So I won't even bother trying to recap the last 3 months. Everyone who has ever read my blog knows that I'm horrible with keeping it updated.
Jesse's in the field right now. He was supposed to be gone for 8 days (we're ending day 3 right now), but he let me know earlier that they will likely be coming home a day early. I am very, very excited to hear that news. Cori and I are doing well though. We've found something to do everyday, and we've had fun. I swear I grow to love that little girl more every moment. I know I get frustrated with her sometimes when she's been super clingy or fussy, but I just remind myself that she's only this age one time, and I'm able to balance my mind and the frustrations go away.
I feel closer to Cori since Jesse's been gone than I have been lately, and my good friend, Allyssa, explained that it is probably because it was only Cori and me for 3 entire months. We had our schedule, our routine, and that all went away when we came back to Korea. Not that I'm sorry about that because ohhhh no, I am certainly not. I LOVE having Jesse's help with Cori because it helps keep my stress levels low and my tolerance levels up. But the fact of the matter is that it WAS just Cori and me for so long, and it's kind of nice to go back to that for just a few days. If I had a choice, I would certainly rather Jesse be home, but since I don't, I'm embracing my alone time with Cori Aletta.
The only real important news that I have to share since the last time I blogged is that Jesse and I know where our family is headed next. In September, we will be taking our little threesome to Fort Polk, Louisiana. Commence groaning and grumbling. Just kidding. All we've heard from pretty much everyone has been horror stories of what a crappy post it is, and how nobody can really like it there. Screw those tales - Jesse and I can't wait. The downside is that Jesse currently is on orders to deploy in January of 2011, which we aren't thrilled about, but in a way, we really are. Re-enlistment is always in the back of our minds and we both very much know that a career in the Army is never going to go anywhere without a tour downrange under your belt. We both wanted it to happen sooner rather than later, and honestly - we're very pleased with the time line. There are a few snags, like when we'll try for our second child, but that's to be expected with the Army, and we both have confidence that everything will work out just like it's supposed to.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Running on Empty
It's really starting to settle in that I'll be leaving Korea in a less than a week. Jesse is having a hard time dealing with it, which makes it hard for me to show my excitement. I really AM excited though, but I feel like by getting excited, I'm somehow showing him that I want to get away from him. He's worried that our families or friends are going to think the reason I'm coming home for some time with Cori is because we're having problems. I don't personally think anyone will think that, but really you never know, I guess. Luckily, he will be home just three weeks after we arrive. He will then stay for about two weeks, and then fly back alone. Unfortunately, he'll then have five whole weeks without us, and I just feel terrible about that. The only reason I'm not flying home until mid-April is because he was supposed to take leave from early-mid April and we were going to fly home together. Then, he changed his leave dates around, but we'd already booked my return flight. I feel really bad about that, but I don't think I could change my dates around without lots of fees.
I've had next to no motivation lately. I haven't been motivated to make big dinners, or even clean. I have no problem doing everything to take care of Cori including diaper changes, feedings, baths, whatever. I just feel like ever since Cori was born, all of my motivation for those house wifely duties has gone out the window. I'm hoping that once I go back to America and re-energize, those motivations will come back to Korea with me.
I really don't have much else to say tonight. I've been sleepy lately, and not feeling the best. I hope it passes soon.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Lonely Thinker
Jesse was called away to a traffic accident earlier, and he's been gone for the better part of the evening. He ended up feeling woozy while away at work, and I can only hope he gets feeling better soon. He has a 24 hour CQ shift tomorrow. CQ means, I think, 'Charge of Quarters'. It's a simple shift, but long and boring. He just sits up at the MP Company with a Katusa (Korean soldier) for 24 hours, takes any necessary phone calls that might come into the company, and basically just watches over things when no one else is there. Hopefully, the shift will fly by for him and it won't be too bad. I just hope he gets home soon since it is past midnight now and he'll have to leave for his CQ shift in about 8.5 hours.
I haven't really thought about being away from Jesse while Cori and I are on vacation, but it hit me tonight when I was wishing he were home. I would never for a moment compare my 'missing him' to someone who husband is deployed or stationed far away, or even away at some kind of training, but I do miss him when he's gone to work. I almost feel like I won't have any right to miss him while I'm in America because we'll be separated by choice. I am just really not looking forward to being apart for 2+ months. I'll deal, he'll deal, and I'm sure by the time the time is up, I'll have realized just how fast it flew by, but still… I'm really going to miss him. I'm not looking forward to sleeping alone, no goodnight gusses, or huggies and shoogies. All of the cute things we do for each other every day. Thank goodness for internet, webcams, and Skype!
Cori normally falls asleep around 9:30 or 10pm, but tonight she didn't fall asleep until about 20 minutes ago, right around midnight. She's passed out beside me, and sleeping like a beautiful, little angel. I don't know if I'll ever be able to transition her to sleeping on her own full time, not that we're thinking about doing that any time soon anyway. There is really nothing that beats waking up next to a smiley, 'ah-goo'-ing, bright, little, beautiful face. It's really hard to be mad/sad/upset when you're staring at a face so happy and innocent.
Anyway, since Cori's fast asleep and Jesse's still at work, I'm going to go play my DS and wait for my husbean to make his way home. Thanks for keeping up, readers.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Happy 2010!
It's 12:29am here, which means it is now 2010! I was expecting to ring in the New Year with just myself and a sleeping baby. Much to my surprise, I heard the lock turn in the door at 11:52pm and Jesse was here, middle of his shift, to ring in the New Year with me! He was able to stay for our midnight kiss and then had to hurry back off to work, where he was doing checks for drunk drivers and underage drinkers. I really am so incredibly fortunate. This was our 5th New Year that we've celebrated together, and not once have we had to spend it apart. I can only hope that next year will make 6.
The weather was ridiculously cold and windy today. I think the "Real Feel" temperature today stayed between 10 and 15 degrees Fahrenheit. On top of that lovely weather, something happened with our pipes and we have zero hot water. I'm not sure what happened because they are indoor pipes and are fully insulated. We'll have to call our realtor tomorrow… hope the office is open since it is New Year's Day! I can only go so long without some lovely hot water.
I have totally slacked on my Couch to 5K goals, and I am pretty irritated at myself for that. I've lost something like 45 lbs since having Cori, and I still have a ways to go before I'm at my goal weight. I KNOW I CAN DO IT. I just have to make myself do it. I need a motivator!
With that, I'm off to check my farm on Farmville (lol) and then wait for Jesse to get home from his shift. Love you lovely blog readers!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Who We Are
After reading the blog of a good friend of mine earlier today, I realized it would probably be a good idea to tell a little about who our family really is. :)
Jesse and I met in November 2004 online (AOL!), and started sending emails to each other twice a day - before school, and just before bed. We later progressed to phone calls, and he finally asked me out in February 2005. Our first date was on February 13, 2005. We dated for a couple of weeks, broke up for a few days, and got back together on March 13. We dated another few weeks, broke up again for a few days, and got back together again on April 26. We were "promised" to each other on June 4, and the promise was that we would one day end up in Colorado together. That has yet to happen, but we both still have faith that it will. I moved in over the summer of 2006 with him and my brother, which was the summer before my last semester of high school. We were engaged almost two years after we started dating, on Christmas Day 2006. Shortly after I left for college at Myrtle Beach in September 2007, we called off the engagement. It was my decision, and one I'm still glad I made. My worst fear was divorce and I had to be sure that what we had was true love and that we weren't just staying together because it was comfortable. I dated a couple of guys during the time we were broken up, and Jesse ran off and enlisted in the Army. He shipped off for Basic on Halloween, and thus began our letter writing relationship. When I came home for Thanksgiving that year (after making several stupid mistakes while away at college), I felt so empty. My best friend wasn't there, and I missed him. We decided, via snail mail, that getting back together was a must. He came home, much to my complete surprise, on December 19 and he gave me my engagement ring back. He left again on January 3rd, and we were back to our letter writing relationship until April 3rd. In those letters, we managed to plan our entire wedding, and we were married on April 13, 2008. We flew to Korea together on April 19, only to have to deal with a paperwork mix up that sent me back home on April 26. I got my own apartment, enrolled myself in school, and found a part time job to keep me occupied. On October 3, he came home on leave, and we finally were able to move back to Korea together on October 15, 2008. We got our first apartment alone, and started exploring the area. Because I'd been told I had infertility problems, we decided in November to start trying to conceive our first child. On January 10, 2009, we got our positive pregnancy test, and thus began our family of three. :)
So, now that you've read the history - here's a little about us individually.
Jesse has been in the Army for a little over two years. He's an MP, but has a much more specific job than just "cop". He investigates traffic accidents and when he's not doing that, he's half regular cop/half pencil pusher, depending on what needs to be done. He has a fairly good schedule. It has definitely improved over the last few months, and while he still gets some on-call shifts, it is nothing like it was during my pregnancy. Anyway. He is best friends with my older brother, Zeb, and they love to play Xbox games together (specifically CoD2:MW). He's not much into NFL or NBA, but he does love MLB and NCAA sports. He's in love with the Boston Red Sox and the University of Michigan Wolverines football team. He is just a few classes away from getting his AA in Criminal Justice, but has switched gears and is now pursuing a degree in History. He goes to American Military University, and will be starting classes in a few weeks.
Cori Aletta is our beautiful daughter. She was born on September 23, 2009 at Hyosung Hospital in Daegu, South Korea. She just turned three months old last week, and is seriously the light of my life. She loves to smile, coo, and nom on her fists. She's constantly trying to sit up, scoot, and stand by herself.
Then there's me. I'm Hilary and I'm a stay at home mom (SAHM). I do enjoy it, and it is certainly better than being a stay at home wife. I was ready to commit myself after a year of staying at home all day by myself. Now that I've got a beautiful little girl to take care of, it has gotten much better. The only thing that would make the situation better would be if we were in America and could actually go fun places to occupy our time during the day. I like being crafty - working on scrapbooks, knitting, sewing, graphic arts, things like that. I've recently gotten more into photography (who wouldn't when you have an adorable little model like Cori?!). I don't claim to be any good, but it's fun and I like learning different techniques. I've taken two semesters of college, but quit when I realized I was throwing money into a black hole over classes that were doing no good to me or my future career plans. I don't know what my passion is yet, but I'm constantly trying to figure it out. I can't wait to get a degree under my belt. I love to learn new things - words, history, facts, whatever. I just love to soak up as much information as I can. I started out as an Early Childhood Education major, switched gears to an English major, and lastly changed to Criminal Justice. Who knows what direction I'll actually end up going in?
As a family, we live in South Korea. Jesse has lived here for almost two years, and I've been here for just over a year. We don't really like it, but we try to make the best of it. We only have to deal with living here for another 9 months because we will then by PCSing (moving!) back to the states. We're hoping to end up within driving distance of home, but we should find out hopefully around March or so.
Anyway, that's us. We aren't the perfect family, but we sure are happy and make the very best of what life gives us.
Jesse and I met in November 2004 online (AOL!), and started sending emails to each other twice a day - before school, and just before bed. We later progressed to phone calls, and he finally asked me out in February 2005. Our first date was on February 13, 2005. We dated for a couple of weeks, broke up for a few days, and got back together on March 13. We dated another few weeks, broke up again for a few days, and got back together again on April 26. We were "promised" to each other on June 4, and the promise was that we would one day end up in Colorado together. That has yet to happen, but we both still have faith that it will. I moved in over the summer of 2006 with him and my brother, which was the summer before my last semester of high school. We were engaged almost two years after we started dating, on Christmas Day 2006. Shortly after I left for college at Myrtle Beach in September 2007, we called off the engagement. It was my decision, and one I'm still glad I made. My worst fear was divorce and I had to be sure that what we had was true love and that we weren't just staying together because it was comfortable. I dated a couple of guys during the time we were broken up, and Jesse ran off and enlisted in the Army. He shipped off for Basic on Halloween, and thus began our letter writing relationship. When I came home for Thanksgiving that year (after making several stupid mistakes while away at college), I felt so empty. My best friend wasn't there, and I missed him. We decided, via snail mail, that getting back together was a must. He came home, much to my complete surprise, on December 19 and he gave me my engagement ring back. He left again on January 3rd, and we were back to our letter writing relationship until April 3rd. In those letters, we managed to plan our entire wedding, and we were married on April 13, 2008. We flew to Korea together on April 19, only to have to deal with a paperwork mix up that sent me back home on April 26. I got my own apartment, enrolled myself in school, and found a part time job to keep me occupied. On October 3, he came home on leave, and we finally were able to move back to Korea together on October 15, 2008. We got our first apartment alone, and started exploring the area. Because I'd been told I had infertility problems, we decided in November to start trying to conceive our first child. On January 10, 2009, we got our positive pregnancy test, and thus began our family of three. :)
So, now that you've read the history - here's a little about us individually.
Jesse has been in the Army for a little over two years. He's an MP, but has a much more specific job than just "cop". He investigates traffic accidents and when he's not doing that, he's half regular cop/half pencil pusher, depending on what needs to be done. He has a fairly good schedule. It has definitely improved over the last few months, and while he still gets some on-call shifts, it is nothing like it was during my pregnancy. Anyway. He is best friends with my older brother, Zeb, and they love to play Xbox games together (specifically CoD2:MW). He's not much into NFL or NBA, but he does love MLB and NCAA sports. He's in love with the Boston Red Sox and the University of Michigan Wolverines football team. He is just a few classes away from getting his AA in Criminal Justice, but has switched gears and is now pursuing a degree in History. He goes to American Military University, and will be starting classes in a few weeks.
Cori Aletta is our beautiful daughter. She was born on September 23, 2009 at Hyosung Hospital in Daegu, South Korea. She just turned three months old last week, and is seriously the light of my life. She loves to smile, coo, and nom on her fists. She's constantly trying to sit up, scoot, and stand by herself.
Then there's me. I'm Hilary and I'm a stay at home mom (SAHM). I do enjoy it, and it is certainly better than being a stay at home wife. I was ready to commit myself after a year of staying at home all day by myself. Now that I've got a beautiful little girl to take care of, it has gotten much better. The only thing that would make the situation better would be if we were in America and could actually go fun places to occupy our time during the day. I like being crafty - working on scrapbooks, knitting, sewing, graphic arts, things like that. I've recently gotten more into photography (who wouldn't when you have an adorable little model like Cori?!). I don't claim to be any good, but it's fun and I like learning different techniques. I've taken two semesters of college, but quit when I realized I was throwing money into a black hole over classes that were doing no good to me or my future career plans. I don't know what my passion is yet, but I'm constantly trying to figure it out. I can't wait to get a degree under my belt. I love to learn new things - words, history, facts, whatever. I just love to soak up as much information as I can. I started out as an Early Childhood Education major, switched gears to an English major, and lastly changed to Criminal Justice. Who knows what direction I'll actually end up going in?
As a family, we live in South Korea. Jesse has lived here for almost two years, and I've been here for just over a year. We don't really like it, but we try to make the best of it. We only have to deal with living here for another 9 months because we will then by PCSing (moving!) back to the states. We're hoping to end up within driving distance of home, but we should find out hopefully around March or so.
Anyway, that's us. We aren't the perfect family, but we sure are happy and make the very best of what life gives us.
Monday, December 28, 2009
A Long December
I miss blogging in a real blog, as opposed to just a thread on a forum, so I need to get more active around here. I have a blog from when I was 14 or so that is so interesting to go back and read. Although I like blogging on a forum, I know down the road, I would never go back and read through it. I need a more of a blog formatted blog. :)
I'm on a lot of different forums, and honestly they have kept me sane over the last two years. I have made great friends and learned so much. I've been able to vent, celebrate, and share so many things. However, the entire dynamic of each forum has changed so much from when I first joined, and I just feel so disconnected from them for the most part. I grow tired of the know-it-all attitude that seems to envelop many of them, and the cliquey drama of others. I thought I'd be sad when I wouldn't have as much time to spend on them once Cori was born, but it's really been a bit of a relief. I've started straying away from the military-based support sites, and have been drawn more towards the parenting sites. I guess that's what happens when you become a mommy. :)
In less than four weeks, Cori and I will be on a plane crossing the Pacific, heading to America. I'm going to miss Jesse so much, but I am so very excited about arriving in South Carolina. It's been a long 9 months since we've been home, and it will be a great welcoming. I can only imagine the anticipation my family must be feeling about meeting Cori for the first time. I'm sure there will be many photos to document the event. I'm not too worried about missing Jesse - I know I will, but we've gone much longer, and I will be busy much of the time. I am worried about Jesse missing us though. Two months (plus a week or so) is a long time to be away from Cori, and I don't want him to miss any milestones she may hit. I am just so thankful that he has been here thus far, and after vacation, will continue to be here until past her first birthday. Once we get stateside, his schedule will be up in the air.
Speaking of going stateside, the impending move has me worried. When we leave, we will be losing COLA, Hazard Duty Pay, and Advance Incentive Pay. That's roughly $500. When we move to America, we'll have application fees to pay, deposits to pay on our house/apartment, electricity, gas, etc. Plus, much of our furniture is government loaned while we're overseas, so we'll have to get that kind of stuff for our house too. That is all going to add up so fast, and I'm just pulling my hair out over it. I really just want to make sure we are more than covered in our savings account because I don't think we want to live on post at all. Of course that will depend on the area, but we are definitely crossing our fingers for Fort Stewart (hopeful!) or Fort Jackson (yeah, right - sweet dreaming).
It felt good to get all of that out in one blog post, as opposed to several one liners. :)
I'm on a lot of different forums, and honestly they have kept me sane over the last two years. I have made great friends and learned so much. I've been able to vent, celebrate, and share so many things. However, the entire dynamic of each forum has changed so much from when I first joined, and I just feel so disconnected from them for the most part. I grow tired of the know-it-all attitude that seems to envelop many of them, and the cliquey drama of others. I thought I'd be sad when I wouldn't have as much time to spend on them once Cori was born, but it's really been a bit of a relief. I've started straying away from the military-based support sites, and have been drawn more towards the parenting sites. I guess that's what happens when you become a mommy. :)
In less than four weeks, Cori and I will be on a plane crossing the Pacific, heading to America. I'm going to miss Jesse so much, but I am so very excited about arriving in South Carolina. It's been a long 9 months since we've been home, and it will be a great welcoming. I can only imagine the anticipation my family must be feeling about meeting Cori for the first time. I'm sure there will be many photos to document the event. I'm not too worried about missing Jesse - I know I will, but we've gone much longer, and I will be busy much of the time. I am worried about Jesse missing us though. Two months (plus a week or so) is a long time to be away from Cori, and I don't want him to miss any milestones she may hit. I am just so thankful that he has been here thus far, and after vacation, will continue to be here until past her first birthday. Once we get stateside, his schedule will be up in the air.
Speaking of going stateside, the impending move has me worried. When we leave, we will be losing COLA, Hazard Duty Pay, and Advance Incentive Pay. That's roughly $500. When we move to America, we'll have application fees to pay, deposits to pay on our house/apartment, electricity, gas, etc. Plus, much of our furniture is government loaned while we're overseas, so we'll have to get that kind of stuff for our house too. That is all going to add up so fast, and I'm just pulling my hair out over it. I really just want to make sure we are more than covered in our savings account because I don't think we want to live on post at all. Of course that will depend on the area, but we are definitely crossing our fingers for Fort Stewart (hopeful!) or Fort Jackson (yeah, right - sweet dreaming).
It felt good to get all of that out in one blog post, as opposed to several one liners. :)
Friday, November 27, 2009
Couch to 5K
In an effort to drop the baby weight (plus some), I started the Couch to 5K program lats week. It's a program by Cool Runnings that gets a non-runner running a 5K in just 9 weeks. It's a simple program with huge results. I'm in week 2 right now, and absolutely loving it. For the first time in my life, I get excited about going to the gym and I'm feeling so motivated.
Since giving birth to Cori, I've dropped 38 pounds, and I now weigh 186. It's not a weight that I'm proud of, but I gained a LOT of weight during pregnancy and I was already at my heaviest when I got pregnant. I'm determined to get back down to 155 or 160. In about 25 minutes, I'm going about 1.3 miles between jogging and walking, and burning about 160 or so calories with an average heart rate of about 175. I keep the incline at a grade of at least 2% and climb about 170 feet or more each time.
I am so excited to see those numbers increase as my weight drops over the next two months! :)
Since giving birth to Cori, I've dropped 38 pounds, and I now weigh 186. It's not a weight that I'm proud of, but I gained a LOT of weight during pregnancy and I was already at my heaviest when I got pregnant. I'm determined to get back down to 155 or 160. In about 25 minutes, I'm going about 1.3 miles between jogging and walking, and burning about 160 or so calories with an average heart rate of about 175. I keep the incline at a grade of at least 2% and climb about 170 feet or more each time.
I am so excited to see those numbers increase as my weight drops over the next two months! :)
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