And then it hit me.

Somewhere between 3 and 4 am I found myself sitting Chris-cross applesauce on my bed with my crying 7 day old in my arms. We had been up for almost 6 hours straight trying to find her some relief from the gas that she just couldn't seem to pass. With every whimper my heart broke a little more. I didn't care that I had soaked though my nursing pads, bra, and tank top or that I had only gotten 4 hours of sleep the past three nights. I could careless that my c-section incision was screaming from walking/rocking her around for hours. I only cared that she was hurting and I could not do anything to help. When she finally passed out from pure exhaustion I sat there holding her and I couldn't bring myself to put her down. So I stayed there almost an hour just watching her sleep. It was in this quite moment that it hit me I am a mom. It was just a few years ago we were told that I might never be able to have children and there in my arms laid a prefect healthy baby girl. My days are now full of feedings and dirty diapers. I care way more about the consistency of poo then weather my hair or make up is done. I have traded jeans and cute tops for sweatpants and nursing tanks and sleeping in for sleep deprivation. I am living the dream sore boobs and all!!!

Receiving Grace

I had an idea of what kind of labor I wanted. I had a plan I was going to have Grace the way that God had intended our bodies to have babies. I wanted no pain killers, no medical intervention, I wanted to be able to look at my daughter years down the road and say "Yea honey I had you all natural!!!" Well, you know what they say about plans.....DON'T PLAN ON IT! You see I should have known because Grace is my daughter and let's face it NO ONE tells us what we are going to do. Grace's due date came and went and I showed no signs of labor after a week of still no progression AT ALL my midwife talked me into being inducted (not that I needed much pushing at 41 weeks).

Sunday (Dec 18th) we went to the hospital to have a foley bulb (spelling might be wrong) put it because it's easier on the baby if you are already dilated a little before pitocin is started. While getting hooked up to the monitors the nurse asked if I had been having any contractions of course I said no. She gave me a really funny look and said "Are you sure?" I told her yes I had just been having some cramping the past 3 days. She asked if I was having those cramps right now and I said yea. "Well Dear, that's because your having a contraction." I felt kind of stupid but it's not like I had been in labor before. She then informed me that my contractions were about 4 minutes apart. I was officially in labor. They decided to go ahead with the plan put in the bulb send me home with some Ambein and I would return the next morning. Before we left the hospital my contractions had gotten much stronger and definitely closer together, but the doctors said I still had a long way to go so it was best to just stick with going home.

I woke up the next morning groggy and very sore. Just because I slept though the contractions did not mean my body did. I was extremely excited though because I was having my little girl that day (once again DON'T PLAN ON IT). We got to the hospital about 7:45 am got all settled in and ready to get the show on the road when the midwife came in to check. Despite all the contractions I was having I had made NO changes from when I left the hospital the night before. All I could think was you have got to be kidding me. She didn't want to put me on pitocin because I said before it's easier on the baby if your already dilated. So they gave me another drug that there is no way I could spell and informed me that I was probably NOT going to have Grace that day. (I'm sorry what?) I did not get it. I was in labor my body was doing what it was suppose (or so I thought it was) and your telling me that I am not going to have her today? At around 2 pm I had made enough change that she felt they could start the pitocin. At that point I had been having contractions every 2 to 3 minutes for 22 hours. Within 20 minutes on the pitocin those contractions went to 6 in minute neither Grace nor I had time to breathe so they quickly shut off the pitocin and let us rest. A couple hours later they tried again on a much lower dip which kept them coming but a much more reasonable pace.

Around 9 pm that night the new midwife on shift informed me that I was only 4 cm!! Twenty-six hours of labor and I had only made it to 4 cm oh and Grace was still posterior. She decided it was time to break my water to help things along. I was exhausted at this point. I hadn't eaten since 6 am that morning and I felt like someone had hit me with a Mac truck and then backed up to do it again. Each contraction was stronger and I didn't know how I was going to have any energy to push. Within minutes of her breaking my water I was pretty much begging for an epidural. I just couldn't do it anymore. After I got my friend epi I thought it's just smooth sailing from here. I was able to actually close my eyes and rest. That was until at 2 am my room was flooded with nurses.

Grace's heart rate was dropping and not returning to fast enough. They started me on oxygen and flipped me from side to side until they got the result they wanted. It was the scariest moment (up till that point in my life). Having about 6 nurses working on you and worrying is my baby okay. I get choked up just thinking about it. After they got her back to normal I thought Thank God that was over, but I was wrong....so wrong. It happened another 4 times. The last time being at 8 am in morning. I knew something was really wrong when the doctor came in. You see unless you need a doctors intervention at Ft. Carson you see a midwife and they work with the "normal labors". Dr. Clarke explained to me that Grace was wedged funny and they were going to try and turn her MANUALLY to get her to come out. I won't go into details here but OMG even with the epidural I thought I was being ripped in half. He got her to turn half way let go to get a better grasp and she turned right back. (Did I mention she's my child?)

It was then that he told me that we had no other option. She needed to come out in the next few minutes or things were going to get much worse for her. These were the scariest words I have heard. I didn't even care that I was going to have major surgery I just wanted my daughter in my arms. The next 20 minutes were a blur. All I know was there were people everywhere moving me all over, hooking IVs, and everything else. Then I was wisked away into an OR where more people were all over me. I was terrified. I just wanted her here. I didn't know I was holding my breath until one of the nurses told me. Then I heard Dr. Clarke say "Initial incision made 8:50" I thought OMG STEVE'S NOT HERE YET HE'S GONNA MISS IT! Just then I see him white scrubs and all. AND YES, He made it though the whole thing without passing out!!! Ok so now that my husband was there I was ready for Grace. Which I didn't have to wait long because at 8:52 I heard the best sound in the world. My baby girl's cry well scream really but still the best sound ever. So finally after 49 hours and 52 minutes my little girl made her grand debut into the world. When asked would I do it again my answer is simple I would not change a thing. She's a miracle and I am blessed to have Grace in my life.

Ready to Pop!

This picture was taken at 36 weeks. I will admit that I have definitely gained a little weight since then. Not to mention our little Grace has weaseled her way down into birthing position making my stomach much more elongated. We are sitting at 38 weeks and 3 days right now and I am so excited I could bust. However, I finally understand what everyone meant when they said that in the end I will be so ready to NOT be pregnant. Aside from my 9 months of morning sickness I would say that I have had a fairly easy pregnancy which I am thankful for. Recently though things have gotten a little rougher. Grace has very little room left in there but that hasn't stopped her from trying desperately to stretch out. I can not tell you the number of times I have an arm poking me one direction and her foot digging into my rib cage at the same time. Plus she is much stronger now then she was even just two weeks. I have caught myself saying ouch out aloud a number of times without thinking about it. People in stores often give me weird looks when this happens. I can't even get started on sleeping. I toss and turn for about 30 minutes just trying to find a comfortable position and just when I have settled down for a "nights rest" little one decides she's going to move, often causing me to toss and turn for another 20 minutes or so. Napping would be nice but since everyone is so freaking hyped up on baby watch I can't get more then an hour a day without a text or call. Not that I mind much but if I don't answer right way it's because I am asleep not because I am in labor no need to keep calling. I promise to let everyone know when the eviction notice has been posted and Grace is on her way out! If you haven't gotten a text, a call or it's not on Facebook it hasn't happened. :-) Although believe me NO ONE is more ready to meet this little girl more then Me and her Daddy! So stay posted it's coming ANY DAY NOW!!!

My first "I feel HUGE..." moment....

So, I don't know if I want to admit this or not but tonight I did dishes for the first time in like 48 hours seeing as we don't really eat at home much over the weekend. I always turn the water on to warm up while I go collect any stray dishes from around the house. As I returned with my two cups I stood in front of the sink like I always do and was just about to get down and dirty when I realized I can't reach the sponge. Not comfortably anyways. My stomach kept hitting into the counter top and it's not like I can just squash my tummy against it. I mean there's a human being in there. So I have to stand on my tippy toes to finish the dishes.

Now I know I am not like this huge person who just let myself go. As I said before there is a human being in there, but it still really hit me wrong tonight. Maybe it's because I am tired, or because I slowly reaching my "Okay I am DONE!" point, but I had my first I'm a fat cow breakdown. It was so weird because it was like I knew what I was feeling/thinking was CRAZY but I couldn't help myself. Being pregnant really is an emotional roller coaster and there's NO telling when your gonna get off the ride.

What definitely did not help my craziness tonight is the piss poor job the contractor who put our sink in did. I understand the need to have some counter top to hold the sink in place, but do you really need 3 inches of counter before you even hit the rim of the sink which has another inch before your in the sink itself. No wonder I have to stand on my tippy toes and basically place my belly in the sink to do dishes! It's just ridiculous!!!

Slacker Much???

I know I am getting REALLY REALLY REALLY BAD at this whole blog thing. I would like to say it's because I am so busy and just can't seem to find the time, but that would be a lie. In truth the computer is ALL the way upstairs. I know LAZY much, but in my defense I am 7 1/2 months pregnant and try to avoid going up and down the stairs more then 5 times a day lol. Anywho, I guess you would like to know what's going on with us here in the great state of Colorado??

Things are going well...GREAT! We love it here although Steve was not very big fan of Saturday. Why? You might ask. Well....

YES Ladies and Gentleman it SNOWED!! The first snow fall of the year was this past saturday OCTOBER 8th! Just BLEW my mind. This picture is of Pikes Peak it was taken by Steve shortly after the sun had come out and the snow had melt from everywhere but the mountains which were just beautiful.

So other then having a reality check that YES we do need winter clothes here sooner rather then later everything else is going well. Steve loves his job, but then who wouldn't love flying across the United States over all the monuments in Washington D.C. and then home in your own bed that very night. Something he has done TWICE this week alone. Grace and I are enjoying our quite time during the day though. She's getting bigger by the day which means so am I...fantastic. I guess I can't complain too much because I've only really gained 10 lbs (so far) in 7 months. This week however, nesting as kicked into full gear. I know I still have 9 weeks to go before she gets here but I just have this urge to get her room and everything done before Thanksgiving. So I started slow(ish) with her MASSIVE amount of clothes. I am serious that girl has more clothes then Steve and I combined and they range anywhere from 0-3T already. She will definitely not have to worry about running out of clothes lol.

So that's pretty much what's been happening in our lives. I promise to try and be better with blogging.

Baby Butt in my Gut!!

I know....I know....what an interesting name for a blog. I am sure though that any of you mommies out there know what I am talking about. Grace has finally gotten big enough that she is starting to lose space in there. So, this makes her little ligaments and such stick out a whole lot more. I can now tell the difference between her butt, her head, and when I am getting stabbed with either an arm or leg. Elbows and Knees still feel the same to me. It's hard to believe that this little one will be making her depute in less then 11 weeks. However, watching her use my tummy as her own personal punching bag makes it a little easier to believe. I swear most nights I look like something out of Alien. She spends hours making my tummy poke out in all kinds of weird directions. Tonight she started a wave. I don't know what she was doing in there but she would move my stomach from left to right in a wavy motion and then 10 mins later do the same thing going the other direction. Steve is of course COMPLETELY freaked out by this and can't look at it without wanting to pass out. I will admit at times it creeps me out too. It's still pretty amazing though to think that our little girl is what is causing those movements. There is a tiny little human being growing in there.....holy cow!

Top 10

So I found this list on another friend's blog about being a Military Spouse. I couldn't help but feel the need to repost it with a little extra from me.

Top 10 List of Military Spouse Quotes

10) If you don't stand behind our troops, feel free to stand in front of them!

(AMEN!!! You can say all you about your feelings on the war, politics, or whatever, but if you can't stand behind the men and women who fight EVERY day to protect your right to RUN your mouth you are more then welcome to stand in front of them.)

9) My husband risks his life so you can run your mouth.

(REFER BACK TO #10)

8) If the military wanted you to have a wife, they would have issued you one.

(OMGosh, I have only been a military spouse for a year and a half I can not tell how many times I have said this to myself. They try but let's face it there's a reason that saying goes Mission ALWAYS!)

7) Don’t confuse your rank with my authority.

(I think it speaks for itself?)

6) Prosper where you’re planted.

(Every assignment is what you make it. Our first assignment to Columbus taught us that quick. It wasn't an ideal location by any means but we had a wonderful time with all the amazing people we met there.)

5) The military is my husband's mistress and sometimes that b*tch gets all the attention.

(HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHHAHAAHAHAH!!!!!! SOOOOOOOO TRUE!!!)

4) Home is where the military sends you.

(Refer back to #6)

3) Sexually deprived for your freedom.
(ONCE AGAIN SO TRUE!!! There is a reason that Ft. Carson is called a Baby Factory. Hello boys have been gone 12 months what do you think it gonna happen when they get home. Someone asked me why I want to drive all the way out there to have Grace. Well because this is what they do! They are the largest Labor & Delivery in the Springs for a reason!!)

2) Live each day like he deploys tomorrow.

(Because he very well can in most cases.)

1) You never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have.

(This quote got me though this summer. Those nights where I just felt like crawling into a ball and saying FORGET IT ALL! I don't care if my stuff gets packed or if we ever get to Colorado. As a military spouse you learn quickly you just got to do what you got to do. Oh you just had a baby congratulations here is a 6 month deployment for ya, Oh your 5 months pregnant and moving across country? Well we are gonna send your husband away for the 2 months before you move have fun handling things at home. OH you and your husband are both in the military GREAT we need you across the country from one another. It's just life. It's our life. We live it EVERYDAY and YES it's choice we made. A choice I would make again and again because I love my military man!)

It's Been Awhile

I know....I know...I know I haven't posted in FOREVER! Things have been REALLY crazy.

Steve and I are (for the most part) settling into routine here in Colorado. We both agree on one thing We LOVE it here. It's funny because for the year of UPT I had kind of accepted the fact that we were more then likely going to end up in Nebraska or staying there in Mississippi. Getting Colorado was a huge shock for both us but in the end we know that God had a reason for sending us here. Steve is no longer training on his plane the C-21. In fact he just got back from flying his first mission (an over night mission at that) today. He was all excited because he got to bring home a 4 star general who gave him their special commander coin. He flies his next mission on Sunday which also happens to be an over nighter. I am not excited about the over nights because the dogs are always on HIGH alert when Steve's not home and they end up waking me up multiple times during the night. Hopefully when they get a little more use to the house it will clam them down.

As for Grace and I we are doing well. I still can't do too much without getting tired or having really bad pain, but I guess I can't really complain. I am sure I will be plenty busy when she finally gets here so I should enjoy being lazy now. I can tell you one thing I am definitely taking advantage of now...SLEEP!! In fact I am pretty sure I sleep too much! I usually go to bed between 11-12 and sleep till oh I don't know 1030 the next morning. I know LAZY but I am just racking it in now because I know in 3 months it will all be over. Yes, that's right I said 3 months. I hit 29 weeks on Monday! So ready to meet our little girl, but I can definitely another 11 weeks she needs a little more baking.

Welp, that's pretty much all I can think of right now. My brain is kind of shut off because it's close to 11 and my bedtime. So I promise to TRY keyword TRY to post more updates.

Gracie Update!!

So today I met my midwife for the rest of the pregnancy, Steve and I agree that she is AWESOME. I was a little worried about the whole midwife thing. I am not gonna lie when I first heard the word a lady in a long colorful skirt and hemp sandals popped into my head. McCormick is anything but! She spent 25 years as a labor and delivery nurse practitioner following her husband around in the Army and has at least another 15 years as a midwife. She knows exactly what she is talking about and is not afraid to tell you like it is.

I had two main concerns today that I wanted to talk about when I went it to the appointment. The first was that at my last ultrasound showed Gracie was measuring smaller then she should be and second is the intense pain/contractions I have been having. I brought up the contractions first because they were so bad on friday that I actually called L&D after hours just to ask if it was normal. Her first question was "How much water are you drinking?" my response "I get at least a gallon down a day. I have really been trying for the two gallons, but I just...." "WHAT? That's bullshit! I am sorry but what Idiot told you to drink two gallons a day? You'd spend the WHOLE day in the bathroom." "Well the RN in L&D when I called on friday." "No honey, one gallon is more then enough water. And don't feel bad if you can't get that down a day just get as close as possible." Then we started talking about other things like Gracie measuring small. Her answer..."Honey, the error of margin on an ultrasound is anywhere from one to two weeks She is right in there, plus your stomach is measuring perfectly at 25.5 cm for 25 wks. She is not small." This was a huge relief, because my ob had made it seem like she was measuring way behind what she should be.

So after we had the check up we went next-door to her office to talk some more while she filled out paperwork. On the way there I had another contraction so it brought the subject back up. "Well it's definitely not dehydration, but does anything seem to make them go away?" "Yea, I never have them if I am sitting or lying down." "Well then honey you should be sitting or lying down." Now me thinking she doesn't get the extend of what I am trying to say answers back "but, It's like I can't stand for more then 10 minutes at a time without it starting." "Well then....Don't Stand for more then 10 minutes at a time. Would you rather spend all day on your butt and carry a healthy girl to term or get things done around the house and spend months in NICU???" "Well when you put it like that..." "Then I guess you know what you got to do?" So looks like Steve will be learning to do a lot more housework! LOL. Which probably means my house will not get done until mom gets here in December. And by done I mean taken out of boxes lol. It will all be worth in the end though when Gracie is healthy!

No Sleep Tonight....I'm gonna get No SLEEP TONIGHT!!!

I have a feeling....a very strong feeling that I will not be getting ANY sleep tonight. Why? Because of two reasons.

#1 - Our house has a runaway from The Colorado Springs International Airport in it's backyard. No I am serious it is IN MY BACKYARD. Like I could a stone and hit it and if you have EVER seen me throw anything you know that means it's REALLY REALLY Close. Apparently they have shut down the west (I don't know the name for it so I call it that cause it's to the west) runway for the evening so all planes are being directed to the east runway (locate behind my house). Before anyone tells me "You'll get use to the noise" let me paint the picture for you. As the plane comes into land you hear it coming no big we have all heard planes fly over head. Hell in Columbus we lived RIGHT under the pattern so airplanes flying over head does not bother me ONE bit. In fact it's kind of soothing. As the plane gets closer to the run away though it gets louder.....like window shaking louder. This last anywhere between 30 seconds to a minute depending on the size of the plane. Considering that the run way is shared with the Air Force base we get some pretty big planes on there like today alone we had 2 C-17s. Since we have been here I have seen countless C-17s, two C-5s, tons of C-130s, and one KC-10 land in my backyard, which I admit is pretty cool. BUT not tonight! So, how do I know this is going to add to my NO sleep tonight theory because in the 13 minutes it took to write the above paragraph two planes have landed. Bringing tonights total to 17 planes since 7:30(ish)pm. I didn't know that airport was that busy!!!

#2- My darling, sweet, innocent CHILD! Grace is apparently a night owl, which wouldn't be so bad except she is also a morning dove. She gets up without fail somewhere between 5-7 am dances for about an hour and then she falls back to sleep I guess. Leaving me wide awake and praying to fall back asleep for just 20 minutes. She does dance randomly though out the day but to the extend that she does in the morning and evening. Then about 1030-1130 at night she goes at it again. Dancing away and tickling the crad out of mommy. Making it very hard to fall asleep . So I end up passing the sleep window and my insomnia kicks in. I drift in and out of sleep for rest of the night until 5 am when she is ready to get back up. Little girl already has me up half the night and she's not even here yet. AND yes, as I am writing this she happily kicking and punching at the same time. However, if there is any good reason NOT to get sleep it is because of her so this reason does not brother me one bit. I am just stating it as a reason lol.

So I guess I better go lay down and TRY to sleep but mainly I just have a feeling I will lay there talking to Grace and keeping Steve up! :-)

My Big Girl Present

You know you have grown up when you get excited over a vacuum. Our house in Columbus had hardwood floors so we had very little need for a vacuum. I got by just fine with a swiffer vac and wet jet. We did however buy a small (pink) Eureka vacuum because it was on sale for 49.99 at Wal-Mart and I thought it would be a lot easier then beating out the area rugs we had. After opening the box I knew it was a mistake because I had to put the majority of it together. Apparently I didn't do something right because just about a month after we got it it stopped working. It would suck up dog hair, dirt, and other stuff and shoot it right back out the back. Basically just blowing the stuff all over the floor causing me to have to go back over it with a broom and dust pan. So as I was going though the house before the move I found it locked away in the hall closet where it had been for about 8 months. Definitely was not wasting the time to get that to Colorado, so I chucked on the curb and the next day it was gone. I don't know weather the trash man took or some poor soul garbed it thinking they could fix it.

When we moved into our house here I found that the entire upstairs is carpeted....umm that's gonna be a problem. Guess it's time to get a real vacuum. Tonight Steve came home and asked if I wanted to go look at them just to see what kind of price range we were talking. When we found the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser I knew I was in LOVE! Steve told me to just go ahead and get it since we have already been in the house two weeks and let's face it Louie sheds like mad! I just took it out of the box and did a tiny corner of the house and as I said I am in love! Who saids you need to spend $400 on a good vacuum for pet hair. This thing was under $200 and it works AMAZING!!! Steve just laughed as he watched me basically dance around as I vacuumed the rest of the living room. Then it hit me....I am going GAGA over a VACUUM! When did life get like this?? When did I start to get excited over things like vacuums or the BX having Method cleaning products! When did I grow up?

Moving Sucks

I know I have been terrible about updating you all on the Bostwick's journey to Colorful Colorado! The reason being is that so many things have gone wrong I just haven't been in the mood to explain the whole thing. That being said....We have FINALLY made it! Colorado is beautiful! So far I love everything about this state, even the afternoon rain showers. We have the most amazing view from the front of our house of Pikes Peak and just waking up to that every morning makes me happy. Steve is still in the process of inprocessing. Gracie and I have our first doctors appointment here on Thursday. Turns out that our little Air Force Brat will be born on an Army Base just like her mommy. So be looking out for an update sometime on friday about how she is doing. As far as getting settle goes...that's been well crazy. The movers came with "our stuff" on Tuesday. Not only where they missing a good chunk of it, but most of the furniture they did bring is broken. Apparently they took it upon themselves to dissemble some of our furniture when they put it in storage and lost a bunch of screws, nails, and wooden pegs to put it all back together. What pisses me off is that every item was assembled when it left our house in Columbus. So now we get to deal with the moving company about what they owe us because the stuff is pretty much useless at this point. Fun Times Right?? I guess that's pretty much it for now. I am sure I will be writing blog later about our Casa Bonita adventure last night but for now it's Grace and mine nap time! :-)

Patriotic Women Bake Cookies

So I read this today and it made me laugh. I am sure any of you Columbus AFB ladies know why.

Patriotic Women Bake Cookies

By Denise J. Hunnell

"You want me to do WHAT?!?!? Stay home and bake cookies???" That could have been me twenty years ago. I was a thoroughly modern woman. Newly married to an air force pilot, I was not going to be shackled by outdated images of the proper officer's wife. I was not going to be one of those squadron wives who scurried around making wonderful home-baked goodies for the "cookie bus" during combat exerises. I scoffed at the squadron commander's wife who exhorted us to keep cookie dough in the freezer so we would be ready to go whenever the exercise kicked off. How silly!! Our husbands are training to go to war. They don't care about chocolate chips and snicker-doodles!!

Now look at me: Twenty years later, I am the commander's wife and I have my apron on. I am rolling out sugar cookies for the airmen who will be in the dorms for the holidays. Other wives are churning out chocolate-chip cookies to send with deploying troops. I've got cookie dough in my freezer! Why do military wives bake cookies? After twenty years I understand.

When I married my husband, I accepted his choice to be an air force pilot, but that was his job, not mine. Over the years, I have learned that his choice is more than a job. It is a mission. I have watched as military careers ended when a spouse could not accept the demands of he mission. I have watched as marriages ended when a soldier could not give up the mission. Therefore, I have embraced the mission in my own way.

I cannot fly or fix planes. I don't carry a weapon. But I can volunteer my hands and heart to those who do. And I can bake cookies. They are baked with flour, sugar, butter, and a lot of prayers. I can only hope that each soldier finds some comfort in my culinary creation. I pray they feel the respect and support of my heart added to the recipe. Their sacrifice for America has inspired in me a reverence for America. Their willingness to defend this nation has taught me that this is a nation worth defending.

Yes, I am still a modern woman. Bust, now I am a patriotic woman. And I bake cookies!

Amen Sister!!!!

Busy Bee Bostwicks.....

So it's been about two and half months since Steve left for training. Lucky for us he will (hopefully) be back next Wednesday which is 4 days sooner then we thought! This separation has been so crazy it's not even funny. My dad told me at the beginning of June when I called him all flustered about the way things were happening that I am in the worse case scenario. It is our first PCS as a married couple. My husband has been on back to back TDYs and hasn't been on Columbus (during a duty day) since May 30th. Everything that could possibly go wrong with his orders for those TDYs has gone wrong and his training schedule has prevented him from being able to handle it. Leaving me to learn (rather quickly) the ins and outs of certain military affairs and offices. Steve will not be back in time for our stuff to be picked up so I am now having to though/pack the house by myself. Oh yea, and to top it all off I am pregnant with our first child. Which has been another roller coaster all on it's own, but such a great ride. I know that NO other PCS will come close to what this one has been. That's what I keep telling myself that if we can make it though this all of our other moves will seem like a piece of cake. I think the hardest part though is what Steve has missed out on. He wasn't here when I found out Gracie was a Gracie, or when I first felt her move. I am however holding out on anyone else feeling her before he does. That is one thing I can keep for him and I plan on it. Even though NO she's not exactly kicking yet, but I know it's coming any day now. :-)

Pregnancy Breakdown.

I have come to find out that when people say that pregnant women have zero control of their emotions this is so true. As excited as I am about tomorrow today has been a really down day for me. I think it finally hit that Steve will being missing one of the biggest moments of our first child's pregnancy. I know it may not seem like a big deal to some people but to me it is. He's my best friend and although I have two amazing ladies who I have grown to love coming with me for support tomorrow. It's just not the same. I don't think I would be taking it so hard if he hadn't already been away for so long. Steve has pretty much been gone since May 30th and he won't be back until Aug 7. Now before any of you make a comment about how this won't be the last time or the longest time.... I KNOW ALREADY THANKS! I am ALSO well aware that some spouses are going though a much harder time then we are right now, but this post isn't a poor pity us blog. It's just away to help me feel better tonight. I am sure any of you who have ever had to be away from your husband even for a couple of days can understand what I am feeling. In three words....IT JUST SUCKS!

BUT...it could be worse.....I would rather him be away now then in December when our little one is being born. I know how lucky we are for that! So here's to having emotional breakdowns and sobbing for 2 hours about things you can not change. Then sucking it up the next day and move on, because tomorrow will be a good day. NO MATTER WHAT WE FIND OUT! LOL

My Dog Louie

Two blog post in one day!! I know but this story is just too funny not to share!

So I am at my parents house on vacation for the week and I have our dogs with me. My parents also have a Yorkie named Luke and a cat name Miss. Kitty. Louie hasn't been around many cats before so he is extremely interested in Miss. Kitty. Tonight she took refuge on top of dad's dresser in his room. Louie was trying to jump up and get her to play, but was actually scratching the front of the dresser in the process. So I called him to get out of the room twice before having to actually get up and go in the room. When I got to him I started fussing at him come out of the room after a couple times of him ignoring me I've had enough. I gently grab his extra skin on his neck and turn him around to face the door and tell him "Get in THE crate." Now normally when I tell him to go to the crate I use the phrase "Get in YOUR crate." Apparently this makes a BIG difference. Louie takes off running to my parents dog Luke's crate,because Luke is a Yorkie and Louie is a German Shepard Doberman Mix this did not quite work out. Louie sticks his whole head in the crate and stands there just like that. I wish I had time to snap a picture before I dropped to the ground laughing. Trust me as if My 60 lbs dog standing with his head in a toy dog crate was not a funny enough sight the 4 month pregnant woman laughing on the floor in tears just made it that much better. Needless to say after the family stopped laughing none of us could get it together enough to fuss at Louie anymore. He went right back to his post under the dresser whining up at Miss. Kitty.

I don't know weather that makes him a dummy or the smartest dog in the world. He knew he was in big trouble because they never get sent to their crate, so he decided that an attempt at making me laugh could help him out. Ok Louie....You win this round.

Reasonable Doubt

Do I believe a woman guilty of having some part (if not solely responsible) of killing her child got away with murder today? YES, hello your child goes missing for 31 days and you don't report it? Then when you get caught in the web of lies you told you try and claim she was kidnapped?? Are you kidding me woman? If she was Innocent she would not have lied to the police and hinder the search for her daughter in the first place. Common Sense!

Do I believe that she should have been charged with AT LEAST child neglect if not man slaughter? YES, Not reporting your child missing for 31 days is NEGLECT!!! SORRY just my opinion. As for the charge of man slaughter. You don't lie to the police unless you have a reason to lie.

Do I believe that the justice system failed today? NO. OK OK CALM DOWN AND LET ME EXPLAIN.

In this case it was the state's job to PROVE that Casey Anthony killed her daughter. I believe that they FAILED at their job. All their evidence was circumstantial and left too many unanswered questions. They made it far to easy for the defense (which by the way sucked!) to poke holes in their case and they fell short in trying to fill them again.

So do I blame the jurors for what happen today? NO I don't I blame the State. They left us without answers and too much doubt to really know what happened to that little girl. They are the ones who failed little Caylee today.

If I could write a letter to me....

So I want to take you guys back to a day that has played though my head many of times the past few weeks...

2010.....2009.....2008.....2007.....2006.....2005 Ah! Here we are!

It's May 20, 2005 about 10 am. I am standing in the bus loading zone of Lowdnes High School after my change of command ceremony. It's HOT and all I want to do is get back in the AC and out of my uniform. After finishing up an interview with the Valdosta Daily Times and our Sr. Aerospace Science Instructor Col. Failor I figure I am pretty much free to go. Then this first lieutenant comes up to me, he introduces himself as the new so so at the detachment at VSU and he wanted to talk to me about weather I was planning on joining when I graduate in a year. I think man Col. Wes really set this guy up. See Brittany was a freshman at DET 172 and every time someone from there came to an awards banquet, military ball, softball game, etc they wanted to get the OTHER Falkenhausen girl to join to. I can't remember my exact words to him but I am sure it had something to do with never joining ANY branch of the service, but in true Katie form I added "I am gonna marry a pilot!" .....FAST FORWARD....... March 6, 2010 That LT (by now a Captain) stood up as a grooms man in my wedding....to a PILOT.

My point to this is that El Cappyton should have laughed in my face on my wedding day and told me CONGRATULATIONS Girl....you just joined the US Air Force!

Steve graduated pilot training on May 20th he left for SERE a week later. He returned this weekend for 32 hours and left again today for 6 week TDY for training. He will get back to Columbus on Aug 7th. We have to leave for Colorado on Aug 10th. Anyone picking up on anything here??? Someone has to make all the arrangements...any takers?? Yea I didn't think so!

The past few weeks I have learned that it can take up to two weeks for people to do their job and get someones orders done, but if you show up in their office and gently explain that if you do not have said orders done by 4 pm their Col and I will be in there office by 4:15 you can get them done in 15 mins. I now know the first paragraph of a Special Power of Attorney BY HEART! I memorized it while waiting in the TMO office for 2 hours to be seen. I can tell you even though they have a copy of your 5 different POA's you should always bring another copy f each with you because they never seem to be able to find them. I wonder who does have all the answers to my questions about moving because whenever I go up there I am told I am sorry the person who knows that isn't working today. I have learned that I don't know if I ever want to live on base housing again. I have so much crap to do to this house that it will look better the day I move out then it did the day I moved in. Tomorrow I have to get Steve's plane tickets for second half of the TDY he's on now because order issues I talked about before, go to housing and fill out paper work for us to get out of this GOD FORSAKEN house in 6 weeks, and go to TriCare to figure out how my doctors stuff is going to work out. OH yea in case you forgot I am 4 months pregnant.

I know I am not alone, but on nights like tonight I feel like it. I am running off roughly 4 hours of sleep. My entire body aches and I have acid reflux like you would not believe. I crawled into bed an hour ago and couldn't get to sleep. I just keep thinking this is a worse case PCS. My husband will be gone for pretty much the entire two months before, I am stuck with dealing with stuff on this end on a base that apparently can't get anything done right until it's done twice, and I am pregnant with our first child. If I can get though this move I can make it though anything the Air Force sends me right? So what would I have told 16 year old me on that May day back in 2005? Never say Never? You don't have to be sworn in to join the military? Or are you really sure you want to marry a pilot? Probably, but I would have added when your sitting at your computer at 11 pm completely exhausted wondering how am I get though these next 6 weeks remember why you are there...Because you fell in love with the most amazing man in the world and yes he happened to be a Pilot and you would walk though hell and back for him.

Second Trimester and Trucking along.....

So yesterday I officially entered into my second trimester!! However, I am still dealing with awful "morning sickness". I use that term lightly considering that mine usually hits about 5pm. I had my second OB appointment today and I was a little disappointed that I didn't have an ultrasound but tis life. I did however get to hear the lil ones heartbeat going strong at 166 rpm! The doctor said everything looks great which is a sigh of relief. We get to find out weather we are team blue or team pink on July 18th! Pending Baby Fett plays along. I cannot wait!

Steve is still in Washington at SERE. He will be graduating on Friday which I am sure cannot get here fast enough for him. Then he will be "free" for 5 days before he starts water survival training. He comes back home for a grand total of 24 hours before heading to Dallas TX for C-21 training. Needless to say the Air Force is doing it's job keeping him busy as a bee.

I am looking forward to Brittany coming to spend sometime with me this weekend. It's funny how prefect her timing is because pretty much all of my friends are going out of town this weekend so it will be nice to have someone around. Plus I want to spend as much time with her as I can because Colorado is a long way from LA! :-( Other then that life is pretty much the same old same old.

When does motherhood start?

So my sister and I had a conversation yesterday which made me think of a conversation I had with another friend about a year ago. At the time we were discussing when does a mother become a mother? My friend (who shall remain nameless) believes that you are not actually a mother until the day your child is born. To be honest I really didn't have an opinion on the subject as I was not a mother so I felt I could not possibly understand the full extent of a mother's love. However, things have changed.

If you ask me my answer is simple, I became a mother on April 10, 2011. This was the day that my life changed as I know it. I no longer worried about just Steve and myself my world suddenly revolved around a tiny lil human that I have yet to meet. My actions suddenly did not just effect me they effected my child. My friend's argument was that as a mother you had protect your child and help them grow up. She believed these were things you can not do for a child a in the womb. Well I have a whole perspective on said topic. I live everyday protecting and helping my 13 1/2 week old baby grow. He/She already means more to me then my own life. To me that is what being a mother really means.

I still do not claim to know the full extent of a mother's love, but I can only image what an amazing journey Steve and I are embarking on as parents.

SUPT IS OVER!!!!

YAY!! After 13 long months Steve graduated SUPT on Friday! I could not be more proud of him and all that he has made it though this past year. We got to spend a lovely weekend hanging out with family and friends celebrating all that the Class of 11-09 has accomplished.

Steve getting his wings!

(AND YES! There is a TINY BABY BUMP!)

Although, UPT is over for us there is no sign of slowing down anytime soon. Steve leaves for SERE (survival training/water survival) on SUNDAY. Yes, I said Sunday as in THREE DAYS FROM NOW. He will be gone until the 25th of June but will only be back home for 48 hours because he leaves again on the 27th for C-21 Training. He will not return until Aug 7th and We will be hitting the road Aug 10th. Which means Katie will be left alone here in Columbus to do all the prep work, packing, and such to get us ready to leave for COLORADO!!! SO if ANY of you are bored this summer you are welcome to come spend time with me and baby b!!!

Baby B Update!

Hi Everyone! Sorry I haven't been on in a while. Baby B has been enjoying making me SUPER ill, but things are getting better! Our little soybean is 10 weeks old now doing well. We had our first official O.B. Appointment on Thursday. Baby's heartbeat was really good 176 BPM! Which apparently here means your having girl, but up north it means your having a Boy so I guess we still don't know what soybean is. LOL We will find out in July! And yes, we are finding out because God knows I could not possibly wait till December. LOL So here they are Baby B's latest photo shot. If you look really closely at the bottom picture you can see baby's lil feet and lil nub arms. So Exciting!!!

Wanna make God Laugh?

Tell him your plans!

So, for those of you who have kept up with Steve and my plans the last year you know that we had our hopes on getting assigned to the RC-135 in Ouffit AFB Nebraska. We knew that the RC is not a popular plane so we felt that our chances were pretty high. Like always though God had other plans. Friday night at the assignment night both of us had the BIGGEST shock of our lives thus far. When Steve stepped up for his roasting I was convinced that I would see pretty much one of two outcomes. Either the RC (which to be honest I was not excited about moving to NE) or FAIPing here at Columbus (which he was not so excited about). However, my jaw hit the ground when the slide with the words C-21 to Peterson AFB CO popped up. WHAT!!!! I was so shocked I could not even think the rest of the night. In fact until it was over I was convinced that they had screwed up Steve with someone else. Here's why... C-21 to Peterson is a DREAM assignment. It usually only goes to people who have it in the number one and two position on their dream sheet. It was number 19 on ours. Not because he didn't like the plane but it just wasn't something he ever expressed interest in. Yet, here we are. By the end of this year we will be living in Colorado Springs and I have to admit I am super STOKED!

I lived in Aurora CO for 4 years as a child and from what I can remember it was awesome. I know my parents absolutely LOVED it and they are super excited about coming to visit. It took Steve a little longer to warm up to the idea but now he is just as excited as I am. OR at least that's what he tells me. So I don't know what God has in store for us in CO but I cannot wait to find out.

Baby B's Impromptu Photo Shoot!

So for those of you who don't know I have been away this week on a road trip with my friend Rachel. We spent some time with both of our families and I personally had a blast! However, the trip came to a screech halt this morning when I woke up. I will spare you all the details but it was enough to scare the bejeezes of out me. I called the OB and of course they wanted me to come in just to have everything checked out. So Rachel and I jumped in the car ( Seriously, I am still in my PJ's) and took off like two Bats out of Montgomery! Sitting in the waiting room with Steve (Still in my PJ's) was the longest 20 mins of my life. All I could think was something was wrong and they are taking their SWEET time to get to me! I was in a panic but finally she called my name. So we went back to the ultrasound room and.......

According to the Ultrasound Tech everything looked "Fantastic!!!" The Baby was prefect length for 8wks and we got to hear the heartbeat (158)! Which was the most AWESOME sound in the WHOLE world. I had to bite my lip to stop myself from crying. Steve on the other hand was holding tight to the chair to stop himself from passing out! But I am proud of him because he had a smile on his face the whole time. :-) So even though we don't know what caused the spotting this morning we do know that right now everything SEEMS just FINE! Which is load off my back. I won't feel 100% better until until I see my OB next week and he tells us everything is fine, but I feel good enough now that I am calm. So that's always a good thing! :-)! So I am about to go LAY DOWN and tomorrow I plan on spending the WHOLE day on my butt! :-)

MORNING SICKNESS....MY BuTT

I would like to meet the numbskull who came up with the term morning sickness. I bet you it was a male. Some guy trying to give other guys hope that this belly aching his wife has been doing will stop promptly at noon. Well guess what suckers thats total CRAP!

(WARNING GRAPHIC BLOG AHEAD TURN BACK NOW IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH)

Without trying to be mean but if your one those woman who are in the 25% and NEVER got morning sickness or even better NEVER even got queasy during your pregnancy PLEASE don't tell me because all it makes me want to do is rip your head off! I have not only been blessed with being in that 75% that joins the queasy club but to me I ended up with the worse kind of morning sickness I could think of. I would gladly take throwing up morning afternoon and night if it meant some relieve from this feeling, BUT NO! I am in a constant state of NAUSEA ALL DAY LONG!!! At least 5 times a day I find myself running for a bathroom sure this time I am going to actually upchuck and all I do is dry heave! DISGUSTING! Then I just sit there crawled up in fetal position on the bathroom and cry. I swear I would give anything to get one of two outcomes either let me puke or let me feel better. Worse is that nothing seems to help but crackers and sleep. Surely a diet saltines and sleeping all day can not be good for the baby but really I feel like it is all I can do at times.

So ladies, the idea that this sickness is a MORNING thing is a total crock! I love the fact that I am having a baby and everyone tells me that by the third trimester this is all a distant memory. So I know I should be happy right now but all I want to do is throw up! :-)

It's the Final COUNTDOWN!!

Welp Folks we are in our final month of UPT! YAHOO!!!! Yesterday Steve got his class drop. This is a list of possible planes and bases he will be flying/living at next. We find out May 6th (2 weeks) what he actually got. Lucky us though we do get a dream sheet so hopefully they will try and give him something in our top 5. We are both super excited and anxious to what God has planned for us next.

I really am PREGNANT!!

This morning at 8 am I got the confirmation call from the base clinic. Baby B is definitely in there.The Doctor said that I was about 5 weeks along and my suppose due date is get this......December 12. For those of you who don't know why that date is so special to me it is because it just happens to be the birthday of the best daddy in the whole world...MINE!!! I have my first OB appointment on May 12 because apparently they do not need to see you before you are 8-10 weeks because they want a heartbeat? So now I am just taking each day really really easy and hopefully letting Baby B grow. Speaking of growing......

45.......FOUR FIVE....that's the number of trips I took to the bathroom today. Yes I counted. Now I am sure it has more to do with the permeant bottle of water I have in my hand then the dime size child in my womb but whatever! This is the first sign of pregnancy that has real hit me. The second is the fact that I fell asleep today on the couch watching The Office. This is actually not an unusually thing for me to do (I like my sleep), but the fact that I did not realize I was falling asleep was. I woke up at about 12:15 still in the upright position.

Welp I am exhausted (even though I just took a nap at 8 pm) AGAIN! I guess it's bed time. Tomorrow I am going shopping for my new Baby Meal Plan. Lots of fruits, veggies, and whole grains. :-) So Excited!!

The Story of Baby B!!!

So now that the secret is out I guess I will share our little story with you.

We just recently started trying. With all my womanly health issues we thought it might be a while before we would actual conceive. Well God had other plans. I started feeling not myself the first week of April; however, I had no signs (or at least I thought I had no signs) of being pregnant. So this past Sunday, April 10 we went food shopping and I picked up three test that I was going to take in the next couple of weeks totally expecting a negative. While Steve was putting away the groceries I slipped off to the bathroom. (Ok yea I know it was the middle of day and NOT the best time to test but as I said I was expecting a negative) So I have taken about 20 of these 99 cent test since we have been married (all negative), so I am pretty familiar with that that test window looks like, but when I looked at this one (after 30 seconds not 2 minutes like your suppose to wait) BAM two lines....HOLY COWBELLS! Now I know a normal person would have been like false negative I'll take another one. I was like I AM PREGNANT....commence Screaming!!!!! Then the following scene played out in our house.

Katie- "STEVE!!!!!!!!!!........STEVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! COME HERE!!!"

(I am sure he thought the world was ending I was freaking out so much)

We met in the hallway me with test in hand and my poor husband thinking my arm fell off or something.

Steve- "What......What's Wrong!"

Katie- "I am PREGNANT!!!"

Steve- COMPLETE SILENCE!

Katie-"Steve?"

Steve-"What???"

Katie-" I........AM.....PREGNANT!!!"

Steve-"Like we are going to have a baby?"

Katie "Umm.....Yea"

Steve (completely straight face)-"Your dad's gonna kill me!"

Then he cracked a smile and we both started laughing! My laughter quickly turned to tears and I spent the rest of the beaming with excitement!

So according to most websites I am 4-5 weeks pregnant and due in mid December. Someone asked us why we are telling people so soon anything can happen in the first trimester. Which is true but here's our take on this. Both Me and the Baby are in God's hands now. Technically anything could happen in the whole pregnancy. So I figure I would rather celebrate with my family and friends now and use them to lean on if it's God will that this baby never make it into the world. Then keep it to ourselves and suffer in silence. However! We are not thinking that way. We pray every night for a healthy baby and an easy pregnancy, but if I can't get both I would much rather have the healthy baby! :-) So keep us in your prayers and I will keep you updated on Baby B!

Only in Mississippi....

So you know how everyone has those moments where they see something that just blows their mind and they say "Only in (Insert Name of State here)"? Well I had three of those moments today.

The first one was when Steve and I where waiting in the parking lot for a friend. A truck pulled up to the mostly vacant shopping center next to us and two men got out and went into the video store. I noticed that the window was down and I thought they had two dogs in the car. Nope, they were children. How do I know because not two minutes after the guys went in the store a boy of about 7 years old got out of the truck and stood next to it in that unmistakable pose of I am relieving myself. So I said "Steve, look I think that kid is peeing!" Steve told me I was wrong that he was just standing there. Well then the other little boy (about 4 years old) got out pulled down his pants and peed! I looked at Steve and we both just lost it laughing. Yea ONLY IN MISSISSIPPI!

Moment number two! We were on our way to Starkville to meet some friends for dinner and we went under a highway over pass. I was watching a truck pass over head on another a highway with two people in the bed. I was like what stupid people, then I saw they were not adults but KIDS!!! I mean like no old then 12 STANDING UP in the back of a truck going about 70! Are you kidding me!! ONLY IN MISSISSIPPI!

And the final moment happened just moments after spotting the irresponsible truck people. I was trying to get pass this beat up old truck pulling a 4-Wheeler on a trailer TIED to the truck bed...yes I said TIED to the truck bed! WITH ROPE!!! Well just when we were getting close to them the top of a tool box strapped to the ATV popped off and two wrenches came flying out at my car. Lucky I was able to speed up and pass them before they hit us but HOLY COW BELLS MISSISSIPPI!!!! REALLY!!!

I am sorry....WHAT???

The average E4 in the military makes about 23,000 base pay a year. The average member of congress makes about what 170,000 a year probably more?? So when I read a comment like this from Mrs. Linda Sanchez (D-Cali) I want to punch her in the face!!!

“I have to tell you that I live paycheck-to-paycheck, like most Americans,” Sánchez said. “I’m still paying off my student loans. I have a 2-year-old son who I have to support, and I have to maintain residences on both coasts. It’s very difficult for me to say, ‘Hey, I can give up my paycheck,’ because the reality is, I have financial obligations that I have to meet on a month-to-month basis that doesn’t make it possible for me.”

I am SORRY WHAT!!! Are you seriously comparing yourself to MOST AMERICANS when you just said "maintain residences on both coast"!!!! Here's a little reality check for you Congresswoman. While your sitting there trying to JUSTIFY not giving up your paycheck of DOUBLE (Hell, TRIPLE) Most AMERICANS some families are trying to figure out weather they are going to put food on the table or pay rent this next month if there is shutdown. Oh, and DON'T EVEN get me started on the whole fact that if the government shuts down it will be because YOU and the rest of your POLITICALLY DRIVEN buddies in Washington DID NOT DO YOUR JOB!! Yet, you still get a paycheck! Come on Lady! What the hell where you thinking when you opened that fat trap of yours and spoke? Did you want sympathy from the average American because you have bills too?? How about you ask the Soldier's wife with THREE other mouths to feed and a deployed husband how she feels about your little dilemma?? Her husband is out there doing his job...defending his country and his paycheck maybe taken away! IF THE MILITARY DOESN'T GET PAID WASHINGTON SHOULDN'T GET PAID! PERIOD!!!!!

100 Ideas.....

and no post.

Sorry ppl, I have about 100 different blog post I want to write, but I just can't seem to get a full one out before I start to think it's too personal to put out there. SO I guess I will just have to wait to post until a less "personal" idea comes along. LOL

Some Days....

Yep, Today is one of those days. I am exhausted tired and just done with everything today. DONE!

Nuff Said!

Reality Sets In

"On Behalf of a Grateful Nation....."

Six words.....Six rather small words that send chills up my spine and tears to my eyes. These six words hunt my every fear, and I am sure everyone else with any loved one in the military's fears as well. I was once told by a Colonel's wife that at some point in our lifetime as a military family we will know at least one person who is in some form killed in action.

After watching Army Wive's tonight reality slowly began to set in. Steve smiled and laughed at me as he passed through the living room watching me ball my eyes out and go through a box a of tissues. What he didn't understand was I was not upset because of this fictional show, but the real world situation it was depicting. Our real world. It was just last week Steve came home to tell me a story of how he almost had a mid-air collision with another (civilian) air craft AND he's not even in a battle zone!

So what can I do to ease my mind? Nothing. All I can do is hold on to him every minute I have. Cherish every second I spend with my sister and every laugh I have with friends. I know the dangers that come with the job they are doing. I know the reality of what could happen. I know that my time with them is precious. I know that I am Blessed just to get to have them in my life. And I pray every day that no one else will ever have to hear those six hair-rising words.

Sweetness of doing....NOTHING

A philosophy that I took to a whole new level this week. I lost my cleaning day on wednesday, because my boss asked me to work while she ironically cleaned her house. After missing out on ten days of work this month I decided I could definitely use the extra money. I figured I could always catch up on the housework Thursday and Friday when I got off. Since my house is a disgusting mess right I obliviously did not catch up on housework.

Thursday I worked 11-4. Came home took the pups out to the dog park where they played with their friends till 6. Then Steve got home and informed me that a group of people from his flight were going out to a local restaurant called The Grill and he wanted to go. So we didn't get home till 830. By this point I was exhausted and ready for bed since I had to get up earlier then normal because they were shutting off our water (which turned out to be a false statement because the water NEVER got shut off.)

Friday was Steve's birthday so besides working 930-530 I had all his birthday stuff to do. Which included going out to eat AGAIN. (bear with me on this we did it a lot this weekend.) We were going to go to chili's but since it was jammed back we thought we would try something new. Hello Station Seven! This place was great!! Its located in historic downtown columbus right on Main Street. They have everything a normal Sports Bar would plus live music. Great Atmosphere and the food was delicious. We didn't get home till like 930 and there was no way I starting to clean house then.

So I planned on catching up on all the house work today. My dear husband had other plans for me. He has been talking about wanting to see that new movie Paul for months now. So we went to the 130 showing (cheaper!!) It was such a funny movie. Anyone who loves nerdy things like say STAR WARS would get a real kick out of it. I don't even like Sci-Fi and I loved it! Then we went to Lowes because ONCE AGAIN our shower is clogged (Welcome to base housing build in 1960!) Then we had a flight dinner at 6, which we just get back form (it's now 9!).

So although my week/end has consisted of NO CLEANING it definitely has not consisted of NOTHING. I guess I better make NO PLANS tomorrow and just CLEAN! LOL

On bated breath...

So here is how the last 24 hours or so in the Bostwick house has gone.

Tuesday night- Steve comes home from work nervous but feeling pretty confident about the flight he planned for the next day. We ate dinner and he tells me he's going study his general knowledge (GK) for the rest of the night. About 10 pm he comes flying out of the back bedroom slamming doors. I can tell we are on the verge if not far past a complete stress meltdown. He starts quibbling about the weather in the area he was flying into is supposed to be bad making it impossible for him to fly there and pass his check-ride. Then he tells that the weather in his two back up areas are bad as well. I try to offer words of encouragement, but you would think after almost a year of UPT I would learn my lesson to just let him vent this out and all will be well. A small spat between us ensues, but quickly ends when I offer to shine his shoes for him if that will help alleviate some stress tonight. BEDTIME but not before many prayers!

Wednesday Morning- 04:45 am Steve is awake making lots of noises in our room in his attempt to double check all his stuff for the um-teenth time. I try desperately to go back to bed, umm NO! When Steve leaves the house I know that I probably won't hear from him until much later so I should try not to thinking about his flight. Around 11pm my phone beeps with a text message from Steve. He tells me that they had flex (change) to his fourth back up plan to a place that he has never flown to before and he's pretty sure he already hooked the ride. I now beginning to panic a bit myself. I am pretty sure he's overreacting but I know that if he's not man is he going to be bear to deal with for the next 43 days. So from then on I am consistently checking my phone waiting for ANY word from him at all. FIVE....FIVE...that's right people I said FIVE HOURS LATER I get the following message "I passed!! 5G!!"

BIGGEST SIGH OF RELIFE ON THE PLANTE!

I don't know if any of you are familiar at all with Steve and mine's journey to get this far in pilot training but it has been a rocky one. I just wanted this finally huge hurtle for him to go smoothly. PRAISE GOD that it did. Although Steve's day was long and stressful he was able to prove that he can not only fly the T-1, but can fly a flight plane he has never even looked at before WELL! I am so ready for May to get here! LOL

WeekEND!

This weekend was so relaxing. I could not ask for a better way to end my ten day stay-cation. Friday night Steve actually got home at a decent hour (7pm) and we were able to relax. I made orange chicken which came close to the original recipe of Panda Express and we spent the rest of the night killing friends on Halo. (Yes, I play video games now with my husband..I am that big of dork!) Saturday we slept in (10 am) which is something that believe it or not is something that happens very rarely in this household. We went to lunch @ Zaxby's with a few other fly-boys from the class and Steve spent the afternoon (4 hours) in the flight room studying. This is very common recently! I spent the afternoon getting addicted to Netflix! We did manage to squeeze in the movie THE TOWN Saturday night. (Highly Recommended!) Sunday we went to the early mass so Steve could have the afternoon for guess what.....STUDYING! (Do you see a pattern here or what??) In his defense this upcoming week is going to be one of the hardest weeks of his UPT career. Today he had his too-check ride to his Navigation Check. Which luckily he passed! Which means after a day of planning and studying tomorrow he will have his BIGGEST check ride of SUPT!

The Navigation Check Ride = this is basically the most nerve racking check ride of a T-1 Student pilot's life. Basically he starts his day off with a 2 and 1/2 hour brief with a Check IP. Then him and said IP get into the plane fly 2(or so) hours a way, land for a couple of hours and fly back (2 or so hours) followed by a basically 4 hours debrief. This is the one time that you will knowingly more then likely break crew rest (12 hour duty day).

Ok to be honest there is WAY more to a NAV. Check then that but I am just trying to sum it up. At any point in this 12 hour period any one mistake can basically fail him. Which would be very bad for his ranking in the flight! This is a highly stressful Test! So basically what I am saying is PLEASE keep Steve in your prayers on Wednesday! I would really love for him to pass this checkride and then be able to enjoy his BIRTHDAY on FRIDAY!

As for me...I get to go back to hanging out with my lil mane man Hansen tomorrow! I love love my job even if it is a 9 hour day!

(Sorry I know this is all scattered but I am really tired and I just wanted to write really quick. lol)

Dear John

So today I watched Dear John on Netflix, and there is just something about this book/movie that aggravates the hell out of me. After 9/11 in the story (really even before that) Savannah acts as if dating a man in the military is a death sentence to the relationship. When John decides to extend his tour with his unit after 9/11 she gets angry with him. I can only image the hurt and disappointment of thinking the one you love will soon be about to be with you and having that ripped away but do be angry at him doing the only thing he's ever known?? She met him in the Army she knew this was his life. Then after only two months of him being deployed she writes him to tell him she has fallen in love with someone else and that it's over between them? Are you crazy girl?

I know it takes an extremely strong person to be with someone in the military. Never knowing exactly where your other half is or what they are doing? Or worse not knowing if their coming home at all. This was something I understood growing up an Air Force Brat myself, but it was not until I married an Airmen did it truly hit home. I love my father he is an amazing man. My siblings and I were blessed to have our parents. When he deployed growing up it was sad and I missed him like crazy, but us kids, we were alright. Now when I think about Steve going ( and I do mean think...I have been lucky enough to have never had to be without him for more then 6 weeks at a time.) it's a whole different story! When we were separated our first month of marriage a part of me shut down. I went though day to day life going though the motions but I never really felt myself. Even when I went back home and was around family I still didn't feel whole, something was missing. I guess that's the point though....I always stories of the Home-front keeping it together while the boys are away. I understand it now. You hold it together because life goes on weather your partner is there or not. That's the kind of person you have to be to marry military. You have to be able to make it on your own, even when your not whole. That's what this life takes. As the poem says I am in the Silent Ranks

The Silent Ranks

I wear no uniforms, no blues or army greens,
But I am in the military in the ranks rarely seen.
I have no rank upon my shoulders.
Salutes I do not give.
But the military world is the place where I live.

I'm not in the chain of command, orders I do not get.
But my husband is the one that does,
this I cannot forget.
I'm not the one who fires the weapon,
who puts my life on the line.
But my job is just as tough. I'm the one that's left behind.

My husband is a patriot, a brave and prideful man
and the call to serve his country, not all can understand.
Behind the lines I see the things needed
to keep this country free.
My husband makes this sacrifice,
but so do our kids and me.

I love the man I married. Soldiering is his life.
But I stand among the silent ranks
Known as the military wife.

Start Speaking

So today I amused myself by the little things.

Homemade Wings!

I was extremely iffy on trying to make wings for my husband. If there is one person I know on this Earth who knows good wings it's my husband. But tonight I was feeling daring. I heated up my professional style deep fryer for the first time, mixed up some batter, and fried me some wings. (Well Steve wings...we all know I don't eat ANYTHING on a bone.) I sat patiently on the couch while his wings cooled. Then anticipating an epic failure me and both dogs stared like freakish food stalkers as Steve took his first bite. (AND I QUOTE) "Katie, I hate to tell you this but......these are actually REALLY GOOD!" EPIC WIN in the KITCHEN for KATIE!!

Speak Feature of Apple.

So I was sitting there about to write an entire blog about my complete and utter disappointment in the Atlanta Thrashers this year for throwing away a perfectly good season when I found a very entertaining feature on our IMAC. The Speak Feature....Yes, Steve made fun of me for not knowing that MAC had such an inventive little do-da. So I sat there for about 30 minutes typing silly and some times vulgar words and phases into the computer and having it read them out loud. Steve just shook his head.

NETFLIX

DO NOT ASK WHY IT HAS TAKEN US SOOOO LONG TO GET ON THIS TRAIN! Tonight we got it finally and all I have to say is WOWWERS!! Yea I know we are slow SO WHAT!

So yea that pretty much sums up my day. LOL

Very Productive day of being UNPRODUCTIVE

So today started my "spring break"! My boss has off so that means I have off too! I spent the day doing NOTHING! After last weeks running around after a toddler and taking care of a infant I figured I should get at least one day of doing nada!

I started my day of sleeping in by getting woken up at 6 am by my loving husband who did have to work today. Don't fret too much people because I went right back to sleep at around 7:30 and slept in till 10! It was glorious!!!!! Yea I am bragging what-ca wanna do about it!

Then I spent the rest of the day playing on the computer where I Facebook stalked a bunch of people I haven't talk to in years and I began to wonder why on Earth we were even still friends on Facebook. So I started to do some spring cleaning of my friends list.

Yep...that was pretty much it. I cooked BBQ Pork-chops and rice for dinner and watched Coming Home with Steve where he spent the whole time making fun of me for balling like a baby! Now we are off to WalMart to pick up some print ink and then I get to return to my spot on the couch to continue my day of watching trash TV!

Tomorrow I will Clean....MAYBE!

I'M BACK!!!!!!!!!!

Ok so after a LONG LONG LONG stint of being away I am FINALLY back on my blog. Why was I gone for so long you may ask? Well you see we had an EPIC computer fail. Right before we left for Christmas Break to go see family and friends my previously used laptop from my sister died. :-(! So for a while we were using Steve's extremely old but still use able MacBook. Yea well not two weeks after we got back from break Steve's laptop over heated and voila NO computer in the Bostwick household. :-(!! Thank God for Tax refunds because now I am typing away on our brand spanking new iMac!

So what have you missed in our lives this year???

RECAP!!

January- Steve starting flying his new training plane the T-1 Jayhawk, and HE LOVES IT! He just had no idea how awesome this phase of training was about to become for him!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful sister Brittany the BIG 2-5! Yahoo!

I started back at work with lil Hansen who turned the big ONE on Jan. 30th! We were lucky enough to get to celebrate his big day with him. Boy am I gonna miss this kid when we leave :-(!

February- Happy 26th Anniversary to My Amazing Parents.

Happy 29th Birthday to the number one mommy in the world.

Happy Valentines day World!

Steve's first check ride in the T-1 PASSED!! Yahoo! With a great score too!! Then his amazing out and snacks started. For those of you who are not familiar with this term it is basically when they take a plane on your tax paying money and go to lunch somewhere out of state. However, the flight out there is full of lots training ;-)! So far the best one he's been to is when they went to Louisville and got to go to the Louisville Slugger Museum for the day.

Presidents weekend we got to spend a lovely time with Brittany and Alex! I am not speaking for everyone but I had a blast!!

Happy Birthday to Steve's number one daddy in the world.

And then we arrive here at March.

So we are only two weeks in and it has been a CRAZY ride.

The first weekend we celebrated OUR YEAR ANNIVERSARY! It was a great weekend, even if we did not get to go to Atlanta like we planned. We spent the whole weekend together and that's all that matters. Tip for those of you coming up on this big or any anniversary for that matter. DO NOT try and put a computer desk together on your big day. It just causes fights, but it does make for a funny story later.

This week was rather interesting. I can't really go into detail because I am trying really hard not to talk about people, but it's failing after this week. The base was having a HUGE UCI Inspection this week and I was roped into watching the 3 month old darling angel of a couple of inspectors who got screwed into coming here together. Well I still have my other job of watching Hansen 4 days a week. It was not nearly as bad I thought watching both of them together. Just a lot diapers and a lot of "Hansen you have to be gentle....Hansen that's not yours that's the baby's your a big boy...Hansen you can't play in the baby swing your too big." The little girl I watched was a total dear. She wanted food and sleep, and that's pretty much all I have to say on that!

So here we are....March 12th. Happy 84th Birthday to my Nana and Happy First Birthday to Addison Faith.