What have we been up to? Well, We have moved back to Washington! It has been great. We love our apartment, and we love the area. We are really missing family though. Me especially. I can't complain though, it has been WONDERFUL having Matt back home.

Moving up here was a bit of a challenge though! at the end of September we gave our 30 day notice, but moved out the day we gave the the notice in hopes of pocketing a little bit of rent money. Matt had immediate orders and had to move right away to Washington. So, he went and stayed in the barracks, while Jack and I stayed at my dads! Matt came home on the weekends, but after a week and a half, he missed us and found out we could stay in hotel on base for free, for ten days (well. not free. We pay and then the Navy reimburses us).

On our way up to Washington I checked my phone and realized I had a missed call/ voice mail from a weird number. I listed to the message and it had turned out that I had won a contest! Matt entered us into a drawing through the Oregon college savings plan that he had heard about while listening to a beavers game. I had won tickets the the OSU vs. BYU game, AND tickets to the civil war! Not only that, but we were invited to a pre- civil war party where I will be entered into a drawing for $5,000 for school! I was excited, but Matt was REALLY excited ;)

okay, lets fast forward a little bit! We moved into our apartment last friday! We were supposed to move in the 19th, but the carpets weren't cleaned yet, and then they moved it to Thursday, but the carpet wasn't dry yet, so Friday was the day. It worked out just fine. We were a little stressed, but the wait was worth it :)

This week has been pretty stressful too. I got a phone call from our old apartments in Gresham saying that our apartment smelled of animal urine AS SOON AS YOU OPEN THE DOOR. and that there was so much damage to the carpet that they think they will have to replace the entire carpet and that it will cost us around $1000. Now, anyone who really knows me, knows that I'm a clean freak. My house is always in great shape, always clean. I vacuum every other day, and I especially clean up after Riley! My dad also came over a few times to shampoo our carpets while we lived there. So, I was very surprised to get this phone call, to say the least. I know Riley had an accident here and there, but definitely not enough to damage the carpet. She is house trained. Does any one have any advice for this situation?
In the grand scheme of life I know this is a small thing and I shouldn't let it stress me, but $1,000 is a lot of money!

I will keep you all updated on this situation :)

Jacks 4 month appointment.

This morning Jack had his 4 month appointment! We had to change doctors since we moved to Washington, but I found a great doctors office just 3 minutes from our house!

Jack is doing awesome, to say the least. He weighs 15.10lbs, is in the 50th percentile for weight, and is 25.5 inches long and in the 75th percentile for height. He is happy, healthy and just too cute:)

I'm also happy to say that I'm still exclusively breastfeeding and will do so until he is 6 months old, then we will add in solid foods. I was afraid for some reason that he wasn't gaining weight and I would have to start supplementing with formula, but he is thriving on breastmilk!

The American association of pediatrics recommends exclusively breastfeeding at least for the first six months, and I'm thankful it has worked out that way for us! Did you know that in America, only 14.8% of babies are exclusively breastfed at 6 months. Also, the center of disease control Is urging hospitals to be more breastfeeding friendly, only 4- 5% of hospitals in the US fully support breastfeeding! Anyways, that is a completely different posting that I will talk more about later. Also, I don't want to come off as thinking I'm superior, because I'm definitely not! Breastfeeding is just what's worked best for our family, and I'm happy to be doing what I thinks best for Jack :) breastfeedingdoesn't work for everyone, it can be stressful, and overwhelming, especially in the beginning and I think it's great that there is formula for those it doesn't work for!

Okay, that's enough about breastfeeding/formula for now, I will update on what we have been up to and post some recent pictures of Jack soon. Our internet hasn't been set up yet and I'm posting this from my phone, which isn't easy! Until then, happy fall!

Reasons I'm excited to move:

1. Our new apartment is super nice! They were built two years ago, have granite countertops/showers and all stainless steel appliances. Plus, there is no nasty moldy smell.

2. Trader Joe's/Costco are literally a 5 minute drive from our house!

3. Living local. It is soooo much easier to buy locally in silverdale! They started a food co-op since we left and we are excited to get involved with that.

4. Finally being together as a family! This one doesn't really need an explanation, but I'm so very excited to be with matt again. Jack changes so much each day, I can't wait until he can be a part of his daily life :)

Of course, I will miss my family and friends down here, but EVERYONE is welcome to come and visit!

Why does time go by so fast? Jack is already 3 1/2 months old now. He is grabbing toys and sticking them in his mouth, laughing, smiling and he even already has his first tooth coming in! Teething has been less than fun. He is grouchy(I don't blame him) and not sleeping as well. Normally, he sleeps through the night., but the last few nights he has been up every hour to two hours. It's so tiring, especially because I've had a head cold.

What makes things a little harder too, is that we are no longer in our apartment anymore, so Jack's schedule is all messed up! He isn't used to sleeping in his bassinet for naps , plus he is moving so much in his sleep! We are staying at my dads over the next few weeks until our apartment is ready, and hopefully that happens soon!

I'm so excited for this next phase of our life. To be done with the Navy, to be back in Oregon, and to be together as a family for GOOD!

It's been a few weeks, and I have some exciting news! We are moving back to Washington! We found out today that Matt is getting stationed there again! We are so very excited. The last time Matt saw Jack, he was only 2.5 weeks old...Jack has changed so much in the last 2.5 months! It will be wonderful to be together and start our lives as a family.These last few months have been a huge adjustment, and pretty hard. Raising a newborn on your own is difficult, it is lonely, and exhausting. My dad has been a HUGE help! Without him, I don't know how I would have made it through the last few months. I also want to thank my grandma for texting me everyday to make sure I was okay, and our moms, they are both so busy with their own schedules, but I know if I would have asked for their help, they would have gladly made the time. I'm so thankful that my days as a "single mom" are almost done. Like I said, it was hard (even with an easy baby!), but this experience has made me into a stronger woman, it taught to appreciate my husband beyond belief (not that I didn't before), and that I'm so much stronger than I ever imagined. I know pride is not a great thing, but I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself. I have successfully taken care of my newborn, my puppy, and my home all on my own. At the end of every day, I feel accomplished, exhausted, but accomplished ;) Of course, I had the emotional support of my wonderful, loving, husband, and that made a world of a difference.


In other news, I have finally purchased my first cloth diapers! I'm excited to start using them,not only is it less expensive, BUT they are also better for the environment and more gentle on Jack's sensitive bum ;) I will start once we move and get settled into our new place up north.

I purchased 8 from babysteals.com- they were the bum cheeks minky diapers with organic bamboo inserts. I wish I would have bought more because it was a great deal, but didn't really think about it. I would like to buy at least 8 more inserts before I start exclusively cloth diapering.

I will also be using the rockin green laundry detergent too. It comes in unscented, which is perfect because since getting pregnant and having Jack, scented lotions/perfumes/shampoos/soaps give me a headache!

AND in Jack news- he is just a few days shy of 3 months old :/ no longer a newborn! He is getting so big! He smiles, giggles, splashes lots of water while in the bath tub, grabs for toys, and drools bucket loads ;)

weekend update.

Jack and I had a pretty good weekend... meanwhile back in Virginia Matt was stuck inside thanks to hurricane Irene! We are so glad he was kept safe and sound!

Friday we spent some time at Grandma Sue's playing in the pool with cousin Mason :)


Jack! doesn't he have the cutest smile :)


Mason! He has a pretty darn cute smile too!

This is the best I could get of the both of them together. It's funny though, in this one they are both trying to get their hands in their mouths and in another one I took they were both sticking out their tongues ;)


Kierska, sadly, Riley was at home.... I will take her next time...she is just too anxious in the car and tries to sit on my lap!




Jack also had his 2 month appointment last Monday! He is quite the little chunky baby :) He weighs 13.5 lbs and is 23 3/4 inches long! He is in the 85 percentile for weight and the 80th percentile for height!

Jack has been doing so many new things lately too. He is smiling all the time, giggling, sticking his hand in his mouth (sucking on it), sucking his thumb, sleeping 6+ hours a night (he only wakes up for about 5 minutes to eat and falls right back to sleep!), and he started playing with his tongue, like he is rolling it sideways. It has been so fun seeing him grow and start to interact with me, I love tickling him and seeing his reaction. His smile makes my heart swell up with joy! Tonight we played peek-a-boo and he had the best time! I just can't wait for Matt to see him again, It will be so nice when we can be together as a family!



Side note: Last week, I was also kind of a dummy. I lost my ID, and my debit card. Then I lost my credit card...which was actually in my shorts inside Riley's kennel (thanks Riley!), then I *almost* locked my keys in my car (but I didn't thank goodness!), then I left my car lights on for two hours and killed my battery (THANK YOU ALEX & DUEY!!!!). Being a new mom, doing everything all on my own has fried my brain ;) Once Matt gets home though, my life will be easy as pie.




OOOH on another note, I killed a Hobo spider! It was the nastiest thing EVER! and I'm afraid there is a whole colony of them living in my house and they are going to attack me in my sleep. I hate spiders and I wish they would all die. Poor Jack is going to be extremely, deathly afraid of them. To be totally serious though, I felt like this was a true test of my strength, do you know any other women that would kill a spider this big? Yes I screamed and ran away from it when it started moving, but gosh darn it, I killed it all by myself :)

2 months old!

Today, Jack is two months old! I can't believe it. He is so smiley, alert, and wiggly! He is definitely one cute chunk of a baby :) We had a very fun day today! We went to the farmers market and got some freshly harvested chicken, went to lunch with great grandma Judy, then spent some time with cousin Mason in the pool. So very fun :)