Catching My Breath

Life has been absolutely crazy lately. I finally feel like things have slowed down enough for me to catch my breath. I can't believe it's December already! That totally snuck up on me. Let's hope I can continue to say that.

I think we're getting into a good routine with communication with Nick (despite the 11 and a HALF hour time difference...why that extra half?), which is a huge blessing. Technology is seriously amazing! It's incredible how much things have changed since our last deployment 4 years ago.

So what have we been so busy with? Well, first off, my parents were awesome enough to travel out to see us for Thanksgiving! It was so nice not to have to hop on a plane with a toddler, and we were honored that they made the effort to come to us. We had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, hung out in Nashville and checked out the local holiday festivities. Eli loved all of the quality time with his grandparents and they even helped organize my house! Such a great visit!

After that, we got back to our "normal", although I have to admit, it was a little difficult after being spoiled with so much help! I'm not going to lie, this geographically single parenting thing is no joke. I've had a clingy, teething toddler who has ended up in my bed every morning this past week, since I'd rather not wake up for the day somewhere between the hours of 3:30 and 5am. It has been pretty tiring!

Add to that a broken dishwasher (which is really just an annoying inconvenience and is getting fixed tomorrow, yay!), the sun setting at 4:30pm, and training for and running in a 5k, plus just normal life, and it's a miracle that I survived the past week. Ok, I'm being a bit dramatic, but it was exhausting!

My 5k went alright. I wish my husband had been there to cheer me on. It was tough! I didn't realize how hilly the route was going to be, and my neighborhood (where I do most of my running) is FLAT! Plus, Eli's 25 pounds weren't terribly helpful to push. But we did it, and actually, I wasn't as slow as I felt like I was! It wasn't anything to write home about and I'm definitely not inclined to run another race anytime soon, but it definitely worked as motivation to get me to run.

We have some fun little things coming up, and have had some good times with our battle buddies. And there has been some sleep in there for both Eli and I, thank goodness!

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30 ESV)

We would appreciate prayers for sleep, energy, communication and productivity. I'll leave you with some pictures and with that I'm off to sleep!

Survival Mode

I finally had a chance to catch my breath today! Eli went to bed early, as a result of another very early morning and it was so nice! I feel like I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off since Nick left. We've been busy and social, which is good, but it made home life a little bit chaotic. And I just felt like I was wearing myself thin trying to keep up.

Add to that my early riser, and the fact that I have been staying up late for no good reason, and I have been pooped! I even took a little cat nap yesterday during Eli's nap. Oh that's right, geographically single parenting= exhausting! Can't wait for a little bit of backup when my parents arrive for a visit this week!

Before Nick left, I felt like I was gearing up for a storm. Battening down the hatches, if you will. And now the storm is here. And we just have to ride it out. Because he's worth it, and this is only temporary, no matter how long it may seem. But thankfully, there is One who is in control of it all.

And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing." And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?" (Matthew 8:24-27 ESV)

And, of course, in complete non-coincidence (because God knows all too well what I need to hear), today's sermon at church was completely related to my current situation. It was about the parable in Luke 19 about the servants and their return on the investment their master has given them.

I have been making excuses about checking in on people and having people over since the guys left. I wanted to wait until my life seemed less chaotic and my house was in order, or after the holidays. But between the sermon and the example and hospitality shown to me by fellow wives, I realized I had it all wrong. I need to be serving others all the time, not when it is convenient for me or I have my life in order. That's selfish, and people need some love now. I could make excuses forever and then I'm the one with nothing to offer God or others. Even a small gesture is better than nothing and now it is so clear what my priorities should be.

Although I shouldn't neglect myself and my family, there are so many others in the same or worse shape. It's not all about me! And God will take care of us too and give us just what we need. Which tonight means rest!

Reality

Reality is starting to set in. It was the same during the last deployment, and while Nick was at Ranger School for 3 months this summer. The first few days, there is a good amount of denial and just a fog surrounding life. And then it starts to sink in that he's really gone. And the fact that we have a long road ahead. And being a geographically single parent is tiring. Between keeping busy and taking care of Eli full time, I'm tired.

I think what really made it sink in today was sorting laundry, of all things. Seeing his clothes that won't be worn for 9 months. It was just an all too present reminder of our reality. Which is probably why I got into crazy cleaning mode the past few days and tidied up all of his things left throughout the house. I just don't want those reminders all the time.

Don't get me wrong, it really was an alright day today. It's just that that underlying sadness that I had before grew a bit and it's starting to sink in. But I don't have time to just sit and mope. Life goes on. And I have an adorably sweet little monkey to take care of and play with and be present with. And battle buddies to commiserate with. And family to talk to. And those deployment goals to work on. And my husband to pray for and FaceTime with (praise God for technology!)

And I have a God who is faithful and will see us through:
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39 ESV)

Day 2

Well, we got through the first full day! Other than Eli waking up super early (thanks buddy!), it wasn't terrible. There was definitely an underlying sense of sadness and this new normal is going to take a lot of getting used to, especially at dinner time and around the time Nick would usually come home from work. But, let me tell you, Eli is a very good distraction! I don't think we'll have a problem keeping busy.

Eli is doing really well too, but I know it is because he really doesn't understand the situation. He asked for Nick a few times, but no more so than normal. And I made sure that we watched some "Dada story time" (videos of Nick reading) and our Daddy doll got lots of love at bedtime.

We also started our deployment countdown (see picture at the bottom) and moved our first toy soldier! Man, that felt good! I think Eli enjoyed it too. I liked that it was a tangible way to count down, while involving Eli, and didn't use a number (I can always add or subtract soldiers if I need to). Because if there's anything I've learned about the Army in the past 5 years, it's that things change!

If you're interested in stealing the idea, it was really easy! I made use of the beloved Pinterest and Hobby Lobby and got the biggest jars I could find (the first ones I got were way too small to fit all of the soldiers) and used stickers for the words. "Mission accomplished" was a close second for the wording on the second jar. Feel free to get creative The Army men/toy soldiers were an Amazon purchase.

As rough as last night was, I felt so incredibly loved and supported. Every prayer (and I know there were a lot of them!) was felt and God's presence was so evident. As much as I wouldn't wish this situation for myself (or anyone else for that matter), it is such an opportunity to trust God. And I know he has great growth in store for us as a family.

I am in the midst of a Bible study on Romans, and this verse totally stuck out for me this past week:
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 ESV)
I think it is going to be my deployment verse and I am going to try to memorize it. I know that God will use this deployment for our good and His glory.

Oh, and check out my sister's blog for our (my 2 sisters, my sister-in-law and I) picture a day challenge #countingourblessings2012
We are posting a picture on Instagram every day for the month of November of things we are thankful and praising God for. I can't think of a better time to count my blessings and keep things in perspective.

Didn't quite get to my deployment goals yet, so those are still coming soon. Stay tuned!

Here We Go Again

Well, deployment number two has officially begun. We've known this was coming for awhile and it's been a bit of a whirlwind leading up to it.

Some things were easier this time around (being in the moment, not just dreading him leaving, knowing that it's only supposed to be 9 months instead of twelve, knowing that God will do amazing things in our lives again, etc). But regardless, it was not a very fun day and saying "see you later" to my best friend will never be easy.

Eli was a total champ and, although he was confused about all the tears, he gave endless hugs and smooches. Which broke my heart and made me happy at the same time. He is such a sweet boy and we are so blessed to have him.

I feel like I'm in a fog and am completely emotionally and physically exhausted, so this will be short. But, I am hoping to start blogging again frequently and not neglect this little blog anymore. Coming soon will be my deployment goals, once I actually write them down.

And, the plan is to catch up with the monthly Eli updates I so abruptly stopped. Because he blows me away every day with the new things he learns and says (today's new word: Jesus!) and I would love to capture as much of that as possible, especially for Nick to read.

So, to be continued...

13 Months

Sorry for the delay in posting this, we have had a lot of visitors lately!

Ok, seriously, when did my baby boy become such a kid?! Mr. Personality somehow got even more personality and seems SO grown up at 13 months old. Seriously, this kid is too much:

Cool baby!

He has definitely been keeping things interesting around here, that is for sure! He started doing a lot of new  and funny things this month. 

He has become very independent and is trying to drink out of a cup. He has also started trying to brush his own hair:

Handsome boy

And sweep the porch:

He is also attempting to feed himself with a spoon:

Spoon practice

Very excited about broccoli soup

Although, he is also very happy to share, and has started feeding me Cheerios on occasion. I'm not the only one benefiting from this though:

Lucky Rufus

The new foods he tried this month were: rice cakes (loved), peanut butter, honey nut Cheerios (still prefers plain though), strawberries (loved), hot dog, spinach and whole broccoli (instead of pureed):

Mmm, plain rice cakes!

Munching on some spinach

He has also started popping up and down behind objects to play hide and seek, all while happy screaming. He cracks himself up, I love it! Although half of the time, it's his new silly fake laugh. He has also started fake crying, or really fussing, as well, which is kind of amusing since I know it's not real.

I'm very sad that he has stopped doing his "stinky face" all of a sudden. Although, he is still quite the character:

Happy Mother's Day Mama!

Squinty face?

New fishy face

He's also fascinated by putting things away or moving items from one place to another (i.e. toys from the toy box going in the laundry hamper). And he makes motor/vroom noises when playing. He can also show you his belly button when you ask and 

I'm especially loving the gibberish conversations he has started having with me. He even changes intonations and volume. Love it! Whatever is saying, he is really excited to tell me something! He has started trying to say truck and bath though and he signs helicopter constantly! He has also started saying "boom" when he hears thunder and "huh", and can make a monkey noise!

Eli the monkey

Finally, he is now the proud owner of SIX teeth! Four on the top, two on the bottom:

Cheese!

We've been spending a lot of time outside enjoying the gorgeous weather:

And we've even done a little bit of painting, although I'm not sure if more paint ended up on the paper, or Eli:

Here are some other pictures from throughout the month:

Sweet baby boy

"Mom, check out this sand!"

Silly face

Someone loves to swing

Snuggle time

Super cool

Reading his Uncle Bob's book

Happy boy with Mommy

Cutie in his overalls

All smiles

Snuggle time with Scout

And, here are his "official" pictures on his 13 month "birthday":

So happy!

Big boy

Who is this kid, and where is my baby boy?

Still has a little chunk in the cheeks

Mmm, sunglasses

One Year Old!

Well, we have officially reached the milestone of one year! This has officially been the fastest year of my life. I can so vividly remember the day that Eli was born, it is unbelievable that it has been a year since then.

While I can't say that I have enjoyed every single moment of being a parent, with all of the challenges that come with it, I have loved being Eli's mommy. He makes it all so worth it.

I feel like he is learning and growing like a weed. I constantly have to figure out new things to teach him.  This month, he started signing "airplane", and "milk", waving goodbye and nodding his head vigorously when asked a question. He is also saying "vroom", "book", "yuck", "yes", "buzz", "baa", and "hoo" (like an owl). He also understands and listens when I say "stop". He has also started pretending that various things are phones and puts it up to his ear and says his version of hello. 

He is also making a fishy face. We also find it really funny that when Nick gives him his goodnight smooch, Eli has started to push our faces together to make Nick and I smooch. Pretty cute!

He's still working on his 5th & 6th teeth. I'm actually kind of shocked that they haven't popped through yet. When they do, he'll have 4 on the top, 2 on the bottom. He has also learned how to climb off of the couch safely and carefully and is constantly cruising around the furniture, or really, whatever he can pull himself up on:

He isn't quite daring enough to actually walk yet, but as soon as he realizes he is capable of standing unsupported, we're in trouble! He did take one step towards Nick, but hasn't repeated it, especially after we freaked out with excitement!

He gets really excited when he hears Nick get home and loves to scream "DADADADADADADA" at the top of his lungs. Maybe it's because Nick does stuff like this:

Upside down!

Fun with Dada 

Storytime

My boys

Eli had his 12 month checkup yesterday, and he was a champ for his shots. He now weighs 20 lbs, 10 oz and is 29 1/2 inches tall. His head also grew about 1/2 inch in circumference and is now 18 inches around. I definitely thought he weighed more, but he has grown 2.5 inches since his 9 month checkup! Although he's at about the 41st percentile for everything, he's still definitely growing and has moved up to a Size 4 diaper.

He didn't try a whole lot of new foods this past month, except for pineapple, whole peas, and papaya, all of which he liked. He has also started to be extremely interested in everything that I am eating. I also introduced cow's milk in his sippy cup and we have begun the process of weaning!

First taste of milk!

He also "strolled" (rode in the jogging stroller) his second 5k!

He also went on his second trip by plane to my sister's wedding in California! It was a bit of a whirlwind weekend with about 12 hours of traveling each way, so we didn't get very many pictures. But, here is a collage of pictures on the plane itself:

Silly faces

Eli also celebrated his second Easter (he was 2 days old last time):

All dressed up for church

Here are a bunch of pictures from playing in our backyard:

Happy boy

Giving Rufus some love

That boy loves his Rufus

Swinging!

And then some various other pictures taken this month:

Glow in the dark

Looking out the window

Cutie

And, of course, there was the main event...his birthday party! We were able to celebrate with my family after my sister's wedding, and then had a little celebration at home, just the three of us. Although, of course, the cake was a must, and he was spoiled rotten with presents:

The cake!

Wanting to touch 

Not so sure about this sugar stuff

Frosting face 

Lots of touching of the cake 

Not sure face 

Dropping cake on the floor 

Covered in frosting 

Frosting covered hugs 

 Getting ready for the obligatory birthday bath

There was frosting everywhere! 

Post bath opening of presents!

 

Checking out his ride from Nonnie and Big Daddy

And, then, we took pictures on his actual birthday a few days later:

Good morning birthday boy! 

Playing his drum from Papa & GramMary 

My big boy 

Making noise 

I can't believe how big he is! 

 Baby face

SO BIG! 

Looking like a big boy 

It has been quite a year! I still can't believe we've already been through 365 days. It's amazing to look back and see how much Eli has changed. 

I'm so excited for what God has planned for our little man, and what He's going to continue to teach us through him. Because I know my life will never be the same, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope" 

Jeremiah 29:11