Leaving For Vacation

We are leaving tomorrow to meet Steve's parents and cousin in Sanibel, FL. I am looking forward to sleeping in and visiting with family. I am also looking forward to a bit of time off with school. When we come back from Sanibel it will be my last week of student teaching. It is bittersweet...I am so excited to be graduating and start the process of getting a job but I am going to miss all of the kiddos from the class that I was in and I am going to miss the mentorship that I have received from my supervising teacher. THANK YOU to all of you!!

Okinawa Here We Come!

I took the day off school today because of the ER visit last night and Jackson isn't allowed to go back to the CDC until tomorrow. We were trying to catch up on sleep when Steve called to tell me that he finally got his orders and we are moving to Okinawa. We will be stationed at Kadena AF Base. We will be leaving Florida at the end of January when Steve will head to Altus, Oklahoma where he will learn how to fly the KC-135. Soon thereafter, Jackson and I will meet up with him after doing a little cross country drive. We are welcoming all visitors to Pensacola in the last couple of months, or the more adventurous are welcome to come visit us in Okinawa. I may be giving some of you a call for a place to stay on our cross country journey. We are very excited about the adventures to come and hope to see many of you before we leave the States.

E.R.

We are all okay and got home at 2:00 am this morning. Jackson was sent home from the CDC yesterday with a a fever and Steve was the great Dad and took him to the doctor after he picked him up. The doctor said that there was nothing to be concerned about but that his right ear was trying to get another infection. He was very snuggly today that is a big indication that Jackson is sick. He would just lay on the couch and lay his head down on our laps. It was so sweet but that is how we know he is sick.

After Steve gave him a bath and we gave him so Tylenol I was getting ready to put him to bed when I noticed he was super warm. I took his temperature and it was 104.5. I told Steve that I did not feel good about that and I think that we should take him to the hospital. So we loaded up in the car. Jackson was throwing up every ten minutes. Once we got to the hospital they took his temp. again and it was still 104.8. The nurses were great and they started to pump him full of Motrin and Tylenol. They also said that his right ear did look a little infected but that would not have been the reason for such a high temperature. They had to run a bunch of tests that were horrible for all of us. They had to give Jackson an IV and we had to hold him down for it. It was so sad. But they were able to draw the blood that they needed and if they would have required more medicine they would have been able to give it to him this way. We were all not very excited when they wanted to get a urine sample. They had to use a catheter and it was such a horrible cry. After all the tests he was so worn out we got him to sleep for a little bit. All in all it was just a high temperature and a start of an ear infection. We were able to get home at about 2:00 am after stopping by Wal-greens to pick up his antibiotics.

Birthday Party!!

Today was Jackson's First Birthday Party! We had a small gathering for him at our house where we grilled out and had birthday cake. We were so blessed to have so many friends that came to celebrate with us. Jackson received some many great gifts and we are very thankful.

He loved the truck Carissa and Joe gave him.

Opening gifts

I don't think that he liked the hat!

His cake. (Yes... I made it)

It was a slow start

But I think that he liked it after all!

I can't believe that it has been a year!

A year ago I was sitting in the hospital wanting to go home and start our new life with our newest addition. When I think about it now it just feels like he has always been here. On November 13, 2007 I felt as it might be the day but I wasn't going to say anything to anyone or say it out loud after I had been to the hospital a week prior on a false alarm. So that morning I went to the school where I was doing my practicum to talk to my teacher about my lesson plan that I would be presenting the next day. That afternoon I went about running errands as I usually did. Steve was flying that day but was coming home early to go with me to my final OB appointment. At 3:15 the contractions started. I had been having contractions for the last couple of days but these were finally coming at a regular rate. They were all ten minutes apartment. Steve went into cleaning mode and straighting because we had a feeling that we might not be coming home after the appointment. The contractions did NOT feel good. Steve keep track of the contractions has a stood cringing against the wall. We got in the car for my appointment at 4:15 after packing the car just in case! We decided to call the parents on our way and told them that we would call them after the appointment to let them know what was going on.

We went into our appointment and I told the doctor that the contractions we ten minutes apart and she told me the disappointing news that they were not going to send me to the hospital unless they were five minutes apart and that I should go home and "try" to get some rest. She then checked to see if I was dilated and told me that I was only 1 cm. I was ready to cry and looked at Steve with disappointment. I was so uncomfortable and ready to have this baby. But as soon as the doctor delivered the news to us she noticed that my water might have broke. She did a quick check and sure enough it had! She told us we had to go to the hospital and that she would call ahead and they would have a room ready when we arrived.

We left the doctors office to drive the 15 minutes to Sacred Heart and called everyone on the way. Steve's parents got in the car and started driving down. My parents on the other hand I had a problem get a hold of. I finally got a hold of my Dad who then got a hold of my Mom. She was going to teach a quilting class and could not get a flight out. Side note: I was suppose to be induced on the 19th and this was the 13th. Everyone was going to be coming in the weekend of the 17th and 18th so that they would all be here. So we made it to the hospital and my room was ready to go. Here we go!

I checked into the hospital at about 5:30 and I was feeling good, nervous, and excited about what was about to happen. They gave me an IV and patocin to help the labor along. Now that my water had broke I was at rest for infection and so was the baby. I labored through the pain but I was ready for my epidural when I was about 5 cm it was about 9:00. I was really ready about an hour earlier but my blood work had not come back so they were unable to give it to me yet. They offered me a little something to take the "edge off" through my IV and I took it. And just a note to myself for the future...I hated it. It made me feel like I had 26 margaritas. The room was spinning and since I was still experiencing the contractions it was too much to handle. But I was so surprised that the epidural didn't hurt as much as I thought that it would but I am sure that in comparison to what the contractions were like this was nothing. Now I was really ready and feeling great. Jackson keep trying to give us all a scare by letting his heart rate drop. They put me on oxygen and had me lay on my left side. After seeing Jackson and holding him and see that he already had a grip I think that he was gripping onto his umbilical and clenching onto it.

Steve had a small bench on the side of my room and we both tried to catch a nap and were successful most of the time unless the nurse came into to check the progress. By 1:00 am it was time to push after pushing for 2 hours Jackson finally made his debut at 3:06am, weighting in at 8 lbs 5 oz and 21 inches long. We made our phone calls to the parents and my mom asked does he have any hair...no...and he still doesn't. :) The nurses also told us that he was a big baby for someone that was 5 days early. They later told me after checking him out and seeing how scaly he was (dry skin on hands and feet) that he was really probably 2 weeks past due. No wonder I was so miserable!

I am sure that most people don't really care about this but I wanted to remember it and I was afraid that I would start to forget it.

Jackson is ONE!!!

Today my little man is one year old. I can't not believe how fast a year can go by when some of the days seem to drag on. Steve took the day off from one and I took the day off from student teaching. We decided we wanted to spend the day as a family and do something that we had been talking about doing but could never find the time to do. We knew that if we said that we were going to do it for Jackson's birthday we would do it so today we drove through Destin to the small community of Seaside. Before we left we opened the gifts from our family. Aunt Courtney, Uncle Ian, and Kate sent him a very cute shirt, hat, and a little V-Tech laptop that plays music. He loves anything that plays music. Honey and Papa sent him a Little Peoples farm tracker that also plays some music and a lot of great Carters clothes. Which is great because he has grown so much and so quickly that he was in need of clothes. Grandma and Grandpa send him some cute Air Force socks, "Goodnight Moon", and Grandma also knitted him some wash cloths. Thank you to everyone!!
We enjoyed the drive down and Jackson slept most of the way down. It was really warm today and we enjoyed eating lunch at a little cafe just outside of Seaside. It is a beautiful drive and it was a gorgeous day. We were so glad that the rain held off so that we could enjoy a much needed day away as a family. We bought Jackson his very own lunch instead of bringing him baby food or sharing ours with him. He had grilled cheese and pasta salad and he ate more for lunch than I did. He has become quite the eater.

After lunch we were off to Seaside and when we got there it was so cute and we walked around the community and looked at all of the houses that all had names of their own. It reminded me a lot of Martha's Vineyard with the different colored houses and how quiet it is. When my family use to come to Destin for our vacations we would drive over to Seaside and we would always get some ice cream. That was my only request when we went over there and we did get some ice cream and Jackson even got to try some ice cream for the first time. We had a great time spending the day with Jackson and we are looking forward to his party tomorrow!

One year ago today!

A great friend of ours, Joellynn Jones, offered to take some maternity pictures of Steve and I and since Jackson came so quickly after the photo shoot I thought that I would post them now. I want to be able to remember this years from now. It was a Sunday morning and I remember running late because I felt bad that morning. (Could it have been that I was going to go into labor in less than 48 hours?) We had a great photo shoot and I had a great time during it all. I was a little uncomfortable because I was so big but I thought that the photos turned out well. I know that I wait so long because I was swollen that day but I will always remember how big I was and will remember why...because I had a big boy in there!

Pilot Wives

I have joined this new group at http://www.pilotwivesclub.com/ It was started by a girl that is stationed at the same base as we are. I love joining groups like these that I can connect with women that are going through the same situations that I am. Here is to making connections with moms and other women.

Well Friday we went Trick-or-Treating with Jackson for his first Halloween. I think that he had more fun playing with the flash light and dumping the candy out of his bucket than anything else. He is not walking yet but he has been trying. He walked up to one house with me...it was SO cute. On Thursday Steve and I saw him take his first steps. He would take three or four before he would lose his balance and give up. But tonight, he walked between Steve and I about eight feet. We were so excited for him and were cheering him on that he would get excited and lose his balance again. He is getting to be such a big boy!

What is a Military Wife?

What is a MILITARY Wife?

A Military wife can be tough to describe.

She is a southern belle,
a Northeastern Mets fan,
a California 3rd generation recycler,
a Pacific Islander.

She is short or tall
A tomboy
A fashion diva
A physician's assistant
A Republican
A Democrat

A Military Wife is a career gal
A home-schooler
A scrap-booker
An accomplished cellist
An auto mechanic

What IS a Military Wife?
WHAT is a Military Wife?
What is a MILITARY Wife?

They may look different and each is wonderfully unique
But this they have in common.

They have THIS IN COMMON!
Lots of moving---Moving Moving
Moving far from home
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog----all riding with HER of course
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house
Moving curtains that won't fit
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours
Moving away from friends moving toward 20 new friends
Moving her most important luggage; her trunkful of memories

Often waiting-Waiting, waiting,
waiting for housing;
waiting for orders;
waiting for deployment;
waiting for reunion;
waiting for phones calls;
waiting for the new curtains to arrive;
waiting for him to come home for dinner----AGAIN!

They call her "military dependent", but she knows better
She can balance a checkbook
Handle the yard work
Fix a noisy toilet.
She is intimately familiar with drywall, anchors, and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes,
sell a house,
buy a car,
or set up a move, ----all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
Reinvents her career with every PCS;
locates a house in the desert,
The arctic,
or the deep south and learns to call them all "home".
She MAKES them all home.
She is fiercely IN-dependent.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty
They leap into decorating,
leadership,
volunteering,
career alternatives,
churches
and friendships.

They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other.
They connect over coffee,
rely on the spouse-network
and accept offers of friendship and favors
and record addresses in pencil.

Military Wives have a common bond.
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands
his commitment Is unique.

He doesn't have a job,he has a "mission"
he can't just Decide to quit
he's on-call for his country 24/7
but for you,he's The most Unreliable guy in town!

His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
OPR
ACC
BDU
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long-distance link to keep them informed
the glue that holds them together.

Military Wife has her moments----
She wants to wring his neck,
dye his uniform pink,
and refuse to move to Siberia.

But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
a travel brochure,
a long hot bath,
a pledge to the flag,
and a wedding picture.

And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.

Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.

But actually it is because she has lost her heart.
It was stolen from her by a man
Who puts duty first
Who longs to deploy
Who salutes the flag
And whose boots in the doorway remind her
That as long as he is her Military husband,
She will remain his Military wife.

I post this for all of the Military wives out there. We are a special breed of women that need to stick together because we are the only ones who understand what we all go through. To all of the special ladies in my life....my mom, who I learned so much from, Courtney, Kat, Becky, Olga, and Estee.

We have had a great life so far here in Florida because Steve has not had to deploy. We are close to the end of our time here and we will be going back to the real world of the Air Force full of deployments and TDY's. Although I am very excited about leaving here and taking the next step in our adventure I do not look forward to all of the time without Steve. I feel bad for all of the Dad's out there that are doing their job but having to miss out on their kiddos life. So for those of you out there ask those wives out there that are trying to do everything while their husband is away if you could help them with something. Most of the time we won't ask for help but we certainly need it.

Pointing

I have vowed to myself to keep this up not for myself or for Steve but for Jackson. I want to be able to remember things that he has done through out his life. And I wanted to write down today that when I picked him up at daycare he pointed at a picture of a circle on the wall. At first I thought that it was a fluke but he did it again about 5 minutes later. He is growing up so quickly and I am so proud of that little finger pointing at that picture. I am sure that I will not be thinking that it will be so cute when it is pointed back at me in a couple of years.

Still Here!!

I don't know if anyone read this blog other than my friend Estee (who lives about 2 miles from me and is basically involved a lot in our everyday lives) but I thought that I would post again for Jackson's sake.

Jackson is growing up SO quickly!!! He is chatting all day long. He loves to make noise and is exploring his voice. He is working on getting to the independent walking. He is still cruising around EVERYTHING and we will walk behind his push behind toy. His personality is changing by the day. Everyday that I go to get him out of his bed he seems so much bigger and so much older. He loves to dance and his type of dancing is rocking on his booty. He also is getting so go at "Big Boy". Which is where we say "Big Boy" and he tries to hold his hands up over his head. Oh the tricks that you can teach babies. He laughs all of the time and is makes me laugh and I love the joy that he has brought into our lives.

I am still doing my student teaching in the third grade class and I have learned so much from my experience. This entire process is also a very humbling experience. If you ever think that a teachers job is "easy" I ask you to try it out for a day. You are always "on". There is no time to yourself and no personal space. The only time that I get to myself is the 30 minutes that I get to eat my lunch. It is great but I am so tired at the end of the day. I am excited about graduating on December 13th and heading to Disney World on the 14th with the Fitzpatrick's. It is going to be a great time.

We are still awaiting our orders to find out where we are going to after we leave Florida. I am ready to move onto our next adventure. So if the assignment guy for the KC-135's is reading this could you please let me know where we are moving so that I can start the excitement of looking for a house and possibly a job. :)

Big News

Well we have finally heard the big news down here in Pensacola. Back in the spring Steve applied to change aircraft and today we found out that he was accepted. We are very excited about this. It is a very competitive to get a cross flow to another aircraft and he did it. He is going to be flying KC-135. I am going to have to get Jackson a shirt that says "My Dad passes gas" :) So we are still not sure as to where we are moving or when but at least we know our options. I am looking forward to the new places that we will go and all of the great people we will meet along the way.

On personal notes we didn't get anything from Tropical Storm Fay and we are watching Gustav closely right now. We will keep everyone posted and we may be knocking on a few doors for a place to stay if we have to leave here. Here is Jackson in his first Tropical Storm.

Jackson is doing much better and is only suffering from a runny nose right now. Which I am sure that if he could talk he would talk tell you that I man handle him every time I have to wipe his little nose. I feel bad because every time he sees me coming with a Kleenex he is already swatting me off.

My Poor Baby

Well it is confirmed! After a VERY early appointment this morning at 7:10 Jackson is another victim of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. To make matters worse and to make him feel so bad he has a right ear infection and an eye infection. The poor kiddo is drooling like a mad man because he has all of the horrible blisters in his mouth and throat, his eyes are watering and his nose is running. Although I am very sorry that he is sick he turns into a little snuggler when he is not feeling good. And for any of you out there that do not have a snugly child know that you will take what you can get. I just love when he reach out to me like I am the only thing that could possibly make him feel better. He will just lay his head down on my shoulder or chest and just lay so still. Which is also very uncharacteristic for him right now because he is EVERYWHERE!!!

So to Jackson I say, "I am sorry you are so sick I wish I could make you feel better but thank you so much for all of the hugs and snuggles."

Curse You Day Care

Jackson has not even been in day care for one week and already has the infamous Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. Apparently a child in his class had it the day before we started there. This crazy virus that has a six day incubation period and guess what?? This is the sixth day since Jackson started there. I noticed the lovely red bumps on the palms of his hand AFTER I picked him up this afternoon. I feel sorry for all the other kiddos in the class because the teachers there did not even notice it. We now have an appointment tomorrow morning with our fabulous doctor. I feel so bad for Jackson this causes blisters into your mouth and throat and this cry is so horse and weak. He is not sleeping well which means....you guessed it we are not sleeping well.

I am in my first week of student teaching which is why Jackson has to go to the dreaded disease infested day care. The class seams AWESOME and I think that I am going to learn a lot of the teacher that I am working with. I would love it if we were going to be living here after graduation and to be able to get a job at this intermediate school. All of the teachers seems great and the Principal is fantastic.

Tall and Skinny

Well we had Jackson's 9 month appointment today we he is now weighing in at 20.14 lbs and is 30 inches long. So that means that he is in the 45% in weight, the 95% in height and because of his large head he is in the 95% in head also. Crazy kiddo. We were just glad to walk out of there with no shots. Lots of snuggles from the doctor and all of the nurses.

Field Trip

This afternoon Estee and I headed to Creastview to shop at a quilt shop that we found. They were having a sale on Christmas material and I needed to add to my stash. I also had high hopes that I would be able to find insiration for a Christmas wall hanging but had no luck today. I have a feeling that I am going to have to venture out of my comfort zone and try a different type of quilt. I haven't even finish my first quilt but I already have a lot of projects on the mind. I got a great book while at my Moms and it has a bunch of great patterns for household projects. I would like to make some Christmas pillows for the living room and some place mats and napkins. I figure that way I can get what I want possibly save a bit of money by making it myself. I was very excited that Steve was able to make it home before we headed out so that I could go in peace and quite without Jackson.

I can't believe that Jackson is eight and a half months already. He is already such a great little man with a huge personality. He loves everyone and loves their attention. He has been doing great with physical therapy. The rotation in his neck has gotten so much better than it was. He only have to go to PT once every two weeks now because he is doing so well. They want to keep an eye on his Tortacollis until he starts walking. I guess it can regress back with a change of movement and the way that he holds his head. I am just hoping that any babies that come later will not have the same problem and that they will be smaller so that they have more room to move around while they are inside.

Happy Birthday

I want to start off by saying Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!! Although Jackson and I aren't with him to celebrate with him we are celebrating in spirit. I also want to wish my good friend Estee Happy Birthday also. Her birthday is not one that I will forget now that I know she shares with with Steve. I hope that her birthday turns out great.

This week has not been very eventful. Jackson and I haven't done much because I was trying to get him back to his regular nap schedule since it was so jacked up with we were on vacation. He seems to be getting back into the groove. He is pulling up on all the furniture and anything or anyone that his weight will hold. The best and most annoying is when he crawls over to my leg and pulls himself up and looks up at me and wants me to hold him. How can I say no? That is why not a whole lot is getting done around the house. He went to Mother's day out again today and seems to have everyone there wrapped around that little finger of his. He is always great and I hear rave reviews from his teachers. I am so glad that he is doing so well.

Big Step for Jackson...and Mom

Today was Jackson's first day in Mother's day out. I was very excited to hear that a church in town was going to offer a Mother's day out for children as young as six months old. I have left Jackson before with a babysitter but in the comfort of his own home. I was a bit worried how he would react to strangers and a strange place. Some days he doesn't even like it if I walk into the next room. He was excellent and also won over the hearts of all the ladies that work there. But who doesn't fall in love with the little one when you meet him. He has a smile that will melt your heart and brighten your day. I was a little nervous about leaving him and indulging in a little time for myself. I was able to go get a facial that I had a gift certificate for. The time was a great relief and I was able to get a lot of stuff around the house done. (I forgot what it was like to get stuff down during the day with no Jackson following me around and pulling everything back out.) I would not trade my days but it was nice to get a little break for four hours.

Jackson also went to his first day of physical therapy. He is going to have his neck muscles stretched out because he has tortocollis. His neck is getting better every day but they are wanting to stretch him out just a bit. So we will go one more time this week and then twice next week. The his PT says that he is looking so much better that she will just want to follow up with him once a month until he starts walking. I guess it can come back when they transition into something new. The way that he is wanting to pull up onto things I don't think that walking is very far away.

For those of you that don't know I have been taking a cake decorating class and tonight I started my third level class. I will have to post pictures at a later date because I haven't even taken a picture yet. But I think that it turned out really well.

On The Move

We are so glad to be back at home and spending time with Steve this weekend. We just returned from two weeks in NC visiting my parents (aka Jackson's Honey and Papa). We had a great time spending time with the family and Courtney, Ian, and Kate were able to fly in for a weekend and we were all able to attend the Fitzpatrick family reunion. It was fun because no one on that side of the family had been able to meet Jackson yet. It is nice to have Steve home also he just returned from three weeks up in Virginia Beach where he was flying Navy Academy Midshipmen incentive rides in the T-34. He loves doing that sort of stuff and getting to have a bit of fun with them. Jackson and I are both glad that he is back.

While I was in NC visiting my mom I was able to get a few lessons from her on sewing so there will be interesting things to come. Back in May she came to visit and my friend Estee and I were able to receive a lesson on how to start quilting. You will have to check out Estee's site to read her entry about our quilting. While I was in NC though I took a free motion quilting class from my mom so I am excited to give it a go. I also learned how to smock so look out craftiness is on the way.

Jackson is getting so big these days and is into everything that he can get his hands on. He loves magazines. He loves the sound that they make when he is riping the pages out of them and eating them. :) He now loves to pull himeself up onto everything. He is not happy unless he is standing sometimes. Steve thinks that he will be walking within the next month or two. Did I mention that the little one is only 8 months old. CRAZY!! We are also working on self feeding these days. He can finally master the baby puffs without choaking on them. It is the small things in life that are big around here lately. He also has about grown out of his infant car seat so I was able to buy him a new seat online before we left and it arrived this week. I but him in it two days ago and he thinks that he is so big now. Because the seat sits higher he is now able to see out of the window.

Long time no blog

Well I know that I am slow getting this thing started but there has been a lot going on not only with our family. I will try to touch upon all of them. First for some of you that might not know Jackson is "army crawling" all over the living room. He has found his voice in the last 48 hours. He is now yelling, babbling, and just all around making noise at all times. He is still very happy even though he is busy pushing in four new teeth on top. The total count on his teeth is 6. I can't believe it!!

Steve's parents have been in town this week for a visit with Jackson. It was perfect timing though because my class is over on Tuesday and our babysitter has been out of tow this week. Jackson really enjoys Nancy but I know he is glad to be hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa Marshall. It has also been nice for me to be able to work on final projects without interruptions from the little man.

We are all anticipating out summer trip that we will be going on very soon. I am very excited about seeing my family and sister and her family. We will also be able to hit the beach on the east coast.

Well I will end with that for right now. I am starting slow. :)

First Blog

I have given into this world of blogging. People (Estee) wanted us to get into this. So I will try my best to keep everyone up on the Madness that is the Marshall's. Hopefully we will make you laugh with our crazy stories and our cute pictures. Until nest time.....