EWW Gross!!

So today has been a fun day. Let me start by saying what has been happening the past couple of days. . . Monday evening Maddison had crawled up in my lap and I realized she smelled horrible, I mean horrible. It was time for her bath anyway so I got her ready, put her in the tub and scrubbed the crap out of her. Then I got her ready for bed and she was cranky so I decided to let her lay on the couch and go to sleep. When Brandon got home from work he picked her up to take her to bed and he said she smelled bad. I was like "WTF I just gave her a bath?" So I smelled her and sure enough the smell was back. I started sniffing her all over and realized that it was her face and hands that smelled so bad. So I made Brandon wake her up and take her to the bathroom and wash them really good again. Then we all went to bed. Well yesterday I didn't notice it again, and we spent all day outside with her playing in the pool, when we came in she was exhausted so I put her down for a nap. When she woke up she wanted me to hold her for a little while and when I picked her up I realized she stunk again. Now I am starting to really wonder what the problem is. I decided to hold off on the bath because it was only a few hours before bath time anyway. Well, again I scrubbed her until she was pretty much raw. .washed her hair twice, made sure every nook and cranny was spotless and I got her out and took her to her room to put her jammies on. While I was doing this I started smelling it AGAIN. Now I am like going crazy trying to figure out what it is, so I smelled her entire face inch by inch and realized it was coming from the mouth/nose area. So I took her in the bathroom and brushed her teeth like crazy and sniffed again. . still there. Then I made her blow her nose and I smelled the tissue. . I almost gagged. . it was sooooo nasty. . it smelled like something dead and rotting. EW. So I called mom and was like WTH?? What is this, and she says "Sounds like she has shoved something up her nose!" OMG, are you kidding me. So first thing this morning I call and get her in to see the doctor. . she looks and can't see anything (oh yeah, the smell had stopped too. . and in my panic last night trying to figure out what it was I gave her Little Noses) but she was concerned that it could be deeper in the sinus so she wanted to refer us the see an ENT and have a scope done. So off we go there. . and luckily the ENT said that there was nothing there anymore, but it was a little irritated like something had been there, and by the smell I described it was probably some kind of food. He said possibly when I gave her the little noses she sucked it on down and now it is in her stomach. . EWWWWWWWWWWW. That is so nasty. But he said everything looked fine and she was a healthy little girl. . so that is good news. But it has been and interesting day, and we had a serious talk about sticking things up our nose. . LOL.

Happy Memorial Day!

Hope everyone is having a great memorial day and enjoying time off work. We are busy getting the house cleaned and getting ready to head to bama tomorrow for a couple of days to see our new niece *Sophie Claire* who was born on Friday, and to see my dad who is recovering from prostate surgery. Unfortunately, his surgery was not effective and he has a consult at Vanderbilt in June to see if they can operate. *keep him in your thoughts*

After 2 days in bama we are heading to Gatlinburg with my mom, nanny, and 2 aunts and uncles. It should be fun. We need some time away.

In other news, Brandon got his tat today. I really love it, it turned out great.




Sophie Claire 7lbs 15oz 21in

My Lovely Customers

These are all of the places that I have received orders from in my CafePress Shop. I am international!! lol I just thought it would be fun to keep track and see if I eventually get all 50 states. . we will see. :]

Fun Night for the Kiddo

Last night we got to take Maddie Lou to see Sesame Street Live! She had a great time. She is still talking about, Elmo and Zoey and Cookie Monster and Big Bird and Bert and Ernie and Grover and Oscar. . lol. But it was a really cute show and I am glad that we got to take her. It is kind of sad how we got the tickets. A friend of mine is having trouble with her husband and she left the state to go back home for a while to sort things out and they already had the tickets so she just gave them to us. I hate they didn't get to go too. :[ I wish we would have known about it more in advance because we would have bought tickets anyway. She was still talking about when we took her to see Playhouse Disney Live! back in September. She loves stuff like that. But yeah, good show, I recommend it to anyone that has lil ones and they watch Sesame Street.

It was supposed to be storming, and we were a little reluctant to drive down there and then it get bad, but we lucked out and the weather was fine. Afterwards we went to IHOP and spoiled her with pancakes. . lol. All in all it was a good night. .and it was great that Brandon got to experience it with us. It seems he always misses out on this kind of thing, so I am so glad that he got to go with us this time!

Yipee!!

So, I am calling it official. . we are officially potty trained. No more pull-ups!!! She has been daytime potty trained for quite a while now, but the night time thing is what was scaring me. I wasn't ready to stop putting her in a pull-up at night because almost every morning when she woke up her pull-up was wet, so I didn't think she was ready. Then one day I ran out of pull-ups and didn't have a chance to get to the store. So I told her she was going to sleep in her panties, but she couldn't pee in them. She was very excited, I was not, because I just knew I would be waking up in the middle of the night to change her clothes and sheets. But the next morning I woke up and she was awake and dry. I was SUPER excited. So that was the end of pull-ups. That was a few months ago and as of now she has only wet the bed about 4 times. She hasn't had an accident at all in over a month. . so that is it, I am calling it done! LOL. I know she will probably have a few more accidents over the course of time, but I am just so super excited and proud of her! It was so much easier than I thought it was going to be. I just hope the next kid is the same way. . ha ha.

One of those days . .

So today has been one of those days. It is raining/storming so that means that we are stuck indoors and the little one is going stir crazy. I can't blame her, but she is driving me up the walls. I too am bored so I shifted into super cleaning mode and have been cleaning my ass off all day. Like serious cleaning, washing walls, shampooing carpets, washing throw blankets and tablecloths, hands and knees scrubbing kitchen and bathroom floors. . .yeah that kind of cleaning. Well, my sweet, darling, adorable, innocent (HA) child has been trying to climb back into the womb today. Today has been one of those days where I now know why it is acceptable in some species for mothers to eat their offspring. Bless her little heart.

However, just a few moments ago she made me laugh so hard that I had to lay down. I was in my bedroom trying to put the last load of laundry away and she was on my heels, every time I turned to put something in the closet I tripped over her, etc. I snapped. I screamed at her a lot louder and meaner than I should have, but this has been going on all day. Instead of screaming in fear and running to her room (which was my intention) she just looks at me , throws her hands up and says "JESUS CHRIST MOM, BREATHE!!!!" I lost it. I laughed until my stomach hurt. And of course she thought that was the greatest thing in the world so now she is walking around saying it over and over again. Great, now I have ANOTHER thing I have to break her from saying on public. Just thought I would share. lol.

And it starts. . AGAIN!

Well, I just got back from the hangar. Dropped hubby off for his first detachment (DET as we in the Navy call it) in this next deployment cycle. If you think about it, it seems like it will be a while before he deploys again. He will be leaving sometime next summer. (I know when but I will not post that on here). But honestly, the cycle starts today and that will make time pass by so quickly and I will be standing in the hangar bay with the USO ladies around me and I will be watching him walk to that plane again before I know it. The DET he is currently on is only 3 weeks. Three weeks is nothing. I can handle that no problem. But, July there is another one, September another, and December another. Then after the new year there are at least 2 more scheduled before they deploy. Now, I know as an educated Navy wife that these are necessary to the readiness of the strike group and essential to the continued training of the pilots and all that jazz, but that doesn't make it suck any less. It seems like they return them home to us and then a couple of months later they start the next rotation. It can be exhausting. And I swear to god if he is gone in September and misses maddie's birthday again, or our anniversary again I will be pissed. We have NEVER spent an anniversary together and this year will be the 5th for us, and he has NEVER been home for our daughter's birthday and she will be 3. I know it is really hard on him.

We were all ready to have another baby when we thought that the next deployment wouldnt be until 2010. But now that things have changed we are going to have to wait. Sometimes it sucks so bad knowing that the government is pretty much determining how your life is to turn out. It would be nice to say "hey let's have a baby" and then go do it not having to worry that your husband may miss the birth, or the first year of the kid's life. But this is the life we have and we will deal with what we get.

I am just looking forward to the day when his degree is finished and then we can make the decision of staying in and becoming an officer, or getting a civilian job. I know that is not too far away, but then again it is. But until then I will stick it out.

I just needed to vent a little about the cycle restarting its self. We can't seem to be able to catch a break.

Arbor Day

ABC will plant a tree for ever 10 times an embedded video is watched. . .

SPREAD THE WORD!!! Please!

All you military, and even non military people out there. . help a sister out . .lol. I decided last November to open a shop at Cafepress. I have actually done pretty well considering after initially opening it I didnt have tome to work on it all again until a few days ago. I have been busy creating new designs and I have a ton more that I am working on. The big that that I want to be doing is customized designs. I can make anything from your favorite picture, quote, etc, etc. It doesn't even have to be military themed, that is just my main focus since that is my life. lol. I am having a lot of fun doing this and I hope to be able to continue. So if you could pass on the word I would be very thankful! If you are interested in ordering from me please visit my shop and if you are interested in having an item customized email me at the address listed in my shop BEFORE ordering with what you want. Thanks for all of your support! Also, as an added incentive for a limited time I will be offering a 15% discount to the first 25 people that mention this blog. Thanks again, and you can visit my shop via the link below!

I can't watch Army Wives anymore.. .

Army Wives (on Lifetime) is in reruns leading up to the new series premier in early summer. I didn't watch it regularly last season when it was on. Brandon was deployed, and I didn't think I could handle getting into a show about the military. A lot of my friends did get into it though, and were constantly talking about how much they loved it and how true it was. I caught a few minutes of a few episodes at a friends house and it did seem like it would be a good show. So anyway, now that it is in reruns and Brandon is home, I thought I would catch up and start watching it. I am now thinking this was a mistake.

I am sitting alone at 0100 (maddie is sleeping, Brandon is at work, and I am a night owl) . . this episode is great! I love it so far. . then it happens. Some of the guys have to deploy. This makes me start to think about our impending deployment. (sure it isn't until next summer, but damn. . I have been through 2 deployments in less than 2 years. . can't we catch a break?). . Just watching these "fake" Army Wives watch their "fake" Army husbands get on that plane to leave broke me down. I lost it. I started bawling uncontrollably. This is kind of silly I know, but it made me start thinking about my real life. I don't know how I will have the strength to stand in that hangar again next summer and say goodbye to my husband, my best friend, yet again.

I have heard that deployments never get easier, you just find better ways to deal. I don't know. At this point, I don't know if I have the strength to do this again. It is so hard. Unbelievably hard. There is no way to describe it. Giving him that last hug and that last kiss, and then watching him turn and walk to that plane, knowing that you are not going to see him for at least another 6 months. . I just don't know how I am going to do that, AGAIN. Hopefully over the next 12 months or so I will be more at peace with the fact that we will be apart again, but as of now if I was told that he was leaving again soon, then I just don't know what I would do. I mean, I cant really do anything, I am not going to ever leave him, so I will have to deal with it, but I don't know where I will pull that strength from.

I was having premonitions of collapsing on the hanger floor out of pure emotional exhaustion, but I can't do that. I have never let him see my cry as he leaves. I will watch him walk to that plane, with a seabag on his back, he will disappear inside, I will turn and walk to the car, not being able to stand and watch the plane leave, when I get to the car, I will cry my eyes out. When I am calm enough to drive, I will head home, and then as soon as I walk into the house it consumes me with this empty, lonely feeling and I cry some more. Finally, I force myself to get up and go on. I keep this from him because he has enough stress, and he hates leaving us just at much as we hate to watch him go, no need to upset him more.

The first couple of weeks is so hard, and then you settle into a routine and things get a little easier, then around half way it gets to you again. . you realize that it seems like it has been forever since you have seen and touched your love, and that you are ONLY half way. Then it gets a little better again, and then the last month before they come home is pure torture again. It is emotionally exhausting. I just don't want to have to do this again so soon. But it is not up to me. And yes, this is the life that we chose, and we are okay with that, but that does not make the long lonely nights and days any easier.

Don't get me wrong, I swell with pride when I think of my husband out there supporting the fight, and ensuring that we here at home can go to bed safely at night. I love being a part of keeping this great country running. I get emotional just thinking of the pride that me and my husband and friends have for this country. What we have is special and I know that, but it doesn't make the separation any easier. The only peace that I have in it is knowing that MY husband is a hero. He may not be a hero that will make history books, or become a household name, but he is MY hero, and he is Maddie's hero, and we love him so much for the sacrifices he makes in his own life to fight for what he believes in and to provide for his family. He is proud of what he does, and we are so proud of him for doing it.

I want to finish watching Army Wives, maybe watching these "fake" families go through this will help more that hurt. I know these are just actors, but there are thousands of real families going through this every single day. Please keep all of the deployed sailors, marines, soldiers, airman, and coasties and the families that they leave behind in your thoughts and prayers. They go away for months and years at a time to fight for us, the least we can do is stay here and fight for them.