We recently were slotted to go overseas (most likely Japan). It depends though on what October looks like in the Marine Corps. They are always talking about budget cuts and at the same time, need to replace the Marines who are getting out or changing their location. So as of right now, our Geo Location is overseas. There is talk of cutting down the number of people who are going; we will just have to see what the supply/demand looks like. Japan isn't looking too bad though. One of Steven's buddies is over there right now. His wife has a blog (http://www.marshallsabroad.com/p/travel.html) and looking at her pictures has me excited for the opportunity. If it's possible to have an unhealthy dose of the beach, it will probably be in our future. If the Marine Corps lowers the number of people that they need over there and we don't go, we will be making a cross country trip to the beautiful West Coast.
Steven has been in Comm School for over a month now. He likes it and he is doing really well. It is technical though- so he is staying challenged. Sometimes they are given a really difficult assignment and one night to do it. The last time he came home from work and worked on it. He didn't go to sleep because he worked until 4:30 am. Then showered, shaved and went to work. He said that he wasn't satisfied with it but thought it was good enough to get good feedback from his Captain. He came home from work that night and said comparatively he did pretty well. Coming up this next weekend they have a Mastery. There are 4 of these throughout the course. The instructors told us at the spouse's orientation that they will be very hard. Their best advice was that during these weekends, to plan something out of the house and leave them alone, the entire weekend. Additionally, we can expect cranky husbands but to be patient with them. They are learning a year's worth of info in 6 months.
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| Olivia "helping" dad sort out his gear. You can see her artwork of spit up down the center and on the shoulder of his shirt. |
We have been practicing grabbing her feet and rolling over recently. While she seems to have zero interest in rolling over, I found her grabbing her toes today! I know it seems silly, but I was so proud that she has made the muscle connection.
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| Grabbing her toes on her own. |
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| She loves the Buff Baby rattle. |
She has this rattle that looks like a dumbbell. She has always liked this toy, but it's been a bit hazardous. She hasn't had the muscle control to not whack herself in the head with it. I still put it around her though because she likes to reach for it. Today, was progress not only in the foot grabbing department but also in the picking up toys department. I went to check on her while she was in her exersaucer and she had picked up the rattle all by herself. As soon as she saw me she ended up getting excited and the rattle collided with the middle of her forehead and tears followed. You have no idea how proud of her I was that she made eye contact with a toy, reached her little hand over, and picked up her toy.
She had her 4 month shots today. She really let loose on her screaming while getting them this time. But she was fine shortly after. She's been whimpering ever since then. It breaks your heart to listen to it knowing her legs hurt, but it will be over in a couple of days. I feel like there is pressure from other moms in this area to delay or reject the immunizations. I really don't understand this mentality. I'm more concerned about her contracting a deadly or crippling disease than I am worried about the small chance of her becoming autistic because of the preservatives. The other day I was in a mother's room feeding her and there were a couple of other moms there doing the same and talking about how they medically treat their children. It was a small room so I was listening to their conversations. One lady said that she hadn't taken her little boy to the pediatrician since he was born because there was no need to. They only go if something is wrong. She didn't see why they were so upset that he wasn't getting his check ups. He looked bigger than Olivia. So that tells me he has not had any of his shots. The other lady started to agree with her. She went on to say that her daughters only see a holistic medicinal person. Her holistic doctor only uses essential oils to treat ailments I guess. She went on to say how her kids still suffer from what seem like treatable problems. She went on and on and said that she never immunized her kids. Her doctor told her that was a smart choice because the medicine was so bad and has a high chance of reacting with her kids bazillion allergies that they would have become autistic. There were so many things wrong with this conversation and I couldn't believe what I was hearing. As a parent, I'm learning that there is so much advice out there and you are the person who knows your child best. I've also learned that at the end of the day, I trust my instincts and I trust my pediatrician. I did what I felt was a lot of research in trying to find the right one. I've never once had a moment with them where I felt uncomfortable with their advice.
Anyhow, here are her most recent updates.
Height: 23.5 Inches She has moved up to the 20%!
Weight: 13 LBS (40%)
Head size: 39 CM (10%)
Her gums are swollen and there is a lot of drool- which means it's teething time! She's right on cue and we should be seeing them in the next one to two months!
Her gums are swollen and there is a lot of drool- which means it's teething time! She's right on cue and we should be seeing them in the next one to two months!
Other things she does well and likes:
Spit up over everything
Smile (and she is starting to laugh)
Squeal
Try to walk while holding onto your hands.
Attempt to drink from mom's water bottle
Sleep from 9:30pm until 4:30am!! We are very happy about this one
Be outside for walks
She sort of enjoys the pool if it's completely calm water
She enjoys books being read to her and attempting to close them as you read.
Looking at animals
Bath time
People making silly noises
Reaching for things in front of her, especially a phone that you are trying to text on.
Watching Lion King song clips on You Tube
Things she's not really into:
Loud echoes/noises
Shots
Strangers
Cold Water
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| Enjoying VA Beach |
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| Cute chubby Feet |
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