Walking and Chick-fil-a

We went for our morning walk in the mall today because it was FREEZING outside.  We had snow in our forecast but it never actually fell.  The mall is such a great walking alternative for me for this winter.  It is a circle and each lap is about a mile.  I am a visual kind of person.  I get so bored on a treadmill but walking around the mall seems better somehow.  The only downfall is that I need to be careful not to spend money on my walks.  

This morning after our walk we went to Chick-fil-a with our walking buddies.  Lunch probably negated all our walking efforts but it sure was fun!  Moriah usually doesn't like play grounds.  She gets scared on them.  I am not sure why, but I think it might have something to do with being able to see the ground under her but not being on the ground.  She hates mulch because she hates being dirty, so that only leaves the swings for her to play on.  She LOVES the swings.  Today I found out that she loves indoor play places.  I am thrilled!  She has never played on one before, and contrary from the outdoor playgrounds, she actually left my side and went exploring.  I was so proud at how brave she was.  I think visiting play places will be a frequent thing for us this winter.

In the tree house above and just being happy to play below.

We are having a boy!

We found out today at our ultrasound that we are having a boy!  We couldn't be more excited.  Zack thought it was a boy and he was right, making it two for two.  Everything looked great.  We have a happy healthy baby nestled in my tummy.  He weighed about 13 oz and was measuring within 2 days of my due date.  We were even able to see his face in 3-D  which was so cool.  Zack thinks he has my facial structure but I couldn't really tell.  I can't wait to meet him!  I have to admit that I am a bit nervous about having a boy.  I know girls, but I am looking forward to getting to know this little guy too.  We are still talking about names, I will keep you posted when we decide on one.   Praise the Lord for such an amazing blessing and the ability to see our baby boy today.   

Really cool 3-D facial shot.  

His profile.

Proof of his manhood.

Jay Came

Jay got to come for the weekend and it was so good to spend time with him.  It was a relaxing weekend of just hanging out and doing whatever.  He was a wonderful guest!

Moriah loved cuddling with her uncle and played the up down game with him.  Jay was a good sport though and picked her up almost every time she asked.  

Ooo, Jay has teeth!

20 down, 20 to go...

Me and my two babes.  I was trying to get a picture of my baby belly but Moriah wanted "up pull" (up please) so we took one together.  She is doing well with her baby she got for her birthday.  She is sweet with it and gives her kisses but really isn't that interested.  I don't think she gets it yet that she will be a big sister, even though we tell her all the time.  When we talk about the baby in my tummy she just does the sign for baby and looks at me as if to say, "What are you talking about, Momma?  Let's sing the baby bumble bee song!" 

Here's my big belly.  Half way to the baby's birthday and already obviously very pregnant.  I am feeling really well though overall.  I have been walking about 3 miles a day with some of my friends and that has totally helped me stay feeling good.  With Moriah's pregnancy I was working full time and was SO tired all the time.  I am tired more than usual but it just doesn't seem as bad.  The walking has also helped to keep my weight gain low.  Only 5 lbs so far, pretty good I think.  

I love this stage.  I am "showing" but not uncomfortably huge yet and I am feeling the baby move more everyday.  I have been feeling the flutters for about a month now but Zack is even able to feel some of the movements with his hand at this point.  I love that!!  We have an ultrasound on Monday and we will hopefully find out if it is a baby brother or sister for Moriah.  Things have gone very smoothly so far, we are praying that I continue to have a healthy pregnancy and that the baby is healthy and stays put till mid-March.  

EWWW GROSS!!

So thus far I have considered myself very blessed.  I have an adorable dainty one year old who really doesn't like to be dirty and usually keeps herself pretty clean.  I hear all these moms talk about horror stories of hands going everywhere during diapering, spaghetti all over the place, and just general nasty baby things.  I am not naive, I know it is perfectly normal for babies and toddlers to exhibit these gross behaviors, I just thought I was lucky that my baby was different.  Well, she was different, until today.

I was doing a routine poopy diaper change and she turned on me!  She grabbed one of the used wipes and proceeded to smear poop all over the wall.  Then after I took it from her she had poop on her hand.  YUCK!!!  It didn't seem to phase her though, she just looked at me like I was crazy as I franticly wiped her hand, finished the bottom cleaning and closed her up.  I then cleaned off the wall and whisked her to the bathroom for a thorough hand scrubbing.  Thank goodness there were no traces of poop on her or her clothes or we would have had a whole body scrub down.

So I guess my little cutie isn't as different as I believed.  Props to all the moms out there who have to deal with this on a regular basis.  I am sure I have more of these "laughable" mom moments in my future.  Good thing we have lots of soap and sanitizer on hand.  

Bows and Cold Noses

This morning Moriah got into her bag of bows.  She kept trying to put them in her hair herself and then would hand them to me to put in her hair.  It was pretty cute!

Searching for the perfect bow.

So pretty!  Once they were in she of course took them all out.

My sweetie ready to have them put back in again.  I love times like this when she is just so stinkin' cute and fun.

We went for a walk after our bow playtime and it was SO COLD!!  The weather said it was 32 degrees before we left but I think it was in the 40's by the time we got back.  The fresh air was nice but I think we might have to resort to walking around the mall pretty soon.  Is it just me or was fall really short this year??  Isn't the 30's more like winter weather?!?

Hope you are enjoying your weather where ever you are.

Moriah is Walking!!

Mommy and Mo Time

Unfortunately Zack has been really swamped this month with school and homework. Even though it was a Saturday, his day off, we just spent it the two of us so he could study and work on work. It was a gorgeous day so Moriah and I went for a nice walk and played at the park. It was wonderful!

Pumpkin Picking

Moriah and I went with some moms from our church to a great farm near by. We took a hay ride and picked our own pumpkins right off the vine. Afterwards we had a picnic lunch and hung out. It was a surprisingly hot day but we had a blast!

Much Needed Girls Day

I am so blessed. Yesterday I was able to spend the day with girlfriends. We got pedicures, chatted over lunch (I ate the whole meal while it was still hot!), and strolled the mall. It was so refreshing. I am so thankful to Zack for being such a wonderful dad and taking care of Moriah. Ahh, it was a great day!
Today Moriah and I are busy cleaning the temporary house, finishing cleaning our house and grocery shopping. Man, I am tired! Hope you are enjoying your Monday.

Fall Cleaning!

Yay! So last night we received an e-mail of the air quality test results and the mold is out of the air in our home! Praise the Lord!! Today, with the help of some amazing friends, we got a good bit of the mold cleaning done. Basically, the mold spores that have settled on our furniture and belongings needed to be cleaned. This just means we had to do a deep clean of everything. Move furniture, vacuum EVERYTHING, clorox what we could and wash the rest. It has been an exhausting day. We even managed to steam clean the carpets. Tonight, I am happy to report that we are sleeping in our own beds. Poor Moriah was scared when we put her down for her nap. She didn't remember that this was her home.
We are still praying about moving off base. We found a great condo last night and are praying about if God would have us move there. It is bigger and in a good location, we just aren't sure if spending the money to move would be worth it, as much as we want to get out of this place. At least e are officially toxic mold free! Thank you for your prayers.

Decision 2008

Hehe, no this is not about politics, but about our family's future. After much prayer and counsel (thanks Dad) we have made the decision to stay in the military for at least four more years. Wow, it was so touch to write that and admit it. My dream is to one day return to FL and be settled for good but God has other plans for me right now. It is hard for me to come to terms with that but I know that great things are in store for my little growing family and I am excited about our future. Sadly, I think this means a return move to Korea is forth coming. We will know more in the coming year as to if that will happen. Thanks for everyone's prayers, we are confident that this is what God has for us right now, even if it isn't exactly the plan either of us wanted.

Next, we are still homeless. Quick update: I did my research on the type of mold growing in our home, spoke three doctors, an allergist, a John Hopkins Researcher of Mold, and a CDC mold specialist. Through all of my phone conversations I have become very knowledgeable in the mold field. So much so that I have been educating the safety inspector here on base. He is the one taking the air samples and told us it was safe to move in. Since speaking with all these pros in the field, no one can tell us for certain if it is safe to move back in. The toxic mold that was in our ceiling and is in the air sample is still in the research stages. It has been known to cause major health problems but only when a certain strain of the type of mold is present and it is virtually impossible to tell if we have that strain in our home. They took another air sample to see if the air quality has improved since they did the repairs. We are still waiting for the results. So where does that leave us? We are still trying to get approved to move into another home on base but the powers at be are really digging in an saying no. So, we are beginning to look off base for housing. Now that we have more time here, we can sign a lease. More updates to come.