my 24th birthday

Today is my birthday. The big 2-4. I actually forgot it was my birthday until I got a text from one of my friends this morning. Dan forgot too. Before you get too upset, just know that we have been insanely busy trying to get everything done with paperwork and stuff. The Army requires a ridiculous amount of things from you when you move to a new place. We signed the lease on our house this morning, so happy birthday to me! Maybe next week Dan and I will celebrate, but even if we don't it's not a big deal. Birthdays just aren't as big a deal as they used to be once you have a baby. Her birthdays are way more special.

Here's a depressing/funny story for you:
Right now we're staying on base in a navy hotel and every time we've left the base Dan has been with me. Well, yesterday I decided to go pick up some food from Domino's and left Dan in the hotel room. When I tried to get back on base with just my driver's license they were absolutely shocked. He asked me if I had anything else to show him besides my DL, which confused me, and I said no. Apparently I need a dependent ID. What? So, he wouldn't let me on the base and instead sent me to the pass office. So, I can't get on the base without Dan, I can't get a dependent ID without Dan, and I was just stuck unable to get home. Every person I talked to just said the same thing, that I need a dependent ID, I kept replying that I understand that, but my husband is in the hotel room on base, which I can't get to, and so he can't come get me or help me out. If they could just let me on base I could go get him and show that he is in the Army, but no. I was stranded for about an hour until a lady (after laughing for quite a while at my predicament) took pity on me and gave me a temporary visitor's pass. Hallelujah. Apparently if your husband is in the military you can't do anything without him. You don't matter. You're nothing. Period. Stupid Army.

some thoughts on moving

i miss my friends
i miss my mom
i am sooo happy to have Dan around again
thank goodness I have Dan or this would be a whole lot harder
the East coast isn't exactly what I had imagined
but, i love being able to see the Ocean
i'm making a list of all the things we need to see and do while we're here
it's really long
poor Evie is exhausted from being dragged around on all our errands
but, we have to constantly be doing things because moving is a lot of work
i cannot wait to decorate our house
i also cannot wait for Evie Lou to have her own room!
i am incredibly bored because Dan is at work right now
Dan looks really good in his uniform
nice ;)
Evie is no longer sleeping through the night
what happened?
i sure hope i learn to love Virginia as much as i loved Kansas
we move into our house on Friday
yay!!!
Dan promised to see the new Harry Potter movie with me
since I have no friends or family around
and I may have cried a little bit about that
he said that I always have him
and that he is my go-to guy

how did I get so lucky?
as long as I have that amazing man
and my sweet Evie girl
everything will be fine.
right?

our trip East

good-bye Kansas

Mississippi river

tuckered out

Atlantic ocean

heading towards the tunnel that goes THROUGH the ocean

in the tunnel

driving on the ocean. how often do you see that?

Virginia is for Us.

Manhappenin

We left Manhattan, KS on Wednesday.
Manhattan was...

• our home for five years
• the place we met and fell in love
• where Evie was born
• where our very best friends live
• where we both got our degrees (my BA and his DVM)
• the best time of our lives... so far

We will truly miss you, Kansas. Thanks for everything.

my life, as of late

bought evie a little play gym. she loves it
dan comes home on Tuesday!
the movers came yesterday and now our apartment is completely empty
it made me cry to see our apartment empty
hanging out with my dad cause my mom is still in Dallas with Lianne
AND...

baby Calvyn was born last Saturday

she tucked her legs into her shirt. haha.

my husband is the best. and i'll tell you why

Do you ever have those days where you're more thankful for your spouse than other days? I had one of those days today. Even though Dan isn't here, I still feel his love and support all the time. He calls me every time they get a 15 minute break in between lectures, he makes sure that we read scriptures and say prayers over the phone every night, and he is always willing to listen to me whine and give me advice.

I went over to a friend's house tonight to have dinner and to say goodbye since we're leaving and it just made me realize even more how lucky I am to have a man like mine. He is so helpful with Evie and everything else around the house that it never feels like that's "mine" and working is "his", but that we're partners in everything. He is optimistic, handsome, charming, incredibly funny, and smart as all get out. How did I get so lucky? I get to see him in 6 days. I'm starting to count down the hours (almost).

Miracle

Does this look like a miracle to you? No? Well then let me enlighten you as to why it is, in fact, a miracle.

I laid Evie down on the couch for a second so I could run to the bathroom, and when I got back she was asleep. No binkie required. No rocking required. No coaxing of any sort. This baby is becoming a very easy child. Thank heavens for acid reflux medicine. She did this whole "going to bed by herself" thing last night, too. Have I mentioned how much I love my doctor lately? He never gave up on her by just saying it's colic and moving on, but instead he diligently searched for an answer.

P.S. Lianne is in labor!!!! Soon we'll be welcoming a new baby girl into the Nelson family!!

eventful car ride home

Today I decided to go back to Wichita because I am exhausted and could use the help. So, Evie and I packed up our things (okay, I did) and started on our merry way. Evie usually does really well in the car. She'll fall asleep and stay that way the whole time. Imagine my surprise when an hour into the drive she wakes up screaming and crying so hard that her face is red and real tears are on her cheeks. Heart breaking. So I pull over to see what is going on. I begin to take her out of her car seat and accidentally bump her head on the car seat handle and she starts crying even harder. So sad. I started cuddling her to try and make her feel better and apologized over and over again as she bawled into my chest, and then it happened. All the sudden I felt wet and I look down to see what was going on because I don't usually just feel wet for no reason. I can't even remember the last time I wet my pants. Lo and behold, my little girl had peed all over me. Somehow it had gone up and over her diaper and onto my shirt, but it also went down her leg and onto my pants. Pretty impressive actually because you would think gravity would keep it from traveling up and over, but my baby is Houdini. I immediately grab my diaper bag and begin to change her diaper in my lap in the back of my car. What else could I do? Little miss has left me yet another present because she loves me so much. Come to find out Evie had pooped through her diaper and all of her clothes. No wonder the pee had no where to go. There was poop everywhere. (if you're getting uncomfortable because of all the potty talk, I apologize. please stop reading) I went through all the wipes in my diaper case and tried to clean her up as best I could, but she had somehow managed to get it on her tummy, back, legs and arms. Seriously, she's magic. After I got her somewhat clean, I had to decide what to do with that epic diaper. There was no trash can in sight and I couldn't very well leave it in the car because it's an incredibly poopy diaper that would just get my car poopy too. So, I am ashamed to admit, I left it on the side of the road. I in no way encourage littering and I never litter, ever, but what else could I do? Sorry world, but I had no choice. By this point little girl had stopped crying a little, but she was still very upset so I went ahead and fed her. In the back of my car. On the side of the road. Yeah, I'm that awesome. After she was changed and fed she seemed to be much happier so i turned my attention to me. After this ordeal I was covered in pee and poop. Really, really gross. I unzipped my suitcase as much as I could and grabbed the first things I found, which happened to be my pink sweats and black tank, and that folks is what I have been wearing since. Yes, it was immodest and yes, it wasn't matching or at all flattering, but it was clean. Sue me. Needless to say, that was the most eventful car ride of my life. And the most disgusting. I've been cuddling with her since we got to my parents house because I still feel so bad that she had to go through that. You would never think that going to the bathroom would be traumatic, but when you're 2 months old it sure seems to be.

two months

you're two months old and you...

• have a huge head. 90th percentile.
  
• weigh over 10lbs
  
• take 3 good naps a day
• smile constantly
• love to be swaddled
• hate being alone
• can only sleep on your side or tummy
• have abandoned your cradle for your bouncer
• make me laugh
• have taught me patience and endurance
• sleep through the night
• are too long to wear newborn onesies anymore
• love your binky
• are exceptional in every way

Near the end of my pregnancy people were always saying things like, "enjoy this time now because everything is going to change", or "get some sleep now because you won't once the baby is born", and my favorite, "once that baby is here you two won't have any time together, so enjoy it while it lasts". Well sweetie, I have to say that I 100% disagree with all of this. I'm glad everything changed. I love my life the way it is. I didn't sleep at all near the end of my pregnancy because I was so uncomfortable, so it's not like I get any less sleep now. In fact, I think I actually get more now. I thought I loved your dad before, but it's nothing compared to how much I love him now. From the moment he held you in his arms, he was wrapped around your finger. You have made us love each other more and made our marriage even better. I love my little 2 month old girl. I have never been more tired, frustrated, or busy in my life, but I wouldn't change a thing.

you're two months old and I adore everything about you. Thank you for coming into my life and making me realize how much I was missing.

hallelujah

you guys, my baby takes naps.

not only does she take naps, but she also doesn't cry all day long anymore.
she still fusses occasionally, but who doesn't?
i'm in heaven.

also, she sleeps 7 hours at a time at night and smiles constantly.

i knew that baby was in there somewhere.

i feel like i should send her doctor a pony.
or some chocolate.
or a million dollars.

Baby Update

Evie and I went to the doctor yesterday for her 2 month check up and she cried the entire time we were there. This is kind of a big deal because every other time I've gone there, complaining about her crying all day long, she doesn't cry AT ALL. Seriously little girl? So, I don't think they believed me about her being fussy, but they sure saw it yesterday. To add some insult to injury, she had to get her 2 month shots. Poor thing. She cried so hard her face turned red and she could hardly breathe. I felt so bad for her! So, I spent the majority of last night cuddling with my little girl trying to make her feel better. I asked the doctor while we were there what else we could do about her being fussy because he and I are both completely at a loss as to why she cries all the time. He said he doesn't think she's colicky because she sleeps fine at night, so he gave us a new prescription for a different acid blocker that's a lot more intense than the Zantac stuff. I gave it to her this morning, so we'll see how today goes and whether this will work or not. Fingers crossed! Honestly, if this doesn't work then I just have no idea what else to do. I don't eat dairy, spicy food, caffeine, or chocolate anymore. Cutting diet Dr. Pepper and chocolate out of my diet is heart breaking, but what can you do? Even without all these things, she's still fussy, which makes me think it isn't me.

We're back in Manhattan for right now because I have to start packing and throwing things out, then after that comes the epic cleaning. I am glad to be home because I sure missed my bed and Evie really missed her swing. Seriously, that thing has been a life saver. She can sit in there and swing, watching the mobile and listening to the music for a solid hour. Yay! Constant motion folks, that's the key.

So, here's hoping the new medicine works and that I can get everything packed before we move in 2 weeks.