The last couple of months have been crazy...

So I know from talking to a few of our blog fans that you're severely disappointed in the lack of blog postings for the past couple months - well, I'm sorry, it's been a little hectic...

Starting way back in November about the time that Amber posted her last entry, I was revving up for my Assignment Night (November 21st) by flying just about everyday - I know, how exciting. But it was, I've waited for this night for a very long time. Flying has fascinated me for most of life and now my one of my dreams is being realized - how cool is that? Assignment night comes and I'm selected to fly the E-3 Sentry or AWACS out of Oklahoma City (there's a picture of it at the bottom of this post). Not my first choice, but not bad one by any means. It's mission is to act as an airborne air traffic control and direct fighter and bomber aircraft to areas of need/concern. When I tell people this most of them assume that b/c of it's mission or purpose it is a dangerous plane to plane. Yes, it is an aircraft that the enemy would love to shoot down, but it always has some sort of escort, is never really close to the front lines, and it could see an enemy aircraft long before it would ever see it. Pretty cool, huh? I've also heard great things about OKC.

Thanksgiving is the week after assignment night which was good and bad. Good because our families were able to meet our little Zaylee for the first time, it was the first time I've been home since January, and there was plenty of good food - we to 3 different Thanksgivings. It was bad because trying to drive 9hrs with a 2mo old baby takes forever with all the stops - I think it took around 12ish hours to get home. Talk about painful. For Christmas Amber made the drive to IN with Zaylee by herself, I called her when she was almost there and she sounded on the verge of having a nervous breakdown.

After Thanksgiving it was back to flying my butt off. I had 2wks to get 4 flights in but mother nature decided to play havoc on our flight schedule - we had 3 or 4 days where nobody could fly. It got soo bad (how bad did it get?), that we had 3 people have their final checkrides the day before graduation - Talk about pressure to pass their rides. To put it into perspective, class 09-02 (the class before mine) finished all their rides with a week to spare before graduation, which is the norm. Graduation comes on Dec 13th, everybody gets their Wings (pictured below), and everyone is gay and merry.

The day after graduation, Amber and I along with my mom and sister drove to Tuscaloosa, AL and bought a Toyota Highlander (also pictured below). I guess you could say we needed to upgrade to a bigger vehicle with that little baby around - and we would need it for all the baby presents we were giving at Christmas time. Which, by the way, is kind of funny the number of presents she is given since right now the most interesting thing to her is her fingers, the tv, and her mommy.

The Monday (Dec 15th) after graduation, we all get our orders. Some people in my class get dates like January 29th for combat survival, Feb 2nd for water survival, JUNE 30th for combat survival, etc... Did I make out so lucky? In simple terms, no. My dates were Dec 18th for water survival, Jan 5th for combat survival, and Feb 2nd to report to my next base. OH MY GOSH - I nearly freaked out. I only had two days to get my life in order before I leave for water survival and then I was to be in a wedding that Saturday - Dec 20. Talk about the Air Force pushing me up against a wall, I was the only one in my class with start dates this early. I spent the next two days working 8 or 9hrs straight just trying to get my orders, plane tickets, uniform items, etc.... And for all you who don't know, the Air Force has decreed it almost impossible for anyone to get paperwork done in an expeditious manner. I probably put more miles on my car those 2 days driving back and forth between buildings then I had the previous 2 weeks. During that mess I was able to to get overnight plane tickets from Spokane, WA (where water and combat survival training is) to Indianapolis, IN. - so I was still able to make it to the wedding, that was a big load off my shoulders.

At water survival they train us how to survive in the water after a plane has crashed in the ocean. This included several hours in the classroom learning about edible/inedible fish, rafts, radios, evasion, water procurement methods, first aid, etc... After the classroom we got into the pool and practiced everything we learned. It was pretty cool and fun: we practiced getting into/securing rafts, moving as group while floating in the water (just picture a bunch of people wearing life preserves hooked together by wrapping their legs around the person in front of them in one big line-yeah, it was funny), and water rescue by helicopter (also fun, they had a huge lift that could hoist each one of us up 20ft to a platform). The last day - the course only lasted 2 days - we went through 2 "realistic" scenarios where they had us perform everything we learned/practiced the day before. For each scenario they blacked out the pool by turning off the lights; used fog machines, strobe lights, and fire hoses to disorient you; and used a big crane to submerge a fake cockpit attached to it to simulate a plane crashing. Pretty awesome if you ask me. They really went out of their way to make it seem real.

So on Dec 19th I fly out of Spokane and arrive at Indianapolis the morning of the 20th. Amber picks me up and we drive to Connersville, IN for the wedding - our friends Nick Sochinski and Allison Haselwander were getting married. Great friends=good times.

On the 21st we drove back to Amber's parents' house and we spent the next week going to 5 different Christmas' - we ended up needing every last inch of space in our new car to pack it up, which was comparable to putting a jigsaw together.

Dec 28th was a great day. For Christmas this year Amber got me 2 tickets to see the Titans vs. Colts game up in Indy - Talk about AWESOME! It was a good game (Colts dominated) and a great date!

On the 29th we left to go back to Mississippi - again packing our new SUV was an adventure in and of itself. We had originally planned to stay in IN until the Jan 4th, but now that I was flying out of Columbus, MS on Jan 3rd, we decided we needed to get back early so I could take care of more paper work before the base shut down for New Years. Once back I got all my business taken care of and we got to help one of my classmates move - he was driving his family (2 baby boys and a dog) all the way to Utah, so he was leaving on New Years' Day.

I flew out of Columbus yesterday (Jan 3rd) and here I am in Spokane, WA where they have around 60in of snow (not even joking) and I'm going to be spending a little over a week hiking/camping/surviving it in - awesome. Well everyone, I'll let Amber update you on everything else - I'm pretty tired of typing.

God Bless

A Perfect Morning!

Hey all! I just wanted to tell you about the wonderful day Zaylee and I have had. Being a new mom is such a rollercoaster - one day you feel like your world is going to come crashing down (see previous post ^_^), and a few days later you feel like you're on cloud nine. Well, this morning, Zaylee and I went to MOPS (stands for Mothers Of Preschoolers). I didn't actually attend the meeting - I'm a "moppet" which means I get to babysit all the babies whose moms come to MOPS. Since Zaylee is coming with me, I stay with her in the "Carousel Cuties" room which is devoted to babies who are still unable to crawl or walk. This is only the second time she's come with me, and I'm always a little nervous about how she'll do while we're there (and that we'll get there on time!). The moppets are supposed to get there at 8:30 am, so that means Zaylee and I have to leave by 8:00 am. I've learned to give us about 2 hours from the time we need to leave to get ready. So my wonderful day began at 6:00 am. Zaylee went the whole night without having to be fed, although she did wake up a few times crying. But I can't complain - I still got around 7 hours of sleep total. She woke up at 6:00 ready to eat. I fed her, bathed her, and had her down for a morning nap by 7:00. I got ready in plenty of time, fixed my breakfast to eat on the way, and loaded the car. We were out of the driveway by 8:02 am! While at MOPS, Zaylee ate again at 9:00, played in a swing for about 45 minutes, and then slept the rest of the meeting (til 11:00!). That freed my hands to take care of the other babies in the nursery. I got to feed and hold 3-month-old twins, a boy and a girl, and the little girl feel asleep while I rocked her. So sweet! I enjoy being in the nursery so much now that I know how to care for the little babies. I used to be so nervous around infants, now I can't get enough of them! ^_^ Zaylee and I left MOPS around 11:15 and we were off to Wal-mart. She slept all the way there and the whole time I was shopping. When it was time for her to eat again, we took a break in the fitting room (note to nursing moms - I've found this is the BEST place to feed your baby when you're out running errands. WAY more comfortable than in a bathroom stall!). She was happy the rest of the time in Wal-mart. We left there, I grabbed a chicken sandwich at the Wendy's drive-through and we were on to the next stop - the grocery store on base. We got back to base and this time, instead of bringing Zaylee in the stroller, I put her in a little baby carrier. These are great when you have a lot of shopping to do because it frees up all the space in your cart and you don't have to worry about your baby touching stuff and being exposed to a lot of germs in such a public area. Plus, it's a totally cute way to "wear" your baby. ^_^ She slept the entire time I did the grocery shopping! Once I got home, I had A LOT of stuff to bring in - stuff from MOPS, groceries, all of Zaylee's stuff, and trash from eating twice in my car. I brought Zaylee in first and kept her in her car seat. She was awake, so I hoped she wouldn't cry while I emptied out the car. And, since it's a wonderful day, she didn't! She was quiet the whole time I put away groceries. Once that was done, she was ready for ANOTHER nap, so I laid her down in her playpen and she went to sleep without a fuss.
Last night, I was really tired and was thinking that today was going to be exhausting. But, it was actually energizing because everything went so well. It's days like today that make me feel like a good mom. ^_^ And every mom needs those days!

Holy Mole-y

Well, this past week has been insane. I'm just about to lose what little brain capacity I have left. Used to, I could easily put 13 things on my to do list every day, and get them all done with time to spare. Now, I'm lucky to get out of my pajamas by 2 in the afternoon. I hate to be a downer, but I guess that's what makes blogs more personal - sharing the thorns with the roses. So today is one of those "thorny" days. I have been hoping beyond hope for the past two weeks that Zaylee would FINALLY sleep through the night and I could catch up on some much needed rest. Yet, every night, I am sorely disappointed as I drag myself out of bed at 12:30, 2:00, 4:00, 4:15, and 4:30 am. See, Zaylee has developed a very strong fondness for her pacifier at night. If only her ability to keep the paci in her mouth was as strong as her desire for it. The first four times listed above are just to calm her cries and return her paci to its place in her cute little mouth. The fifth is mom tired of getting up every 15 minutes, and "alright, I get the picture - you're hungry... feed, if you must." And after a good 10 minutes, Zaylee is back in a deep sleep only to awake again to eat at 6:15!!! Yes, I love my baby. Yes, I'm so happy she is growing and eating well. But, 6:15??!! Come on, you just finished eating an hour and a half ago!
To make matters worse, the temperature changes here in Mississippi have gifted me with a wonderful week-long cold, which I can't seem to kick due to exhaustion. It's hard enough to sleep when you have to get up 5 times in the night, let alone when every time its time to go back to sleep, you can't breathe through your nose and your throat is sore.
Well, atleast today the cold seems to be on its way out. I am SO glad it's Friday and Robbie will be home for a couple days with me and Zaylee. He's been working LONG days these last few weeks and even two weekends on top of that! That's probably another reason I'm so worn out. It's hard to do Wal-mart runs, hair appointments, doctor appointments, etc. with a little one in tow and no one to accompany you and help keep her happy. The value of having family around is so great - a luxury that I certainly wish I had on days like those. Thankfully, we do have some neighbors who are like family to us and have been willing to pitch in when they could.
Well anyway, you're probably wondering about the title of today's post. I had a doctor appointment today to ask about a couple moles on my skin that have started to look a little weird. I'm sure it's not a big deal, but with all the horror stories I hear about skin cancer these days, I thought it would be best to be proactive. I went in today and the doctor took a look. She's only a family practice doc, so I didn't have any tests done today, but she gave me a referral for a dermatologist because of a spot on my nose. Not a good place to have an irregular mole. I'm nervous about having it looked at/removed. There were also two other places on my back that she thought should be tested.
So, ... great. I've always been a very healthy person, avoiding the doctor whenever possible. I don't like taking medicine, I don't like being sick, I definitely don't like stitches. And here I've finally recovered, for the most part, from having a baby and all the wonderful medicines, doctor visits, etc. associated with that, and I get to go to a new doctor and have chunks of skin taken off my back. Not fun. My hope is that when I go in to the dermatologist, he just tells me that I'm worried for nothing and can go home unscathed. We'll see.
It's definitely harder to take care of yourself when you're a new mom, but I think it's really important even if in my mind I think everyone else's needs should come before mine. If you get spread so thin that you can't attend to your family's needs, then you're not of any use to anyone. You're just a grouchy, sick, and tired person that the other people (and pets) in your household have to tolerate being around. That's sort of the position I've been in this week. I just pray that I can get ahead again and get back in the game in the next few days. Amazingly, writing about all this has already made me feel a little better. ^_^ Thanks for listening!

Oh where does the time go??

I can't believe it's been so long since my last post! To all my followers out there, I'm so sorry. There's just something about having a baby that makes time speed up faster than ever before. Zaylee is now 8 weeks old and will reach the 2-month mark this Friday. She has changed so much! In the last month, she has graced us with her adorable smile, learned to suck her fingers (although she still very much prefers her "paci"), supports her own head when she's sitting up, and even speaks a little "goo" to us every once in a while. Though these may seem like small things, to a first-time mom, they bring so much joy and pride. She really is a good baby - and I'm not just saying that because I'm her mommy. ^_^ The days are ticking away before Thanksgiving, and Robbie and I are SO excited to bring her home to Indiana to meet the family for the first time. From what I can tell from her experiences in the nursery at church, she is really good with new people and seems really alert compared to other babies her age. She's staying awake longer after she eats and she likes to play, but she is still taking nice long (sometimes 2-hr) naps during the day, which keeps mom very happy, too. ^_^ Robbie and I have settled into a pretty normal routine, but there is always room for improvement (like sleeping through the night, for example!!). Here are some more photos...

Help! I have 5 children!

Today is one of those days where I need more time, more hands, more patience, and a lot less problems! I feel like I need a clone of myself just to keep up. It seems like our sweet little baby can never get enough food in her little tummy, so I am feeding her ALL the time. Breastfeeding definitely limits your mobility, making it more difficult to keep up with the rest of the chaos that goes on while Zaylee's eating. This morning, Zaylee was very fussy and overall unsatisfied. I finished dressing her after her bath and laid her in her crib. I come into the kitchen and notice Honey (our mischievous cat) on the counter (which she KNOWS is off-limits!). I grabbed the water spray bottle and scare her down. Then I notice that her collar is off. Where is her collar? It's in Peyton's mouth. Apparently, our dog either ripped it off Honey, or she figured out how to get it off and generously offered it to Peyton to destroy (which he did, I'm sure to Honey's delight). I go to get the laundry out of the dryer (thankfully, Zaylee is still quiet at this point) and start pulling out clothes. All of a sudden, Bebe (our simple-minded cat) is peeing on her pet bed!!! I pick her up and throw her in the litter box as quick as possible, leave the clothes dryer open, and grab the pet bed and throw it outside (YUCK!!). I come back to finish getting out the clothes, and Honey is inside the dryer laying on my clean laundry! Peyton wants outside, Zaylee starts fussing, and my hair is turning gray. I'm starting to get the feeling that I'm raising 5 children instead of just one. Oh, and who's the fifth child, you ask? My husband, of course! ^_^

Waverly Mansion and the Monday Fiasco

This past weekend, Robbie, Zaylee, and I took a trip to the Waverly Mansion, which is only about 10 minutes away from base on the way to West Point, MS. We've been in Columbus for over a year now, and had never gone to see it - so we decided it would be nice to get out of the house and have our first all-day outing with Zaylee.

The mansion was built in the 1850's by Colonel Young. Though it didn't seem like much when we first drove up to it, the history and treasures within the house were amazing! Colonel Young had a family of 10 children, 7 of which were married in the "chapel room" of the house. There are fire places, beautiful antiques, and gorgeous architecture in every room. And the tour guide, an older lady named Melanie who lives in the house with her 82-year-old father, was magnificent! She led us through on a personal tour and told us so many stories. And after the tour, we were able to walk the gardens that surround the mansion. All in all, it was a great site to see and a great lesson in history.

It was a great day. Zaylee did wonderful in her little sling. She was quiet most of the day and only fussed a little when it was time to eat. After we finished at Waverly, we headed over to the West Point Wal-mart (the first time I've been in a Wal-mart in over a month!) to pick up a few things, and then went out to eat at Harvey's. I would say the day went just about as perfect as it could have. ^_^ Here are some pics!

Now, let's contrast Saturday at Waverly to our outing this Monday...Robbie was off Monday for Columbus Day, so we thought we would visit a pumpkin farm in Starkville to spend some time outside and pick a pumpkin for Halloween. He found the directions online, and we were off...Too bad the directions were TERRIBLE! We got so lost, we drove around for an extra hour, stopping twice to ask people for directions. Zaylee was starting to get hungry and had a dirty diaper, so when we stopped at the gas station in Starkville to ask for directions the second time, I decided to take her inside and change/feed her. Unfortunately, I assumed that Robbie had the keys, so when I took her inside, I locked the car. The keys were in the ignition! We were stranded at the Starkville gas station for another 30 minutes before roadside assistance could come and unlock our car. By this time, it was close to 4:30 pm. Robbie had his cell phone, so he called the farm that had the pumpkins to make sure they would still be open if we decided to go there after we got back in our car. The person at the farm said they're only open on Saturdays and Sundays! They weren't even open the entire day! So, the day ended and we returned home with no pumpkin.

It's been fun taking Zaylee out to new places and learning the best way to keep her happy during outings. Each time we go out, it gets easier to take her along and it's starting to feel more normal (and fun!) to have her as part of the family. There are so many adventures ahead of us!

Yay! More Pictures!

Zaylee with her mommy...
Zaylee with her daddy...
Zaylee with the proud grandparents...
Zaylee awake...
Zaylee asleep...
Getting cleaned up...
Zaylee's first picnic...
Going to church...