Hannah's Check-up

Hannah finally had her 6 month check-up now that she is nearly 7 months old. It got a bit delayed due to our move and it takes awhile to get an appointment for routine check-ups. Anyway, I knew she didn't weigh much, but she'd only gained 9 oz since her 4 month check-up, weighing in at 12 lbs 15 oz (even less than I thought). She measured 26 inches (pretty average), is developing fine and is a happy baby. Obviously, her weight was my biggest concern as well as the doctor's. So, to begin checking things out, she had to have some blood work done. Oh, this made me so very sad. They had very good technicians (I held her, one tech held her arm and the other one actually drew the blood). There were a couple of unfortunate things. One is that they had to take blood from each arm because her veins are so delicate. The other is that they didn't get enough blood today so we have to go back next week for them to get enough blood for the final test. Needless to say, Hannah was quite upset during the ordeal as well as myself (ok, I wasn't bawling like she was, but I certainly had tears). I'm sure she has forgotten all about it, but I will remember it for quite some time.

Even though this morning was emotionally challenging, I'm thankful that the doctor is checking things out in combination with a trip to see a pediatric gastrointestinologist. I hope and pray that she will gain weight without too much intervention.

Power Outage

I'm not sure what it is about the Robey family, but we have a tendency to experience power outages. Growing up, we never had any to speak of -- usually nothing more than a minute or so. However, since we've been in the Air Force, we occasionally experience one that will last quite some time. The first ones we experienced were at Vance AFB. OK, I have to say there was a reason for the first one. There was a storm approaching one time that put it out of commission for an hour or so. However, I have seen much worse storms where the power didn't even flicker. On another occasion, it was a simply beautiful evening and it went out for awhile. Who knows why! We then moved to Altus AFB. Again we had flickering power for an entire Saturday, but there was quite a bit of wind. Then, we had a beautiful Saturday morning without a cloud in the sky and the power was out for nearly five hours. Why? We still don't have any idea. As you can see, we don't have a very good track record. So, when our power went out just seconds after I'd turned our oven on last night for our evening meal, I wondered. Again, the air was still with no storms in our area. So, Chris went to investigate. He got to our front patio & noticed that just outside the gate, which you can see from our front door, that a tree was across the road & it had fallen across the power lines. Who knows why it fell, but I was very, very thankful that it didn't hit anyone or any vehicles on its way down. So, we did without power for just over an hour. The highlight for Luke was the fire truck that came to help out.

A Night Out

Chris & I had a night of shopping, of all things. Now, Chris usually isn't the shopper in the family, but after a big meal at Cracker Barrel & several glasses of that infamous southern sweet tea, he was up for the task. We had an enjoyable evening of mostly window shopping. The eventful part was on the way home.

We were halfway home when we saw a lot of flashing lights. Now, it was late to be out for us, but we thought it was a bit early for a sobriety checkpoint. However, that's what they were doing - sobriety & license check. There were at least 30-40 police/sheriff (there were a lot!) cars in a 1/2 mile stretch. We came to a slow creep & standstill for about 10 minutes before it was our turn. Chris checked out (even with an Indiana driver's license, Oklahoma plates in a even different state.) To me, it was somewhat interesting. I don't think I'd ever seen so many police officers in one spot before. Anyway, it gave something to talk about.

Dishwasher

Luke has always really liked the dishwasher. The rule is that he can put things (parent approved items such as his sippy cup) in the dishwasher, but is allowed to take nothing out. Recently, he has gotten excited because I let him put the soap capsule in its spot. Tonight, he added to this by putting the soap in, closing the door & starting it at the right setting. Basically, he did all of the final steps. It's so nice to have a little helper, but off course, this will continue to be a supervised activity.

Work in Progress

Chris & I are in the process of adding some furniture to our home. With this move, we decided to buy a desk. I am so excited about it & looking forward to having some work & storage space within arms reach.

The key is, though, we are in the process. We actually have five pieces (desk, "L" of desk, hutch & 2 storage/file drawer sets) and each of those pieces are completely broken down into many, many pieces. So far, Chris has three of the five pieces done. The hutch is next on the list and it will be the hardest & heaviest of them all.

I'll keep you posted & show pictures of the final product.

From the Mouths of Babes

Luke is just beginning to add words to his vocabulary. I've been inspired some fellow bloggers to comment on the language development of my little guy. The funniest thing to me is that several words are said in duplicate. Here are some examples (some are quite understandable & others I'm afraid only a Mommy & Daddy can understand).

bye-bye: everything is "bye-bye" if he can no longer have it or it is going away
truck-truck: anything with four wheels and moves down the road especially semis, trucks & tractors
no-no: anything he can't have or can't touch or shouldn't do -- unfortunately, he's heard this a lot recently since we've been moving
eese: please
cack-cack: either a duck or quacking -- they always go with the same animal
Hannah: sometimes this includes all babies that he sees, but we've been working on his sister is Hannah and the others are babies
beby: any child under 3-4 years
Dad-dee: Daddy & sometimes Mommy is also Daddy
Momma: Mommy & is usually said loud & fast
moew-moew: the sound a cat makes (yes, I know I have it spelled wrong, but his vowel sounds are a little mixed up)
uh-uh accompanied by pointing, a little dance, maybe a woof & sticking his tongue in & out: dog

So Hannah doesn't feel left out, she also can put quite a string of da-da-da-da-da together. Her Daddy of course says that she is saying "Daddy" :)

Meandering Munchkin

Our little Hannah is beginning to migrate. I'm not really sure how she does it, but when you put her down, she's not in the exact same spot when you return. I think she rolls, stretches and scoots a bit to get anything that is just out of arms reach. The day won't be long when she won't stay in the same room that I put her in.

Hot Pink Phone

When Chris & I moved to Oklahoma, we got matching phones. We quickly learned that this was not the best idea that we've ever had. That was in addition to the fact that our service wasn't real great there, either. So, I was a bit excited when we moved that we were getting new phones and new service. After pricing plans and looking at different phones, my technology savvy husband chose a phone that would work well for us. Then the time came to pick the color of the new, sleek and shiny phones. They had black, blue and hot pink. Of course, they were out of the black. So, Chris needed the blue phone. Since we'd learned our lesson the last time, I got the hot pink phone. Now, I'm not really into pink and hot pink really isn't me either. However, I have to say it works quite well, we always know which phone is mine and it hasn't come up missing yet.

Watering the Flowers

When it was time for the daily watering of the flowers this evening, I had a little helper. At the end of last summer, I found a little watering can on clearance just the right size for Luke. So, when it came time to water them, Luke used his little can to water them. He was pretty proud of himself even though there wasn't much water left in the container when he finally got to the flowers. It's fun to have his help anyways!

By the way, yes, the flowers do need to be watered daily. I didn't water them for a couple of days, and oh, were they a sad sight. Thankfully, the newly purchased plants perked right up with the daily attention.

Familiar Faces

We got to see some familiar faces and spend a little time with them - yeah! Our neighbors when we were at Vance AFB have been assigned to our present base. They just got here last night & we got to have lunch with them. It was fun to share what little knowledge we have of the community and to catch up a little. Even Luke and Hannah were excited to have friends in our home. We are also excited that for a few months they will be our neighbors here as well.

Caretaker

Hannah has her own personal caretaker. Ever since Hannah was born, Luke has watched out for her. When she was tiny, he would check on her. Now, that she's a little bigger, he tries to take her places (only with parental help!), gives her his sippy cup, pushes her in the stroller & I think would change her diaper if he could figure out how to get the dirty one off. He even makes sure that she goes in the car when we leave to go somewhere. Today, was another heartwarming moment. He helped give her her bath. Now, that basically consisted of patting her face with a washclothe and pouring water over a portion of her face. Now, Hannah doesn't usually tolerate this well. However, she let Luke do this several times before getting tired of the game.

I have to admit that I love it that he takes care of Hannah so well. It's my hope & prayer that they continue to love each other the rest of their lives.

Voice of Truth

Many of you have probably heard Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns. It has been one of my favorite songs for awhile. However, the words struck me in a different and meaningful way this past Sunday when it was sung at church. I've included the lyrics below. The lines of the chorus really caught my attention. Yes, I know that I'm not to be afraid in this crazy journey we call life. However, the next line reminded me what this is all about. I have to say that I like the comfortable and the predictable. Neither of which hold true for me as a military wife. What I like doesn't matter, though. What does matter is that God put me in this specific life journey solely for His purpose and His glory. This is so much easier said than done, but what more could I ask of life?

Voice of Truth

Oh,what I would do
To have the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown
Where Jesus is,
And he's holding out his hand

But the waves are calling out my name
and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
time and time again
"Boy, you'll never win,
you'll never win."

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
the voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the voice of truth says "this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh, what I would do
to have the kind of strength it takes
To stand before a giant
with just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound
of a thousand warriors
shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out
my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
time and time again
"Boy you'll never win,
you'll never win."

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
the voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the voice of truth says "this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

but the stone was just the right size
to put the giant on the ground
and the waves they don't seem so high
from on top of them looking down
i will soar with the wings of eagles
when i stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
singing over me

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says do not be afraid
And the voice of truth says this is for my glory
Out of all the voices calling out to me (calling out to me)
I will choose to listen and believe (I will choose to listen and believe)
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

I will listen and believe
I will listen and believe the voice of truth
I will listen and believe
'Causes Jesus you are the voice of truth
And I will listen to you...

Firsts

Since we are now at our new home, our children have had some new "firsts".

Hannah gets to now sleep in her crib for the first time in her 6 month life. Since we've been on the move so much, she's been in her pack-n-play. It worked just fine in the beginning, but it was becoming quite evident that she needed her crib. I think she loves it. She moves and plays so much more in her crib. Plus, I don't think the sleep is bad either. Since she can now sit up, she got to take a bath in the tub as well. She loves to be able to look around and see what is going on.

Luke continues to grow and experience new things. Thanks to Grandpa & Grandma Snow, he has a new bike. He has no idea how to make it go or how to steer, but he loves to take "rides" on it.

Our New Home

We've arrived at our new home -- YEAH!! It is part of a duplex, but we have about 1600 sq ft, which makes this this biggest place we've lived in. When we get the inside put away, I'll have to send some pictures of the inside.

Summer Haircut

Those of you that have gotten to meet our baby Hannah know that she has quite the hair. Most of it is on top, but she does have some on the sides. Now, for some reason, the hair behind her ears grows quite well and was at least an inch longer than the hair in the back. Many have been encouraging me to cut it. However, she's my baby girl and I just didn't want to cut it -- yet. She's only 6 months old! After much thought and messing with it, I decided that maybe it was time to bring out the scissors. So, Hannah's first official haircut was this morning. I do want you to know, though, that I only cut the hair behind her ears to even it up with the back. It will take more time and thought to cut the rest of it. At least not yet . . .

Where did all of this come from?

We had a huge praise and answer to prayer this week. All of the belongings that we had packed up for us at the end of January arrived this past Wednesday. It has been a lot of fun getting out the items that make our house our home. I do have to say, though, that I think some of our belongings multiplied. Did we really have that many clothes? toys? tools? tupperware containers? just "stuff" in general? We are certainly blessed, but unpacking has also been a time of getting rid of things. I'm sure we'll get rid of more things when we move again this time next year.

Yard Sale

One of my recent hobbies has been checking out yard sales. Recently, I haven't been to too many because we've been on the move and it makes it rather interesting to take along two babies under 2. However, last Saturday morning there was one on base that had several stops and my entire family was up to the challenge of finding some treasures. While on the hunt for the deal of the day, we found a truck that Luke found very cool. It looked impressive as well made lots of noise when the buttons were pushed. We decided to get it for Luke. As we perused the rest of the tables, Luke continued to push the buttons as he carried his treasure. When we were finished, we had to go past the table where the truck was purchased. Luke proceeded to try to put it back on the table. I thought it was so sweet, but we tried to explain that it was his to keep and he was quite happy about that. I do have to admit that maybe he is learning some lessons too well. We've been working with "put that back, Luke". Plus, sometimes when we're in the store, we'll let him hold or look at those other really cool trucks with the understanding that they have to go back on the shelf. I guess he was just doing what he thought was right.

Mr. Mom

We've been quite busy with moving, but we had an unexpected turn of events a week ago. The day began quite normal, but quickly changed before breakfast. It sounds like I wasn't really doing much - changing Hannah's diaper - when I had excruciating pain in my lower back. I have to say, it probably had been warning me since Hannah was born, but it was never for long and I didn't really think twice about it. However, this day it lasted for hours and even the slightest movement hurt. It was way past the massage stage and well into the drug stage by the time we made it to the emergency room. I'm so thankful for modern medicine because it did eventually take away the pain of the muscle spasm. Today, a week later, I'm doing much better and take the slightest pain in my back as a warning to take it easy.

All of that to say, I have to sing my the praises of my husband. Any parent knows, that lifting is a requirement to be a parent of infants & toddlers. Chris had to do everything except nurse Hannah the first couple of days. He did such a good job of feeding, changing, bathing and not letting Luke be rambunctious around me. I know the team effort would be his preferred method of parenting, but he did a fine job on his own! I'm proud and thankful to have him!!

What in the World happened to the Robeys?

Some of you may be wondering what happened to us. Well, we finally have arrived at our new location just over a week ago. It's taken some time to get adjusted and some what settled in. OK, as settled in as you can be without most household items. Here's a bit of what's been going on.

The first order of business upon our arrival was finding a house. We found a place to rent less than five minutes from the base. It's a duplex, but this three bedroom/2 bath home is the largest one we've ever lived in. I think we're really going to like it.

Unfortunately, we found out about the same day that all of our belongings that had been in storage since the end of January were still in Oklahoma. After Chris spent nearly an entire afternoon sorting that mess out, our belongings left Oklahoma the day they were to arrive here. Long story short, we will hopefully get them sometime the middle of this coming week.

Another major item that I have to settle soon after arriving at a new base is filling out the new insurance paper work. When I left the office, I felt like it had been too easy. Yes, it was. I spent a little time on the phone yesterday hopefully straightening that out, but that remains to be seen.

So, why haven't I kept up with the blog. Yes, we've been busy, but I did have time to make it to the computer. I actually went one day to the base library, but was quite unsuccessful at figuring out how to make it work. Thankfully, the public library has come through & I can once again catch up on my blog writing & reading.