Homecoming Day...

Jase called me when the plane landed to tell me where to wait. We found the spot and just as we were getting settled we heard a bunch of the families talking about how it was probably going to be at least a few more hours. About 10 minutes later a van pulled up and two Marines got out. Stacey kept saying, " That one Marine really looks like Jason." I just kept telling her (and myself) that there was no way he would be one of the very first Marines out and that it must be an officer. No sooner did those words come out of my mouth than Jason dropped his bag and held out his arms like...are you going to come hug me or what?! I leaped off the wall (an amazing feat for someone who was 38 weeks pregnant) and hugged him as quick as I could. Stacey was holding Colby for me (I handed him to her while we were waiting because I can't hold him for long periods of time) and also trying to find the camera. We were not prepared for him to arrive so soon! I want to say a big thank you to Stacey for taking these pictures for us.

Our first family hug...

Ahhh...it feels so good to be a family again...

Jason's first up-close look at Colby, Colby was a little timid at first. I don't think he's ever seen his mom mom get so excited.
Checkin' out Daddy
He's wearing his shoes that match Jason's
You can't really see his shirt but it says, "My dad is my hero"
I love this picture, you can see how much Colby and Jason look alike. Colby is finally relaxing a little and enjoying the moment.
Testing out Daddy's hat...
A proud papa
Jason taking in our AMAZING sheet (thank you Sandi! As you can see we blew away the competition on the fence!)

I was so worried we would jinx ourselves and the baby would arrive before Jason did, thank you God for answering my prayers and giving our family a little time to adjust before the newest arrival!

Waiting Game...

We have now been in NC for 6 days and the lack of access to the outside world is making me crazy. We don't have a TV, a computer or even a radio! I stopped by our old leasing office to jump online for a minute. We were hoping Jason would arrive tomorrow at 10am but that has been pushed back to Saturday afternoon. What a bummer, the closer it gets the more time seems to drag by. Jason was really irritated because his bags went through customs so now he's stuck in Kuwait with only the clothes he's wearing. Please keep us in your prayers! Got to go squirmy 1year old on my lap doesn't want to type anymore. Hopefully the next time I post Jason will be home!

Day at the Park

We were trying to kill time and distract ourselves while waiting for Jase to arrive. Stacey had the brilliant idea of going to the park and feeding the ducks.

Colby in the car...reading his favorite book. He ALWAYS turns to Uncle D's page!
Stacey and Landon feeding the ducks. We tried to get Colby to do it but he kept putting the bread in his mouth.Swinging, he could do that all daySwinging with his buddy Landon

Just checking in...

I thought I would check in while I have internet access to give an update. Colby, Laura and I arrived in North Carolina safely. Colby was an angel on the plane, didn't cry once! The townhome is cute but was filthy so moving in has been a huge chore. The moving company moved our stuff but that was a fiasco too. We are getting settled and looking forward to seeing Jason. He should arrive sometime at the end of the week! Colby is having a great time with his little buddy Landon. They get along great and entertain each other. It is so cute to see them together. Once we get internet we'll post some pictures. Oh...and Colby HATES taking baths in a real bathtub, we miss deep sea diving in Bob's sink! We love and miss you all thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

Hanging out with Landon

We went downtown for the Art Walk. Joan was giving away cookies, as you can see this made these two boys VERY happy!

They both almost look delirious in this picture!We had to go to the Naval Hospital and work out some insurance stuff, as you can see this did not make Landy very happy...

Colby was just taking it all in, check out those thighs!

Auntie Ling's NC Pictures

Colby and I couldn't have made the trip back without Auntie Ling's help. She was a rockstar! I was so discombobulated with the move that I wasn't as good as I usually am with taking pictures. Fortunately she was on top of that too! Here are some of her pictures...

Colby was an angel on both plane rides, he did even better than I could have expected him to. He played and ate snacks and took a little nap but didn't cry once.

It was a VERY long morning for all of us

We arrived in North Carolina just a few hours before the tropical storm. Fortunately it didn't effect our traveling at all. Laura has never been in a tropical storm before and was WAY impressed by the boarded up stores.
We didn't have a high chair for a couple of days so we had to improvise. Colby sat amazingly still on the stairs. The lack of a high chair didn't seem to bother him at all!
Colby, such the gentleman, even did his fair share of unpacking. Here he is helping us unpack the lysol wipes...

He thoroughly enjoyed that job!

Now it was time for bathtime. We don't have a sink that even comes close to the deep sea diving sink at Bob's house so it's time we move to the tub (a move that makes both of us sad, the sink made baths so EASY!)I love those snuggles from my naked boy!
He's not too sure what to think yet...
Here is the look of terror as he desperately clings to my clothes. Poor baby...we'll have to work on that...I am also pleased to announce that Colby is sleeping in his own room. He slept in my bed until he was about 9 months old and than moved to his crib in my room but once we moved to the town house and he had his own room I thought it was time for me to let him sleep in there. I think it was harder on me than it was on him! He only woke up in the middle of the night on his first night but went right back to sleep. I think he sleeps better there. He's such a great baby, so flexible and easy to transition. We got him out just in time too...can you imagine, if we had 2 babies in our room?! That would be too crazy!

Last Post...

Our Internet is getting turned off tonight before our big move. I wanted to write one last post to tell everyone thank you for your support and love and encouragement through this very long deployment. We could not have gotten through it without you. We will leave early Friday morning for New Bern. Once we arrive we will sign our lease at our new town home. We are staying in a hotel Friday night (thanks to Ling, she surprised me by getting us one). Saturday morning the movers are meeting us at the storage unit and helping us move in. Laura leaves early on the 9th.

I had my last appointment at the midwifery center today. It went well. I'm happy to report that despite having a rough night last night (contractions every 7 minutes for close to 2 hours) I am not dilated at all. The baby is in a face up position (which is not ideal for delivery but my midwife gave me some tricks I can try to get him to turn). She estimates that he weighs about 7 pounds right now so he's on track to be a big boy just like Colby. I'm just hoping he waits until October to make his debut!

Jason should arrive in North Carolina around the 11th or 12th and we will finally be a family again! We can't wait to see you Daddy we love you and miss you so much. Just think, this is your last glimpse of us. The next time you'll see us we'll be live and in person! We can't wait to give you a big hug and lots of kisses.

Thanks again for your love and support your prayers are most appreciated! I will have a HUGE update by the time I get Internet again and don't worry, there will be lots of homecoming pics. We love you!

Colby and Ash
Harassing mommy while she's trying to update the blog
Playing with blocks

Playing with hangers (one of Colby's favorite past times)

Playing Games...

Colby absolutely loves hide and seek, here are a couple of videos of us playing that game. It's so cute, you can hear his squeals as he's anticipating finding me. What a funny kiddo.

Dinner at Thai Basil

We went to dinner with Aunt Jan and Aunty Ling tonight. Colby is such a great little restaurant attendee. He is so easy to bring anywhere. He tries everything! He loved edemame and coconut chicken soup. While we were talking he entertained himself with a 'to go' container (Aunty Ling grabbed a spare on the way out to use as entertainment for the plane!). Always a great date, saving some kisses for mommy

The amazing diaper organizer!

Who would have thought a basket full of diapers and wipes could keep a baby entertained for hours!!! Colby is so great at organizing and reorganizing.

Cool Dude

Colby is now obsessed with sunnies. He was really enjoying mommy's sunnies today...

Fun with the boys...

Despite having very little interaction with boys since daddy has left but despite that he still loves his guy time!

Colby and Uncle Dan Colby, Uncle Dan and Uncle Mark
Big laughs with Uncle Mark
Playing with cousin Jake's hat

We love you Sandi!

We celebrated August/September birthdays today at Butch and Cathy's house. It was a lot of fun but also bittersweet because we had to say goodbye to a lot of our family including Sandi. She has been my saving grace during this deployment. If I ever needed anything, help with Colby, help running errands or just someone to talk to she was there for me. She has also been a shining star for Colby. He adores her! I know we will both miss her a lot! She has been saving all summer for an airplane ticket out to North Carolina to see us during her Thanksgiving break. We can't wait to see you Sandi. We love you so much and are so proud of you. Thank you for everything you've done for our family!

Bath Game...

Every night when bath time is over I hang the wash cloth over the faucet so it can dry. Now this has become an obstacle that Colby feels he must conquer. He will do this for hours! And when he gets it to balance on the faucet he is so pleased with himself. It is so fun to watch a baby's mind work!

My little tin man

Wow, we have certainly gotten our money out of this funnel. It provides countless hours of entertainment at bath time.