near Kuala Lumpur and he got a chance to get off the ship.

Petronas Towers

 Kuala Lumpur

 Petronas Towers at night 

(I love the moon right over the towers!)

This weekend USS Abraham Lincoln along with guided missile cruiser USS Cape St George made their way into the 5th fleet area of operations.  They will be providing support for coalition forces in Afghanistan, support for the drawdown of forces in Iraq, as well as to support existing maritime security operations.  It's a huge area of responsibility and if he thought he was busy already, things are about to get even busier.  

Dan we love you and miss you!  Alex and I both look forward to going to the pumpkin patch with you next Fall.

17 weeks

Today was my 17 week OB appointment.  I was so excited to hear the baby's heartbeat and to review my "plan" for the rest of the pregnancy.  Because of the complications during Alex's delivery, one of the midwives was a bit apprehensive about seeing me and thought that I may need to switch to the maternal and fetal medicine clinic, the high risk clinic.  I was told at my last appointment that my case would be discussed and then a plan for the remainder of my pregnancy would be determined.

It was determined that the risks were not as high as initially thought by one of the midwives and that a more thorough schedule would be set up, which would include two additional ultrasounds and fetal stress monitoring every 4 weeks during my third trimester.  They want to make sure that as the baby grows that there is no stress on the blood supply.  This is more just a measure of reassurance for them since the complications I experienced with Alex were so rare, that they don't have many cases to go by.  After our conversation, I felt reassured and confident that this little baby would receive the best of care and only pray that she/he is born full term and without complications.

I got to hear the heartbeat next.  This was music to my ears and I am finally beginning to feel like this pregnancy is real and that the upset we had earlier this year is just a distant memory.  We scheduled my next ultrasound, the one we get to find out the sex of the baby, for October 22nd!  I am so excited to find out what "little boo" is, so that I can start to decorate the nursery.  I have high hopes that it is a little girl!

I have been feeling her move a lot more today.  It makes me remember the first time I felt Alex; I was 19 weeks and we were driving home from a day trip to Gettysburg when I started feeling these little flutters.  This one is a little different in that I did not feel the flutters, but more of a popping feeling (like little kicks deep inside).

After my appt. I had a lot of errands to run and one was to purchase a booster seat for my little guy whom has decided he is too big for a highchair.  He truly amazes me each and every day with how much he has grown physically and mentally in the last few months; I can't believe he is just 25 months old.  He no longer speaks in grunts and one or two word sentences, but in 4 plus word sentences and he pronounces them so clearly.  Our rides in the car used to sound like "ugh, truck" and now they sound like "look at that Mamma, it's a big truck".  He can now sing the ABC's and can count to ten in spanish and english, but he seems to be better in spanish.

When we got home for dinner, I showed him his new chair and he was absolutely ecstatic.  He had been just sitting in the regular chair, when he refused the highchair, and was having a hard time reaching his plate.  He liked it even more when I pulled out my camera and asked him to pose for Daddy.

Dan, he is waving at you.

"Cheeeeese"

"Arrrgghhhmm" is his new sound when eating.  

He sounds like a caveman ripping into his food.  

Dan, we miss you and love you so much!

First Kicks

This weekend was a pretty uneventful one.  Friday night and Saturday morning I spent making a gift for a COW party that I was attending on Saturday evening with other military spouses.  COW stands for Commanding Officer's Wife and a party is usually thrown after a change of command to welcome the new COW and present her with cow themed gifts (most are just gag gifts).  I was making a cow print basket filled with a cow print wine bag (with a bottle of wine, of course), a cow print decorated christmas ornament, and cow pies (aka turtles).  Alex was such a good little boy Saturday morning in letting me finish up this project and in turn I let him watch Saturday morning cartoons.  Cartoons are something we do not watch in this house; he stays so occupied with his books, art projects, and toys that there really is no need for them.  He does get to watch some Thomas videos every so often and his attention is usually only about 20 minutes or so before he takes off to do something else.

After finishing up the projects and having lunch, Alex and I both laid down for a nap.  I have noticed that I have a lot more energy than I did in my first trimester, but by afternoon time I am ready to be rejuvenated.  I had just woken up and was just laying on the couch for a bit before getting Alex up when I felt it.  I felt three to four little pops and I was thinking to myself, "could this be it?"  Then before I could get my hand to my abdomen to try and feel it, I felt another three to four little pops and then it was gone.  I was thinking to myself that there were way too many of them to be confused with gas, but they felt more like popcorn popping than the butterflies that I felt with Alex.  I was completely excited with the thought that I had finally felt this baby moving.  It just makes the pregnancy seem so much more real.  I kept waiting all weekend to feel it again and only felt a few little pops Sunday morning.  I have my 17 week appt on Friday and I can't wait to hear that heart beat again and to schedule my ultrasound.  Just a few more weeks and I will get to find out what we are having.  I am so excited!

Saturday evening I took Alex to The Nest while I joined the girls for a fun night out at Alligator Soul.  It was a fun evening despite the fact that I couldn't partake in the happy hour drinks.  The food was ok, but then again growing up in Texas and having my fair share of really good creole style cuisine, my expectations are high.  I don't think I will ever find a bar-b-que or creole restaurant in Washington state that will even compare to the food back home.  None the less, it was a good time had and Alex had a blast at The Nest.

We got home late and were greeted by a call from Daddy; a perfect ending to a long night and the perfect way for Alex to fall asleep listening to Daddy talk.  It was nearly 10pm when Alex fell asleep, so undoubtedly, he was going to sleep in Sunday morning and wasn't about to awaken him.  After he got up, I started making Pumpkin Pancakes.  They don't have a strong pumpkin taste (it's more of a nutmeg and cinnamon flavor) and Alex and I both love them; especially with some butter and syrup on them.  Yummy!  After breakfast we headed out to the outlet mall to get Alex clothed for the fall weather that was already moving in.  I had coupons expiring today and there were great sales to be had.  I am hoping this next week speeds by quickly; I am so anxious for Friday to be here already!

My little sweet pea

Today is one of those days that makes me realize how special and blessed I am to have such a wonderful little boy.  It makes me thankful that my Lord has entrusted me to care for one of his precious children.

Today was one of those busy work days; up before the sun even rises to get things ready for the day and working against a deadline yet trying to spare some time to get to the gym.  This is a typical day for me and by the time I pick up Alex in the afternoon I am beginning to feel the exhaustion and I know I still have dinner to get on the table.  I am walking down the hallway and peering into his classroom to see him and his classmates in a circle enjoying story time just as his eyes met mine.  I walk in and he sprints for me.  I pick him up and he gave me the biggest hug ever.  He must have hung tightly onto me for a good 2 minutes before he turned to my face and gave me a kiss on the cheek; he must have know I needed a big hug like that!

We had a great evening!  It was sunny and warm outside so we went out in the backyard for a little playtime before preparing dinner.  Dinner and bath time went over without a hitch.  We did story time and Alex snuggled up to me in the rocker with his head rested on my chest.  Alex has become such an independent little boy over the last year, but as of late he has become even more affectionate.  I am beginning to suspect that he knows he needs to enjoy this time before his new sibling arrives; before he has to share his Mommy's attention.

Whatever the reason, I love moments like these!  I have realized even more so in the last few weeks (since Dan deployed) that life passes us so quickly and we need to find any way to slow down that clock and enjoy these precious moments before they disappear.  I am so excited about adding a new little one to our family, but I am trying to seize this time that I have with just Alex and make the most of it.  

Dan, I know Alex is storing up a lot of this affection just for you and would share it with you in a heartbeat!  I have seen him hugging and talking to his Daddy doll as if he was talking to you.  We talk about you every night at story time and at prayer time and I tell him how much you love and miss him so much.  We both love you and miss you lots!