San Fran Air and Checkup

Last night we went up to San Francisco airport to meet up with Nena ( Marks Mom) from Singapore. It was a good short visit , most of the time we were running around the airport. We had a little dinner , and that was about it . While waiting for her flight to get Bubba was all over that place. Even having a flight attendant tell how adorable and a flirt my son is. Thanks. I know.

We were able to see Marks mom and Unlce Jose. Bubba didnt seem that shy and acted pretty goofy for his Grandmother. I took no pictures.

Well I took 2 , and they were only from the airtran ride into the terminal when we first got there. It is ok though , she will be here to visit in a couple of months and many more pictures will be taken. Along with just visiting Nena in the airport, Mark was able to take a suitcase of " treasures" off her hands. I bag full of Polo shirts. I was very surprised and thankful to see a handful for both Bubba and I! Of course it will be a while before both of us can wear them , but they are great. Also the purses... I love. When we went to put them in the car I was scared someone would break the window trying to get in thinking they hit the jackpot of LV/Gucci/Coach purses. The time we spent was great. The ride there and back were not so cool. Well getting there I didnt think much of it , but getting home late.... well no one told me that crap is far! LOL , so is San Jose Airport which is not far from San Francisco. I know now that I would rather fly into Monterey straight away then have to make the trip out there. Not a pretty trip. We are home and safe though , and mentally survived.

Today I had a 32 week checkup. The doctor did an ultrasound, we really didnt see much. She is just getting to big... and so am I. It is always great and reassuring to here that everything looks great. We did get a bit of a side shot , and I will be the first to say she has a round nose. Marks nose was pointy , and hers is well round. The thing that drives me crazy the most is I have no clue what she will look like! I can only imagine, but there are so many different outcomes. The doctor recorded the 2 min ultrasound on VHS , yes, VHS. I didnt know they made those anymore.

" Alone Time "

Most of the time when he does leave I sit there and stare into space for about 10 min , then the cleaning begins.

So much in the past 2 weeks has happened. First Mark got a stock car bed , so cool , he loves it , c'mon its a giant toy. We had him sleeping in it , THEN he got sick and was stuck with us , and still has been stuck with us due to clingy issues coming up since the sickness. Yes I think I posted before that we had been staying inside due to some sickness going around , we stayed away from people but it still found my lil baby.

Then this past Memorial Day weekend my mom and brother came up to visit. Highlight of the weekend was Saturday morning we went to the Mushroom Mardi Gras Festival in Morgan Hill.

Mark ran the 5k and won for his age group! Im so proud of him , he didnt act that excited , but it was all over his face when they announced his name. He was given a little pin , which I know he was a little dissapointed there , he would have liked a medal Im sure.

At the festival there wasnt much but food. They did have a petting zoo though. I would have loved to have taken Bubba in myself but Im allergic to everything there was to pet. So Mark took him in , the whole time Mark was saving the animals from Bubba hitting,choking, kicking them. It was very sad and funny at the same time.

Other then these main things that have come up , nothing new and exciting has happening. It has been a fast and slow 2 weeks, the slow part was Mark being sick. We stayed in bed with him all weekend.

Tomorrow night we drive up to San Francisco to meet up with Marks mom ( and Uncle Jose )who is flying in from Singapore. Dont know where we are going to have dinner , but its going to be great to see her .

Found some....

Mark brought me a memory card from one of our cameras we dont really use anymore. First photo is from May 2008 at the Japanese Kitty Hawk Farewell. Took me all day to find a dress that fit! Its not easy trying to find a "big" size dress in Japan. Very little people.

The second picture is just something random of my sister and I from October 2008.

First Video!

The day after Thanksgiving Mark and I went out for the sales. One of our purchases was a little camcorder from radioshack. Now 6 months later here I am finally installed the program and have downloaded the clips from the camera. Here is a clip after we bought the camera . I had bought this headbed for the 100 yen storein Japan. He is just a little cutie pie. Mark is 8 months old. We are in our small but cozy apartment in Silverdale , Washington. Im the cameraman ( of course) , there is also my sister Vicki and Lil Miss Gidget. Of course the Marks are the stars.

I didnt really know you could upload videos. Thank you to Susan for letting me be a stalker to your blog and making get off my butt to get this done. Marks parents in Indonesia will enjoy wathcing some clips now and then!

Hidden Treasures

Today I set up my hotmail account in a Windows live program that works like Outlook Express ( dont know if computers come with that program anymore). This program has helped me delete emails so much easier. Well I was working on emails most recent and decided to go and start from the beginning. To begin with I pretty much keep all emails, I dont know why I just dont delete them right away after I have read them. When I first got my hotmail account was right before we moved to Japan. The first 20 or so have been between Mark and I . I sit here reading them in amazement.

Here is some info to help understand. Mark and I have only been married a couple of months when we moved to Japan. We were in Jacksonville, and to say goodbye to everyone ( and to store Marks truck with his Grandparents) we decided to drive into LA , then have Marks Grandfather drive us into Houston ,TX to visit his sister. Well after we were all packed out Me , Mark and Gidget loaded into the truck to make our first stop to Pensacola, FL. Stationed in Pensacola at the time was Marks college roommate Auggie. I got to meet him along with his wife and handsome 5 month old baby boy Diego. What I remember from staying there was that Gidget tinkled on their couch because she got overexcited , and that sleeping on the floor wasnt as easy as it used to be. We also found out that Vanessa was expecting. I was so happy for them , and after seeing the baby wanted a baby of our own. Sitting there on their couch after they told us I turned to Mark and said "Baby, I want a baby." Marks reply " When God thinks were ready , then we'll have one."

( Mark and I goofing off as we are preparing for our roadtrip to Lafayette. Isnt that moustache ugly ?)

From there we went straight into Houma , Louisiana. We had planned only spend one night , but Paw Paw ( Marks Grandfather) had other plans.

( Aunt Nicole and Dave )

Ended up making a day trip to meet Marks rock star Aunt Nicole in Lafeyette, and I was able to meet her family. There were all so nice , and I remember thinking that Nicole was just way to cool of a person , like she could be in her late 20s. After spending the day there we made our way back into Houma. Before we got back though we stopped at one of the many casinos. Now Paw Paw makes this the thing to do and we had to stop. It was my first time in a casino.

( First time ever on a slot machine . Once we took the picture we were informed that it is illegal to take photos in the casino. I felt so sneaky.)

It was nice to have that experience but I dont think I would do it again. First I dont like losing money , second that place was FILLED with smoke! I seriously felt like I was going to die. Along with having an asthma attack , I wasnt feeling very good. Just before we left Jacksonville I felt as though I had the flu and could do nothing to feel better about it.

( I remember exactly how was feeling when Mark took this picture. BLOATED. I thought the Gumbo we had gotten from the casino had been bad. Turns out that I was just pregnant. Im wearing Marks shirt cause everything on mine seem so tight and I couldnt button my pants. I have no shame , lol)

Along with leaving Houma , we left Gidget behind with Marks Grandparents. Since Mark was filling in a hot fill billet we did not have the time to get all of her paperwork to have her shipped to Japan. She was left in amazing hands , and now still walks around the house like she is a little princess. Her attitude of being the only child is getting old.

Paw Paw drove us into Houston ,TX. We stayed with Marks sister and her Hubby Justin. They of course know how to have a good time.

We went out to eat , but also during the day .... well I dont remember. This is what I remember. I remember feeling like crap and realized that I was 8 days late... Mark had left me behind to go to the DMV to renew his license. I was bored and anxious so I took a run to a Walgreens I had seen down the street. I took 2 tests and yep I was pregnant. I cried and prayed , thanking God for such a blessing.

Then I told the Simon the cat. He was the only one there! Then Marks sister Ev called and I told her. Then I called my mom... Or did I wait till I told Mark ... I dont remember. Well I took a shower , while I was in the shower Mark came home, he came in and scared me and I pointed to the sink were the EPT were. He just stared at them , and I swear he was reading the directions to make sure he was understanding what he saw. " Great!" thats all he said , he was in a state of shock. He was very happy though.

We went straight to Barnes and Noble and bought a pregnancy book. Then had ourselves a mini celebration between the 2 of us at Cheesecake Factory. I got the first taste of my hate of food while pregnant while we were there. I remembered thinking that the Ceasar Salad was disgusting.

Then we fly out of Houston to Japan!

So you see all the excitment that happened just before we left?

Once we get to Tokyo we take the DOD bus into Yokosuka Naval Base. We stayed a night in a certain officers hotel , then got to check into the WONDERFUL NAVY LODGE ( it was terrible). First thing we found out about Japan is that it is just as hot and humid as Florida. Totally was not expecting that , then the A/C didnt work , and they were out of fans! We laid there , not even touching. So hot. Then the smell of Japan was making me so sick. Being pregnant ( at least in the first trimester) can do something else to your sense of smell. Then 3 days there , they fly Mark off to meet the ship. I dont see here for a month and a half.

I pulled through and was able to get us an apartment and a car. So back to the emails. They are full of all the emotions of both me being alone in Japan , to Marks emotions on being on a carrier. I find them funny now , but not so funny at the time they were sent. But also the love and support we expressed to each other, well it could make me cry.

My Child

Ah , My Child.

He is something else. Sometimes I think he is a monster at other times I think he is an angel. Most of the time though I think he is a monster. My husband has stated before that Mark is just like Stitch from the Disney movie Lilo and Stitch. I swear Mark even speaks the same alien language that Stitch does.

Lately Mark has been a monkey though. Not as bad as Curious George. Side note : I strongly dislike George. We still watch it everyday but he gives me chest pains to all the bad things he does. Just this morning I was watching him and he buried all of the Man with the yellow hat things because he thought they would grow like a seed. Once I would like the Man in the yellow hat to just throw in him in a cage where he should be kept while he is out of the house.

Back to Mark being like a Monkey. Well he is climbing the impossible and getting to the very top of the sofa and attempting to just walk off the top. He looks like a little pirate walking the plank, except he doesnt splash into water , he crashes into the floor. Just as a monkey he uses his fingers and toes to grip to whatever can to climb on. It really is quite frightening . I believe he was enjoying the look of agrivation/ terror I would give him when I would catch him. I now ignore him , but in the corner of my eye watch that he doesnt hurt himself. Some examples of things he climbs are ; entertainment center, stairs, stools, high chair , sofa, dining table , side of our king size bed, the moveable ottoman (which makes him look like he is surfing), coffee table .... I should just stop . He trys to climb everything and accomplishes most. Right now I am watching him climb up and down the stairs. We do have a gate that sits at the bottom but its not secure and he just knocks it down.

Now only 9:45 am and Im ready for naptime.

Mark is a little angel though. Not right now as he just runs up to me to let out a high pitch scream then runs after Gidget to try and take her ball from her. I couldnt be happier though , Mark is a happy little man and that just tops me off. There are times when he is just so happy and runs up to me to throw his arms around my neck to give me a hug. I just melt. Every morning he wakes up with a huge goofy smile laughing at me. Even at times when he is doing something bad/dangerous I cant help but smile because I know he is so happy. He is just a little boy. Every day he is more and more like his Dad. I dont know how to explain that one , but its the looks they give me. Like when they both know they are in trouble , or when they are laughing. Even though Big Mark has almost black hair , brown eyes, and tanned skin . With Bubba , light skin , light brown hair and blue eyes , they look exactly the same.

I just also want you to know at 13 months what are his favorite things; Trucks, cars ,books (with cars or trucks), strawberries, sticks, dirt, balls, making a mess, running away from you , slides, tools that make noise. Favorite tv shows : Super Why , and Sid the Science Kid. Favorite movie ; Muppets from Space. Favorite stuffed animal ; a soft monkey. Favorite blanket; brown fuzzy blanket. Favorite drink ; water ( hes not big on juice). One of his most favorite things is an ABC song from the tv show Super Why. Every night we listen to it . I have it on my favorites from youtube. Now he loves and I mean LOVES this ABC song , so when he hears people singing the ABCs the original way he looks at them really weird as if to say " Your totally singing it wrong, please fix it". Here is the video for it. It really is the cutest thing.