Find Your Happiness

Nathaniel was watching TV when he turned around and saw me editing photos of his Daddy (and baby sister). He immediately started sobbing and said, "I miss my Daddy." :( He handled the first week that Daddy left well because he was distracted by his cousins' visit. But now that they left too and it is just the three of us, Nathaniel is really missing his Daddy. To help Nathaniel realize how many days he has left until we see Daddy again, I stole the "Hug and Kiss Jar" idea from one of my Marine Corps Spouse friends. Basically, Nathaniel will be eating one hug or kiss chocolate a day until we receive a real hug and a kiss from Daddy! Most days, it comforts Nathaniel and I'm sure getting to eat a chocolate really helps, too.

These were taken on Hubby's last weekend with us before he left to go to school. It has only been a little over two weeks since he left but it sure feels like a long time ago. We are slowly finding our new routine and have even ventured out on our own. I can be quite a hobbit so Dean went as far as telling our neighbors to knock on our door if they haven't seen me in a week. Har-de-har-har. I make sure to plan one mini-outing for us every week and it has helped the days go by faster. But at the same time, it makes us miss Hubs/Daddy even more because we all wish he was with us. And I know we all feel that way because just when that thought crosses my mind, Nathaniel verbalizes it. We are having a good time exploring our new and surrounding towns but we sure miss Hubs/Daddy a lot.

So I just discovered the Blogger app! I know, I know; I'm super late in the game but I'm here now. I'm giving this a try and if I like the layout and the way my iPhone photos are showing, then you may just see me blog more often again! It's tough to find time to sit in front of the computer especially since I'm single parenting it these days.  The kids and I had an impromptu trip the Fort Fisher NC Aquarium yesterday. We were in Wilmington because the nearest Sam's Club to us does not have an optical and Hubby needs new contacts. I saw that the aquarium was only 20 more miles south and thought what's another 20 more when we already drove 60 miles, right? Besides, we have an annual membership to all four of the North Carolina aquariums so this was basically "free." This particular aquarium has a butterfly exhibit and we started and ended our visit there. All the butterflies were so beautiful and very friendly! We all had at least one land on us--the

My mom, sister and her family visited us last week during their spring break. I was unable to take a lot of photos with my big girl camera because I was wearing Amelia while sight seeing. In fact, I stopped bringing it after day three and just accepted the fact that for now, our life will be captured mostly with just my iPhone . In New Bern, we visited the birthplace of Pepsi and the Firemen's Museum ; and the kids played at the Kidsville Playground and chased the birds at the Riverfront. In Wilmington, we visited the Bellamy Mansion and the USS North Carolina Battleship . We sunbathed at Topsail beach one day and Emerald Isle beach the next. And on their last day, the children played at the playground by our house while my sister and I (and Amelia) watched the movie Divergent. We ate too much dessert daily (we discovered Cook Out milkshakes!) and stayed up way past our bedtime every night. Needless to say, it was a great spr

Weight: 12 lbs, 4 oz (90th percentile!) Height: 23.5 inches (75th percentile) Head circumference: 15.5 inches (50th percentile) (See One Month Well Baby Visit stats  here ) Amelia had her two month old well baby visit this past Monday. As evident with her cheeks, we have a chunky, healthy baby girl! I knew Amelia was getting heavy but I didn't expect her to be  twelve  pounds heavy! I remember  Nathaniel being pretty chubby too at this age  up until he started being mobile. So if history repeats itself, I'm certain Amelia will slim down as well when she starts to crawl. And I guess it's safe to assume my milk has a very high fat content ;) She also received three immunization shots. I think I'm still pretty traumatized from  Nathaniel's shots  because I almost cried with her! Unlike in California, the pediatrician's office here has a separate immunization room so I am unable to nurse her while she receives her shots. So I just nursed her immediately

This past Saturday, Amelia turned two months old! She has started cooing and social smiling and I absolutely love this developmental stage. Finally! A "reward" after all that hard work. She also loves watching her big brother and Nathaniel loves putting on a show for her ;) Amelia sleeps really well during the day (1.5-2.5 hours) as long as she is being held. Nighttime sleep is a little more predictable now. Her longest stretch of sleep is four hours long and she always wakes up around 3am for her first night feeding. After that, she is up every two hours. She is a slow eater (30 minutes) but I think most of it is because of me. I let her eat at her own pace and she rewards me with long breaks in between. Plus, now that my tear has healed , I am finally enjoying breastfeeding. Sometimes, I don't notice that she's finished eating and is just comfort suckling instead. Amelia's baby bald spot is hilarious. Instead of just at back of her head, it goes all the w

This month, we spent more days outdoors now that Amelia is getting older and we are starting to have a predictable routine. Took the children out for the first time by myself to their Well Baby Visit appointments. Nathaniel's visit was so traumatic for both of us! Amelia "saw" her first movie at the theaters--The Lego Movie. And by 'saw,' I mean she did great and slept the entire time ;) We remembered and celebrated ED and RJ . Our friend Mac from Georgia visited us for a weekend. Nathaniel started "training" with Daddy to become a better runner. Amelia started cooing and showing her social smile! Another friend Allison and her children from Indiana were also in town visiting her (Marine) brother. We met up with them at the Pine Knolls Shore Aquarium and had dinner the next evening. We celebrated Hubby's birthday and also bid goodbye to him a few days later. He will be gone for five months to a labor intensive school for his new l