I never really knew what mothers meant when they said “cherish the moments when your children are little; they grow up so fast!”
Now that we have already reached the 3 month milestone I can definitely relate, yet it seems like a really long time ago that I gave birth (if that makes sense). Alaina has gone from a newborn that practically came with a “handle with care” sign, to a baby that you can throw over your shoulder, balance on your hip, sit on your lap and throw in the Baby Einstein or Bumbo when you need a break.
Alaina has also become a very smiley, yet loud and talkative baby who makes me laugh so hard that I sometimes cry. I wish I could install mini cam-corders in my eyes so that I could have every precious, funny and sweet moment to look back on and remember every little thing she has done. But for now, I have my mom and mother-in-law as my personal photographers to capture all the wonderful moments for my scrapbooking needs… which I happen to need to catch up on!
The next 3 months will probably go by even quicker as our little one grows more and more every day and soon will be sitting up on her own and crawling. But at least after these next couple of months Alaina, Adam and I can finally reunite as our little family for a couple of weeks during R&R… a time that I am so looking forward to!!!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
One month down and a ways to go…
Well, it has been one whole month since Adam left for his second (and last!) tour in Iraq, but it seems as though we have been apart for much longer. Adam has gotten settled into a routine for the most part. He started off having his own room to himself, but that eventually came to a halt and he was forced to move into another room with a roommate, who he says is quite messy and that mess can seem unbearable when you are stuck in a room with another grown man that is smaller than a college dorm room. Adam has started his workout routine though and this keeps him motivated and busy! He also has a group of guys that he plays poker with on Friday’s after work. He says they party late… getting all hopped up on caffeine filled drinks like Mountain Dew!
Alaina is now over 2 months old and I cannot believe it… though it seems like we have had her forever! She has her 2 month well visit tomorrow with the doctor and I am very interested to see how much she weighs! She is packing on the pounds and seems to get heavier every day. Alaina’s development is definitely noticeable and everything she does is so amazing to me! Before we had a baby I always thought the big milestones were sitting up, crawling, talking and walking and a few others. Now I know that everyday brings something new and incredible. She has definitely found her voice and loves to talk! She coos and smiles when she is happy and yells at you from the other room when you are vigorously in the kitchen trying to heat up that bottle! She also knows what it means when you wrap the bib around her neck. She gets a sly grin that says, “Oooooh…. I know what time it is!!!” Alana has also become fascinated with her tongue and constantly sticks it out and licks her hands, or whatever else she can get a hold of. I have noticed that she is a lot like her dad! She hates to be left alone, even during nap time because she doesn’t want to miss anything and loves to constantly be around people. She sleeps like Adam, thrashing around in her sleep, waving her arms everywhere (sometimes hitting herself in the head) and sometimes she whispers in her sleep just like him. Alaina also has the crazy Adam toes that are constantly wiggling! I don’t know what she gets from met yet… loving to eat I guess!
This week should be much more calm and relaxing for me (knock on wood) as the condo is officially sold and out of our hands! Adam’s truck (which was hit 2 weeks ago) will finally be done with repairs tomorrow and I will have a vehicle again so we can get out of this house during the day! So as some things that were very stressful for me have come to an end, I can finally move forward and enjoy my days with Alaina, getting ready for the holiday season, the new year and looking towards the day when our other half will return and make us complete once more!
Alaina is now over 2 months old and I cannot believe it… though it seems like we have had her forever! She has her 2 month well visit tomorrow with the doctor and I am very interested to see how much she weighs! She is packing on the pounds and seems to get heavier every day. Alaina’s development is definitely noticeable and everything she does is so amazing to me! Before we had a baby I always thought the big milestones were sitting up, crawling, talking and walking and a few others. Now I know that everyday brings something new and incredible. She has definitely found her voice and loves to talk! She coos and smiles when she is happy and yells at you from the other room when you are vigorously in the kitchen trying to heat up that bottle! She also knows what it means when you wrap the bib around her neck. She gets a sly grin that says, “Oooooh…. I know what time it is!!!” Alana has also become fascinated with her tongue and constantly sticks it out and licks her hands, or whatever else she can get a hold of. I have noticed that she is a lot like her dad! She hates to be left alone, even during nap time because she doesn’t want to miss anything and loves to constantly be around people. She sleeps like Adam, thrashing around in her sleep, waving her arms everywhere (sometimes hitting herself in the head) and sometimes she whispers in her sleep just like him. Alaina also has the crazy Adam toes that are constantly wiggling! I don’t know what she gets from met yet… loving to eat I guess!
This week should be much more calm and relaxing for me (knock on wood) as the condo is officially sold and out of our hands! Adam’s truck (which was hit 2 weeks ago) will finally be done with repairs tomorrow and I will have a vehicle again so we can get out of this house during the day! So as some things that were very stressful for me have come to an end, I can finally move forward and enjoy my days with Alaina, getting ready for the holiday season, the new year and looking towards the day when our other half will return and make us complete once more!
Monday, October 26, 2009
The Adventure Never Ends...
Lately it seems that I have had a lot going on in my life and have felt quite overwhelmed…yet I don’t feel very busy and have tons of help and support; it’s such a strange feeling! I have been going through a lot of changes such as adjusting to my adventurous life of being a new mom, moving back home, Adam’s deployment to Iraq, and getting used to staying home all day without a job or even some homework to do. Some of these changes are wonderful and life changing, while others are quite the opposite.
I have such an enormous support system in my family and all of the women in my life are extremely eager to babysit from just an hour while I run to the store or take a shower to one of my aunts even staying overnight and taking care of Alaina so that I could try to sleep through the night. The help has been wonderful and I am so grateful to everyone… plus, I think it has made being a mother a little easier on me seeing different women interact with a baby in a variety of ways… I definitely know now that nothing is off limits as long as that baby is comfortable and happy! There are no rules to parenting!!!
I am still trying to adjust to the recent and seemingly sudden move from North Carolina to Michigan, which only occurred about four weeks ago, but seems like at least a couple of months. Every time I move back home I realize how much I actually did love that condo in NC and miss all of the great and few friends we have down there! I am happy to be home in Michigan, but it is never the same without Adam. But it will get better as time goes on and we just have to keep reminding ourselves that this is the last deployment we will ever have to go through.
I am thrilled to have finally obtained my Bachelor’s of Science in Human Services Management… school is over and currently I’m not working. This is fun and freeing in its own ways, but at the same time I kind of feel like my brain is melting. I try to relax during the day when I am home with Alaina, but I feel anxiety at times for some reason and have a feeling that there are other things I should be doing, but really there are not.
On top of everything, Adam’s truck was parked in the street on Saturday night and was struck by another vehicle while parked. I woke up to the sound of someone pounding on the front door and ringing the door bell… that is always scary and the last time this happened was when I was in North Carolina and Adam’s motorcycle had been stolen. I answered the door at 5am to an older couple who claim to have hit Adam’s truck. The man said his wife had been driving around 3:30am and hit the back of the truck. Who is even out at 3:30 in the morning anyway? (Some neighbors claim to have seen two teenage boys trying to start the car after they heard the crash and then running away when it wouldn’t start). They were very nice though and we exchanged information. They said they wanted to pay us in cash for the damages and did not want to involve the police if at all possible. I was so caught off guard on what was supposed to be my peaceful night of sleep while my Aunt Vicki stayed the night, that I said ok and went back to sleep. In the morning we realized just how bad the damage was and called the gentleman to come back over to look at it… since he still insisted on paying out of pocket for the damages and he still did! Today I took the truck in for an estimate and am very interested to see how expensive it will be. It was so weird though because when the truck was moved into the street during a vehicle rearrange in the driveway I tried to make a mental note to move it back later because I had a bad feeling it would be hit and that was one less thing I wanted to deal with… but obviously, I forgot! We have had two other vehicles hit in a similar spot before… go figure. O’well, what’s done is done and it will all get taken care of.
Once again I am reminded of how difficult times can be in the life of an Army wife during the time of a deployment… even if you have been through it before. But, I am also reminded that although I may not be the happiest and most energetic person on Earth everyday and that to others I may seem down or depressed at times… I am getting through. I am a very strong individual and now I have a beautiful daughter to take care of and build wonderful memories with and those times will be all I remember later in life.
I have such an enormous support system in my family and all of the women in my life are extremely eager to babysit from just an hour while I run to the store or take a shower to one of my aunts even staying overnight and taking care of Alaina so that I could try to sleep through the night. The help has been wonderful and I am so grateful to everyone… plus, I think it has made being a mother a little easier on me seeing different women interact with a baby in a variety of ways… I definitely know now that nothing is off limits as long as that baby is comfortable and happy! There are no rules to parenting!!!
I am still trying to adjust to the recent and seemingly sudden move from North Carolina to Michigan, which only occurred about four weeks ago, but seems like at least a couple of months. Every time I move back home I realize how much I actually did love that condo in NC and miss all of the great and few friends we have down there! I am happy to be home in Michigan, but it is never the same without Adam. But it will get better as time goes on and we just have to keep reminding ourselves that this is the last deployment we will ever have to go through.
I am thrilled to have finally obtained my Bachelor’s of Science in Human Services Management… school is over and currently I’m not working. This is fun and freeing in its own ways, but at the same time I kind of feel like my brain is melting. I try to relax during the day when I am home with Alaina, but I feel anxiety at times for some reason and have a feeling that there are other things I should be doing, but really there are not.
On top of everything, Adam’s truck was parked in the street on Saturday night and was struck by another vehicle while parked. I woke up to the sound of someone pounding on the front door and ringing the door bell… that is always scary and the last time this happened was when I was in North Carolina and Adam’s motorcycle had been stolen. I answered the door at 5am to an older couple who claim to have hit Adam’s truck. The man said his wife had been driving around 3:30am and hit the back of the truck. Who is even out at 3:30 in the morning anyway? (Some neighbors claim to have seen two teenage boys trying to start the car after they heard the crash and then running away when it wouldn’t start). They were very nice though and we exchanged information. They said they wanted to pay us in cash for the damages and did not want to involve the police if at all possible. I was so caught off guard on what was supposed to be my peaceful night of sleep while my Aunt Vicki stayed the night, that I said ok and went back to sleep. In the morning we realized just how bad the damage was and called the gentleman to come back over to look at it… since he still insisted on paying out of pocket for the damages and he still did! Today I took the truck in for an estimate and am very interested to see how expensive it will be. It was so weird though because when the truck was moved into the street during a vehicle rearrange in the driveway I tried to make a mental note to move it back later because I had a bad feeling it would be hit and that was one less thing I wanted to deal with… but obviously, I forgot! We have had two other vehicles hit in a similar spot before… go figure. O’well, what’s done is done and it will all get taken care of.
Once again I am reminded of how difficult times can be in the life of an Army wife during the time of a deployment… even if you have been through it before. But, I am also reminded that although I may not be the happiest and most energetic person on Earth everyday and that to others I may seem down or depressed at times… I am getting through. I am a very strong individual and now I have a beautiful daughter to take care of and build wonderful memories with and those times will be all I remember later in life.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Our Current Situation
Currently our lives have become somewhat hectic and unpredictable. Adam and I have gone from a newly married couple to having a newborn baby, Alaina, and becoming an actual family. Not only have we started our family, but we are a modern day Army family… one that is separated by a deployment to Iraq. As Adam and I learn how to be new parents and raise our daughter, we are working together from different parts of the world. Luckily, I have moved back to Michigan and my parents have welcomed Alaina and I back into their home with excitement and open arms. Between my parents, my sister, my aunts, my grandparents and Adam’s entire family as well, we have a lot of help and support to raise our daughter and get through yet another deployment while slowly making the transition out of the Army and back into civilian life for good! Keep checking back for updates on the adventures and stories of our lives!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)