Once Upon A New Time

Ok so I thought I should tell the story of our trip across the globe:) It's 9pm the night before the flight and Jeffrey and I are busy getting everything taken care of. Although, I had been packing and making lists of everything Max could possibly need for a week now, it still seemed like I was forgetting something. Never the less, we were doing last minute laundry, dishes and taking out the trash. So much for never leaving a dirty house because we never got around to mopping the floor (which is really dirty from all the English rain) or bathrooms or even vacuuming. So returning to the messy house may be a bit depressing, but I'll worry about that later...We finally get to bed around 10 and of course Max wakes up 45 minutes later for a feeding. He woke up once more after that, but was sound asleep when our alarm went off at 3am to get ready to go. Which gave me maybe 2-3 hours of sleep in total. Ok, so the car to take us to the airport is here, and Jeffrey loads of the car. ...

So I have come to discover where the term "Mom Hair" stems from. I have long thick hair, that I always considered to be one of my assets, but in the last few weeks I has become a huge pain. Basically there is no time to curl or style my hair everyday and even the days that there is enough time for hair styling in a classic " down do" it's not long before it gets destroyed. Long hair with a baby is a total mess because it is either getting in the way of nursing, getting spit up on, or getting pulled and yanked out by baby. Whatever the case, I quickly discovered that having my hair up and back is the way to go. After many days of messy pony tails, and some deliberation if I should cut my hair short, I came to a conclusion. I don't think I could pull off short hair, and I think I would miss my long hair way too much! I kind if consider it my one beauty. After seeing a pin on pintrest about easy hair up dos I got inspired to try an easy hair up-do every day for...

over my shoulder So I feel that lately all my blogs have been about the same things... struggles with raising a baby, and well, what can I say, that is pretty much all I do these days... So here goes another one. Pack and Play Bassinet I am sitting here on the floor of Max's nursery listening to the soft ocean waves that flow through the speakers of his sound machine. I have to say it is a sound that I hear all night and lots of the day. I have tried some of the other sound options, and Max does like the "white noise" sound bite as well, but it kinda freaks me out when I am up in the middle of the night...I can always hear little background noises, like a ghost whispering...so ya waves are the best and peaceful. I am sitting in here writing my blog because I am too nervous to leave haha. I just know that if I try leave and go do something, he will wake up and start crying. Better to be here, so maybe I can sshh him back to sleep if I get there quick enough. ...

So about 10 months ago I found out I was pregnant...it was kind of a surprise and kind of not. Ever since then I began to change, both physically and emotionally. Even though the physical changes didn't become apparent until months later, my thoughts and feelings were switched into "baby mode" and I was considering baby names, baby room decor and how I could be a good parent....all things that only briefly crossed my mind before. Once there's the weight gain, every day discomfort, and physical limitations that being pregnant brings, I began to feel less an less like the person I had been for the past 26 years...In the last few months of pregnancy there is the finish line to look forward too. That ultimate goal of getting the baby ou tand feeling normal again, not like a huge unatractive incubator:) I couldnt wait to go back to normal and be myself again. So then labor arrives, and there is the grossnness and bodily discomfort that follows that for days and weeks. I th...

Since my last couple blogs have mostly been about my frustrations and hardships being a parent, I thought I should write one about the small things that Max and I have accomplished lately. ( Especially since it has just us 2 at home). 1. Max no longer screams bloody murder at bath time. There is still the occasional crying, but we've had a couple of days where he actually seemed to like it:). 2. Just now ( I'm writing this on my iphone as I finish up a 4am feeding) he had a 4 hour stretch of sleep! That has never happened before and was well appreciated by us both:). 3. He had a nap in his crib and woke up peacefully, I found him just chilling in his crib looking around, instead of screaming:). 4. He will now allow for me to put him down without screaming at times. He will play in his bouncer or chill on his nap nanny without cry...

So I have a new respecct for single parents. This past week my daily schedule has gotten a little more routine, which I am greatful for, I know things will probably change but so far this is what a day in the life of Max and I looks like. Wake up is between 6 and 7am. I usually feed him in bed and then get up to change him and head downstairs to get start the coffee and get some breakfast. Max is usually the most happy in the mornings and I can get some good smiles out of him. We play a little, and he sits in his nap nanny while I eat some breakfast. We play a little more, I drink coffee and by 8 or 8:30 he is getting fussy and ready for a morning nap. I usually have to take him to the laundry room, to hear the dryer, and rock him some before he is down. He will sleep about on hour in his nap nanny downstairs. I take this opportuntiy to get dressed, wash my face and brush my teeth. If I have extra time, I will play around on the computer (like right now) or get some things done, like ...

Wow, what a crazy past month and a half it has been! They have definitely been the most challenging weeks of my entire life! I am going to try and sum up everything that has gone on, the good and the bad:).         My mom was able to stay with us for nearly 3 weeks after Max was born, that was a huge help considering I could use all the help I could get! The first few weeks I did a lot of sleeping whenever, tried to get the hand of breastfeeding, and pretty much sat on the couch. Nothing would have gotten done around the house if it wasn't for my mom! Breastfeeding is hard and Max is just now starting to get the hang of it, it is for sure a process that both momma and baby have to learn about. It is actually a very time consuming process that I have wanted to give up on more than once. I am sticking with it as of now and taking things day by day:)  Hum what else? Max still has very unpredictable sleeping times, but has yet to sleep more tha...

Being a mother is full of ups and downs I have come to notice. Even though I have only had the Mom experience for only over 3 weeks, I can tell ya about so many things I have felt and experienced in that short time, the good and the bad:) Breastfeeding: So it appears for me that breastfeeding is wayy harder than I thought. It always seemed like the most natural thing in the world and to be perfectly honest I never knew why people didnt do it. I mean its free, and better for you baby and helps you burn extra calories... so where is the down side? That was my thought process before trying it. After trying it, and continuing to do it, I completely understand why people do not do it. I am taking it week by week at this point. It's easier now than it was at the beggining, but it's just so tiring. Being the only one that can feed the baby, and constantly worrying about if your boobs are gonna leak, or the get really hard and full and painful I might add. Not to mention, Max doesn...

What I've learned about my son... Its been a little over a week since I have had the privilege of having my little son Maximus and it's amazing how much he has taught me and I now know about him:) 1. He hates having his diaper changed, and taking a bath. 2. He makes the cutest faces and smiles after he finishes eating and is about to fall asleep. 3. He gets super squirmy if he needs to burp. 4. He likes to look around and is super curious, has really good eye and head movement. 5. He does not like to be swaddled anymore, because he likes to have his hands free. 6. He likes being in the car seat. 7. He constantly pees all over everything, we can barely keep enough clothes and blankets clean. 8. He was stubborn about breastfeeding at first, but now has gotten the hang of it (thanks to some ever amazing nipple shields)! 9. He will take a bottle too, so that makes it nice for me when I want to sleep and someone else can feed him:) 10. His hair is turning from brown to b...

How it happened, the birth of my son Max.  I went to the doctor on Monday July 30th for my usual weekly appointment. It was at 10 in the morning. At the appointment, my blood pressure was really high and concerned my doctors. I have had sort of high blood pressure through out the pregnancy. But this time it was extremely elevated! The doctors decided to do a fetal stress test of the baby and some lab work to make sure everything was ok. Baby heart rate tested ok, but the amniotic fluid seemed to be a little low. The amniotic fluid level, my blood pressure and the fact that my blood platelet count seemed to have dropped recently, suggested to the doctor that I should deliver sooner rather than later. Being nearly 39 weeks, the doctors thought the best things was to get baby out just to be safe rather than sorry. We scheduled the induction for 2pm that same day. I called Jeff and he came up to the hospital, we we were able to go home for a few hours before ...

So when I started this blog I really wanted it to be real, and truly describe whats going on in my life. I didn't want it to be the cover up version that so many people tell. So I have decided to describe my pregnancy and besides being the miracle of life, what it is really about:) Now I know that every woman's pregnancy experience is different, but mine started out pretty easy I must say. When I found out I was pregnant, I wasn't quite sure what to think, but to be honest nothing about me felt any different. Thankfully, I didn't really have any "morning sickness" or any other symptoms for that matter. I didn't "feel" pregnant as some women say they do, to be honest I felt exactly the same. I think it was that fact that made it kind of hard for me to believe I was actually growing a human inside of me! I wore all the same clothes for about 4-5 months and didn't start "showing" until maybe 20ish weeks. When I say "showing...

Hey all, everyone has been bugging me to send pics of the house so here some are. It is just the downstairs because the upstairs is still not completely put together:) Kitchen! Dinning Room Living Room We welcome you from Texas and Montana!  Living/dining Combo   The back side of our house (oh and me at almost 37 weeks preggo:) Some other info and updates is that we finally did get a new crib since the old one is no longer alive. We are getting it delivered on Tuesday along with a new book shelf that was also critically damaged in the move. After the crib is up, I will gladly post pics of the Baby's room:) Speaking of Baby, I have officially packed my hospital bag and the bag for lil' Max. Since I went to the doctor last week, she told me I may go earlier than my due date due to the fact that I was already dilated. So, we'll see:) Oh, also Jeffrey and I tried to attach the car seat today in his little car ( Our new Ford Edge is still on ...

Sorry for being a little out-of-the-loop the past few days. I just wanted to post this blog to let everyone know how we are doing and not to worry if we don't respond to messages/emails:) So we got into our house on Friday, and got our household goods delivered on Wednesday, the 4th of July. We didn't get a chance to do anything cool for the holiday since we were unpacking all day, but thats ok as I am just happy to have our stuff. Of course everything did not arrive from across the seas in perfect condition. Our crip and desk were pretty much completly smashed and un-useable. So I am not sure how long it will take TMO to get us a quote and some money for a new crib...but we'll see:) Since then we have just been unpacking. We don't have internet at our house and won't for 2 whole weeks! We are at the club on base using wi-fi right now. So also the 3g phone connection at our house and around base it super bad, so if sorry if we haven't been able to reply to te...

Thought I would write a blog although not too much has been going on here. Mostly ALOT of sitting around and waiting....waiting I feel like I've become an expert! As some of you know, we were supposed to get into our house this past Thursday, but on late Wednesday afternoon, the housing office decided to call Jeff and let him know we wouldn't be able to get into the house after all. As it always seems to happen, Jeff was in training all last week and wasn't able to have his phone on him, so he got the message around 4...with most offices on base closing by 4:30, we had a little bit of stress! I was able to call the housing office and get a sort of answer as to what was going on. Apparently, the former family in the house had failed their house inspection so everything was pushed back... Why the housing office could not have told us this sooner, I have no idea. Anyway, since we were supposed to get our house, we were scheduled to check out of TLF (Temporary Lodging Facilit...

       Here are a few pictures from this week. The above picture is my 33 week belly pic, sorry the bathrom is so messy. I ended up getting another ultrasound here at this base today. The image below is kind of  hard to see because Max is so big now. But it is a picture of the side of his face with his hand up by his eye. They said he weighs approximatly 4lbs and 8oz right now. He is for sure a boy too:) Looking forward to getting our house next week and being able to move in:) 

After the depressing emotional mess that was my last blog, I am feeling better and ready to blog in a more positive note:) Pregnancy/ Baby Update: I have recently been suffering from heart burn (which is so wierd feeling since I had never had it before). It comes upon me every night, but I keep my handy tums on the bed stand, so its not terrible yet. Also, I must express my worsening frustration in trying to find somthing to wear that is not yoga pants and t-shirts. It seems maternity pants just don't work for me as I can't seem to find any that remontly fit. Either they are so huge and slide off all day where I am constantly pulling them up or they are so tight around my butt that there is no way I can wear them for an extended amount of time. I would love to just stick to dresses and shorts (I have actually found one pair of maternity jean shorts that fit and I love) but it is actually quite chilly and rainy here and have not been able to wear shorts for an entire day wi...

Over the past few days I have felt completely stressed and busy yet also extremely bored and under stimulated. I have been both overwhelmed and underwhelmed, and I can't decide which is worse. Recently I have been so frustrated I just want to scream and cry. Maybe my pregnancy emotions are again to blame for them, if so, I have to say that they (pregnancy hormones) are not making this move any easier. Besides the whole issue with trying to get a doctor on base, which is a separate issue in itself, nothing seems to be getting completely done. It seems as if we finally figure out something, another problem or issue arises. Which brings me to baby stuff. I feel so unprepared, but there is nothing I can do to become more prepared for when he arrives. I feel like there is so much I already don't know about being a parent that not being able to set up his nursery or pack my hospital bag is making me feel even worse. A lot of my friends I see on facebook who are pregnant have the ...

Sunday, June 3- At 7am (about midnight in the states), we arrive in London! After the plane landed we, of course, were hustled into the long line for customs. We didn't have to wait too long and came out of the line with our checked bags waiting for us. Jeffrey's sponsor over here (aka the guys who's job Jeff is taking over) was supposed to be there to pick us up at the airport. This presented a little bit of a problem because neither of us had any idea what this guy looked like haha. Anyway, Jeff ended up calling the guy from a payphone (which is weird enough that they still have those) and he was running late, so we had some time to linger around the London airport. We got some money changed over to pounds, and just tried not to fall asleep while people watching. Once Jeff's sponsor got there, his name is Rick, we loaded all our luggage into his truck and began the 2 hour rainy drive from the airport to RAF Mildenhall. I tried to pay attention to where we were going...