He's Back!

I got the normal good morning phone call from Jesse on Wednesday morning with a little surprise - Jesse was calling from his office here at Ft. Campbell and not from Ft. Polk! He didn't even tell me he was coming home early and he couldn't have come home at a better time. What a wonderful reunion it was with him and watching him see his baby girl for the first time in 4 weeks was priceless! Thank you God for bringing my husband home safely and quickly!

Ode to Grammie

It is only right that I give a special thanks to Grammie (my mom) for the last 2 weeks of help. She sacrificially gave up her time to help me with Ellie by taking care of us in FL with home cooked meals and some babysitting while I had some time away and of course shopping! Then, she flew back up here to Ft. Campbell with me and babysat some more while I got some appointments done. THEN, she traveled with me to Knoxville and helped me work on the new house. I can't thank you enough, Meti, for all the help and time you gave me during the past month. All of your advice and guidance has been greatly appreciated! I love you. Now come move closer to us...

Baby Pictures

Here are some pictures that were taken of Ellie in mid-February by Abby Berg. These were done with just Ellie and I and they turned out great! Enjoy.

Ellie's 1st Flight to FL

So while Jesse is gone for a month of training at Ft. Polk, LA, I decided to plan a trip to Florida to see my parents, get some help with Ellie, and celebrate my birthday (Publix cake - YUM). Just thinking about the trip made me have a headache due to the logistics of getting us down there. I booked a flight so not only was I worried about how she would do on an airplane, but I also had to get down there by myself so mom and I would have a car when we came back. I will say that I really miss the days of 1 suitcase and carryon! Some of you reading this will laugh because of the conversations I had to think through everything like feedings (where and when), baby gear, checking in luggage, security (what I can take or can't), etc. Well, we made it down in 1 piece but I have never been so glad to see my mom at the end of the concourse tram waiting for me! Ellie did great on the flight down so I was relieved, but exhausted when we arrived at home.
It was great for my parents to get to spend quality time with Ellie, which in turn gave me breaks throughout the day from being a single parent. We had lots of visitors come meet her (Connie & Ron, Karen, Aunt Cathy & Uncle Whit, Ashley, and Hayley) and we even went up to my dad's office to let him show his first grandchild off. Ellie also met my parent's cat Lila, who did not know what to do with a baby in the house! Mom and I went to the annual Bartow Bloomin' Arts Festival to get out and walk around, and I even found a neat piece of pottery while there. I also got to get out with my friend Shari for lunch and a mani/pedi - it was the most time I have spent away from Ellie, but I missed her! I had a great time getting out for sanity and I got to have lots of mommy talk with Shari. It was also great to get some sun on my last day there for a little Vitamin D and color.

Mom and I flew back together on one of the worst flights of turbulance I have been on, but Ellie was a trooper and didn't get fussy until the very end when we were decending. I can't complain! It was so nice having the help and getting the breaks from my parents, but most importantly, Ellie got to spend lots of time with them both and they got to get to know her. I have my fingers crossed for my parents to buy a place in Knoxville eventually! :)

Goodbye 20's, Hello 30's!

I figured that I would make a list of my accomplishments in my 20's so that I can feel better about turning 30 today. So, here we go:

1. Turned 21 and rode a motorcycle for my "crazy" celebration.
2. Studied abroad in England and traveled to Ireland and France while there.
3. Got my Bachelors degree from Carson-Newman College.
4. Got my first job at Providence Church.
5. Moved out own my own and became financially independent of my parents.
6. Got another job at EdFinancial.
7. Met a boy, fell in love, got married!
8. Got my Masters degree from University of Tennessee - Knoxville (GO VOLS)!
9. Got my first job in a career I actually like at UTK.
10. Moved for the Army to hang out with my hubby.
11. Got another job at Austin Peay State University.
12. Traveled to France, Italy for a "last hurrah before kids" trip with Jesse.
13. Experienced pregnancy with our first child.
14. Traveled to Dominican Republic for a relaxing vacation before the baby came.
15. Had a baby.
16. Became a stay-at-home mom!

So, I would have to say after making that list that my 20's were pretty successful. I am truly blessed and I thank God for letting me do all of those things. We'll see what happens in my 30's - I hope I can top this list!

One of our Favorites...

This is a video of Ellie at bathtime that happens every time and makes us laugh so much! Thankfully, she likes the water, especially the sound of it coming out of the faucet. The last thing we do is wash her hair and rinse it. Everytime we do this, she looks like she is trying to swim in the air! Her face is adorable when we do this and it makes us laugh everytime so we wanted to share this video of her. :)

Ellie v. Pets

When we decided to have a child, we knew that our cat, Callie, would be totally confused with the addition to the family. Callie has actually been protective of her and likes to be able to be close enough to watch, but once the crying begins, she is outta there! Callie sleeps with us every night now, so she gets to have "her" time with us. The other funny thing Callie has done is sleep in all the soft places that we have set up for Ellie (i.e. changing table, crib, bassinet, pack n' play, etc.) We have found her in each of these on several occasions. Here are some pictures of us finding her in Ellie's beds.

Another pet that has spent some time with Ellie is Jesse's parent's dog, Jake, who is basically Jesse's brother. He gets upset when Ellie cries, but the most amusing thing he does is demand loving from Jesse's mom when she is holding Ellie. He doesn't want to be left out! Here is some pictures of Jake with Ellie.