Baby Bump update- 34 weeks

"Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. " (from babycenter.com) 

Well that is a sobering fact, especially since my 1st was only 18.5in when he was born and 7lbs 1 oz! I guess this baby is really coming, only 6 weeks to go? I keep procrastinating thinking if I don't prep for the baby then it won't come for a while. We all know this baby is coming whether i am ready or not. So things I should do that I keep putting off would be getting a car seat, stroller adapter for car seat, write a birth plan, buy the plane ticket for Daddy to come home, getting all the newborn clothes hung up, setting up the cloth diaper service, and packing a bag for the hospital. I am sure it will all get done, for some reason I am just not too worried about any of it, I just know it will all work out some how. I did get my maternity pics done last Friday and I am so excited about seeing them! I just need to get motivated to get on top of all this stuff. That is hard to do when all I want to do is enjoy my little man before we are going to need to share our time. Even as I write this is still fully sink in that in about 6 weeks this little guy is going to be in my arms and my lap is going to be on hot commodity! I am sure there will be an adjustment period for us all, but again I am positive it will all some how work out. Some how we will buy groceries, go to the park, and our other activities I just have no idea how any of that will happen. I guess we will just keeping moving our feet…

708 stars to go

3 weeks down, 101 to go. We are well and getting into our routine and everything is going well. I am a bit tired chasing a toddler around all day everyday with no break is hard work with 28 pounds of "baby" added to me. I have been researching recourses for helping toddlers deal with deployments. There is a huge void in this department. Most resources are for school age kids and babies. My husband will be visiting us over the next 2 years probably every six months or so, but for the most part it will just be the little feet and I. So my older son will be between the age of 19 months and 3 1/2 years old and our little guy will go from birth to 21 months with out Daddy really being around. So the issues with school age kids are toilet issues, and communication/ behavioral issues and babies are just recommended to hear and se pictures and your spouses voice on a regular basis. Ok that’s great but what do you do with a toddler who cannot communicate or use the potty yet? I don't think you can have an issue with something until they develop the skills to do those skills normally, well for my age range that is not the case. Yet my older one is way past the baby stage and knows something in his family dynamic has changed and needs a bit more then pictures and tape recordings. We skype on a regular basis but I am still unsure about this and if in the future we will have consequences later on down the road? I will just keep on doing what I know is right and lovin’ on my babies enough for the 2 of us and hope for the best?

Baby Bump update- 32 weeks

716 stars to go

Well two weeks down and we are getting into our groove. We are keeping very busy around here. Now that fall has begun we have lots of fun planed for this month. So over the next 25 days Scott and I have 2 football games, 2 baby bump appointments, 2 kid birthday parties, maternity pictures, a baby shower, Halloween, all on top of our normal Stroller Strides, MOPS and preschool activities. So now we have no more time for anyone getting sick around here anymore. We are talking to Dada pretty regular on Skype now and Scott and is pro at it. He sits on my lap and say "dada dada dada dada" while the phone rings it is quite cute and the Daddy doll and all the pictures of him up in the house are great too. I guess when he comes home to visit we will see if all our hard work pays off. Some times I wish there was a right way to do this. With all that is going on I have been taking more time to be silly with my little monsters!

saying no

I strongly believe the more you put into something the more you will get from it. I love being involved in many different activities and building friendships and community through those activities. Unfortunately with everything I have going on right now I got to know my limits because my number one priority has to be these kids. Saying no and not over extending your self is a key part of being a good parent in my opinion. Unfortunately in this military life we live staying busy during family separations is also important. So finding the balance in between is the trick. Now that I have lots of time to myself it is very hard for me not to become very involved in my different activities to have that adult interaction and time. Just being a member and not volunteering to take on more or be involved in every extra activity is very difficult for me to do. I feel like I am isolating or segregating myself by not being as involved as I could. I know that in about 2 months there will be a new little man in my life and my time will be split between the two kids. The month of December is going to even more hectic then normal between the Holidays a new baby and visitors. After all of that passes though it will just be the boys and I on our own and we will have to see what happens to our extra activities and how much I can keep going. I love having that community environment and family you get from being involved with different groups. Hopefully I can get a handle on this new chapter of our life and we can get things back up and running and back to our "normal" routine soon? Sometimes I wish I had a crystal ball. Till then I will just lay low and take care of my babies and myself.

attitude is everything

Instead of thinking of what you "have to" do for the day you should think what do you "get to" do today. The one thing I have learned from being with my Marine for the past 6 and half years is there are many ways to look at a situation and your attitude has everything to do with that. Every deployment and separation is hard and they are all different. Through the years of meeting other military girlfriends, fiancés, and wives you see many different attitudes about this life. When I was a new girlfriend and wife it was very clear to me that I choose this life and complaining about it was not an option. As I keep going down the road I realize it is not as easy as flipping a switch. Now with a child I have to hold it together and my attitude and outlook has everything to do with that. If I just fall apart or complain about anything to do with our life my son can read that from a mile away without me even saying a word. I remember when my son was an infant and would cry for no reason and I would just cuddle him and rock in the chair. I would clear my mind and just let go of everything from the day and just relax and quickly in time he would calm down right along with me. I think that lesson was a huge turning for me as a mom. So how do you change our attitude and outlook on the "stuff" in your life? It is a lot easier said then done. I think I was been raised with this outlook. My Mom was very sick while I was in high school and college and don't think other then very close friends and family really knew how bad everything was. I made a choice not to burden others with my problems and not to have a negative attitude about it all. We have all have had those friends in our lives that you now every time you talk to them you know they are going to have something to complain about. Just listening to someone with that negative attitude is tiring let alone, I could only imagine what it would be like, to live life with an attitude like that. I know if my husband ever caught wind that I was just sitting at home feeling bad for myself or complaining and having a negative attitude he would kick my butt and call me out on it. So tomorrow when you get up in the morning just choose to be happy. Focus and enjoy every little task you "get to" do and not what you "have to" do. If nothing else get on the floor and be silly with your babies they will show you what really matters!