Hi, everyone! My goodness, has it been forever since we've posted on here! As you all know, Josh is home safe and sound now -- he got home mid-September. We aren't planning on any deployments any time soon, but we have to be realistic in that aspect. He has three years left in the military, so there will probably be at least one more deployment. Hopefully we'll get lucky and not have to go through anymore!!
This blog is going to kind of switch modes from a deployment update blog to a family update blog. Yay!!
John is pushing a year old already. My, how time flies! His birthday is March 31, 2010. We cannot believe how big he is getting. He says mama, dadda, up (while he's reaching), and byebye (while he's waving). He also loves to point to things now. Our little man pulls himself up to his feet and can walk while holding someone's hands or while holding onto furniture. It's amazing how much he loves music. Any time he hears music on TV or anything, he stops whatever he's doing and listens. Once he's a little bit older, we are going to try to get him involved in some sort of music lessons (if he wants to, of course, but we will strongly encourage him in that area). At his last appointment, he weighed 20lb and a few ounces. He's tall and skinny (well, when I say skinny I mean he doesn't have the normal rolls on the legs, arms, and belly that most babies have). He is still under the 50th percentile for height and under the 25th percentile for weight. He has both his front bottom teeth and is in the process of cutting both his top front teeth. We love watching him learn and grow more and more each and every day!
Josh is working part-time for Daniel Zebell and looking for a full-time job (specifically in law enforcement, but at this point anything will do). He is drilling still once a month for the Reserves, of course and trying to complete his "packet" for promotion to E5 (Sergeant). Coming home after the deployment has been an adjustment, but he is doing well. John took to him immediately when he came home, which was a huge blessing. Now, when Josh gets home from work, John starts bouncing up and down and yelling, "Dadda! Dadda!" and reaching for his daddy. The two are an adorable site, that's for sure!
I am working part-time from home entering data for the insurance company my mom works for. It's tedious work, but it'll help with some of the bills! The nice part is that I can set my own hours, which means I can put in a couple hours here and there in the evenings after John goes to bed. I love being able to stay home with John all day (although sometimes it does get rather difficult if he's extra fussy that day).
We have some big family news to share!! Most (if not all) of you probably already know this, but we are expecting our second little bundle of joy. I am ten weeks into the pregnancy (1/4 down!), and feeling good for the most part -- just exhausted, but that is to be expected! With John I was extremely sick every day for the first ten weeks, but with this one I have just been a little nauseated on and off (what a relief). We will get to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time on Monday, March 1. Josh is coming to the appointment and is really excited to hear this baby's heartbeat first-hand. We are very excited for this little addition to our family, and we are hoping for a girl this time (but of course, just being healthy will be perfectly fine. We will keep everyone updated as the pregnancy progresses.
Well, I think that is all we have to share for now. We'll try to post on here fairly often (well, as often as we can remember, haha). Comments are more than welcome! :)
Love,
Josh, Ariel, John, and The Little Surprise
23 February 2010
06 August 2009
04 August 2009
Update
Hey, everyone! Things are going well for Josh, John, and me. Time is starting to wind down for the deployment -- Josh should be home sometime in September. As you all know, I cannot give more information than that. He is doing well, just ready to come home. Once he gets home, he will talk to a recruiter and get his papers going to switch to Active Duty. That should take two to three weeks from what the recruiter told him. We're hoping the papers go through extremely quickly and that he gets orders fast to be stationed wherever. We have no idea where we will end up, but as soon as we know of course everyone else will know.
John is getting so big now. He had his four month check-up yesterday morning -- he weighs 13lb 6oz and is 25 1/4 inches long. That puts him in the 55th percentile for his height but only the 25th percentile for his weight. Guess he's gonna be tall and skinny! :) He's started rolling over now -- he rolls from back to belly and then throws a fit because he can't roll from belly to back yet. It's actually kind of amusing. He's also started eating some different baby foods. He's had applesauce, carrots, peaches, and bananas so far that he likes; and he's had peas and green beans that he didn't like. His toes have healed up great from his surgery.
I'll keep everyone updated as I can with Josh coming home and whatnot, but remember that I cannot give specifics. Keep all of us in your prayers with Josh coming home and going Active.
waiting for him,
Ariel
John is getting so big now. He had his four month check-up yesterday morning -- he weighs 13lb 6oz and is 25 1/4 inches long. That puts him in the 55th percentile for his height but only the 25th percentile for his weight. Guess he's gonna be tall and skinny! :) He's started rolling over now -- he rolls from back to belly and then throws a fit because he can't roll from belly to back yet. It's actually kind of amusing. He's also started eating some different baby foods. He's had applesauce, carrots, peaches, and bananas so far that he likes; and he's had peas and green beans that he didn't like. His toes have healed up great from his surgery.
I'll keep everyone updated as I can with Josh coming home and whatnot, but remember that I cannot give specifics. Keep all of us in your prayers with Josh coming home and going Active.
waiting for him,
Ariel
02 July 2009
Update on John's Surgery
Just wanted to let everyone know that John's surgery went well this morning. He was happy and smiling and flirting with the nurses when he was taken back for the surgery. Dr Kline removed strips from both outer edges of each big toenail and used a laser on the nail bed to prevent the nail from growing back there. He said there is a 95% chance that he will never again have an ingrown toenail. The surgery lasted less than half an hour. So far John hasn't been too bad, but I'm waiting for the local anesthesia on the toes to wear off. He took a bottle when we got home, and now he is sleeping. If you need to get ahold of me, then please wait until late this afternoon as both John and I had a very short night and stressful morning.
I'm going to bed :)
Ariel
I'm going to bed :)
Ariel
27 June 2009
Hey, everyone!
Sorry I haven't posted any updates in a while. Things have been pretty crazy around here lately ...
As I said last time, Josh passed his PT test awhile back, which opened the doors for him to go Active ... or so we thought. Apparently, the program has been discontinued, and he has to wait until he returns to the states to switch from Reserves to Active. I don't understand it all (and I"m not sure he does, either) but that's what he's been told. Once he is stateside again and going through the de-MOB process, he will be contacting a recruiter and getting the paperwork going for all that. He's already been talking to the recruiter via email and one phone call, and supposedly the papers will be able to be put through quickly (within a couple weeks). He also found out that he will be able to keep our health insurance for 90 days or until his Active duty papers go through. I talked to him for a few minutes yesterday, and he said he is doing well. He says the weather is getting hotter and hotter, but the time is starting to wind down to the end of the deployment. He is extremely busy still, and he's really looking forward to coming home.
Y'all may remember me mentioning in my last post that John had to go see a podiatrist for his ingrown toenail in his big toes. His appointment went well, but he has to have surgery on one of his big toes because the toenail is really ingrown, and I won't be able to fix it on my own like I did the other one. His surgery is scheduled for July 2nd at 7:30 in the morning. I don't have a lot of details since I've been in Maryland for the past week visiting family. I have to call the surgeon's office Monday and get all of the details for the surgery. I will keep everyone updated as I can. Hopefully he will pull through alright and the surgery won't be too hard on him.
Please keep Josh in your prayers for safety and John and me in your prayers for John's surgery.
waiting for him,
Ariel
As I said last time, Josh passed his PT test awhile back, which opened the doors for him to go Active ... or so we thought. Apparently, the program has been discontinued, and he has to wait until he returns to the states to switch from Reserves to Active. I don't understand it all (and I"m not sure he does, either) but that's what he's been told. Once he is stateside again and going through the de-MOB process, he will be contacting a recruiter and getting the paperwork going for all that. He's already been talking to the recruiter via email and one phone call, and supposedly the papers will be able to be put through quickly (within a couple weeks). He also found out that he will be able to keep our health insurance for 90 days or until his Active duty papers go through. I talked to him for a few minutes yesterday, and he said he is doing well. He says the weather is getting hotter and hotter, but the time is starting to wind down to the end of the deployment. He is extremely busy still, and he's really looking forward to coming home.
Y'all may remember me mentioning in my last post that John had to go see a podiatrist for his ingrown toenail in his big toes. His appointment went well, but he has to have surgery on one of his big toes because the toenail is really ingrown, and I won't be able to fix it on my own like I did the other one. His surgery is scheduled for July 2nd at 7:30 in the morning. I don't have a lot of details since I've been in Maryland for the past week visiting family. I have to call the surgeon's office Monday and get all of the details for the surgery. I will keep everyone updated as I can. Hopefully he will pull through alright and the surgery won't be too hard on him.
Please keep Josh in your prayers for safety and John and me in your prayers for John's surgery.
waiting for him,
Ariel
03 June 2009
Another Update
Hey, there. Just wanted to let everyone know that Josh passed his PT test! Yayyy!! Go, Josh! I'm so incredibly proud of him! He has been doing such a wonderful job while he's been over there, and passing his PT test just topped everything off! This brings news that you can either take as good or bad ... Since he passed his PT test, he is now able to switch from Reserves to Active Duty. All he has to do is meet with the person in charge of that and sign the papers. We are very excited about this next opportunity in our lives, so please try to be happy for us. If you don't like the idea of him going Active, well, I'm sorry but that's what we've decided is best for us. I hope we can get everyone's support in this decision.
On another note ... John had his two month check-up this past Tuesday. Things went well. I have to try to get him to eat more throughout the day because he is not eating enough, but the doctor isn't terribly concerned. He is up to 9lb 10oz and is 21 3/4 inches long. That puts him in the tenth percentile for both his weight and his length. He has to see a podiatrist for some problems he is having with the toenails on his big toes. I will update as we get appointments set and whatnot. The doctor decided to put John on a baby version of zantax because he has acid reflux. Hopefully this will help him eat and possibly even sleep better once that's taken care of.
Other than that, things are going pretty well. John and I are still working on the whole sleeping at night issue, but such is the life with a newborn. He has started smiling at people and cooing sometimes, too. Please remember to keep Josh in your prayers as he is constantly out on missions. Pray for his safety and that he is able to get an adequate amount of rest. Haha, he told me today that the showers have been out since Friday ... I can only imagine what a room full of guys in 110+ degree weather with no showers for a week smells like. He said he has a date for when he will be home, but he is unable to share it (even with me). I'm anticipating sometime late September perhaps. Note than even when he is able to share the dates with me, I will not be able to share the specifics.
Waiting for him,
Ariel
On another note ... John had his two month check-up this past Tuesday. Things went well. I have to try to get him to eat more throughout the day because he is not eating enough, but the doctor isn't terribly concerned. He is up to 9lb 10oz and is 21 3/4 inches long. That puts him in the tenth percentile for both his weight and his length. He has to see a podiatrist for some problems he is having with the toenails on his big toes. I will update as we get appointments set and whatnot. The doctor decided to put John on a baby version of zantax because he has acid reflux. Hopefully this will help him eat and possibly even sleep better once that's taken care of.
Other than that, things are going pretty well. John and I are still working on the whole sleeping at night issue, but such is the life with a newborn. He has started smiling at people and cooing sometimes, too. Please remember to keep Josh in your prayers as he is constantly out on missions. Pray for his safety and that he is able to get an adequate amount of rest. Haha, he told me today that the showers have been out since Friday ... I can only imagine what a room full of guys in 110+ degree weather with no showers for a week smells like. He said he has a date for when he will be home, but he is unable to share it (even with me). I'm anticipating sometime late September perhaps. Note than even when he is able to share the dates with me, I will not be able to share the specifics.
Waiting for him,
Ariel
12 May 2009
Update
Hey, y'all. Sorry it's been so long since I've posted on here. Things have been kind of crazy for me lately.
Josh is doing well. His knee isn't bothering him quite as much lately, which is fantastic. He is still on profile (where he isn't allowed to run or do other certain activities) for a while because of his knee, though. His PT will be taken some time before the 27th of this month (the entire company is required to take one by then). He will be walking the running portion of the PT test due to his status on profile. Please pray that he passes so he will be able to switch to Active Duty before he comes home. We really need this.
He did have a rough spell where he woke up one day with a ton of bug bites all over his arms. The doctor didn't know what they were from (bugs, obviously, but he didn't know what kind) and gave Josh some medicine to treat the bites. That medicine didn't work, and one mornign he woke up with the bites being all bloody. The doctor gave him a different, stronger medicine and said if that didn't work, then Josh would have to go on steroids. Thankfully, this stronger medicine is starting to clear the bites. Josh said they don't itch nearly as badly anymore; so hopefully they will heal more quickly without him constantly scratching at them.
Other than that, he seems to be doing well. He is more than ready to come home and see his son again. I send him new pictures in every care package. Speaking of care package ... please, if you send him a package, don't send him candy (or send him an extremely small amount if you feel you must send it). He has asked me repeatedly not to have candy sent to him. He just doesn't have space in his locker to store a ton of extra candies and things. Other than that, he really really appreciates all the care packages he has been receiving. Sounds like everyone has been taking good care of him! Thank you so much for that.
As for me and John, we are doing fairly well. We've gone through a rough spell where John wouldn't sleep and was extremely constipated due to the formula; but we've pretty much worked that issue out. Now, we're dealing with his toenails not having grown in properly and causing infections under the big toenails. Yesterday, we went to the doctor, and she told me how to treat it. He screams and cries when I do, but we should be seeing results in a couple days. The poor baby is in so much pain that he didn't want to eat yesterday, and he won't let me put his foot inside his sleepers. Please pray that he heals quickly. I hate seeing him in pain like this.
Other than that, all is well for us. John's next doctor's appointment is 2 June, and he will have to get his immunizations. I am doing well, other than not being able to sleep for being up every few hours with John.
I will try to remember to update here in another week or so, but I make no promises. :) Please remember to pray that Josh passes his PT test and also that John heals quickly. Thank you.
Waiting for him,
Ariel
Josh is doing well. His knee isn't bothering him quite as much lately, which is fantastic. He is still on profile (where he isn't allowed to run or do other certain activities) for a while because of his knee, though. His PT will be taken some time before the 27th of this month (the entire company is required to take one by then). He will be walking the running portion of the PT test due to his status on profile. Please pray that he passes so he will be able to switch to Active Duty before he comes home. We really need this.
He did have a rough spell where he woke up one day with a ton of bug bites all over his arms. The doctor didn't know what they were from (bugs, obviously, but he didn't know what kind) and gave Josh some medicine to treat the bites. That medicine didn't work, and one mornign he woke up with the bites being all bloody. The doctor gave him a different, stronger medicine and said if that didn't work, then Josh would have to go on steroids. Thankfully, this stronger medicine is starting to clear the bites. Josh said they don't itch nearly as badly anymore; so hopefully they will heal more quickly without him constantly scratching at them.
Other than that, he seems to be doing well. He is more than ready to come home and see his son again. I send him new pictures in every care package. Speaking of care package ... please, if you send him a package, don't send him candy (or send him an extremely small amount if you feel you must send it). He has asked me repeatedly not to have candy sent to him. He just doesn't have space in his locker to store a ton of extra candies and things. Other than that, he really really appreciates all the care packages he has been receiving. Sounds like everyone has been taking good care of him! Thank you so much for that.
As for me and John, we are doing fairly well. We've gone through a rough spell where John wouldn't sleep and was extremely constipated due to the formula; but we've pretty much worked that issue out. Now, we're dealing with his toenails not having grown in properly and causing infections under the big toenails. Yesterday, we went to the doctor, and she told me how to treat it. He screams and cries when I do, but we should be seeing results in a couple days. The poor baby is in so much pain that he didn't want to eat yesterday, and he won't let me put his foot inside his sleepers. Please pray that he heals quickly. I hate seeing him in pain like this.
Other than that, all is well for us. John's next doctor's appointment is 2 June, and he will have to get his immunizations. I am doing well, other than not being able to sleep for being up every few hours with John.
I will try to remember to update here in another week or so, but I make no promises. :) Please remember to pray that Josh passes his PT test and also that John heals quickly. Thank you.
Waiting for him,
Ariel
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