Sadly, our Hawaiian vacation has come to an end. Despite the fact that our basement flooded the day we left and we spent an unwelcome amount of time dealing with that from 6,000 miles away we had an amazing time. We feel like we saw and did just about everything there is to do on the islands we went to. We got plenty of rest, ate some wonderful food and spent some great time together just the two of us. I can't really say that the 16 hours of travel back home and immediately having to deal with a destroyed basement has left me feeling "rejuvenated" but it was nice to get away for a while. Tomorrow we go back to work, start the work in the backyard to fix this nagging flooding problem, move the office and start making it a nursery...all in about 6 weeks before Todd deploys :/ I think I'm going to need another vacation!
Here is the link to just a sample of the HUNDREDS of pictures we took this week! I'll add more once we develop our underwater camera which has pictures from white water rafting in Jackson, WY and our kayaking adventure in Kauai.
Aloha for now!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Quick Update
Just a quick update on life...
Todd is still in Abilene for FIC (Flight Instructor Course) where he is becoming a B1 instructor. He gets back on Saturday and then 4 days later we leave for Hawaii!! SO EXCITED!!
News has finally spread among my co workers and it has actually gone better than I thought. Most seem genuinely happy and one even brought me some books so I'm feeling much better about work knowing.
I had my 14 week appointment yesterday. It was pretty uneventful. Check weight and blood pressure, pee in a cup. Dr Diehl said everything looked good. I did finally get to hear the heart beat on the doppler which was exciting! Todd was bummed he missed that one. My next appointment isn't for 5 weeks for the big anatomy scan ultrasound! I'm very excited that my sister is going to be in town that week and go with us to that appointment. I originally wanted to be Team Green and not find out the sex but Todd has never wanted to be Team Green so our compromise was to not find out during the ultrasound and have the technician write it on a piece of paper and then my sister gets to be the lucky one to know first and will make us a cake that will be either pink or blue and that weekend we'll have friends over and all find out together. I was still on the fence for this plan but now I'm getting excited to find out.
Overall I'm feeling really good. The second trimester truly is MUCH better than the first! My energy is back, my appetite is back and I'm *starting* to actually look at least questionably pregnant and not fat. I did finally cave and wear maternity pants to work today purely for comfort. My clothes still fit but my work pants have been getting increasingly uncomfortable and being on my feet/moving all day doesn't really make using the Bella band convenient because I was constantly having to adjust it. I definitely didn't come home and immediately change into sweat pants like I had been doing so I guess I'll embrace the elastic pants!
Once we get home from Hawaii it will be full force conversion of the office to the nursery!
Todd is still in Abilene for FIC (Flight Instructor Course) where he is becoming a B1 instructor. He gets back on Saturday and then 4 days later we leave for Hawaii!! SO EXCITED!!
News has finally spread among my co workers and it has actually gone better than I thought. Most seem genuinely happy and one even brought me some books so I'm feeling much better about work knowing.
I had my 14 week appointment yesterday. It was pretty uneventful. Check weight and blood pressure, pee in a cup. Dr Diehl said everything looked good. I did finally get to hear the heart beat on the doppler which was exciting! Todd was bummed he missed that one. My next appointment isn't for 5 weeks for the big anatomy scan ultrasound! I'm very excited that my sister is going to be in town that week and go with us to that appointment. I originally wanted to be Team Green and not find out the sex but Todd has never wanted to be Team Green so our compromise was to not find out during the ultrasound and have the technician write it on a piece of paper and then my sister gets to be the lucky one to know first and will make us a cake that will be either pink or blue and that weekend we'll have friends over and all find out together. I was still on the fence for this plan but now I'm getting excited to find out.
Overall I'm feeling really good. The second trimester truly is MUCH better than the first! My energy is back, my appetite is back and I'm *starting* to actually look at least questionably pregnant and not fat. I did finally cave and wear maternity pants to work today purely for comfort. My clothes still fit but my work pants have been getting increasingly uncomfortable and being on my feet/moving all day doesn't really make using the Bella band convenient because I was constantly having to adjust it. I definitely didn't come home and immediately change into sweat pants like I had been doing so I guess I'll embrace the elastic pants!
Once we get home from Hawaii it will be full force conversion of the office to the nursery!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
My Husband's Awesome Job!
Many of you know that Todd' squadron recently launched the first ever US based air attack. They literally were told on Friday afternoon that they were sending jets to Libya to support Operation Odyssey Dawn that Sunday and Todd was selected as one of the 5 crews. It was a whirl wind weekend with the worst possible weather conditions but very successful in the end. This is just a short "highlight video" from the weekend. You can briefly see Todd in his camo flight suite just after the start of the Sunday section. I am so incredibly proud of Todd and the other members of the 34th Bomb Squadron and what they do to protect our freedom.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
**AMAZING NEWS**
Todd spoke with his squadron commander today and was told that he plans to send him home half way through deployment (around October 10) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So barring any unexpected changes or surprises he WILL be here for the birth of baby Saksa!!! The slight down side is that in order to come home half way he will have to go to Squadron Officer School (SOS-where he learns how to become a flight commander/squadron commander,etc) in December for 5 weeks in Alabama. I will not complain about this because he will be here for the birth and I'll be able to talk to him every day while he's gone!
YAY!! So very happy and relieved to have a plan for this deployment!! Another wife and very good friend of mine is also pregnant and due about a week before me and her husband is getting to do the same thing so double happiness today!!
YAY!! So very happy and relieved to have a plan for this deployment!! Another wife and very good friend of mine is also pregnant and due about a week before me and her husband is getting to do the same thing so double happiness today!!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
12 Weeks!
I can't believe we've made it this far! Time certainly isn't 'flying by' but I am very happy to finally be coming to the end of the first trimester. I finally took a 'bump' picture. I'm now convinced that it isn't just bloat anymore (i.e I wake up with it) Let me preface the pic by saying as of right now I'm not someone who is obsessed with baby bumps. Right now I just feel gross. My face has been breaking out for weeks and aside from any nausea, headaches, back aches or gas my body is slowly being taken out of my control and I'm not loving that right now. I feel like to the world I just look like a slob thats 'letting myself go'. Yes I know its the hormones talking and yes I know that its all changes to grow a baby but for about the last week to week and a half there is really nothing about being pregnant that I like. While I'm eternally grateful and thankful to be pregnant after all we've been through, all things aside, its just how I feel right now. I am feeling better though. I haven't had a day with nausea in about a week and I'm starting to feel my energy levels pick back up. I just wish there was more to be said about the "pregnancy glow" you hear about. I'm definitely NOT glowing!
Sorry, no face shot...no makeup, acne and bad hair do not need to be made public.
We're finally at a point were we are comfortable telling people, although the thought of putting it out there on facebook is petrifying to me! I'm also very anxious for people at work to know. My boss has known since about 6 weeks for a number of reasons but none of co-workers know, except for my 2 closest friends, neither of which are in my department. Its very strange but for some reason there is a strange stigma in my department that if you don't wait until you're over 30 to have kids you're too young. I think it makes me feel like I'm going to be looked at like the pregnant teenager who made an oops. My boss's first response was actually "why do you want to have kids so young??"...I didn't realize 27 was 'so young'. My mom had my sister at 27, most of our friends already have kids..many of which are on their second kid. I don't know... coming out at work is just making me very anxious.
Ok, enough with the Debbie Downer post of all my anxieties. We made it through the most critical time in a pregnancy and I finally feel like we can breath and start actually planning for this child to come into our lives.
Sorry, no face shot...no makeup, acne and bad hair do not need to be made public.
We're finally at a point were we are comfortable telling people, although the thought of putting it out there on facebook is petrifying to me! I'm also very anxious for people at work to know. My boss has known since about 6 weeks for a number of reasons but none of co-workers know, except for my 2 closest friends, neither of which are in my department. Its very strange but for some reason there is a strange stigma in my department that if you don't wait until you're over 30 to have kids you're too young. I think it makes me feel like I'm going to be looked at like the pregnant teenager who made an oops. My boss's first response was actually "why do you want to have kids so young??"...I didn't realize 27 was 'so young'. My mom had my sister at 27, most of our friends already have kids..many of which are on their second kid. I don't know... coming out at work is just making me very anxious.
Ok, enough with the Debbie Downer post of all my anxieties. We made it through the most critical time in a pregnancy and I finally feel like we can breath and start actually planning for this child to come into our lives.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
I Love Being an Aggie
I don't think I say that nearly often enough. I'm so proud to have gone to such an amazing university with such time honored traditions. Its been almost a year since we chartered the Black Hills A&M Club and have been getting together with a WIDE variety of Ags to watch football games, eat some BBQ and, today, honor the tradition of Muster. For those of you who have NO CLUE what I'm talking about, here is a quick blurb on Aggie Muster...
"Aggies gathered together on June 26, 1883 to live over again their college days, the victories and defeats won and lost upon the drill field and classroom. Eventually the annual gathering evolved into a celebration of Texas Independence on San Jacinto Day – April 21st. Over time the tradition has changed, but its very essence has remained “If there is an A&M man in one hundred miles of you, you are expected to get together, eat a little, and live over the days you spent at the A&M College of Texas.” Muster is celebrated in more than four hundred places worldwide, with the largest ceremony on the Texas A&M campus in College Station... Muster is a time to look to the past, present, and future…not only to grieve but to reflect and to celebrate the lives that connect us to one another. A gesture so simple in nature yet so lasting in spirit, Muster is the lasting impression every Aggie leaves with us; it reminds us of the greatness that lies within these walls, of the loyalty we possess, of the connection that binds us, and of the idea that every Aggie has a place of importance – whether they are present in flesh or spirit."
Since I'm the "Vice President of Events and Muster" for the Black Hills A&M Club I was, of course, in charge of putting this evening together. I've spent several weeks over the past several months preparing for this event. We held it in one of the convention center rooms at a centrally located hotel here in Rapid with dinner catered by the very delicious restaurant inside the hotel and we stayed true to both parts of the tradition; getting together and eating a meal and remembering our times at Aggieland and we remembered those we lost in the past year. It was a very nice evening topped off by the other officers in the club presenting me with an amazing Benjamin Knox painting as a thank you for my work on Muster as well as our other events throughout the past year. I was truly touched by the appreciation.
Here are 2 pictures from the evening...
"Aggies gathered together on June 26, 1883 to live over again their college days, the victories and defeats won and lost upon the drill field and classroom. Eventually the annual gathering evolved into a celebration of Texas Independence on San Jacinto Day – April 21st. Over time the tradition has changed, but its very essence has remained “If there is an A&M man in one hundred miles of you, you are expected to get together, eat a little, and live over the days you spent at the A&M College of Texas.” Muster is celebrated in more than four hundred places worldwide, with the largest ceremony on the Texas A&M campus in College Station... Muster is a time to look to the past, present, and future…not only to grieve but to reflect and to celebrate the lives that connect us to one another. A gesture so simple in nature yet so lasting in spirit, Muster is the lasting impression every Aggie leaves with us; it reminds us of the greatness that lies within these walls, of the loyalty we possess, of the connection that binds us, and of the idea that every Aggie has a place of importance – whether they are present in flesh or spirit."
Since I'm the "Vice President of Events and Muster" for the Black Hills A&M Club I was, of course, in charge of putting this evening together. I've spent several weeks over the past several months preparing for this event. We held it in one of the convention center rooms at a centrally located hotel here in Rapid with dinner catered by the very delicious restaurant inside the hotel and we stayed true to both parts of the tradition; getting together and eating a meal and remembering our times at Aggieland and we remembered those we lost in the past year. It was a very nice evening topped off by the other officers in the club presenting me with an amazing Benjamin Knox painting as a thank you for my work on Muster as well as our other events throughout the past year. I was truly touched by the appreciation.
Here are 2 pictures from the evening...
Our humble group photo
A very thoughtful gift at the end of the night
Like I said...I love being an Aggie :)
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Hawaii
32 Days!!!
I feel like a kid counting down the days until Christmas that is how excited I am about this trip! I'm excited for so many reasons. First and most obvious, its a much needed vacation that will come after a very busy spring for both myself and Todd. Second, its conveniently just before my intern starts for 3 months and about a month and a half before Todd leaves for deployment. And last but not least it is an absolute celebration of the blessing that God has given us. This trip would absolutely not be possible if we had to go through with IVF. This is our Babymoon, our last big trip as just the two of us, or 4 of us as we can't forget our wonderful furbabies :) :)
The details? We leave Thursday May 19 and will fly to Honolulu. We'll get there pretty late Thursday so not much will happen that day. We have all day Friday and Saturday to spend in Honolulu where we will go to Pearl Harbor, Waikiki, The North Shore and go to a luau before boarding the Norwegian "Pride of America" Saturday night for a 7 day cruise where we will spend 2 days in Maui, 1 day each in Hilo and Kona and 2 days in Kauai before returning to Honolulu and heading back to Rapid City. We're still researching all the islands and what we want to do but I know we plan to get to all the National Parks since we still have our National Parks pass. I want to do the bike ride around Haleakala Crater, spend lots of time in the sun and eat my weight in fresh pineapple. I have several co-workers and patients who have been to Hawaii so we have gotten lots of ideas but if you've been and have a "must see" please let me know!!
Can't wait to post pictures when we get back!
I feel like a kid counting down the days until Christmas that is how excited I am about this trip! I'm excited for so many reasons. First and most obvious, its a much needed vacation that will come after a very busy spring for both myself and Todd. Second, its conveniently just before my intern starts for 3 months and about a month and a half before Todd leaves for deployment. And last but not least it is an absolute celebration of the blessing that God has given us. This trip would absolutely not be possible if we had to go through with IVF. This is our Babymoon, our last big trip as just the two of us, or 4 of us as we can't forget our wonderful furbabies :) :)
The details? We leave Thursday May 19 and will fly to Honolulu. We'll get there pretty late Thursday so not much will happen that day. We have all day Friday and Saturday to spend in Honolulu where we will go to Pearl Harbor, Waikiki, The North Shore and go to a luau before boarding the Norwegian "Pride of America" Saturday night for a 7 day cruise where we will spend 2 days in Maui, 1 day each in Hilo and Kona and 2 days in Kauai before returning to Honolulu and heading back to Rapid City. We're still researching all the islands and what we want to do but I know we plan to get to all the National Parks since we still have our National Parks pass. I want to do the bike ride around Haleakala Crater, spend lots of time in the sun and eat my weight in fresh pineapple. I have several co-workers and patients who have been to Hawaii so we have gotten lots of ideas but if you've been and have a "must see" please let me know!!
Can't wait to post pictures when we get back!
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