Two wins..

this weekend.  (Even if one was during overtime at the buzzer). Whoop whoop...we are catching up :)

Thanksgiving Dinner...

After my little rant about not getting a regular Thanksgiving meal, I was kindly rewarded with exactly what I thought I would be missing out on...At David's coach's house, we had the whole shebang, with Japanese staples mixed in. It was a great night. Preston was the most charming little baby I have ever seen and it was nice to finally meet David's teammates. They loved the little man. I don't think I held him the whole night and he loved them in return..It was hilarious..He has never been happier in a big crowd with strangers... We all know he gets overwhelmed easily, but this night he felt right at home. Both, David and I, could not stop talking about how good he was.  Here are some with his new friends.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are spending Thanksgiving with David's team at his coach's house. Originally, I didn't think Preston and I would be able to go, but as it turned out, late last night we got the word that we could come too...Thank god...the thought of sitting at home alone on Thanksgiving is just depressing. It's bad enough that I won't get any stuffing, turkey, cranberries, pumpkin pie..AAAHHH...now I am getting depressed :). At least our little family will be together.

Things I am thankful for...

My son..He brings so much joy to my life..seriously..so corny, I know, but it is sooo true. He makes my world happier.
My husband. He loves me...enough said.
My husband's job...I am so thankful he is able to play basketball for another year.
Getting into nursing school. I am  excited to start this spring...I am looking forward to moving forward with something that is just for me and for my future.
My family! They have shown Preston and I so much support and love over the last year...I keep moving back in with them and they take it with stride.
Living near the beach for the next six weeks...Yes, I am very thankful for that...It is a dream come true for me.
My health, Preston's health, David's health (knock on wood).
My friends...They are just plain awesome.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and count your blessings...I am sure you have many more than you ever imagined.

Baby Brooklyn...

My friend, Maren, had her baby girl yesterday. Welcome to the world Brooklyn Reece Brunker!! You are so loved...Hopefully, we will get to meet her before she is one :). 

7 months..

The months are just flying by and I CANNOT believe that he is 7 months old...I am starting to feel sad for the time that has already passed..Will it be like this forever??? I guess so...I was hoping I wouldn't feel like this until he was at least 5 years old...I have a long way to go! He is growing so much each day...It is amazing how fast he is gaining skills...One day he can't do something and the next he is doing it.



Top 10 at 7 months...

1. Is definitely babbling...We have ma ma ma ma, na na na na, ba ba, wa wa wa..This pretty much happened over night and I love the ma ma ma ma..but he does not say it to me...Except the other night in the middle of the night he said, "ma ma" and i rolled over and was like "Baby, mama's right here!"

2. Pretty much is sleeping with me on and off at night...His night waking is happening about 3-4 times each night. I think he should be able to sleep through the night, but letting him cry for an hour is impossible. He has definitely regressed in this area.

3.Eats all of his meals at a high chair and loves eating there, but hates waiting for me to mix up his food. Things he is eating are squash, sweet potato, garden veggies, pears, peaches, prunes, spinach & potatoes, biter biscuits, melon, apple, etc...Basically, everything under the sun and the doctor said we could start meat and about 2 weeks after that we can give him table foods, which I am most excited about....

4. Has started to develop a little pincer grasp....

5. Loves "If your happy and you know it" and "Doe a deer"

6. Reaches up to be picked up and will reach out to go to someone

7.Definitely has a temperament..When he is happy, you know it and when he is uncomf, you know it and the happy can change to uncomf in about 1 sec...then watch out...

8. Is up on all fours rocking and practices baby yoga..He is a strong little guy.

9. Sits in the grocery cart like a big boy.

10. Looks for stuff when he drops it on the floor.

**Has finally started blinking at regular intervals....

6 months

I totally lagged on his 6th month post and now he is seven, WWWAAAHHHH!!! Here is the 6th month one...The picture was taken a while ago..I just never posted :(.

Has a child ever looked so serious before....

Weight: 18 pounds 6 ounces, 60%

Height: 27.5 inches, 75%

AND HE IS NO LONGER A PART OF THE SMALL HEAD CLUB...

Head Circumference: 56% WHOOP WHOOP!!!

Top Ten at 6 months

1. Totally sitting up unassisted and can even play with toys, while sitting. We no longer have the "I'm folded in half" sitting position. Now his sits like his back is a board.

2. Is eating a ton of food....He loves everything. It takes about 2 spoonfuls for the "I am not sure about this" look to leave his face and after that he is jonesing for more. He is quite impatient.

3. Is still totally breastfeeding throughout the day and throughout the night. Yes, we have a frequent waker..Hey, at least he is still napping most :) of the time.

4. Starts to cry if you take away a toy that he wants.

5. He has a naked baby dance that he does...It is hilarious...This child may grow up to live on a nudist colony.

6. Loves my parents' cat, Dolly. He lights up when she is around and the feeling is mutual...He is classic with her, pulling her ears, neck, fur, tail and she just purrrrrss...I am trying to teach him, "Be nice". He is like, "yeah right mom!"  (I typed this long before Dolls disappeared :(...Just never posted it)

7. Started pooing every 4 days..This occurred after switching to baby oatmeal, eating prunes, and having roughly 4 oz of diluted apple juice each day. We are in constipation prevention mode now. (Now 2x a day is not abnormal!!)

8. Can stick out his tongue and blow bubbles. And, makes gas noises with his lips.

9. Falls asleep in the car.

10. Loves to rough house.



Big boy...Slow down!

We are slowly moving on to finger foods...It is more like playtime and they are all over the floor and the chair, but he loves doing it himself...More green beans.

This is what I walked into the other day when I went to get him out of the crib...I almost died. There he was standing up, big as life, just chillin'....He was looking at me like, "What mom? Yeah, I'm standing." Even had enough time to get the camera.

Learning to crawl..

He is sooo close!!!  These are old...Since getting to Japan, he has gone one little set of hands/leg, hands/leg...And then flop.

Started as baby push ups...My mini-heman

 A little guidance on the side...

Some hands on help... 

Mixed in with a little love... 

And we're off!

Jen's Baby Shower...

My dear friend, Jen, had her baby shower the first weekend in November, which I thought I was going to miss. I am so happy that we were able to go. Katie did the best job ever and Jen got so much good stuff...I am thrilled that I will be back in time to see the little one, once he is born :).

Just the four of us!

Baby Camden...Preston's first redheaded friend! I <3 his hair!! He looks he is my son!

Lighten up P...It's a party!!!



Nate's 4th Bday...

I miss these two and their mommy and daddy...I didn't get to see them one last time...:(.

Happy Birthday Nate!!!

Preston with his #1 uncle..He was so calm in his arms..I think he thought it was David or he just liked being high up!

 With great-grandpa Palmer...



Dolls...

Preston loves animals...He loves petting them, pulling their fur, and just playing with them. One day I went outside to do the laundry (was gone for about 10 seconds) and I came back into the house to find him with Dolls on his lap and he was basically strangling her, but she loved it. As soon as I walked in and asked him what he was doing, he just flashed the biggest most mischievous grin like, "Mom, I got the cat!" I was cracking up. These two seriously had a special bond...I say had because these pictures were the last time we saw her :(.....My mom even said that she knew when she saw the picture that it would be the last time she would see the cat...Dolls was my grandpa's cat. He adopted her from his neighbor and he loved her so much. I like to think that Dolls was here kinda in place of my grandpa, since Preston never got to meet him. And, I am glad that they loved each other.

Halloween...

Warren was nice enough to buy Preston a pumpkin and carve his first pumpkin for him.

 On Halloween with his fancy Mickey Mouse pumpkin.

 Scaredy Cat..Ha ha...It was pitch black when we were taking these pictures...Then the flash from the camera would go off to get the picture....Look how scared is is....Poor baby...He is probably thinking "why am I outside in the dark on this cold concrete...Where is mommy?" I had to get the onesie shot :).

Old, old news...

Here are some oldies but goodies that I never had time to post...Basically, these are all from late October to and early November, when we were in transition :)...It seems like a lot was going on.

First time with  baby biscuit/cookie..He LOVED it and it was everywhere...Now they are a staple/mommy needs to get something done/keep Baby P from crying tool

Munching down on raw green beans...

He chewed on these forever and started to cry, when I took them away to cook them.

 Helping mommy and daddy move...

 Saying bye to daddy at the airport...It was sad (well, Preston didn't even know), but will be much sadder on December 31st.

 With Uncle Carl...David had the biggest send off.

Finally in a high chair...Such a big boy.

 Look at those little fingies..

AGGHH...

Baby is alseep...perfect time to update blog...of course, blogger is not working...won't let me upload any of my pictures..i think it knows that they are old and figures why waste time on old pics....b/c i like them, thats why, mr. blogger.

Okinawa, so far...

The good, the bad, the funny...

+

1. The weather

2. The beach

3. Bigger apartment

4. Preston finally has a crib

5. New nice furniture

6. Have a car

7. Laid back environment

8. Many people speak English

9. Money exchange place right across the street

10. Close to grocery store, restaurants, and baby store

11. David's team's colors and mascot-Navy blue & Gold, The Kings

12. Nine English TV stations (AFN-Air Force Network)

I <3 Okinawa

-

1. David's schedule, 2 weekends in a row are away

2. Jet lag

3. It's hot

4. No elevator and we are on the 3rd floor

5. The exchange rate sucks

6. No other mamas on the team

Funny

1. All of the commercials are military commercials  basically giving social service information

2. Seeing so many Americans everywhere and hearing English outside our windows

3. Watching me walk up 3 flights of stairs with Big Boopa on one hip, groceries in hand, and carrying a 25 pound stroller with the other, sweating like a PIG!!!

Finally asleep..I love his little arm blocking out the rays.

On the beach...Happy as a clam.

Mommy and me

The beautiful beach...This place is pretty awesome.

Daddy on TV...

Overload of P...

These pictures are totally out of order but I will just be happy to have them on here. Then I can finally move on. Its like I have to keep everything organized or I won't post it, but then if I don't post it, what is the point! So today I am saying on with it...My family album will be a little unorganized in October/November, which basically sums my life during that time.  It is a REAL representation of what was going on.

Getting ready for his favorite time of the day...BATH TIME!!!

My little naked baby..with a scratch :(

In his new big boy bath chair, with his basketball duckie...Finally, mommy doesn't have to climb in with him...Seriously, David and I were in the tub with him every single night. Actually, now that I am thinking of it, he probably hates the bath chair. Oh well, mommy and daddy love it!

Fall photo shoot...Eating leaves..Yum, not...



There's a smile...



With Al, saying goodbye :(

Loving his new basketball blankie that Auntie made for him

Can you believe all of these smiles?? It wasn't too long ago (Pumpkin Patch) that I had to basically bring a circus with my camera to get one smile...Now, it is so easy.  Happy, happy baby!



I am alive...

I am here and will be updating with pictures soon. I had to prioritize a few things and will be finishing my to-do list today....so then I will be allowed to really work on my blog..I am so behind and have so much to share....Flight was fine, but one of the longest, hardest days of my life (try traveling for a full 24 hours with a 7 month old)...He was an angel...Seriously, he shows his best behavior on flights, I swear...Also, I think he loves Asian peeps. He knows his roots :). He was hamming it up for everyone on the plane looking between the seats and over the top happy as can be. We got home from the airport at 6am California time...I got up the morning before at 6am...Now we are dealing with jet lag which includes a little man waking up at 4 and 5am ready to play. This morning was 3:40am. Is that even called morning or middle of the night? Hopefully, he will be back on a routine soon. Right now is the first nap that he has taken since arriving here. I should be sleeping too. We are a 3 minute walk from turquoise waters and a white sandy beach which I have already been to twice. As I type this I am wearing capris and a tank top and am still sweating..It is marvelous. Life is good.  More to come!

Last play date..

At least for a while....We won't be hanging out at the Blankenship's again for a while...We had one last lunch/playdate before my departure...I can't even begin to think about what the boys will be like the next time they are reunited...They still play nice :).

Seriously..How big is big Boopa? He looks like a 3 year old...I didn't quite believe it until I saw this pic and it almost took my breath away. I am raising a beast...

No pearly whites...

Which I guess means Preston was/is just fussy!  I thought for sure there would be something by now.

Ahhh...catch up time...

The last three weeks have been busy indeed...They have been filled with packing, unpacking, organizing, packing, unpacking, and reorganizing...One more packing and unpacking and reorganizing is in the near future, which I could live without, but that would mean that I would not be getting to see David, so I will live with the third round of packing up my life.  Preston and I are living out of two suitcases (which I am sure my mom would argue is much more than two suitcases), since I did not travel to Japan with David, due to a nursing school orientation. I did everything in my power short of giving up my spot to get out of it, but at the end of the day, it was no cigar...David even went to the school to talk some sense into them...and they said NO! Those rats. So my flight for the 29th was cancelled and will be rebooked for the 16th or 17th..This all happened the night of the 28th, so to say I was ready to go and really stressed is an understatement. Tears..Tons of tears were shed that day. Some positives came out of me staying home for two weeks, which were Nate's 4th birthday party and Jen's shower. We have been spending some serious time with family, since they will not see Big Boopa for six weeks. David has tried to have face time with Big Boopa over skype but Preston is not too interested in the talking computer..He wants the keyboard. I am not sure how we will manage this for 5 months. I guess we will take it day by day. Right now, I am working on getting my living space together so when I move home I don't have to worry about it in the three days that I will have before school starts. If I can get it all put together before the 16th I will be one happy lady....It will be fun setting up the room and now that it was been cleaned out, which was the hard part (two members of the Francis family cannot part with anything), we are ready to go. I can't wait to get to Okinawa. David keeps telling me how much I will love it there, minus the wood paneling that is everywhere in the apartment that he failed to mention until I saw it on skype and asked. Apparently we are a couple blocks from the beach and I found a place to get my hair straightened at..Ah, the important things in life :). The 31st of December will be a sad day for the three of us (not only because we will be leaving David, but because I will be packing, unpacking, and reorganizing for a fourth time), but I am excited for the next six weeks of my life!