Playtime!

Merin dropped Mya off early yesterday morning so she could spend the day at the hospital with Scout. Mya woke Jemma and the two of them had such fun eating breakfast together, brushing their teeth, getting ready for school and playing. After we returned from taking the girls to school, James and I read books. (That is usually our standard routine!)I picked them up from school, brought them home, got Mya ready for dance class and we piled back in the car. When we dropped Mya off, Jemma was sooo upset that she couldn't go to dance class with Mya. So, after we dropped off the recycling, we went to watch the last 15 minutes of Mya's class. Those little girls are so incredibly cute!! And Jemma just watched. She stood in a chair and looked through the glass the entire time... I think she would have stood there for hours if Mya had kept dancing! As a special treat, we got nuggets from McDonalds (the requested place) and both girls devoured their nuggets before taking naps. Then, it was more playtime! I had to make them pause to eat dinner. Here is James playing the cymbals while the girls sang and danced:

I guess all the playing made him thirsty:After dancing and singing our way through the Wiggles, it was bathtime. James was content to watch the two girls in the tub and was a little overwhelmed when I put him in with them for a quick bath, too. I was wiped last night!! I had grand plans of doing things (cleaning the kitchen, laundry, blogging...) but the only thing I did was fall asleep on the couch!

Scout update

Scout had her EEG yesterday morning and experienced a seizure during the EEG. The doctors are going to start drugs to attempt to stop the seizures from occuring. She will be undergoing another MRI and spinal tap with more bloodwork... right now they do not know what is causing the seizures. Scout's fever has dropped to 100.
Keep those positive thoughts and prayers going!

Scout update

I just talked with Kelly and he didn't have great news. Merin noticed Scout trembling (seizure-like) and the pediatrician observed it too. So, they have a neurology consult and an EEG scheduled for Monday. They don't know what is going on at this point... could be related to the virus, could be something new, could be nothing to really worry about... just really don't know. So, they don't know when Scout will be coming home.

Kelly is feeling better and hoping to send Merin home tomorrow afternoon to get some rest. He says that she is exhausted. Please send them some more positive thoughts and prayers!!

Cousins

Last Friday, Papa drove to VA Beach to ride with me and the kids back to South Boston. I didn't ask him to make the drive and told him that it was a little crazy for him to do it, but I was glad to have the help! We picked up Jemma from school, then stopped by a park to feed James because he had taken a late/long nap, which was perfect since I was late in packing... yes, it takes me a while to pack even when it is only for 3 days. We had a nice drive to South Boston and Jemma told us all the things that she wanted to do when we arrived: ride the four wheeler, pet Bessie (the dog), ride Coco and Midnight (the horses), feed the horses, swing and eat. In fact, Papa was inside changing clothes and I was unloading and taking things into the house and when I came back outside, Jemma was all the way to the barn... all by herself. Since it was getting late, she only got to ride the 4-wheeler, which she didn't want to do alone, so Papa went running beside her...

James was happy to watch Bessie and Jemma.

We spent Saturday just hanging out and watching the kids play. Uncle Jesse stopped by to visit and James showed off his jumping skills...

Logan is truly a sweet, sweet little boy. I love watching him and James together and I'm so excited that they are so close in age. I do forsee mischief in the future, though...

James decided to crawl over and hug Logan!

James trying to eat a stick:

Logan walking: Plastic bottles and sticks make the best toys!

I posted pictures earlier of the kids on the horse, so I'll just post this one... it is a favorite of mine!

Jemma loves going to pick turnips. Granny had taken her to the turnip patch earlier, so she is sharing her turnip with Papa. She did tell him, "Yucky" when she actually took a bite out of it!

Amy and Jerry came to visit on Sunday too! We all went out to lunch, which was nice. Both boys wanted to get outside!The kids had fun riding the 4 wheelers Sunday afternoon.

Logan is still holding onto the plastic bottle!It was quite chilly, but everyone had fun! The boys had to go in for naps, but Jemma stayed outside and went riding on the trails. She "helped" Aunt Amy and Papa move a tree with the winch on the 4-wheeler... she was quite excited to tell me that they used teamwork!

I could almost here them, "I dare you to touch the shiny thing..."

We came back home Monday. My mom took off Monday and rode with us. I was glad for Dad to have the company on his drive home. I was hoping to have a massage Monday afternoon because I have managed to hurt my back, but the massage therapist fell and broke her leg and her replacement came down with the flu. I settled for making a run to the store while the kids napped and my parents stayed with them! I will have to make do with a heating pad and motrin until my husband returns to work out this spot... we had a lovely 3 day weekend and I'm off to bed...

WOOHOOO!

Jim will be home in a week!! I can't wait to have my husband back... I was told by a lady in Annapolis before we were married that I was guaranteed to be happy at least 50% of the time when I married a sailor... she said that I would either be the type of wife that was happy when my husband was home (50% of the time), or the type that was happy when he was gone (50% of the time). What she failed to tell me was that a flying sailor man would be gone for more than 50% of the time! I should not and cannot complain... he has been home alot and we have been extremely lucky that we have gotten to spend so much time together. I still miss him like crazy and want him by my side. I can smile brighter now... he is almost home!!!

Below is an email that I got from one of the wives in our squadron, which made me chuckle (Yes, I know we have not yet gone through a deployment... merely training, work-ups and geo-bacheloring... but I find myself smiling at this still.):

THINGS NEVER TO SAY TO A MILITARY WIFE!!!

Things Never to say to a Military Wife...Especially those whose loved ones are deployed...
1. "Aren't you afraid that he'll be killed?"(This one ranks in at number one on the "duh" list. Of course we're afraid. We're terrified. The thought always lingers at the backs of our minds ---but thanks, you just brought it back to the front. Maybe next you can go ask someone with cancer if they're scared of dying.)
2. "I don't know how you manage. I don't think I could do it."(This is intended to be a compliment, though it's just a little annoying. Here's why: it's not like all of us military wives have been dreaming since childhood of the day we'd get to be anxious single moms who carry cell phones with us to the bathroom and in the shower. We're not made of some mysterious matter that makes us more capable, we just got asked to take on a challenging job. So we rose to the challenge and found the strength to make sacrifices.)
3. "At least he's not in Iraq ."(This is the number one most annoying comment for those whose husbands are in Afghanistan . What do they think is happening in Afghanistan? An international game of golf? Guys are fighting and dying over there too.)
4. "Do you think he'll get to come home for Christmas/anniversary/birthday/birth of a child/wedding/family reunion, etc?"(Don't you watch the news? No! They don't get to come home for any of these things. Please don't ask again.)
5. "What are you going to do to keep yourself busy while he's gone?"(Short answer: Try to keep my sanity. Maybe there's a military wife out there who gets bored when her husband leaves, but I have yet to meet her. For the rest of us, those with and without children, we find ourselves having to be two people. That keeps us plenty busy. We do get lonely, but we don't get bored, and drinking massive amounts of alcohol can occasionally help!!!)
6. "How much longer does he have until he can get out?"(This one is annoying to many of us whether our husbands are deployed or not. Many of our husbands aren't counting down the days until they "can" get out. Many of them keep signing back up again and again because they actually love what they do or they VOLUNTEER AGAIN and AGAIN to go back to Iraq b/c there is work that needs to be done.)
7. "This deployment shouldn't be so bad, now that you're used to it."(Sure, we do learn coping skills and it's true the more deployments you've gone through, the easier dealing with it becomes. And we figure out ways to make life go smoother while the guys are gone. But it never gets "easy" and the bullets and bombs don't skip over our guys just because they've been there before. The worry never goes away.)
8. "My husband had to go to Europe for business once for three weeks. I totally know what you're going through."(This one is similar to number two. Do not equate your husband's three week trip to London/Omaha/Tokyo/etc. with a 12-15 month or more deployment to a war zone. Aside from the obvious time difference, nobody shot at your husband or tried to blow him up with an I.E.D., your husband could call home pretty much any time he wanted to, he flew comfortably on a commercial plane, slept between crisp white sheets and ate well, paying for everything with an expense account. There is no comparison. We do not feel bonded to you in the slightest because of this comment and, if anything, we probably resent you a bit for it. Comparing a 12-month combat deployment to a few weeks business trip is like comparing a crappy ford taurus with mercedes convertible.)
9. "Wow you must miss him?"(This one also gets another big "duh". Of course we miss our men. There are some wives who do not and they're now divorced.)
10. "Where is he exactly? Where is that?"(I don't expect non-military folks to be able to find Anbar Province on a map, but they should know by now that it's in Iraq . Likewise, know that Kabul and Kandahar are in Afghanistan . Know that Muqtada al Sadr is the insurgent leader of the Mahdi Army in Iraq and that Sadr City is his home area. Know that Iran is a major threat to our country and that it is located between Afghanistan and Iraq . Our country has been at war in Afghanistan for seven years and at war in Iraq for five years. These basic facts are not secrets, they're on the news every night and in the papers every day ---and on maps everywhere.)
11. "Well, he signed up for it, so it's his own fault whatever happens over there.(Yes, he did sign up. Each and every day he protects your right to make stupid comments like that. He didn't sign up and ask to be hit by anything, he signed up to protect his country. Oh, and by the way, he asked me to tell you that "You're welcome." He's still fighting for your freedom.)
12. "Don't you miss sex! I couldn't do it!"(hmmm, no I don't miss sex. I'm a robot. Seriously...military spouses learn quickly that our relationships must be founded on something greater than sex. We learn to appreciate the important things, like simply hearing their voices, seeing their faces, being able to have dinner together every night.)
last but not least....
13. "OH, that's horrible...I'm so sorry!"(He's doing his job and he's a badass. Don't be sorry. Be appreciative and please take a moment out of your comfortable American lives to realize that our soldiers fight the wars abroad so those wars stay abroad.)
If you want to say anything, say thank you and pray for us...afterall, we are sexually deprived for your freedom!

Scout update

Merin called this afternoon while driving to CHKD to have Scout admitted. Scout was only 7 lb 7 oz at her doctor's appointment, so she is getting a feeding tube to try to get her to gain some weight. Poor little girl has a cold/virus and is just not eating well, and she needs to put on some weight! She should be home in 2-3 days.

Mending wonderfully!

I kept Jemma home from school today. I could have sent her, but decided a restful day with Mommy was a good thing. Right now, she is watching Barney and marching around the living room while shaking a tamborine. She is fine... just fine... has a runny nose and little cough and tiny appetite, but she is fine.

A story from when I kept her home on Tuesday: James was napping and I needed a shower, so I turned on Sesame Street. Upon getting out of the shower, I hear shouts of "Mommy... Mommy, I need you!" I wrapped a towel around my dripping wet self with images of blood or sickness flooding through my head and went racing down the stairs... I discovered Jemma was upset and crying because the PBS station was holding a fundraiser, which had interrupted Elmo's World and Jemma wanted me to get it back on. She was sobbing, "This isn't Jemma TV." I almost injured myself because a TV program... ahhh!!!

Orange juice

I wanted to post this last week, but I just didn't get to it...

Jemma had finished her breakfast and I was making her lunch. I heard James crawl into the kitchen, then it got really quiet. I grabbed the camera and discovered the little man with Jemma's glass of OJ. He spilled about 1/2 on the newly mopped floor and drank the rest. It was his first OJ... I was holding off because oranges give him diaper rash. (Not really diaper rash... just a little pinkish/irritated. I've been lucky that neither one of my kids have ever had diaper rash... when they get the slightest bit pink, I put some lanolin on the area and it clears up within a change or two.) Apparently, he liked the juice though!

Happy Valentine's Day!

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Here is James on 2/11 helping me vacuum. The kids LOVES any type of vaccuum!

"Just" a cold...

Even with three years of "experience", I still need reassuarce that I'm not missing anything... so, I took Jemma to the doctor today. She has not been eating well since Monday. She has been up for over an hour during the night for the past three nights, she has had a slight temperature (not enough for me to bring out the thermometer, but enough for me to give her a dose of Tylenol), and a cough. I knew it was a cold. BUT, the cough worried, and still worries, me. Even with Delysum at night, she hacks and has trouble sleeping. Our normal pediatrician, who I adore, does not work on Wednesdays, so we had another charming pediatrician in the practice. She was quite impressed at how well Jemma can blow her nose and how well she did with the whole exam. She said that most 3 year olds don't breath deeply when asked or open and say ahh on demand. I had to explain that Jemma LOVES to play with her doctor's kit and has been doing this for well over a year. She is an expert patient and doctor.

Anyway, if she doesn't sleep the whole night through tonight, I plan to keep her home from school to rest tomorrow. She didn't want to miss today... the tumble bus comes on Wednesday so I sent her even with a runny nose and cough. I did talk to them at school with instructions to call me if they deemed her contagious or too sick to be there. (And I know that they have called parents in the past!) When I picked her up this afternoon, Ms. Megan said that Jemma had an excellent day. She said that Jemma was wonderful, but ate very little. She was a very, very tired little girl though. I gave her a bath at 6:30 and she was asleep by 7:15!

The positive side effect was that I was able to play with James and rock him to sleep. I usually have to rush through getting James to bed in order to get Jemma to bed. Tonight, after he finished nursing, he just put his head on my shoulder as we rocked and rocked... I cherish those little moments that I can spend with the kids...

I do pity my poor husband. Yes, he went to Tahoe for the weekend. Yes, he is getting to fly and actually sleep... but he gets to hear Jemma say, "Daddy I miss you." And he knows about her meltdowns. Last night she was crying/sobbing, "I want my Daddy" so much that she made herself sick. And tonight in her sleep/wake cycle, she was calling for her Daddy. She is such a Daddy's girl that this workup and cruise cycle is going to be really though for her. It has to be heartbreaking to be that far away and know that you are missed so much. I do what I can... we look at pictures and talk about how many days until Daddy gets home... we talk about other things (friends, school, things we have done)... she paints, colors, plays... we sing and dance... but she still misses and wants her Daddy!

I'm off to bed... I need some sleep myself!

Scout update

Merin came over for a brief visit yesterday and I was able to hold little Scout. She is such a doll... she even gave me sleeping smiles! Here is an update that Merin sent via email yesterday... of course, it is always much better to get news straight from the Mommy! :)
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Hi Everyone....Just thought I'd let everyone know what is going on with Scout. She is feeling 100% better, happier, and smiling again. We took her in to the doc last Wednesday and she was 7 lb 2 oz, which he thought was okay. The IV fluids she was on in the hospital probably bumped her weight up. On Friday she was 7 lb 6 oz, and we thought we were on a roll. Then, on Monday, she hadn't gained anything. The big issue is just getting enough food into her... She still will only take about 2 ounces at a time, and sometimes even that is work. She probably burns half those calories just trying to eat. We go in again on Thursday, and if she hasn't made any progress, we will probably put in a feeding tube. The good news is that all of the tests so far have turned up negative, including the metabolic tests, although we are still waiting for a few to come back. She really just seems to have an aversion to eating, shaking her head away from the bottle, and I know that the reflux really bothers her sometimes. As for her hips, they are both completely dislocated. They wont even pop back into place! It is fixable, but the ortho is pretty convinced she is going to need casts, which she will have for 3 months! She is still in her harness, which makes her look like a little marionette. We see them again on Friday to reassess, but he won't cast her until she puts on some weight. We are pretty upset that this was the first time anyone had noticed, because it could have easily been fixed while she was a newborn. There was some concern that her growth was restricted in utero (she always measured small), so she was probably smushed in my belly, which caused her hips to dislocate. She seems so much more content in her harness, though. I actually changed her diaper without her screaming her head off! We always wondered why she didn't like that, and now I know its because we would pull on her legs to change her. She seems like a much happier baby now.Anyway, thank you all so much for all of your thoughts and prayers. We have the greatest support group of friends and family and we couldn't do it without you all.

Home, sweet home...

We had a great visit, but it is nice to be home. Jemma isn't feeling well, so I kept her home from school today. I'll post more later, but here are a few of my favorite photos from the trip!

Jemma (with a big grin) with Papa:

Jemma, Logan and Papa:

Jemma, James and Papa:

Jemma pushing Logan on the swing:

Logan and James... they are so cute together... I've got more pictures of the two of them to post later!

And, here is Suzanne with Cassandra. I had to share because she looks incredible... I'm jealous because I never looked that good after giving birth! :)

Scout

Scout is home and is doing much, much better. She is up to eating 3 ounces and the reflux medicane seems to be working, because she is keeping the food down. They fitted her for a new brace because the one that she had was a little big. She and her parents are much happier at home, especially knowing that the tests have come back normal! :)

ChuckECheeses

We went to Chuck-E-Cheese Wednesday night for Donovan's 4th birthday. Jemma had an absolutely wonderful time. She loved the pizza, dancing around the restaurant with Chuck-E-Cheese himself, and riding on all the little rides. Her favorite was a bicycle that went up in the air! I really thought she would like the wack-a-mole game, but she thought the whacker was too heavy. She didn't quite get the skeeball... in fact, she "threw" her ball into the lane beside ours (not on purpose, but she just didn't quite get the game) and then decided that she wanted to ride more rides. James even got to ride on some of the little rides and he loved the pizza crust. Thanks to Wendy, here are some pictures:



I talked with Suzanne this morning and she is doing wonderful! She is going to be such a great Mommy! And breastfeeding is off to a really good start!! :)


We are off to South Boston for a little visit this weekend... I'll update with pictures when we return!

Cassandra

Cassandra Lee Bates has arrived! Suzanne and Andy are the proud parents of a healthy 22 inch, 9 lb 15 oz baby girl! :) Suzanne went into the hospital last night to begin the induction. Mary called me about Noon to say that Suzanne was at 2 cm with contractions every 3 minutes. She called again at 6:21 to say that Suzanne was 100% effaced, 10 cm and preparing to push. Andy called this evening and said that Cassandra was born at 6:55. Andy said that she has already latched on twice, so I sincerely hope that breastfeeding is an easy and wonderful experience for them. I'm so, so happy for them. And I swear you can see Andy's new Daddy smile through the phone!! Suzanne was resting, so I haven't talked with her yet... I can hardly wait to make a trip and meet my newest niece.

A long night...

Good news... I'll be getting another niece soon. Suzanne will be going in tomorrow night for the doctors to work their magic and persuade Baby Girl Bates that the world is not such a bad place to be! (Suzanne was due on the 8th and is very ready to meet her daughter!)

I love our neighbors! Amy watched James for me to go to the dentist this morning and then invited us for dinner tonight. She made a yummy cheese and vegetable soup and nuggets. Jemma had such fun playing with Claire and James was content to explore all of their toys, too!

I got a new cell phone! Mine officially bit the dust yesterday. It would not stay on, so I went to the Sprint store this afternoon. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to get my new phone. They had lolipops, so Jemma had to sit still to eat it. I gave James crackers which kept him content while I picked out the phone and filled out the necessary paperwork.

The Cox technician came and worked on the internet connection. He replaced a bunch of fittings and cables and we hope that it works! So far, so good...

Last night James slept restlessly until 1 am, then decided to be awake and unhappy until 4 am. I don't know whether it is teething, or if he is getting a cold, or if his tummy was hurting... I just hope that we don't have a repeat. I need my sleep... and on that note, I'm heading to bed. One day closer to having my husband home!

Scout update

Scout is home! Her fever went away and stayed normal plus she has been eating and not losing weight, so they decided it best to bring her home. She still has to follow-up to make sure that she continues to gain weight. If she doesn't, then they may have to insert the feeding tube... I so hope that they don't have to do that though!

Another tooth!

James got another new tooth, the upper left molar today. He was running a slight fever and was a little cranky last night, so I suspected he was getting another tooth. It wasn't there last night when I put him to bed, but it was through the gum this morning. He now has a lower right molar, upper left molar, four top and four bottom front teeth. He'll be eating steak soon!! :)

One day closer...

We are one day closer to having Jim home! :)

My parents arrived late last night and spent the day with us. Even though it was extremely windy, my dad took Jemma outside to play. They had such fun! And I took a long shower and put away laundry without kids interrupting. We went out to lunch, then I went to the Comissary to get a few things for the week. Here is James crying... he wanted his Mommy!

Jemma giving hugs:

My parents with James:

After they left, we ate dinner and played. (I love crockpot meals that require little effort and with the liners, very little clean-up!) Jemma was exhausted and James was pretty tired, too. So, I started bathtime at 6:30. After their bath, we called Jim and he read Jemma two bedtime stories. It is quite a luxury to have him in Fallon... when he is on the boat, we will not be able to have Daddy read bedtime stories. Although, I do have him on video reading books so I can share those with the kids while he is gone. Both kids were in bed asleep by 7:45. Now, I'm off to bed myself! :)

The blinking light...

The internet connection is FRUSTRATING me. We have such an unstable connection. I even bought a new modem because the Cox technician told me that a modem has a 2 year lifespan and ours was "BAD" according to their diagnostics. Even with a new modem, the send light just blinks and the modem is resetting itself constantly. It is so frustrating... I just want a reliable internet connection!!! Hopefully the Cox person can fix it when they troubleshoot on Tuesday.

The things Jemma says...

On Thursday we were driving in the car and randomly Jemma comments, "I want to sell my car."
I reply, "Which car, sweetie?"
She replies, "This one. The red dragon." (Yes, my husband decided that our cars needed nicknames... the red dragon, the blue flash and the green lizard.)
I reply, "What would we do if we sold our car?"
She replies, "I want a new one. I want a gold one."
I reply, "Why do you want a gold one?"
Jemma says, "It has lots of pretty colors."
I say, "What do you mean?"
She replies, "When the sun shines on it, it gets all pretty colors."
I reply, "So you like the reflection of the colors?"
"Yes." Then she pauses and says, "Maybe we should buy two pink ones."
I am curious, "Why two pink ones?"
She replies, "One for me and one for you."

Ah, I thought... she thinks she will be driving soon?!? Then the little conversation was over and she began singing songs.

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Friday afternoon on the way home from school this was her unprompted commentary:
"I like Top Gun. It is a good movie. It has bad language so Daddy has to skip some parts. I like Daddy's jet movies too. It has music so we can rock out. Nimmo is my second favorite movie. Mommy, why does Dory help Nimmo's Daddy?" Then we talked about doing good deeds and helping others... it was a good little conversation, but I'm still not sure how or why she began talking about movies.

She picks up on everything that she hears and you just never know when or how it will come out of her little mouth...

Scout Update

Scout’s fever returned on Saturday with a case of diarrhea. The doctors think that it may be a virus, but really are not sure. Scout is not eating well and has lost a precious few ounces, so the doctors have talked with Merin and Kelly about possibly putting in a feeding tube. Merin’s Mom left this morning and Kelly’s Mom arrived in town for a few days. Kelly’s father (a pathologist) will be arriving tomorrow afternoon. Keep the positive thoughts and prayers going and I’ll send updates as I can!

The countdown begins

We dropped my handsome flying sailor man off this morning. He is destined for Fallon, NV for 20 days. Here he is saying goodbye to the kids:

I hate it when he is gone... and Jemma was so sweet last night, "Daddy, I'm sad." Jim, "Why are you sad?" Jemma says, "I'm sad because you're leaving. I want you to stay home." She is pretty articulate for a 3 year old. And I couldn't say it better myself!

We stopped at IHOP on the way home from dropping Daddy off. We had pancakes and enjoyed breakfast out. It was the first time that I have taken both kids to a restaurant alone. And it went well! :)

Then we went to a Valentine's party. Both kids had such fun playing and I enjoyed the company of the other moms! I'm off to try to rest while the kids are napping... it is sunny and 62 degrees and I hope we can play outside this afternoon! :)