Yes, Ladies and Gents, my Handsome husband returns to us tomorrow! I kept saying "Daddy will be here tomorrow!" Ailish kept looking around. So, I said, "Tomorrow is tomorrow and today is today." It seemed to help, but she still walked over to the door. I would have thought she wanted to go play in the snow, but it was -11 with the windchill.
Since, the cabinets and fridge were about empty we went to the grocery store on base to relieve Daddy upon his arrival of such duties. Believe me, if I knew that it was -11 I would have waited until tomorrow. The wind gusts pretty much took out visibility with the snow and I felt like a popsicle by the time we made it into the building. Thankfully, Ailish was all bundled up and probably too warm, lucky her. We had a successful grocery shopping time with not a peep from the little one, until it was time to put her in the car seat. I pulled up to the building to load the groceries in the vehicle and by the second hand full of bags my fingers were frozen! I then regretted declining the nice lady for help with the groceries. I almost ran back inside to say, "I changed my mind! My fingers are frozen!" However, I pushed through along with pushing the back door up to prevent it from knocking me out.
We may be getting neighbors upstairs. As I was leaving for the grocery store this morning it looked as if they were doing a walk through. We shall see.
What?! I don't know how all the water in our shoe tray ended up on the floor without the shoes in it moving an inch. Sadly, there lay my balaclava soaked as I stood in my last pair of clean warm socks in the cold watery mess. Poor Honey Bear had to wait while I retrieved a regular pair of socks for her walk.
There was a play date scheduled for today, but I am so glad we rescheduled for next week. I did not want to go back out in the frozen tundra for I was still chilled to the bone hours later. Bible study, I sadly missed tonight due to an upset stomach. Even though I am feeling better and could have made it there in decent time, I just had peace about staying home tonight. At least Ailish was able to get a warm bath tonight so she will look extra pretty for Daddy tomorrow!
O, to have my Snuggy to keep me warm tomorrow night!!! Yipee!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
SOS
OK, so not quite, but almost. Today was just one of those days that I had to take a minute to cry, wished we lived closer to family, and for Will not to have deployments that lasted this long. I am aware that his deployments are nothing compared to countless others who serve our country. Why you ask? Well, the only consecutive times that Ailish was not screaming was after her first feeding for alone play for 30min. and at church until after lunch and eating. I hardly think it was teething or any other pain except not getting her way. She would almost immediately stop screaming when I would assist her in walking. Didn't think I would have to pull out the parenting books this soon. The bright side is Will and I had already decided upon his return to set time aside each week to discuss how we will handle different situations and which ones for discipline and what consequences there will be.
The most amazing thing happened last night. Ailish and I were in her room preparing for her bath when I was thinking that I needed to pick up her dirty insert and place it in the hamper. Since Ailish likes to walk to the bathroom for bath time, I assisted her. Guess what she does?! She walks over to the dirty insert, picks it up and carries it outside her bedroom and places it in the hamper! Boy, did she ever receive praise for that! I was astonished to say the least and beyond happy. So, today after removing a pooh cloth diaper and placing it near the bathroom to dispose of the pooh, I return to pick up Ailish only to return to no pooh on the diaper. Honey Bear! Words could not describe how upset I was at the dog. Needless to say Ailish was not allowed to play with her puppy who she loves. Then about an hour later I remembered that I had forgot to feed Honey Bear! What a day!
Four more days until Will returns! Thank you Lord!!!
The most amazing thing happened last night. Ailish and I were in her room preparing for her bath when I was thinking that I needed to pick up her dirty insert and place it in the hamper. Since Ailish likes to walk to the bathroom for bath time, I assisted her. Guess what she does?! She walks over to the dirty insert, picks it up and carries it outside her bedroom and places it in the hamper! Boy, did she ever receive praise for that! I was astonished to say the least and beyond happy. So, today after removing a pooh cloth diaper and placing it near the bathroom to dispose of the pooh, I return to pick up Ailish only to return to no pooh on the diaper. Honey Bear! Words could not describe how upset I was at the dog. Needless to say Ailish was not allowed to play with her puppy who she loves. Then about an hour later I remembered that I had forgot to feed Honey Bear! What a day!
Four more days until Will returns! Thank you Lord!!!
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Five days to go...
Five days to go until "Daddy" comes home! We can not wait! This past week has actually flown by at record speed. Monday-shopping, Tuesday-Mops, Wednesday-play date/fellowship with the ladies and Bible study, Thursday-more fellowship with the ladies and play date/dinner, Friday-play date, and today-baby shower.
Now to break down the moments above: Wednesday, I had planned to mope around all day in my pajamas along with Ailish. However, while in the middle of feeding her my friend calls and invites us over for a play date with another Mom. It was 9:30am and the play date was for 10am. The drive to her house in good conditions is 15min. I quickly accepted the invitation and immediately after Ailish's last swallow. I placed her on her play mate, got dressed, bundled her up in her car seat, started the vehicle, and removed 6+inches of snow off the entire vehicle, and then proceeded to make a track behind the tires to reverse out of the parking lot. Yes, I did remember Ailish, and made it before 11am. When I was taking Ailish out of the car seat she was mesmerized by the snow falling. It was the most precious sight that I will treasure forever (captured below). It was such a blessing to arrive at her house with coffee and muffins waiting to be indulged. I am so glad I didn't stay at home. I would have missed out on the fun of hanging out and meeting another friend. Later that night Ailish was the model of content at Bible study until prayer time at the end. Thursday, was another blessing visiting with friends and indulging on quiche, coffee cake, and coffee. Their place overlooked the water. So, peaceful watching the snow continue to fall and thickly gather on the pines. The best part was the lady who was hosting resembled my Mom. So, this Mommy got a break from baby. Later on Ailish had a play date with Hunter. She absolutely smiled the whole time as they shook maracas, bang the drums, and pounded on the piano. It was as if another side of Ailish was coming out. It was cute watching them touch each others hand. Ailish actually gave Hunter's Mommy a high five, which she learned just before arriving at their house. Before bath time Ailish and I lay on our backs and read about Noah and his big boat. She smiled, cooed, and leaned over to try to give me kisses on the cheek. Friday, Ailish learned how to play ball! And one of those nights Ailish heard Daddy talk to her on the phone and she just smiled!
Meanwhile, Will went on his first hunting excursion. I will let him fill in the details. All I am going to say is 3 men, 1 gun, and no transportation.
Now to break down the moments above: Wednesday, I had planned to mope around all day in my pajamas along with Ailish. However, while in the middle of feeding her my friend calls and invites us over for a play date with another Mom. It was 9:30am and the play date was for 10am. The drive to her house in good conditions is 15min. I quickly accepted the invitation and immediately after Ailish's last swallow. I placed her on her play mate, got dressed, bundled her up in her car seat, started the vehicle, and removed 6+inches of snow off the entire vehicle, and then proceeded to make a track behind the tires to reverse out of the parking lot. Yes, I did remember Ailish, and made it before 11am. When I was taking Ailish out of the car seat she was mesmerized by the snow falling. It was the most precious sight that I will treasure forever (captured below). It was such a blessing to arrive at her house with coffee and muffins waiting to be indulged. I am so glad I didn't stay at home. I would have missed out on the fun of hanging out and meeting another friend. Later that night Ailish was the model of content at Bible study until prayer time at the end. Thursday, was another blessing visiting with friends and indulging on quiche, coffee cake, and coffee. Their place overlooked the water. So, peaceful watching the snow continue to fall and thickly gather on the pines. The best part was the lady who was hosting resembled my Mom. So, this Mommy got a break from baby. Later on Ailish had a play date with Hunter. She absolutely smiled the whole time as they shook maracas, bang the drums, and pounded on the piano. It was as if another side of Ailish was coming out. It was cute watching them touch each others hand. Ailish actually gave Hunter's Mommy a high five, which she learned just before arriving at their house. Before bath time Ailish and I lay on our backs and read about Noah and his big boat. She smiled, cooed, and leaned over to try to give me kisses on the cheek. Friday, Ailish learned how to play ball! And one of those nights Ailish heard Daddy talk to her on the phone and she just smiled!
Meanwhile, Will went on his first hunting excursion. I will let him fill in the details. All I am going to say is 3 men, 1 gun, and no transportation.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
The last few days
It has been three days since Will has left for St. Paul Island and boy do I miss him! Will is definitely the most awesome helpful husband ever! I know this because of all the work I am having to do while he is gone. Its tiring being a 24/7 Mom with no breaks. Rewarding, yes. My favorite thing Will does to help out is spending time with Ailish. She adores him and has been looking for him every evening. The second most helpful thing Will does is clean the poopy cloth diapers and puts all of them in the wash. The third most helpful thing is helping with bath time. Ailish likes to arch her back and push up with her feet in the baby tub when upset. This takes patience and miraculously with only two arms she was kept from bumping her head on any hard objects. The fourth most helpful is taking Honey Bear on her final walk for the evening, because by this time Ailish is down and I am ready to put my feet up. There are so many more things I could mention such as him washing the dishes, taking the trash out,giving me a massage, etc. However, I most finish the post soon for the little one has apparently not gone down as I had hoped.
Will made it to St. Paul Island safely after a delayed take off and a night at Dutch Harbor where they met and spoke to one of the Captains from the show "Deadliest Catch."
Ailish and I have kept busy with the usual tasks of the day, grocery shopping (which she was an angel this time), and the gym (she didn't last quite as long due to the unexpected amount of children running around with majority of the mom's not working out. This is a designated area people with rules that children should not be running around). We also had a lovely play date with a bunch of other mom's from church. It was a blessed time of fellowship that I truly thank the Lord for. Ailish's play date fell asleep, but she was much entertained by us adults and toys.
Ok, got to run. The baby is calling. The cloth diapers need to be wash and Honey Bear needs a walk.
Will made it to St. Paul Island safely after a delayed take off and a night at Dutch Harbor where they met and spoke to one of the Captains from the show "Deadliest Catch."
Ailish and I have kept busy with the usual tasks of the day, grocery shopping (which she was an angel this time), and the gym (she didn't last quite as long due to the unexpected amount of children running around with majority of the mom's not working out. This is a designated area people with rules that children should not be running around). We also had a lovely play date with a bunch of other mom's from church. It was a blessed time of fellowship that I truly thank the Lord for. Ailish's play date fell asleep, but she was much entertained by us adults and toys.
Ok, got to run. The baby is calling. The cloth diapers need to be wash and Honey Bear needs a walk.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Two Weeks, Here we go
On Tuesday, Will came home for lunch to discuss a couple options. One he could leave for St. Paul in two days for two weeks or option two leave for St. Paul for two weeks just after coming home for a week from being gone three weeks. So, after a brief discussion (b/c after all its going to be two weeks from each other no matter when he goes) we decided he would leave in 2 days for St. Paul. The positives of this trip is the crew he will be with and he will not miss a giant part of Ailish's development. We said our goodbyes just a little more than thirty minutes ago and I can honestly say my heart hurts. Here is to two weeks of being a 24/7 Mom in a place where close family and friends are far far away. At least I'm not on an island in the middle of the Bearing Sea.
Yesterday was supposed to be a relaxing day. It started out great with Ailish sleeping over 13 hours. However, the grand plan of eating a quaint breakfast out turned out to be coffee and pastry to go and homemade omelets, due to every place on our list to eat at was conveniently closed. On the bright side we got to consume delicious coffee and count the numerous bald eagles on our way back home. I believe the total in to town was 24 and the total leaving town was 30 eagles. All within a mile.
Now to start the day, taking it minute by minute and reminding myself to breath and to keep busy. Your prayers are much appreciated for Will's safety and for the rest of the crew he will be working with. Thank you!
Yesterday was supposed to be a relaxing day. It started out great with Ailish sleeping over 13 hours. However, the grand plan of eating a quaint breakfast out turned out to be coffee and pastry to go and homemade omelets, due to every place on our list to eat at was conveniently closed. On the bright side we got to consume delicious coffee and count the numerous bald eagles on our way back home. I believe the total in to town was 24 and the total leaving town was 30 eagles. All within a mile.
Now to start the day, taking it minute by minute and reminding myself to breath and to keep busy. Your prayers are much appreciated for Will's safety and for the rest of the crew he will be working with. Thank you!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
A Winter Wonderland
We have about a foot of snow that came within 24 hours and the wind has created drifts up to a few feet. It was quite humorous to watch Honey Bear try to make a yellow snow cone. She refused at first by making her way back to the door of warmth. However, with just a bit of encouragement she was relieved. The snow here is much different than what I have experienced elsewhere. And no, I am not referring to the yellow snow, but to the pure white light fluffy snow that can freely blow like a molecule of sand.
This week has been a challenge with Ailish teething. She, thank God, thus far has been able to sleep through the night. However, she may not be able to go down until 10, but I will take that. The days are hard due to her whines and needing to be consoled. The best way to console her is to hold or hold her up so she can walk. My back is on its way to recovery with the purchase of a Jungle Jumperoo off a local group called Swip Swap. Great deals and finds. I really need to stay off of there. Its pretty bad when shopping is better second hand than at the local stores. At least for most items. The bright side is Ailish loves the Jumperoo! We hope she doesn't grow tired of it too quickly.
Note to self while grocery shopping with Ailish in the big girl seat: have additional paper on hand and not the grocery list. I thought I had a two year old with me and not a 61/2 month old. She kept grabbing the grocery list out of my hand, balling it up, putting it in her mouth, and a nice tare. I traded it for a pen. Yes, I must confess not the best thing to give her, but if shopping was ever going to get done, something had to be done. Apparently, her fun toys were not as interesting as Mommy's things. Next time I am playing with her toys as I shop and maybe she will want to play with them.
So, I am getting the word out there to those of you who have spare money just laying around and want to come visit Alaska aka grand baby, niece, daughter, friend, etc. I would love visitors between the very end of Feb. to mid Mar. and from the last week of Mar. to the first week of Apr. My love will be furthering his knowledge in his field and be out in the field. If you can't come, please pray for my sanity and Will's safety. Thank you!
Much love!
This week has been a challenge with Ailish teething. She, thank God, thus far has been able to sleep through the night. However, she may not be able to go down until 10, but I will take that. The days are hard due to her whines and needing to be consoled. The best way to console her is to hold or hold her up so she can walk. My back is on its way to recovery with the purchase of a Jungle Jumperoo off a local group called Swip Swap. Great deals and finds. I really need to stay off of there. Its pretty bad when shopping is better second hand than at the local stores. At least for most items. The bright side is Ailish loves the Jumperoo! We hope she doesn't grow tired of it too quickly.
Note to self while grocery shopping with Ailish in the big girl seat: have additional paper on hand and not the grocery list. I thought I had a two year old with me and not a 61/2 month old. She kept grabbing the grocery list out of my hand, balling it up, putting it in her mouth, and a nice tare. I traded it for a pen. Yes, I must confess not the best thing to give her, but if shopping was ever going to get done, something had to be done. Apparently, her fun toys were not as interesting as Mommy's things. Next time I am playing with her toys as I shop and maybe she will want to play with them.
So, I am getting the word out there to those of you who have spare money just laying around and want to come visit Alaska aka grand baby, niece, daughter, friend, etc. I would love visitors between the very end of Feb. to mid Mar. and from the last week of Mar. to the first week of Apr. My love will be furthering his knowledge in his field and be out in the field. If you can't come, please pray for my sanity and Will's safety. Thank you!
Much love!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Christmas Eve was special for I almost sat through an entire service! A great message of the true meaning of Christmas was presented with scriptures and songs. It was a joyful time. Afterwards we were planning to enjoy some Chinese food. One of Will's traditions. However, the place was closed. So, we went to McDonalds. Sadly, it has become our new tradition, because that is what we had last year. In all fairness, it was some of the best fast food we have had.
Do you recall the Christmas song, "All I want for Christmas is (My Two Front Teeth)?" Well our pretty little darling received her two front teeth for Christmas! They are some sharp ones too! She is a cute little girl who loves to babble and gurgle. Ailish's favorite part about Christmas was taking the bows off the presents. Consequently, her favorite present was hair bows. Some of her other favorites on Christmas Day was shiny pink wrapping paper which aptly went into her mouth, a doll baby which she petted its hair continually, and the purple phone off her sing in play (she did not let it go even while being tossed up in the air).
Even though we were far from family and close friends this year, it just happened to be one of the warmest memorable Christmas' yet. When I say warmest, I am not talking temperature (it was in the single digits), I am referring to the thoughtful gifts that were given to us and to our first Christmas with Ailish. My love nailed it with my gift of a kindle and a personalized mug he designed. A few other gifts that warmed our hearts was a canvas of our wedding day and a canvas of Ailish wearing Daddy's sunglasses. Every gift received was so special and thoughtful to us for though we were miles apart each gift seemed to say, "You are in our thoughts." Thank you!
Happy New Year! May this find you well and full of hope!
Do you recall the Christmas song, "All I want for Christmas is (My Two Front Teeth)?" Well our pretty little darling received her two front teeth for Christmas! They are some sharp ones too! She is a cute little girl who loves to babble and gurgle. Ailish's favorite part about Christmas was taking the bows off the presents. Consequently, her favorite present was hair bows. Some of her other favorites on Christmas Day was shiny pink wrapping paper which aptly went into her mouth, a doll baby which she petted its hair continually, and the purple phone off her sing in play (she did not let it go even while being tossed up in the air).
Even though we were far from family and close friends this year, it just happened to be one of the warmest memorable Christmas' yet. When I say warmest, I am not talking temperature (it was in the single digits), I am referring to the thoughtful gifts that were given to us and to our first Christmas with Ailish. My love nailed it with my gift of a kindle and a personalized mug he designed. A few other gifts that warmed our hearts was a canvas of our wedding day and a canvas of Ailish wearing Daddy's sunglasses. Every gift received was so special and thoughtful to us for though we were miles apart each gift seemed to say, "You are in our thoughts." Thank you!
Happy New Year! May this find you well and full of hope!
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