So, did you miss us?

Hey everyone! 

It has been almost 6 months since the last time we posted.  A lot had changed since then.  Aidan is now 19 months old.  He's an amazing kid, but I'll get back to him in a bit. 

We've spent the last 6 months preparing for, and starting our latest deployment.  I got pregnant, and the miscarried (I hate that word.  I makes me feel like I did something wrong).  We kept trying, but it wasn't meant to be before Nick left, so now I'm concentrating on loosing weight, eating better, and tracking my cycles, so that we can make a homecoming baby instead :)

Anyway.  There's a million things to update on, way too many for one post.  So, this will just be a quick update.  Like I said, Aidan is now 19 months.  He's awesome.  He's so curious, and intrigued by EVERYTHING.  He loves books, climbing, Bubble Guppies, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, among other shows.  Tomorrow is his evaluation (Finally) for Early Intervention.  We are thinking that he has a speech delay.  At 18 months (when we had his WCC) he should have had 8-10 words, NOT including mama and dada.  He still only has 3-4 that he says on a semi regular basis.  So, we'll see how the evaluation goes, and make a plan from there.  He started a mommy and me gymnastics class a few weeks ago.  He LOVES it.  After this session is over, I think we need to do swimming again.  Our pool was heavily damaged by Hurricane Sandy, so that's not an option.  We have a membership to the YMCA (which by the way, Mil Spouse friends, is free during deployment!!).  Lately, Aidan has become deathly afraid of water.  I don't have any idea why, he's always been a water baby.  It makes me so sad.  Other then that, he's awesome.  He follows directions really well, he can point out all of the things in his baby Einstein ABC book.  He's just amazing.

We're finally getting into a decent routine with the deployment.  We've been incredibly blessed, and up until this week, we've been able to Skype every day.  Nick has been having internet problems for about a week now.  We still get to talk every day, but only get to see each other every few days.  I know it could be so much worse, and we're so, so blessed, but it still makes me sad.  Aidan looks for Daddy in my phone every day.  He'll stare at my phone and say "dada, buh-bye"  It rips my heart in half. 

I've lost almost 6 pounds since Nick left.  I've been going to the gym 5 days a week (plus Saturdays for Aidan's Gymnastics class).  I've had some set backs with it, with me getting sick, and the Aidan getting sick, and then my mom getting sick...you get the idea.  I plan to make it at least 4 days this week (not tomorrow, I'm just going to concentrate on Aidan's eval tomorrow). 

I've also started to get way more involved in our Church (the one that Aidan, mom and I go to...we're Pentecostal, and Nick is Catholic).  I go to women's prayer on Monday nights, and and starting to attend women's bible study with my mom this coming Friday. 

We have the most amazing friends and family, and I would not have made it this far into deployment without them! 

I think that's it for tonight.  I'll be back.  Soon.  I promise not to be gone for so long this time!!

Much love!

Getting ready for the new year...

As we look ahead to 2013, I'm really starting to dread it.   While I know that there will be a ton of great things this coming year, it makes me sad to think that Nick will miss out on most of them.  Military life means sacrifice, for all of us.  This isn't the first time he's deployed, it's not the first time he's deployed since we've been together, but it's the first time he's deployed since we got married and had Aidan.  I still completely think that the timing is good, Aidan's at an age where time will really fly for him.  I also know that it's kinda crappy timing, because Nick will miss a lot of milestones.  I know that is something that he's really worried about and sad about. 

I'm looking into all kinds of ways to keep us connected during deployment.  We know from others that have been to the same base as Nick's going that there will be internet and skype and the like.  I'm also looking to make some videos and recordable books before he leaves. 

Anyway.  It's been a mostly great year with a few really crappy things thrown in.  Aidan turned a year old in October, and we had an awesome party for him.  A week later our back yard was destroyed by hurricane Sandy.  We still have a ton of damage that hasn't been cleaned up, plus we have 2 huge trees in pieces all over the back yard that still need to be cut up and taking to my in laws for fire wood. 

The worst part of the year was just a few days ago.  Last Thursday (just a few days before Christmas) we lost our precious tiger cat, Keegan.  We still (and probably never will) have any idea what caused him to leave us, but none the less, it was completely heartbreaking.  I'm not really ready to talk about it, but I will post about it when I'm ready.

But, anyway.  This has kinda just been a giant ramble.  Oh, well.  I've been sitting at the local indoor play place with Aidan and our friend Jordynn from church, while they play, but I'm pretty sure that they are both ready to go get something to eat now.  So, for now, I'll end.  Keep any eye out for more posts as 2012 comes to and end and 2013 starts off (hopefully on the right foot!).

An update of sorts

It's been a long time since we've posted.  I think my last post was just before Sandy hit.  We lost power for about 4 days, but thankfully we had a generator that helped with it.  Actually at one point we had 2 generators going during the day.  We were able to keep the deep freezer in our basement, our refrigerator, and some lights on with one of them.  When we got the second from my in laws, we were able to get it to run our water pump and heater, and thankfully, our cable and tv.  I say thankfully for that stuff, because it was able to keep Aidan distracted for the most part.  He knew that things were not right, and every time the generators ran out of fuel and shut off, he was petrified.

During the storm, we lost one tree in our back yard.  It unfortunately took out our pool and damaged our volleyball court and retaining wall.

 Literally the night before Sandy, I took this so that we had pictures of what the yard looked like, in case we had damage

 And the aftermath

Yeah, our yard pretty much still looks like that.  Some of the wood has been taken to my inlaws, and Nick and his best friend Mike, and our neighbor had to fall another tree, for fear that it would hit the house if it came down (it was damaged in last years hurricane Irene).  

In November, Nick was promoted to Master Sergent!  We couldn't be prouder of him.  He deserves it, and has been working his butt off.  Aidan and I were able to go to the small ceremony they had and 'pin' his rank on.  It's the first time in the fire department that family has been there to pin.  I'm so happy we got to go!  

We are gearing up for our first 'family' deployment.  Nick has been deployed countless times, and we've been through one together (before we were married), but this will be a first, not only as a married couple, but as parents.  I'm not going to lie, I'm not excited about it, but it is what it is, and I think that in the grand scheme of things, it's decent timing.  Aidan is at the age that hopefully it won't affect him too much. 

Other then that we're gearing up for Christmas, and the start of a new year.  Hopefully it's less eventful then the end of 2012 has been!

Aidan is 14 months now.  He's starting to catch up on his weight gain, at 22.8 pounds and he's getting super tall.  18 month clothes have finally started to be right in the waist, and they don't seem to be as long as they once were.  I still wholeheartedly believe that there needs to be a clothing size between 12 and 18 months!  He's signing and talking alot more, and smart as a whip.  He loves to color and finger paint and build.  His favorite shows are Bubble Guppies and Super Why.  He has learned to climb on anything and everything.  When you ask him if he's hungry, he runs to the baby gate.  He goes to his chair (his high chair in the dinning room) when you tell him to, and goes to grandma's room when we tell him it's time for a clean bum.  At night, if you ask him if hes' ready for bed, he runs to the gate by grandma's room, cause that's where we change him for bed.  Over the last week, his grandma (my mom) put him to bed, while Nick and I were at Christmas parties with the guys from his shift at the sub base.  Since then, he wants to climb the stairs on his own at bed time.  {my mom has MS, and can't carry him up the stairs, so when she puts him to bed, he has to go up the stairs on his own, and now he gets mad if we carry him, lol}  He is cutting a total of 8 teeth (painfully) slowly.  We are very thankful for his amber necklace, teething tablets, and baby Tylenol!  I pray these things come in soon, and leave my poor boy alone for awhile.

Oh, and, daddy gave Aidan his first hair cut!  I held him, while daddy used the clippers on him.  I cried.  Aidan thought it was cool.  He kept trying to turn his head to see what daddy was doing.  He didn't make a peep.  I can't believe that my little boy is growing up so fast!

We also attended our very first FRG event, which was the Christmas party.  It was awesome.  I've started to volunteer, so I got to help with it, too.  It was amazing, Hasbro donates toys for all the kids.  I got to help wrap them.  Santa came on one of Daddy's firetrucks to the party, and daddy was right up there with him.  Aidan thought that was the best, but he refused to get near Santa...he's not a fan this year.  

We went and picked out our tree a couple weeks ago, which was fun.  Aidan had a blast, even though it was raining and he was dressed like the abominable snow baby!

Well, I think that's enough for one night.  We have a lot of Christmas gift wrapping and gift making to do over the next few days!  I promise to keep up with blogging from now on.  I can't wait for Christmas!!

Much love!!