8 months

Our Fisher is now 8 months old!
He is all over the place!
He's not officially crawling, but he gets on all fours and sort of lunges himself forward..gets on all fours, and lunges...needless to say, he gets where he wants to go.
He LOVES sleeping on his side, and is being so nice to me, sleeping 12 hours at night and 3 naps a day.
He still doesn't mind his car seat, but he is so heavy to haul around in there.  At his last check-up he was 22 pounds, and I'm guessing he's packed on a few more since.
He is the happiest baby you'll ever meet, but if a stranger gets a smile out of him, it is a triumph.  He gets very serious, stern looks about him, but smiles all the time around those he knows.
He has two teeth on the bottom, and I'm sure more will make an appearance soon because he's putting everything in his mouth.  His favorite?  Jack's shoes. Gross.
His favorite way of showing affection (or maybe that he's just really hungry...) is grabbing your hair, cheeks, nose - whatever he can reach - and pulling your face in to give you a very sweet, very slobbery, open mouthed kiss.
We love you, Fisher Vaun!!


Or as Jack would say, "Fisher boo boo"

Feeling Blessed

Harrison is gone again.
Surprise, surprise.
This time for a month, and starting Thursday, we will have zero communication until he's on his way home.
He's training at the NTC (National Training Center) at Ft. Irwin, CA.
We're definitely not strangers to being apart.
In fact, I was thinking today that by the time he gets home, we will have been apart 5 out of the past 11 months.
Definitely the most we've experienced in such a short time frame.
But I am almost certain that longer periods apart are in our future.

Many people I talk to (mostly non-military) say something along the lines of "I bet you're used to him being gone by now..."
Nope, I'm definitely not.
I still hate sleeping alone, it's still hard being a single parent, and I miss him like crazy when he's away.
So even though I'm not exactly "used to him being gone," I'm getting much better at it.
Much, much, better.
I've learned to stay busy.
I get all my crafting, deep cleaning, book reading, Gilmore Girl watching done while he's gone.
And I have to get out of the house.
This means showering, wearing real clothes, putting on make-up, and doing something away from home.
Sounds like a small task, but when you don't have a husband to look good for at the end of the day, it can be daunting.
I am trying to think of places to take my kids.
Jack gets cabin fever, and with all this rain we're having (where are you, summer?) I have to get creative in getting his energy out.
We go to the children's museum, indoor playgrounds, bowling, or even McDonald's to play in the play equipment.
And if that means I have to buy a vanilla cone while I'm there, so be it...

When Jack plays, he naps.
When he naps, he's happy.
When he's happy, I'm happy.

I also feel so blessed to have friends here to go out with and let our kiddos play together, and other military wives that can relate to my situation.  And I think the biggest blessing I have living here, is being by family.  Harrison's brother and his family live 10 miles away, and my family is two hours away.  They give me the sanity I need while Harrison is gone!! 

I know one day we'll move, and have more kids, and Harrison will be gone longer, and maybe to a more dangerous place.  But for now, I'm figuring this separation thing out the best way I can, and I'm feeling so blessed.