Travelling with Anna

So it's been a really long time since I posted and for this I apologize. Anna and I had a great trip and I couldn't imagine the flights or car rides going any smoother! Daniel drove us to OKC Airport early Saturday morning and after checking bags, Anna and I headed through security. I had borrowed a Snap'n'Go stroller that Anna's carseat fits into from a friend, along with a 'gate check' bag for the carseat and base so they wouldn't get filthy during the flights. These were 2 essential items! Thank you Allison and Jamie!

I 'wore' Anna using a Moby wrap which was great because once we were on the plane, it folded up easily and fit into my diaper bag. I was a little nervous about Anna and the plane ride, but she did wonderfully! I was able to feed her on both legs of the trip getting to Myrtle Beach Airport and she got some cat naps in during the flight from Dallas to Myrtle. The toughest part was eating for me! Since our flights were so close together, I grabbed a water bottle and fries (so healthy, right?) from McDonald's in Dallas (12:30) after eating some Cheerios for breakfast at 7:00am. Needless to say, I inhaled the Sonic combo I got in Myrtle Beach while Mom, Anna and I waited to pick up my grandparents at the airport.

The longest travel day for us was heading to Pittsburgh after a great week at the beach. It was a 14 hour ride (usually 12 but we hit some major traffic) but Anna only cried for 10 minutes of it! We stopped more than we usually do but that's because of Anna's eating schedule and who wants a hungry baby crying in the car? Not us! It was a tight squeeze and every seat was occupied in my Dad's Acadia, but we made it safely to Pittsburgh!

The trips to Chicago from Pittsburgh and then from there to Oklahoma City were smooth as well. Both of those flights were on Southwest and since they don't assign seats, we got to choose our own. This was great but we received a lot of unpleasant faces as the other passengers boarded- I'm sure they were thinking "Oh great, a baby. Let the crying begin!" But our little girl proved them all wrong! She was the happiest passenger on the plane, playing with Tigger and smiling at the flight attendents.

After three weeks away, Anna and I were both so happy to see Daniel back in Oklahoma. We stopped at Cracker Barrel where we had some great 'home cookin' and found Anna a cute little dress for the fall.

I'll be posting pictures and more details about the three weeks soon. But this post was just to fill you all in on how well Anna did on her first 4 flights (and one long road trip) in 3 weeks of travels.

And they're off!

Daniel has successfully transitioned to Phase II- Flying the T-6! He took his dollar ride yesterday and had another flight this afternoon. It's exciting to be moving on with training but now begins his mandatory 12 hour days. Both Monday and Tuesday dinners have been eaten after 8 but I don't really mind. I love sharing meals with my husband (of 1 year and 3 days- we celebrated our first anniversary on Sunday) and my little girl. Anna obviously can't eat the meal but we sit her in her Bumbo seat and she joins us at the table.

Anna and Tigger in her Bumbo seat.

They say the first fifteen days of each phase are the hardest so it's probably good that Anna and I will be gone for the next few weeks so Daniel can focus on flying.

His class is broken into 2 flights. Daniel is in C Flight (or Cobra Flight) in the 8th Flying Training Wing. His classmates are a good group of people and we enjoyed a Friday night party at one of their houses off base. Since they aren't allowed to leave the flight room while on formal release, I've decided to bake them some treats to fuel their energy as they study and prepare for flights. Tomorrow I'll deliver some chocolate chip cookies before a trip to the commissary and BX.

I can't believe it's already Wednesday! I've been mentally preparing for our trip but now I need to start packing! Thankfully, I was able to get the laundry done today and I will be packing tomorrow. I am so excited to get to the beach! Only 4 more days!!

The vicious cycle of being an AF wife... and making friends

Throughout life, you meet people, make friends- sometimes they stay for a lifetime, others come and go... after graduation, after they get jobs, after your lives move in different directions and you simply grow apart. However, for a military wife, friends are always moving away and that fact will never change. I've attended 3 track selects and 1 assignment night and the anxiety, excitement and hopefullness never changes as my friends' husbands line up and are told which way their career is headed. I'm already nervous about when I'll be in their shoes when it's Daniel's turn!

For non-military readers, here's a quick breakdown of what I'm talking about:
Track select: USAF pilots have 4 options after they finish training on the T-6: T-38s or T-1s (which train in Enid), T-44s (which train in Corpus Christi, TX) and Helicopters (which train at Ft. Rucker in Alabama).

Assignment night: This happens the week before graduation and it's when the pilots who are about to get their wings are told what they'll be flying. I've only been to one, but it was a great night for everyone (except Anna who didn't like the clapping and cheering- thankfully, she'll be a year old when Daniel has his assignment night.)

Here's what my friends' hubbies have found out so far:

Track selects:
Allison :: Jonathon :: T-1
Bonnie :: Daniel :: T-38
Tessa :: Tim :: T-1
Maggie :: Darrin :: T-44
Kristen :: Josh :: T-44
Jamie :: Michael :: T-38
Sam :: Brian :: T-44

Assignment Night:
Emily :: Matt :: C-17 (McChord AFB- Washington)
Michelle :: Dan :: F-22 (Florida) - I just found out about this via Facebook. He originally was given the F-16 at Assignment Night and he got surprised with this change of assignment at graduation today. This is huge news since this is the newest fighter the Air Force has!

As excited as I am for my friends who are moving to Corpus Christi and to their new assignments, I can't help but feel a little sad for me. These are the ladies who welcomed me into their circle and made me a part of this base community. They threw me an "All Pink" baby shower when I had Anna and always offer rides to Playgroup, Coffee and even doctor's appointments when Dan is busy. It's hard to say good-bye but thankfully, with the AF scheduling things there's always a bit of time to get used to the idea before they're packed up and moving away.

With technology the way it is, it's also easier to stay in touch with friends who are far away, so that helps out a lot. Hopefully, as time goes on, I'll adjust to it but I don't think it will get any easier as friends come and go... right now, I just have to enjoy the time we have together here in Enid, America and trust in God's plans for all of us.

Our Little Angel...

Our sweet little Anna is almost 3 months old and keeping us busy... but not keeping us up! She has been sleeping through the night consistently for almost 2 months! This has been great since Daniel needs a good night's sleep to do his best in the classroom and he'll be flying soon, so being well rested is a must.
Right now, she loves playing Patty Cake with Mommy, listening to Carrie Underwood's "American Girl" and chewing on anything she can get her mouth on... usually her fist, her Tigger or her bib.
Here are some pictures!

A bit of the west coast in the southwest...

My friends introduced me to one of the hidden gems of our area about a month ago. It's just south of Enid in a little town called Waukomis, and it's called "A Taste of Seattle." From the outside, it doesn't look like much- a small brick building with a gravel parking lot for about 15 cars or so, but once you get inside and sample their fare, you know you've found something special. They sell gelato and sorbetto which they make fresh everyday. For those who haven't had gelato, think of ice cream and make it smoother than any ice cream you've ever eaten. Sorbetto is like a very smooth italian ice but better. I haven't found a flavor that I don't like yet and there are still many left to sample!

I took Daniel a few weeks ago and we've made weekly gelato trips since! We took a list of their flavors since the menu changes depending on the day of the week and Daniel starred the ones he'd like to try if I ever go with the girls and bring him back a cup. By far, my favorites are the mixed berry and strawberry sorbettos, but the kiwi and raspberry sorbettos are good, too. As far as gelato goes, I really like the combination of the peanut butter and chocolate.

The store owners come from a long, proud line of military service people and kindly offer a 10% military discount. I only had to show my ID card once- the second time I pulled it out and said "We're military" the woman behind the counter smiled and said "I know." It's wonderful having a place where you're considered a regular after only a couple of visits. They encourage you to try everything and give out free samples while you're contemplating what you'll put in your cup- there's no limit to how many flavors you want to squeeze in there, you just pay by the size you want.

Here's a picture of my friend Allison's 2 year old, Riley, after she enjoyed her chocolate gelato!

Fourth of July Recap!

I hope all of you wonderful people reading this had a great Fourth of July! We certainly enjoyed ourselves on our four day weekend in Wichita Falls, TX! The military gives several 'family days' throughout the year where you get the day off but it doesn't count against your leave time and Friday was one of them. So Daniel requested a pass to visit his parents who live just 3 1/2 hours south of us in Texas. With his pass approved, we left 1323 Books St. and hit the road on Thursday evening. Our little girl did so well in the car and after we pulled over to feed her about halfway through the trip, she slept the rest of the way.

It was a very relaxing weekend. Dan's brother, Ben, is in China with the Baylor I5 program, so there was less 'gaming' than usual but Daniel introduced me to a game he has which I've now become rather addicted to- Spore. You create an alien life form from a single cell and 'evolve' it until you rule the galaxy... I'm only at the 'civilization' part which is the fourth level but Daniel's way ahead so he helps me along.

Anna's grandparents were thrilled to see her and rarely put her down- which she loved! She told Grandpa all kinds of stories (she's talking so much now!) and gave Grandma lots of smiles for some really cute pictures. With more than willing babysitters, Daniel and I were able to do a quick shopping run on Saturday and saw a matinee movie on Sunday. We saw Toy Story 3 and loved it! It was definitely made with the original viewers of the first two movies in mind, but I'm sure younger kids enjoy it too. ;-)

Fortunately for us, the Freedom Fest fireworks were on Saturday, the third, instead of the actual 4th of July since it rained for most of Sunday. Daniel and I drove to see the show while Anna stayed at home- we didn't want her little ears exposed to those louds BOOMS! It was a beautiful show and a great Fourth of July with my favorite serviceman.

Before we left on Monday, Pat and I went to Toys R Us and Storkland to get some things for Anna. We picked up a Bumbo seat (which gives Anna enough support that she can sit up by herself), new binkies, and a mirror for the car (which lets us see her face in her rear-facing carseat) at Toys R Us. And at Storkland we got a bunch of fun headbands as well as bows and flowers to go with them- they're so cute!!! Pat bought Anna a beautiful outfit that she wore today to Playgroup with one of her new headbands. I'll post pictures soon.

All in all, we had a wonderful weekend and it's always great to see Daniel's parents. Now it's back to home (which needs cleaned... badly) and work (Daniel is still in academics and just had a test today- he got 100%!). Our little angel is fast asleep and I'm off to bed myself. Have a good night, all!

Anna Grace's Big Trip!

A little background: So I finally became Facebook friends with my brother, Bobby, and was looking through pictures of him this evening. There were plenty of pictures of him running, hanging out with friends and going to homecoming and prom... plus a ton of pictures with our amazing cousins. Many of them were from the past several beach vacations we took as a family to Sunset Beach.

Cousin pyramid 2009!

Bottom: Me, Daniel, Bobby, Zach Middle: Megan, Hannah, Katie Top: Patrick and Maura

We have gone to Sunset Beach, NC for about the last 14 years. It was originally just my immediate family but after a few years, my Uncle Terry and Aunt GiGi with their girls (Megan, Hannah and Maura) as well as my Aunt Annie and Uncle Tommy with their boys (Zach, Patrick and Ryan) joined us. Also within the last couple of years, our grandparents have also become a part of the "Beach Crew." Daniel was welcomed into the crew last year when we joined the family after our honeymoon.

Knowing that Daniel would be in pilot training this summer, I figured that last year would be my last time at the beach for awhile since I didn't want to go without Daniel but our little surprise of a beautiful baby girl changed that. Since Anna hasn't met most of the family, I've planned a 3 week trip to introduce her to the family and the first stop is Sunset Beach!

Anna and I will head out from Oklahoma City and make our way to the beach by way of Dallas on Sunday and spend our first week soaking up the sun, the ocean and the salty sea breezes. At the end of the week, we'll drive back to Pittsburgh with my family where we'll get to see the rest of my extended family and some family friends.

Pittsburgh at night

Following our Pittsburgh visit, we'll head to the windy city: Chicago! In Chicago, we'll be visiting a few of my college friends including my freshman year roomy, Emily who is expecting her baby in early August. We'll also be staying with Anna's godmother, Sharon, and her husband. Hopefully, we'll also get to see Annaliese and a few other friends that live in the city. After our visit there is finished, we'll "follow the star to where the world begins" and head home to Enid!

I'm really looking forward to all of our visiting especially with our family. Anna is the first baby born far away from Pittsburgh and I'm eager for her to meet all of her great-grandparents, cousins, uncles and aunts. There's nothing quite like family.

Tough day as a mommy...

My sweet little angel girl had to get her 2 month immunizations today. Thank goodness that Dan was able to be there or else I would have been even more of a mess! She had to get 4 vaccinations- 3 shots and an oral one. I held her and gave her the oral dose which she wasn't too sure about. She made the same face that she gives us when we give her the Vitamin D solution- I guess when you drink nothing but breastmilk, anything else tastes a little funny.
The shots were quick and the nurse did a great job but that didn't stop me from crying as I held Anna and kept her little legs still as she got poked- twice in the right leg and once in the left. I had never heard her cry like she did today. Usually she only cries when she wants something, but this cry was one of pain and shock. It broke my heart to see her like that!

"Three shots and a drink, sounds like we're in a bar!" - Nurse that gave Anna her vaccinations trying her best to relax a very nervous mom...

Thankfully, she settled down by the time I had finished talking to the Referral Management people about getting her a well baby check up with a pediatrician off base since the one we had (and loved) recently separated from the Air Force (meaning he fulfilled his obligation and is now a civilian doctor). She fell asleep in her carseat before we even left the clinic. I figured it would be a good idea to get some infant Tylenol in case she had a reaction to all the vaccines and got a fever. Of course, there was a recall on this recently so it took 3 stores and a phone call between 2 Walgreens stores to find a generic equivalent but we got it.
Anna did really well the rest of the day. She took a really long nap (so did Mommy) and was pleasant this evening when Daniel came home. She was all smiles for her Daddy and is now fast asleep in her room.

Happy Father's Day!

First of all, I'd like to wish all of the dads out there a very happy Father's Day, especially my own wonderful Daddy. He's always been there when I needed, provided a great example for me my entire life and since I've become a parent myself, I've grown to appreciate my own mom and dad even more. I wish I could give him a big hug right now, but there are just too many miles between Enid and Pittsburgh.

My baby with my Daddy

Today was a simply wonderful day for our little family. It's Dan's first Father's Day and I wanted it to be special, especially since he gave me such a great Mother's Day. I let him sleep in as long as possible and Anna and I were very quiet with her early morning feedings. After we all were up, Dan opened gifts and enjoyed a pancake breakfast with fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. His gifts included a keychain from YorkPhoto.com that had Anna's picture on it, a Willow Tree "New Dad" figurine and a certificate that entitled him to a grill plus all the accessories needed to be a grill master.

We had a potluck with his class in the afternoon where I got to spend some time with the wives of his classmates while some of the boys played Mario Kart on the Wii. When Anna started to fuss because she was hungry, we headed home and enjoyed some down time. After a little while, we headed out to "Daddy's favorite store" (Lowes) to pick out Daniel's grill. With Anna in the Baby Bjorn, we picked out a great grill, some utensils and a few handy accessories- a grill brush, a holder for the utensils that attaches to the grill and a grilling basket for making grilled veggies and other sides for summertime meals.

Daniel and Anna

We finished the night off with a meal at Chili's which Anna slept through giving Daniel and I some time for grown up talk and a delicious dessert of a brownies sundae. All in all, it was a great day and I hope we'll have many more happy Father's days like this.

Roomies: Enid, America Edition!

I had some great roommates during my four years at Saint Mary's but none quite compare to Annaliese, my roomy since 2006! We had some good times, some bad times and some really crazy fun times. One of the best and biggest adventures we had together was my trip to Ireland to visit her while she studied abroad there during our junior year.

Roomies: Ireland Edition

While visiting, I met her boyfriend, Brian (bree-un) who is an Irish native who hails from County Cork. At the time, Annaliese insisted it was just a short term thing but after more than 2 years, several transatlantic visits and thousands of emails, I'd say it's more than a few dates to the pub! He's a true sweetheart and he makes my roomy happy so he's a good guy in my book.

This summer they took a road trip to visit some friends in the heartland- Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. We were happy to host them in Enid and had a great time showing them around the base. Annaliese was thrilled to meet Anna and it was so cute to see Brian watching the World Cup with Anna on his lap. We went swimming on base, watched Dan do some training during the Aerospace Physiology and had a Sonic picnic in the park. We also watched a lot of soccer (or 'proper football' as Brian would call it.) since the World Cup is going on. Their visit went too quickly, but it was great to see them. I hadn't seen my roomy since my wedding- July 25,2009! Hopefully, we'll be able to see each other in August when Anna and I are in Chicago.

 

Roomies: Enid Edition (plus Anna!)

Welcome to the Catholic family, Anna Grace!

It's been a crazy couple of weeks and I've loved every minute! My friend, Sharon, came out to visit for a whole week including Anna's baptism on June 12 since she is Anna's godmother. She was the driving force behind all the unpacking that happened before our families came in for the baptism festivities. Even though Daniel's family helped us over the weekend to pack and unpack the entire house, there was still a lot to do and with Anna's 4am wake up calls, my motivation and energy level weren't very high... and that's where Sharon came in and saved the day. "Do you want to unpack some boxes? Where does this go?" were frequent questions and little by little we got boxes unpacked and our new house set up.

Daniel started pilot training in the middle of Sharon's visit but still was home to enjoy the fun of having a friend here in the evenings. We had some great meals (with 2 new recipes) and lots of fun with board games and our ever-entertaining Anna Grace. She was all smiles for her Aunt Sharon and we captured some sweet pictures of the two of them.

On Thursday, my family arrived and I was so happy to introduce my brother to his little niece for the first time and show Dad, Mom and Gracie how much she'd grown since they were here in April. Unfortunately, my sister, Katie, was unable to make it. With a case of mono, an eighteen hour car ride was not the best thing for her. We missed her a lot but I'm looking forward to seeing her in August!

My mom, the party planned extraordinaire, helped me plan my first big celebration as a mom- Anna's baptism luncheon. She brought her delicious Italian sausage from Pittsburgh and I made some shredded beef for sandwiches. With pretty pink plates to go with our pink theme, our guests enjoyed lots of yummy food, including this cake:

After a little clean up, our little family headed home so Anna and I could grab a nap and then we were off to St. Francis Xavier Church to get our little girl baptized! She slept through the whole thing except for a few peeks to see what was going on when Father Kevin poured the water on her head.

After the Mass, we headed back to the community center to eat some leftovers and finish cleaning up. It was a wonderful day and I was so happy to have our friends and family here to welcome Anna into the church!

The Joys of a DITY Move

In the military, last minute notices are just part of life. But I'm still adjusting to all this. So when Daniel found out that his training got bumped up from the end of July to next Wednesday, it was a bit of a curve ball. However, after the initial shock, we have found some positives in the situation and one is that we get to move into a new home before he hits the flight line. We had hoped to move in the latter half of June so we could avoid moving while we had house guests. But that isn't happening...

What is happening? Well, we found out on Wednesday that we have to move by June 19 or we'd have to wait until August to get into a renovated house. With that in mind and knowing that in August Daniel would be flying, we decided to move this weekend. It all happened really quickly. We got a call Wednesday at 4:30 that we could move and by 6:30, we had a list of 4 houses to choose from and toured one of the possibilities. Yesterday morning, I looked at another one and decided to go with the first option. Daniel and I wanted to stay on our current street and it turns out that our move will be across the street...literally feet from our driveway.
Easy move, right? Just walk everything across the way and be done with it.... Not quite. Not when the Air Force is reimbursing us for the move and they need to know how many pounds of stuff we have to move. So we rented a 26' moving truck which we'll pick up, drive to a weigh station (to weigh it empty), drive it to our house, load it up, drive it back to the weigh station and then take it back to base to move our stuff about 50 feet across the street from our current home. It's not exactly the most practical, but it's the way it has to be done. Thankfully, Dan's family (mom, dad and brother) and his best friend from home are driving up tomorrow to help get us moved and set up before my friend and Anna's godmother, Sharon, arrives on Monday.
Once we're moved, we'll have lived in 7 'homes' in about 7 months and Anna will have lived in 2 different houses in less than 2 months. The house we're moving to is the same type of house that we're living in now but with a few improvements: wall-to-wall carpeting, new tile in the kitchen and bathroom, ceiling fans and new light fixtures, new countertops, updated shelves in the laundry room, and the exposed brick walls are now covered and so are the cedar ceilings. Also, instead of a carport, we'll have a garage which will be so nice in the winter!
I'll post again when we're moved in- now it's time to get packing!!

Oh Baby!

Our little girl is one month old! We had a little photo shoot on May 25 to commemorate this milestone and thankfully, she was very cooperative!

She had a little growth spurt over the weekend which meant she loudly demanded to be fed every 3 hours. This is our normal day schedule but she usually goes for a longer stretch at night but not this weekend. Hopefully, she'll sleep well over the holiday weekend since we're heading to the "big city" for a couple days and one night to have some fun outside of Enid. Our hotel has an indoor pool and we might even visit the Oklahoma City Zoo! One thing is for sure- we're doing some shopping! We'll hit up the stores that our little town doesn't have, including Target, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Babies R Us and the Home Depot.

In other baby news, our friends Nathan and Megan just found out that they're having a little boy! They had their 20 week ultrasound and the baby was cooperative in showing "his Y chromosome at work" according to Megan. It's so exciting to have friends going through a pregnancy so soon after our little girl arrived. And even though they live in Florida and we're out here in Oklahoma, we stay in touch via Facebook and talk about our babies through wall posts and photo comments.

Also in baby fashion news, I found some really cute Air Force related apparel at CafePress.com where they also have apparel for all military branches as well as just cute baby things!

Here's one of my favorites:

I love being a mommy!

As I sit here with Anna fast asleep on my chest, I still can't believe she's ours. She is so sweet and wonderful and Daniel and I can't get enough of her little noises and faces. She changes everyday and is growing big and strong. She's visited the pediatrician twice for her well-baby check ups. The first visit she was back to her birth weight (6lb. 3oz.) and on Friday, she weighed in at 7 pounds 1 ounce which means she averaged more than an ounce per day in between her visits! With this news, the doctor told us we don't have to wake her for feedings anymore- she'll let us know when she's hungry. And she certainly does! Her little cries come over the monitor and we're up and tending to our little princess.

She's met all of her baby friends and they (along with their wonderful mommies and more of my friends) welcomed her with an All Pink baby shower on Thursday. It was so much fun! Anna slept through a good part of it, but I enjoyed talking with my girlfriends, eating delicious food and playing shower games. We got so many beautiful gifts and Anna has been in a new outfit every day since then! She's so tiny that many of her 0-3month clothes are still too big but she has a lot to grow into and she'll be stylin' for a long time.

Anna Grace is Here!!

Our little miracle arrived at 7:32pm on April 25, 2010 weighing 6 pounds 3.4 ounces and measuring 20 inches long. Her debut into this world came after a long, hard labor for me but she is well worth all of it.

I went into labor Saturday afternoon during a game of Scrabble with my wonderful husband. My contractions became more regular by 5- just in time to go to church and I breathed through them every 20 minutes until it was time to go home. We ate some dinner (which happened to be a terrible idea on my part.) and got ready to go to the hospital. A little after midnight when I threw up my entire dinner, we decided it was time to go to the Birth Place at St. Mary's Hospital. With my contractions coming every 5 minutes we were sure that I had made some progress but was disappointed to find out that I was still only 1 cm dilated after the nurses had set up a room for me. They weren't sure if they were going to keep me but I'm so glad they eventually registered me as an in-patient the next morning- after a long night of contractions and no sleep for Daniel or me.

I was still only about 3 cm after lots of walking up and down, up and down the halls as well as laboring in the whirlpool tub they had in the room. With the contractions getting more painful and me getting more tired, I decided to get an epidural. After 16 hours of unmedicated labor, it was the right choice. Unfortunately, even with the epidural and some pitocin, I wasn't making much progress. To make matters worse the nurses had rolled me onto my right side to try to get the baby's heartbeat doing what it was supposed to be and none of the epidural was going to my left side- I felt everything for about 15 minutes (felt like an eternity) before the anesthesiologist came in to fix it. Shortly after that was corrected, Tonnya, one of my nurses, came in and told us that the doctor (not my doctor since he wasn't on call) had made the call to do a c-section. It was an extremely disappointing moment for us since I had labored more than 24 hours at this point. However, it was the best thing for the baby and we knew that a regular delivery was no longer an option. Dan called both sets of our parents to let them know and then changed into scrubs while they got me ready for surgery. Once I was all numbed up and scrubbed down, they started the surgery and after a few minutes, our little baby was born. Daniel saw her before I did since I was behind the big blue screen but after she was all cleaned up, he introduced me to our beautiful daughter. This is very fitting since he was the one who told me that the pregnancy test I took in August was positive.

We received excellent care while at the hospital and came home Wednesday afternoon. It's been wonderful having my mom, great-aunt and little sister here. They've taken good care of us and eating my mother's cooking has been fabulous! (She made us chicken parm last night. It was so yummy!) My Aunt B left for Pittsburgh this morning and my Dad is coming on Wednesday.
Thanks for all your prayers and well wishes. We are so happy to finally have our little angel.

Still here, still pregnant!

I'm 2 days away from my due date with very little progress made within the last week. I saw the doctor yesterday and he said I'm only 1 centimeter dilated. It's normal for the first baby to take a little longer, but I really want to have this baby now! I'm hoping that we'll see some action this weekend, but we'll have to wait and see. All the moms in my bible studies have told me the old wive's tales are exactly that and won't help at all.

"Don't try the castor oil. It won't work and it's disgusting!" -Jessa (mom of 2).

We have an appointment for Wednesday morning and I'll keep everyone posted on if it's necessary. Keep praying for the health of the baby and that he or she decides to make their arrival before we have to induce!

The Waiting Game...

At 39 weeks with no progress made at all, I'm getting a little impatient with our baby. It's just that I can't wait to meet him or her and knowing that I can do nothing to speed up the arrival of our bundle of joy is frustrating. However, there is a plus side to the 'no progress' report from Dr. M- Daniel and I are taking a weekend trip to visit his parents. They're only a few hours away and it will be nice to get in one more pre-baby visit.

As we continue to wait for the baby, we also continue to prepare ourselves for parenthood. Our monitor, high chair, baby tub and some other items arrived this week and they've all been set up. We took an Adult/Infant CPR class on Wednesday morning and both passed the final test. It was a great class that covered CPR, working an AED, as well as how to help someone who is choking. We made a trip to Lowes earlier this week for some more finishing touches to the house and ordered a beautiful coffee table and end table set from a local furniture store that will be here in a few weeks. With Daniel's beautiful installation of our living room curtains and a shelf in the bathroom, our dresser delivered yesterday (it would've been accompanied by our mirror but that broke before it even got here so they are sending us a new one- whenever that will be!), and our wonderful, comfy couches residing in the living room, our house finally feels like a real home.

We also received our video camera that we ordered from Sears. We're really happy that it arrived before the baby did! It will be wonderful to capture our baby's life on tape (or digital memory, as in this case) right from the beginning. I'll be sure to post little clips on here so all of you can meet our bundle of joy.

Home Sweet Home!

I have never been happier to see 2 toothbrushes in the bathroom holder or the Irish Spring soap bar in the shower or the Subaru Forrester sitting in the drive... Daniel is finally home and will be home for a long, long time. He successfully completed his training in Colorado and arrived back in Enid yesterday around five- just in time for dinner!

It's so nice to have him back at home. We had a wonderful meal of roast beef, Olive Garden roasted potatoes, and some green beans. I even made my mom's classic dressing for his after-dinner salad. I also baked some brownies for dessert but we didn't get to them since we were so full from dinner! I would have toasted him with champagne, but in my current condition, it's best to stay away from the bubbly stuff.

The baby has been very obedient- we both asked him/her to stay put until Daniel came home and he/she did. I saw the doctor on Wednesday and I'm not dilated at all. He said that there's plenty of time for things to progress naturally but also mentioned that he won't let me go past 41 weeks, which would make the deadline April 30th. Hopefully, we won't have to go the induction route, but it's all in God's hands.

Daniel's only been back 24 hours, but he's been very busy- already picked up and put together (with a little help from me) our headboard and nightstand. We're expecting our couches tomorrow and the rest of our bedroom set arrives on Wednesday. It will be so nice to have all of our furniture in our house instead of on a truck or in a warehouse. We need just a few finishing touches, like curtains for our sliding glass door and a rug for the baby's room, and we'll be set!

Easter in Pittsburgh!

Despite my swollen feet from travel, I had an amazing trip to Pittsburgh to celebrate Easter with my family. I got in on a Wednesday and spent the evening with my siblings and parents at home with a homemade apple pie to finish off the day. Thursday was a day spent with Gramma Irene (my dad's mom) who is on her way to recovery after having hip surgery a few months ago. She came to our house to make traditional Italian Easter bread- pasca. It was an incredible process to take part in and the little details were so important! The eggs had to be at room temperature, the milk had to be warm-but not too warm, and a small pinch of sugar had to be added to the yeast. The most amazing thing was how she mixed the ingredients- she did it right on the countertop with no bowl or mixer needed. Since the amount of ingredients (3 pounds of flour, a dozen eggs, etc) would overwhelm even the biggest bowl, Gramma formed the flour into a bowl shape and added the ingredients slowly while bringing in small amounts of the flour. After the mixing, we had to let it rise 3 times before braiding and baking it. I must say that it turned out very well and it was one of my favorite parts of our Easter brunch.

After taking Gramma home, we stopped by to meet the newest cousin on my mom's side of the family: Ryan Thomas. He is beautiful and such a sweet baby! It was great to meet him when he's still so tiny- only 6 days old! His big brother, Patrick, is precious to watch since he's only 2 and still a baby himself. My Aunt Annie is recovering well after her c-section and Uncle Tommy is doing a good job as husband and dad as well as host- he treated all of us to soft pretzels while we visited.

Friday was a pretty quiet day since it was Good Friday and the family doesn't do much between the hours of 12 and 3 in the afternoon. However, that evening after a dinner of Juliano's pizza (my absolute favorite!) we were joined by Aunt Annie, Uncle Tommy, Patrick and Ryan to dye Easter eggs. Gracie and Patrick had a lot of fun. Gracie enjoyed dying her eggs in multiple colors and to Patrick, every color was "Blue!"

Saturday was spent cleaning the house to get ready for hosting Easter brunch but I wasn't too much help since I was still sporting Fred Flintstone feet. After sweeping downstairs, I cleaned something else that didn't require being on my feet- the computer. I uninstalled lots of stuff that was unnecessary and slowing it down. Now it runs smoothly and without annoying programs that pop up whenever you log in. After a busy day, we all got dressed up and headed to the Easter vigil at my home parish, Holy Trinity. It was a beautiful service and I got to see some friends from home which was great.

Sunday was another gorgeous day- blue skies and plenty of sunshine! Looking for Easter baskets was fun though I had some trouble locating mine.... the bunny was tricky this year. Aunt Nancy came early to help with the cooking and by noon, the whole family had arrived and it was a great time to catch up with everyone. I finally got to meet little Penelope Ann (born 3/15/2010) and she is just precious! Her 3 year old big sister, Lilly, told me she helps mommy with the baby- even with diapers. Lilly and Grace enjoyed playing dress up and grocery store while Penny got passed around and Gramma gave orders in the kitchen. It was a delicious meal and a relaxing afternoon before we said good bye to dad's side of the family and headed over to Grandma and Pap's house to see mom's side of the family for dinner.

My cousin, Mary Kate, definitely had the best reaction to my surprise visit and it was so good to see her and the rest of the Kelly clan. The little kids enjoyed a wild egg hunt in the backyard and I enjoyed catching up with my aunts, uncles and cousins. I'm so glad I got to travel home for the week- it would have been hard to go for more than 6 months without seeing everyone. I am planning on bringing the baby to Pittsburgh this summer during Daniel's first couple of weeks of academics of UPT (undergraduate pilot training) since it's very rigorous and he could use the calm and quiet as he begins his pilot training..... and because I don't think I could go more than a few months without having Juliano's pizza!

There and Back Again: A Lady's Tale

It started as a wish, then a dream and thanks to a healthy pregnancy, my husband’s blessing and an “OK” by my doctor, it became a reality: I got to go to Pittsburgh for Easter! With Daniel still in Colorado, I wasn’t sure what to do for the holiday until he suggested that I look into flying home. After anxiously waiting for my appointment with my doctor, (and trying desperately not to get my hopes up in case he said no) I asked Dr. M if I would be alright to fly. He asked some questions: have you had any contractions yet? Where are going? How long will you be there? My answers: No, Pittsburgh, 6 days. His final verdict: YES! But please, don’t go into labor while you’re that far away. I assured him that I would do my best to avoid having the baby in Pittsburgh and that mission has been accomplished.


Once I got the green light to go, I searched for flights and found one that got me there pretty directly with a more round-a-bout way back to Oklahoma. I booked it and then called my parents who were very happy to hear that I’d be home for the Easter. We decided to keep it a secret from the extended family and my little sister, Grace, who at 5 years old doesn’t keep secrets very well. Since gabbing to my cousins about my trip home and not sharing my exciting news through online networks (Facebook and here), I was bursting to tell someone- anyone who would listen- so I gushed about it to my college friends and to my new friends from Vance, who can relate to the excitement of a trip to see family.

As the time drew nearer to my departure, I got everything together- packed my bag, asked a friend to get our mail, and called Airport Express for a ride to the Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City, an hour and a half from Enid. I was due to be picked up at 7:00am and was enjoying my breakfast of a granny smith apple when I got a call: “Uhh, ma’am? This is Airport Express. They won’t let me on to the base.” Well, chalk another one up to learning through experience- as a newbie military wife, I assumed that security forces would just call and confirm that I had called the cab and then let them on base- that obviously was not the case. I would have called a friend for a ride to the visitor’s center which is right outside the gate but since it was “O-dark-thirty” (military speak for the early hours when pilots must wake before reveille and report to the flight line), I decided to just walk (or rather, waddle) the half mile to past the gate to meet my cab driver. Thankfully, the weather was warm, the breezes mild and the outbound lane mostly clear. After that unexpected morning walk, the trip to Pittsburgh was smooth and I was greeted by my mom and Gracie, who was speechless when she saw me walk up to the car.

It was so good to see my family!

The visit to Pittsburgh was wonderful and I’ll post more specifics about what happened there, but the purpose of this entry to detail my travels… so you know how I got there and now here’s how I got back to good ol’ Enid, Oklahoma…

With a later departure time and a much shorter drive to the airport (15 max), I didn’t have to wake up with the sun and enjoyed an quiet morning with Mom and Gracie as I packed and ate some breakfast. After a trip to the bank to make some deposits, we headed to Wojanis Supply Company, where I worked from 2007 until I moved to Oklahoma last November. It was wonderful to see all my former coworkers and show how much the baby has grown since I left- which has been a lot considering I could still fit into my regular dress pants back then!

After “good byes” and “see you soons,” I headed to check in and then off to my gate. Everything seemed to be fine until I handed my boarding pass to the woman scanning them. It kept saying “Incorrect Seat Assignment.” I start to have a mini-panic attack since I had to make 2 connections before landing in OKC and needed to arrive on time in La Guardia to do so. It turned out that they had a last minute plane switch and rerouted me without letting me know beforehand. They told me they got me a seat on a direct flight to Dallas/Forth Worth which left 30 minutes later and that I could make my connection there to OKC. Since there wasn’t much I could do, I just went along with it and gladly accepted a ride to terminal D on one of those little carts usually reserved for elderly and handicapped people- apparently a big belly and swollen ankles qualify me as “handicapped,” but I’m not complaining!

Once at my new gate, I checked in with the man there- he asked, “Flying to Detroit?” “Uh, no, I’m trying to get to Dallas.” (Cue small panic attack.) Apparently, US Airways considers a “Through Flight” from Pittsburgh to Detroit to Dallas a direct one, but as long as I got to OKC eventually, I wasn’t going to fuss. I enjoyed the 37 minute flight with a row all to myself and then deplaned in Detroit only to board the same aircraft 40 minutes later. I wanted to make sure that I had a seat since it looked like it was going to be a full flight and the lady at the counter checked and told me I had the same aisle seat and that I was fine. When I tried to board this time, there was trouble again but it was quickly taken care of since it was just a small hiccup in the computer. The flight went well and I sat next to a nice woman who is hosting an exchange student from Finland. They’re visiting a friend in Dallas for spring break and had travel troubles of their own. Today just isn’t the day for plans to go accordingly!

After a dinner at Friday's and a purchase at Hudson Booksellers, I boarded my final flight of the day. It was just a hop to OKC and I was back on the ground and headed to find a cab. I had a wonderful driver and we had a pretty smooth ride to Vance despite the free light show God was putting on for us- I've never seen lightning like that before! It's so flat out here, it was quite a sight. Thankfully, no rain or tornadoes came our way and I made it back to our house safe and sound. I am so happy that I got to visit everyone in Pittsburgh, but I'm also glad to be back in Enid and that Daniel is almost back here with me!

Update on the Baby

So we're finally in the home stretch- I'm 36 weeks along (I'll be 37 weeks on Friday.) and ready to not  be pregnant anymore! Daniel's training is right on track and if weather and scheduling cooperate, he might even be home early. (Continue to pray for him and for good weather in Pueblo!) Combined, these two things mean that we will be ready to welcome our addition in just a few weeks!

I saw Dr. McFadden this morning and he said the baby looks nice and healthy. He noticed that the baby was measuring a little on the small side, in about the 14th percentile instead of the 50th where 36 weekers usually are. However, since the fluid around the baby was good, the doctor isn't worried about the size. He called calculating the weight from the ultrasound "an elaborate guessing game" so it's not exact and since Daniel and I, along with our siblings, were on the smaller side at birth, Dr. McFadden said that our baby is just fine.

I can't say I'm completely ready for the whole labor and delivery thing, but what first time mom ever feels 100% prepared for something she's never experienced before? After our birthing class and reading What to Expect When You're Expecting, I feel better prepared and I know I'll have Daniel, who's a wonderful coach, by my side the whole time. I hope to have a drug-free delivery, but I'm not ruling out medical intervention- we'll see how I handle the pain when the time comes!

Score One for Team Baby Boy!

I'd like to formally announce the arrival of another Kelly cousin- Ryan Thomas Carr. He arrived the morning of March 26 and weighed 8lbs 5oz. He joins his brothers- Zachary (19) and Patrick (2) along with his mom and dad, my Aunt Annie and Uncle Tom. He had a lot of visitors at the hospital- my mom sent me a picture of a bunch of cousins who came to meet the newest member of the family. All together my grandparents have 24 grandchildren and 4 (soon to be 5) great-grandchildren but each one is a huge blessing and cause for much celebration.

Ryan is the 2nd new baby of this year and has tied up the score: Girls- 1 Boys-1. We'll just have to see what we have to see which side wins!

Spring has Sprung!

I just got back from running errands around base and the best part was definitely the weather- it is absolutely gorgeous outside. The breeze is warm, the sun is shining and the sky is a perfect blue. I turned off the heat in the house and opened our sliding glass door for the first time since moving in! It's hard to believe that just over a week ago I was shoveling a 16" snow drift out of our driveway. I've learned that Oklahoma weather is incredibly fickle, but right now, I love it.

The warmth outside reflects the warmth in my heart as I settle back into my house. For the last week, I was in Wichita Falls, TX staying with my in-laws, Pat and John. It was wonderful to spend time with them and have some company. I've been lonely since Daniel left for Colorado, but his training is about halfway over and I'm hoping that he will be home soon. Pat and I did a lot of baby shopping at Toys R Us since we don't have one here in Enid. She bought her grandbaby a brush since the doctor informed us that he could see hair on the baby's head with the ultrasound. On Friday, she hosted a baby shower for me with her Bunco group. They are wonderful ladies who meet monthly to play Bunco and spend time together. I had a lot of fun and am so thankful for the beautiful gifts they gave to our baby.

Another source of my 'warm, fuzzy' feeling is my Monday morning bible study. It's made up of women from the Student Spouses Group, meaning that all of our husbands are here at Vance for pilot training. Every one of us can understand (or will soon understand) demanding schedules, rigorous academics and husbands that are rarely home since they're either in the air, in the classroom or in a study group. Each of the girls brings something special and I'm so blessed to have found a group that is so faith-filled and family oriented (about half of us have babies). We're doing a Beth Moore study of the book of Daniel, which is focused on integrity. We have 2 sessions under our belts and so far, so good!

1 here, 2 to go!

This morning at 1:45am, a little miracle arrived in Pittsburgh! My cousin, Maggie, gave birth to her daughter, Penelope Ann. Penny joins her big sister, Lilly who just turned 3 in February. Our prayers were certainly answered since Maggie had a very long labor with Lilly and ended up needing a c-section, but this time around everything went smoothly and she had a successful VBAC! I'm looking forward to meeting my new little cousin.

Next week, my Aunt Annie is scheduled for a c-section to deliver her little one. I'll be sure to post stats on both new babies once I get that information.  I love that all three of us have decided to be surprised about whether the baby is a boy or a girl. So far- Girls: 1 Boys: ?

A true blessing from God...

"I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb." Jeremiah 1:5

The Lord has a plan for our little one and I am so excited to find out what that plan will be as it unfolds. Daniel and I have already bonded with our baby and we haven't even found out if it's a boy or a girl. Since Daniel left for his Initial Flight Screening in Colorado today and will be gone for up to a month, we took some photos of our growing family. It worked out well since I was already dressed up for my virtual baby shower that my wonderful mom threw for me today. We used Skype and webcams so I could attend the festivities and got to talk to some of my family and friends. It's amazing that even at 1000+ miles away, I could still 'speak' through signing to my Aunt Randi who is deaf and give everyone a tour of our new house. It was wonderful to see so many familiar smiling faces on my screen. I look forward to introducing our baby to all those that helped us prepare for his or her arrival.

Here are some photos from our 'family photo shoot'

Maybe It's a Sign...

As of tomorrow, I will be 34 weeks pregnant and that means about 6 more weeks of back pain, constant forgetfulness and baby punches to the bladder. Daniel is continuing to do his reading of "Heading Home with Your Newborn" and we both attended "Infant Communication" class today. It was really interesting and I'm glad we went. Besides learning about Baby Signs and how to teach our little one this "in between" communication before he/she can form words, it was a chance for me to see some women that I hadn't seen in a long time. I met them at a coffee in January when Allison was still pregnant and Maggie had her baby Drew in tow at just 3 months old. Now, Allison is a mommy of 2 and brought her 4 week old baby boy to the class and Drew is 5 months old and getting so big! It's great to be back in a community of women who will be together for more than 6 weeks (like at ASBC). They're so welcoming and sweet! They invited me to join in a Beth Moore bible study that will be starting in a couple of weeks as well as the baby playgroup that Maggie hosts at her house.

The one thing that I've noticed about being around other military wives is that we look after our own- when I mentioned that Daniel was going to Colorado for IFS and taking the car (which I can't drive anyways...), Maggie said "But how will you get to the store?! If you need anything, we're always in the car and can take you where you need to go." Allison was also very generous and said that she'd be able to give me a lift to bible study and to the playgroup since she's on base and just down the street from me. It's nice to know that there are so many people around us that are experiencing what we are or soon will be experiencing- TDYs (temporary duty assignments, like IFS or ASBC), new babies, husbands who are spending most of their days on the flight line, and knowing that we won't be here for more than 2 years, at most. It's a different kind of lifestyle, but I wouldn't trade it- I have my wonderful husband who has his dream job, I'm about to become a mom and we have a home of our own with great neighbors around us. Life is good.

The gloves are off... and by gloves, I mean rings...

Yesterday was the day it hurt to get my rings off and I decided to retire my engagement ring and SMC class ring. These rings aren't just fashion accessories for me, they're very meaningful and I rarely take them off. It was a little sad to know that I probably won't be able to wear them until after the baby is born, but it won't be long until that day arrives. I can still get my wedding ring on and off comfortably, but it's definitely a bit snugger than usual- we'll see how long it lasts!

In other baby related news, we've purchased paint for the nursery and plan to work on that this week. Our plan is to paint broad vertical strips of light yellow on the already white walls. There are two 'panel' sections- one above the closet and one above the door- that we're thinking about using as canvases to do some stenciling that incorporates dragonflies since they're featured on the bedding. A trip to Hobby Lobby this afternoon should help further that along.

We attended our childbirth class on Saturday which was helpful and very informative. Daniel was a very good coach and I feel more confident about my choice to try for a natural labor. The instructor was a L&D nurse who has over 30 years of experience and has been on both sides of delivery- as a mom of 4 and a coach for her daughters. We went over breathing exercises, the different stages of labor and what kinds of medical interventions are available including the pros and cons of them. Daniel said I was the most 'put together' mommy out of the group and I think he was the best coach... since he didn't answer the question "What is a focal point?" with "A point where you focus."

The countdown to Daniel's departure to Colorado is quickly ticking down so we're soaking up all the time we have together. We're hosting Ben, his younger brother, for a few days while he's on spring break, which has been great. It's wonderful to have a visitor in our new house!

Baby Update!

Between the kicks to the ribs and punches to the bladder, our little one is making his or her presence known quite frequently. We got to see our little bundle of joy on the ultrasound last Monday and the doctor says he/she weighs about 4 pounds 2 ounces! Another positive note is that the baby is pretty much head down, which will make a natural delivery easier.

Belly at 32 weeks- in our new kitchen!

Daniel and I toured both of the hospitals in town and have picked St. Mary's, which is the smaller of the two. Both hospitals have level II nurseries, lactation consultants, nice amenities (tv, dvd player, stereo) and nice rooms for mom and baby as well as a place in the room for daddy to sleep comfortably. We decided on St. Mary's for a few reasons: they have LDR (labor, delivery, recovery) rooms and then separate postpartum rooms, which have beds that are more comfortable and lower to the ground than those in the LDR rooms; the jacuzzi, which helps to relieve labor pains, is separate from the shower and bathroom (Integris has them, but they're connected to the shower); according to our doctor (chief of the L&D wing at St. Mary's) the food is better at St. Mary's and they even have their own pastry chef! [The food was not a deciding factor in our decision, but it certainly doesn't hurt!] We'll be attending a childbirth class on Saturday at the hospital since it's the only one offered between now and the due date that Daniel will definitely be here to attend.

It's been wonderful setting up the nursery in our new house and washing all the little clothes. I washed, dried and ironed all of the bedding and valances today. Once we get some supplies, it will really start coming together- we need to get paint and some hardware for hanging the window treatments. I promise to post pictures as we continue to get our house together. I also finished the sweater I've been working on for the baby. It's made from alpaca wool (red) and a merino wool (cream). Here are some pictures of that:

Along with getting ready for our baby, I am delighted that a few more babies are on their way! Not only are Nathan and Megan expecting (see earlier Pensacola post), but so is another friend of mine from Saint Mary's along with a friend here from Vance, Andrea. It's really neat to know Andrea and Matt are expecting because before we left for Alabama, she mentioned to me that they were going to start trying for a baby using NFP (natural family planning) and they were successful! So now even more bundles of joy will be joining us this year and I ask that you all keep the babies and their parents in your prayers. God Bless!

The Eagle Has Landed!

We've finally moved into our on-base house and couldn't be happier. Daniel's parents who have been storing most of our things drove them up to Enid on Saturday. Like mother-in-law, Pat, said, it was just like Christmas- opening all of our wedding gifts again and remembering all of the beautiful things we have to make the house a home. It was a long day of unpacking and setting up, but it was well worth it when we got to curl up on our new bed with our bedding and silky soft sheets in our bedroom.

Daniel and his dad, John, did most of the heavy lifting and assembled the baby's crib and two twin beds. The twin beds used to be Daniel's and Ben's (Daniel's brother) but now that both of them have flown the nest, Pat and John are going to turn their room into a guest room with a queen sized bed and they were kind enough to pass on the beds to us. Since our guest room is on the smaller size, we put one bed in there along with Daniel's old dresser and put the second in the nursery for those late night feedings that will be here before we know it.

While I set up our kitchen and sorted through boxes to find things like towels and things, Pat set up our bathroom, made beds and put our linen closet together. I can't imagine how long it would have taken Daniel and I to do everything that was accomplished on Saturday- we are so grateful for his parents' help!

Here is a link to some photos- I documented a lot of Saturday's work. I'm looking forward to when our bedroom set will arrive along with our sofas, but that won't be for a few weeks. Thankfully, we have our washer and dryer, our wonderful new mattress, as well as cable, internet and phone. If you'd like to have our new address and phone number, leave a comment or shoot me an email- I'd be happy to pass that along.

Even the spa has an acronym!

During the spouse orientation at the beginning of this training, we received a packet entitled "Air Force as a Second Language." And it couldn't be titled more appropriately! With just a little over 3 months as an Air Force wife, I've become proficient in the language of acronyms. Here's just a sampling of what I've learned so far.

• I've stayed in a VOQ (visiting officer quarters) as well as a TLF (temporary living facility).
• I am currently in Alabama because Daniel is on TDY (temporary duty) to attend ASBC (air and space basic course) which is part of SOC (squadron officer college).
• Next month, Daniel will head out to Colorado for IFS (initial flight screening). Later this year, he'll start UPT (undergraduate pilot training). Since he's a pilot, I'm part of the SSG (student spouses group) and may join the OSC (officers' spouses club).
• And today, I got to have a pregnancy massage at APOHOE (A Piece of Heaven on Earth) spa. It was amazing and I highly recommend any military wife do some searching to see if your base or post has a spa. The prices are great and the service I received was wonderful.

We have a home!!!

After many months of uncertainty and lots of stressing, our prayers have finally been answered: We have a house on base! We were starting to look at houses and apartments off base and I was starting to freak out over the fact that Daniel would be gone for up to a month and I would be stranded in a new neighborhood far away from the comfort, convenience and community of living on-base. We got the call just last week and after seeing pictures that a Pinnacle employee took, we decided to take it. It is one of the unrenovated homes which means we will most likely be moving in the later half of 2010 to a renovated home so they can either demolish or renovate the original home. However, once we're on base, they can't kick us off which is comforting. I can't possibly convey how much of a relief this is. After being told we would have a house in 30 days, and later being informed they weren't moving anyone into the base housing until February 2011, this is an unbelievable blessing. It makes us very happy to know that our baby will have a house to come home to once he or she arrives in April.

Our new kitchen!!

Thank you for all the prayers! We'll be passing along our address once we get it from Pinnacle.

Welcome to the Sunshine State!

After a rather dreary week in Montgomery, Daniel and I braved the 'blizzard' that descended upon Alabama to drive down to Pensacola for the long weekend and some time with friends from our pre-Air Force life. Though the roads were really just wet (It never got below freezing!) and visibility was about as clear as you can get, Alabama drivers were pretty distraught at the white stuff falling from the sky. On our drive down, we saw lots of tire tracks where people had pulled over because they were too scared to drive in snow. These tracks were often paired with snowmen since Alabamans don't get much snow and it might be their only chance at making one!

Once we arrived in Pensacola, we called up our Pittsburgh friends, Mike & Emily, who are based at the Pensacola Naval Air Station where Mike will train as a pilot. We grabbed a bite to eat at the Ruby Tuesday which was walking distance from our hotel and caught up with our fellow newlyweds. (See a couple of their wedding pictures in a December post.) It was so good to see them!

Mike and Em at the beach...

Saturday was a great day of yummy food and good friends. After breakfast and a swim at the hotel, Dan and I met Mike and Emily at Mellow Mushroom where we enjoyed delicious pizza before a little bit of window shopping at a nearby mall and a trip to the beach. Apparently the sand at Pensacola is special and finer than most other beaches. It was a bit chilly and very windy, but it was a great walk and a first for both Daniel and I- our first trip to the Gulf!

Daniel and the Gulf of Mexico

After some Catchphrase, yummy stirfry a la Emily and watching the Olympics back at the Rueda house, we called it a night and headed back to our extremely comfortable king sized bed- a definite upgrade from our full sized bed back at Maxwell!

My beautiful flowers from my Valentine

Sunday was our first Valentine's Day as a married couple and it was wonderful. We went to lunch at Olive Garden, which was the place to be and thus, very crowded. Our waitress was so sweet and kept apologizing for the long wait. Once our meals finally did come out, my grilled chicken put up a fight in coming off the skewer and the waitress ended up flinging a couple of the pieces onto the floor. After many more apologies, she sent it back to the kitchen because it was burnt and the manager came out to let us know that the meal was taken care of by the restaurant. After eating our fill, we headed back to the hotel for some Olympics and relaxation before evening mass with Em and Mike. We said our good-byes after church and went our separate ways to enjoy dinner as couples. Overall, it was a great day and a very memorable Valentine's Day.

We celebrated Presidents' Day with some friends from Notre Dame. Through the wonders of Facebook, I got in touch with Megan and Nathan who are based at Eglin AFB about an hour and a half from Pensacola. They happened to be in town meeting some family for dinner and we were able to get together for lunch. We had a lot to celebrate since Megan and Nathan recently found out that they are expecting a little one! Nathan says it's what all the cool Catholic married couples are doing. :-) It was a wonderful way to finish our weekend in Pensacola and having the chance to visit our friends all over the country is just one of the many reasons Air Force life is so special.

Baby Update

As my belly grows and it gets harder to see my feet, I'm getting very excited to welcome our little one. I'll be 29 weeks along tomorrow which means I've been in my third trimester for 2 weeks. It's hard to believe that in less than 3 months we'll finally meet our baby. Here is the most recent picture of my baby bump taken at 28 weeks:

I finally started working on a baby registry to make a list of all of the items we need for baby. I'm still researching strollers and car seats but we did pick out our high chair. Another ASBC wife, Desiree, who is a mom of 2, showed me her high chair and what she liked about it- removable tray insert, recline feature, and an adjustable height for when the baby is big enough to sit at the table. She found hers on craigslist.com and I was able to find a similar model at Babies R Us.

Earlier this week, I recieved a beautiful gift from a fellow Bump.com member who is also due in April. We had set up a gift exchange among a group of "April Due Drops" and I received 2 adorable long-sleeved onesies made from organic material. Both are in neutral colors- green and yellow- and one has a pea pod on top of a globe and says "Peas on Earth." I'm looking forward to shopping for more baby clothes and having my baby wear booties, socks and the sweater that I've knit!

My American Hero

It's a bird! It's a plane! No! It's my husband- and he's my American hero. Not because he has chosen to serve in the US Air Force (although I'm very proud of him for that, too), but because he has stepped up to the plate during my pregnancy and has been an amazing support for me. I truly think dads-to-be get the shaft as far as recognition goes during the 9 months before parenthood. And believe me, I know that moms-to-be are the ones who go through the weight gain and other crazy body changes, but who is there to tell them that they still look beautiful and attractive after they've gained all that weight? If they're lucky enough to have a husband as wonderful as mine, they have someone to look them in the eye and tell them that they have always been and always will be the most beautiful woman they've ever seen.

Besides boosting my self-confidence, he indulges my pizza cravings, reads me to sleep when I can't relax, massages away my sore back and understands of my varying states of fatigue. He also has dealt with my crazy mood swings with love and lots of hugs. He has definitely gone beyond the call of duty when it comes to being a good husband.

While visiting TheBump.com, there was a question posted on the third trimester board asking moms-to-be what they were most surprised about when it came to pregnancy. A lot of women talked about different symptoms which I haven't experienced (thankfully), but one woman posted something that I could completely understand:

"That it is possible to fall even MORE in love with your husband when he curls up to your belly and talks to your unborn baby."

 Having Daniel talk to our baby is one of my favorite things about being pregnant. The baby is moving so much now that Daniel gets to feel the kicks and punches very often and watching my tummy move is every day entertainment. I love how much Daniel has bonded with our little one already and I know he'll be a great dad. I definitely think that this experience has brought our relationship to a whole new level. And while we didn't think that we would become parents before we celebrated our first anniversary, we are really looking forward to meeting our beautiful baby this spring.