Liesl is ONE! / Watch Liesl Grow

This news is a few weeks old, but I wanted to share here that our little girl is somehow a whole year old!  How has she been on this earth for more than 365 days??

It's hard to believe that a year ago today we were trying to figure out how to share our home with and care for a newborn.  Our life involved a lot of marathon nursing sessions, babywearing, and spit up.  But who am I kidding?  We're still trying to figure things out!  Except now we're dealing with flying food, injury prevention, and a living room that seems to always be covered in toys.  I loved the newborn stage, but I'm REALLY enjoying this moment.  This babe has so much personality and love for life.  I know some moms say that the days drag on, but most of the time my days are pure joy (check back with me on that after we've added a couple more kids to our collection :] ).

We left off on 19 weeks on my last Watch Liesl Grow post...

Liesl loves -

• Bananas, juice, yogurt, cinnamon raisin bread, and peas (and feeding herself - she's over being fed.)
• Books!
• Stuffed animals
• Climbing
• Walking and running (away!)
• Rocks
• Music of all kinds and dancing along
• Bath time (and blowing bubbles underwater!)
• Dogs!
• Dave and Ava (an iPhone video app)
• Making animal noises
• Being outside
• Putting things in and taking things out of containers and bowls
• Peek-a-boo
• Facetiming
• Emptying cupboards and drawers (and occasionally putting things back)
• Sitting on everything that's the right height
• Pointing to her own head and hair, and other peoples' noses and eyes
• Hair bows (but she doesn't want to keep them in her hair)

Liesl does not like -

• Being buckled into anything (highchair, stroller, car seat, Ergo)
• Being held when she could be adventuring
• Having her face wiped, teeth brushed, lotion applied, etc.
• Sitting still
• When Mama leaves the room
• Having her diaper changed

We're mostly sleeping through the night now, thank goodness.  We bought a Munchkin projector that's made a big difference in her ability to self-soothe, and I've been doing better about making sure she falls asleep in her room (so she won't be confused when she wakes up somewhere different than where she fell asleep).  Her bedtime is usually somewhere between 8-9 pm and she sleeps till 6-8 am.  Better sleep has been lovely for everyone!

Her hair is auburn in the sunlight but brown otherwise, and her eyes are mostly blue with a touch of green in the ring around her iris.  She seems pretty fair-skinned, but she hasn't been out in direct sunlight much without sunscreen.

She is an expert communicator, finding ways to point and yell until we figure out what she is trying to tell us.  We're working on pleases and thank yous, because she can be a bit pushy : ).  She's strong-willed, but she comes by it naturally.  I love her personality.  She gives me scrunchy-nosed, slobbery kisses all day.  We dance and read and laugh.  A lot of my time is spent doing damage control and trying to find ways to make "no's" stick... She has been climbing on everything this week and it's a little scary.  Now that it's getting warmer, I take her outside whenever I can so she can be free to run and jump and play and climb on playgrounds (which are safer than coffee tables).  When we're out and about shopping and such, she insists on walking, and it's all I can do to keep her little hand in mine.  We had our first busted lip/mouth experience this week when she fell face-forward on pavement.  She does everything HARD (she also comes by that honestly) and there will probably be a lot of bumps and bruises in our future.

She'll copy most anything, but some of the words that have stuck so far are: "Mama," "Dada," "Shooz" (Juice and Shoes), "Nana" (Banana), "Dah" (Dog),  "Nahya" (Nala from the Lion King), "Bah" (Ball), "Baw Baw" (Paw Paw), "No" (No and Nose), and lots of animal noises.  I'm sure there are more but those are all I can think of off the top of my head.

I can already tell that she's stubborn, generous (she loves to share), and generally very happy.  Even when she's frustrated and so mad she's in tears, we can make her smile again in just a few seconds. And people always comment on how "smiley" she is when we're out and about.  We can't wait to see more and more of her personality as she grows and learns.

Happy belated birthday, sweet Liesl Bird!

What We Learned During Our First Two Military Moves

*I started this post when we were still living in Oklahoma, but I never had a chance to finish it.  Now we have TWO moves under our belts, so hopefully I can offer even better information than I'd originally planned!*

Although our house may not be in perfect order yet (and honestly probably won't ever be because LIFE), we can officially say we are on the other side of our second military move.   In some ways, it seems like the process for moving multiple states away is pretty simple, however, there were definitely some challenges along the way during both of our moves.

I thought I'd type up all the helpful information and tips we learned, both for me to reference when we do this again in the not-so-distant future (and probably at least 5 more times in the next 20 years) and for anyone else who may be planning a big move, military or otherwise.  Some of these tips may seem obvious, but hindsight's 20-20 and we were really figuring things out as went along.

First, here are the basic steps we went through during our moves -

- We prepared for the move, as much as we knew how.

- Employees from a moving company came and packed everything but our furniture and larger items into boxes, creating an inventory list that included general information about what each box contained.

- A separate truck line company (one company packed and another company moved, but it was all overseen by a coordinator provided by the Army) came and made their own inventory of the boxes (based on the first inventory) and of our bigger items using stickers with a number for each box, piece of furniture, etc.  They loaded everything into a huge truck and transported it to our new city of residence, where it was placed in storage.

- During our first move, we were told it may take a while for our belongings to make it to OK, and the Mister had taken a good bit of leave, so we moved in with my parents (who luckily live in NC) for a couple weeks instead of living in our empty house or a hotel. For our second move, we headed on down to Texas right away because we were informed that our house was available.

- We broke both of our journeys up over two days.  On the way to Lawton, Oklahoma, we spent a night in Little Rock, Arkansas.  And we stayed in Midland, Texas, en route to El Paso, Texas.

- Upon arrival to Lawton, we immediately began looking for a rental house.  While we were waiting to find a house and for our rental approval to go through, we stayed at a hotel in town.  Luckily, when we got to Texas, we were able to move into our house a little sooner but still had to spend a couple nights in a hotel.

- Once we officially had our house, we immediately called the company responsible for moving our belongings from storage.  In Lawton, we had to wait a couple of weeks in an empty house (without a washer, dryer, or bed) for the truck to arrive.  But, in El Paso, our delivery was made the very next day!

Tips for preparing for the move:

- As you have time in the weeks prior to the move, go through your belongings to decide what you want to keep and what you don't!  I'm so glad I did this before the packers arrived for our first move.  Having to sort out things to be thrown away or donated as we were trying to unpack would have been such a hassle. I started in the kitchen because I knew it would be the biggest pain and decided what was going with us, what needed to stay in boxes once we arrived, and what needed to be donated/thrown away.  I moved everything to boxes, but this is optional as the packers will do that for you.  I'm so glad I got rid of all my extra tupperware lids, old greeting cards, etc. Much less clutter to deal with!  This wasn't as necessary for our second move, as we hadn't acquired much during our six month stay.  We did shred all of our junk mail and cleaned out our kitchen catch-all drawers, though.

-  Before our first move, the Mister made fun of me for packing everything up into boxes just for the movers to come redo it, but I'm happy I did.  As a representative for the packing company told us, if you have a McDonald's cup sitting out on the table, they will pack it!  It was reassuring for me that I had distinguished EXACTLY what was going with us and that I had separated out the baby items, clothes, etc., that I knew we would need for the trip.  Make sure you put those items that you can't live without during the move in a car or a distinguished "safe" spot that you identify to the movers.  The last additional stressor you need is to realize that your entire wardrobe or that toy the baby can't live without is in a truck on its way to your destination and you won't have it for weeks.  I let the packers do all the packing our second go-round.  However, I was still very careful to make a thorough list of what we needed for our travels and to stow those items away safely before the packers arrived.

- If you do choose to pre-sort as I did, don't feel like you need to wrap breakable items.  I did, just to be safe, but it really was a wasted effort because the packers will, without a doubt, re-wrap everything because they are liable for your belongings during the move.

- While pre-sorting, place items in the room where you want it to go in your NEW house.  For instance, if you currently have a lamp in the living room but want it to go in the master bedroom at your new house, move it to the master bedroom.  The packers will label the boxes according to the item the room is in and the movers will place it in that room in the new house, so it saves you a step.  I had a whole system with colored dots representing rooms corresponding with a key I hung on the wall for the movers, so I thought it would be safe to move all of our boxes to a consolidated location in the guest room to make it easier to get around the house.  I was wrong - the packers paid no mind to my system and all of our boxes were consequently labeled "guest room," so we were just guessing when we got to OK about what room the items were supposed to go in.  To make it worse, they had asked us to take everything off the walls, and we had put all of our paintings, photos, wall decorations, etc., in the guest room as well, so literally pretty much everything was labeled "guest room."

- On that same note, I wanted to distinguish some items to stay out in the garage for our time in OK, as I didn't see any point in unpacking everything we owned just to move again at the end of the year.  I placed those items in boxes that I labeled "storage," hoping the packers would label the things they packed out of those boxes the same way I had (they didn't).  What I should have done is just moved those storage boxes out to the garage, then they would have labeled the items as "garage," and I wouldn't have had to go through and sort them again upon arrival.

- Be mentally prepared for the potential reality that some items will be damaged and that you may never see some of your belongings again.  I understood that some things would get banged up in the process no matter how well they were wrapped/taken care of (Liesl's diaper pail took a beating, and I'm pretty sad about that), but I was not prepared for the fact that a few of our belongings were simply lost.  In particular, a little shelf that I had planned to use for Liesl's nursery (not something replaceable - I bought it for $20 at a thrift store) totally disappeared.  There were some other items on the inventory that didn't make it as well.  If something is really special to you and you can't imagine losing it, take it with you instead of allowing the movers to transport it.  We carried most of Liesl's belongings, my jewelry, our sensitive documents, our computer, a good bit of our clothes, and Chris's tools with us.  Although it made me nervous to allow the moving company to carry our heirloom fine china, I knew they could wrap it better than me, so it would probably be safer traveling with them.  You will be reimbursed for missing/damaged items.  It's just that some things have more than a monetary value, plus you'll have to deal with the hassle of replacing them.

- To avoid spending a ton of money unnecessarily, pack towels, washcloths, cleaning supplies, etc., to keep with you.  Buying a few of these things while you wait for your belongings to be delivered seems like it will be inexpensive, but it adds up!

Tips for traveling:

- Leave early in the week so you arrive by midweek.  When we departed for Lawton, we made the mistake of scheduling our arrival for the weekend, so we were in the hotel for extra days waiting for the real estate company to be open Monday to finish processing our rental approval.

- If you're moving somewhere close enough, take a weekend trip prior to your move and recon the area.  That way you'll know what neighborhoods you like, and you may even be able to meet with a rental company or a realtor and get the ball rolling on securing your new home.  If that's not possible, start the process of finding a house as soon as you roll into town.  The longer you take to decide on a neighborhood, house/apartment, and rental/real estate company, the longer you'll be paying for and staying in a hotel room!

-  Stay at extended stay hotels, especially if you have little ones!  They're usually cheaper and you'll have a big sink, microwave, dishwasher, and full kitchen in your room.  Plus a separate room for the bedroom area, so you can put kiddos to sleep by themselves and not have to creep around in the dark.  And they usually have good laundry facilities, which is ever so important!

-  When making hotel reservations in big cities, ask about the parking situation.  We had to cancel a reservation on the spot because we didn't feel safe about leaving everything we'd brought with us in the hotel's offsite, valet-only parking garage.  With a lot of begging and acting pitiful, we were able to get our money back, but it would have been better not to be in the situation at all!

- Books on tape, y'all!  We listened to a biography about Stonewall Jackson during our first trip, which sounds pretty boring (and it was after a while) - even so, it made the time pass SO much faster than listening to music or riding in silence.  During the second trip, we drove in separate cars, and I had Liesl, so her and I mostly listened to nursery rhyme songs and Disney Christmas carols.       : )

- My parents were a HUGE help during the first trip because they brought the dogs and my car out to us a couple weeks after we got settled.  That way, we were able to take one car and not have to worry about dog potty breaks and booking dog-friendly hotel rooms in addition to taking care of the baby and finding a house.  I would definitely advise going that route if you have someone willing to help!  That wasn't feasible for our Texas move, but we made it work and we were able to find some nice hotels that welcomed doggies.

Tips upon arrival:

- Be ready to spend a lot of money.  Utility companies require deposits, rental companies also require deposits (big ones!), and you're going to have to buy incidental items for your new home, no matter how prepared you are.  The good news about deposits is that you usually get them back when you move again, but it is hard to fork over so much money all at once.

- Before the moving truck arrives, plan where you want to place your furniture and other big items.  That way you're not standing debating on which side of the room you want your dresser while the movers wait impatiently. And you're not making a rushed decision that you'll regret, which would result in moving it yourself later.

- While you have the time and you and/or your spouse are off work, explore your new city together!  You'll be glad you did this when you have to navigate by yourself, and it's a great way to become acclimated with the area and learn what's fun to do in your spare time.  Think parks, museums, restaurants, nature trails, etc.  I'll never turn down some quality family time, even if it's in the craziness of moving.  Better than sitting in a hotel room or an empty house!

General tips:

- Do your very best to go into the process with a peaceful, calm mindset.  There will be times during the car ride when you're bored out of your mind or completely on the edge of losing it from listening to your little one cry in his/her car seat.  You may have to hand wash three days worth of laundry in a hotel sink.  You'll probably come close to a car accident or two while navigating new traffic patterns and unfamiliar interstates and streets.  There will be moments when you're tired, overwhelmed, and missing your old home.  I struggle the most in the week or so after the movers have dropped off our belongings and the house is a wreck and our schedule is out of whack.  I panic because, for some reason, I have a feeling that we'll never have our house together and our lives back in order.  But we eventually do.  Just do your very best to accept it as an adventure that comes with a lot of excitement and new experiences and friends.  It's tough.  It's also wonderful.

- Feed your packers and movers!  And have waters and Gatorades for them in your fridge.  Not only is it a nice thing to do, they're most likely going to be kinder to your precious belongings if you're kind to them.

Well that was a long one... and it took me six months to finish! : ) Here's hoping it'll be helpful to someone else in the future.  At least it will be for me next time we have to move and I've forgotten a lot of the nitty, gritty details.

I would love to hear any differing or additional suggestions from other military folks or anyone else who has been through a big move.  Crowd-sourcing can be very helpful with this topic!  I know I've had LONG conversations about the drama and thrills of moves with my Army wife friends.  What works for one family doesn't always work for another, but every little bit of advice helps.

Hello from El Paso!

I don't have an appropriate photo for this post because my phone has no storage currently, so here's a sneak peek of Liesl from her Christmas photo shoot. : )

We arrived to our new home city of El Paso on Saturday night!  Liesl slept the whole four hours from Midland, so we drove straight through.  That was a huge blessing, as we had a rough drive the day before.  There weren't many stops for comforting a crying baby between Lawton and Midland, which made for a sad Liesl and a sad mama.

Tonight is our last night in the hotel - we're signing the lease for our new house in the morning!  AND we found out the moving truck will arrive on Wednesday.  No waiting weeks for our washer and dryer and bed this time!  I'm so thankful this has all gone so smoothly (knock on wood).

El Paso and Fort Bliss are both big places!  I'm definitely feeling a tad overwhelmed at the moment by all of it, but I'm sure this will feel like home in no time at all.  We can see the Mexican border from our hotel!  It'll be interesting to learn how living so close to another country will affect our lives.

I'll be sure to share some photos of our new home as soon as I can.  As always, I'm ridiculously excited about deciding where to place furniture and decorating.

Thanks for keeping up with us!  I hope your Thanksgiving week is off to a great start.  I'm both thrilled and a little surprised that it's the holiday season already.  This has been a FAST year.  I'm pretty sure all parents say that. : )

We're on the Move Again!

We said goodbye to our Lawton, OK, rental house yesterday and set out for our new home in El Paso, TX. About 8 pm last night, we made it to our first destination of Midland, TX, and we're leaving soon to finish the last leg to our new home.  It's a much shorter trip this time than it was from NC to OK!  We already have a house this time, which will also make the whole process much easier.  We'll be staying in a hotel in El Paso until our new place becomes available on Tuesday. 

While we were sad to leave behind new friends and the house where Liesl has grown from an itty baby to a little person, we're super excited to begin this next chapter of our lives and to see old friends who are already stationed at Fort Bliss.

I offer my deepest apologies for not doing a better job keeping this space updated; if you know our Liesl, you know that she's a busy girl... Spare time is a rarity for me these days, and I usually use it for sleep.  : ) She's the best, though.  I hope I can share more about her growth and little (well, big!) personality here soon.

I'll let you know when we've made it to El Paso!

The three of us at the Mister's Captains' Career Course graduation last week

A Few Thoughts on Modern Patriotism

I'm in the midst of writing/planning some other posts right now, but this one has been heavy on my heart since Independence Day and then was brought back to the forefront of my mind during the Olympics these last couple weeks, so I wanted to take the time to write it when I finally had a moment to blog.

Does it seem like patriotism has gradually been becoming hollow?  Sure, folks are happy to don red, white, and blue tank tops, set off some illegal fireworks, enjoy a Budweiser out of a can covered in stars and stripes, and pose (disrespectfully) for photos with the American flag draped over their shoulders.  Even so, I don't think that we have the same deep pride for and loyalty to our nation that was once such an integral aspect of our country's culture.

Please don't think I'm writing this from a "holier than thou" perspective; I've owned my fair share of over-the-top flag themed outfits and been to more than a couple parties that used the excuse of celebrating the good old U.S. of A. to allow for debauchery and good times, and I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing.  But what I DO think is shameful is that some of the same people who start the "U-S-A" chant (in their American flag Chubbies shorts and "Suns out, guns out" cut-off shirts), are the ones who the next morning will talk about how divided, imperialistic, racist, privileged... the list goes on, just fill in the blank, America is.

I've actually seen people wear shirts that read, "Back to Back World War Champs," and I will admit to having chuckled at the sentiment in the past, but as I have gotten older, become a parent, and altogether grown more aware and observant of the world around me, I can't help but notice the concept of patriotism and America's role and responsibility in the world morph into a punchline.

Earlier this summer, the Mister and I watched (me for the 1st time, him for the 1,000,000th time) "Band of Brothers," a mini-series based on Stephen E. Ambrose's book of the same name that tells the true story of one unit of soldiers' experience in Europe during WWII.  These young men, most of them around 18 to 25 years old, saw their friends killed and maimed, lost limbs, lived in constant fear of being shelled or shot, even stumbled upon concentration camps they didn't know existed.  They saw and experienced things that couldn't be unseen or forgotten.  America didn't sit by and idly let Hitler take over Europe; these soldiers, some by choice and some because they were drafted, protected the futures of not only their children or Americans but the futures of people all over the world.  Then each of them who survived, after sacrificing his well being and state of mind, was expected to return to normal life and continue to work hard and be the backbone of his family without missing a beat.  And they were just a small sampling of veterans of one war.  Every past and present soldier, marine, and sailor is proof that America IS great because of the burden our service members are willing to bear every single day for people, both in the U.S. and elsewhere, that they have never met.

Soldiers today continue to be willing to protect and serve a whole nation even though they make up less than one percent of our population, all while being told what they are doing is wrong, corrupt, unneeded.  No matter what politicians' motives are, I can guarantee individual soldiers aren't fighting for control of oil or money or land.  They're leaving their families behind for the freedom and rights of people in our nation and all over the world and for the men and women who serve next to them.  On the civilian side of service, major international charities like The Task Force for Global Health and Direct Relief International operate out of the United States, along with U.S. arms of other groups like Doctors Without Borders and UNICEF.  Not to mention there is an unending list of charities and nonprofits that serve those within our nation.  All of this service to others, both military and civilian, is a defining piece of America's identity.

So, no matter how each of us feels about capitalism or race relations or the current shitty politicians from which we unfortunately have to choose, we should make an effort not to be disrespectful toward the men who died or lived through Hell so others could have the write to vote and live the way they please and say what they believe.  And we must always remember the men and women who still do sacrifice every day for this country and its people.  When we trivialize patriotism we trivialize them.

When I was growing up (I say this like it's been decades since I was in grade school, but it wasn't very long ago at all), Civics and Social Studies curricula focused on America's strengths.  We had a class every semester or school year that was partially dedicated to learning about our government's brilliant system of checks and balances, the slightly complicated method our nation employs for turning bills into laws, and the benefits of a representative electoral system that allows people with strikingly varying opinions and cultures to live as one people and have a part in their nation's affairs.  We were taught that it was important and truly incredible that 50 individual states could operate with some degree of sovereignty and have their own governments but still stand together as one country that represents Hawaii's people in the same way as Missouri's.  We were encouraged to appreciate our "melting pot" culture and to celebrate the fact that we are a nation of immigrants.

Sure, some of the education of my youth had a hint of American propaganda to it, but, as long as the information is true, I believe there is nothing wrong with instilling pride for one's nation into the hearts of children.  Men and women have had a distinct honor and possessiveness associated with their land of birth for thousands of years.  It's human nature to think the place you call home is better than any other in the world.  Of course, there is no need to have a ranking of "the best countries on earth."  I think it's suffice to say that America is great and one-of-a-kind without yelling, "America is superior to all other nations," from the rooftops. And, don't get me wrong, we learned about our society's flaws in school too, both those in our history and those we're still trying to overcome today.  My college U.S. history and government classes delved even deeper into these flaws.  I think it would be safe to say those classes even focused on them.  And it's important to be aware of our nation's shortcomings, past and present, and to contribute to dealing with and rectifying them.  But I'm concerned that the education of our youth today focuses more on the dark spots than all the positives.  Not to mention the negative information that floods our newsfeeds and TV screens concerning politics and foreign affairs.  It seems that if true patriotism isn't taught in the home it may not be learned anywhere these days.  Even worse, our youth may grow up with disdain or embarrassment associated with their home nation.

Recently, I had a conversation with my husband and in-laws concerning whether we thought we would have been Loyalists or Patriots during the Revolutionary War.  I came to the conclusion, based on how much of a rule follower and Constitutionalist that I am, that I probably would have been a Loyalist.  I would have felt an attachment to Great Britain and a desire to do what I was "supposed" to do.  This realization made me appreciate the bravery of the Patriots even more.  They believed so much in the rights of each person living in the colonies that they were willing to die to have their own government.  If our forefathers were here today, they would probably interpret some of our words and actions as saying to them, "Your sacrifices actually made us overly privileged in comparison to the rest of the world, so we don't really have much appreciation for what you did for us anymore."  Or, "Yes, we have a right to free speech, and that's great, but sometimes we offend others with our words and opinions, so free speech actually may be a detriment to our society."  America is not evil because we have "more" than some other nations; it just means we must give more. To whom much is given much is expected.

To those who truly do think America is evil, power-hungry, self-obsessed: please live elsewhere.  I don't mean that in a mean, grumpy, sarcastic way.  I mean it seriously.  Why continue to give your tax dollars to a nation that at its core disgusts and angers you?  This is the 21st century; you can move to Europe or Australia or South America.  Or just scoot across a border to Mexico or Canada.  You can find a way to afford a one-way plane ticket, bus ride, or cab fare.  But you probably won't leave.  And that in a way proves there is really nowhere better to live, other than your idealistic idea of Utopian society that I think every preteen science fiction novel has proven probably wouldn't be all that great anyway.

On the other hand, if you're like me, you may believe that God chose this piece of land and each person who has ever lived here and ever will for a high purpose and responsibility.  And you may not believe that, and that's okay... because this is America.

But please don't let politicians, people with hate in their hearts, or terrible news stories define a whole country.  And next time you're yelling "'Merica!" mean it.  Or, better yet, ask a veteran to tell you stories about his deployments, or take the time to teach a child the Pledge of Allegiance. When you're at a sporting event that begins with the national anthem, pause a moment to appreciate it and ponder the significance of the ritual.  I know I'm a little weird for always getting teary eyed during the fireworks on Fourth of July, but if you really stop to think just how lucky we are to live here and what our nation represents, you may find a tear in your eye as well.  And like I said, I'm not saying any of this from a soapbox.  Nor am I going to throw out my "I heart America" t-shirt.  Because I do heart America, and I mean that with every fiber of my being.