Can I share....

can I please just share how observant and smart my little man is? OK, thanks...

About 2 minutes ago Eli and I were sitting in the living room playing with trucks and trains when we heard a police car go by. Eli froze. He couldn't see it but obviously heard it. I couldn't tell if he was scared or just trying to figure out what was going on. After it passed, Eli stood up, walked over to a police truck that he has not even played with in well over a week and pushed a button on top to make the siren sound. And then he smiled a HUGE smile and clapped.

This kid truly amazes me every day. I am so blessed to have such an amazing and sometimes crazy little boy. God really knew what he was doing when he put us together.

25 weeks...

26 weeks with Eli

&

25 weeks with Andrew

I decided that I would do a comparison shot for the weeks I had pregnant pictures of myself with Eli. I started to wait until next week when I was actually 26 weeks but I'm bored. Eli has no interest in playing with mommy right now. I also started to wait until next week because my stomach was looking weird when I took the picture. Probably doesn't help that I'm wearing my non-maternity pants unbuttoned and the belly band was making a weird line.

I think that these two are going to be a lot alike. I can't imagine that Andrew will look much different from Eli since Daniel and I have a lot of the same features (or so we're told). He could come out a ginger baby though. We noticed a couple weeks ago that everything that is flavored in our house is strawberry. Seriously, our oatmeal, nutragrain bars, cream cheese, actual strawberries, gum, cake mix... I really could keep going but you get the picture.

And my last thoughts for the day... Is it just me or is it amazing how when tragedies happen is helps put so many things in your life into perspective. I have been hooked to my computer today reading stories and updates on the tornados all over the south. I'm so thankful for all of my friends and families safety and so sad for those who have lost their families, friends and pretty much everything else. It also makes me so thankful to see so many come together and help and love one another.

I saw this today on a friends fb and thought it was pretty appropriate, I'm pretty sure it's a song...

"God gives beauty for ashes, strength for fears, gladness for mourning, and peace for dispair..."

sweet child of mine...

First of all, I am partially to blame here. I need to put that empty bin out into the garage, but I've had a lot of better things to do. Like, drop my clean laundry that needs to be folded on top of it. Eli apparently thinks that the bin should be free from obstruction so he threw neatly placed everything in the floor for me. I watched him do it and didn't even stop him. I mopped last night anyways. What was really cute was him laying on top of them and almost falling asleep.

I really should pick these up soon. I've learned in the past week of living on base (if you are self conscious about the way your house looks then it really sucks) people stop by a lot and when they are walking by like to look in your windows. I'm not going to lie though. If I am driving through the neighborhood I sneak a peak as we pass by. I try to refrain myself when we are actually walking. I like seeing how other people have utilized the space they've been given.

And I HAVE to find an area rug for the living room! It's driving me in. sane.

And I never knew that one year olds could have their favorite shows. If the tv is on something else, he really doesn't pay it any attention. There are a few episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse that play repeatedly that he enjoys. But, if he even remotely heards the words "Special Agent Oso" he is entranced by the tele, as the Brits call it. If he is being particularly stubborn and refusing to eat, I can turn it on and trick him into eating. He doesn't realize what he's doing. And don't worry about getting in his way, he'll lean so you're out of the way.

24 weeks

please notice the drawer open to the left of the picture. eli is obessed with that drawer and it's contents (mixing spoons and spatulas)

wednesday i hit the 24 week mark and today was my appointment. they updated us on our 20 week scan and andrew is perfect as far as they can tell. i've gained almost 9lbs and picked up the ole heartburn. i can tell that carrying eli for long is getting a little harder and i lose my breath a lot faster running around after him.

statistically, andrew weighs a little over a pound and is about the length of an ear of corn. he's really lean but will soon start to fill out. according to his ultrasound his a little bit under what the average size is for a 24 week old fetus though. but something really cool to think about is that his taste buds are probably working now!

i'm going to go eat an ice cream sandwich just in case he can taste and fatten him up a bit!

Around the House

Have I mentioned that Eli has done a SUPER amazing job adjusting to the new house? I honestly don't even think that it phased him at ALL. He loves having so much room (inside and out, but mostly out) to do fun stuff. Here are just a few shots of him doing his "thang."

Really ladies, what a beefcake!

A plane! Sometimes the 15's scare him but if he sees them first he gets really excited!

And that is the front our our house...


I don't know what he is going to do when these guys go home tomorrow? Maybe he can help me plant more flowers since they dug up EVERYTHING in our backyard! grrrrr!

3 peas in a pod! And look at that hair sticking straight up. I'm sure that was from Churchill licking his head.

Early Easter

Since Daniel left on Tuesday, we decided to have our Easter this past Sunday. He must have really charmed the Easter Bunny! I uploaded them in the wrong order. Go me! I'm too lazy to fix it. Have I mentioned that I hate this little HP mini that I bought for Daniel's deployment? I'm considering just breaking down and getting a real computer. I miss my macbook! There really is a difference in the two systems. Mac makes everything so much easier. Perfect, because I'm lazy :)

Checking out his new toys, but doesn't he look sad?

Helping Dah, like he does with everything. I don't know how Daniel ever got anything accomplished before Eli came along.


Learning how to golf. The next Tiger Woods. Minus the multi-racial background and hopefully all the skanky girls and prostitutes. If I knew the names of any other golfers I would have used them instead....

Checking everything out. Can you see what he's reaching for? It would be the M&M's.

where to begin!?

I think that my last blog was the day we were moving. Well, we are officially in the house with only pictures left sitting around waiting to be hung. They probably won't be for a while though, since I'm no good at such things. However, I did figure out halfway how to get my internet hooked up, with the help from a dear friend.

Perfect timing on the internet getting connected today. Daniel is currently in Qatar waiting to go to the base where he will stay for the next 6 months. He left really early on Tuesday morning. Not only do I hate having to tell him goodbye, I hate even more having to do it at 5am standing in the freezing cold. Eli knows that something is up. He hasn't let me out of his sight for 1 minute since Daniel left. If I am in a room and he leaves, he will return shortly to check on me. He smiles, does a little flirty pose and goes back to his trucks. He is the man of the house so he has to make sure things are OK for mommy.

The past 3 days have absolutely been a blur. We have been up and out the door ever since he left and it's been nice. I haven't given myself time to melt down and maybe I can go without doing that. And if you know me, you know that I am NOT a busy person. I go with the flow and mostly just spend my days playing with Eli. I don't have to stay busy to let someone or even myself know how important I am....you and I already know. (just kidding, guys ;) )

Tomorrow I go for our 24 week check up and see how well Mr Andrew is growing. I can't remember if I posted how the big scan went. But Andrew is definitely still a little boy. Daniel wasn't entirely convinced until the tech confirmed. According to the scales in our bathroom I've gained about 8 or 9 pounds, but I don't trust it. It's always weird. He moves around A LOT. I think even more than Eli ever did. I try and picture what I think he will look like but it's hard, all I can see is Eli's little newborn face. I can't imagine that he will look much different.

The weather here has been so perfect. Definitely hard to be depressed with such beautiful warm sunshine all around. Eli has enjoyed playing in the sprinklers with the dogs and riding his "bike" through the neighborhood. I'm really hoping that England keeps this up.

This post was totally all over the place... Hopefully I can figure out how to upload pictures onto Daniel's computer soon and post them. Of course they're all of the cutest little boy ever and I figured the blog world was having withdrawls not getting to see his adorable face. Daniel took my computer to the desert so he can do his school work. He's being a good boy and getting that master's!

Be sure to keep him and ALL the deployed soldier's safety in your prayers. He isn't in what's considered a "hot spot" but it's definitely a small, crappy base that you don't ever hear about. And as far as I'm concerned, every place "over there" is a hot spot!

That's all for now!

Moving Day!

It's finally here!!!!!

Our packers arrived at 8 am and it's only 9:30 and two rooms are already packed! But I can't tell you how stressful it is for me to sit around and just watch. I'm not totally organized, but I do know where my stuff is... Even if it's under a pile of clean laundry that's been sitting on the ironing board for 3 days. I just get so tense and twitchy...

3 more rooms...

At least I don't have to pack it though. It would take me hours just to do one room. I would be too worried about things going into the same box that won't be in the exact same location as each other when they become unpacked...

Our new house is absolutely amazing. I feel like it's OK to brag about it a little since we don't own it or anything. There are 3 bedrooms, 2 and a half baths, and HUGE kitchen, the laundry room is 6 times the size of the one we have now AND we can actually fit a car plus Daniel's motorcycle in our garage! We have a regular sized fridge, oven, stove and dishwasher... all were tiny little British ones in this house. But I think best of all is the back yard. Eli actually has grass to run around on. It's kind of sad that he's a little weary of the grass though, but we just don't have any in our yard now and he's not used to it.

My only problem... I am going to have to get a large area rug for the living room. And curtains. I've put off buying curtains for long enough and I am just not great at decorating. I'm going to have to enlist some help from my more design savvy friends. But the reason for the large rug is that the whole down stairs is WHITE. TILE. Yeah... I'm going to be buying a lot of the Swiffer Wet refills. I can feel it.

So anyway, just had to share my excitement of the big move today. Thank God it's a sunny day. I was convinced it would rain and make this really fun.

Here are just a few pictures I took yesterday in all the excitement of possessing the keys to the house.

Looking into the kitchen from the dining area

Eli out back, and part of the yard

I was standing in the living room area looking into where the dining area will be. I like that it's all open but it's laid out a little weird.

front of the house, or at least the left side of it!

And for some reason all of my pictures are cut into half. Sorry!

And this is how we are currently keeping ourselves busy! Is that laugh not the best?!?

13 months and a couple of weeks...

THAT, my friends, is how long Eli and I have been together. 24/7, it's always just me and the man. Except for a couple of hours where he has stayed with our parents or a really close friend. But every single day for the past year and 1 month, me and that little guy have been side by side. Showers, make-up applying, hair drying, bathroom using, cooking, cleaning, exercising (hah), shopping and "relaxing." We are always together.

I never realized how important it is to have just a little time to myself. And this Saturday, that is just what I did. And not only was it great for me, but he and his daddy spent the whole entire day together. Daddy had to do everything! Diapers, bottles, nap time, bath time, lunch and supper... which he doesn't get a WHOLE LOT of credit for since it was a take out pizza. But hey... I never said he was a master chef. I think Daniel was interested to experience a typical day for me.

But my day was absolutely amazing. I was invited by a sweet friend to go with her and some of the members of the spouses club to go enjoy a day out in London. We've only been one other time since we've been here and did all the typical touristy stuff. It was nice to just go and really enjoy the city. We went to Portobello Road and did some shopping and browsing. There were SO many gorgeous antiques, and I am not really an antique-y person. But wow. If I was rich and had a way to haul that stuff around for the rest of the day I would have come home with lots and lots. Instead, I got Eli a little antique British soldier. He was so cute and was from 1901. It's crazy to think that the little boy who played with it years and years ago is probably no longer here. We got a little lost after leave Portobello Road and ate lunch at McDonald's so that we could catch our showing of Stomp in time.

I was not too excited about seeing Stomp, especially since Legally Blonde was playing, but oh my gosh. It was amazing. It was also hilarious. They did a lot of crowd interaction type stuff but I can hardly keep a beat in my head much less transfer it to my hands and clap on time. And I'm still mad that I didn't get a souvenir t-shirt. I love t's and I love having t's from different things we've done and experienced... oh well...

Everywhere I looked throughout the day I saw babies or either I saw something that Eli would like or something that just plain old reminded me of him and made me miss him soo much. I truly have so much respect for working moms. I'm so blessed and fortunate that my job is taking care of my baby each and every day. I can't imagine taking care of a household and children PLUS a real full-time job.

At suppertime we ate real Mexican food! It was like being back in the states. The only thing they didn't have is the white queso, which I am guessing is just a southern thang. None of the Mexican restaurants in CA ever had it either. So disappointing! But it was still amazing and I ate enough guacamole for 4 people. Afterwards we headed back to the bus and back to Lakenheath. My little boo boo was already in bed but he was happy to see me the next morning. Which made me feel good!

I guess I'm good to go now for another 13 months....

Oh, and guess what... I took about 3 pictures the whole day and they aren't even good ones... boo.

00:13

For those of you not familiar with military time, that means 12:13 am. It's the time that was posted on my oven this morning the first time I got up with E. For some unknown reason he has started waking up at that time the past few nights with this most God awful whining. He isn't even crying. It truly is a horrible whine and if he were awake and it was the middle of the day I would just ignore it. Because E doesn't get attention for the fake crap. That's pretty much the only thing I really stick to as far as being firm with him goes.

So I get up at 00:13 make a small bottle, he takes a few gulps, goes back to sleep.

An hour later, same thing.

An hour and a half later, same thing.

I've tried letting him just fall back asleep but he just won't. Plus, he's already in our bed.

I've rubbed his back, held him, changed his diaper.

But give him a tablespoon of milk in a bottle and he's good to go. He won't take any more that that.

Eli is 14 months old. This HAS to stop and I don't know why he's doing it. He isn't hot, he isn't cold. It started when Daniel got back from Germany this past time. He had been sleeping from 7 pm to 7 or 8 am.

We are trying to decide what we are going to do about the bedroom situation for the boys. Daniel would like to have it decided before he leaves in a couple weeks so that it's done and I won't have to deal with it on my own. Such a good man. I have a feeling that if we get E a twin bed he would be more likely to sleep in it since we could actually lay him in it and if he woke up in the process I could just lay with him. I just feel like he's too young though? I don't want to rush him growing up just because we are having another baby.

I just can NOT take this whole up and down this 5 or 6 times during my last 6 or 7 hours of sleep for the night. I have a feeling it has something to do with his going to bed to early but it is impossible to keep him up past 7:30!

By the way, did you notice I said Daniel is leaving in a couple of weeks? I knew it would be before the end of the month, but it's actually about a week sooner than I thought it would be. We get the keys to the house next Monday and move in on Tuesday and he is only going to have a few days to enjoy living on base, which I'm sure he's going to be hanging pictures and hooking up the TV and other electronics for us. Thankfully today he is finishing up his out-processing and he will have the rest of the week off.

I'm trying to plan something for us to do, but I know if we do something fun then time will FLY by. I'd rather sit and stare and have it go by slow. But then I know we would regret not doing anything during his time off.

Ugh, now that I'm thinking about him leaving I'm thinking about how Eli is going to handle it. It is what makes me most sad about the whole situation. Eli's "dah" is his whole world. I'm important sometimes, but no one trumps Dah. Last Friday morning when we woke up and was clapping and singing about daddy coming home today. I swear, for the rest of the day Eli walking around the house clapping and singing Dah, Dah, Dah, Dah. He knew exactly what I meant and he was excited too. Daniel came in that evening after E was in bed and the next morning he woke up and realized his Dah was in bed next to him. He hugged him and jumped on him and talked to him forever. It was so sweet.

{E loving on his Dah}

6 months. 6 whole months I will have to look at Eli and even though he may be happy, I will know that he could be so much happier. I will know that playing cars with me isn't as fun and that Dah's boots are way better for hiding toys. But they will be far, far away. This isn't just about Daniel and I any more. It was a whole lot easier when it was. Just pray for Eli and Daniel. This is going to be so much harder for them than it will for me.

I read this posted on someone's Facebook yesterday... Some of them I've thought, other's were just a little too much. I knew what I was getting into when I married Daniel and I understand that not everyone "gets it." But SOME people really do say dumb things sometimes... but don't we all?

Eating Paper...

On Friday afternoon I made the important decision to address an issue via Facebook status that Eli and I have been having for... well, let's just say a little too long. My sweet little angel baby loves to sneak off into the bathroom, tear off teeny tiny little bits of toilet paper, and eat a handful bite or two. He also loves any chance he gets at a bill I left in my purse. Thankfully, (I guess you can call it thankful) A LOT of other babies are doing it too.

So anyway, Friday I was trying to get my hair dried and Eli likes to sit on the bed and watch. I forgot that I had left a paper bag on the bed and walked out of the room for a minute. When I walked back in, this is EXACTLY how I found my billy goat child. Thank goodness the camera was within reach. I have a feeling this could come in handy in a few years.

Here are a few of the Facebook replies I got from friends...

*Jake rips it up but doesn't eat it.... He saves that for dog poo... Haha

*Annabelle does the same thing..Only she eats it when she thinks we aren't

looking! Otherwise she tears it and hands me each piece, one at a time.

*Oh...anytime Ethan was ever quiet, I knew exactly where he would be...in the

bathroom tearing into the tp!!! He never ate it but the tp is just the beginning.

LOL Now he is into playdoh and likes to tear it into teeny tiny little pieces too.

So much fun :) Oh and when they get tired of tearing the tp, they quickly learn

how to tp the entire bathroom too. Better start stocking up on the paper products!

*A friend of mine's daughter always steals everyone's dinner napkins,

runs and hides, and stuffs them all in her mouth! Then guiltily hands over

a sloppy wad of slobbery napkin when she gets caught. Too funny!