Pt. 1: Unsettled, Pt. 2: Let the Musical Beds Begin

How long does it take for a house to become a home? Does it happen when you move in and unpack your memories? When you fill it with furniture? When do you get used to the creaks and noises? When do you feel comfortable, and not like you are staying in someone else's place?

We have been here almost two months, and it doesn't feel quite like home yet. I think it just takes time, but I hate this feeling. Right now, it's 10 p.m., and Lem is awake from a bad dream. I think the heater kicking on is waking him up. Last night, Win slept in Lem's room with him; tonight, Lem is in bed with me. I hate that he is starting to have fears, especially since I still remember my fears of the dark as a child.

I'm hoping that this house and this community will feel like home soon. That being said, I stepped out of my comfort zone and went to a group meetup (courtesy of www.meetup.com). It is a moms group, and we walked a trail on post. It was great, all the moms were nice, kids cute, and everyone seemed to have joined for the same reason I did -- to meet other stay-at-home moms. I'm continuously learning as a military wife/mom, that shyness doesn't work here. You have to be proactive if you want to make new friends. So hopefully, these new acquaintances will become friends and help make this place home.

We are making memories here. Tonight at dinner, Lem was goofing around with a mouthful of food. Win told him to swallow it, because it was disgusting. Lem in turn spit it out, and then said, "I don't eat that. Dada said it is disgusting." Win and I were both amazed. Where did he learn the word "disgusting" and how did he know what it meant? Also, that was totally not the reaction we expected.

So now it is bed time. Win will probably sleep on the floor, which he says is more comfortable anyway. I will hold my sweet son until he falls asleep, then be awake the rest of the night as he kicks me. I will also have to figure out how Gwyn will fit in when it is time for her midnight snack.

(Last post of the month! I did it, even though some of my posts were crap. I'm going to try to keep it up next month as well.)

Today ...

... I've got nothing. Only one more day and a-post-a-day month is done.

Thanksgiving Wrap-up

We had a really nice Thanksgiving with Alex and Venusja in Florida. We had a late meal, after Lem and Gwyn fell asleep. I felt bad that Lem didn't get any turkey, but he probably wouldn't have eaten even if he'd been awake. It was really nice for me, though, I got to relax and enjoy my food. It was delicious.

Yesterday we walked down to the (amazing!) beach. Win swam, and Lem played in a tide pool. Then we went to Panama City Beach for lunch and to watch the big Alabama-Auburn game. We watched the last of it at Buffalo Wild Wings, and the crowd was so into it. There are serious football fans down here.

We are worn out and taking it easy today.

Friday Flashback

Thanksgiving 2008, in Holland with Toos. Check out Lem's hair.

Turkey Day

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Last year, we spent the holiday in Holland with Toos. This year we will be spending it with old friends, whom I haven't seen in more than a year.

Hope everyone has a thankful day full of turkey and friends and family.

Montgomery

So ... we took Beemy to the "doctor" yesterday. Because it is under warranty, we had to take it to a dealer, and the closest dealer to us is in Montgomery, 70 miles away. Beemy was just due for regular servicing, and had a few things that needed to be checked -- we don't think sitting on a boat for several months was very good for it.

Anyway, we all went, and the dealership gave us a rental for the day. I had looked online and seen that there is a zoo in Montgomery. That was our plan -- spend the day at the zoo while Beemy got worked on.

Well, it was raining when we got to town. But, we had seen a billboard on the way in for the Bass Pro Shop. So we headed there.

It was awesome. Lem was so excited to see the goldfish in the aquariums and play the shooting games. We did pretty well in restraining ourselves -- Win got a few hunting items and I got a few Christmas things. We ate lunch there, and then left when Lem started looking exhausted. He fell asleep so we drove around for a while. We took a couple wrong turns and ended up in some "not-so-nice" areas of town, which wasn't fun. They don't put low-income areas on maps. We also drove through one of the ritzy neighborhoods as well, so we saw both sides. Didn't stick around too long in either one.

We sat in the parking lot of a Panera Bread(!) and had a coffee break while the kids kept sleeping. The weather had cleared up, so we decided to try the zoo.

Uh, yeah, it was a negative on the zoo. It was also in the ghetto, and the ticket booths were boarded up. There was a neon "Open" sign in the gift shop window. I didn't want to get out of the car, and we didn't even stop. There is a nature museum connected to the zoo, so we checked that out -- even worse. It was a huge disappointment.

So the highlight of Montgomery is the Bass Pro Shop. And I think I now know a better (read: less ghetto) way of getting through the town on the way to St. Louis.

Tired

Long day in Montgomery today. More tomorrow ...

(See -- still got a post in today!)

A Case of the Mondays

Writer's block this morning. It is gray and damp outside. Lem and I are snuggled under Harry Potter (blanket) and watching Diego. Gwyn's still sleeping (she is a lazy bum in the mornings), and Win is getting ready for work.

We went bowling again yesterday, but we didn't last long. We only bowled one game, neither of us broke 100, and Lem didn't even finish his. It would be much better if the alley didn't open right at nap time on Sundays.

I cooked a venison roast last night, and miraculously, it turned out perfectly. I changed the temperature three different times, covered, uncovered, and covered it again. I don't think I could recreate it if I tried. But it was delicious.

That's all I have for this morning.

Helicopters

I'm not referring to actual helicopters today, instead, I'm talking about "helicopter parents" and the "slow parenting" movement. Michelle first alerted me to this on her blog post last week (here). Now it is the cover story on this week's issue of Time.

I really don't want to define myself either way, but I'm just going to say that I'm so happy I can stay home with my kids. Of course I am terrified that something bad could happen to them (especially with all the snakes, spiders and alligators around here), but I'm not going to let that stop me from letting them experience life. Lem has bumped his head more times that I can count, because I think that experience is the best teacher. (Obviously, I won't let him do really dangerous things. I'm talking about things like falling off the couch after I've told him he might fall while jumping on it.)

I do want to get him involved in some activities, but probably not until he is three. There is a Karate place downtown, and I think Lem would love to learn Karate. I also think soccer would be great for him. But that's just it -- I think I will sign him up for things because I think he will like it, not because I think he needs it.

I think I always go back to my view on most things: Moderation. I think fast food and soda are good, as long as it isn't every day. I think the same goes for activities for kids. Just don't overdo anything.

My main worries right now are that we (all of us) watch too much TV, and that Lem isn't getting enough interaction with kids his age. I try to limit TV, but it is hard. I'm working on it. And I took Lem to a playgroup this week and will try to do the same this week.

Right now we are watching Clifford the Big Red Dog on PBS. But Lem is also looking at The Very Busy Spider. Gwyn is in her chair, watching us (not TV), and playing with her favorite toy, a cloth diaper.

You can read the Time article here.

I think I missed my calling. (Don't read if raw meat makes you squeamish)

Deer hunting is in full swing here, and our friend Rocky was gave us some meat from his latest kill. What I didn't realize until I opened the cooler, however, was that it required some prep before eating. This is what I found in the cooler:


After calling my parents for advice and consulting the meat section in Joy of Cooking, I decided to wing it. I recalled my years of helping my dad butcher deer, and this is what I ended up with (after deboning):


I did my best and ended up with four decent steaks, two not-so-decent steaks, a roast, a pack of kebab meat and a pack of stew meat:

I think I did pretty well for my first time butchering, especially all by myself (Win was hunting, and therefore wasn't home to offer advice). It might not be pretty, but it's still edible. I've helped my dad butcher deer since I can't remember, and I just tried to do what I thought he would do. My mom's idea of kebab meat was a good idea, because I ended up with some random pieces, and this way I didn't waste anything. I can't wait to eat it.

Three

Our three-month-old grub

Gwyn turned three months yesterday. She is getting big, not super fat yet, but very long. She's very smiley and likes to be a part of the conversation. This week I heard her chuckle for the first time, although Win has heard her laugh before. Usually when she is excited she does a little cough thing. Besides her thumb sucking, she is fascinated by her hands and will sit in her little chair and play with them. She has also started grabbing on to things. She has a flower rattle that she plays with now, and she loves having a cloth diaper to play with. It's pretty funny. I sometimes think she's trying to do Peek-a-Boo by herself. She hasn't rolled over again, but to be honest, she's not a huge fan of tummy time, and I should probably do it more. And now she is awake and making noises, so I better go give her some breakfast.

Day at the Park

Despite the warnings ...




we saw two armadillos ...


and had a wonderful walk ...


at Frank Jackson State Park on Thursday.

Bowling

Time to Play

I took the kiddos to the weekly play group on post today. It was good, after Lem warmed up to it, he had fun. He cried when it was time to leave. I met a couple moms who were nice. We'll go back next week. I was a little disappointed because there wasn't any structure to the group. The kids just had free play for an hour and a half. I miss the one in Italy where they had indoor play, gym play, group sing, book time, and then snack time. But it was good for Lem and I to socialize.

Gwyn eyed everything from the sling, then fell asleep. I don't think she was too impressed. But she was a great ice-breaker for me. Of course everyone commented on her (and her hair), and a couple moms asked me about my sling.

Win is out hunting again. His buddy shot another deer tonight. They had us over for a venison dinner on Monday. It was really delicious -- steaks marinated and wrapped in bacon, then grilled. Lem entertained himself by playing with the dog toys and in the dog cage (the dogs were outside).

We are moving up in the world. We have a bed! We are no longer sleeping on the futon mattress on the floor. It is so comfortable. I can't believe we have been married for five years and are just now buying our furniture. Lem is still sleeping on his air mattress, and our main room has only a rocking chair and patio furniture, but it is a work in progress. One piece at a time.

Warms My Heart

While playing MarioKart with Lem this morning, every time I'd fall off or get blown up, he'd come over, put his arm around me and say, "Don't be sad, Mama." Then once I'd get going again he'd say, "Look, Mama! That guy alright!"

We Wii

I'm late getting this post out but I wasn't motivated to write anything this morning. We are currently Wii obsessed. I got the Wii Fit for my birthday and am loving it. Today Win brought home MarioKart and Resort for it as well. The thought is that they will be fun family entertainment when winter sets in here, if it ever does. Lem is old enough to at least attempt playing; if nothing else he enjoys watching us play and pressing buttons on the controllers. Gwyn gets a kick out of us playing, too.

I went today and bought us a mattress. The headboard will come later. It's being delivered tomorrow and I can't wait to sleep on a real bed again. Win went with me but stayed in the car with the kids. He refused to come in and try the beds out, so he is not allowed to complain about it.

OK, kids are asleep so time for grown-up MarioKart. I'm going to kick Win's butt.

Flight

Failure

My second venture into baking failed miserably. I don't know what happened, maybe the yeast was bad or the flour or something. The dough didn't rise. I cooked it anyway, and it didn't rise in the oven either. It just turned into mess that smelled suspiciously like play-dough. Which is funny, because I actually made play-dough for Lem after I'd mixed the dough.

So what did I attempt to make? Homemade pizza. It's embarrassing. The toppings were delicious. Win put some on toast and said it tasted like bruschetta. And even better, last night was one of the few nights Lem actually wanted to eat what I had made. He ran up and said, "I want pizza." Sigh.

Friday Flashback

Our trip to Berlin, October 2006.

Hackysack on the Autobahn

Venusja and I

The Berlin Wall

Berlin Bear and Berlin Venusja

My Veteran

Homecoming 2006

Homecoming 2008

Baby Favorites

This is a post mainly for my friend, Rachel. After almost three years and two kids, I am listing my favorite baby gear. Here is my Top 10 list:

1. Baby sling or front carrier for an infant. I now have a collection of three and love all of them. The sling Michelle gave me for Gwyn is great, she falls asleep in it, she's covered up and protected from nosy people, and best of all, I can nurse while on the go and no one knows. I also love the Baby Bjorn I have. It's great because Gwyn can see out, and she's really strapped in. And when she gets a little bigger she can face outwards. I have another sling that I think works better with an older baby -- I used it with Lem once he could sit on my hip. Great when I had to run outside and didn't want to leave him inside alone. And now with two kids, my strategy is to have Gwyn in a carrier so she is strapped onto me in case I have to chase after Lem.

2. Sleep sack. I got one of these for Lem, but he never used it because he never slept in the crib. But I have been using it with Gwyn every night. It is great -- it is a wearable blanket. It keeps Gwyn warm, and she can't kick it off or over her head, so it is safer than a blanket.

3. Cloth diapers. I use these things for everything. Burp clothes, changing mats, anything and everything you might need a soft cloth for. And since they are just plain white diapers, I don't care if they get messed up. I always have one with me.

4. Stroller. Ahhh. There is so much to say about strollers. I now have four. What I wish I would have known before I bought one, is wait until you have the baby! Then you can better know what kind will work best for your needs. I bought the travel system for Lem -- car seat sits on stroller, and that worked great when he was little. And also, I did a lot of walking around post, so I needed a stroller. But as soon as he was big enough to sit up (say around six months), all I needed was an umbrella stroller. Now I have a double jogging stroller, but I don't plan on using that for anything other than exercising. I'm finding now that in the States, you tend to drive to each place instead of walking, so strollers aren't needed as much.

5. A mobile or something that plays music in the crib. Lem went to sleep with his Baby Einstein turtle for months. When we moved here, he announced he was done with it. Now Gwyn uses it.

6. A car seat. Of course. But one with straps that are easy to adjust. Our toddler car seat has a way to tighten the straps from the front. It is great, because I can loosen them to strap Lem in, and tighten them after. Gwyn's infant seat has straps you can tighten from the back, but it is a huge pain. I wish I had one that you could adjust from the front. But I am just sucking it up and waiting until she outgrows it.

7. A Pack'n'Play. Especially if you have a large house. I set up mine for Lem in the kitchen, so he when he was little he could play in there while I was cooking. Now I have it in the living room for Gwyn, so she can be in there but see what is going on, and she is safe from her energetic brother.

8. A Sleeping Bag. Well, not really a sleeping bag, but a Bundle Me sack that fits in car seats and strollers. I love mine, I used it the whole winter of Lem's first year. It works as a blanket, but has a fleece inside and wind-resistant outside. Kept him cozy warm. Now I have it on the stroller for Gwyn, although it's not all that cold here yet.

9. Baby book. I love the What to Expect series. I haven't used them as much with Gwyn, but I read almost all of What to Expect When You're Expecting and What to Expect the First Year with Lem. I know they don't appeal to everyone, but I like them.

10. www.oompa.com. This Web site has great toys. It is expensive, so I save it for birthdays and Christmas. But they have great wooden toys, classic toys and unique ones. I've found great rattles and little toys for babies, and Lem as a wonderful pounding bench from them.

I know there are countless other things, but those are the main ones I've thought of as I've been taking care of Lem and Gwyn.

Timely News

After a long relationship, I've finally made the decision to break up with my favorite news magazine and switch to its competitor. I've read Newsweek for years, but its redesign this year broke my heart. I don't know what the editors were thinking. They took a great magazine and turned it into something that does nothing for me. I no longer have any desire to even flip through the pages, let alone read any articles. Pages and pages of gray matter, yawn-inducing photos, uninspiring graphs. I can't tell you much about the content changes, because there is nothing there to draw me into any of the articles. So ...
When renewing our magazine subscriptions, I decided to try Time. The first issue arrived yesterday, and so far, it is everything Newsweek used to be. I think I will stick to it for a year, and get all my in-depth news from it instead of my former beloved.

All that being said, I have to admit that I am also subscribing to In Touch. World news is important, but so is celebrity gossip.

Rainy Day Bakers

I'd say our first time baking bread was a success.

Early Morning

I'm up early this morning. I got up with Win today, because my parents left this morning. They drove down for the weekend to see us and our new surroundings. I'm slightly embarrassed to say we didn't make it to the Peanut Festival. We just didn't have the energy for it, and it sounds like it's just like a county fair. So we'll wait until next year. I did show them the Boll Weevil Monument, the post, and the Aviation Museum. We took them to Larry's for BBQ, and we watched lots of football.

Lem was so happy to see Oma and Grandpa. When they pulled up he couldn't stop dancing around and pulling them in different directions to show them everything. And to add to the excitement, my parents had brought the rest of his toys that had accumulated over the summer. That includes his collection of John Deere tractors.

The Aviation Museum is really cool, and Lem was the tour guide. He, once again, pulled us in all different directions to see the helicopters and planes. I think the highlight for him is the helicopter cockpit simulator that kids (and adults, I guess) can climb into.

Gwyn rolled over yesterday! She was doing her tummy time and flipped herself over onto her back. She seemed pretty pleased with herself, but got pissed when I put her back on her stomach. She is still loving her thumb, but I'm okay with that because she's been a lot happier because of it.

I am sitting here watching the local news. The big news is Hurricane Ida. We are expected to get wind and heavy rains tonight and tomorrow morning. This is my first hurricane, kind of crazy.

Rocking

This is the first day I haven't had a topic to blog about. Sigh.

I did get a rocking chair from my parents for my birthday. I love it, Gwyn loves it, and Lem loves it. It was actually really hard to find one. Rockers are out now, and gliders are in. And of course, I wanted an old-fashioned rocking chair.

And now I have one.

Little Helper

I woke up this morning to Lem "doing" the dishes. I heard little bangs from the kitchen, and upon investigation, found Lem with the dishwasher open, half a box of detergent dumped in, and the gallon bottle of vinegar pulled out and cap unscrewed. A few minutes later, and I might have had a vinegar flood. (I put a cup full of vinegar in with a load to add shininess and soften the water.)

I think I need to start waking up before he does.

Remember, Remember the Fifth of November!

I happen to share my birthday with a fairly cool British holiday. Nov. 5 is Guy Fawkes Day in England. In 1605, he attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in a plot to kill the king. He was caught, tortured and executed. That night, people lit bonfires all over London to celebrate the safety of the king. Now, on Nov. 5, the British celebrate with bonfires and fireworks. I've always wanted to be in England for my birthday to see it. Maybe some year.

I visited London in 2005, the 400th anniversary year of Bonfire Night. There was Guy Fawkes stuff everywhere. I thought that was pretty cool. I have a mug with sketches of the conspirators on it, as well as the saying, "Remember, Remember the Fifth of November!" I got it also as a subtle reminder to Win ...

You can read more about it here.

29

Yesterday was my birthday. 29. I still have one more year in my '20s. Nothing too exciting happened. It was the first day Win had to work all day, so we just got pizza for dinner. He is getting me the Wii Fit (it's what I wanted). The kids gave me a present of a three-hour nap at the same time. I sat on our new couch, which was delivered that morning, watched America's Next Top Model and ate lots of Halloween candy.

Last night, Lem kind of had a breakdown after his bath. He put on his shoes (sans everything else), went to the door, and told us he wanted to go home. Home as in my parents' house. There was lots of crying, trying to unlock the door and bringing both Win and me our shoes. He said he wanted to go in the red car and go home. "Time to go home," he said. It was heartbreaking and hilarious at the same time, because he was completely nude except for his Crocs on the wrong feet. Then Win told him he could go, and Lem stopped crying and said, "Bye, Mama. Bye, Dada."

I finally just put him to bed, and after a story and some talking he calmed down. He is his usual happy self this morning. What I find interesting is that he has never once said he wanted to go home to Italy, not even back in June when we first left. Last night, I asked him about our home in Italy and if he wanted to go there, and he said, "No way!"

On a side note, I was a little too hasty with my "It's Official" post. Because it isn't. He is clearly ready physically, but not mentally. I think it may be too soon still after all the recent changes in his life. So we will put it on hold for a little while.

I am also really shocked and saddened by what has happened at Ft. Hood. I'll be keeping those soldiers and their families in my prayers.

Untitled

We have a thumbsucker (and I think she will be a hair-twirler as well)

Wordless

It's Official

Today is our first official day of toilet training for Lem. He has been showing all the signs of being ready for a while now, and I think we are settled enough from the move to start it. (Also, I haven't been very motivated.) He has been in a very stubborn stage lately, responding to everything with "No way!", but I hope this will be fairly easy. Right now he's making me nervous by sitting on a couple pillows ...

By the way, I happen to hate the word "potty," so I will be using the word "toilet" instead. It ranks right up there with "panty." Anyway ...

Lem and I got our flu shots yesterday! Luckily we didn't have to wait too long at the clinic, and Win was able to come help me. I needed it, because I had Gwyn in the sling, and Lem needed to be held down. He watched me get mine, then started crying when it was his turn. He got the seasonal flu shot in his thigh, and also the H1N1 mist up his nose. But after he got a sucker and ran around a bit, he was fine.

Mama, Time To Get Up!

The best thing about Daylight Savings is Lem went to be on time and without a fight last night. The worst thing? He was wide awake at 6:11 a.m., instead of his usual wake up time of 7. Oh well. Now he is happily watching Curious George (the inspiration for his Halloween costume). Gwyn is snoozing away in our bed. She had kind of a rough night last night -- I think it was due to some painful burps, the time change, her shots, and the late night the night before.

I read on Brown-Eyed Baker, a blog I just started following, that November is National Blog Posting Month. The idea is to post every day for a month. I've sort of been trying to do that anyway. So stay tuned and see if I manage it.

Today, I'm hoping to get going early and take Lem to get our flu shots at the clinic on post. I'm also really hoping our furniture will be in today as well. Maybe we will go to Wal-Mart to get Lem a pair of cowboy boots. A boy at the clinic on Friday had some, and Lem's rain boots are getting too small anyway. Also, I have yet to check out this town's Wal-Mart.

It was actually pretty cool this morning. I think it's funny that we are going straight from AC to heating. But I am liking the fall weather.

Halloween

Our monkey

Our penguin

Trick or Treating

Well, we had a good Halloween. I finally got Lem to put on his costume, and after I explained (with chocolate) what trick or treating was all about and what he would get, he was all for it. We did a practice run, where he went out on the front porch and rang our doorbell, and then I gave him a piece of candy. So we ended up doing the two streets near us. He got a decent amount of candy for a two-year-old. We also met some of our neighbors, they are all really nice.

Lem chowed down when we got back, and after about 20 minutes, the sugar hit him. He was like the Incredible Hulk. Throwing his chair around, jumping on us, running in circles, and laughing hysterically. I kept trying to put my boots back on for the party and he kept kicking them away from me.

We went to a party at Rocky's house, a member of Win's company and his hunting buddy. Rocky when all out on his costume, complete with scary skull mask. It freaked Lem out when he answered the door, but once Rocky took it off, he was OK. But I think he will be talking about how Rocky scared him for a while. The party was fun. It was nice to meet people. But we were the only people with kids. So I stayed for about an hour and then took Lem and Gwyn home. Win stayed later (with my permission). Lem had fun once he got used to all the new people and costumes. He had a blast playing cornhole and playing with/eating the ice on the keg. Gwyn was a doll, staring at everyone and then falling asleep. She saved her nightly screaming for when we got home.

Lem was awake until 11 p.m. and up at 7:30 this morning. I think he is still full of sugar. He is currently running and leaping onto Win. Gwyn woke up smiling and talking and is now napping. Thank goodness for that extra hour of sleep last night.