Find Your Happiness

This is the hardest post I have had to write to date. I have written several different versions of it in my head but always hoping for a certain outcome. I have started it several times only to delete it once I'm finished. I have contemplated not writing about it at all and to just bury it inside me. So I had to search deep inside my soul as to why I am posting about this on the world wide web for the entire world to see. Is it because I want sympathy? No. Is it because it's part of my grieving and healing process? Somewhat. But the real reason I am telling you about this is because I want people to know about Elijah Damaris. I want everyone to know that he/she existed. I want you to know about the child we lost. On July 15th, I took a pregnancy test which revealed that we were expecting our second child. My husband and I laughed and rejoiced at the fact that we may be the most fertile couple in the world---we got pregnant at the first month of trying again. However, thi...

What are little boys made of? What are little boys made of? Moon and stars and rockets to Mars. Blast and boom and uppity zoom! That's what little boys are made of. What are little boys made of? Snakes and rats and big jungle cats, Vines and rocks and razor-tooth crocs! That's what little boys are made of. What are little boys made of? Sticks and stones and skulls and bones, Ships and sails and oceans and whales! That's what little boys are made of. What are little boys made of? Leap and soar and kick and score, run and jump and bumpity-thump! That's what little boys are made of. What are little boys made of? Horses and lords and knights with swords, Wings and tails and dragons with scales! That's what little boys are made of. What are little boys made of, made of? What are little boys made of? Sugar and spice and everything n...

It is amazing how obsessed Nathaniel is to Spiderman. Even more so when you think about the fact the he has never seen any Spiderman movies or cartoons! It started when he first learned about spiders and we got him a spider paint tattoo after running his first 1-mile run in Texas . He now possess numerous Spiderman t-shirts, pajamas, underwear, band-aid and shoes; but surprisingly no action figures or toys! His older cousin is also coo coo for Spiderman and is actually having a Spiderman party for his third birthday this coming weekend. I'm thinking I need to buy Nathaniel a little Spiderman present because he will jealous of all Daniel's presents! Also, who do you think will win the Batman vs Spiderman battle? I think I'm putting my money on that little Spidey :)

God works in wonderful ways and has given me a nursing position that works perfectly with our family. I had an interview a couple weeks ago at a local hospital and was offered any position I desired. After much discussion, we chose to go with per diem. My commitment is a minimum of only three 12-hour shifts in a month . I do have to work two major holidays and pray and hope that Hubby have those off so Nathaniel doesn't have to spend it without both of us. Not having worked since the later part of 2010, I was no longer an ideal candidate unless I choose to work full time. I did not want to work full time. I did not want to be away from Nathaniel for three days a week, especially since he will be starting Mother's Day Out program next month (twice a week for four hours). I stayed faithful to the Lord and deeply prayed for this (PRN) position. And so I am so, so very happy about this opportunity. Hospital orientation starts this week and will resume unit orient...

A month ago, we set the timer to alarm every 30 minutes and let Nathaniel roam around the house butt-naked. It was our reminder to make him sit on the potty, whether he needed to go or not. He did very well and only had one accident---he told us he needed to potty but he was already  peeing. Ooopps. We increased the time every few days once he was aware that he pees on the potty, not the diaper. A week later, he was completely diaper-less at home with no accidents. I wasn't ready to take him out without a diaper yet---mostly because I dread taking him to a public restroom (shudder). But he is. We have been out several times either on play dates or shopping and told me he needed to go. I reassured him he can go on his diaper but he refuses to. I guess when kids are ready, they are ready. He even told us he needed to potty when we went swimming last Monday . He really loves wearing big-boy underwear and loves to brag about successfully using the potty and washing his...

My little Spidey came to Mommy's rescue yesterday. I had a doctor's appointment because I haven't been able to hear with my left ear since Monday. I suspected it was just another ear infection (same symptoms as last May 2011) so I didn't see any harm in bringing Nathaniel with me. While inspecting my ear, Nathaniel was holding my hand and constantly saying, "Don't worry, Mommy. I'll protect you." However, the doctor was having trouble visualizing all of my ear (he thought it was due to ear wax) so he ordered for my ear to be irrigated. As a nurse, you would think I'm tough when it comes to these things. No, I'm a baby. A big, fat, baby. But turns out, I had a reason to be afraid because that's when everything started to go downhill. There was immediate pain in my ear and throat as soon as the nurse injected the half water, half hydrogen peroxide solution in my ear. It is normal to have some discomfort so I toughen it out. But after...

We spent three super-fun hours at the courtyard pool at the base today. We purchased arm floaties for Nathaniel and it boosted his confidence in the water even more. He was floating all by himself for the majority of the time! And Dean and/or I stayed within a couple of feet away from him at all times in case he needed help. Nathaniel also could not get enough of jumping in the water! He must have done it a hundred times. The pool also had a huge slide and he was super bummed that he could not try it because he wasn't tall enough :( Nathaniel is really such a dare devil little boy! I really didn't want to bring my DSLR because it will be left unattended but these Instagram photos really made me wish I had it with me. I think I will have to bring my trusty ol' Rebel next time.

A few days ago, I blogged about Nathaniel's  last day of long hair . I am still so very happy with this decision and thankful that Hubby finally agreed to cut his hair. Nathaniel did very well and didn't cry. We didn't have to bribe him with a sucker to stay still! He did refuse to take after photos, though :) It also started hailing as soon as we were sat down. We were very worried about our new vehicle but so far, we haven't noticed any damage. It was Nathaniel's first time seeing hail and he was very amused to see ice falling down from the sky.

I love quick and easy dinner meals. You can even make this easier by just combining all the ingredients in the pot and throwing it all right away in the oven. However, the flavor will not be as developed compared to if you followed each of the steps in this recipe (I have done both). Taking the time to marinade the chicken for a few minutes and pan-searing it really are necessary steps for a very flavorful chicken meal. Adapted from Eat Yourself Skinny Serves 3 Ingredients: 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast 3/4 lb red potatoes 1 sprig rosemary + 1 tbsp chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 2 tsp salt Pinch of red pepper flakes Juice of 2 lemons (reserve squeezed halves) 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Directions: Cover potatoes in cold , salted water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, cut in quarters then set aside. In a medium bowl, combine 1 tbsp chopped rosemary, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, juice of 1 lemon and ol...

We watched the fireworks show presented by Fort Gordon last Wednesday evening. I stupidly  forgot my tripod so my fireworks photos are squiggly because it is just physically impossible for me to hold very  still for the four-second shutter speed that I had my camera set on. We also sat waaaaaay too close to the fireworks (we didn't know!). We had to lay down to see the fireworks and they were exploding right on top of us. In fact, debris were falling on us and some were still on fire (none landed on us but the guy in front of us was unfortunate). So even with me laying down and my lens on its widest angle, I still couldn't capture the entire fireworks in the frame. I hoped to take better photos last night on another show but we stayed too long at a cookout with friends that we just caught the finale in the comfort of our front yard instead of going to the park. Nathaniel absolutely enjoyed the fireworks show and he kept saying, "Ooooh! Aaaahhh!" He al...