A Lot to be Thankful For

Both of my girls are napping, my husband is on his way to Oregon, and I am snuggled on the couch with some peppermint tea. I haven't written a post in almost a month and now is as good of time as any. 

Since my last post a lot of things have happened. Prepare to enjoy!

We successfully made it to Oklahoma and moved in to our new home. We thankfully had help from my grandfather in order to accomplish this. Check out his blog at thefidd.blogspot.com to see all the details of the trip. We spent two days driving and so far two weeks unpacking.

We have a gorgeous house that we're very proud of. We now have the daunting task of making in our own. In future posts I'll show how we accomplish that. I have plans for a lot of DIY.

We spent Thanksgiving with one of my sponsor families from the Academy. They have since retired and are now living in Argyle, TX. We had amazing food and a great time catching up. We were very thankful to them welcoming our crazy family into their home. Zed flew to Portland this morning to go see brother #5 play in the state championship football game. 

Ana and Mia are doing great. Ana can roll over both ways, scoot backwards, and sit up unassisted for a few moments at a time. Mia's vocabulary hasn't expanded much, but she is growing is so many other ways. She understands just about everything we ask of her, whether she decides to follow or not is another story. We're very blessed to have our two happy girls.

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, filled with love, family, and friends. 

Almost Through

This is the last push before our best friend is home. We've been without Zed for 3wks and have 1 more to go. We've gotten a small taste of what deployments will be like. I now know I can do it, but it takes 2-3 weeks to get good at it. I also know the last week is the hardest because I'm just counting down the days until we get to pick him up at the airport. Mia has had a tough time, it is very clear that she needs a male figure in her life. The bond between Zed and Mia is so strong. Ana is still too young to notice, but I feel like she can tell something is different.

Since Zed's been gone I've gotten the girls and myself packed up and as much of the kitchen as I can. Mia has had hand/footh/mouth and somehow Ana stayed healthy. Mia now sleeps in a toddler bed which means Ana can switch to the crib. We're so excited to get to Oklahoma and start the next chapter. The girls are best of friends and growing more each day.

When Zed gets home on Saturday we'll have 2.5wks to finish packing, check out of the base and drive to OKC. It's going to be a crazy time and I'll try to keep the blog going, but it may be Thanksgiving until the next post happens.

Please keep us in your prayers these next few weeks.

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While Dad's Away the Girls Will Play

For the next 3wks us three girls are flying solo. Zed is in Washington state attending water and land survival training. He'll be learning how to survive, evade, resist, and escape. These are skills he'll need to have in the very slim chance his plane goes down and he becomes a prisoner of war.

Ana is 3mo old. She weighs almost 14lbs and is 2ft tall. She self soothes really well, preferring her thumb over a pacifier and loves watching ceiling fans. She is constantly watching her big sister and already talking up a storm.

Mia is 20mo going on 16yrs it seems most days. She's 23lbs and 3ft tall. Her favorite food changes daily, but macaroni and cheese, cheese sticks, and strawberries are usually a safe bet. She is an amazing big sister, quickly running to Ana's side when she cries and rubbing her belly. The more she can run and play outside the better, which keeps me healthy. Her vocabulary is expanding, she's added airplane, thank you, love you and banana to her list. Mia is a spirited little girl who knows exactly what she wants, just can't always articulate it.

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A quick note

Since the last post a lot has happened.

Mia is 18mo old and is adding new sounds to her vocabulary every day. Ana is 2mo old and coos almost as much as Mia babbles.

Zed has graduated from pilot training and wears wings on his chest now. He will be going to survival training in Washington state the month of October and reports to Tinker AFB in Oklahoma in November. His training for the E3 begins after he New Year.

I have recently gotten orders to move to Tinker with Zed. We are quite excited.

This labor day weekend Zed, Ana, and I have been touring houses trying to find that perfect one to buy. I'll try to do a post about the experience this week. Mia is with Zed's parents so that was one huge plus.

This week the three of us will continue our bonding time in San Antonio, Texas. I have a two day course and Zed and Ana will bond.

Zed then flies to Oregon to spend the week at the ranch. He'll grab Mia and fly to Atlanta. Ana, Abby, and I will meet them in Atlanta. On the 13th we will watch the Air Force Academy play Georgia State in the Georgia Dome.

Ana and I will then be off to Washington DC for five days for a trip with my international students. Well then have one week together as a family before zed heads off to Washington state for a month for survival training. When he returns from training we will have two weeks to pack the house and move to Oklahoma.

These next two months are guaranteed to be interesting and exciting stay tuned to see what happens.

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Here's a Toast

This is not a post about the Davies family, but one about a different family Zed and I are a part of, our USAFA class. When you see my status that says "here's a toast," it's not a funny joke, but a way to show respect for a fallen Air Force Academy grad.

Yesterday one of our classmates passed away and the best way we, as classmates, can show our condolences and support classmates who are suffering is to post these three little words. Three little words that bind what is referred to as the long blue line no matter where we may be. Three little words that give those suffering hope that they're not in it alone. Three little words that no other institution uses to mourn the loss of a friend.

Since Zed and I started at the Academy we have said these words many times, but this is the first time it's been for a member of our own class. So as you go about your day please keep the USAFA class of 2012 in your thoughts.

Third Verse of the AF song...
Here's a toast to the host
Of those who love the vastness of the sky,
To a friend we send a message of his brother men who fly.
We drink to those who gave their all of old,
Then down we roar to score the rainbow's pot of gold.
A toast to the host of men we boast, the U.S. Air Force!

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A Day with the Davies

Things are going well with the Davies. Zed got one of his top choices for plane. He will be flying the E3. This plane gives u a lot of opportunities to get over seas, and for Zed to fly numerous different aircraft.

Mia is becoming a better big sister every day. She no longer squashes Ana and understands when Ana needs her belly patted so she realizes someone is there and when she needs a pacifier because she's hungry and I'm busy doing something else for a minute. Ana is getting stronger each day and is starting to sleep longer at night.

I have a week left until I'm back to work and am trying to get the house ready for the influx of Davies. Zed's family will be spending a few days with us to celebrate his graduation from pilot training.

Zed will be going to Florida for a day for water training, Washington state for a month for survival training, and then he will be moving to Tinker AFB in Oklahoma City to fly the E3. The girls and I will be staying in Columbus for a little longer and then either move to Wichita, KS or Wichita Falls, TX. Unfortunately, the AF cannot get me to Zed's base.

We are enjoying this time we have together as a family living under one roof and we're focusing on the present. The time apart will come, but right now is a time to celebrate Zed's amazing accomplishment and enjoy each other.

As timelines and locations are finalized and we move away from Columbus it will make for interesting posts so stayed tuned.

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Quick Update

Well, it's almost here...the end of UPT. Zed is flying two flights today and then has his final flight tomorrow. Please keep him in your prayers that he may be safe, calm, and remember everything he needs to. He also got his assignment list. From the list he has to rank all the planes. He will then be ranked against his classmates and they will hand out the planes. He finds out 1 Aug at 5:30!

Ana is doing great! She has put on over 2lbs and grown over an inch. She loves to eat.

Mia is growing up so fast now that Ana is here. When Ana cries Mia runs to her and pats her feet or gives her a pacifier or bottle (even if its empty). She is getting more gentle with her every day, I am so proud of her.

I'm doing pretty well. I'm still trying to catch up on sleep, but I know that won't happen until after all kids are out of the house, and then maybe not even then. My doctor has cleared me to start working out, which I'm excited for. I have my PT test in December.

Next update will come once we know where Zed is going next.

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Lets Try Again

I have started and stopped this blog many times and often its because life is exciting and I want to share and then life gets boring and I find I have nothing to write about. It's been almost 3mo since I last wrote and as with every restart life has been quite exciting.

So how am I going to fix this constant start and stop? Well, one thing that will help is life will be very exciting for the next few months. I'm also going to put a reminder in my phone set for once a month to do a blog update.

Currently I'm sitting on our couch with Mia in one arm and Ana in the other and am so blessed for these two little girls Heavenly Father has placed in our lives.

Anaston (Ana) Brielle Davies joined our family at 6:53am on July 1st. The labor was relatively quick and so was the delivery. When we arrived at the hospital I was already dilated to 8cm. She is such a sweet baby and cries when she's hungry or has a dirty diaper.

Mia loves her little sister...loves her to death. She hasn't quite figured out how to be gentle, but loves to gives kisses and hugs, more like squeezes. For a 17mo old she is very aware of Ana and goes to her each time she cries. The only time jealously rears its head are the few times Ana is using a bottle. Mia's vocabulary is growing. She almost always says thank you (an uh) or thanks (thas). Her funniest new word is giddy up (ga da) complete with hand motions, no denying she's a Davies now.

Zed is doing great. He has 7 total flights to go before he's finished pilot training. Either this week or next he will get the list of planes and bases he can choose from. Once he turns in his #1-#20 based on what he's offered he will be ranked against his classmates and his leadership will create the assignments. Aug 1st we will find out which plane and base he gets. Currently he's hoping to get a C5 or KC10.

We have another pseudo member of our family. My sister has started her freshman year at Mississippi State University, she's currently taking summer biology. It's nice to have her close for those time Zed and I need a sitter and in case she ever needs a big sister. So far she's made a lot of friends, to include members of the football team.

I'm almost 2wks through my 6wks of maternity leave. I'm enjoying the time with my girls, but at times find it hard to stay occupied. I'm feeling great and this delivery went a lot better than Mia's. I'm excites to see where Zed will be going next and will start working to get myself and the girls there as soon as we know. As of right now it looks like us ladies will be staying in Mississippi until early spring 2015 and then will join Zed wherever he is.

We hope you all are doing well and appreciate all the love, support, and congratulations.

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Back on the Wagon

Well, we'll see how well I do this go around. I apologize to all o those who check for updates and have found none for almost 2 months.

Our little family is doing well. We're getting excited to expand it by one more body.

Mia is doing great. She recently sprained her ankle, today is day 2 after the tragedy. She is back to walking most of the time and the swelling no longer exists. Her vocabulary seems to be increasing every day. She can say bye-bye, night-night, and pa pa. When asked what a cow, monkey, dog and cat say she responds with the correct noise. Her dog is a panting noise and her cat is owowowow.

Zed is doing well and getting close to the end of pilot training. He has his longest and most important check ride tomorrow, so please keep him in your prayers as you go throughout the day. I'll be sure to let you know how he did as soon as I know. He should be getting his list of possible next assignments in about a month and that will begin the journey of matching me to him.

I am 38wks pregnant. The baby still doesn't have a name as we have been too busy to sit down and talk. I spent a week in DC showing my students around, a week in Maryland celebrating my sister's high school graduation, and a week in Ohio for training for my new job. Now that I'm finally home for a little bit, I have been able to get things ready for the little one and relax a little.

Life is bringing some huge changes in the next 2 months and we could not be more excited. I will try to do a better job of keeping everyone in the loop.

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Pictures

Below are a bunch of pictures. Enjoy!

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Reunited and it Feels so Good

Well, after 2wks I think it's safe to say that we're back into the swing of things. Mia did well with accepting us, took her about 30min to realize who we were and then all was well. She had no problem going back to daycare and still squeals when she walks in each morning.

Zed is still doing well in pilot training. He has his first check ride, or final next week. He has a total of 3 to complete before he graduates.

I am doing pretty well getting back into work. Tomorrow will be my last day in the position I've had for a year. Monday I will become responsible for about 40 international student pilots.

Baby Davies is also doing well. I'm 28wks along and everything is going smoothly. We have not sat down to think of a name and do realize our time is getting short.

All in all things are going great, we hope the same can be said about you.

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Long Time No Post

I apologize for the lack of contact over the past month, I will do my best to catch you up.

Mia is still in Oregon but will be back in Columbus, MS in 8 days. Each day she becomes more confident in walking and loves to be chased. She knows what a monkey says and still loves to just babble. Because she is so mobile she's gotten taller, but hasn't gained much weight. Her but is disappearing so her pants tens to fall down multiple times throughout he day. Elaine was able to get professional pictures done and as soon as we get them I'll be sure to share. Elaine will be flying to Mississippi with Mia next Wednesday to bring her home and staying until Saturday.

Zed is enjoying himself in T1s. He has an amazing straight A record for academic tests and has preformed well in the simulator. Yesterday he had his first actual flight. He said it went well, but still has a lot to work on before his check ride. He's enjoying this phase of flying much more than the previous one.

I am still at school in southern Mississippi. My belly is getting bigger by the week and our new little girl is doing well. My class threw me a baby shower this week, which was amazing. This is my final week of academics and we fake deploy this weekend to Tyndall AFB in Florida. I will return to Biloxi next Thursday night and return to my family on Friday.

Baby Girl #2 is doing great. She has a little under 4 months before we get to meet her. She weighs just over a pound and is a little over a foot long. She loves to move around in the mornings when I'm getting ready for the day and at night as I'm trying to fall asleep.

We're all excited to be a family again and get back to a little bit of normalcy. We know it will take some time to get a rhythm going, but it's time to enjoy each other before the new baby comes along.

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Mississippi Mia Takes on Oregon

Week 1 of Mia is complete.  The hand-off went better than expected as has our transition here in Oregon.   Mia kept us laughing and loving her for over an hour in the truck on the way home from the Airport as we fully comprehended she was really here, after all the anxious anticipation and preparation...then she slept for the final 2.5 hours home.

Our biggest challenges as a family is remembering that there's a baby in the house.  Our boys are the youngest and totally not accustomed to being somewhat quiet and just bust into rooms talking loudly and that usually surprises Mia awake.  At first we thought she would never sleep a full stretch of time before getting woke up.
Mia was on marathon awake mode for about four days -never sleeping more than 1 hour during the day and 4 hours at night at a time.  At day five, the East/West coast time adjustment hit her and she decided sleep was ok.  She has since slept all night -going to sleep at 8:00 and only fussing once around 4:00 am and sleeping until 7:00 - 7:30 each night.  She plays for a few hours after morning bath and naps around 10:00 a.m.   She sometimes dozes off for 1/2 hour or so in the afternoon and the boys play hard with her in the evenings.
Mia has been to high school basketball games - she prefers the sound of Pep Band to dribbling basketball and immediately finds the mascot to introduce herself to.  The wrestling tournament was exciting to watch until a dad in the crowd decided to coach his boy very loudly in the audience behind us and Mia thought he was mad at her.  After getting over being offended and upset, she realized that it's totally ok to yell and clap at these events and not to take it personally.  She visited Grandmas Seminary class one day to meet the kids, has helped Grandma in the office a few times - mostly to help redecorate and clean off all flat surfaces for us.
We took her to a feedlot to check cattle and when pointing to cows and saying "MOO" over and over for inspiration, we realized she wanted to watch the small Chihuahua dog following us along as security.  She did get to help grandpa drive the truck and helped back the trailer into a pen to unload some calves we hauled there.
Her birthday was a bit uneventful because it was on the day of Scott's final basketball game being played 6 hours away at 3:00.  We spent that day on the road.

She loves meeting other small people her size and always steals their pacifier, even though she has NO interest in hers. She is about 50/50 on regular milk and cows milk now.  We hope to have that change complete in 4 weeks.  We hope to have her totally not waking up at night and her to have a larger vocabulary. She never - hardly ever crawls anymore, choosing walking everywhere and running if she thinks I'm chasing her like she's done something bad.  Pretty cute!

All the boys adore her and she loves them but she seems to be drawn to Scott the most. Only half of the clothes she has fit her, but that's ok,  her closets are full in Mississippi and she will be there before we know it. FaceTime and Google Hangouts are a part of her life and she enjoys them as long as they don't interfere with her games and business.

She's adorable and we all are loving this experience totally. This week is super busy, and we'll see how she does when she meets some new family members and tries now foods.

Elaine

Happy Birthday Mia

Today is Mia's first birthday. She weighs about 21lbs, has 6 teeth, prefers walking, and loves to smile. She is such a sweet little girl and Zed and I are excited that we're at the halfway point and get our little girl back soon. 

Enjoy the pictures!

Uncle Dallen (brother number 3 in the line up)

(Eating French fries)

(Inside the cabinet)

(Mia got a Raggedy Anne doll, cowgirl style, from Granny (my maternal grandmother))

Halfway There

Not only are we halfway through the separation from Mia! but I am also halfway through pregnancy.

 20wks with Mia

 20ks with Baby #2

The Handoff

A final note from the Maryland grandparents.

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Well, the handoff has been successfully made from the east Coast to the West Coast grandparents.  The day started at 3 AM.  We woke up Mia who was silly and smiley and glad to be up in the middle of the night.  Mia set out on her journey with her granny and great granny, one last playing of Barney in the Honda DVD player.  She stayed wide awake the entire time.  She arrived at BWI Baltimore, MD at 5:15 and got checked in for her cross country flight.

Arriving to the gate we found the flight delayed due to an emergency with the flight attendant.  As we waited for the new flight attendant to come, the next flight became impossible to connect to.  We took an 8 hour day and turned it into 18 for this little girl.   Mia was unplussed by the delay.  Mia delighted the audience around her by talking, toddling around, and being quite the animated 1 year old.  She kept many frustrated people happier with her joy.

Finally at 900 we boarded the plane for Salt Lake City Utah - a 4.5 hour flight with 1 Mia, 1 large diaper bag and 2 book bags and 2 grandmas. The looks on everyones faces said it all....Will this be "that screaming kid?" Mia was so good, until she realized the young man on our row had a laptop.  She scrambled over both grandmas to get to the computer.  We caught her at the pass, but she continued to eye the computer for the remainder of the trip.  She was tired, she cried, fell asleep, woke back up, played patty cake, ate cheerios, dried fruit, drank water...and all along the pile of leftovers fell on the floor.  She smiled at the kids on the seat in front of us, smiled at the business men behind us and made many new friends.  As we left the plane we apologized profusely for the large pile of leftovers on the floor, smashed into the floor by a 1 year old who held it together for a long flight.

For the afternoon we enjoyed the large empty areas of the airport to watch Mia practice walking.  For a child who came to Maryland able to take one step and babbled a little, we traveled west with a little girl who can walk and walk and walk and DOES SHE TALK!  She loves to copy sounds, sometimes sings, and babbles babbles babbles.  She is great at Patty Cake and loves to lift her arms as we say SOOO BIG! She does itsy bitsy spider and hugs anyone who sings Barney's I LOVE YOU song.  For 2 hours she walked, talked to people, would attempt to run to strangers before we caught her, looked for cell phones she could take from unsuspecting people.  She brought smiles to everyone she interacted with and had a great afternoon.  After all that exercise she fell asleep for about an hour on a blanket on the floor.

Finally at 5:15 MT we got onto the final flight for the day, off to meet Grandma and Grandpa Davies.  For the 1 hour flight she was delightful.  She hugged and hugged and hugged.  Smiled at everyone and loved the trip.  We couldn't have asked for a better good bye.  For a little girl who had minimal sleep all day, she stayed happy and silly and loved on her grandmas.  Thank you Mia, we needed that.

The reunion with her grandparents was wonderful.  There were tears all around, but the joy on Mia's grandparents faces said it all... we cannot wait to love on you for the next 5 weeks.  So as we handed off diaper bags, clothes, leftover bags of Cheerios and goldfish, bottles, wipes, and more STUFF than any of the adults. Mia smiled and was fascinated with yet another new experience.  She got to the truck and didn't look back.  She's a forward thinker, loves to learn, and is soon to run circles around her parents.

We are excited to see the new adventures Mia gets to have on a ranch with lots of uncles and a grandma and grandpa who cannot wait to spoil her.  Mia, you made out lives special for the past month.  Enjoy round two.  We love you. Enjoy a wonderful 1st Birthday this week!

PS.  This trip would not have been so enjoyable without the love, support and aid of Great Grandma Fiddler, 70 years old, goes to the gym 4 times a week, and lifted Mia, bags, backpacks without a single stop. She walked fast, she rocked Mia, she kept the trip on track.  You are my hero and I am glad that Mia got to know how wonderful  you are.

-Kathy

Zed's. New Plane

6 months to go! Tonight Zed found out that he will be moving on to the T-1. This will put him into the cargo and refueling aircraft once training is complete. For the next 6 months he will be learning about the T-1 and the crew concept. In mid to late July he will find out what his official AF aircraft will be. In August he will graduate and he'll start specialized training anytime from September to November.

Mia Update

Mia - Week 3

Week three brought an entirely new Mia to Allen, MD.  Without the itch of eczema Mia slept well, ate well and played even better.  She learned Patty Cake and can often be found sitting amongst the toys in the room clapping her hands. She talks incessantly, sounds very smart in what she is saying, if only we knew her language.  She is also “toddling” everywhere.  No longer is crawling her first choice - With a cool new pair of sneakers she has some traction to get anywhere she wants.  Granny was thinking she was not getting enough exercise, but running after a mobile toddler is enough exercise for even the most active athlete!

Her BFF continues to be Libby.  Libby sits beside Mia at all times awaiting the morsels lovingly thrown at her from all angles.  Its a match made in heaven for a dirty house.  Libby is partial to Cheerios (as is Mia) but willingly eats green beans, peas, and peaches if tossed aside.

Mia has had multiple field trips.  We walked up to the Allen Post office yesterday and saw Miss Dorothy and the other folks at the post office.  Mia played cute and chatted it up with the post office folks.  She got to pick up her birthday package from Michigan and we brought it home to open.  A really cool JACK IN THE BOX! We also went to Target, Walmart, Marshalls and the grocery store.  I forgot how prepared one must be to go to the store…. yesterday I forgot a snack in my purse so we got some Raisins!  She loves them.  I do apologize to the folks at Target, she threw many on the floor so I just kicked them under the aisle shelves. You may find them

It does take a village to raise a child - I had to go to Baltimore Monday and Wednesday, Great Pop Pop came over early in the morning (0530) for coffee and Mia time so I cold get dressed! Great Grandma made dinner every night and watched Mia in the daytime those two days.  Great Grandma is an amazing energetic woman who has run circles around all of us.

Jeff came home late last night from Jordan and the joy on Mia’s face this morning when she woke up was awesome!  The joy she has when she sees her family is awesome!  The squeals of delight make it such a great day!

So this week Pappy (Jeff) is home all week to play.  I cannot wait to hear the stories. Mia loves to watch herself on videos and we have had a lot of fun watching her watch them.  She is growing by leaps and bounds and this has truly been a great week with her.

What's up with the parents

I'm constantly giving updates on Mia, but Zed and I are keeping busy ourselves.

Zed has his track select on 11 February. It will then that he finds out of he's going helicopters, tankers/transport, or fighters/bombers. Last week he would check in each morning and then come home to either work on his truck, clean the house, or study for the track he thinks he'll receive. This week he will be in Nashville attending a conference for cattle ranchers. He will be going with his dad, but his mom and brother #5 Jeff will be touring the city. Zed loves the ranch life so he's excited to be back in it for a few days.

I have been studying hard and doing my best to network with the people in my class. We had our first test and I missed one question, which I was very proud of. We have another test this week on material I have never seen before, so I'm excited to learn some new things. This week I will be staying in Biloxi and participating in a volunteer event with my class. Next week is another week of class and them a four day weekend for me!

Oh, whoever gave us battleship as a wedding gift...thank you. We're able to play even though we're not together and ther is no way either of us can cheat. This will be a game that whoever is away will have half of.

Zed and I will be going to see Wicked in Memphis and celebrating our anniversary 3 months early. The plan right now is to stay in the Peabody Hotel, go on a carriage ride and explore Beale St. We'll be using this weekend because for our actual anniversary in May I will be 8mo pregnant, we will have Mia back with us!, and Zed will most likely be studying for a check ride. This is the perfect opportunity for us to relax and enjoy each other's company and maybe decide on a name for our little one :)

The distance is hard, but technology has made this separation easier. Unfortunately this will not be the last time we're apart, but it will hopefully be the last time one of us doesn't have the kid(s). We will be letting the kids visit the grandparents alone again, if they'll have them, but we should be able to work it that one of us is with them while the other is deployed. We are extremely lucky to have these amazing surrogate parents if the need ever arises again. 

Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers as we go through this trying time. 

Second Time Around

Since I have a lot of free time without a husband and little girl, I've decided to try and use this blog for what I initially intended it for. A medium for you to learn more about me and my family and a way for me to express my form of art...writing. Well, here goes nothing!

Being a young pregnant lady I tend to get a lot of unsolicited advice, mostly due to people thinking this is my first. When I'm finally able to get a word in and let them know this is my second, their tune changes and I'm asked what I'm going to do different. 

If you've met Mia you'll know she is a very easygoing, happy kid. I would love to say that's all thanks to Zed and my amazing parenting, but the more I see other kids her age I think it's a lot of her own disposition. We were concered about having the epitome of a "first child" simply because Zed and I are both firsts. We didn't worry that she didn't always match, we took a lot of cues from her (shoes, socks, clothes, food, etc) and tried to only impose when necessary (mostly sleep). Zed, of course, was much better at this than me, letting her eat dirt and treating her like a trained cheerleader. 

So are we going to change our parenting techniques, not intentionally, but each child is different and we will again take the cues and proceed from there. 

There are some things that we've learned. We have already bought a swing that can go from left to right or front to back. Mia did not like a rocking chair so when we couldn't console her, we were on our feet swaying side to side, hopefully the swing will help with this. There are elastic bands that you can get personalized with your child's name and then they fit nicely on bottles. This is a  necessity sending our kids to the base daycare, names must be permanently displayed. We got these for Mia eventually and it made life a little easier. We also know to bring a few different sized outfits to the hospital to bring the baby home in. Poor Mia was so tiny she was swimming in the newborn clothes we had brought, we'll be bringing at least one preemie outfit this time around.

As far as the momma goes, I have eaten less and worked out about the same amount (3-5 times per week). With Mia I gained a ton of unnecessary weight and unfortunately did not lose it all prior to getting pregnant the second time. This time, as of 18wks in, I have only gained 6lbs! I will be bringing more clothes for me to the hospital and changing into them as soon as I can! I didnt know that was allowed :) I'm going to worry about myself a little more this time, making time to work out even if that means I have to ask for help. The final and most important thing I'm changing this time is not letting work get between me and feeding the little one. Work combined with getting pregnant, Mia made the switch to formula a little sooner than I had wanted.

I know I will still want to change things after this baby and I will always be learning, but my goal is to never stress and just love my little ones with all I have. I am truly blessed to have a little girl who is so easygoing, a husband who puts up with my crazy antics, and for the opportunity to be a new mom again.

What's for Dinner

As I'm sitting here in my hotel room wondering if I should eat a PBJ or turkey sandwich I wonder which, if any of the precooked meals Zed will eat tonight.

While I was home this past weekend I made 4 crockpot meals and froze them. We had food storage that we needed to use or lose within the next month. All zed has to do is pull the gallon zip lock bag out of the freezer the night prior and then throw it in the crockpot before he leaves for the day. I made him beef stroganoff, teriyaki pork chops, pot roast, and a ravioli sausage bake. The beef stroganoff he will have to make either rice or noodles to eat with it. As he eats them I'll be sure to let you know how they taste and post the recipes and any tips.

To make these four meals (all family sized) I spent about $60 and 1hr into the kitchen. This is not bad considering these meals will last him, at minimum 10 meals. If this goes well, the plan so to continue this method and hopefully make it easier once baby girl #2 comes along.

If any of you have any recommendations, please share!

Week in Review

Another email from Maryland about Mia's week with G and Pappy.

Hello all lovers of everything Mia!

It was quite the week for Ms. Davies of Columbus, Mississippi.  As she dove into week two visiting her grandparents, the Berthiaume’s, so did the ice cold weather.  Week two of her cross country journey brought temperatures at -9 with wind chills much below that.  Across the state pipes froze, the Chesapeake Bay needed ice cutters, and Mia got more comfortable with her new bedroom.  Week two also brought 2 new teeth up top.  There was drool, drool drool as she tried to eat on everything around, books, plasticware, even the dog’s bone!  She was restless at night from all that teething, but alas…. this too shall pass.

Tuesday brought a winter storm that dumped 6 inches of snow for the Eastern Shore!  Mia got to touch snow for the first time… She was a little afraid, and not until we put it in a cup for her would she touch it!

Her Great Granny Fiddler watched her in the daytime while her Grandmother worked.  They played patty cake, went to Walmart, visited Miss Jan, a neighbor down the street and had a wonderful time.  Mia’s new BFF is Libby, her grandparents dog.  Libby follows Mis everywhere in hopes of a scap, a morsel, anything that might drop from her clothes or hands.  It does make for easy clean up around the house!

With the frigid temperatures the need for propane was great.  Apparently the propane company didn’t realize this, for Wednesday morning we woke up at 0400 to a house temperature of 42 degrees and the pipes downstairs were frozen solid!  Grandmom whisked Mia and Aunt Abby over to her grandparents for some heat while Grandmom returned home to wait for the propane delivery.  God Bless Great Grandparents!  With many apologies the propane truck deliver 300 gallons of propane and slowly the heat returned and pipes reopened…. 

One of the struggles with icy cold weather is the dry weather in the house.  The change in weather really bothered Mia.  She came to Maryland with a minor case of eczema which, with teething and excessively cold temperatures outside and the dry heat inside turned into a terrible case of eczema.  Luckily, Pop Pop Fiddler called a pediatric dermatologist who saw her Wednesday, prescribed a special cream for morning and night, recommended daily bathing with lots and lots of Aquaphor throughout the day….  Mia gets to visit her again in 2 weeks so she is all set to travel out to Oregon.  Within 24 hours of getting some nice cream all over her and a bit of anti itch medicine at night, Mia Davies was a new woman…. Sleeping well, eating better and beautifully clear skin!

She has enjoyed a plethora of foods, Cheerios are a great staple snack that she always has at the ready.  She loves peaches, pears, applesauce, pork, turnkey, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots.  Yesterday she has macaroni and cheese, home made by Great Granny.  She is starting to walk everywhere (preferably holding someone’s hand) but gets better and better each day.

Mia growing by leaps and bounds.  She fits well in 12 months clothes, weight 9 KG at the doctors (19.8 pounds) and will surely be up to 20 pounds by her birthday.  She loves to climb on everything! She has learned Patty Cake and Itsy Bitsy spider.  She loves to dance.  Yesterday she and Aunt Sarah spent some quality time dancing to the music of Queen!  She is also very excited to learn she will have a new sister this summer.  She cannot wait to share her food, her raisins, cheerios and drool!

Today we got up at 6:30, took a long walk up the street, ate a great country breakfast, and it is now kitchen playtime.  Libby is standing by to pick up, lest Mia drop a crumb.  Mia misses you all and cannot wait to see everyone.  FaceTime us when you can. She loves to see everyone!

Kathryn Fiddler

A little more GLITTER

We're having another girl. She currently weighs a hearty 9oz and her heartbeat was 147. 

Guns or Glitter

We invite you to make your guess in the comments and look forward to sharing the big reveal with you all on Friday!

Picture Post

All of us are doing well. I get to see Mia via FaceTime about once a day and Zed says it's too sad so he sees her via FaceTime or Hangouts on the weekends. School is going well for me, the first test is this coming Thursday and Zed is keeping busy studying for his next plane since he's done flying. We have been told that Mia has grown out of all the pants we sent her with...about to go shopping!

Enjoy the pictures and we find out if it will be more pink or some new blue on Friday!

Tabby and Mia

Pappy and Mia first thing in the morning

Mia and her cousins from Deleware

Auntie Ray and Mia

Pop-Pop Fiddler and Mia watching the game

A Family Separated

Mia is currently in Allen, MD enjoying 4in of powdery snow. She is doing well for my parents and we are so thankful that she is an easy going kid. When we FaceTime she lights up and wants to hold the phone, iPad, computer which usually results in her attempting to hit the end button. Mia has become best friends with Libby, my parents dog and is learning what gentle means. When I get pictures I'll them put up.

Zed has completed all of his flights for Phase II and is now studying up for Phase III and completing little tasks around the squadron. I was able to leave him with a large lasagna, some pork chops and chicken breasts. He should have some sort of food until I get home in 8 days.

I have started class...it is very low stress. Class goes from 6:00-3:00 and we have a two hour lunch. I'm the class safety officer so on weekends I track who is traveling and if anyone gets hurt I file the paperwork. Out of the 21 people in my class, I'm the 4th highest ranking and the person with the most on the job experience. I know I'll still learn a lot, but I'm more excited to make connections and learn how the guard does things, half of my class is guard and the other half is active duty.

As we learn how to be a family separated, we rely heavily on FaceTime and Hangouts. In today's world, we've learned that a quick call or a picture through a text makes being apart a lot easier. Though this is not the ideal situation, it is nice to know that as Zed and I's careers progress there will be more time apart and technology will make that easier.

The next post will probably be a picture post and the following will be announcing if we're having a boy or girl!

The first few days

Below is a note from my mom on Mia's first few hours/day with them.

Well,

Here we are - one full day with Mia under our belt and Abby and I are no worse for the wear.  Mia woke up Saturday night (sun early AM) a lot… But, it was a new house, new crib and she had been in the car and plane a lot.  She looked at me each time I came in to hold her and was perplexed….. Stared for a minute trying to figure out who I was as she seemed to be expecting her mother.  Abby got up with her a lot too.  She was wonderful.  Sunday brought a much better day.  We played, ate a good breakfast of carrots and cheerios, played with the kitchen.  She took a grand 1.5 hour long nap.  Ate well and enjoyed.  We walked outside and enjoyed the cold.

We went to Kate and Ron’s and had a lovely birthday party for 10 year old Sarah!  Mia was very well behaved, smiled cutely at the old ladies, and cooed, laughed and enjoyed.  She ate lasagne and LOVED IT! We then drove home - She was done… tired of being in the car.  Screamed the last 30 minutes, so we put on Barney.  Dear me… we buy a large SUV so we can watch Barney with out granddaughter!

We made is home successfully learning about manners and singing “I love you…. You love me….”  How does a big purple dinosaur have such control over the youth of today?

We had dinner at Grannys.  Mia loved the cat, Simon and played with Granny’s tupperware while Simon watched.

We had a fun bath in Granny’s tub after dinner of pot roast, sweet potatoes and carrots.  She went to bed at 8:30 and slept most of the night.

She loves Libby and Libby is her new BFF.  She got up at 0630 this AM.  We played kitchen, walked around the house, read some stories and had a grand morning.  She has a picture book with your pictures, Zed’s parents, and Abby in it.  She loves looking at it and squeals every time she sees the pictures of you and Zed.  Its adorable.  A tribute to the amazing parents you are.

She is now up in her crib, reading, lying on her side, chatting…. She finished a bottle and I thought she would sleep… Nope, just playing…… (Alas, as I write this I hear her snoring!)

We have 6 inches of snow forecasted for tomorrow!  She and Pappy should have some fun!

I miss you and love you.  We will take lots of pics of the snow tomorrow!:)

Mom!

Happy 11 months baby girl

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Last Day

Well, today is our last day as a family in one spot until the end of March. For those of you who didn't know, I'm going away for a 10wk training to Biloxi, MS. The daycare here can't take her and Zed is not allowed to be a single dad while in pilot training so she's going to her grandparents.

Tomorrow I fly her to Maryland for her to spend the first 5wks with my parents and then she'll make the trip across the country to spend the last 5wks with Zed's parents in Oregon. She'll come home the last week of March and I will come home a few days later.

As I sit here packing up her stuff for almost 3mo a ton of thoughts are running through my mind. I will miss her first birthday, miss her first glass of milk without formula, miss her last time crawling, miss her first run, miss her growing out of her 9mo clothes. I also think about how big she'll be when she gets home, how much fun she'll have with her grandparents, how she'll ride her first horse, and how she'll come back speaking real words.

The most important thing I've thought about is how lucky Zed and I are to having an amazing family who are willing to foster our crazy beautiful little girl while we further our careers in the Air Force. I don't know of many people who have such a strong support system let alone being comfortable enough to send our daughter to both families for such an extended amount of time.

We will miss Mia and saying goodbye will be the hardest thing we've had to do as parents, but the reunion in March will be one of the best days and one that will be highly looked forward to.

I'll make sure to get pictures constantly and post updates as they happen. Please keep our parents in your thoughts and prayers as they become parents to a toddler again.

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