THANK YOU!

Just a quick blog post to tell you all that we finally bought diapers.

Ethan is 3 months old, and this was the FIRST package of diapers we have needed to buy him. (But, that's only because I ran out of Size 2...I still have at least 100 diapers remaining that are in larger sizes and don't quite fit him yet.)

So...you figure he's about 105 days old...we use 6-8 diapers per day...

You guys have saved us...630-840 diapers so far!

YOU ROCK!!

THANKS!!

Tsunami Warning

A potential disaster was diverted yesterday.

We got a phone call from The Command around 11am; they told us that there would be a Tsunami Warning for Kodiak Island around 4:30pm that afternoon. We were informed of the earthquake in Chili and that the wave was traveling toward our island. By the time the wave would reach us it would only be 3-4 feet high. But, nonetheless, the sirens would sound and we were to be prepared just in case.

I don't think anyone in Kodiak was really concerned, but it still kept us on our toes. The tsunami from 1964 totally devastated the island.

Now that we have a family, being prepared is no joke. Especially if such a disaster were to hit during the winter...how would we survive?!?! During all this yesterday, we were also on guard for a blizzard - so, heavy snow and a tsunami. Alaska is dangerous!

We have a very small emergency kit started, but I think we should probably expand that kit, and have an Emergency Plan prepared so that if a real emergency were to hit, we won't be caught off-guard.

The warning was called off yesterday afternoon before the sirens went off, the wave never made it this far.

10:30 p.m.

10:30 last night Emily woke up. Chris went in her room to see if she was ok; he hadn't turned on the light yet when he asked "Emily are you ok?" And, while sitting up in bed, she replied with a quiet "no." He went back toward the door and flipped the switch, and as he turned back to look at her a heaping thrust of brown, chunky vomit regurgitated from her mouth and all over herself and her bed.

He yelled, "Oh my God, Tracy get in here" and I came running. Emily was there, shaking in her bed, with wet vomit running down her face, in her hands, and covered in her PJs. It was a night from Hell.

I calmed her down and began to take her PJs off, and then wiped her clean with a wet towel. Chris stripped her bed started to get the putrid smell from her room. It was everywhere...on her sheets, pillows, comforters, stuffed animals, and of course, all over her.

We got her a drink of water and she brushed her teeth. She then sat up with us, watching tv, as we decided what to do. It ended up that we decided to have her sleep with us...and I'm glad she did. Over the course of the night she woke up about every 1-2 hours coughing, then hurling, and then screaming and crying. We'd all jump up the minute we heard her start to cough, and then it was a race to grab a towel or get her to the bathroom before she got it all over our bed.

Try explaining to a 2-year old that she needs to wake you up when she feels sick and then heave into the toilet...ya, she doesn't quite get it.

It was a rough night. To top it off, Ethan is in the bassinet in our room, and every time she'd have an episode then he'd wake up as well. Needless to say, no one got any sleep last night. It's 8:30 pm as I write this, and as soon as I'm done I'm going to bed!

It ended up that we went through 3 sets of sheets and blankets, 4 sets of PJs for Emily and 2 sets for myself, and 4 pillows. Right now we're still doing laundry to try to get it all cleaned up.

This morning she was fine, and a happy little girl. As if nothing had even happened. There is a 24-hour gastrointestinal flu going around the Island and that's what she had. Thank God it was only one night!!

Italian Food...MY ASS!

I am a huge lover of Italian Food, and I know I have probably mentioned to all of you the frustrations I've had since being here and our lack of Italian food. We have a, rather large, Italian food restaurant here in Kodiak called Angelo's.

Rumor has it that these people used to own a restaurant in Dutch Harbor, along the Aleutian Chain, and SO MANY PEOPLE kept telling them that their food was "SO GOOD" that they should consider opening a restaurant in Kodiak. So, they took their advice and Angelo's is now open in Kodiak.

Well...their food SUCKS!! WORST ITALIAN FOOD EVER! Their pizzas are $30, and they're not any good. I got a veggie pasta dish once...it was over cooked spaghetti with a medley of peas, carrots, broccoli, all of which looked like they were reheated from a bag in the frozen food section.

Tonight we got a Caprese Salad...doesn't that sound delightful! Ripe roma tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil. YUM! Well...for $11.00 we splurged on a delicious caprese salad. Sadly, the picture above is what we received. Non-ripe, sort of yellow, standard tomato...the mozzarella was bland, and no basil. Their "spices" were tasteless and worthless.

We keep going back because we want it to be good, but every time we are sadly disappointed.

If anyone makes good Italian food at a reasonable price they could make a KILLING out here!

Unplugged

Its been about 2 weeks now that Ethan has been wire-free. He left the NICU with a heart and lung monitor that would sound an alarm any time he had an "event." He was put on Caffeine to help stimulate brain growth and prevent him from entering a REM sleep pattern.

We've gone through a lot with this poor kid over the last 3 months (Yes, he's 3 months old today!) Since leaving the hospital he has been "event-free" and is on his way to being a normal, healthy baby.

At first I thought it would be more stressful having him off the monitor because there would be no alarms if he should stop breathing. But, now I find myself excited to be past that stage in his life.

It's difficult trying to put your baby in a swaddle, and then trying to figure out where the wires will stick out so you don't wrap them up in the blanket. Or worrying about what he's wearing because the wires need to stick out so you can plug them in; zippered pjs were difficult because when you zipped it up the wires would need to come out near his neck which could be dangerous. If he wore a onesie the wires came out in the crotch area. If he wore snap-up pjs then the wires would come out near his belly button.


There is also no more worries about the wires slipping. If he got sweaty the wires would slip away from his chest, and then the alarm would sound. If you picked him up and grabbed the wire wrong it would unstick, and the alarm would sound. If he had shallow breathing the alarm would sound. All hours of the day and night, the alarm would sound.

Not to mention the ugly "purse" that the monitor was attached to. (You can see it in the picture of Chris.) It was kept in this ugly blue canvas bag and came everywhere. I'd walk into a restaurant with...a purse, a diaper bag, and a monitor bag on my shoulder...3 bags!

So, no more wires...

no more strings...

no more plugs...

no more sticky leads...

no more purse...

and no more alarms...........

He's running on his own batteries now!

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day!

Our Valentines Day, here in Kodiak, was rather windy and rainy. Chris got me a wonderful and thoughtful gift for Valentine's Day - a beautiful pair of diamond earrings!! They looked similar to the earrings he got me many, many years ago. Sadly, I had lost one of the old earrings down the drain while in the shower and never got it back. These new earrings remind me of the old ones and it was the perfect gift!

For Valentine's Day Emily got a bunch of presents...it was like a mini-Christmas for her. And, she got a TON of candy!!! She loved everything! Auntie Lisa sent a whole bag full of candy, which Emily asks to "eat this?" all the time! Grandma and Papa sent more candy, a cute shirt for Emily, a V-Day outfit for Ethan...and...a TON of toys for Emily, which now are all in her Minnie Mouse "purse" that they also sent (the "purse" is actually a Minnie grocery bag and she drags it around with all her V-Day candy & stuff in it.) Scott & Mel sent more candy and stuffed animals. Auntie Diney sent cute socks for the kids. And Mommy & Daddy gave her more candy and some Toy Story stuff. She made out like a bandit for Valentine's Day!

She is really loved by everyone!! (Thanks to all!)

Here are some pics of her opening up her V-Day gifts:

V

Yet Another Reason Kodiak is Awesome

Yet Another Reason Kodiak is Awesome!!

(this would never happen in California)

Superbowl Sunday

No big parties this weekend, so we threw our own little Superbowl Party at the house. Chris and Ethan cheered on the players while eating a smorgasbord of snacks. Emily and I sneaked off during the second quarter to catch The Princess and the Frog which was playing on Base. It was a nice and relaxing weekend.

Snow Shoeing

It took quite a feat from my little family, and a few of my friends, to get me out of the house, but today...for the first time...I went snow shoeing.

I thought of every excuse not to go...the kids were crying, we weren't ready in time, it was cold outside, and I had to put on a lot of layers. But, despite my resistance, Chris dragged me out of the house to push me off to my friends.

I met Doris and LeeAnn on Base and we all carpooled to the Ski Chalet, which is where everyone goes sledding. We then strapped into our snow shoes and began our hike up Pyramid Mountain. I borrowed all of Chris' gear - he loves to go snow shoeing, so he has everything you'd need!

It was quite a steep climb and my legs were KILLING ME! Going down wasn't much better...the trail was still steep and the butt muscles were hurting with that one.

But...WHAT A VIEW!!! Kodiak is BEAUTIFUL!! We had a lot of fun snow shoeing, and I hope it won't be the last time I get to go.

The View from the parking lot

The view from the Top

Me and Doris

The view from the top. If you look closely, the little-tiny dots in the valley on the right-side of the picture...that is the parking lot we hiked up from. It was FAR AWAY!

Tummy Time

Emily's Big Girl Room

Here are some shots of Emily's new Big Girl Room! She is so excited about it and LOVES that her walls are green. It wasn't an easy paint -job, but thanks to John & Lauri we were able to get it all done. Chris painted the totally cool white bookcase of toys (it used to be wood stained), and then it took days to organize all of her toys in her room.



Giving Emily a Big Girl Room opens up a room for Ethan to have all on his own. Yes, he's still sleeping in our room, but we're hoping he'll be able to sleep in his own room soon. (That room is still a work in progress...I still don't know what to do with the computer stuff.)



So, here's a tour of Emily's new room.

The BIG 3-0!

Well, I turned 30 last week...adding another decade to my life. I feel ready to turn thirty. We've got a house, two kids, and a good life; I couldn't imagine looking back at my twenties and wanting to revisit those. I really enjoyed my twenties, but it's now time for the next chapter of my life.


We didn't do anything special for my birthday. We're so far away from friends and family that the EXCITEMENT of turning thirty has kind of been lost. Besides we're planning a trip to Mexico, and that's our birthday present to eachother this year.


The night before my birthday Chris and Emily baked me a cake. The following morning, as I was getting ready to go to work, Chris and Emily surprised me with a beautiful pink/strawberry cake, full of candles. We had cake for breakfast...it was very nice.


Chris and a couple of the girls here tried to throw me a surprise party, but it sort of got botched and...well...let's just say it didn't go so well.


All-in-All...I'm saying "goodbye" to my twenties and "hello" to my thirties!