Busy bees

Hello again =)

Well, we've been insanely busy this month of May! We've moved into and furnished our new home. We love this little city of Moxee we're living in. It's a quiet little town not too far from busy Yakima! Alex and I have both met some really great people since moving here. The EOD unit is small but very tight knit which we love. All of the ladies have been incredibly welcoming and helpful.

Alex has spent the last few weeks away in Virginia for some pre-deployment training. He hasn't even seen our new furniture yet because he was gone when it was delivered! The EOD guys are really busy getting ready for their upcoming deployment which will happen later in the year. He's still really enjoying the unit and the work he's doing! It looks like this MOS change was a really good idea..for all of us.

Spencer and I are both really enjoying the warm weather we've finally gotten out here. She has a little pool (it's a zebra, of course) that she loves to splash in and she's had several friends over already this month to play in it! :) Our little girl is 8 months old now and growing like a weed (as usual). She had an appointment yesterday and weighed in at 22.9 lbs and was 29 3/4 inches long. She's such a big girl! :) She's pretty close to being a forward crawler and she's constantly trying to pull up! Today she was working on her "mmm" sounds so I think "mama" isn't too far off! =) She has also sprouted two teeth in the last month!

She's had some minor health issues lately though. She's having some acid reflux issues..nothing we can't manage but the poor girl is constantly puking after meals & bottles. We're working on some natural and hands on remedies before we ask for medicinal help. Other than that little issue she is the same happy, healthy baby she's always been! She's made quite a few little friends out here! We're planning a zoo trip with our new friends Ashley & Jackson next week!

Little miss got her ears pierced 5 days ago and she's doing really well with them. (AKA she barely notices) although the other day her hand did wander up to one of her ears and she seemed very puzzled as to the new growth on her ear. HA!

Spencer and I will be home next month for 9 days for a short visit. I hope we can see some of you, but if not please don't be offended..it's going to be a mostly family based trip as no one has really seen Spencer since Christmas! But we'll try to see as many people as we can! =).

Send prayers and positive thoughts our way please as Alex will be leaving again for a month long training course shortly after he comes home this weekend. We haven't seen much of one another lately and it's been tough.

Love!

One day at a time

Well we've been here in Washington state for a few months now. We are still really enjoying it and we have some exciting things coming up!

We are in the process of closing on a house, which we're very ready for! We should be able to move in by the end of the month!

Spencer is still growing so fast we can't believe it! She has had to upgrade her favorite chair to one that supports more weight as she is one plump girl! haha :). She's finally getting a better sleep schedule and she's eating a ton of baby food! She can sit unassisted and she LOVES the water! She splashes up a storm during tubby time...we really can't wait to get her a little pool this summer! She's almost 7 months old already and it's time to upgrade her carseat as well. Her feet dangle over the edge!! She's growing like a weed! She's also learned to wiggle around in her crib at night so when I go to get her in the morning she's never quite where I left her the night before haha.

Spencer's Mimi (Alex's mom) is coming to visit tomorrow and will be with us for Easter. We're so glad she'll be here to celebrate Spence's first Easter with us! We plan on some shopping in Seattle, hiking in the canyon and plenty of strolls outside in the spring weather. :)

My good friend, Lauren and her baby, Paxton will be visiting in May and we couldn't be more excited. Paxton was Spencer's first playdate! :)

Alex loves his EOD job. The unit had a bbq yesterday so I was able to meet a lot more wives/gfs! We're finally getting comfortable and fully settled here. Alex had a small re-enlistment ceremony yesterday as well, 4 more years! We're looking forward to the next few years!! :)

Life on the west coast

We're finally here in Washington (and finally getting settled!). We've most of our things unpacked and are enjoying living here very much. It's gorgeous! We live in Ellensburg, Washington which is nestled right in the cascades. Alex, Spencer and I took our first mountain hike this morning. (OUCH!) =). It was a lot of fun and the view was breathtaking.

Speaking of Spencer, she is growing like crazy. She will be 6 months old a week from Monday and I'm finding that really hard to believe. I skimmed through her newborn pictures tonight and had myself tearing up. She's such a joy. She's always laughing and is happy 99% of the time. We have definitely been blessed with an amazing little gift. She's learned to roll over in the last month and we can't get her to stay on her back. Lay her down and PLOP! She's rolled onto her belly..and she's discovered how to sleep that way as well. It's her new favorite sleeping position! She's always talking (just like her mother), "happy screaming", & laughing. She's already in 6 month clothes and is too long for some of those! I just can't believe how much she's grown!

The weather here is very similar to Kansas but probably overcast more often. We've had a handful of pretty mild days and stay in the 40s most of the time this time of year. We are VERY close to the mountains. I can step out onto the street in front of our house and see them. It's beautiful. So far, I can say it's my favorite location we've lived. We can't wait for it to warm up some and do more exploring!

Alex is enjoying his new job as an EOD tech and we're both getting to know the small military group out here. He seems to stay pretty busy! We're both relieved to just be finished with school and to have a little bit of time to get comfy somewhere ha! =) -but that's the military life...you just never know when you're going to get sent somewhere or how long you'll REALLY be there. lol.

So as you can see things are wonderful right now and we are very happy!!

New Adventures

Once again I'm so sorry I have slacked at updating!

Spencer is now 4 1/2 months old and growing incredibly fast! She had her 4 month well baby check up a few weeks ago and weighed in at 16lbs 12oz. & was 26inches. All of her measurements fell into the 97th percentile. What can I say, our little girls likes food :). She's so happy and learning new things daily! She's rolling up onto her side and she's constantly "talking". She is the biggest joy in our lives and it's been a blessing to give everyone a chance to spend some time with her this past month.

Alex graduated from EOD school this past weekend and he finished with a 98% average. Surprised? Not even a little :). We'll be heading to Washington early next week and setting up our new duplex there. We expect to be there for three years, but you just never can tell with the military lol. We're very excited for the change of scenery. Our location is right by the mountains and near some indian reservations- I've already been warned to keep my eyes on Spencer because she may be snatched up haha. But in all seriousness we're thrilled for this new adventure and can't wait to explore the area!

Spencer and I are very excited to see Alex, as it has been over a month since we've last seen him! God has really blessed us this past year & we can't wait to see what's in store in the future! I'll post pictures soon :).

November 23, 2011

Hello :)

Spencer is now just over 10 weeks old and growing so much every single day. It's been amazing watching her learn and grow. She's closing in on 13 lbs and as of her last appointment a week or so ago she was still around 24 inches. She's an incredibly happy baby...always laughing and smiling. She loves to watch Bella walk around. She's discovered her tongue as well as how to blow bubbles & make funny noises. She LOVES when I make the funny noises back at her...it just cracks her up. haha :).

We're pretty excited to spend our first Thanksgiving together as a family tomorrow. Preparations will start today. Alex gets a 4-day weekend for the holiday, so that will be nice :).

As far as school goes Alex is still excelling and still enjoying what he's learning. He will be graduating at the end of January 2012 and we hope to have our orders in the next few weeks! (hopefully sooner than later). It's been a long wait!

We can't wait to get home and see our family and friends for the Christmas holiday. We love you all!

Growing Munchkin

It's almost Halloween and that means our little girl is almost 7 weeks old! I can't believe how fast time has flown since I had her. She's growing every day and I can honestly say it's nothing short of amazing to watch the new things she does and just interact with her. At her last appointment (last week) she weighed in at 11 lbs and 5 oz and was 25 inches. I can't believe how much she's grown! She's the most beautiful little baby I've ever laid eyes on :). She's smiling all the time now & is too long for her newborn onesies!

Alex is doing great in school, of course! We're hoping to get orders in the next few weeks and I'm insanely anxious!! But instead of complaining about what could happen I've decided to take on whatever destination we're given with a positive attitude. We will do the best we can with whatever we're given. You don't have much control in the military life and even after 3 years it's hard for me to accept that.

I'm starting my new work out plan to shed the last of these baby pounds...so wish me luck! I'm already down a few pounds from my plateau weight thanks to eating better! I'm 12 lbs away from my pre pregnancy weight and hope to lose 22 total! Pray for me!! :)

We're excited to come home for the holidays and see everyone..and to introduce you all to our little munchkin! She's incredible! I'm not sure what else to update about for now..but I'll try harder to keep this up to date!!

Love,
Mary <3

Our angel is here :)

I'm awful at updating but I bring good news.

At 225pm on Monday September 12, 2011 the most beautiful little girl ever born entered the world. Spencer Noelle is amazingly perfect and has a beautiful head of dark hair. As of right now it's looking like she may have blue eyes, but it's still too early to tell. She was 8lbs  3 oz and 20.5in. Our doctors gave us a clean bill of health and all of the nurses fell in love with her. She's an amazing little person and she has the best temperament. We had a few surprises with her birth though!

I was scheduled to be induced on Sunday the 11th, but apparently when there is a full moon a lot of women go into natural labor so our hospital was filled too quickly for us to continue with our scheduled induction. We were sent home and told we may get in the next day, but basically not to count on it due to the number of women going into natural labor. I went in to see my doctor on the 12th and she said that we'd better hope I was dilated to a 5 at least so we had a good reason to get sent to the hospital. Well, thankfully God was ready for us to meet our little munchkin that day because I was at 5cm exactly and 100% effaced with my water about to burst. We were sent to the hospital that very minute and the doctor burst my water. As soon as she did, she ordered an ultrasound because she was suspicious that Spencer may have flipped and set herself in a breech position. The ultrasound confirmed that she had in fact turned around and taken a nice sized poop while she was chillin in there. lol. When we heard the doctor say we had to have a C-section we were very surprised and personally, I was terrified. I had never had any surgeries in my life before then and knowing I had to suddenly go in and have one was scary. The doctors prepped and I was wheeled in and readied for my surgery. Alex came in and stood by me throughout the whole operation. I don't think I could have handled it alone. Within 15 mins of starting the surgery Spencer was out and officially in the world. Seeing our baby for the first time was one of the most amazing experiences we've ever had.

We were both a little scared at first because she didn't cry when she came out and she really didn't cry the entire time they were cleaning her and getting her stats. It turns out she's just a very content little girl. She cried 1-2 times the entire hospital stay (and she still doesn't get upset easily at all). She is a perfect little miracle. Alex is doing AMAZING with her. He took over the feedings and changings while I was healing in the hospital and he's a wonderful daddy to his little girl. We're both in love with her and can't get enough of her. We really can't wait to bring her home and show her off to everyone. We really couldn't have asked for a better baby or hospital experience. God has truly blessed us.

Our beautiful miracle. 9/13/2011 (her onesie is from her Auntie Rachel)