Oh, and Curt and I didn't take ONE picture together... Fools! Next time...
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Warrior Banquet
Hey Everyone! Just wanted to put up a couple pictures from the Warrior Banquet that Curt and I went to last night. We had a great time and we even got to know all our new friends a little bit better. We had a babysitter for Ava, which was awesome, and I can't wait to use here again! Last night was all about awards for the fighter squadrons here at Seymour. I honestly really like getting all dressed up and going out, even if most of my time is spent sitting in a chair, but it's so rare anywhere else out there for people to have a reason to get dressed up! I really enjoy it!
Oh, and Curt and I didn't take ONE picture together... Fools! Next time...
Oh, and Curt and I didn't take ONE picture together... Fools! Next time...
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Happiness
For starters, I have decided that for Lent, I'm giving up complaining. It's so useless. Without sounding like a totally cheese ball, I have lots to be thankful for and instead of dwelling on things that are small in this life, I am going to try and celebrate all the wonderful things I have been given.
Life here at the Dougherty house is calming down, somewhat. We have a lot of the major things we were waiting on be delivered just this past weekend and it has made a big difference in how comfortable we fill within these 4 walls. We now have:
-New Couches
-The largest TV, ever.
-New Bedroom Set
-Guest Bedroom Bed
-Refrigerator
-Washer/Dryer (AMEN!)
Just reading through that small list you can see how important all those items really are in a house so being without them since the beginning of JANUARY has been quite tough. We have some small odds and ends we want to buy just to make the final touches (wall art, hall tables, fancy-pants leather chairs for Curt's "sitting room"...and some bits and pieces left to locate) and we'll be all set.
Moving into a brand new house has been so awesome in that it's just that, "brand new". The only thing is that we have to do (buy) a lot of things that you would typically find in a previous loved home. What, you might ask? Oh, ya know, things like gutters, a mailbox, screening the porch, fencing the back yard...and the list goes on. It looks great but all I see right now is $$$. Holy Smokes, my friends. I feel like we're in that movie "money pit", except my house is rockin' and not falling to pieces. However, sticking with my lent promise, I'm not complaining...just simply pointing out the facts.
Curt is a really supportive husband and without giving away too much of our personal life, I was feeling like I was kind of in a funk lately and he suggested I get out there and start making some new friends within our squadron. I'm so glad I did because I feel like my social calender is busting at the seams. I'm booked solid this entire week, watch out! Lots of squadron meetings, play dates, a roof stomp, crud practice, lunch dates... It feels good getting involved again. Just let me know when I can "pencil you in...". Ha!
What else...
Speaking of play dates. We've started a group within our squadron of about 8-10 kiddos all around the same age as Ava and we get together once a week for about two hours in the morning so our toddlers can mingle and we can chat. Well, Ava has been doing her best to enjoy the company of her peers. She's a bit scared of the boys (who are quite rambunctious at this age, I might add) and very overwhelmed when there are a ton of kids and adults all within the same space. It's loud, it's chaotic, it's too much. I'm definitely going to keep at it though because my thought was that I wanted Ava to learn to socialize with children her age now, instead of later, so she can become more interactive with other children and not just Curt and I. I think she'll adjust soon enough. I mean, look at the "social butterfly" of a Mom she has as a role model. ;) We hosted the group today and Ava was pretty eager for them to leave, asap. She usually begs me to go up into her playroom all day long but today she wanted absolutely nothing to do with it... Poor girl.
I do believe that we have tracked down a new babysitter. She's 16, which is older than I was when I was a full time nanny as my first job, and she lives one neighborhood over from ours. The best part is that her parents are really good friends of ours from England because her father and Curt flew together in the Bolars. What a great set up! She's young, fun, and available! Ummm, YES, please!!! She's been coming over once or twice a week to play with Ava while I'm home so they can get used to each other in time for our big night out next weekend. We have a fancy party to go to for Curt's work and I get to wear a long, formal gown. MY FAVORITE. Momma and DaDa have date night!!! It's a cake job, too, if you ask me. She comes over at 5:30 and Ava's in bed at 7:30. Best $8 an hour she ever made considering we'll probably be home around midnight. (ps: how much do you pay a babysitter, anyhow? $8 too much? too little? who knows...)
In other recent news, my parents flew down to G'boro for the long weekend and it was so great. Ava had NO problem remembering them and she was showered with more gifts than I bought her for Christmas so, she's a lucky girl...but we already knew that. It snowed, naturally, the night they arrived and we got so bloody lost on the way home from the airport is was insane. My GPS was sending us to VA when I told it to take me "home". Curt tried to "find" us from the house, which was next to impossible considering that my GPS was going in and out of range and my iphone died (I forgot the phone charger) and all the road signs were covered in snow. Are ya kiddin' me? Hellacious. What a nightmare. Our hour and fifteen minute drive took about three + hours and it sucked. Hey North Carolina, salt your roads already...geez! We saw over twenty accidents all ranging from cars spun out and stuck in a ditch to car fires. Bad. Very, very bad. BUT, it was all worth the trip when Ava got to spend 3 days with her ummmm-ma and her paaa-pa. So cute! Thank God for ichat, we keep in touch!!!
Curt has been taking some random days of leave here and there so he can make sure we have more time together. Now that he's a weapons officer he is freakin' more busy than he was in Lakenheath, which I didn't think was possible. For example, it's 9:30 pm...still no Curty. He's trying really hard to balance work and family and even though he may spend more time at work, the time spent at home is just what we need to keep this boat floating.
I'm off to clean our room so Curt doesn't have to witness the disaster that occurred in our closet when I was attempting to get dressed this morning. But in the mean time, I'll leave you with an Ava, Ava, B0, "B-Ava" Update.
Ava has been growing up at lightening speed. She learns things so quickly, it's just simply amazing to watch. She learns so much just from observing what is going on around her. Yes, I do try and get her to sound out new words or intentionally bring some things to her attention to see if she can retain what I teach her, but more often than not she is learning way more than I intend to show her. SPONGE, this girl is crazy smart. (I can totally say that, because I'm her Mom, and that's what we do, right?!?! Right.) She's firing out some new words but the most impressive is "ball" and "bye-bye" and "caah" (car) and "chhhiii" (chip). She still calls her friends by name, "Mo" (Elmo) and "Pooh" (Winnie the...). She is constantly rambling off in baby gibberish and it's awesome to listen. If you're really paying attention you can hear the beginning consonants of things that she is looking at and it makes me wonder if she is attempting to label something and just hasn't gotten the feel for the whole word yet. Yet, she still manages to grunt and yell and point when she wants something and is too lazy to sign for help or get it herself. So, maybe she is normal... :) She loves her Da and often goes looking for him during the work day wondering if he's hiding somewhere in the house. She yells, "Daaaaaa! Daaaaaaa!". I respond by saying, "Dada is at work, baby. He'll be home later." She then gives me a dirty look as if I'm the one who forced him out. He's making the money, girl! Some one's gotta do it! She has learned some new facial expressions like "surprised!" and "sad". So funny... She knows most of her body parts and can point them out on Curt and I, and herself. She loves puzzles and completes them now without effort. I think I need to buy new ones... She stacks blocks like crazy and makes towers about as tall as she is, it's awesome to watch her concentration. She still loves to dance and her favorite time of the day is some country dancing with Curt in her playroom. He turns it up real loud and then just get down! It's perfect right before bed time because it just wipes her out! Ava now has 12 teeth (4 front on the top and bottom) and 4 molars. She's about to break through on the 4 teeth (two top and two bottom) around the 8 teeth she already has there. They are going to break through any day now. We are eager to say good bye to the runny nose and irritability. Blah. She's been sleeping really well, with an exception here and there (sorry Mom and Dad that you had to witness a yucky night....dang teeth!) and we are down to one nap per day. I have to tell you, one nap a day is about as awesome as it gets. Ava and I run errands in the morning, come home for lunch and a 2-3 hour nap, then play until dinner and Dada comes home, then it's in bed by 7:30 so Curt and I can have some time to ourselves. She's sleeping about 12 hours too, so I really can't say anything bad about how she's been doing when it's time to sleep. MaMa needs her breaks! Ava loves to help. For example, I bought some corona the other day and as I was putting them in the fridge I turned around and my 16 month old had two bottles in her hands and she was eagerly passing them up to me! I promise she helps with more appropriate things, that one was just the most entertaining. Ha! She knows most of the "commands" (for lack of a better word) that Curt and I say to her. For example, "come here", "give me that", "open your mouth", "stand up", "sit down", "can I have a kiss". She's usually spot on when we ask her where something is in the house like "couch", elmo", "book", "puzzle", "bathroom", "diaper", ava's clothes"...and the list goes on. I feel like I'm dealing with a grown up some days! (And some days I definitely know I'm dealing with a toddler....). She's pretty much running around now and she has a few head bonks to prove it. She loves to jump on the bed and although she doesn't get any "air" when she does it on the ground, the attempt is quite clear. As far as her head tilting situation, it's getting better. It's still there. Some days it's not at all, and other days I notice it. Our doc wants to see her at 18 months but he's seeing me in 2 weeks, because that's when I want to go. So there. He feels very strongly that if something severe were going on, there would be more clear signs in her development. I'm a girl who needs answers. I think that's only fair. No guest-a-mating in this house, thanks.
I'm sure I left out tons of good stuff but I feel like people stopped reading a long time ago. My urge to blog has been getting better so hopefully it's not too long before you hear from me again!
PS: I forgot to thank my good friend, "Jennifer", who is always there to write me the best emails when I'm worrying about Ms. Ava. Her son, Cameron, is so stinking cute. He and Ava were most likely separated at birth as they look like twins. Freaky! Oh, and did I mention they were born less than a week apart??? Hmmm.... Well, she always makes me smile with her witty banter and her uplifting emails. I'm so very thankful for my overly awesome friends.
PPS: I hate proof reading long blog posts. Don't hold it against me. I know, I'm a teacher. I'm also a Mom...and I'm TIRED!!!
Life here at the Dougherty house is calming down, somewhat. We have a lot of the major things we were waiting on be delivered just this past weekend and it has made a big difference in how comfortable we fill within these 4 walls. We now have:
-New Couches
-The largest TV, ever.
-New Bedroom Set
-Guest Bedroom Bed
-Refrigerator
-Washer/Dryer (AMEN!)
Just reading through that small list you can see how important all those items really are in a house so being without them since the beginning of JANUARY has been quite tough. We have some small odds and ends we want to buy just to make the final touches (wall art, hall tables, fancy-pants leather chairs for Curt's "sitting room"...and some bits and pieces left to locate) and we'll be all set.
Moving into a brand new house has been so awesome in that it's just that, "brand new". The only thing is that we have to do (buy) a lot of things that you would typically find in a previous loved home. What, you might ask? Oh, ya know, things like gutters, a mailbox, screening the porch, fencing the back yard...and the list goes on. It looks great but all I see right now is $$$. Holy Smokes, my friends. I feel like we're in that movie "money pit", except my house is rockin' and not falling to pieces. However, sticking with my lent promise, I'm not complaining...just simply pointing out the facts.
Curt is a really supportive husband and without giving away too much of our personal life, I was feeling like I was kind of in a funk lately and he suggested I get out there and start making some new friends within our squadron. I'm so glad I did because I feel like my social calender is busting at the seams. I'm booked solid this entire week, watch out! Lots of squadron meetings, play dates, a roof stomp, crud practice, lunch dates... It feels good getting involved again. Just let me know when I can "pencil you in...". Ha!
What else...
Speaking of play dates. We've started a group within our squadron of about 8-10 kiddos all around the same age as Ava and we get together once a week for about two hours in the morning so our toddlers can mingle and we can chat. Well, Ava has been doing her best to enjoy the company of her peers. She's a bit scared of the boys (who are quite rambunctious at this age, I might add) and very overwhelmed when there are a ton of kids and adults all within the same space. It's loud, it's chaotic, it's too much. I'm definitely going to keep at it though because my thought was that I wanted Ava to learn to socialize with children her age now, instead of later, so she can become more interactive with other children and not just Curt and I. I think she'll adjust soon enough. I mean, look at the "social butterfly" of a Mom she has as a role model. ;) We hosted the group today and Ava was pretty eager for them to leave, asap. She usually begs me to go up into her playroom all day long but today she wanted absolutely nothing to do with it... Poor girl.
I do believe that we have tracked down a new babysitter. She's 16, which is older than I was when I was a full time nanny as my first job, and she lives one neighborhood over from ours. The best part is that her parents are really good friends of ours from England because her father and Curt flew together in the Bolars. What a great set up! She's young, fun, and available! Ummm, YES, please!!! She's been coming over once or twice a week to play with Ava while I'm home so they can get used to each other in time for our big night out next weekend. We have a fancy party to go to for Curt's work and I get to wear a long, formal gown. MY FAVORITE. Momma and DaDa have date night!!! It's a cake job, too, if you ask me. She comes over at 5:30 and Ava's in bed at 7:30. Best $8 an hour she ever made considering we'll probably be home around midnight. (ps: how much do you pay a babysitter, anyhow? $8 too much? too little? who knows...)
In other recent news, my parents flew down to G'boro for the long weekend and it was so great. Ava had NO problem remembering them and she was showered with more gifts than I bought her for Christmas so, she's a lucky girl...but we already knew that. It snowed, naturally, the night they arrived and we got so bloody lost on the way home from the airport is was insane. My GPS was sending us to VA when I told it to take me "home". Curt tried to "find" us from the house, which was next to impossible considering that my GPS was going in and out of range and my iphone died (I forgot the phone charger) and all the road signs were covered in snow. Are ya kiddin' me? Hellacious. What a nightmare. Our hour and fifteen minute drive took about three + hours and it sucked. Hey North Carolina, salt your roads already...geez! We saw over twenty accidents all ranging from cars spun out and stuck in a ditch to car fires. Bad. Very, very bad. BUT, it was all worth the trip when Ava got to spend 3 days with her ummmm-ma and her paaa-pa. So cute! Thank God for ichat, we keep in touch!!!
Curt has been taking some random days of leave here and there so he can make sure we have more time together. Now that he's a weapons officer he is freakin' more busy than he was in Lakenheath, which I didn't think was possible. For example, it's 9:30 pm...still no Curty. He's trying really hard to balance work and family and even though he may spend more time at work, the time spent at home is just what we need to keep this boat floating.
I'm off to clean our room so Curt doesn't have to witness the disaster that occurred in our closet when I was attempting to get dressed this morning. But in the mean time, I'll leave you with an Ava, Ava, B0, "B-Ava" Update.
Ava has been growing up at lightening speed. She learns things so quickly, it's just simply amazing to watch. She learns so much just from observing what is going on around her. Yes, I do try and get her to sound out new words or intentionally bring some things to her attention to see if she can retain what I teach her, but more often than not she is learning way more than I intend to show her. SPONGE, this girl is crazy smart. (I can totally say that, because I'm her Mom, and that's what we do, right?!?! Right.) She's firing out some new words but the most impressive is "ball" and "bye-bye" and "caah" (car) and "chhhiii" (chip). She still calls her friends by name, "Mo" (Elmo) and "Pooh" (Winnie the...). She is constantly rambling off in baby gibberish and it's awesome to listen. If you're really paying attention you can hear the beginning consonants of things that she is looking at and it makes me wonder if she is attempting to label something and just hasn't gotten the feel for the whole word yet. Yet, she still manages to grunt and yell and point when she wants something and is too lazy to sign for help or get it herself. So, maybe she is normal... :) She loves her Da and often goes looking for him during the work day wondering if he's hiding somewhere in the house. She yells, "Daaaaaa! Daaaaaaa!". I respond by saying, "Dada is at work, baby. He'll be home later." She then gives me a dirty look as if I'm the one who forced him out. He's making the money, girl! Some one's gotta do it! She has learned some new facial expressions like "surprised!" and "sad". So funny... She knows most of her body parts and can point them out on Curt and I, and herself. She loves puzzles and completes them now without effort. I think I need to buy new ones... She stacks blocks like crazy and makes towers about as tall as she is, it's awesome to watch her concentration. She still loves to dance and her favorite time of the day is some country dancing with Curt in her playroom. He turns it up real loud and then just get down! It's perfect right before bed time because it just wipes her out! Ava now has 12 teeth (4 front on the top and bottom) and 4 molars. She's about to break through on the 4 teeth (two top and two bottom) around the 8 teeth she already has there. They are going to break through any day now. We are eager to say good bye to the runny nose and irritability. Blah. She's been sleeping really well, with an exception here and there (sorry Mom and Dad that you had to witness a yucky night....dang teeth!) and we are down to one nap per day. I have to tell you, one nap a day is about as awesome as it gets. Ava and I run errands in the morning, come home for lunch and a 2-3 hour nap, then play until dinner and Dada comes home, then it's in bed by 7:30 so Curt and I can have some time to ourselves. She's sleeping about 12 hours too, so I really can't say anything bad about how she's been doing when it's time to sleep. MaMa needs her breaks! Ava loves to help. For example, I bought some corona the other day and as I was putting them in the fridge I turned around and my 16 month old had two bottles in her hands and she was eagerly passing them up to me! I promise she helps with more appropriate things, that one was just the most entertaining. Ha! She knows most of the "commands" (for lack of a better word) that Curt and I say to her. For example, "come here", "give me that", "open your mouth", "stand up", "sit down", "can I have a kiss". She's usually spot on when we ask her where something is in the house like "couch", elmo", "book", "puzzle", "bathroom", "diaper", ava's clothes"...and the list goes on. I feel like I'm dealing with a grown up some days! (And some days I definitely know I'm dealing with a toddler....). She's pretty much running around now and she has a few head bonks to prove it. She loves to jump on the bed and although she doesn't get any "air" when she does it on the ground, the attempt is quite clear. As far as her head tilting situation, it's getting better. It's still there. Some days it's not at all, and other days I notice it. Our doc wants to see her at 18 months but he's seeing me in 2 weeks, because that's when I want to go. So there. He feels very strongly that if something severe were going on, there would be more clear signs in her development. I'm a girl who needs answers. I think that's only fair. No guest-a-mating in this house, thanks.
I'm sure I left out tons of good stuff but I feel like people stopped reading a long time ago. My urge to blog has been getting better so hopefully it's not too long before you hear from me again!
PS: I forgot to thank my good friend, "Jennifer", who is always there to write me the best emails when I'm worrying about Ms. Ava. Her son, Cameron, is so stinking cute. He and Ava were most likely separated at birth as they look like twins. Freaky! Oh, and did I mention they were born less than a week apart??? Hmmm.... Well, she always makes me smile with her witty banter and her uplifting emails. I'm so very thankful for my overly awesome friends.
PPS: I hate proof reading long blog posts. Don't hold it against me. I know, I'm a teacher. I'm also a Mom...and I'm TIRED!!!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
A "Thank You" Post
This is going to be short and the point is to be sweet.
I may not always be available by phone, e-mail, and most importantly in person, but I have some wonderful friends out there who will always understand me and most importantly always be there for me. I have some close friends, yes. I also have some friends who are just so...(something wonderful!)...at making me laugh, smile, and be happy even on my grumpiest of days.
I had some really great conversations in the past week or so with some wonderful girls and I really just wanted to say thank you for always, always being there for me. I promise I will always, always do the same for you.
Thank you for listening. Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for your patience.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
(My sisters, My parents...and Katie, Melisa, Deena, Nicole, Gretchen, and Casey)
Your listening ears and unconditional love and support mean the world to me.
I may not always be available by phone, e-mail, and most importantly in person, but I have some wonderful friends out there who will always understand me and most importantly always be there for me. I have some close friends, yes. I also have some friends who are just so...(something wonderful!)...at making me laugh, smile, and be happy even on my grumpiest of days.
I had some really great conversations in the past week or so with some wonderful girls and I really just wanted to say thank you for always, always being there for me. I promise I will always, always do the same for you.
Thank you for listening. Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for your patience.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
(My sisters, My parents...and Katie, Melisa, Deena, Nicole, Gretchen, and Casey)
Your listening ears and unconditional love and support mean the world to me.
Friday, January 22, 2010
An Update Is In Order
So blogger. Here we are again. Long lost friends, reunited.
I swear on a stack of bibles that I am going to be a good blogger again soon. Once my house is in somewhat of a livable order, I plan on being much better at keeping all my buddies out there (who still care enough to come back and look at this sad thing) up to speed what is going on with the family.
Here are some biggies:
-Ava is doing well! She is just getting started on some antibiotics for her second ear infection. A couple days of a high fever and uber-high levels of crankiness lead us back to the doctor where he finally saw the "fogginess and discoloration" in her left ear. LOVELY. Yummy bubble gum medicine to the rescue. As far as her head tilting business, well, lets just say I'm still losing sleep over it. We saw the ENT, the PT, and the Opthmologist. All found nothing. Great. However, we are still left with the question with as to why she tilts her head to the left. Curt is so hoping that we don't have to do an MRI but if we can't find out what the problem is, we might just have to see what a more closer look at her insides might show us. The good news is that her overall development is so great, that the doc's are hesitant to think it's something major (ie: a growth) so hopefully its something she will grow out of. We will get to the bottom of it. I'm her Mom. I'm here to take care of her. I'm terrified. The end.
...Oh wait. She's still a terrible eater. She exists on crackers, puffs, milk (big girl formula with actual vitamins), and the occasional baby food puree. Thank God I love her dearly. Getting her to even look at big girl food is exhausting. On a lighter note, she is a chatty little girl. Words we mutter are:
~Daaaaaaa! Daaaaaaaa! (Curty)
~Maaaaaaaaaaaaaa! (Yours truly!)
~ummmmmmm-Maaaaaa (Grandma)
~Paaaaaa-Paaaaaaa (Grandpa)
~Aaaaaaaa-J (AJ)
~Ca-Ca (cracker)
~Buh-Buh-Buh (ball)
~arrrr-ney (Barney)
Pretty solid, huh? She's pretty good at repeating sounds, but those are her consistent new vocabulary words. Like most parents, I think my kid is a freakin' genius. She totally gets that from Curt. She has a great memory although she can't say most words, she can definitely point out like a billion different things in her every day life if I ask her where they are. Like, "Ava where is the...doggie? kitty cat? car? truck? strawberries? ball? socks? nose? baby? truck?"...and the list goes on. She's got her hands on everything and we've safety proofed the entire house. She has started to "run" and it's almost just as scary as when she was walking. Oh man...
-Curt is working a lot these days. He's mostly flying with the other operational squadron here because the "Chiefs" (his assigned squadron) just returned from a deployment and they are all off enjoying a couple weeks of well deserved R&R.
-Our house is still a work in progress. The good news is that we finally have some furniture ordered and it should be here next week and the week after. I bought some really nice, traditional type of pieces from a local store at some really decent prices. We even got a $900.00, yes - you read that right...NINE HUNDRED DOLLARS, gift card to best buy because we dropped so much dough at the store. Can I get an AMEN?!?! I'm all about a good sale these days... I'll be sure to do a before and after picture of the decorating and stuff... Just know that for a few weeks we used a cooler, like with ice, as a fridge and an air mattress as a make shift couch in the living room. Cozy!
-I haven't been shopping much at all lately. So sad! I have no time or energy to put into myself these days. I am hoping that once my life, house, and surroundings are in somewhat of a functioning order I will have more motivation to put into myself. I'm sure I'll get there again, someday.
-I'm super excited for my first set of visitors, whenever that might be. I have a few contenders who are planning some trips up from the south and down from the north. We even found this really cool rod iron bed to go into the guest room along with all the antique furniture.
Hmmm, well, I though I'd have more good things to tell you about but it appears as though my life is just as boring as I thought it was! Ha! Hopefully once the weather starts improving here we will get out more with Miss Ava and take some picture of our almost 16 month old!!! Holy Moly!
Until next time... Your Boring Friend, Moe. ;)
I swear on a stack of bibles that I am going to be a good blogger again soon. Once my house is in somewhat of a livable order, I plan on being much better at keeping all my buddies out there (who still care enough to come back and look at this sad thing) up to speed what is going on with the family.
Here are some biggies:
-Ava is doing well! She is just getting started on some antibiotics for her second ear infection. A couple days of a high fever and uber-high levels of crankiness lead us back to the doctor where he finally saw the "fogginess and discoloration" in her left ear. LOVELY. Yummy bubble gum medicine to the rescue. As far as her head tilting business, well, lets just say I'm still losing sleep over it. We saw the ENT, the PT, and the Opthmologist. All found nothing. Great. However, we are still left with the question with as to why she tilts her head to the left. Curt is so hoping that we don't have to do an MRI but if we can't find out what the problem is, we might just have to see what a more closer look at her insides might show us. The good news is that her overall development is so great, that the doc's are hesitant to think it's something major (ie: a growth) so hopefully its something she will grow out of. We will get to the bottom of it. I'm her Mom. I'm here to take care of her. I'm terrified. The end.
...Oh wait. She's still a terrible eater. She exists on crackers, puffs, milk (big girl formula with actual vitamins), and the occasional baby food puree. Thank God I love her dearly. Getting her to even look at big girl food is exhausting. On a lighter note, she is a chatty little girl. Words we mutter are:
~Daaaaaaa! Daaaaaaaa! (Curty)
~Maaaaaaaaaaaaaa! (Yours truly!)
~ummmmmmm-Maaaaaa (Grandma)
~Paaaaaa-Paaaaaaa (Grandpa)
~Aaaaaaaa-J (AJ)
~Ca-Ca (cracker)
~Buh-Buh-Buh (ball)
~arrrr-ney (Barney)
Pretty solid, huh? She's pretty good at repeating sounds, but those are her consistent new vocabulary words. Like most parents, I think my kid is a freakin' genius. She totally gets that from Curt. She has a great memory although she can't say most words, she can definitely point out like a billion different things in her every day life if I ask her where they are. Like, "Ava where is the...doggie? kitty cat? car? truck? strawberries? ball? socks? nose? baby? truck?"...and the list goes on. She's got her hands on everything and we've safety proofed the entire house. She has started to "run" and it's almost just as scary as when she was walking. Oh man...
-Curt is working a lot these days. He's mostly flying with the other operational squadron here because the "Chiefs" (his assigned squadron) just returned from a deployment and they are all off enjoying a couple weeks of well deserved R&R.
-Our house is still a work in progress. The good news is that we finally have some furniture ordered and it should be here next week and the week after. I bought some really nice, traditional type of pieces from a local store at some really decent prices. We even got a $900.00, yes - you read that right...NINE HUNDRED DOLLARS, gift card to best buy because we dropped so much dough at the store. Can I get an AMEN?!?! I'm all about a good sale these days... I'll be sure to do a before and after picture of the decorating and stuff... Just know that for a few weeks we used a cooler, like with ice, as a fridge and an air mattress as a make shift couch in the living room. Cozy!
-I haven't been shopping much at all lately. So sad! I have no time or energy to put into myself these days. I am hoping that once my life, house, and surroundings are in somewhat of a functioning order I will have more motivation to put into myself. I'm sure I'll get there again, someday.
-I'm super excited for my first set of visitors, whenever that might be. I have a few contenders who are planning some trips up from the south and down from the north. We even found this really cool rod iron bed to go into the guest room along with all the antique furniture.
Hmmm, well, I though I'd have more good things to tell you about but it appears as though my life is just as boring as I thought it was! Ha! Hopefully once the weather starts improving here we will get out more with Miss Ava and take some picture of our almost 16 month old!!! Holy Moly!
Until next time... Your Boring Friend, Moe. ;)
Friday, December 4, 2009
The Good, The Bad, And The Scary
Here is a quick update on what’s going on with the family!
The Good:
Curt is just about finished Weapons School and after 8 long months, we’re totally ready to be back in the same time zone! We are moving into our new house in just a few weeks and we’re super pumped about all the great things that come with being home owners. Those who wish to remind us of things like “bills, chores, and all the so called negative aspects of owning a house” can BE GONE! Don’t rain on this parade! We’ve waited so long to be right here so nothing, and I mean NOTHING can bring this high down.
The Bad:
I was “forced” to go down to NC over the Thanksgiving break to close at the last minute. Meaning, I “planned” my trip on Wednesday and left on Friday. What is the “bad”, you might ask? Um, how about when we got down there and did the walk through it was filled with things that still had to be finished. I refuse to sit and complain about the 7+ hour ride (each way!!!) that I had to drive for nothing, nada, zilch. I’m now NO closer to being a homeowner than I was before I got down there. Lame.
The Scary:
Well, as some of you know I had to post pone my trip to Las Vegas because we had some expected doctors appointments pop up for Ava. If you remember a few months ago I mentioned that she sometimes tilted her head to her left side. Well, she kinda grew out of it...and then started doing it again. I, being the concerned Mom that I am, took her back to the doctor and they were pretty eager to get to the bottom of this “problem”. Basically, we’ve seen an eye doctor, an ear nose and throat doctor, and now we’re in the midst of physical therapy sessions. So far, no one has found anything! Thank GOD. The down side of that is because the specialists aren’t finding anything wrong my pedi might want to do an MRI. He wants to rule out anything that we might not see from the outside. I about fainted when he mentioned some scary things that I can’t even bring myself to type. We are basically waiting to see if the physically therapy sessions help Ava out along with the exercises that we are supposed to do at home. Guess how cooperative my 14 month old is with special exercises we have to do...um, not very cooperative at all. Her head tilt is so slight that some time she isn’t even doing it. So, I hope it turns out to be absolutely nothing. To sum up this “bad news", I’ll just have to keep you posted.
The Good:
Curt is just about finished Weapons School and after 8 long months, we’re totally ready to be back in the same time zone! We are moving into our new house in just a few weeks and we’re super pumped about all the great things that come with being home owners. Those who wish to remind us of things like “bills, chores, and all the so called negative aspects of owning a house” can BE GONE! Don’t rain on this parade! We’ve waited so long to be right here so nothing, and I mean NOTHING can bring this high down.
The Bad:
I was “forced” to go down to NC over the Thanksgiving break to close at the last minute. Meaning, I “planned” my trip on Wednesday and left on Friday. What is the “bad”, you might ask? Um, how about when we got down there and did the walk through it was filled with things that still had to be finished. I refuse to sit and complain about the 7+ hour ride (each way!!!) that I had to drive for nothing, nada, zilch. I’m now NO closer to being a homeowner than I was before I got down there. Lame.
The Scary:
Well, as some of you know I had to post pone my trip to Las Vegas because we had some expected doctors appointments pop up for Ava. If you remember a few months ago I mentioned that she sometimes tilted her head to her left side. Well, she kinda grew out of it...and then started doing it again. I, being the concerned Mom that I am, took her back to the doctor and they were pretty eager to get to the bottom of this “problem”. Basically, we’ve seen an eye doctor, an ear nose and throat doctor, and now we’re in the midst of physical therapy sessions. So far, no one has found anything! Thank GOD. The down side of that is because the specialists aren’t finding anything wrong my pedi might want to do an MRI. He wants to rule out anything that we might not see from the outside. I about fainted when he mentioned some scary things that I can’t even bring myself to type. We are basically waiting to see if the physically therapy sessions help Ava out along with the exercises that we are supposed to do at home. Guess how cooperative my 14 month old is with special exercises we have to do...um, not very cooperative at all. Her head tilt is so slight that some time she isn’t even doing it. So, I hope it turns out to be absolutely nothing. To sum up this “bad news", I’ll just have to keep you posted.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Let’s Be Thankful
What are you thankful for?
“The Biggies”
1. My Husband and My Ava. Where do I begin? Even though we’ve spent so much time apart this past year, not one day as gone by when we didn’t make the time or effort to talk. Some days it was into the wee hours of the morning, but it’s always well worth it to hear his voice, even if only for a minute. I’m thankful for his love, his devotion to Ava and I, his big heart, his generosity, his faithfulness, and the list goes on. He is wonderful with Ava and I am so looking forward to getting in our new house and starting our life again in our new home. My sweetie pea, my suger pie, my lovey bug, my Ava has really put things into perspective for me. On a normal day, she is dressed to the nines and fed before I even brush my teeth. My life revolves around her schedule and by the time I put her to bed and have some “me” time, I’m about ready to pass out on the floor. But, the second she spends the night with her Grandma, I’m constantly wondering what she’s up to. My life has forever changed. I’m no longer first, and I never will be again. This love is unconditional.
2. My Family. How in the world would I have survived over these past 8, yes...EIGHT, months of raising Ava while Curt was away? HOW? In all honestly, it would have been tough. It’s been awesome having them all here watching Ava reach all her milestones and be able to meet and love on her gma’s and gpa’s while Curt is away. They love her as if she were their own. It will be a sad, sad day when we head south. I think it’s safe to say, we’ve been blessed.
3. My Friends. I have some patient and understanding friends, let me tell you. It’s been tough getting out there to do the things I used to do before Miss A came into the picture, but I have a small group of faithful girls who are always there to pick up right where we went off. I’ve finally surrounded myself with people who only make me feel good and are just so great to be around. Feels good...
4. A New Church. Ava and I go to church each and every Sunday with Grandma Dougherty and it’s been a wonderful experience. The Pastor just has an amazing gift when it comes to spreading the good word. It never feels like pressure, it’s always uplifting, the music is always moving... I will certainly miss this when we move.
5. Myself. Can you thank yourself? I think so! I’ve grown up so much in the past five years, I often amaze myself with the things I am able to take on. Sure, I still like to rely on others sometimes, but I’ve never felt more independent than I do right now.
“The Small Stuff”
6. MY NEW HOUSE!!!!!!!!! UH, HELLO!!!!! We’ve been through some shoddy places the past few years and it’s about time we move on up in this world. Thank heavens for that extra income I pulled in over the past few years workin’ my teachin’ booty off because my heart literally skipped a beat when I walked into this house. It was like a wedding dress. I just KNEW it was “the ONE”!
7. Easy Shopping. All my England friends know what this means. It means that if I needed something at the last minute in England, oh well! The chances of the lovely BX carrying anything I was looking for was slim to none. Pathetic. Now we’re “blessed” with 24 hours of stores with anything and everything you could possibly dream of. AMEN!
8. My Passport. That sucker has been stamped more in a 4 year period than most people will ever have in their entire life. I’ve seen so much...France, Germany, Italy, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Belgium, Denmark... Fo-REAL! I never thought I’d say this but it would a nice surprise if someday in the future we were given the opportunity to live overseas again. (In a few years of course, I’m still adjusting to my wonderful USA for cryin’ out loud!)
9. My military family. (Although, this should probably be a “biggie”!) To those who live on the outside of this tight knit group, it’s really hard to describe the relationship that we have. We make friends and develop strong bonds over a short period of time, move on in our lives, and yet we still feel just as close to each other as if we were still living near the same base. We need each other in times that only we can truly relate to when things get tough...and when things are great! Having your family be separated is the norm for us and although many people like to say, “I don’t know how you do it?”, we know although life isn’t always easy, we have each other. Love is love and at the end of the day, we’ll do anything to keep our families together. I love my military family.
10. The super smalls....That make me super happy:
-my stuff. my bags, my jewels, my shoes... you know how i do!
-cinnamon scented candles. oh the sweet smell of the holidays is just so nostalgic to me.
-the fall and the winter. there is so much warmth and love during those chilly months that i can’t help but always look forward to sweaters and uggs. loveeeeeeeeeeeee.
-going out to dinner with curt and sharing some good food and drinks on a night where we have time to waste. it’s been a while...
-a night out on the town! all dressed to impressed, a good crowd in a good bar with all my friends is by far, one of my most favorite things to do.
-the thrill of finding the “perfect” dress. i’m talking “fancy pants” dresses, too! bcbg has my heart. they’re never wrong.
-coming home from a long day and immediately throwing on my favorite fleece pants (that i stole from curt) and my sweatshirt and just unwinding. what a good feeling...
-watching the food network. i love me some barefoot contessa, giada delaurentiis, and bobby flay. YUM-O!
-Bravo tv. I watch Bravo every night at 10. It’s what I like to call, “my happy place”.
-the feeling of completing all my chores for the day. it’s a fantastic feeling knowing that all that’s left to do is play with my baby and just relax. (this rarely happens...)
Oh, my friends. I could go on... But there are things to be done while Ava takes her nap so until next time...
WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR???
“The Biggies”
1. My Husband and My Ava. Where do I begin? Even though we’ve spent so much time apart this past year, not one day as gone by when we didn’t make the time or effort to talk. Some days it was into the wee hours of the morning, but it’s always well worth it to hear his voice, even if only for a minute. I’m thankful for his love, his devotion to Ava and I, his big heart, his generosity, his faithfulness, and the list goes on. He is wonderful with Ava and I am so looking forward to getting in our new house and starting our life again in our new home. My sweetie pea, my suger pie, my lovey bug, my Ava has really put things into perspective for me. On a normal day, she is dressed to the nines and fed before I even brush my teeth. My life revolves around her schedule and by the time I put her to bed and have some “me” time, I’m about ready to pass out on the floor. But, the second she spends the night with her Grandma, I’m constantly wondering what she’s up to. My life has forever changed. I’m no longer first, and I never will be again. This love is unconditional.
2. My Family. How in the world would I have survived over these past 8, yes...EIGHT, months of raising Ava while Curt was away? HOW? In all honestly, it would have been tough. It’s been awesome having them all here watching Ava reach all her milestones and be able to meet and love on her gma’s and gpa’s while Curt is away. They love her as if she were their own. It will be a sad, sad day when we head south. I think it’s safe to say, we’ve been blessed.
3. My Friends. I have some patient and understanding friends, let me tell you. It’s been tough getting out there to do the things I used to do before Miss A came into the picture, but I have a small group of faithful girls who are always there to pick up right where we went off. I’ve finally surrounded myself with people who only make me feel good and are just so great to be around. Feels good...
4. A New Church. Ava and I go to church each and every Sunday with Grandma Dougherty and it’s been a wonderful experience. The Pastor just has an amazing gift when it comes to spreading the good word. It never feels like pressure, it’s always uplifting, the music is always moving... I will certainly miss this when we move.
5. Myself. Can you thank yourself? I think so! I’ve grown up so much in the past five years, I often amaze myself with the things I am able to take on. Sure, I still like to rely on others sometimes, but I’ve never felt more independent than I do right now.
“The Small Stuff”
6. MY NEW HOUSE!!!!!!!!! UH, HELLO!!!!! We’ve been through some shoddy places the past few years and it’s about time we move on up in this world. Thank heavens for that extra income I pulled in over the past few years workin’ my teachin’ booty off because my heart literally skipped a beat when I walked into this house. It was like a wedding dress. I just KNEW it was “the ONE”!
7. Easy Shopping. All my England friends know what this means. It means that if I needed something at the last minute in England, oh well! The chances of the lovely BX carrying anything I was looking for was slim to none. Pathetic. Now we’re “blessed” with 24 hours of stores with anything and everything you could possibly dream of. AMEN!
8. My Passport. That sucker has been stamped more in a 4 year period than most people will ever have in their entire life. I’ve seen so much...France, Germany, Italy, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Belgium, Denmark... Fo-REAL! I never thought I’d say this but it would a nice surprise if someday in the future we were given the opportunity to live overseas again. (In a few years of course, I’m still adjusting to my wonderful USA for cryin’ out loud!)
9. My military family. (Although, this should probably be a “biggie”!) To those who live on the outside of this tight knit group, it’s really hard to describe the relationship that we have. We make friends and develop strong bonds over a short period of time, move on in our lives, and yet we still feel just as close to each other as if we were still living near the same base. We need each other in times that only we can truly relate to when things get tough...and when things are great! Having your family be separated is the norm for us and although many people like to say, “I don’t know how you do it?”, we know although life isn’t always easy, we have each other. Love is love and at the end of the day, we’ll do anything to keep our families together. I love my military family.
10. The super smalls....That make me super happy:
-my stuff. my bags, my jewels, my shoes... you know how i do!
-cinnamon scented candles. oh the sweet smell of the holidays is just so nostalgic to me.
-the fall and the winter. there is so much warmth and love during those chilly months that i can’t help but always look forward to sweaters and uggs. loveeeeeeeeeeeee.
-going out to dinner with curt and sharing some good food and drinks on a night where we have time to waste. it’s been a while...
-a night out on the town! all dressed to impressed, a good crowd in a good bar with all my friends is by far, one of my most favorite things to do.
-the thrill of finding the “perfect” dress. i’m talking “fancy pants” dresses, too! bcbg has my heart. they’re never wrong.
-coming home from a long day and immediately throwing on my favorite fleece pants (that i stole from curt) and my sweatshirt and just unwinding. what a good feeling...
-watching the food network. i love me some barefoot contessa, giada delaurentiis, and bobby flay. YUM-O!
-Bravo tv. I watch Bravo every night at 10. It’s what I like to call, “my happy place”.
-the feeling of completing all my chores for the day. it’s a fantastic feeling knowing that all that’s left to do is play with my baby and just relax. (this rarely happens...)
Oh, my friends. I could go on... But there are things to be done while Ava takes her nap so until next time...
WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR???
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Welcome Back, Me!!!!!
Ooookay, I think I have a really good excuse for being a bad blogger these past few weeks. Well, I have a few. Here it goes:
-I am “single” parenting Ava here and although I have help from the family, I’m still wrapped up in all things baby for about 90% of the day.
-Unlike England, I have bunches of things to do in my free time, ie: Ava’s awake time, so I’m usually trying to free myself from this place whenever possible. Meaning, I have less time to sit on my duff in front of the computer.
-It’s groundhog day. It really is. I don’t want to bore you too much with the details of my daily life....until NOW. Ha!
So what’s new you might ask? Well, lots. Let’s review:
-WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!! Here’s some pictures. It’s beautiful. I love, love, LOVE it. Oh man, do I love it. What else do I love? Um, this sweet piece of property would have been TWICE the cost we paid if we bought anything remotely as nice here in the beautiful Chester County. Meaning, we feel like we got a steal of a deal. No one likes to walk away from a big buy and say, “Man, I just got robbed!”. So, we’re feeling pretty blessed to have found such a great house that we, again, LOVE.
-Ava is 13 months. Uhhh, yea. She’s huge and growing more and more each day. Here are her big deal accomplishments. She’s a walking machine. It’s terrifying. All I see is sharp corners and hard surfaces. Thankfully, she lands on her squishy diaper butt 90% of the time. But that other 10%, uh, let’s just say she had her first “goose egg” thanks to her plastic piggy bank that she took a head dive into. It was bad. Bad, Bad, BAD!
She has 10 teeth and 2 more molars on the way. Don’t even ask me about my attempt to brush them. She’s uncooperative, to say the least. She’s got a lot of hair and it’s starting to form something I would classify as the “mullets” cousin. We’re hoping it all evens out, soon.
I think she’s on the cusp of her first word...aside from “Mama”, “Dada”, “Hi”, “Gee-Gee” (Maggie)... She’s very chatty these days...and very loud. Ava is currently obsessed with my Dad, or her Grandpa. She screams when he leaves the room. He loves it. LOVES. She also clearly understands the word “NO!!!” and loves to push her limits when I ask her not to do something. Sneaky little bugger. Is she seriously trying to get a rise out of me, this early?
Ava is like her Dad in so many ways and one that I really could live without is her opposition to trying new FOOD! Seriously, my 13 month old is still eating BABY FOOD. It’s so expensive and I would do just about anything to get her to eat some “big girl” food. Please help. She only eats puffs. THAT IS IT. So frustrating. I’m also having the hardest time getting her on cows whole milk. She refuses that like crazy too. This Mama is sick of washing bottles. The worst part about the baby food is that’s a whole big fight in it self. I usually have to distract her with Barney to distract her into eating at all. Please avoid any and all judgement. I wonder if she would eat at all without the distraction. :( It’s horrible.
On a lighter note, she is sleeping well, learning more and more each day, walking all over the place, interacting with her cousin during play time...and just being awesome at all she does. We are blessed.
-Curt came back to PA for 36 hours for a wedding of a high school friend of ours and we had such a great time, even though it was so short of a trip. We got to spend the night with our favorite friends from high school and then have a brunch with family the following morning. It was perfect. He was gone as soon as he got there, but we’re headed there in about a week to see him so we have tons to look forward to!
-I’m starting to feel pretty sad about my upcoming trip to Vegas and leaving my home. At times it felt like we were so far away from being with Curt again but like all our time spent apart, it feels like it went rather quickly. We were initially going to stay here up until graduation but realized that we could not be away from Curt for yet ANOTHER holiday if it wasn’t mandatory. So, we’ll be roughin’ it in his teeny, tiny hotel room for a couple weeks while he wraps things up at Weapons School. We miss him!!!!
I think that’s good enough for now, don’t you? I’m so distracted because I’m trying to watch TV at the same time and this lil update is taking a bit longer than I had anticipated. With my upcoming trip to Sin City I’m bound to have some more “free time” to blog... I promise.
-I am “single” parenting Ava here and although I have help from the family, I’m still wrapped up in all things baby for about 90% of the day.
-Unlike England, I have bunches of things to do in my free time, ie: Ava’s awake time, so I’m usually trying to free myself from this place whenever possible. Meaning, I have less time to sit on my duff in front of the computer.
-It’s groundhog day. It really is. I don’t want to bore you too much with the details of my daily life....until NOW. Ha!
So what’s new you might ask? Well, lots. Let’s review:
-WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!! Here’s some pictures. It’s beautiful. I love, love, LOVE it. Oh man, do I love it. What else do I love? Um, this sweet piece of property would have been TWICE the cost we paid if we bought anything remotely as nice here in the beautiful Chester County. Meaning, we feel like we got a steal of a deal. No one likes to walk away from a big buy and say, “Man, I just got robbed!”. So, we’re feeling pretty blessed to have found such a great house that we, again, LOVE.
-Ava is 13 months. Uhhh, yea. She’s huge and growing more and more each day. Here are her big deal accomplishments. She’s a walking machine. It’s terrifying. All I see is sharp corners and hard surfaces. Thankfully, she lands on her squishy diaper butt 90% of the time. But that other 10%, uh, let’s just say she had her first “goose egg” thanks to her plastic piggy bank that she took a head dive into. It was bad. Bad, Bad, BAD!
She has 10 teeth and 2 more molars on the way. Don’t even ask me about my attempt to brush them. She’s uncooperative, to say the least. She’s got a lot of hair and it’s starting to form something I would classify as the “mullets” cousin. We’re hoping it all evens out, soon.
I think she’s on the cusp of her first word...aside from “Mama”, “Dada”, “Hi”, “Gee-Gee” (Maggie)... She’s very chatty these days...and very loud. Ava is currently obsessed with my Dad, or her Grandpa. She screams when he leaves the room. He loves it. LOVES. She also clearly understands the word “NO!!!” and loves to push her limits when I ask her not to do something. Sneaky little bugger. Is she seriously trying to get a rise out of me, this early?
Ava is like her Dad in so many ways and one that I really could live without is her opposition to trying new FOOD! Seriously, my 13 month old is still eating BABY FOOD. It’s so expensive and I would do just about anything to get her to eat some “big girl” food. Please help. She only eats puffs. THAT IS IT. So frustrating. I’m also having the hardest time getting her on cows whole milk. She refuses that like crazy too. This Mama is sick of washing bottles. The worst part about the baby food is that’s a whole big fight in it self. I usually have to distract her with Barney to distract her into eating at all. Please avoid any and all judgement. I wonder if she would eat at all without the distraction. :( It’s horrible.
On a lighter note, she is sleeping well, learning more and more each day, walking all over the place, interacting with her cousin during play time...and just being awesome at all she does. We are blessed.
-Curt came back to PA for 36 hours for a wedding of a high school friend of ours and we had such a great time, even though it was so short of a trip. We got to spend the night with our favorite friends from high school and then have a brunch with family the following morning. It was perfect. He was gone as soon as he got there, but we’re headed there in about a week to see him so we have tons to look forward to!
-I’m starting to feel pretty sad about my upcoming trip to Vegas and leaving my home. At times it felt like we were so far away from being with Curt again but like all our time spent apart, it feels like it went rather quickly. We were initially going to stay here up until graduation but realized that we could not be away from Curt for yet ANOTHER holiday if it wasn’t mandatory. So, we’ll be roughin’ it in his teeny, tiny hotel room for a couple weeks while he wraps things up at Weapons School. We miss him!!!!
I think that’s good enough for now, don’t you? I’m so distracted because I’m trying to watch TV at the same time and this lil update is taking a bit longer than I had anticipated. With my upcoming trip to Sin City I’m bound to have some more “free time” to blog... I promise.
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