TODAY

today, WE ARE PlAYinG, dANcINg AND bringing down FRUITS UNHEARD OF!

Seeing Life Through a New Lens

My Canon 40D, which I have been drooling over and talking about for well over a year is finally ordered and on it's way here! I am so excited to start playing with it and learning about it and hopefully taking better pictures. I LOVE photography, but there is only so much you can do with a point and shoot camera (thank goodness for Photoshop!). This will change all of that! I am sure before long, I'll have a list of lenses and flashes and reflectors that I want, too, but for now... BLISS!!!!! Here is my new baby.

Goodbye is the First Step to Hello

The drive down to Oregon went great, as usual! Lawson is a seasoned traveler thanks to our many trips up and down I-5 since he was born. This time, we got to drop Dustin off at SeaTac airport on the way down, which was a nice change from dropping him off on base. It's always kind of crazy on our way out the door, getting last minute items, turning off water and unplugging appliances. When I drop him off on base, we only get 10 minutes or so together after our mad dash around the house in the morning before our goodbye. This time, it was a whole two hours to talk and enjoy each others' company. Lawson stayed wide awake and happy and as we entered Seattle, I turned around and said, "good boy, staying awake! You'll get to say goodbye to daddy!". Literally, 30 seconds later, I turned around and he was out cold. I should have kept my mouth shut! It was so sad for me that he fell asleep and was going to wake up without Dustin there. I, of course, had a few minutes of tears, which went away wonderfully until Lawson woke up asking for his da-da and looking around to see where he'd gone. More tears for a minute or two, then we arrived at Aunt Kelly and Uncle Dave's house to stretch our legs and that proved a wonderful distraction for both Lawson and I.

We had lunch and stopped at my new favorite baby boutique, called POSH baby, which left me wanting to go back and poke around some more! Thanks, Kelly, for tagging along to the store full of cute things that you don't know what to do with! After a little relaxing back at their place, we had to head down the road again to get to my mom's house. A full 15 hours after my day began, we arrived at our destination. It took me three days or so to get all of our stuff situated and settled in, but I'm feeling quite at home here again and am ready for the next few months with just my little man.

Dustin made it to his destination safely and on time and we've already been able to talk once and e-mailed a few times. I know the time will fly! I had another appointment with my OB that included an ultrasound. We'll be doing them every few weeks to make sure she is growing well and is unaffected by my gene mutations. As of now, I'd say she's growing just fine. She's in the 70th percentile at an estimated 2.8 lbs at 27 weeks gestation. He said to expect her to be 8.5lbs or so. That is DOUBLE Lawson's size! Wow. My blood pressure is still great and I only gained two pounds in the last three weeks, which is much better than the ten pounds I managed to gain in the three weeks before that.

So, we're here and we're settled in. Dustin is down there and settled in. Now, we've just got to get through the next few months apart so we can welcome Naomi into our family and enjoy another few months with Dustin home as a family!

Can't Stop Thinking About This

I made it to Oregon okay and have been meaning to come and blog for a few days, but every time I get on, I end up reading up about baby Stellan instead. Please send your thoughts and prayers to this family. It absolutely breaks my heart.

The Final Countdown!

Well, it's the last day here together for a while. Final preparations are in the works and we're almost ready to hit the road and say goodbye. The living room is piled with our belongings, ready to be loaded up in the back of the Expedition. Thank GOODNESS we chose a big vehicle. I fill it up, no problem, nearly every trip home!

Our kitchen didn't quite come as far as we'd hoped, but it's getting there. Cabinets and granite are in and that feels good to finally have done. The floor is prepped for tile, but no tile is actually laid yet. The appliances are ready in their boxes waiting to be installed over the tile. It's ready, we just have to execute those last few details!

Lawson is unfortunately unaware of what is going on. I've been telling him that daddy is going on a big bye-bye for a few days now, but it is apparent that it doesn't make much sense to him. I'm thinking I'll probably have a few pictures of Dustin laminated for Lawson to be able to hold and play with. He loves holding the pictures of his daddy in the frames, but I don't love that quite as much as him. They just never seem to look the same after he's handled them. Lamination may be the key. It also keeps him from being able to eat the picture, which he would do in a heartbeat if he could. The kid literally takes bites out of books and magazines if you turn around for a minute. Yum, yum.

I'm ready for goodbye. Ready to get these few months rolling and start counting down the days until we're all together again. Ready to be done with the anticipation of leaving and attempts to savor the moments. It'll be a busy few months with twice weekly doctors appointments, final preparations being made for Naomi and hopefully some regular work-outs. I use the term "work-out" very lightly. As in a walk around the neighborhood for 1/2 an hour or hour. Maybe some stretching and light weights. Okay, I use it very lightly. Anyway, there will be a few massages and pedicures thrown in there at some point as well, which I'm really looking forward to. Oh, my aching body! They'll have to drag me off the massage table, I'm sure!

Well, I'm off to take more clothes off of hangers and fill my baskets with diapering gear and more shoes than I'll probably need. Dustin should be back soon and I've got to get the cable disconnected and my hair dry so we can hopefully spend a little quality time together before night falls. I'd love to get some good pictures, too. Is it too much to request a few extra hours in this day that I can't wait to be over?! Oregon, here I come!

A Little Humor

So, let me just preface this with the admission that I am WELL aware of how easily entertained I am. I saw this video years ago in an e-mail and it literally still has me laughing. On a regular basis, I'll be driving, find myself alongside another car and start cracking up at the thought of this video. I think Dustin thinks I'm nuts because half the time we're in the car and I randomly start cracking up, the answer to "why are you laughing" is that I was thinking about this video. Anyway, with how often this makes me giggle, I figured it deserved a little place in my blog. Maybe it will send you in to spontaneous fits of laughter over the next few years, too. Yeah, probably not, but it could make you smile right now!

The Last Few Days

The last few days before deployment are always a mixed bag for me. As much as I wish we still had weeks left together, I hate the anticipation of the goodbye and almost look forward to the day after he has already left. That may seem odd, but I just really hate goodbye and all the emotions that come with trying to savor and enjoy all the little moments leading up to it. Simple acts that are a part of day-to-day life take on new meaning as the realization sets in that for months, those simple acts will not be possible. I'm just trying to enjoy our family of three because I know the next time we are all together will be to welcome Naomi into our life. Huge changes are around the corner and all of them are exciting and overwhelming.

I'm generally good at the separation. I know he'll be home soon and we do get to talk every now and then on the phone. Also, e-mail is always there so I can tell him all about Lawson's latest achievements, so I don't feel a major disconnect despite the distance. Lawson, however, is increasingly more aware of Dustin's absence, even during a normal workday. It is an obvious highlight for him each evening when Dustin re-emerges through the door with his hugs and his patches and dogtags and zippers (those flight suits are practically a wearable baby toy). Last night, my heart sank a little when Lawson woke up crying for his "dadda". He's never done that before and it nearly made me cry. No matter how much he cries for dadda over the next few months, dadda won't be there and he is too small to understand. Between that and being massively pregnant, I am forseeing this separation being a bit more emotional for me than the average deployment. I, honestly, never cry when he's gone, but this time, there is already a lump in my throat for Lawson's sake. I also have a bit of a fear that he won't make it home in time for Naomi's birth and he'll have missed both of his childrens' arrival. Only time will tell how that will play out!

So, here we are at the final stretch of his time home. Bittersweet, as always, and over too soon. Luckily, his time away will also go by quickly and before I know it, I'll be watching him hold his daughter for the first time.

Side by Side

Comparison.
Anyone have a forklift? I may need to borrow one soon...

We've Got Cabinets!

Well, slowly, but surely, our kitchen remodel is coming together. It's going to be incredibly tight if we manage to get it all done before Dustin leaves, but it will be really close to done, even if there are a few details left to tend to upon his return. I can't even tell you how COOL it is to have cabinets. Considering I've spent the last 18 months without upper cabinets, which we had to take down to remove the asbestos laden acoustic ceilings, having cabinets hanging from the ceiling is an invited change! We've got someone coming to help lay the granite tomorrow, which will be icing on the cake. And for the cherry on top, our new stainless range showed up on Saturday and will be followed by the arrival of the dishwasher and microhood tomorrow. Dustin is working on laying the tile right now, so we are making major progress! Here's a little peek into the last month or so of our ever-morphing kitchen!

Lovely 70's linoleum exposed

Drawers out, getting ready to destroy the cabinets

Joint cut in the granite. Ready to lift off!

The granite came up without breaking and the cabinets are about to disappear!

Notice the NASTY mold. I'm not surprised. It smelled so bad under the sink!

Obviously, the drywall had to go. Bye bye mold smell. Won't miss you!

The bare kitchen. New plywood, new drywall and fresh paint!

The cabinets in their holding pattern... ready for INSTALL!!!!

Future home of the range. Now centered on the wall...

Over the range...

This is where the sink and dishwasher will be.

Final shot from the dining area.

Lalapanzi

Behold the Lalapanzi bed. Lalapanzi is Zulu for "place to sleep" and this will definitely be Naomi's place to sleep. I thought I was going to get a mini co-sleeper to use next to our bed for Naomi. But that was before I discovered this gorgeous travel bed. It's actually an inch longer than the co-sleeper (even Lawson could sleep in it) and can be used up to the first birthday. I can place it on the bed, on the floor or on a pedestal I'm imagining Dustin building for it. Whereever it goes, she will surely be laying in luxury. Oh, yeah! And they come in this adorable MOD print, too.

Check, Check and Check.

So much to do, so little time!!! It seems that the last few weeks before deployment are always a bit stressful. There are so many loose ends to tie up before the big goodbye and days seem to end sooner than it feels like they should. I have resorted to making daily lists. I love making lists. They calm me down and make me feel organized. Somehow, the act of checking things off, gives me tangible proof that something has been accomplished and gives me the motivation to keep on checking things off. It also keeps me from getting distracted, which has been known to happen on occasion. So, to give a little sampling of what we have ahead of us these next 10 days or so, here's a household list:

• Finish plumbing for the toilet
• Tile, grout and seal kitchen and bathroom.
• Get cabinets installed
• Install new range
• Get new dishwasher and microhood installed
• Install new cabinets in bathrooms
• Replace granite countertops
• Set up hold-mail service
• Cancel cable
• Get lawn service
• Get GIANT pile of old carpet, flooring and cabinets out of back yard (if we're lucky)
• Pack.
• Gather all the items I foresee needing for the first few weeks after Naomi arrives
• Back up all my music and photos
• Get house SPOTLESS for when we come back
• Oh, yeah... and squeeze in a bit of family time!

I'm trying not to get overwhelmed by all of this. Really, Dustin is the one who has to do most of it. There's not a whole lot of help from my end between being pregnant and having a toddler. So, he gets to come home from work every day to... work! Hopefully, within a few weeks of getting back, we'll actually have this done once and for all. Then, we can move on to renovating the downstairs. Or a break. A break would be nice!

A Kick in the Pants!

If you haven't already met, please allow me to introduce you to Kicky Pants. Adorable, cozy baby clothes that I count as worthy to cover those cute little bumgenius diapers I'm so excited to put on Naomi. They have a cotton print collection, a bamboo basics collects and the coolest car gadget I've run across in a while, called the Kicky Pants Auto Mobile. Pretty cute stuff, if you ask me!

Can you...

...pat your head and rub your tummy
at the same time?

If you are a mom, I sure hope so! This is a very simple version of what some may call multi-tasking, or what I refer to as being a mom. Is there ever a time when you are not doing at least two things at once? Not a chance. As I type this blog (which would be so much cuter if I won the Scoop blog design give away!!!), I am also monitoring what goes into Lawson's mouth and what doesn't (i.e. Cracker, yes. Magazine, no.) as well as doing laundry. Even taking a break to put my feet up is used as an opportunity to make lists, fold laundry or eat. Truly, it never ends. I'm not complaining, I'm just realizing that as true as this is for me right now, it's only going to get more severe as we welcome another family member into our home this year. That is equally as exciting as it is frightening. With Dustin heading out again in just a couple of weeks, I will be going to Oregon until Naomi arrives in June. This means that I only have two weeks left in our house before three becomes four. And this means that I am doing some serious nesting right now to make up for it! Hence, the recognition of the out-of-control multi-tasking (momming) that we do every day as mom's.

So, to answer my own question: Yes, I can pat my head and rub my tummy at the same time. In fact, I can rub my tummy and Naomi's head while patting MY head all at the same time. Did you follow that? Serious mommy multi-tasking!!!

See Kai Run SALE

There is a fantastic up to 50% off sale on some of their shoes right now through the 12th. I love their shoes! They are a little on the wide side, which is great for Lawson's feet, and have an oh-so-flexible sole! You can't go wrong with these. I picked up a pair for Lawson and a pair for Naomi from their Smaller line, which are pretty darn cute, if you ask me! Anyway, if you are in the market for a small new pair of shoes, I highly recommend heading over to their site and checking out their sale!

Get in My TUBBY

My, SkipHop TUBBY, that is! Finally, a way to organize Lawson's bath toys that is compact, not a giant frog or a boring mesh bag and is made of washable, water resistant neoprene. I am a huge fan.

Happy Seussday

“Today you are You,
that is truer than true.
There is no one alive
who is Youer than You.”

~The Late Great Dr. Seuss

It's the Little Things...

...like whether or not you check the shower nozzle to see what direction it is facing before turning it on that may take your day from good to wet. Shoes and clothes on outside the shower wet. Laughing out loud in a puddle of shockingly cold water with your equally dressed and wet toddler. Just a little Sunday shower surprise!