Getting Ready for Deployment.

Where the heck has this time gone? Are we really only a week away from Rob leaving on Deployment again? I swear with all the planning we have been doing for this you wouldn't think it was possible for this to sneak up on me, but it has. I will be the first to tell you, I feel like this is our first deployment all over again.


With the first deployment there were so many questions, concerns, worries, and fears. And here we are, our first deployment as a family. My heart breaks for Rob as he tries to cram as much time in with Kellan as possible. It seems like each day for the past couple of days he has realized another "first" he will miss. It's so hard to even think about him not being here with Kellan. I try not to because I find myself in tears every time I do..... Deep breath, keep breathing.

I spent tonight at Barnes and Noble trying to find some "Daddy" books to tape Rob reading to Kellan. So that at night Kellan can see his daddy, and hear his voice even if we can't Skype or talk on the phone. Thank God for technology. I couldn't imagine doing this without all these resources at our fingertips. Thank God for emails, and phone calls, and Skype, and video cameras. Hopefully if we do this right, maybe Kellan won't freak out when his Daddy comes home. Hopefully it won't be as hard as it would be if he was never able to see his face. I pray that we can get through this with grace and ease. And for the first time since Kellan was born I pray that time will go quickly, and Rob will be home before we know it.

I love my family. They have been so supportive through each of Rob's previous deployments. They already have been sending thoughts and prayers this way. I know with their help, I can do this. Rob can do this, and Kellan can do this. I love my family. Even though they are so far away, they are always close at heart.

The thing about Rob's job is this. Rob loves what he does. He is great at what he does. Without this job I may not have the privilege of staying home with my sweet son and watching him grow. I love that I have that opportunity. Deployments are part of that, and thus part of our family life. I love my husband for giving me the ability to spend my days with Kellan. I love my family, and together we will get through this time of being apart.

There are two quotes that I hear frequently. "Whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger." and "Absence makes a heart grow fonder." These quotes could not better describe our previous deployments. I pray that they continue to hold true as we enter this new chapter in our family's life.

This is us after our first deployment together.  What a happy day.

Xoxxo,

Us

Look At Kellan's New Trick!

Thought I should post these.  He is trying ever so hard to sit up on his own.  He has really good balance, and I must say I am pretty impressed at my little man.  He sits up unassisted when I am sitting behind him, but as soon as he is on his own, he uses his arms for balance, and topples/wobbles right over!  Too cute! 

(Do you think anyone can tell I am enjoying being a Mom, and enjoying watching my little Squishapillar learn new tricks?) 

Squishapillar=caterpillar + Squishy!

Xoxxo,

Us

Pirate Knights and Pumpkin Daze....

With Rob getting ready to deploy out again for a while, I find myself cherishing these "events" that we can do as a family. So as Halloween approaches, what better way to spend a Saturday then at a Pumpkin Patch? This is easier said than done here in Las Vegas. I looked at several different options, until I found a review on the McKee Family Ranch. It said it had farm animals, a hayride, a pumpkin patch, a corn maze, and corn cannon. This sounded like the perfect little adventure for our family. And what an interesting adventure it would turn out to be!

So we set out for the drive across town, and thirty minutes or so later we pulled up to the Ranch. This was not quite as we had pictured. To start their attractions were not quite as described. They did have several different farm animals, a pumpkin patch of sorts, and a hayride that consisted of a trailer bed with a block of hay thrown on it attached to a tractor that drove around a small yard. Not exactly the Midwest pumpkin patch and hayride my husband and I were used to. Of course we are in the middle of a desert and it was 95 degrees out, so we should have known it wouldn't be quite right. After shelling out the $20.00 entrance fee, that included your choice of pumpkin, (yes $20.00 is a lot of money for what I just described, but we were already there so...) we ventured into the "patch" and introduced Kellan to his first Pig, Ducks, Roosters, Donkey, Goats, and several horses.

The pig completely scared the ___ out of me when it almost mauled me down (okay not really, but it did jump up onto the edge of its cage and snort really loud), I quickly realized I have not been around farm animals in a long time! This however did cause my husband to almost double over in laughter... good to know I can still make him laugh. The horses were pretty, and begging to be fed, although we didn't have any treats with us, so I don't think they liked us too much. The Donkey's loud heehaw scared Kellan a little bit. And the goats were too far away to really see. Overall it was still fun to hang out and get some cute pictures. Next year, however, I think we are going to stick to the typical Vegas pumpkin patches that offer bouncy slides, and carnival rides instead of hayrides and horses, and save the classic pumpkin patches for trips back to the Midwest. It still was a great family day, and Kellan's first Halloween Adventure! Next up, pumpkin carving and putting Kellan in his costume. (Pictures to be posted after Halloween!)

Xoxxo,

Us

Babies Don't Keep

I came across this from a posting on a website - and when I posted it to my Face book, my mother informed me that she had this last verse as an embroidery in my nursery. I think it’s neat when we come across connections like this.
I never used to be an organized person.  I never used to clean on a daily basis.  When I had Kellan it was like something inside changed, and all of a sudden I was cleaning everyday multiple times a day.  Sometimes I get so worked up in trying to do everything right, that it’s easy to forget not everything needs to get done that day. Being a Mom has changed me in more ways than this, but this seems to be the biggest and most important change. Organization makes like easier, picking up after you make the mess takes less time then saving it until later, but leaving the dishes for one more day to snuggle with your little one is not only okay, it’s the best feeling ever.  Snuggling is a priority in my house.




Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
hang out the washing and butter the bread,
sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Rollin Rollin Rollin! And Other New Tricks!

Kellan is a rolling fiend! He cannot get enough of it! He will roll to his belly, sometimes roll back on his own, but more often fuss until you put him back on his back, laugh and then roll back to his belly! He is so cute when he does this too, because he has such a sense of pride in doing it! He looks at me every time to make sure I am watching before he breaks out in a huge grin as if to say "Yeah, I am that good!". Unfortunately Rob has been in CA for the past couple of weeks training, and did miss his first back to belly roll, but we did get it on tape for him! I am getting pretty good at remembering to keep the camera handy, that way when Rob deploys out in November, he won't miss anything!

I love watching him learn new things. We are now working on tripoding. As in sitting up with the assistance of his arms. He does it for a little bit, but he is still so wobbly, I don't want to try and get a picture of it just yet, because I usually end up catching him before he face-plants into the floor!

Another first for Kellan was sleeping the night in his own crib. I finally did this last night. It was better then what I thought it would be. He still woke up for a 1am and 4am feeding, but all in all I was very proud of him. Now if only I can stop checking on him every hour to make sure he is ok, we may be on our way to a better night’s sleep. The new rolling trick has run over into his sleep time routine. He hasn't quite rolled onto his belly yet, but he does try to sleep on his side. I guess I just worry he will roll, and sleep with his face in the mattress... like I said, we are working on the worrying mommy thing. :)

It is so neat to see all the new things Kellan does every day. Whether it is something big like rolling, or sitting up; or something simple like a new sound, a new favorite toy, or a new facial expression. I love being here with him and seeing it all. What an absolute blessing.

Xoxxo,
Us

Kellan's 4 Month Appointment!

THE HARD PART

So someone got their 4 month shots today! I am not sure who had it worse, me or Kellan. Probably me, although he screamed so loud, you know the kind where they turn all bright red, open their mouth to scream, and no sound comes out for a good 10 seconds! You know its going to be a loud one when they finally let it go. Poor Baby! He was so happy, talking to the Doctor, making silly faces and new sounds. And then in comes the nurse with Kellan's shots. You should have seen the side eye Kellan gave this guy! It was like he knew nothing good was about to happen.

My heart broke for my baby. I wish I could take all his pain away and make it my own. I would too, in a heartbeat. Funny how that works. You want them to learn that things will be okay, even when they look bad, but you want them to feel no pain, no hurt, and no sadness. I love this little baby so much it takes my breath away.

So after Kellan had his shots, I nursed him, and he fussed through the whole session, keeping one eye on me at all times as if to ask, "Is it really over?"

THE GOOD PART

Kellan is still well above the 50% for height and weight. He is currently 16lbs 8ozs (above 75%) and 26.5 inches long (88%). He has slowed down in his weight gain, but is making up for it in his height. He grew almost 3 inches from our last appointment. I was concerned slightly that he only put on a little over 2 lbs since his 8 week appt, but that didn't seem to worry our Doctor at all. He said he was just balancing out a little bit.

Kellan also seems to be right on track for his developmental milestones. The Doctor loved hearing him chatter away, and also was impressed by his grasping skills. Go Kellan!

I have been curious to see how much Kellan is getting to eat during our feedings, so I had them do a weighed feeding today. I don't often give Kellan a bottle, but lately he seems so mad that there are only 4 ozs in his bottle, and will almost always nurse again shortly after a bottle. Well now I know why. Kellan started his feeding at 16lbs 8ozs, and ended it at 17lbs 3ozs! That 11 ozs! Holy Cow! Granted it was only his 3rd feeding of the morning, and my supply tends to be higher in the AM, but Wow! That's a lot of milk! GO KELLAN GO!



So all in all it was an okay day. Kellan is now sound asleep with a mild temperature from his shots. So tonight we will just cuddle in bed, and keep on top of the Tylenol. I'm so proud of my brave little squishy caterpillar man!

Xoxxo,

Us

October 4th Was A Big Day Around Here!

So last year October 4th was supposed to just be our six month wedding anniversary.  Instead it turned out to be one of the most memorable days of my life.  Last October 4th, Rob and I found out we were going to be parents!  It was quite a bit of a surprise, as we weren't quite trying yet, but it was the best surprise I have ever gotten.  I can't believe it has already been one year! This leads me to...

Guess who turned 4 months on the 4th? Why Mr. Kellan that's who! 4 months old, it seems like it is flying by. I love all the new things my little squishy caterpillar has begun to do this month.

At 4 months old:

Kellan has started rolling over from Belly to Back! (Ok he did this at 3 months, 3 weeks, but he is improving upon it every day.)

He is desperately trying to roll from his back to his belly, but so far we only are rolling back to his side. He tries so hard, but still hasn't quite gotten there. (I am convinced he is going to do it in his crib when I am not looking)

This leads us to, taking naps in his very own crib in his very own room. We are finally finished setting up his furniture in his room. We are still waiting on the blinds, but when they come Kellan will be sleeping in there at night too!

He has started to want to fall asleep on his own. The days of rocking him to sleep in my arms are becoming less frequent. When he gets tired, I have found if I lay him down to sleep, he fights much less then if I try to snuggle with him. This makes me proud and sad all at the same time. I feel such a sense of pride that my baby has learned to put himself to sleep, but I do miss our cuddle sessions. Sometimes after he is sleeping, I pick him back up to snuggle with him.

Kellan has also really found his voice recently. We are woken up each morning to a full on squawk fest about his dreams from the night before. He will talk for almost an hour straight each morning. It is so cute; I can't wait to know what he is actually saying! :)

We are also getting outright giggle fits now. Mostly when I tickle him, but also sometimes when he sees something silly he will just start laughing. His laugh is pure joy, and a sound I can't get enough of!

Kellan is also purposefully reaching out for specific toys now. It is so cute to watch him work so hard to get what he wants. I love spending my days on the floor playing with him.

Kellan continues to be and bring such a joy to our lives. We love watching him every day, and watch him accomplish new things. He is still such a sweet little squish of a man. A year ago we were filled with nervous excitement about what this new life would bring to ours,  and now our lives are filled with such love for a joyous little boy. What a difference a year can make!

Xoxxo,

Us