Nora kissing Papa night-night

in which I scare far to easily

Michael's base has very few amenities. They serve him one meal a day. They've got a plumbing system involving urinals rigged up from former bleach jugs.

BUT he's got great internet access. And I am terribly spoiled by this. I can send off a quick note and ask those little questions that I always forget about when he calls. It looks like he'll even be able to watch this season's TV shows online.

So when I didn't have an email from him in my inbox this morning I worried and wondered a little in spite of myself. I kept checking my email. After noon I started looking in the driveway every time I heard a vehicle go by. I started my mantra: "No news is good news. No news is good news." Then I got a phone call from the wife of one of the guys Michael is with. Their power was out. And she's coming over for dinner on Saturday.

I need to get a grip. And clean my house.

Free Day for Military at NC State Fair

The North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh is offering free admission to active duty, reserve, guard, or spouses with military ID on Wednesday, October 17. Each military member or spouse also gets free admission for up to 4 guests.

They will have special military displays and entertainment along with all the regular fair displays and activities.

I'm not sure why they think we need special military displays and entertainment. I'm going to take the kids to see the animals and the jam, not the Navy Rock Band.

deployment tip: photo book

We made a photo book at Shutterfly telling our deployment story. I started with some pictures of Papa in Iraq; with friends, working, and playing. Then I did a few pages with us writing letters to Papa and things that we'll do while he's gone. Next there's some pages about what we'll do with Papa when he comes back home. I ended with a picture of our whole family together.

deployment tip: Daddy Dolls

Daddy Dolls are not for us. But if your child likes security objects, these would be wonderful.

The company, started by two Marine wives, custom makes 12 or 17 inch dolls from your picture of daddy or mommy. You can also order a voice recorder for the deployed parent to record a message to the child. The recorder is placed in a special pocket inside the doll.

deployment tip: United Through Reading

We made a recording of Michael reading to Hannah for his earlier deployments. We thought it would be a great way for Hannah to see and hear her Papa. We didn't end up watching it much because I cried so much every time we put it on.

Michael wants to try that again this time. If we'd planned ahead, he could have made a recording through United Through Reading before he left. At USOs near most major military installations, a military member can go in & record a DVD. The website says the USO donates the DVD, book, mailer, and postage. Facilities are also available at many locations throughout Iraq.

I think I can watch it this time. But if not, Hannah's old enough to sit in front of the TV without sticking her fingers in the VCR. Nora likes to stick her fingers in there still. And unplug anything that's plugged in. And then chew on it.

deployment tip: maintain routine

We've found it very helpful to maintain our routines even when Michael is deployed. Maintaining routines gives the kids a sense of stability. And our bedtime routine ensures an opportunity to connect with Papa every evening. When he's home we all sit on the couch for Bible and prayer time before bed, and after prayers the girls kiss Papa goodnight before heading to bed. When he's gone, after prayers we take out his picture and tell him goodnight. We also have a message from him on the answering machine that we play. He just happened to leave a nice message with an "I love you" to everyone early on this deployment. We'll consciously prepare some kind of recorded message for future deployments because the girls really enjoy hearing him during goodnight time.

rain makes everything grow

At dinner tonight Hannah was lamenting how small our house is compared to her friend's. Then she looked out the window and said, "The rain is making our house grow taller!"

Daddy Who?

This cartoon was in the Marine Corps Times last week, under "How Others See the Military."

Hannah was 7 months old when Michael deployed the first time, and 14 months when he returned. And she remembered him. She was a little unsure of him when we met him at the shop, but we stayed there for all of about five minutes, and after we got him home she would not let him out of her sight. Just after we got home he went out to the garage and she howled when the door closed behind him. As soon as he popped his head back in: silence. She spent the next several weeks insisting that both parents be within viewing range at all times when at home.

I've got some posts in the pipeline with ideas for preventing a "daddy who?" during a deployment. But those of us who've been there know the cartoon is so absurd it's offensive.

Nora loves kale!

I have to say, I'm a little surprised.

Steamed & pureed kale, mixed with millet porridge is apparently much tastier than millet porridge sans kale.

Pretend Soup

We checked out Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes: A Cookbook for Preschoolers & Up by Mollie Katzen and Ann Henderson from the library and Hannah and I are both enjoying it! She's been choosing a recipe to make each day. Here she is cutting bananas for the title recipe:


And enjoying the finished product:


Each recipe is presented first on a two page spread for the grown ups, with notes about what kids can do at different ages and safety tips, as well as the recipe in a traditional format. My favorite part of these sections are the reviews by their preschool aged testers, like this one: "I also like cinnamon on broccoli."

Then the next two page spread shows the recipe in a pictoral format that pre-readers can follow. Hannah loves telling me what to do next! This can be a little troublesome when I want to modify a recipe and she insists that I'm doing it wrong.

Katzen is the author of the Moosewood Cookbook so it's no surprise that the recipes in Pretend Soup are all vegetarian. Most incorporate lots of fresh fruits or vegetables and are things that I'm happy to see my preschooler eat. And if Hannah helps prepare a dish she is much more likely to actually eat it!

allergens enter milk more readily in early days of breastfeeding

After our experience with Hannah's allergies to cow's milk and soy as an infant, I made an effort to try to prevent Nora from going down the same path. I took probiotics throughout my pregnancy and postpartum. I refrained from consuming the vast quantities of cow's milk products that I did during my pregnancy with Hannah. So far, Nora appears to only have difficulties with nightshades.

But, if I had paid attention when I read this New Beginnings article, I would have maintained a strict low allergen diet for the last month of my pregnancy through the immediate postpartum period. According to the article, substances pass more readily into breastmilk during the first few days of milk production.

I must have read the article. It was published in 2005, before I was pregnant with Nora. And I've been a subscriber and loyal reader since 2003. Better luck next time, right? If I'm blessed with more babies I'll add that to my anti-allergy regime.

unwanted traffic

We live on a pretty quiet street. This morning I was wishing we lived at the end of a dead end road with no neighbors within earshot because a brief episode of anxiety left me with a racing heart, certain that each vehicle I heard drive by was going to stop in our driveway to deliver dreaded news. I got on the computer to try and distract myself and got an email from Michael. He hasn't been able to email much, but the timing couldn't have been better.

Hannah still seems fine. She's not acting out. She isn't expressing any sadness. She's very matter of fact about it. Papa is in Iraq to help people and he'll be back around Easter (which is after Nora's birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Papa & Momma's birthdays). I wonder if there will be a change as the days turn into weeks and she starts to really miss him.

Nora, on the other hand, notices that things are different. She had several evenings of very unusual fussiness after he left. She loves to look at Papa's pictures on the fridge. Every time we go by them she points and says, "Papa, Papa, Papa, Papa!" She's pronouncing the "p" now, too, which she hadn't quite managed before. She enjoys holding the laminated picture and "hugging" it.

I don't think this is dark enough to be called gallows humor:

Nora 11 Months

Nora turned 11 months yesterday. We were hoping that she
would walk before Michael left, but no such luck. Hannah took her first steps the day after she turned nine months and was walking everywhere within a week. Michael missed that by 2 months during his first tour in Iraq. Nora is still just not interested in walking. I stand her up and let go and she just squats down and crawls off. She can hold my hand and toddle along, but she doesn't want to. She'd rather crawl. Even on the laminate floors. We've been joking that she'd start walking as soon as Michael left, so we'll see how long it takes.

Nora may not walk, but she does talk! She says: Hannah, Momma, Papa, cat, outside, night night, bye bye, banana, Grandpa, Nana, Oma, all done, eye, thank you, and amen. Along with a slew of other things that I can't understand and a handful that I'm forgetting.

Speaking of Nora's "Amen". . . She prays, too. At Bible time every night, she folds her hands with a big smile on her face while we're praying. And of course says, "Amen," at the end.

he's gone

We saw Michael off today. He's headed to Iraq for a third time.

I feel different this time. I hate to have him gone. I'm not looking forward to being the lone parent present for 7 months. But I know I can do it. I've been here before. The only thought that makes me cry is "What if he doesn't come back?"

God, please let him come home to us.

I don't mind so much that he's gone, just as long he comes back.

Hannah took everything in stride. No tears. I don't think she fully grasps the situation. She knows Papa is going to Iraq for "a long time." We told her a couple of days ago that Papa should be back by Easter, and she kept asking if Easter was here yet when he hadn't even left. She loves traveling and was excited for him to get to ride on buses and planes. When we got home she spotted all the free Priority Mail boxes we got for care packages and said, "We must send those to Papa!"

Nora actually seemed to know that something was up. While we were waiting she kept fussing in my arms and reaching out to Michael. She'd even cry when he gave her back to me. She's very much a momma's girl and the situation is usually reversed. She slept through the actual send off, though.