My sweet friend Tina

Check out her blog post here

http://lifeinthenorthwest-tinag.blogspot.com/2009/02/please-pray-for-nick-and-michelle.html

Thank you Tina. This means so much to me. You have no idea how much your support means to me. Seeing Nick wont be an easy task. I will need prayers for strength, for myself, for Kayla and for Nick.

Thank you for being such a wonderful supportive friend.

Much love to you.

Honest scrap and Video

First, check out this video of Kayla getting so close! Im hoping so hard she will take off BEFORE Nick leaves, so within the next 2 days would be great.




Next, I been tagged by almost all my blogger friends and havent attempted to do this. Mainly, because Im bad at telling facts about myself. But I shall and I will do this.

The rules...
Tagging Rules:
1) Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design.
2) Show the 7 winners names and links on your blog, and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with an “Honest Scrap” Award.
3) List at least 10 honest things about yourself.

Im not going to tag anyone and break the rules, because everyone I know has already done this.

Now for my ten honest things;
1) I am 25 years old and still sleep with my blankey that I have had since, well, as young as I can remember. And it was my Mother's when she was a newborn. I even have a picture of her on it.
2) I LOVE potato chips. It's a bad habit that wont go away.
3)I secretly want to be like Angelina Jolie. Adopt more children and give birth to more children.
4)I am a very forgiving person. Perhaps the most forgiving person you will ever meet in your entire life.
5)It's not easy for me to make friends. I dont open up very easily.
6)I wish I had more confidence.
7)When I eat salads, I HAVE to eat all the lettuce first, then I eat everything else. Weird I know.
8)When I eat meal with several different foods on the plate, I eat only 1 thing at time- eating the least favorite food first and saving the best food for last.
9)Chores I hate- Taking the trash out and cleaning the bathroom.
10)I love sending mail to people. Real mail, not e-mail.

3 days to go

Holy Cow. Only 3 full days left together. Thanks everyone for sending me love and thinking about me and us. Each and every comment of support helps keep me strong. I know I will be ok. Kayla will be ok. We will be ok. Nick will be ok.

I haven't started my diet. I'm going to wait until Nick leaves. Its too hard with him leaving in just a few days because he wants to go out and eat all his favorite foods, and I been making his favorite dinners. I have slim fast stocked up in the pantry and I have special K bars.

Yesterday Kayla and I hung outside for a while and enjoyed the nice breeze (which doesn't happen often here) while we waited for Nick to come home from a deployment meeting. Hence the above pictures.

He leaves Monday morning. He has to meet with everyone by 4:30 AM to get to the airport by 5:30 AM to make his flight at 7 AM.

Monday morning for us is Sunday night on the East Coast. So please, think of us.


Give me the greatness of heart to see
The difference between duty and his love for me
Give me the understanding so that I may know
When duty calls him, he must go
Give me a task to do each day
To fill the time while hes away
When hes in a foreign land
Keep him safe in your hand
And Lord, when duty is in the field
Please protect him and be his shield
And Lord, when deployment is so long
Please stay with me and keep me strong

Kayla's well baby

So I didn't get to start my diet yesterday. The BX doesn't carry Slim Fast, and they were out of Hydroxycut. Today I'm going to check the commissary for Slim Fast, and buy ingredients for Chicken Citrus Salad. That is the salad I had at the Hard Rock Care the other day, and it was so delish. I'm going to try to recreate it. I will have it up on my recipe blog.

Kayla's 6 month well baby was yesterday. As all of her appointments go...the doctor said she is perfect.
We do have a big girl on our hands. The doctor asked if her birth parents had big heads and if they were tall..lol.
She weighed in at 17 pounds 10 ounces and measured at 27" long. She is in the 75th% for both of these on the growth chart and in 90th% for her head circumference on the chart.

Yesterday in the mail was Kayla's birth certificate!! We finally got it!!!!!!!!!

1 week

This time, 1 week from now, Nick will be on his way to Wisconsin for 1 month of training. This time, next week, I will be so heart broken. Thinking about the pain I will be feeling makes me sick. That pain that I felt the last time he deployed. That morning ( http://michellespath.blogspot.com/2006/11/14-nov-2006.html ) when he walked out the front door and I fell the floor hysterically crying. Oh God, give me strength.

Today is Kayla's 6 month well baby, even though she is 4 days away from being 7 months old. I'm excited to see where she stands with everything. I'm not excited for those shots. Nick will be holding her for that. Even though she is a tough girl and never really cries, I still hate seeing her get them.

A few pictures from Underwater World on Saturday.



So, today I'm going to on the hunt for some slim-fast. Thank you to all who gave your thoughts on using this. Hopefully the BX carries it because the commissary is closed on Mondays. I'm also considering taking hydroxycut to curb my snacking. I have taken this before too and it worked great on me. According to the slim fast website, for my height, my appropriate weight would be 127 lbs. So my goal is 130 pounds, and 127 pounds will be my goal once I reach 130 lbs. That leaves me about 15 pounds to lose. And to KEEP off. I cant stand feeling like this anymore.

My plan-
1 shake for breakfast
fruit for snack
1 shake for lunch
snack- maybe cereal bar or something
Dinner
Take a brisk long walk everyday, or at least every other day
combined with hydroxycut

Once Nick leaves, I will take before pictures to embarrass myself.

Hard Rock Cafe

OK ladies, I know I been tagged a million times. I will get to that one day.
Yesterday we went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. It was bitter sweet. Last time were there was in September, Kayla was a tiny girl. This time she was such a big girl. She even sat in one of their high chairs and ate some of Daddy's bread stick.
Next time we go, she will be about 15 months old and be a REAL big girl.

After lunch we walked on over to Underwater World. Those pics coming soon. There are a lot so I have to go through them and pick out the nice ones.

For now, Kayla in September at HRC, and yesterday at HRC.

Today, I plan to do nothing but be home.

Here are pics from yesterday.





And here is from September.

"D" day

"D" day has been changed from 28 Feb to 2 March. So, we have another weekend together. Part of me says Thank God and the other part of me says, I just want to get it over with already.

Dieting

Anyone try the Slim Fast diet? How did it go?
I'm tired of feeling terrible about myself. This is the most I have weighed ever, in my entire life. I cant take it anymore and I have to do something. I haven stepped on a scale in probably 5 months. Last time I did, it wasn't pretty. I was 145 pounds. To me that is sickening. I'm used to being 125-130 and I am most comfortable at this weight. Nothing less, nothing more. I need to get myself back to that point. And STAY there. At times, I swear I was the one that carried Kayla in my womb with the weight I have gained from the time her adoption started.
I tried this diet before during Nicks last deployment but did not commit myself. I'm ready to commit myself this time. I cant take it anymore. Looking at myself now compared to a year makes me sick. I avoid the mirror at all times, and lately I have found myself avoid a bathing suit. Yup, a bathing suit...and I live on Guam. The last few beach visits, I been wearing shorts and a shirt. All because I don't want to be seen in a bathing suit. Pathetic.
I'm thinking about starting the slim fast diet as soon as tomorrow as long as the BX or Commissary carries it.
Thinking about 1 for breakfast, healthy snack such a grapes, 1 for lunch with healthy snack, and then dinner. Allow myself breakfast and lunch on Sundays and off the diet for the month of June when I go back to PA for a visit.
I cant take it anymore! I'm even prepared to take before pictures, and post them for all of you to see....maybe it will humiliate me enough that I will stick to it this time.

Yesterday's nap time

Foto Friday- Yesterday's nap time all THREE of my children were knocked out.

Yesterday

Yesterday I received my snapfish order in the mail. I ordered these cards to send out to the family and special friends. Cant wait to get them out in the mail. Just need to go buy some stamps! Click the image to see it larger. Im very happy with how they turned out!



Also yesterday I received my latest blurb book in the mail. This book turned out amazing. I made a picture book with all the pictures from our Jan/Feb photo shoot. It turned out better than I imagined. Nick asked if he could take it with him on deployment but I bought him a photo album for Valentine's Day to take with him and ordered pictures specifically for his album to take with him. Plus we wouldn't want the book to get wrinkled and dirty. So he's going to settle for the album. It will be more fun for him too to fill it up as I send him pictures.
Here are some pics of the book.







Also, yesterday in the mail we got a package from my sister in law. Auntie Jenn.
Thank you Auntie Jenn! Here are some pictures of Kayla enjoying the contents. Thank you for thinking of us and taking the extra time out of your day to mail us a box. It's hard to be away from family so getting a package from family is extra special to us.






Also, does anyone know how to delete a comment? I cant figure it out!!

rocks + 4 things + shout out to Kate

Ok, so what about ROCKS in the title you wonder?
Remember the rock from Iraq that I posted a picture of in my 'He's packing his bags' blog?
Well, my wonderfully supportive blogger friend and Daddy to be Bobby commented on that. ( You can read more about Bobby here.. http://thosetwodaddies.blogspot.com/ )
Bobby said:
I saw the rock Nick has from Iraq, maybe we should all find rocks from our backyards, write the city and state we live in on them, and send them to you. Then you can always look at them and see how many people are thinking of you guys.

And ya know what? Im taking his wonderful idea! So friends...if your reading this and if you feel so inclined...please take a look in your backyard. Find a nice rock, write on it where it came from and your name if you wish, and mail it to me. When I get it, I will put it in a pretty bowl. When I'm feeling down and weak at moments during Nick's deployment, I will take a look at my rock collection and see how many people are there to support me and lift me back up. I will remember why I chose to have the tough job as a military wife. I will remember all of you and I will remember that I am supporting my husband who is doing his job for all of us.

Send me a comment with your email and I will email you my mailing address. If you don't feel comfortable with that, I will delete your comment so your email wont be up there. Just let me know.

In return as a Thank you, I will do another Give away today contest for those who sent me a rock.


My 4 things:

1) For the past 24 hours Kayla has been saying DADA non-stop. I haven't heard her say Mama in DAYS. But, that is ok. She may feel Dada's sadness as he sits on the couch, cradles her, and squeezes her while he cries. (She's saying it now as I type this) We got 2 videos of her saying dada. ( HOLY COW! She just said Mama for the first time in days!! LOL!)

2) Yesterday Kayla tried to pull herself up to the standing position twice. Once while playing with her play table from my lap on the floor and once while in the bathtub by grabbing the ledge of the tub. Which makes me very nervous. I don't like her trying to do this one.

3) Kayla clearly knows the word 'up' now. For the past 2 weeks or so, I been telling her up every time I pick her up. Last night while in the tub, I looked at her and said 'up?' without putting my arms to her. She looked at me and reached her little chubby arms out to me indicating she was ready to get out of the tub. I was amazed.

4) While holding her hands in the standing position, she can walk. Slowly but surely she can walk with no encouragement from us.

Now, my shout out to Kate.
Kate- Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Out of all the things you kindly sent us, my favorite is that flip flop hat ( not counting the scrapbook items of course!) and Kayla's favorite is the bunny book. She's playing with it right now! Here are a few pictures. Oh and she really enjoyed eating those soccer type shorts!

Here is Kayla last night saying Dada the way she has been for the past 24 hours.

Kayla's new dolly- 2nd post of the day

See the resemblance? I told Nick he could take the dolly with him. He said no.

Random stuff

Thank you everyone for the supportive comments. It's appreciated more than you know. Seriously.

Nothing new here. I took Kayla on a walk this morning to the BX. We left the house before 9, before they even opened thinking I could beat the heat. Wrong. It was stinkin out hot. I guess I should have known that it's impossible to beat the heat in Guam Oh well. Kayla got some cute things out of the walk. A pack of binkies, (I realized I forgot hers half way there and she was in need of one) a pair of slippers (her feet are always freezing first thing in the morning, just like Mama) a onesie that I couldn't resist (hey, it was only $6 and shes growing out of 6-9 months faster than I like) and a new baby doll (I know, like she needed another one, but wait till you see pictures of this one! hehe! and it was only $6!)

On the walk home from the BX I noticed some air traffic congestion. Dont know what's going on but there sure are a lot of helicopters out and about today. Exercise maybe?

So, remember my Give a away today contest? One of the entries was to comment about something I should blog more about. Several people wanted to see and know more about Guam. I been taking more pictures as we go places. And here is one of them. You see this " I LOVE GUAM" painted all over the main roads, especially the main touristy roads. I think it's neat to see but at the same time kind of strange. I mean, you don't see "I LOVE PENNSYLVANIA" painted around PA. Not even the touristy areas. I guess it's just the local people taking pride in their island. Which after being here for a year now, has gotten old.

He's packing his bags

Ladies and the few gents, he's packing his bags. Nick leaves in less than 2 weeks. We only have 1 week together, then 1 weekend together and then less than 1 week and he leaves on Saturday morning for training in Wisconsin for a month. Then he is off to the middle east for 6-7 months.

I look at Kayla and it hurts even more than if it were just me like the 3 previous deployments. She has no idea what her life as a 'military brat' will be like. She has no idea that she is even a 'military brat' and has no idea how many times she will have to say goodbye to her daddy. The man the melts her heart and makes her eyes smile bigger than anyone else can.

I look at her and wonder will she remember him 8 months from now? Will he come home and have to bond with her all over again? Will she soon forget the daily routine we have as a family? Will we sit on the couch in our normal places at our normal time during the evening and will she wonder why he isn't in his spot? Will she watch the front door during breakfast and wonder why he isn't coming through the door after his morning PT?

When we go to pick him up on his return home, will she run to him with open arms, wide eyes, and excitement? Or will she shy away from him and wonder who this man is? She will be 2 days shy of 7 months old when he leaves, and she will be 14 or 15 months old when he returns.

This isnt going to be easy. Nick spent Saturday night and some time on Sunday getting his bags ready. Now they sit in the dining room, waiting. And I have to look at them.




Here is a rock he found in his bags that he took from Iraq on the last deployment in 06/07. I thought that was neat and I threw it in with our seashell and coral collection.

Both of the boys watching him pack up.

What's your Valentine's Day personality?

Your Valentine's Day Personality is Practical

As far as you're concerned, Valentine's Day is simply a commercial holiday. You don't place any real meaning on it. You don't think it deserves too much celebration. For you, Valentine's Day is just the day you avoid restaurants and candy stores. If you love someone, you already show it. You don't need to go all out for a silly holiday to prove your love.

What's Your Valentine's Day Personality?

Pictures from Valentine's Day

Kayla's teddy bear

Kayla's 2 hair bows


Kayla and Nick at Jeff's Pirate Cove

Kayla tasting Daddy's Sprite