William's Doctor's Appointment

Today William had his follow up with the ENT for the bump on his neck. He has been on medicine for 10 days to see if it would go down. The doctor looked at it today, and although the medicine didn't help the bump go down, it did make the surrounding tissue go down making it more obvious to the doctor that it is, in fact, a Thyroglossal duct cyst. He is 99.9% sure, but suggested we have a CT Scan anyway. We have the CT Scan on Friday. He will call with the results on Tuesday. We are going to the beach for two weeks and will have the surgery when we get back on October 8. He said it was a major surgery, but outpatient and should only take an hour and a half. He said it's a little more serious than tonsils and adnoids, but he will be fine. He will have a small tube for drainage a few days after the surgery, but otherwise, it should be an easy recovery. Please keep him in your prayers!

Jack's home

Tre and William had NO idea he was coming. They thought Frankie and Roger were coming over. Jack knocked on the door and when Tre opened it, and I think it took a few seconds for it to process. Not William, he ran straight to him. I got a little emotional, of course, but not too bad. Mostly, I am just relieved that this part of our lives is over. He looks so good! The kids haven't stopped talking since! Tre immediately let him know that he needs help on his video game (no surprise there) and they both went and got every toy that we've purchased in the last three months, to show him what they got. They are constant smiles and so am I. It almost feels like he never left!!

sweet kiddies DON'T stay in bed!

I put the kids to bed 15 minutes ago. It was a little early, but mommy was ready. :) Plus, Tre's been super grumpy today and he refuses to nap, so I think he needed it. Anyway, EVERY night, lately, we struggle with bed time. It used to be a cinch! I would even brag to others about how quickly the kiddos fell asleep. Somehow, that has changed. William must come out a trillion times to potty, tell on Tre, say he's thirsty, so a million other things. Here's how tonight excuses went.

1. I need to pee pee (and did).

2. I need to poo poo (and didn't).

3. I have a buger in my nose (and didn't).

4. I need to poo poo (and didn't).

It's only been about 15 minutes!! ARG! Thankfully, Tre's only come out once to say that he's so thirsty he might throw up! HA! Funny, how just a few minutes ago he was feeling just fine running around like a wild man.

5. I need to pee pee. Not poo poo. I need go pee pee.

Anyhow, I started a sticker chart with Tre and one of his behaviors is going to bed without coming out of his room. That seems to have helped tremendously.

6. No words, just underwear and pj shorts he wanted back on.

Wonder what'll be next!

bad luck

Last night there was a TERRIBLE storm and Tre came running into my room screeching so loud I thought someone was coming after him! The poor guy was PETRIFIED! He slept in our bed (first time since birth) with the sheets over his head and clinging to me. The power went out for about 4 hours and, needless to say, it was HOT and I didn't sleep much.

I realized last night that my camera broke. It was in my purse, as usual, and when I pulled it out to use, the screen was white. I couldn't do anything to fix it.

So this morning, I get the kids in the car to go to school. I planned on working out after that and then going to see about my camera at Best Buy. God had different plans because my Durango wouldn't start :( I called my Brother-in-law to come help us out. He came to get us, brought the kids to school and then brought me to my parents to use my mom's car while they are on vacation. I missed exercise because of the car delay so I went to Best Buy and learned that my camera simply had a factory defect, but since I didn't get a warranty, I had to buy a new one. GREAT! NOT!

After my Brother-in-law got off work he came over to see if he could jump my car, but it was unsuccessful. Our next attempt was to get the battery out and bring it to the shop to get tested, but we can't get it out. My parents are coming home from a two week vacation and I will have my dad look at it before I decide to get it towed. Just my luck!

However, one positive thing did happen. Jack met a guy at our community pool right before he left and it turned out he graduated from Naval Academy a few years before Jack and he lived 4 houses down from my parents. He ended up treating Jack and I to dinner and he was a great guy. Anyway, he owns a company with several locations (LA, WV, VA, MD, and CA) and he called me today asking when Jack was getting home and said that he was meeting with his partner and they are looking to grow and want to interview Jack and to have him call when he gets back. :) It's just an interview, but at least it's something!!!

Life in the Navy No Longer Surprises Me...

So, when Jack and I first got married and he said he was going to get home at 5, I believed it. Then when it turned to be midnight, I'd be pissed that he still wasn't home. HA! I remember one deployment the boat on it's way home after a 6 month deployment, when they decided to turn around and go give some relief aid to Tsunami victims. Although, I knew it was the "right" thing, I was devastated. I cried for a couple of days! HA! I laugh at my ridiculousness now!

Nothing, and I mean, NOTHING is predictable in the Navy. You can't plan anything! Even when he is home, you don't know his flight schedule until the night before. It's one reason I am glad that our time is running out. Maybe we can make some "plans"!

Anyway, I've been thinking that Jack will either be home on or near August 28th OR September 10, depending on some varying factors. Last night, however, I got a text from Jack saying he was leaving today and would arrive tomorrow. I must be a veteran Navy wife now, because I truly didn't believe it. Of course, I called everyone and started making plans because it "might" actually happen, but in the back of my mind, I knew.

Last night I couldn't sleep with all the thoughts of what I need to do and what we will do when he gets home. In the middle of the night, I checked my email and Jack wrote saying he was getting ready to go and would email later with details. Then this morning, I check my email and it all changed. I wasn't surprised in the least. I was disappointed, of course, but reacted no where near how I would have in the beginning of my Navy Wife career. So, now I am just reminding myself that August 28 or September 11 is still WAY earlier than our "worst case scenerio". Even with those dates, I won't believe it until he's actually ON the plane flying over the big ocean!!!

I love you, babe! I can't wait for you to get home... whenever that may be!!!!

School's Going Well...

So the drop off went better than expected yesterday. Tre cried, which kind of surprised me, but I think he was freaked by a new teacher. By the time I finished dropping William off in his classroom, I checked on Tre and he was already fine. William clung to me, of course, but didn't scream in terror, at least when I was there. I walked out before that could happen and I could hear him start crying. Is it bad that I didn't have a panic attack? I think I haven't been without William for so many months that I almost welcomed the break and prepared myself for his cries (he cried nearly EVERY day that I dropped him off last year). I did call after about an hour to check on them and they were both fine :)

Today we went to the Doctor so Scott (my brother-in-law) brought Tre in. Scott texted and said he didn't cry, but seemed scared. My poor guy! Our doctors appointment didn't take too long, so I decided to bring William late just to stick with a routine (and, if we are going to be honest, give myself some "me" time). Shockingly, he clung to me, but didn't cry. I was proud. When I went to pick him up, he was so excited. He told me he had a cookie, and got a sticker and read a dinosaur book and played outside! We were walking out of the class when he turned back and yelled, "BYE CLASS!!" (He's the only part-timer) It was hysterical!!! I am so proud of them both!

I'm already anxious about next year and Tre going to Kindergarten! I think I will be a mess. I really do. My sister laughs at me, but I think I'm going to be "that" mom that follows the bus to school.

You think I'm lying? I'M NOT!

Cyst update!

So, we had our second appointment today with the ENT. William was so good and I was so proud of him. The doctor agreed with our pediatrician and thought it was a thryroglossal cyst. He said it was in the perfect location, but did seem harder than usual. He wanted to try meds first to see if that would work. He said it was essentially doing homework before we go to our next step. We have our next appointment August 31 and we'll see how it's going. He said we'll do CT scans after that and likely surgery.

School starts tomorrow

Tre's been going all summer, but it's been more "fun", less learning with bubble day, ice cream truck day, popsicle day, water day, etc. Plus, he's officially starting Pre-K 4 with a new teacher. "Aunt Lisa" is her name. I am not sure why they call them "Aunt" but I guess it helps the kids feel like they are in good hands, so I'm all for it.

William hasn't gone all summer. He usually comes with me to the gym and then we run errands. He calls the gym his school! HA! I've been trying to prepare him and tell him, but he refuses to listen and insists he is going to the gym with me. I remind him that Tre will be there and he still refuses and says, "Tre can come to my school at the gym!" HA! I have a feeling it's going to be a rough morning for the both of us.

I am excited for him, though. His teacher is "Aunt Elizabeth" and I actually known her for most of my life. We called her Gigi growing up, so calling her Elizabeth will be hard for me. :) I know it will be good for him to play with kids his age!

Wish us luck!!!

So William's Doctor had to cancel because of an emergency. We rescheduled for Tuesday! :(

cyst?

So good news! Jack could be home as soon as August 28! Wouldn't that be AWESOME!!! I'm trying not to get too excited because it IS the Navy and things never seem to work in our favor, but I'm hopeful. I don't plan on telling the kids until we are in the car on the way to the airport. I can hardly wait to see the looks on their faces!!! He'll have to go back to work with VFA-204 in New Orleans, but we'll stay here and he'll commute. We are going to be out of the Navy on or before March 1st, so hopefully, we can find a job before then.

On to other news, I found a large lump on William's throat area yesterday. I about freaked and had a major panic attack. (side note about me: I am well aware that I am over dramatic. With that said, any bump that isn't familiar I CONVINCE myself it's a deadly cancer.) I called the doctor immediately and got an appointment for this morning. My best friend is a dermatologist, so I insisted she come over for dinner to take a look. She's usually the passive kind and quick to point out that I over react, but yesterday she felt it and immediately said, "yea... you DEFINITELY need to check that out!" I was hoping she'd say it was just a swollen lymph node. Her concern made me sweat! We went in first thing (I brought a friend along for support (told you I was dramatic) and got some reassuring information. Unfortunately, the doctor doesn't really know what it is, and he referred us to an ENT. Our appointment is Thursday, so hopefully we can learn more, but until then, my pediatrician agreed that it probably wasn't a lymph node because of the location. He suspected that it could be a Thyroglossal Cyst. He wasn't sure, but if it is, those are usually benign and are surgically removed. I hate the idea of surgery, but it's way better than Cancer, so I'll take it. Dramatic, I know, but William is my precious baby and it's hard not to worry about the BIG stuff!

So Jack is not on hold and is in the process of trying to find out when he can get home. Several people have emailed him with such nice things to say and job leads and that has meant a lot to both of us. I know once we get settled into our "new life", this will all have happened for a reason. I am excited about the prospect of having him home and not shipped out on detachments or deployments all of the time. This is going to be good for us! :)

THe Results Are Out

Jack instant messaged me this morning and let me know that his name was not on the promotion list. We knew the results were coming any day and I didn't know what my reaction would be either way, but I have to say I am relieved to know and get on with our lives. This has been an unknown or the last three years and it's been very emotional and stressful.

We still don't know if Jack is on the "hold" list, which is the worst case scenerio. If that happens, it means he was selected by the board but his name was pulled from the list for review. That happened the first time we were up for promotion and it took 8 long months to find out that he was ultimately not selected. It was a VERY long period in our lives and don't want to go through that again. If he is on "hold" then he'll have to finish his deployment in Afghanistan until we get the "final" results. We should find out any time if we are on this list or not.

For now, Jack is already working on talking to the people he needs to talk to get him home. We will officially be out of the Navy at the beginning of February, unless we find a job before then :)

Summer fun

We decided to do some impromptu slip-n-sliding at my sister's house yesterday. It was just pure summer fun! We started with them in their undies, and eventually they all ended up bare. It was quite fun for everyone!

My adorable nephew

This is my twin sister's little boy! He has the sweetest demeanor and is just precious! When Frankie and Roger took my kids for the day, I had the chance to focus on him for a bit without interruption. That doesn't happen enough with either of my sisters kids, but when it does, I truly enjoy it!

My fish

Tre was scared to go down the slide at first, but once he started he realized how much fun it was. I am still amazed at his swimming skills. He loves the water and is a fish!!

I have great friends...

It's been two months since Jack left and it's been fine, but the second month has dragged. I think it's because of all the unknowns right now. I would love to know about the results of the promotion board so that we would finally know if he's coming home or not. Maybe we'll find out this week.

Anyway, my best friend Frankie and her hubby Roger have two kiddies, John Parker (2) and Leona (7 months), so they have their hands full too. Regardless, they offered to take my kids to a birthday party for their nephew in Hammond (2 hours away) for the day. They left at 11 am and got back at 8:30 pm. The kids had an absolute blast on the giant water slide and are bound to sleep hard! She said William had no accidents and they didn't argue one bit. They were VERY well behaved and that made me one proud mamma!

I had the best day. I totally soaked in my "alone" time and enjoyed every second. I went to the City Club pool with my favorite magazines and twin sister and enjoyed conversation and relaxation. Then we decided to go shopping and I got two pair of sassy jeans. Later we took a wonderful nap, and then went to Becky and John's for a wonderful dinner. Tuna steak (hamburger for me since I don't like seafood), spinach, asparagus, mashed potatoes and wine! GLORIOUS!!!

Thank you Frankie and Roger. I love you guys so much and truly don't know what I would do without you. I am so thrilled that you guys moved to Lafayette and only wish you would follow us wherever we go!!! We are truly blessed to have friends like you!!