Baby G Update

Yesterday I went to a specialist in Topeka for an ultrasound to see whether or not Boy Gilbert has spina bifida or heart problems. Good news - he looks perfect and healthy! Here's what else we learned:

-He made sure we knew he was a boy.
-He has lots and lots of hair...visible in 2 and 3D. (This explains the wicked heartburn.)
-Weighs 4 lbs 15 ozs.
-Has very active limbs...he sucked on both hands and a foot while we were watching. Dr. actually asked if anyone in the family talks with their hands (cough, Bev, cough).
-Based on fluid levels, he will probably come early. I was told to be ready by January 10, but due date wasn't changed.
-Those same high fluid levels will make me look and feel further along than I really am.

I was really excited to get to see him in 3D, but he didn't let us get a good look at his face. He had one or both hands covering him. When the tech pushed a few times to get him to move, that's when he then brought a foot up to block our view more. I'm not sure where this stubbornness is coming from! However, there was a brief peek at his little nose and mouth. I predict he will have Keith's lips and his aunt Amanda's nose. :)

I won't post the ultrasound pics this time. The only clear 2D one shows his boy parts prominently (we'll save that to embarass him later), and the 3D ones show his hands/foot. We're looking forward to meeting the little guy!

Thanksgiving 2011

We road-tripped with Laura and Trever to Canon City, CO.

Thanksgiving dinner was DELICIOUS!

However, the Chocolate Angel pie was my fav.

We all watched Robin Williams before bed.











The next day, the women went to see Twilight: Breaking Dawn.

The men played 4 Mile.

No trip to Colorado is complete without an intense game of Risk.

I totally thought Keith was being nice to me for once, but it turns out I was being isolated in Asia so he could personally take me out...Cindy beat him to it. Ultimately, Rex made the ultimate comeback to win the game.

On Saturday we all went shooting. (I stayed in the car to protect Baby G's little ears.)

Then we headed to The Springs for some shopping.

Dinner was at Edelweiss in Colorado Springs. This German restaurant is deLIGHTful!

Amanda, Steve, Kyle, Owen, and Madi were missed! We're looking forward to seeing them at New Year's!

Over and Over Again

Even though I just posted (I did get 4 things done on my To-Do list before I typed this out), I'm still thinking about the question of what civilians should know about military life. I have another answer, one I like even better.

I get to fall in love with my husband over and over again.

Seeing him in the Colorado Springs airport after 8 months of his Iraq deployment was just great! (See pic captioned 'R&R 2009' on the side) I only had 2 weeks with him, but they were pretty awesome. Then when he came home for good 4 months after that...there are no words. Seeing pictures from that day or hearing the Toby Keith song (playing when they walked in) on the radio will bring on the tears as those memories come rushing back.

His year-long deployment, and of course those month-long training exercises, give me a chance to truly miss him. It deepens my appreciation of what he does around the house on a day-to-day basis, both big and small.

Here are some pics of MY "battle buddies" with their husbands on redeployment day:

Keith and I

Sheri and Todd

Christy and Ryan

Leslie and Jake

Scheduling in Pencil

An interesting question was posed to military families recently..."What is the #1 thing civilians should know about military families?"

My short answer (which is good advice for military families too): I schedule everything in pencil because it's bound to change.

My long answer: I schedule everything in pencil because it's bound to change. Luckily not all of the following have happened to me personally, but they have happened to friends of mine.

Deployment dates - when they leave, when they're coming home for 2 weeks in the middle, and when they're coming home. (Yes, employer, I would love to give you exact dates, but I don't know myself!)
PCSing (AKA, moving) - You have orders to go (insert post here). Just kidding, you have orders to go (insert post across the country here).
Training dates - Soldiers will be doing this training from x -x. FRAGO, it's from y - y. FRAGO, it's from z-z. FRAGO, it's back to x-x. This can go on and on, eventually it gets to the point where you believe it when they're actually gone.
Wedding dates - For MONTHS, a friend had been planning to get married in June. Deployment orders came up and he was going to deploy in March, obviously missing the June date. They got married at a courthouse in November...only to find out the deployment got pushed back to July, meaning they could have had the June wedding. (I have a few friends with slight variations to this scenario.)
RSVPing - I know I told you that there would be 2 of us attending, but it's just me.

These are just a few examples. Once I learned how permanently flexible the Army dates are, the better I was able to cope. Coping doesn't mean I like it, or will always handle it with grace, but I'm now more likely to generate backup plans.