sans toi...

LOL.


this is what sid and i discover online when we're bored.

what a cracking good time.

-c

Well. Where to begin?

It's been an incredibly long time since I've actually posted anything... so much has been going on and so little free time to write it all down.

As you all should know (unless you've been in a cave...) I gave birth to little Marcus Elliott on September 19th, 2007. This was a mere two weeks after we'd moved into a quaint little house on the outskirts of downtown Boise. (We literally set up the crib 45 minutes before I went into labor... talk about your close calls. Jeez.)

My mom came and stayed with us for two weeks, which was a HUGE help. Breast feeding was also challenging... I cried everytime I had to feed him for the first month (and that's 10-12 times a day, mind you...) because he had such a bad latch it was sheer agony. But being the breast-is-best advocate I am, I stuck with it. Also... who can afford formula? My god.

We made trips to Bellevue for Thanksgiving and Christmas, both trips being incredibly busy and exhausting. EVERYONE wanted to meet Marcus, so every day we would go to at least one or two new places.

In February, Joe's Grandfather in Texas became very ill, so we booked a last minute flight down to Dallas to see him. It was a quick trip with eight billion layovers, but it was worth it to have Marcus meet his Great-Grandfather and Great-Grandmother.

We also got a call from our landlord early February that she was kicking us out of our home because she went bankrupt. (This, by the way, is totally illegal. But we decided to look at it as a sign to move back to Mountain Home, so Joe would be home more.) February 14th, Joe got news that we finally got a house on base, due to "hardship." Originally, base housing was going to put us on a 6 month wait list, but Joe's commander overrode the decision. So base housing was pissed, and gave us a house in Desert Vista, which is pretty much a trailer park of doublewides. In three days, we had to pack up our stuff and move it to Mountain Home. (Did I mention it was snowing that whole time?)

In late February, Joe's Grandfather passed away. It was just heartbreaking. We got on a few more planes to go to his memorial service and help his Grandmother at the house. It was a lovely service. I'm just so glad we were able to see him when we did so he could meet Marcus.

Needless to say, we've had a very busy year. Thankfully things are calming down now, and Marcus finally (FINALLY) has started sleeping through the night. He is so incredible. He's the sweetest baby, he'll just talk and smile and play with his toys. He loves going to the park and reading books... and above all, he LOVES music! When he's upset, I'll just start singing (usually Sondheim... I'm such a nerd) and he just stops and grins up at me. He also has a little baby piano that he will spend a good half hour banging away on... picking out individual notes... kind of like Schroeder from Peanuts.

For a while it looked like Joe was going to be deployed for 7 months to Kuwait, but thankfully he got out of it due to a technicality. The possibility of being sent somewhere else, however, is still present. But if he doesn't hear anything by August, he'll be staying here.

In Carly news, I've finally lost all of my pregnancy weight. (The other good thing about living on base is the proximity of the gym...) I was so sick of feeling unhealthy, when we got back from Texas in March I finally decided to stop whining and get moving. I've lost 19 lbs since then, and actually have abs (for the first time in my life! Amazing what exercise can do, eh?) I also take Marcus for runs in his jogging stroller, and try to make healthier homemade meals for me and Joe. In that vein, I've discovered I LOVE cooking and baking. I've been trying to keep a blog about that (http://junecleaversingenue.blogspot.com) but usually when I have a spare moment I try to do something other than sit in front of the computer.

Joe, Marcus and I should be heading back to WA in June.

I feel like this entry is completely boring, but I'd neglected my livejournal long enough. Anything's good, right?

-C
( and just because an entry isn't complete without a picture... )

This journal is now officially (after five years... thank god for Livejournal mass editing) Friends Only.

Comment here if you want to be added, and I'll ponder it.

-C