4:45pm

My husband came home at 4:45pm today!!!! Can you hear the excitement in my voice -- or at least in my typing? Not only that, but he informed me that this should be a fairly regular occurrence during this rotation. I was soooo excited! I am soooo excited! I need this so much. It's been a rough six weeks. To have my husband home at a reasonable time during the week and not have call on the weekend, just makes my day.

Here's a few glimpses into our recent life.

We've taken out Isaac's play mat. He loves it. Scrubs seems to have caught on, rather quickly, that this mat belongs to Isaac, and while he can lay near him, he has to let Isaac have his space. Good job Scrubby!

Today, Roxanne came over to meet Scrubs. She used to have a Dalmatian and is a huge dog lover. We realized recently that she hadn't yet met our pup. So she came over to visit. Brittney and the girls as well as Jodi joined them, and I made the only thing I really know how to make: grilled cheese! :)

On Monday evening, Tristan and Shannon came over with their boys. They are leaving for Turkey in a few days. Man are we going to miss them. In addition, Tiffany was there with William, and then our new friends Brandon & Brittney dropped in from their evening walk with their son and daughter. It was a house full of boys!

What a weekend!

We finally got to return to church this morning. JB was on call two Saturdays this month, and we were in Minnesota for the other so this is the first Sunday we were able to attend. It was good timing too since it was "New Members Sunday" at church. JB, Isaac, and I officially joined Crossway Community. We are so blessed to have found such a wonderful church family here at Eglin. Between our church and the fellow physicians and their wives here on base, we have found our prayers answered -- that we would get good and networked in to our new community. Even though it is so hard every time you move to say good bye to old friends and make new ones, we know how important these connections. This church has a fabulous community and has been so welcoming to us and our growing little family.

A few people at church mentioned I looked tired today. JB and I thought this was sort of funny because, while I am very tired, I am probably the most rested I have been in weeks! Yesterday, after Beach Bash, JB slept from 3:30 until 7:30pm! He told me that the longer he slept, the better it would be for me when he woke up and this was very true. He did Isaac's late night feeding which meant I was able to sleep from 9:30pm until Isaac's 5:30am feeding. I then returned to bed until a wet nose found me on the couch at 7:15am! Glorious! (Not the wet nose but getting such a good night sleep.)

Yesterday, I had my most "pregnant sick day" to date. I went over to Matt & Tiffany's early in the morning. Matt's father owns a barbecue restaurant in Texas, and with this experience behind him, Matt agreed to do all the food for the Beach Bash yesterday. What a huge undertaking! He rented a smoker and worked overnight on the meat. Some of the guys, including JB, helped him late into the night on Friday evening and then joined him again early the next morning to finish the job. However, seeing brisket pulled off the smoker at 8am and Tiffany stirring beans on the stove did not sit well with my stomach. It was the closest I have come to throwing up. I quickly excused myself and took Scrubs to the bay while they worked on the fixins'. I sat by the water with Bobbie while Scrubs and Deuce played for nearly an hour until I couldn't smell the meat anymore. I was worried, after that experience, that I wouldn't be able to eat Matt's awesome cooking later that afternoon. But by 1:00pm, I was feeling considerably better and was able to enjoy a great brisket sandwich! Great job Matt.

Most days, my stomach seems to follow this pattern. Early morning is difficult but by post-lunch, I am feeling hungry and anxious to eat something. Some days the nausea lasts well into the evening, but that's rare. I have yet to throw up. Actually, I have not thrown up since I threw up in Lisa Rossman's car in the ninth grade on the way to a volleyball game. I am hoping to continue this trend even though some days it feels like throwing up would feel better.

Please know that I am not complaining. In fact, I am almost thankful for the morning sickness. It reminds me that there is a tiny new life growing in side of me. I have to pinch myself to convince myself that this is true a few times a day. JB and I will just look at each other and I will say, "Can you believe I am pregnant?!"

We have been trying to figure out how to upgrade our simple life into a more family-friendly existence. The biggest obstacle will be the purchase of a new vehicle. We really need a vehicle with three rows of seats since it is probable that within 2-3 years, we will have a 1 year old, a 2 year old, and a 3 year old -- three tykes needing carseats. We obviously cannot have three car seats sitting in a row. So that is our main goal: find a vehicle with three rows. Wendi would prefer not to drive a mini-van, but if that is what she needs to do, she'll do it. I know Scrubs will also be happy because right now we don't really have the ability to transport him and baby places together unless he sits in the front and I sit in the back with baby which is less than ideal.

Another item of need is a stroller. We are talking about getting a double stroller with a sit or stand third seat. I am not sure if they make these, but I am determined to find this. I don't really see the point of upgrading to a double only to need to upgrade to a triple in another year. So that's another big goal.

Other than that, we feel pretty prepared to add another little tyke to our family. If it is a girl, we'll need some new clothes. But if it is a boy, we really don't need a single thing. We do plan to find out what we are having, but we honestly, truly, don't care AT ALL. We can think lots of advantages and disadvantages to both sexes so we are just anxious to see which one is joining us. Oh and names. That, we intend to keep a secret. If you are mad about that, then try being Joia's friend. She's keeping name a secret and not finding out the sex! :) So surely all our "people" can deal with the whole name thingy. All right Gabbi?!?!

Isaac meets Isaac

Isaac got to meet his first "other Isaac" today. This is Philip's younger brother (Joia's husband's brother). Joia actually did a great job capturing pictures of the beach bash today so jump on over there for more details. I actually only know two Isaacs other than our Isaac. One is this young man. The other is Brandon's father. Brandon is insistent that we named our Isaac after his Dad. We've decided to let Brandon go on thinking that. :)

Also, I wanted to thank Kelly and Ebby who did some posts on our family when news of our new arrival broke. I also like to put links to these blogs up so that years from now, when I scroll back, I can jump right back to the big day on their blog as well. If someone else did one, and I missed it, please let me know so I can remember that one too! Hard to believe that as of tomorrow, I am, at least from what we believe right now, 9 weeks pregnant. In 2 weeks, I'll go in for a more formal ultrasound where they will try to confirm my dating more accurately.

So long intern year!

Yesterday JB worked his last day as an intern. The last six weeks have been a beast, and I am so amazingly happy that my husband now has two months of much easier rotations. I have never felt like I needed him home more than I feel it right now.

I am determined not to be a complaining pregnant person. However, my nausea and fatigue coupled with raising a new baby and managing a rambunctious puppy has left me falling into bed each night in a heap. Having JB home at a normal time (can we say 5:00?!?!) and being able to spend weekends together could not have come at a better time.

Today was the Beach Bash -- a party at the Air Force beach for all the residents to meet each other -- to say good bye to the graduating residents and meet the new interns. What a fantastic time, but man, Isaac does not like to be hot! About 3 hours after arrival he let us know that he was done being a good sport and wanted the air conditioning. He is now sitting in his swing, happy as a lark! He definitely takes after his Daddy with that warm blood.

We are so blessed to be home as a family . . . it's about time! Second year here we come.

Isaac with Jocelyn

A completely stolen blog

I am glad Joia is such a good friend . . . cuz I completely stole this blog and nearly every picture off of her blog. She and I hae a free-exchange-clause in our relationship, so I am not worried. But nonetheless, I usually don't steal this many pictures.

So, as I wrote briefly yesterday, the banquet was yesterday evening. All of the moms got babysitters except for me -- since Isaac doesn't walk yet I wasn't too worried about him. But having sitters made for a really nice evening for all the ladies -- having to chase around their boys would not have been as relaxing!

JB made it to the banquet a little over midway through -- which absolutely thrilled me. After I wrote my blog yesterday, I had a few minutes of a pity party and then decided I was going to have a great time anyways. And I did. Here's some photos from the evening, courtesy of Joia!

Joia loves the babies -- give her a night away from her Keenan, and she'll still want to hold the kiddos! Doesn't Joia look pretty in that color?!

Rob (on the left) was without his wife Sarah who was out of town -- so here's his surrogate date, Philip.

Doesn't everyone look great?! Here's the adorable Jodi (aka, Scrubs' "girlfriend") with her husband Cliff.

Andrea and Erik. They are expecting child #2 in December.

Matt and Tif on a night away from William! Matt did an AWESOME job on their class video. It was awesome!

All of the ladies: Jodi, Johanna, Joia, Tiffany, me, Andrea, Kacey, and Robyn. Kacey and Robyn are interns with the boys!

Isaac is finally getting big enough to wear some of his cute newborn outfits. I have been wanting him to wear this one since I got it! I love it!

JB after his late arrival.

Isaac loves his Auntie Tiffany!

My date for the evening: Kacey, since both of our men were MIA.

Graduation morning & some dissapointment

This morning, the Interns graduated to second year residents! Here are a few snapshots from a beautiful morning at the Officer's Club at the Bay.

Wifia members: Joia, Andrea, Tiffany, Jodi, and Me (Sarah and Johanna weren't able to be there)

JB and me after the ceremony. I wore this same outfit to JB's medical school graduation

JB's intern class: Sean, Eric, Rob, Philip, Shannon, Matt, Kacey, JB, Cliff, and Bill

Hard to get a good shot, but here is JB receiving his certificate of graduation

It was a beautiful morning and beautiful ceremony. I am so proud of JB and all his accomplishments. It was a tough morning for me as I have just been battling fatigue. However, I made it and did my best to have a great time!

It is now 3pm. JB actually got to come home at 2:30pm and was supposed to be home until the banquet this evening. It's an "off day" for the interns. They had the ceremony in the morning and some presentations to attend in the afternoon, but were then given a bit of time inbetween the presentations and the banquet this evening. However, 30 minutes after JB arrived home, he found out that one of his patients had gone into labor. We both looked at each other as if we could not believe his luck. He had three hours off, and she was in labor! Of course, I am thrilled for her, and JB will do a great job delivering her baby, but there is a big banquet this evening from 5-8pm, and there is a chance that he may miss it altogether. He and Matt have been working for weeks on a video for the banquet, and it is just a time for all the families to get together with no work lingering. I am really struggling at the moment with disappointment. Disappointed that we lost three hours together. Disappointed that he may miss the end-of-the-year banquet. Just disappointed in general. I know if I wasn't so tired, I'd be handling this better. The combination of a newborn and pregnancy, I have been told, isn't exactly ideal.

I am not complaining. I am so blessed to be Isaac's mommy, and this new baby's mommy, and a wife to the greatest husband in the world. I'm just feeling a little sorry for myself right now.

But this will pass. We will make it -- only one more day of Intern year.

For more pics of the morning, jump over to Joia's blog. Joia, so glad to hear you got a sitter for the evening! Rock on!

Happy birthday little bro!

Today my "little" 6'10" brother Keith turns 29! Happy birthday Moose!

Also, if you want to see what I did today, just jump over to Joia's blog. It tells most of the story. Other things I did today included two trips to the bay with Scrubs (I was helping let Deuce and Mabel out). This included Scrubs and Deuce deciding to go in the water to chase some ducks. They never go in the water so this was quite a shock as I had to deal with two wet dogs and a baby at the same time. I also got some work done, watched a great Wimbeldon match, and took a nap. Naps are a daily requirement so I have to time them after the bay, when Scrubs is tired and will sleep at the same time as me and Isaac.

Sweet boy

Profoundness missing

I suppose it is time for a post offering a moment of delving into the recesses of my emotion. It's time for something profound!

Only I just don't know where those recesses are right now. I am trying to access profound, but it is nowhere to be found.

So profound may have to wait for another day. Today, I will access the everyday, the mundane, the completely normal aspects of my existence. I can't find profound.

What can be found is the desire for a nap. Between this nausea and being overly tired (I thought this was just Isaac, but my pregnant friends have informed me that it is pregnancy as well), life is about the day-to-day right now. It's about JB finishing his last week of intern year. It's about making sure the dog is adequately exercised. Good exercise = good puppy. It was about preparing for our post-placement home study which was conducted last night in our home. Tonight our pastor and his wife are coming over to conduct our membership "interview." State Farm keeps calling. They want to meet with us and talk us into getting more insurance. They keep asking when a good time is for them to sit down with my husband. I keep telling them that I am looking for a good time to sit down and talk to him as well. Thursday morning is JB's graduation from his internship program. Thursday evening is a banquet. Saturday is a beach bash. Sunday is "New Members" Sunday at our church. I need to set up a two month appointment for Isaac. I need to pick up my vitamins and iron pills. Existence right now is really all I am focused on. I'm just taking one day at a time.

In other news, today I learned that my son does not like the heat! The wifia went to the splash park with the first year wives. We wanted to introduce ourselves and welcome them to the life of a resident's wife. I got to play in the water with the other kids while Tiffany stayed with Isaac. She was glad I was gung-ho about getting in the water because she certainly wasn't. Isaac really doesn't fuss at all unless he is hungry. Scratch that. He fusses when he is hot. I learned that today. He was hot and didn't like it one bit. I stripped him down to his diaper and he finally fell asleep on Andrea. Poor little guy.

Today, the last member of the wifia got the news that I was expecting. Everyone but Sarah was there today, and Johanna walked up. We told her that not only were Joia and Andrea expecting, but that another wife was as well. She immediately pointed at Tiffany, who shook her head. She didn't even glance at Jodi, who has made her desire to wait to have children quite evident. Then she looked at me. I was all that was left! It was great fun. It's been great fun telling so many people. So many people completely shocked. Including us.

Oh, I wanted to also end this post with the answer to a question we are getting every few hours from nearly everyone. I wanted to let everyone know that our plans to adopt from China have not changed one little bit. For one thing, the wait-time is quite long. I would be surprised if our daughter joined our family before 2011. For another, we have invested a lot of time and money into this adoption. It was the first thing we ever thought of doing when we were unable to have children, and we do not plan to alter that course at all.

Signing out for now. Maybe profound will drop by for a visit tomorrow.

The secret is out

I took the test in the Minneapolis airport.

I suppose that is the first thing I should tell you. I, honestly, did not think that it was any big deal that I did such until I started repeating the story and surprisingly received replies like, "Are you kidding?" "That's so funny!" or "Really?!"

But yes, I found out that I was pregnant in the Minneapolis airport. Leave it to the Polar North to store itself in my blood quite permanently.

I had just come from lunch with my coworkers at the Mayo Clinic and had received some gift certificates for Target to celebrate Isaac's arrival. Lesley and I stopped at Target to pick up some formula for Isaac, and I thought, "What the heck. It's not my money. I'll buy a stupid test."

I had long ago promised myself that not another little red cent of my money would be spent on any stupid home pregnancy test. If it weren't for that promise, I would have bought a test at the Commissary before we left for Minneapolis. I had been feeling sick for weeks and just couldn't shake the nausea that seemed to accompany me everyday. I convinced myself that it was fatigue from having a six week old in our home, but day after day it seemed to get worse and just wouldn't go away. I had even mentioned my upset stomach on the blog a few times. In the Commissary that day, I walked up to the tests, put my hand on one, and then immediately slapped myself back into remembering my promise! No more money on those stupid tests Wendi! Quit it! Walk away from the pregnancy tests! And I did. Had I not, I would have known before I left for Minnesota.

But here I was in Target with a gift certificate. This wasn't my money technically. So I scooped it up and slid it into the bag with the formula. I didn't tell anyone what I had done. I didn't tell Lesley who was my ride to the airport nor did I have the opportunity to tell JB.

I don't know if I planned on taking the test in the airport restroom, but after feeding Isaac, we still had an hour before take-off. What to do with this extra time? I know, I'll change Isaac and maybe take that stupid test and rule out pregnancy as the reason for this never-ending nausea. Honestly, that's all it was. A rule-out procedure.

So into the restroom I went. I put Isaac on the changing table and went and took the test. I walked back over to change Isaac and out of the corner of my eye stole a peek.

WHAT THE HECK?!

I was sure the test was upside down. Or sideways. Or, something. What the heck was going on?! How could there be two lines?! These were not the kind of lines you had to hold up to the light. These were obvious. Glaring. I walked over to Isaac. I whispered, "You are six weeks old!" I went back to the test and whispered, "And you are positive!"

Isaac was honestly the main thing on my mind at that moment. I know I speak for JB when I tell you that we are head over heels for this little boy. I do not even think about the fact that he is not biologically related to me. He is our boy! We love him so much! My first thought when I saw those two lines was that there had to be some mistake. My second thought was that I never wanted him to feel like he wasn't part of our plan. How could I ever love another child as much as I loved Isaac? And how could I take care of another child while still taking care of Isaac? I know some of these thoughts are thoughts that parents of two biological children face and some were because he was adopted. Either way, the thoughts were all surrounding our little Isaac.

It was during that cacophony of thoughts that I decided to call JB.

I asked him if he was sitting down, and he said, "Oh my gosh!" He knew instantly. I didn't have to say it. For weeks my nausea and other nagging symptoms had been like the white elephant in the room -- we knew they were there, but we never dared breathed the fact that all these symptoms were starting to stack up on top of each other. As far as we knew, there was no way that I could be pregnant. I had done infertility treatments for five years! How could I be pregnant without anything at all?

A miracle. God. That is truly the only explanation.

I can just picture God in heaven for these last five years looking down, telling me to hold on, quit whining, just wait. And I can just picture him when the moment finally came when all the years would come to a point of culmination in a restroom in the Minneapolis airport.

Once out of the airport, JB took me straight to the hospital where he had already set up for an ultrasound. Isaac was crying, hungry, so I laid on the table and bounced him on my chest. It was completely and utterly surreal. JB prepared me for what we might see, and quite honestly, I was ready for it. He told me that this could be ectopic or a deceased child, or any number of other variables. I was okay. I had Isaac. I could handle this. We had handled so much. We could handle this. I know we could.

But two seconds into the ultrasound, JB looked up, swallowed, and looked at me, searching for words. What is it? I asked him back without saying a word. And that when he said, "Wendi, that's a heartbeat."

Wendi, just kept bouncing Isaac. She watched the screen where a tiny little baby came into view. A tiny baby. Inside her womb.

The only other time I had seen this in person was when I sat next to Bri so many months ago.

JB started measuring. Without a regular cycle, I had no idea how pregnant I was. From all I could estimate, I could be as much as four months pregnant. JB eased my fears slightly. 7 weeks and 3 days from the measurements. Not official but as close as we know for right now. As of today, I am 8 weeks pregnant. As of today, I am due February 1st. I went in for blood work the next day. Other than being a bit anemic, I am doing great.

Do we know how this happened? Well, technically. But honestly, this is nothing more than a miracle. I also know that this had to happen in this order. Isaac is supposed to be in our family, and Bri picked us because of our struggles to have a family. Had we had a child, would she have even thought of us? Would Joan have thought of us? Would Isaac be living somewhere else? I can't imagine that. Isaac is our pride and joy. He is our first born. He will always be our amazingly awesome and special son. No biological child could ever change that. I love him so much I cannot express it adequately in words.

I so appreciate those of you who have posted, both here, and on Hannah's Prayer (my infertility support board) that this post has brought you encouragement. I need to hear that so much. I have so often been on the receiving end of this news. Sometimes I could find encouragement in it, but sometimes, it hurt me. Will it ever be my turn?

We were at peace with the fact that it may never be our turn, and we were going to trust God and His plan no matter what. If that meant never being pregnant -- so be it. Isaac's arrival made that especially okay. If it was just Isaac, forever, we were okay. But now, we'll be okay, with a sibling for Isaac that will be less than 9 months younger than him. For all we can figure out, this child was conceived before Isaac was born -- within a few days or a week -- but before Isaac joined us in the world.

So I'll stop here, lest I overwhelm you with adjectives like: ELATED, SHOCKED, TERRIFIED, ECSTATIC, DUMBFOUNDED, SCARED, HAPPY, EXUBERANT, OVERWHELMED, CONFUSED . . . our house has been a flurry of these adjectives for quite a few days now. The list to describe my heart and JB's heart is endless.

I told JB we needed a new stroller. "No, Wendi," he said. "We need more than a stroller. We need a new car (Or minivan? Oh my!)" Oh, right. Two backward facing car seats and a double stroller will not fit in our tiny Saturn. But geesh. If we can trust God for a baby (or even not trust Him for a baby) we can surely trust Him to take care of the details.

Tomorrow, maybe I'll try to let you into my heart and try to express the emotions swirling. Emotions for Isaac and the gift he is. And emotions for this tiny life that, somehow, is growing inside of me.

But for today, that's enough. I'm pregnant. I think I am going to write a book.

P.S. Here is a reply PowerPoint from my parents, brother, and AD after the news.

Since Mommy won't tell . . . I will

Hi. This is Isaac. Since my Mommy is being a scaredy-cat and won't post this blog no matter how much people tell her to go and do it, I decided that while she is napping, I will scan a picture into the computer (I learned how to do this a few days ago) and post it on the blog.

In case you are completely confused, which don't worry, we are all feeling that way, this is a picture of my little brother or sister. In fact, this is a picture of my little brother or sister inside my Mommy's tummy.

My Mommy is pregnant.

Don't worry if you are a little confused or if your jaw is on the floor right now. Our house has been filled with a lot of that already. Daddy and Mommy keep staring at each other without saying a word. I, personally, think this is the coolest thing ever. I'm going to be a big brother before I even learn how to walk?! How awesome is that?! Of course, I am the first born and the bestest and Daddy and Mommy keep telling me that I am their numero uno. Duh! I know that! I am the prince of this house. Well, Scrubby thinks he is, but I think he is learning that I am the first prince and he is the second prince even though he was a prince first.

Anyways, Mommy promises that she'll post more tomorrow if she stops being a scaredy-cat so stay tuned for more details. If you want, you can post a comment expressing your complete and utter shock so we can remember if for years to come.


Also, I thought it would be fun to share a few other things with you. This is a video of my "Aunt" Tiffany and Mommy when they took "Aunt" Joia to Chik-Fil-A to share with her the news. She is sitting right next to me. She was really surprised!




And then this is the PowerPoint that my Mommy used to tell my Grampa and Grama Coach. My Uncle Keith and Aunt AD went over there and played it for them while my Mommy was on speaker phone. They were pretty excited.



Family PowerPoint

Okay, I better get off of here before someone catches me! Bye everyone!

Missing JB

Sigh . . .

I am trying to have a good attitude, but you know, Isaac and I, well and Scrubs for that matter I think, just really, really miss JB.

He leaves the house each morning before 6am. It is usually well after 7pm before he gets home. Then, today, he is on call. It's Saturday. So that means he left at 7am and will be home tomorrow about the same time. Unfortunately, most of Sunday will include him sleeping so we won't get to see him much more.

We keep counting down the days. FIVE MORE WORK DAYS after today. FIVE MORE WORK DAYS before he is done being an intern forever. His next rotation is supposed to be fairly light -- a clinic rotation that will keep him gone during normal work hours. WE CANNOT WAIT!

Last night we went out for an impromptu dinner at the Indian restaurant in town. I guess it was for our anniversary although, to be honest, our decision was based more on the fact that we haven't stocked up on groceries since returning from Minnesota. They were happy to see us back as we hadn't been in since before Isaac was born. I guess we have been a little bit busy?

I told JB that all I would like is for him to work one normal week. I'd love if one Friday night he could do the feedings with Isaac so I could just sleep through the night one time! Isaac does well, don't get me wrong, and most nights I can snag 5-6 hours of sleep, scattered of course, and then take a nap sometime during the day. But I still just wish I had my best friend here with me to do some of this together. Patience. We are almost there.

Today should be a fun day. Tif is going to watch Isaac for a few hours so I can attend a baby shower for a neighborhood friend. Then this evening we are headed to a princess birthday party for Madison and Jocelyn. Jocelyn is turning 2 and Madison is turning 3. Kids one year apart! Yikes! Twelve months apart. Yikes! But Brittney does an amazing job as their mom.

Okay, off to eat some breakfast and get ready to go. Please keep us in your prayers during that last week of intern year. It's pretty stressful.

Happy Anniversary Wendi & JB

Today is our 10th anniversary! Happy anniversary John & Wendi.

Okay everyone, here's the visuals!

So it'll take too long to try to put these in order, but here are some photos, in random order, from our trip to Minnesota. There's also some videos at the end.

Isaac after a successful burp at our RLS Foundation lunch

Me with some of my Foundation coworkers including Georgi (left) and Gina (right). That's Georgi's husband Dick in the background. (He loves babies!)

Tara with Isaac (doesn't her hair look beautiful?!) We are waiting for our turn through the receiving line. We were the VERY last people to go through due to my back of the church location (so JB could slip out with Isaac if need be, and the need was there!)

Lesley, Dave, and Tara at the reception

The bride with our boy!

Here I am at the park with Bethany and her son Mitchell. Her other son, Peter, is taking the photo! He was quite excited for this opportunity.

Bethany with the little man.

Peter and Mitchell on the tire. I have to be honest, I can't tell them apart yet.

Two hot girls!

Brandon holding Isaac, who was named after his father! (Not really, but Brandon likes to think so.)

Here we are in wedding attired. I really ended up liking my outfit!

Kristen and Brandon with a sleeping Isaac.

Dave and Lesley: great hosts!

On Mondy evening I visited Aaron, Kristen, and their adorable adoptee: Noah. Isn't he a doll?



Our gang at the wedding.

On Jones' living room floor napping. Gosh I love this kid!

Isaac's wedding outfit which was not to be. We had to settle for dinosaur PJs instead.

On our flight to the Polar North,

In the airport.

In our hotel (I'm wearing my free t-shirt.)

And some videos:

Back on base

I am home sweet home. It was an extremely uneventful trip. Isaac was great, the flights were great, the trip was great. I'll be sure to blog tomorrow, but for now, it's time for sweet dreams.

Recapping my Tuesday (without photos)

So my Tuesday was equally lovely. First of all Isaac nearly made it through the night! He fed at 10pm and didn't emerge from slumber until 4:30am. Another feeding and he was back down until 8am! Glorious.

Together, Isaac and I covered quite a bit of Rochester in a short period of time. At 11:00 we stopped by Kristen's place of work to say hi to her and two women I worked with back when I worked for Dr. Kullo! It was great to see all of them.

At noon we met Kelly and Roberta for lunch at Greenmill. Kelly and Roberta were the two ladies that I worked with in setting up "Hearts like Hannah" -- our infertility support group at Christ Community Church. They have been an incredible blessing in my life, and it was great to reconnect, if only for a short time.

At 1:30pm, I made a quick visit to see Dr. Kullo up in Stabile. I have planned to have lunch with the Mayo crew tomorrow afternoon, but then Dr. Kullo called me today saying he was leaving town later this afternoon. It was great to get to visit with him. I really enjoyed the four years I spent working with him, and a big part of me is sad to say good bye to that job, even though I know it was I need to do.

Isaac and I returned home, took naps, did some feedings, and read. This has been a wonderfully relaxing trip for me (once we got through the initial "getting here" part.) I've taken lots of naps, read, and just spent some quality time with Isaac without the demands of work, chores, and Scrubs weighing on me. It's been fantastic.

Dave and Les were both on call last night. They got home around 1:00pm today and took some naps. Right now we are watching the NBA championships together and Dave has left to get us Dairy Queen! Yippee. Not sure there is much better than basketball and DQ! Tomorrow I am meeting my friend Stephanie for breakfast, the Mayo crew for lunch, and then heading to the airport. Joia, you are right. I get home on Wednesday. But I won't return to dog-watching until Thursday which is where the confusion came into play.

I should also take a brief moment to mention that Sunday was JB's first father's day. I got him some framed photos for his desk and a mouse pad with a picture on it. The framed photos include the one of the three of us on the beach, me and Isaac, and a close-up of him -- all courtesy of Kendra's amazing talen! Isaac also "made" him a little project at Care Group that included his feet prints. John loved them all and took them all to work with him. He said people have been asking when he would finally get some new baby photos to work. Bri also called to wish JB a happy father's day. What a kind thing to do -- to think of JB on a day like that.

I should tell you that JB is an amazing father. I always knew he would be, but seeing him in action is even more proof. While it took me a few weeks to feel like Isaac was really mine and that I was his mom, it took JB a few mere hours. He bonded with that kid instantly and was in love with him from the first moments they spent together. I have always wanted to see my husband be a dad, and now I have been given that amazing opportunity. It is so true that it is so inconsequential that Isaac is adopted. He is our boy, and JB is his dad. That's all I think when I see them together. Despite the horrible flight, JB so enjoyed being able to just hold Isaac through all the flights. He basically did all the holdings and feedings during the twenty-four hours of travel. I'm so blessed by this wonderful man and the wonderful father he already is.

I fly home tomorrow evening so it may be Thursday before you hear from me. Please pray that our return trip is completely and utterly boring and uneventful. JB says he has good faith in my abilities to travel solo with baby. I am not sure if he means this or is just trying to pump me up, but nonetheless, I have no choice! So here I go!

P.S. I think Isaac is starting to smile in response to my voice or words (not just because of gas.) Lesley, the pediatrician agrees so I think that is proof enough!

P.S.S. While I still don't have wedding photos up, Kristen put some up HERE.

Monday in Minnesota

What a great day Isaac and I had today! I only wish I could load my pictures here so I could show everything we did in photos. Oh well. The visual aides will have to wait.

This morning we met my friend Bethany at the park outside Sodier's Field. Bethany is someone I initially met online through my infertility support group. We then figured out we were only about a half hour from each other, and she started attending some of our local Hearts Like Hannah Support Group Meetings. She has GORGEOUS twin boys: Peter and Mitchell who are just precious. At one point in the afternoon, one of the boys saw a squirrel. Mom told them to stay put and not leave the playground area, and he really tried, but in the end, the call of the squirrel was greater. He just took off racing across the grass. Of course the squirrel got away, but it was really cute to see him give way to the wind and run full speed ahead for that squirrel.

In the afternoon, I met up with the ladies at the RLS Foundation for lunch. Lois, Marilyn, Georgi, Jenny, and Gina (whom I have worked with for a year and just met for the first time) were all there. It was wonderful to get to reconnect with my coworkers. When I arrived, they gave me my itinerary for the day which included numerous work-related responsibilities including writing a grant in a mere nine minutes. Thank goodness the whole thing was a joke!

After hanging out at the Foundation, Isaac and I came home for naps before heading over to Aaron and Kristen. These were friends of our's from a Bible Study we joined at Christ Community Church. They have just adopted a son: Noah, and through our adoption processes, our families have re-connected. What a beautiful son they have. Aaron is staying home with Noah as well which seems to be working wonderfully. He is also doing cloth diapers! What a guy!

Right now, Isaac is struggling going to sleep so I should return downstairs to check on him. Tomorrow is a new day. JB called me at 7pm ready for bed. He said Scrubs was really excited to have him home. Jodi will continue to help with him during the day until I get back on Thursday.

FIFTY-FOUR?!?!

I had a wonderful evening last night with Dave & Lesley. We watched Tiger Woods hit an amazing putt to force a tie in the U.S. Open and started watching some of the NBA Finals. I relaxed, napped, and read with the windows open and a gentle breeze blowing. I spoke with JB briefly last night. He got in an hour late but safe and sound.

This morning I am planning to meet my friend Bethany at a park where her twin boys can play while we catch up. I put on my t-shirt and shorts and walked outside to check the weather. I was freezing. I jumped on the computer to confirm. Yes. Suspicion confirmed. Minnesota can only fool me for so long. It's 54 degrees right now with a predicted high for the date of 68. In June!!! Just when I was thinking we could come back and live here, the truth hits my right upside the head! WhatEVER!

But anyways, Isaac and I have a packed day. After meeting Bethany, we plan to swing by the RLS Foundation for lunch. Then this evening we are going to see Aaron, Kristen, and their new son Noah and have dinner with them. Lots of fun planned.

But, I'll have to meet the fun in my blue jeans and sweatshirt. :)

P.S. A big huge congrats to Nicole and Bay who tied the knot yesterday. I so wanted to be at that wedding! Can't wait to see pictures!

Kudos to Joia

Joia, you are getting a special blog. Your wisdom in buying us that pacifier connector thingy for the airport was immeasureable. After his pacifier had fallen ten times, I literally yelled, "Wait! I forgot!" and pulled the gift you gave us out of the diaper bag. It made things so much easier! With the pacifier stuck to his sleeve I could care less if he wanted to spit that thing out. "SPIT AWAY ISAAC!" That pacifier is stuck to you. Great job Joia!

A bit more time to recap

It is now Sunday at 2:30pm. Ron has just left for the Minneapolis airport with Tara and my hubby in tow. Last night our tired little boy basically slept from 6:30pm until 2:30am. He woke up very hungry at 2:30am and hungry again at 5:30. He had skipped so many feedings in that long stretch that by 7:30am he was hungry again. JB and I were so tired that we just scooped him up from his pack-n-play and held him in bed with us. That's when Lesley came to the rescue! She knocked on our door and asked if she and Isaac could spend some together. HECK YEAH! She did a 7:30am feeding and another 10:00am feeding before I emerged, pretty darn rested despite our ordeal.

So back to our ordeal -- an ordeal I just didn't have the energy to discuss in my last post. I'll begin by saying that I consider myself a pretty seasoned traveller. However, I have never, in my life, experienced anything like this trip. Not even close. Okay so yes, it was Friday the 14th but I don't believe in all that mumbo jumbo about bad omens . . . maybe I should? :)

• 3:00pm I pick JB up from the airport. He makes the decision to stay in his BDUs since our flight leaves at 4:30pm and we are already cutting it pretty close.
• 3:15pm we arrive at the Fort Walton Beach airport to find out that for some strange reason, JB and I are no on the same flight from Mephis to Minneapolis. We have our e-tickets in front of us indicating otherwise. But in fact he has been moved to a later connection. What?
• 3:45pm we finally finish working things out with the airline. The decision is made to pull me from the 6:30pm flight and bump us both to the 7:30pm flight due to the bad weather that meant delays were quite possible. The 6:30pm flight only had a 28 minute connection in Memphis.
• 5:15pm we leave Eglin nearly 30 minutes late after a flight attendant calls in sick.
• 6:30pm we arrive in Memphis. We pass the gate where the 6:30pm flight is boarding and make the decision not to see if there is space on it (a decision we later regret). We are hoping to grab a bite to eat and have been given bulk-head seats on the 7:30pm (lots of leg room). We also want to make sure our luggage arrives with us which can be a problem when flying stand-by.
• 7:30pm comes and goes. We find out that we are waiting for our pilot to arrive.
• 8:30pm we finally load the plane. We are told the pilot is on his way so it is safe to get everyone on board. The next hour goes by on the airplane. This was the first time that our travel with a five week old become obvious to us. Isaac (and other children on the plane) were not happy with the excess heat we were all being forced to endure while we waited for the aformentioned pilot to arrive.
• 9:30pm we are told that the pilot will indeed not arrive. The flight has been cancelled altogether and will instead leave at 8:00am -- the next morning! We should proceed to the main counter for help with the future of our lives.
• 9:45pm I bust my tail down the terminal with Isaac hoisted over my shoulder. JB stays behind to get all of our stuff. We want to try to get in the front of the line to deal with our lodging. This proved to be a good move on our part. The line moved incredibly slowly and it was a weaving, incredibly long line within about 10 minutes.
• 10:30pm we have our details. We are going to be staying at a Holiday Inn by the Airport. They give us some overnight bags which proved incredibly helpful and some vouchers for food. However, since everything is closed now and will be when we return, we aren't sure how helpful these will be. They also decide to put us on a flight all the way into Rochester. For those of you who aren't from the Polar North, Rochester is about an hour and fifteen minute drive south of the cities. We don't normally fly into Rochester because it is considerably more expensive. However, the airline has decided to give us the gift because they feel badly for us and our travels with tiny baby in tow. JB asks the woman if she is sure our luggage can handle the change of plans. She assures us that since it is changed in the computer, our baggage tags will register Rochester and make it without a problem. JB explains that we have a wedding to attend at 4pm. She assures us we will make it. She also puts us on a 6am flight out of Memphis instead of the 8am flight everyone else is taking.
• 11:00pm we catch the shuttle to our hotel. We are given a room right outside the ice machine. This meant I had to walk out two times and we finally called the front desk as there were about a dozen twelve year olds playing tag by the ice machines for quite a long period of time. I have never called the front desk to complain of noise, but we were desperate.
• 11:30pm Isaac finishes eating and falls asleep. We have a long talk with him and he seems to understand that we need him to sleep until our alarm goes off at 4am
• 12:00am Wendi finally falls asleep. This is an airport hotel and there are very loud planes going overhead constantly causing a little difficulty in falling asleep.
• 4:00am alarm goes off and Isaac-the-trooper is still sleeping. Despite his schedule being completely confused, he has proven an incredible traveller. Strong work little man!
• 4:30am shuttle arrives
• 5:00am we check in for our next flight. We find out that bulkhead is available for us again! What an answer to prayer. I am no longer exit-row elligible due to travelling with child.
• 6:00am we get word that our flight will be delayed. An attendant is sick! I kid you not.
• 6:30am we finally board and leave for Minneapolis.
• 8:30am we arrive in Minneapolis. We decide to see if there is room on the 9:05 flight back to Rochester to avoid the wait for the 10:05 flight.
• 9:05am we find out there is room and board the flight. However, we then get word that there is some problems with one of the filters. We must sit on the runway and wait.
• 9:30am Isaac creates quite a mess for JB. Another diaper and an entire pack of wipes is used in the process. We now have one diaper left! It is at this point that John turns to me and says, "Wendi, this is the worst trip in the history of the world." I have to agree.
• 9:55am (10 minutes before our 10:05am flight would have left) we are on our way to Rochester.
• 10:30am we land in Rochester. We are told our bags are on the 10:05 due to land in just a few minutes. We decide to wait with Tara who has come to pick us up.
• 11:15am all luggage has come and gone. Our's is nowhere to be found.
• 11:30am we get word that our baggage is in Minneapolis and the next flight won't arrive until 3:00pm. The wedding is at 4:00pm and they cannot be confident that the bags will in fact be on that flight. We end up getting our bags around 6:30pm that evening on the way to the reception.

It was at this point in the trip that I lost all attempts at positivity. Despite how frustrating the previous 24 hours had been, JB and I had kept a good attitude. We were getting to spend time together, and John was getting to do a lot with Isaac that he had been too busy at work to do. But when the luggage didn't show up, I nearly lost it.

We returned to Dave & Lesley's, a bit late for the brunch she was planning. The Cronks and Scheiffers and Yuans were there. Ronnie made an appearance as did Jock. It was wonderful to see everyone! Lesley and Tara also helped motivate me that a trip to TJ-Max would be a fun adventure. Okay, if you want to look at it that way. But in fact, it was. Within about 60 minutes we had secured me a skirt, top, and shoes (from Payless). Not a small feat for a 6'3" lady who often has trouble shopping for clothes. I was relieved.

While I was out shopping, JB washed his t-shirt and socks and put them back on clean with his military BDUs. Isaac got to wear his pajamas to the wedding instead of the cute little outfit I had packed for him in his suitcase. But he didn't seem to mind too much.

The wedding was wonderful and worth all the hassles the previous day of travel had brought us. What a fun time. There were nearly 400 people at this wedding but hanging out with the Jones, Tara, and Yuans made me not even realize how many people we did not know at the event. This morning we went to a brunch at Rachel's parents' house and were able to spend some time with bride and groom. I am so happy for Hans and Rachel and would not have missed the day for the world.

As soon as I can, I'll get pictures up. Rachel was STUNNING! Hans looked equally stunning. :) It was a wonderful day. Stay tuned for more details.

Hans and Rachel are married!

So first, the most important and wonderful news of all. Hans and Rachel are married. Rachel was an unbelievably beautiful bride. The wedding and reception were wonderful, and I plan to post more photos and details when I get back home and when I get photos from the ladies who were there with me (we all promised to share.) I am just too tired to formulate any more information right now.

What I will have to save for another post are the details of our trip. I'll just quickly summarize by saying, after a whole day of delays on Friday, we found out that our Friday evening flight was cancelled altogether. (Oh, and we found this out after we were on the plane for over an hour.) That meant five hours sleep in a hotel before leaving on Saturday morning to two more delays and then, after arriving, the realization that our luggage did not (despite a promise by airline officials that despite routing us to a different city, it would arrive). This meant JB wore his military BDU's (which he had just worn on the plane due to lack of time and forethought to change) to the wedding. This also meant that my wonderful friends Tara and Lesley had to help me find an entire outfit in TJ-Max and Payless in under an hour. (I couldn't bring myself to where my bluejeans and 3x t-shirt NorthWest Airlines had given me.) Believe it or not, we pulled it off, and I actually wore something I really liked and would wear again.

I'll break down the entire trip for you at a later date. But I don't want to ruin the fact that we are here with friends, and we were able to attend a wedding we really wanted to be at! Late last night I asked JB if he just wanted to board a flight and go back to Eglin since he was going to end up being here for only 24 hours. He didn't hesitate in saying that he wanted to go to the wedding with us. It was something neither of us wanted to miss despite being stuck travelling with a five week old for nearly an entire day. Somehow I packed just enough diapers and formula to make it through before we could hit Hyvee here in good ol' Roch!

So for now, I bid you all a fair night! We are so blessed to be back with old friends and to have seen Rachel and Hans tie the knot! More t come folks!

In honor of our return to the Polar North

In honor of our impending return to the Polar North (where it is June -- thank goodness!) . . . some of my favorite pictures from our four years in survival mode.

This is the door that leads to the underground subway, just about 100 yards from our condo. Want proof that it is cold? This is the INSIDE of the door!

I loved this courtyard. I passed it everyday during my underground walk to work. I could always tell how much it had snowed that day by how heavy the table looked!

After an ice storm, I was impressed when I could walk on the top of a foot of snow without going into it!

Yes that is a car! This day, the Dave and JB drove around downtown helping their fellow medical school compadres dig out of deep trouble!


One thing I regret is not participating in more winter sports. I didn't enjoy snow shoeing, but I really liked cross country skiing!

Courtesy of Brandon -- proof of what happens to bubbles when it is too cold for them to be a bubble.

Need to run out fast? Do what JB did here in this photo.

On a rare warm day, JB and I put on shorts to go for a run. We were amazed that we still had legs and also ashamed at how white they had become.

A nice fall day in the orchard still requires heavy duty winter wear! I may not look cold here but that is because I am forty-seven layers thick!

The view from outside my office in the Guggenheim building. I loved watching it snow through these big windows.

In conclusion, a few past posts lamenting my fate in Minnesota:

City Data proving Rochester's weather is BAD

Video of JB and Wendi on iced-over river
Steps to surviving a -29 degree day