Days 37-39

I know I've been failing at posting daily. I'm really sorry. I've just been so scatter brained and exhausted. I'll definitely get back on track tomorrow i swear. as for now, i'm saying goodnight :)

Days 34-36

This video is from the hospital when Oliver was almost 2 days old. It's of Cody holding Oliver dancing around the hospital room singing to him his ad lib song. I'll keep it forever. I wanted to share it with you though.

So coming home was hard last night. Our "see you soon" was very hard for me and I tried REALLY hard not to cry but wasn't very successful. When my mom and I drove away, I continued to cry on and off for a little bit. Then Cody called about 15 minutes later and said we needed to turn around and pick up some things he wasn't supposed to have with him so I got to say another "see you later" without tears :). Then we headed back on the road for home. The trip back was a little rough since my mom hasn't been feeling well and also because I hadn't driven that long of a drive all by myself before. It was quite an adventure to say the least though! I have pictures up on my Facebook if you'd like to check them out. I forgot, again, to get a picture of Cody, Oliver, and I before we left. I think we all were just focused on the parting ways part of the night that we didn't think to set aside time for it before hand. But we'll get one for sure when Oliver and I go for Christmas. Cody says it's supposed to be -3 degrees in the morning and then warm up to about 10 tomorrow. I hope he doesn't get any sicker and can stay healthy! I'm going to go to bed early tonight for sure since I only got about five and a half or so hours of sleep after getting up at 7 yesterday morning, then going to bed when I got home around 5:15 in the morning today after a long and emotional day and driving all the way  home.

Oliver Update: He's able to sit up right by himself. Not sit up by himself, but if I sit him down, he can keep himself sitting up for at least a little while. And today he discovered that he's flexible enough to put his feet in his mouth too! He's starting to reach for people too.

Nothing on, in front of, next to, or behind me!

See mom? I can sit all by myself!

Days 29-33

Okay so I haven't been posting. I'm really sorry! I've been so distracted with Cody being home and spending time with him and such. I think I started posting on the 29th but something came up... :(. Well I'm here and posting now which is all that matters.

So I'm sitting here on the bed in our hotel room in Sacramento with Cody (who's asleep already) and Oliver (who's chewing on his fingers, talking, and cuddling with Cody) just enjoying our last few days together before he heads off to Wisconsin on Monday :'(. But alas, it'll only be about two or so weeks before our first Christmas together : D.

To recap the past five days, we just went along spending time together and with family and friends and, as usual, waited until the last minute to get everything packed and ready to go. All I have are some pictures since I can't remember a lot. Oh! We went out on an early anniversary dinner Thursday night to the Apple Farm Restaurant in San Luis Obispo. It was so nice :). After dinner, we went back home and had our cake from our wedding and  Martinelli's to toast. And he surprised me with renewing his vows just us and Oliver on our couch in front of a nice warm fire. He's such a sweetheart. I love him with all my heart.

Well here are pictures!

Oliver Update: He's starting to be able to sit up by himself and rock a little during tummy time so he'll probably be crawling soon enough!

Cody eating his last MRE (chicken & dumplings)

Oliver looking all GQ :)

Oliver passed out on the couch

Lunch yesterday. Bacon wrapped Honey Mustard Pork Loin. YUM!

Our cake. Mind the exposed cake lol

Slice :)

Cider!

He loves his feet that's for sure!

Little blurry, but he's smiling!

Hmmm???

 Goodnight!

Days 24-28

MAN! Sorry I haven't posted in FOUR days. I've been a little preoccupied enjoying my time with my Cody love. But, alas, our time is up in just a weeks time :(. But we still have a whole week left! Which is nice :). Oh man there's so much to fill you in on! Too bad I don't remember a lot of it. We've been spending a lot of time together just us a a family which has been great to say the least. Cody's been doing a lot of bonding with Oliver which has been so precious. We've spent some time with Cody's great grandpa since he's in town for just a few more days before going back home and he hadn't met Oliver in person yet. My dad came to visit for a day which was so great since it was his first time meeting Oliver in person, too. I've been doing quite a bit of cooking as well and some more baking and such. I'm getting more confident in my abilities :). I have pictures to post! Well, I think I have pictures to post... Maybe not. I accidentally forgot my camera on Thanksgiving day and when my dad came to visit so I don't have any :(. I'll get some from Cody's mom and brother eventually and I'll post them. Almost time for bed! Oliver's waking up. He's such a cutie!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Oliver Update: He's definitely starting to understand that if he pushes a button he'll hear music or an animal noise, or some other sort of ear pleasing audio. Thing. I'm definitely getting tired. He's getting so big though! He's at least 17 pounds now. It's pretty crazy. He talks practically all the time, laughs the rest of the time, and sleeps. He's positively in love with Cody though : D. He loves me and he loves his bouncy seat too though so don't worry, I haven't been left out.

Day 24

Today was a good day :). I got to sleep in without worrying about Oliver because my wonderful husband, who's been getting up way early anyway, took our son into the living room and played with him until he got hungry so I could sleep for a little while longer. Then I baked my Red Velvet Cheesecake and Banana Bread without nuts but with chocolate chips which took way longer than expected, but came out relatively well anyway. Then we headed over to Cody's grandparents for his great grandpas 80th birthday and we just got home about half an hour ago. So fun all around! Here are some pictures!

Have a happy Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Oliver Update: He's so happy! All the time! And he loved his great great grandpa :).

Not quite sure at first, but he warmed up to him :)

Great grandpa Lee

With toys

Passed out

Poor thing

Back home again clutching onto his bears :)

Day 23 (Thanksgiving leave)

Home on Thanksgiving leave!

Cody came home today! He had a little trouble leaving on time thanks to one of his battle buddies going AWOL right before they were allowed to go. Pretty ridiculous if you ask me... and any of them. Anyway, he finally was able to get out. I had to run to the grocery store before he got home so I could have everything I needed for lunch. He actually surprised me in the store! He said he was going to surprise me with flowers, but since I was there, he couldn't. So after getting home and making lunch (which was pretty good if you ask me) [Butternut Squash Soup with Fontina Cheese Crostini], we just cuddled and spent time together : D. So very nice. Then we had a couple of friends come over for a little and now Cody and Oliver are asleep and I'm awake not quite tired yet, but almost ready for bed. Just like old times : D. It feels good to have him home again.

Oliver Update: He really missed Cody cause he's done nothing but smile and laugh all day. At first, he wasn't really sure of who Cody was unfortunately, but he quickly remembered who it was! Honestly, I don't think he's ever talked as much in one day than he did today. And smiled. And laughed.

Cupcakes unfrosted

Pumpkin Ginger Bread

Day 22

Today was a relatively productive day :). I woke up kinda late, but I really had to restrain myself from just staying in bed with Oliver and cuddling all day. So when I got up, I sorted the dirty laundry into piles and threw in a load. Then I proceeded to fold up the load I had on the drying rack from the last time I did laundry (whenever that was lol). So not only did I do that one load of laundry, I did two more :). Yes! I did a total of THREE loads of laundry!!! I'm not able to hang up that third load just yet though since the laundry's being dried by a fan and, at this point, it's very cold out so the air is cold, not helping the wet laundry dry... I really need a dryer... Anyway! So after starting the laundry, I picked up a little, hung up the loads when they were done, finished the dishes, played with Oliver, talked to Cody a little, and basically just relaxed. I've been going a little crazy to say the least. Well, Cody comes home tomorrow probably in the morning! He said he's all packed and ready :).

Oliver Update: He did really well today up until about a few hours ago. He was asleep then all of a sudden he started crying. I picked him up and talked to him and hugged him but neither worked. So I stood up and walked around with him but that didn't work either. So I took him to the fish tank, and that worked a little, but when I walked away from it, he started crying again. Keep in mind he had just eaten about an hour prior to this so I didn't assume he was hungry. After a few more minutes of crying, I caved and fed him. Which he seemed to enjoy and then he fell asleep again.

My pumpkin ginger bread : )

Days 20 and 21

Sorry about not posting last night! My mom and I were working on my Wisconsin trip for Christmas : D. Well, she was doing most of the work. I mentally couldn't keep everything in line on my own. There was so much I was thinking about all at one time I just gave up so I wouldn't drive myself crazy and mess everything up due to frustration.

So, starting from yesterday. I woke up at 6:45 since the cable guy was coming between 8 and 10. I made it home at 8 on the dot, however the cable guy didn't show 'til 9:30. After that I went and finished my grocery shopping and went home. I actually made the bread and cupcakes that I've been saying I've been going to make. I put too much of one spice in the bread but balanced out the rest and it actually turned out REALLY well. The cupcakes were good, too, but the frosting didn't quite turn out like i had hoped. It still tasted good though. Then I was basically up with my mom working on getting my tickets and making my reservations for my trip until we fell asleep on my couch. Which I only realized when I woke up around three in the morning. My mom left at that point and Oliver and I went to bed.

Then today, I woke up around 11:30, I tried to wake up at 9, but that failed because I was so tired. So I woke up and got ready to go run an errand, then woke up Oliver to get him changed, dressed, and in his car seat so I could go to church to drop off my Operation Christmas Child shoe box. After that, I went to Miner's and got a few things I needed for the house, one of them being a flag I can hang in front : ). Then I went to my mom's friend's open house for a few hours. Then went back to Miner's for my mom. After dropping her off at home, I went home and pooped out on the couch. And now, I'm really tired so I'm going to start winding down for bed... meaning wait for Oliver to get hungry again. Which should be soon. So I'll be sure to post on time tomorrow! Goodnight all!

Oliver Update: He's so happy all the time it's fabulous. I make him laugh a lot which is so nice : D

Day 19

Today was pretty eventful! I woke up around 8:45ish because of the floor guy coming at nine. Then Lindsay came over to make the cupcakes and bread I posted yesterday, but the floor guy didn't come until 9:15 and even then, we got to talking about how ridiculous the whole floor damage thing is and he didn't wind up leaving until 9:45 which is when I needed to be leaving basically. So, since it was raining and I was late, I drove to Vons and picked up some Goldfish, cookies, and some Chewy bars for snack for my Parent Participation class. After that, I went and picked up my grandma to take her to Templeton for our weekly lunch with my mom. We had El Pollo Loco. Then for the rest of the day, I stayed in Templeton since there was poker tonight. I did some grocery shopping (FINALLY) at Trader Joe's and then went over to a friend's mom's house to visit her since I hadn't in a while. After that I went to poker and was only there for about 20 minutes or so before leaving because the girls were going out to a bar and the guys (and their antics) were staying there. So I came over the my good friend Christina's house. We went to Target and did some more of my grocery shopping and came back to her place to wind down. I'm staying here tonight, just so you guys are aware. She so nicely let me use her laptop so I could keep up with my posting for tonight. And now I'm getting pretty tired so I'm going to finish this up. HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! Christina's dog Charlie is a little happier than normal and she's REALLY uncomfortable with it. Oh man that was great. Oliver's waking up and I gotta feed him. Goodnight! No pictures tonight since I'm not on my lappy : (. I'll compensate tomorrow!

Oliver Update: He loves keys and hands. They're hilarious. My goofball is my favorite love : D

Day 18

I TOTALLY forgot to post before 12. Oh well. At least I remembered to post at all. So here it goes.

I had a pretty calm day externally, but internally, my mind's been going three thousand miles a minute thinking about everything that I'd like to do and need to do this holiday season. Like plan my trip to Wisconsin for Christmas, what and when I'm going to bake for Thanksgiving, the immense amount of laundry I need to do still, the dishes I need to put away, the dishes I need to wash, the Pumpkin Gingerbread and Applesauce Spice Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting I need to get the ingredients for and have baked and ready to go by 9:45 in the morning, the immense amount of grocery shopping I need to do since I haven't gone in a long while, the organizing I need to do, the laundry I need to put away, the cable box that's basically no more, the DVR on Saturday that I'm getting to replace the aforementioned cable box, the meals I'm planning on making for Cody since all he's had is crap at Camp Roberts, the dog we're thinking about getting, the Christmas tree we still need to pick out, the fact that the only time my brain actually slows down is when I'm sleeping, the bills, and what to get everyone for Christmas. All at the same time. Can you blame me for waking up thinking it was Friday this morning and almost crying? Oh man I'd like a break. Or a massage. My hip hurts anyway, so a massage would be nice. Oh my goodness, I'm getting tired. I guess I should wrap up this semi-rant. Well I got to talk to Cody tonight. And he didn't fall asleep on me! Woo! He had a nice surprise for me. He's coming home on Thanksgiving leave a day earlier than he thought. YAY! Good things are happening and I'm happy about it.

Oliver Update: He's starting to not look so much like a newborn and more like an older baby. I love him so very much. I don't want him to get bigger and older, but I know that's life. And he'll be just as cute, sweet, and loving when he gets a little older. We'll see when he's a teenager lol!

Oliver holding his conference lol

After a long time of not having a full picture of us!

This is kinda silly

Day 17

Today was pretty fabulous : D. I woke up to a phone call from Cody saying he was going to be in SLO for a little while this morning so I could visit with him for about 10 or 15 minutes! Woo! Good thing I had to go into San Luis anyway. Even though going just to see him would have been totally worth the quick trip. It was great to see him again. His hair was long on top. Longer than it's ever been since he shaved it all off just over two years ago. It looked different, but good. He looked good. I miss him. But I'm strong and I can wait until he comes home. In a week. : D. Anyway, after he left, I went to pay the electric bill. After that, I decided to stop by his grandparents house to visit for a little while. (Both his grandparents, his mother, and his brother went on a mission trip to Mexico for a week and a half so they hadn't seen Oliver for a while.) I stayed there all day other than going out to lunch at Panda Express with them. I even had dinner there. Home made noodles with chicken and veggies. So a home made chicken noodle soup basically. Which was pretty darn good : ). Then I came home and watched the most recent episode of Glee. Fabulous! They incorporated elements of my favorite musical Singin' In The Rain. I was pleasantly surprised, needless to say. Oliver's asleep right now, but I hope he wakes up soon cause I love him so much! He's so fun!

Oliver Update: He actually rolled onto his stomach BY HIMSELF slowly but surely over a time span of 20 or so minutes.

Day 16

 

Happy 10 month-a-versary to my husband Cody and happy four month birthday to our son Oliver! I love you both so very much!

Today went pretty okay. Due to the sudden huge change in plans yesterday, I was emotionally drained enough to not want to get out of bed. Because of Oliver, of course, I did. That was around 12ish though. Then I did nothing but my usual time killers tv, texting, and Facebook. Then I went to my Tuesday night group in Arroyo Grande which was good. Then home to tv. I gave Oliver a bath tonight :). (See above picture) My friends Lindsay and Shane came over for about an hour before I went to AG too. I got to talk to Cody tonight too! : D

Oliver Update: Cutest funniest baby Oliver ever!

 

Day 15 end

Since this is my third posting today, I don't have much to say other than my day got better :). I'll post more when it gets all figured out. I basically stayed home all day and didn't do much of anything. Although I did make myself a nice dinner of pork steak with Trader Joe's bbq sauce, garlic golden potatoes, and a small romaine salad with a small homegrown tomato and some olives. It's the first actual meal meal I've made myself in a very long time. It was pretty balanced too! : D I talked to Cody again tonight. He says he has a head cold so he's feeling pretty crappy. And he's really looking forward to coming home : )

Oliver Update: He's currently asleep, but he was awake for a lot of today. Which thinking about it now makes sense because he slept for about 10 hours eating every two or three. Tomorrow's a new day!

Day 15 - Christmas List

1. Be with Cody for Christmas.
2. Kitchenaid Mixer in Candy Apple Red
3. Any other sort of thing I can use for my home (i.e.fireplace screen, cabinets for the dining room, floor rug, etc.)
4. For Oliver: Clothes from 9 months and up, any developmental toys or games, etc.
5. Bluetooth
6. Season 1 and 2(if it's out by Christmas time) of Glee
7. Complete set of Friends the TV show
8. Any clothes

That's all I could think of. Not even asking for much. If I got everything on this list, I would be set for years. Lol. Just trying to think positively!

Day 15

I just got some TERRIBLE news from Cody. Not only is airfare now ridiculously expensive thanks to the last minuteness that the army loves when it comes to giving us families dates on home leaves, but Cody's FOB (forward operating base) in Afghanistan is a five day trip from the closest airport. SO his R&R which we were planning for July for Oliver's first birthday is basically not going to happen... So, for Oliver's first Christmas, he might not get to be with his daddy due to the financial limbo that we'll be in thanks to the awesomeness (note the sarcasm) of the financial limbo the army is putting us in. Although I am glad we have an income that will support us. That's a blessing. I just wish we could be together as a family at least once through this tough time... So please pray. And as I'm typing this I'm watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition where this woman lost her husband in their room in their home which they had just purchased after 13 years of marriage and six children (the sixth born in the same room a month prior to his death). He died of an allergic reaction to toxic mold spores in the air as a result of him remodeling their home to better accommodate their large family. He was a volunteer firefighter. He passed on Christmas Eve. Kind of put things in perspective...

Day14

Today was such a great day. I woke up around quarter to ten and went to San Luis Obispo for a girls day which was very nice. We got coffee, walked around town and did some shopping just us girls, got some lunch, then walked around and did some more shopping. After that, I went up to my grandmas house and picked up my printer and some other things. Then I went to Vons with my mom and ran into this crazy lady who honestly scared me. Big time. Then I drove home, hung up that last load I washed last night, and watched Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Just cause it was on. I swear. It's Sunday night there's usually nothing on.

Anyway, I was able to talk to Cody tonight too. We didn't talk about a lot bit just being on the phone with him is comforting.

Oliver Update: He's perfect : D

Day13

So today was a rather productive day. Although I did wake up rather late in the morning again, instead of turning on the TV and opening up facebook, I hung up a load of laundry that was in the washing machine and threw another load in! Then after that load was done, I folded up and put away that first load, hung up the second load, and threw in a THIRD load!!! Unbelievable! I also cleaned up somewhat around the house. I didn't get out for a walk today unfortunately, but I'll definitely get out on one tomorrow. Another achievement: I downloaded all my pictures from my camera onto my laptop : ). Now to just get on top of getting some printed for the people that have been asking for copies for months! Hmmm. Lets see. I'm thinking about baking some things tomorrow. A cake maybe. Possibly some banana bread. Not quite sure yet. Any suggestions? Mmm my friend Christina's grandmother's Swedish cake sound really good right now actually. Oh well I'll figure it out. I got to talk to Cody tonight : D It was nice to hear his voice again : >. About another week and a half and he's home for Thanksgiving leave! So exciting! Oliver's first Thanksgiving! Speaking of Oliver...

Oliver Update: He's doing more and more drooling every day. And while standing on my lap, he can support himself by himself! He extends his arms out in front of him and leans on my chest and stands by himself without falling to either side for about 5 seconds! I thought that was pretty fabulous : ).

Staring at Penkitty passed down to him from Cody

At one of Cody's yellow Ribbon Events

Cuddles!

My little angel

Oliver's first bath : D

Kisses!

Macro shot! Such a cutie!

Biggest smile ever!

Hehe "you're funny daddy!"

Precious moment

At church

One of my absolute favorite pictures

I made this face when I was a baby :D

After a bath

Peek a boo I see you!

At church on a Wednesday night