And One More For Us

In case you all didn't get my e-mail, we are expecting baby #3! Looks like it will be a May/June baby, so you al have plenty of time to buy me presents ;) I was talking with my girl Susanne this morning and talking about all things wonderful and baby (see post below), and I was thinking how perfect our timing was. Jocelyn is a year older than Christopher and this baby will be less than a year younger, so he'll have two lovely ladies to choose from! ;) (oh, come on, you know I'll never be allowed to have a boy. As my dad always says, god is determined that our confusing last name will die out!) :)

And Now My Friends Are Breeding, Too!

I started having children at a much younger age than my friends and siblings, so I was overjoyed when my sister had her first baby last year. And now my friends are breeding, too! My dear, dear friend Susanne and her lucky husband Greg had their first son, Christopher, on Oct 6 at 6:30am. So, Congratulations J family!! You have many, many wonderful years ahead and may you have the wisdom to reflect on that during your (what seems like many, many years of) sleepless nights. ;)

They never shoud have allowed me to have one of these things

Okay, okay, I know I haven't posted in a while, but I have a good excuse. A really good excuse. A really good one that I can't think of right now, but I swear it's pretty good. Ask Laura. Anyway, no we've just been really busy with the kids and all. Caitlyn is back in school and doing very well. She is the best reader in her class, and her teacher spoke very highly of her at back to school night. She has also started soccer; she plays midfielder. Although this is her first season playing, Caitlyn seems to have had no touble picking it up and she was doing so well at her game last week, controlling the ball and passing it up to the forwards. I was so proud! :) Jocelyn is not only walking, but she's running a little bit, too! (not very far, tho, just a couple of steps before she falls flat on her face but it is sooo cute!) I'll attach some picture for you all to peruse, and I promise I'll write more sooner rather then later!

A Year of Me

Ha ha, no I won't force you all to look at pictures of me over the last year. My birthday is actully tomorrow, but since we have plans all day, I thought I would post now. Tim got tickets for us to see Dirty Rotten Sccoundrals at a downtown Hollywood theater (he wouldn't tell me which one) and then we are going to a famous, fancy restaurant for dinner, all sans children!! Can you tell I am excited!! I haven't been to the theater since Laura and I saw the Producers way back in college, and I was totally shocked that Tim would agree to go to the theater at all with me, much less actually buy the tickets and surprise me. Plus I get a Cold Stone ice cream cake (mmmm ice cream)! But the best gift came last night when Jocelyn took her very first steps!! It was close to bedtime, so she was not thrilled with the fact that we kept trying to get her to do it again and again, but she most definately took a few steps on her own. She is really becoming a little toddler now...wah! now I want another baby :(

A Year of Jocelyn

It's Like A Heat Wave Yeah! Yeah!

It is so freaking hot, I can't even find the words the describe it. Oh sure, I know what you all are thinking, I like in gorgeous, sunny Southern California and I should just shut up and be happy about it. Well, I'll have you know that we are going through serious record breaking tempertatures combined with unusual humidity levels. We also don't have air conditioning (nor do I have it in my car) since we live right by the beach, which would lead one to think we might get a freakin breeze every once in a while!!! I just can't take these extreme temps. They make me very cranky. Especially since I have to walk a 1/2 mile to my car from work (since there is no parking for military folks on Los Angeles AIR FORCE BASE - I hope that makes as much sense to you as it does to me) then drive home in a sweltering car with no a/c as sweat pours down body collecting in a lovely pool of disgustingness in my BDU pants. It is quite the unpleasant experience to remove my combat boots when I get home, trust me! Now, I am of the firm belief that sweating is a disgusting, icky and smelly habit reserved only for fat old men and the gym, so it unfortunate that I happen to sweat very easily. Thus I end each day in a foul temper as (after 3-4 cold showers), I lay awake in bed wiping the sweat from my forehead and pray to sleep just so I won't feel hot. How I long for June gloom!!

Better Then the Beach...at least for the parents ;)

Poop Party or How I Know I Love My Children

So, this morning I go into Jocelyn's room to wake her as usual, and I notice a highly unpleasant smell emanating from her playpen (which is where she sleeps since the movers broke her crib). Now a baby's room never smells that great after a long night of defacating in their pants; howeve, today's smell was a little stronger than usual. Of course, Jocelyn wants to be picked up immediately, and I, in my sleepy stupor, bend down and pick her right up without noticing anything out of the ordinary. I quickly realize that something is terribly wrong. It seems that somehow during the night, Jocelyn hs managed to get her diaper off and all tha lovely defacating she normally does in there is now all over the playpen, her blankets, her body, and now mine.

So, I do what any loving mommy would do when she notices her baby is covered in sh*t, I totally freak out. Of course, today is the day that Tim went to pick up Tommy and Vanessa, so I have no other adult to assist me despite the factthat I now have baby poop on my face and in my hair. I can't put Jocelyn down on the floor b/c we would get sh*t on the carpet; I can't put her bckin the playpen b/c it has sh*t smeared all over the inside, and I can't put her in the bathtub b/c I can't leave her alone in there while I clean up. So I have to carry her around with me while I get more and more sh*t wiped over various other parts of my body while I clean up the rest of the room. Then I have to give her a bath, clean the remaining sh*t out of tub, scrape the sh*t off the blankets, put those and the towels in the wash, carefully inspect the carpet in her room for any signs of sh*t, and hose out the playpen all while I continue to have SH*T IN MY HAIR!!! Ahem, sorry about that.

After all that is done (and I spray Lysol air fresher everywhere and vacuum the carpet with carpet freshner), I notice how cute Jocelyn looks in her new little outfit. That's right, despite having a complete poop party this morning, those mommy instincts do not allow you to get mad at your kids, but instead notice how really cute they are when they are learning to stand without assistance. Damn those mommy genes!

Craigslist is the New Ebay

Okay, so all of you who know me well know about my Ebay obsession. Since I was sans 'puter for so long, I kind of broke myself of the habit (lack of extra $ helps, too ;) Just in time to take its place, I stumbled onto a site called craigslist.org which connects people through want ads in various cities. Since we live in one of the biggest cities in the US, craigslist for LA rocks!! (Be sure not to accidentally type in craiglist instead of craigslist or you will be in for a surprise :) ) We found a full bed for our guest room/kids room and are looking for a dining room table we can agree on. We're also planning to sell our old couch and bed rather then having to hold a garage sale. Ebay is still the best for things like clothes, DVDs, etc., but craigslist is better for furniture and it also has ads for anything from Chinese lessons ($20/hr!!) to Russian Blue kittens to "special" massages. The best part is that you can't get out-bid at the last second like I always do on Ebay!! :(

http://anotherfloating-blog.blogspot.com/

Yeah, Tim!

Weight Observations

Why is it that no matter how much weight I lose, I still think I look exactly the same? I had my pt test (my run test for you non-mil types) recently and you have to weigh in. I weighed in at 113lb. I haven't weight 113lb since I was a high school anorexic!! Yet, when I look in the mirror, all I see is my poochy tummy, flabby butt, and thunder thighs. Am I totally messed up in the head or is this something that all women go through? It's so frustrating because I will tell myself, if I just lost 5 more lb I would be happy, but then I lose it and I'm still not happy. What is wrong with me!!??

I Wuv My Dishwasher

Can I just say that the biggest luxury I missed while being in Japan was having a dishwasher. I got so used to washing everything by hand for the last few years that it took me a while to get used to using it again, but now that I am...Damn do I love that dishwasher! Caitlyn can even load it and unload it, so I don't have to do anything but drop in the dishwashing liquid and press go. Life is good!

Of course, I really miss my bathtub, so I guess everything balances out in the end.

WC Update

Goooo England! We root for them not because Becks is such a great player, but b/c my hubby thinks Posh is a hottie :) We are the worst soccer fans ever. (and if you don't know who Posh and Becks are, shame on you for not reading People magazine!)

Our House...In the Middle of Our Street

I took so long to post my other blogs that Tim took the pics of the house for me. So, enjoy! :)

Toothless Wonder

Caitlyn's front permanent tooth had been growing in front of her baby tooth, so we took her to the dentist as soon as we arrived in LA. The dentist decided he needed to "wiggle out" her two front teeth (the 2nd one was ready to come in as well). Caitlyn was nervous at first, but after they gave her the laughing gas (that's nitrious oxide to those of you who have never had your wisdom teeth out), she was just fine ;) In fact, she asked me if we could go back again! :) Anywho, here's the cutest pics of the tootheless wonder.

It's Aliiiiive

Yes, it's true, we are still here. Sorry for the lengthy period of absence but it couldn't be helped. We were literally living out of a suitcase for the last three months. (and, yes, it does suck as much as you think it does). But, we are finally living in our new home and are sttling in nicely. We actually have a bit of room to move around, and I have some space in my kitchen, which I have been using religiously since we moved in. I will post pics of the house as soon as I get off my lazy ass and take some :) In the meanwhile, here are some pictures from our trip to Albuquerque to visit the parentals.

Off We Go

Okay, well the movers are here, so I guess this is it. Next time I talk to you all we will be in the States permanently! Love to all, we'll see you soon!!!

Mamamamama

Jocelyn said her first word! Well actually, it's not really a word so much as a long string of sounds generally followed by a resounding thbppt, which is her new favorite thing to do while I am trying to feed her. And, while it is extremely cute and I am very proud, I am also getting tired of the formula showers. I must caveat this by saying that not everyone agrees that this is Jocelyn's first word.

Me: Jocelyn said her first word!
Jocelyn: Mamamamama. Thbppppt!!
Tim: That's not a word.
Me: Is so.
Tim: That's just a bunch of sounds strung together. She doesn't know that mama means you.
Me: Does too.
Tim: Well, if mamamama means you, then I must be aiiiooouuuiieee. So she said my name first.
Jocelyn: Thbppppppt!!


Another exciting, albeit somewhat scary thing, happened to us today. We were standing in line at the BX and I was talking to one of the ladies know from Caitlyn's school, when Caitlyn said there was a bug on Jocelyn's stroller. I looked but there was nothing there, so I blew it off as being a fly or something that had flown away and continued my conversation. Suddenly Caitlyn tugged on my sleeve and pointed to Jocelyn's stroller. There was this HUGE ASS SPIDER crawling right next to her head. I about shit myself it was so damn big. Somehow you fly into "Mommy Mode" at crises like these, thank god, since I would never in my life touch a spider like that otherwise. I just reached in and squashed it with my bare hand and flung it to the floor. Afterward I freaked out a little and checked Jocelyn all over for spider bites, but she was fine. I just can't imagine where a spider that big came from or how it got into her stroller. Thank god Caitlyn was paying attention and noticed it. Ick! I still get the creeps thinking about it!

Wah!

Tim left for Texas today :( So, I am all alone with the munchkins for almost a month until we leave for Buffalo. I wasn't really worried or upset until he actually stepped on the plane, and then I started to cry a little :( I know we're only going to be apart for a month, but it's the longest we've ever been apart and I miss him already!

I have so much to take care of for our upcoming move. I can't believe it is here already. It seems like just the other day I was freaking out over trying to get orders and now it's time to leave! This was a very hard day for Tim, too. He's lived in Japan for over 5 years now, and going back to the States seems like going to a foreign country to him. Misawa has been his home for so long, and, even though we're totally thrilled to be back in the same country as most of you, it's hard to leave a place that you know like the back of your hand. Especially because I don't know if we'll ever make it back here. We'll most liekly come back to Japan in the future on vacation (esp. since Jocelyn and Vanessa were both born here), but I don't now if we'll be able to come all the way back up to Misawa. I have to admit, I'm not really all that sad. I enjoyed Japan, it's a beautiful country with beautiful people, but I am so excited to be coming home. It makes me feel kind of bad that I'm so happy about leaving, but please remember that I spent four years in Hawaii, too, so I have been away from family for a good deal of my adult life.

Okay, now I'm just rambling. The whole point of this post was supposed to be that I miss my husband and I'm sad we're going to be apart for so long. I hope this month goes by quickly because I can't wait to see you all on our vacation!!

Weddings, Pho, and Hai

I know I haven't blogged in forever, but 've been so busy what with getting ready for the big move (Tim leaves on Wednesday, wah!!!). I also just got back from the most whirlwind trip I've ever made. My girl Susanne got married last weekend and I was one of the bridesmaids, so I few all the way from Misawa (with Jocelyn, mind you) to Tacoma Washington for three days to be a part of the wedding (cause she's worth it!). The weird thing is that Jocelyn was a perfect angel for the entire trip (which was actually a total of 6 days - 3 for travel and 3 there) and became a perfect monster as soon as we got back! I think she's still getting used to having her schedule all f'ed up for so long (we are the complete opposite timewise of the States, so when it's day there it's night here and vice versa, so our bodies were very confused for the whole trip since we didn't have time to adjust to anything). The wedding, however, was absolutely gorgeous. (The photographer said pictures would be ready on his website in 6 to 8 weeks, so you're gong to have to wait for me to post pics because the only thing I did forget to bring was my camera!). They had a Catholic ceremony, which actually took me by surprise since Susanne was not raised Catholic and I hadn't realized that Greg's family was Catholic, which I was really surprised to find that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was only about a half hour and it was really touching. The parents also gave a blessing which was particularly moving (that and when Susanne came down the aisle with her dad trying not to cry were the only times I was in real danger of making the ugly cry). The reception was just perfect, too. The food was fantastic, the quartet was a reall lovely touch, and everyone had so much fun. Even though I had Jocelyn with me the whole time I really didn't feel like I missed out on anything. Even though it was very difficult to travel alone with an infant (I had Jocelyn in her Baby Bjorn on the front, my backpack on my back, her car seat in one hand, and my luggage in the other - not fun!!), I got to see my two best friends that I hadn't seen in two or three years and reconnect with them and to be a part of one of the most meaningful moment's in Susanne's life. Plus I got to eat Pho!! It was totally worth it :)

Oh, one little funny anecdote about how living in Japan is turning me into a total racist. When we went out to pho, after I gave the waitress my order, she repeated it back to me and I replied with a resounding "hai" (which is pretty much the only Japanese I really know). The waitress gave me the dirtiest look, as if she were saying, "I'm Vietnamese not Japanese, you little cracker bitch!" I was so mortified you'd think I would remember that I was in the US where no one speaks Japanese. Not so. Not then ten seconds later, I did it again! To the same lady! And then I did it again when I bought some shoes from a Korean lady! Laura and Susanne found the whole thing very amusing, but I am very trepiditious about going to LA now. I'm going to have to carry around a little disclaimer stating that I lived in Japan for a long time and I am fully aware that not all Asians are Japanese, please forgive the round eye :)