Big Girl Panties

I am so irritated this picture is blurry. But, today we tried on our first pair of big girl panties. Man, did she like them. We still sit on the potty right next to each other every time I have to go. She hasn't quite learned that she can control when she goes. But, she hates diapers so hope is high.

She still has a fever and a cold, but the honey is helping control the cough. I worry about her teeth with the honey, but she gets her teeth brushed every day already -and its all natural. Spoke too soon, she's up again.

Pre St Patty's Day Catch Up

It seems I am always catching up! Annmarie has had a super busy, but non sleep filled week. She caught a cold and I can't give her anymore medication without jacking up the delicate allergy balance of medicine that she's already on. So, the doctor (finally) today told me to put her on shots of honey. I have half a million medicine droppers -so about once an hour I give her a couple mLs of honey. She's been asleep for almost 3 hours straight now -which is promising. I almost fell asleep at my desk today while eating my lunch. Even though St Patty's Day isn't until Saturday, I am dressing Annmarie up in her St Patty's Day outfit for school. This picture was about 20 minutes after her second shot. She went from laying on my chest lifeless to smiling and active. I was so happy that she was moving that I let her call the grandparents! She doesn't quite understand the whole concept -but she loves to put the phone up to her ear and pretend to talk like mommy.
Uncle Matt is coming out for a visit! We are so excited! All that excitement is slightly dampened by the fact that I still have no funding for my next job. Time is getting short. The more last minute things are the messier they are. I think I am still going in August. The closer you are to October, the higher the chance of shoving you off until the next fiscal year. The pinch is that I can't miss the August school without losing my school. If I miss the start date, I have to wait until Jan 4 to start the next class.

A day at the fountians

Today after I caught up on a grip of chores we went to play in the fountains. She has a blast when we go there. She tries to catch the water. The fountains vary in height in timed intervals. So it's only a foot high for about 30 seconds...then it shoots up to five feet. She thinks it's awesome. After our trip here I dried her up changed her and took her onto the swings for a bit. She was so appreciative that she pooped on the floor when we got home. The house was hot so, I let her run around naked for a little bit. It just reminded me of the time I was at Dad's house and Kayla pooped on the floor. It was just Dad, Kayla and I at the house. They were potty training Kayla, so she was running around the house naked. She was standing in front of the TV and reached up to push a button and pooped at the same time. Dad kinda freaked out. He instantly came out of his zone and started to run towards her. Then stopped and ran the other way. I didn't see the need to freak out -the deed was already done. He was running to get tissue. Kayla is going to kill me. :-)

Two Front Teeth

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth...my two front teeth... This is the first picture where you can see her front teeth. They have dropped rather quickly. Her two eye teeth haven't pushed through yet, but they are definitely in process. The girl is giving new meaning to the phrase, "Double Tap".

And of course, she doesn't fit any of her PSU or Steelers clothes...so she has to show her Gator Colors!

Where'd Spring Go?

As we head into summer....I was supposed to take Annmarie to Sea World yesterday with some girls from work. But, I was so far behind from having duty on Thursday that I just couldn't make it work. So, we went to the park on Saturday. Annmarie still refuses to sleep past 6am. But the good side of this is that I was able to get groceries, do two loads of laundry, and clean the house all before 9am. This weekend our goal is to finish up a lot of the projects we have in process. Aunt Janyl mowed the grass, so I was finally able to get out there with Annmarie and pull weeds. Man did it need it. I still wasn't able to plant the seeds in the flower garden, but there's still next weekend. I also got the pictures we had done over a month ago ready to mail! So, I rewarded us with a trip to the zoo. I risked it and took Annmarie into the petting area at the zoo. We only made it about 15 minutes..but she was fully medicated so it wasn't too bad. I tried to get better pictures but wasn't leaving her side. Later we went to see the snakes. She really love snakes. I don't get it, but OK. Then we went to see the monkeys. Annmarie loved this one 50 year old orangutan. He just hung out at the window and let Annmarie try to give him five!

It looks like I am going to Cocoa Beach for 10-13 weeks in the August time frame. So far, here's what we got on the side of mission planning.

-Friend Catina lives in Cocoa Beach, she is going to scope out child care facilities.

-Brother Adam and wife will fly out of Florida to here and drive my car to Florida.

-Dad has offered to fly to Florida and drive car to Fallon.

-Aunt Jeannie bought a house about half an hour from base. If she isn't living there yet, my intentions are to ask to rent it from her for a few months. This is a long shot.

-Cousin Cassie lives 90 minutes from base and has offered help, but not too sure what she can do. But she's a resource.

-Mom is storing baby stuff in Hernando that I can use while in Cocoa Beach. So far she's got everything from high chair to car seat.

-Brother Matthew has offered set up and baby sitting help.

-Cousin Tricia in Tampa is professional nanny and will take a leave of absence to help me if needed.

Here's our stumbling blocks:

No firm dates on ANYTHING yet.

If Aunt Jeannie has already transitioned to Florida, will need a vacation rental.

Will be carless for a few days with a baby in Cocoa Beach on both sides of the trip.

Will need to identify pediatricians in Cocoa Beach and Fallon before we get there. Cocoa Beach isn't so bad because I have several RNs and PAs in the family within an hour's drive.

Need to get to Fallon to find a place to live BEFORE I go to Cocoa.

Lost another buyer on my Mission Valley home. I am taking a $1083/month pay cut in Fallon and just can't afford to keep anything in San Diego.

Will need to identify what gets shipped to Florida, Fallon, and what flies with. When I leave San Diego in August, I will not be able to return.

Nana's Package!

We were so lucky to get a package from the Grandparents yesterday! The package had everything from books to venison jerky! It also had an envelope in it! That envelope had the makings of her new Dora chair, sidewalk chalk, some more books, baby shoes and supplies for mailing out pictures. It was a pretty cool envelope. Annmarie has an art desk, but it doesn't have a back to the chair. This desk is perfect for her to eat her snacks, color, or just chill out and work on phonics. Plus, it's heavy enough that Annmarie can't push it around everywhere. Today we put away the walker and jumper. We also let Janyl know that she would be responsible for taking back a suitcase of baby gear for Kayla. Yes, Kayla is making Annmarie a cousin!

Annmarie had another nasty bout last Thursday night. But, with the help of Janyl we made it through. She is still sluggish, but much better.

On the work side...no freakin news. But, Aunt Jeannie and Uncle Ron bought a house 25 minutes away from where I will be going to school. Nice.

Sick Again? Geez

Things were starting to look better. She actually slept for two nights in a row. Then...another cold and sore throat. I would like to be able to say she's teething...but there's no teeth. Well, she has the same two she got months ago. The thing is, I am finally getting a grip on the other crap and don't want to screw with the delicate balance of meds. So, no cold meds -nothing more than Tylenol or Ibuprofen. We are just going to tuff it out. We have another follow-up next week. Point blank, I need some sleep.
On that, it appears I have stood my last 24 hour shift for a little while -unless significant events happen and I need to handle them from work. That's kind of bitter sweet. Duty nights were the only time I could realistically get more than 3 or 4 hours sleep straight. The other side is that Aunt Janyl refuses(d) to sleep in the same room as Annmarie. This meant when things happen, she had to 1) wake up and 2) go into the other room to figure out what the issues are. With all the times she's choked in the middle of the night, this quite frankly scared the death out of me.
On the orders side...I found out today that my special programs detailer was holding my package and hadn't routed it to the ECM (enlisted community manager) -her boss...the guy that cuts the orders for where I go. So, she says I am still slated for Port Huyeme. However, that job is supposed to disappear. So, I still have no firm word on where I am going...or when.  There are money/funding issues and she can't cut orders past April. Then I was told that with the current budget situation, they can wait until 30 days before I transfer before giving me firm orders. I love budget cuts. I do know the class I am supposed to attend  convenes August 6. After that it doesn't convene until late September. I am supposed to transfer in August. I can ask for 30 days transit time. I really need firm orders. If they really do get rid of this job, I am back to square one -again. I miss the old days when the military had all the money they needed to get our job done. How can they demand you pick a job in the 6-9 month window, but then tell you they can take until 30 days prior to give you the job. And, I have to get things in order. I am in my 10 week window for my next physical assessment...so no junk food and lots of more trips out and about with the girl!