Day in the Life

Thought this meme was appropriate :) 

I have a 16 mo old (Nolan) and a 4 yr old (Amelia).  I tend to stay on a routine to keep my sanity AND so the kids know what to expect from day to day. Here is what a typical day looks like


6:00-    I like to get up before the kids and get some ME time.  I have my coffee and I browse my social media, news, gossip, and generally wake up

7:00-    16 mo old wakes up

7:45-    Get Amelia up and beds made

8:00-    Feed both kids breakfast, pack Amelia's lunch and her backpack

8:30-    Get both kids dressed and ready

8:40-    Take Amelia to pre-school (if it's a school day MWF)

9:00-    After we drop off Amelia we have play time, either in the play room our outside.  OR if we have errands I do them now.  I like to get stuff done in the morning, less people and no lines. On Wed Nolan and I have story time at the Library and Kinder Jam.  On Fridays we have Alligator Steps (mommy and me class).

11:00- We usually get home, I start up a movie for Nolan to watch and I prepare lunch

11:30- Lunch TIME

12:00- Nolan goes down for a nap

1:30-    Wake up him and give him a small snack

1:40-    We go and pick up Amelia

2:00-    Get home and feed Amelia a snack

2:30-4:30-play time

5:00-    Daddy comes home from work and I start to prepare dinner

5:30-    Dinner for everyone

6:30-    Clean up kitchen and living room

7:00-    Kids take a bath

7:30-    Bottle, brush teeth, bedtime story

8:30-    Lights out

The rest of the night is spent with the hubby, it's our down time.   We watch our fave shows, he plays video games, I read, I catch up on YouTube, he watches sports highlights, haha we just chill.  We usually go to bed around 9:30-10:30 and we do it all again the next day.

My First Hair Cut!

Ok, so it's not my first hair cut, but it is my lil girl's first hair cut!  To be honest, I was super duper scared about it.  I was afraid she would cry or not sit still and she would end up with a crooked hair line. I was afraid that she would throw a fit and not even get into the seat.  Man, was I worried for no good reason!  Mills was WONDERFUL when she got her hair cut.  She didn't cry, she sat still and she had a huge smile throughout the whole cut!  I didn't get a fancy cut for her or anything, I did just get her bangs trimmed and her hair cut to her shoulders.  I wanted to cut all the baby hair off and make it all even.  Morgan kept telling her that she was going to get a hair cut like Dora. haha I think that is what she liked about it.  Either way, she was amazing and I completely underestimated her!  It is a lil nerve wracking for any parent whose kid is going through their "first" anything.  More often then not, I'm sure most parents are worrying for no reason.  Now Mills asks to get her hair cut all the time!  Funny lil girl!

 

I was so focused on her getting her hair cut that I didn't even get a pic of the end result!  DUMB!  I have other pics of her with her stylish new do!

 I dont know why he always makes that face :p

Here's to the Red, White, and Blue!

Wow the 4^th of July has came and went!  I swear this year is just flying by.  Soon enough it will be Christmas again! Let’s just focus on the present!  It’s a little different celebrating an American holiday in a foreign country.  Okinawa accommodates a lot of American customs and the people here are really into American things, but it’s no America.  As for the fireworks, the Air Force base that does the big firework show every year did their show on the 3^rd?  I have no idea why.  We live right across the street from the base and we were able to watch the fireworks from the comforts of our front balcony.  Mills loved it, she shouted out each color of every firework!  Nono was asleep for the whole thing. 

For the actual 4^th of July we got together with a group of friends and went to a local beach.  Well not too local, the beach was about an hour away.  It was gorgeous!  It was very very hot though!  Its not the best idea to bring a 2 and a half week old out when its scorching hot.  Surprisingly he was very good.  He stayed asleep the whole time.  I had to keep fanning him, but it wasn’t really a problem.  Morgan took care of Mills and I took care of Nono.  It was difficult to nurse him though.  I’m just not a fan of doing it in public, plus add it the heat , humidity, and sand!  We had a really good time, the food was delish and the water temp was perfect (not that I went in, being that I’m not bathing suit ready).  Either way what more could you ask for while celebrating the 4^th?  Good food, good people, good times!  

Ikei Beach

Picture Perfect

They LOVE ice cream!

Nono with his 4th of July shirt

Celebrating America in Japan

 On a side note>>>

{Lately I've been so lazy to cook.  Luckily Morgan has been picking up my slack!  Love him!}

{Nursing really takes a lot out of me}

{I want to go shopping, but not till I get back to pre-Mills size !!!}

Nolan is here!!!!!!!!!!! And an update :)

Well I have taken quite the hiatus from writing.  So many things have happened in the past few weeks that it was hard for me to write.  I’ll just give my quick update.  My parents flew into town to help us out.  They spent three weeks here.  At times it was honestly a lil frustrating, but they helped out a lot and I know Amelia loved spending time with them.  I gave birth to a happy, healthy lil boy on June 11!  We named him Nolan, we call him Nono!  He was 8 lbs and 1 oz!  He was a big baby!  I was really scared of how my experience was going to be at the Naval hospital, but I ended up being really well taken care of and I was happy with my stay.  So happy that I wrote a nice letter to the Labor and Delivery department thanking them for their great care.  While my parents were here unfortunately the weather was really really sucky, it rained most of the time.  We tried to get out and show them things, but it was difficult with a newborn.  Only the last few days they were here, were we able to enjoy some sun.    I really love my family but 3 weeks is a looooooooooooong time to have guests.  Especially after having a c-section, healing, and a newborn….it wasn’t always the best combo.  Either way I’m glad they came and we were able to spend time together and Mills got to know her grandparents more.

Happy Birthday Nolan!

Proud Grandparents

Family of 4

Right to sleep after his feeding zzZZZzzzZZ

So today is my first official day on my own, no parents, no husband to help.  We have Mills in daycare still so it hasn’t been too bad.  I’ve been trying to get errands done.  Nono is really good and he just comes along for the ride.  I totally forgot how much stuff you have to bring in the diaper bag.  For such a little being, babies sure do need lots of stuff!  Now that I have 2 in tow I have even more stuff to bring.  We had just got Mills down to practically brining nothing, just snacks and I kept and extra pull up and change of clothes in the car.  Now I’ve got a full on diaper bag, baby sling, infant car seat, and stroller.  I’m not a tall person, I’ve very petite, so I bet I look crazy with 2 kids in my huge van and I have all this other stuff to bring.  I guess you can never be to prepared.  Anyways, I’ve gotten off topic….for this week I plan on just catching up on chores and figuring out a routine.   I’m trying to get my SAHM groove back and hopefully I’ll work out the kinks so we have a smooth day!  We’ll see…

On a side note>>>

{Morgan got promoted!!!!}

{Breastfeeding takes lots of work}

{Newborns sure do poop a lot}

38 Weeks Update

This past month has literally flown by.  I’ve been really bad at updating.  Well, I would start a new post and then I would never finish it.  So I’m just going to start from where I’m at now.    Lots of things have happened and are happening.  My last day of work was on last Thursday.  I thought it wouldn’t be easy and I wouldn’t care, but I kind of got a little choked up.  I know I had my struggles with work and the people there, but it’s always sad leaving.  I even cried when I hugged Niki, the one person at work who I was close to.  But its all for the best,  I needed the rest before the baby and I was unhappy there most of the time.   Parts of me wants to go back to work, but I’m really excited to be able to stay at home with the baby.   I never got to do that with Mills, we are at a point where we are financially able to do it and I want to take advantage while we can. 

 I’m about to be 39 weeks tomorrow!!  I had my last appointment with my doc before my c-section.  Being at a military hospital unfortunately its highly unlikely that you get the same doc during your whole pregnancy and delivery.  When I was scheduled for my delivery I found out the doc who was going to be there and was scheduled an appointment with him so I could meet him.  On Tuesday was my appointment.  He was really nice, young, and he was surprisingly good looking!  I know that sounds funny, but I’ve dealt with lots of military docs since being married to a service man for 9 years, none of them have EVER been good looking.  It was just kind of funny.  I talked to my friend Len about it and she joked that it was good that I wasn’t having a vaginal delivery since he was cute!  She makes a good point! 

Last night my parents came into town!!!!  I’m so unbelievably grateful that they are here.  It was all really last minute kind of trip, initially they were supposed to come here in Oct. with my brother and sister to visit.  I’ll start from the beginning.  About 2 months ago I talked with Len about watching Mills when I got into labor.  She first told me that she might not be here because she had some stuff going on  back in Guam.  I told her it was fine and I’ll plan for someone else to watch her.   We went back and forth for a lil bit and ultimately she told me that she will be here if I told her I needed her.  So I told her I needed her, so she said she will be here and not plan to go to Guam.  Fast forward to a few weeks ago, she tells me that I need to think of a back up person to watch Mills because she might not be here!!  WTF???  To be honest, I was really upset.  I was at work tearing up because I felt like the rug had been pulled from under me.   I needed to find someone to watch Mills in a matter of weeks!  I don’t have any other close friends here and I didn’t just want to drop Mills off with some strangers.  I would feel horrible brining her over to stay with someone she didn’t know.  That is what really made me feel scared about the situation.  Worst come to worst, I was thinking that we would bring Mills with us and I would just go into the operation alone.  Another thing is that I am having a c-section, so I’m going to be in the hospital for a few days, which would mean so would Amelia.  I just was really at a loss.  So I called my mom and pleaded her to come here to watch Mills for us.  At first my mom said she couldn’t come, I really wasn’t surprised I mean she would have to be here in 2 weeks and it would be unrealistic for her to drop everything.  But after a few days she called me and told me that she and my dad were coming, that they were going to be here because I needed them.  I’m just so thankful that they are here, ever since I found out that they were coming I felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders and the stress melted away.  On another note, its been great having them here, its only been a day.  They’ve totally helped me with Mills, I just don’t have the energy these days and they keep her occupied and happy and are able to focus lots of attention on her.  I know she loves it too.  When I first was hit with the news Morgan kept telling me it will all work out, and in the end it really did.

On Monday I’m scheduled for my c-section.  I can’t believe its going to happen in only a few short days!!!  I can’t wait to meet this lil boy!!

34 Weeks Update

Whoa…time is really flying!  34 weeks down!!!!  I can’t believe it.  It feels like just yesterday I saw the double lines on my pregnancy test.  On a GREAT note, my husband is finally back!  The other night we went over the baby registries and ordered a whole bunch of stuff.  We have our baby shower in a couple weeks and after that we’ll buy up the rest of the stuff we need.  When the baby is a newborn there isn’t much that they really need.  Yesterday I went in to see a nurse to get a NST (non-stress test) done, I had to do it while I was pregnant with Mills because of my Thalasemia.  The nurse thought it looked good and my doc was supposed to look at it too and call me back.  Surprise, surprise, no call back from the doc yet.  I really don’t like this hospital.  I understand that they see a lot of patients, regardless they should still treat EVERY patient with respect.  If I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t have got pregnant here.  I had such a wonderful experience in the last Naval Hospital and then coming to this one, its just such a disappointment. We only have about a year to go in Oki, hopefully it will go by fast.  Not really sure when we want to go next, I think we might do another overseas tour.  I’ve really been itching to travel lately.  I know I can’t exactly plan a vacation anytime soon, but I think maybe the fall or winter this year I wouldn’t mind going on a vacation with the whole fam.  It is going to be so weird traveling with2 kids!  As for the pregnancy, everything is going well.  I’m sleeping better now that my hubby is home.  I am super duper tired tho.  I’m assuming because I’m only a few weeks away and my body is telling me that I should sleep more because when the baby comes I wont get anymore sleep.

On a side note>>>

{I'm constantly craving sweets}

{Mother's day is this weekend, I wonder what I'll get??}

{I'm getting tired of working, I need to quit soon}

32 Weeks Update

8 Months down….roughly 2 months to go!  Whahooooooooo.  I had my 32 week appointment on Monday.  It was not great.  Actually it was the worst appointment I’ve been to.  I went through a rollercoaster of emotions in about an hour.   From 12 weeks I have been on a pregnancy path, expecting a c-section.  I was actually asked if I wanted to try a vbac or go with a c-section again.  I honestly am afraid of a vaginal birth because of what happened with Amelia.  I was all set for a vaginal birth with Amelia, I took classes, read books, and watch videos (not many).  I felt mentally and physically prepared.   But when it came to the big day I ended up having a c-section.  I never really progressed.  I sort of felt like a failure, that I couldn’t do it on my own.  It’s kind of haunted me.  So this time I opted for a c-section again because I don’t want to be stressed about it or feel like a failure.  On my 32 week appointment I was excited because I was told I would be scheduled for my delivery.   I was literally crying in the room. It's kind of a lot to explain and I’ve been over it so many times these past few days.  I met with the doc and she was telling me there was no post operation report in my records and that I should try a vaginal birth. I was freaking out because I didn't plan for that and I don’t feel ready.   I expressed to the doc that I didn’t feel ready and that I felt like she was dropping a bomb on me.  I quote “Honey, you have 2 months”!!  Can you believe her nerve??? I cried more.  She suggested I go to the vbac class and by my next appointment I can make a decision.  I ended up going to records myself, and had to talk to 3 people and finally someone found the post operation report. I took it back up to the doc and she said after reading it, we are going to go thru with a c-section. Oh also she "forgot" to mention that I'm anemic again. I went through a whole bunch of emotions and I am scheduled for a c-sec on June 11. I really don't like this hospital. I miss the hospital in Bremerton, where I had Amelia.  I just feel like I’m not being taken care of very well.  Just another patient walking through the halls.   After have a day to think about things, I remembered when I had Amelia I had anemia and I went through NST and blood tests weekly.  The doc never mentioned anything about that.  So the next day I called and I left a message to talk with the doc, I called about 7:45 am.  I didn’t get a call back until 6:30 pm!  I asked about the tests and she said it would be a good idea.  Why am I telling the doc this, shouldn’t she have mentioned it before?? Ugh…I’m just praying for a healthy baby and safe c-section.  I just want to not have to deal with them anymore.  Unfortunately after having the baby I’ll have to deal with them more.  All in all have a bitter taste in my mouth for this hospital.  I can’t wait to never have to deal with them again!  As for how I’m feeling, I feel big!  Big is an understatement!!  I’m tired.  I can’t wait for my husband to come home.  I need some rest! OH and I’m currently 115 pounds! Geeze!