We made it to Tennessee

I don't have any pictures to post yet or much time but just wanted to put up a quick post that we made it to Tennessee on Saturday evening. The trip was actually pretty uneventful and the girls did great! Joe and Jill are graciously letting us stay with them until we find a place and Emma is loving having extra attention (and new stuff to explore. She snuck into their bedroom yesterday and broke Jill's glasses *sigh*).

Tomorrow is Kev's first day to report. We've spent the last 2 days trying to get ID cards, enroll for benefits, get decals for our cars, etc and haven't accomplished any of it! Ha, got to love the military. Apparenly, Kevin is going to have some kinks to try to iron out concerning his status and the way it's entered into the computer. It's been a headache and frustrating but I'm trying to stay positive.

The awesome thing is that we were pretty sure we would have to rent a place for a few months before we could buy, BUT, that doesn't look to be the case. We have actually found a house that we love-love-love and are hoping to put in an offer this week (pending Kevin can work out those kinks quickly). I'll try to get some pics and find time to post more details about the things I had promised from before.

Until then, we miss and love you all!!!

Praise Jesus

We have an appointment with a pediatric ortho here in Springfield Friday morning at 8 AM! (While our stuff is being loaded onto a truck) Thank you for your prayers, thank you God!

Where to Begin?

First off, I owe Hannah an apology. Yesterday was her 2 month birthday but our internet was down all day! Very frustrating, I must say. She is getting so big.

Here are a few things she's been doing: She is finally starting to crack a few grins for us ~ She is staring to like to lay on her activity mat and kick her legs ~ She really still hates tummy time but is getting strong enough that she can scoot around a little bit when she's mad enough ~ She's gaining control of her head and can hold it steady for a while ~ She is following things around the room with her eyes ~ She can find me when she hears my voice ~ She is getting her nights and days straight (praise the LORD!) ~ AND, she has had several nights of only waking up once to eat and then going right back to sleep!! (more praise!)

Well, there are a lot of things on my heart to write about right now and there's no way I could fit them into one post. So, I'm gonna hit you with the punch lines and that which is lying on me the heaviest and save the rest for the coming days.

Ok, here's the punch line- Kevin has been comissioned as an officer with the US Army and we are moving to Ft Campbell, KY in in 4 days! For those of you who don't know, Kevin enlisted with the Army prior to graduating from high school and served four years on active duty, including 2 deployments overseas after 9/11. He then served 3 years with the National Guard while in college and has been separated completely from the military the last few years. There are a lot of details surrounding our decision for Kevin to join the military; that will have to wait for another post.

I also want to post in the coming week(s) about our awesome church and friends that we are leaving behind, my amazing job that I have had the last 4.5 years that I am absolutely heartbroken to no longer have, our crazy apartment that we are sooooo happy to say goodbye to (If we were staying any longer I might have to kill our neighbors!), Dave and Cort's recent visit and their very special gift for our girls, and so much more! (Apparently I have been really slacking on the blogging- You would think that with me being at home on maternity leave I would have more time for these sort of things)

Anyway, most heavily weighing on Kevin and I's mind this week is our dear Hannah. This last week we took the girls in for their well child checks. We take them to a pediatric nurse practitioner that I work with and just adore. Upon doing Hannah's physical exam, she noticed bilateral hip clicks. Since we were moving the next week she wanted us to take her for an ultrasound, just to be safe, and rule out hip dysplasia. We had Hannah's ultrasound this past Friday morning. A radiologist performed the exam and we have the final report but we are unsure what to make of the findings or if hip dysplasia has been ruled out.

The very very good thing is that Hannah's hips are not dislocating, even upon purposeful manipulation. The ultrasound did show, however, that both sockets are shalow to an extent that only about 50% of the femoral heads are covered. Also, the angles at which the femors enter the socket are off. There are some other findings also that I don't understand. The nurse practitioner and the doctor she works with don't have much experience with this and normally would refer Hannah to a pediatric orthopedist. But, since we are moving we are now going to be transfering into the hands of Tricare and the military's health system. Our understanding is that Kevin will enroll us (Me and the girls) as his dependents as soon as he gets on base but that it may take up to one month for us to get in the system. At that time, we will be assigned a PCP. From that point I can make an appointment for Hannah, and hopfully get a referral to a specialist.

It just pains us to think about having to potentially wait 1-2 months or longer in limbo of being unsure if there is something wrong with our baby, if she needs treatment or braces, etc. We are praying that the findings are "no big deal" and that she will not need any intervention at all. But, if she does, the sooner the better, for her sake. We appreciate your prayers and support as we wait and see how this process goes. This is a whole new lifestyle for me and will be a learning experience and although Kevin was in the Army before, he never dealt with dependent benefits. I will keep y'all posted (I'm practicing my Tennessee lingo) Until we blog again....Love Kev, Mandy, Emma and Hannah

PS. Isn't this the cutest stinking picture you've ever seen?!?

My Emma Girl

I need to focus this post on my Emma girl and what she's been up to lately. She is getting soooo big and is learning soooo much.

First of all, let me say she is an awesome big sister. She is so kind and sweet towards Hannah. The first few weeks, she mostly ignored her. I must admit, that was kinda nice because I figured, "Hey, she's not being rough with her and she's not feeling neglected." Now, she's not only taking notice of her a lot more but I think she's really starting to care about her. She always wants to know where Hannah's at and what she's doing. She likes to come give her kisses and hugs and *gentle* pats. She brings her her lovey and binky and displays nothing but affection towards her. We're so proud of our sweet girl.

Part of having a little baby in the house means that you learn some mothering skills. Emma's very best friend and very best "baby" in the whole world is her kitty from Build-A-Bear that she got for her birthday from Aunt Mae and Uncle Ian. She sleeps with him and carries him EVERYWHERE. He never leaves her side. Well, now, she mothers him. As you can see from the picture, poor kitty needed his hair brushed and had some boogies that needed sucked from his nose. And, as all us Mommy's can relate, you have to balance baby care with your own so she managed to take care of her sweet kitty while brushing her teeth :)

We have also been working very hard with her on learning some simple "chores" and she is doing great with them. Every day, we have her put her shoes away by herself, put her dirty clothes in her hamper, she puts her books on her shelf (or on the floor in front of the shelf), and will help us pick up her toys at the end of the day. We give her lots and lots of praise when she picks up her things and she really enjoys it. I'm starting to notice that she's doing it without me asking her.

As part of her bedtime routine, I have been saying a prayer with her and showing her how to fold her hands and bow her head (which she does very nicely for all of about 3 seconds, but hey, it's a start). I've been struggling with what type of verbal prayer to pray with her. I thought, what would a baby be thankful for? What would a baby worry about? So, I pray in the first person, as though I'm her, and we thank God for Mommy, Daddy, Hannah and all our other family members. Tonight we thanked God for our awesome teachers at daycare because they do fun stuff and care so much. We ask God to watch over her through the night, to guard her dreams, help her be a good girl, be healthy and grow. Her favorite part, though, is the Amen. It kinda sounds like May-Mee. And she shouts it really loud about five times more like a Hallelujah. It's kinda funny because the first few times I tried to quiet her and say, "Okay, that's enough, time for night-night." I wondered how I would even try getting into an exlpanation of what it means to be reverent to an 18 month old. But then I thought, "What's wrong with celebrating at the end of a prayer in anticipation of the great things God will do?" I think sometimes we really can learn so much from our kids.

Anyway, miss Emma Liz is doing great and we love her so much.

And, because I just can't resist, here's a picture of sweet Hannah before I go :)