Whose idea was this anyway!?

My mom goes for a walk most workday mornings with her friend Julie. She goes at 5:30 in the morning which, believe it or not, is too early for even morning-person-Wendi.

Last week my Mom asked if I wanted her to take Scrubs with. An extra session of exercise?! I'm all about that! Of course she could take him with. So at 5:30 in the morning, she came in to my room and called Scrubs. He was excited by this. Someone wants to play with me!? Really?! First thing in the morning?! Okay, I'm in. Let's play. What do you want to play? Want me to get my rings? How 'bout the flashlight?! It was only when he saw his blue leash come out that he realized there was no play at all. This was going to be work. A walk? At 5:30? What kind of stupid idea is that?!

So this morning when my Mom came into my room and called Scrubs for walk #2, he did not go bounding down the stairs. In fact, he dug his but into the back of his bed so hard, I had to push him out with all of my weight behind me. He wasn't going to fall for this dumb idea a second time. I had to push him down the entire flight of stairs, and once on the bottom level, he hid behind the sofa. Poor puppy! I really did feel a little bad. How would you like it if someone strapped a leash to you at 5:30 in the morning and forced you outside for a walk when you had no desire to do it? However, seeing how tired he was when he came home and how well-behaved he's been ever since has made a huge proponent and helped me to overlook how sad he seemed about the whole idea. You go mom!

A bit scary

Well, my whole day yesterday wasn't scary. But one part gave me and my parents and my dog quite a spook.

First was church. That wasn't scary. Isaac went into the nursery, and apparently, he was his normal not-crying self. I ran into an old friend who said that when she went in to pick up her son, Isaac was the only baby not crying. He was just sitting in the swing, swinging away, enjoying life like usual. One funny part of church was when they decided to do a video. We were standing, singing, and then the whole sanctuary went black. Apparently during this blackness, everyone knew to sit back down except me. So when the lights came back on, there I was, chillin' by myself. At least I was sitting on the side!

After church, Nancy G. came over. That wasn't scary either. I wished I would have taken a picture so she could be on my blog, but I just forgot! Nancy is Kelly Stegs' mom. She and her husband Tom were my "Uncle Tom" and "Aunt Nancy" when I was growing up as they were friends with my parents before I was even born. It was wonderful to see her again. She's been a great support (and loyal blog reader) throughout our infertility/adoption/pregnancy journey, and I think she was as excited about Isaac's arrival as we were! Kelly and I were great friends growing up, and I spent many days at their house.

The next not scary thing was Hershal and Michelle's visit with their son Edward and Michelle's Mom, Jan. Michelle has been my friend since we were five-years-old, and we were the maid/matrons of honor in each other's wedding. She's been a loyal friend for life despite the physical distance that has existed between us since we graduated from high school. It was wonderful to catch up with them, if only for a short period of time.

But then things did get scary. I took Scrubs out for a bathroom break, and I've never quite seen anything like it. The dog was incredibly spooked. He kept jumping back, as if he saw something I didn't see. He was completely on guard, with his tail at complete alert the entire time. Since it was the middle of the day, and my parents live in a pretty safe place, I didn't think much of it, until we returned to the house, and Scrubs went to the sliding glass door and started barking like a mad man! I got up to check out the problem only to see a police officer with a huge gun! Apparently, they had arrested someone a few doors down, and rumor has it, someone was hiding in the bushes. I'm not sure if Scrubs saw this person or the cop or just heard something or felt something, but I'm really glad my pup was with me. Maybe JB is right. Maybe if it really came down to it, my dog wouldn't just lick a bad man to death! :)

Either way, I am reminded many times in South Florida that we are not on Eglin AFB anymore. Locking doors, keeping your Sunpass hidden, not walking outside alone at night . . . all rules of life here and not a rule of life back home. I am so glad we decided to live on base and that I feel so incredibly safe all the time. I don't enjoy being back on edge all the time -- a feeling I always had growing up. Life is very different "in the real world."

The rest of the day? Not so scary. Mom and I went for a walk with babe and dog and took a trip to Publix. JB has safely arrived back home. (He tells me the house feels very empty as the last time both Isaac and I were both gone, he at least had the dog there). Man, I miss him already. We finished the night watching the Bears beat the Colts. Too bad we couldn't say the same for the Dolphins over the Jets. Hopefully the Dolphins will win more than one game this year -- a repeat season like last year would be pretty scary!

Four months old!!!

Today our little boy turns four months old. Not a good day to have to say good bye to Daddy for two weeks. JB headed back to base this morning while we will remain behind with family. Here are some pictures we took late last night while both babe and dog were pretty pooped.

Quick notes

We spent the entire day in Miami at Grampa's funeral. While we wish the circumstances could have been different, it was wonderful that all six Kit. kids could be in town. Katie flew in two days ago and Rob drove down from Orlando. In fact the only person not here, was Katie's husband Eddie. Everyone else is here. We were also so thankful that my Dad and Mom were so willing to watch both Isaac and Scrubs for the whole day.

We are also blessed by the fact that it looks like Ike is going to miss South Florida. We'll know have to watch it's approach toward the Gulf Coast, but JB can leave tomorrow without me and not be too concerned about us here in Fort Lauderdale. I am thankful that things were crystal clear to us. While we aren't completely out of the woods, I feel good about my decision to stay here.

Okay, all the Kits. are hanging out so I need to get off the computer and socialize!

Delicious dinner (courtesy of JB!)

Last night JB cooked a fantastic Mediterranean meal over at his older sister Elizabeth's (and her husband Grant's) house. Mom and Dad K., Ray, Gabbi and the kids, and my Mom and Dad joined us for the dinner. Here are a few pictures from the meal:




One of the highlights of the evening was watching Gracie talking my Dad into playing beauty shop -- I had to get pictures of that.

Update on Ike

Things are still very up in the air with Ike. JB is leaving on Sunday. Should I leave with him? Should I stay here? Will Ike miss us and hit the Panhandle? Will it hit both? Will it miss both? Will it be a 1 or 2 or the projected 3 or 4? No one knows. People have started getting supplies and boarding up while we all wait to see what is happening. I'll probably come closer to a decision tomorrow. I will keep you all posted -- thanks for the emails of concern, thoughts, and prayers.

And you thought Scrubs was a big dog!

I've been taking Scrubs, at least once a day, to the dogpark down the street from my parents' house. It is extremely helpful to have a place he can get off leash since there really isn't anywhere for him to run at my parents house (other than up and down the stairs) and they live in a townhouse so there is no yard. I've also been walking him everyday (1-3 miles) as well. So he's been pretty well behaved -- a good thing when you are a guest in a home.

Thursday morning, JB, Isaac, and I decided to take Scrubs to the big dog park out by the Sawgrass. The pictures above are of a friend Scrubs made. If you thought Scrubs was a big dog, he looked like a poodle next to this beautiful Great Dane.

This is a wonderful park and much bigger (and with less dirt) than the one right down the street from my parents. However, it is too far to go to very often. One of my favorite things is that it has a walking track all the way around the park. This means that I can walk while Scrubs plays. This is extremely helpful to keep him "on the move" and to allow me to get exercise at the same time. At the smaller park, the dogs have a tendency to group around their owners and not go off and play. Having the track keeps him running to keep up with me. If he sniffs or plays for too long in one area, he quickly discovers I have moved on and begins a frantic search for me. As soon as he spots me he comes sprinting my way, only to run past me and find new things to sniff.

Here are some more pics from our morning at the park:

I love this photo. This is Scrubs running right at JB. This so perfectly captures our pup.

Scrubs, with a slightly dirty face from his play in the dirt at the smaller dogpark the day before.

Here's me walking the track and Scrubs sprinting to keep me close. JB thought this picture really captured Scrubs' desire to keep me close, but not close enough that I'll tell him it is time to go home. :)

JB also got a few photos of Isaac, sleeping in his stroller during the outing:

Storms, storms, everywhere

Current models attempting to predict Ike's path. Three take it past us. Three take it as us.

Fay, Gustav, and Hanna are long gone. All three missed both our families in South Florida and our new life on Eglin AFB.

However, now, there are two more storms we are watching. The first one, Ike, is currently a Category 4. We are watching it very closely, but it is still too far out to say for sure where it is going exactly. Right now it is heading in the direction South Florida, but it is still a few days away. I pray that it doesn't come anywhere near Ft. Lauderdale and just scoots back out to sea. I also pray it doesn't cross Florida and head into the gulf. Josephine is still a ways out so we have some time before we have any clue where she is headed. JB is planning on leaving here on Sunday. I am planning on staying another two weeks. However, we'll have to see what happens with this storm before we make any final decisions.

Sad news

Our vacation has taken a bit of a turn as we found out yesterday that JB's grandfather passed away early in the morning. While the news wasn't unexpected, it still took us off guard. Grampa has been sick for awhile, but it is still sad to say good bye to someone forever. Pray especially for his wife. I don't know exactly how many years they have been married, but I believe it was over sixty years. They have two sons, eight grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. We feel blessed that we were able to see him and let Isaac meet him right before he died and that we were in town for the funeral which will be on Saturday.

More family photos

For Labor Day, the Kits and the Huismans got together for an informal cookout. JB, of course, was the grill specialist! Here are just a couple of snapshots from our day:

My Dad and Mom with my brother's wife AD. That's Grace and Nate holding Isaac. Our famlies are pretty intertwined. Despite the fact that Grace is actually a Kit., she was the flowergirl in Keith and AD's wedding a few years ago.

Isaac with his Aunt AD. Aunt AD is due to have a cousin for Isaac about two months after his little brother or sister joins the world.

Isaac with his two Gramas! How much better can it get?!

Napping on my Mom's lap after a long day. (Mom insisted she not be included in this photo so you'll have to take my word for it that Isaac is, indeed, on her lap.)

First volleyball match!

Tuesday was a very relaxing day. JB and I mostly hung around my parents' house, relaxing and talking. Isaac is definitely feeling considerably better and is back to his old, happy and content self. He just slept, ate, and talked to us throughout the day with no crying in sight. Now that his nose is clearing out, you can tell how much better he feels.

I took Scrubs on a three mile walk and also gave him some time to romp at the dogpark. Around 3pm, we put Scrubs in his kennel at my parents and went up to our old school. For those of you who don't know, JB and I both graduated from Fort Lauderdale Christian School. I attended that school for all thirteen years. JB was there from fourth grade on. My Dad still works there, and now my brother is the athletic director there. JB's sisters Elizabeth is also an English teacher there now, and Grace is in Kindergarten. So we still have a lot of connections to good ol' FLCS.

We picked up Gracie from school and got to see a few of the faculty that are still there from when we left. (There aren't many.) We then headed to the gymnasium to see all the new improvements that have been done! Keith has done a fantastic job heading up a much improved gymnasium. The floor looks great, and I am still jealous of the fact that there is now air conditioning after playing my whole life in that sauna. (And you wonder why I like exercising in the heat to this day!) We also got to watch my Dad's team play (and lose) their first match of the season.

Isaac seemed to really enjoy the match -- until he got too tired to watch anymore. He sat and just watched the girls warm-up for nearly an hour. But then, after my mom fed him, he fell asleep on his aunt Elizabeth's lap, while in mid-chew of one of his favorite toys. Here are a few pictures from during the match:



After the match, we went over and hung out with JB's parents for a few hours. Mom made some turkey burgers, JB and his Dad watched a few episodes of a Eureka marathon, and I did some work on their computer as they have a program that I need and my parents don't have.

I had a much better day yesterday, indigestion-wise. For the last three or four days, I have gotten nearly unbearable heartburn, indigestion, and cramps, each day around dinner time. The discomfort has left me in tears each evening as I try to go to sleep. In the morning, I wake up feeling considerably better, but then just stand by helpless as I start feeling worse and worse as the day wears on. John says it is not a wives tale that the more heartburn you have, the more hair your baby has. This child must be growing a mane in there!

Two days ago, JB started me on some over-the-counter Prilosec, which is safe in pregnancy, and I also started really watching how big my portions were. I've been eating small things throughout the day instead of sitting down and having any meals. I eat every hour or so but just one small thing, and for the most part, just avoid a real dinner altogether. Yesterday, was much better, so I am going to stick to this practice for a bit and see if I can avoid getting so sick again! Your advice and prayers have been much appreciated!

Storms, storms everywhere!

We are keeping our eye on Hannah. It is supposed to hit on Thursday sometime, but it is still not clear whether we will get the hit or whether it will skirt us to the east. It should be a tropical storm or a category 1 when it hits so nothing extremely major. The good news is that everyone may be off of work giving us extra time to hang out.

Following Hannah are two more storms: Ike and now Josephine. I'll keep you posted on these two as well. They are both scheduled to be in our area during the two weeks that I am here.

I've got some great pictures to post, but I'm at the Kits. house now. As soon as I get over to the my parents I'll be sure to include some snaps.

Isaac and his Daddy

Isaac, Scrubby, and a water bottle

Isaac: "Oh my goodness Grama! A water bottle? Just for me?!"

Isaac: "I've only ever seen Scrubby chew on these. I've never gotten one for myself."

Scrubs: "What is going on here?"

Scrubs: "I'm pretty sure that these plastic thingies have always been reserved exclusively for me."

Scrubs: "Seriously, I've been pretty patient with this new little creature. But c'mon. Isn't this going a little too far?!"

Scrubs: "This is so wrong."

Scrubs: "If I focus really hard, maybe Grama will give me the bottle instead."

Isaac: "If I focus really hard maybe I can get my hands to lift this bottle and pop Scrubby right on the head."

Isaac: "Hey Mommy! Look! Grama gave me one of Scrubby's water bottles."

Scrubs: "Doesn't this kid know how to s-h-a-r-e?!"

Scrubs: "Okay, so I think I'd like to try to challenge Grama here."

Grama: "Scrubs, we are letting Isaac have a turn with the bottle."

Scrubs: "Well, if I can't take it, I'm at least going to keep a very close eye on the situation here."

Scrubs: "Okay, I'll compromise. I'll let him chew on it, if I can chew on it at the same time. But that's as much as I'll bend on this one."

Some pics from our day

This morning we went to visit JB's grandfather and grandmother in Miami. This is his Dad's parents. His father has been very ill, and we hadn't seen them in well over a year so it was important we got down there. There is now a full-time nurse at the house who was very quick to help with everything including Isaac when I changed his diaper and when he was burping up. "Is he choking?!"

Four generations of Kits

JB's Dad and Grama with Isaac

Later in the evening, a bunch of the Kits got together for dinner and to celebrate Matt's birthday. Here are some photos from the day.

Chillin' with his favorite Auntie Gabbi

Nate is obsessed with Isaac -- what a good big cousin

The entire gang for dinnner. From left: Matt and wife Danielle, Mom and Dad, Elizabeth, Gabbi, Ray, Nate, Grant (Liz's husband) and JB. Missing are Rob and Katie and husband Eddie. We miss you guys!

Isaac finally talks his Aunt Danielle (Matt's wife) into holding him. Danielle doesn't like to hold the wee-babies, but decided that Isaac is no longer fragile!

"Mommy who is this crazy Army guy?"

Finally getting to meet his Uncle Matt! Uncle Matt was deployed when Isaac was born.

We are having a great time visiting family. I am having some pretty intense upset stomach issues and hearburn that has put a damper on my evenings, but there are plenty of people here to help out with Isaac and Scrubs. My parents spent the entire day with Scrubs, and they agree that he is a much grown up dog! Good job Scrubby! What a relief to not have a dog that needs constant supervsion! Makes me feel a lot better about leaving him with my parents.

On the schedule for tomorrow: a cookout at my parents with the Kits! Pics will follow I'm sure.