Today I got countless e-mails, phone calls, and Facebook messages from good willed friends and family informing me of the recent recall of the ever popular baby seat The Bumbo. When I first saw the word recall I was thinking what could possibly be the reason for a recall with this seat made entirely out of foam. Then I read the article. Back in 2007 they recalled about 1 million of these seats to add warning labels stating that it is not to be put on elevated surfaces. The first line of the article on USA today was this "that majority of the new incidents were dealing with children being left unattended on raised surfaces." No Kidding!!!! Why would you leave your child unattended on a counter, table, couch etc in or out of any child care product???
I remember the first time I saw the Bumbo. I was looking though a friend's Facebook pictures for their daughter's first birthday. She was sitting in a lilac version of the bumbo and I thought what a nifty little seat. A few years later the little boy I watched in Mississippi had a bumbo and a couple years after that we bought one for our Gracie. When I first used the bumbo is Mississippi I remember thinking umm...it wouldn't be all that hard for a baby to get out of this. I thought it was an oblivious observation, but according to the incident reports apparently not. There is nothing keeping your child in the seat other then a thicker piece of plastic between their legs. So why anyone would believe that it would be safe to walk away from their child in it is beyond me. One comment I read today stated that a women did not buy a bumbo because it did not have belt. She said that if it had restraint belt she was sure the accidents would less frequent. I highly doubt that. High chairs have restraint belts, so do baby swings, some jumperoos have belts as well. Would you leave your child on the kitchen table in their high chair?? Yea, I didn't think so. Not to mention that a belt would not prevent the child from tipping the seat over, but rather just cause the child to take the seat with them as they fell over.
When I commented on the local news channels Facebook post about this issue today I said that to me this recall makes about as much sense as recalling a car seat because a group of parents did not strap it into the car. A woman wrote to me saying that she didn't agree with me at all. That just yesterday her 6 month old son had "wiggled" out of his bumbo on the floor in the living room and I quote "....his leg had gotten stuck and I found him with his head on the floor. By the grace of God he was uninjured." My response was simple. "First, if you read the manual it states that once your child is able to sit up on their own the play tray should always be used while in the seat. I will admit it is unreasonable of the company to recommend a safety measure that is sold separately from the seat but at least they inform of you this in the manual. Secondly you said you "found him with his head on the floor". It also states in the manual that the seat 'should always be used under adult supervision'. It is not made to be a babysitter." Why this woman would argue that her son was almost injured because he was able to wiggle his way out of the seat and on to the floor was the companies fault is crazy to me. Had she been in the room with him she would have been able to either A. Keep him from falling out or B. Help him out of the seat!
This whole recall is ludicrous to me. If I use a product IMPROPERLY I would NOT expect the company to be responsible for any injury that incurred. Back to my car seat example, if I did not latch Grace's car seat into the car and she was injured in someway I am sure any judge would tell me that I was entitled to NOTHING. Why, because it is clearly stated in the manual that the seat must be latched into the car properly in order to work. I see this as being the same, and yes I dug though my garage today to find the bumbo box and manual to read it which is why I know what it says. I am sure that 90% of parents did exactly what we did when we got the seat. Pull it out of the box and that was it. Which is why the words "WARNING: Not to be used on elevated surfaces." were added to the Bumbo seat itself in 2007, but to me that is just COMMON SENSE. I think it is sad that we can get away with blaming a company for our own ignorance in today's world. What's next blaming hot coffee for burns?? Oh Wait.....
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
OBEY YOUR HUSBAND!
HAHA...I bet that title got your attention or at least the attention of about 80% of my female friends. I am gonna leave you in suspense for a little bit before I tell you exactly where this blog post is going. I once attended a wedding where the words submissive and obey were in her vows. I remember sitting in the pew thinking WOW I could never agree to those terms. Even understanding the biblical reference of such a vow I would not feel comfortable saying them, and to be honest I don't think I could have married a man who would be okay with that either. Today while browsing my newest addiction Pinterest I came across this blog post called 25 ways to Communicate Respect to your Husband. I thought okay I am so checking this out. I got to the third pointer and my blood pressure had sky rocketed. NOT because I didn't understand where the writer was coming from. She was simply trying to portray the bibles "stance" of being a helpmate to your husband. Although some of her points were valid A LOT of them were misleading and to be honest degrading. So I am not only going to post the link to the blog so you can check it out, but I am also adding my ideas on the points that REALLY made my blood boil!
So here's the link:
http://lovinglifeathome.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/25-ways-to-communicate-respect/
and here's my views....
#2. Honor his wishes.
In this point she makes reference to having dinner ready when he gets home and have a clean house blah blah blah. She ends it by saying "Don't make him ask twice". I'm sorry say WHAT?? Listen having a sparkling clean house and dinner on the table may have been easy when it was just the two of us, but things are different now. I have an 8 month old and spending my time and attention with her is way more important to me then the dishes. If I don't get the dishes done until Grace is asleep then so be it! If I don't feel like cooking that day for whatever reason he better be okay with it. If things aren't up to his standards he can hire a maid or a nanny, but either way my priority is my child not clean tubs. Not to say having a clean house isn't important to me, because for my child's safety it is. That being said though it will get done when and how I see fit.
Disclaimer: In his defense Steve has NEVER once made a comment about the house not being clean enough or dinner being late to the table. Maybe because he knows it would be the last sentence he ever uttered.
#3. Give him your undivided attention.
Okay my issues with this falls along the same lines of my issue with #2. I understand the importance of being acknowledge when your talking. I for one HATE feeling like I am talking to a wall. However, giving someone 100% of your attention 100% of the time is just NOT possible. Now if he has something really important to say or really wants to talk I try hard to stop what I can and focus solely on the conversation at hand, but to be honest those types of chats are usually saved for pillow talk where both of us can fully concentrate on what we are discussing.
#7 Don't Nag.
I am just gonna say that I for one believe it is a wife's right to be able to nag her hubby every now and then. Plus if we didn't nag em sometimes what would really get done around the house!
#12 Kiss him goodbye.
This one I actually agree with 100%. I truly believe that making sure to saying Good Morning, Hello, Goodbye. and Good Night is VERY important to any marriage.
#15 Don't Complain
If you can't vent to your spouse who can you complain too? Getting the things that are stressing you out is good for you and your marriage. This goes both ways though I think both partners should be able to vent and complain from time to time. As long as it is not an everyday occurrence or about EVERY LITTLE THING I don't see a little complaining as an issue.
#18 Keep the house tidy.
Please refer to #2.
#20 Take his advice.
Chapter 2 of John Gray's book Men Are From Mars Women Are Form Venus is called Mr. Fix-It and The Home Improvement Committee. Basically to paraphrase the chapter it states that 1. A man tries to change a woman's feelings when she is upset by becoming Mr. Fix-It and offering solutions that invalidate her feelings and 2. A woman tries to change a man's behavior when he makes a mistake by becoming the home improvement committee and offering unsolicited advice or criticism. My point is that both partners in relationships sometimes give advice at bad times. Just because it is coming from your husband does not mean that you have to take it or that it is right. I believe you should considered his views and feelings because he could very well be right or at least have a valid point, but if you don't feel it is the right choice or whatever for you talk it over with him. Don't just blindly follow.
#24 Don't Argue
There are a couple things she says here that just irk me. First, "You are not always right and you do not always have to have the last word." Umm...okay I guess I agree with this, but there are times ( A LOT TIMES) where I am RIGHT and YES I do have to have the last word. I don't feel the need to be "submissive" to my husbands views and mindlessly obey when I don't agree with what he is saying or doing. I believe there are stories about drinking that kool-aid eh? Second, "Be the first the say 'I am sorry.'" Sometimes they need to be the first to say it! Third "Be willing to accept the blame". I sure will, but only when I am to blame. I think that when your wrong your wrong own it! I also hold the strong belief that arguing can be healthy for a marriage. If you just hold back something that is bugging you or don't get out what you want to say you end up letting it build and build and suddenly your resenting your spouse. I don't think resentment is good for any marriage.
#25 Follow his lead
UM....NO! Marriage is a PARTNERSHIP not a DICTATORSHIP! You should make decisions as a COUPLE. PERIOD!!!
I can see where some of her points are ways to show respect, but a lot of them are more geared to how I would want my children to respond or treat me, but not how I think a husband and wife should interact. I think her points are more for how to be meekly obedient rather then have a marriage based on mutual respect. If that works for her though or anyone else who agrees with her that's fine. I am just saying I could never be with a man who felt that I should not have my own mind and that I should just be subordinate to him.
So here's the link:
http://lovinglifeathome.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/25-ways-to-communicate-respect/
and here's my views....
#2. Honor his wishes.
In this point she makes reference to having dinner ready when he gets home and have a clean house blah blah blah. She ends it by saying "Don't make him ask twice". I'm sorry say WHAT?? Listen having a sparkling clean house and dinner on the table may have been easy when it was just the two of us, but things are different now. I have an 8 month old and spending my time and attention with her is way more important to me then the dishes. If I don't get the dishes done until Grace is asleep then so be it! If I don't feel like cooking that day for whatever reason he better be okay with it. If things aren't up to his standards he can hire a maid or a nanny, but either way my priority is my child not clean tubs. Not to say having a clean house isn't important to me, because for my child's safety it is. That being said though it will get done when and how I see fit.
Disclaimer: In his defense Steve has NEVER once made a comment about the house not being clean enough or dinner being late to the table. Maybe because he knows it would be the last sentence he ever uttered.
#3. Give him your undivided attention.
Okay my issues with this falls along the same lines of my issue with #2. I understand the importance of being acknowledge when your talking. I for one HATE feeling like I am talking to a wall. However, giving someone 100% of your attention 100% of the time is just NOT possible. Now if he has something really important to say or really wants to talk I try hard to stop what I can and focus solely on the conversation at hand, but to be honest those types of chats are usually saved for pillow talk where both of us can fully concentrate on what we are discussing.
#7 Don't Nag.
I am just gonna say that I for one believe it is a wife's right to be able to nag her hubby every now and then. Plus if we didn't nag em sometimes what would really get done around the house!
#12 Kiss him goodbye.
This one I actually agree with 100%. I truly believe that making sure to saying Good Morning, Hello, Goodbye. and Good Night is VERY important to any marriage.
#15 Don't Complain
If you can't vent to your spouse who can you complain too? Getting the things that are stressing you out is good for you and your marriage. This goes both ways though I think both partners should be able to vent and complain from time to time. As long as it is not an everyday occurrence or about EVERY LITTLE THING I don't see a little complaining as an issue.
#18 Keep the house tidy.
Please refer to #2.
#20 Take his advice.
Chapter 2 of John Gray's book Men Are From Mars Women Are Form Venus is called Mr. Fix-It and The Home Improvement Committee. Basically to paraphrase the chapter it states that 1. A man tries to change a woman's feelings when she is upset by becoming Mr. Fix-It and offering solutions that invalidate her feelings and 2. A woman tries to change a man's behavior when he makes a mistake by becoming the home improvement committee and offering unsolicited advice or criticism. My point is that both partners in relationships sometimes give advice at bad times. Just because it is coming from your husband does not mean that you have to take it or that it is right. I believe you should considered his views and feelings because he could very well be right or at least have a valid point, but if you don't feel it is the right choice or whatever for you talk it over with him. Don't just blindly follow.
#24 Don't Argue
There are a couple things she says here that just irk me. First, "You are not always right and you do not always have to have the last word." Umm...okay I guess I agree with this, but there are times ( A LOT TIMES) where I am RIGHT and YES I do have to have the last word. I don't feel the need to be "submissive" to my husbands views and mindlessly obey when I don't agree with what he is saying or doing. I believe there are stories about drinking that kool-aid eh? Second, "Be the first the say 'I am sorry.'" Sometimes they need to be the first to say it! Third "Be willing to accept the blame". I sure will, but only when I am to blame. I think that when your wrong your wrong own it! I also hold the strong belief that arguing can be healthy for a marriage. If you just hold back something that is bugging you or don't get out what you want to say you end up letting it build and build and suddenly your resenting your spouse. I don't think resentment is good for any marriage.
#25 Follow his lead
UM....NO! Marriage is a PARTNERSHIP not a DICTATORSHIP! You should make decisions as a COUPLE. PERIOD!!!
I can see where some of her points are ways to show respect, but a lot of them are more geared to how I would want my children to respond or treat me, but not how I think a husband and wife should interact. I think her points are more for how to be meekly obedient rather then have a marriage based on mutual respect. If that works for her though or anyone else who agrees with her that's fine. I am just saying I could never be with a man who felt that I should not have my own mind and that I should just be subordinate to him.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Beggar's can't be choosers.
From the time Steve graduated UPT to the his report no later then date was a total of 2 months and 13 days. Steve was home a grand total of 11 of those days. He left for SERE (survival school) the week after he pinned on his wings. Returned for a whopping 36 hours and left again only to return 4 days before we had be in Colorado. Which left me at home to deal with all the things that come with moving. Not to mention I was pregnant and to top it all off in true Air Force style none of his orders were correct so I had to deal with all that drama. I remember looking at houses to rent off base, but because we had no time to come see them in person I felt that renting off base was going to be near impossible. When we applied for base housing they told us that it would be a 6-12 month wait for a house. As I had already stated we just did not have the time to wait. I wanted to be in a house fairly soon after moving here and be able to set up as much as I could before Grace made her grand entrance. I remember crying one night thinking OMG we are going to end up in a crapy neighborhood that I am going to be too scare to stay at home alone in because we don't know anything about the springs or what is a good part/bad part of town. I just sat there in bed PRAYING to God we'd get a house on base. I said I don't care what house it is just let us get one on base. A week later Steve called to tell me that we had a house. All we had to do is sign a commitment to it and they would hold it till we got there. Umm...YES!! Now some people might be thinking wow that's brave, but trust me I have lived in some NASTY base housing in my life and I was sure that Peterson's was much better then any of them. So we signed the commitment and a little bit of stress was lifted.
When we got to Peterson and we saw our house I loved it. It's not something I would buy because I can basically reach my neighbors window from ours, but it's prefect for right now. We did the walk through and signed the official lease and BAM home sweet home. Oh our way back from the housing office I noticed a plane coming in for landing pretty close to the base. It creeped closer and closer to our street and then I noticed that it was landing basically in our backyard. When we got home I raced upstairs and sure enough I could throw a baseball and hit the runway. Ok I can deal with that I thought. It was really cool for a while, we got to see all kinds of planes landing and taking off because it's a shared runway with the Colorado Springs Airport. Steve of course loved it, and I will admit even I got a kick out of watching him do touch and goes on his first flight here from our back porch. After a couple weeks it got old FAST. Not so much during the day, but at night and I mean late at night when the windows start to shake about every 15 minutes because the other runaway is closed it gets REALLY OLD REALLY FAST! Tonight however has reached a WHOLE different kind of annoying.
Today I woke up about 2 am with some nasty something and spent most of the morning praying to the porcelain god. I am thinking it was something I had last night that I didn't finish because it tasted kinda off. I was able to keep down some toast this morning and plain pasta in the afternoon, but all day I still felt weak. To top it off Steve is on a TDY so it was just me and Grace and anyone who has had to watch a crawling infant when their ill knows today was not an easy day to get though. So tonight when Grace hit the sack at 8pm this mommy did not hesitate to do the same. I crawled into bed and just as I was about to fall asleep that all to familiar roar got louder and louder and then BAM Grace starts screaming! She's usually not bothered by the planes so I was thinking maybe she scared herself awake. So I went in laid her back down with her binky and left the room. She cried for a bit but drifted off in no time. Then 9:20 I hear her crying again and the fading noise of a jet. UGH!! So I let it go this time. After about 10 minutes of her screaming I try calming her down though the monitor but that does work so I go back in rock her a bit and she drifts back to sleep. Again at 10:30 a much bigger jet (probably a C-17 THANKS BUDDIES!) comes roaring though. Grace just loses it and so do I. I am exhausted I can barely keep my eyes open and all I want to do is sleep. So I bend quickly picking her up, change her diaper, and feed her a little snack. She's finally back asleep and as long as NO other jets come though we should be good for the rest of the night. I however am WIDE awake now even though my stomach is turning again and my head is back to pounding. FANTASTIC. So I am gonna go lay in bed and tell my subconscious "Yea sure Katie, ANY HOUSE!!" UGH! I guess beggar's really can't be choosers.
When we got to Peterson and we saw our house I loved it. It's not something I would buy because I can basically reach my neighbors window from ours, but it's prefect for right now. We did the walk through and signed the official lease and BAM home sweet home. Oh our way back from the housing office I noticed a plane coming in for landing pretty close to the base. It creeped closer and closer to our street and then I noticed that it was landing basically in our backyard. When we got home I raced upstairs and sure enough I could throw a baseball and hit the runway. Ok I can deal with that I thought. It was really cool for a while, we got to see all kinds of planes landing and taking off because it's a shared runway with the Colorado Springs Airport. Steve of course loved it, and I will admit even I got a kick out of watching him do touch and goes on his first flight here from our back porch. After a couple weeks it got old FAST. Not so much during the day, but at night and I mean late at night when the windows start to shake about every 15 minutes because the other runaway is closed it gets REALLY OLD REALLY FAST! Tonight however has reached a WHOLE different kind of annoying.
Today I woke up about 2 am with some nasty something and spent most of the morning praying to the porcelain god. I am thinking it was something I had last night that I didn't finish because it tasted kinda off. I was able to keep down some toast this morning and plain pasta in the afternoon, but all day I still felt weak. To top it off Steve is on a TDY so it was just me and Grace and anyone who has had to watch a crawling infant when their ill knows today was not an easy day to get though. So tonight when Grace hit the sack at 8pm this mommy did not hesitate to do the same. I crawled into bed and just as I was about to fall asleep that all to familiar roar got louder and louder and then BAM Grace starts screaming! She's usually not bothered by the planes so I was thinking maybe she scared herself awake. So I went in laid her back down with her binky and left the room. She cried for a bit but drifted off in no time. Then 9:20 I hear her crying again and the fading noise of a jet. UGH!! So I let it go this time. After about 10 minutes of her screaming I try calming her down though the monitor but that does work so I go back in rock her a bit and she drifts back to sleep. Again at 10:30 a much bigger jet (probably a C-17 THANKS BUDDIES!) comes roaring though. Grace just loses it and so do I. I am exhausted I can barely keep my eyes open and all I want to do is sleep. So I bend quickly picking her up, change her diaper, and feed her a little snack. She's finally back asleep and as long as NO other jets come though we should be good for the rest of the night. I however am WIDE awake now even though my stomach is turning again and my head is back to pounding. FANTASTIC. So I am gonna go lay in bed and tell my subconscious "Yea sure Katie, ANY HOUSE!!" UGH! I guess beggar's really can't be choosers.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Seeing Eye to Eye
Unless you live under a rock you know what the big news story is now a days. I will be the first to admit that I can NOT wait till CHICKEN is not a common word on my newsfeed. It has been a LONG time since I posted something political on my Facebook. Not because I mind a healthy debate trust me. I will be the first to tell you how I feel about something, but because some people cannot accept that others think differently about certain issues. The past couple of days I have had quite a few "debates"/ talks with many different people about this topic. Some have been very eye opening and others have been wasted breath. I don't mind someone having a different opinion then I do. I always knowledge that it is their right to feel however they do. I never knock someone for their beliefs either. I just ask for the same respect in return. When people start talking about something they feel passionately about I think they forget that we are all free thinking humans. I for one am a very sensitive person and I'll be the first to admit that I get my feelings hurt easily. I don't like being told that because I see something different then you do my thoughts are unproductive. In the past week I have been called a Nazi and been compared to members of the Westboro Church. Why? Because I voiced an opinion different then the person I was talking too. I have had my faith and my marriage verbally attacked and I have had my husband called a murder because he's in the service. Do you want to know the funny thing about it? THe people who said these things where people who I share a common view with. The view that same sex marriage should be legalized. I don't think anyone should have that right withheld from them. Especially not because of my religion. Freedom of religion is VERY important to me. I have the ability to practice my faith where and however I please. It should go both ways. I have the freedom to believe what I want, but they should also have the freedom to disagree with me. They should also not be held to the teachings or beliefs of my faith. That is how FREEDOM works! These people were blind to the fact that they and I agreed on the topic they were so passionately pushing and they got down right hurtful about it. They were so caught up in their feelings on it that they didn't see I wasn't saying I was against their cause just that I did not see what was happening the same way they did. I was looking at if differently. I like to play devils advocate for those who can not. I have family who do not share the same views as I do, but I will still defend their right to feel the way they do. When people make generalizations about the other side of an argument I don't think they realize how offensive they can be. Hate is a strong word and although I am sure some people feel that way, but not everyone who stands against same sex marriage hates gays. In fact I am sure a large majority of them do not. So to say that if you don't think two people should have a legal marriage you must hate them is WRONG! They are allowed to have an opinion. My biggest issue with recent things is that people feel that they can have an opinion but when someone else's view goes against that opinion it should not be allowed. Freedom of Speech goes both ways. I can voice a view you don't like and you certainly are allowed to voice that you do not agree with me, but please be an adult about it. I don't get nasty when someone disagrees with me. I may try to make them see my point, but I definitely won't attack them personally or make them feel like their thoughts are "unproductive". You want to talk about being intolerant, but that also goes both ways. I don't think being hurtful about it is going to change anyone's mind. It certainly doesn't help your cause. Most people are so set in their beliefs your not going to change them by talking to them. Everyone believes they are right. It just ends up going in circles until it gets to the point where your left feeling like even the closest of friends looks at you differently. If I have learned anything this week it is this that being a winner is sometimes knowing when enough is enough and walking away. Agree to disagree. Don't let politics get between you and friend it's not worth it. Show up where it counts at the polls!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Mrs. Clean or Mommy??
So anyone who has known me during the 2+ years Steve and I have been married you know that my house was not the cleanest on the block. During our first year of marriage I worked 4 days a week and the weekends were our time so I didn't focus a lot on cleaning. My bathrooms would get done twice a month if I was lucky (yea I know gross!), floors would sweeped every other day sometimes every day, but would only be mopped once a week, and a load of laundry would get done only if it was absolutely needed! I would fear someone coming over unannounced. In fact one time the group commanders wife (who was amazing and would NEVER judge anyone) called to ask if she could come by and pick up the graduation folder from me. I couldn't tell her no, but I pretty much broke out in a panic speed cleaning. You would think this would have taught me a lesson, but it didn't!
In fact it only got worse when we moved to Colorado and I got further along in my pregnancy. I can't believe I am going to admit this but there was a point when our bathrooms went almost a month without being cleaned, and I am sure the floors went longer then that! I did however deep clean the house before my mom came to visit in December, and of course Grace's room was always spotless! After she was born I had reason to keep up the cleaning a ton of people were coming to see her. When the company died down so did my clean house. I would spend time catching up on sleep rather then cleaning, but some where in the past 4 months I have done a total 180!
My house is clean (not spotless) most days. I don't know if it's because Grace is getting older and I don't want her crawling in filth, or if the I am so tired of a dirty house that I decided to do something about it. I no longer fear someone showing up because I feel my house is presentable. I vacuum at min once a day and the floors are mopped no less then 3 times a week. I dust, clean bathrooms, and wipe down windows etc weekly. I have spent the last 15 minutes trying to figure out what load of laundry I could throw together tomorrow, because really everything is pretty much clean. I have a monthly cleaning list of things such as the fridge , the couches, etc. Even the backyard gets cleaned up on a weekly basis. I am not writing this blog to toot my own horn (ok maybe just a little tooting!), but rather to share how sometimes something changes in you that you don't even know is happening. For once I feel like I am justified in relaxing on the couch at night, because I feel like I have accomplished SOMETHING!
Friday, July 6, 2012
The Hodge Podge Blog
So much has happened in the last couple of months that I could not pick a blog topic so I decided to do a Hodge Podge of everything.
The Waldo Canyon Fire
Unless you live under a rock I am sure you have heard of the fires reeking havoc in Wyoming, Utah, and of course Colorado. I could not believe how quickly the Waldo Canyon fire turned. It started on a Saturday looking like a large house fire in the mountains and by Tuesday it overtook a good portion of the city. Over 18,000 acres were burned, 32,500 people evacuated from their homes, 346 homes completely destroyed and 2 people killed. It was heartbreaking to see the city I have grown to love go though such a trying ordeal, but was uplifting was how this community has come together. I can not explain it to anyone who has not been there. Watching people willing to go that extra mile to help complete strangers really helps reassure ones faith in humanity. We were lucky that the fire did not impact us directly, but we can't say the same for people know here. The fire is FINALLY at 98% and full containment is expected for tomorrow. Please continue to keep Colorado Springs and the people affected by this tragic even in your thoughts and prayers.
Family Visit
My parents and my brothers came to visit this past week. They drove 30 hours in two days and got here Monday (June 25th). Although there were some alternating of plans due to the above fire we still managed to have a great time. However, traveling with a baby for 6 days is exhausting!! Grace got off her sleep schedule of course which led to many many sleepless nights for this mommy. However, it was nice having the extra hands during the day to help out and on days where things just got to be too much it was nice to sneak away for about 20 minutes and get some shut eye. Over all it was a great 10 days even with our firework less 4th of July. I miss them terribly already and I can not wait for the next time we all get together.
Gracie Bell is 6 Months Old!!!
I know I am like 2 weeks late on this but hey it's been a little CRAZY! Grace turned 6 months on June 20 and I can't believe it!! My baby girl is just growing so fast. Her baby well went great! She weighed in at exactly 14 lbs and 26 inches long. Due to her small size we do have to go to a 9 month appointment, but her doctor says she's not worried about her at all just a precaution. I don't know if she was showing off for her grandparents this week or what, but man did she decided to start hitting milestones left and right. On July 2 mom and I where sitting in the living room with Grace on her play area and Kovy (our dog) walked by. I guess she wanted to see what he was up to because she started crawling across the floor to get to him. It was amazing!! Since then she's been all over the place. Time to pull out those baby gates for the stairs. Then on July 4th she decided she was going to just sit right up. Now she's been doing what the doctor calls tripod sitting for about 2 months now where she uses an arm to hold her up, but this time she just sat up normal. It was like umm...don't babies normally do that before they crawl? LOL She looks so cute though sitting like a big girl! Today she started another thing and to be honest I was kinda sad. She pulled herself up on the couch and her bumbo to standing position a few times. It's like girl you just started crawling let's wait a bit for walking please!! My mom says it is karma because I started walking at 9 months and made her life that much more hectic! LOL. I guess only time will tell with little bit! We also have decided to start looking at infant to toddler car seats for Grace. Although she is NO where near the weight max for her infant one she growing out of it length wise. Plus I think she will like a bigger carseat better. She always looks so squashed in hers. So if you have a recommendation for a good one let me know. :-)
Well, I guess that's about it for now. I am exhausted and little bit is down for the count so I should probably follow. I'll try to be better at posting. Try being the key word in that statement!
The Waldo Canyon Fire
Unless you live under a rock I am sure you have heard of the fires reeking havoc in Wyoming, Utah, and of course Colorado. I could not believe how quickly the Waldo Canyon fire turned. It started on a Saturday looking like a large house fire in the mountains and by Tuesday it overtook a good portion of the city. Over 18,000 acres were burned, 32,500 people evacuated from their homes, 346 homes completely destroyed and 2 people killed. It was heartbreaking to see the city I have grown to love go though such a trying ordeal, but was uplifting was how this community has come together. I can not explain it to anyone who has not been there. Watching people willing to go that extra mile to help complete strangers really helps reassure ones faith in humanity. We were lucky that the fire did not impact us directly, but we can't say the same for people know here. The fire is FINALLY at 98% and full containment is expected for tomorrow. Please continue to keep Colorado Springs and the people affected by this tragic even in your thoughts and prayers.
Family Visit
My parents and my brothers came to visit this past week. They drove 30 hours in two days and got here Monday (June 25th). Although there were some alternating of plans due to the above fire we still managed to have a great time. However, traveling with a baby for 6 days is exhausting!! Grace got off her sleep schedule of course which led to many many sleepless nights for this mommy. However, it was nice having the extra hands during the day to help out and on days where things just got to be too much it was nice to sneak away for about 20 minutes and get some shut eye. Over all it was a great 10 days even with our firework less 4th of July. I miss them terribly already and I can not wait for the next time we all get together.
Gracie Bell is 6 Months Old!!!
I know I am like 2 weeks late on this but hey it's been a little CRAZY! Grace turned 6 months on June 20 and I can't believe it!! My baby girl is just growing so fast. Her baby well went great! She weighed in at exactly 14 lbs and 26 inches long. Due to her small size we do have to go to a 9 month appointment, but her doctor says she's not worried about her at all just a precaution. I don't know if she was showing off for her grandparents this week or what, but man did she decided to start hitting milestones left and right. On July 2 mom and I where sitting in the living room with Grace on her play area and Kovy (our dog) walked by. I guess she wanted to see what he was up to because she started crawling across the floor to get to him. It was amazing!! Since then she's been all over the place. Time to pull out those baby gates for the stairs. Then on July 4th she decided she was going to just sit right up. Now she's been doing what the doctor calls tripod sitting for about 2 months now where she uses an arm to hold her up, but this time she just sat up normal. It was like umm...don't babies normally do that before they crawl? LOL She looks so cute though sitting like a big girl! Today she started another thing and to be honest I was kinda sad. She pulled herself up on the couch and her bumbo to standing position a few times. It's like girl you just started crawling let's wait a bit for walking please!! My mom says it is karma because I started walking at 9 months and made her life that much more hectic! LOL. I guess only time will tell with little bit! We also have decided to start looking at infant to toddler car seats for Grace. Although she is NO where near the weight max for her infant one she growing out of it length wise. Plus I think she will like a bigger carseat better. She always looks so squashed in hers. So if you have a recommendation for a good one let me know. :-)
Well, I guess that's about it for now. I am exhausted and little bit is down for the count so I should probably follow. I'll try to be better at posting. Try being the key word in that statement!
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Good-Bye Neighbor Joe!!
So this week I got to relish in one of the many perks of living on base. If you don't like or have issues with your next-door neighbor just wait a little bit and either they or you will move! I am not saying I have had a real run in with this neighbors they were just a little.....strange?? Oh I'll just start from the beginning. Steve and I moved in to the house August 7th. I met the gentlemen living next-door that very day. We were letting the dogs run around in their new backyard and he happened to be out with their two dogs (little yapping dogs at that.) We introduced ourselves and had a nice conversation. He was E-6 Army (I only know because he was wearing his uniform), but we did not talk about what either him or Steve did in the military. He seemed VERY friendly and I thought um this won't be so bad living here. His wife was out of town, but he told me that she will be excited to find out that a little baby would living right next-door (I was about 5 1/2 months pregnant), as they were older and had no children. This would be the last conversation we would have in over 6 months.
The next couple of months for us were very busy (hello BABY!) and anyone who knows me know that I am kinda of shy. In the sense that I won't usually start a conversation, but I also won't end one lol. The neighbors wife made it back to town at some point, but let me tell you this I have NO CLUE what she looks like. I would catch a glimpse of her going into the house or pulling out of the driveway and I would wave, but that's about as far as it would go until February 5th ( I know the date, because it was the sunday before I left to go back to GA). Steve was flying and I am home with Grace who is just about 2 months old and there is a knock on the door. It was our neighbor and another guy who looks like the neighbor from across the street. So I open the door and they ask if they can talk to my husband. I already don't like where this is going, what could you possibly have to say to him that you can't say to me. I tell them he's working, but asked if I could help them with something. So the next-door neighbor ask me if they did anything to offend us? I am sure I gave him the craziest look ever because we haven't talked in 6 months! I tell him No and asked if we did something that would make him think that? He tells me just some stuff going on with other neighbors. So conversation continues for about 15-20 minutes about random stuff, but nothing serious. We leave it on what I thought was neighborly terms. However, this is the last conversation we ever had.
In the months to come I would see him or his wife out and I would smile wave, but would get nothing in return. I brushed it off as them just not seeing me. That was until this Tuesday evening. Steve was cleaning out the garage and Grace and I were out there supervising. We were standing in the MIDDLE of the driveway when the neighbor starts to bring his trash to curb. Steve waves a total of 3 times and still nothing in return. So the next time the neighbor is out Steve calls out "How's it going!" The guy just keeps walking!! So Steve looks at me like What the HECK!??? I shrug and go okay that was so not my imagine this time. He totally ignored us!! The very next day I am walking to the mailbox with Grace and he's out front. So I think ok let's try this again. I call out "Hey how's it going!" He looks RIGHT AT ME and NOTHING!! Are you kidding. I mean come on you could at least say SOMETHING. The only conclusion I can come to is something must have happened with housing and they think we had some part of it. Umm No! If I have an issue with you YOUR gonna know about it FIRST! If it continues then I might take other routes, but YOUR the one who I am gonna talk to FIRST! So I am thinking OH GREAT this is going to be a fun couple of years. Then God smiled and things started to look up.
Friday morning I wake up to guess what...A MAYFLOWER truck in their drive way!! They are OUT HERE!! No more awkward passings! I told myself that with these next neighbors I am going to make an effort to get to know them a little better and hopefully avoid 2 years of nonsense!!
The next couple of months for us were very busy (hello BABY!) and anyone who knows me know that I am kinda of shy. In the sense that I won't usually start a conversation, but I also won't end one lol. The neighbors wife made it back to town at some point, but let me tell you this I have NO CLUE what she looks like. I would catch a glimpse of her going into the house or pulling out of the driveway and I would wave, but that's about as far as it would go until February 5th ( I know the date, because it was the sunday before I left to go back to GA). Steve was flying and I am home with Grace who is just about 2 months old and there is a knock on the door. It was our neighbor and another guy who looks like the neighbor from across the street. So I open the door and they ask if they can talk to my husband. I already don't like where this is going, what could you possibly have to say to him that you can't say to me. I tell them he's working, but asked if I could help them with something. So the next-door neighbor ask me if they did anything to offend us? I am sure I gave him the craziest look ever because we haven't talked in 6 months! I tell him No and asked if we did something that would make him think that? He tells me just some stuff going on with other neighbors. So conversation continues for about 15-20 minutes about random stuff, but nothing serious. We leave it on what I thought was neighborly terms. However, this is the last conversation we ever had.
In the months to come I would see him or his wife out and I would smile wave, but would get nothing in return. I brushed it off as them just not seeing me. That was until this Tuesday evening. Steve was cleaning out the garage and Grace and I were out there supervising. We were standing in the MIDDLE of the driveway when the neighbor starts to bring his trash to curb. Steve waves a total of 3 times and still nothing in return. So the next time the neighbor is out Steve calls out "How's it going!" The guy just keeps walking!! So Steve looks at me like What the HECK!??? I shrug and go okay that was so not my imagine this time. He totally ignored us!! The very next day I am walking to the mailbox with Grace and he's out front. So I think ok let's try this again. I call out "Hey how's it going!" He looks RIGHT AT ME and NOTHING!! Are you kidding. I mean come on you could at least say SOMETHING. The only conclusion I can come to is something must have happened with housing and they think we had some part of it. Umm No! If I have an issue with you YOUR gonna know about it FIRST! If it continues then I might take other routes, but YOUR the one who I am gonna talk to FIRST! So I am thinking OH GREAT this is going to be a fun couple of years. Then God smiled and things started to look up.
Friday morning I wake up to guess what...A MAYFLOWER truck in their drive way!! They are OUT HERE!! No more awkward passings! I told myself that with these next neighbors I am going to make an effort to get to know them a little better and hopefully avoid 2 years of nonsense!!
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