Life Day by Day

It has been WAY to long since I have blogged, and I still don't have time! I think I have just enough time to get some pictures out, then I'll have to write a newsy update later.

I finally downloaded the pictures and videos from our camera. I am terrible at doing it regularly, so when I do, I have a bunch to share!

Marcela and Julian came over a couple weeks ago and Julian was giving Cian a kiss. They get along really well for their age difference. Julian is great with babies and Cian has hero worship lol.

Let me just preface the following by stating that I am not “anti-vaccination”. I believe some vaccines have their place, and can be used to improve health. In fact, there is one or two that we are planning on giving to our son when he is of an age where they will be useful and his system can better handle the exposure. That being said, I hope that everyone who are vaccinating their children according to the current schedule don’t feel like I am judging them. On the contrary: I believe that each child was given to each parent by God according to His design and I have absolutely no right to pass judgment on you or your choices. My goal instead is to encourage every parent to do your own research. Do not take anyone’s word as gospel. Go out and spend the time and do the foot work to come to your own conclusions after thoroughly researching both sides of the vaccine debate.

What follows I hope will open up a conversation and expose some to new ideas and new thoughts and maybe spur enough doubt or raise enough questions that you begin your own investigation.

It has occurred to me that the medical field is about 40-50 years behind ecologists. Let me draw up some comparisons for you.

40+ years ago it wasn’t a big deal to toss some trash out your window, on the street, in the park…after all, it was only a little bit and a little wouldn’t hurt much. There wasn’t any “scientific proof”, after all, that it caused any harm.

Currently, it isn’t a big deal to have some toxins in vaccinations – mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde, bio-hazardous materials etc…after all, it is only a little bit, and a little bit wouldn’t hurt much. There isn’t any “scientific proof”, after all, that it causes any harm.

(Note: This “lack of scientific proof” is a whole other can of worms that I won’t go into right now…let me just say that there IS proof, but it just isn’t accepted by those in charge…in other words, those who SELL the vaccines - making billions of dollars a year for the medical industry and therefore swing the big bat)

40+ years ago it was common and encouraged to treat our lawns and our fields with chemical fertilizers and pesticides – sometimes multiple kinds at once. Agriculturists and horticulturists encouraged it because it made our crops and lawns so much easier to tend!! We didn’t have to worry about all those pesky bugs that pop up, and we didn’t have to concern ourselves with the health of the underlying soil – the fertilizers made all soils, no matter how over-tilled and drained of nutrients it was, produce beautiful vegetation.

Currently, it is common and encouraged to vaccinate all children starting at birth with 24 or more shots – sometimes more then 5 are given at one doctor’s visit. Pediatricians encourage it and it makes our children so much easier to tend!! We don’t have to worry about all those pesky “bugs” that pop up, and we don’t have to concern ourselves with providing proper nutrition to deal with the health and constitution of the actual child – the vaccines make all children, no matter how malnutritioned (yes, I realize that is not a real word, but it should be :P) appear hearty and robust.

It is 40+ years later and ecologists are blowing the whistle on us. Now we have ample “scientific proof” that the little bit of litter we each put into our earth adds up to a big problem! We see now that it is dangerous, and fool-hardy, to pour chemical fertilizers and pesticides into the ground because those toxins come back to haunt us later in hundreds of different ways – cancers, obesity, mental issues, etc., etc. have all been linked to the poor quality of our food sources thanks to their exposure to the toxins we put into the earth.

I’m hoping it won’t take 40 years for the same thing to happen in the medical field! There are some who are already blowing the whistle on us. They are warning that the little bit of “litter” that is in each vaccination we put into our children add up to big problems! They warn that it is dangerous, and fool-hardy, to stick poisons and bio-hazards into our children because those toxins come back to haunt them later in hundreds of different ways – cancers, mental and emotional issues, weak immune systems, etc., etc. have all been linked to the vaccinations we put into our children.

We look back and see how foolish it was to pollute our earth so thoughtlessly…how much more careful we should be with our children!

Do you believe it is pure coincidence that the rate of cancers, ADD, autism, ADHD, “failure to thrive”, seizures, Alzheimer’s, etc., etc. rose along with the rate of vaccination?

Things to think about:

Veterinarians warn owners not to vaccinate any animal younger then 6 weeks old. An interesting factoid is that most mammals are born roughly equivalent in development to a 9 month old human. Those mammals that aren’t born developed to that level, such as puppies and kittens, reach that same equivalency by about 6 weeks of age. In contrast to a vet’s recommendations, pediatricians recommend we begin vaccinating our babies at birth.

Many vets also are concerned that we are “over vaccinating” our pets – a dog gets 3-4 different kinds of vaccinations in a 1 year period. We are advised to give 11+ different kinds of vaccinations in the first year of life to our infants alone.

Statistically there is absolutely no correlation between the drop in disease and the increase in vaccines. Those statistics stand in sharp contrast to popular pro-vaccination rhetoric.

Those who recommend vaccinations earn money with every shot, but those who warn against vaccination make no money from their recommendations. Quite the opposite in fact: They are usually fired or shunned and their pro-vaccination peers attempt to discredit them and their research. Who would you trust more? People who have something to gain or people who have a lot to lose but risk it anyway?

Here are some pictures and a video we've taken of Cian the past week and we thought you all might like to see them too! :)

Well, it has certainly been a long time since I blogged last. So much everyday life has happened and we've been so busy that I didn't feel like sitting down to write it all. :)

It is sunny and warm!! :D Today it's supposed to get up to 61F, and tomorrow 65F! I am so glad. I am ready to get out of the house and start living life again...last summer I was somewhat limited on what I could do, being pregnant, so this summer I am ready to live life to the fullest! :)

I have been pruning our various bushes and shrubs, and am hoping that I am doing it right...These poor plants have obviously not been pruned for a long time and they are a tangled mess. Hopefully now that they are pruned, they will do better this summer and not sprawl everywhere like last year.

Rain and Zephyr are very much enjoying the sunshine and spend most of their time outside. Yesterday, Cian and I took Zephyr on his first solo walk. It was the first time he was away from Rain for any length of time, besides the trips to the vet to get his vaccinations, and he did great! He just trucked along behind me checking out the sights. He is so cute, and much more amenable then Rain was! lol

Cian is doing pretty good, though he has been keeping us busy and stressed. :) A couple weeks ago (I think?) we noticed there was a little blood in his stool in two of his diapers so we brought him into the doctor. They aren't sure what was going on, because he didn't seem to be in any pain and there hasn't been any blood since. They took a stool sample, and will be getting back to us with the results as to whether or not he had an infection, or their other guess is that he is lactose intolerant. :( They said that usually babies don't show lactose intolerance if they are breastfed because the proteins get broken down by the mom before it reaches them, but they thought it still might be a possibility since I am lactose intolerant and maybe my body isn't processing the little milk I do have properly before it reaches him. Poor guy...I really hope he isn't!

Cian is also very busy cruising. He is up on everything and makes laps around the living room holding onto couches, toys, baby gates...he has had a fair amount of bonks thanks to it too. It's hard to see him get hurt for the first time!

Cian seems to like doing everything all and once and with intensity. He is teething like crazy and now has 3 teeth on the bottom, with one more just starting to come up, and he's working on his 3rd tooth on the top. All this teething is upsetting his tummy which makes him a miserable boy at night and Momma and Daddy are sleep deprived. I can't wait until he is finished and is a happy baby again.

Lastly, we had an absolutely terrifying thing happen this past weekend. Georgia, Terry, and Tamara had come over for the last part of Spring Break and on Thursday evening we were all enjoying each other's company and hanging out. Tim was helping Tamara with something in the basement, Terry and I were playing the Wii, and Georgia was sitting with Cian. Suddenly, Georgia said something like "Uh oh, I think Cian got some dog food." I jumped up and went over to him and watched him a couple seconds to see if he was breathing...he wasn't. I grabbed him and swung him upside down, hoping that whatever it was would dislodge and pop out his mouth...nothing, so I started giving him the infant Heimlich and yelled for Tim. Tim came running up the stairs and I gave Cian to him (he has had 5 or so CPR/First aid classes). Cian's head was a dark purple, he had foam at the mouth, and was beginning to go limp with unfocused eyes. Tim continued the Heimlich, thumping Cian on the back harder then I had been. I started heading over toward the phone to call 911 when Tim paused for a second to listen, and we thought we heard Cian getting tiny bits of air, but not nearly enough, so Tim kept going and soon Cian was able to get enough air to cry.

We have never been so scared in our entire lives, and we will never, ever forget the sight of our little guy purple, foaming and limp. All I could do was pray as hard as I could, just saying "Oh God, oh God." Thankfully, He knew what I meant to say, and He saved Cian. The rest of the weekend Tim and I would just look at each other, shake our heads and go pale at the thought of it.

Everyone - EVERYONE - who is around babies needs to bone up on their infant/child first aid. If we hadn't known the Heimlich, Cian would most likely not be here today. It happens so fast, and you have zero time to look it up...heck, you have zero time to drag it out of the deep recesses of your memory. Keep it fresh! Cian wasn't breathing for maybe 30 seconds tops before he started to go unconscious.

Yuck.

Anyway, he is now happy and healthy and didn't even have bruises from our thumps.

A couple days later the object he choked on came out in his diaper - it wasn't dog food after all, but a sticker tag. It looks like it came from a playpen/fence that we bought recently. We're thinking about contacting the company with some choice words about having stickers on their products that come off easily without any warning to parents they are there so we could remove them before our baby does!

Well, on to happier thoughts!

Tim will be putting on Staff Sergeant May 1st! We can't wait. It will be weird to get used to calling him Sergeant Nelson instead of Airman Nelson. :)

As for me, I have just been keeping busy with a dog, a puppy, the house and yard, a busy husband, and an ever changing curious little boy. I am also looking into some dance classes in Spokane. If I can scrounge up the money and the one evening a week, I hope to start them soon. Tim is actually thinking about doing them too, if we do the swing dance class, and we can join as a couple. I've always wanted to learn how to dance, and it would be a fun way to stay in shape! Swing would be so much fun! :D We'll see if it works out.

Well this blog is plenty long and I have to go do the dishes. <3

Here is a video I took of Cian's crawling skillz. :) He started "officially" crawling (in other words I had a witness) on Sunday and he has been practicing ever since. I thought you'd all want to see. :)

<3

Well, our sleep has not improved and has, in fact, gotten worse as of last night. We'll see how tonight goes. Thank God Tim has weekends off because he and I can take turns staying up with Cian at night. For example, Cian woke up 4 or 5 times last night and 2 of those times he was awake for over an hour. Not much sleep happening in this house still.

I brought Cian in to urgent care on Friday because he was running a fever and his cough was getting worse - very wet and deep. Come to find out he has that ear infection we had him checked for on the 5th. The doctor said it didn't sound like Cian has pneumonia, thank goodness, but said it could be heading that way. It shouldn't now though, he says, because Cian is on antibiotics for the ear infection and it is the same kind the doctor gives for pneumonia. Relieved as I am that it isn't pneumonia, his cough is still really terrible and makes him throw up all over the place and causes him obvious discomfort. The first time he threw up from it was actually while we were sitting in the waiting room for 2 hours at urgent care. It was just Cian and I, and he threw up - projectile style - ALL over me, his blankets, and the chair we were sitting. I was very wet, sticky, and smelly the rest of the day. :/ On top of all of this, all the mucus in his system is irritating his stomach, giving him diarrhea and he now has his very first diaper rash.

When it rains, it pours.

I now have had a fever off and on since Saturday morning to go along with my very uncomfortable sinuses, runny nose, bad cough, sore throat and slight headache that I've had for about a week.

Thank God Tim has yet to get sick. Unfortunately, he's going to be leaving for the ORI on Saturday for a week and he'll be ultra busy, working late etc., 'til then. :(

Gosh, I just hope we are better soon. It has been weeks for crying out loud. Due to the severe lack of sleep and everything snowballing and going downhill instead of getting better, life has taken on the distinct feeling of a bad dream. Please be praying for us. I feel like we're barely keeping our heads above water. Seriously, our days have been one little calamity after another...it should be funny because it is so bad it has reached ridiculous proportions, but it just really isn't.

Well, I'm off. Thank you to all who have sent us encouragement and love. I meant to respond to you each personally, but I find I have no extra emotional energy to do so. Just know that it is very appreciated and helps! I love you all.

It has been a rough couple weeks. I have been running on limited sleep since Cian has been fighting off a cold, however, the past three nights have been ridiculous. I am not allowed to sleep for longer then 1 1/2 at a time, I cannot go to sleep before 10pm and cannot sleep in past 7am to make up for it.

Ugh.

My cold is hanging on and on and on without any sign of going away due to this severe lack of sleep.

Now Cian is catching another cold as his cough is coming back and he is starting to sound stuffy again.

How are you supposed to have a social life and sleep? I can be a hermit with Cian and never be around anyone who is sick (which is everyone right now) and get decent sleep, or I can see my friends and family but then pay for it for weeks.

Ugh.

I spent an hour and a half holding a fussy Cian as he fought sleep this morning before I decided to put him in his bed and let him put himself to sleep. I then spent almost 30 minutes listening to him scream. To retain my sanity I called Mom for moral support, then gave him some Tylenol just in case he had a headache or something, sat down and cried for another 10-15 minutes before he finally fell asleep.

He slept for almost 20 minutes.

I am so tired and so frustrated. I have so much I want to do and zero energy with which to do it.

All he wants to do is be held, but then when I hold him, all he wants to do is wriggle and squirm and jump and twist and pull hair and reach for things he isn't supposed to have...

Ugh.

Like I said, a very rough couple of weeks.

On the upside, Cian is still right on the verge of crawling, is beginning to pull himself up on things and can stand on his own if he has a good grip on something, likes sweet potatoes if given to him in one of those chew bag things, and is teething again. We also think he has said his first word. Over the past week or so he has been narrowing down his sounds to certain situations - such as "Dada" for when he is happy, "Baba" when he is excited, and "Mama" when he wants something. Over the last couple days, he has narrowed it down even more so that starting the day before yesterday, he will look at me and say "Mama", and not just when he wants something. We're not 100% sure (when DO you know for sure?) that it is his first word, but it sure seems like it and fits the criteria everyone puts forth as a tester...so anyway, that's pretty cool.

This is a complainy blog and I gotta go. I hope everyone is having a better day then we are! :P

Just a quick update.

The doctor says I don't have bronchitis...Yet. The pediatrician says Cian doesn't have bronchitis or an ear infection...Yet. They both say that it could develop as everything is in place for it, but it just hasn't yet. So pretty much going to the doctors was a waste of time. :)

Also, I got a response from Zephyr's breeder and she is 100% sure that he is 100% American Bulldog. :D She will write us an official letter stating this, and we can use that to show anyone who questions it. Phew...what a relief. We get to keep our puppy. :)

On a side note, yesterday Zephyr went the whole day without going potty in the house or even on his paper...he always went outside! :D Happy days when I don't have to clean up even more poo.

Well, on I go to my day. <3

Well, today at 1pm I have a doctor's appointment to see if I have bronchitis like everyone else. I need to sleep at night, not cough. :/ After my appointment, we're taking Cian into the doctors as well because his cough is getting worse, his nose is still all snotty, and last night he started clawing and pulling at his ear. I hope we all just get better soon!

We're having some drama with Zephyr. We noticed when we got him that a) he has green eyes - unusual for American Bulldogs (AB) but not unheard of...but more often seen with American Staffordshire Terriers (AmStaff), b) his nose is a mottled brown, again not usual but not unheard of for ABs, but more common with AmStaffs and c) his head is more narrow and longer then the typical AB...more like an AmStaff. I double checked with the breeder to make sure that he IS indeed an AB and she swore he was. But the doubts remained. Our vet said she thought he was an AmStaff, and we've been doing picture comparisons and he definitely looks like an AmStaff...not an AB. So anyway, this wouldn't be a big deal except that base housing does not allow AmStaffs, so we'd have to get rid of him if he turns out to be one. :( We're in the process of trying to get the breeder to give us an official letter stating that he is, indeed, an AB - if she does truely know that he is - so we'll have something to give people (like housing) when they doubt his breed. We'll see how it goes. :/

It was snowing this morning, but has stopped now and is already melting. Good. Last night they were saying we should expect 4-7 inches of new snow so I'm glad that didn't happen! I am ready for spring and summer!

I am in the process of gathering information for my own dog walking "business". I'll start off offering just the dog walks, and may eventually go on to at home pet sitting...we'll see though. Dog walking would be something I could do just here on base, it would take up, at most, 2 hours of my day (depending on how many dogs, etc.), it would be good exercise, pretty good money (the going rate is $13/half-hour), and I could just strap Cian to my back and we'd have a good time. Of course, I may have to invest in one of those packs that has a cover for rainy days, but we'll see! lol. Like I said, it's still in the "gathering information" stage.

Well I got to go on with my day. I hope everyone is getting over their colds/flus/bronchitis. <3

Here are some pics and videos of Zephyr. He rarely holds still, so I figured video would be easier to capture then stills. :)




Also, here are a couple pictures and a video we took recently of Cian.

Soldier boy!

He loves his jumper, and loves to make it swing. He actually can get it going much better than this video shows. :) Oh, and that sound you hear halfway through is a raspberry to make him laugh...not what it sounds like! lol

I have just a few minutes to write before Cian gets tired of his current activity so I'll take them to write a quick update.

We have a new addition to our family! A little 8 week old male American Bulldog named Zephyr. We picked him up last night from a lady who had an accidental litter...they didn't think their male was old enough to breed yet. Oops. >.< Anyway, it was lucky for us because we got a purebred (though unregistered) American Bulldog pup for $25! He is a real sweety too. They have 4 kids, the youngest being about a month older then Cian, so he is well used to babies. He is paper/outdoor potty trained, and already seems to like his kennel. He slept ALL night without any potty breaks which Tim and I were amazed at!

We had been looking for another American Bulldog for awhile now, and really wanted to get an adult, but this was just too good a deal that landed right in our lap. Plus, we figure that with raising a puppy, it is very unlikely that he and Rain won't get along when he grows up. :) Now we just get to deal with raising another little one! 8/

Rain thinks little Zephyr is great. They are already playing, and that little guy can hold his own. He isn't intimidated by her, sometimes, rather rough playing. Her more destructive moves consist of using her paws or head to squash him to the ground or she hooks her nose under his tummy and throws him across the room...doesn't phase him a bit. He runs right back to her and goes back to chewing on her lips.

Our camera battery is charging, but as soon as it is recharged I'll take some pictures of him. :)

On a different note, I am sick. :( I caught what it seems everyone in Washington is fighting off and am pretty miserable. Cian already had a cold, so I'm hoping it was the same one and he just got it lighter then me. Hopefully he won't get sick again!

Oops, Cian is tired of his activity so I gotta go. <3

It is snowing again. :( It is all mushy and wet too...not the pretty snow that I like. Ah well. I hope it is snowing up at Mom and Dad's too so that we'll have plenty of snow for the sledding weekend next week. :D

I haven't blogged lately because really, nothing terribly exciting has been happening. Cian finally is over his cold and though he is still teething, he doesn't seem too upset by it. His two bottom teeth are completely out now, and it looks like he will be getting his two top teeth soon too. It makes me nervous as I'm nursing him. lol

Here's a pic of his new smile I took about a week ago. His teeth have come in a bunch more since then. :)



Here are a couple other pics I had on my camera that I thought you guys might like to see. :)

Cian taking a bath in the sink -




He has been learning like crazy lately. He is starting to copy facial expressions - like my smile. He does it just like me lol. He also gets hooked on certain sounds; both making them and hearing them. For awhile it was "Bah Bah Bah" all day long, then it changed to "Da Da Da" and now he's into making a growly shout. I'm trying to teach him the "Ma Ma" sound next. :P He is also getting SO CLOSE to crawling. He can get himself onto his hands and knees and is starting to try to move an arm or leg forward, causing himself to tip. :) He sure can move around pretty good on his own though through a mixture of scooching and rolling. I am constantly getting him unstuck from corners lol. He is also trying to pull himself up on things now, though he hasn't had any success yet.

It is so much fun to watch as he just learns and learns! I never paid this close attention to what babies do before, and didn't realize how fascinating they all were! :)

Rain is all healed up from getting spayed. I think we finally have learned how to contain her energy when people are over at our house - we give her a toy to play with or a bone to chew. She runs around showing it off to everyone instead of jumping and licking, then she'll settle in to play or chew it. It works great! It is nice to know that there is something we can do and that maybe now we can have people over to our house more without having to stick her in her crate for hours.

I have recently been playing the piano again, and I hadn't realized how much I missed it. I don't get the chance to be musical much anymore, other then just singing to myself or Cian as I go about the house. I do really miss it - especially working out my voice. I would like to get back into a worship team eventually when we find a church.

Well, I better get going. Have a great day all! <3

We just got back from Cian's 6 month doctor appointment, and here are his stats: He is 16 lbs 13oz, and 27 inches tall. He is in the 50% for his weight and head size, but the 75% for his height. He is either on track or a bit ahead in his developmental milestones, and the doctor thinks he will be crawling soon since he can now hold himself up on his hands and knees for a little while.

As I mentioned in my previous blog his two bottom teeth have come through, but he hasn't laid off of teething at ALL. In fact, he is MUCH more fussy now then ever and has not slept well for the past 4 nights...the past 2 I have not slept more then an hour at a time. :/ So anyway, we're thinking that more teeth are about to make an appearance?

Oh, as a side note to that, we've noticed that just since his two bottom teeth have come in, he has a whole new smile he gives us. He used to just open his mouth wide and smile that way, but now he actually keeps his gums (and two little teeth nubs) together and pulls his lips back into an actual smile! I'll try to get a picture of it, it is too cute!

Our next big thing is to start feeding him solids. I can't believe he is almost 6 months old already and will be ready to start eating a bit on the 9th!

We have been trying not to encourage, too much, his walking instinct since we want him to fully crawl for a while first, but it is a little hard. He loves to stand up with our help and is starting to try to move towards things while standing. I have a feeling that all too soon he is going to be keeping us very busy chasing him around lol.

Well, he's down for a nap and I am debating housework or a nap since I am completely exhausted, but I wanted to give you a quick update on his goings-on. :) <3

Just a short blog to let you know that Cian's 2 bottom teeth have broken through! It's about time. :D Unfortunately, he is now much more fussy and does not want to sleep ever again.

On a completely different note, Tim and I got cell phones! We'll be transitioning over to them and will be eventually dropping our land line. I'll send out our phone numbers through the email.

Anyway, that's the news. Just had to share. :)

<3

I am so tired of the fog...it has been almost perpetually foggy for the past 3 weeks. I am ready for spring and summer. :)

Yesterday Rain was spayed. Now she is a little pitiful but is starting to be a bit more herself. Speaking of Rain, Cian and Rain have started interacting more and more lately and so we have been taking a bunch of pics and video of it. They love each other. :) Cian gets a kick out of her and this first video was right as he was watching Daddy play on the computer before bedtime.



This next one was when Rain went over to visit Cian as he was playing on the floor.



Then here are just a few pictures of them interacting. :)



We got a bunch of pictures of Tim at the exercise in Michigan, but I'll have to have him sit down with me to post those so he can explain what everything is exactly.

Well, dinner is ready so I gotta go. I just wanted to get those pictures/videos shared.

It is foggy and gross here this week. I haven't seen the sky in days. It has been hovering around 34-38F so everything is soggy, mucky and drippy...not my kind of weather.

It has been quiet around here with Tim gone. Cian is missing him...he is just a little bit more fussy then usual, especially at night.

Here are some excerpts from the few emails he's been able to send out - he doesn't have any access to a phone. I thought you all might find them interesting. I inserted explanations in bold. :)

MONDAY:
This is going to be a quick message. We didn't take off until about 4:30pm on Sun, and didn't land until about 11:30 local time (3 hours ahead of you). I'm working nights, 6pm - 6am. I really didn't get enough sleep last night (not enough time to adjust). I'm working with the guard and they are VERY short manned. Active duty brought around 20 people to accomplish the mission, guard brought about 6. So I get to run around like a mad person sometimes. Good thing is that the guy in charge knows that I'm limited on what I can/am supposed to do. (He's in charge of their server, and is supposed to stay with it and keep it running and not help them do very much else)

I had to report today at 5pm to get necessary info for shift tonight and now we're just working.

my bunk is in an open bay, just like basic training. I have a whole bunk (top & bottom) to myself, it's a good thing too because i originally started sleeping on the bottom bunk and froze....my clock said 58 degrees. So i moved to the top bunk (right in front of the heater) and am hot when the heater is on (to the point of sweating), and still freeze when the heater shuts off. Better than the ends of the bay though, it's always cold there.

TUESDAY:
We've been crazy busy all night long. We've been to mopp 4 (full chem gear including a full mask) four times, the longest of which lasted about 2 hrs. It's really sucked. I have a really bad headache and am ready for a long shower.
missiles incoming. will wirte later.

WEDNESDAY:
tonight we've already had a few attacks and even had a fire in our building so we had to bug-out. there was a uxo (unexploded ordinance) right outside the door so we had to go to the alternate location (several hundred yards away). you asked if it was really freezing here? well, if you walk around outside, you can feel your nose hairs freezing....no joke. and we had to be outside for about 30 min in that for the bug-out. then we sat in our alt location for about 1.5 hours and now we're back in our primary location. As soon as we got back EET (exercise evaluation team) came in and said "if you're hungry, you might want to eat....soon". So, now I've eaten and am just waiting for the next attack. We'll probably end up in MOPP 4 for a couple hours.
But good news is, this is our last night for the war. the redeployment order is expected to drop tomorrow around 6pm local and then we should find out what chalks we're on and when the chalks leave. the first chalk is leaving Fri at 0900. it was pushed back from 0600 because of predicted fog at fairchild.

Anyway, I hope he gets to one of the first out...it would be nice not to have to wait until Sunday or Monday.

Well, I gotta get going and get some food. <3

It has been getting up into the 40Fs the past couple of days, and it has been melting like crazy! The roads are bare, the snow has melted down to 6 or so inches in most places, our roofs are nearly bare, and there are patches of grass visible around the base of trees. That sure happened fast! Starting tonight, however, it is supposed to get back down below freezing, Everything is going to be covered in ice.

I have been losing my baby weight pretty steadily now that the holidays are over, and I only have about 9 or so pounds left to go to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I have decided that I am going to start writing down everything I eat during the day. I have heard this is really supposed to help because sometimes people don't pay close attention to whether they ate one cookie or more throughout the day. Especially if you are a snacky type person anyway. Also, I think this will help me be sure to get in all my fruits and vegetables if by the end of the day I look at my list and see I haven't had any, or many, yet! I want to be proud of my list by the end of the day too. This concept helps me when we go grocery shopping. I like putting the food I am getting on the conveyor belt and being proud to display the food I am buying my family.

As I am sitting here, I am irritated by a high pitch whistle that is coming from my computer monitor. It started doing this a week or so ago whenever the majority of the screen is white. It is very irritating. :(

I was so proud of Cian last night, he FINALLY learned how to roll onto his side in his sleep! :D Now he won't fuss and whine all night until I turn him over. Woot! It was really annoying when he could roll forwards and backwards easily when he was awake, but in his sleep he'd just lay there and wave his arms. lol. Hopefully now we'll be getting more sleep. I slept so hard last night in between feedings that it was actually uncomfortable - you know that stiff, achy feeling when you just completely pass out. I feel a bit more human this morning, though, then I have in awhile.

Well, I gotta go get breakfast. <3

Still so, so tired. We didn't sleep well again last night. Sigh.

It is 34F and everything is becoming slushy and the icicles are beginning to fall. It is a good thing I took a picture of our best icicles last night!



It is supposed to get up to 40F by tomorrow and rain a couple inches. It's going to be a mess around here.

Oh, I have a correction to make about Tim's fly away. It isn't a competition like I thought - that was something else that he was going to have to do, but that fell through (thank goodness!) This one is just an exercise to get ready for an Operation Readiness Inspection that is happening in March. Basically a mock deployment to make sure that they can deploy quickly, efficiently, and without many mistakes. :)

I finally downloaded the pictures off my camera, so here are a couple:

Cian likes watching Tim play computer. He is very serious about it:


Cian's first "sit up" bath a couple weeks ago:


I had the cutest video of Cian playing with his binky, but it somehow got deleted off the camera. He focuses so hard on things - any gadget or, in this case, his binky. I've never seen a baby be so intent on stuff before. It's hilarious. :)

Well, speaking of Cian, I gotta go get him out of his jumper. <3

To Do:
Try to stay awake
Dishes
Laundry
Do some kind of exercise

Cian hasn't been sleeping so well the past week or so...I am very tired. It got so bad that for a couple nights, I would only get 45 minute or so cat naps off and on all night. One night I counted and from 1am to 6:30am, I was up 7 times. Yuck. Last night was better - I was only awake 3 times between 11:30pm and 7am, but each time was about 30 or so minutes in length. I can't wait to sleep through the night again. What a foreign idea that is becoming!

Tim has a "fly away" this coming week, and will be leaving anytime between Wednesday and Saturday, and will be returning anytime between next Wednesday and Sunday. The fly away is a competition between squadrons across the country that simulates a mock deployment. They get a call and have to mobilize immediately. Once they arrive at their destination (Michigan in this case), they set up a network as quickly and efficiently as possible, keeping it up and running for however long, and they compete to see who made the best network, etc. So starting tomorrow, we just have to wait for the call and he has to pack up and leave without any definite date of return. I am really not looking forward to being here by myself with Cian for 7-10 days.

We have so much snow! It is really getting crazy. I am enjoying it though. :) I really like the huge icicles that are on all of the buildings. Up at Mom and Dad's it is usually so cold that we'd only get icicles once or twice a year and they didn't last all that long. These icicles look like they're here for the duration and, like I said, they are HUGE.

I have been training Rain to pull. She seems to like it. I can't wait to get her own harness and maybe a wagon.

Well, if I keep sitting here I will start falling asleep, only to have Cian wake up as soon as I do so I better get going.
<3