Just shy of 1 year...I am still alive...I promise!

So last I wrote, Zane was about 9 weeks old. Things were crazy hectic this last year. I had things to write but no time...or I was too stressed and I really didn't want that to come across on here.

So many things have changed. Yes, we had many changes last blog post...the birth of Zane, Caralyn starting school, Josh getting out of the Navy after just shy of 9 years, Josh moving to Oregon while the kids and I stayed in Washington, the stress of traveling back and forth every weekend so we could have some kind of family time together, doing a short sale on our house (that in and of itself is a HUGE stress and headache), dealing with the movers all by myself while dealing with the end of the year craziness, finding a place to stay for a few days between the house being closed on and my last orthodontic appointment to have my braces removed, and continuing finding places to stay when we needed or wanted to go back up for visits (thankfully the family that allowed us to stay after school kept us every time we went back). Then I had to register Caralyn and Alaric for this upcoming school year with their new (public...EEK!) school, find new doctors (still haven't looked into dentists...I need to...or a doctor or dentist for myself!), get old records and start to unpack the tiny 3 bedroom apartment we moved into from a 4 bedroom house. Josh took over bills for me so I didn't stress over that too.

We moved into the apartment on June 1, we still have boxes in a lot of places, but it is feeling a lot more like home. It's nice. I'm hoping we can continue to afford rent here for at least another year or two so we can stay. I really like it here. Of course, we will need to eventually find a bigger place so Cara has her own room. Right now all three kids are in one room and the third room is the office/toy room. The hallway closet is filled with toys appropriate for Zane to play with too so when we get out gates up, he can be in there. Right now, he's confined to the living room with some of his toys and we bring others to him when we think he needs a change.

So...I was thinking I might update starting with October, but then I was thinking...I didn't write since July of last year really so maybe August of last year would be a good time to start. Either way, the older two are in school all day and Zane takes at least one nap a day so I should be able to get some writing done over the next few days/weeks to get myself remembering all the good times of the last year+ and update anyone that wants an update :) So...here's to that!

AUGUST 2014

Alaric's 4th Birthday. He chose to go to the mall play place :) Love that boy!

Fresh from the oven

13 hours old, baptized, with his God Parents

Baptized by our pastor at CtK, so happy his wife could join us again :) She was there for Alaric's too!

You FINALLY came out to meet us! Welcome to our family!

At 5 days old, we went to our favorite place, MoonDogs, Too for Open Mic to meet Harmonica Dave. He had never held a baby this small and it was just amazing to see. This is what he wore to his first introduction of great food and music :)

Jaja and Pipi came out for almost a full month. The kids talked them into an actual tea party. Mommy and Daddy were NOT invited! We still had our own while watching them enjoy their time with my parents. It warmed my heart.

These were the goods they got. My mom had even found actual tea cups in the rental house they were in. How awesome! Most of these were bought, but my mom did make no bake cookies (my favorites!) for them. They're mini!

And that was August. It was a lot of time with my parents. My Godparents were out visiting my Aunt Sue's parents, brother, sister and families so they came to the rental house, had lunch and spent a wonderful afternoon with us all. I was so happy they got to meet Zane before they left for Illinois again. I would love to see them again sometime soon. This last time they were out didn't work out for either of us. Hopefully next year it will work out :)

So the September post will be about the same...mostly pictures with captions. I love pictures. I love using my camera (no matter which camera it is...even my phone...). I love capturing those memories and moments.

Oh...and one more lovely tidbit of information. The day Zane was born, he also "watched" (read slept through) his first movie. The nurses laughed when they found out that just hours after giving birth I was watching The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug with my husband while holding my newborn son all snuggled into the hospital bed...oh and eating Subway (thank you hon!)

Gotta love those little memories that can make me smile at the mere thought of them :)

I'm outta here! Time to go spend some time catching up on TV shows and cuddling with the hubby before bed. Have a great night y'all!

~Stevie~

What do you remember doing after giving birth to your kids?

9 Weeks

Nine weeks have gone by since welcoming my little Boogieloo (now more commonly known as Booga) into this world. I have not written...I have not shared my precious little man with this part of my world.

Why?

Well, after spending 10 days bonding as a family, 2-ish more weeks with my mom and dad here, getting into a routine after they left to have it change just a few days later when my oldest started Kindergarten, and it changing yet again a week after that when my husband moved to Portland, Oregon to start his new job....I'm just getting into a routine again.

So last I wrote, I had 5 more weeks left. Doctors and nurses didn't think I'd make it to 37 weeks, so when I didn't deliver until 38 weeks and 5 days, they were all shocked!

We had a couple more false labors. My prayers were answered with nothing labor related on my middle child's birthday. I was so happy they wouldn't be sharing a birthdate! However the next day I went to the bathroom because I felt odd, I was in there for awhile and when I finished up, I thought I felt Zane's head. Freaked me out to no end! Low and behold, it was not the head. I was only 4cm dilated still.

I was checked 2 times with a normal exam, then they wanted to do an exam with those stupid speculum things to make sure my water hadn't ruptured at all. Well, the first time the speculum was too big, he tried repositioning it, then he had the nurse go get one from a different floor so it was the right size. So then I had one put in me a third time, on top of 3 regular checks, one of which hurt me so bad I started to cry. Then after the last time with the speculum, that doctor swept my membranes and said "Well, with how much has happened to you today, hopefully it will move things along."

Move things along it did. The next morning at 6AM I woke up and went to the bathroom then laid back down. I started feeling a little sick to my stomach and decided to go to the bathroom again and possibly get into the shower. As I rolled over I felt a little trickle. I uttered (a little loudly) "aw sh*t!" and my husband (from our bedroom...I slept on the couch the last 2-3 months of the pregnancy) asked "What?" And as I rolled the rest of the way off the couch I replied "I either just peed a little or my water just broke." (Mind you, he was getting ready for work) When I landed on my knees on the floor, the flood gates opened and I said (again, a little louder than I should've) "Oh sh*t, oh sh*t, oh sh*t....yeah...my water broke...ummmmmm....." and then I hear my daughter "Mommy! Your water balloon broke?!?!?" "Yes hunny, mommy's water balloon broke." "Alaric! Mommy's water balloon broke! Zane is coming to meet us!" Both kids flew out of their bedrooms and I'm still "Ummmmm"-ing and trying to figure out how to get up off the floor without making more of a mess. I have them go get dressed then call my husband to help me get up and get towels so we can start cleaning up the mess.

When everyone was ready and Labor and Delivery was called, we started heading out (I had called and texted two friends to see if we could drop the kids off with them to no avail...Josh called our pastor and his wife and she finally got back to us first). I called our pastor and his wife to let them know our kids would be over soon. I then called my mom and dad who were on their way to Washington (from Michigan) in the car to let them know it was the real deal this time (we had called the day before too and I guess my dad said after I hung up "She's not having him today...it will be tomorrow. Jon and Stevie are 4 years 2 day apart, Alaric and Zane will be too.") Then I texted my friend Diane and let her know that I may need her to meet us at the hospital because we were stuck in traffic and I didn't know if I would even make it to the hospital. I then called her a few minutes later and told her "Yeah, you need to meet us there." 

We arrived at the hospital around 7:15AM, just over an hour after my water broke. I was definitely having contractions (that was a first!) and I felt ready to push. They got me checked out, took the samples they needed to make sure my water broke, they checked me again just 15 minutes later and admitted me. Diane came in to see me while they were doing all this and I was smiling, laughing and talking until a contraction hit but I went right back to normal after it passed. She couldn't believe how I was. Kids were taken to our pastor's house, I was walked over to my delivery room (that was brutal!) around 7:45AM and I was left to labor until the IV had to be put in.

I did have a friend with me at the beginning while being admitted. A lady from our church was working at that point and it was nice to have her there with me. Josh was in the room after Diane took the kids too, but he was helpless because I basically told him to leave me alone. He did as I wished though...he is a good husband. I also had my midwife there...that is something rare in a military hospital. I was just lucky enough that she was on call. She was also my midwife with Caralyn which is why I was so happy to have her there...I've bonded with her through these two pregnancies.

So around 8AM they checked me again. I was at an 8. The pain was unreal, the urge to push just kept getting harder to ignore. I got off the bed and stood for two or three contractions. The first one I had just gotten up and Commander Larson (my midwife) had to practically hold me up. She got my arms around her neck and we rocked together while I cried and whined about needing to push. Then we got me into the shower/tub so I could have the water just splash down toward my legs/feet. That didn't last long because when I had another contraction, I almost dropped because of the pain. I just wanted to be in my bed and pushing.

They got me back to my bed, I had them check me again and I was at a 9, almost a 10. I was whining,  I was crying, all I wanted to do was push. One more contraction and they let me push. I pushed for probably 20 minutes, maybe less...in my mind, it felt like I had pushed for an hour and that was most definitely not the case as from me being checked at 8 to the birth of Zane, it was about 30 minutes.

I forgot how bad the burning is while pushing a baby out of that little hole was. Of course, my baby had a pretty big head (and still does!). The rest of the pain didn't matter (of course the contractions were bad as I couldn't even have a pain killer by the time I got there after my water broke...and that was my birth plan...an IV pain med that would've equaled an extra strength tylenol or two).

At 8:31AM, everything was right with the world again. Zane arrived safely and healthy....blue, but safe and healthy. He was put on my chest, all the goop was suctioned out of his mouth and he started crying. Everything was done on top of me. They didn't want to take him off me at all for at least an hour.

Then the fun started. I started trying to deliver the placenta but it wouldn't budge. After about 45 minutes of this they decided it needed to be manually removed. Zane was taken from me, weighed and measured (8lbs 1.3oz, 20 1/8") and left with Josh to do the first feeding and to watch over everything else that needed to be done. I was carted off to the OR for a spinal and D&C. They decided to stitch me up since I was on the table too (had the placenta delivered naturally there wouldn't have been stitches).

I was told by the anesthesiologist I was a trooper because even after having the woozy medicine given to me in my room, I still sat up and was "the stillest patient I've ever had" while getting my spinal. And...he got it in on the first try. Had I known he was THAT good, I probably could've and would've gotten an epidural. No regrets though. I had asked then changed my mind almost immediately because I knew I was strong enough to do it without meds (I was forced to with Alaric).

So...there you have it...the birth story of Zane, which is totally not what this post was going to be, but that's what it turned into.

True Love

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

We started dating on October 17, 2002...so almost 10 years :) We met only 2 days before!

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}

One of my best friends liked this guy...she invited me out to a local bar and grill to meet him to get my opinion on him. I brought a guy I was interested in too...though I didn't care what she thought of him, I was secure in my own judgement of men, unlike her. Two days later she invites him to go to the club with us. I tried getting out of it (I had just danced for 6 hours straight and had a feeling about what would happen). I was the only one with a license AND car together...so I drove, picking up a few of my other friends along the way. Towards the end of the night it was just me and him on the floor (the others went to get some water, was hoping he would go to since he had just said he was thirsty and I had been avoiding him all night). We went to a different part of the club and he ended up kissing me. The rest is history. (The friend and I are still friends...though she was mad for a couple months at me. She realized he really wasn't the right guy for her and is still searching for Mr. Right)

3. If married, how long have you been married? If not, is this the guy you hope to marry? {do tell}

On December 30, 2011 we celebrated (though, we had to celebrate early again this year) 6 years of marriage. The first couple years were hard, but we pushed through and are happy, though still working hard every day to continue to be as happy as we are. No one ever said marriage was a piece of cake...it takes a lot of hard work to make a marriage work :) I wouldn't trade it for the world though!

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding? If not, where would you like to get married? And will it be big or small?

We were married at Zion Lutheran Church in Monroe, Michigan. We invited 350 people and at least 85% showed up, so it was a big wedding. I've never seen so many people attend BOTH a wedding and a reception in my entire life! I felt so loved, and still do.

The first picture is the church before anyone arrived. Wasn't it gorgeous? The second picture is the front portion of the church (maybe 1/4 - 1/3), almost every pew was at least partially full all the way back. It is a really big church.

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!

I call Josh my Wookie. He's a hairy guy...and he can do the Chewie sound pretty much perfectly (along with both of his brothers, one an octave higher and one an octave lower) and my son (who is higher also).

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

This is hard. I love many things about this man, but I've been making lists in my head of things we need to work on more to better our marriage when he gets home from out to sea...so those things are sticking in the front of my mind right now.

I love that he accepts the fact I'm not a great housekeeper. He doesn't hate me that the house looks a mess many days. It's not all just because we have two very active toddlers running around here constantly (though that is a big part of it) but that along with me being very disorganized and easily frustrated when things don't go exactly as I plan it when I try to clean and declutter.

He is so supportive of all my endeavors. If I wanted to go back to school, he'd be right on board with it. If I really put my heart and soul into an audition I wanted to truly do, he'd support me fully and make it work so I could go do it. It doesn't matter what it is, he's on board if it makes me happy.

And lastly, I love that he can put his mind at ease while he's out to sea. I know many husbands who worry themselves into insanity over their wives while they're underway. My husband always says "Thank you for being you, for being strong and able to take care of yourself and our kids. It makes these patrols a little easier with one less thing to worry about. Oh and by the way, if I haven't said it lately, thank you and I'm proud of you for your strength." It makes my heart melt when he's gushy like this, though it doesn't happen often. I guess this patrol has been hard on him and a lot of the other men out there with him. His mind is at ease when it comes to home though because he knows I can handle pretty much anything and everything thrown my way. I think I proved that when I gave birth to our son while he was out to sea and didn't blink an eye over it. He's been much more at ease with me being home alone since then.

7. Tell us how he proposed? Or your ideal proposal?

No one knew he was going to propose. He had just picked the rings up that morning. He was going to wait until he knew for sure he was accepted into the Navy. He hadn't even gotten the chance to ask my parents' permission (which was important to me, even though if they had said no, it wouldn't have stopped me marrying him). On December 24, 2004 (my favorite holiday day...it always has been) we were at my Aunt JoAnne's house for family dinner and presents. After all the presents had been opened I got up, got a cookie and asked if he wanted to go downstairs to play pool and hang out. He said "in a minute" so I just chilled upstairs for a bit and ate a little more. Then I asked again and he said "In a minute, there's still another present." I was confused and was like "No there's not." but I went to sit in his lap anyway when he got down on his knee, with the ring box open in his hand and asked me "Will you marry me?" I instantly said yes and started crying and hugging him. My family thought he just hurt me when my cousin said "Get a camera! Don't you see the ring?!?!"

My family was furious that he didn't say anything to them so they could REALLY see the engagement, but they've forgiven him. I think partially because we've added two absolutely gorgeous little kids to the family.

And after all was said and done that Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Josh sat down with my parents and apologized for not asking their permission, explaining that he hadn't actually planned on asking me that day, but it just felt right to him. They still raz him about it but love him like their own son.

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?

Neither. He's not a holiday guy whatsoever. I always tell him "I don't expect anything but a card on any holiday and birthday/anniversary.", yet rarely do I even get that (even when he is home!). It's just the kind of guy he is. I don't really celebrate Valentine's Day anyway. 13 years ago my Grandma (who was a great friend to me) passed away. That year ended up being the WORST year of my life and a year I really needed her there for me. I've never fully gotten over it and Josh is actually happy that I don't make a big deal of it, though I still expect a card.

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?

Movie all the way! Give me comfy clothes and a good show or movie and lots of junk food. Just how we like it.

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?

I'd love to travel the world with him. We are going to learn French, German and Spanish together, along with ASL and possibly other languages...that will help us get to the traveling part. I don't believe in going to any country without at least TRYING to speak their native language.

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.

The only plans I had for today were taking my mom to the airport (she's been here 4 days shy of a month, only felt like half a week!). I ended up doing that, then my kids and I went to a friend's house to pick up some picture she took for me. After that me and my two little Valentines went on a dinner date to McDonalds and I got a pleasant surprise....I got to have a Shamrock Shake (my favorite!) which is exactly what I needed after today.

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?

I'm hoping he'll make up for not getting me a card by getting me a card when he gets home to express how much he missed me and loves me. Either that or when he gets some time off (like a long weekend or something) taking me out to Idaho to see his biological dad, brother, sisters and the rest of the family. I miss them sooooo much! Especially my sister in law Anna, who is expecting her first baby in September!

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.

Honesty at all costs and open communication. These are two things my husband and I will be working on even more when he gets home. We let it slip and take each other for granted way too much, and it's not healthy. We practically don't know each other anymore since having kids and that needs to stop before it can't be fixed.

14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.
Oh I have so many pictures of what love means to me....I'm only going to post a couple though!

I've never been happier in my whole life, and it shows!


This was every family member at our wedding (only two not by blood or marriage). That is love to me...family that truly supports you and is happy for you and loves you so much as to share in the most special of days! We are still in contact with pretty much all of them, keeping each other up to date on any and all life events...it wasn't just an occasion that you're supposed to be there for each other, they truly wanted to be there. Many of these people traveled many hours and had to stay the night at a hotel just to spend our special day with us. We are truly blessed and loved.


Because of our love, and the love and support of our family, we created life...twice (so far, we are still contemplating more kids...one more thing to talk about more when he arrives home and has more time with our ever changing toddlers). That is the ultimate in true love. That and being able to stay in love while the kids are growing and changing constantly, which gives very little time to working on yourself or as a couple. Again, we are truly blessed. I love this man!

Dolphin Dance Studio, Poulsbo

There are three Dolphin Dance Studios in the country as of now. The first is in Columbus, Ohio the second in Poulsbo, Washington and the third in Monroe, Michigan. My friend Emily is the owner of all three. I currently take classes in the Poulsbo studio and hope to check out the Monroe studio while I'm visiting someday.

I have taken three pole classes in the 101 course so far. I did these lessons in November. I am finally finishing the last three classes starting Thursday (then the following two Wednesdays). I can not wait to start these classes again. I am hoping to go to the 201 class afterward. I am loving the exercise and the kid free time (just an hour and a half a week, but it helps me destress BIG time!)

Tonight was the family friendly open house for their two year anniversary. I took Josh, Caralyn, Alaric and my friend Mahria to it so Josh could meet Emily (and Andy was there too! What a stroke of luck!) and to introduce Mahria to the possibility of pole classes. I don't think she is going to get into it, but at least I tried.

I think the person that had most fun (other than the people watching) was Caralyn! She really took to the pole FAST! She was adorable! I would lift her up and she automatically crossed her legs and would hold tight and let me spin her around. Great form for a 2 year old! What do you think?



I know some people think it is horrible that I'm so open about pole dancing and that I let my children near a pole, but I do it for exercise and I'm not going to tell my children that they can't do something that I have done. I don't want Caralyn to ever become a stripper...that's definitely not why I'm taking these classes...and I hope she never feels she has to do that for any reason...but if she ends up wanting to take pole classes when she's older, I'm not going to tell her no. It is one of the best kinds of exercise I've ever done. The first three weeks I lost a couple pounds (but always put it back on because of my eating habits) and started getting more strength back that I've lost since I quit dancing. I felt good for the first time since South Carolina when I was working out with a friend and a personal trainer. I wish people would get their heads out of the ground and realize it's not JUST about money when it's pole dancing...it's about body image and feeling beautiful and sexy for yourself no matter what size and shape you are. It's wonderful.

If anyone in any of the three areas there is a Dolphin Dance Studio is even slightly interested or curious about it, stop by, take an open class, ask questions, check out the studio...it's so much fun and can give you a HUGE boost in your self confidence! If you're here in Washington and want to check it out, let me know and I can set something up with Emily sometime...or if you want to jump in and do a party, I will host one there so it's just a friendly and fun time where we can laugh and joke and be completely relaxed about it all.

For now, I'm going to close. I just had to put this out here because it's the most fun I've had in a long time...and it was just a simple open house that I didn't really do much of anything at, but I got to share it with my family and that's what made it so wonderful for me.

What are your thoughts on pole dancing?