Just When You Think You're Safe

Remember that incident I recently told you about in which Kennedy found chocolates and ate them while I was in the shower? Well, after the second morning in a row of that happening I put the chocolates on a high shelf so she wouldn't be able to get at them. A good choice, because the next morning she did not find the chocolates again. However, she did happen to find a tube of lipstick that I didn't even know I had.

Yeah, that's lipstick all over the desk and wall. You can't see it on the desktop or the chair, and I didn't get a picture of her face, hands and shirt, but believe me, it was everywhere. This morning I woke up early so I got out of bed and took a shower so I wouldn't have another incident today.

Also, just when you think your safe and comfy with how your daughter is, she decides to grow up and change some more. How about this grown up haircut?

If you don't remember, it was several inches longer than this and had little curls at the bottom. Now it just curls under and makes her look that much older. She also started Gymboree Play & Learn classes with her cousin Wyatt and is now learning to do all sorts of new things, including but not limited to: rocking, jumping, climbing and rolling balls down slides.

She has also gotten a little ahead of herself and decided that she needs to be the one driving the car. She climbed in that seat all by herself and started steering the wheel. I think I would need to be a little more worried if her feet were closer to the pedals.

She really is growing up so fast! Next week she will be 22 months old. That's only 2 months away from 2 years old! Time has certainly flown with her. I'm excited to have another little one, even though I know he'll only be little for a while. Still no letter from Brett, but I've heard that sometimes they will hold their mail for a week. If they didn't, then it's possible that bad weather on the east coast and here in Dallas could have delayed it. I will be sure to post how he's doing as soon as I know! Also, a quick shout out to my brother, Blake, who is graduating from Army basic training tomorrow! Good job!

A Ray of Hope

love that I finally heard from Brett today! I have his address now so I can actually send him the letter I've been writing for the past week and ultrasound pictures of Noah

hate that he didn't get to send a letter with the little package, but at least I got something!

love that Kennedy is taking a nap right now

hate that she has been so incredibly willful the past few days and has needed a lot of discipline (probably because she's tired from refusing naps)

love that Brett's graduation date is expected to be on March 26 instead of March 30!

hate that he still won't be here for Noah's birth

love that I haven't been watching nearly as much TV since I've been in Texas

hate that I have to watch the final season of Lost without Brett

love that the sun is shining today after so much rain so I can finally get my car washed

hate that it's supposed to snow on Thursday, so it might undo everything that was done to the outside of the car

love the new clothes I bought for Kennedy

hate how much they cost, even with a 30% off coupon

I Really Need to Keep the Camera Close By

When we were in an apartment, it was fairly easy to take a shower during the day. At first, I just stuck Kennedy in a bouncer in front of Baby Einstein while I took a shower. Then, I just turned on Playhouse Disney while she ate some snacks. Sometimes she would come in and see me, but usually she just watched her shows. Since we've been in a bigger place with stairs and many more things to get into than we're used to I've had to do something else. I've been closing the door to my room and essentially locking her in there while I shower. She generally finds some things to play with, including Lucy, and will come and talk to me while I'm showering. But she's still not safe. Twice in the past 6 days that Brett hasn't been here to watch her she has gotten herself into a little bit of trouble that I really wish I had been able to take a picture of.

First day: Yes, the first day that I tried this method I was given a shock. I was about ready to get out of the shower and Kennedy started talking about toothbrushes, which she does often, so I thought nothing of it. However, when I opened the curtain I saw that she had climbed to the top of the toilet (not the seat, the actual top) and had her knees on the toilet and her hands on the sink trying to get a hold of the toothbrushes. I failed to get a picture because imminent death was part of the scenario.

This morning: I kept trying to get Kennedy to talk to me while I was showering and kept getting no response. Finally, when I got out, I found out why. She had found a box of chocolates that Brett's mom had given me right before we left. I have no idea how she got it because it was on a desk with a suitcase and a chair standing in her way. More than half of them were unwrapped and half chewed on the floor. Miraculously she managed to not get chocolate on anything, including herself. I failed to get a picture of this because I had just gotten out of the shower, the camera was downstairs, and I was trying to avoid chocolate stains on the carpet.

I still haven't heard anything from Brett. I'm hoping that we will get the postcard with his address on it in the mail today. I will let you guys know as soon as I hear anything!

Doing Fine

Thank you so much for all of the support that you have been giving me over the past few days! I know it may seem impersonal on the computer, but I really do appreciate your comments and feel your support when I have so much going on! We have been doing really well since Brett left, and although Kennedy is starting to notice his absence, it hasn't really affected her behavior. She has been her sweet self, which includes dressing up in tutus and fancy shoes.

She has also been finding new uses for the kitty house.

Some of you have asked who will be with me during the c-section. The answer is my mom and my sister. They will be there for the operation (as long as Christine can get out of school, if it ends up being in the morning) and there to help in the hospital. Kennedy will of course be staying with my dad while I am cooped up in the hospital for a few days. And I may seem strong on the computer, but I promise you I was bawling all the night before and the morning that Brett left. Thankfully I've been ok since, but we'll see how long that lasts. :) Also, check out my cooking blog for the most beautiful blueberry muffins you've ever seen!

Officially Military

Yesterday was the big day. Brett had to report to boot camp, so at 9:00 we arrived at the Coast Guard recruiting station to finish up his paperwork.

Everybody there was very nice. They gave Kennedy a big bag of stuff including a Coast Guard blanket, 2 boats that she can take in the bath and a helicopter. We finished all of the paperwork and then Brett was officially sworn in as a member of the Coast Guard.

As of that swearing in Brett is an active duty member of the Coast Guard. After that we got a little surprise because Kennedy and I were actually able to take him to the airport for his flight to Philadelphia. We got him there just in time and he made it there safely.

He hung out at the USO at the airport and he said that it was totally stocked with hot dogs, sodas, Girl Scout cookies and a bunch of other things that were really tempting him. He was trying to not eat much in order to ensure that he makes weight. :) He got pulled into the office by the guy running the place who asked how old he is. When he said he is 27 the guy told him that his officers would know that before the week was out and that they would expect maturity and leadership out of him, but that that is a good thing. I don't think they will get anything less than that from Brett. Not long after that they got on the bus to go to Cape May, New Jersey where the training is. They had to turn off their phones at that point, so I didn't get to talk to him anymore and probably won't for a few weeks.

In other news, I went to my first baby appointment here in Texas yesterday as well. I got to do another ultrasound and got some great pictures, including one that shows that there is absolutely no doubt he is a boy. :) The doctor felt that medically the whole thing would be safer if we did another c-section this time around, which is exactly what I was expecting him to say. So Noah already has a birthday! He'll be coming on March 23! That's nice because although Brett won't be here, I get to be pregnant for one less week than normal, and I'll be able to have a little bit of recovery time before Brett comes home and we have to move again.