Where To Begin?

As Ive said hubby came home on R&R and we did some things that I wanted him to be there for like Lil C's allergy test. It was a skin prick test and if you have ever had one, you know they suck. They prick your back with dozens upon dozens of stuff you could be allergic to and make you wait there while your back is itchy and hurts. Turns out, hes allergic to pretty much everything he likes to eat: wheat, bananas, oranges, peas, peanuts, oats, soy, peaches, onions, shrimp, corn, squash and probably more. I keep having to refer to the test results because its so bizarre to me. Who is allergic to corn? Special diet here we come!
We also went to see his developmental pediatrician and he was officially diagnosed with PDD-NOS which is on the autism spectrum. I always knew as a Mommy always does but its still hard to accept/admit. Therefore in addition to all the rest of what has to be taken out of his diet Im also taking out dairy/casein. Theres an "autism" diet that many have seen awesome results with and since its only one more thing to take out I figured its worth a shot. It limits an already limited special diet because of his allergies but if it helps Im willing to give it a go. Special diets have been known to help many diseases and help people live the best lives they can so it makes sense to me. Im not going to get too detailed about it. Just know that probably a good 80% of our food is going to come from Whole Foods or online specialty stores which is going to be pretty pricey for a family of 4. Yep, we're all going to do this diet. All for one and one for all.
If you read all this and are still with me, heres a few goodies I have found as of late!

The Life of an Army Wife + Doily Madness

If you arent aware the Army is all about paperwork, paperwork, paperwork! I wanted to get my kids registered for the hourly care on post. In order to do so, I had to provide tons of paperwork including birth certificates. So at this point I would assume some of you might be thinking "Shes a stay at home mom, why does she need child care?" Well, Ill tell you why. I need to get some allergy tests done on my son and instead of all three of us being completely miserable for hours on end, I decided it would be best to use the hourly care on post for Lorelei. Not only does she get to be around other little ones but she also doesnt have to endure a couple hours of what I assume will be her big brother crying alot. Because my hubs is deployed we also get a discount which cant be beat for hourly care at only $2 per hour per child. In addition to that, I have to have the kids registered in CYS so that my son can go on a waiting list for their toddler programs. Early intervention stops when he turns 3, so I need to have something lined up for him to continue to progress. Plus the possibility of having a child free hour to myself makes me simply giddy. SO as Im digging out all the stuff I need to take in and provide I realized I couldnt find my childrens birth certificates. And Im freaking out. I tear the whole house apart and where did I find them? In a new file folder I had made maybe 9 months ago under the file marked "birth certificates". Haha yes I am losing my mind. Totally forgot ever doing such a thing. But as I was searching I did find the doilys my MIL made that I couldnt find for my dang giveaway. Arent they lovely?




My MIL has also made little beanies for my son when he was a newborn and she also makes scarves!

She made me scarves in every color so I gave two to my mom because she walks to work and it gets downright frigid where she lives and she swears theyre the best scarves ever. I wish I could do the things she does, or I wish she lived closer. Im told she can pretty much sew anything. Thinking vintage patterns? She would hate living close to me haha.

That feeling when you would like to strangle someone..

That happens alot as an Army wife. Some people think that just because you are married to the Army that you want to hear their opinion on the wars, government, military, and any conspiracy theory out there. They also think that because your husband is a soldier that gives them the right to criticize him for the job that he does. It irks me that the thought has never occurred to them that SOMEONE has to do the job, and my husband stepped up to the challenge. If it doesnt suit them, they should just say thank you and leave it at that. That rarely happens, so I thought Id post about some common misconceptions people have and get those cleared up. *Warning this could be a long post*

*No we dont get paid to make babies. My husband is going to make the same amount whether we have 1 kid or 12. I assume military have more than one usually because of the health care and other little perks that are obscure and hard to find out about. Its also a steady paycheck and their jobs are usually secure unless they screw up real bad.

*"You knew what you were getting into when you married him."
Yes in a way I did and am I supposed to say sorry that I fell in love with a soldier? I think I wouldve loved him if he worked at Taco Bell also but he happened to shoot higher than that.

*"Such and such place is more dangerous so at least hes not there."
Umm, sorry to break it to you but he goes out on missions at least once daily and theyre all dangerous regardless of the place. The taliban doesnt just hang out in one particular area.

*"My S/O goes out of town on vacation/business trips etc so I know how you feel."
No sorry you dont. Your s/o isnt going to be away an entire year, wait in line for hours just to make a 20 minute call on a shitty connection, or go out on missions where you basically just wait because no news is good news. I also dont think theres a big IED problem anywhere your boyfriend is going.

*"Im tired of my tax dollars paying your husband to sit around over there."
Hes doing alot of things there and sitting isnt usually one of them.

*"Is your husband deployed? Oh Im sorry, that sucks."
Yeah it does suck but to be honest I think he looks uber sexy in all of his gear and even though I wish he could be home this is our life and Im happy with it.

*"At least he'll be home soon."
Our points of view on what "soon" means is very different I see. Soon to me is 2 months and we still have 6 to go. And even when he is home he is still gone. Alot. His work day isnt usually shorter than 12 hours 5 days a week. He also goes out into the field to train overnight, or for a week at a time multiple times a year. Theres also JRTC which is a month of training in a totally different state. Not to mention there are schools that help advance his career that he needs to do eventually, and theres been talk of Ranger school and if he decides that he wants to do it Ill support him being gone another 2 months just for that. He can also be called in on weekends if someone feels like it. Hes a soldier 24/7/365.

Ok I think Im done. If you have said any of these things to me dont take offense. Its mostly the random people that get in my business that irk me the most. Those people never say thank you or that they appreciate everything we all do. Little things like that make a huge difference.

Lorelei is 1 today!

Happy 1st birthday to the prettiest girl there ever was!

I admit I wasnt ready for you when you decided it was time, but like your mama you didnt give a crap what anyone else thought. Im so glad because I cant imagine not having you. You were meant to be here. You adore your big brother and he adores you. I cant believe its been a year already. It feels like we just brought you home from the hospital. I wish Daddy was here to see how big youve gotten. Im so glad you are my baby girl. Mama loves you!

Still Alive.

Yeah Im still alive though things have been kinda hectic. No time for bloggin. My hubs is on leave so we're spending that quality time together before the deployment in a few months. We are scheduled to close on the house at the end of the month. My MIL and step-daughter are coming to stay with us for 10 days. Then we should be at the house cleaning and moving. LOTS TO DO! When you have a list that seems to go on and on, you know you are a little too busy. Rest assured Im still alive and readin blogs and commentin when I have time and something to say.


Our house: