Alright y'all... there have been a few things in the news lately that have sparked some controversial fires amongst certain "groups". First, there was the Paula Deen "scandal" and then today, the rulings on Proposition 8 in California and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Let's start with the first hooplah.
The first thing I heard about Paula Deen was that she was dropped by the Food Network. I hadn't heard anything about her court situation, the trial, her admissions, etc before the Food Network dropped her. Wait... take that back. The actual first thing I heard was that she missed her interview on the Today Show. Then, I did a little more searching and slowly put the pieces of the puzzle together regarding this story. Pieces are still falling into place about this story today. My OPINION (we all have them), frankly, is that it's all a bunch of bullshit (pardon the language). Here are a couple pieces of the story (in black) and what I think (in blue):
So, she and her brother are being sued by a former employee for sexual harassment and racial discrimination. She was asked in the deposition if the had "ever used the n-word". She honestly replied "yes, of course. It's been a very long time". I'm sure about 95 percent of southern people from her same age group would answer that question the same way. The woman suing also stated that Paula Deen never exhibited any signs of being a racists (so I'm not sure where the claims of racial discrimination come from). The media is bringing up all kinds of other crap that just puts people against one another to create more and more drama. For instance, why bring up that Paula Deen once discussed having a plantation-style wedding where black people would be dressed in period outfits and be serving food a drinks. She discussed but didn't do it. And, frankly, I'm sure plenty of people would have gladly accepted the job and not bitched about it being racist. I'm sick of our media doing this. They do it enough during election season and they are the number one cause of racism, political hate and any other modern segregation these days. It's disgusting. Then, this morning, Matt Lauer (a freakin' shark) referenced another quote from Paula during the deposition which says, basically, that she couldn't determine what offends other people. Initially, when I heard that, I kind of cringed. I thought "oh crap, Paula. Why would you go and say something stupid like that? We all know what is offensive". But, she quickly explained what she meant by that. She went on to say that some of her employees and young people in general throw that word around describing each other all the time. When you hear it that much, obviously it makes you wonder why it's fine for blacks to say it all the time (and let's not even get into the difference in "nigger" and "nigga"... ridiculous) but if a white person is honest about saying it decades ago, her world can come crumbling down.)
These are a few of the things that just erk me about this story. Obviously, I don't know Paula Deen on a personal level. But, I know a HELL OF A LOT of women who are SO MUCH like her and those women don't have a racist bone in their body. People in the South have a history. And, really, we aren't too far removed from that history. People alive and well today remember the past vividly and were immersed in the civil rights movement. It wasn't even a lifetime ago, y'all.
And, here's a little food for thought if you are reeling on the last point I made about the Paula Deen thing (blacks calling each other nigger). Do you EVER, ever in your life, hear a Mexican calling another Mexican a "wetback", a Jewish person calling another Jewish person a "kike", an Arabic person calling another Arabic person a "towel head"? My point is, if we all know these words are offensive, take them out of your mouth, no matter who you are. Just. Stop. It. Don't tell me that it's OK for you to use the most offensive word that you know of to describe your buddy. That's just bullshit. Racism is racism. Stop even making anyone question what is or isn't offensive.
OK, off my soapbox about that one.
Now, moving on. HOOOORAY for equality today! I am a full supporter of equal marriage rights to all. I see absolutely zero reason to not support it... ze-ro. I understand it's a big religious thing and frankly, I'm not very religious so maybe that's why I don't understand a traditional Christian view on this. I was raised in a pretty conservative family and I'm going to venture to say that the majority of my family does not agree with me on this. But, to each her own. What I really love about today's rulings is the true separation of Church and State.
My favorite blogger-turned-author, Glennon Melton (author of Carry On Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed and the blog Momastery www.momastery.com), has a beautiful piece in her book about being an open-minded Christian and getting to the point where she felt OK with only supporting certain parts of the Bible and taking others with a small grain of salt. This has helped me understand religion a little more and be a little more open to the idea of Christianity because growing up around a Southern Baptist community, my views didn't align and, therefore, I've always felt I didn't align. But, as I approach my fourth decade of life, I'm slowly getting that it's OK. Nothing is black and white when it comes to love. And that's what religion really is all about, right? To love one another as God loves you? Done and done.
Here's a link to an amazing post by Glennon today. Read it, folks:
http://momastery.com/blog/2013/06/24/i-love-gay-people-and-i-love-christians-i-choose-all/
Enjoy your day, y'all.
xoxo,
Chrissi
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Hey y'all! (from Florida)
Hey everybody!
We're well into our little vacation in Pensacola and we are loving it! The trip down was pretty easy and Max did great! It took him a little while to get settled on a decent sleep schedule but now I think we're back to normal. So, that's great! We've been having so much fun and I know I'm going to HATE to leave. But, hopefully we'll be given a house soon so we have something fun to go back to. Otherwise, it's really going to suck knowing that we're leaving Florida to go back to temporary housing on base in NJ. Ugh! So, say a little prayer that we get a house before we go home.
Anyway, like I said, it's been a great trip so far. Christian was only here for about four days but we tried to make the most of his time here. We visited family and ate at some good restaurants. He left on the 19th. Max and I moved into our little vacation rental on the 25th and it's been nice to have a place of our own. It's super convenient and we're able to run errands without having a 30 minute drive like we would if we were staying with my parents. So, this has been great. We're here until June 26th and hopefully Christian will be back down here by then!
We've been taking advantage of all the fun stuff to do around here like the splash pad downtown, the beach a couple times, swimming at Roger Scott pool and of course spending tons of time with family. Family makes like so much easier. Yesterday, I drove over to my brother's place (he lives over on 30a in Santa Rosa Beach) and we went for an awesome bike ride through some of the beach towns down there. That is seriously one of the most beautiful places on earth down there. If you've never been, GO, like now... just go. It's 19 miles of gorgeous-ness. :) We biked about 20 miles and it was a gorgeous day. Then, by the time I got back home yesterday afternoon, I was exhausted so as soon as Max went to bed, my butt was in bed! haha
Oh, something else that is super great is a decision that Christian and I have made (well, technically, that christian finally agreed to) is that we're moving back to Pensacola when he retires in four years! Y'all have absolutely NO IDEA how friggin' happy this makes me. There's a light at the end of the tunnel! I'm so excited. We're looking at land now to hold onto and then hopefully build on when we move back. He'll retire and then most likely fly for an airline (or one of the zillion other options he has) out of here. Super! So, like i said, light at the end of the tunnel! Four years will fly by and it will be perfect timing for Max to start kindergarten right when we move down here. Happy, happy, happy!
Well, that's about it for now! Y'all have a wonderful Sunday!
xoxo,
Chrissi
We're well into our little vacation in Pensacola and we are loving it! The trip down was pretty easy and Max did great! It took him a little while to get settled on a decent sleep schedule but now I think we're back to normal. So, that's great! We've been having so much fun and I know I'm going to HATE to leave. But, hopefully we'll be given a house soon so we have something fun to go back to. Otherwise, it's really going to suck knowing that we're leaving Florida to go back to temporary housing on base in NJ. Ugh! So, say a little prayer that we get a house before we go home.
Anyway, like I said, it's been a great trip so far. Christian was only here for about four days but we tried to make the most of his time here. We visited family and ate at some good restaurants. He left on the 19th. Max and I moved into our little vacation rental on the 25th and it's been nice to have a place of our own. It's super convenient and we're able to run errands without having a 30 minute drive like we would if we were staying with my parents. So, this has been great. We're here until June 26th and hopefully Christian will be back down here by then!
We've been taking advantage of all the fun stuff to do around here like the splash pad downtown, the beach a couple times, swimming at Roger Scott pool and of course spending tons of time with family. Family makes like so much easier. Yesterday, I drove over to my brother's place (he lives over on 30a in Santa Rosa Beach) and we went for an awesome bike ride through some of the beach towns down there. That is seriously one of the most beautiful places on earth down there. If you've never been, GO, like now... just go. It's 19 miles of gorgeous-ness. :) We biked about 20 miles and it was a gorgeous day. Then, by the time I got back home yesterday afternoon, I was exhausted so as soon as Max went to bed, my butt was in bed! haha
Oh, something else that is super great is a decision that Christian and I have made (well, technically, that christian finally agreed to) is that we're moving back to Pensacola when he retires in four years! Y'all have absolutely NO IDEA how friggin' happy this makes me. There's a light at the end of the tunnel! I'm so excited. We're looking at land now to hold onto and then hopefully build on when we move back. He'll retire and then most likely fly for an airline (or one of the zillion other options he has) out of here. Super! So, like i said, light at the end of the tunnel! Four years will fly by and it will be perfect timing for Max to start kindergarten right when we move down here. Happy, happy, happy!
Well, that's about it for now! Y'all have a wonderful Sunday!
xoxo,
Chrissi
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Movin' on
Well, folks, the move is over. We have completed move number three in just over three years. We’re going to be pros at this by the time we’re finished with the Navy! All of our belongings are now piled into a storage unit as we travel the world (Max and me in Florida, Christian in Japan) and await the word that we have been granted a house on base. The move actually went pretty smoothly considering we have a crazy little man on our hands and minimal help. But, our great friends, Vicki & Matt, graciously helped us yesterday and we are SO thankful for them! This would have been HELL if they weren’t there!
Leaving this house was really emotional even though we’re excited about moving. It’s all just bittersweet (as so many things are with military life). We’re definitely ready for a NEW house without creaky floors and central AC but there are some major emotional ties to this house we just left. A lot has happened in that house. We found out we were expecting our first child and brought that precious angel home from the hospital to that house. He said his first words and took his first steps within those walls. We had the best neighbors we could ask for and will miss the easy walks into town for breakfast, lunch, dinner or just coffee. I’ll always miss the fantastic character of that house. It was built in 1926 and still had the original hardwood floors and all the original molding. It was beautiful. But, not very energy efficient... and the kitchen sucked. haha. The peony, hydrangea and lilac bushes in the back yard were things of pure beauty. I will miss them. We cried, laughed, yelled, and loved in the house. But, this is all part of what we call life. We’re moving on to things that will work better for our family. Living on base will not only give us a big new house, it will give me a great support network that I didn’t have much of when we lived so far from base. Living on base will also give me a major sense of security which no alarm system can buy. So, for that, I’m excited. Living on base will certainly be a new and interesting experience but I’m excited to dive into it and take it on as an adventure. Plus, Christian will be home within about five minutes of when he leaves the squadron.... much better than 45 minutes!
Now that we’re technically homeless, we’re shacking up with my father-in-law for a couple days and we’ll head out on our long drive to Florida on Tuesday morning and make it into town late Tuesday night. I CANNOT WAIT to be in Pensacola. I’m so excited for everyone to see Max and for him to hang with his grandparents (from my side) for over a month! And, you better believe I’ll be taking advantage of those grandparents (aka, free babysitters....). haha I’m sure they won’t mind. ;-) I’m so ready to be able to just drive over to my mom’s or dad’s on a random afternoon just to say hi (I really miss my parents) or to spend time with my girlfriends at my favorite restaurants (I really miss my girlfriends too). AND, to LAY ON THE BEACH! Holy Moses, I’ve never been this pale in my life. Gross. I can’t wait.
Well, anyway. Today was Mother’s Day and I hope all you mommas had a fabulous day! I had a great day and Max was extra loving today. I got a massive amount of hugs from that littler lover. I think he knew it was momma’s special day. We went to church this morning (the only church Christian and I go to) and didn’t even have to take Max out of the sanctuary a single time! That was impressive! Then, we got back home and he took a nice long nap since he didn’t really get in bed until close to eleven o’clock last night since we got here so late. After his nap, we went to Christian’s cousin’s house for a family get-together. Oh, and it snowed. Yep, that’s right folks... it’s the middle of May and it was snowing today. Not hard and nothing stuck but there were definitely snow flakes falling from the sky. I guess that’s what western Maryland mountain living will get ya. No. Thank. You. Have I mentioned that I’m ready to be in Florida? :-)
Alright, I’m going to relax and read before hittin’ the hay! Talk soon.
xoxo,
Chrissi
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Waging Mommy War
**Disclaimer for this blog: what I write about today consists of things and decisions that work for me and my family. I fully understand that the decisions I have made do not work for every family. This is a no judgement zone so please read with guards down. **
As you all probably know by now, I am very pro-breastfeeding. Max is almost 14 months old and is still nursing. I'm no longer nursing him on-demand- stopped that around 12 1/2 months- but we still nurse first thing in the morning and for bedtime. It's a super special time and the bonding experience is something that can't be matched. Before I was a mom and for the first several months of Max's life, I thought nursing a toddler was a bit strange. But, low and behold, it works for us and it's something I'm not ready to give up. So, with that bit of information about our current lifestyle, I'll tell you this: I am a "member" of a well known breastfeeding website's Facebook private group where you can go on and ask questions about breastfeeding and get amazing support from other nursing moms around the country. So, lately, I've been wondering a lot about real benefits of extended breastfeeding and how it really impacts a child's health and social wellbeing. Thus, i logged onto that group's site today and asked the following question: "Is there any research or do any of you think that breastfed kids (breastfed past one year) are sweeter/more kind/friendlier/better behaved (you choose the word) than those who are not?". Honestly, I thought this was a very valid question and I've been wondering this for a while just because it's such a loving act. Well, the admins on the site shut down my thread about 10 minutes after I posted it and claimed that my question could start a firestorm among other members who choose formula (keep in mind this is a breastfeeding support group). I don't know why but this REALLY bothered me. I try SO HARD to not push my opinions or judgement on anyone who chooses not to breastfeed. I am by no means perfect at that, though. I already hate that moms are against one another on so many topics and I was so upset that I may have just offended a whole slew of people. Seriously, I worried ALL AFTERNOON about this. I even chose to leave that group because I felt like I had disappointed someone by asking that question. Now that I'm writing this, it seems a little silly that I got so upset but this site has helped me so much in the past and has been a nice area to talk about something so special to me. (keep in mind, I don't have a ton of friends up here to talk to... unfortunately, groups like this have to kind of suffice.... don't judge. haha).
Then, tonight, I got a message from a woman who is also a member of that group. She's an older woman whose children are all grown. She's a BF activist and has been since the 1970s (she's a self-proclaimed hippy). She sent me a simple message asking why my question got closed down and that prompted a great conversation that simply made me feel much better. She didn't provide an answer to my question or anything but just knowing that someone else thought the same thing I thought was really nice. It's really the little things in life that can make such a difference. Sometimes as a mom, you can feel so isolated in the decisions you make... especially when they aren't the most popular among your friends or family. So, to get a simple supportive message from a total stranger was pretty awesome and totally turned my day around!
Just thought I'd share. Never underestimate the power of a simple note of encouragement!
xoxo,
Chrissi
As you all probably know by now, I am very pro-breastfeeding. Max is almost 14 months old and is still nursing. I'm no longer nursing him on-demand- stopped that around 12 1/2 months- but we still nurse first thing in the morning and for bedtime. It's a super special time and the bonding experience is something that can't be matched. Before I was a mom and for the first several months of Max's life, I thought nursing a toddler was a bit strange. But, low and behold, it works for us and it's something I'm not ready to give up. So, with that bit of information about our current lifestyle, I'll tell you this: I am a "member" of a well known breastfeeding website's Facebook private group where you can go on and ask questions about breastfeeding and get amazing support from other nursing moms around the country. So, lately, I've been wondering a lot about real benefits of extended breastfeeding and how it really impacts a child's health and social wellbeing. Thus, i logged onto that group's site today and asked the following question: "Is there any research or do any of you think that breastfed kids (breastfed past one year) are sweeter/more kind/friendlier/better behaved (you choose the word) than those who are not?". Honestly, I thought this was a very valid question and I've been wondering this for a while just because it's such a loving act. Well, the admins on the site shut down my thread about 10 minutes after I posted it and claimed that my question could start a firestorm among other members who choose formula (keep in mind this is a breastfeeding support group). I don't know why but this REALLY bothered me. I try SO HARD to not push my opinions or judgement on anyone who chooses not to breastfeed. I am by no means perfect at that, though. I already hate that moms are against one another on so many topics and I was so upset that I may have just offended a whole slew of people. Seriously, I worried ALL AFTERNOON about this. I even chose to leave that group because I felt like I had disappointed someone by asking that question. Now that I'm writing this, it seems a little silly that I got so upset but this site has helped me so much in the past and has been a nice area to talk about something so special to me. (keep in mind, I don't have a ton of friends up here to talk to... unfortunately, groups like this have to kind of suffice.... don't judge. haha).
Then, tonight, I got a message from a woman who is also a member of that group. She's an older woman whose children are all grown. She's a BF activist and has been since the 1970s (she's a self-proclaimed hippy). She sent me a simple message asking why my question got closed down and that prompted a great conversation that simply made me feel much better. She didn't provide an answer to my question or anything but just knowing that someone else thought the same thing I thought was really nice. It's really the little things in life that can make such a difference. Sometimes as a mom, you can feel so isolated in the decisions you make... especially when they aren't the most popular among your friends or family. So, to get a simple supportive message from a total stranger was pretty awesome and totally turned my day around!
Just thought I'd share. Never underestimate the power of a simple note of encouragement!
xoxo,
Chrissi
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Ummm, Spring? Where are you??
Hey y'all!
Hope everyone is doing well! Everything up here is just hunky dory. It's still friggin' freezing all the time and I'm SICK of it! This has been the longest winter of my life and I really don't understand why anyone would choose to live in any area of this country where it's so cold for so long. And, yes, I know, it could be worse. But, it's not worse right now, it's just cold and it just plain sucks. But, the bulbs are starting to pop through the dirt and I've actually seen a few daffodil blooms in the past day or two. FINALLY!
Other than old man winter outstaying his welcome, everything else is great. :) I have a few updates that have come to fruition since my last post. So, you know I mentioned that we'd be moving into a newer home, right? Well, we've made the decision to move into base housing. We're pretty excited about this decision because the houses are new construction and they're pretty big with nice garages and tons of storage. But, there's quite a long waiting list (5-7 months) so we're just waiting to hear when we will be moving. We have a bit of a hectic summer planned right now. So, in May, we're moving out of this house and putting all of our stuff into a storage unit. Then, Christian will drive me and Max down to Florida so we can stay down there while he is in Japan until the end of June. So, when Christian gets back in the States, he'll either stay in NJ and move into our new house (if we have one by then) or he'll fly back down to Florida to stay with us for a few days before we drive back. Then, if we still don't have a house, we'll move into these little furnished apartments on base at the temporary lodging facility until we actually get a house. So, needless to say, we're hoping for a house sooner rather than later.
I'm pretty excited about being in Pensacola for about a month and half! I've rented a little cottage in downtown Pcola for me and Max. Neither of my parents have two extra rooms so I'd be stuck in the same room as him if I stayed with them. I get zero sleep and he starts reverting back to sleeping like a newborn when he knows I'm RIGHT there. So, having our own little house will be perfect. Plus, it's only a short jog to the waterfront, restaurants, shops, etc. So, I'm pumped! Plus, I'm SOOOO excited to be around family and friends for that long during the best time of the year down there (early summer). Beach days, family time, dinners with friends... fun fun!
So anyway, my last post was right after Max turned one. Now, he's almost 13 1/2 months old and it blows my mind how quickly the months go by now. His first few months were just such a blur to me that I don't think I realized how quickly they went by but now that we've had that one year milestone, it seems like the days/weeks/months fly by! Max just gets more and more fun every day and he's so, so, so smart! I feel like Forrest Gump when he's standing at Jenny's grave and telling her (with tears in his eyes) how smart little Forrest is. Just watching my little boy grow and really understand me when I tell him to get his shoes (and he goes into the mudroom where all of our shoes are), or ask him where his milk is (and he goes to get his milk), or tell him to spit out his paci when we get out of the car (and he pulls it out), or ask him if he's ready for a bath (and he goes to the stairs).... or when he just all-of-a-sudden starts using sign language that I've been showing him for months and we can finally communicate when he's "all done" or when he wants more to eat. Seriously, this little boy amazes me every day. He knows what sound a doggie makes (bark) and what a tiger says (growl). He can point out a tractor, an airplane, a duckie, and a ball from the page of a picture book he has. He knows that candles, the fireplace and the stove are all hot (he holds out his hand like he's feeling the warmed the says "hot" in his own language so it sounds more like dot). He can say bubble, dada, tractor, duckie, ball, and says bir for bird. He's also obsessed with airplanes right now. Anytime he sees one, whether in the sky, in a book, or a toy plane, he makes the sound of an airplane flying and zooms his little hand around like he's holding an airplane. It's so cute. He's just amazing. And he's mine. And that's amazing.
One year ago, I was barely keeping my head above water in this ocean of responsibility called motherhood (I was closer to drowning than surviving). Now, I'm treading water and even doing the backstroke some days! haha Motherhood is still a hellavuh lot of work. But, it's something that is so, so special. I'm someone's mother. I'm going to be the person my kids are saying "Hi, Mom" to when they get caught on camera in the crowd outside of Good Morning America. I'm the person my son will (hopefully) always compare his girlfriends and wife to. I'm that woman who will be Max's first love. I'm the person who will get to face their tears after a failure and tell them everything will be OK. How special... and what an intense amount of responsibility that will follow me for the rest of my life. But, hey, I'm perfectly fine with that. :) Something cute I saw yesterday as I was just browsing a cute baby site was a quote that explained the haze of motherhood, it said, "living in a sweet, hazy blur of already but not yet". I feel like I'm in that sweet, hazy blur every day. I sit in amazement at how we've 'already' passed something and then I sit in wonderment of the things that are "not yet".
Well, enough with my deep, emotional chit chat. ;-) We're heading to western MD this weekend to visit Christian's family and celebrate Easter. My dad and step-mom sent Max the most adorable Easter outfit so I can't wait to show him off. haha I'll take a bunch of pics and post them ASAP!
Anyway, I hope y'all have a wonderful Easter weekend!
xoxo,
Chrissi
Hope everyone is doing well! Everything up here is just hunky dory. It's still friggin' freezing all the time and I'm SICK of it! This has been the longest winter of my life and I really don't understand why anyone would choose to live in any area of this country where it's so cold for so long. And, yes, I know, it could be worse. But, it's not worse right now, it's just cold and it just plain sucks. But, the bulbs are starting to pop through the dirt and I've actually seen a few daffodil blooms in the past day or two. FINALLY!
Other than old man winter outstaying his welcome, everything else is great. :) I have a few updates that have come to fruition since my last post. So, you know I mentioned that we'd be moving into a newer home, right? Well, we've made the decision to move into base housing. We're pretty excited about this decision because the houses are new construction and they're pretty big with nice garages and tons of storage. But, there's quite a long waiting list (5-7 months) so we're just waiting to hear when we will be moving. We have a bit of a hectic summer planned right now. So, in May, we're moving out of this house and putting all of our stuff into a storage unit. Then, Christian will drive me and Max down to Florida so we can stay down there while he is in Japan until the end of June. So, when Christian gets back in the States, he'll either stay in NJ and move into our new house (if we have one by then) or he'll fly back down to Florida to stay with us for a few days before we drive back. Then, if we still don't have a house, we'll move into these little furnished apartments on base at the temporary lodging facility until we actually get a house. So, needless to say, we're hoping for a house sooner rather than later.
I'm pretty excited about being in Pensacola for about a month and half! I've rented a little cottage in downtown Pcola for me and Max. Neither of my parents have two extra rooms so I'd be stuck in the same room as him if I stayed with them. I get zero sleep and he starts reverting back to sleeping like a newborn when he knows I'm RIGHT there. So, having our own little house will be perfect. Plus, it's only a short jog to the waterfront, restaurants, shops, etc. So, I'm pumped! Plus, I'm SOOOO excited to be around family and friends for that long during the best time of the year down there (early summer). Beach days, family time, dinners with friends... fun fun!
So anyway, my last post was right after Max turned one. Now, he's almost 13 1/2 months old and it blows my mind how quickly the months go by now. His first few months were just such a blur to me that I don't think I realized how quickly they went by but now that we've had that one year milestone, it seems like the days/weeks/months fly by! Max just gets more and more fun every day and he's so, so, so smart! I feel like Forrest Gump when he's standing at Jenny's grave and telling her (with tears in his eyes) how smart little Forrest is. Just watching my little boy grow and really understand me when I tell him to get his shoes (and he goes into the mudroom where all of our shoes are), or ask him where his milk is (and he goes to get his milk), or tell him to spit out his paci when we get out of the car (and he pulls it out), or ask him if he's ready for a bath (and he goes to the stairs).... or when he just all-of-a-sudden starts using sign language that I've been showing him for months and we can finally communicate when he's "all done" or when he wants more to eat. Seriously, this little boy amazes me every day. He knows what sound a doggie makes (bark) and what a tiger says (growl). He can point out a tractor, an airplane, a duckie, and a ball from the page of a picture book he has. He knows that candles, the fireplace and the stove are all hot (he holds out his hand like he's feeling the warmed the says "hot" in his own language so it sounds more like dot). He can say bubble, dada, tractor, duckie, ball, and says bir for bird. He's also obsessed with airplanes right now. Anytime he sees one, whether in the sky, in a book, or a toy plane, he makes the sound of an airplane flying and zooms his little hand around like he's holding an airplane. It's so cute. He's just amazing. And he's mine. And that's amazing.
One year ago, I was barely keeping my head above water in this ocean of responsibility called motherhood (I was closer to drowning than surviving). Now, I'm treading water and even doing the backstroke some days! haha Motherhood is still a hellavuh lot of work. But, it's something that is so, so special. I'm someone's mother. I'm going to be the person my kids are saying "Hi, Mom" to when they get caught on camera in the crowd outside of Good Morning America. I'm the person my son will (hopefully) always compare his girlfriends and wife to. I'm that woman who will be Max's first love. I'm the person who will get to face their tears after a failure and tell them everything will be OK. How special... and what an intense amount of responsibility that will follow me for the rest of my life. But, hey, I'm perfectly fine with that. :) Something cute I saw yesterday as I was just browsing a cute baby site was a quote that explained the haze of motherhood, it said, "living in a sweet, hazy blur of already but not yet". I feel like I'm in that sweet, hazy blur every day. I sit in amazement at how we've 'already' passed something and then I sit in wonderment of the things that are "not yet".
Well, enough with my deep, emotional chit chat. ;-) We're heading to western MD this weekend to visit Christian's family and celebrate Easter. My dad and step-mom sent Max the most adorable Easter outfit so I can't wait to show him off. haha I'll take a bunch of pics and post them ASAP!
Anyway, I hope y'all have a wonderful Easter weekend!
xoxo,
Chrissi
Friday, February 22, 2013
So much going on!!!
Hey y'all!
I have so many things to update y'all on so I'll try to be to the point. :)
So, first thing's first.... MAX IS ONE! Holy crap. Where did 2012 go? That was truly the quickest year ever. I wonder if the years go by quickly when you have kids just because you really have no time for anything else. I think that may be the case. :) I just can't believe my little boy is one already and on his way to being a true toddler. Craziness. I rocked him to bed and cried the night before he turned one. Poor momma!
We had a great birthday party for him here at our house and had about 15 friends come over to help us celebrate along with my mom who came in town for the weekend (which was awesome!)! The party was simple, easy, and perfect. It was everything a first birthday should be, in my opinion. He smashed his smash cake to smithereens but barely ate any of it and that's fine by me! The less sugar, the better. He got some great gifts and loved playing with all of the balloons that I picked up that morning. But, I think his favorite birthday gift was his new car from JuJu. He LOVES that thing! It was so funny how he just all of a sudden knew exactly what to do, how to get in, when to close the door, how to honk the horn and he'll even say "go!" when he's ready for another push. Seriously, can he get any cuter?
The next big thing in our family's news is that we finally got orders. We're stuck here until May of 2015. I'm pretty bummed about it but I'm trying to see a silver lining and look on the bright side. One bright side is that we're planning on moving into a newer house when our lease is up at the end of the summer. We are so OVER this old house and all of it's creaks and cracks. I loved it when we moved in but now that we have a baby, there are so many different things I want. I want carpet upstairs. I want a master bedroom that all of our furniture actually fits nicely in. I was more than one full bath. I want a bigger kitchen. I want central AC! I don't want to pay $400-500 each month during the winter just to heat this beast of a house! So, there's my silver lining. :) Come on September! haha
One thing that is also pretty neat is that there are two new wives in the squadron who I just really quickly clicked with a couple months ago. So, I'm pretty excited about new friendships with them! And, this squadron just recently had a change of command so there's actually going to be an Officers' Spouses Club now. I have had minimal contact with other wives (unless Christian hangs out with their husbands) since we moved up here so it's been a "fend for yourself" situation. So, I'm pretty excited about something a little more structured when it comes to a support system because God knows we all need it!
So, maybe it won't be too bad and maybe these next two years will fly by. I'm just struggling to wrap my head around having another baby up here (no, I'm not pregnant... just thinking). Christian is gone SO much. I know I can do it and I can handle it but, frankly, it scares the shit out me.
Uhhhh, what else? OH! So, I felt like I was dying the other day. I had the stomach flu and it was AWFUL! Seriously, I've never felt that bad in my life. Thank heavens it only lasted 24 hours. And, thank the Lord Christian was in town and able to be home to help me out. I'm not sure what I would have done if I was by myself with Max. And, he's had the stomach bug all week! It started for him Monday evening and he's thrown up about once each day since and he barely has an appetite. But, luckily, he's acting pretty normal. He's a little more clingy than usual but I know he can't feel super so I don't mind that. I took him to the doc yesterday just because I was worried about not eating and possibly being dehydrated and turns out, he has an ear infection to boot! Goodness. Poor kid. So, now I have him on a super bland diet of toast, apples, and bananas and he started antibiotics last night for his ear. I was also in the process of slowing weaning Max from breastfeeding (not an easy process, BTW) when all of this hit but the doc recommended a keep nursing for a couple more weeks just to help his immune system fight it a little more. So, back to square one for that! Hopefully the sickies leave our house for good! But, good news is that Christian really hasn't gotten anything. He felt a little "off" on Monday but he's been fine all week so hopefully it kind of just skips over him.
Christian and I celebrated our three year anniversary on Wednesday (the day I was sick). Unfortunately, we had to cancel our dinner reservations and baby sitter for that night but fortunately, we have it rescheduled for tonight! So, we're excited to really celebrate. We're going out to dinner at Flemings Steakhouse. We had reservations for Capital Grille but then got a thing in the mail for Flemings and decided to switch it over. We've never been so I'll let y'all know how it is.
So, all in all, I think we're all ready for this week to be over. We've had enough of the sickness and crappy orders. Bring on next week! It's bound to be better, right!? :)
I hope all of you had a great week so far and are planning something fun this weekend! Do something you LOVE.... even if no one else loves it! :)
xoxo,
Chrissi
I have so many things to update y'all on so I'll try to be to the point. :)
So, first thing's first.... MAX IS ONE! Holy crap. Where did 2012 go? That was truly the quickest year ever. I wonder if the years go by quickly when you have kids just because you really have no time for anything else. I think that may be the case. :) I just can't believe my little boy is one already and on his way to being a true toddler. Craziness. I rocked him to bed and cried the night before he turned one. Poor momma!
We had a great birthday party for him here at our house and had about 15 friends come over to help us celebrate along with my mom who came in town for the weekend (which was awesome!)! The party was simple, easy, and perfect. It was everything a first birthday should be, in my opinion. He smashed his smash cake to smithereens but barely ate any of it and that's fine by me! The less sugar, the better. He got some great gifts and loved playing with all of the balloons that I picked up that morning. But, I think his favorite birthday gift was his new car from JuJu. He LOVES that thing! It was so funny how he just all of a sudden knew exactly what to do, how to get in, when to close the door, how to honk the horn and he'll even say "go!" when he's ready for another push. Seriously, can he get any cuter?
One thing that is also pretty neat is that there are two new wives in the squadron who I just really quickly clicked with a couple months ago. So, I'm pretty excited about new friendships with them! And, this squadron just recently had a change of command so there's actually going to be an Officers' Spouses Club now. I have had minimal contact with other wives (unless Christian hangs out with their husbands) since we moved up here so it's been a "fend for yourself" situation. So, I'm pretty excited about something a little more structured when it comes to a support system because God knows we all need it!
So, maybe it won't be too bad and maybe these next two years will fly by. I'm just struggling to wrap my head around having another baby up here (no, I'm not pregnant... just thinking). Christian is gone SO much. I know I can do it and I can handle it but, frankly, it scares the shit out me.
Uhhhh, what else? OH! So, I felt like I was dying the other day. I had the stomach flu and it was AWFUL! Seriously, I've never felt that bad in my life. Thank heavens it only lasted 24 hours. And, thank the Lord Christian was in town and able to be home to help me out. I'm not sure what I would have done if I was by myself with Max. And, he's had the stomach bug all week! It started for him Monday evening and he's thrown up about once each day since and he barely has an appetite. But, luckily, he's acting pretty normal. He's a little more clingy than usual but I know he can't feel super so I don't mind that. I took him to the doc yesterday just because I was worried about not eating and possibly being dehydrated and turns out, he has an ear infection to boot! Goodness. Poor kid. So, now I have him on a super bland diet of toast, apples, and bananas and he started antibiotics last night for his ear. I was also in the process of slowing weaning Max from breastfeeding (not an easy process, BTW) when all of this hit but the doc recommended a keep nursing for a couple more weeks just to help his immune system fight it a little more. So, back to square one for that! Hopefully the sickies leave our house for good! But, good news is that Christian really hasn't gotten anything. He felt a little "off" on Monday but he's been fine all week so hopefully it kind of just skips over him.
Christian and I celebrated our three year anniversary on Wednesday (the day I was sick). Unfortunately, we had to cancel our dinner reservations and baby sitter for that night but fortunately, we have it rescheduled for tonight! So, we're excited to really celebrate. We're going out to dinner at Flemings Steakhouse. We had reservations for Capital Grille but then got a thing in the mail for Flemings and decided to switch it over. We've never been so I'll let y'all know how it is.
So, all in all, I think we're all ready for this week to be over. We've had enough of the sickness and crappy orders. Bring on next week! It's bound to be better, right!? :)
I hope all of you had a great week so far and are planning something fun this weekend! Do something you LOVE.... even if no one else loves it! :)
xoxo,
Chrissi
Thursday, January 24, 2013
A bit behind...
Holy moses, it's been over two months since my last post! What the heck? You'd think I'm busy with a crazy kid or something. ;-)
Well, hello again, world. Hope all of you are doing well in the new year.
OK.... let me just let you guys know what just happened. I had an entire blog post, a long one, ALMOST done and I accidentally hit the back button and it deleted EVERYTHING! UGGGGGHHHHHH! So, let's see how much I can get done before Max wakes up from his nap.... 1, 2, 3..... GO!
So, January is coming to an end and we still have yet to hear anything about our next set of orders. We thought we would know but now but it looks like we're being pushed to at least next month now. So, the waiting game continues! BOO! I think waiting for orders in January might be the hardest thing. Especially since January is, number one, the most depressing month of the year, and number two, TOO FREAKIN' COLD for me! haha I longingly look at my weather channel app every day to see the warm temps in Pensacola and then the 18 degree temps here with wind chills of TWO.... seriously, two degrees. Yuck. But, we're here and we're making the best of it. :) Spring will be here before we know it and I'll be loving life again. :)
Oh crap, Max is moving.... annnd, he's down again. ok, GO!
So, the holidays have passed and went by SO fast! Max and I spent almost a whole month in Florida and had such a great time! Spending time with his grandparents and the rest of my family was just pure joy! He's so much fun and I know everyone had a blast playing with him. It was great. Christian got back from his det on December 21st and drove ALL night in order to make it to our family Christmas at noon on the 22nd. Now, that's LOVE! I love that man. Christian and I booked a beach condo for 12 nights while we were down there as our Christmas gift to each other and it was a great gift! We got to see some beautiful sunsets and even a couple sun rises thanks to Max waking us up for them. :) We had a great time. But, that 17 hour drive back to NJ was looming on us as our time in Florida came to an end. But, wouldn't ya know, our kid freaking rocks at traveling and he did SO well. We loaded the iPad with Mickey Mouse Club and he watched those in between naps and we stopped a lot and even stopped over night at a hotel so the trip was great. We made it home safely and now here we are in 2013!
Wow, 2013! It's almost February, which means Max is almost ONE! Whaaaaaaat??? Craziness, pure craziness! He's SOOO much fun now and has such an awesome little personality. He's so funny and says a few words now. He says "ball" ALLLLL the time. Everytime I'm in the produce section at the grocery store, every orange, apple, avocado, and anything that remotely resembles a ball, gets called a ball.... and not just once but about a thousand times. haha He also can say uh oh and doggie. And, he says "lordy, lordy, lordy" in his own little way. OH! He also started saying "wow". So cute. He's a baby genius. haha
More about Max?? OK.... haha Well, he's still going to his little play class every Thursday and loves it just as much as he always has. He moved up to the 12-18 month group since he was getting kind of bored in his last age group. So this one fits him better and he has more challenging stuff to do. I also started him in swim classes last week! We go every Friday and he LOVES it! He was smiling and laughing the whole time. Water baby! My step-dad calls him a future Navy Seal. I'm not so sure I could handle that. :-/ Anyway.... everything else is great with him. He's still not quite walking but cruising along everything and hold my hand to walk. So, all in due time. No rush, baby boy!
This month was also the first time Christian and I left Max with a sitter who did his bedtime routine with him! The only other person besides me and Chrsitian to do that is my mom! So, this was huge for us! But, it turned out great and he did really well. Thank goodness. He is really good around new people and strangers. He went through a phase of seperation anxiety and would freak if I walked out of the room but it didn't last too long. I take him to the gym with me every morning and it doesn't even phase him that I'm not in there with him. I put him down and he just crawls over to the toys and loves the girls in there that watch him. It's a nice little break for me too. :)
Oh, Christian turns FORTY next Tuesday, the 29th! Wow, old man! haha But, he looks damn good for forty, right? Of course. We don't usually get each other gifts but I figure this big birthday warrants something special. So, I'm working on that and trying to figure out what he would like (and not get mad at me for buying haha).
Well, we've started tossing around the idea of baby number two. I'm still a little more leery than Christian is at this point.... mainly because I'm the one who is home alone all the time when he's on missions to random places around the world. So, it's a lot of work. It's a lot of work with one so I can't imagine how it would be with two! Whoa. But, women make it work all the time so I know I could too. My sanity may suffer but hey, that's overrated anyway, right?? haha But, whatever is meant to be will be, I suppose. :) I think I need to just leave Max with Christian for a few days while I go on a sleep vacation so he can see how it is. Then, maybe he'll understand my reservations.... probably not though. haha He's freakin' superman and makes everything seem so easy. He'd be the new super dad. haha
So, I think I've covered everything that was in my original post... and just in time too! I hear Max throwing his paci's on the floor and saying "uh oh". That's my cue! haha Hope all of you are having a great week! Talk soon!!
xoxo
Chrissi
Well, hello again, world. Hope all of you are doing well in the new year.
OK.... let me just let you guys know what just happened. I had an entire blog post, a long one, ALMOST done and I accidentally hit the back button and it deleted EVERYTHING! UGGGGGHHHHHH! So, let's see how much I can get done before Max wakes up from his nap.... 1, 2, 3..... GO!
So, January is coming to an end and we still have yet to hear anything about our next set of orders. We thought we would know but now but it looks like we're being pushed to at least next month now. So, the waiting game continues! BOO! I think waiting for orders in January might be the hardest thing. Especially since January is, number one, the most depressing month of the year, and number two, TOO FREAKIN' COLD for me! haha I longingly look at my weather channel app every day to see the warm temps in Pensacola and then the 18 degree temps here with wind chills of TWO.... seriously, two degrees. Yuck. But, we're here and we're making the best of it. :) Spring will be here before we know it and I'll be loving life again. :)
Oh crap, Max is moving.... annnd, he's down again. ok, GO!
So, the holidays have passed and went by SO fast! Max and I spent almost a whole month in Florida and had such a great time! Spending time with his grandparents and the rest of my family was just pure joy! He's so much fun and I know everyone had a blast playing with him. It was great. Christian got back from his det on December 21st and drove ALL night in order to make it to our family Christmas at noon on the 22nd. Now, that's LOVE! I love that man. Christian and I booked a beach condo for 12 nights while we were down there as our Christmas gift to each other and it was a great gift! We got to see some beautiful sunsets and even a couple sun rises thanks to Max waking us up for them. :) We had a great time. But, that 17 hour drive back to NJ was looming on us as our time in Florida came to an end. But, wouldn't ya know, our kid freaking rocks at traveling and he did SO well. We loaded the iPad with Mickey Mouse Club and he watched those in between naps and we stopped a lot and even stopped over night at a hotel so the trip was great. We made it home safely and now here we are in 2013!
Wow, 2013! It's almost February, which means Max is almost ONE! Whaaaaaaat??? Craziness, pure craziness! He's SOOO much fun now and has such an awesome little personality. He's so funny and says a few words now. He says "ball" ALLLLL the time. Everytime I'm in the produce section at the grocery store, every orange, apple, avocado, and anything that remotely resembles a ball, gets called a ball.... and not just once but about a thousand times. haha He also can say uh oh and doggie. And, he says "lordy, lordy, lordy" in his own little way. OH! He also started saying "wow". So cute. He's a baby genius. haha
More about Max?? OK.... haha Well, he's still going to his little play class every Thursday and loves it just as much as he always has. He moved up to the 12-18 month group since he was getting kind of bored in his last age group. So this one fits him better and he has more challenging stuff to do. I also started him in swim classes last week! We go every Friday and he LOVES it! He was smiling and laughing the whole time. Water baby! My step-dad calls him a future Navy Seal. I'm not so sure I could handle that. :-/ Anyway.... everything else is great with him. He's still not quite walking but cruising along everything and hold my hand to walk. So, all in due time. No rush, baby boy!
This month was also the first time Christian and I left Max with a sitter who did his bedtime routine with him! The only other person besides me and Chrsitian to do that is my mom! So, this was huge for us! But, it turned out great and he did really well. Thank goodness. He is really good around new people and strangers. He went through a phase of seperation anxiety and would freak if I walked out of the room but it didn't last too long. I take him to the gym with me every morning and it doesn't even phase him that I'm not in there with him. I put him down and he just crawls over to the toys and loves the girls in there that watch him. It's a nice little break for me too. :)
Oh, Christian turns FORTY next Tuesday, the 29th! Wow, old man! haha But, he looks damn good for forty, right? Of course. We don't usually get each other gifts but I figure this big birthday warrants something special. So, I'm working on that and trying to figure out what he would like (and not get mad at me for buying haha).
Well, we've started tossing around the idea of baby number two. I'm still a little more leery than Christian is at this point.... mainly because I'm the one who is home alone all the time when he's on missions to random places around the world. So, it's a lot of work. It's a lot of work with one so I can't imagine how it would be with two! Whoa. But, women make it work all the time so I know I could too. My sanity may suffer but hey, that's overrated anyway, right?? haha But, whatever is meant to be will be, I suppose. :) I think I need to just leave Max with Christian for a few days while I go on a sleep vacation so he can see how it is. Then, maybe he'll understand my reservations.... probably not though. haha He's freakin' superman and makes everything seem so easy. He'd be the new super dad. haha
So, I think I've covered everything that was in my original post... and just in time too! I hear Max throwing his paci's on the floor and saying "uh oh". That's my cue! haha Hope all of you are having a great week! Talk soon!!
xoxo
Chrissi
Friday, November 16, 2012
Thankful.
Well, as we near Thanksgiving, I figure I won't have a whole lot of time to sit down and really reflect on all that I am thankful for and actually put it in writing. So, I'll spend this fabulous Friday evening doing it as I sit here with my darling husband watching Seinfeld and Duck Dynasty with a fire in the fireplace.
Obviously, this year pretty much tops the rest of my 27 years of life in terms of blessings. So here is my abundance of thanks to give.
* being a stay-at-home mom. I haven't worked since we moved up here. And, that's been a blessing on it's own. I've been able to follow Christian around the world and travel to see my family as much as I wanted. But, I never really thought I'd want to be a stay-at-home mom. Now, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I have some rough days when Max drives me a little crazy but I absolutely love being able to care for him and be the one that sees every little thing he does every day. It's such a blessing.
* where we live. As ready as I am to move back down south, we are so lucky to be renting our house in the town we live. Moorestown is such a cute little area of New Jersey and it's super convenient. We're 10 minutes outside of Philly and have all the luxuries of surburbia along with the quaint Main Street shops and restaurants. It's a great town that makes you feel like you've stepped back in time about 40 years when you see all the kids playing outside. If we were going to stay in the northeast, this is definitely the place to be. But, it's wicked expensive here (the main reason we're renting).
* military benefits. Being a military dependent has it's definite perks. The main perk is the unbelievable health care that we are blessed with as a family. Christian, Max and I are all covered 100% for any healthcare costs. It's insane. My labor and delivery came out to about $25,000. And, that was an uncomplicated birth. I was in the hospital for three days and it cost $25,000. New Jersey has the highest labor and delivery costs in the country. Guess what I paid out of that $25,000.... $52. Yes, only fifty-two dollars. So thankful. And, I've never paid a single bill for any of Max's visits (even though I take him any time I even think he might be sick). As a military wife, I put up with my fair share of crappy deals but man, this one is such a blessing.
* the way my mom & dad raised me. The older I get the more and more thankful I am for the way I was raised. I was raised with manners and etiquette. I was raised to be thankful for what I have. I was raised to respect my elders and not to be shy. I am so thankful that even though my parents divorced when I was very young, I never once saw them exchange harsh words with one another. They are what co-parenting is all about. I have awesome parents.
* facebook. Ok, maybe I'm addicted. But, being so far away from all of my friends and family really sucks. And, frankly, Facebook makes me feel a little more connected to everyone. It really helps! So, before anyone judges someone else for being on Facebook all the time or posting 8,000 things per day, give them a break. Maybe they're a little lonely. ((guilty)) :)
* being southern. I'll admit, three years ago, I was so excited to move to the northeast and get out of the south. For one reason or another, I started to have a somewhat negative feeling about the south and I was ready for a new adventure and new culture. Well, now I've had a taste of another culture and region of this country and now more than ever, I miss the south. I am so grateful for my true southern roots. And my family's roots are strong and deep in the south.
* this one may be a bit "out there" for some of y'all but oh well. I am so thankful that I have stayed committed to breastfeeding Max. It has been one of the (if not THE) best decisions I've made as a momma. I admittedly hated it in the beginning for a few months but I never really had a good enough reason to quit... as much as I wanted to. Now, Max will be nine months on Monday and I'm proud to say we're still going strong. It's definitely a crazy commitment and it's still exhausting sometimes but it's worth it, in my humble opinion. And, to add on to this one, I have to say that I'm so thankful for my cousin, Ali, for being my support system! I have called her (and still call her) about a zillion times with random questions about nursing and she is always more than willing to answer. If it wasn't for her, and my great, supportive husband, I probably wouldn't have stuck it out.
* speaking of my husband... :). Christian is my rock. He is my best friend and the love of my life. He drives me bat-shit crazy sometimes, too. That's what a healthy marriage is all about, right? haha We are goofy as hell around each other and I am most comfortable in life when I'm with him. I'm so proud of him as a man, husband, military service member and most importantly, father. He has blown me away with the love he has for Max and their relationship gets stronger by the day. Just recently, Christian has started putting Max to bed at night. Max is the sweetest and most loving as he's going to sleep. So, last week, after Christian put him to bed for the first time, he came downstairs with tears in his eyes (of course acting like he didn't have tears in his eyes) and said "that was awesome". Uh, yeah, my heart melted. And, MY eyes are tearing up as I type this. And, he's been putting him down every night since. :) I love that man so much.
* and of course, my Max. Holy moly how this little boy has changed my world. (ok, I'm tearing up again) A year and a half ago, I saw the word "pregnant" on that little test and knew my life was changed forever. I never knew just how much it would change though. When Max was born, I struggled with postpartum depression and it sucked. It sucked really bad and I never want to experience anything like that ever again in my life. But, things got better and Max and I finally built that bond that everyone talks about. And, man, that bond that I have with my little guy is mind blowing now. He brings so much joy and bliss to my life. Watching him learn new things every day is absolutely amazing. He has changed me and made me realize what is important in life and taught me that sometimes you just have to let go and let things happen as they may. Que sera, sera. I'm so proud of how smart he is. Just yesterday, he said his second "word" (baba). Today, I sat down with him and we rolled his ping pong ball (one of his favorite things) back and forth between us. Then, when it rolled under the tv cabinet, he crawled over and crouched down trying to get it from underneath. So cute and so smart. When we're outside and he hears birds singing, he stops and makes his little "hey, what's that" noise. His favorite book is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See". It's the only one that he'll sit still for. Oh, man, I could go on and on. But, being a mom is by far the most important thing I've ever done in my life. Nothing has ever and will ever compare to that. No job, test, or material possession can EVER live up to the feeling of being a mom. Nothing. Max is my biggest accomplishment and blessing and I am so thankful that I am able to spend every day with him. To say "I love him" doesn't even begin to capture what I feel for my baby boy. There are simply no words.
So, this year is certainly a special one for us. I'm thankful that I'll have my husband home for BOTH Thanksgiving AND Christmas this year. Even though he'll be gone most of the time in between the two holidays, it's great that he'll be with us on the important days. :) Also, the cat is out of the bag that Max and I are coming to Pensacola on December 9th! I was trying to keep it a surprise for my mom but I have a big mouth and too much excitement. It slipped. :) So, I'll see y'all in less than a month!!! woohoo!
Happy Thanksgiving, folks! Would love to hear all that y'all are thankful for. :)
xoxo,
Chrissi
Obviously, this year pretty much tops the rest of my 27 years of life in terms of blessings. So here is my abundance of thanks to give.
* being a stay-at-home mom. I haven't worked since we moved up here. And, that's been a blessing on it's own. I've been able to follow Christian around the world and travel to see my family as much as I wanted. But, I never really thought I'd want to be a stay-at-home mom. Now, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I have some rough days when Max drives me a little crazy but I absolutely love being able to care for him and be the one that sees every little thing he does every day. It's such a blessing.
* where we live. As ready as I am to move back down south, we are so lucky to be renting our house in the town we live. Moorestown is such a cute little area of New Jersey and it's super convenient. We're 10 minutes outside of Philly and have all the luxuries of surburbia along with the quaint Main Street shops and restaurants. It's a great town that makes you feel like you've stepped back in time about 40 years when you see all the kids playing outside. If we were going to stay in the northeast, this is definitely the place to be. But, it's wicked expensive here (the main reason we're renting).
* military benefits. Being a military dependent has it's definite perks. The main perk is the unbelievable health care that we are blessed with as a family. Christian, Max and I are all covered 100% for any healthcare costs. It's insane. My labor and delivery came out to about $25,000. And, that was an uncomplicated birth. I was in the hospital for three days and it cost $25,000. New Jersey has the highest labor and delivery costs in the country. Guess what I paid out of that $25,000.... $52. Yes, only fifty-two dollars. So thankful. And, I've never paid a single bill for any of Max's visits (even though I take him any time I even think he might be sick). As a military wife, I put up with my fair share of crappy deals but man, this one is such a blessing.
* the way my mom & dad raised me. The older I get the more and more thankful I am for the way I was raised. I was raised with manners and etiquette. I was raised to be thankful for what I have. I was raised to respect my elders and not to be shy. I am so thankful that even though my parents divorced when I was very young, I never once saw them exchange harsh words with one another. They are what co-parenting is all about. I have awesome parents.
* facebook. Ok, maybe I'm addicted. But, being so far away from all of my friends and family really sucks. And, frankly, Facebook makes me feel a little more connected to everyone. It really helps! So, before anyone judges someone else for being on Facebook all the time or posting 8,000 things per day, give them a break. Maybe they're a little lonely. ((guilty)) :)
* being southern. I'll admit, three years ago, I was so excited to move to the northeast and get out of the south. For one reason or another, I started to have a somewhat negative feeling about the south and I was ready for a new adventure and new culture. Well, now I've had a taste of another culture and region of this country and now more than ever, I miss the south. I am so grateful for my true southern roots. And my family's roots are strong and deep in the south.
* this one may be a bit "out there" for some of y'all but oh well. I am so thankful that I have stayed committed to breastfeeding Max. It has been one of the (if not THE) best decisions I've made as a momma. I admittedly hated it in the beginning for a few months but I never really had a good enough reason to quit... as much as I wanted to. Now, Max will be nine months on Monday and I'm proud to say we're still going strong. It's definitely a crazy commitment and it's still exhausting sometimes but it's worth it, in my humble opinion. And, to add on to this one, I have to say that I'm so thankful for my cousin, Ali, for being my support system! I have called her (and still call her) about a zillion times with random questions about nursing and she is always more than willing to answer. If it wasn't for her, and my great, supportive husband, I probably wouldn't have stuck it out.
* speaking of my husband... :). Christian is my rock. He is my best friend and the love of my life. He drives me bat-shit crazy sometimes, too. That's what a healthy marriage is all about, right? haha We are goofy as hell around each other and I am most comfortable in life when I'm with him. I'm so proud of him as a man, husband, military service member and most importantly, father. He has blown me away with the love he has for Max and their relationship gets stronger by the day. Just recently, Christian has started putting Max to bed at night. Max is the sweetest and most loving as he's going to sleep. So, last week, after Christian put him to bed for the first time, he came downstairs with tears in his eyes (of course acting like he didn't have tears in his eyes) and said "that was awesome". Uh, yeah, my heart melted. And, MY eyes are tearing up as I type this. And, he's been putting him down every night since. :) I love that man so much.
* and of course, my Max. Holy moly how this little boy has changed my world. (ok, I'm tearing up again) A year and a half ago, I saw the word "pregnant" on that little test and knew my life was changed forever. I never knew just how much it would change though. When Max was born, I struggled with postpartum depression and it sucked. It sucked really bad and I never want to experience anything like that ever again in my life. But, things got better and Max and I finally built that bond that everyone talks about. And, man, that bond that I have with my little guy is mind blowing now. He brings so much joy and bliss to my life. Watching him learn new things every day is absolutely amazing. He has changed me and made me realize what is important in life and taught me that sometimes you just have to let go and let things happen as they may. Que sera, sera. I'm so proud of how smart he is. Just yesterday, he said his second "word" (baba). Today, I sat down with him and we rolled his ping pong ball (one of his favorite things) back and forth between us. Then, when it rolled under the tv cabinet, he crawled over and crouched down trying to get it from underneath. So cute and so smart. When we're outside and he hears birds singing, he stops and makes his little "hey, what's that" noise. His favorite book is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See". It's the only one that he'll sit still for. Oh, man, I could go on and on. But, being a mom is by far the most important thing I've ever done in my life. Nothing has ever and will ever compare to that. No job, test, or material possession can EVER live up to the feeling of being a mom. Nothing. Max is my biggest accomplishment and blessing and I am so thankful that I am able to spend every day with him. To say "I love him" doesn't even begin to capture what I feel for my baby boy. There are simply no words.
So, this year is certainly a special one for us. I'm thankful that I'll have my husband home for BOTH Thanksgiving AND Christmas this year. Even though he'll be gone most of the time in between the two holidays, it's great that he'll be with us on the important days. :) Also, the cat is out of the bag that Max and I are coming to Pensacola on December 9th! I was trying to keep it a surprise for my mom but I have a big mouth and too much excitement. It slipped. :) So, I'll see y'all in less than a month!!! woohoo!
Happy Thanksgiving, folks! Would love to hear all that y'all are thankful for. :)
xoxo,
Chrissi
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Thank goodness that season is over.... election season, that is.
Wow, last post, was raving about it already being the end of September and now it's almost the middle of November! My gosh, this year has flown by so quickly! The holiday season is upon us, folks! And, thankfully, the crappy election season has passed. I'm a registered democrat. But, I did not vote in this election. I have not educated myself enough and therefore did not fine myself to be worthy of a vote in my opinion. Frankly, I wish many other people felt the same way. I have to commend my girlfriend, Jenna- a hardcore democrat, for an amazing email she sent to me and a few other of our friends yesterday. In that email, she explained why she voted the way she did. If any of you know Jenna, you know that she is UBER intelligent and researches everything like crazy. So, if I'm going to respect anyone's opinion in this race, it's damn sure her's because I know she did her homework. There are so many ignorant people in this world who spew hatred toward one side or the other and they have no idea what they are talking about. They're either brainwashed by MSNBC (liberal media) or Fox News (conservative media) and don't bother watching or reading anything else. Come on, Americans, we're better than that! It's really sad to me that our country has become a jumbled nation of red states and blue states. Not to be cliche but, what happened to the United States? I swear, it's all the crappy media we have now days and the sad excuses for journalist that run said media. I'm just glad the election and I will now step down off my soap box. Thank you very much. ;-)
Soooooo let's get on to more important things, like, how freakin' awesome my kid is. haha That, he is. Max is almost NINE months! Whaaaaat? When did that happen? He so much fun and just hilarious. I know it's only going to get better. Do we still have rough moments? Um, yes. Haha but they are few and far between. He's just a fearless, crazy little boy with his daddy's energy level. There is certainly never a dull moment in our house. He's cruising along the furniture now and we have a little push walker thingy for him to play with and he LOVES it. So, it won't be long before he's running around the house!
In other news, we're getting closer and closer to receiving orders from the Navy for our next move. Some very unappealing things have been offered to us. The first offer was a pretty cush job over in Sicily where Christian would fly Gulf Streams (very coveted type-rating) or some crap job over in Korea (um, yuck). So, we're trying to push those off the table so we can stay in the states but everything is kind of in a wait-it-out mode with us. Of course, I'm still trying to have as much input as possible and for us to get back down south! That's my main concern right now. I'm trying to get CLOSER to family, not freaking move half way across the world! Ugh.... so, I'm thinking we'll know a final decision in January sometime. But, who knows.
Anyway, Max just woke up from his nap so off I go! Hope y'all have a great day! Weekend is almost here!
xoxo,
Chrissi
Soooooo let's get on to more important things, like, how freakin' awesome my kid is. haha That, he is. Max is almost NINE months! Whaaaaat? When did that happen? He so much fun and just hilarious. I know it's only going to get better. Do we still have rough moments? Um, yes. Haha but they are few and far between. He's just a fearless, crazy little boy with his daddy's energy level. There is certainly never a dull moment in our house. He's cruising along the furniture now and we have a little push walker thingy for him to play with and he LOVES it. So, it won't be long before he's running around the house!
In other news, we're getting closer and closer to receiving orders from the Navy for our next move. Some very unappealing things have been offered to us. The first offer was a pretty cush job over in Sicily where Christian would fly Gulf Streams (very coveted type-rating) or some crap job over in Korea (um, yuck). So, we're trying to push those off the table so we can stay in the states but everything is kind of in a wait-it-out mode with us. Of course, I'm still trying to have as much input as possible and for us to get back down south! That's my main concern right now. I'm trying to get CLOSER to family, not freaking move half way across the world! Ugh.... so, I'm thinking we'll know a final decision in January sometime. But, who knows.
Anyway, Max just woke up from his nap so off I go! Hope y'all have a great day! Weekend is almost here!
xoxo,
Chrissi
Thursday, September 27, 2012
September's almost over!?
Hey everyone! One question: How the heck is it almost October already?!? It's crazy how quickly year gone by! So, it's been about a month since I last posted and a LOT has gone on in the Jenkins' Household since then! We just got back from another wonderful trip to visit family in Germany and Max is now SEVEN months old! WHAT?? We've had grandparents come visit Max and we've just continued our crazy life. :)
So, first thing's first. Our trip to Germany was fantastic. Max was a travel champ!!! It started off a little bumpy as we tried our hardest to use Space A military flights to get to Germany but our luck wasn't too good this year. After three days of trying to get on a flight and having it postponed and cancelled, we opted for the less desirable method of travel- commercial flights. I REALLY didn't want to fly commercially because international flights freak me out and I have a little anxiety about flying from a big city into a big city. Yes, terrorism still scares me. But, everything went off without a hitch and our flight from Philly to Frankfurt was great. Max slept for about five hours straight on that flight since it was his normal bedtime so that was pretty nice. We landed in Frankfurt at about 7 a.m. local time there. So, Max only got about five hours of sleep for his "nighttime" and we just kept him up as much as we could that day, limited his naps to two hours and took him outside into the sunshine to help re-set his clock to Germany time and it only took him about a day or two to really get into the groove of things over there! That was awesome! I was planning on 10 days with no sleep and a fussy baby but he proved me wrong! We had a great time with family and loved seeing Max's great grandparents just swoon over him! Everyone loved him and he loved all the attention. :) We went into Frankfurt a few days here and there, visited historic sites, botanical gardens, an emperor's grandson's castle for a garden festival, went to an Oktoberfest celebration with the whole family, drove down to Heidelberg for a little site-seeing and spent a lot of time with family. The flight home went really well too. Max only slept about two hours total on that flight but we just played the rest of the time so it went by really quickly! And, I think he's already back on our time zone! So, all in all, another great trip for the books! We'll do it again next year!
As I mentioned, Max's grandparents came to visit this month and we LOVED having them here! My dad and step-mom came up one weekend and then my mom came up the following weekend. It was SOOOO great to see family. I know I say this all the time but I miss my family SOOOO much! While we were in Germany, I got a little teary eyed more than once just thinking about how special it is to have family close by. I'm so jealous of people who get to live near family. One day, Chrissi.... one day. :( I'm still keeping my fingers, toes, and eyes crossed to have the Navy bless us with a southern locale for our next tour. Please continue to pray for us that we get either New Orleans or Jacksonville. I think I might have a breakdown if we don't. :( I know I can handle anything but, man, I want to be within driving distance of my parents, cousins, and friends!!!
So anyway, enough with my sob story. Christian left today for a trip overseas and he'll be back next week. Next weekend (Columbus Day weekend), we're planning on going to Meredith, New Hampshire for a clam bake we go to every year. It's hosted by our friend's parents and it's SOOO much fun and so beautiful. So, I'm hoping Christian comes back on time so we can go!
After that trip, we don't really have much planned in terms of travel. I know we'll probably go out to western MD for a visit with my in-laws later this month and we're planning on going there again for Thanksgiving. Christian leaves for a few weeks in December and then we'll head down to Pensacola for a couple weeks over Christmas! I'm so excited! Oh yeah, Halloween is in there too so I'm still trying to figure out what Max will be. We were going to dress him up as a pilot since he has a customized onesie that matches Christian's flight suit but he'll grow out if it by then so I'm still racking my brain and the internet for cute ideas.
Well, that's about it for now! I hope y'all are enjoying the first week of Fall! Talk soon!
xoxo,
Chrissi
So, first thing's first. Our trip to Germany was fantastic. Max was a travel champ!!! It started off a little bumpy as we tried our hardest to use Space A military flights to get to Germany but our luck wasn't too good this year. After three days of trying to get on a flight and having it postponed and cancelled, we opted for the less desirable method of travel- commercial flights. I REALLY didn't want to fly commercially because international flights freak me out and I have a little anxiety about flying from a big city into a big city. Yes, terrorism still scares me. But, everything went off without a hitch and our flight from Philly to Frankfurt was great. Max slept for about five hours straight on that flight since it was his normal bedtime so that was pretty nice. We landed in Frankfurt at about 7 a.m. local time there. So, Max only got about five hours of sleep for his "nighttime" and we just kept him up as much as we could that day, limited his naps to two hours and took him outside into the sunshine to help re-set his clock to Germany time and it only took him about a day or two to really get into the groove of things over there! That was awesome! I was planning on 10 days with no sleep and a fussy baby but he proved me wrong! We had a great time with family and loved seeing Max's great grandparents just swoon over him! Everyone loved him and he loved all the attention. :) We went into Frankfurt a few days here and there, visited historic sites, botanical gardens, an emperor's grandson's castle for a garden festival, went to an Oktoberfest celebration with the whole family, drove down to Heidelberg for a little site-seeing and spent a lot of time with family. The flight home went really well too. Max only slept about two hours total on that flight but we just played the rest of the time so it went by really quickly! And, I think he's already back on our time zone! So, all in all, another great trip for the books! We'll do it again next year!
As I mentioned, Max's grandparents came to visit this month and we LOVED having them here! My dad and step-mom came up one weekend and then my mom came up the following weekend. It was SOOOO great to see family. I know I say this all the time but I miss my family SOOOO much! While we were in Germany, I got a little teary eyed more than once just thinking about how special it is to have family close by. I'm so jealous of people who get to live near family. One day, Chrissi.... one day. :( I'm still keeping my fingers, toes, and eyes crossed to have the Navy bless us with a southern locale for our next tour. Please continue to pray for us that we get either New Orleans or Jacksonville. I think I might have a breakdown if we don't. :( I know I can handle anything but, man, I want to be within driving distance of my parents, cousins, and friends!!!
So anyway, enough with my sob story. Christian left today for a trip overseas and he'll be back next week. Next weekend (Columbus Day weekend), we're planning on going to Meredith, New Hampshire for a clam bake we go to every year. It's hosted by our friend's parents and it's SOOO much fun and so beautiful. So, I'm hoping Christian comes back on time so we can go!
After that trip, we don't really have much planned in terms of travel. I know we'll probably go out to western MD for a visit with my in-laws later this month and we're planning on going there again for Thanksgiving. Christian leaves for a few weeks in December and then we'll head down to Pensacola for a couple weeks over Christmas! I'm so excited! Oh yeah, Halloween is in there too so I'm still trying to figure out what Max will be. We were going to dress him up as a pilot since he has a customized onesie that matches Christian's flight suit but he'll grow out if it by then so I'm still racking my brain and the internet for cute ideas.
Well, that's about it for now! I hope y'all are enjoying the first week of Fall! Talk soon!
xoxo,
Chrissi
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