Well, I did have a great idea to blog about my deployment journey; however, I ended up slacking. Here is the run down of things that have happened during the last six months since the deployment started:
June 2009~ Chris deployed, kids acted out, school work was overwhelming and the homeowner's association stuff went on the back burner and so did the house.
July 2009~ Had issues with a neighbor about the loud fireworks in the cul-de-sac that started at 5pm and ended at 2am. At that time I had a 3 year old 2 year old and 11 month old...that went to bed at 8pm, so it was a rough night. We celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary apart, but it is a huge accomplishment, my mom came out to visit and finally it was the first month down of the deployment.
August 2009~ I was geared up for my best friend to come here from New Hampshire, we live in Olympia, WA so it was great to see her again! She flew out on August 8th, we spent August 10th celebrating Kaelyn's birthday (she turned 1). We planned a road trip to San Diego, California and we stopped in Grants Pass, Oregon and hung out with my husbands side of the family, finally this was the second month down of the deployment.
September 2009~ Found out that my husbands leave slot was taken away because he was attached to a troop so we were told it could be as early as November and as late as April. We made it to San Diego just fine and enjoyed the sunshine and polite people. Erin loved seeing the palm trees and the beaches. We stayed at my in-laws house and we had a blast hanging out together. She left the last week of September and that was the end of the 3rd month of the deployment.
October 2009~ My mother in law helped me drive up to Washington from San Diego and we stayed at a hotel the first night and then we stayed in Oregon, finally we reached our final destination...HERE! It was a great trip, awesome time with my mother in law and the kids had a blast. She left the second week of October and I started going to the gym with a friend of mine and ended up losing 7 pounds. We didn't celebrate Halloween because I have too many children and not enough arms. The end of October marked 4 months down of the deployment.
November 2009~ My husband called me to tell me that he was coming home in December, probably the first week! I was thrilled! That put a wrench in my Thanksgiving plans because we were going to go Oregon to spend Thanksgiving there and spend time with the extended family and my inlaws. I ended up deciding that I was going to make the trip to Oregon, come home around the 27th and get the house decorated and ready for him to come home. As a whole, the kids and I are home bodies unless if someone comes over or we go to someone's house. The end of November marked 5 months down of the deployment!
December 2009~ I was getting the house cleaned up, the toys organized, the clothes put away and doing my entire detailed cleaning. Chris called me on the 2nd of December to tell me he was leaving! I was super excited because I knew he would be on his way! So I hurried to get the pictures in their frames and get the frames on the wall. I got that done by December 4th. I woke up on December 5 to a phone call from an out of state number and it was my husband! He told me that he was going to be arriving at Seatac at 6pm! I was so happy! That day couldn't have gone by any slower, but eventually the moment came when we made eye contact and I got Krystina out of the stroller and told my oldest that he can run up to daddy and give him a big hug! My husband brought gifts for the kids, Kaelyn got a stuffed lamb, Krystina got a sheep and Stephen got legos! Chris was on his knee trying to put the lego set together for Stephen, but ultimately gave up and said that he will do it when we get home. I finally got the kiss I had been longing for and it took my breath away. At this time I was 25 pounds lighter than I was when he left. We got home and it was heavenly. It was as if he never left, he hadn't changed, he wasn't jumpy and he was still the best husband and father. The two weeks flew by and we dropped him off at the airport on the 21st. It was harder saying good-bye the second time but I was going to see him 6 months from then so I was happy about that. Well here comes the news...about a week after he left to go back, I decided to get pregnancy tests because I felt...different...and sure enough...i'm pregnant!!! Once again! So here we have baby number FOUR on the way and six months left. And here we are, the half way mark!
I swear, these six months have gone by so fast, the first month was the worst, I hated July and wanted nothing to do with anyone. I was bitter and jealous of those whose husbands were home. But I sucked it up and carried on and realized, my turn will be here before I know it.
Here I am now, on the verge of 2010, the year my husband comes home and I am more excited than I was ever before! I am hoping to keep up on this blog now, whenever I get some time for myself, but I thought I would update for my followers, even though I have two and THANKS!!
I hope everyone has a safe and healthy New Year and may 2010 bring you the best!!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
6 weeks so far
Well I am going on my sixth week of the deployment and things are going pretty normal. I have a two year old who insists on "helping me clean", but sprays detangler on my windows, dumps water all over the floor and pees on the floor, but she's "helping". My three year old refuses to go poop on the potty, behind my back he will put on a pull up and poop in it before I can get dressed or if I leave the room for a minute. My youngest will be one on August 10th! I can't belive she's almost a year old and i'm not pregnant again, which is a great accomplishment. On another note, I am getting my birth control removed on August 20th because I can't stand the side effects anymore and I'm going to request three months of the pill and take them before he comes home on R&R and before he comes home after the deployment.
Life is crazy busy, with school, the kids, housework, homeowner's association and being a good friend it makes life a little difficult at times. I have a hard time with friends who say they will be there, but never are...or they are there when it's convenient for them and I have a hard time accepting that because, I am a real friend...I will offer one shelter, food and a safe place to live. I do what I can for those who cannot do it themselves and I open up my house to my dearest friends especially if they are in trouble. I don't understand why I meet those who aren't like that and the ones that take advantage of everyone around them.
I am sick of "friends" telling me what I am doing wrong as a parent, when their children don't listen, talk back, give attitude and throw tantrums because they don't get their way...are you kidding me? I just don't get it, I am sick of people breathing down my back about what i'm not doing right and in the same breath give me praise because I am 24, own my own house, have three kids under the age of 4, go to school full time and manage to keep my house clean. I don't even know what to say most of the time because i'm dumbfounded, if your kids aren't as behaved as mine, DON'T GIVE ME PARENTING ADVICE!
I do what I do and it works for my family. We wake up at about 8am every morning, we go downstairs, change daipers (3 kids), get breakfast ready for three kids and not all of them want the same thing...so 3 different breakfasts, three cups...I clear off the end tables from the night before as they are eating and I manage to do a load of laundry while they are eating their breakfast. So, after breakfast we play, watch movies, draw pictures for daddy, then have snack time around 10:30am and get new cups. Around 11:30am I ask them what they want for lunch and if they say Mac and Cheese, I will start preparing it around 12pm, so they will get their food around 12:30, have time to eat it, and are done around 12:50 or so, then I get their diapers changed again, refill cups, let them hang around for 40 minutes or so and put them to bed roughly around 1-1:45pm.
While they are down for their naps, I clean up the living room, finish the dishes, load the dishwasher, clean off the table, clean off the counters, get a cold bottle of water, and get ready for my 60 minute workout.
At about 3:30-4:00pm they wake up from their naps, which means, diaper changes, snacks, new cups and mommy cuddle time. They usually cuddle for 10 minutes or so and then they go on and play with their toys and have a blast. Around 5:00pm I get dinner going and by 5:30pm we sit down as a family and eat our dinner, and of course they get new cups. After we eat dinner, the kids play for awhile and depending on the day, they may get baths around 6:45pm until 7:15pm, after bathtime, we come downstairs get dressed, get new diapers and we read stories until 8:00pm and then it's bed time for the kids.
That is pretty much my schedule with them, they are well structured and they know what to expect and sometimes they don't get their naps, but they still go to bed at 8pm. I am glad they are on a schedule, I am glad that they are doing well with Daddy being gone and I couldn't ask for anything more.
Life is crazy busy, with school, the kids, housework, homeowner's association and being a good friend it makes life a little difficult at times. I have a hard time with friends who say they will be there, but never are...or they are there when it's convenient for them and I have a hard time accepting that because, I am a real friend...I will offer one shelter, food and a safe place to live. I do what I can for those who cannot do it themselves and I open up my house to my dearest friends especially if they are in trouble. I don't understand why I meet those who aren't like that and the ones that take advantage of everyone around them.
I am sick of "friends" telling me what I am doing wrong as a parent, when their children don't listen, talk back, give attitude and throw tantrums because they don't get their way...are you kidding me? I just don't get it, I am sick of people breathing down my back about what i'm not doing right and in the same breath give me praise because I am 24, own my own house, have three kids under the age of 4, go to school full time and manage to keep my house clean. I don't even know what to say most of the time because i'm dumbfounded, if your kids aren't as behaved as mine, DON'T GIVE ME PARENTING ADVICE!
I do what I do and it works for my family. We wake up at about 8am every morning, we go downstairs, change daipers (3 kids), get breakfast ready for three kids and not all of them want the same thing...so 3 different breakfasts, three cups...I clear off the end tables from the night before as they are eating and I manage to do a load of laundry while they are eating their breakfast. So, after breakfast we play, watch movies, draw pictures for daddy, then have snack time around 10:30am and get new cups. Around 11:30am I ask them what they want for lunch and if they say Mac and Cheese, I will start preparing it around 12pm, so they will get their food around 12:30, have time to eat it, and are done around 12:50 or so, then I get their diapers changed again, refill cups, let them hang around for 40 minutes or so and put them to bed roughly around 1-1:45pm.
While they are down for their naps, I clean up the living room, finish the dishes, load the dishwasher, clean off the table, clean off the counters, get a cold bottle of water, and get ready for my 60 minute workout.
At about 3:30-4:00pm they wake up from their naps, which means, diaper changes, snacks, new cups and mommy cuddle time. They usually cuddle for 10 minutes or so and then they go on and play with their toys and have a blast. Around 5:00pm I get dinner going and by 5:30pm we sit down as a family and eat our dinner, and of course they get new cups. After we eat dinner, the kids play for awhile and depending on the day, they may get baths around 6:45pm until 7:15pm, after bathtime, we come downstairs get dressed, get new diapers and we read stories until 8:00pm and then it's bed time for the kids.
That is pretty much my schedule with them, they are well structured and they know what to expect and sometimes they don't get their naps, but they still go to bed at 8pm. I am glad they are on a schedule, I am glad that they are doing well with Daddy being gone and I couldn't ask for anything more.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Interesting couple of days...
The other morning I woke up to my 3 year old covered in some kind of substance, I looked into the kitchen because I figured it was just milk or something...I couldn't be more wrong. Well, it ended up being 18+ raw and rotten eggs all over my island, inside the cabinets and all over the floor and him. After being in shock over what had happened, I put him in the bath to get him all cleaned up because yeah...we didn't want him to get salmonella or anything. I came downstairs and started cleaning up the scrambled eggs and tons of small pieces of egg shell. It took me roughly 40 minutes to clean up all the egg out of every nook and cranny of the island, cupboards and floor. After I got that all cleaned up, I realized that he had a trail off egg going into the living room, up the stairs and in the bathroom. So, I had to get out the carpet cleaner and clean all the egg and shells off of the BERBER carpet...man was that tough! I went into my bedroom to get something, I think I was getting changed, but I looked on my dresser and realized that the jewelry that a family friend made and gave to the girls was missing out of their little boxes...so instantly I was like oh my gosh where did they go?? So I asked Stephen where the necklaces were that were in the boxes and he didn't tell where they were...I keep my house clean and I couldn't find them anywhere. So I figured, well I will find them eventually.
That afternoon I was watching my friends daughter and she is 4 and potty trained...none of my kids are yet...and I noticed that her shorts were wet and I realized she had an accident and I asked her where she had the accident and she was quiet (I understand it is embarassing for kids to tell that they had an accident) so I went up stairs and there was a puddle of urine on the floor. So I was thinking...great another mess I have to clean up...so I got it cleaned up and put her clothes in the washer and dryer...so they were all clean when her mom got here at 4:30 and I had her since 12:15pm.
We ended up taking the kids to the park and they had fun, we came home around 8:00pm or so and I had to get the kids ready for bed, the house was a mess and I still had to figure something out for dinner...so I made them mac and cheese and called it a night.
So, Chris called me the day after all this happened I think it was two days ago or so and he laughed about Stephen getting into the eggs, and he was mad about the necklaces. So I asked Stephen again where the necklaces were and he corrected me saying that they were bracelets and he gave them to Kaelyn when she was in the crib...Kaelyn is only 11 months old. So sure enough I found two hearts but one chain...I am hoping that after I flip her bed inside out I will find the other chain. I am just happy that he told me where they were.
Chris called again today and got to talk to the kids and he was so happy to hear from them in between all their fighting and screaming at each other. Krystina loves to act like a dinosaur (she is 2) and chase her brother around and scaring him pretty much. So she got on the phone and goes "RAWWRR Daddy" (she growled when she said daddy) I am sure that lifted his spirits a lot since he is deployed.
After talking to him today he told me he picked R&R because he said that is what I wanted, and I told him to pick it for himself, if he wants to come home 6 months into the deployment, that's fine and if he wants to wait until after I graduate with my AA in Psychology in February that's fine too. So he ended up getting on a list for March which will be 9 months or so into the deployment which I think is good because he will be fresh in the kids' minds.
He told me next time I send him a package, if I send him a package to send him envelopes because they are all sold out out there and he is still waiting on my letters that have gone out roughly 3 weeks ago. But who knows maybe I should send them to him in a package so they will get there faster.
That is all that's going on today, but I will try to update as soon as I can
That afternoon I was watching my friends daughter and she is 4 and potty trained...none of my kids are yet...and I noticed that her shorts were wet and I realized she had an accident and I asked her where she had the accident and she was quiet (I understand it is embarassing for kids to tell that they had an accident) so I went up stairs and there was a puddle of urine on the floor. So I was thinking...great another mess I have to clean up...so I got it cleaned up and put her clothes in the washer and dryer...so they were all clean when her mom got here at 4:30 and I had her since 12:15pm.
We ended up taking the kids to the park and they had fun, we came home around 8:00pm or so and I had to get the kids ready for bed, the house was a mess and I still had to figure something out for dinner...so I made them mac and cheese and called it a night.
So, Chris called me the day after all this happened I think it was two days ago or so and he laughed about Stephen getting into the eggs, and he was mad about the necklaces. So I asked Stephen again where the necklaces were and he corrected me saying that they were bracelets and he gave them to Kaelyn when she was in the crib...Kaelyn is only 11 months old. So sure enough I found two hearts but one chain...I am hoping that after I flip her bed inside out I will find the other chain. I am just happy that he told me where they were.
Chris called again today and got to talk to the kids and he was so happy to hear from them in between all their fighting and screaming at each other. Krystina loves to act like a dinosaur (she is 2) and chase her brother around and scaring him pretty much. So she got on the phone and goes "RAWWRR Daddy" (she growled when she said daddy) I am sure that lifted his spirits a lot since he is deployed.
After talking to him today he told me he picked R&R because he said that is what I wanted, and I told him to pick it for himself, if he wants to come home 6 months into the deployment, that's fine and if he wants to wait until after I graduate with my AA in Psychology in February that's fine too. So he ended up getting on a list for March which will be 9 months or so into the deployment which I think is good because he will be fresh in the kids' minds.
He told me next time I send him a package, if I send him a package to send him envelopes because they are all sold out out there and he is still waiting on my letters that have gone out roughly 3 weeks ago. But who knows maybe I should send them to him in a package so they will get there faster.
That is all that's going on today, but I will try to update as soon as I can
Friday, July 10, 2009
My first blog!
Hello, there! My name is Amanda Welch and a very busy person. I have been married to my husband since July 9, 2003 and he left for basic training on July 16, 2003. I accompanied him to Germany from 2004-2007 and then we got orders for Fort Lewis, Washington. I have three small children, Stephen was born on January 3, 2006...Krystina was born March 21, 2007 and Kaelyn was born on August 10, 2008. We also have a dog named Max and she joined our family in April 2004. We currently reside in Olympia, Washington and love our home.
I am currently surviving our first deployment, he is deployed to Afghanistan for a year and this is the first time we will have been apart longer than a month or two. He is up in the air for what he wants to do with the Army; whether or not he wants to stay or if he wants to change his career options; either way, I am here for him.
I am an easy going wife, I do not mind if he goes out with his friends...but he has to give me some kind of warning, just to be fair...he cannot come home from work and say, "Oh, I'm going out with the guys tonight." He gives me a days notice or so, which is great and that's all I ask for. He can pretty much do what he wants, but he chooses to spend his time with his family and I love him for that.
We are best friends, we have endured a lot together in our short time being married, we have lost people really close to us and I have lost a cousin in April. It is great that I have someone to depend on and he is there for me and supporting my decisions, even if he does not fully agree with it.
Since I got married at 18, I have not ever been on my own...until now. I had my first child when I was 20 and having my son, really made me grow up and made me less of a selfish person. I am now very outgoing, forthcoming and honest. I find these all great qualities...I am a listener, supporter, caregiver and love people.
I am just getting a feel of blogging, I decided to start one because my friend Brittany has one that I read frequently and love her personality and her outlook on life. I was brought up in a negative light, and that has hindered my friendships; however, I am overcoming the negativity and moving on to the positives in life, since there are so many to focus on!
You will definitely hear more from me, but that is me and my life thus far and I will definitely write more tomorrow!
I am currently surviving our first deployment, he is deployed to Afghanistan for a year and this is the first time we will have been apart longer than a month or two. He is up in the air for what he wants to do with the Army; whether or not he wants to stay or if he wants to change his career options; either way, I am here for him.
I am an easy going wife, I do not mind if he goes out with his friends...but he has to give me some kind of warning, just to be fair...he cannot come home from work and say, "Oh, I'm going out with the guys tonight." He gives me a days notice or so, which is great and that's all I ask for. He can pretty much do what he wants, but he chooses to spend his time with his family and I love him for that.
We are best friends, we have endured a lot together in our short time being married, we have lost people really close to us and I have lost a cousin in April. It is great that I have someone to depend on and he is there for me and supporting my decisions, even if he does not fully agree with it.
Since I got married at 18, I have not ever been on my own...until now. I had my first child when I was 20 and having my son, really made me grow up and made me less of a selfish person. I am now very outgoing, forthcoming and honest. I find these all great qualities...I am a listener, supporter, caregiver and love people.
I am just getting a feel of blogging, I decided to start one because my friend Brittany has one that I read frequently and love her personality and her outlook on life. I was brought up in a negative light, and that has hindered my friendships; however, I am overcoming the negativity and moving on to the positives in life, since there are so many to focus on!
You will definitely hear more from me, but that is me and my life thus far and I will definitely write more tomorrow!
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