First babysitter

So today was a big day, both for Isabelle and myself. I had a doctors apointment that I couldn't take Isabelle to and Josh was not going to be home in time to watch her. Thus, I had to find someone who could. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem but seeing as how I have never left her with anyone other than family; it was a big deal. Carol, our neighbor was kind enough to watch her. Kids are smarter than we give them credit sometimes because Isabelle knew something was fishy. Even before I started to leave she was crying and holding on to my leg. I sucked it up and walked out the door, leaving poor Carol with a screaming child.

From what Carol said, she cried for a few minutes then sat on the living room floor with her head down. Carol asked if she wanted to read a book and she perked right up. I guess they read books right up until Josh came home.

It was only an hour but it was a good start. She needs to learn that other people besides her parents can take care of her too. And I need to learn the same lesson. :) Baby steps for the both of us!

Air Conditioning in December

It is December, 71 degrees outside, pouring down rain and I just turned on the AC! How crazy is that. I love this weather ... I was not made for the cold!!!

Where there is some pee there is more

Some days I feel like I have lost my mind. Yesterday was one of those days. It started out perfectly ... All morning I had been cleaning up the house, putting clean clothes away and playing with Isabelle. She had a doctors appt. that afternoon so I knew I needed to get her down for a nap a little earlier than usual. No big deal, right? So I headed to Walmart to pick up a few things because it was going to be easier for me to do it before her nap rather than later. After getting there and filling our cart with what we needed I head up to the cashier, put all my stuff on the belt, get my coupons ready, reach for my wallet and then the slight panic sets in. I left my wallet at home in the office on the computer table. So not only do I have to put everything on the belt back into the cart I get to tell the lady that I am a genius and have forgotten my wallet. I told her I would be right back (we don't live that far) and not to put my stuff away. That was the plan but like I said before, this wasn't the greatest of days for me. While driving home Isabelle falls asleep in the car even though it isn't more than 3 miles, she is out like a light. So I decide not to go back and to just put her in her crib and hope for the best.

The next hour and a half were pretty uneventful as Isabelle was asleep but once we got to the doctors office; all that changed. She was pretty out of it for the first few minutes because she had just woken up from her nap. Again, the doctor isn't that far from our house. She ate her grapes, drank her juice and walked around with another little girl. They finally called us back to the exam room and while I waiting I realized that Iz has another poopy diaper. So I start to change her and as I am just about done, she pees alllll over the place. So I get her cleaned up and set her on the floor sans diaper because she just went pee and there can't be anymore and because I have to clean up the exam table. While cleaning the table I look down to check on her and she is standing in one spot looking down at her feet watching herself as she pees yet again. She looks up at me with pure accomplishment on her face and then proceeds to stomp round in it. Laughing, I get her cleaned up again. At this point the doctor enters and I have to warn her of the lake sized puddle of pee on the floor. She doesn't flinch, says "its okay" and starts to exam Isabelle. I guess she has seen worse.

After all that I go back to Walmart. I pick out all the things we need (again), head the the check out, avoid the first checker we had at all costs, pay for our stuff and head home. Safe at home at last .... whew what a day.

Learning the hard way

It is a good thing that we have great medical insurance because poor Isabelle has been in and out of the doctors office all month. It all started with a common cold that caused her to get another set of double ear infections. That kid gets them every time she gets sick. :( So we went to the doctor and got a prescription for amoxicilian. She took the entire 10 day dose and on day 11 she had an allergic reaction to it. I could go into the long drawn out story of how we figured out that what exactly it was but to be honest it gives me a headache just thinking about it. The cliff notes version is that after seeing three doctors at the same office we had three answers ... and we still aren't done. As it stands now she will most likely have to have tubes put in her ears. I hear it isn't that hard of a process and that they will dissolve on their own in a year. But that is yet to be decided.

I did however learn that every parent should make a personal health record for each of their children. While seeing all of these doctors, I learned that Isabelle's chart hadn't been updated with any of the new information or medication that she was prescribed. Plus, when I ordered a copy of her medical file from Washington, it was missing 2 of her doctor visits (where she was again given meds). So I have since made her her own file that I update with each doctor visit. I even took pictures of her rash from the amoxicilian (that helped too bec one doctor thought I was over exaggerating). If you haven't guessed by now ... we are looking for a new pediatrician!

A little behind

Yes, I know, I am a little behind. I have an excuse though ... I squarely place the blame on the Holidays, Josh learning a new language and being a mom. Oh, and on the sad fact that Obama won the election. And on my foot (that I still have to have surgery on) but that should be it. I think.

Over the next few days I am going to try really hard on playing catch up so that I can at least be caught up until Christmas.

Helicopter Ride

Okay so I am a little video happy but there has been some funny stuff lately. Josh started spinning Isabelle around and when he stops they are both pretty dizzy. Isabelle tries to get up right away and of course falls down trying. Funny stuff.

Fall Leaves

Isabelle has found the joy of leaves. Everyday she asks to go outside and play in them.

Lately Isabelle doesn't want to eat her dinner...unless its fruit, cheese or any kind of bread product. So I have been the mean mom and not giving in when she doesn't want to eat what is in front of her. This video shows one way of how she deals with food she doesn't like (the other obviously being crying) and in this case it was lasagna and veggies. For the record there was one day where she ate more lasagna than I did so I know she likes the stuff. We are in a world of hurt since she seems to be pretty stubborn ... just like her mom and dad.

You Spin Me Right Round, Baby Right Round

Here is a video of Isabelle doing her new favorite thing ... SPINNING. It sure doesn't take much to entertain her. Okay, so after watching this I realize that my voice sounds funny. You can tell I have been sick ... okay and I was using a little baby talk.

HELP?!?!

If anyone knows how I can rearange my posts so that I can put them in order please let me know. I can't seem to find the right "button". Thanks!

Knocking on death's door

Every year it seems I get sick. I go into the cold and flu season thinking that 'this is the year it will pass me by' and every year I find myself on my death bed. Okay, so maybe not really my death bed but in my opinion ... its pretty darn close. This year was no expection. It started about 2 weeks ago and I really thought that after 2 days of having a cold I was going to shake it. Then out of no where it hit me. I had a 102 temp, the chills and I was sore. Luckily all of this happened when Josh was on a 4 day weekend. If he hadn't been here I don't think I would have made it through. He took care of Isabelle and me ... and I am pretty needy when I am sick. If that wasn't bad enough, Isabelle had a cold too.

When I finally started to feel better and took a good look at Isabelle I noticed she was acting kind of funny. I figured she had an ear infection so I took her to the doctor that morning and sure enough, double ear infections. She gets them every time she gets sick. I found out from Laura that Josh had them a lot when he was a baby. He even had to have tubes put in his ears because they were so bad. Hopefully she won't have to go through all of that.

We are all finally feeling better (Josh even got a touch of a cold) and getting on with every day life. I was pretty bummed about missing out on the big weekend as we were going to finish painting in the house. Josh however, was not. Go figure. (November 11, 2008)

The Itsy-Bitsy Spider

So its finally Halloween time and Isabelle could care less. A lot of people have asked us where we are going trick or treating and I think its funny. She is 1 people what is she going to do with all that candy and seriously she isn't going to want to walk up to random peoples houses and "talk" to them. Needless to say we are staying home and passing out candy.

I did however, take her to a trick or treat on post. It was at the ACS building and all the kids got to walk around the offices getting candy from the workers. Isabelle went as a spider (mainly because that was the first costume I could find that would fit her). She didn't know what to do at first but all she needed was to see one of the bigger kids walk up to an adult and get something put in their bag. After that she was off. She walked up to every adult she saw and then watched as they put a treat in her little bag. About every 10 steps or so she had to stop and check to make sure that she stash was still in tack. Silly girl. She even walked up to some people not giving out candy and waited while they said how cute she was but when they didn't give her anything she just walked away in the middle of someone talking to her. I guess she didn't want to hear how cute she was if she wasn't going to get anything from it.

On Halloween night we went across the street to visit with Carol and her dog Logan, who Isabelle loves. Logan is a wiener dog and was dressed as a hot dog. Carol doesn't have any kids so her dog is her baby. Personally, I got a kick out of poor Logan dressed in a costume that was bigger than him. After coming home we passed out some candy but we didn't have that many trick or treaters like we had thought. We even still have left over candy. Isabelle had more fun playing in the candy than anything else. Why do I buy her toys? Maybe next year she will be ready for the pros. (october 27 &31, 2008)

Normal People

Okay okay so I am a little behind. There has been a lot going on and the sad thing is that I can't remember half of it. I really should start writing it down. That however, would be to easy.

Anyways, last night we had some friends over for dinner. At least I hope they can be friends, especially since they are normal and normal is good. There names are Mike and Kate; they have three kids, Gordon (15), Amanda (7) and Paige (5). I think I have the girls ages right but I might be off by a year. Actually they just moved here from Ft. Lewis. Josh and Mike knew each other there but we never hooked up. That is probably for the best since our last house was not conducive for guests. He is in PsyOps as well so it was nice for Josh to have someone else to talk to about Airborne School and what not.

I made dinner and then we just sat around talking. Isabelle was pretty intrigued with the girls but played more on her own than she did with them. She must have liked everyone because at one point she was walking around making funny faces and she usually doesn't do that around strangers. All of their kids were very nice and well behaved ... again with the normal! I did feel a little out of place when they all started talking about secret missions and government policies. See Kate, used to work for NASA (if I am remembering all of this correctly) and was approached by the Chinese government to work for them. She has had meetings with the FBI and all sorts of niffty stuff. Needless to say I had nothing to compare that to. Oh well.

They actually live in the subdivision next to us so they are about 5 minutes away. We were talking about having a game night in a couple of weeks. They even brought me a gift. Out of all the couples I have had over for dinner they are the first ones to follow proper etiquette. It will be nice to have some friends again.

Lets bowl

Today I needed to get out of the house and do something fun. We went bowling. It wasn't Isabelle's first time but it was her first time getting to participate. She of course loved it. She wanted to walk the ball down the lane herself but what else is new. The kid doesn't want help doing anything. She got away from me one time. She had already take quite a few steps down the lane and as soon as I caught up with her I fell. The lane was so waxy ... yes I know it is supposed to be ... that me feet went out for under me and I did the splits. I haven't done that in a long time, if ever. I am sure we put on a good show for the other bowlers. I couldn't let go of Isabelle because she would run down the lane and I couldn't get up by myself so Josh had to come give me a hand. Ah, good times. The camera battery died right when we got there so we only ended up with one decent shot. Oh well.

Christmas is fast approaching and I have no idea what to get Josh. I want to get this year right. For some reason I end up getting him things at the last minute (even though I am extremely organized). His birthday, Christmas and our Anniversary all fall within a couple of weeks so I never seem to be prepared. I have been making a list of things over the past month so hopefully that will keep me flowing with ideas. I guess we will see.

My foot seems to be getting better. I am not wearing shoes as often as I should but it still seems to be improving. I wish my momentum for going to the gym would keep improving. I don't know what happened but the past few days I have just been out of it. I missed step class on Friday and I haven't been eating as good as I should. I didn't gain any weight but if I keep this up I sure will. Hopefully, I will have snapped out of this come Monday and I can get back on track. I am not going to Hawaii with this extra weight that's for sure.

I know all kids are messy eaters but sometimes I think Isabelle takes the cake. I made her mac and cheese the other night. Its only of the only things she will eat. I have to hide veggies in it so that I know she is getting them because Lord knows she won't eat them on her own. Anyways, she had that stuff all over. A few nights before that we had tacos and yet again it was all over the place. She gets it in her hair, down her shirt and on her feet. How she does that I don't know because she can't reach her feet while she is in the high chair. I guess its a good thing they are washable.

Ta Da

So here I am again, weeks have gone by and I have no idea where they went or what I did with them. Figures. There isn't to much to catch up on. It has all been pretty normal around here.

I finally found some toddler friendly places to take Isabelle so I have been keeping busy with those. She loves loves loves book so the library story time is great. She sat there and listened to the lady read the books and when it was time for the puppet show she could have cared less. My child, of course was the one who was walking around getting into things she shouldn't have. But bring out a book and she will be your best friend. I saw this infomercial the other day ; "Your Baby Can Read". It is all about teaching your baby how to read. I have to admit that I am a sucker for TV watching but this really caught my eye so I did a little research and decided to buy it. I hope it works since it isn't cheap. It should arrive this week so I will let ya know. I figure with her huge love of books a head start on reading can never be a bad thing.

Josh is working really hard on learning Arabic. If I remember correctly it is the 4th hardest language to learn and he is doing pretty well. He isn't catching on as quickly as others and he is beating himself up about it. He told me that the teacher is the best in the Army and he hand selected his class of 6 so Josh obviously showed some sort of 'wow factor' that made this teacher want to work with him. I do not envy him at all, I have seen this stuff and it just looks like a bunch of symbols. Just think, when he is all done he will be able to read it, speak it and carry on a full blown conversation. I really like his class schedule, I wish he could keep it forever. He goes in at 7 and is out by 2. He goes to the gym afterwards so he doesn't get home until 4 but that is still perfectly alright with me.

I too have been hitting the gym. I have got to lose this last 26.6 (to be exact) pounds. I have been getting up early so I can work out at home before Isabelle gets up and then on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I head to the gym for a step/aerobic class. It isn't as good as the one I went to in Colorado but it will do for now. The step class hurts my foot but I am trying to tough it out. I have been wearing shoes around the house and most days it helps but I am still a little worried that I will need surgery. I am keeping my fingers crossed though.

Yesterday Josh and I finally cleaned out the garage. It looks so good. He of course complained the whole time but in the end it was well worth it. I hate clutter and I am close to having the whole house in complete order. It will make my life so much easier because as we all know, when someone can't find something, who do they ask ... mom.

Isabelle is so funny. She now gives high 5's and last night while in the bath she did the cutest thing. She got herself in the cornor facing away from me and then swung one arm out while turning to look at me. She had the biggest smile and it was like she was doing some sort of dance move. She would do it over and over and every time she did it I said "Ta Da". I think this will end up being out new bath time game. Such a funny funny kid.

Gettin' OLD

I keep thinking that I need to sit down and write on here but like so many others, time escapes me. I had a running list in my head of all the things I wanted to talk about and now I am at a loss. I guess my first mistake was thinking I could remember it all. So I am going to try and dust off the cob webs in my brain and give it a try.

For starters I am another year older. Yep, the last year of my twenties. If you would have asked me on the exact day how my birthday was going I would have said awful. I have issues when it comes to my birthday, because my parents forgot and or didn't care half the time. So when I found out Josh wanted to take back my present I broke down. A couple weeks back when we were at the mall Josh had us go into a jewelery store and look at chains since I needed a new one. One thing after another and we bought a new necklace - one with a diamond charm - because I liked it and it was a better deal than a chain alone. The night before my birthday I found out that he didn't like it and he even felt like he didn't have a say in picking out my birthday present. So he wanted to take it back and my real present wasn't ready so I had nothing to open on the actual day. Lame, I know but its my birthday. I at least need a little something to open. We did end up (on my suggestion) going to the fair and boy was that a dud. We got some cute pictures of Isabelle but other than that it was a waste of time and money. Josh made dinner but forgot about the cookies I wanted so that was out too. So all in all it wasn't a good day. The next day, Josh called from work to say that we were going to get my present that evening and to be ready to leave around 5:30. I was and we left. I love surprises but it is really hard to get anything past me; especially for Josh. So when we pulled up to this lux day spa I was floored. He had set up everything and all I had to do was go on in. I had the best massage ever!! She used hot stones and her fingers were like magic. I can not wait to go back. Things might not have happened like I'd envisioned but that was the best birthday present to date!

While we were at this oh so lame fair we stopped and looked at the animals. As you can guess, Isabelle was excited. She fell in love with this white donkey. There were so many other things (including a camel of all things) but all she cared about was this white donkey. I think it was because he (or maybe she) was upset and was stomping all around. Who knows though with this girl. While walking around we found a rock wall. There was a sign that said if you can climb the hard side all the way to the top you win $50. Josh wanted to give it a try. He is a pretty fit guy so he was fairly confident in himself. I was to for that matter. Needless to say, he didn't make it. They had removed some of the hand and foot grips so it was really really hard. At least he tried and he made it farther than some.

So we finally bought another car. It is so nice to finally be able to leave the house and do what I want to when I want to. Plus, we flat out paid for it so we don't have a second car payment which is really nice. So far I have been able to take Isabelle to the park and meet a few other moms. Hopefully, I can start to make some friends here. I also found a step workout class that meets 3 times a week. I am going to start going so that I can lose the rest of this baby weight. I refuse to be big again. I have been having this really bad heel pain and from what I just researched doing the step class might not be such a good idea. I am going to try and get a heel cup and see if that helps but if it doesn't the next step is cortisone shots and after that surgery. I don't want either one so I hope the cup helps because ... I don't like needles!!!

So Big

Today Isabelle had her 12 month check up. We were a little late due to the move but all is well. She is growing and developing right on schedule. She is just getting so big. Speaking of which, she does the funniest thing. When you ask her "How big is Isabelle"? She puts her arms strait up in the air and grins. Josh and I yell "So big" and she laughs. It is adorable.

She is a walking fool these days too. She can walk about 8 feet before she falls down. If you hold her hand she will walk all over the house while holding on to your finger. She likes to walk over to the dog and fall on him. Her and that dog are going to be inseparable one day. She tried feeding him from her spoon yesterday and Riley had no idea what she was doing but he sat there and let her do it. Pretty soon she will be running ... talk about bitter-sweet.

Playing Mind Games on Myself

As a mother you have a million things running through your head at any given time; and I am no expection. Actually, I was like that before being a mother. Anyways, as I organizing our office, I got to thinking on how I needed to write about Isabelle's walking adventures. Then as I log in and look at my page I notice ... I've already done it. Oh well.

Like I said before, I am still trying to get things organized here. Its coming along nicely but we pushed so hard for 2 weeks to get so much done that I am spent. I don't want to put things away anymore, I just want to wake up and have it all magically done. We still have to paint the office and give the hall a second coat. Everytime I think about it I cringe. Sometimes it sucks being an adult ... I just wanna play.

Josh got the garage cleared out enough that I have been able to work out this past week and a half. I have to say that I miss the gym. Back when we lived in Colorado I lived at the gym while Josh was deployed. So it has been nice to be able to get in a good work out before Isabelle gets up. I am even starting to see some progress. I finally broke down and bought a nice scale and to my surprise I have lost 10 pounds since June. That was a great motivator to keep going. If that isn't enough, I keep thinking about our trip to Hawaii next year. Aloah Baby!

Walking Tall

Isabelle took her first steps tonight. She still isn't quite walking but it will be soon. Once she gets into a standing position she will take 3 or 4 small steps before "falling down" on her butt. It was so cool to see the expression on her face. She didn't know what she did but she knew that it got a reaction out of us so she kept doing it. All night she switched from dancing on the couch to "walking" all while having the giggles. She is the funniest little girl.

Ready, Set, Go

So the big drive to North Carolina was pretty much uneventful. I am not complaining, don't get me wrong. We did hit a bit of a snag in the beginning, there was some sort of accident that caused us to lose about an hours worth of drive time. We left around 8:30pm so that Isabelle would sleep through the whole thing. That was the best idea I ever had because she didn't cry more than 5 minutes on the whole 13 hour drive.

Once we got here we settled in to a hotel and unfortunately for us we couldn't sleep yet ... Isabelle is wide awake. It wasn't too bad since we had hit our 3rd (or maybe it was our 4th) wind so we were still functioning. We went to check out a house that had just come up for rent and we ended up signing for it the next day. We couldn't move in right away since it wasn't clean and we were unable to get our household good for another few days so we stayed a week in the hotel. It wasn't too bad.

During the day we were cleaning up the house and repainting it. It was awful. The colors were bad and the paint job was even worse. We tore down wall paper and replaced it with clean fresh paint. Needless to say this house looks much better. Next time I move I want it to be move in ready and I don't care if it costs thousands of dollars we are not painting again. Talk about work, but I digress. At night we would head back to the hotel and swim in their pool. Isabelle loved it. She kept putting her face in the water so we just bit the bullet and dunked her. The girl never even flinched. To this day when you give her a bath she still tries to dunk her own head. Silly girl.

This move has been a lot of work but all in all it has been for the better. Our house is better, the neighborhood is better, Ft Bragg is better and the kicker ... the weather is better! We bought new furniture last week and that was delivered today so my living room is full again. When we were at the store the couch and love seat didn't look nearly as big as they are. They make our end tables look like midgets. I also had a washer and dryer delivered today so things are finally starting to shape up around here.

Now all we need is another car. Josh is happily working on that. While he was here checking in he came across this Jag convertible that he fell in love with. He has since gone back to look at it a few times. I finally gave him the green light to go and buy it tomorrow. I had to give him some conditions obviously but if it all lines up he will bring it home tomorrow. He is so excited. Its little compared to our SUV but its red and sporty so it has Josh's name written all over it.

So far I like North Carolina ... I can't wait to see what happens next.

Disneyland ... right around the cornor

Ever since Isabelle was a little girl she has been fascinated with ceiling fans. I don't know if all kids are like this but she defiantly is. I had to go to Lowe's (for the second time today) this evening and while we were there Josh had her up on his shoulders and right away she spotted the ceiling fan department. Her eyes got all big, she was pointing and making all sorts of noise. Josh took her over and she was as happy as a clam. Why are clams happy anyway? Who knew there was a "Disneyland" right around the cornor from us.

All moved in ... well kinda

So here I am in Good Ol' North Carolina ... and yes it is hot. We found a house the first day we got here and have been working hard on getting it cleaned, unpacked and just plain livable. I am not lacking for things to write about but I am lacking in time ... and energy. Today is the first day we have had a phone and computer access so I am pretty excited about that. You never realize how much you use and need something until its gone. Speaking of gone, Isabelle's nap time is over. They are always too short. :)

Almost Done

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel finally. Josh will be here Monday night and then we will all head back to North Carolina on Wednesday night. It feels like its been forever since we have been together. I know he came for her birthday but that was such a short time that it almost doesn't count. I do have to admit that this "visit" has gone a lot better than I had imagined. I think I was on the defense when I got here. I was expecting there to be more conflict than there was and I am so thankful that there wasn't. I think after this Laura and I just might come out as friends.

Ben and Danielle left yesterday. It was nice to spend some time with them and get to know them better. Having said that I wasn't to sad to see them go. I know that sounds bad but what I mean is ... it is nice to not have such a house full. However, while they were waiting for their ride to pick them up, Aunt Ruth came. She will be here until Monday morning. Ruth is Laura's aunt so she is Isabelle's Great Great Aunt. We sure have met a lot of family this month. It is nice to finally put a face with a name especially since Ruth and I have been corresponding for awhile. It is also nice for Laura because Ruth is the only family she has left. She is a little weird but she is also 80 something so she is more than entitled.

Birthday Girl

Saturday July 26th, Isabelle turned 1! Josh had graduated from Air Borne Training Friday evening (it was in Georgia) and drove all night to get here in time for the party. She was pretty surprised to see him when she woke up. It was really cute. She gave him this look as if she was saying "Where did you come from? You weren't here when I went to bed". The morning was spent doing food and party prep. Josh and Ben worked on cleaning up the backyard while the girls worked on getting all the food set up. Laura made a carrot cake (I think it is now my new favorite) and Danielle made a Chocolate Cake with raspberry filling. We had hamburgers, hot dogs, pasta salad, German potato salad, vegetable platter, chips and dips, hummus, panchetta, punch, and I know I am forgetting a few other things. Needless to say we had tons of food.

After we ate Isabelle started in on all her presents. There were a lot of them too. She did really well for only being 1. I am thinking she gets that part from me. I have never met a present I didn't like. She opened gift after gift and her favorite was a random card that she didn't let go of. Amie and Kristi sent some really cute clothes. Mary (the neighbor here) got her a couple of outfits. I had asked that people get her books so that we could grow her library, so we got a lot of those. A few people got her some bath toys which look like they will be a lot of fun. Hailey, one of Laura friends, gave her a chair thingy that she sits down and plays with all of the stuff attached. She made out like a bandit.

Then it was time for the cake. Josh brought out her little cake with a 1 candle in it and we all sang Happy Birthday to her. She didn't make much of a mess, in fact she didn't eat hardly any of it. She tasted the frosting a little and after I broke it up some, she ate a couple bites of the cake itself. She doesn't know what she was missing. All in all she did fantastic! We have been so blessed to have such a happy little girl.

It is hard to believe that it has been a year already. I knew that it would go fast but it never really sinks in until its over. To think that this time last year I had a brand new little baby girl to take care of. I can not imagine my life without her now, in a way I never imagined my life without her before. A part of me always knew she was coming. I can't wait to see what this next year will bring. Maybe a new baby brother or sister for her. :)

Short Catch Up

It has been awhile since I have been able to do any journaling. Things have been pretty crazy around here. Ben and Danielle got here and that has been going pretty well. It has been nice to get to know them better, instead of just through the short phone calls we seldom have.

Today Laura, Matthew, Ben, Danielle and I all went up to Ann Arbor for some shopping. I was able to find exactly what I was looking for so that was nice. I ended up with a few blisters from my new shoes but I guess that is the price you pay sometimes. This past week has gone by rather quickly and I am thankful for that. I am so ready to get out of here and have my own space again with my own things. I am tired of sharing a house with someone other than my husband. At least with my husband I can tell him to get off the computer and do something productive.

Josh will be here on Monday and I am excited about that. He has been checking out some houses on his downtime. There is one that sounds promising, it has a pool, and we all know I am for that. There is one catch; someone else got there first. However, they don't have any money to put down on it until Monday and we have the money now. So maybe that will grease the wheels a little in our favor. Hopefully, he will be able to find something good while he is there because I don't want to have to house hunt.

Other than Isabelle's birthday party there hasn't been anything exciting. I don't have enough time to go into detail but I will as soon as I get the chance. Josh was able to make it so that was nice. He drove all night to be here and then he left in the morning. Talk about a good dad. Well, I should go be present in the other room. I don't want to be rude and stay on the computer all the time.

Picture Perfect

The last few days have gone by rather quickly. I am hoping that this week will do the same. Isabelle's party is this Saturday so I have a lot to do to get ready for that. Ben and Danielle get here on Thursday and we have been working in the basement clearing a place for them to sleep. So all in all things have been going well. Granted it is still hot and sticky ... nothing like taking 3 showers in a day.

I got to go see how Isabelle's pictures turned out last Friday. They are so cute. I could not have been happier. They are exactly what I was picturing and lets be honest, how often does something like that happen. The hard part was choosing which poses' to purchase. I had her cake mash and baker girl pictures put into a large frame so that will be really cute. Then I picked 6 other ones to have made into 5x7 and wallets. I was really pleased with everything. They said that they would put a rush on the order so that I can have them by this weekend.

Wish me luck ... I am hoping that this week will go smoothly and with any luck Josh might get here in time for her big day.

Did I mention that it is HOT?

I hate it here ... who ever decided that Michigan was the place to live is NUTS! I grew up in California where it could easily get to 117 some summers but the heat here is sticky and did I mention that ... I hate it? Isabelle and I went for a walk this afternoon with Matthew (he rode his bike) and I had to turn around after 35 minutes because I was so hot. I guess I will have to go in the evenings.

I still have at least 2 more weeks here and today it feels like forever. Ben and Danielle will be here next week and I haven't decided if that will help the time go faster or not. Laura talked about going to the outlet mall (its 2 hours away) again when Danielle gets here and leaving Isabelle and Matthew here with Dan. I said that I didn't feel comfortable leaving her with someone when I was that far away. She doesn't understand why I feel that way so she asked what I was going to do when we go to Hawaii next year. I said that Isabelle will be older by then and it should be better. That was the best "reason" I could come up with. I don't think it satisfied her but its not like she can make me leave my daughter behind.

Well, now I am rambling on about nothing so I am off to go sit in front of a fan (one that you dare not leave on when you walk away from it because it uses to much energy and is useless if you aren't in front of it) and read my book.

More More More

Lets see ... Its Sunday and I have a bit of alone time (as in just me and Isabelle) for a few hours. Its nice. Yesterday was muggy and humid just like every other day here. Today doesn't seem to be as bad but we will soon see.

Friday Laura had Haley's kids so we all went to the splash pad here in town. Isabelle had fun. She crawled into the water as much as she could until she couldn't see any farther. It was too cute. I ended up getting some pretty good pictures so I will make sure to post them when I get settled again.

Friday Isabelle said her second sign ... "more". It started at breakfast when she wanted more banana but the big deal was at lunch when I let her taste mac and cheese for the first time. She gobbled that up and then asked for more more more. It was so funny. Laura said she later found a stray piece on the floor, ate it and then looked up and asked for more. Now she says it all the time when she eats. She had her first taste of milk yesterday too. She wasn't to sure about it at first but she drank most of it. This morning however, she drank it all and then asked for more. Now I can't wait for her to do individual signs for what food and drink she wants.

Did I mention that the Jimmy died on Josh right after he got to Ft. Benning? Well, it did. He got it working again last night so lets just hope that its fixed enough to get him to Bragg. I guess if I have to Isabelle and I can just drive there ourselves. It would suck but it would be do-able.

Well, Isabelle is getting fussy so I should get going. I don't have anything exciting to report anyway. Big surprise I know.

Am I done yet?

Part of me can't believe it is already the 9th of July and the other part wishes it was the 29th. Oh well. We always want what we can't have. The past few days have been alright. Here is the low down ...

Josh tired to surprise me by getting here one day early but when I wouldn't stop bugging him about stopping and getting a hotel he fessed up. He was really only an hour away instead of a day away like I thought. It was a welcomed surprise but I felt bad that I ruined his plans. He isn't a very good liar so when he kept telling me he had pulled over I didn't believe him. I guess its a good thing that he doesn't lie well. Anyways, we had a nice weekend together. Phil and Mary came over for the 4th. It was nice to see them. Josh and I got to go see 'Get Smart.' Whoo hooo. Our first outing alone since Isabelle. Granted it was 9 pm when we left and she was already in bed but we still got to go out on a date.

Josh had to leave Sunday morning and I was bummed. After he left I was thinking that it was going to be a long sad day. That was not the case. About 20 minutes after he left Dan came down and told me that my directionally challenged husband had made a wrong turn and our BMW had died. I tried finding a rental car but out here in the mid west places aren't open on Sunday and the one place that was ... was out of cars. Flights were nearly $1300 so he ended up taking Dan and Laura's GMC Jimmy down to Georgia. I had the BMW towed to a garage to get fixed. It ended up being a blown water tank. Luckily it happened after he got here and not somewhere in the middle of Nebraska. That would have been bad.

He made it down to Airborne school on time and passed his huge PT test. That was a big deal because if he had failed we would have been sent back to Washington and that is not something we want. He called tonight and told me that he jumped off a 36 foot building 4 times. He isn't fond of the idea of jumping out of planes but its part of the job.

As for me and Isabelle we are hanging in there. Most days are good. I forgot how humid it can get here. You get out of the shower and 10 minutes later you feel like you need to take another. I hate it. I have been trying to keep busy. Laura and I went to the outlet shopping center the other day. That was pretty fun. I was in need of some new clothes. Today I made an apt. for Isabelle to get her pictures taken. I am looking forward to seeing how they turn out.

The house hunt is still that ... a hunt. I have found a few places but getting ahold of someone isn't as easy as one would think. Its a good thing I am doing this all now and not when I am already there. I seriously don't want to spend a week in a hotel. The cost is one thing but can you imagine living in a space no larger than a bedroom with your 1 year old, a dog and a cat. That is enough to drive me to drink.

Hopefully the next 2 weeks will fly by and my family will be one again. Otherwise I just might need that drink after all. :)

One Week Down

Goodness, when I sit down to write it seems like time has flown by; but thinking about how much longer I have until my family is back together again seems like forever from now. Things are going okay here. I feel stuck though. This isn't my house and I don't feel entirely comfortable. I know it sounds odd but I feel like everything I do is being judged. Its like I have to prove that I am a fit mother and a good wife. I know that this really isn't true but that is what it feels like. If I said any of this out loud to Laura I am sure it would start a whole other "fight". Maybe it stems from not ever having a family of my own to feeling like I need to earn my way into this one. I am sure the rough start that I had here doesn't help but that is in the past. I wish I could forgive and forget as easily as other people.

Okay, moving on ... Yesterday we went to see Haley and her new baby twins. They are so tiny. Isabelle just loved them, she wanted to crawl into the swing with them. She was pretty good about being gentle with them too. I think she is going to be a lover, she loves animals, her blanket and now babies. I am having a hard time getting her on a schedule and sticking to it. One day it will go well and the next we are off doing something with Laura and the whole thing gets blown out of the water. Have I mentioned that I can't wait to go home ... even though I don't know where that is yet.

Josh is in Iowa today. He is visiting with one of his college buddies and taking a break from driving. He should be here on Friday. I can't wait to see him. You forget how much you love and need someone until they aren't with you sometimes. I need to do better about making time for us once things get settled down again.

Isabelle is going to be one this month. Scary how time flies. We are going to have a birthday party for her. Laura has been inviting people left and right. I don't mind, it will be nice to have a party that is just for her. I only hope that I can keep things going in the direction that I want them to go and not let someone else make the decisions. So far so good; then again we haven't really gotten started. I did pick out a photographer to get her pictures taken though. I am looking forward to that. I think I might need to change the outfits I picked out for her though. I am going to try and go in on Monday to take a look around and check out their packages. It should be fun.

I suppose I need to get back to looking for houses. We will kinda need a place to live once we get to North Carolina. Happy house hunting to me!

Midwest Heat

Well, I made here to good ol' Michigan. Isabelle and I left on Wednesday evening on a non stop flight and made it in record time. The plane actually left a few minutes early and we landed about 20 minutes early. Isabelle did great on the plane! I was able to snag a seat with no one sitting next to me and that helped out a lot. The man who was sitting in the same row and us was also very nice and understanding. There were two ladies behind us who just ate up Isabelle and all of the cute things she does. They played peak a boo with her and even held here while I went to the bathroom. I couldn't have asked for a better flight.

Laura was still up when we got to the house. We had a snack and then we all went to bed, since was nearly 4 am (with the time change and all). She showed us our new room that they have been working on for months now and it is beautiful. It doesn't even look like the same room. They did a great job. It feels like my own little space which is nice seeing as how I am going to be here for a little while.

I forgot how humid it gets here in the mid west. I feel like I need to take a shower all the time. It doesn't help to have a baby who wants to be held half the time either. I think we are going to set up the little pool that Dan got her tomorrow so hopefully that will help a little. Matthew is so excited to have Isabelle here. They played ball tonight and they both had a blast. I didn't get any pictures of it but she was clapping and having a gay ol' time.

I miss Josh. I know he is only a few more days behind me but still I wish he was here. Especially, since it still kinda feels like this is his family. Things are better between us all but I still have that feeling. So far I have only gotten one "slap on the wrist" from Laura about my parenting skills. I guess it could be worse. I just need to let it roll off my back but it still stings a little. I don't have a mom and in some ways I look to her for encouragement not criticism.

Well, I should get to bed. I am still trying to get Isabelle back on schedule. With the 3 hour time difference it has taken a few days. She had a bit of a rough night so hopefully tonight will be better.

3 Days and Counting

There are only a few more days before we start our big move across the country. Isabelle and I leave on Wednesday and Josh will follow out on Sunday. I have spent the better part of today getting things in order for the packers, who come on Tuesday. Even though I have repeatedly stated how much I dislike this place, it has had its fair share of unforgettable memories. This is where we brought our baby girl home from the hospital and this is where she learned to be the big girl that she is today. There isn't much here that I will miss (our neighbors and the farmers market come to mind) but I will always look back and remember the fun times we spent here as a family. Granted, I will also look back and remember that ... Josh wrecked the Jag, the car accident on I-5 that totaled the Mitsubishi, the time Armond and Rachel had to take Isabelle and I to the ER because I cut my hand, and of course all of the dark gloomy depressing rainy days. But I'm not complaining ... much. :)

I sold Isabelle's changing table (for a profit I might add) and it was kinda sad. Josh made fun of me of course but it was like losing part of her childhood ... or something like that. Josh keeps telling me I am corny but oh well.

Josh is currently counting all the DVDs, CDs, games and what-nots while I sit here typing and of course it is making me feel bad for not helping. Even though I have spent pretty much all day working on stuff. Why does that happen? Maybe its only me. Oh well. Only 3 more nights here!

Hiding Places

Just like any child her age, and beyond, Isabelle gets herself into some funny places. Yesterday while doing chores she was crawling about all over the house. Once Josh found her under the kitchen table, I found her in one of our bedroom closets taking things out of a Rubbermaid and one time I turned around to find her brushing her teeth with Josh's toothbrush. I didn't feel bad for him since he had left it in the living room after unpacking from a trip. I think Riley is starting to see the benefits of having her around. I was watching tv today and noticed Riley stand up and stand right next to Isabelle. Curious, I leaned over and starting laughing. Isabelle had found the bin that we keep Riley's treats in and had opened it. Being the helper baby that she is she then gave Riley a treat. I guess that was her way of making up for playing with his ball. Somehow, I don't think he minded one bit.

Weekend Fun

My goodness, time is flying by. At this point, that is a good thing. I am ready to move and be done with Washington. Anyways, we have been keeping busy. On Friday Emily and baby Trey came over for a little play date. It was so much fun seeing them interact with each other. If one is playing with the drums then the other must as well. Trey is getting big and it makes me kinda sad that Isabelle is no longer a "baby" baby.

Saturday we went to the Farmers Market with the Laws family (Carl, Emily and Trey). I love the Farmers Market. It is one of two things that I will miss when we leave (the other being our neighbors). We walked around enjoying the nice weather that had finally come our way. After picking up some fresh fruits and veggies ... and a oh so cute hat for Isabelle ... we headed home. Isabelle conked out on the drive back and I soon followed her lead when we got back.

Today (Sunday) was Josh's first fathers day. He scored big time with a Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers (his new passion), a poker set, a Chef Dad apron for BBQing and the big gift ... the complete James Bond series. After our waffle breakfast we headed to Olive Garden where we met up with the Law's again. Usually our meals out aren't that interesting but this one had its moments. Carl set out Trey's juice cup for him to have and Isabelle saw it and screamed bloody murder. They have the same cups so poor Isabelle thought that Trey was going to drink her beloved juice and she wasn't going to have any of that. Luckily I had brought a cup for her as well so I quickly gave her her own and she settled right down. That was the first display of jealousy that she has shown. I am starting to see a pattern here ... she is pretty possessive of her stuff. I am afraid that this might cause some problems down the road. I guess we will see. All in all it has been a good couple of days. Josh has been off so an extra set of hands is always helpful. Now, all I have to do it get through the next ten days and we are outta here baby!!

But that's MY Ball

While crawling around the house today, Isabelle came across Riley's favorite ball and started to play with it. Riley got pretty excited because he thought that she was going to play with him but unfortunately for him, she just wanted the ball. So being the good dog that he is, he let her. When she seemed to be done he nicely picked up his ball and moved to the other side of the room. A few minutes later Isabelle saw the ball again and went strait for it. Poor Riley just looked at me like he was saying "but that's my ball". Even though I swear sometimes has rocks for brains; he is great with her. He lets her crawl all over him, poke at him and now play with his beloved ball. Good Boy Riley!!

That's MY spoon dad

Tonight while eating dinner Josh was helping Isabelle get some actual food in her mouth. He had a spoon full of sweet potatoes when all of a sudden she grabbed at it and the food went flying; landing on the floor with a loud smack. We all laughed but Josh was now in need of a clean spoon so instead of getting a new one he took the one she was "using" as her own. This did not go over to well. On the first attempt to give her another bite, Isabelle forcefully grabbed the spoon and pulled with all her might to get it back. She did NOT like the idea of dad using her spoon. Once he let go and she had it all to herself again she was perfectly happy. I guess the lesson was learned ... don't take Isabelle's spoon!

New kid in town

I am starting this blog thanks to my friend Angie Dixon. Hopefully, I can keep it updated enough to make it worthwhile. So keep checkin' back for the latest buzz with the Tomell Family!