Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve blogged. I have fallen waaaay behind on my blogging and e-mails – so please accept my apologies. Once the kids and I get into a new groove I might get better...
We had a wonderful visit with Chris’s parents – or better known as Gu-kaa and Me-mee now. =) It’s funny to me how kids come up with their own nicknames.
Mom Scott was able to stay with us for 4 weeks. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without her help and company. She helped me wait out the last few weeks of pregnancy, loved on Luke, cooked, cleaned – and after Will arrived, helped and loved on him in addition to all the above - we got so spoiled! =) Here are some pics from Will's first week home:
We had a small accumulation of snow a few days after Will and I came home from the hospital, so I put Luke in his snowsuit, Me-mee stayed with Will, and Luke and I went to check out the snow.
These next 2 pics are for you Teniah! When Luke started walking with the stick, it made me think of you and Travis hiking in the Alaskan wilderness!
Luke kissing Will...how sweet!
Dad Scott joined us the Friday before last. Luke was completely awe struck! The first few days he was practically glued to Gu-kaa’s side. Luke wasn’t exactly thrilled when Gu-kaa held Will, but he learned to deal with it. It was great to all be together and enjoy our visit together.
Here is a quick, very brief recap of the last week:
Friday – Chris and Me-mee pick up Gu-kaa at the airport. The roads were terrible due to an ice storm during the night. By the grace of God, they made it to the airport. We spent the rest of the day visiting, playing with Luke, holding Will and letting Gu-kaa adjust to the new time zone.
Saturday – More snow! Gu-kaa, Chris and I take Luke out to play. Luke LOVES the snow! Earlier in the morning, Gu-kaa and Chris went on the impossible mission of finding a sled. Sadly, no luck. So, we fashion a sled out of a laundry basket, duct tape and twine. It was fun for Luke until Chris face planted him in the snow twice. After that, Luke refused to get in the basket. He did however enjoy throwing snowballs, building a snowman and making tracks in the fresh snow.
Sunday – Everyone except Will and I went to the chapel service on post. After a light lunch, Gu-kaa, Chris and I took Luke to the playground. He was still way more interested in the snow – so after going down the slide maybe twice – he spent the rest of the time throwing snow around. After that, we came home to a huge supper of chicken and dumplings…YUM!
Monday – It was rainy and icky out - and most of the snow had melted away. Luke so badly wanted to go out and play in what little snow was left. Since the weather was awful, Gu-kaa went out and found some snow and brought it inside. We put down towels and Luke had a great time flinging the snow around the kitchen. It was pretty funny. After he was done playing with it, we had a very clean kitchen floor!
That afternoon, we rented a van (since our little Contour wouldn’t hold 4 adults and two children) and decided to make a trip to Ramstein Air force Base. We ate at Chili’s (the only American Restaurant in our area) and went to the BX to look around.
Tuesday – We had an appointment at Landstuhl, so we all loaded in the van and went to the appointment. After that we decided to go to Volgeweh and look around the BX and BXtra. Chris got his birthday present from his parents there (an iPod docking radio.)
Wednesday – We had originally decided to go to Belgium – but later decided to go to Trier to check out the shops. The weather started out great – but when we got there, it was raining – and oh so cold! We ducked into a quaint little German restaurant and had a meal. By the time we had finished, the rain had thankfully stopped, so we walked around the town and checked out the cathedral and local shops.
Big Foot?
This picture is for Bobby - Lord of the Rings is big here too! =)
Thursday – Will had his 2 week appointment, so we had already decided we wouldn’t go anywhere. We had to return the van anyway. Chris and I took Will for his appointment. He weighed in at a whopping 12.8 pounds! The doctor said she couldn’t believe he had gained that much weight in such a short amount of time. She said the scales between here and Landstuhl weren’t calibrated the same. Regardless, he’s a sturdy boy – and I wouldn’t be that surprised if he really is 12 pounds. The check up went well. He’s still a bit jaundiced – but the doctor didn’t seem concerned. If the sun would shine here, we may be able to get that jaundice out of his system. =) After his appointment, we had to go to the lab for his 2 wk lab work. We waited fooooooorever there. That’s the Army for you though. The lab tech was like 19 years old…and that made me feel very old. =)
That evening, Keith, Monica, Mary Katherine, Elizabeth Ann and Will came over to dedicate Will. We had a great time of fellowship together. Luke LOVES playing with the girls, and we enjoyed catching back up again over supper. Following a great meal (thanks to Mom and Dad Scott) Keith led us in a wonderful dedication service for Will. It was incredibly meaningful to us and a great joy that we were able to have Chris’s parents there and to have our friends Keith and Monica and their children there to perform and be a part of the dedication.
"Will, meet Will..."
Too cute!
The dedication prayer.
Keith, Monica, Chris, me and Will
Will's dedication outfit. The onesie underneath was Luke's dedication outfit.
Friday – Since we had turned the van back in, we couldn’t travel far – so we decided to walk the cozy town of Baumholder. I think we covered most of the town. Chris and I even covered new ground. The weather was actually nice too! That evening, we celebrated Chris’s 30th birthday (though his real birthday is on Monday.) We had a steak dinner and Jello cake for dessert.
Chris's 30th B-day dinner...
Luke and Chris were blinded by the candles...
Jello Cake!
Saturday – The sad day of departure had arrived. Gu-kaa and Me-mee had to catch a plane back to the states, so we all said a sad goodbye to them and Chris took them to the airport. The house has definitely seemed empty since they left. Luke and Will kept me hopping all morning though. It’ll take some time to adjust to a new schedule and groove. We’ll get it down eventually, but it may take a few weeks. Chris has most of this next week off, so he’ll be able to help…after that I’m on my own – yikes! =)
Luke is 20 months old! Can you believe it?! It doesn’t seem like that long ago he was as tiny as Will. He’s growing like a weed. I don’t know if I notice it more now that Will has arrived or if he’s just growing and developing at a rapid rate right now. He’ll try to pronounce any word you give him now – and he’s starting to recognize letters. He can point out the S and A on Chris’s US ARMY and name tag on his uniform. His playtime is also developing. He’ll sit and figure things out now – or build something. Chris has taught him how to throw a ball – and he’s got a good arm for a 20 month old. Of course, now we have to show him what is appropriate to throw and what is not…and that he can’t chuck a ball at Will! =)
He’s doing remarkably well with Will. In fact, he loves to take Will’s hands and kiss them – or give him kisses on his head. This is amazing because Luke isn’t the affectionate type – he’s not even big on giving us kisses – though he’s gotten a little more affectionate with us since Will has arrived. Luke loves to help get things for Will – a sleeper, diaper, the paci – he’ll try to cover Will up with a blanket or turn his Papasan chair music/vibrator on. He’ll call him “brodur” “Wheel” or “beebee.” Too cute! He’s only gotten jealous a few times – and that was when Chris or Dad Scott was holding Will. He seems to understand as much as a 20 month old can. It’s such a blessing that he didn’t flip out when we brought Will home – I know that would have made this transitional time really rough. I’m so proud of our Lukey!
Will is growing fast too. I can’t believe he’s already over 2 weeks old! He’s getting more and more alert. He loves to look up in our faces when we’re holding him. If he’s in his Papasan, he loves to look up at his bunny. He’s eating well. Thankfully we’ve finally got a good latch, so nursing has become much easier. Now we just got to get the hang of public feeding again – right now I’m not a very modest nurser because he still needs help latching. This may be entering in the TMI zone for some of you, so I’ll stop before I tell more details then you want to hear (though I’m sure I already have.) =) Annnnyway – his cord fell off finally. It’s much easier to change his diaper now that that's gone. His circumcision has healed nicely. He’s started to get a few spots of baby acne. So far he’s been such a good baby. He only cries when he’s hungry, has a dirty diaper or has a stomach pain. He makes all kinds of funny noises. He snorts and grunts ALL the time which is so funny!
Recovery is going pretty well. Some days are really good – other days I’m still sore and feeling the after effect of pregnancy and labor. I’m bone-weary-exhausted of course – but that’s to be expected. My hormones are starting to equalize, so that’s really nice. =) I’ve lost quite a bit of weight (about 30 lbs), but there’s still a long way to go to get to my pre-pregnancy weight. I put on quite a bit of weight this time (a little over 50 lbs), so it’ll take awhile for it to all come off. With Luke, it took about 11 months to get close to where I wanted to be. I have to keep reminding myself that it’ll take time.
Chris is doing well. Like I said before, he’ll be turning 30 on Monday, so you’ll have to give him a hard time. =) Things will be getting really busy for him as they gear up to go downrange soon. It’s a bummer to think about, but we know how blessed we are that things worked out the way they did. We know that God is in control of all things and we place this next deployment in His hands. Alrighty – this is already incredibly long, and I’m uber tired. So off to bed I go.
Luke loves his daddy!
Luke helping Chris change Will's diaper...
Luke watching Veggie Tales on the computer...
Mommy and Will!
Will's first bath at home...
Elmo!
Cuddle time with Me-mee..
Luke loves wearing everyone's boots...
Playing with his food...wish he'd eat as much as he played!
Luke and Me-mee building a tower...
"Do I have to open my eyes?"
Luke's lovely hair after wearing his hat...
Christop the Great!
Will cuddle time!
Bed time stories with Elmo...
Luke being a sweet big brother...
