Catching Up

Ok so it seems that it may or may not have been almost one full year since I posted on my blog! Hey, mamas get busy :)

Our sweet Carleigh Grace is now a big 2 year old who thinks she is much older. She is potty trained during the day & wears pull ups at night. She talks a ton!!! & we can understand most of it. Right now she loves washing dishes (pouring water from cup to cup, drinking some, using her own sponge), taking care of the dogs (feeding them, brushing them, dragging them around by their collars so much I end up taking the poor guys collars off), & playing outside (picking flowers, riding her scooter, playing at the park).

32 weeks

She knows there is a baby in mama's belly named Caleb & he is coming out at some point. She will probably be surprised when the time actually comes! She kisses my belly, rubs it, talks to Caleb, & pokes my belly button a lot.

We have so much to look forward to in 2015! Caleb will be arriving at the end of Feb. This could be a post all in itself, but let's face it, that probably won't happen - the readers digest version is that I will most likely be having a Csection on Feb 24th because the policy at our naval hospital is no VBACs, which means we had a Csection with Carleigh so we have to have one with Caleb. Unless we want to go to an Italian hospital, which we don't. Here is our sweet girl's birth story. (I most certainly cannot read it right now myself or the tears will be flowing) I am thankful that my mama & in laws will both be able to visit us around the time of Caleb's arrival! Don't worry, I will at least post Caleb's birth story, even if it's the only other thing I write in 2015 ;)

Also this year, as we adjust to being a family of 4, we will find out our next set of orders & start getting ready to PCS (move to next duty station). We will be moving sometime around Dec, so we have just about a year left. 3 years down, 1 to go! Our move will be so very bittersweet! Another topic that could be a post all on its own - how God's plans are so much bigger than ours, how thankful I am that He planted us in Sicily for this time, how much Rob & I have grown as believers, parents, spouses, etc.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Eph 3:20-21

The view of Mt Etna on my usual drive to base. We live in a lovely place!

I do plan to write a post on Carleigh's sleep as I try to help her sleep through the night more often. For the most part I have decided to stop reading tons of books and advice on every baby issue ever known to man mama. It relieved a lot of mommy stress for me when I went from trying to apply advice & things I had read, to just doing what felt right. I do still appreciate help from others though, & I read some advice from another mommy online that seemed very fitting to us. And it seems to have had an impact but it has only been a few days so we will keep working on it & I'll share our level of success because it might help someone else. This is the post I read. Very simple & easy advice - wake the toddler just enough to say goodnight when you go to bed yourself to go ahead and break up the sleep pattern they are in, so that they don't wake up on their own later in the night. So more on that later, if you're into that sort of thing :)

Buona notte! Good night! ♡

Resolutions & Traveling to America

On New Years Eve, I told my sweet friend Jen that I really didn't have any resolutions this year. I think January is as good a time as any for making changes and setting goals, but I didn't have any in mind. But by the end of the month I had already started making some changes and had several goals in mind. So, I take it back Jen! Among my goals for 2014 is this: Be transparent.

I want to live for the Lord, let Him grow me & change me, & love others better. I am realizing that while doing these things, it is so important to let people in and let them see your heart. I used to think that I should always be strong, never show my pain, and never complain. I have learned in the last few years that being strong means letting the Lord work & continuing to love others even if I am going through something difficult. And that I don't need to share my heart with everyone, but my close friends do care and want to know me. Humility & transparency let us see that none of us really have it all together.

So that's that. God is growing me. Need to be transparent. SO thankful for the people he has placed in our lives in Sicily. Love y'all! I was starting to miss home recently though. Which brings me to our trip to America. I considered making this 2 posts, but since I am absolutely terrible about posting and haven't posted in months, I thought it was best to go ahead and squeeze it all in!

Carleigh Bug & I are in Georgia right now. I have missed good old humid GA! Traveling over 5 thousand miles for 25 hours with a 15 month old was fun :) Seriously, the Lord was with me. I jotted down some notes along the way. They are kind of random but here they are:

• Right before it was time to head to the terminal, I was rushing to repack my carry on and get Carleigh dressed. I asked Rob to help so he was changing her and he started yelling because she pulled her poopy diaper off and across her body and there was poop on her hands, body, and face! Lots of poop! I put her right in the tub and then changed my poopy shirt! It was time to walk out the door.. I think I said "I can't believe this is happening" like 5 times. Daddy is not good with poop. At first I was mad that he let it happen but I should have been glad he was willing to touch the poop to help bathe her.

• Leaving the terminal in Sigonella (on base) they didn't care how much I brought for Carleigh to drink. They just made me taste her milk and water!!! I was laughing!! Guess they had to make sure I was willing to do it and I didn't lace it with something dangerous!

• Although the time leading up to our flight was a bit stressful, the flight so far has been great. Carleigh has been a little crazy but super sweet. We are still on the shorter flight to Spain and so far she has had a bottle of milk, ate some snacks, played on the iPad, listened to music, flirted, ate some ice, and cuddled her bear (glad I brought that guy). Now she is nursing/sleeping. There is so much turbulence, I haven't had to even rock her. I love nursing her. It is so easy, natural, comfortable now. So thankful for that blessing. And thankful for little miss Carleigh Grace! Love this little girl.

 

Hanging out in her own seat like a big kid

• Things are still going well after the 3 hours to Spain. Carleigh is sleeping great and I even slept for an hour. So far I prefer the military rotator over commercial flights. They don't play around, they feed you, they are concerned about actual safety not just following rules. I think I LOVE traveling at night. Also love having 3 seats to ourselves. Waiting for the plane to refuel. Ready to get this show on the road!

• When we arrive in Norfolk I will call my friend Sheila to give us a ride from base to the commercial airport. Then I will get a ticket to either Atlanta or Jacksonville. Excited about seeing Sheila and her sweet baby Xavier!

• Note to self.. Always take book bag & leave at feet if space so no need to put carry on above head and deal with that hassle with kids/ no hands/ no space. Hoping we have these 3 seats to ourselves on the way to Norfolk!

We did in fact keep our 3 seats and Carleigh slept for about 10 hours. Thank you Lord!! I laid her on 2 seats wrapped in my jacket and put my legs up against her and dozed off for a while again. Once she was awake, she did get bored fast. She played with everything I brought for fun which was: play dough, crayons, coloring book, stickers, play phone, snacks, iPad, headphones (she wanted to eat them), & probably some more stuff. I think the play dough will be more appropriate in a few months. I was trying to roll it and show her and she just kept yelling "ball!" & trying to eat it.

We also did see Sheila, Jon, & little Xavier. Thank you Huffmans!!! They took us from base in Norfolk to the commercial airport. God provided again by letting me get the last seat on the plane to Atlanta. There my mom picked us up & we drove to Columbus. I wasn't as drained as I thought I would be on the drive. Probably had something to do with the large cappuccino I got as soon as we landed :)

I am so thankful for the wonderful military families we have met and kept in touch with. I wasn't thinking in too much detail about what I would do in Norfolk when we landed. I just thought we would be in America so the hard part would be over and who cares what happens! Really I planned on calling a cab to get to the airport. But after our friends reminded me, we know 3 sweet families in Norfolk that would be willing to help us, & I would be happy to see all of them! We are blessed. After being at an overseas duty station we have learned the importance of helping each other.

Now we have been here for one week & Carleigh has seen all of her grandparents and great-grandparents but we have lots more family & friends to get together with. She absolutely loves the horses, so when she is going crazy from teething we just go outside and we have a happy baby!

Carleigh with Grammie & Cody

Carleigh with Nana & PawPaw

 Now we are looking forward to Rob's arrival in March. Carleigh is missing her Daddy!

Thanks to everyone who has prayed for us!! We love y'all!

Scala dei Turchi & a wonderful few days

Rob is on leave this week! It has been so nice to have some family time these last few days. Lately it's been easy to get a bit overwhelmed but this week I am feeling thankful & refreshed. I have been reading John daily on my Bible app while rocking Carleigh during her morning naps & that has also touched my heart & helped me to feel closer to Jesus. And walks along the Mediterranean are always good for the soul!

Yesterday, we went with some friends to Scala dei Turchi (the Turkish Steps) near Agrigento. It was a 2 hour drive to a beautiful beach & awesome rocks that make up the steps. According to a few sites, like this one, the name came from the belief that Turkish pirates used the area as a landing place.

This was the first time I carried Carleigh in the carrier on my back. I wore her & Rob wore a back pack so we were hands-free & able to take pictures & climb the rocks. I love our carrier (it's similar to this.) We also played in the water and looked for fish & crabs. We all had a blast!

 

 

 

After a few hours of fun, we stopped at a great beach restaurant. We sat on the sandy deck & enjoyed some fruit & pasta before heading home. What a wonderful day!

 

Our friend Danny is a photographer. Some of the great photos he captured are on the DOE Photography facebook page.

It's almost Fall

It's almost Fall! & Carleigh is almost 10 months.

This time last year, I was counting down the days until the first day of Fall. I was crazy pinning & loving fall things on Pinterest. This year I have been so busy chasing Carleigh Grace that I have hardly noticed that Sept. 22 (first day of Fall) is just around the corner!

By the way, have I mentioned lately how much I love being Carleigh's mama?! My heart is full!

I recently saw this on a mommy blog & saved it.

I love this quote! It applies to me in a different way than other mamas. I don't have lots of piles of laundry from multiple kids or teens. But I do have laundry piling up from my little family of three because I can hardly find time to get it done! Carleigh is at a stage where she is really pushing her limits and I want to play with her or watch her most of the time. Of course sometimes she naps, plays in her play pen, or buzzes around eating Kix in her walker.. but the list of things to do during that time is just too long to fit it all in! I know it sounds crazy. She is just one sweet little baby. There is no reason that I can't get everything done around the house. HA! She is a little ninja with lots of energy! That is why I also love this next quote.

This month Carleigh has developed a few more skills. She is walking a few steps, now. She has tons of confidence, but is still lacking in coordination. Which leads to lots of bumps and falls. So I run around behind her as she is crawling, pulling up, cruising, and trying to walk- to catch her little head before it hits the coffee table/tv table/end table/wall/floor/etc.

She is also waving hi & bye, blowing kisses (just learned this one, its so cute!), dancing, clapping at everything, and saying mama, dada, nana, barking & growling like the dogs!

This little bug loves to swing at the playground! (pictures later). Her little kicks, squeals, and laughs are so cute. 

Of course, with Fall comes football! Last night Rob realized what he was doing and meant to say- "When football is on, I really don't listen to you, do I?" but he accidentally said "When football season is on, I really don't listen to you, do I?" Ha! You had it right the first time, hunny! But its ok. I know he loves us more than Auburn :) And for all of my GA friends who want to see Bug in red & black. Rob is a force to be reckoned with. I am giving up on this one.

More sweet Carleigh moments....

    

 I know I dropped some Kix over here somewhere...

Yep, these are delicious.

coffee, Jesus, & mothering...

I have some posts in my head on being Carleigh's mama, breastfeeding, pregnancy, & other jumbled up thoughts that I want to share, but it seems I never sit down and get them out. This post has been sitting for several days because I keep wanting to come back & add a few thoughts/updates or photos of Bug, but I decided I should go ahead & share it while she is napping & I have a minute or two.

I start each day with prayer & a cup of coffee...

This sounds way more beautiful & calm than it actually is. It is not me sitting by a window, Bible open, cup of coffee in hand, enjoying a quiet moment with the Lord. It is usually me waking up to baby babble, getting up to get Carleigh changed & dressed/teeth brushed/ready for the day, hoping Rob hit the button on the coffee pot before he left for work as I head downstairs with baby on my hip, feeding & cleaning up after the dogs, praying for my Sunday school kids as I sit down with my cup of coffee in front of the high chair to try to convince my little love to eat oatmeal & drink water/juice instead of throwing things at the dogs, cleaning the house & playing with Carleigh for the next hour, then praying more as I nurse/rock her to sleep in her room for her morning nap. That is my wonderfully crazy version of 'prayer & a cup of coffee.' Mamas with several little ones would probably read this & laugh because I think I am busy & only have one sweet baby! I can only imagine how things will change as our family grows!

mornings with Carleigh

still sleepy

yawning

being lovely

coughing

I have shared this link somewhere before. It is a post with 2 videos by Christy Nockels. I found it very encouraging. If I was super blog savvy, I would put the videos right here. But I'm sure you won't mind clicking on the link if you are a mama in need of encouragement. The take away: "Invite the glorious into the mundane."
Post: Thoughts on Being a Mom

I have learned so many things in the last 8 months. The most important ones:

If you are a mama having a hard time with your newborn/little one.. you are NORMAL. Your baby is NORMAL (probably :)) And this is TEMPORARY.

If you are a mama enjoying a sweet & wonderful moment with your little one... there will be many many more of those!

After lots of stress, reading, & learning to take care of my little bug, I finally realized-
Mama knows best (Daddy too, of course). From the time you find out you are expecting, through the first several months of your baby's life, and well, probably forever... others will give you their opinions on the "right" thing to do with your child (whether you ask them or not). I have learned a lot from other moms & I am so thankful for their help. I ask for help often & try using ideas that I get from family & friends. But there are times when others may make you feel discouraged or that you are not doing it "right". I think every parent should read, research, & ask for help.. but every family is different & every baby is different so there is no "right" way to do some things. There are obvious wrong things to do while parenting but when it comes to how baby sleeps, how baby eats, your response to crying, when & where you do things, etc... it is up to Mom & Dad and no one else. What works well for one family may not work for another, but that doesn't mean either of them are doing it wrong. I felt such relief when I truly started to believe this for myself.

One thing I enjoy about living here is the love that the Sicilians have for Carleigh. They often call her bella/bellissima which means beautiful or beautiful girl, & piccola which means little one. She loves when they come kiss her & talk to her in Italian! 

It will be so sweet when she can say 'ciao'!

What we've been doing..

We have been so busy! I don't even know where to start to catch up. Carleigh and I made a month-long trip to GA & back, she has grown & reached several milestones, and my mommy brain has gotten even crazier! This little Bug is currently climbing all over me saying "da-da-da.." I continue to wonder how any mommies keep up with blogging. I have written many blog posts in my head.. while leaning on Carleigh's crib rail & patting her back, or while sitting in the dark & nursing her in the rocking chair, or while doing the dishes, or doing the laundry, or driving to church, etc.

Our trip to Columbus deserves a post all to itself! That post would be all about snake-shootin, baby kissin, eatin, singin, playin, family time, lovin on horses, church, Aunt Natty's wedding, many visits, and takin lots of pictures.

I am thankful that Grammie took so many pictures & that Great Aunt Karoline put together this sweet collage of memories for Carleigh.

I spent some time working on Carleigh's baby book this week. I couldn't hold back the tears when I read over her birth story again. What a sweet blessing, to be this little girl's Mama.

Catching up on Carleigh...

5 mo:
(at the airport)
First time in America
Laughing
Eating puffs

6 mo:
Rolling over
Sitting up
2 bottom teeth

7 mo:
Crawling
Pulling up
Clapping
2 top teeth
Doing great in the church nursery

8 months is just a few days away.