Our Thanksgiving was a little out of the ordinary this year...and not in a fun way. Mom ended up in the hospital the night before. She'd retained a large amount of fluid (in spite of being on a fluid pill) and it was affecting her breathing and energy level. She got to the point of being so lethargic that it was a little frightening and, I guess, was finally convinced that there just might be a valid reson to go seek help. I'd imagine that after she's seen a hundred and one doctors for everything under the sun and a few things in the shade, she's hesitant to go to the hospital for every little thing. I'd probably be the same way, too.

In any case, she's much improved and should be coming home later this evening....we hope. Even though our Thanksgiving may not have been what anyone would call ideal, we were relieved that she was being helped. The Bubs was a bit teary that his Ammah wasn't there, but once we explained what was going on he seemed to calm down a little. The rest of us - Dad, Aunt D, Hubby, Bubs and me - shared our meal at home. We would have taken a plate to Mom, but her diet was understandably restricted against salt. A quick visit was had later. Mom had a lot of trouble staying awake, so we kept it short for her.

To distract the Bubs the next day, we drug out all our Christmas decorations and commenced with the spreading of household pretties and cheer. Yay! Not to mention, I don't think that Hubby has had a Christmas in two years....

Here are some pics of the Christmas mania thus far~

Totes, totes and -guess what?-

more totes!

Even in the middle of the madness, a little twinkle light of hope shines through. And, yes, we know that the tree is leaning. It'll be fun watching Hubby try to straighten it later! *inappropriate giggle*

These ornaments are among my faves. I made them the year we got married to save money on decorations for our tree and to give for gifts. It's been 8 years and they're still intact. Hmm, well most of them, anyway!

Happy decorating to you all! May the string lights magically untangle, your tree stand straight, and your decorations be intact and easy to find.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm really hoping that y'all are able to see my Happy Thanksgiving do-dad up above! I had fun making it and I wanted to share the love...it is my first Scrapblog publish to my blog, though, so be forgiving (like y'all usually are!).

Now for the really big news...*drum roll*

It's A Boy!

I know, I know! I kept saying that this pregnancy must be a little girl because everything felt so different from when we were prego with the Bubs but, Honey, were we wrong! The sono lady knew almost instantly that it was a boy and the child was not shy about showing that bit of himself off. We did have some trouble seeing other parts, though. She really wasn't able to get a good, clear shot of the heart and its four chambers so we might have to go back later. Developmentally, she said that it looked to be almost a week and a half further along than the due date indicated, but she wasn't going to change the due date at this stage in the game.

We had fun watching the kid jump all over the place and even, at one point, put his hands over his little face to avoid all the pokin' and proddin'. We were a little in shock over the "boy news", but extremely happy nonetheless! Now if we could just agree on a boy's name......

Sonogram day tomorrow!!

Woo-hoo! Tomorrow is sonogram day! Hubby and I are excited to see the baby and make sure that it's healthy and developing like it should be. Oh, yeah! And to see if it's a girl or a boy!

The last time I had a sono, the baby wasn't very cooperative. It was very, very active and a little annoyed at bein' poked and prodded. In fact, it got a 'tude after a while! The thumb went in the mouth and a tiny tushy cheek was turned on the doc when it rolled over. Even the doc laughed at that display of cheekiness....and, yes, I had to go with that pun.

I'm hoping that I'll have a minute or three to hop on here tomorrow and let everyone know what the deally is. I'll be cooking up a storm after the sono. Sweet potato pies, deviled eggs, homemade cranberry sauce, and dressing are all on the to do list. It's a yummy to do list, dontcha think? Well, the Hubby is asking me to put the laptop down, so I'm gonna run!

Head 'em up, move 'em out!

Alrighty....this'll be a quick post today. We're getting ready to take the Bubs to his pulminologist appointment that's at a facility a couple hours away. I'm not complaining about the drive, I'm just happy that the appointment was able to be bumped up from the date it originally was set for--the end of December. We all breathed a sigh of relief when the appointment lady kept calling me to bump the date up. The Bubs needs some intervention now, not a month from now!

So send a shout out to our Abba Daddy on the Bubs's behalf, pretty please and thank ya! We're hoping for a positive prognosis and information to help us prevent this sort of thing from coming back to haunt us. Have a great Monday!

***Update~ We're home now and everything went well. A chest x-ray, some breathing exercises, a thorough examination, and a couple scripts later we were on our way out and feelin' much more at ease. The Bubs doesn't have asthma or any lung damage. He does, however have what the doc thinks is a persistent infection. We hope to see some improvement over the next few weeks. Yay!

Hubby and I had a busy day yesterday and it was bliss. I know that may sound weird, but I can't remember the last time that he and I took care of business together. It was rather nice to have the company and help.

I had a 7 a.m. meeting at the Bub's school (I was asked to be on a committee), my guys came to school together and I said a quick hello before I was off to volunteer in Dad's class. --On a side note, Hubby has completely enjoyed being actively involved in the Bubs's school the last few weeks and even went to an open house type event the other night. He came home full of information and excitement....especially when he found out that the Bubs was learning about the 50 states. We scoured the local Wally World the next day to find one of those U.S. map placemats!-- Next, I got some gas before swingin' by the homestead to pick up my man on the way to my doc appointment for the baby.

The appointment went well, even if the Hubs was a little concerned at how absent-minded the doc was. The belly was measured (ugh) and was within the normal range, although a bit smaller than when I had the Bubs. We got to hear the heartbeat, too, and it was nice and strong! I signed off to have bloodwork done to screen for several kinds of birth defects and will get the results in a few days...or was it a week? We're scheduled for an anatomy scan next week and we're hopin' to find out if our Sweet Pea is a boy or girl. Everyone can hardly wait to find out that bit of news! Our parents only have boy grandchildren and my grandparents only have boy great-grandkids, so there are a few relatives just chompin' at the bit to buy something pink and girly. Of course, everyone just wants it to be healthy, either way.

After running around the base hospital for a while, we ran home to grab something to eat before braving *bum, bum, bum!* Wally World at lunch time. We made it out alive, though, with our pictures of the Bubs that we had taken at the portrait studio and a few essentials. Okay, so a few non-essentials made it into the buggy, too! I would blame it on Hubby, but some of it was my fault.

On the way home, I started to fade...fast. While the Hubs ran in to a barber's to get a quick haircut, I was sawin' some serious logs! I was so pitiful that when we got home I made a bee-line for my J's (as in p.j.'s) and fell into bed. There was prob'ly some snoring and drooling goin' on, but Hubby took pity on me and didn't comment. He ended up getting the Bubs from school, which I know he didn't mind in the least. Good man, that one.

Yes, Anna, there is carpet under all those toys...

I can sure tell that Hubby is on leave (marine-speak for vacation)! 'Cause lookey, lookey to the left, my peeps. That is the carpet in the Bubs's playroom...toy free...vacummed....Febreezed within an inch of its life....Fab-U-Lous!! Hubby was a little bemused by me snapping pics of the newly cleaned area, but I couldn't help myself. As tickled as I was with the Hubby's efforts, the Bubs was both ecstatic and a little in awe of his Daddy. He has flat out enjoyed playing in the space and has worked extra hard to keep things clean for his Daddy. We've both been quite impressed.

I know I've often mentioned how many Thomas the Tank Engine toys the Bubs has and now here's some proof. And this isn't even all of it! Five containers of tracks, a pile of buildings and accessories, a huge plastic drawerful of trains....and lions and tigers and bears, oh my! This is why he was told to pick out one Thomas item for Christmas this year. I think that family members will also be given alternative gift ideas. Obviously, the child doesn't need any more trains or tracks!

Now, Thomas videos on the other hand......well, at least they take up less space!

He's down but not out, Y'all!

Today makes a week that the Bubs has been sick and out of school. Well, technically four days since Tuesday was a holiday. He's still blowing his nose like a fiend, still got a double ear infection, and still hacking until he's yacking. I know....that last phrase was a horrible rhyme! Most of you know that the reality isn't that funny.

Thankfully, the fever that he's had seems to have dissipated and we have (even more) new meds to battle back the "snottery boogs". His teachers have been helpful in getting me his missed assignements that the Bubs was actually eager to do, by the way. He doesn't know it, but he was not only chosen to be Star Student of the Week, but he was also one of eight kids from his class to get an award in the kindergarten award ceremony yesterday. Y'all, he's been waiting for months to be the Star Student thing! It hurts my heart that he's been sick this week and missed out on so many fun things...some tangible success for his hard work. I think his teacher is going to reschedule things so he's star student another week and, hopefully, do something to make getting his award momentous for him. I know that his dad and I will be doing something to congratulate him, but I remember how big it was to be recognized in front of your peers.

For today, we'll focus on keeping him well, happy and *gulp* entertained. After five days, the options on the entertainment side of things have run a little on the thin side. I've let him play on some educational web sites, color and play with some balloons that his Ammah, Poppi and Aunt D sent to cheer him up. Unfortunately, he's also watched waaaay more t.v. than I'm comfortable with. What can I do when he's too weak to do anything else, though? Sometimes, I just curl up with him on the couch when nothing else makes him feel better. His dad has been sticking close, too. He feels like he needs to stand watch, I guess. I can understand the need. Simply having him here has been a help and comfort for both of us.

It's a new day and even if the Bubs isn't feelin' a hundred percent, we'll make the most of it and encourage him to move around when he feels like it. You know, prepare him for when he's feeling more like his regular self so he doesn't get tired out so easily. I don't want him to feel like sickness needs to be such a focus for him. What kind of parents would we be if we allowed him to be blinded by the circumstances of "right now" instead of looking ahead to the possibilities of "soon to come"? This sickness is only temporary, after all......and thank our Heavenly Father for that!!

"Momma! C'mere and look at this!"

I never knew that such a simple phrase could wreak such havoc on my "Mommy Psyche"....otherwise known in these here parts as "my last nerve".

Those words, when strung together by the Bubs, can mean I'm in store for a plethora of things. From a lizard in his playroom to a major spill of some kind. And when it was time to start the fun task of potty training...well, let's just say it took on a whole other meanin'!

There are variations of the "c'mere" phrase complete with different wording and tone of voice. I know I'm in trouble when he comes in the room and very quietly tells me, "I had a little accident, Mommy."

He just did this, in fact. While I was typing this post. Not kidding.

I know it's not gonna be particularly pleasant when he goes all quiet and solemn on me. *sigh* I followed him into the living room to see the window curtains in a pile on top of the loveseat. As I'm takin' in the fact that the solid wood curtain rod is still attached to the curtains and the rod holder on the wall has cracked in half, I hear this small voice behind me, "It didn't fall on me, though, Mommy. I'm okay."

All I could do was whimper in confirmation.

So now when Hubby comes home from work he's gonna hear me say the phrase, "Honey, c'mere and look at this!"

To them it was just a job...

"It's just a job," my husband tells me. He often refuses any acknowledgement of his service in the military. He has stacks of certificates, plaques and commendations that he's earned over the years tucked away in his closet. The only time we see his "stack" of ribbons and medals is when he has to break out the dress blues for a wedding, funeral or inspection. That stack has become considerable.

I've noticed that he's not the only one to eschew any praise or acknowledgements that are offered. Many see their service as "just a job". There's nothing wrong with that. It may be a mindset that helps them cope or see their demanding jobs through. Demanding, by the way, is such a gross understatement. They are asked to give everything and more...sometimes on a daily basis.

Where is my place in all this? I stand, I watch, I support, I love, I forgive and I understand. I stand for him when others may not be able to, I watch out for him when his eyes are focused on others, I support him when he can't hold himself up, I love him for who he is not for who he thinks he should be, I forgive him because the obligations placed on his shoulders aren't his fault, and I understand because that's what he needs, not judgements.

To my Marine~ My love, I may not see every sacrifice you make for our family and others', but I know that they're being made all the same. Thank you.

Look, Momma, I lost my toof!

The Bubs has lost his other front tooth...the last one to come out after the pre-school injury (pushed into a merry-go-round). We noticed that it was a little loose this morning. I figured that it would be ready to fall out sometime tomorrow.

Nope! The Bubs had other ideas.

For a couple of hours this evening I watched as he twisted, yanked, pulled, tongue-flicked and generally grossed me out as he tried to finagle that thing out of his mouth.

Finally, finally a pair of bloody fingers waved that tooth around in front of my face. I thought he'd be tickled with himself, but I think he was just relieved. I was too, honey! A quick phone call to his Ammah and Poppi to share the news, which was greeted with happy exclamations, and he was ready for bed. We'll do the tooth fairy thing tomorrow night. Hopefully, he'll leave it alone so his dad and I can pull the whole thing off...

Nothin' new to report...

We're finally seeing some sunshine around here after almost a week of clouds and rain. It's another "beautiful day in the neighborhood" and I'm itchin' to get out and enjoy it but I must stay the course and finish up some things around the house. It'll be worth it to have things finished before the Bubs and Hubby come home. I'm very protective of our time together in the evenings. It's important for us to have time together and not loose touch with one another in the weekly grind. I'm feeling more of a need for this since the Bubs has started school and the Hubs has been coming and going for work and I get the feelin' that they appreciate having that time in the evenings.

There's not a lot goin' on around here at the moment. The Hubs will be starting some much-needed leave sometime next week. He's already counting down the days and so am I. I'm sure he'll take a day or two and sleep in a bit, but after that we'll be going through the house with the purpose of decluttering and de-junkifying it. Whether we move or not, it's something that definitely needs doing. I'll also be able to see what baby stuff we have that's still usable and what needs to go. It's all put way up in the laundry room and the Hubs doesn't want me climbing up to take a gander...especially now that I'm pregnant.

So even there's not anything noteworthy goin' on at my crib, I know that by the time the holiday season rolls around, I'll be begging for a day like today!!

Yes, it's me, Procrastinator Extraordinaire...hear me groan!

I woke up this morning all excited at the idea of voting later today. I've only voted once before and was looking forward to making my voice heard again. Not to mention, with a Hubby in the military I take the right to vote seriously.....but not seriously enough, apparently.

I started to fish through my wallet for my registration card. A frantic but thorough search turned up nothing. Nada! Suddenly it dawns on me that I don't remember amending my registration card after we moved. *insert groan here* I felt like a complete dolt as I sat there with my demolished wallet and a hand slapped on my forehead.

If you were able to vote today, I'm so proud of ya, Baby! I understand that we had a huge number of new people register to vote....if that was you, don't be like me and let the privelege slide by you from negligence. Keep up with it, and take pride in the right so few people in this world are fortunate enough to have. I sure wish I had!

So, to continue with the cliche theme from yesterday, I shouldn't have "put off 'til tomorrow what coulda been done today".

I hate to be so cliche, but...

It's okay to be cliche! Today is Cliche Day, after all. I found a website that's all about cliches and I took a few minutes to pick out a few phrases that I've actually used and some that just caught my eye.

"As welcome as a skunk at a lawn party."

"bass ackwards"

"Darned if you do, darned if you don't."

"Busy as a one-legged man in a butt kickin' contest."

"You can't squeeze blood out of a turnip."

"His left hand doesn't know what his right hand is doing."

"Madder than a wet hen"

"Take it with a grain of salt"

"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

"It's nice to be important, but it's important to be nice."

So there you have 'em! I wonder just how many cliches we all use in a day......

I promised I would and I did....

Here it is, y'all. Proof that I wore my delightfully gaudy Halloween hat to the Bubs's school~

Yep, that's me in all my goofy, ridiculous glory! The kids loved it and everyone got a giggle. Mission accomplished and it felt so good to see the Bubs laugh right along with everyone else...without coughing until he hurt.

I hung out with him and his classmates most of the day at a carnival. A local nursing home facility put on a small event for the school's kindergarteners. It was a simple affair, which I think was just enough to keep the kids entertained but not enough to totally overstimulate them. The kids got to dress in their costumes for the carnival and they were all adorable! We had everything from pirates to a little 50's girl. David was, of course, Thomas the Tank Engine. Take a look~

Since the Hubs came home yesterday afternoon (glory hallelujah!) and it was too cold to take the Bubs out trick-or-treating, we chose to hand out candy. It wasn't a big letdown for any of us. Hubby loves handing out goodies and seeing the kids smile when he loads them down while the Bubs gets a kick out of all the people coming to our house. I got to sit back and watch all the fun ensue. Bliss, people, pure bliss!