We were so spoiled!!!

Chris got to come home this weekend, as evidenced by our previous post. Originally our doctor's appointment was scheduled for the 28th of September, but when the doctor that Chris is working with suggested that if we could get an appointment for the 20th or 21st, I called the ob doctor and was devastated to find out that they were completely full. I e-mailed a friend - basically complaining about my disappointment when she called back and said that she had an appointment on the 20th and that she would switch with us for our appointment on the 28th. I couldn't believe it! Chris could actually come with me! We were amazed at such friendship. So he got to come home last week on Wednesday night and stay until Sunday. Since we didn't expect to see each other at all this entire month, it was a real blessing. Not to mention the fact that he got to be with me for the first time we heard the heartbeat in our new little one. What a blessing! But now Grant and I are spoiled and we're missing him something awful! I know it has only been a couple of days, however, we enjoyed our time with him so much, that it seems to have made it harder to be apart. So Grant and I are at the house all by ourselves, both a little grumpy and missing Chris so very much. We just can't wait to be all together again! On top of missing him, despite the fact that I am now in my 14th week of this pregnancy and am supposed to be starting to feel better, it seems to be getting worse. I am wishing I had someone here to run after Grant while I'm getting sick, but alas, he's getting into all sorts of things as I hang over the toilet. Just how do single parents do it???

New Addition

We went to the doctor today to get our first glimpse of the new addition to our family. We should hear the pitter-pat of little feet again around the 28th of March.

Kinsen's first soccer game

We were so priveleged to be able to be here for Kinsen's first soccer game! She was so excited, and we were all so very proud of her! She did a great job. Unfortunately, her team lost (because of 2 goals made for the opposing team by Kinsen's team - she made one of them!), but they did great just the same! I think Jaybin and Grant were a little miffed that they couldn't be out there playing with the big kids. We had to hold them the whole time because as soon as we put them down, they took off toward the field to be trampled! Things got a little rough at times as you can see...a 4 year old ended up taking a nose dive and the others ran around him!

Playing at the Park

This evening since Paw-Paw was at meetings, mom and I took Grant to a little park in town, which he absolutely loved! Usually he is the swing king! But not this time. He could have done without the swings completely. Instead, he discovered the joy (and fear!) of slides. Although he was a bit unsure about them, (and even still rather apprehensive by the end of our time there) that is what he kept wanting to do. I was proud of him. When we got home, Grandma took him outside to water her flowers. He wasn't so good at keeping the hose in the pots, but he sure enjoyed the water! It was a fun evening.

Fun in the Dirt!

We took Grant outside this morning and he discovered something quite wonderful - a pot filled with dirt and a stone he could use as a shovel! Mom has a flower pot in their back yard that is filled with dirt...but no flowers. Since they were gone all summer, she never planted anything in it. Just Grant's luck! He had a ball playing in the dirt. Once I finally got the camera, though, it started going straight to his mouth, bringing a quick end to his game.

Fun at Grandma and Grandpa's

Since Chris is away for 5 weeks in Camp Lejeune, NC, Grant and I decided to come home to IN to spend some time with my family. My dad called and said that everyone was gathering at Uncle Greg and Aunt Kathy's - Kim, Wes, and Jason were going with their spouses and kids. We grew up at Uncle Greg's house on almost all holidays and I have such pleasant memories of getting together with them and playing with Kim and Wes. Unfortunately, since I went to college, I have not been nearby to get together and play anymore. It was so nice to see them, see their kids, and basically introduce them to Grant. They saw him briefly at Stefi's wedding when he was 5 weeks old last year, but that was about it. We had a great time. Grant loved the sprinkler, and the other kids enjoyed playing in the river, etc. Before going to Greg and Kathy's we had Kinsen and Jaybin at mom and dad's house while Jason and Kendra went to the Notre Dame game. It was a whirlwind of a weekend, but we had a ball. Here is a hodgepodge of pictures from the weekend. Playing bubbles at Grandma and Paw-Paw Beutler's house. Grant thought it was hilarious when Jaybin would blow, belly laughing every time! Grant is loving playing with his cousins. He's learned so much by watching them - like how to blow bubbles with a wand! Kinsen, Grant and Jaybin sitting on the back porch at Grandma and Paw-Paw Beutler's house. Grant and Jaybin playing with marbles at Great Grandma and Grandpa Beutler's house Jason and Jaybin fishing in the pond at Great-Grandma and Grandpa Beutler's house. Jaybin caught his first fish and screamed, "No, no, no, no, no!" Great-Grandpa gave Grant his own little fishing rod to play with. Grant and Jaybin hanging out on the porch at Great-Grandma and Grandpa Beutler's. Grant and Jaybin looking at a record player for the first time. They were intrigued. Grant playing in the sprinkler at Uncle Greg and Aunt Kathy's Grant and Jaybin had fun playing with the hose at Uncle Greg and Aunt Kathy's house.

The Blue Angels

We had a special treat while we were in Florida last month. Chris was doing a Family Practice residency which he really enjoyed. One day, they had arranged for the medical students to shadow a flight surgeon (flight surgery training is based out of Pensacola), and to watch a practice for the Blue Angels Air Show. Grant and I were invited to come along, as well. We headed over to the stadium where the practice usually takes place along with the throngs of other people. We had been instructed to go to Air Wing 6, and after searching for it, we finally asked a lady who was directing people where to go where we needed to be. She didn't know where Air Wing 6 was and finally said she thought it was over in Sherman's Field for VIP seating. Well...we drove over to Sherman's Field and found Air Wing 6. It was the private hangar for the Blue Angels. We were in VIP seating along with only about 15-20 other people. As we walked in the gate, the planes were all lined up, the pilots were preparing for take-off, and we felt very cool! The show was awesome! It was very loud, though, and even though it was 8:00 in the morning, it was already nearly 100 degrees, so Grant was anything but happy. He fussed around the whole time. At the end of the show, the pilots disembarked their planes and Chris was escorted up to meet them. I could have gone, too, but since Grant was so fussy, I just took him home instead (only to find a cockroach climbing up the wall!). The rest of the day, Chris followed around a flight surgeon and was very intrigued. Though he's thought about it before, he hasn't considered it seriously until now. So we're currently contemplating that path. We'll see...

Playing with the hose!

One of the highlights of our time in Pensacola was our time playing in the hose in the front yard! Grant had a ball, and consequently, we parents did, too! We enjoyed so very much watching him attack the water head first, drink out of the fountain, and even squeal and run away from the sheer coolness of the water in contrast to the extreme heat of the day while flapping his arms and giggling uncontrollably. It was certainly enough to make any onlooker laugh and be transported back to their own childhood to watch such a little man experience the simplistic joy of a water hose! Grant and I would go out during the days while daddy was at work until we found how much daddy enjoyed it too, so then we waited for him after work and made it a night time ritual: first the hose, then the bath! And I think all three of us were soaked in the process!

Home Sweet Home

Well, we are finally home. Although we started out with internet access in FL, the computer we had to use didn't work very well, so I wasn't able to update our blog as we would have wanted to. Grant and I flew home today. Chris drove to NC to begin his next rotation there at Camp Lejeune. He's doing Sports Medicine there, and just finished up Family Practice in Pensacola. He really liked Pensacola. Right now it is number 1 on his wish list. The town of Pensacola itself did not impress us in the least. I expected a beach paradise since so many people go to the beach there every year. While the beach was nice, the town was a typical military town, I suppose. It seemed old, dirty and a little run down. But definitely liveable. We found that cockroaches are a common problem in the area, as was evidenced by the cockroaches that I found in the house in which we were staying. I was so upset the first time I saw them that I made Chris skip working out and come home to get me out of the house. We only took one car down and since he had to work so early, he usually took it to work with him since I wasn't in the mood to get out of my bed! :-) We also had lizards down there, which was interesting. The first day we were there, we left the back porch light on. Chris called me into the kitchen that evening and there were 3 lizards on the kitchen window by the light - outside, thankfully! While we saw them every now and then, they kept to themselves most of the time. Only a few days before we left, I got in the shower and stepped on something a bit hard. I didn't have my glasses on, so it was difficult to see what it was - long and brown. At first I assumed it was hair, then after thinking about it, I realized that was a lot of hair and it was hard. So I leaned down to see what it was and as I got closer, I realized I had just stepped on a lizard! I screamed and jumped out of the shower and Chris came to save the day - he sprayed it with water and we think it went down the drain. It was the most miserable shower of my life! I shaved with one eye on the drain, resulting in knicked up legs. Ouch! So I've decided if we end up living in FL, I'm in for a rude awakening. And we're definitely having the exterminators come OFTEN! There is truly no place like home!

Update on life

Sorry it has been a while since I've updated anything on here. We have been quite busy here lately. Chris has been studying hard for his boards - day and night! He drove up to Philadelphia last Tuesday and was there until Thursday evening after his second test was over. The first test was on Wednesday and lasted from 8 am until nearly 4:30 pm. He was fried afterwards! He had a terrible headache from staring at a computer screen all day and his mind was just exhausted. But he said he knew he had passed it, so that was encouraging! The next day he had to take an oral exam where he had patients and had to diagnose and treat them. Though it wasn't as long, it still went until 3:30, and then he had to drive home, getting in around 11:00. It was a long couple of days, and we're both thrilled that he's done with his second set of boards! While he was gone, my parents and grandparents came to visit, which was a wonderful surprise! My parents hadn't seen Grant since early February, and he has changed so much since then, so I was so glad they could come. Grant is teething and was quite intense, so they didn't see him his typical laid back silly boy, but he was still fun. We just hung out at the house, playing games, watching the movie "Cars," which my grandparents had never seen, etc. They took us out for breakfast on Friday morning and then went down to NC to visit with my sister. After breakfast, we got busy packing up so that we could move down to Pensacola, FL for this month. After packing all day, we were exhausted and though we considered driving through the night for Grant's sake, we decided since we were both so tired, we'd get up the next morning. So Saturday was a busy day driving. 12 hours later, we got to Pensacola. Grant did great for the first 9 hours. The last 3, however, were not fun for any of us. He was done with the driving and ready to be out of the car. And he let us know this by screaming for 3 hours. Ugh. I was never so glad to get out of the car! We are staying at the home of a lady who moved in with a friend so that we could have a house to ourselves here in Pensacola. We've never met her. We emailed several churches down here to see if we could find housing and she told us we could stay here - for free! So we have been blessed. We do have internet access, but I won't be able to post any pictures for a while until I get home in September. Hope you all are doing well.

Sweet Innocence...

I may seem sweet an innocent in most of the pictures that mom puts on here of me, but just check out this new face that I'm doing when she tells me "No." She told me I couldn't throw my spaghetti on the floor tonight, and look at the fit I threw. I'm getting naughtier by the day.

Giggles

7.20.07 My first popsicle

Mom took me outside today to taste my first popsicle. Boy, was it good! I ate the whole thing - except for that part that fell off the stick to the ground. Mean ol' mommy wouldn't let me eat that part! I sat there very seriously and ate the whole thing. No smiles, no laughs. Just down to business. I ended up being a sticky mess, so I had to have a bath right afterwards, but it was worth it! On another note, mom and dad have been asking me where different body parts are for the last little bit. I'm trying so hard to play along. But every time they ask me where my nose is, I point to my forehead!

Memories of Italy

I have typed out my memories of Italy and have posted them here on this blog. They are dated from June 18-July 1, so if you're interested, click on June to see more pictures and read more stories about what we did.

7.16.07 Fun with Bubbles!

We took Grant outside today to play with a bubble maker that was given to him for his birthday. This is the first we've been able to play with it much, and boy, did we have a ball! I think Chris and I had more fun than Grant did!

Playground Swing Pictures