Thanksgiving

Well, this Thanksgiving would have been almost perfect if we weren't distracted by packing to move, and what was going on with our house. We had hopes that we could move over Thanksgiving as Chris had a four day, and my folks were in town to help, but no such luck. The inspection on our house came back the Tuesday before Thanksgiving indicating that some things needed fixing prior to closing. We didn't hear back from the sellers until the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday that they were going to fix them.
I look back and I'm not at all upset that we weren't able to move (I thought I might have been). I realize that we wouldn't have been able to have the Thanksgiving we did, if we were moving that weekend. We wouldn't have been able to be hospitable to Chris's classmates who weren't able to go home. My sister wouldn't have been able to cook her first Thanksgiving dinner and use her new table! We wouldn't have gotten to talk to our friend who is in Iraq via teleconference. Granted there were some things that we could have done without. The one hour(no lie) traffic standstill in Austin, where "some crazy person decided to shut down I-35 on Thanksgiving Day" (Chris's words!) It took us 1 hour to go 3 miles, and it would have taken even longer if we hadn't exited at the next available exit. And of course the sign indicating the highway would be closed was right at the last exit you could take for 3 miles, and you couldn't read the message all at once. You had to wait for it to blink through each line. People started making their own lanes. Instead of 3 lanes of traffic there were 5 as people used both shoulders as lanes. It was craziness. Thankfully John was good most of the way!
We went to Georgetown to have Thanksgiving lunch with the Kelley side of the family. It was a lot of fun. Everyone really loved on each other. Cameron and Shelby loved little John and each fought for turns holding him or playing with him! Plus, even though the traffic in Austin was horrendous, we weren't late!!! Always a plus when I'm in the picture!
Then right close to the beginning of the Cowboys game (how Chris tells time!! :o) ) we left and drove back to San Antonio to my sisters house. She looked radiant. I meant to get a picture of her in her cute little apron with a serving spoon in hand, but I missed the opportunity. You could definitely tell she was made to be hospitable. Just like her mommy! She had put together quite the spread! Not only were there any kind of appetizers you could think of, but there was plenty of food. Enough to cover a pool table (which by the way is their "new" dining room table)! Three of Chris's classmates joined us in addition to one of our soldiers from Bible Study, plus Dave's & my parents. It was a very memorable Thanksgiving. The only thing that I missed was sitting around playing games all afternoons. Maybe next year!
Here are some pictures from the day:




Papaw's first time holding John!







Apparently I wanted to capture John's 1st Thanksgiving, as all these pictures (above) are of him in various family members arms. Hmmm....



Chris & John got to watch their Cowboys game along with Dave's dad


The girls from Chris's class enjoying some appetizers


Dave's first turkey cutting experience, being coached by my dad!


Dave's mom! She was in charge of the microwave! I think yummy rolls are in there.



The spread(s)!

Daddy in the field

So, from Oct 29th until Nov 16th, Chris was in the field, except for weekends. It's always frustrating when he's gone b/c everyone (even the animals) are a little off kilter for a few days. This time was no exception. However, two things made this time more difficult. 1.) He came home on the weekends, so we all got used to having him around, and then he left again, causing Kebap and Tess to be completely discombobulated. (Wow I actually spelled that right-no red underlines!) and 2.)We found out at the end of week 1, that we would indeed have to move to Killeen in December, not April, as we had heard the last few weeks. Apparently when he was told that he was good to go to the class in January, no one had spoken to the colonel. When they did, things got changed. Apparently Chris needs to be the XO of the company while the current one goes to Captain's Career course.

Sooo... We immediately tried to get a hold of our realtor that first weekend, to see if we could set up a time to meet with her to look at houses, and also to see if the one we looked at and liked at the end of Sept was still on the market. Well, we tried her cell a few different times and she didn't answer, so it was my job to call her Monday. She didn't come in to work. I tried her cell phone, and still no answer. I finally called back up and spoke to her hubby (he's in charge of the rental properties) partly to discuss what the renting procedures are, what's available, and how does it work when you are looking to buy in the meantime. He told me that he would have Karen call us that evening. Umm, no phone call. I finally got a hold of her Tuesday evening when I was up visiting my sister in her classroom. She was going through a family crisis, and had been up at the hospital day in and day out. I felt really bad intruding, but she assured me it was ok. We made an appointment for Nov 10th.
The rest of that week went well. Chris got to come home for the four day. We took family portraits on Friday, and Saturday morning we headed out to Killeen. John did extremely well (until the drive home!!), and we narrowed down our house selection to two, one in Harker Heights, and the one we liked previously. We got to meet the neighbor across the way from that house, and she filled us in on the area. We also found out that there was a pond that was not necessarily public, but that the owner, let people go down and feed the ducks. I got really excited. One of my favorite things as a child was going to feed the ducks. After a lot of praying and making a list of pros and cons, we decided to put an offer in on the one we liked before.
Well, us being new to this home buying experience didn't realize that we needed to sign something to actually formally make an offer. All we had done had was call the realtor. Chris received some PDF files in his e-mail on Monday, and we discussed whether or not we needed to do something with them. Chris was under the assumption that they were just copies of the offer we had made, and since our realtor was having a family crisis, she didn't put anything in the e-mail about needing to sign the papers. Turns out after I made a random phone call to my mom about her plans for when she came down, that I found out that we hadn't really made an offer at all. The PDF files that Chris had received was the offer that we were supposed to sign so she could submit it. Well Chris had returned to the field with the paperwork unsigned. I spent the rest of that day, trying to get a hold of Chris, trying to get a hold of Karen, trying to get the computer to work, and being "on edge" ready to go at a moment's notice in case I was able to reach Chris and could bring the paperwork out to him. I finally got a hold of him at 4 that evening. Sarah had come over to help pack, and volunteered to babysit when I went out to Camp Bullis. John went to bed "early" (6:30) and I got to go out and see Chris. The rest of that evening I spent again trying to figure out the computer again, and scanning the offer. The next day, just to make sure, I faxed it. Within hours, they accepted!!!!!

Here's a few pictures of how the family spent the time while Chris was in the field:


John & I spent Halloween with the Addingtons. Chipotle gives you free burritos if you come in with part of your body covered in foil, so we took them up on it.


Tess decided while daddy was gone to keep me awake by climbing in and out of our headboard playing with Chris's earplugs, batting and chasing them all over the bed! Needless to say I got very little sleep!


Kebap while daddy was in the field! He decided to chew through our doormat, and ended up wearing it! Yes, even though I took him out on daily walks, Kebap still knew that I was not Chris, and found ways to not obey me.


A picture of how I felt while Chris was gone!! An emotional mess! Actually this was from our trip to look at houses went well until the drive home. John cried and cried. We had to pull over twice. This is a picture of John & me after consoling him one of the times.


And of course daddy had to add to my stress level by spending his last night in the field at BAMC. Apparently he had tripped over a power box running full speed on Wednesday evening, and the next morning reinjured the leg by practicing combatives with his battle buddy. Thursday evening his calf swelled to the size of a grapefruit, and thus spent the evening in the ER, determining that it was not a broken leg and that it wasn't compartment syndrome. Great way to get out of preparing the house for moving!!!

He did it!

Well, after waiting all week, and John looking like he was going to, he finally rolled over today! I set him down for tummy time, and he, almost immediately, pushed up and rolled over his right shoulder, and ended up on his back. He acted like it was something he had been doing all his life. He was not at all shocked. He just started looking at the fan and sucking his fingers. Crazy boy! I tried to get him to do it again, but he had to spit up, and then got frustrated. Maybe tomorrow for daddy!! :o)

This was how I found him during his nap time earlier this week. He had his head as high as he could and was arching his back to look all around him. When I put him to bed at night, and turned the monitor on, he would turn his head to look at the monitor. He loved staring at the green light! I just knew it would be any day that he would roll over!






Before: (kind of! I actually didn't have my camera before he did it, so I had to recreate the moment!)



After:

Trying out new toys

So since John is getting better about holding his head up, a couple of weeks ago we broke out his "standup" toys. This was when we thought we'd be here til April, and John would definitely use them before then. We've since learned that we will again be moving in December! I think the moving date has changed at least 6 times in the last 6 weeks! Gotta love the army! Anyway here are some pictures from his first time in the toys:


The first time in this, he couldn't touch the ground, so daddy helped by putting his laptop carrier underneath!




Apparently he thought the coils at the top of the jumper were more fascinating than the toys at the front, or the actual jumper!



Now, he's much more active and entertained in this jumper, and he also enjoys his hanging jumper!!

Baby Noah Lacewell

On October 26th at 3 something in the morning our friends, James & Galyn had their baby, Noah Lacewell. He was 7 lb 14 oz and 20 1/2 (I think) inches long. They had him at home, so we got to go over and visit later that afternoon. Galyn had been up since 5:30 the previous day, because her water had broken. Both of them were pretty exhausted. We arrived around 4:30 and everyone was napping, except for her parents, so we talked for a while with them. Here are some pictures of baby Noah napping. He napped through a diaper change, and us moving him from his bassinet to hold him, and even during transfers between people. Wow!






(As I look at these, it almost looks like when we were holding John for the first time!)




Galyn's dad had to advertise to the neighborhood that they just had a baby, and that it was a boy, which by the way came as quite a surprise to all. Their back neighbor, Linda, was sure it was a girl, and had bought all sorts of cute girl clothes. Even James thought it was going to be a girl, but cute little Noah decided to make his appearance!! :o)


Chris went to the field Oct 29th, so I brought James & Galyn dinner, and stayed and hung out with them, and ended up watching Surf's Up with them. Here's the proud mommy, and big brother:



Bryant and John became good friends, even shared each others toys, as they sat next to each other on the couch!



A week after Noah was born, James & Galyn came over for dinner. Chris & I were amazed at how alert Noah was. We put him in the swing, and he looked and looked at the bears hanging overhead. To this day, John has yet to look up. John also found him interesting, as he intently studied him, while he was bathing! It's hard to believe that just 3 months ago, John was his size. Wow, they really do change fast



(I had to give the kid some decency!! ;o) )

Helping with Dinner

So, since John is getting bigger, and is not a huge fan of naps, he helps mommy make dinner. Here are some pictures:



Yes, I know Bumbo's have been recalled for parents doing such things, but I was a foot away, just stepped back far enough to take the picture. When he got bored with the Bumbo, he went into his favorite toy:



Then, helping with the dishes:

My what a helper he is!

(Sorry this one took so long to post. I've tried and tried to get a second video on there of him smiling and laughing, but it has yet to work, after numerous attempts. :O( Maybe in another post!)

1st Shots (Oct 15th)

So, Mommy wasn't the smartest woman in the world, planning John's two month shots for the Monday we returned from Montana. Unfortunately as John's 2 month b-day was on a Saturday, and we left the following Monday the soonest we could get in for his 2 month shots was the 15th. Mommy was also not very smart, in that she scheduled the shots for the morning, so he would have the whole day to think about them and hurt (instead of being able to sleep most of it off). Everything started out ok. The girl giving the shots was really quick, which was nice. He did scream the minute he got the first (of four) shot, and didn't stop til she was done, and I had fed him. The pediatrician encouraged me not to give Tylenol, unless I could see that he was in pain, or unless he had a fever.
He received the shots at 10, and did fine until 1:20, when he started getting a little fussy. I gave him some Tylenol, and he took an hour nap. When he woke up, he screamed and screamed. Nothing could console him. I tried giving him a bath, mainly because I thought his band-aid was irritating him, as I noticed his left leg was red around the band-aid. I also knew that he usually gets calm in baths. He did good for about 20 minutes, then started screaming again. I wrapped him in a towel and just held him. I remembered that the pediatrician said to also try applying heat to the area, so I heated up my rice bag, and hung it over my shoulder opposite from his body, so that I wouldn't burn him. All this time, I cried and cried, telling him how sorry I was, wishing that I could help him understand. He eventually wore himself out screaming and fell asleep. I didn't want to move. Finally after about an hour, I laid him on our bed, still wrapped in the towel. I checked his leg, and it seemed swollen, but the redness had gone down. Here is a picture of him "peacefully" resting.



Well, shortly thereafter he awoke and immediately commenced to screaming. Also, in all of this he wasn't eating, and he hadn't peed. I noticed his legs were red from the knee to the hip, and both were swollen, the left greater than the right. I knew that his whole leg wasn't supposed to be swollen, and the internet said to call the doctor if the redness is greater than an inch (which it was about 4 inches). So, I did, and the lovely person who answered the phone (who I could barely hear even though I put John down, went into the bathroom and closed the door) said it was normal and I could go to the ER if I was worried about it. Good grief!!! My kid is screaming, his legs are swollen and red, and the best news you can tell me is "It's normal and it will go away within 48 hours." Really makes me want to give him his next shots! I knew going to the ER would be useless, since he was breathing fine, and he had good capillary refill in his toes, so I called my friend Norma over to check him. She had been an EMT at one point in her life. Yes, I know I'm a nurse, but 1.)I've never worked Pedi & 2.) I've never been a mom before.
Well, the minute she gets there, he calms down, smiles & coos for her, and shortly thereafter proceeds to eat. I was trying to keep myself calm as I know that he gets worse when I'm tense, but apparently I wasn't doing the best job! Or maybe he just needed a new face to look at. He was able to get his second dose of Tylenol, and even though he was extra fussy & crying for the rest of the night, he didn't scream and scream like he did earlier that afternoon. Thankfully for Chris, as he had a hard day in training.
So, lessons learned. 1.) Always, always, no matter what the pediatrician says, give your child Tylenol before they receive their shots. 2.) Get the shots later in the afternoon 3.) See if you can break down the shots into two different visit, so both legs won't be hurting (may make changing a diaper & holding him easier!) We will try these things at the next appointment!

The return trip

Well, the return trip didn't go quite as good as the trip to Montana. We left Bozeman at 10 am and John slept all the way to Billings. Not a good sign, I thought. He probably will be awake most of the rest of the afternoon. Yep! We stopped to eat lunch where he got fussy, so I fed him. Well, he decided to burp it up all over the table and the floor, TWICE! He was ok, until I got in line to go through security. I put him in the sling, and he started screaming. It didn't help that I had 20 (or at least it seemed) things in my hand. He screamed all the way through security, and unfortunately there were no kind couples to help me get my things together, and help me put my shoes on. I felt very alone. I also realized that Southerners are a bit more friendly than those from the North. I didn't have to go through extra screening, so that was nice. I was really proud of mom, she didn't start crying until after I left. I think I would have lost it, seeing her cry, as John was screaming.
Well, we get to the gate, and I sit down to feed him again. He calmed down for a few minutes, and then when he needed to burp he started crying again. Everyone (or so it seemed) was glaring at me. I'm sure they were thinking, I hope I don't have to sit by her on the plane. We got to preboard, since I was "traveling with small children." I kept him out of the sling to board the plane, and he did fine. I got situated in my seat, and he started getting fussy. I hummed to him, and bounced him as we sat, praying that he wouldn't be fussy the whole trip, and praying that we would take off soon, knowing that he usually calms down when we are in the air. Thankfully we were in a plane that had three seats across, and a grandmotherly woman sat in the aisle seat, leaving the middle open. He did great, and actually stared at me the whole time. He couldn't take his eyes off me. I had to turn away every now and then to rest my neck. Apparently there is something about the altitude you reach when you are in an airplane, or maybe it's the cabin pressure, that does something to a little one's insides. John decided about 20 minutes from landing to fill his shorts. Thankfully we had an open seat, so I slid over into the middle, and put him on mine and quickly changed him, right in time for some turbulence.



(Pictures of him staring at me on the flight.)

So, he does fine, until we get to the gate, and then decides to cry again. The lady in front of me commented, "Wow, he did really good until we landed." I said, "He usually does good when we are moving, he just doesn't like to be stopped." We were the last off the plane, and thankfully our next gate was one terminal over, instead of completely across the airport. The gate was off in a quiet area, so John fell asleep. Only to be awakened as we boarded the plane. Unfortunately no preboarding on this one. I did make it to my seat, prior to the person next to me, and John proceeded to start screaming. One thing that I've always feared, was my child annoying or offending someone b/c they wouldn't stop crying. Well, the guy who sat next to me, endured the crying for about 2 minutes, and then proceeded to find another seat on the plane. It actually wasn't as bad as I imagined it to be. I didn't feel any worse of a mom. It actually turned out rather well, as, like I said in previous paragraph, altitudes do something on the old pooper. Yes, John decided to unload, twice this time. It was VERY handy to have that open seat. He did manage to sleep for about an hour on that flight. I on the other hand could not. I was nearly giddy about seeing Chris. We arrived at the Austin airport 15 minutes early, coasted into what was supposed to be our gate, only to not be able to park there, b/c a ground vehicle had stalled. We waited 10 minutes, and then decided to pull over to the side and park, while they backed out an empty plane from the gate so that we could pull in. That was pretty interesting to watch. So, we finally pull into our gate (Gate 1-of course it would have to be the furthest gate away from baggage claim) and unload. I was able to get John into the sling (with the help of a, I can't think of any other way to describe her, "hippy" lady-she was doing yoga before and after the plane ride. I was amazed at her lack of care of what others thought. Someday I want to get to that point.) and we ended up not being the last off the plane. I waited to use the restroom 1.) so John wouldn't be disturbed, and 2.) so I could see Chris sooner. Well, he turned out arriving about 3 minutes after we went to the baggage claim. Apparently he was late getting out of the house. He was so excited to see how John grew and changed, and surprised at the increase of luggage!
We managed to make it home by midnight, after hitting every light on the way to I-35, and stopping for a snack, since I didn't eat dinner. I must say it was an interesting feeling to walk back into my house, that I haven't occupied for 2 weeks. It felt surreal, like there were familiar things that made it seem like mine, but it was unfamiliar in that I had gotten used to the room we had in Montana and things I had come to expect weren't there. Didn't think that could happen in only 2 weeks. Wonder how strange it is when it's even longer than that.

Montana week 2

So, really the rest of the time in Montana was spent showing John off at my parents' work & Bible Studies, shopping, finishing projects, and hanging out. We did take a day and go visit one of my best friend's from elementary school's mom. My friend is doing her residency in Washington, and we were just going to miss each other. She was arriving in Bozeman the Friday that I left. Mrs. Skinner loved seeing John. She hadn't changed much at all. It felt like old times to be visiting her place, except for the housing developments that were going in all the way up to her farm, or almost all the way. She had been "laid up" for the last 6 weeks with a pulmonary embolism, and hadn't had any energy, so a friend of hers from church got together a group of ladies from various churches, and showed up at her doorstop and surprised her by cleaning her whole house. What a neat way for Christians to come together in unity and shower love on someone. Not a bad idea to think about instituting amongst those I know down here. It was truly an example of how the body of Christ functions, and loves others. What a neat ministry. I really wish I had taken a picture of the "Merry Maids." They were so adorable. All of them had on aprons, hair nets, and gloves. Too cute!

Visiting the Heumiers (Oct7th)

On Sunday afternoon, we took a drive out to Belgrade to visit some long time friends of the family, Corey & Patti Heumeier and their family. Earlier that week, mom had gotten out a picture of how I remember the family. Quinn was around 3 years old, and Elliot was just a baby. Yes, Adam & Dawnya came along before we moved to Texas, but we spent most of our time with them when the oldest two were younger. Now, both Quinn & Elliot are graduated from high school, and working. Elliot is attending Bible College. They were so much fun to watch with John, especially Corey. He got giddy when holding him! It was fun to catch up. They were all really bummed that Chris didn't come. They really wanted to meet him. Hopefully over Christmas we will have an opportunity.