Check Me Out...

Last Thursday, Bill's school held a Spouse Appreciation Day where we were given a choice either to fly in a glider or C-12, or do a high speed taxi ride in a T-38. I chose the T-38, mainly because the glider scared me (hello, I need engines) and, really, when would I have another chance to ride in a little, fast airplane like the T-38? Never. I will admit, though, I was scared to death, even though we never actually got off the ground. I made sure I knew how to unbuckle myself and get out should, you know, the airplane decide to spontaneously explode or something. I'm not a good driver, either. The pedals to steer the thing were backwards to me and they weren't very sensitive to the touch, so I kept cutting the plane really sharp in the wrong direction. I was good on the throttle, though, and I made the airplane go really fast!! I even wore a patch with "Mrs. Q" on it! O.K., you may throw up now. Here are pictures and a video from our day.

Look at What Daddy Got Him to Do While I Was Gone!

Notice the standing in the pool...

Taking a phone call poolside...

Hmmm, it seems that we may have forgotten something. What could it be? Oh, yeah. A swimming suit!!!

First Time in the Pool this Year...Well, Almost

I have termed the time period between when Aaron wakes up from his afternoon nap and when Daddy gets home "The Witching Hour" because I honestly don't know what to do with him to pass this time. It's too short to go anywhere off base and he doesn't seem content anymore playing in our backyard. Luckily I have made a new friend, Amy, who has the same problem. Her son Landon just turned two this past March, so he and Aaron are at the perfect age to play together. Well, they don't really play together, they really just ignore each other, but they are the same age so they like to do the same things. Amy and I usually fill this time with walks around the neighborhood, then trips to the park and we hang out there until the daddies get home (they are both in TPS together).

This past Friday, though, Amy broke out her awesome inflatable swimming pool and invited us over for a pool playdate! This thing is so awesome - it even has a water spout! Landon dove right in but Aaron? Yeah, not so much. I was hoping that he would have gotten over his fear of the cold hose water but he ended up just walking concentric circles around the thing, playing with the water toys outside of the pool. I think he will learn to love it with time, though, especially when it's up in the 100's around here!!

One More Week!

My best friend Athena, who I have known since the third grade, is getting married in ONE WEEK in beautiful Breckenridge, Colorado! And I'm the Matron of Honor, thank you very much!! I can't wait! It's hard to believe that it is possible to stay this close to someone over time and distance, but we've done it! The last couple years that Bill and I were in Washington, I was thrilled to be able to live only an hour's drive from her when she moved to Seattle for her job. But, alas, the Air Force strikes again and we are now down in So Cal. That's O.K., though, because I get to see her in less than five days when I fly to Denver on Friday! Yahoo! Can't wait to see you, girlie!!

I Love to Run, Part 2: It's More of a Love/Hate Relationship

I can't walk today, people. My legs feel like they're in permanent cramp mode. Amazingly enough, they feel better when I've been walking steadily for a few minutes (like at the mall today). But the whole starting and stopping thing? The whole laying in bed all night, not using my legs at all? That's the killer. Augghh! No pain, no gain, though, right?

How He Wakes Us Up in the Morning...

I was awakened this morning by a banging sound coming from Aaron's room. Luckily I had turned off the monitor sometime in the night (I really don't remember doing that), so the sound wasn't amplified too badly. When I opened the door to his room, this is what he was doing...

I Love to Run

Today our running group drove up to Tehachapi to run 9 miles. It was so awesome! I felt so good today. I think it was because I was a little smarter this time and brought better gear. The Air Force issues Bill lots of athletic stuff that he usually ends up throwing in the back of the closet because the guy doesn't work out (and is still skinny and that's why he sucks). As it turns out, he was issued a CamalBak that he dug out for me to use. I'm sure runners have been using these since, like, the beginning of time but I'm still learning! It's essentially a small bag that you wear like a backpack and it holds water for you to drink out of using a little hose that goes over your shoulder. I can't believe the world of difference it made for me to drink little sips of water during the run! I also took a shot of Gu Energy Gel. I ate the little pouch about halfway into the run and it had just enough kick to give me a second wind when I really needed it.

I ran the 9 miles in 1 hour and 28 minutes, which is just under a 10 minute mile pace. That, I am really proud of. It also means, if I should be so lucky to keep that pace, I should run the half marathon (13.1 miles) in about 2 hours and 10 minutes. The half marathon that I am running in two weeks (holy crap, only two weeks?) is the 52nd Annual Fontana Days Run in Fontana, CA. Click here to view last year's results for this half marathon. As you can see, running the race in about 2 hours and 10 minutes puts me a little below average. I think I'm O.K. with that!! Plus I've heard that race day causes you to have much more adrenaline than you would normally have, so maybe that will help me creep closer to average! I'll need all the help I can get, I think.

Does It Make Me Less of a Girl to be Totally Excited About This?

Pictures

For some reason, I've had more giddity-up-and-go recently about getting all my photos uploaded to Flickr. This means that I have been digging deep into my computer to go back and get some from a long time ago. Every once in a while, I will come across a picture that slams me directly in the heart, like this one for instance:

This picture of me and Lisa was taken on May 21, 2005. Baby Jalyn was going to be born in exactly 10 days (her momma was lucky enough to have a c-section scheduled) and my Aaron was coming in 27 days (also due to a c-section, but the surprise kind. Turns out a 5'3'' frame really shouldn't be forced to hold 179 pounds, and will revolt by raising your blood pressure to scary levels. Notice I didn't round up to 180. The scale never turned that corner, and I was very proud of that little accomplishment!). Lisa was her typically bubbly self with her grin that was always reassuring to me. As for me? I was looking a little tired in this picture. 'Cause I was! Tired of being pregnant; tired of wearing the same things over and over because, at that point, only a few things fit; tired of my freakishly swollen feet. But Lisa, having already done this with sweet Coley-girl, was always there to reassure me that people have babies all the time! You'll get through this!

I love and miss you, my friend.

Side Note: Here are our jackhole husbands striking the same pose, with their skinniness and whatnot. What-evah!

Checklist for an Awesome Mother's Day

• Boy, therefore parents, sleeps in until 8:45 a.m.
• Receive hand-painted Mother's Day present with totally cute picture of the boy inside.

• Boy, Daddy, Mommy and Reagan play together all morning with no temper tantrums.
• Daddy makes awesome breakfast scramble but Mommy is strong enough to only try one bite while her Lean Cuisine warms up.
• Put boy down for nap, which he does complaint-free.
• Have the couch all to herself (well, except for the puppy who likes to snuggle) while watching her movie that came in the mail, Walk the Line. Cry for the first time in a long time during a movie. You must see it.
• Spend the rest of the day cleaning up, doing laundry and other odds and ends that never seem to get done during the week.
• MOST IMPORTANT - NEVER CHANGE OUT OF PAJAMAS. Heck, yeah!!!!
  

"Girl, You Are Wearin' That Dress."

This is what Nurse Roberts sarcastically says to Carla during the episode of Scrubs where she and Turk get married (or don't, because the wedding was such a disaster that, by the time the reception rolled around, they weren't even officially married yet). This is the way I'm feeling about motherhood right now. Currently, it is 1:30 in the morning and I have been awakened again by a screaming child. The screaming will continue until he wears himself out or Daddy, who has to be at work at 7:30 in the morning, kills him. In the past five nights, this has happened four times (last night he gave us a breather). You don't understand. After all the bullheadedness, the strong will, the endless amount of energy, the short temper fuse, Aaron's sleep patterns were what I could count on to make me feel like I wasn't all that bad of a mother. He has never had problems with sleeping. When we put him to bed at night or for an afternoon nap, he always falls asleep on his own and stays that way the whole time.

So why am I awake now? I've had an epiphany. I think his second molars are coming in. Babycenter.com says that all of his baby teeth should be in by his second birthday, which is in about a month. Here are the symptoms they said he may develop due to the second molars coming in:

• Drooling
• Gum swelling and sensitivity (I think I actually see some puffiness.)
  
• Irritability or fussiness (absolutely!)
  
• Biting behavior (yup!)
  
• Refusing food (always!)
  
• Sleep problems (um, hello!?! The reason for the late night post!)

So the good news is, I think I know what's wrong. The bad news is there's nothing I can do about it, except drug him up on the Infant Tylenol. But knowing is half the battle, right?

Holy Crap, That Must Have Been Some Pretty Good Crack I Had Tonight...

7.5 miles. That's what I ran tonight. Running...for 1 hour and 14 minutes straight...with people who are WAY skinnier than me. What was I thinking? And now these crazy people are making me think, with a couple more weeks training, that I can run a half marathon with them on June 2nd. I have injuries, people. I have a blister on the bottom of my foot and this weird rub burn underneath my arm where my arm fat kept rubbing up against my sleeveless shirt. So 5.6 more miles on top of this torture?

Excuse me while I go fetal.

Don't Forget About Flickr!

Be sure and check out the new photos that I've finally uploaded to my Flickr account. Just scroll down to the Flickr badge to your right in the sidebar, click on "what is this?," then "Aaron's Mom" and it will take you there. I finally got all of Aaron's first year uploaded plus our Europe trip! I will be working on his second year next. It has taken me this long to upload them because I finally told myself that not every picture needs to have a title and description! So hopefully you'll be able to figure them all out by context. Check it out!

Aaron Observation #2

Automated Car Wash on Base = Pure Demonic Evil

I. am. mortified.

Well, people. I always promised myself that I was going to try to remain as truthful as possible with you on this blog. I felt that the sole purpose of this blog was to let you, my friends and family who live far away, in on our lives all the way over here in California so that we could still feel close to you even over the distance, no matter how pretty or ugly it may get. Soooooo here it goes...

My kid's a brat.

I take sole responsibility for this. I really do. For those of you who know me, you know that I've never been the most strong-willed person on the planet. I just like to make people happy, including my son. Well, it's starting to bite me in the butt. After wondering for several weeks when exactly my son's soul was possessed by the devil, today finally made me realize that something pretty drastic needs to happen. Right before lunch, Aaron was starting to display his typical behavior when he's angry, tired, frustrated, etc. He lashes out. Biting, throwing things, pulling hair, throwing himself on the ground. First, he pulled a little girl's pigtails at the playground. Then, we met Daddy at the BX for lunch and ended up eating with some friends who were already there. Apparently this was not where he wanted to be, so he showed us by not sitting in his highchair, tossing anything within his reach (including my lunch - good catch, Landon's Daddy), and screaming his head off. Needless to say, after we left, it was straight to his bed for naps - do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Any ideas? I still refuse to all-out spank. Sometimes he just makes me so mad that I whop him on his diapered butt, but therein lies the dilemma. The only reason I smack him is because I'm frustrated. Not to teach him a lesson. Time-outs are at least a small temporary fix now because he will actually stay sitting in one spot and we can tell he doesn't like to do that. But as far as the destructive behavior and the not-wanting-to-sit-still-for-five-minutes-so-Mommy-and-Daddy-can-enjoy-one-meal-in-peace stuff? That's my thorn for the long-term. We haven't been to Mass since Easter because of this very problem. And that makes me very sad.

So, any good books? Any experts? Any advice would be helpful because I really do like going out in public with him. He's pretty cute!

I Know It's Going to Be Hard...

...but, Lis, you're going to have to control your jealousy. Aaron's Uncle Big Bry just got back from New York City where he visited the NBC Experience Store at Rockefeller Center! He called from the store and asked what he could get for us and I, of course, said stuff from one of my favorite TV shows The Office! He got Bill this, an official Dwight Schrute Bobble Head:

...bobbly, bobbly, bobbly...

And for me - a shirt to proclaim my love for a certain someone:


Yeah, baby! Thanks, Big Bry!

Isn't He a Handsome Devil?

Can you tell we're getting better at working the camera?

By the way, aren't those the cutest shorts you've ever seen? Thanks, Grandma Q! I got him this navy polo to wear with them as well as a white polo. He's so fashionable!

Pug con Queso**

I love my little puppy Reagan. I really do. That's why I feel like I can post about her quirks without her disowning me as a puppy-parent. For example, take a look at this picture:

This is how she tells us she needs to go outside. She goes and sits in front of the door until one of us gets up off the couch and opens it for her. Did you happen to notice something odd about the picture? Yeah, the door's already open and, yeah, she's sitting in front of it anyway.

Now, take a look at this picture:

This is my view when I'm trying to do my crunches after my runs. Does she think it helps for her to plop her big 'ole butt on my chest while I'm trying to get my fitness on?

It's a good thing she's pretty.

**This is the nickname our friends have given Reagan after reading this post. Too funny!

Sleeping Perpendicular in a Parallel World, Part II

I Believe! I Believe!