Welcome Home DADDY!!

Well after a long wait we were able to pick up Daddy from "work"! That was what I told Isaac time and time again. It was great to see John again, and Isaac was so cute. Here are is a picture

Well John was like a kid waiting for the next morning. See he had bought Isaac a power wheels truck and John was SO excited to give it to him...Isaac loved it

The Happys and Sads LIfe

Today and tonight I am torn between emotions as I count down the hours until my husband returns to me, and as I deal with a tragic loss in my family.

I am a big believer in starting with the sad new so you can end with the happy news so you can leave with a sweeter taste in your mouth. And with that I tell you about my sadness...

My family recently had a huge 4 generation family reunion in Utah. I was not able to make it due to my current pregnant situation, but my family did attend and had a great time. Well on the way home from their extended stay in UT, my Aunt, my Grandma, and my cousin, who were in my Grandma's Durango, had a terrible accident. The Durango rolled over and my Aunt was ejected from the car. With the car on its top my Grandma and cousin were stuck inside of it. As i received the phone call to let me know of what had happened. I thought I just let them all be ok. Well within about 2 hours I received a phone call from my Dad and not my Mom (it's her family) asking if I was sitting down. I replied yes and he proceeded to tell me that my Aunt had died, that my Grandma had broken ribs and had back pain as well as other injuries, and that they were running tests to make sure she was ok. Now they were traveling with my Uncle and his family who were in their motor home a few miles ahead of them when they rolled, he turned his motor-home right around and was there to support and love my Grandma and cousin. With in hours family members from SLC where at the hospital in Beaver, UT to add more support and my Grandpa, who was in CA is currently on his was to Beaver. As sat getting my pedicure thinking of what a tragic day this was, and how someone so relatively young had died. A woman with 5 kids, and 10 grand kids, life had ended so suddenly, I couldn't help but think about the plan of salvation, and what that means to me and my family. The gratitude that I have that we are sealed forever as a family. The gospel is such a blessing in my life and brings such peace and happiness to me. It is still sad, but I understand what happens, and I know it is not the end, and that I will see her again. And so will her kids and grand kids.

But I am torn with emotions today as I count down literally HOURS until John is in Hawaii again. As I type this I realize in about 7 hours John will land in GA and be in the USA!!! for the first time in 7 months. He will call me from HIS cell phone and be able to talk to me for hours, if he wants. And within 19 hours 50 mins, he will be in the same state as ME!!! I will be able to hug and hold him for hours. I might not let go. Today as I drove to the store, Isaac and I talked about all the things that him and Daddy get to do. I asked him what he wanted to do with Daddy, and he said 1. "Fly Pan" (Isaac's new favorite movie Peter Pan) 2. "Park Slide" (one of the last things we did as a family was take Isaac to the park) and lastly he wanted to 3. "Stand" (he stands on John's back as John sits on the floor and bends over making his back as flat as he can). It was so cute how Isaac in his few mumbled words expressed his wants and desires of his time with his Daddy. This deployment has been the roughest when Isaac wanted his Daddy and couldn't have him. It made me cry when I didn't really ever think that it would hurt so bad to see my son want something so important, and me not be able to give it to him. BUT tomorrow, ok really TODAY!!!, I can take him to the airport and let him have what he has missed the last 7.5 months. Those will be preicous moments as he sees his Daddy again. I will try to remember to bring the camera and capture if I can. NO promises, but I will try.

HOME, but for how long...

So sorry to keep many of your worrying, I was released Sunday from Tripler, but with no interent at home, there was no was to BLOG it. So today, I got the interenet and decided to sit (really all I can do right now) and let you all know what is going on. Well my tests that the did as I was at Tripler all came back within normal range so I was released with the condition to take it easy, if I didn't want to have this baby before John came home. So I came home, but with a 2yr old, and a house in boxes that is easier said then done. I am trying my hardest to be good and try to stay off my feet and take it easy, but it has been hard. I have great friends who ran to Costco for me and call me every day to make sure that I am doing ok, and to see if I need anything. As for my pregnancy, it has been listed as COMPLICATED!! (What is it with HI and make my pregnancies hard??) So I make a trip to Tripler 3 times a wks, with 2 Non-Stress Tests, and a regular DR appt. And at my last DR appt I was told that if my BPs are high at the next appt, Non-stress Test or Regular Appt to be prepared to be induced. Well with my next appt on Monday, but John will be home by then...

And as for John and his return home, well it was moved up a week. So he is coming home on SUNDAY!!! Yes like in a few days, like 2 days 4 hrs and 51 mins. We will pick him up at the HNL international Airport at 7.52 pm HST. OH I can't wait!!!

Other than not doing anything, trying not to raise my BPs and trying not to cause any more contractions not much going on here. I will post more when I know more. And now that I have the interenet again (HOW did people ever live without it??) I can keep you more up to date. Until then take care...

From a Hosptial Bed at Tripler Army Medical Center

So my pregnancy was going very well, with no complications, until Friday. But first let me go back a bit...

As most of you know and read Isaac and I were returning to Hawaii on July 12, to prepare for John's return on or around Aug 7. Everything went according to plan in that department...we arrived safe, and sound exhausted, but here nonetheless. We stayed at a friends place until we got our own place FINALLY on Tuesday, July 15. (Now the drama's of moving in are for a post all in themselves, but since I am trying to catch up quickly, lets just say where we thought, and told everyone we were moving into, flooded in the brief days before we moved in. SO we had to look at other places in the same housing complex. Now that house, when we signed the lease had no working A/C or hot water heater, but are very needed!!! Those were fixed by the next day and Isaac and I moved into an empty house. The POD with all our stuff arrived on Thursday, and John's wonderful company moved us in on Friday July 18th. They even set up my bedroom furniture, so I had a bed to sleep in. YEAH!!!) ANYWAY....so everything was going fine, I was unpacking boxes slowly, looking for things that were put in strange boxes.(Like the legs to the couch in a BATHROOM box!!) Everything seemed to be going well. I was having a few contractions, but nothing to write home about, I would just stop what I was doing and take a break. Well Friday, July 25th (12days until John returns), I went in for a routine OB appt. My Blood Pressure (BP) was high. The Dr, and rightfully, was very concerned, since that is why we had Isaac at 36wks 1day, my BP spiked. But I was terrified and started to cry. Well I was sent upstairs to L&D for observation and tests, and was told not to expect to go home. I cont to cry and cry. Not helping the BPs at all. My highest BP was 169/100 that was when they told me that they were going to induce me in a few hrs. Just having gotten here, and not have a regular DR, I have to explain to every Dr and nurse why I am the only woman in the world that wants to go to full term. Once I explain to the Dr why I was balling my eyes out she said I understand, but this is needed. Well she went out to talk to her boss man, he decided to run a few more test before inducing me. Well those few more test gave me time to talk to John, which calmed me down considerably, the wonders of a hubby voice. John informed me that he would work on leaving Africa early, which help calm me down. My BPs immediately fell considerably. Well to a lower not such a serve level like the 130's/80. And within a few hrs were back down below 120/70. And have looked good ever since. With the new BPs lower, they decided that I would stay for 24 hrs as they collected protein information (too much protein is bad). And they gave me 3 scenarios 1. Low BP's & Low protein=get to go home and wait YEAH!!! 2. Protein=Stay and be induced immediately 3. Low proteins, HIGH BPs=stay here until they either are lower, or I deliver. So I am currently waiting for the protein results to see if #1 happens. It has been a stressful 30hrs. But some great things are coming out of it, JOHN gets to come home early. He can't leave right away, he has things he needs to finish in Africa, and wrap a few things up and pack and what not. But he gets to come home in about 4 or 5 days. We will know in the next couple of days what day he arrives in Hawaii. YEAH!!!! So that is exciting, if I know that is all it took to get him home early, I would have done this months ago. Just Kidding, but still it is great news. Isaac has not been forgotten about, actually I have worried more about him then anything else the last 30 hrs, but he is doing fine. He is staying with the friends who took us in as we were waiting for our house to be ready to move into. He cried when he left the hospital and I didn't go with him, and then cried again when he had to go to bed again without mommy. Those both made me cry, once again, not good for the the BPs, but understandable.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

I love this country and all the freedoms that it gives us. And I truly love the people that help keep it free, so I can say and do what I want. I have always loved this country and all that it offers, and always felt extremely grateful for the blessing of being born here, in the USA!!!! In college, in a Law class I took we have to do mock-cases with openings and closing and what not and my professor just said I loved to way the American Flag in the juror's face, he asked me if I would like him to bring in the National Anthem. Well AnYwAy...Being a military wife has just reconfirmed that to me. And since my hubby is off serving our country, although he is not in Iraq this time, he is still keeping this country safe in his own FUN way. (Did I mention that I was jealous of him, he gets to have all the fun, without the children ;) ). Well I thought that I would post some pictures that he recently sent me from his FUN is Africa... (none of these of from his recent trip to Ethiopia)

The people John works with. The guys in civilian clothes are Djiboutians that they hire to translate and drive.

I thought that they said he was going to be safe, no gun or anything. Then why does he have a vest on?

Some pictures of the people...

The way the people in Djibouti live...

Some have better conditions...

Did you ever think that you would see this...

Yes that is a goat in a TREE!!!

Or MANY GOATS in a TREE!!!

He also see lots of these....

As you have seen Djibouti is very dry and brown, and well kinda ugly...it has not rained there in 2 YRS!! But it is lucky enough to have part of it, a very small part of it, to be by the ocean, many Africian countries can not asay that. Well John did get to go play in that ocean...

He has got to have lots of fun, like riding on a helicopter, like this one...

And I think this is that place that is the 2nd lowest place above ground that is below sea level. I THINK!!!

Well his time is just about up, which I am happy about. But I am still grateful for him and our other friends that are serving our country. As well as all the people that I don't know...

THANK YOU armed services

POTTY!!

So in the last 3 days Isaac has decided that he wants to go potty in the potty chair, and has actually gone. He has been wanted to sit on the potty since earlier this spring, but never went, until the other day. And tonight, just now, right before I posted this, he came out of his room, saying "I potty, I potty" At first I just told him to go back bed (the rule is that he can't get out of bed once he is down for the night) But he insisted, so I said fine, and lets go potty. And first I thought this is just a ploy to get out off bed, but then the potty chair started singing. (I bought the one that sings knowing that he loves music). I looked and sure enough he was going. SO we ran around the house and told everyone, Isaac saying "I potty, I potty!!!" He was so excited and I am so happy. I never really pushed it, and just encouraged, took him every time I went, which is alot being as prego as I am. But now he just wants to get out of bed so he can go again. GRR!! But it was totally worth the accomplishment, of him telling me that he has to go and then actually going. He is growing up so fast.

And as for a John update, the poor guy is in Ethiopia, living it up. Stay in the really nice hotel, that cost $200 (American dollars) a night, and is the same as staying a $700-$800 suite in Vegas. Eating at Ethiopian culture places, he said it was like the Polynesian Culture Center, just with Ethiopian culture instead. Taking pastry tours, indulging in the most scrumptious pastries he has ever eaten. Shopping, and just having a great 'ol time. Now I am jealous!!! When he was in Djibouti, it was like 120* plus humidity, hasn't rained in 2 yrs, just plain hot and dirty. But now in Ethiopia, its pretty, mountainous, rains everyday, nice 85* temps, with a cool breeze. I am so jealous!!! He did say that it sucked without me, and that he wants to take me there one day. That would be awesome. But he is still way more traveled then me, he has been to 4 or the 7 continents. That is a goal of mine to visit all the continents. So maybe one day.

As for a moving back to Hawaii update, well with two weeks left before we leave, I have lots to do. Most of the planning part is done, now for the actual work, packing and such. So I just have to have the energy to do that, not easy with a 2 yr old. And I just want to take a nap every time he does, so that shoots the good 3 hrs I have everyday to gets lots done. But I will do it eventually, cause it has to get done.

OK now for some pictures from my trip to the inlaws

ok so my father-in-law has birds, and Isaac has been in love with birds since we visited them last year...this was last year and his reaction to the birds

see what I mean, was amazed by them. So this year since he was older, he was able to pet and try to hold them...

Holding them didn't work so well, since the claws were "owie" but he did try over and over...

He also loved the animals that Adam had at his house. Out of the ferret, horses, and bunny that he paid attention to, I only got a picture of him with the bunny. (Also in the picture Emily)

So my inlaws are great with little kids, and SPOIL them rotten, but Isaac wanted book after book read to him, so they indulged him

They also threw Isaac a birthday party, it was nice to see everyone. Isaac was so fun about his new presents...he wanted to wear the new set of PJ's that Adam gave hime right away...so does what anyone would do, he takes off his shirt and puts on the PJ shirt....

Next we took some pictures so Isaac could remember them in his flip book I am making him.
So Adam's Family (List in order) back: Richard, Jamie, and Adam, middle row: Andrew, Joslyn, Emily, and Victoria front: Ysabel

So Next Jacob's Family (in order of appearance)back: Austin, Angie (holding Ethan), Jacob middle: Karissa front: Aleighia, Tyler and Brendon

Now Jonathon, Katie's husband vanished before I got a picture of him with his family, but I have pictures of their kids, cute little redheads that they are.

Ally and Thomas

Now Levi showed up for a few minutes then left, but this is his daughter Taylor

John's Mom and Dad His Grandma Sally

I have tons more pictures to upload, but I am sure that you are done looking at pictures of complete strangers, so I will stop. But I had a wonderful time, and I hope to be able to visit again soon.

So before we left so last minute...

to go to my inlaws we had a birthday party for Isaac. He turned two. Oh My Goodness, can you believe its been two years since he was born. Well I can't and I see him everyday. Well anyway, I decided not to have a big birthday party for him, just a family thing. And since I wasn't going to do a BIG thing for a party, I decided to make a special fun cake...so here it is

I love him more and more everyday. He is growing up so fast, and is almost like a real little boy these days. I can't believe the things he says and does these days. He is so smart, and hilarious!!! He says and does the funnies things, like tonight he was trying to slide under the dinning room chair, why I have no clue, but my sister SarahAnn helped him by turning his head so it would fit. SO when he went to do it by himself he pushed his own head over to one side like she did, and then acted like his head wouldn't stay down unless he held over to the side. He would push it over, then his head would pop back up everytime he let go. We laughed for such a long time.

With The Time We Have left....

I decided that it was very important that Isaac see his Grammie and Papa (John's Parents) before we left. They were originally going to come visit us at the end of July as my family went to a family reunion, but since we will leave before that weekend comes I decided very last minute to take a 10 hr drive with Isaac and Scrappy to visit the in-laws. So we have now almost spent a week here and have loved every minute of it. I love John's family and have always felt very very included and welcomed, so it makes it easy to come visit by myself. Sometimes its fun to visit without him, I get to hear all the stories over and over again about his childhood, and see old movies, and fun things like that, that he would NEVER let happen if he was here. :P

Isaac has tons of cousins here and it has been nice to see and visit all of them, I think there are 18 of them and I think that Isaac is number 16. But either way it has been nice. I am staying at John's parents house, and Katie and Levi live on the same mountain so Isaac gets to play with those cousins everyday, and he has loved every minute of it.

Yesterday we went over to Adam's house and the WHOLE family came, all the kids (well we sorta, minus John-whos in Africa, but WE were there, and Aaron who lives in New York). Even Grandma Sally was there. It was a blast. It was a combined party for Emily and Isaac's Birthday and for Father's Day. We got Dad good, well not me, the boys did, they dump an entire 5 gallon bucket of water on him, he was a great sport about it, but it was still very funny. Isaac was a hoot opening the presents that he was given. He received an outfit from Grandma Sally and immediately said "Cote" (aka cute). Do you think I say that allot? :D Next he received a pair a PJ's from Adam and his family, and then took his shirt off, say "Off", and put on the shirt that went with the PJ's. Next he got hot wheel size airplanes and helicopters from Jacob's family, and asked to play with them right away. Then asked again on the way home, the second we got to Grammie and Papa's house. And first thing when he woke up. Finally i opened them and let him play with them. Then all day he wanted more. He is so cute!!! Earlier in the day he was given another set PJ set by Katie and her family. And Grammie and Papa gave his a gift certificate to Walmart, so I don't have to ship as much stuff.

All the pictures are on the camera still, but I will post some when I return to WA, I leave on Wednesday. And upon my return I will post tons of pictures. After that we have 3.5 wks before we return to Hawaii, so we will have lots of packing to do. Deciding what is staying, going, and being shipped. So I will have TONS to do, but I am getting so excited about all that. Mainly cause we I return I will only have about 25 days until John returns. I am SO excited for that!!! But there are tons of other things. I am excited to sleep on my nice comfy mattress, set up house, and see all our friends that are still there, some have left :(, but many are still there. I am very sad to leave my family, and friends here, and TARGET :(

43 Days left....

Until we return to Hawaii. John's return has been moved forward by 20 days, so we have decided that it would be best if Isaac and I return to Hawaii before he returns and we have this baby. So in 43 days we will b back in "paradise", setting up house for John's return about 25 days later. We have to return so early because I can't travel past 36 wks, so I am coming home 35 wks and 6 days...talk about cutting it close. John is scheduled to leave Djibouti no later the August 7th, putting him in Hawaii on around the 9th.....and I am DUE August 10th. Close once again I know, but at least this way John has a chance of being there. The way we were going before, he could have maybe, possibly been there if I paid for a last minute flight, and then the chances were still slim to none.

Well that's a little update...I have lots to do before I leave and not allot of time to do it in. So I will try to keep you updated.

So where have two months gone...

I don't know about you, but the last two months seemed to have just flown by. Everything is going well with our pregnancy. I passed by 1 hr glucose, barely, but I still passed. It had to be under 129 and mine was 127, but that means I am not a diabetic during this pregnancy. YEAH!!! My blood pressure have been low, so that is good. Both problems I had with Isaac, so its great that I have less complications. But I still have one....when I was prego with Isaac some of you may have known that I had some balance problems, falling over and such. And it just got worse after he was born. They ran a TON of test, MRI, cats scans, spun me around, blew in my ear with cold and hot air, but still no answer to the problem. Well about 6 months after I had Isaac, i stop breastfeeding, and so got a period again. Well the problem vanished. I was mystified and so was everyone else, but I was grateful that I could walk around holding Isaac again. Well the problem started again. I talked to my DR told him that it happened with Isaac and how it progressed after he was born. And he took actions into his hand immediately.... he took my blood pressure in various positions and while i stood for awhile, since that is when it all happens. And sure enough my blood pressure dropped at each position change, and after standing for awhile. SO he put me on some medicine, and WOW!! I feel great now, I can walk across my parents home without feeling like passing out. I can go shopping and actually get things done. WOW!!! It has been great.

Well as for John he is doing great. And having a ton of fun, and learning lots. I do hear from him almost daily and that makes the deployment easier. Isaac has been so cute, if HE hasn't seen John in awhile he goes to the computer and points and says dada over and over. So we look at pic of dada. It seems to help. And he has to sleep with a pic of John on his pillow. One night I went in there cause i could hear him whispering, and I peeked in and he was holding the picture of John talking to it, and laughing. It was so so cute, made me cry, but it was cute.

Isaac is doing great, he is in speech therapy, and still has and OT. He is getting so much better with words, he says so much now, John says that every time they talk on the phone. He has preschool every Tuesday and Thursday which has really helped with the separation problems he had before, I can leave him without him screaming for 20 mins. So that is great, and much needed with this baby on its way.

SO it's a ....

BOY!!!

As much as John and I wanted to girl, we are jsut happy to be able to have another baby, and that it is health, so far. He didn't want his picture taken, so I have to go to an ultrasound in 4 wks. But so far the heart and brain look good. So we are blessed to be able to have a healthy boy!

Even though John wanted a girl since before Isaac, he was happy to have another son that he can play with and do boy things with!! I am going to be left out, :( ! But there are plenty of positive things about having a boy!

1. We don't have to buy new clothes and toys!!! Save tons of money

2. Isaac will always have a friend to play with

and

3. They can always share a room.

Just to name a few.

Here are some other pictures for now

What this is a picture of...

well your guess is as good as mine.

Having Emotional Pregnatnt Week

I have been having a hard time these last few weeks. Being prego and alone is hard. I miss John more then I did when he went to Iraq, and I get to talk to him almost every day, sometimes twice a day. Isaac's sadness over his daddy being gone kills me. We have to make sure the carseat is not visible to him, unless we are in the car, cause all he says as he tries to drag it to the door is "Get daddy!" Breaks my heart. But every night he says his prayers, and only a few words are audilbe: Father, daddy, baby, mommy, and amen. Always in that order with other things added in (that kids can pray forever). But daddy always comes first. And i was afraid he would forget him. Every night he kisses every picture in the picture frame I put together for him. Along with hugs it, and tell daddy I love u. It makes me cry to think that he loves his daddy so much, yet he doesn't get to spend his day to day life with him right now.

The next thing that is killing me. As some of you may know John is scheduled to miss the birth of this baby by 2 weeks. And as many of you it is not even likely that I will make it to 40wks let alone keeping this baby in an extra 2 wks. That so much don't kill me, John doesn't like the birth, he thinks men should still be in the waiting room, waiting for it all to be over. And that doesn't bother me at all since what can he do? But what does kill me and make me cry is that his favorite part about the whole birth thing is getting to be the first one to hold the baby. He held Isaac for hours as i slept from being up, and in labor for 21.5 hrs. And that if this baby comes early or he can't come home early, that he will not be the first one to hold our new baby. Not that he still can't hold it for hrs when he returns, but it will not be the same.

The last thing eating me up is that I turn 25 in two days. AAAHHHH!!! Now to some this might not be a big deal. But to me, i am going to be in my MID-TWENTIES!!! I have always had a hard time with birthdays that made me "grow-up". I hated turn 20, because I was no longer a teen-ager. And now, so I will be in my late-TWENTIES!!! Now those of you that are there, I have no problem with that. And honestly I don't think you are old!! But me I am going to be OLD!!!

On the bright side of things. WE get to find out what the sex of this baby is in 7 DAYS!! YEAH!!! on Mar 12. So check for that update.

More Snow...

Just thought I would finally post the pictures of more snow that came last week.

This is from the front window of my parents house. I was trying to be artistic with the icicle.

I braved the wintery outdoors to show you the snow falling.

Other then more snow, not much is happening. Isaac got his first ever ear infection, it was in both ears. Monday night (last week) his temp was 104.7. So we took him to urgent care. He is feeling much better now. And that makes everyone happy. He was waking up every 2 hours.
John is in Djibouti, Africa now, he arrived last week. He will actually be in charge of all of Djibouti's contruction projects, and not Ethopia's. But he is incharge of 150 projects, firing and hiring, and $200 million worth of equipment. All this things have him a little nervous, but he will be fine, will all your prayers and fasting. The baby is still making me sick, in three weeks I have an ultrasound to find out the sex of te baby. YEAH!! I hope it's a girl. I will love it either way, but it would be nice to have a little girl to dress up. If not our son will be kinda confused. LOL