Let's Pick Up Where I Left Off.

Last post I was talking about how to heal cold sores. Super fun. Super sexy.

 That was 5+ months ago and a lot has happened since then, thankfully nothing to do with lip herpes. I've started several posts that have gone on for so long that I got tired of hearing myself talking in my head and gave up. I would like to continue writing on my blog regularly but it feels weird to pop back in after 5 months without even mentioning that I had a baby, so here is a brief over view of what's been happening.

May 30th I gave birth to our second son Louie. He was 8.1lbs and we all fell in love instantly.

He is now a giant 4.5 month old, in the 96% for weight and 91% height. I call him my mammoth baby. He is the smiliest baby I have ever known. Even if he is in the middle of a complete meltdown, (which he often is) if you smile at him, make a fart noise followed by a funny face, he will stop screaming long enough to give you a huge smile, maybe even a giggle too, and then continue screaming and crying.

He has revealed to me what true sleep deprivation is. I have nearly lost my mind entirely from it. But he has also made our lives so much more fun. We are constantly laughing and taking in his huge personality. Watching Louie and Henry interact has become my favorite thing. Louie has turned our lives upside down and when I'm not curled up in the fetal position, crying over being woken up for the 4th time in a 6 hour period, I am loving all of the craziness. I am obsessed with this baby. He loves to be tickled and whispered to. Even though getting out of bed to feed him feels like a trek to Mordor, once I sit down to feed him, I love the calm, quiet moments we have together. I smell his hair and kiss the bridge of his nose. When I was pregnant I would often lay awake at night panicking because I felt sure that there was no way to love Louie as much as I love Henry. Of course I was wrong. This baby, like his brother, makes my heart feel like it's going to burst from my chest.

Six weeks after Louie's birth we all headed to Washington state for the first time in nearly 3 years. I  don't remember much from the trip. I have to look at pictures to remember what we did. I was exhausted and hormonal and sleep deprived, but I  know I had fun and loved being with my family again.

Coming back to Georgia was harder than I thought it would be and Andrew and I have since discussed the possibility of buying a property up there and putting a mobile home on it until we can build a house after retirement. There is nothing like the PNW. I feel so sad that I am not there during the fall season but if there is one other place I'd rather be, it would be here, in beautiful Georgia.

Henry continues to be the most easy going, happy and sweet kid I know. I am thankful every day for the patience and forgiveness he gives me when I don't always have much to give. He is very sensitive to the feelings of others and he often has comforted me when it was obvious that I was overwhelmed or sad. He is a special boy who will do special things , no doubt.

 He started Kindergarten and is riding the bus to school. Just a couple of months in and he is already reading and learning math at a speed that astounds me. As a lover of literature, listening to Henry read out loud has brought me a joy that rivals his birth. I am practically jumping out of my seat waiting for the day that I can hand him the first Harry Potter book and watch his life change. I will happily hand him a flash light so he can stay up way too late on school nights to read them. I will totally fall for it when he says he's sick just so he can stay home to keep reading. And if he doesn't like Harry Potter, than I Andrew and I will have to build a fake stair case in our ranch style home because that is where Henry will be living his days, surviving on crusts of bread and only coming out to make us breakfast until he learns to love Harry Potter.

Andrew and I celebrated 13 years together, 8 years married, at the end of September. I recently found this picture of us from the day I introduced him to my Grandparents, just after we began dating.

We went over to help them with yard work and I remember my Grandfather telling me that he had never seen a young man work so hard. He kept his head down the entire time. If I remember correctly, Andrew re did the front entrance of their driveway. Hearing my protective Grandfather approve made me so happy. Andrew continues to be the hardest working man I know but he also loves family and fun and is generous with his time, even when he is exhausted.

Now here we are, 13 years later....1 mission, 1 marriage, several moves, 2 kids, 1 deployment later. Look at them. I am a lucky woman.