3 Weeks Down

Well, 3 weeks and 1 day down - many more to go.  In all honesty, things are going better than expected.  On the home front, having Ryan this time helps establish a routine.  There's no time for wallowing.  I have a group of ladies I meet up with a few times a week for a long walk around the golf course on post, which means I get some adult interaction with people who actually talk back.  I chat with Ryan all the time, but all I get in return are quizzical looks or "ahhhhh, mmmmmm," followed by some spits.

On Keith's end, he has internet in his room and we've been able to Skype almost every day.  Sometimes as long as an hour or as short as 20 minutes.  This is AMAZING!  I feel like we've already had more "face time" with each other than the whole year he was in Iraq.  He also said this FOB is like a hotel compared to last time.  I can live with this. 

I'm so thankful and amazed at Ryan's continued recognition of all things Keith.  We have a DVD with Keith reading several stories and a few of the books with his voice recorded.  Ryan can be fussy or busy playing with something and will immediately turn his attention to the screen when he hears Keith.  It's really cool to see.  I also have Flat Keith!  Ryan is all smiles for Flat Keith! 



I get MAD when things don't fit into my mouth.



 



MMmmmm, dinosar tails.









D Day 2012

Deployment Day 2012.  It still doesn't seem real, though I know it will sink in eventually. 

This will be different - not better or worse - because of having Ryan.  One positive is that communication should be much improved this time, and having a fancy-pants phone means I won't miss Keith's IMs/e-mails/Skypes if I'm out and about. 

We spent the days leading up to D Day preparing.  Love notes, honey-do lists, pics, and videos were exchanged.  My favorite thing is that we recorded Keith reading books to Ryan, so now we will incorporate story time with dad into our go-to-bed routine. 

I've been impressed with what's out there to support the children of soldiers who are deployed.  Operation Gratitude provided a bear in uniform with a place for a pic of Keith to go for cuddles during these next months.  We also got a backpack filled with goodies for Ryan, namely a Daddy Doll.  We also sent in a pic of Keith to be made into a Flat Daddy.  This by far will be my most favorite thing.  Once Flat Keith arrives the adventures will begin!  (http://www.operationgratitude.com/ and http://flatdaddies.com/)

I do have an address, so if you're interested in sending Keith something let me know! 

Reality Stinks

Watch as Ryan realizes he only has two hands...that he won't be able to hang onto a giraffe, a teething toy, and a foot all at the same time.  (And how cute are those football leg warmers?!  Keith is not a fan.)

By this point he had TOSSED both toys to the ground and pitched a fit.  I feel like this shouldn't happen in 3 months of life, but Ryan is making his own choices about that.  Clearly.  A feeding and a nap soon followed this little episode.  :)

New Gilbert Family Pics

Posts have been a little lacking lately. We have been spending time with family a lot before Keith leaves for Afghanistan.  While I wait to post more things, here are some of the pictures we took over Easter Weekend!

Easter Weekend

A BIG thank you to Laura and Trever for hosting Easter! The whole Gilbert family got together in Salina for a long weekend. We went shooting, got some family pictures taken, and visited the zoo. Lots of fun and family time!



Meeting Uncle Steve was fun for both of them! Steve is a first-time uncle, but the dad of Ryan's 3 cousins.










Ryan's met Uncle Trever before, but this is the first pic of the two.










Kyle and Owen are so good with Ryan! I can't wait for him to get a little older, I'm sure he'll love playing with his cousins!









See how these two babies look the same size? Well, they are. Maddi is 5 1/2 months to Ryan's almost 3 months.

Ryan isn't grouchy, he's focusing on kicking his legs.

They probably won't like all the pics and videos of this moment when they're older. Oh well. :)




Owen was checking out what the Easter Bunny brought him.










Our Easter eggs! The first time they say "Mom" and "Dad" for Keith and I.






























Kyle took a break from hunting eggs to smile for me!

Snuggle-Saurus and Magic Swings

Here is Ryan, our little Snuggle-saurus! (That's what his shirt says and it couldn't be more true.) This is a common pose for him now.

Lately he has been chucking his binx and opting for his fingers instead. Sometimes he gags himself but I bet he'll figure it out eventually. This is the most 'normal' way he sucks on his fingers too...usually his hand is fanned across his nose as he goes at his thumb.

Can you see the nice little bald spot on the side of his head? That's because he sleeps on his side, but he also prefers to rub his soft little head (not that I blame him, it is wonderfully soft).




One of our family friends in Iowa loaned us this swing, which I'm pretty sure is MAGICAL. See how peaceful he looks? That was not the case 5 minutes before this pic. Ryan was in the midst of an all-out, ugly meltdown. (Good thing he's tiny, I definitely got a left hook to the face.) Now he's back to being lovely - and asleep.

This swing can go side-to-side, around in a circle, or the normal front to back. It also can spin the mobile and play different sounds/music.

I'm SOO grateful!

Pinterest!

I'm obsessed with Pinterest. It's so easy to browse at all of the pretty pictures and gather ideas while feeding Ryan, which is why my boards have been expanding lately. I've tried plenty of recipes - 90% are delightful - and just recently I've been playing with crafts.

I made a KSU themed rag wreath last summer:















A mini state plaque/string art for all the places we've lived - Fort Carson, Colorado:















Fort Benning, Georgia:















Fort Riley, Kansas"















I made the monogram G and the flower thing too:
















It also helped me organize our medicine cabinet, but that makes for a boring pic. I'm also in the process of developing a Gilbert Family Binder with all of our important documents. As soon as I get a hole punch for my pretty folders, it will be finished! All of the important documents have been in a mini filing thing, but it's not pretty. Sometimes the top falls off too if you carry it like a normal person...not a good thing since it has important stuff like social security cards, orders, powers of attorney, etc. Go Pinterest!