bring it on home to me..

  

    I have tried not to complain too much on my blog about recruiting duty. You all know that my husband and I live in Texas with our son, Connor. 1200 + miles away from our family and friends. I have been truly blessed to have gotten to know several friends in Texas, so that I am not constantly conversing with a one year old.. but it still gets lonely. My husband works so much. It can be 12 or more hours a day, and most weekends he AT LEAST works 1 day. It gets hard, and often times I find myself getting frustrated that I'm here.. alone. But, I'm trying so hard to be a great wife and mother. My husband busts his ass for us, and he is constantly feeling the pressure from work. I have been through a deployment where I only talked to Adam MAYBE 10 times in 8 months. We could email, but not "chat" on the phone or skype often at all. I am an artillery wife, so I have done weeks in the field.. but none of it compares to this. Before we left for recruiting duty, we were told by many people that this would be the hardest job for Adam in the Marine Corps, and it would be a huge test to our marriage. On top of that, I had Connor 1 month after being here and 1 month before Adam went on production. It's been tough. We have definitely had our ups and down, but I am so happy to say that we are almost halfway through recruiting duty! I think it's harder because when he deploys, he's just gone, and I miss him, but it is a different kind of stress. I am so sick of hearing "well, at least he comes home at night..." because most nights we are either in bed or I've barely made it, waiting up for him. Yes, I am thankful that our son knows daddy, and Adam gets to spend time with him, but the stress is outrageous. We only have each other here, so we've really had to concentrate on our marriage, and we have realized that communication is key. Recruiting duty means that Adam is on domestic soil, but it doesn't make it any easier on our family. I don't think a family can truly understand the stress of recruiting duty until they've been on it. I am grateful for the wives and families I have met out here who have stuck it out and lend an ear and shoulder when it is needed. Tonight has just been one of those nights...

How do we do it?

       This past week, Connor has had some really great days and some really "not so great" days. We've been working on 1 nap a days. He's not feelin the 2 naps a day since he sleeps all night (over 12 hours most nights). So, I'm down with it, but really just need him to get the hang of it asap. Adam has been working non stop.. Needless to say, tonight I am drinking some bud light lime and watching sex and the city 2. This scene came up an I almost died laughing. I didn't have Connor when I saw this movie for the first time, but now it is so hilarious and makes more sense. "HOW DO WOMEN WITHOUT HELP DO IT?" Some days I have no idea! But today, I've done it through the giggles, smiles, kisses, and at night...beer :) Cheers to us ladies without help!

Things that make me say, "what the effing, eff?"

     Today has been a day full of WTFs. First, I (Adam too. It's actually more Adam's fault than mine) got a "toll violation" in the mail for $150. It should have been about $10, but Texas is really awesome and charges $1 for toll and $11 for a violation fee. Are you kidding me Texas? Then, I decided we needed food for the week, so I headed to HEB with Connor in tow. People don't surprise me anymore. ESPECIALLY not since I've had Connor. But, this man kept starting at Connor. I couldn't figure out what he was staring at,.. until he walked up to me and said, "When I see a cute baby I just have to touch it." Woah.. did he really just say that? Then, he started petting Connor's head.WHAT is wrong with people? I was dumbfounded, so I just said "Wha, Wah, excuse me!" On the way home I thought of plenty of things to say if that EVER happens again. Don't you hate that? I am never good at thinking on my feet, but I can think of plenty of things to say after the fact. My favorite idea was to say "When I see a creepy man I just have to high five him in the face." What the effing, eff?

Where's the Poo?!

   We've had a pretty crazy weekend and start to the week full of NEWs. :) Saturday, we adopted a pup! His name is/was Grayson, he is a one and a half year old Pitbull. And the sweetest little pup, ever! He's still quite hyper and growls and barks at me (playfully) and he's keepin' Lilly young. We really didn't think we would get another dog, let alone another pitbull. Not because we don't absolutely love our squishy pits, but they are just hard to have while moving around they have a bad rep. Poor puppies. Anyway, Grayson (working on the change of name) was rescued at 4 months from the side of the road. His breeder tried to make a "pocket" pitbull, and Grayson ended up being deformed. He is bowlegged, and his foster mom said that made nobody want to adopt him. His little bow legs are soo cute to me! I love it! He is great with Connor... lets Connor crawl all over him, and it's nice to not have to worry. I still keep an extremely close watch on him though just because I don't "know" him very well yet. I grilled Grayson's foster mom, but she swears he is a little angel pup, and I believe her. He's been around kids his whole life (After he was rescued), and she has trained/raised him since then. He is the perfect little puzzle piece to our family :) After we got Grayson, we loaded up the pups, Connor, Adam, and I into our Chevy Equinox to head to the park.. That's when Adam and I realized how tiny our crossover is. We've discussed the possibility of a baby in the not so distant future (not too near either), but there is no way another baby is going to fit! It's extremely crowded now.. Well, tonight we went to "look" and ended up with a Navy Blue 2011 Chevrolet Traverse. It is basically the upgraded Equinox, it has 18,000 miles on it, it's newer, and we got our monthly payments lowered. I feel good about it! Hooray for 3rd row seating! Which brings me to my story... phew
   Toddlers are crazy. Connor went with us to the dealership, and it was a trip. He doesn't want me to hold him, and he wants to run around everywhere. Well, after taking a test drive in the Traverse, Connor kicked off his flip flops, Adam just throws his shoes in the car, and we go inside to haggle... "what's that smell?" "Oh wait.. it's Connor's poop diaper." Lovely. I take him into the bathroom to change him, and as you all know, I'm a cloth diapering Mama. It was a disastrous mess. Connor's new "thing" is carrying around plastic baby bowls, forks, and spoons.. So, I am trying to scrape his poo out of the diaper and he's barefoot, running around the bathroom, sticking his baby fork in the poop filled toilet. VOM. I flung my arm to try and keep him from playing in that nasty toilet and poop goes flying. Oh Mylanta! I could NOT find the poo. WHERE'S THE POO?! I looked all over Connor and myself for a good 5 minutes, and still have no clue where the poo went. I was convinced it was in my hair or Connor's mouth. Oh Lord Have Mercy.. TODDLERS!

The Toddler Life..

     Tonight, my toddler, (wahhh, TODDLER!) ran up to me about five times in a row and gave me a huge hug and kiss. He is the most loving little boy, and I cannot get enough! I love him to bits. I have rocked this child to sleep every night since he was born, and the week of his first birthday he started walking into his room around bedtime. So, the first night he did that I laid him in his crib and walked away. It was about 6:45 p.m., and I never heard a peep once I turned the light out and walked out of his room. For almost 2 weeks, that has been the trend for nap time and bed time. It was as if he knew he wasn't a little baby anymore. It breaks my heart, but it is a huge relief. I was beginning to think I was going to have to rock him until he was 10 years old, but to be honest, I didn't listen to the books that told me to let him "cry it out." I never, ever, let my baby cry it out, and he did it on his own when he was ready. I'm not gonna lie, that was a proud mommy moment right there. I just can't believe the little boy he is becoming..

Connor is ONE!

    Oh ONE. Such a fun and wild age. But I hate that I will feel weird saying "He's ONE" instead of "11 months and such. We celebrated Connor's 1st Birthday this past weekend in Virginia with friends and family. It was such a success! Connor had a blast, and we are so blessed to have so many people who care about us. But, it's a good thing we celebrated this past weekend because my poor baby is sick. Yeahh, we flew to VA, so I'm not surprised but it is still a bummer. I hope he improves because I reallly don't want to have to drag him to the doctor on his first birthday! Poor kid.

    When I look back at his newborn pictures, I really cannot believe that a year has already flown by. Watching my toddler run around and talk is surreal. He still needs me, but he doesn't NEED me like he did when he was a little immobile baby. It breaks my heart, but at the same time I am loving this age! He is walking, and he says "mama," "dada," "hello (like a british man, so it sounds like "elllo govna'" lol), "byebye," "cake (and he says it several times like "cakecakecakecake"), "Lilly," "up," "down," "NO (i reallly hate that one), "good," "yum," "yucky," "thank you," "you're welcome (or just welcome)," and basically repeats anything we say. He still loves his bath time, but I've learned to give him baths early (around 5), so he isn't hyped up before bed. He goes to bed around 7 most nights (since he's sick, he's been going to bed around 6 this week), and he wakes up between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m. without fail. I haven't started him on whole milk at all. I am going to wait until his appointment on April 30, and I get the ok from his pediatrician. I'm not in a huge rush because he's really cut back on his formula. He maybe drinks 16 oz a day. He isn't a picky eater. He loves mac and cheese, but he will eat his vegetables and fruits and good proteins too! Last night we had quiona and kale, and Connor loved it. I love buying the organic pouches that he can just squeeze into his mouth. It's a great way to get him spinach and good greens! He is really turning into a little person. I love his hilarious personality and every little thing about him! Love you baby boy. You are such a blessing, and HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY little love!!

We had Connor's pictures taken for his 1st Birthday.. enjoy!

Quality over Quantity

     The past two years of my life have been a whirlwind. I graduated College, moved to NC, got married to a Marine & love of my life, got pregnant, moved to Texas, and had my sweet Connor. Phew! It's hard for me to keep up with myself, so I am so, very grateful for my friends who have stuck by me through the major changes in my life. If I have learned anything about friendships in the course of those crazy two years, it is that quality trumps quantity. I have lost "friends," but with that, I have grown so close to my true friends. No matter what I call to talk about, whether I call to catch up or whine, they are there. My best friends are all over the place. Richmond, VA Beach, and even Germany. But, it doesn't matter because our friendships work both ways. I call them, they call me, and if we go over a week without talking, we don't get mad. We Understand. I was walking with my friend and neighbor last night, and we were talking about this. She said, "some friends are only meant to be in our lives for a season..." That made me think. Then why is it SO hard to let go? We try so hard to hold on to a piece of our past that doesn't want to be a part of our present and future. Recently, I finally let go of that, and I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of my heart. It hurt to let go, but friendships shouldn't have to be forced. Just like any relationship, forcing a friendship only makes you miserable. Some people grow a part, and if only one person is trying to make the friendship last, it is going to turn toxic. I am absolutely fine with having a handful of close friends, and I know that these friends would drop everything at a moment I needed them, and they would be there for me. Once I accepted that letting go can be GOOD and not always bad, my life was instantly better. I am happier because I have friends and family who lift me up instead of pull me down. I am going home with Connor Monday, and I cannot wait to see family and friends! I am so blessed..