Here we go AGAIN.....

Last week was a very eventful one! After weeks of bedrest to stop pre-term labor, I finally reached FULL TERM and was doing anything I could to start labor.  I ate two whole fresh pineapples over the course of three days, walked about 20 miles in those same three days, had as much sex as my poor exhausted hubby could handle, and even used accupressure & aromatherapy to get things moving.  I had lots of great contractions, but any time they started to get into a good 'productive' feeling pattern, they would stop.

Tuesday morning I had my 40 week checkup at the OB, and she checked my cervix for progress; I was dialted to 'almost 5 cm' .....a loose 4, at least, and was about 70% effaced.  Five days prior, I had been a 'tight 4 cm', or 3 to 4 cm and 70% so this was at least SOME progress.  I felt my body was finally getting ready enough for me to get more aggressive, so I made plans to take castor oil late that night (as planned ahead with my doula, who also gave me the protocol for Evening Primrose Oil to further ripen my cervix).....but as it turned out, I didn't have the chance to get more aggressive with it.  I went home from the checkup and started fixing lunch for my hubby, who was in a strange mood. I finally asked him outright what I had done to upset him, and he told me he wasn't mad at me.....

This is where he let me in on a BIG SECRET he had been keeping from me for weeks:

ANOTHER FUCKING DEPLOYMENT!

We don't have the exact time frame yet, but we know roughly where he's going and for how long. And we know it will be 'SOON'.  Too damned soon.  He wasn't trying to be deceptive, but he didn't want to upset me when I was supposed to be on bedrest.....finally he HAD to say something because his command was bugging him to confirm that I was 'on board' (what, like I have any fucking SAY in the matter?!?! HAH.)

I didn't cry (very much) and didn't throw a fit, just discussed it with him for a few minutes - what this means for our family, how it changes plans we had for the next year, etc. - and I went back to fixing his lunch.  I sent my best friend/battle buddy a panicked text and she calmed me down while I worked on the food.  I took Jarhead's food to him in his office/mancave, and brought mine in to join him.

Not two bites into my own lunch, I had a STRONG contraction - like a serious HOLY SHIT THAT FUCKING HURTS contraction.  I actually halfway laughed once it had passed, because my text to my friend 15 minutes prior  had included the phrase "I feel like I was just punched in the gut".  I was speaking figuratively, of course, and yet here I was LITERALLY breathless and in pain.

So all that work to get labor going, and it turns out all we had to do was give me the craziest bad news I could have imagined.  Baby #5 was born about 12 painful (all-natural) hours later, and is healthy and PERFECT.

I don't know how on earth I will survive this coming deployment, especially with a newborn AND a toddler to care for....but suffice it to say I will be blogging here more frequently.

long overdue UPDATE

I might just be the world's most pathetic blogger these days.....I can NOT believe I haven't posted a single update since announcing this pregnancy!  Well, that's all about to change, because at 33 weeks pregnant, I have been placed on BEDREST. Three days into this nonsense, I have a whole new respect for mommies everywhere who have endured this particular torture.

Anyway, to make this a proper update, I'll obviously have to include some pictures. First, the Senior Pictures of Bonehead (as promised like 8 months ago...SORRY!)

He's so handsome when he dresses up!  He turned 18 two months ago and moved out, but is currently crashing with my parents because he hasn't been able to find a JOB....well, aside from the one he's set to start in April: he enlisted in the NAVY, so now I am a NAVY MOM, in addition to being a MARINE WIFE. I do dread his impending departure to boot camp, but am holding my tears for his first deployment. Or trying to anyway. *sob*

As for Knucklehead, he is turning 13 tomorrow, and aside from a little bit of teenage attitude, he is still an absolutely AMAZING kid. Still pulling straight A's in school, including in band where he plays the coronet; still awesome in sports - especially basketball; and recently promoted in his Young Marines unit. (terrible picture of me, but at least you get a peek at my baby bump!)

Bobblehead still makes me smile constantly - he's 2 1/2 now and he can't wait to be a big brother! He moved into his new 'big boy room' a couple weeks ago, and of course LOVES it. I was hoping to have the nursery all re-done in time for this baby, but bedrest may make this impossible. Whenever I get it done, I'll definitely have to post some before & after pictures. But Bobblehead doesn't even seem to mind being displaced from his cherished 'monkey room' - hope the whole jealousy thing doesn't become a huge issue. I've never had kids so close together before, so I'm not sure how any of us will handle it!

As for baby # 5.....first of all, we had to find out the gender as soon as possible (I was so very impatient to know!)

Now that this has been established, we need to come up with a 'blog' name for the baby.....any ideas out there? Trying to stick with the 'head' theme (Since big sister is 'Airhead' here, and brothers are 'Bonehead', 'Knucklehead', & 'Bobblehead')

Coming up with an actual real-life name for him was tough, but we finally settled on a combination that will honor two fallen Marines who my husband went to IOC with - 2nd Lt. James Cathey, and 1st Lt. Sean Blue.  I'm super excited to meet this little one in a few weeks, especially since his 4D ultrasound shows he'll be another 'mini-me' for my hubs....he looks JUST like Knucklehead and Bobblehead!

We're still worried there may be health issues for this baby, even if he manages to stay inside for a few more weeks. We had a 'positive' AFP test early on that pointed to a 1 in 79 chance that he has Down Syndrome.  We didn't do amnio to confirm or deny this, so we're doing LOTS of extra monitoring while waiting for his arrival (and the doula in me is pretty darn sure that the stress of this extra monitoring is what led to the preterm labor scare that now has me on BEDREST. sadface.) As far as the risk of DS goes, this is more due to my 'advanced maternal age' than anything else, and of course there is still a 78 in 79 chance that he does NOT have DS...so we're hoping/praying for a healthy baby. If he has DS, his most likely complication at birth will be heart issues, which would require him to be life-flighted to a hospital about an hour away (by car). If any of the ultrasounds between now and birth show ANY hint of a heart problem, we'll probably just plan to deliver at that hospital, just to be safe. We have two local hospitals, one of which has a new NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) but even that won't be enough if he needs cardiac care right away.  Either way, I am still SO THANKFUL for my husband's civilian job, with GREAT health insurance that allows us the flexibility to give birth pretty much anywhere we choose.

I'll try to do a better job of keeping this blog updated in the meantime, since I am BORED TO TEARS with bedrest already. Looking forward to your suggestions for a blog name for the new baby!

Wife Swap (?)

I realize that I owe you all an update (yes, I actually AM aware of the passing of time in this crazy life of mine) but instead I am writing this in response to Kristle's recent SpouseBuzz article about Wife Swap (read her post HERE).

Having never actually watched an entire episode of Wife Swap, it is tough for me to say whether or not I would be willing to do this show (I am guessing NOT....and it is a moot point because Jarhead would NEVER agree to this!!!) however, even if I was willing to swap, and even if hubby agreed to it, I know for a fact that the show's producers could NEVER find anyone willing to take on my insane life for any period of time.

The manual I would have to leave for anyone so crazy would probably go something like this:


"Welcome to our insane asylum. If you did not bring your own meds, well sorry - you'll wish you had. If you feel the need to 'borrow' some, borrow mine, they're the BEST.  But they always run out, so good luck with that.  In an emergency, you can borrow my 'backup meds':

As you will notice when you enter our home, dust is a NOUN here, not a verb.  (it is something that is HERE, not something I DO)  If this bothers you, feel free to waste your time constantly shifting the never-ending supply of dust from one surface to another.  I prefer to spend my time tending to the needs of all the men in my life:




This is Jarhead.

He is always right. Don't question it, just know that he IS always right. He has a charming mix of Bi-polar symptoms and O.C.D., with A.D.D. tendencies and some violent anger outbursts thrown in for fun. I am pretty sure this is actually undiagnosed PTSD, unless maybe he is taking asshole pills behind my back.  DON'T POKE THIS BEAR.  He doesn't regularly take any meds, much to my dismay.  Your best bet is to provide timely meals that are at least a little appealing, with plenty of salt and cold Coke Zero.  Desserts help, too.  Serve with a remote control on the side, and stay out of his line of sight.  Do NOT, under any circumstances, make fun of his incessant channel surfing.  He is only home 3 out of every seven days, so just keep the peace while he's home, and you can breathe easier and stop walking on eggshells for four straight days.




This is Bonehead. 

He will be 18 in 149 days, but who's counting? He is ridiculously funny, but even more ridiculously inappropriate.  If you are easily offended, bring ear plugs or an iPod so you can ignore him.  99.9% of everything that comes out of his mouth is a meaningless joke, anyway.  He can be trusted to babysit the toddler for a few hours at a time, but be prepared to come home to this scene if you take advantage of this:

(yes, that is a baby asleep in a laundry hamper)

Bonehead can also be very violent if provoked, and stands a full 6' 4" so don't poke THIS bear, either.  His primary trigger is anyone mentioning his Asperger's Syndrome, or anything that he perceives to be a reference to this.  One recent meltdown started with me saying, "you would be good at X" because he assumed that my reason for thinking he would be good at it was because of his Asperger's.  Just give him something constructive to do each day, and give very clear & concise instructions. If you leave room for interpretation, YOU WILL GET his interpretation (and it won't match anything you could ever come up with on your own).  Ask him to show you his speed-solving skills with his Rubik's Cube - this is phenomenal to see, and he is always happy to show off.




This is Knucklehead.

He is our 'perfect child'.  Or was, until he hit middle school. Now he occasionally brings out a teenage attitude, but generally uses this to go pout in solitude.  He can be trusted to watch the toddler, but is not great about changing diapers - so limit your errands to 2 hours or less, if you leave Knucklehead in charge.  He will spend his free time playing videogames, shooting hoops at the park down the street, or playing with his little brother.  He is low-maintenance, but don't forget to give him some attention or you'll see that attitude I mentioned above.




This is Bobblehead.

He loves eggs and hates being told what to do.  He knows he is cute, so beware! He will use those dimples against you if he can.  He naps pretty well (finally!) and sleeps through the night, but is very dependent on certain routines and comfort items to make this happen.  See the 'sleep manual' provided in a separate volume. He wiggles during diaper changes, as he seems to think his purpose in life is to streak around the house naked.  He throws a mean tantrum, but can usually be distracted from a fit with a ball; any ball will work, but basketballs are his favorite. He also loves splashing in water... ANY kind of water (keep bathrooms off limits or he will play in the toilet)

His language has been a little slow to develop, but is now picking up, so you can expect him to learn hundreds of new words during your stay here.  Please don't teach him any four-letter-words, as I have worked very hard to curb my own swearing to keep him from repeating anything that might embarrass me, say, at church.  Or at the Christian Preschool where I teach (that's another whole manual there).  Bobblehead gives the BEST cuddles, so if there are no 'meds' or 'backup meds' in the house, his snuggly hugs and kisses should get you through the rough days.  They certainly do for me."

What would you put in your manual, if you went on Wife Swap? Post in the comments below, or better yet make a blog post about this and put the link in a comment below :)

As always, THANKS SO MUCH for reading!


   

checking in

I know I have not been on here in AWHILE (sorry again!) even though I said I would be back more regularly. Life has other plans for me than blogging, apparently.

*sigh*

My preschool job is going well, but it's been a long and difficult adjustment.  The hardest adjustment has been learning how to juggle all of my responsibilities in addition to working full time, but I also struggled with missing Bobblehead (whose class is right down the hall from mine, so at least I get to see him some throughout the day). Hubby started stepping in and helping with household stuff a few weeks ago, which has helped IMMENSELY. Well, except for the fact that I'm a bitchy control-freak and have a tendency to go behind him and re-do stuff that I determine he has done 'wrong'.  I'm getting better about letting go of this, but it is so hard!

I can't remember whether or not I announced on here my 'new career'.....I am now a trained Birth Doula!  I'm going through the process of certification through DONA International, and I expect to be certified by the end of this year. I don't know if I will ever make a LIVING doing this, but for now I want to offer my services for free to military mommies who are giving birth while hubby/boyfriend is deployed.  Bobblehead's birth during deployment effected me so profoundly, and I could NOT have done it without my amazing Doula.  Had she not been there, I am certain I would have had a cesarean!  The most I can reasonably commit to, time-wise, is one birth a month.  If I ever decide to quit my preschool job though, I can schedule as many as three births a month (hard to do, since we all know due-dates are ESTIMATED & babies rarely come ON their due date!) and if I do civilian births, doulas in my area are charging $750 to $1000 per birth.  Hourly, this breaks down to anywhere from $20 to $50 per hour depending on the length of that mommy's labor, but it is still a PART TIME job, so I think I would have to start teaching childbirth classes or breastfeeding classes or something to fill in the financial gap. ANYWAY, that's really jumping the gun!  For now I am just really enjoying helping mommies welcome their little ones into the world.  I don't have any clients scheduled to deliver in June, but I have a July birth lined up already, as well as August & October.  I might have a September birth scheduled, but that mommy has not gotten back to me yet.  (if you know a military mommy on or near Pendleton who is due in September & can't afford a doula, have her contact me in case I can help her for free!  Priority will be given to a mommy whose hubby will be deployed or far away for training at the time of the birth, but that's not a requirement at this point)

My home life & marriage is still a full time job in itself, but it is still going.  At least I haven't been 'fired' and I'm sure as hell not about to QUIT!  Hubby and I are working through some of our issues, and trying to take time to enjoy the kids.  Bonehead will be moving out sometime in the next couple of months, but his actual plans keep changing.  Part of me hopes he follows through with his plans to enlist, but part of me prays he finds a civilian job instead. Knucklehead continues to impress everyone with his stellar academics (straight A's again!) and his extracurricular activities (basketball, band, and Young Marines) and Bobblehead is growing like a weed - still not talking much at 20 months, but learning new 'tricks' every day.

I'd love to commit to updating this blog at least weekly, but all the things I want to write about are the things that KEEP me from having time for blogging!  Our ongoing struggle with undiagnosed PTSD, the longest reintegration in history, my weight battles, my depression/anxiety issues, and the everyday adventure of raising all these boys are all EXTREMELY time consuming.  So forgive me if it is a long time before you hear from me, but thanks for coming back every time I do - it means more than you know.

(HUGS!)

be careful what you wish for (and Happy Valentine's Day)

In April 2009, when it seemed my entire life was upside down, I lost my job as a preschool director.  I had been with that agency for over two years, and was miserable for at least the last year of it because of the difference between my personal philosophy and that of my bosses (yes, bossES, as in, plural.  Another headache there).

Anyway, I looked for another preschool job, initially focusing on administrative positions, but broadening my search fairly quickly to include applying for entry-level on up.  I was repeatedly told that I was 'overqualified' for so many jobs, before finally landing my current VERY PART TIME job as a school crossing guard.  Somehow my degree and credential did NOT over-qualify me for holding up a stop sign in a crosswalk for an hour every morning and another hour in the afternoon. (?)

I was 4 months pregnant with Bobblehead when I was hired for this job, so I was happy that it was so part-time.  I've kept my ear to the ground since then for a PRESCHOOL job, but wasn't searching very aggressively because I knew we didn't have many QUALITY infant/toddler child care programs in the area for my little Bobblehead.  Once he is 18 months old, our selection of viable child care choices becomes HUGE, so I started applying like crazy for everything I could a couple weeks ago. (Bobblehead is now 17 months old).

One position that I applied for was a Preschool Director position a couple towns away....about a 30 minute commute if there's no traffic.  The neighborhood is bad, the school is in a very SAD state of disrepair, and the owners don't seem to know what they're doing.  They have 30 children enrolled right now, in a program that is licensed for over 150 children!  Still, I was up for the challenge and they seemed to really WANT me, especially after I talked to them about marketing ideas, curriculum implementation, etc during my second interview with them.  They have an infant/toddler program there, though the quality is, well. QUESTIONABLE.  As the director, I would definitely have the power to turn that around, but still I was not exactly ANXIOUS to bring Bobblehead there.  I told myself I could work around that, maybe have my sister watch him for the first month or so while I worked to get the program into shape.  I just wanted the job so bad!  Unfortunately, they were only willing to offer about HALF of what I expected to earn there, so it was not a winning proposition for me.  I don't know who they finally hired to do that job, but she has an uphill battle ahead of her! (Especially since the owners clearly are not willing to spend any money to make money with this program)

I applied for several other positions, had LOTS of great job interviews, and finally this week hit paydirt....sorta.  Our valley's one-and-only QUALITY program for infants and toddlers opened just a couple months ago, and they are rapidly growing and filling that part of the school as word gets out that they're there.  They advertised looking for a qualified Infant teacher to accommodate that growth, so naturally I was interested!  Not administrative, but a GREAT program for my baby Bobblehead, so definitely something I wanted. Bad.

I wore this to the interview:

(I was going for professional, but approachable, and my hair was totally AWESOME that day, which must have helped...)

I totally NAILED the interview!  So much so, that they actually called me within about two hours after I left, to offer me the job......but NOT the Infant Room job I interviewed for.  I will actually be teaching TWO-YEAR-OLDS (my least favorite age to work with, besides of course TEENAGERS. Teenagers are the worst).  The pay is mere peanuts for someone with my experience and qualifications, but they offered me a whopping 75% discount for Bobblehead's tuition there!  That's what made it a no-brainer to accept the job, since the SAVINGS in child care costs adds up to $9000/year of income-in-kind, TAX FREE.  Also, the two-year-olds class placement for me is TEMPORARY, since they won't let me be Bobblehead's teacher, and he will be moving into the Two's room in September.  They're not sure where they'll move me in the fall, but they're working on that... frankly I don't care, ANY position will be better than teaching two-year-olds!  I don't mind the diapering, and have an infinite amount of patience for little ones......but two year olds are just so.....INTENSE.  I'll be sure to update you all in a few weeks (I start the job March 1).

Oh yeah, did I mention this whole interview/job offer whirlwind happened on Valentine's Day?  I was worried that the stress of that whole thing could ruin our evening, but not to worry - my teenager Bonehead was one step ahead, ruining our entire WEEK.  He took off again that afternoon after a particularly heated exchange with my husband, and has not been home since.  He has called me twice, and I know where he spent the first couple of nights (not sure where he slept last night).  He is *technically* a 'runaway' right now, but I haven't reported him to police or anything.  I know he is safe (for now) but more than that, I am not rushing to get him home because I don't know how to deal with him any more!  I do know that anything I do to try to exert any kind of control over him will just push him further away.  I'm still gun-shy after what happened with my daughter 4 years ago (she is STILL not speaking to me after I took away her car to get her to stop ditching school in the beginning of her Senior year of high school).  I'm hoping Bonehead will calm down and come home on his own, and since we have a four-day weekend right now, he has plenty of time to do that.  He is such a  pain in the butt most of the time, but when he's NOT being a pain, he is so awesome with his baby brother!  Bobblehead really enjoys running around and playing with him, and Bonehead is the ONLY one who can get him to keep his superhero masks on long enough for a picture.

Back to my Valentine's though.....hubby gave me my gift a day early, a new iPad 2!  My old iPad was pretty beat up after two years of being dropped frequently, so I am thrilled with my gift.  I think hubby also REALLY liked his gift....Pinup photos of me!  

I can't post most of them here, even though they're all 'tasteful'.  I had so much fun taking the photos, and I know that hubby likes the more confident and sexy 'me' that came out of that whole process.  Definitely doing another set for him after I get to my goal weight/size! And as for our ruined evening, we decided on a raincheck to go out for a nice romantic dinner WITH NO KIDS.  Update on that later, too.  (or NOT *wink wink*)

Hope you all enjoyed some sweet lovin this week!  for my milspouse followers, I know many of you wish you could just SEE your man for special days......but while he's out there saving the world, you'll have to settle for posting something like this on your FB to make your civilian friends jealous:

June picture post - DISNEYLAND!

I've been looking forward to writing this post all week, because that would mean we got to go to DISNEYLAND!  Now that I'm back from our trip, I am actually TOO TIRED to blog!  (who would've thought there WAS such a thing as TOO tired?!?) So, if this comes out incoherent, I apologize. Oh, and this might get kinda long, because we rarely ever actually go on vacations - and when we do, we cram A LOT of stuff in there!

The trip was AMAZING.  We all really needed it, and we squeezed every drop of fun out of it that we possibly could.  We got park-hopper passes on base that are good for three days - and you don't have to use all three days at once, so we're saving our third day for later (maybe around Christmas?) Oh, and if you're not a local, "park hopper" means the ticket is good for BOTH amusement parks, Disneyland & Disney's California Adventure. The two parks sit side-by-side, along with three Disney Resort hotels.  We stayed at the 'nice' hotel this time, Disney's Grand Californian, and spent WAY too much for it.  But our 'Premium Room' had a BUNK BED for the boys,

plus a nice balcony overlooking this really cool pool area. 

And the pool was not very crowded, even in the afternoon when it got hot out.

We got there early the first day, so we could pre-check in at the hotel and drop off our luggage.  Of course check-in time is not until 3 PM, but they let us leave our bags with bell services, and they even gave us our personalized room keys, promising to send us a text message as soon as our room was ready.  Awesome, right?  Then it was off to Disneyland - er, I mean, DisneyLINE, as Knucklehead calls it now.  We stood in line for 5 minutes to go through security where they pretend to check your backpacks for anything 'bad' and then waited in another line for 20 minutes just to get in the gate (at park OPENING, 8 AM!  It's totally not supposed to be that crowded so early in the morning!) Once inside the park, the boys ran ahead with hubby to get to Tomorrowland, where two of the most popular rides are: Space Mountain, and Star Tours. The Star Tours ride was recently re-done in 3-D, just opened last week, I think....so that line was already ridiculous!   That's where we figured out the BEST way to use the parent 'Switch Passes'. 

The guys went on Space Mountain first, which only had like a 10 minute wait at that point, while I went over to the employee at the line for Star Tours and asked for a Switch Pass.  These are for parents who have to wait with a child who is too small to ride, while the other parent takes older children on the ride.  The parent who waits gets a special pass (you have to ASK for it) and then gets to jump to the front of the line as soon as the other parent comes out of the ride to switch places.  The theory is that Mom already waited once, while Dad was on the ride (or the other way around) so she shouldn't have to wait AGAIN.  So, on several of the rides that I wasn't really that interested in going on, I went up to ask for the Switch Pass, as if my family was already waiting in the LOOOOONG line.....instead, they were waiting nearby, so I could hand them a switch pass and they could go to the front of the line, as if they had just waited with Bobblehead while I rode.  I guess the park employees have figured out that people pull a fast one like that, because on several rides, they hand 'parent A' a lanyard to wear through the line.  When he/she gets to the front of the line and gets ON the ride, then they give them a switch pass to go give to parent B. In other words, no faking the line-wait part. *sigh*  Still, those switch passes really saved us, as the lines for most attractions were more than an hour long by noon.  The Star Tours line was already 90 minutes long first thing in the morning!  Crazy.

Anyway, thanks to the switch passes, I actually got to go on a few rides, too.  The new Star Tours is AWESOME!  It's still the same basic ride, but now there are like four different versions of the 'movie' you watch on the ride.  They all start with a droid trying to stop the craft you're on, saying "We are trying to locate this REBEL SPY" while displaying a random picture of someone who is on the ride with you.  When I went with the boys, Knucklehead (my 11 year old) was the random photo they showed!  HA HA HA!  It was so much fun.

We did all the 'major' rides at Disneyland before 2 PM, and several of the small rides.  I really wanted to take Bobblehead on the "Small World" ride, but the line was LOOOONG, and in the sun.  We decided to let that one wait for Day 2.  We got over to the second park, California Adventure, and the guys went on some of the 'good rides'.  The hang-glider simulation ride had a pretty long wait, but is always worth it.

A Bug's Land is also fun - for the LITTLE ones, anyway.  :)

Our hotel had a separate entrance that opens up into Ca. Adventure, so as soon as our room was ready we went up, changed, and went SWIMMING!  They had several pools, and a cool waterslide that Bonehead and Knucklehead each went on dozens of times. 

Bobblehead had only been in a pool once before, and the water was too cold then, so he didn't like it.  At the hotel, however, the water was PERFECT, so he turned into a little fish and absolutely did NOT want to get out of the water.

A few showers later, we were dressed and back on the rides, and ready for the new water/light/music show "World of Color".  I can't possibly do that show justice within this post, so I'll have to do a separate post later with pictures AND video.  But it was AWESOME!  I wish I had put the baby in his jammies before the show though, because he fell asleep in his stroller (it was WELL past his bedtime, after all) and didn't like it when I woke him to change back at the hotel later.  Oh well, live and learn.

Day 2 was our 'Magic Morning' with early entry into the parks - an hour ahead of the general public.  Since Disneyland opened at 8 AM, we got in at 7 AM...which meant we had to be up by 6, and thank goodness I had brought food to stock our little refrigerator!  We had a little 'continental breakfast' in our room for a fraction of what we would have paid in any of the restaurants there. The boys got to do the big coasters again, and we had NO wait at all for Small World when it opened at 8. (only selected rides are open for the Magic Morning thing at 7, and Small World was not one of those).

Bobblehead decided that Disneyland was a great place to take LOTS of naps.  They were short ones, but at least he got them in!  I'm so happy that I brought that baby carrier with us, so I could strap him to me for some of the 'family' rides.

By 10 AM on day 2, we literally had done everything we needed to at Disneyland, except for see the new Soundsational Parade (I have video that I can't upload right now, so maybe I will add that with the World of Color post later on).  Since the parade wasn't coming through til 4 PM, we went back across to California Adeventure.  One of the new rides over there is called "Ariel's Undersea Adventure" and it basically tells the story of The Little Mermaid.  We skipped it on day 1 because the line was more than an hour long, and, well, none of us is a four-year-old-girl.  But on day 2, we found the line was only about 20 minutes long, so we went.  And I CRIED like a baby, missing my little girl!  "Airhead" is 21 now, and still not speaking to me.  But when she was little, we watched The Little Mermaid together literally hundreds of times (maybe thousands?) This was before DVD, and we actually WORE OUT a VHS copy of the movie and had to get a new one.  I still have the whole thing memorized, and could probably recite it for you, beginning to end.  Verbatim.  So, yeah, the mermaid ride REALLY made me long for those days again. *sigh* I got over my mommy mood swing by the time the ride ended, though. 

We went on more rides, including a few more turns on California Screamin, the best roller coaster there. We had lunch at my favorite "Downtown Disney" restaurant, Tortilla Joe's, then made it back to Disneyland in time to see a couple more shows AND the parade I was waiting for.  If we didn't have that hotel room, we might have just headed home after that, because we really had done everything we really wanted to in both parks!  AMAZING.  It seems like we always rush around like crazy, trying to fit everything into one day, and still always feel like we missed something.  But this time, two days almost seemed like TOO LONG (?)  okay, well, maybe it was just right.  Anyway, since we DID have that nice hotel room, we went back up and changed into our swim stuff and went back out to the pool. After swimming, we planned to go outside to watch the fireworks display that Disneyland puts on every night, but we were so tired, we gave up.  I did see PART of the fireworks show from the hotel, but it's not the same as being there on the ground, with the music, etc.

Overall, it was an incredible trip.  I didn't get to spend much time with hubby, as we were kind of taking turns taking the older boys on rides, since one of us had to wait with the baby for the bigger rides.  But a couple of times, when we all went on rides as a family, hubby actually HELD MY HAND in line, or even kissed me on the cheek!  He has never been one for PDA, especially with this huge wall that sprung up between us after this last deployment.  (or was it DURING?  yeah, probably)  I don't want to get my hopes up (again) about things getting better between us, but is was so nice to at least PRETEND we were a real family for a little while.  And, no matter what else happens from here on out, my children will all have the fantastic memories of this trip.  :)

Every time we go, we take a picture in front of this airplane - so fun to see how everyone has grown!

Here's one from last year:

And from 2004 (ish):