Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving

I just wanted to take a quick moment to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.  Today when Kevin is finished with class at 4pm we will be starting the long journey back to Gassaway, WV.  We will arrive sometime tomorrow afternoon and will then enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's house.  Friday we might make a stop in Morgantown and then Saturday we will have Thanksgiving with my dad's side of the family.  They were nice enough to move the date so that we could join them! :)  Early Sunday morning Kevin will be leaving us to fly back to AL.  Kerriann and I will be staying in WV until he can join us again the week before Christmas.  We will miss him lots but he will be very busy with his flight classes so hopefully he won't get too bored without us!

So again... Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels to all those who are traveling this weekend!

Friday, November 20, 2009

The past two weeks...

Have been extremely crazy!  Not crazy like something really exciting has been going on, just crazy busy with normal day to day activities. 

Two weeks ago on Sunday Kerriann started to come down with what we thought was a cold.  The week prior to that her sleeping schedule was a mess and she just seemed miserable.  We noticed that she was batting at her ears so we decided to take her to the doctor to rule out an ear infection (our other thought was that maybe it was just teething).  The next day was Veteran's Day so the doctor who we should have seen at the Ft. Rucker clinic was closed and her civilian doctor was booked so we went to Southeastern Pediatrics because they were able to double book us and get her in.  After a quick examination the doctor told us that there was a little bit of fluid in one of her ears, so he gave us a prescription for Amoxicillin and some drops for pain.  He also said that she had wax in both of her ears so he had to get it out.  This was a horrible experience for all of us.  Kerriann was a lot more upset than she was when she got her 2 month shots!  I had to hold her arms down and Kevin had to hold her head down while the doctor went to work.  It was so hard watching her scream but it had to be done :(.  After the evil doctor (I didn't even catch his name) was finished there was nothing we could do to calm her.  I finally decided to nurse her which helped, but as soon as the doctor walked back in with the prescription and started talking she unlatched and started screaming again!  She definitely knew that was the voice of the person who had just caused her so much discomfort.

Since there was no infection, we think it was a combination of congestion and teething that was causing Kerriann's fussiness and keeping her from sleeping well.  It's been a little over a week now and she is finally starting to act like herself again.  She has been sleeping better and not fussing as much during the day.  When she does fuss, we just assume that it's teething since the congestion seems to be gone.  She has been drooling like crazy and is now batting at both sides of her face/ears.  We can also see what looks to be two little white teeth below the surface of her bottom gums!  It seems like it's just a matter of time before one breaks the surface. 

So this is why there haven't been any updates the past couple of weeks.  Between trying to keep Kerriann comfortable, giving her medicine 3 times a day (which I'll add is NOT easy with her tongue reflex still in full force), and trying to keep the house under control and take care of myself and Kevin at the same time... it's been a busy couple of weeks!  There haven't been many pictures taken either as we haven't had many smiles out of Kerriann :(.  The ones below were few and far between.  I am just so happy that she is finally getting back to her normal happy self!





Poor sick baby :(

Blowing bubbles

Funny face after her first taste of Amoxicillin

Practicing her head control despite being sick

First time with the teething ring... it was a little big for her

 
Kicking away as usual


 
Checking myself out in the mirror

Trying out her wrist rattle... she wasn't too interested in it

Hanging out with Daddy and feeling much better!

Bathtime 11/19/09

Here are a few bathtime pictures to hold you over until I can fill you in on the past two weeks!


Time for bed!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Freedom is never free


Today I came across the quote "Freedom is Never Free" and it really made me stop to think about all of the men and women who are currently serving in the United States military.  The sacrifices that these brave men and women make have really become apparent to me in the last few days, especially with the tragedy that recently took place in Ft Hood.  Every day there are soldiers risking their lives in far away countries so that those of us in America are still safe.  Every day there are soldiers who have their lives taken so that we can be free, sometimes even on our own soil.  Every day there are soldiers giving up 99% of their free time to study and train so that they can risk their lives for us in the future.  This last one is the instance that has really hit home for me lately.  I can imagine how hard it must be for the families who are separated because one member is serving overseas or training in a different state, but I never imagined how hard it would be to be living in the same house with one of these soldiers who is training. 

Kevin has barely been in flight school classes a week, but his entire life has already been consumed by it.  I sometimes feel selfish because I want him to spend more time with Kerriann and me.  I just pray that I am strong enough to realize that he is doing something that is great for our country, and that I need to give him the space that he needs to learn as much as he can.  The job that he is training to do is a dangerous one and I would hate for him to miss some detail because he wasn't able to concentrate to study.  I am so proud of him that he is going to be living out his dream.  It is scary at times to think that he will be flying helicopters in dangerous areas one day but I know that it is what he wants to do and I support that 100%.

This is the first year that I really have a deep understanding of Veteran's Day and I am sad to admit that I didn't take it seriously in previous years.  I want to take this time to say thank you to everyone who has served in the past or who is currently serving in the military.  To my grandfathers, to Kevin, to Sean, to Alaina's sister Kati's husband, to Evan, Greg, and Jason who I know from high school, to those who are POW's and MIA...thank you all for what you have done and sacrificed for me & my family and friends.  I could never thank you all enough.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Chili Cookoff

Today was Kevin's day off so we attended the AAAA Chili Cookoff at Ft. Rucker.  The weather was beautiful and it really was the perfect day to be outside.  75 and sunny in November!  We tasted at least 5 different kinds of chili and got to see and go inside of all of the different helicopters.  Kevin and I had a great time and Kerriann was a little angel and slept most of the time in the stroller.  Below are a few pictures of our day.


 Kevin and Kerriann beside a Black hawk...he'll be flying these in a year!


In the gunner's door

Kerriann and Adriane

 
Apache 64 Attack Helicopter

In front of a TH67, the helicopter Kevin will learn to fly first
 
Worn out after a day full of chili and helicopters
 

Thursday, November 5, 2009

3 months updates

Kerriann was 3 months old on Tuesday.  Time has flown by since she was born, yet it feels like she has been here forever.  She really is turning into a wonderful baby and gets more beautiful every day (if that's possible).  There are things that I already miss...like her being a tiny, sleepy newborn, but I look forward to all of her changes at the same time. 

As a lot of you know, she has had a hard time dealing with reflux and is very fussy at times.  As time goes on, her reflux gets better and she is happier for a greater part of the day.  This makes things easier on all of us, and I don't feel bad for wishing that she would grow up a little bit faster because of it.  I just hope that time will stop in a couple of months when her reflux is (hopefully) gone.  Before she was on medication she really wasn't happy laying flat on the floor and playing.  Now she can lay on her play mat and play with the toys hanging above her and you can tell she really enjoys it. 

Kerriann is also starting to tolerate being on her tummy for longer periods of time.  Each day I roll her to her tummy more and more and you can see huge improvements in her neck and head control.  Every time we go out we have to add an extra 30 min to our trip just to accomodate for all of the strangers stopping to tell us how alert, strong, and beautiful she is :).  She has never been one of those sleepy babies you see snoozing away in their infant seat.  She HATES being in her seat and wants to be in the carrier facing out so she can take in all of her surroundings. 

As you can see from the pictures, Kerriann is a pro at smiling these days.  She has only giggled a few times, but she smiles so big that you know her days of laughing are quickly approaching.  The thing that makes her smile the most is her octopus toy...and even when she's in the worst mood Mr. Octopus can get a little grin out of her.  She has also gotten better at having conversations with us and her stuffed animal friends.  I will try to post videos soon.  It's so cute when she tries to talk!  I just wish we knew what she was saying.

The only thing that I have to report that has gotten worse is her sleep habits.  Where we were getting 10 hour stretches some nights, now we are barely getting 3.  Maybe it is a very long growth spurt...I don't know.  I just hope she goes back to her old ways soon.  Mommy needs sleep (in increments longer than 2 1/2 hours)!  We have finally gotten her into a bedtime routine and I'm hoping that this will eventually lead to longer sleep stretches.  Each night we give her a bath at 7pm, followed by her medicine and then a bedtime snack.  She is usually out like a light after that (well...for a couple hours at least).

Kevin officially started flight school today.  For him this means devoting his life to studying.  For me this means being on baby duty 24/7.  I hope that he turns out to be a natural so that he is still able to spend some time with us on the weekends.  If not I guess we will catch up with him in a few months ;).  The portion that he is starting right now will run about 5 months (with a 2 week break at Christmas), and then he should have a break for a few months in the summer.  He will have to write an update soon going into more detail about what he is doing.

One more thing...I'm not sure if I have posted about this or not, but my Uncle David (my mom's younger brother) received a kidney transplant at the beginning of September and has been in the ICU dealing with complications for the past few weeks.  He is a little better as of today and will be moved to a new hospital in Austin where he has been living with his family for the past few years.  This is GREAT news, but he still has a very long journey ahead of him and I as well as the rest of my family would really appreciate all of the prayers that we can get. Thanks in advance!

Well...I think that is all for now :).  Below are a few pictures that I took of Kerriann on her 3 month birthday!

Look how high I can hold my head now!

I can even look at the camera!

3 month photoshoot

 
 

Monday, November 2, 2009

Kerriann's 1st Halloween-2009


Trying on my monkey suit from Derrick


(I'm a sailor if you couldn't tell!)


Happy Halloween!


For Halloween this year we didn't do much...just went to Carmen and Henry's house for a BBQ.  By the time we got home trick or treating was pretty much over but we still had one group of kids!  Of course we still had to dress Kerriann up.  Hope you enjoyed the pics! :)

Who's Bigger?




 

Kevin's 7 lb bass (Bubba) from Lake Tholocco or his daughter Kerriann?!?

October 29, 2009 in pictures


Tummy time with Mr Parrot


 
 
 
First time sucking on the paci...I used my hands to take it out and put it back in!  Video coming soon!

Pictures from week 12


Waking up in the morning...my happiest time of day!

Climbing on Mommy

With Daddy showing off my mohawk
 
 
 









Bundled up for a walk...it's too bright out here Mommy!

Graduating from the swaddle to the sleep sack...getting tucked in by Mommy!