one step at a time

the first two weeks

2011-10-04T22:08:00.000-07:00

We flew out to Guam a few weeks ago and it was a long day of traveling. We left for the airport at 3:30 am, flew out to San Francsico at 7:30 am, then made a connecting flight that had us in Honolulu four and a half hours later. Unfortunately, we almost didn't make our connecting flight to Guam because the flight arrived later than it was supposed to. Then it was seven and a half hours from Honolulu to Guam. I don't know how it happened but we had the best flights ever with lovely people sitting around us, and two children who never cried, complained, or had meltdowns. I am so, so grateful for how easily our kids make traveling.

The not-so-amazing part came when we landed, cleared Customs, and stood looking around for our ride to the hotel.

And there was no one.

I couldn't believe that we had just flown half-way across the world and no one was there to pick us up. C made a couple of phone calls and an hour and a half after we landed, someone finally showed up.

We were put up in a villa owned by the hotel on the base and it had the most comfortable beds. Of course, the babies didn't sleep for the first week on the island because of the 18-hour time change, which made the bed's comfort level completely moot.

Our first day on island was spent lounging and walking the two miles up to to the store to get groceries. The next day we went up to the housing office to check in and see if there were any houses available. Amazingly enough, they gave us three house options and we spent the morning driving around, checking out our options. We decided on a house where we have a view of the harbor and can hear the surf.

It took a week for the housing office to get the house read for us, but it was still one of the fastest move-ins. Other families have waited up to three months to be offered a house. The other great news? The house we chose is brand new and we are the first family to live in it. It's amazing--has a great, wide-open floor plan, tiles throughout the entire house, granite counter tops, and double sinks in the master bath. I love it!

On the same day we were given keys to the house, we also received our household goods. And spent the day unpacking and the weekend getting organized. Out of the hundreds of boxes, only four items were damaged, which is pretty astounding. However one of those items was our 50" plasma tv. :( We've filed a claim and I can only hope we get reimbursed quickly enough to take advantage of holiday sales so we can get a shiny new t.v. that's even better than our old one.

Now we're just waiting on our car to arrive so we can start exploring the island and really start living our island lives! Fingers crossed it shows up soon since it's already been three week of carless-ness and two miles is a long way to walk in the heat and humidity to get groceries!

my, how time flies

2011-09-22T23:27:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how long it has been since I've posted on this blog. In the intervening months I/we have:

-had a sweet baby girl
-finished my first year of grad school
-become homeless
-went on a six week road trip that took us through 20 states and covered more than 7,000 miles
-flew to Guam

We arrived on island on Wednesday night and are living in a temporary house. Today we checked in with the housing office and we were given three houses to choose from. One of the three is at the end of a cul de sac and has a great view of the bay, so we said yes to the house and should be able to move in next week.

On top of dealing with children who aren't adjusting to the time change well and trying to get stuff done without a car, I've been feeling sick as a dog. There was a week during our roadtrip that I forgot to take my birth control and I've been freaking out a bit (okay, more like freaking out A LOT) that I might be pregnant. I took a pregnancy test yesterday and it popped negative, but when I went back in the bathroom a few hours later, there were two little pink lines.

I was planning on going back to work in the next few months and finishing school and being done with sleepless nights so this is really throwing me for a loop. It doesn't help that C is really opposed to the idea of another child, so we're both now extremely stressed. I'm going to wait another week to take a second test and try not to freak out, more than I already am, about the possibility of having another baby.

In good news? Six months ago, Hulu wasn't working in Guam, but it's now up and running so I can still keep up with all of my shows! Hooray for small miracles!

Mother's Day comes early...

2011-05-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

Well, to be honest, all holidays/special days come early because we are horrible at keeping gifts secret. C and I both get excited about what we've bought and give gifts to each other early.

So, a few days ago, I got these:

and then today, when C came home from work, he gave me these lovely items:

He's getting much better at picking out gifts (though I did give him some "hints" about my favorite brands) these days. I'm quite pleased with his choices. :)

fruit hates me

2011-04-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

Is that even possible?

I was zesting an orange to make a marinade for steak last night and I grated my thumb knuckle as well as the orange peel.

This morning, I tried to make a smoothie but the strawberries I used were all freezer burned and made the smoothie horrendous.

At lunch time, I was cutting up apples with my apple slicer thing-y and the slicer sliced the tip off of my middle finger.

Oi.

I need to have a baby. I need this first year of grad school to be over. I need some East Coast time.

two surprises

2011-04-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

1) Today we met with the OB surgeon who will be performing my c-section next month. She seems like a fabulous doctor and I've heard great things about her, so I'm feeling good about what's going to happen. However, while talking about risks and benefits, the discussion turned to whether or not I wanted a tubal ligation while she was down there. I immediately said no while C said yes.

Say what?!

We haven't talked about more children after LSW is born, but I figured we'd just keep the option open for the time being. But I guess C had been thinking that this was it for him. He is up to three children (since he has a son with his ex-wife), but we have never seriously talked about how many children we ultimately want.

Anyway, it made things in the doctor's office super uncomfortable and she delicately steered the conversation away to breastfeeding.

2) Baby Girl is sitting super low and with the contractions and lower back pressure I've been experiencing this last week, the OB actually recommended doing an exam to see if I was dilating. This definitely didn't happen with Baby P, he took his sweet time with turning himself around and locking into position. I turned her down because I don't want to get my hopes up. I mean, Baby P was almost two weeks late and my body never dilated, so I don't want to think that this girl may make an early appearance. If she does, what a wonderful surprise, but I don't want to be continually thinking and stressing about it. Especially since I'm still trying to finish all of the work for my two classes in the next few weeks so I don't end up having to take incompletes.

to be or not to be...

2011-04-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

passive aggressive?

So today, my academic advisor sent out a link to an article written on CNN about librarians and the childish part of me really wants to post it to my crummy friend's FB wall, email it to her, and text it to make sure she sees that it's kind of a cool degree and one with a lot of potential.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/04/12/librarians.masters.of.universe/index.html

I have yet to see CNN (or anyone) write an article on famous box slingers. :)

do you have one?

2011-04-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

One of those friends who manages to insult every decision or aspect of your life?

I sure do.

When I was teaching, she and her husband used to make fun of the fact that I was wasting my college degree and that they would always make so much more money that I ever would (at the time, he was a manager for a shipping company and she was a package handler at the same company).

Since then, she has become a team leader at a well-known retail store (does that mean she's a manager?) and he's now a general manager for the same store.

Today we were chatting and she asked me if I'm ever going to do anything with all of these degrees I'm getting. (I'm sorry, is two degrees too much for you?)

I replied that I plan on going back to work once I'm done with my degree, we've settled down in one place, and my babies are a little older.

Then she asks me what kind of job I'll even be able to get with such a lame degree. (thanks, I appreciate that. Especially coming from someone who hasn't managed to finish a freaking AA in the five years she's been working on it.)

I mentioned that there's a lot of opportunities right now in the consulting arena. Many companies are looking for ways to streamline their information structures and it would allow me to work flexible hours and keep things interesting.

She says, "Wow. That sounds. Exciting."

I had to bite my tongue. Want to know what she does at this well-known retail store? She's in charge of the people who unload the semi-trucks full of products. Wow. That sounds super exciting as well. And I sure as hell have never demeaned the fact that she slings boxes for a living, but I guess my choices are fair game.

Seriously, why do I still talk to this uber-wench?

almost there

2011-04-07T16:35:00.001-07:00

I feel like we're in the home stretch of this pregnancy and I've been super good. As in, I've only gained 11 pounds, good.

However--

On Monday, I ran into my neighbor that I haven't seen since before Christmas and when I mentioned that we'd be brining home a new baby soon, she said, "Are you pregnant? I just assumed you'd gained some weight around the middle!"

Um, thanks.

Then today, while at the gym, I ran into a friend's ex-boyfriend (C and I liked the boyfriend better than the friend, so we've stayed friendly with him). He kept looking down at my belly while we were catching up at the gym and he finally asked me, "So you've had your kid, right?" When I told him that I was still five weeks from my due date he valiantly tried to back track by saying," Oh, you're looking really good--like you're only a few months pregnant."

Thanks for letting me know I really just look fat.

Perhaps if I'd let myself go crazy on food and stopped exercising, I'd look pregnant this time around. *sigh*

So I now have baby belly envy and it isn't helping that almost everyone I know is pregnant and posting these super cute pictures of their pregnancies. Guess I wouldn't be complaining if I had ever lost the baby weight from Parker. Blah.

six weeks

2011-03-31T22:37:00.000-07:00

I'm down to six weeks 'til we have another baby.

Tomorrow I have an appointment with my OB and I think we'll be setting up a pre-op appointment with the surgeon who will be performing the c-section (my OB will just assist as he isn't a surgeon? somehow?) and maybe setting the date for the actual surgery.*

At my last appointment, LSW was measuring a week larger than she should so I'm interested in seeing if she's still on the bigger side or if she's evened out.

I was thinking about it yesterday and I'm not as excited for this baby as I was for Baby P. Maybe it's the fact that we haven't set up and decorated a nursery (we figured we would wait until we've moved to buy furniture and set everything up, so all we've gotten for her is a new pack and play that we'll set up in our room) or maybe it's the stress about finishing this quarter while caring for a newborn and a toddler. Either way, I'm getting nervous and hoping that I'm not a dud mom to this little girl.

*as a side note, I decided to go the c-section route in an effort to save my uterus in case we'd like to have another child after this one. And I'm seriously annoyed at the amount of people who have expressed shock and dismay that I'm not trying to do it the old-fashioned way. It's my uterus, they have no idea what happened during my labor with Baby P, and they don't have medical degrees, so stuff it! Agh! :)

spring break...

2011-03-27T19:28:00.001-07:00

was over much too soon. I'm only taking five credit hours this quarter in an effort to make it possible to give birth and finish classes on time, but I'm still just feeling like I didn't get enough time off to recuperate from last quarter.

I've emailed both professors to let them know I'm having a baby in May and they have both been very kind and said they will work with me however I need them to. My hope is to finish both classes so I don't have to take incompletes, but we'll see how it all pans out.

P.S. I'm working on a proposal for one of my professors to see if he'd be willing to mentor/work on/collaborate with me on a research project about how the military gets information out to the dependent families. This is all coming from working with the evacuated families and listening to all of the information needs of those women during an emergency. There are plans in place to get information out to the active duty members, but what systems are in place for the families? This should be interesting and hopefully he sees merit in a project like this and wants to help. I'd like the end result to lead to a published paper that I can send to someone, somewhere so the information will lead to a more effective and efficient information distribution system.

evacuated families

2011-03-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

Last night, a friend and I spent six hours working with military families that had voluntarily evacuated Japan. A Lt. Col. that works with the Army's public relations put me to work talking to families to see what went well and what didn't go so well during the evacuations so that improvements can be made in future evacuation plans.

This means that I listened to heartbreaking stories for six hours solid. As I sat there, holding a stranger's baby, I was amazed by the resilience of the women talking to me. They had just gone through days of a massive earthquake and constant aftershocks, were travelling with children by themselves, and dealing with all of the paperwork that the military required of them--all while going on just a few hours of sleep and with more days of travelling ahead of them.

Two women that I talked with had been at the airport since Sunday and were waiting for flights out of Seattle to make it to their final destinations.

Can you imagine living in an airport with your three children and two dogs for five days? Or your newborn baby that you only packed a day's worth of formula and diapers for? G

During that long flight from Japan to the States, these women were absolute rocks for each other. They helped soothe babies that weren't theirs, shared whatever supplies they had, helped entertain each others children, and were emotional supports.

These families have no idea when they will be allowed to go back to Japan (it's been estimated that the area may be deemed safe within 30 days), have no idea when they'll see their husbands again, or what to do about their children's schooling and healthcare while they are Stateside.

If anyone had a right to be cranky, grouchy, and miserable, it was these families. But it was the complete opposite. They were so grateful that the USO and American Red Cross was providing child care to give parents a chance to re-group, food, snacks, baby formula, diapers, wipes, hotel rooms, and even toothbrushes.

I hope that recording these experiences and making the military aware of what worked well and what didn't work well will help create a more efficient evacuation process in the future. And that a more effective system for dispersing information can be created.

However, it's still amazing to see how well the evacuation is working and the mobilization of the local community donating needed items and money, sailors and soldiers donating their time to help carry bags and walk the dogs that are also travelling, doctors and nurses donating time to run a clinic, and Fleet and Family Resource employees who were working around the clock to help those flying in.

worry wart

2011-03-20T10:23:00.001-07:00

I admit it, I'm a complete and total neurotic worry wart. Especially with what's happening in the world right now with political unrest, wars, and natural disasters. And the fact that Congress still hasn't approved a budget for the government (which includes the military).

I worry about the military stopping transfers, like they did two years ago when they ran out of money. Which, would that mean we're stuck here in Washington?

I worry about C not getting a re-enlistment bonus because the military can't afford to give them out anymore (he's already been told not to expect one, but I keep clinging to hope for that little bit of extra money).

I worry about all of the evacuated military families from Japan that are flooding our area and how they'll survive until something is figured out for them. I also worry for those people who are in Japan and who are in desperate need of help.

I worry about these predictions for a massive earthquake hitting California next, which would have a huge impact on us since we're so close.

I worry about this decision to become involved in Libya and all of the troops that are being called up early to head over there. While most of the sailors, soldiers, and marines are from bases on the East coast, I just wonder how this is all going to play out and who else will be called up to provide more support.

And what the heck is going to happen in Bahrain?

School needs to start back up for me so I'll be too busy with classes to spend hours reading articles on news sites. Sheesh.

serious temptation

2011-02-26T22:18:00.000-08:00

There's a lady who has 13 black lab/golden retriever puppies that need good homes. They are amazingly adorable. Like, breathtakingly adorable. Make me want to get a puppy adorable.

But.

We're moving to Guam in six months, which means we would have a lot of medical things to take care of to get the puppy through quarantine and find a way to ship this dog to the other side of the world.

Oh, what to do?!?

The puppy is free, will come with a microchip, and is seriously gorgeous.

C is all over this puppy thing, but I'm just really torn.

something new

2011-02-21T13:16:00.000-08:00

C comes home tomorrow (I found out I'm allowed to discuss this because they're flying on a commercial flight and how hard is it to hide 190 guys with sea bags on an international flight?).

Anyway, he keeps asking me if I'm excited for him to be home.

Of course I'm excited...buuuuut...tomorrow marks the beginning of three solid years of living together. We've been married for three years, together for almost four, and the longest we have EVER co-habitated with each other has been six months.

I'm slightly worried we may kill each other, especially since this next duty station will have him being home quite a lot (he's already talked to the other guys in the new division and the works hours are 7:30-2:30 with a two hour lunch break in the middle).

What the heck am I supposed to do with a full-time spouse and co-parent?!? :)

At this point in time, we're just waiting for the official orders to be written up (we've been told we should have orders in hand by April and we'll see how that goes), for the Navy to find someone to fill C's spot on this boat (shouldn't be hard since his rate is ridiculously overfilled), and for the new baby girl to be eight weeks so we can take her out of the country (which will be in July).

I now have to get back to trying to clean my whole house, make a welcome home sign, and finish three school assignments so I'm not doing homework in C's first week back. Eek!

Valentine's Day Weekend

2011-02-15T15:37:00.000-08:00

Baby P (or should I call him Toddler P?) and I drove down to Portland to visit my brother who recently moved there.

There was much snacking, lots of tidbits ended up in Phoebe's mouth, and a few fieldtrips to explore the city (Powell's books, OMSI, and Kettleman Bagels). Baby P ate his first salmon cream cheese, after turning up his nose at the berry cream cheese I picked out for him, he also ate organic cheese pizza, and tired himself out exploring the fun science exhibits.

My brother was also the ultimate good sport. He took us out for dinner to on Valentine's Day and then followed dinner with a trip to Chuck E Cheese. Mistakenly, I thought that no one would be there on the most romantic day of the year. When we got there, it was shoulder to shoulder and standing room only. Who knew it was the place to be on Lover's Day?

Not only did we have a fab-u-lous weekend hanging out and eating too much, we also learned that Portland has an extraordinarily large amount of strip clubs, places to play poker at 4 am in the morning and karoake bars. So if those things are your passion, you should really consider re-locating! :)

Updates

2010-12-06T21:28:00.000-08:00

4 days left of classes for this quarter

7 days until I turn in my last paper of the quarter

10 more days until we board a plane for Australia

1 time that Baby P went to the basket that holds diapers to get me a diaper to change his bum after I asked him

1 night that Baby P saw his dirty clothes laying on the floor, so he gathered them up and took them to the dirty clothes hamper

1st movie that included a lot of popcorn, fruit snacks, and a blue raspberry slushee to help him forget that he was sitting still for an hour and 32 minutes

1 big realization on my part that my baby isn't a baby anymore :(

A need to gush

2010-12-02T19:17:00.000-08:00

In a few more months, we'll be celebrating our three year mark of living in Washington and looking back at our time here, I'm amazed that we've survived and that we've cultivated such a strong support group.

I had eight different offers for Thanksgiving dinner so Baby P and I wouldn't be eating alone.

When our house flooded on Thanksgiving day, I had a friend send her husband over with a mountain of towels. He then helped me move all of my furniture out of the way of the water, stayed until maintenance figured out how to turn the water off, and then took Baby P to go play at their house until everything was cleaned up and the carpet sucked dry.

Another friend's husband has been so eager to watch Baby P for me so I can get to doctor's appointments and grocery shop alone. He even makes sure that Baby P eats his vegetables during dinner time. Bless that man!

Beautiful Tammy extended the offer of staying with her family during the holidays so we wouldn't be alone. And she's dealt with all of my crazy emails the past few weeks/months (I'm not keen on traveling, much less really, really long flights with a toddler in my lap) with sweetness and sensitivity even though she's super, super busy all the time with her many jobs.

And a good friend took me to the hospital today so I wasn't alone while waiting to hear what's going on with this pregnancy.

Poor C called me while I was freaking out this afternoon and looking for someone to watch Baby P so I could go to the hospital. It's hard for him to hear me distressed and to know that he can't do anything to help the situation. And it's hard for me not to have someone at my beck and call 24/7, especially during times like these. It just makes me so, so grateful for those people who are willing to put someone else's needs first and do whatever they can to help. And now I'm crying all over again because of these people and their help.

Or maybe I'm just super weepy because I've got mad, crazy hormone issues right now. :)

P.S. I'm still pregnant, but am waiting on lab work to come back to see what's going on, if anything Baby had a nice strong heartbeat and was busy trying to hide behind my bladder to avoid being seen during the ultrasound.

big sigh of relief

2010-11-16T12:33:00.000-08:00

1) Thank goodness for belly bands! I've been buttoning my pants and then my baby chub just rolls all over the place. I finally broke out the belly band (I've been in denial about getting chubby) and my pants fit again and now I don't have the baby muffin toppage.

2) Financial Aid? So off my crap list. They approved me for $4,084, which leaves me a grand short, but...I'm still waiting on money back from the laptop I bought, so as long as that money gets approved, I will have the extra $1000 to cover the cost.

WHEW!!

Now if only Baby P would start sleeping through the night again and sleep during nap time, I might survive the next few weeks before we leave for our BIG AUSSIE ADVENTURE!!!

For Linds (or why I haven't been blogging lately)

2010-11-14T13:37:00.000-08:00

All of you are my friends on FB and I feel like I update my status and post pictures there so frequently that it would be redundant to blog about what's been going on.

So here it is, in all its glory...the last two weeks of our lives. :)

1) We spent C's 30th birthday in the ER with Baby P. Turned out he had managed to get pneumonia.

2) I passed my first grad school mid-term (and that was with the online site deleting all four of the essays I had written, so I had to quickly piece them together again before my time limit ran out)

3) I registered for my next quarter of classes and the grand total is $5,084 and the Financial Aid office isn't going to give me that much because I'm classified as a part-time student because I'm in the online cohort. Awesome. This means I'll most likely be dropping out if they don't loosen the purse strings.

4) As of today, I am officially in my second trimester and just looking fatter. Even though I'm still wearing regular pants and have lost about five pounds. Just need to keep losing weight and I may look like I'm pregnant someday.

5) Baby P's pneumonia isn't getting any better at this point in time. His fever is gone, but he's still having trouble breathing, hacking up his lungs all day long, coughing so hard he starts choking and puking, and has a snot river in both nostrils.

6) I'm a single parent again.

7) My birthday is in three days and somehow, the Navy always sends C out to sea right before my birthday. This is the third year in a row that he's missed it by mere days.

8) We celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas yesterday by hanging up decorations, watching The Year Without a Santa Clause, and eating lots of turkey and potatoes.

And now my child, who has the bubonic plague, is awake and coughing, so I've got to go rescue him from his crib.

P.S. Any of your bloggers feel as though you could be classified as a journalist? I'm writing a paper for school on that topic and need to know who I can pump for info. :)

Why this week rocked

2010-10-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

1) C's ex-wife got arrested and it was in the local newspaper for everyone to see. Awesome! (I'm now ducking my head in hopes that karma doesn't come back for me for being so stoked about her arrest)

2) I finished my first grad school midterm. It sucked and I had no clue what I was doing, but it's turned in and over with. So one less thing to stress about.

3) Fudgy Popcorn from Tastefully Simple. So good. Seriously. And I wonder why I'm still super chubby...

4) Roses by Leila Meacham. Holy moly. This book rocked my world this weekend and prevented me from studying more for my midterm, but it was so worth it. I highly recommend it, but only if you have the time to read it and a box of tissues handy.

I'm livid.

2010-10-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

I have a super important, huge, gigantic group project for my class and my three group members are huge flakes. They've blown off two chat sessions that were intended for us to begin planning and divvying up the work. And now all three are telling me that this "online" thing isn't working for them and I need to meet them in Seattle to do a face-to-face planning session.

At what point should I email the TA or professor with this issue?

Can't beat being average

2010-10-17T14:36:00.001-07:00

Did you know that for my graduate program that all I need is a 3.3 to be considered competent?

For the first time in my life, I could give a crap less about getting a 4.0.

My goal is 3.3.

And today I hit that goal.

I received my first set of feedback on where I stand in the class and it's at a 3.3. In addition to this, I've also turned in my first paper, have only one more comment to make, and I'll be done with one of my classes (it was only a three week long intro class).

Maybe I can actually do this?

poke my eye out

2010-10-10T22:08:00.001-07:00

I always thought that I was meant to be a student for my entire life. I'm really good at reading, writing, working on projects, and soaking up information.

Then I started grad school.

Or maybe it's just that I started this Library Information Science program.

Onn top of totally sucking at reading this analytical data crap, I also suck at making thoughtful comments on the discussion boards, oh

AND

the freaking VA won't let C transfer his GI Bill to me and I didn't get enough financial aid to cover this quarter's tuition.

Include a pregnancy, planning last minute family trips, and gearing up for another deployment, I was all for dropping out of school.

BUT THEN...

I got my butt handed to me this weekend when the extra financial aid came through, I read three articles I actually understood, and three hours of church that was all about having faith.

So here I am.

FAITHFULLY.

I better get some payout on this whole faith thing--like passing grades. I don't even care what grade, as long as it keeps me in this Program of Death. Which is so sad. I've always gone for the highest grade possible, but now I just don't give a flying rat's pa-tooty.

one week down, three years to go

2010-10-02T12:12:00.000-07:00

This MLIS program is nothing like I thought it was going to be. It's all about statistics, data, and research. My head may soon explode.

I'm also one of the few who doesn't already have a masters degree and I can tell the difference between those students writing styles and my own. There's some serious cause for concern on my part.

On the bright side of all of this--one of my classes is only three weeks long so once I'm done, I'm done.

And, C has been incredibly helpful with Baby P so I can get work done in the afternoon/evening. He's even picked up the slack in the cleaning department and is scrubbing the upstairs bathroom as I blog. Too bad he'll be going back out to sea soon.

summer canning, had me a blast

2010-10-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

This summer I went crazy with the canning. First there was the strawberry jam, then 50+ lbs of peaches, cucumbers, and now, apples. (okay, so that's probably not a ton of canning compared to some people, but it was lot for me)

The strawberry jam came out runny. The peaches were okay. The cucumbers are completely inedible. But the apples? Mad, tasty applesauce.

Best thing I've made and it was completely natural--just fresh picked apples from a friend's tree and water.

What is up with...

2010-09-28T18:31:00.001-07:00

the haters lately?

Everywhere I turn, someone is posting about how anyone who doesn't breastfeed is a sub-par parent. Or posting a link to the issue with the bad formula and saying, "Good thing I love my babies enough to breastfeed."

Seriously?

I chose not to breastfeed and I love my child very much. My child is also very healthy. Thankyouverymuch.

Then two people posted today about natural childbirth and how having drugs or a c-section is horrible.

Really?

I can guarantee that Baby P would not have survived if the option of a c-section hadn't been available.

Perhaps I'm just being overly sensitive since I plan on using formula and having a c-section for this next baby.

But seriously, why all of the hate from those who go natural? I don't care if you breastfeed or give birth in your garden tub at home, so why do you feel like you need to tell me I'm a horrible person for the very personal choices I make?

And stop scaring first time mothers! A hospital birth is not the worst thing that could happen to you and if you're unable to breastfeed--you (and your baby) will be okay.

So whatever

2010-09-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

C has already blabbed to everyone anyway.

I'm six weeks pregnant.

Looks like we'll be adding a new little guy/girl in May, right during finals for my spring quarter.

Yay! :)

Despite the poor timing of this little ones arrival, we are amazingly stoked.

sweetest friends

2010-09-20T20:03:00.000-07:00

I really do have the sweetest friends.

One friend went to the BYU bookstore to pick up a few of their spiral notebooks (I did graduate with a 3.84 gpa, so those puppies are my good luck charm) and a chunk of the awesome fudge they make. I got her package in the mail today, just in time for me to leave for Seattle for my four days of grad school orientation.

Another friend walked me through figuring out my new toy:

Am very, very, very excited about this. :)

Others brought over flowers and balloons to help us celebrate some very exciting news we received a few days ago.

And, of course, Tammy is letting us come and stay with her (and her amazing family) for three weeks. That's pretty impressive. Who else is willing to put up with us for three weeks at a time?!?

I am blessed, blessed, blessed.

and he would like you to know...

2010-09-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

C has insisted that I blog about yesterday because he says, he has been elevated to "best husband ever" status.

Here are his arguments:

1) He scored orders for us to move to Guam next year. He'll be on a shore duty, but still making sea pay (holla!) and we'll be getting some extra overseas funds. We'll be able to spend a ton of time together as a family and make bank at the same time. We're both extremely excited about this move.

2) After complaining that my new Vera wasn't big enough for my laptop, he went and bought me another Vera that is big enough to fit everything into. So sweet.

3) Then he bought security protection for my laptop to help me avoid getting my email phished again. (I apologize if any of you have gotten emails from my hotmail about how viagra can work for you)

4) Took me out to dinner. The OG was a little crazy, busy so we went over to a bbq place and ate off of a trash can lid. Ahhh--nothing better than dinner off of a metal lid.

5) Was willing to wander around T@arget and ON with me to work off the copious amount of bbq pork and ribs we had eaten.

It was a very nice day yesterday and some of you even know what there's a 6th bullet point that could be added to the list of why yesterday was an awesome day. :)

seriously?

2010-09-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

My academic advisor called me a "high maintenance" student and school hasn't even started yet.

Awesome.

Can only hope that I blend in with the other 39 people entering the program and who will be on campus next week for the orientation so she doesn't realize who I am.

P.S. Am constantly sick to my stomach at this point in time. I keep hoping it's because I'm pregnant, but pretty sure it's just because I'm so scared/nervous/anxious/crazy about starting school. I've been out of school for seven freaking years and the most taxing brain work I've had to do in the last few years is double a recipe for my awesome crock pot meatballs. AHAHAGA|+iagd]a=f9sdgvhsd;ofgjia]er gjaerondkfbva;lsdkjfAOPJS!!!!!!!

The end.

I'm freaking out.

And C is freaking out about me freaking out.

P.P.S. And my new, cute Vera Bradley bag that I bought to take to school with me, is too small for my laptop. Aghghghahahgoihadogihadohgasldkjf;aewoidfLAKSJDF!!!!

Really the end.

I'm going to go try to get knocked up and forget about school for the night.

2010-09-12T18:22:00.000-07:00

We went camping this weekend for a few days at a little KOA campground.

We ate tin foil meals all weekend long and we liked each one. Score!

Baby P learned how to play tether ball.

Then it was off to feed animals at the game farm. Baby P was a huge fan of handing out bread.

And it was time to take ridiculously cute pictures of my boys.

Dad passed along the knowledge of how to skip stones.

We attempted a 10-mile hike out to a lighthouse, but only made it half a mile and called it good.

I'm too cheap to buy a tripod and use whatever is handy to take pictures. Epic fail on this one since it would have been an amazing family picture if my camera hadn't focused on the driftwood log it was sitting on. Dang.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this, we also made copious amounts of s'mores, visited a lavendar farm, a local farmer's market, and made friends with all the dogs at the campground.

On our last day, we headed over to a U-pick berry farm.

Baby P ate more than he picked. Big surprise, right? He did a great job and we were both surprised at how well he behaved. His big thrill was sneaking berries out of our buckets, playing in the dirt, running up and down the lanes of berries, and pulling berries off of the branches.

His favorite? The raspberries.

It was a great weekend and one the highlights of our life here in Washington. Now you'll have to excuse me while I go dish up a huge portion of fresh berry cobbler that's been bubbling away in my crock pot since earlier this afternoon. Mmmmhmmm.

Study habits

2010-09-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

I have exactly four weeks until grad school officially starts, but I have a little over 20 articles (each 8 pages or longer) and 4 hour-long lectures to listen to before the first day.

I've put my homework off until C's leave was up and now I have no excuse.

Baby P is tucked away upstairs for a long nap and I have to get down to reading Article #1: "The Invisible Substrate of Information Science."

Except...

1) I don't have a spiral notebook to take notes. So I immediately hop onto the BYU Bookstore page and try to order my favorite five-subject notebook that I used in my undergrad days. It's not available online soo...

2) I jump on FB and announce in a status update that I'll pay someone in the Provo area to pick up a notebook for me. Then...

3) I realize it's been awhile since checking my farm (yes, I'm one of those annoying people) so I harvest, plow, and plant. Now...

4) It's been awhile that I've been on my laptop and need a potty break. While in the bathroom I take a look around and decide it needs a good cleaning. Eventually...

5) I make my way back to my laptop and calculate that I've just wasted an hour of prime study time.

So for real, I'm really, really, really going to go read this interesting article on substrates (whatever those are) and maybe a second article if I have time.

Stocking up

2010-09-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

C has been home for two weeks and we've been staying busy, stocking up on family time and creating memories to help us through the next deployment (which is just around the corner).

Baby P adjusted well to having his daddy home (which was a huge relief to both of us)

We drove to the coast and enjoyed a picnic lunch by the Straits of Juan de Fuca and hiking through a decommissioned Army base. It was a very cool outing--wandering through the old buildings and batteries.

We've also been able to accomplish a lot of firsts together. C went to his first baby shower (it was co-ed and football themed), his first drive-in movie (Despicable Me and The Last Airbender), and his first county fair.

We also made the trip over to the zoo to see the new baby tigers. Of course, Baby P was spoiled rotten with treats from vendors, a ride on the carousel, and an expedition to the goat feeding tent. This boy has absolutely no fear!

Our family time will be over soon (like two more days soon) and real life will replace our idyllic day trips from the last few weeks.

PT in the mornings, work during the day for C and grad school for me.

I can't tell you how nice it is not to be navigating real life by myself anymore. While it's always an adjustment when he comes home--there's nothing better than having him back.

And while this post doesn't even scratch the surface of everything that has been going on since C has come home--I have two laughing boys telling me to ditch the laptop and come play with them, so I'm off!

our whole wheat sugar cookie experiment...

2010-08-12T20:12:00.000-07:00

The cookies came out well (the ones that didn't get burnt to a crisp because I got to talking with my neighbor and forgot about them) but I think I'll mix white flour and whole wheat flour next time instead of all whole wheat.

Beach Day

2010-08-06T21:37:00.001-07:00

This boy loved sitting in the sand, digging in the sand, eating the sand, and lounging in the sand. He's going to be a major beach bum if we ever manage to move to a warmer climate where we can go to the beach on a daily basis.

Re-evaluating the merits of August

2010-08-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

Perhaps I was a little hasty in my hating on August rant. Here are a few reasons why August isn't that bad of a month:

1) Through phone conversations, emails, and FB love--I've been forced to realize that I'm not alone in all of this and I do have a really great support system that I often overlook in my rush to throw a pity party for myself. Thank you August for reminding me of the amazing people that I am lucky to have in my life.

2) I received an adorable shirt in the mail today from my brother and it has completely made my month. So I can't say that people don't think about me and that I don't have a good family to rely on.

(it says "future librarian")

3) This has been quite the whirlwind week of play dates for Baby P and, yet again, I realized that all it takes is me being a little outgoing and people respond and reciprocate and all of the sudden we have dinners, movie nights, beach trips, and breakfasts out planned.

4) On one of these play dates, we found this sweet little indoor play area that is for kids 5 and under. They provide water, lemonade, and wifi as well as a great play area with tons of toys that Baby P was in love with. I have found my study place for when school starts!

5) A wife who is new to this Navy life and new to this boat was asking me all sorts of questions last night about the craziness that's going on and about a million other things. Answering her questions and re-assuring her about things she was worried about actually made me feel a little calmer. This isn't a life or death situation. The guys haven't been extended for months and months. Our husbands aren't in Afghanistan. There are a lot of things to be grateful for and the rest of the things? Out of our control and not things that need to be stressed about.

6) My marriage license came in the mail within a week of sending off my request to the courthouse where we filed our paperwork. Thank you for the kind and quick people who work there. I can now send in my paperwork for my passport renewal and one more thing can get checked off of my list for Australia.

7) Australia. Duh. A seriously amazing opportunity and I shouldn't be feeling glum about anything when I have that to look forward to!

Now, if only I can remember all of these good things all the time and I'd be set

August can suck it

2010-08-03T22:08:00.000-07:00

We're three days into August and I'm already so over this month. Here's my beef with this fledgling month:

1) C was supposed to come home sometime this month. The date wasn't set in stone, but we had been told a time frame, so everyone was getting excited about having husbands again. Theeeeeennnn--something completely out of the guy's control (and really, even the Navy's) happened and now the return date has been postponed indefinitely until this issue is resolved. I wish I could be more forthcoming, but I'm already probably breaking about a million rules by mentioning this much in a public forum.

2) So, not only is the return date now non-existent, we were then sent an email from the captain, letting us know that the guys would not be getting the usual two weeks of leave when they get back. Instead, the guys will be going straight back to work. The one upside to all of this is that I hadn't made reservations for our little getaway we were planning, unlike some ladies who had already bought plane tickets or paid for reservations.

3) The cherry on this crap fest would be that they are still going to deploy again at the regularly scheduled time for a much, much longer deployment than our norm. Which means we may be lucky to get a few weeks with our husbands before they leave again.

4) Did I mention that we're trying to have a baby? Our chances just went from slim to none because I'm so stressed out about all of these crazy things that I haven't even had a period in the last two months and I highly doubt I'm going to ovulate in the one weekend I get to spend with C (see how dramatic I get when I'm stressed?).

5) I went to the doctor's to see if they could give me a little something, something to make me a Fertile Myrtle while C is home and wound up getting orders for a 12-hour fast to check for diabetes or a thyroid disorder. Of course, I'm now thinking of all the worst case scenarios and stressing out even more.

6) My brother got engaged and I found out via his fiance's status update. And I even talked to him the morning before he proposed to his boyfriend and he didn't mention anything about anything.

7) The realization that I'm a month away from graduate school and I still haven't figured out how I'm going to work this orientation for school (like who's taking care of Baby P and how/where am I going to stay in the city for the four days I have to be there) or what to say in this thank you note that's required for the fellowship that I received.

I'd like to throttle someone right about now to relieve this stress. Or maybe throw some rotten eggs at the guys responsible for this delay.

oh social networking sites--you strike again!

2010-07-28T22:21:00.000-07:00

We spent most of today at the zoo with a friend and her two cute munchkins.

I didn't check any of my email accounts, bloggy friends, or other sites until after dinner, bath time, pre-bedtime cuddle, and Baby P falling sound asleep.

Then I open up by f@cebook and see a friend request from C's crazy ex-wife.

My stomach dropped, I got that nervous feeling in my belly, and I had to walk away from the computer so I didn't do something stupid--like write her a nasty email or write C a horribly upset email (that would only make him upset and he doesn't need to be upset right now).

Not only did she try to friend me, but she also tried to friend my father-in-law by saying that he would get to see her grandson by being friends with her online.

I can't even tell you how upsetting all of this is. She refuses to send pictures to C, but now is working through f@cebook to get into our lives.

Interestingly enough, she didn't send a friend request to C.

So I'll no longer be posting any pictures that include Baby P in my profile picture because I don't want her anywhere near my child or even seeing my child.

If you could have heard the nasty voicemails she left on C and mine's phones about how she wanted to kill us and kill our unborn child (this was in November of 2008 when I was still pregnant). I have a restraining order out against her and she's never allowed on any military base that we are on, as a safety precaution for ourselves. Every time she crops up like this, whether it's a random email or text or friend request, drama is just around the corner. And I'm just not ready to deal with more of her bullsh!t.

I understand that C wasn't a stand up man and I'm sure he did things to hurt her while they were married and after they split, but her behavior since then has been nothing but mean, vindictive, and spiteful. This is not a person I want in my life or involved with my family in any way so why the hell is she sending me a flippin' friend request?

Denied and deleted.

summer smoothies

2010-07-24T21:33:00.001-07:00

Can't think of a good birthday or Christmas present for me?

An awesome blender to feed my child's addiction to fruit smoothies would be nice.

embracing the camera

2010-07-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

Here's a self-portrait of me and Baby P's noggin wound (and the new, dark hair--I may go one shade darker when i go back in a few weeks).

I think the guy at B&N today really pegged it when he said, "Looks like your son had a run-in with Lord Voldemort."

Thankfully the goose egg has gone down, but it looks like the gash might turn into a scar. The doc was going to stitch it back together but said it would probably be more painful than letting it heal all on its own.

We spent the afternoon today in the mall and I found this super cute little dog backpack for Baby P to use when we travel. So far he's not a huge fan of wearing it, but I'm going to keep trying it out on him.

We also hit up the clearance racks at a baby store to get 2T shorts and shirts for our Aussie adventure. Once the fall clothes come in I'll be able to find even more great deals on sandals and a new bathing suit for our three weeks on the beach. (each of these items below were $3.99, so not too shabby)

Next week I'll be turning in all my paperwork for my passport and I'll be one step closer to being ready for December!

Chicago and other sundry items

2010-07-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

1) Everyone was going to Chicago last weekend. The flights were full and I ran into weird people that I hadn't seen in years. In fact, my BFF's roommate was a bridesmaid in a wedding the day after mine and it took place in the exact same chapel that mine did. Crazy.

2) The schedule was crazy busy with last minute things that needed to be done, but I did manage to make it to downtown Chicago for a few hours of sightseeing. We made it to the Sears Tower, Buckingham park, and the Navy Pier. We attempted to find authentic pizza, but got lost and wandered for hours with a cranky pregnant lady (not me, the other girl in our group).

3) Saturday was 103 degrees and we had full length ball gowns on with black elbow length gloves. I was sweating like a crazy pig. All of that effort and only about 20 people showed up to the ceremony and only about 50 people came to the reception (and 12 of those people were bridesmaids and groomsmen). Seriously, the smallest wedding I've ever been to.

4) In the end, it was a lovely wedding, a fun reception, a bitter end to a friendship (not my friendship with the bride, but someone else who was there), and a much needed break from being the only parent.

just another monday

2010-07-12T22:12:00.000-07:00

-I'm seriously missing Baby P already and I haven't even left for Chicago. I know, I know, I'm a serious nerd.

-Will not be missing him in the airport. No car seat to lug around, no stroller to put through the x-ray machine, no diaper bag hitting other people, no juggling a million things and peeing with him in the stall with me. And I'll get to catch up on reading The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane and The Red Pyramid. Between the wait for the plane and the four hour flight, I think I'll be able to get a good chunk finished. Need to read now while I can before C gets home and school starts.

-Anyone else addicted to Pretty Little Liars? I love me some good teen drama.

-Proud to say that I've spent two days sticking to my daily allotment of WW points and have worked out both days.

-Tomorrow I'm going to get my hair dyed. Super nervous because I'm going really dark brown and if I don't like it, I won't have time to get it dyed back before I leave. Agh! Since age 16 I've been adding blonde to my hair and the only other time it's been dark was the few months in Jacksonville. Interestingly enough, I got married while my hair was dark and now I'll be in someone else's wedding with dark hair.

-I have a fruit lady. She brings fresh produce from the Yakima Valley and sells it a little more cheaply than at the stores. She sends out an email to a group of ladies to let them know what she's bringing and where to meet her. Yay! I'm going to be getting apples and peaches and cherries and whatever else so I can start canning and stocking up on all the fruits Baby P loves.

Miserable is the word of the day

2010-07-09T16:30:00.000-07:00

I wore a sweatshirt to watch fireworks on the 4th and now I'm melting in my own home.

Whoever thought it was a brilliant idea to not put central air conditioning in homes out here had obviously never lived through one of these summers. It's been 96 degrees outside and the inside of our houses are like large toaster ovens.

Baby P can't go outside for too long because he starts throwing up and getting lethargic--I'm thinking he's got a sensitivity to the heat.

In the middle of this heat wave, a transformer on base caught fire. Both sections of housing, and some civilian housing that is right outside of the base, lost power. The first estimate was 24 hours until it was repaired. Then we were told it might be three or four days.

I was stressing about my child that pukes in the heat and I had nothing to cool him down with. I was told to take him to the mall and stay there until it closed to keep Baby P cool.

Then I remembered that I had just stocked up at the commissary and Costco a few days before and all of my food was going to spoil.

Seriously?

Thank goodness for good friends who were willing to go to three different stores to find me a couple of bags of ice to keep food cold. And other friends who invited us for dinner and a sleepover in their house that has window units.

I am also so, so grateful for the men who worked through the night to get the power back up and running in a record 11 hours. Much better than going 72 hours without power.

We're still sweltering, but at least we can watch the Harry Potter marathon on t.v. and bring all the fans into the living room to keep us a little bit cool.

I wouldn't mind a freak snowstorm or days and days of rainy weather at this point in time.

And for dinner? Jell-o, popsicles, and fruit because it's just too dang hot to make anything.

I feel...

2010-07-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

-like not going to church tomorrow. It's been such a pain in the butt to do the three hours with Baby P. He's miserable. I'm miserable. We make the girls I teach during the third hour miserable. I just walk the halls with him for the majority of the time and it feels like more of a hassle than it's worth.

-nervous about this wedding in Chicago. I used to be the cute, skinny one who could get any guy and now I'm married, chubby, and think 9:30 is late to be going out to a bar for the bachelorette party. Plus, I'm starting to get really, super, extraordinarily nervous about leaving Baby P for five days. I know he'll be well taken care of, but I'm just freaking out.

-overwhelmed about the next few months. Chicago, getting passports, figuring out a fun family vacation for when C gets home(and how to pay for it), my orientation for school over in Seattle, school starting, financial aid, the GI Bill not working, finding a cheap plane ticket to LAX to meet our flight to Brisbane, flying my father-in-law out for a visit, C leaving again, holidays and birthdays alone, finishing my first quarter of school, flight to Australia, and on top of this all--trying to lose weight and save every penny I can so we can have fun overseas.

-extremely pissed at C's ex-wife and this child support situation. Alright, I'll fess up, C owed some back child support from when he was paying one amount and then the court upped the amount. So he's been paying an extra $300/mo to make up for it. Two months ago, the entire amount was paid off and the state of Connecticut is STILL taking that money out of our paycheck. I'm so, so, so angry. I can't do anything about it and C can't do anything about it until he gets back from his deployment. I was planning our budget on having that money back in our paycheck, but no such luck.

-a little angry with women who are complaining that they got pregnant too easily. And yes, I was one of those women when I found out we were expecting Baby P, but now I'm on the other side. We were trying before C left with no success and he won't be home very long between these two deployments, so our chances of getting pregnant are rather slim. That puts Baby #2 being conceived sometime in the middle of next year and born in 2012. I didn't want that big of a gap between babies. So I find myself jealous of women who have full-time husbands and who have multiple children. I'm a bitch.

-the need to go to bed. It is 9:31 after all.

Hellloooo, ladies

2010-06-29T20:56:00.000-07:00

My name is Baby P and I enjoy long walks in a stroller,

fine dining,

and art.

And yes, ladies, this Bumbo can fit two.

Big shout out...

2010-06-28T21:14:00.000-07:00

to my mom's Shepards Pie.

Underneath the ooey-gooey goodness of the mashed potatoes and melted cheese, I had hidden lean ground turkey meat, corn, carrots, peas, and green beans.

Those items are generally a no-go with Baby P so it was a nice change to get him to eat those veggies.

Total score!

I'm evil

2010-06-27T12:52:00.000-07:00

I took such joy in what happened today in church that I'm genuinely surprised I didn't get struck by lightening or blow a tire on my way home.

You know my walking buddy? The one that always one-ups my complaining? She always knows exactly how bad it is and that she's got it way worse. (insert snort and an eye roll).

Well, today, a captain's wife (who moved to the east coast almost a year ago) was back in our ward and she was catching up with everyone and telling the story of the move from here to there. She told us how she had organized the move by loading everything into bins and carefully labeling (they've got six kids, so organization is key) but that the movers ended up opening all of their bins, dumping the contents into boxes, taping the bins together, killing the bins on the drive back east, and mis-labeling the majority of their boxes.

My walking buddy piped in with an, "Oh, I totally know how you feel. The movers really messed us up too."

Without pausing, the captain's wife turned to walking buddy and said, "You have no idea what it was like or how I felt. You had a few boxes, I had an entire semi-truck full of 25,000 pounds worth of household items. There's no comparison, dear."

The look on walking buddy's face was priceless and I walked off to hide my smirk.

Fork? I don't need no fork.

2010-06-24T21:03:00.000-07:00

I wish I had a picture of Baby P at dinner time.

He will hold his fork in one hand and then stick his face directly into his plate to inhale his food.

It's the highlight of my day.

Tonight ended with mashed potatoes stuck up both nostrils.

He's so yummy.

Day blah, blah, blah

2010-06-21T20:07:00.000-07:00

I'm getting bored talking about my exercising, so I can only assume you're equally bored reading about it.

I did finally step on the scale this week and I'm down 4.6 lbs. If I could keep that up I'd feel a lot better for this wedding. Being tan is also making me feel thin. :)

Anyway, on to more interesting things.

C has been gone for awhile now and I was mentally tabulating the things Baby P has learned to do since his dad left.

1) He has learned how to say "hi," "three," "whoa," and attempts to mimic many other words.
2) Crayons are used for coloring instead of tasty snacks.
3) He can go up and DOWN stairs! Finally! It's taken forever to get him to go down stairs!
4) Baby P can put dvds in the dvd player. Right side up and everything.
5) He has figured out how to unlock the sliding glass door.
6) He can high-five! (he'll only high-five women, no men. strange)
7) Clapping is his new favorite thing to do. He'll even clap if he sees other babies, people, or actors on tv clapping.

I'm excited for C to get home and see all of the things Baby P has picked up. I really don't know how he manages for months at a time without our son. I'm starting to stress about the five days I'll be in Chicago and what he might learn in the few days I'm away. Eek.

Day 29

2010-06-18T21:47:00.000-07:00

Another five miles under my belt.

I'm also burnt to a crisp.

I tried a new bed at the tanning salon today and it was a-m-a-zing but super powerful on the rays.

Ouch.

P.S. If you spill the beans about your pregnancy on a social networking site, don't send me a nasty text about how your husband is upset that my husband (who are co-workers) knew about the pregnancy before he announced it at work. Seriously? Don't tell the whole world and then get upset that people know. Duh.

P.P.S. Also, don't then text me a week later and says, "Oh, it wasn't your husband that told the other guys at work. Guess they found out online as well." Double duh.

Day 30

2010-06-17T20:47:00.000-07:00

Fat day. No exercising, though I'm hoping I might get the motivation to break out the Wii sometime tonight.

And have I mentioned that I've turned myself orange?!?

I bought tanning lotion at the salon and the girl at the desk never mentioned that it was self-tanner tanning lotion.

That being said, I just haphazardly spread the lotion around all over the place on my trip on Tuesday.

It's taken me two days to realize that I've got all these weird orange splotches in random places (like a triangle on my left shoulder. how the heck did i get just as triangular chunk of lotion?).

Yay.

I will now be buying a different type of lotion on my next trip and hoping that the orange splotches blend into the tanned flesh I've started to develop.

Day 31

2010-06-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

No exercising for me today. I meant to work out on the Wii tonight, but it's been a wild day.

My oldest brother called me while he was stoned (I shouldn't be surprised as he's usually stoned or drunk when he does call me) and made a lovely comment. It was great and made my crappy week even crappier. But I guess it made him feel good knowing that his remark hurt. Much love to the older brother. And he wonders why we don't have a relationship.

I'd like a margarita the size of my head right about now.

Days 33 and 32

2010-06-15T20:32:00.001-07:00

I totally forgot about posting yesterday. Oops.

It's been a long week, blame it on being a single parent. I seriously don't know how people do this alone thing all by themselves all the time. Kudos to you!

We walked five miles both of these days.

Yay!

Then I made this mad, crazy, awesome brownie thing. Layer of brownie. Layer of chocolate frosting. Layer of fresh strawberries. Layer of brownies. Layer of frosting. And More yummy strawberries.

Yum, but definitely counter-productive to the walking.

And today was my first trip to the tanning salon. I love tanning, just wish it were cheaper and I'd do it all the time. I love the smell of the tanning lotion. I love how warm and peaceful it is under the lights. And I love that it's a few minutes without my Mr. Crankypants.

Have I mentioned that my 15-month-old has hit the Terrible Twos? Ugh.

If you have any suggestions for parenting books that you've really enjoyed, pass along titles to me. I need to start reading up on how to be a better parent.

Day 34

2010-06-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

No exercise today, but my feet and calves are killing me from all the standing up and walking around I've done.

Three hours of chasing Baby P around at church.

Then I threw some pork into the crock pot to make yummy pulled pork for dinner.

And threw together a pasta salad to accompany the pulled pork.

Then cleaned while Baby P slept.

Ran to the store when Baby P woke up.

Then my friend (my walking partner) brought her two babies over for dinner. I was talking to another Navy spouse and telling her about my beef with my walking partner and her response? "Don't judge her. She doesn't know what a deployment is like." And it finally clicked for me. She doesn't. She hasn't been there yet. She just doesn't know what it's like to be in my place. And I need to just let it go. She'll never know what it's like to be me and I won't know what it's like to be her. Plus, I know the trick is to keep the pace up and there's no chance for complaining. :)

As a peace offering (and to make myself feel better for all my ill-will I've had towards her), I invited her and the kids over for dinner tonight since it's her husband's duty day and she always says it's hard to make dinner when he's not home.

That was three hours of chasing children, serving children, wiping down children, teaching children not to draw on the kitchen floor with sidewalk chalk, and cleaning up the dinner mess.

And then I made strawberry jam.

It's now 9pm and I'm finally sitting down. I know I need to work out, but I'm just way too tired.

Guess I'll just have to walk extra fast tomorrow to make up for today.

P.S. Anyone have an awesome salsa recipe? I'm thinking of canning salsa next weekend.

Day 35

2010-06-12T20:51:00.000-07:00

After yesterday's crazy day, Baby P slept in until 9 am this morning (which was a delightful change in routine). So I decided to skip out on walking the usual loop.

We did, however, walk the Commissary (which I forgot to pick up more top things for my cans so I wasn't able to make homemade jam tonight) and spent a couple hours running around outside in the sunshine.

And, once I hit the "publish post" button, I'm going to close up the laptop, change into comfy clothes, and hit the Wii for a little bit of exercise.

Still no change in my weight, but I think it's because I was retaining water. Thank you, Mother Nature. You. Rock. (p.s. thanks for coming a week late and getting my hopes up that I was pregnant. boo.)

Day 36

2010-06-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

No five mile walk today, but a friend and I loaded up babies and headed for the mountains.

We were going to walk some paved paths that were near the top of the ridge (since she's six months pregnant and really can't do the hiking thing) but the paved parts were covered in snow. So we did laps around the parking lot and then let the kids run around before strapping them back in the car seats and heading home.

It was a good day but man, am I beat. The long drive there was made longer by a semi-truck that jackknifed and sent us on a detour that added an hour to the drive time.

And the kids only slept for about 20 minutes in the car. Even though they were in the carseats for ages.

And we didn't make it home til after 7pm, when the plan was to be home more around 3pm.

Whew. What a day.

Day 37 (for real)

2010-06-10T22:13:00.000-07:00

Today was a little iffy with the weather, but we managed to get in five miles with only slight sprinklings here and there.

I've discovered the trick to not talking during the walk--I just keep the pace way up and we're both too out of breath to discuss anything. :)

My face is feeling thinner. Do you ever get that? You can tell when you're not eating right or working out because your face feels more round? The round feeling is going down a bit. That's got to be a good sign, right?

Day 47?

2010-06-09T21:23:00.000-07:00

Another five-miles around base today. And then a 30 minute swim lesson at the base pool with Baby P. Can I count swirling him around in the water? :)

And I must have my countdown to the wedding off because the bride emailed me today and said there's only 38 days left. Hmmm...

Just re-counted and there really are only 38 days left.

This is why I'll never be a math teacher.

Am slightly panicking because I still have to:

1) Get a tan
2) Get the dress tailored
3) Buy Spanx. Anyone have a favorite one?
4) I feel like there's something else that I'm forgetting about. It'll come to me at 3 am, I'm sure.

So I've been really, really, really amazingly good these last three days and the Wii tells me that I'm still gaining weight.

Agh!

This better be water weight or some serious muscle.

Day 48

2010-06-08T20:42:00.000-07:00

Did another five miler around the base today.

After yesterday's rant about my walking buddy, I decided to suggest a seriously hilly route to her (knowing that she'd be too out of breath to talk). I'm wicked.

Not only did we go the hilly route, but I also kept up a fast pace that kept me far ahead of her for the majority of the walk.

She only had time to complain about her soon-to-be sister-in-law's choice of wedding colors and nothing else.

Score!

Now that Baby P is down for the night, laundry is going, and bathrooms are sparkly, it's time to get ready for some Glee and a little Wii work out.

Day 49

2010-06-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

Did a five mile walk around base today. Here's my gripe--my friend goes with me and it's great to have someone else help keep me accountable, but she's a slow walker.

Every time I try to speed up the pace, I end up way ahead of her and then I have to stop to let her catch up.

She keeps complaining that she's not losing any weight and I know what the issue is--we're meandering, not working out.

Gah!

Plus, she's a complainer.

She's been married for three years and has never been through a deployment. Her parents (and his) fly out often to see her and the kids. She drives there for weeks at a time to stay with her parents. And then she complains to me about how she's so alone and having a hard time. And then tells me about how she was able to take a three hour nap when her husband got home from duty. It's like she completely spaces on the fact that C is deployed and I have NO ONE.

I don't have family that flies out. I don't have a place to go for weeks at a time to have extra help.

So now I'd really like to walk by myself but how do I broach that conversation? Or should I just suck it up?

P.S. Can you tell I'm having a bad day? I'm just tired, tired, tired of people complaining about how rough their lives are and I'm sitting here, thinking about all the great things these people are taking for granted.

P.P.S. On the upside of all of this, my brother has a job interview in Portland! If he were to get this job, he'd be close enough for me to go and bug him all the time and stay with him. :)

P.P.P.S. Food log: One whole grain frozen waffle, half a grilled cheese, some grapes, and a huge bowl of spinach garlic fettucine. And now I'm starving and going to see what low-cal snacks I have in the pantry.

the final countdown

2010-06-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

I have 50 days until my friend's big, gigantic, hugely formal wedding in Chicago.

When I ordered my bridesmaids dress, I had challenged myself to lose 20 lbs and over the last few months I've managed to gain almost 20 lbs. (i have no idea how the heck i've let myself spiral so wildly out of control, but i now weigh more than when i gave birth. i've got to stop and finally take control again.)

Awesome, right?

So I need to lose at least a few pounds around my face so I don't have gigantor balloon face in all of her pictures.

And since writing down how much I spent every day helped me to spend less, I'm going to write down my daily exercise activity so maybe I'll actually be good about working out every day.

Have I also mentioned that I used to be a size 8 the last time I saw my friend who is getting married? And I was always called the "Samantha" of the group? And I was the one with the highest paying job? I'm now the chubbiest and the one with a one-income household.

Again--super awesome, right?

Tonight I did an hour on the Wii and if it's not raining in the morning, I'll go do a five mile walk around base with Baby P in his jogger.

This and That

2010-06-04T20:35:00.001-07:00

My mother-in-law continues her crusade to win the "Bitch of the Century" award and looks like she's got no competition at this point in time.

We did venture out to the pool on base today and had a good time. However, for being an indoor pool, poor Baby P's lips were blue within 20 minutes. I had hoped that the pool would be heated, but no such luck.

Then came the adventure of changing him into dry clothes and trying to wriggle into dry clothes of my own without a) flashing anyone and b)losing my small child.

Let me tell you, changing at the gym used to be a whole heck of a lot easier when I was childless.

I managed to get into yoga pants and my bra before Baby P bolted and of course, he runs right smack into a naked lady who had just come out of the shower.

I've clocked in a lot of gym hours in my day, but I have never seen so many naked ladies in a locker room as I saw today. Usually it's the older women who wander around naked but today there were hot, naked ladies.

And my son zeroed in on that and launched himself at the towel that she was carrying.

Carrying.

Not wearing.

Carrying.

Baby P was grabbed before he could do any touching or grabbing of his own and then I turned around and literally smacked into another naked lady. This one was only wearing undies and flip flops.

Seriously?

And again, she was another hot, naked lady.

Then, on the way out, we passed by the sauna and there were two older ladies enjoying the heat sans clothing.

If only I were lesbian. Today would have totally been my day.

P.S. While proof reading, I realize that I sound like a total prude. When in the heck did I turn into a prude?!?

Memorial Day Weekend from Hell

2010-05-31T19:50:00.001-07:00

Friday sucked.

Saturday's outing to the beach sucked.

Baby P woke up puking on Sunday morning. That sucked.

The puking continued on into today. That sucked.

I've been cleaning all of the spots that got hit by vomit as well as running loads and loads of bedding and clothing that were coated in vomit. That sucked.

We finally ventured out of the house this afternoon for a short walk around the neighborhood and that sucked.

Everyone was out on front lawns in their lounge chairs, with dixie cups, music blaring, kids running around with bubbles, and bbqs smoking away. That sucked.

This was the first year in ages that I haven't been invited to a bbq or thrown a bbq.

Paint a big ol' L on my forehead for loser.

To make myself feel better, I stopped by a friend's house to say hi and found out that she was having a bbq. To top it off, she said, "I'd invite you in but I don't think my husband wants you here since it's all his friends from work."

Um. That sucked.

In non-suckage news, Baby P has stopped throwing up.

Day 14

2010-05-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

I made it two weeks without spending tons and tons of money--I mean, I spent money, but I spent less than usual.

Yay!

Kudos to me.

We played at other people's houses.

We only bought things that were necessary or on sale.

We went to free places around town to play dress up and pet sea creatures.

And Baby P received his first head wound at a Washington beach. I'm so tired of crummy beaches that are filled with broken, sharp, dangerous sea shells and pointy rocks. He was a total trooper and only cried for a few minutes and then was off running around with the other kids.

Day 13

2010-05-28T18:13:00.001-07:00

This morning we went to a local marine science center (which was super cheap--free admission). Baby P was able to touch a sea urchin, a star fish, and a few other things that I didn't know what they were. We also saw an octopus eating lunch and it was amazing. I wasn't able to get pictures because I was holding Baby P but hopefully next time I can snap a few shots.

Then I went out for some retail therapy.

(My mom's graduation from Brigham Young University in 1973)

Today marks twelve years since my mom died. I still remember walking into the hospital's ICU and seeing her bed empty and just knowing. Knowing that something had gone wrong.

And the waiting. Waiting to hear if they were able to get her heart to start again.

And it never did.

She was buried with her Mother's Day cards that she was never able to open that year because she was in surgery on her special day.

Some years are easier than others.

This year hasn't been an easy year.

I cried on the way to the marine science center.

Stopped long enough to pet marine animals/mammals.

Cried all the way home.

Cried while I handed the guard at the gate my i.d. card.

Cried while Baby P napped.

Then hit the mall with red eyes and a crying headache.

And while I spent a pretty hefty chunk of money today--everything I bought was on sale.

Big Lady Store
Khaki capris $13.09 (originally $49.50)
Black capris $13.09 (originally $39.50)
Jean capris $13.09 (originally $39.50)
2 white tanks $7.86/pc (originally $19.50)

First, the capris were all on sale. If you bought 2 or more pairs the price dropped down to $25.00. Added to that, my neighbor gave me her Big Lady Bucks which took $25.00 off any $50.00 purchase. Since my purchase came out to be a little over $100.00 I ended up getting $50.00 off my purchase.

My savings? $112.53

Pretty dang sweet.

Gymboree
Baseball cap $5.49 (originally $9.75)
Killer sunglasses $2.39 (originally $7.99)
2 cute tees $4.99/pc (originally $14.75)

Baby P is now fully ready for the sun to come out.

You hear that sun?! It's time for you to show yourself!

Macey's
2 Kenneth Cole ties $17.99/pc (originally $49.99/pc)

Now have a graduation gift for my brother. Since he's a nurse, scrubs are his normal dress code and he was complaining that he didn't have any nice dress clothes for interviews/conferences/dates.

Hallmark
Cute birthstone necklace $12.00 (originally $24.00)
2 rolls of birthday paper $1.89/pc (originally $3.99/pc)
Easter bunny for next year $1.00 (originally $9.75)

So now that I've spent money that I shouldn't have, the guilt from that somehow makes me feel less guilty about not living up to my mom's high standards. And took my mind off of the fact that I'm a motherless child raising a child and have no one to talk to when things get rough and tough and hairy and vomit-y and just too much to handle.

And now I'm crying again.

Sheesh.

I've got to go give Baby P a bath and then self-medicate myself to sleep.

Day 12

2010-05-27T22:11:00.000-07:00

Want the good news or the bad news?

Good news?

No money spent today.

We stayed at home and had a play date with my friend and her two little ones.

Bad news?

The advancement results came out today and C's name was not on the list. It was his first time being up for this particular advancement so I knew that it was iffy on whether or not he would make it.

After he emailed me to let me know, I went over to the Navy Times to read a little more (if you're interested, click here to read an article about the advancement situation).

The news is depressing.

C only has a 16% chance of advancing and it doesn't look like that number is going to go up in the near future.

In September he'll have the opportunity to try for advancement again. Fingers crossed he manages it on the second time around.

Day 11

2010-05-26T21:29:00.000-07:00

Yet another successful day under my belt.

Baby P and I went to a free naval museum that is close by and I chased him around in there for entertainment(his) and exercise(mine).

Here are a few things I learned today:

1) I'm completely lacking in adult conversation. A kind, older man asked me how old Baby P was and he ended up getting my life story. Poor, poor guy. I find that anyone who asks me a simple question these days gets an entire spiel in return because I have no one else to talk to right now. Definitely the downside of not having a spouse around to babble to all day long.

2) I love the "hide" button in Facebook. There are some girls that I've had to friend on FB (because they kept sending me requests over and over and over) and their husbands are on the same deployment schedule that mine is. And now I'm having to gag my way through their daily updates on how they haven't gotten an email from their spouse and how hard life is alone.

Blah, blah, blah.

The guys haven't been gone that long and yes, there are some really, really crappy days when your spouse is gone, but do you really need to complain every single day in such a public way? If the military life isn't for you, then maybe you should encourage your spouse to get out. Gah. I've now hidden about five different girls so I don't have to see what their latest complaint is. At least we get to email. Be grateful for that.

Day 10

2010-05-25T21:23:00.000-07:00

Thank you to whoever decided that swim skirts are in style this year! The last time I bought a bathing suit I was a size 8 and I was able to buy a super cute bikini from the teen section. Now I'm sporting a total mom swim skirt. (top and bottom ended up running about $48.00)

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Now that I'm armed with my super swim skirt I really want to take Baby P to some of the local pools to get him used to the water.

Watch out!

Also hit up the commissary for fruit, rice, ice cream, and a few other necessary food items. It was somewhere in the neighborhood of $43.00. I usually spend double that, so it felt like a success to me.

I'm slightly hoping that I don't end up going to San Francisco next month because that would save me a ton of moola that I could put aside for the Chicago trip in July and the Aussie trip in December.

Day 9

2010-05-24T14:56:00.000-07:00

Today's shopping expedition will be brought to you by C's lovely ex-wife. :)

She never reported months of child support that C paid before the child support stuff was finalized with the court and a few days ago, we received a check in the mail from the state that reimbursed us for that money she never reported.

Boo-yah.

So once Baby P wakes up from his nap we will be off to:

1) Mail Kim's super fragile mug and dvds to her.
2) Kohl's to see if I can find a bathing suit that isn't hideous.
3) Old Navy for a bathing suit if Kohl's doesn't work out.
4) Costco to pick up photos.

I'll let you know how bathing suit shopping works out for me.

Day 8

2010-05-23T14:38:00.000-07:00

No money spent today, but that's only because we were invited to a friend's house for dinner. Otherwise, I would have been hitting up the drive through for grub.

In other news, Baby P has learned how to turn on the gas burners on the stove without me seeing him.

We got back from church today and the entire house reeked of gas. I'm very, very, very grateful that our house didn't explode.

In other, other news, I just started looking into getting passports for me and Baby P, and man, this is going to get pricey.

My passport expired a year ago and I need to change my name so I don't know if I need to apply for a renewal, new name, or just a new passport. It's all a little confusing from looking at the website.

And I can't get a passport for Baby P without C being here. We both have to go and sign the paperwork to apply for one for him.

What a hassle.

I'm going to call a local office and see if my power of attorney will somehow bypass the need for C to be here.

Good thing we have seven months until our big Outback Adventure!

Day 7

2010-05-22T16:01:00.000-07:00

Another excellent day with no money spent.

Huzzah!

Day 7

2010-05-21T20:16:00.000-07:00

I don't remember if I've spent money today or not.

It hasn't been a bad day, just a long one and one in which I've had a horrendous headache.

Baby P has finally gone down and I'm going to follow his example.

P.S. The ticket to Australia has been BOOKED! We'll be going from December 16-January 11th. Agh! So excited!

P.P.S. I've started making a list of items to take with me to entertain Baby P during the flight to LAX and then the 13 hour flight between here and Brisbane. If you have any great suggestions you just HAVE to let me know!

Day 7

2010-05-20T21:25:00.000-07:00

Costco Trip Day!

This was my first trip where I made it out without spending $100 or more.

Milk (4 gallons) $3.89
Grapes (5 lbs) $7.59
Bananas (2 lbs) $1.32
String cheese $8.99
Organic juice boxes $8.99
Graham crackers $5.45

My love for Costco runs deeps so it was difficult to not buy more and more and more and more and a little more.

P.S. My mother-in-law has now started using FB as a tool against me. She's awesome. C wants me to just delete her as a "friend" but I'm a little undecided. Today's update focuses on how amazing her daughters are that they are both in school. She neglected to mention that her son is also in school. I love how much she loves her son (major sarcasm dripping through my voice).

Day 6

2010-05-19T21:52:00.000-07:00

We went on a playdate with our friends (and neighbors) to an indoor play place in a nearby city.

Amazingly enough, we were able to squeeze all three adorable kids in the backseat of old Bessy.

Indoor play place admission $2.82

Yummy, fatty pizza and nachos $9.00

A great time was had by all and the three kiddos conked out on the ride back home.

And my fun new Palm Pixi came in the mail today. I'm loving how small it is and how savvy it makes me feel. :)

Day 5

2010-05-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

My lovely neighbor made her husband watch Baby P (she has two little ones, so the three get along really well and can play for hours) so we could go do a little girly shopping.

Fred Meyer
jammies $11.00
shirts $14.00
(all items for Baby P)

Tarjay
Where a miracle happened.

It's my week for miracles (minus yesterday's debacle with the bitch-in-law)

First Australia and now....a gorgeous little black dress that happened to be in my big girl size!

It was an online return so the dress was marked down from $49.99 to $10.06

I couldn't pass that deal up.

Total score especially since I've been stressing out about a dress for the rehearsal dinner for this upcoming wedding in Chicago.

And I did end up getting those phones from Sprint which would have cost us a whopping

$699.00

but I got them for

$0.00

Awesome.

So today has been a slight mini-failure in the whole "no-spending-money" thing but I feel like I did get some pretty dang good deals.

Anyway, I'm off to drink my pomegranate lemonade and watch some Glee (the upside to deployments would be that I can watch whatever I want whenever I want.)

Day 4

2010-05-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

Success at last!

A day without spending.

But not a day without drama.

I think I must have a lightning pole for drama attached to my forehead.

My mother-in-law is beyond angry that I'm going to Australia with Parker, but haven't made a trip to Texas in the last two years.

What she doesn't know is that C is the one who keeps nixing all trip plans to Texas because he doesn't want to deal with her drama.

And most of my traveling is done while C is gone because, let's face it, one plane ticket is way cheaper than two.

And I would never, ever, never, ever go to his parent's house without him there as a buffer. It would be so, so awkward.

Hence, the reason why we haven't gone to visit them in the last two years.

We have offered to pay for plane tickets for her to come here, but she keeps refusing and seems to have selective memory about that issue. She swears I've never offered while I know I have.

Good times.

Someone else tell me that I'm not the only one with in-law issues. All of my friends have these amazing in-laws and then there's me and it's more than a little disheartening.

Day 3

2010-05-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

(we visited a lavender farm while Aunt Kim was in town last week)

Been feeling super queasy the last few days so it was hectic getting myself and Baby P ready for church this morning, what with wanting to hurl every few minutes.

On the way back from church I made a pit stop at the Commissary for some fresh fruit and a pregnancy test.

apples, grapes, and bananas $9.00(ish)
prego stick $8.99

Only one little pink line, so who knows what the heck has been making me sick to my stomach for days on end.

Then had a craptacular phone convo with one of my brothers that had me digging through the big freezer in search of discounted candy I bought the day after Easter. (see, sometimes I'm good about finding deals)

Family. Argh.

p.s. BIG NEWS!!! While I may not have gotten pregnant while I had the chance, I did manage to work out a trip to Australia for me and Baby P!!! We'll be going over the Christmas break while C is deployed and in between semesters of grad school. I seriously can't stop squealing and skipping around the house. :)

Day 2

2010-05-15T19:27:00.000-07:00

Has been difficult.

Jogging stroller issues.

Birthday party craziness.

So I stopped at a local bike shop to get my jogging stroller wheel fixed. Damn you blackberry thorn.

Wheel repair $6.50

Spent two-hours getting called Ms.(insert my last name here) because the mom of the birthday boy couldn't remember my name and watched my birthday present get literally tossed aside because he didn't like it and then had to run and grab Baby P when the birthday boy pushed him down when Baby P touched the birthday boy's new Power Wheels.

So I stopped at Tar-jay.

My home away from home.

Browsed the clearance.

Had a few items in my cart.

And managed to come home with only a:

purple cardigan $15
diet Coke $1.49

Day 1

2010-05-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

Received a last-minute invite to a superhero themed birthday party so I had to swing by the local toy store to pick up a few things.

Buzz Lightyear Mr. Potato Head $9.99 (gift item)
Toy Story 3D Sidewalk Chalk $14.99 (gift item)
Little Tykes art table $49.00 (Baby P's item)

Failure. Total failure.

All I have to say for myself is that I've been eyeballing a little picnic table for the last few months so that we can do arts and crafts without killing my kitchen table and I haven't found one that was under $90 in any stores nearby. I did find cheaper ones online but when I added sales tax and shipping charges, it would have been as much as buying the more expensive picnic table.

So I caved.

On the bright side, both C and I are up for new phones and Sprint is offering the Palm Pixi for free if you order online. That's almost a $400 phone, so I feel like I need to order one for both of us to make up for my lousy spending day that I had today.

Tomorrow is another day and I plan on spending no money whatsoever.

We'll see how that goes.

And I'm off!

2010-05-13T22:18:00.000-07:00

We are officially a one-income household and with C being currently deployed, I figured it was time for a little personal challenge that I could work on with him gone--my budgeting skillzzzzz!

Here's the challenge:

For this pay period, I am going to pay the bills and nothing else.

Nothing.

I have oodles of diapers and wipes for Baby P, lots of canned goods and dry foods, so all I will need to buy will be milk and fresh fruit.

Okay, so obviously I'm going to have to purchase a few, necessary items, but then nothing else.

Nothing.

I'm going to see how much I won't spend between now and June 1st.

Check back each day to see how much I've NOT spent.

In which C buys his first pair of skinny jeans

2010-05-06T20:09:00.000-07:00

I sent C out to pick up a sturdy baby gate for the stairs and he came back with The Tooth Fairy, a baby gate, three boxes of fruit snacks, sub sandwiches, and a pair of skinny jeans.

However, he insists, vehemently, that these jeans are "slim fit."

I think he's unwilling to admit they are skinny jeans because they are Quicksilver jeans that he found for super-cheap on the clearance rack.

We're such soulmates.

We both buy anything as long as it's on the clearance rack and in our size--no matter what that item might be.

P.S. BFF Reunion 2010 is in two days people! Bring on the chick flicks, cheesy movies, and overeating.

P.P.S C wore his "slim fit" jeans today with Doc Martins and a Quicksilver shirt and those big, clunky shoes definitely accentuated the skinniness of the "slim fit."

P.P.P.S C is reading this post over my should and keeps exclaiming, "They aren't skinny jeans!" and "I can't believe you're writing about this!"

Oh baby

2010-05-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

Baby P has discovered the refreshing coolness of the water in the toilet bowl.

Yum.

This ain't no awkward turtle

2010-04-25T13:36:00.000-07:00

From my youngest years I've been an awkward hugger.

I'm that person who will go in for a full-frontal hug when the other person was only expecting a side hug.

I'm that person who can't decide if I'm the person who is supposed to do arms around neck, arms around the middle, or one arm up and one arm down.

I'm that person who releases too early or lingers too long in an effort to seem more huggable.

So, in conclusion, don't feel offended if I smack you in the face with a random, awkward arm/hand/elbow during a hug or cop a feel of your boob(s) when you thought you were only going to get a side hug.

And please don't give me a weird look. I can't help it.

It's my fatal flaw.

*sigh*

Movie marathoners

2010-04-23T19:45:00.001-07:00

C has to go out of town this weekend for work, so he had yesterday and today off to compensate.

We decided to do a family movie marathon all day today.

Behold the set-up:

(queen size air mattress, every pillow we own, and the comfy down comforter wedged into our living room)

(Baby P's favorite movie was Planet 51. He wasn't really interested in Avatar, the Night at the Museum movies, or Hellboy.)

(can't forget to stock up on super unhealthy treats to keep our strength up for movie watching)

(taking a minute out for a mom-and-me picture. notice the lack of hair. :( i'll post the pictures from his first hair cut sometime this weekend)

(an intense moment over who gets the first Dorito of the marathon)

Oh financial aid...

2010-04-23T09:25:00.000-07:00

UW's financial aid office emailed me an offer of money this morning and it's enough to cover all expenses for the year which is super amazing.

However, now I'm in that place where I have to decide how much money I should actually take from them.

This is especially tricky because I haven't figured out how much the GI Bill is going to help me out and I have to give a response to UW by May 15th.

So ladies who have used financial aid--what do you suggest? I've never had to deal with school finances before and find myself a little out of my depth.

Will You or Won't You

2010-04-22T09:26:00.001-07:00

This morning was our signing of the Wills.

As we were in the waiting room, the ladies behind the counter were flipping out because there was no one there to witness us sign our paperwork. C and I were a little befuddled because there were four sailors just hanging out drinking coffee behind the counter with the ladies but none of them volunteered to be a witness.

Finally we were moved to an office in the back where we found a single sailor who was also waiting on witnesses so he could sign his documents.

Our notary said she was going to try to rustle up another witness (all the while, there were people just wandering around in the hallway, drinking coffee, but none of them could be witnesses?) and she left.

As in, she left.

Left the building.

Left because she was so frustrated that no one would help with the signing of the Wills.

This meant that another notary had to be found, our paperwork had to be printed out again with the new notary's name on it, and then three legal sailors stood in the doorway of the office arguing over who would be the third witness.

*sigh*

As the single sailor put it--it was a major cluster*uck.

Signing of the Wills, Navy style.

45-minutes and a bajillion signatures later, we now have a legal guardian for Baby P in case anything happens to the two of us.

Then I ate a piece of this when I got home from Legal as a reward for not being mean or snotty to the people in the office:

(it's a french vanilla cake, chocolate fudge mousse with heath bits mixed in, vanilla icing, my first attempt at ganache, and topped off with more heath bits. mmmm...there goes all of my efforts at working out)

What's new

2010-04-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

1) I bought C an iPod Touch for Father's Day (he won't be here for the actual day) and he has been attached to that sucker for the last five days.

2) C saw me watching him with envy so he went and bought me my own iPod Touch for Mother's Day (since he also won't be here for that day).

3) We finally applied for VA benefits to get the ball rolling on the GI Bill. I'm hoping that we get the letter of eligibility quickly so I can stop stressing out about money.

4) Last weekend we finally made it to the zoo with our friends and their two little ones. Baby P loved watching the fish swim by the glass. He was also a big fan of the meerkats.

5) Today will be Day 3 of walking five miles here on base. I'm walking with my friend who has two little ones so it's been good for me--knowing that I have to meet her outside every morning at 9 am. When I was doing this loop last year, it took me about an hour and ten minutes to finish. Now that I'm heavier than I was and since Bri has two kids in a stroller to push uphill, our time is about an hour and forty minutes. I'm optimistic that we can start shaving time off as we get used to the course and eventually start running some parts of our route.

6) 'Tis the season for visitors! KEB will be here on just 17 days for a visit with us! We have many great plans of eating brownies, watching chick flicks, making Baby P listen to us sing in the car, and hit up some touristy spots. I haven't seen her since last May, so I'm very, very excited for this upcoming event.

And now I must go because Baby P is throwing whole wheat waffles onto the wall to see if they'll stick. *sigh*

Get this...

2010-04-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

one of my elective courses for my graduate program is "Storytelling: the Art."

Now if only I can figure out how to pay for it...

Recipe for early morning argument

2010-04-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

Go into lawyer's office without having previously discussed guardianship for child from the first marriage.

I didn't think of it.

C didn't think of it.

Then the lawyer says, "Oh, a blended family. This will make things interesting."

Then I say, "I don't want to treat the step-child as my natural child."

And C totally shut down.

Awesome.

What do you say? I didn't think before I opened my mouth and it came out so horribly mean but if C isn't alive and his ex-wife dies, I really don't think I should be guardian to a child who has never met me/lived with me/dealt with me but who has heard all sorts of nasty things about me from his mom's potty mouth.

In an attempt to make up for my ugly words, I am in the process of making the house shine, baking yummy cookies made with leftover Easter candy, and trying to come up with an awesome dinner.

Ugh.

Worst wife ever.

What a day

2010-04-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

Tammy's flight left this morning at 7 am, which meant that we had to be up and out the door by 4 am to make sure she was on-time.

C was unable to get time off of work, so poor Baby P was bundled up and taken to the airport with us. Thankfully he loves sleeping in his car seat so he still managed to get some solid hours of sleep in this morning.

Good for him, but not so good for his dead-tired mom.

However, I have managed to get the air mattress deflated, laundry has been started, Baby P is sleeping back in his crib again, but the house seems so empty without an Aussie accent.

While keeping in touch via blogger, emails, and international calls has still kept our friendship strong, there's nothing like actually getting face time with a person. I've really missed having a girlfriend around--someone that I can talk to about all sorts of things. Most of my friends out here are just fellow mothers (or maybe all we really have in common are the fact that we're mothers and have nothing else to talk about) so it's been nice to talk about other things besides dirty diapers and sleeping habits.

So Tammy is off on the next leg of her American holiday and C will soon be leaving as well, leaving me alone for the rest of spring and summer. It's hard not to feel a little/a lot/massive amounts of loneliness at these points in time.

Perhaps we do just need to move to Guam and then I'd be close enough to spend the deployment periods with Tammy and her family. :)

On the positive (non-crying side of things) a maintenance man came today to replace the doorknob on the garage door. It no longer has a lock on it which means no more getting locked out! Yay!

Let's be honest...

2010-03-30T21:13:00.000-07:00

Forks is a dump. Three hours in the car and the best bit was the deep-fried hash browns we picked up in Port Angeles and getting to drive along the edge of Lake Crescent.

However, the day was salvaged by the many cute pictures we were able to take and the hilarity that ensued as we realized how much better the movie was than the reality.

The day in which Tammy almost breaks an arm

2010-03-29T19:14:00.001-07:00

Today was our day of just running around, buying bananas, and finding last minute clothes for Tammy's Mexico cruise.

When we got back home, I dropped Parker off in the living room, checked that the garage door WAS NOT locked, and then went out to the car to help Tammy grab the groceries from the boot of the car. As I was settling milk under one arm and diapers under the other, I hear, "Did you mean to lock the door?"

Baby P had followed me to the door, seen me check the lock, and then proceeded to play with the lock--thereby locking Tammy and I OUT OF THE HOUSE!

Tammy stayed with Baby P and tried to play the "shake-the-handle-until-it-unlocks" game with no success, and I ran next door to use the neighbor's phone to call housing to come unlock the door.

After finally reaching a live person, I was told that it would take 20-30 minutes for someone to get to my house. I could walk down and back to the housing office in less than 20 minutes and when I mentioned this, the lady got quite snippy and implied that I locked myself out because I was less-than-intelligent. I love that they don't have a better contigency plan in place for people with babies in the house (as this is the fourth time this has happened. I hate, hate, hate the door to the garage. It locks whenever it feels like it. Boo.)

Awesome.

In the meantime, failing at getting Baby P to unlock the door, Tammy had tried all downstairs windows and nothing was open.

Our last resort was my bedroom window on the second floor.

I figured that I could boost myself up onto the privacy fence that runs along our back porch, shimmy up the roof, and make it to my bedroom window. Easy, peasy, right?

Tammy's brilliant idea was to use the trash bin to help the process and we dragged that along with us to the backyard. Tammy then volunteered to be the guinea pig and I boosted her up onto the top of the trash bin and then she realized that...in reality, the back porch fence is too flimsy to hold weight, there's no place to get a grip on the roof, and the roof tiles are covered in rain and slick moss.

Tammy was very brave and kept offering to sacrifice herself in an attempt to reach the window, but we both knew that there would be a broken bone involved.

As she continued to re-position herself on the trash bin in an attempt to find a handhold on the roof, I heard Baby P stop crying and I freaked out.

I ran around to the front and found the maintenance man with an armful of my baby boy--well under the 20-30 minute mark.

So Tammy avoided a broken arm, though the rubbish bin is a little dented from her standing on it to reach the roof, and I have an appointment for maintenance to come out later this week and replace the locking door handle with a pass through door handle.

*whew*

P.S. You've all heard of/read the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, right? Well, while shopping today, we found a dress like that. Tammy came out of the dressing room and looked s-t-u-n-n-i-n-g! I had to try the dress and it was the same for me! This dress is the perfect dress. And we both now own it. I may post a picture of us in our matching dresses later. :)

P.P.S. Tonight we will be introducing C to the wonderful world of Tim-Tam Slams with real Milo! Pictures to follow!

P.P.P.S. Tomorrow I'm really going to make Tammy get up early so that we can go see snow and make our way over to Forks to be uber tourists!

Seattle on a Saturday

2010-03-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

C was lovely enough to keep Baby P at home so that Tammy and I could head into Seattle for a Girls' Day Out.

Tammy wrote a lovely post about our day and added pictures, so I'm just going to link to her blog so that I can get back to eating my Aussie chocolate.

Squealing, bum wiggling, and regurgitated goldfish

2010-03-27T00:02:00.000-07:00

On the way to the airport this afternoon I ran into traffic in the usual places (except for here, on the bridge), was held up by a road accident that needed to be cleared, and more traffic in some unusual places since it's the Friday before Spring Break.

As we flew down the interstate, to make up for lost time in the delays, I gave Baby P Goldfish to tide him over til we hit the airport. He's never shoved all of the fish into his mouth at one time, so I thought nothing of giving him a handful. However, today was his day to change things up and he shoved all six fish in his mouth at one time.

He choked.

He regurgitated.

He recovered.

He resumed eating...the REGURGITATED fish!

This is my bad mother moment. I let my son eat soggy fish so that I could be at the airport on time for Tammy. I didn't want to stop and clean him up for fear of losing precious road time.

Awesome.

All is well though. Baby P is still healthy as a horse. Tammy's flight was slightly delayed. And C had dinner ready for us as a special treat.

Much catching up has happened, candy has been eaten, movie watched, and a plan of attack has been drawn up.

I've noticed...

2010-03-25T00:49:00.001-07:00

that my son has inherited one of my not-so-pretty traits.

The BUTT CRACK MONSTER!

It's taken me a year to notice this since I always put a onesie under his outfits until this last week, when the weather has been so delightfully beautiful and warm.

Baby P has been wandering around in a t-shirt and jeans and every time he squats, bends over, or sits down--BAM! The Butt Crack Monster!

The only time my own monster didn't rear his ugly little bum-head was when I was wearing maternity pants and the stretchy material covered my butt crack.

Good thing Baby P will always be able to hide his unusually high butt crack with slightly baggy pants and long shirts.

six more sleeps!

2010-03-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

So C figured out something was wrong with me. Perhaps it was the cold shoulder routine I gave him last night or maybe it was when I only made enough breakfast for me and Baby P this morning.

At any rate, C kept pestering me until I 'fessed up to the fact that I was a little miffed about his lack of enthusiasm for this whole grad school thing.

It was while I was telling him stories of celebrations from my past that I realized that he's never had super supportive parents who made a big deal out of amazing news or amazing friends who want to take you out when great things happen so my expectations for him were unrealistic and unfair.

Which made me feel guilty for being mean, but I think it was a discussion that needed to happen so that we could both better understand each other.

Thanks to all of you girls for being amazing--I really got what I needed from all of your sweet notes.

Onto other news...

1) Multiple brownie mixes have been bought as well as cream cheese and caramels so that brownie variations can be made.

2) C washed the car and I vacuumed and steam cleaned the upholstery.

3) Baby P's toys have been consolidated so there is room for the air mattress.

4) Plans are being made for day trips to various locations on the Olympic Peninsula.

5) Paperwork has been filled out and a back up plan is in place just in case we can't get our favorite foreign national onto the base.

And all of this has been done because TAMMY gets here in just a few more sleeps!

are you calling me a husky?

2010-03-19T22:14:00.000-07:00

I've been anxiously checking the mail every afternoon and today I was rewarded by a huge, white envelope from the University of Washington.

Baby P grabbed the envelope and helped me carry it back to the house, where I set him down in our front yard to play with the little girls from next door so that both hands were free to rip that sucker open.

Not only have I been accepted into the program, but I've also been awarded a fellowship of $3,000 for the academic year.

Me crying on the front lawn made the little girls all crowd around me and start patting my back because they thought something was wrong.

While I have posted about this news on my FB, texted a few close friends, and called family members, I still feel a little hollow about this great news.

My best friends are all in other states, so I have no one to go out and celebrate with.

My one brother is currently working overseas and unavailable to talk to about this.

My other brother is in Tahoe and has no cell phone reception so I haven't been able to squeal about this with him.

And I haven't spoken to my dad in four months and even if I broke down and just called him, he still wouldn't really give two hoots about it as the only thing he gets excited about is me making money or me losing weight.

C was very happy for me, of course, but education isn't his thing, so it's just another day in the neighborhood when his wife gets into grad school.

I just kind of wish there were people out here for us to go and celebrate this good news with.

HisssssssPE. That's right, your test sounds like a snake.

2010-03-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

The last three days I've subbed for a U.S. History teacher at a local high school.

It's been a crazy experience because he has an interesting combination of personalities in a few of his classes and because two of those days have included the WASL/HSPE (state mandated testing) so the schedule has been wacky and a lot of kids just haven't been coming to school.

The last two mornings I have spent almost three hours proctoring the HSPE and it was interesting to see since I've proctored state tests in Utah and in Florida in the past.

Differences in testing from state-to-state:

1) WA-all of the sophomores took the test in the gym (I talked to a teacher about this and it was actually a decision that was voted on) and they were squished in next to each other at long, rectangular tables.
FL-students took test in the classroom with a limit on the number of kids per room and each desk had to be a goodly distance apart from the other desks.

2) WA-teachers are allowed to help you on questions. (wth?!?!?!)
FL-teachers can invalidate the test or lose a job for even looking at the test, much less helping answer a freaking question.

3) WA-Students are given five minute breaks ever 40 minutes. Breaks in which the students are allowed to wander around (with the tests sitting open on the tables for anyone to see/snatch/mess with) and talk with each other. The first day I didn't hear many kids talk about the test, but today they were definitely comparing their answers to the writing prompt.
FL-Students are given small breaks in-between testing sections but there is no talking or wandering around freely.

4) WA-Test is not timed. Students can stay in the gym alllllllll day long if they want. Which does decrease the anxiety level so it's not a bad thing.
FL-Test is timed unless student has a plan that allows for extended time.

5) WA-writing portion of the test is two days long. (And one teacher was telling me that the writing prompt that was given today was the same one that WA state released as a practice question a few years ago and a question that he had used in class just a few weeks ago. Does that seem ridiculous to anyone else? Why would you use a question that you released to the public?!?)
FL-There are short and long response questions on the reading portion of the test and then a separate, one day test for essay writing skills. And I've never seen one of the released prompts being used again by the state.

Overall, it seems as though the school district that I worked for in Florida was much more strict about state testing than this district in Washington. I've never worked in another district out here, so I'm not positive that this is a state-wide laid back attitude or if it's just this district.

I'm just glad that I get to stay home with Baby P for the next two days and avoid dumb teenagers who are only good for working the fry machine at fast food joints. (can you tell I haven't had the best time with these kids?)

A day in the life...

2010-03-15T17:50:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks of substituting has been disheartening.

There are a few teachers that I personally know and always take their jobs because they remind me of how I used to run things in my own classroom, but 80% of my jobs come from just picking up random openings here and there.

It's in these random jobs that I've had students throw flour at me, brag about getting high with step-parents, walk out and not come back until the end of the period, use cell phones and when I try to confiscate said phones I'm told that they'll sue me if I touch their stuff, and the foul, foul things that these kids call each other and joke about while refusing to do any work.

Or the student who told me that my college education was a waste since all I could do was be a lame sub and make no money.

I come home in the afternoons and hug Baby P tight and take him out to swing on the playground because all I can see is him being like that some day--callous, uncaring,and a total jerk.

How do you raise a kid so they don't think it's funny to call a girl a "whore" or boast about getting alcohol when you're underage? How do you teach them how valuable an education is and how to be respectful?

Maybe I need to just stick with the middle school kids who I can still scare with my teacher voice and teacher look. The high school kids pay no attention to me since they're either taller or think that they're cooler than me.

And we're off..

2010-03-10T07:50:00.000-08:00

to a running start or maybe we're just jumping the gun since I picked up a free, super nice, only slightly used white crib from a lady at church and C has picked out a name for Baby #2.

You might be wondering right about now, is there a fertilized egg floating around?

Uh, no.

I just couldn't resist a free crib and C is slightly obsessed with the show Supernatural at the moment so he thinks that Samuel Dean would be a great name for a little boy.