I'm having one of those days where my heart feels like it might explode, I just love my son so much. When I went in to wake him up from a nap, I saw a tiny pair of socks in the floor. I smiled to myself, knowing that I've seen big-people socks at the foot of my bed more than once. I fall asleep with them on sometimes but I've yet to keep them on a whole night. We are hot-footed people! With a baby that looks so much like his dad, it's nice to see a little of me in him every now and again.

Yesterday Hayden said "juice" so I went to get it for him when he grabbed my hand and stopped me. He wrapped his hand around my little finger and walked with me to get it. Tonight I'm watching him feed himself and try to master the spoon. I feel like I blinked and he grew up. I can only imagine how Jay must feel, missing him all this time. I am such a lucky girl to have these wonderful boys in my life.

Trucking along

This week at work was a lot of fun, as I got to learn tons of new stuff. I'm feeling a little more comfortable with what I'm doing and am ready to get into the groove of how I do things. Everyone has a different way, and I'm hoping I can figure it out soon!

Hayden is still enjoying our current situation. He gets to play with Cassandra a few hours a day and get a break from me, and we still have our time in the mornings and evenings. So far, this could not work out any better! We are still on the waiting list for childcare and unfortunately have moved back DOWN the list. When families register that are single or dual military, they bump us so we are back to 6. There are TEN spaces for all kids ages 6 weeks-18 months in this community of several thousand people. It's frustrating because they encourage spouses to be employed and volunteer, especially when the soldier is deployed. But when we DO get jobs, there's no childcare available! We have been so lucky to have great friends that are willing to help us out but it's still frustrating.

Hayden and I are both battling colds, so there is a lot of snot in this house! Hayden seems to be feeling much better and mine peaked on Friday so this weekend has been a relaxed one. Friday when I got off work I ran a few errands and then came home to my little buddy. He was running a low-grade fever so we opted out of our dinner plans and hung out together. Just when we get him back on schedule, the cold rears its ugly head and a stuffy nose interrupts his sweet baby sleep. Ugh! Saturday was a particularly fun day though. Hayden went to daycare on post for Super Saturday and I got to scrap with the girls for a few hours! We put all the kids in and brought food over to Kelly's and got down to business. It was nice to have a little me-time after these crazy two weeks of being back at work.

Today we are playing catch-up on housework and hopefully staying in the house...it's cold out there! The high has been in the mid-20s this weekend and it is just bitterly cold out there. This week we have a few fun things planned and will be preparing for my week of training the first of February. Today is the two-month mark in our deployment, so we are moving right along! Missing Jay a lot but staying busy and making as many trips to the post office as possible to make things easier for him. I also decided to try out my new polish pottery pie plate, and made my first apple pie. It was a success! This week also marked Hayden's FIFTH haircut...we almost can't keep up with all his hair!

Back to the working world!

Well, one week ago today I started my new job as a customer service rep at Community Bank. We are the overseas division of Bank of America but are merely governed by them; i.e. a BOA account doesn't translate into a Community Bank account. But you can use the ATMs without fee with either card! So. What do I do?

My first day I read. And read. And because I read fast, they ran out of reading for me so I filed. Super, since I already knew how to do both of those. My schedule is pretty sweet; most days I'm in from 11-4, some days 12-5. Everyone starts out part time with a later option to move to full time. It's perfect for my first job after Hayden's birth. I'm only gone from him about five hours a day and he sleeps three of that. Right now our friend Cassandra is watching him AT OUR HOUSE, which is about the sweetest setup you can get. They have a really good time together and he gets to be in his normal surroundings and stay on the schedule he's used to. Day one was a little crazy since we had to do a little car swapping so Cassandra could get her tire fixed (finally!) but since then he's done really well.

Day two I started learning my actual job, which involves everything from figuring out why an ATM card won't work to opening new accounts, account maintenance and bill payments. I really like it! The challenge, as with any job, is learning the system and how everything works. There are lots of new things to learn every day and it's a ton of fun to use my brain for things other than scheduling meals and changing diapers. I love being a mom and a wife, but I needed something that uses my brain even if it doesn't use my degree.

My first week went really well work-wise, but it was the after-work activities that wore us out! We had something to do every day after I got off work and seven inches of snow between my first two days. The weekend was also busy but we are getting into the swing of things and figuring it all out. Hayden has THREE new teeth, two on the top and one on the bottom. That brings our total to seven. Wow!

We also finally got our webcams set up and working so we can see Jay! On Friday he had his but we didn't have ours, but Hayden got to hear and see his dad and he immediately knew who he was! He pointed at the screen and said "dada" and then just started jabbering to him. He squealed when Jay talked to him and laughed and laughed. Oscar seemed to recognize the voice too. It's amazing the joy a pixelated, dim picture can bring to your life during a deployment.

In two weeks I go to training about two hours from here, and luckily they were able to accomodate Hayden in their child development center while I'm there! That means we'll have our mornings and nights together and he'll spend his days at the CDC hanging out with other kids his age. It will definitely be an adjustment for him but he'll get through it! And if anything, it will probably help him sleep better at night. Two weeks in a hotel room will be an adventure but we are up for it!

Hayden has also turned into a full-fledged monkey, climbing on anything that sits more than a foot off the ground. He is pretty good at it, just like his mom was as a baby. He likes to take the toys out of his box and make a spot to sit in, and then park it there for a few. He is getting into lots of mischief, which is to be expected at this age. I love his determination and his awareness of what will get him in trouble. Those blue eyes and that smile only get him so far!

Super fast

The short update is that I love my job and things are going well for both me and Hayden. Jay is also doing well in Afghanistan. Longer update tomorrow evening, when we start our boring week! This week was just too busy to update, as was the weekend. I leave you with this...

The snow keeps coming

We were suppposed to get a pretty bad snowstorm this weekend, but it turned out to be just a few inches of light, fluffy powder. We stay put a lot in the snow but with my new all-season tires I feel pretty good about driving around in the thick of it. We took a quick trip to the antique store on Saturday and when we got back I figured since Hayden was already dressed for the snow, we should try it out! I love his snowsuit and his new hat, he's just so cute. I took him out in the front yard since it's smaller and I thought it would be less intimidating. Hayden wanted nothing to do with it! I don't know if it was too cold or too close to lunch time, but next time we'll try it with Oscar who LOVES the snow and can make anyone excited.

I start my new job today and luckily I don't have to be in until 11 because it's STILL snowing. 6-7 inches is probably a good estimate of what's in my front yard right now and it's coming down steadily. Today is a little bit of a hectic day, since our friend Cassandra will be watching Hayden but has a car appointment this morning. So we'll be car swapping and meeting on post instead of her coming straight to the house. I figure this week will be a learning experience for all of us, so wish us luck! Hayden likes Cassandra but I'm worried about him being sad that I'm not home with him all day. He's tough, he'll be fine :-) We also have an FRG meeting as soon as I get off work, so it's going to be a long day for us. Tomorrow should be more calm! Hayden did wake up at 3 this morning and just needed a little cuddle time. He didn't want milk or even to play in our bed like he usually does; he sat down next to me in the bed for a minute and then laid down right next to me with his head in the crook of my neck. I guess sometimes we just need a snuggle to put us back to sleep!

Walking!

Welcome, 2010!

Happy New Year, all! We rang in the new year with our friends at Adrianne's house full of food, fun and a ton of loud kids. Hayden had a BLAST with all the big kids, and showed off his supreme walking skills. He also showed off his climbing and not-napping skills, as we were still in the midst of the messed up schedule. We stayed inside at midnight and watched the fireworks at the window since it was cold and rainy. Germans love their Silvester (new year) and celebrate with fireworks in every neighborhood. The next day, they are all out sweeping up the the debris because they are a clean people. Unlike the filthy Americans I live with, who can't be bothered to pick up their own trash or sweep a stairwell. I digress.

So far in 2010, we have had 2 days of snow, a flat tire on the Fusion, a dead battery on Jay's car and TWO phone calls from Jay. I'll take it. Today I learned that the Skins fired Zorn and that the Heels lost to CofC in overtime last night. That's a Monday for you. I had an oil change today and have my fingers crossed that my new tires come in this afternoon so our road trip to Ramstein commences tomorrow. I really need to get out of here just for the day! Right now I'm riding on my spare, and you truly do not realize how slow 50mph is until that's as fast as you can go. Needless to say, I'm steering clear of the autobahn to avoid having my doors blown off. And the minimum speed is 100k or 60mph, so I'm not even ALLOWED. How will I ever drive in the states when we move back?