Self-Absorbed

Wow, when Kevin and I entered the experience of becoming a USMC family, I never imagined it would be harder on him than it would on me. But after finally receiving my first letter from him today, I am realizing that just might be the case. It stands to reason. I mean, I am sitting at home, going through the normal daily routine. Wake up, work, eat, watch tv, sleep. Day in, day out. I'm getting notes, cards, phone calls and e-mails every day from people telling me how proud they are of Kevin, and that they are here if I need anything at all. He's the one who's been thrown into a completely new world where not only is everything new to him, but he has had absolutely no contact with the real world (and all of us who are supporting him from home) in almost two weeks.

I've been so wrapped up in pregnancy and morning sickness that I haven't even taken the time to think about how difficult this might be for Kevin. He has always been the strong one in our relationship. Not to say that I am weak (I am remembering how strong I am more and more every day) but in the context of our relationship, he has always been my rock. I just assumed that, because being a Marine was something he had dreamed of for so long, this would be a relatively easy process for him. But I guess the process can wear down even the toughest of minds.

If you haven't already, please take the time to write a note telling Kevin how proud you are of him. If you have a minute, say a prayer for his strength and peace of mind. I appreciate the prayers for myself, but I am FINE...please lift him up! If you need his address, let me know and I'll be sure to send it to you.

I am so excited about what this process is teaching us about ourselves and each other. I can't wait until all of his training is over and we can be together again as a family.

Thank You Mom!

In my last post, I mentioned that I called my mom in tears. Well the results of that phone call deserve a post of their own. When I called my mom it was 9:30 on Saturday night, and she was on her way home from a nap at the movies. As hard as it was for me to admit I needed help, I asked her to come up on Sunday and help me out for a little while. Well my mom, stubborn as she is (could that be where I get it from?) insisted on driving up that night!

What a burden lifted! You know that giant pile of laundry that made it on the blog last week? Well my mom tackled the entire thing by herself! She must have done 10 loads (yes, I am embarrassed by the fact that so much had piled up)! Not to mention, take care of my dogs, grocery shop for anything I needed or that she thought I might be able to eat, and constantly tell me to lie down and let her do things.

As bad as I felt asking her to come up, it was such a relief to see so many of those things get taken care of. My energy level was so low I don't know when I would have gotten around to the grocery shopping. And the laundry would have continued to pile up, especially considering the effect that the smell of clean laundry has on me right now...gag! So thank you Mom, from the bottom of my heart! It's good to know there's someone I can always count on, even if it means driving two hours in the middle of the night and missing another Sunday at church!

Pregnancy: Weeks 8 - 10

Wow, it is amazing how much your body changes from day one of pregnancy. I guess I always assumed that, because you don't start showing for a few months, things won't really be all that different. Needless to say...bad assumption. After the excruciating pains ended, the morning sickness began. But to give you a better picture, I would have to describe it more accurately as all day sickness. It's a vicious cycle of being hungry, eating, being nauseous for a few hours, throwing up, and being hungry again. What a drag. No matter how many times you tell yourself that morning sickness may be a part of the journey for you, there is absolutely no way to prepare for this one.

I was slowly making my way through it with crackers and coke (I'm pretty sure ginger ale is a scam) and although I was feeling lousy, I was at least making it through the day. Then I had my second check-up last Friday. Everything looked good. Blood pressure was great, I had only lost 3 pounds, got to see baby's heart flickering away. And the doctor and I discussed my morning sickness and I ended up saying I'd just try and wait it out without any meds. Big mistake.

Saturday came and I got hit like a semi truck. By Saturday night, I was so exhausted/hungry/frustrated that I called my mom in tears. I had only held down a small handful of crackers and just couldn't see how I was going to make it through the next week. So Monday morning I called the doctor. Thankfully, this time the nurse I spoke with had many more suggestions about eating habits, over the counter options, etc. By then I was at my wits end though, so I went with the hard stuff. $3 and a bottle of Phenergan later, and I feel like a new woman. Sure, it comes with some side effects (mostly drowsiness), but I would rather be sleepy and be able to eat than the alternative. So, praise the Lord, I am finally feeling a little better!

Pregnancy: Weeks 4-7

Okay, so I want to try and answer some of your questions, as well as document everything I've experienced from the beginning (I'm not holding anything back!) so here goes...

First, THANK YOU for all of the congratulations! I am finally starting to let myself get excited. For all those who are curious, of course Kevin knows. Everything went according to plan, and we found out the good news on labor day. I am 10 weeks 5 days as of today, and the due date is May 19th (the day after my 27th birthday. Yes, I have informed this little one that the 18th is mommy's day and he/she will need to wait until after that to get here.)

Just about as soon as we found out, I realized that I was having some pretty severe pain (what I had previously thought of as menstrual cramps). After a couple days of the pains becoming more frequent and more intense, I called the doctor who advised me to go straight to the ER. So, I spent the better part of a work day there only to have my pregnancy confirmed, two completely pointless ultrasounds (too early to see anything) and a lot of people roll their eyes and mutter rude comments about my tolerance for pain. Needless to say, this was a very frustrating period for me.

We began to research the pain further, and even thought for awhile that I had a kidney stone. But, praise the Lord, one doctor's visit (no kidney stone), another ultrasound, and about two weeks later, the pain finally began to subside and now is completely gone!

During that time my appetite also completely disappeared. Very strange. I wasn't nauseous or sick, just had zero appetite. But the Lord was gracious and I was able to enjoy our family vacation in Destin without too many problems. Little did I know, my last week with Kevin would be tainted by what are now two of the most feared words in my vocabulary: morning sickness.

A Picture Worth 1,000 Words

SOLD!

Well, Under Contract at least. So apparently my hard work and frantic house cleaning paid off. Or maybe it was my good looks and charm as I carried the dogs to the car. Either way, the couple who came by last night agreed to our counter-offer, and there is now officially a contract on our home! There were a few special requests, you know...leave behind the lawn mower, weed eater, etc...done! (What Kevin doesn't know won't hurt him) I'm kidding, he gave me permission to give those away before we left.

So, now the big prayer is that the house appraises for the sale price we've agreed to. Otherwise, the buyers have the option of purchase at the lower price...no good for me! But I know that God has always proven Himself faithful in the events of our lives. So I'm not too worried about the outcome.

My realtor advised me to keep quiet for two weeks, so I had to strategically lose a few facebook friends (co-workers) so that I can keep everyone else updated about the big news. Wouldn't want word getting around to my bosses and then have the deal fall through. But I'm totally excited, and obviously the couple really wants the house because they've been out three times, and came up to our offer a week after we walked away. I can't wait to get Kevin's address so I can tell him!

Now I have to go make my dish for our office potluck lunch tomorrow. One of my doctors is a vegetarian, so broccoli cheese casserole it is (modified, of course...no chicken this time). The dogs got lucky too, because some of the rice stayed a little crunchy, so they got to eat it for dinner. Mmm!

PS - Though you would enjoy a shot of just how much stuff made it underneath my bed yesterday. Keep in mind, this does not include a suitcase which was refilled and hidden in the guest bedroom, nor all the shoes and miscellaneous items shoved in closets and drawers...and that this pile is layers deep. I am a mess without Kevin here to keep me in line!

Oops...

What a day. Today was my first day back at work since our amazing two and a half week vacation. And it was not easy pulling my butt out of bed at 6:00am. But I did what I had to do. For the most part, everything went as well a could be expected. I was even reasonably alert. Impressive given the lack of sleep over the past few nights. Then around 1:30 it all started to go downhill.

I got an e-mail from our realtor saying that the couple who had put an offer in our house (which we politely declined, seeing how it left me devoid of savings!) wanted to see it again today around 3:30. So I immediately go into panic mode. My first day back at work. The house is a wreck, and I have to find a way to leave early to take care of the mess and the dogs! So the rest of the afternoon was pretty much a waste of me doing nothing and waiting anxiously for the call...which didn't come until 3:45, stating they would be there at 5:00. Okay, I think to myself, this is a little better. My office manager actually left at 4:00 which opened the door for me to beg a certain favorite co-worker and sneak out shortly after. (Don't be surprised if there is no blog tomorrow because she tries to kill me!)

So I race home driving much faster than I should, and arrive right around 4:40, just enough time to do what I needed to do. Except I needed to do a LOT! Shoes shoved in the wrong closets, mail shoved in the silverware drawer, and dishes thrown into the dishwasher...all to be expected. But here's the best part. Just having come from vacation, I have quite a bit of laundry yet to find a home. Well I am happy to report that my laundry has found a home. Safe and snug under my bed! Sorry, mom, there was just no time!

As a matter of fact, they arrived a couple minutes early and I had to meet the realtor and the nice couple (which I'm sure is a cardinal sin of real estate). OOPS! They were very gracious though, and more than happy to allow me to gather my barking beast dogs before I got out of there.

To kill some time, went for a short trip to the walking park. Me...full bladder, empty stomach, being dragged around by my wonderful pups. Probably not my best idea. But they seemed to enjoy it. And...BONUS...I found the extra set of keys to the Mustang inside the dog bag!

Let me just tell you, we have been missing a set of keys to each car for at least six months. We had all but given up hope when, maybe two weeks ago, Kevin found the extra Honda key. So when I finally found the missing Mustang keys, I could almost swear I saw the heavens part and the angels begin to sing. I was so excited I got out my camera to document this for Kevin...only to find that we have once again lost a Honda key. Oh well, it was good while it lasted.

I Told Myself I Wasn't Going To Cry

And then the call came. You know, the one when Kevin first gets to Parris Island and he calls and reads the script that tells me he's arrived. I don't know what else it said, because the call came...and he wasn't there. The last chance I had to hear his voice for I don't know how long, and he wasn't there. No static, no dropped call, just silence. I assume he said what he was supposed to say because I haven't gotten another call. The one thing that I knew for sure I had to look forward to, and it was a bust. I didn't even cry last night when I couldn't sleep for the first time in...well, maybe ever. But tonight that phone called combined with catching up on three missed episodes of Grey's Anatomy made for quite an emotional night. This sucks.

Day One As A Marine Wife...Just Call Me Paul Bunyon

So we officially dropped off Kevin yesterday afternoon at the recruiting station in Columbus. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, but it was a decision we made TOGETHER after much prayer and consideration. So while I know the next seven months will be difficult, I also know that it is the right choice for us.

Let me show you the first challenge I have had to face...

Not a huge deal, but still something Kevin would normally handle himself. Since it was warm and sunny outside, I decided to go ahead and do what I could tonight. Plus, I knew if I put it off, I would forget and get the side of my car scratched up on my way to work tomorrow. So I got the hedge clippers and trimmed off as many small branches as I could (and threw them back into the woods). I would have taken care of the whole thing, but Kevin's hatchet was out on loan and it was crazy muddy too. So the rest of it will have to wait. Here is the end result. Not too bad for my first tree chopping attempt...

Now let's hope the rest of the trees around the house stay put...