Decisions Decisions

With our up coming PCS we have lots of decisions to make and lots of things to take care of. Not knowing where we were going to live, what school Landon was going to go to, if we are going to sell this house or not, having been weighing on me. 

We've been online researching on Zillow and Realtor different places to rent, what schools Landon could possibly go to, how much rent will be on top of all the other bills. Also about when I'll go back to work. 

So I called the HRO at Peterson and asked about their hiring process. They have jobs open online and you apply online. Here it takes a few months to get on. I was kinda waiting to see how Owen was before I applied. So when I called she said they are hiring for their Annex location and the resume' goes over to the director she chooses and then sends it to HRO. The lady said it usually takes about a week. A week? That is WAYYYY too soon for me. I don't want to get there and be expected to work right away. That happened here and I DO NO WANT that this time. Especially with a newborn. So after she said that I got kinda bummed. I went online to research more about the 'Annex' location and the main location. Come to find out the Annex starts at age 1. Owen wouldn't even be able to go there. There is NO way I want to go and work there if Owen is not going to be with me. Nope! So now I am thinking that I am going to go and check out both locations when we get there, talk to the people, get Owen on the waiting list and go from there. I need some time to get adjusted and settled before I go back to work. I feel kinda better about the hiring process there and what not. But then I think, should I just apply and get the job so I have a job? Should I just wait til we get there and go from there? I'm torn. 

After being bummed most of the afternoon I went back on the internet and started looking at base housing again, looking at the school Landon would go to if we lived on base. I finally realized it would just make much more sense if we lived on base. The houses are brand spankin' new. We would be right where we work and won't really have any bills besides our car payments, cell and internet/dish. I think I can live with that, especially since I am not going to be working right when we get there. I always said I didn't want to be on base again, I didn't want the drama, I didn't want to share a wall with anyone. But you know what, we will live around other families that I am sure are going to have kids. We don't have that here and I want Landon to have kids to play with. There are brand new parks everywhere, about to have a new splash pad, dog park, you name it, it's there. I guess I can survive sharing a wall with someone, maybe we will become friends with the people next to us, that would be great!

Now that we know we want to live on base we know what school Landon will be going to. With that being said I was able to get his school supply list and all the info we need. Today we went to Walmart and got all his supplies. Also he will be wearing uniforms! Khaki bottoms with a light blue, black or white collard shirt! We had bought his backpack and lunch box at Target on Saturday. Sunday we found him some cool shoes at Journey's in the mall. Now all we need is the uniforms and we are set. I feel SO much better about all that. I hated not knowing and watching stuff fly off the shelves. Plus one school started on the 6th and this one on the 20th. We will be there before his first day of school, makes us feel SO much better. 

We had/have so many decisions to make, I am glad we finally decided on some pretty important ones. We still have lots of things to take care of. Our TLF is booked, we have our route we are going to drive and a place we are going to stop to stay the night. We have the date for our movers, my last day of work, Greg's last day. Most of that stuff is squared away. One big big thing is this darn old house. Still nothing. We will be calling the realtor tonight to see what's the deal. We need to schedule another open house. If we don't sell it will be put up for rent. In that case we have a TON of things to do. We need to repaint the walls and doors. Clean the base boards, shampoo the carpet, fix the carpet in two areas where it's lifted, get the a/c serviced, possibly do a chimney sweep, pretty much make the house as we would want to get it back after the renters leave. We've been getting paint swatches to match the door paint. Hopefully we will get the paint soon and get that started. We leave in two weeks. Two of those days will be packing, so we only have 12 days to get this stuff taken care of. I can't believe it! 

Here are a few pictures from today when we were out and about, it was HOT HOT HOT out there.

Hopefully we will have some more decision's made and things taken care of as the days pass. At least I hope we do, we only have TWO weeks. Oh and Owen is 5 weeks old today. Can't believe it.

Can't catch up!

Goodness, I just can't seem to catch up on anything or get ahead. 

I finally got around to getting the birth announcements and pictures together and addressed. Now I just need to get to the post office to mail them all off. I guess I'm not too too late, Owen's only almost 5 weeks old! haha!

I finally got around to filling out Owen's baby book. What a terrible mother I am! Thank God I blog and have some of this stuff on record. Because my memory is shot and I can't remember half the things that have happened. 

Just as I seem to get ahead on laundry, it all washed and put away, my laundry basket is over flowing again. 

Whenever I remember to take pictures it's too late. That or Owen is zonked out. Half of my pictures are on my phone. How bad is that!

I can't remember to take my pills! Half the time in the morning I can't remember if I've taken my thyroid pill or not. My acid junk is back that I had when I was pregnant, it's been back. Maybe because I can't for the life of me remember to take my pills! I FINALLY remembered tonight. Maybe I can remember tomorrow? 

I finally went through my discharge paperwork and book today. I then saw the paperwork for Owen's birth certificate that we were supposed to go get when he was born. Oops, guess we will be going there tomorrow. Hopefully we can get it before we leave. I also wished I would have read the big book they gave me when I came home. Some good tips and things I had silly questions or was worried about were in there. Stupid me!

I have a long list of to-do's for tomorrow. Glad Greg is home to help me.

Here are some pictures of the little guy. He is doing great. His white blood cell count is up to 11,000. So now we don't have to worry and we are able to go out and about! Woohoo! Go Owen! 

This morning we tried to go for a walk about 830am, it was already hot out. Ew! Can't wait for that Colorado weather.

Owen's been practicing tummy time. 

Now if only I can catch up on everything and stay ahead, wouldn't that be nice. It would be nice to catch up on sleep too, but that 's going to be a while! Maybe I can remember to blog daily from now on?

Poor Baby

It's been a crazy few days around our household. I am beyond tired. Just plain exhausted...

Tuesday morning Greg woke up with a headache and not feeling well. He just had a bad headache and body aches. By the time he got home he had a 99.9 temp. We were both worried about Owen and what to do. So we just made sure Greg washed his hands and kept his distance. I got up with Owen all night, and of course he didn't sleep well that night. Greg was snoring, and I just could not get any shut eye.

Wednesday Greg had to drop his car off so we followed him there in the morning and then dropped him off at work. We went back at lunch and picked Greg up to take him to his car which was supposed to be ready. We got a phone call for a showing from 2-3. It was 1130. Turns out Greg's car wasn't ready, so we grabbed lunch, dropped Greg back off and rushed home to clean. I of course had Owen in my arms while I quickly cleaned the house. Then we headed back out and picked Greg up again, and took him to his car. He still wasn't feeling well, so he got a referral to go to a DR off base to get checked. We were really worried about Owen and what would happen.

Turns out Greg had a upper respiratory infection. Yikes. The doctor gave Greg a antibiotic shot and a RX for antibiotics and said he should be ok to be around Owen. Greg called Owen's pediatrician and they wanted to see us today..

SO I got Owen again all night and Greg slept in the spare bedroom. Greg is feeling better today, which is great. We had another showing scheduled for 2-3 and Owen had an appointment at 130. So again, I cleaned the house with Owen in my arms since he doesn't want to take more than a 20 min morning nap, and we headed to his appointment.

Owen's pediatrician said Owen looks great. He was wondering what his white blood cell count is now. He said he should be fine with Greg being sick, but he would feel better knowing what they are now. He also said that if the have gone up even more from his last check then we shouldn't have to worry about this anymore. So he sent us over to the lab for some bloodwork. I got really nervous about that. How on earth are the going to get his blood. I called Greg, and he headed over to help me. Owen was already upset at the Dr's office. I was a nervous wreck for some reason.

Turns out they just poke his foot and get blood that way. If I could have know that was all I would have been ok with it. He did pretty good, cried when they poked him but was pretty good. 

We should have his results by tomorrow morning. I am anxious to see what his number's are. I'm hoping they are up so we can go out and about and not have to worry about it. Plus I want to know Owen is getting better!

Oh, and Owen now weighs 10lbs 10oz. Such a big boy. Only 4 weeks old. 

Such a tired lil guy.

It was kinda rainy tonight, not much at our house but around the area. Greg thought it was hail so they went out back to check it out....

He got pelted by a rain drop and said they were some big ol' rain drops, not hail! haha

Tomorrow is Greg's last day at work. It's his last day as a firefighter. Kinda sad. I am excited to have him home until we leave for Colorado. I am so excited to get moving and see what our new base is like, see where we are going to live. It's so exciting, if only we could see this darn house!

1 Month

Owen you are one month old today! I just can't believe you are already 4 weeks old. To me you seem big and are getting heavy. Then I see you in someone else's arms and I realize how tiny you still are!

So what are you up to these days?

You are in 0-3 month clothes. I put some newborn clothes on you and they sure are getting snug. You are still in a size one diaper, I think those you'll be in for a little while, or at least I hope so! 

You were always cold when we first brought you home. For at least the first two weeks. You've warmed up and we don't have to keep you bundled any more, you tend to sweat a lot as well. The heat in Texas doesn't help. WE can't wait for those cool Colorado nights!

You are still eating every three hours. Usually 2-3 ounces. I think tonight we may go 4 hour stretches if you don't wake up. In the mornings you seem to want to eat every 2 1/2 hours sometimes every two. 

You still sleep pretty good but the past 3-4 nights you've been waking up pretty early. That and you are actually waking up during your early morning feedings. The past two mornings you've woke up before our alarm to eat, that's a first. I'm starting to think that we won't have to set our alarms anymore to feed you. The doctor said to wait til you were at least a month, and today is the day. I guess we will play it by ear. You had mommy up pretty early this morning. You were up at 3, and you were due about 330 to eat. I fed you and you were awake and eventually fell back to sleep. You seemed to 'toss and turn' and grunt a lot, that kept me up. Your daddy was snoring in my ear and then the cat was  walking around meowing. I finally got comfy and then Landon had a nightmare or something and starting screaming. My goodness. I was never going to get any sleep! Once I finally fell asleep you were waking up for your next feeding and were up for the day, That was before 6am. Needless to say I am one tired mamma!!

You've been sleeping in your pack n play bassinet at night. During the day you nap in your rock and play sleeper. We've noticed you sleep better swaddled at night, but you get mad when we swaddle you! We kinda have to wait till you are tired tired then you seem to not mind. 

You seem to really like your baths. You've had three baths and you haven't cried or made a peep in any of them. I love to snuggle you when you are done. You also have some baby acne right now. We have to be careful and not use any lotions or washes with anything in them til it goes away. I don't want your skin to get irritated like Landon's did.

Speaking of Landon, your big brother adores you and you love to watch him! You are starting to smile at us now too!! We are so happy!

Your cry is pretty loud and you like for us to hear your voice! You still have your fussy times, and sometimes it's really hard to get you to calm down, other days you are super easy to calm down. I know that's to be expected! Today you were pretty fussy this morning. When you were crying you were screaming and you did not want to be put down, and nothing made you happy. Landon and I took you for a drive and played some music on the radio and stopped at Mc Donald's. You fell asleep pretty fast, and when we got home you were in a better mood! Whew!

Sooo, I waited too long to take your one month photo's and you slept until the end. 

I tried my best to wake you up. Finally a nice warm wash cloth and cleaning your face and neck and behind your ears finally got you stirring and awake...

You were still pretty tired and slumped over in your crib...

Finally got one with your eyes open and kinda looking!

We can't wait to see how much you change in the next month. We will be in a new house in a new state! Landon asks all the time when you are going to be one, or when you are going to crawl, I tell him soon, or before we know it. I do know I am not ready for all that yet. I want to enjoy this newborn time as much as possible, even if you do have a pretty good cry Owen! We love you to pieces little guy!

Best Brother's

Today was a great day. Both boys were in pretty good moods, and so was this mamma! Owen's been having his fussy days and today he hasn't had any fussiness. Whew! 

We got out Owen's bag of toys and laid on the bed and played. We did this last week and Landon enjoyed showing Owen everything and playing. He was super excited to do it again today, and today we opened all his rattles and little things that I hadn't opened yet. 

He even read him a story! 

Swaddled him in his blanket because he was 'shivering!' 

SO sweet these two.

I just love what a great big brother Landon is. Owen is such a lucky guy to have such a great big brother. I love these two!

Fun Weekend

We were so excited to have some visitors this weekend. Sam, Katie and Martin came out for the night. We haven't seen them for a while and they hadn't met Owen yet. Landon was excited to have Martin come!

Landon had the best time. When they pulled up Landon ran outside to their car, Martin was a tad shy for a minute then they ran off to play. Landon had the biggest smile on his face. He hasn't played with any kids for a while so he needed it, bad! They had fun playing with Landon's toys and wrestling with Uncle Sam and Greg. We decided to take them to the fire station and show them the fire trucks. From there we went to dinner. It was the first time we've had Owen out. He slept the entire time! I was nervous about going in the restaurant but it was fine. I'm still a bit worried about Owen catching anything with his white blood cell issue, but he is a few days shy of one month, and they said to keep him in the house for a month. SO we figured he was ok. 

Martin really liked the fire station. I think Landon and Greg enjoyed showing them around. Owen slept the entire time...

They got to climb in the firetrucks. 

Landon had the best time with Martin, the two of them together talking and what not is SO funny, they act like teenagers!

After the station we went to Olive Garden and had dinner. We came back to the house and hung out for a little bit then they headed to their hotel. They asked Landon if he wanted to stay with them. He was all about it and super stoked. I was surprised, he is growing up now and not being shy about things any more, makes me so happy. Plus Landon needed something like this. Poor boy has been confined to the house for a while! haha! We met them for breakfast at Cracker Barrel and when I saw Landon he said, "Mommy, so nice to see you here at breakfast! I'm glad you came to see me!" SO funny.

After that the boys went to the pool and Katie, Owen and I went to Target. Owen's first trip to Target. He slept most of the time until I ran the shopping cart in to a fixture. Poor baby! haha. I need to learn how to drive those things. 

Martin and Landon were so tired. They decided to head home. 

Saying good bye is never fun, but it sure was a fun weekend! Thanks Sam, Katie and Martin for making the drive out to see us, we needed some company!!!

First Bath

Yesterday morning Owen's umbilical cord finally fell off! We were so excited to finally have it fall off. We've been waiting for a while. Alllllll day Landon kept asking about when we were finally going to give him a bath. He was so excited to help us give him his first bath.

Now I've lost a lot of baby weight, and I still have lots of weight to loose, and by seeing these pictures makes me realize, I've got A LOT MORE to loose. Ick!

Any who, look at the excitement in Landon's face, Owen was half asleep and could have cared less the entire time what we were doing. 

Owen just laid there as we washed him and Landon helped. 

Awe, look at that little butt!

After getting dressed and all warmed up little man was wide awake. 

Then Owen and Landon had a little conversation and snuggle time on the couch while I made Owen a bottle. So sweet these two, just melts my heart.

We've been putting Owen down in his pack n play and he's been sleeping great!

We've been having some showings and our house is top two for one family, they came back for a second showing today, we've yet to hear back and our Realtor still hasn't heard anything from them (She is their Realtor too) so our fingers are crossed that they decide to pick our house. Also another family our house is in their top three, now we've heard this a million times so I am not getting my hopes up. It's been hard for me to get this house clean and get the boys in the car. I think what makes it hard is Owen is most awake in the morning and that's when I have to get things done. It's been hard to even shower, he's been crying A LOT these past two mornings. I just wish this house would sell so I don't have to worry about it any more, that way I can just enjoy my boys and enjoy being home.

3 Weeks

Owen Gregor, you are 3 weeks old today. I can't fathom the fact that this time three weeks ago I was trying to push you out. 3 weeks ago! It seems like just yesterday when I think about it, then it seems like it was forever ago. It's also hard to believe that tomorrow you will have been home for 2 weeks.

What are you up to these days Owen?

Let's see, you are still in some newborn clothes, some are tight, some are just right. You are also wearing some of your 0-3 month clothes. You are in a size one diaper still. I was thinking we got lucky because you don't pee when your diaper is off, and today you did it twice, good thing Grammie made lots of Pee Pee Tee Pee's for you. They work pretty good. 

You are still a great sleeper and napper. You fall asleep at night at different times, but we have to set alarms for every three hours to get up and feed you because you will stay asleep. It's great. There are times where you are awake a little bit, but you fall right back to sleep. 

You love for us to walk around holding you. You love to look at the lights and ceiling fans. 

Daddy bought you a portable and vibrating swing and you really like it! (SO funny because Landon hated his swing!)

You've found your lungs! There have been a few days where you've had hours of crying and nothing we could do to stop it. We can get you calmed for a few minutes and that's it. Luckily it was two days in a row, and it's gotten less and less each day. Tonight you are a bit fussy, but you slept a lot today and after your hair washing and wipe down you got fussy. Usually you fall right to sleep, but I think now you are just over tired again. 

You DO NOT like to be swaddled anymore. You do great not swaddled so it really isn't a big deal. 

You like to sleep in your rock and play sleeper. We are going to try to get you to sleep in your pack and play again, I'm not sure when. You will sleep on the couch and flat, so I'm not too worried about it. 

When you are fully awake your eyes are WIDE open. You love to watch your crazy big brother whom LOVES you to death. 

You usually eat every three hours, sometimes every 2 just depending on how much you ate. You usually eat between 2-3 oz. I am not breastfeeding any more and it breaks my heart, but it was just too much. I sometimes feel like I gave up to fast and didn't try hard enough. 

We're still adjusting to having you home and being home all the time. Honestly I can't imagine our life with out you. We are so lucky you are such a strong little guy and fought so hard in the beginning and are now a healthy little fellow. We love you more than you know Owen!