32 Weeks

Attached is my week 32 "belly" shot. I can't tell too much, but I do think I am a little bigger than I was two weeks ago. It is hard to believe that we are rapidly approaching the end of this pregnancy. Am I ready? Oh, I wish I had the answer to that question. Are you ever ready for a new baby to take over your house?

This week we have not one, but two doctor appointments. Tuesday is the appointment with our nurse/midwife. Thursday is the appointment with the specialist in Destin. This time Addison will be making the trip with us to see her baby brother. We haven't taken her to any of these appointments yet, so I am hoping it goes well - that she isn't a distraction! (Yes, I will be packing a bag of entertainment for her, and yes, there will be bribes along the way!) I keep hoping that at one of these appoinments they can give us an indication on if they think he is going to come early, on time, or late. I know that this is only a guessing game, but it would be nice to know what they are thinking.

On another note. Addison and her daddy just left for a daddy/daughter day out. I find myself wondering what in the world I am going to do with myself all day. Don't get me wrong! I love that he does this with her and love the time I get to myself - but today, I am feeling restless. Hmmmm????

School is over...

It doesn't seem like eight weeks has passed since I blogged that it was Addison's first day of school. But it really has been eight weeks and now her little summer "school" program is over! School starts for the fall session on August 29th - originally I thought August 22nd - so now we have four weeks of "summer." I am currently looking for fun, inexpensive, and cool activities to keep her entertained for the next month. I have a few ideas, but am always up for more.

Addison loved her school and made several new friends. I wouldn't say she "learned" anything, but overall, I think it was a great expirience for her. She loved doing the crafts and having lunch at school. One of the main lessons I wanted her to learn was how a classroom works. I wanted her to learn that mom and dad aren't the only adults in the world that she has to mind, and she did learn that. I thought it was also really important to get her in a classroom for her to learn how the structure of a classroom works. She and I have never had much of a schedule her at home, but at school they have one and so it was good for her to be exposed to that. I think she will definetly be ready for her class and teacher when pre-school starts next month.

Above is a picture of Addison with her two teachers from the summer. Both are college students, but overall did a great job with the class. I also have to give them huge kudos because Addison was NOT good about using the potty while at school. I would say about 75% of the time Addison would just have an accident and those poor girls would have to take care of it. Definitely greatful to them for that. (One project we are going to crack down before school starts at the end of August.)

Picture: Ms. Megan, Addison, and Ms. KerriAnne

House

It is no secret that we are renting this house. It is also no secret that when we took posession of the house at the end of December it was in horrible shape. It was filthy, the walls had pencil and crayon marks all over as well as greasy finger print marks. Our land lords live in California so they were not at all aware of the disater that had been left by the previous tenants. I do not blame them. We too own a home that is a large distance from where we live now - and while we rent to Chuck's mom, we understand that houses need work and that if you own a home and don't live in the same city, it can be almost impossible to keep track of what is happening inside.

Our landlords were great about the way the house was left. They paid for the cleaning and had the majority of the house repainted. And what they didn't have repainted, they allowed us to do it ourselves. This time moving into this house took us a much longer time than it normally does because there was so much work that had to be done to the house before we could actually start settling in. There are times, now, six months later, I still don't feel like we are 100% settled. But as a military wife, I know the minute I feel like we are completly settled, Chuck will come home with orders to move us elsewhere. (Murphy's law of military moves!)

Over the weekend, we tackled the last of the "mess" the previous tenants left behind for us. The flower beds in front of the house. They were overgrown so much with weeds that it really made the house look run down and dumpy - which I don't think it is either. And while it was hotter than the shades of hell while Charlie was out there working, it was really the first opportunity we felt we had to take care of it. And I have to say Chuck did an AWESOME job - especially since he hates doing yard work. I am posting before and after pictures because it just looks so much different!

"Virtual" Baby Shower

A post this week from my facebook page this week:

"Due date two months from today."

This prompted a lot of discussion from my friends and the topic came up that this baby would not be getting a baby shower, even though we are in need of some boy items. My best friend and sister in law found this information UNACCEPTABLE. And immediatly the ball was in motion putting together a "virtual" baby shower for him. (Barb - my bff - lives in Hawaii and has had friends over there that have these a lot because - like she said - they live on a rock in the middle of the ocean, making it hard to have showers in person.)

By that same evening, Barb was "stalking" my facebook friends and getting in touch with our family trying to put this together. She found information on "conference" calls on skype which is how this whole thing is going to be possible! That same night Barb, Val (my sister in law) and I had nailed down a weekend to do this shower. By the next day, the date and time were nailed down and a "Virtual" shower web page had been set up. Yesterday, the invite went out on facebook. (If you didn't get one and would like to, contact information is below for Barb - we know many were missed, which I promise is NOT intentional!)

This whole thing is AMAZING to me! I can't believe that I will acutally be able to a) have a shower and b) have everyone who wants to be there, be able to be there - no matter where they are at in the world! Technology is such an incredible thing! I will be honest, I don't know how this is all going to work - I just know I have to have my skype on during the afternoon of August 21st. Barb is really the mastermind of this whole project - again proving she is one of the smartest people I know!

If you are interested in taking part, please feel free to do so! I feel weird sending out the invite from my facebook (or email) as the shower is for my little guy, but know that if you are interested in the whole thing Barb will get you the information. Feel free to email her at barbara.kasulaitis@hotmail.com. There has also been a blogger.com page set up with all the information that is available at this point. (Exact details on how the whole thing works aren't available yet, but I think are coming soon.) That website is:

www.babyboyschuck.blogspot.com

What I do know is that the "shower" is going to take place on Sunday, August 21st. Depending on what time zone you are in is the start time...

Hawaii time is 9 am
Pacific time is 12 pm
Mountain time is 1 pm
Central time is 2 pm
Eastern time is 3 pm

Thank you to all of you well in advance for making this happen! I was feeling pretty blue about not being able to have a shower for this new addition. I feel any and ALL babies should be showered with love before they even arrive. Crazy as it sounds, I was feeling like this little one wouldn't be as welcomed as his sister was. (She might have been too welcomed. HAHAHA) But now, I know his arrival is just as anticipated by our friends and family as Addison's was. I love my friends and family and the thousands of miles cannot EVER change that!

Fighter Pilots and Plungers???

Odd title? Yes, I know. But this is one of the funniest things Chuck has said to me in a long time...

We took a little family outing to Dairy Queen last night, as we do a couple nights a week. While we were driving home, Chuck was telling me about some things that are going on with the Air Force - uniform changes, etc. He wasn't necessairly complaining about things, just talking about them. Truth be told, I think he was more or less expressing his disapointment in how he feels his career field is looked upon.

As we were talking he looked at me and said "You know? Fighter pilots are like plungers!" I laughed at him, but than had to stop and asked him what in the world he meant. His explanation was this. No body wants to acknowledge the existance of plungers. They are dirty and embarrassing. People just want to hid them away and forget that they exist. However, the minute the $h!t hits the fan, who gets the call first to take care of the problem? Plungers!!! He said "It's the same deal with fighter pilots. They are dirty and messy! And the people like to think that we aren't important, but the minute things start looking a little messy - we are the first ones called in. Than all of a sudden - the plunger doesn't look so bad!"

Even though I was still laughing at his analogy, I found his assessment to be very true! This is one of the things I love most about my husband. Even when he is trying to be completly serious about a subject matter, he can say something that is totally hilarious but makes perfect sense. Wish he would get up on stage in front of those who feel the Air Force could run without fighter pilots and put it in these terms for them to understand! Maybe than, our guys wouldn't get the short end of the stick so often!

Interesting Thought

I couldn't sleep last night. Something occured to me. While I have always said I thought we would only have girls and was surprised to find out we were having a boy, it occured to me last night! I shouldn't be suprised to be having a boy. On either side of my family, each member has ONE boy and ONE girl. Very cool - and I knew it was the truth for my family, but thinking about it - it is also try for Chuck's family too...

Check it out!

My mom and dad - Jake and me
Chuck's mom and dad - Chuck and Valerie
My Uncle Rob and Aunt Janis - Lauren and Alex
My Uncle Tim and Aunt Cindy - Derrick and Brianna
Chuck's Uncle Dennis and Aunt Melissa - Danielle and Logan
Chuck's Uncle Bill and Aunt Kris - Ashley and Jacob

Looking at this, should I really be that surprised?

Little Miss Independent

Mondays have traditionally been the day that Addison and I go out and do something fun this summer. Tuesday through Thursdays are school days and Fridays we don't do anything but rest up from the week. She has been begging for at least a week to go to the park - most of which we couldn't because it was either too hot or was raining. Finally yesterday when we got up, the sun was out and it wasn't scorching hot. Thinking it would be a great day to go to the park, I loaded her up. What I didn't anticpate was that the park toys would be surrounded by huge puddles of water. She couldn't have gotten to them in a raft, let alone trying to walk to them. Trying to prevent a major "crisis" in the child's life, I presented "plan b" - which was to go out to Frank Brown Park and play in the "activity pool." She quickly agreed to this plan.

It was the first time we had ever been out there just the two of us. Normally we meet friends out there - so she has someone to play with and I have someone to chat with. However since it was so last minute, it was just the two of us. I thought she would get bored really quick and so I stayed in the water - but she kept taking off. She would keep coming to check back in with me, but for the most part, she entertained herself. I soon became tired of being in the water and found myself a chair along side the pool - most of which is wade-able for her.

Eventually she adopted some much older girls to play with - like young middle-school age. These girls followed her around and played with her. They laughed with her and kept her entertained. She loved it and of course threw a hissy-fit when it was time to leave, three hours later.

Not that any of these things are worth a blog in itself, but something hit me yesterday. It was the first time in her life that I didn't feel like she really needed me. She didn't need me to take care of her. And she certainly didn't need me to entertain her. I felt lonely. I felt proud of her. But mostly, I felt sad. I know she still needs me for most things, but she is getting to be so independent and that independence has happened so fast. I couldn't help but think "I am going to blink twice and she is going to be out the door on her own." I know that these thoughts are probably just the crazy pregnancy hormones talking, but I really and truly felt a real sense of sadness wash over me while I watched her play and make new friends all by herself.

But it isn't just the playing by herself that has prompted these feelings in me. Now, she has started dressing herself, telling me when she is ready for a nap or bed. On Sunday she wanted a peanut butter sandwich but when I went to make her one, she bodly stated "I can do it myself." And she did. Today I found her pouring herself glass of milk!

One of the most important things I have learned about being a parent is that it is never constant - it is always changing. Now, much to my dismay, I find that my role with her is changing again. This time to a role in which I went from a leading lady to a supporting character. And while I am so proud of her and the steps she is taking, I can't help but miss being needed. I love that she is able to do things for herself, and I know she still needs me in so many ways - but I will always miss being #1...

Week 30 Belly Shot

I figured since we did the dreadful belly shots with Addison, we should do them with baby boy as well. I really don't like these shots - I don't like to be reminded of how horrible I look and feel. But like Addison's pictures, I know I will look back someday and be glad I did these.

Here I am at week 30 - only 10 weeks to go. This picture was taken this morning!

A memory I will always treasure!

The other night I was laying in bed watching cartoons with Addison. This is usually how we end our days - an hour or so of cartoons to settle her down for bed. I sometimes lay with her, sometimes I take advantage of her being in one spot and get somethings done that don't get taken care of during the day. On this particular night, I was exhausted and not feeling great. I had the glucose test done that morning and it threw me off all day long.

Of course, everytime I lay down in bed is the time that Baby 'S' decides to wake up and move around. That night was no different. He was positioned right at the front of my belly and while I couldn't tell what it was I was touching, I knew that I was touching some part of his little body. So I asked Addie if she wanted to feel her baby brother. She normally says "no" but that night she agreed. She put her hand on my tummy where it was really hard. I don't think she was too impressed at first. But than he kicked her! And did it again and again and again! The bedroom was dark so I couldn't see her face, but her reaction was priceless. She let out a very EXCITED "OOOOH! Mommmy, is dat my baby broder?" I could hear the excitement in her voice.

Having a baby move inside you is something you can't even describe. The first baby is of course very special, but the fact that this time we get to share it with a little human who we adore and treasure so much makes this expierence so much more amazing. And now of course, everytime I am sitting still she wants to feel her baby. It may not seem like anything to most, but I know the moment she felt him move inside my belly is a moment I will never ever forget!

Week 29

Here we are at 29 weeks. Only 11 - or so - to go. I had another appointment this morning with my mid-wife. Just a normal check, so not really much new to report. I have to go this week and have the glucose test done - YUCK! His heart rate is normal. My blood pressure was normal for me - low for most. I refused to even look at my weight - I don't want to know at this point.

One evening last week I had a terrible pain in my lower left abdomen. After explaining that to her, she reassured me that this was a normal ligament pain. As the baby grows these ligaments that are attached to the uterus get stretched and can at times, hurt. She also assured me that unfortunately it won't be getting better anytime soon - but probably worse. Her advice when it is acting up is to lay around a lot, and use heat on it. That I can do... It was concerning for me though because I didn't have these pains with Addie.

I was given our pre-registration forms today and told it was time to take a tour of the hospital. HOLY SMOKES!!! That made it seem like it is a lot closer that it really is. I keep thinking it is still so far away, but in reality, it isn't. It is 11 weeks (or so) away. And as fast as this pregnancy has gone, those 11 weeks are going to FLY by. Time to get my butt in gear and gather up the things that we need. (Any and all hand-me downs WELCOME!) Not to mention getting bags packed, sitters lined up, family arrangements ironed out. OH so much to do! I guess that will help the next 11 weeks go quickly.

Another change today is that we have now gone from seeing Tammi, our mid-wife, from once a month to twice a month. Proof that time is ticking away. I know it won't be long and we will be seeing her once a week - and than - BANG!!! Baby!!!

We are still on the fence on if this is the last Schuck baby or not. Chuck is more than ready to be done. And at times, I feel the same way. But than I think of Addison and how amazing she was/is and I see a brand new baby and I think to myself "oh, just one more." However, I really do not enjoy pregnancy. I didn't with Addie and I haven't with Baby "S" either. Hoping for some sort of sign to give me the right answer - not that I am 100% ready to make a decision one way or the other right now. I think having him and waiting a while to make the decision is probably the right decision to make.

Addie still at times says she is having a baby sister. At times she calls that baby "sister" or "girl." She knows she is having a baby brother - she even calls him by his name. (Yet to be announced to most.) Addison seems excited about the baby and loves to talk to him through my belly button which is too cute for words. She tells me she is going to help change his diapers and feed him and love him. So sweet. I just hope this excitement remains once he comes home but I am really worried about her when he does come home. I know it will be a huge adjustment for her and just hope that keeping her busy with her normal activities will help her. I know it will also help that my mom will be here - I just don't want her to get lost in this whole process. She is too precious to both of us. Tell me, these are normal fears for a mom who is getting ready to have baby number two, right?

I guess that is all for now. Our next specialist appointment is July 27th. Our next regular appointment is August 2nd.

Good Family Pic from the 4th

More 4th Pics

Here are some more pics from the weekend...

4th of July weekend

Another 4th of July has come and gone - and this time it seems like it came and went like a flash. Wasn't it just last 4th that Addison, Mimi, and I were pulling into Kelso for a nice, long six month stay? How can that all ready have been a year ago? Like Chuck said over the weekend, the years are starting to blend together and are going entirely to FAST!

We had a great, relaxing weekend. Chuck, essentially, was off work from Wednesday afternoon when he got back from Atlanta through yesterday (Monday). Our long weekend really started than...

Charlie got home from the Sims in Atlanta at about 12:30 on Wednesday afternoon. Other than going out to dinner, we didn't do anything exciting on Wednesday. Nice start - even better knowing he still had five days before he had to be back to work.

Thursday was the day we met with the baby specialist in Destin. Our appointment didn't take nearly as long as it did the last time and we were done with this at about 11:30. Even with an hour drive, we were still going to get home in time to get Addison, but we had a new sitter that afternoon lined up for her which was something we knew she was really looking forward to. So we decided to stall in Destin for a while. Charlie and I went to lunch at McGuire's, an Irish Pub we went to once before the first time we lived here seven, eight, nine years ago - whenever that was. (There go those years running together again.) It was very tasty and so nice to have a little unexpected lunch date together without our sweet girl. Addison is presently on a tee ball/softball kick. (She got a tee ball set for her birthday and loves it.) Every time we have been in Target since her birthday she always picks up a pink mit that is just her size. Charlie - in try daddy fashion - thought it would be nice treat for us to bring that home to her, so a trip to Target on the way home was in order. (She loved her surprise by the way.) We finally made it home at about 3 or so. And while watering the grass, Addison thought it would be fun to have daddy spray her with the hose - or daddy thought it would be fun to spray her with the hose. I am still not sure who started this "water fight." But by the time they were done, she was literally dripping wet.

On Friday, Addison's friend Cally came over. Cally's family is moving to Montana at the end of this week so this we knew this would be the last time that we would get to play with Cally and her mom, Kris. Our neighbors across the street have a pool and they generously offered to let us use their pool while they were out of town over the weekend. Kris and I took the girls over and swam for an hour or so - Charlie was there too. After, the girls played in Addie's room while Kris and I sat and visited. We will miss them a lot. Once they left, it was nap time. And it was a great nap. Charlie grilled burgers that night that were fabulous and than we hit the pool again! That night Charlie and I watched a movie together, which hardly ever happens anymore. (We watched "The King's Speech.")

Saturday included more swimming across the street, grilling hot dogs for lunch, another FABULOUS nap, going to the park with Addison and grilling chicken for dinner. (Yes! We grilled a lot this weekend.) Saturday night's movie was "Swing Vote." It was on tv and neither one of us had seen it.

On Sunday morning, we had to be responsible and do a little housework since it had been a few days since we had done anything. Luckily, that didn't take long. We have another friend who also has a pool who was also out of town this weekend, who also gave us permission to use it. We headed over there Sunday and spent almost all of the early afternoon swimming. It was fun and made more fun when another family from the squadron showed up too. The Synder's have a daughter a year older than Addison so she had someone else to play with at the pool other than mom and dad. Swimming was followed by another refreshing nap, more grilling, and family TV time. That night Chuck set up the tent in the living room and he and Addison "camped" in the living room. Addison LOVED it so we have high hopes that outdoor camping is in our future...

By Monday, I think we were all getting a little bit of cabin fever. So we packed a picnic lunch and headed out. I had never been down "30A" - a scenic route here in the panhandle that sits between PCB and Destin. We headed down there and decided to have our picnic at Grayton Beach State Park. Addison talked about the picnic all the way there but didn't eat a thing when we got there. We got home pretty late in the afternoon and Addison fell asleep in the car. She didn't wake up when we got home so we Chuck and I decided to lay down too. We all slept until 5:30! Once up, we took Addison out to pop some pop its we had bought for her and she had a great time. Reminded me so much of my brother who loved pop it's when we were little. While she was out there, Charlie was grilling dinner and was asked by his daughter to get out her beach chair. He set it up for her and while she was sitting there, she informed her daddy she was waiting for the fireworks. We had been going back and forth on taking her to the fireworks but once she said this, we knew we had to take her. We figured if we didn't she would be heartbroken and wouldn't stop talking about fireworks until next year. So after dinner, we packed up and headed down to 5th Street park in Lynn Haven. In the past we have gone to the beach, but because Addie had school this morning, we didn't want to be out that late. She loved the fireworks and we topped the night off with ice cream when we got home.

Addie got to bed really late last night and I was so worried that getting her up for school this morning would be a nightmare. Turns out though, that she got me up this morning. She really loves her school.

I am sure you have noticed by now that we didn't go to the beach at all this weekend. Well, we went to Grayton Beach park, but didn't venture onto the beach itself - we just stayed in the picnic area. Grayton Beach is also in another county. The simple explanation for this is that all the beaches in Bay County where we live have water warnings right now. There is "fecal" matter in the water and officials adivse people to stay out of the water until further notice. Total bummer for the weekend as we probably would have spent a lot of time there this weekend. However, it turned out to be a great weekend - with or without the beach.

Even though our weekend was very low key, I hope everyone else had as great of weekend as we did. I also hope you were able to reflect on why we celebrate the day in the first place. As Addison would say "Happy Birthday, Ametita!"

Charlie and his job

While cleaning out my email this morning, I came across some pictures that Chuck sent me from Kadena AB, Japan. They are from when he was deployed there the winter after Addison was born - 2009. I had totally forgot that I had them so I was pretty excited to find them. All three of them are him flying the F-22 and he is getting ready to get on the boom to refuel the jet.

As I was downloading them from my email into our picture file, I couldn't help but think about his job.

Three days ago, the Air Force lost another pilot. An F-16 pilot this time. You would think after being a pilot wife for nearly ten years hearing of these accidents would get easier, but it doesn't. If anything, it gets harder because the longer we are in the Air Force, the more people we meet which makes the likelyhood of us knowing more and more of these pilots more likely. I never try to think about this part of his job. I guess it is a safety mechanism for me - the whole "it could never happen to me" thing. But the truth is, I think, every pilot's wife feels this way. And the fact of the matter is, it is a possibility EVERY time he steps into that air plane. And everytime there is an incident, I immediatly think of his wife - even if I don't know her. Than that shifts from thinking of her to thinking of any of my precious friends I have met on this journey. Which than shifts to "this could happen to me. What in the world would I do?"

And people ask me all the time "How do you deal with it? It is such a dangerous job?" The truth is, I honestly don't think about it. The only time I think about it is when I am actually watching him take off or see him on the ground in the jet. I learned early on that thinking about his flying would make me crazy - so I just don't. I turn it off whenever thoughts pop into my brain. Maybe this is unhealthy and an unrealisitic approach to the job, but it is how I keep myself sane with a life style that is all ready really difficult.

Please don't misunderstand me. I love that my husband has a job that he LOVES. I have often wished that more people could be so lucky to be so excited in the morning to get up and go to work like he is. (As most of his buddies are as well.The wives often joke that it is a sickness that they have.) And I am incredibly proud of him and all that he has accomplished. Even though he would NEVER tell anyone this, I will. He is also incredibly good at his job! (Which I will be honest, gives me a lot of comfort when I actually do give into the thoughts of his flying.) I also love that the Air Force has provided us with an amazing life. We have great friends scattered all over the country. We have lived all over the place and seen many things I could never have dreamed about as a Kelso kid. The Air Force takes good care of us and has provided us with a second family. So even though there are scary times being married to a pilot, and hard times being away from family so much of the time, I can honestly say, I wouldn't trade this life for anything.

PS - I MARRIED A FIGHTER PILOT!!!!! Jealous???