These are more of my favorite pics. He is just too cute for words.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Happy Birthday Jeffrey!!
Wow, we have a 3-year-old boy. He is getting so old, but is still so little. He amazes me every day. It was a fun day. While Daddy worked, we went to Starbucks, where Jeff always wants to sit down with his drink at one of the tables. We did just that with my iced caramel macchiato and his chocolate milk with whipped cream and chocolate syrup, his "brown and white," as he called it. He also asked me, regarding his drink, "Mom, is this sugar?"
After lunch we went for a walk and then I took him to the park, where he ran around with a couple of kids that were there as well. For dinner we had pizza and then cake and ice cream for dessert and then opened up his presents after he had his bath.
About a half hour after we put him to bed, I walked into the bedroom after my shower to hear his little 3-year-old voice singing, "Happy Birfday. Happy Birfday to Jeffrey." He talked to himself for quite a while before he went to sleep, and when I put Jack down in his crib and turned on his crib toy, I heard Jeff singing along to the music.
The only downside to the day occurred sometime after Jeff fell asleep. I had finally gotten Jack to sleep by putting him in our bed, and awoke only to hear Jeff crying. He had thrown up everywhere, so much so that I had to wake up Glenn to help me get Jeff in the tub again so I could wash out the sheets. Poor baby. Thankfully, he seems to have forgotten all about that part.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
It's been a week since Glenn has gotten home, and it feels like every day is truly a blessing. Things are getting back to normal; Glenn is back at work for a few more days and then he is taking leave so we can move into our house.
The day Glenn came home seemed pretty surreal. I had a hard time believing he was actually coming home. He was coming in late Wednesday night or very early Thursday morning, after flying from Iraq to Kuwait to Europe then finally to the US, and then taking a bus from LA, where they were flying in, down to MCAS Miramar. By 11 pm Wednesday night I was ready to go, but I was still waiting for the call from Glenn to tell me to get in the car and head to Miramar. Long story short: The next 90+ minutes of waiting were among the most tedious of my life, but he finally called, and I headed out into the cold, foggy early morning. As I drove I thought about how I had always pictured picking him up in the sunshine with our boys beside me. But the end result was still the same; after 6 months, Glenn was coming home, and nothing else mattered.
I got to the base and after a little trouble found where I was supposed to go. I found a parking spot and followed a group of people through a set of doors into a room that was set up with folding chairs and tables. People were milling about; solo wives and girlfriends, wives holding small children, and a few tots toddling around. I thought about how maybe I should have brought the boys after all, but then figured Jeff would probably either be asleep in the stroller or cranky because he was tired.
I sat down in one of the chairs, and after about 30 seconds, a woman carrying a baby in a baby carrier across her chest came through the door leading from the flightline and announced that the bus was at Miramar's front gate. Finally, they were here, after 6+ months away from their families and everything they know and love, after 3 days of nothing but travel in dirty cammies, they were home. We filed outside, waiting to see the headlights of the buses. I stood and side-stepped back and forth, trying to keep warm in the chilly early morning, looking around at all the wives and friends and other Marines who had come to welcome our heroes home. I watched people taking pictures and wished I had brought my camera.
Finally, we saw headlights approaching. Three buses roared up and parked on the other side of the barricade as people cheered. It seemed like it took a while for the Marines to start getting off the bus, but when they starting filing off I peered over the crowd's heads looking for Glenn. Everybody looked the same! I watched until the last person got off the bus, but did not see him. I finally saw him a few minutes later as he was about to walk right by me on the way to the bathroom. We hugged for a long time, and then he had to take off again, lost in the crowd of Marines again, to sign in, participate in the "96 brief," and then to get his bags. While waiting, I watched as a truck pulled up and then as a few Marines opened up the back and started to place all the lookalike seabags into neat rows on the ground.
I have to say, one of the greatest feelings of my life was seeing those buses pull up and being there with all of the eager and excited family members and friends. It was like the anticipation of waiting for a celebrity to pull up, but a million times better. These were our own celebrities. They were our husbands and sons and friends and fathers, who left the comfort of their home and family to live and work in a foreign place to fight for our freedom. There is no job on earth more noble than this.
The day Glenn came home seemed pretty surreal. I had a hard time believing he was actually coming home. He was coming in late Wednesday night or very early Thursday morning, after flying from Iraq to Kuwait to Europe then finally to the US, and then taking a bus from LA, where they were flying in, down to MCAS Miramar. By 11 pm Wednesday night I was ready to go, but I was still waiting for the call from Glenn to tell me to get in the car and head to Miramar. Long story short: The next 90+ minutes of waiting were among the most tedious of my life, but he finally called, and I headed out into the cold, foggy early morning. As I drove I thought about how I had always pictured picking him up in the sunshine with our boys beside me. But the end result was still the same; after 6 months, Glenn was coming home, and nothing else mattered.
I got to the base and after a little trouble found where I was supposed to go. I found a parking spot and followed a group of people through a set of doors into a room that was set up with folding chairs and tables. People were milling about; solo wives and girlfriends, wives holding small children, and a few tots toddling around. I thought about how maybe I should have brought the boys after all, but then figured Jeff would probably either be asleep in the stroller or cranky because he was tired.
I sat down in one of the chairs, and after about 30 seconds, a woman carrying a baby in a baby carrier across her chest came through the door leading from the flightline and announced that the bus was at Miramar's front gate. Finally, they were here, after 6+ months away from their families and everything they know and love, after 3 days of nothing but travel in dirty cammies, they were home. We filed outside, waiting to see the headlights of the buses. I stood and side-stepped back and forth, trying to keep warm in the chilly early morning, looking around at all the wives and friends and other Marines who had come to welcome our heroes home. I watched people taking pictures and wished I had brought my camera.
Finally, we saw headlights approaching. Three buses roared up and parked on the other side of the barricade as people cheered. It seemed like it took a while for the Marines to start getting off the bus, but when they starting filing off I peered over the crowd's heads looking for Glenn. Everybody looked the same! I watched until the last person got off the bus, but did not see him. I finally saw him a few minutes later as he was about to walk right by me on the way to the bathroom. We hugged for a long time, and then he had to take off again, lost in the crowd of Marines again, to sign in, participate in the "96 brief," and then to get his bags. While waiting, I watched as a truck pulled up and then as a few Marines opened up the back and started to place all the lookalike seabags into neat rows on the ground.
I have to say, one of the greatest feelings of my life was seeing those buses pull up and being there with all of the eager and excited family members and friends. It was like the anticipation of waiting for a celebrity to pull up, but a million times better. These were our own celebrities. They were our husbands and sons and friends and fathers, who left the comfort of their home and family to live and work in a foreign place to fight for our freedom. There is no job on earth more noble than this.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Waiting
Now I am just waiting for the phone call. Glenn's flight should just be landing at LAX, and then they have about a 2-hour bus ride here to San Diego. He is going to call me once they get on the bus to head home. I have showered, put gel in and blow dried my hair (which I never do), and have my best fitting jeans on. After he calls I am going to put on the rest of my makeup and probably try on several different shirts to find the cutest one. Then before I go I will finish off my outfit with the boots Glenn got me for Christmas. I am telling this to anyone who cares. Haha. I am just excited to actually have an excuse to look good again and wear something in lieu of yoga pants and t-shirts (which really isn't all that bad, they are cute yoga pants).
I am still trying to decide what to do about Jeffrey. I was going to come home and, with Glenn waiting downstairs, come and wake up Jeff and tell him he had a surprise downstairs. Before he went to bed, he had a nice snack and a cup of what he calls "yucky water" but is really club soda. I brushed his teeth, and as I was doing that he began to have a meltdown. I still don't know what all the fuss was about. Anyway, I got him in bed and he pretty much fell asleep right away after letting out a few tired-sounding squeaky sounds. I'm a little wary of waking him up in the middle of the night because I don't think he will handle it very well. But our other problem is that he has been geting up lately very, very early in the morning and will climb into bed with me. If he pulls that at 4 or 5 am tomorrow and sees his Dad in bed, I think he will get too giddy to go back to sleep. I know I don't want to wake up for the day at 4 or 5 am.
Still waiting for that call. Get on the bus already guys!! It's kind of hard for me to believe this deployment is over. Up until now it felt long, but now it doesn't seem like it was that bad. Anyways, who cares?? It's over!! Now I just gotta wait for that call and for an ETA at the base, then it's off into the dark of the late night to go get my husband. It will be one of the best nights ever!!
I am still trying to decide what to do about Jeffrey. I was going to come home and, with Glenn waiting downstairs, come and wake up Jeff and tell him he had a surprise downstairs. Before he went to bed, he had a nice snack and a cup of what he calls "yucky water" but is really club soda. I brushed his teeth, and as I was doing that he began to have a meltdown. I still don't know what all the fuss was about. Anyway, I got him in bed and he pretty much fell asleep right away after letting out a few tired-sounding squeaky sounds. I'm a little wary of waking him up in the middle of the night because I don't think he will handle it very well. But our other problem is that he has been geting up lately very, very early in the morning and will climb into bed with me. If he pulls that at 4 or 5 am tomorrow and sees his Dad in bed, I think he will get too giddy to go back to sleep. I know I don't want to wake up for the day at 4 or 5 am.
Still waiting for that call. Get on the bus already guys!! It's kind of hard for me to believe this deployment is over. Up until now it felt long, but now it doesn't seem like it was that bad. Anyways, who cares?? It's over!! Now I just gotta wait for that call and for an ETA at the base, then it's off into the dark of the late night to go get my husband. It will be one of the best nights ever!!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
We made it (almost!)
Well, here it is. We made it through our first deployment. Glenn is on his way home and should be coming in late tomorrow. I can't even begin to describe excitement like this. Our family is going to be together again, and I can't wait. I can't wait to see him and for the boys to see him, and I can't wait for him to be able to eat good food and to do all the things and go all the places that we love. He says that even if I mess up on dinner, it will taste like a piece of heaven to him after eating the chowhall food for 6 months. The first things we are going to do are to pick up our new Jeep (his welcome-home present), go to Starbucks, and have dinner at Outback Steakhouse. I remember having dinner at Outback 2 days before he left, and when he got up to go smoke I couldn't help letting some tears out, knowing that he was leaving. No more of that stuff now!! On a diferent note, I have to mention that he left here as a Staff Sergeant and is coming back a Gunnery Sergeant. What a guy he is to me, I gotta tell ya. What a guy.
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