My First Blog

Hello everyone! This is my first blog. Sorry I've been slacking, but I'm making up for it now. My name is Alexander, but everyone calls me Alex (except Mom; she calls me Bug). I just wanted to introduce myself. I am a super fun baby and so far pretty agreeable. I'm still working on sleeping through the night without waking up to eat. I just can't help it. Sometimes, it's 2am and I wake up and think, "Dang! I need some milk... NOW! I just cannot wait until 6am. No way!" So then I start wailing and Mom feeds me. But once I'm done I can go right back to sleep.

In general, I'm a very agreeable baby. I don't really like to be in a room by myself, but as long as I can see Mom or Jackson, I don't get too lonely. Today I've been playing a fun game with Mommy. It's called, "How many diapers can I use in one day?" This is how it works. I poop in my diaper, then immediately start crying. See, unlike my older brother who could care less, I HATE for my diaper to be dirty for even a second. So, Mom changes my diaper. Then I wait about 5 minutes and poop again. Mommy is a pretty smart cookie, so she doesn't change me right away. Instead she distracts me and waits 10 minutes to make sure I'm ALL the way done pooping. THEN she changes my diaper. Little does she know, I was tricking her! Yep, wait 2 minutes and poop again. See how fun?

Mommy is telling me that we're going to go on an airplane soon. But she's been saying that for weeks, so I don't know what HER definition of soon is. I can't wait to meet all of the family I keep hearing about. Jackson assures me that everyone is nice and I'll have a fun time. And Mommy says, "Please sleep on the plane!" We'll see what kind of mood I'm in when the time comes.

I've started a new habit of sucking on my fist. I can't quite figure out how to stick my thumb out, but I just suck on the side of my fist instead. I don't really like those green rubber things Mom keeps trying to give me very much. But every now and then I tolerate one.

Well, that about sums up my introduction. Look for my next blog some time in the future!

Life as a "single" Mom

Mike is deployed. He volunteered to go since we knew he'd go in May if he didn't go now. I'd rather him be gone while Alex is still LITTLE little, instead of being 4 months older. So while we decided this would be better, I'm still missing him. He's been gone a month, and it definitely doesn't feel like that long, so maybe the next few months will go by quickly, too.

I'm planning a trip home while he's gone. We're having a little bit of a tough time getting on a flight, but that's how it goes when you're flying "Space A". I'll gladly deal with the hassle to save thousands of dollars on a commercial ticket. Hopefully we'll get on a flight soon.

The boys. Oh my, how they are growing. Alex is smiling and laughing (and I can't get enough of that!) Jackson is making strides in language and is using complete sentences most of the time, now. He's also learned how to open doors, which is a joy. Last night he woke up at 2 and wanted to come in my bed. I told him no and put him back in his. He cried a few times and I went back in and calmed him down. I fell asleep at 3 (after nursing Alex) thinking Alex was fed, happy and back asleep and Jackson was asleep in his bed. I woke up at 5 and Jackson was in my bed with me. I'm not sure if I agreed to that or not. I definitely didn't do it consciously.

My life is full of little stories like that. It is definitely difficult being the only parent. We stay busy, so that helps, but there are some times where I just really could use a little break. An hour to go to the commissary by myself. I do have great friends and support here, but it's not the same as having Mike. Part of me really REALLY misses him. And part of me just ignores that and focuses on our routine. One day at a time. But I knew what I signed up for when I married him. This is part of being a military spouse, and even with the deployments, I absolutely love that "job"!

I'll be glad when we're back in the states and I can stop worrying about how we're going to get there. Until then, keep your fingers crossed for us!