Monday, March 29, 2010

Boxes, boxes, and more boxes.

We finally made it to our new home and we LOVE it!

There are a few things I have learned over the past 5 days that, I think, are worthy of sharing:
1. NEVER schedule a move during March Madness.
2. If you do schedule a move during March Madness, tell your husband that the Direct TV people could not come to set it up for at least a week. This way he is focused on helping to set up the house and not focused on watching Michigan, Butler, Duke and West Virginia.
3. Refrain from having the internet hooked up until AFTER about 2 weeks. Same idea as #2. It is easier to procrastinate online than finish unpacking that dish pack.
4. Hire a babysitter for the first week. I like to get it done so that I can put my feet up and enjoy. It is not "done" until the last picture is hung and the last rug is placed.
5. Make sure there is a map in the car. I know, rookie mistake, but the directions seemed easy enough. 80 to 5 south to 198 east. Well, I ended up on 99 south and almost had a mental breakdown. Thank goodness for good friends who can talk me off the ledge and give me good directions (thanks T)!

My hands are raw from cardboard boxes and packing paper, so I am taking the night off to get caught up on the internet. Tomorrow is a new day with a new list of things to get done!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Fun times


This has been a fun couple of days! Here are a couple of pictures of when we took Michael to the park on base. He loves that bucket swing, he could sit and swing for hours. I really love the big smile that he is giving both of us as he comes to the top of the swing. So fun!

The picture of the jet was Chris arriving back to the flight line, today, after flying his final flight with TOPGUN in the F-16 Viper. Michael, Uncle Mikey, and I got to be there to see him taxi in and park. He was then greeted by a bunch of his co-workers for congratulations and bags filled with water! He got soaked, but loved every minute of it. It is certainly bittersweet leaving this command and heading back to a fleet squadron. We have really enjoyed the wonderful people and exploring the areas nearby like Lake Tahoe. We are now off to new adventures in a new part of the country!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Is it possible?

That a bag of frozen breast milk in the freezer had me in tears yesterday? Yup. You read that right. It is only 5 oz. and I just cannot bear the thought of throwing it away. I mentioned to Chris that I just cannot bear to throw it away before we move and he was so sweet to recognize that I was about to cry so he gave me a big, long bear hug. I don't know why I am so emotional over this bag of milk.

Maybe it is because I recognize that, soon, Michael won't need me anymore for this nutrition.

Maybe it is because I see him growing up so fast and all I want to do is slow time down.

Maybe it is because it makes me think of the emotions my own Mom went through with all 3 of her children in the nursing and weaning process. I wish everyday she was here to talk about this kind of "stuff."

Or Maybe it is because we are about to embark on a new chapter of our life, one in which Chris will be deployed a lot, and I cannot bear the thought of him missing one minute of Michael's life.


As for that bag in the freezer, it is still sitting there. It will have to go by Thursday, when the movers pull the plug on the fridge. But I promise you I won't be the one throwing it away.

3 days to go!

The packers are showing up on Wednesday! That is only 2 more "sleeps" or nights before they arrive! I have been busy organizing things around the house in order to make their job a little easier. We will go ahead and take down all pictures and wall hangings. Then I group together all of the pictures/picture frames, etc. I will also make sure all the toys are in one place, clothes are organized, and draperies are taken down, cleaned, folded and put with the other linens. There is always so much to do! But I enjoy it. Or I should say, I don't mind it.

At present, I am sitting at the breakfast table with Michael. He is chewing on a bagel while throwing his strawberries and kiwi over the side of his high chair to Katie and Lucy to dine on. Unfortunately for me, they don't like fruit so much. So I will be down there picking it all up!

Happy Monday to all!

Friday, March 19, 2010

Table tops are no longer safe

Michael has taken to reaching on top of all side tables, kitchen table, etc and pulling everything off the top! Today's infatuation: pulling all of the Kleenex out of the box. Geez! Here we go!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Wednesday's nap time

Yesterday, I put Michael down for his nap. As usual, he fusses for a few minutes before he falls asleep. After he quieted down, I went to check him on the video monitor. He was sitting straight up in the back corner of his crib. This is a super odd position for him to fall asleep in so I had to go in his room to make sure he was OK. He had, in fact, fallen asleep sitting straight up in the back corner of his crib with his Mr Bear in his hand. I guess he was that tired!

A few minutes later I checked on him again and his head was slumped down. He was out cold. Rest assured he was still breathing so I did not move him. Eventually, he figured out that this was an uncomfortable position so he extended his legs and arms out and got more comfy. It was so cute.

Today we are headed into Reno to get both cars serviced prior to the move to CA. It should be a good day with Chris and Michael making some fun stops in Reno.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Movies

About every 3 months, Chris and I go on a Blockbuster binge. We walk through and rent a bunch of new release movies that we have not seen yet. This month we picked up: The Hurt Locker, Food, Inc., and Couples Retreat.

I just quizzed Chris on thumbs up or thumbs down on the movies and his response was: In between. This response did not surprise me as many times I ask Chris a question his response is usually: Yes and No.

We were excited to see The Hurt Locker because it won Best Picture at the Academy Awards last week! It was a war movie so we expected a lot of blood and guns, but as a whole the movie did not "Wow" us. We actually thought the scenes were pretty predictable. At the end, I made Chris promise me he would never want to join the Army and become a bomb detonator. God Bless the men who do that job. They need special angels looking over them, for sure.

Couples Retreat. Again, we thought it was pretty predictable. Nothing to write home about. But better than flipping through the TV channels for 2 hours.

Food, Inc. This one was interesting. I give it a thumbs UP. Chris did not watch this movie, as he was not interested. I, however, have had a handful of friends who have stopped eating meat after watching this movie. So I braced myself for the worse and watched it. The first half of this documentary was pretty gory. After watching it I have decided to buy more organic meat. I think this will be easier to do once we live closer to more stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. I am also going to try to cut out red meat. Save it for special occasions, like dinner at Ruths Chris, for example. We will be eating more organic chicken, fish, and vegetarian dinners. This is better for our waistlines and hearts anyway.

On a non-movie note, we are 8 days away from the packers showing up for the move to CA. I am super excited about this move! I can't wait! And since the time change over the weekend, Michael has decided that he only needs 1 nap a day. This change certainly requires more energy and planning on my part but so far it has been good.

Monday, March 15, 2010

DVR

Here is a picture of Chris getting his grove on the dance floor in Opal, which is a night club in the Mont Bleu Hotel, South Lake Tahoe. We were there on Saturday night for a formal Navy dinner. I alway love the formal dinners because we get to get dressed up.

How often do I wear 3" heels anymore? Answer: About once a year.

We had a great time and, maybe, a few too many glasses of wine. It was tough getting up on Sunday morning, but hearing Michael giggling and laughing at himself in his bed put smiles on our faces and we just had to go pull him out to play with us, headaches and all.

We made it home on Sunday and practically crashed on the floor of the living room. Michael climbed all over us playing with all of his toys while we tried to get over the events of the previous evening. It reminded me, once again, why I don't like to drink.

The time change "spring forward" crap has been a big thorn in my side! Michael's nap/sleep schedule is off and will probably take a couple of days to get back to normal. So when I put him down to bed last night, it was a little later than normal. I then joined Chris on the couch, where he was Facebooking and I grabbed the remote to catch up on some DVR shows.

I pressed play on "Giuliana and Bill," it is a reality show of the E! news girl and Bill Rancic, who is the first Apprentice winner. About 3 minutes into the show, the DVR informs me "Do you want to erase this episode?" WHAT??? No, I want it to keep playing! Well, it turns out that our DVR can only record 2 shows at a time and I am sure that South Park and Frasier were the other 2 shows that Chris wanted to record, so my show got the boot! What the heck?!

Chris: I'm sorry, I did not meant to delete it!
Molly: This is the second time this has happened! Why do my shows get the boot?
Chris: I never deleted your shows!
Molly: Hmmm, short term memory loss. Well played Rattigan. No excuses next time. Now, go to the Style Network and re-record my show.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

My big laundry helper

This week, when I was doing laundry, Michael decided he wanted to be of assistance. Such a sweet boy.

As you can see from the picture, he was pulling out of the hamper all of my freshly dried towels and putting them back into the dryer. Apparently, he felt like they were not dry enough. He actually did a great job getting most of them back into the dryer.

Now, if only I could get Chris to embrace Michael's enthusiasm for laundry, I would be all set!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Safety Day!

Michael and I ventured over to the Fallon Police Department today. We met up with Detective John who pulled out Michael's car seat and then re-installed it so it was super tight and secure. Most all police/fire departments have someone certified in installing any type/brand of car seat.

Since Michael's safety is our top priority, it makes me feel good knowing it is super secure and locked tight into the car. I also got some tips from him on belt placement across Michael's chest with regard to our car seat and it should be tight enough that I can only place my pinky finger under the shoulder belt on top of his shoulder. All great information!

Another car safety action that Chris and I have implemented is no talking or texting while in the car. Everyday, people are killed or badly injured because of these two activities and they are things that can wait. But as we all know, with driving, sometimes you can be the safest person on the road. It is the drivers all around you that you have to be on the lookout for. So keep those eyes peeled!


Monday, March 8, 2010

Three days in one

Today felt like the longest day ever.

This is what happens when Chris goes into work at 4:45 am. Who does that? Apparently he and his co-workers do. Ugh. But he is so sweet to kiss me good-bye every morning, even if I am dead asleep. I am a super light sleeper so I wake up a little when he leaves then fall right back to sleep.

He got home at a decent hour this afternoon, then back to the gym for a Basketball game. I (not so secretly) hope they lose so he will be home in time for Michael's bath-time. It's their thing and Michael loves it when Chris does bath time.

We were also on the go today. We had Michael's 12 month well baby check up and I got the thumbs up! Healthy 12 month old baby boy! And I was also told: No, there is nothing I can do to get him to stop from biting except to distract him to another activity. We'll see how this goes. Telling him NO was not working.

Time for clean up from dinner and off to the bath! Have a great night!

Sunday, March 7, 2010

The Move

I just checked my "Countdown Clock" (see directly to the right top page of the blog). I can't believe we have only 17 days until we move! I am quite calm, considering our lives are about to be filled with a chaos of boxes and paper everywhere!

This past week was super busy with Michael's first birthday, first haircut, trips into Reno, etc. I feel like I need a vacation from the busyness of last week! Like I have said in previous posts, it is feast or famine around here (regarding things to do). Last Thursday, Michael came down with a stomach bug. His bug lasted about 12 hours, then I picked it up and it lasted a good 36 hours on me. It was NO fun! Especially for Chris who had to take care of both of us. He is a trooper.

But I am happy to report everyone in the house is back to feeling 100%, Michael is back to chatting away, like crazy! And I am done complaining to Chris about how badly I feel.

Tomorrow is a day of errands to the dry cleaner (to get Chris's uniform cleaned for an upcoming formal dinner) and Michael's 12 month old well baby check up appointment. I love seeing his Pediatrician as she alway tells me, "You are the bomb Mom!"

More to come this week...keep checking back! And thanks for reading!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Stride Rite


When we were at the mall on Tuesday, I decided to pop in the Stride Rite Store. Since Michael was born, I have had the toughest time getting shoes on his feet. This child has only worn socks for the last 12 months because I could never get the shoes on and then get them to stay put!

I do think it is better for him, while he is learning how to walk, to be able to sense his feet as much as possible so I have been fine with socks. But, I thought it was time to break down and see the experts. This was the store that my Mom took us to as kids for good quality shoes so we will continue this tradition with Michael. Mom's know best.

Well, it turns out, after the lady at Stride Rite measured him, he is a size 5 WIDE. This is the exact reason I was unsuccessful at getting other shoes on him! Now we have our fancy little leather, size 5 wide shoes for Michael to sport around in. He even wore them out of the store.

You can see them in the pics above, aren't they so cute?

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

The Big 1st Birthday!
















First, I would like to give a pat on the back to Chris and myself for making it through the first year. I know birthday's are in place to celebrate the person who was born on that day, but I think they should also be a day of celebration for the parents. We made it to year 1! We can do anything!

It was a fun day for all of us. We have started the tradition of carrying in big balloons and singing "Happy Birthday" to him when he awoke in the morning. Then we went to Gymboree play and music class, did some shopping in Reno and came home. We had dinner and cake and called it a night. A great day was had by all!

This past year has been an adventure that we will treasure forever. We thank God every day for our healthy, beautiful son.

Monday, March 1, 2010

The first barber shop haircut


We took Michael to Chris's barber shop today. I remember when my OB was delivering Michael he said, "Do you want me to give him a haircut on the way out?" He was kidding, of course. But not about the fact that Michael had a lot of hair! I was a little nervous about him cooperating while Lee came at him with scissors to trim his hair. I think she ended up cutting about an inch off around his ears and the back of his head. The second picture shows him sitting at Subway while Daddy ate some lunch. He was happier in the restaurant. I like this pic too because you can see his bottom 4 teeth. There are 4 more on the top. Tomorrow is his first birthday and we have a fun day planned! I just can't get over how he looks so much more grown up with a little haircut!

Snow play at Tahoe Donner



On Saturday we went to the Snow Play area in Tahoe Donner for some sledding. It was a ton of fun! Michael is, obviously, too small to go sledding or manage a sled board by himself so we got on there with him. And Chris pulled him along too. He seemed to really enjoy it. He also loved watching the other kids playing in the snow. Chris and I got to go down in the tubes (imagine big inflated tires). It was super fun, but super tiring! I think we only lasted about 30 minutes!