Isabel's checkup

This morning we went for Isabel's final doctor's appointment here at Great Lakes. She won't need to be seen again for another six months and by then, we'll be in Virginia. And since they recently combined Naval Health Clinic Great Lakes with the North Chicago VA Medical Center and moved it all to a new building, we got to experience the country's first federal health care center. It's a bit of a pain to go through re-registering in a new place for just one appointment but hey, it's historic.

So I thought I'd give you a little update on Isabel. She's weighed in today at 23 lb and 12oz, 31 inches long. This is a gain of 3 lbs and 6 oz from our last appointment two months ago, which is awesome! Her height and weight are both in the 62nd percentile right now. Her height has been around there all along but her weight dropped all the way to the 17th this past summer and is up now from being in the 30th in November. So her doctor and I were both pretty excited about that. Developmentally, she's right on track. She does all the things on the 15 month checklist and several of the ones on the 18 month as well. My only concern was that I'm worried she doesn't say enough real words yet, but the doctor said she's actually completely average for her age, as far as talking. She understands me, so we know there isn't a hearing problem, and she babbles to herself pretty consistently, so we know she gets the concept of language (she also reads and sings to herself). So there aren't any concerns with her right now, we have a normal and healthy little girl, which is great to hear. The doctor did say she was "intense" with her emotions, but she thought I handle it pretty well. Like mother, like daughter, I guess.

There's not much else to report on right now. My camera recently gave up the fight, which is why you're not seeing any new pictures of the princess right now. We've already ordered another though, so don't worry. There's a long list of things to consider, do, and buy before we move, so we're working on sorting through all of that but no final decisions have been made on anything. The life of a military wife will drive a natural-born planner nuts, it really will. :)

I hope everyone is well, miss you guys!

The ship Mike is going to be on just deployed. I believe it was today, and I have a picture for you.

See, that's Mike's ship!

After we move, Mike is supposed to be flown out to join them, even though the deployment will be winding down by then and he'll only be gone two or three months. Not bad for a first deployment, huh?

Some people might think this is too much information...

..I, however, think it deserves a mention. In the past year I've come to not be shy about this and I think that's a trend that needs to catch on. If breastfeeding were allowed to be talked about and not treated as such a taboo, maybe more women would be successful at it.

So I'm proud to say that after one year, two months, and four weeks exactly, we are done nursing. We used child-led weaning and it really was the best thing for us. I'm very proud of myself for surpassing my goals and thankful for my mother's advice and my husband's support, without which I would not have made it that far.

This might be stupid.

Perhaps it's egotistical of me to think anyone cares to read about our lives, but in this case I don't think it is. Being away from the general area where most of our family resides and having something as big as the military in our lives, I think it might be a good idea to have a way of keeping everyone updated with what's going on with Isabel and with Mike and the Navy. Facebook doesn't allow for too many details and phone calls can be challenging, so what I seek to do here is cut back on the use of secondary sources, messengers, mixed up stories, misinformation, grapevines, and little birdies to keep everyone informed.

The blog will be public, PG, and free of incriminating photos, addresses, phone numbers, and any and all credit information. As such, if there is a family member or friend of ours that you think will be interested in getting updates but hasn't been told about the blog, feel free to share the link (though as soon as I'm done typing this I will likely share it on facebook, then email it to my mother and mother-in-law, so I think I pretty much covered it).

With the big stuff, like our upcoming move, I promise to share the facts as I learn them. With things like Isabel's going-ons and life in general...well, I promise not to go into too much detail about trips to the laundromat or what we're having for dinner. All in all, it's a good idea for you to read this blog, you won't regret it, it's super exciting. Bookmark me.

Now that I've thoroughly explained why I'm doing this, it might be a good idea to give a quick rundown of where we're at right now, to make sure everyone is up to speed...

Mike's time at Great Lakes is winding down now. He's back to work now, after two wonderful weeks of leave. He received orders in December and learned that we'll be moving to Norfolk, VA on March 27th. He's planning to take leave for several days before then, so that we can get moved and settled. (So if anyone wants to drive down to VA to help us move in then you'd be our favorite person, I'd bake you delicious treats, and you'd get the pleasure of saying you saw our new place before anyone else). Aside from the small bit of nerves that come with any big change, he's excited and we're all very happy to be leaving Illinois and moving a bit closer to home. We're very interested in having people come down to visit us this summer, though I can only promise myself and Isabel. Mike will be on the ship for part of the spring and summer. We don't have any details on that matter right now. No decisions have been made yet on where we'll be living. There's a lot to be sorted out yet and a lot that needs to be done before we leave here, so we're glad we have the rest of the winter to work it all out (though not too glad that we have the rest of the winter to live in Illinois, in particular).

Isabel is coming up on 15 months now. She is still unemployed and not dating anyone. Her and I are excited about the idea of finding a mommy and baby class for the spring in Virginia, now that she's a bit older (not a lot was available out here for her age group). She walks exclusively now, recently scored two shiny new teeth, and says four or five words regularly. She loves to sing, loves playing with other kids, and is a lot of fun to watch lately because she's learning so much everyday and she amazes me with how perceptive she is. We'll be taking her for a check up soon, so I'm excited to see how big she's gotten. The blip we had with her weight gain last summer is now completely behind us.

As for me, don't expect many updates. I just enjoy being a stay-at-home mom and I'm grateful that I'm able to do so. To me, there is nothing more valuable I could be doing with my time, and so I have no plans to rejoin the workforce in the foreseeable future. Illinois has been a learning experience for us and I think we're coming away with knowledge that will make Virginia much more enjoyable.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and that 2011 is a great year for all of us. We spent all our holidays here at home, so it was much more quiet than I'm used to and I had to work hard to make the special days seem different from every other weekend, but I think I did well and we had a nice season. I don't like the trend of not making resolutions, so I have a few. I want to stick with weight watchers, be organized, break less dishes, start driving again, and add to our family in 2011 (perhaps a puppy!) ;)

That's it for now. You must be relieved. Good job, reading all that, I'm impressed with your stamina. Stay tuned. I'll talk to you all soon. <3