Unrealistic Misconceptions

Thank you all for your words of encouragement about my weight issues. I am realizing that it is perfectly normal to still be packing pregnancy pounds and I just need to be patient. In other news, Jane turned 3 months old last week! These past 3 months have been the most wonderful, challenging, and exhausting 3 months of my life. I can't imagine life without her. She is such a fun baby and I love being her mom. She is smiling much more and will even giggle once in a while. She recently found her feet and will hold on to them while lying on her back on the bed. It makes changing her diaper and dressing her a little difficult. She was sleeping really well at night but has recently decided that she needs 2 night feedings again instead of one. I am hoping it is just a growth spurt. She loves to sing songs and loves to play with Carl. She is not so fond of her car seat (aka the "baby torture device") but tolerates it when absolutely necessary. She has made lots of friends here in Alabama including all of the housekeeping staff and the ladies who run the register at the dining hall. They will yell out in their thick southern accents whenever they see her, "How's baby Jane today! Aren't you so precious!" We had family pictures taken in early January before we left Utah for Alabama. I know its a little late, but here's a sampling. I will post more recent 3 month pics soon.

Jane was blessed a few days after this picture was taken, on January 9th. She did really well during her blessing. I was nervous that she would start screaming during it because she wasn't in the best mood when we left the house, but she didn't. Thanks to all who came to share this special day with us!

Mother-of-the-Year Award (and other ramblings going on in my head)

Last Thursday I earned my first ever Mother-of-the-Year Award! I knew it would happen eventually and I guess I am just grateful that it wasn't worse. Let me explain. Here at Fort Rucker we are getting into a nice Spear family routine. I wake up at 6:00, work out from 6:30 to 7:30, grab some breakfast at the main Army lodging office, then go back to our room in time for Carl to be at his class by 8:00. The Army was kind enough to give us a rental car while we are here, but we still have only one car. Many mornings we will leave Jane asleep in the room while I drive Carl to class (it takes less than 10 minutes round trip) so that I can have the car during the day in case I need it. Last Thursday after dropping Carl off I returned to the room but my key wouldn't unlock the door. It is one of those electronic card keys often used in hotels. The little lights would flash green, but the door would not open. I started panicking and said a little prayer that I could find someone to help me. To make a long story short, my neighbor came back from driving her kids to school and called the front desk for me (which, by the way, is about a mile down the road). A lady from the front desk came and tried her key, which also wouldn't work. She called the maintenance guy who had to use a funky tool to unlock the door from the inside. The whole process took about 30 minutes. The entire time I am imagining a screaming, scared baby on the other side of the door but when I finally entered the room again, Jane was fine. She was awake but groggy, probably awoken by the banging sounds the funky tool thing made. I still feel like a horrible mother and haven't left her alone since. Carl takes the car during the day and I just don't go anywhere. We'll see how long it takes for me to go crazy.

That is about as exciting as it gets in southeast Alabama. My days are simple but good. I am still trying to lose the last 10 pregnancy pounds so I work out almost every morning. I am doing an exercise program called "Boot Camp" through the physical fitness center here on post and it is a lot of fun. This morning we exercised on the shore of a lake, and last week we exercised in a barn at the Equestrian Center. I am a little discouraged about how long it is taking to lose the weight and "get my body back." I was under the impression that breastfeeding mothers are supposed to have an easier time losing the weight, but apparently I am an exception. Carl's class is going well. We are able to spend a lot of time together and I am very grateful for the opportunity I have to be here with him. I get a little homesick now and then and miss my friends and family back home immensely, but I'm doing well.

Sweet Home Alabama!

Many of you may remember my post about Carl's deployment schedule. Well, as part of Carl's pre-deployment training he is required to do a 3 1/2 month course at Fort Rucker, Alabama (the same place we lived while he completed flight school). We went back and forth about whether or not I was going to come with him this time around, but decided that with the upcoming deployment we want to be together as much as possible. After a VERY long day of traveling we made it here late Thursday night. Jane did surprisingly well on the flight and hopefully isn't too much worse for the wear.

I had mixed feelings about coming to Alabama again, but now that we are here and settled, I am SO glad we did. I admit, it was stressful trying to pack and get my house in Utah ready to close up for the winter with the baby, but with the help of my mom and some great friends we made it work. We are still getting into a new routine, but so far I am enjoying it immensely. Carl goes to class every morning at 8:00 and is done by 4:30. He doesn't have a commute. He doesn't have to fly in the evenings or go to drill on the weekends. He doesn't have scouts on Wednesday nights. So far, this feels like a mini vacation for me (we'll ask him how he feels about it in a few weeks). I am sure this is just the calm before the storm in my life this year, but I am going to enjoy it while I can.

Santa Baby

We took Jane to the mall last night to get her picture taken with Santa for the first time. The line was not only really long but we were in line behind a large group of people wanting to get pictures of their dogs taken with Santa. It was an adventure to say the least. Jane slept the entire time during her photo shoot but woke up promptly afterwards just in time to cry the entire drive home. In spite of all the craziness we sure do love our baby girl and look forward to many more photo shoots with Santa in the years to come.

Life with Jane

I can't believe my baby girl will be 6 weeks old on Thursday! A good friend told me that when raising children, the days are long but the years are short. I am beginning to understand what she meant. Things are going well at our house. My emotions are starting to level out and breastfeeding is going much, much better. Jane is a baracuda eater, which is a good thing now that I'm not so sore. She is also a good sleeper. We have our rough nights, but fortunately the last couple of nights she has slept for 5-7 hour stretches at a time, which I am very, very grateful for. I have determined that my coping skills as a mother are directly proportional to how well-rested I am. I went back to work this past week for a 4-hour shift, and will do one 4-hour shift every week through December. Fortunately, I have a flexible job and a baby that will take a bottle. It felt really good to get back, although I still have no intention on working more than a few hours a week. I feel very accomplished in that my Christmas tree is up (and decorated too) along with a few simple decorations around the house, although I haven't even started shopping yet. It may be a simple Christmas for us this year. Here are a few pictures to brighten your day:

This picture was taken yesterday morning (December 12th)

This picture was taken last Thursday, at exactly 5 weeks of age. She has been smiling off and on since, and I really hope they are real smiles and not just gas.

Who doesn't love a sleeping baby?

Jane being held by my dad, taken in Vernal on Thanksgiving Day.

Beautiful Baby Jane

Beautiful baby Jane finally arrived on November 4! She is beautiful and perfect in every way and we are so grateful for her safe arrival. My transition to motherhood has been a little rough and I would be a liar if I said that everything has gone smoothly. Breastfeeding has been a challenge that I am still working through and my emotions are all over the place. Every day gets a little better as I learn to enjoy these moments with my newborn. It is amazing to think that this tiny little baby is the one I carried for 9 months. I feel very blessed! This picture of Carl and Jane was taken yesterday and the 3 other pictures were taken at the hospital.

Trip to the Carolinas

Carl and I took a trip to South and North Carolina back in July to visit his uncle and grandmother. Carl spent a lot of time water-skiing on the lake (while I watched from the boat). We also went to the zoo in Columbia, South Carolina. These little birds really loved nectar.

My Grandma Massey grew up in Statesville, North Carolina which is only about an hour away from Carl's grandmother who lives in Mooresville. Carl and I spent the day with my Statesville relatives and had a wonderful time.

This is a picture of me in front of the house where my grandmother grew up.

Another highlight of the trip was spending a day with my dear friend Christine and her daughter Laralyn. We played in the lake in Mooresville and spent time catching up. We had a wonderful trip and can't wait to go back.