Addendem to the previous post

So after rereading this, it seems I was still quite upset and sarcastic feeling at that point. Wow...Sorry everyone!! I'm doing better after a nap and lunch...though I still don't feel very good...bleh...

Sam's 2 month well baby check up

Well, we made it to our 0800 Dr. appt. today. We even got there early! Good thing, because when I went to sign Sam in, they said his appt. wasn't showing up in one part of the system or something. Fantastic start...but the ladies were really nice, and figured it out. Then we went back to get Sam weighed/measured/vitals checked. He's 24.5" long, and 11 lbs. 12 oz. He's in the 97th percentile for height, 50th for weight, and 3rd for his head...he has a really small head, apparently!! Anyway, after some stroller traffic jams, we made it into the room to wait for the dr. Josh was EVERYWHERE, and they are very small rooms, especially after you shove a double stroller in next to the exam table and waiting chairs. Anyway, the dr. finally came in, and started peppering me with questions like, "where are his records? How many times was he seen at MUSC? you know you're going to have to pay to get his records sent here, right? you know you're a terrible mom and your kids are probably going to die from neglect, don't you?" OK, so that last one is a little exaggerated, but she seriously made me feel about an inch tall. Apparently I have to cut tomatoes and broccoli out of my diet, so that Sam isn't so gassy (he's gotten much better, btw), and not give him gas drops, since apparently they could make his bowels paralyzed after a couple of years. Like he's going to be using them that long...and I don't believe her anyway, since I've had plenty of other drs. tell me that I SHOULD give them whenever feeding, if he needs them, that it wasn't a problem, don't worry about it. Apparently she just feels that I'm a horrible mother...and there's the little issue of putting Sam on his stomach, and that could kill him, too...especially with the heart issue. Nevermind the fact that he won't sleep on his back or side, so that if I don't put him on his stomach, he'll probably also die from neglect after I pass out from lack of sleep! ARGH!! I hate when doctors make you feel like you're completely deficient as a mother and your kids would be better with pretty much anyone besides you.
Anyway, I didn't have the papers I was supposed to, because no one told me I needed them, and the last time I had a kid, it was with the military hospital, so unless someone tells me, how do I know? Plus, pair that with the stress of the past few days, AJ being gone, and little sleep, and you get me feeling really dumb by the doctor and staff today. Not cool.
Sam got his shots, was pronounced well, and we got some vitamin drops and tylenol for him. He did really well with the shots, despite the lady taking FOREVER to do them. We had to wait 20 min. to be sure he was ok, not having a reaction, then we dosed him with the tylenol and put all of us (all grumpy) in the car to go home. Sam fell asleep while we were waiting for the 20 min. and then again after I woke him up for his meds, slept all the way home, and then after I put him in the swing, again for about an hour. He was wiped out! He did get very whiney and grumpy after I fed him, but I think the tylenol had worn off and he was in a lot of pain. Once that kicked in, he fell asleep, and we took a nap on the couch, where he is still sleeping. Josh also took a nap today (YAY!), but is slightly grumpy now, and I don't feel very good, so I'm really hoping we're not sick. I'm trying to decide if we need to stay home from comm. group tonight, so we don't get others sick...but I REALLY need to drop Josh off and have some time without him...he's been VERY attention-needy and disobedient lately. Anyway, better wrap this up, as I'm sure we've already lost readers by this point!!

Sam is 2 months old!!

Yay for Sam!
Some fun facts about Sam:

• He smiles ALL the time now (except when he's upset or not in a smiling mood)
• He'll sometimes (most of the time) sleep for a 5-6 hr. stretch at night
• He still uses his binky, and is getting better at keeping it in his mouth
• He went on his first two plane rides: to Houston from Charleston, and then back again. His first plane ride at 6 weeks is quite a bit earlier than Josh's (at 4 months), but he hasn't been out of the country yet (which Josh did for the first time at 5 weeks) or flown on AJ's jet (which Josh did for his first plane ride at 4 months). So we figure it evens out, right??
• He sleeps on his tummy, but wants to play on his back
• He LOVES his sproingy donkey, that we got for Josh, but stayed as a nursery toy. Although Josh did damage it before we put it up while it was in his room in Germany...whoops
• He looks a TON like me when I was a baby, but has AJ's mouth, and his Nana's chin.
  
• He likes to be held pretty much ALL the time!!
• He is out of pretty much all his newborn clothing, and at least half of his 0-3 month stuff...we'll see how much he weighs at his check up tomorrow.
• He still has hair, and I think has grown more. His eyelashes are also waaay longer than they were when he was born.
  
• He still loves to watch the fish on his swing...which he's sleeping in right now, b/c I was too lazy to try to put him in his bed...oh, well.
  

Here are some pix from the past day or so.
This outfit is a 6 months size...scary, huh?!


So cute
He started batting at his toys on his playmat just this afternoon
Cute smiley boy!
Josh was "teaching" Sam to play with his toys. He was holding his hand and helping him bat at a couple of the toys.
Josh also wanted to play on Sam's playmat...
Silly boy!!
The 2 month photo shoot this evening. Notice the picture on the margin of the blog...same outfit as in the picture of Josh, though Sam is probably at least a month to 6 weeks older than Josh was in his picture...kept meaning to get a picture of Sam in this when he was small, but I don't think I did...I'll have to go back and check. Oh, well.
Smiling Sam at the beginning of the shoot...

...starting to get tired of it...
"OK, Mom, we're done now!!"

The problem with two computers...

...is that now I can't post anymore leave pix (well, the ones that aren't on the camera anymore) b/c they're on the laptop which just left with AJ. Now it's possible that he may still come home again today, since that's been the trend lately...he's tried to leave twice already and it hasn't worked...but it sounded like it was gonna happen today. I'm sure it will, now that Sam's gotten on a stay up till 3 am schedule, and Josh didn't take a nap today, and I've got a dr. appt. tomorrow for me, and one at the crack of dawn (well, really only 8 am, but we'll have to get up at the crack of dawn to make it there on time) for Sam on Wed. for him to get his shots, so he'll probably be fussy and stuff...figures, now that things are hard, AJ gets to go jetting off to Europe...sigh...

I seem to be venting on here more lately...sorry to those who actually read this...I really do love my husband and appreciate all he does for us, but occasionally I wish we could live a "normal" life, where he was home more than he's gone, and there aren't 4 month gaps where we don't see each other, and that Sam would actually know his Daddy. That's part of being a military wife, and I know I signed up for it, but sometimes I just feel like quitting! Today is one of those days...I'll probably be better if I can get some more sleep sometime.

OK, enough grumbling...I have joy, even when I'm feeling grumbly, because of Christ in my life. I just have to try to concentrate on that, and not myself.

But there will be no more pix of leave till he gets back, regardless...sorry!

AJ's still here...

...and I'm TOTALLY EXCITED!! I know it's really hard for him to get spun up to go, and then have to come back when the plane doesn't get fixed, but I love having him home! Also, that means maybe he can stay up with Sam if he decides not to sleep again tonight!! He'll probably turn into an angel baby now that someone else is available to help out...

Murphy...

Murphy's Law states that anything that can go wrong, will...we've been having a "Murphy" week since we left Houston.

The day we supposed to leave Houston AJ got a call from the scheduler here asking him to fly a 10 day mission starting Friday morning. There wasn't anyone else, so he said ok, and the mess began...

To start with, I discovered that my military ID was missing on Wed. (the day we were flying back home) morning. We searched everywhere we could think of at AJ's parents' house, and I was on the phone with my Mom, getting her to search their house for me. It made for a lot of sweaty frustration.

Then we went to the airport, got on the flight, and had a pretty horrible trip home, with me, Josh and Sam sitting on one side of the plane, and AJ alone on the other. Basically this was b/c the plane only had extra oxygen masks on the one side of the plane with the row of 2 seats. I understand and appreciate them seating us in one of these rows...that said, I was having some difficulties juggling both boys (Sam wanted to eat, of course) and trying to eat my lunch...so I handed Sam to AJ for a few min. The flight attendant was very pushy and not understanding about my non-octopus status, and insisted that either AJ and I switch seats (the fasten seat belt light was still on, btw), or that I continue to pull my hair out b/c of going crazy trying to deal with an 8 wk old and an almost 3 year old who didn't want to be cooped up, and needed a nap DESPERATELY! Well, of course it would have been almost as much trouble to reorganize ourselves as it was to just deal with it, so we just dealt with it...while watching other adults on the flight stand in the aisle chatting...while the FA said NOTHING to them! It was just irritating...

Then when we got out to our car (it was raining, btw, and there were puddles everywhere), the check engine light came on when we started my car...so as we're driving home, I was looking up the reasons for it to come on. One was that the fuel cap might need to be checked and put on tight. So AJ checked that, and we waited to see if it would work or not, as the book said it could take a day or few of normal driving to go off if that was the problem.

We unpacked, searching everywhere for my ID, and finally found it in the lining of one of the suitcases!!! Thank God...we'd both been praying all day to find it.

Then the next day, AJ headed off to work and the day went ok...figured out my appt. finally...the third one I've made, and hopefully this one will actually stick!

Went to pick up Gus with both boys...and decided to leave them in the car with the windows down, since it would be just a run in and out thing...until the stupid dog came out BLEEDING!! He had cut his tail on something, the kennel probably, and the lady had to tape it up. We need to take that off...but he's acting fairly normal, although he did pee all over the dining room yesterday morning...weird and not cool!

Then I called Honda and told them we were bringing our car in, and when AJ got home that day, we put Josh and Sam in the cars and headed to the Honda dealership...but when I turned my car on, there was no check engine light on! Since we had driven it some since redoing the fuel cap, and it says that in the book, and we didn't exactly have a ton of time, we decided to just accept that it was fixed and not mess with it.

That afternoon after the boys' naps (yes, I managed to get them to take naps the same time and length!!), AJ and Josh went out to mow, edge, and fix the gutter in the back. After dinner, it was time for Josh's bath, and when I pulled his shirt off him, I found a TICK!!!!! YUCK!! Having never seen or dealt with ticks, I freaked out and had to run get AJ, who pulled it out, head and all, so it was ok...then we washed Josh, and fine-tooth combed both his and AJ's hair to be sure we hadn't missed any nasty little blood suckers! EWWW...and we also gave Gus his frontline and went over him for ticks, too...didn't find anymore, thank goodness!

The next day, we had a good morning, though AJ was very busy getting everything ready to go before 10...managed it, and he left. Josh and Sam and I went to the store, on a marathon run, and it went fairly smoothly, though the cart wasn't really big enough, and we had to have a guy help us out to the car. Got home and made Josh his sandwich while putting away the cold/frozen stuff, and had him eat while Sam ate, too. Halfway through, Josh wanted to sit on the potty, so (still nursing Sam) I helped him pull off his pants and pull up and sent him off to go...and he did, and washed his hands and flushed and everything...he's starting to get better about it again! He even tried to go poop on the potty last night! Anyway, nap time came, and I tried to put Sam down (he was tired), put Josh down, and then went back to get the crying Sam and try again...and again...and ended up taking him downstairs where I made my lunch one handed, and ate while feeding Sam (AGAIN!), and finally after lunch, I managed to get him to sleep on the couch...but he would start to wake up, and I'd put his binky back in and pat his back a min., and we'd repeat that about every 20-30 min. for a couple hrs.

Then I got a call from AJ...I figured he was at his stop in the states before heading overseas, but when I asked where he was, he told me "almost to the Texaco." They had a broken plane...it was broken when they got there, and despite an entire day of trying fix it, it was still broken last night when he came home. So they're trying again today, but we at least got one more night with him home!!

However, last night was NOT a good night for me. I was finishing up a few things downstairs, and Sam started crying (he'd gone up with AJ just a couple min. before), but I figured AJ would get him, so I kept reading whatever it was I was reading on the computer. But he kept crying...and kept on crying...so I headed upstairs, figuring AJ had given up on him...I was right. So I changed Sam's diaper and put his pj's on, and rocked/bounced him to sleep, and put him in bed...5 min. later, he was up again...and this continued for over an hour!! Finally, around 2 he gave up for good, with AJ sleeping peacefully the whole time. I could have woken him up, but knowing he was going to (try to) fly today, I let him sleep...I don't want him to crash the plane b/c he was up with Sam all night or anything...

Then Sam woke up at 5...3 hours after I'd finally gotten him to sleep!!! AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGHHHH!! I was kinda mad at him, and though we dozed while I fed him, it was really irritating and put me in a horrible mood. It's been at least a week or two since the last time I got that little sleep. He better not do this the whole time AJ's gone...I might have to ship him back to his grandparents' house!!

OK, now that I've vented, I feel better...now for breakfast, and finishing the laundry and vacuuming all the spots where the dog peed yesterday. Yahoo...

Round one of leave pictures

We've been on leave here in Houston for almost two weeks now, and I thought we'd load some of our pictures. These are from the beginning of our trip, but pretty miscellaneous.
My Mamaw came down for about a week to spend some time with us, and meet her newest great grandson.
My Dad with Sam...he sure does love Sam!

Daddy (AJ) with his boys in the pool
This was Sam's first time in the pool
He liked it for awhile
Josh saying "cheese!!"
Yay for playing in the pool!!



Josh's sandals on the left, Josiah's on the right...almost exactly 2 years age difference!
Josh playing on his playset in Grandmom's and Granddad's yard

"Hello??!!"
Nana (Carla, AJ's mom) holding Sam for the first time...unfortunately he was screaming b/c it was his dinnertime, but he really loves being held by her now!
Missy (my sister) being sweet with her son, Josiah...Josiah was only interested in chewing on the antennae of the water toy!
Josh and Josiah riding together
Josiah in the pool...loved the bouncing!

Sam enjoying the sun outside while the bigger boys played in the pool.

There will be more at some point, when I have time. We've had a great visit, and we're so excited we got to come and let Sam meet the rest of his family...well, as much as we could! Check back soon for more pictures!