For weeks I've been preaching to every mama friend I know that we (as mothers) need to find something we are passionate about this summer and DO. THE. THING. So, naturally, I'm writing again. 

Green Light

Today my referral for a reproductive endocrinologist was processed and approved. When I got the email my heart just stopped. My mind instantly went back to Fort Lewis and how much harder it was to get on the journey that brought us to Olivia. Trying to get a referral from Madigan didn't happen and it was a nightmare to deal with. Since they had their own reproductive clinic within the hospital, they didn't refer patients out. They also didn't allow you to seek treatment if you didn't fit the certain stipulations they had. I was crushed. I don't know what we would have done without Seattle Reproductive Medicine. We took the non referral route and tricare definitely hates when you seek specialist care without a referral when you have PRIME. Even with the higher costs, it was worth it. We have a beautiful 11 month old baby girl because of our decision. Seeing the approval today just took me back. It was so incredibly easy for our civilian sector PCM to request it and have it processed within hours. 

Makes me even more thankful for Justin's recruiting gig for the next few years. Civilian care is so, so different from military care. They seem to not only be friendlier, but more attentive, and they take care of your needs when you are there... not after you've gone home, a week has passed, and you've been forced to make a phone call to see what the hold up is. So many positives to this side of the Army, so many! Now that the referral has been taken care of I just need to start scheduling my appointments. It truly doesn't feel like all that long ago that I was starting my fertility appointments for a second round when we conceived Olivia. I'm so nervous about a new facility though. Hopefully it all goes well and we are able to click with a provider that we like. 

This is so incredibly exciting. Justin and I just spent a good chunk of our evening going over all things baby. I can't believe our family could most definitely be expanding in just a couple of months. Ava keeps asking for a baby brother - let's see if she's right on this one! 


♥- Leilani

Emotional

Ava and Justin are already asleep for the evening, so it looks like this mama is packing up the parts of this house that she can do by herself. As I started packing up my child's first "big girl" bathroom, I noticed I got a bit emotional about it. I came across an empty vitamin d bottle that Ava had to use daily when she was solely nursed, and I started blubbering over it. I think about how long ago that was and it makes me completely sad. This house has been the place where Ava bug hit so many milestones, including switching from solely nursing. This was the home that Ava started crawling in. I'll never forget that day. It was before all of our things from our move arrived, so there was absolutely no furniture in sight. It was cold outside and I was still feeling a bit jet lagged from our travels. When Ava crawled, I took it as a sign that everything was going to be okay here. I was right, everything was okay.

This is the home we were in when snow fell from the ground on a random February day. It was Ava's first time playing in snow... I'll never forget her toothless grins. Speaking of, she got her first set of teeth in this home as well. She danced, stood, and walked in this very home for the first time. It's really hard to walk away from those types of memories. Although we moved from Georgia to Texas and then here, this has been Ava's home the longest since she's been alive. This is the state she's been in the longest since she's been alive. A huge part of me is really hating the fact that we won't be here six days from now.

I'm also a little nervous about how Ava will take to her new surroundings. The last time we moved, the only thing that seemed to change was her development. She crawled just two days after our move and she's been full speed ever since. I'm worried she won't take to the new house well. She's almost 20 months old and a complete sponge. Soaking in new surroundings, she knows her comfort zones, and I know this move is going to mess with that a little bit. I know this seems a bit ridiculous, but it doesn't matter how big or small the circumstances... I don't like goodbyes. It's not like I can just drive to this previous home of ours and enter whenever I want.. that's not how it works, and I hate it. I've always been a person that resented change. Then I became the person that accepted change. Now I'm the person that accepts change and takes the good from it, but worries terribly how the change is going to impact her loved ones.

I'm going to pray that I'm making this a bigger deal than it is. Military families move. We move all over the nation and we move to new countries. That's a reality. Although the move this time is only a whopping 15 miles away (if that), I'm going to do my best to make sure that my family is comfortable. There are a few things I'm excited about, so it looks like I'll be holding on to those thoughts this next week. I'm pretty proud of our packing progress so far, and I honestly can't wait to get out of boxes! If you guys don't hear from me much next week, give thanks to this move! I'll keep you posted once I have internet up and running in the new house.

** I'm curious. How many moves have you done in one year? two years? Did you notice that your little ones were impacted a great deal? Did they not seem to mind? Share your experiences with me in the comments below or by email! **

Happy Friday all!





♥- Leilani

10 days!

So, we were able to take a video tour of our Washington home this afternoon, and I have to say, I am in love. So much natural light, and a lot of space. The five piece master has double doors, and this house offers a room that already seems perfect for Ava bug's nursery. The location is perfect for shopping, outings, and it's essentially close to everything we need. I think my husband was just elated over the garage door opener. Not having an automatic garage opener has been a pain for us in the house we are currently in. We are sacrificing yard, for house, which I am perfectly okay with. There is enough room for grilling, and for Cooper to handle his doggy business. The neighborhood offers walking trails, parks, and little poo bags for your animals. Overall, I am so relieved that I picked a house that will be great for my family. Looking out towards a golf course and view of Mt. Rainier is something I'm not complaining about either.

We opted to do a partial DITY move for a numerous amount of reasons (I'm not going to list right now). I think it'll be a smoother drive for Justin, and considering this is our second move in less than two months, I'd say smooth is exactly what he needs. This will be a different kind of experience for us, (as we won't have our things immediately), but I'm hoping the experience is a good one. I am excited that I won't have to pack anything. The moving company takes care of that (liability issues). We were able to pick a delivery date, even though they have the latest possible delivery date listed as the 27th. At the most, that's only 10 days without our things, and we are packing a lot of the essentials in the car anyway.

I am feeling a lot more confident about traveling with Ava on an airplane. I called the airlines (not so helpful) and was able to get some information out of them. I know what I can bring (baby wise), and I know what I can actually take on the plane. I'm so, so relived that we don't have to check bug's infant car seat. Thanks to my cousin-in-law.. I think that's the proper term Katie! I am waiting for this handy infant seat backpack to arrive for our trip.

I plan on using the ergobaby carrier the entire time we are traveling. Hopefully having my hands free will make this trip go smoother. Katie also filled me in on another handy tip. Since infants and typically kiddos under the age of two cannot pop their own ears, you wait to nurse them until you are taking off, or landing. The motion the jaw makes and the swallowing alleviates the discomfort from their ears popping. Justin is going to help as much as he can before we leave, so I guess the only thing I have to worry about is the layover. I'll have a lot of help with everything once we actually land in Seattle too.

I am getting so excited about this! Can't believe how quickly everything is going. Well, it looks like I'm off to watch some football! I'm rooting for Indy to lose today! Happy Saturday all!

 ♥- Leilani

Kicking deployment's butt !

We are currently sitting at the tail end of deployment and my emotions are ALL over the place. I'm nervous, I'm excited, I'm sensitive, the list could go on. This post is pregnancy aside, strictly my feelings and my thoughts about reintegrating with Justin and deployment in general. This entire deployment has been such a learning experience for me and for my marriage. We had to learn how to communicate efficiently with 7,000 miles sitting between us. We had to learn how to communicate without Justin being able to disclose his everyday duties or situations where he could have potentially been in harms way. And we had to find a way to communicate on Justin's bad days. It's not easy talking to a grumpy soldier! Justin is my best friend and we serve as each other's outlets. Having this road block between us really made me feel frustrated and helpless. I've never had an issue with Justin not being able to open up to me about what's going on.

It was a hard thing to work through the first few weeks of deployment, but we did it ! I had to give myself an attitude adjustment and instead of pushing the issues that deployment didn't allow for me to be included in, I decided to change the trend of conversation. I still ask how he's doing, if he slept well, things like that. I'm a Bubbly Barbara ! Optimism included. So I talk about things I know Justin will beam over ! Our little Ava, our marriage and how much we've grown, what we miss most about each other, what we have learned to appreciate most about each other, what we've learned from the time apart, etc. 

The answers I have received from him over the last few months have been remarkable. It's bittersweet what deployment can do for a relationship. I am even more grateful for the person I married, more appreciative of communication, and I realize how valuable time really is. I think the thought of him coming home isn't going to feel real until the day I'm on that field waiting to run out to him. I know we are going to be facing some new changes when he comes home. Our daughter being the most dramatic! Justin coming home to a house he has yet to live in, and readjusting to the fact that I've been keeping track of everything on my own and I've gotten good at it. Other than that, I'm curious to see what other challenges this process is going to present. I know we both can't wait to just cuddle our newborn and one another. I also can't wait for these bricks of deployment worry to be off my chest.

**I have a new appreciation for all the military spouses throughout our nation and the sacrifices a lot of us make**