10 Months (Christmas & Repatriation)

I’m WALKING! It feels so good to walk across the room by myself---just like Mommy and Daddy do. Oh, except I toddle and fall a little more. I’m such a big boy! Yes, I added walking to my repertoire on Friday the 13th. I think that’s an appropriate date because Mommy & Daddy should be scared now! I’m going to get into everything! (Although I do a good-enough job of that by crawling. Grandpa says I crawl a 4.6 40.) I was on my way to walking when I started standing by myself on Christmas. I would let go of a table or the couch to explore whatever I’d found with both hands. Then, to celebrate the New Year, I started taking a step towards Mommy & Daddy if they were sitting on the floor and holding out their arms. I would smile every time I made it safely to their embrace. They would smile, too. I liked that. In the meantime, I was practicing my skills by cruising along the walls,cabinets and appliances in the kitchen and living room. It’s nice to have open space in our new house to practice my new skills! I’d get a little more confident each day until finally I let go of the wall and took about 6 steps toward Mommy who was sitting on the couch. The next day (Saturday), I was home with Daddy while Mommy ran errands. All I wanted to do was practice walking across the rooms towards Daddy. I even skipped my afternoon nap. Who can sleep when you’re working on something so exciting?

Now to backtrack; it’s been a busy month since my last blog. I need to record these events. My fifth flight across the Pacific went well. This time I had my own seat. I didn’t necessarily want to SLEEP in my carseat, but at least Mommy could put my down for a few minutes to eat while I explored the toys that Mommy kept pulling out of her seemingly bottomless bag. Mommy was battling the crud our last week in Okinawa. The sinus pressure on descent from San Francisco to San Antonio was almost unbearable. I was a little uncomfortable, too, since I was cutting all four upper incisors at once. This was the first time on almost 20 flights that I cried on descent; so Mommy thinks it was the teeth and not the ears.Regardless, I cried for about 20 minutes straight while an icepick went through the sinus cavity above Mommy’s eye. It was good to get on the ground and see Daddy. Granna & Papa came to the airport, too, in case we needed help with the luggage. Mommy navigated the airports with two suitcases (one filled with mostly Christmas presents for the family), a diaper bag, a carry-on with our irreplaceable documents and military records, my big-boy carseat (since I’d need it right away in SA) and my stroller. We managed to fit all but the stroller in our car.

My first Christmas was a lot of fun. I went to Christmas service at Granna& Papa’s church dressed up in my black corduroy pants, white oxford and red plaid vest. I looked very dapper if I do say so myself. I was still a little jet-lagged on Christmas night (and sleeping in my fourth bed in 12 days), so it was a long night. I cried for about 2 straight hours (from 11-1) until I finally calmed down. When I calmed down, I didn’t want to go to sleep, so I played with Mommy (who was only getting sicker) until about 4:00 am.Christmas morning started at 7:00 when cousin Skyler woke me up. I was in a daze. There were so many presents—so many empty boxes and crinkly papers to explore.Mommy wore her flight suit for possibly the last time on Dec 27th when she went to Randolph AFB to out-process the Air Force. She was sick with the flu by now---fighting a fever and the shakes—so it was a short trip. Once she signed all of the necessary papers, she started her terminal leave. I guess she'll stop getting a paycheck from Uncle Sam on 18 Feb when she’s a “free woman.”

We left for Minnesota on Dec. 29th. I had so much fun in Bemidji . I got to see all my "girl cousins"—Anna, Sydney & Ashley. I ate my first snowball, went sledding on the run my Grandpa made, had another Christmas celebration, and got used to my FIFTH bed in 2 weeks.Like I said earlier, I took my first step at Grandma & Grandpa’s. I also saw myself on TV. The hometown Holiday Greeting that Mommy & I recorded in Okinawa appeared on TV while we were watching the news one evening. The camera does seem to add a few pounds! Daddy & Grandpa didn’t get to see it because they were out ice fishing. Oh, I also had my first trip to Sears portrait studio to get Holiday photos with my cousin Ashley (who’s just 10 days younger than me). My Uncle Jeff and Aunt Julie are twins, so Grandma always talks about how much the two of us remind her of Jeff and Julie when they were little. While we were in Minnesota , Mommy's illness turned into a bronchial infection. She was coughing so much she pulled a muscle or two in her ribcage and couldn’t lift me for 3 days. Daddy really came through. I got over my jet-lag up north,too. (Probably because it got dark so early and stayed dark so late it was easy to sleep late in the morning).

Daddy went back to school on January 6; but after his help with my jet lag and Mommy’s illness; he caught the crud. He even came home from lab early a few days. He has a bad cough and fever/chills cycle like Mommy had. My four teeth are finally in, so I’m settling down. I’m totally on a normal schedule. I seem to be the only one. In fact, I’m sleeping through the night now. (I used to wake up at 2:00 for a feeding.) I’m sure the Tylenol 3 that the doctor gave Mommy had something to do with that. It was a little easier for her not to come to me when I cried since she was a little groggier in the middle of the night. It will be such a welcome change when this family is all feeling better.My transition is almost complete. I survived my first few weeks with my stay-at-home mom. I think we’ll get our groove on eventually. It’s a little hard when 80% of our life is still on a "slow boat from China." The express shipment arrived last week. Now Mommy is wondering how she’s EVER going to get the house set up when all I want to do is get into everything. I am certainly curious.Well, I think I’ve covered it all--move, Christmas, walking, teeth.

My hands are getting a little sore from typing. I think I’ll go work on calculus or read “War and Peace.” “Goodnight Moon” seems so unsophisticated compared to the trials of the Rostovs and the Bolkonskis.