It has been so hard being out here in Texas and having none of our family, such a joyous time in our lives and while at times it's nice to be selfish and keep Cameron all to ourselves, it stinks that it took so long for him to meet everyone. We decided to keep our trip home a complete surprise, except to his Dad because that's where we would be staying. Showing up on my mom's doorstep was one of the funniest moments ever!
She thought we wouldn't be home until April for my sister's wedding and everyday would message me saying 70 something days and I would just giggle and tell her before she knew it she would be holding Cam. She freaked out so bad when she saw us just standing on the front steps it was great, exactly what I had hoped for! We were able to be home for about 2 weeks and had a great time.
I had such a great time though visiting with family and friends, it makes you realize what life is really about. I loved all the help I got with Cameron as well! He even did two sleepovers alone with his Nannie (Eric's mom) that was HUGE for me, we have never been apart, I will admit the second sleepover I was missing him really bad, and was so tempted to go sleepover as well, but I didn't a little space is good, especially for Eric and I, we haven't had that since he was born. It was so nice just to be around everyone, and seeing Cam with his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, I wasn't sure how he was going to do because that is very overwhelming for a baby. I am proud to say my little man is as close to perfect as they get!...yup this is a mommy brag, but well deserving I think! He can be passed around to anyone and still smiles, rarely ever fusses (I think his longest cry session has been 15 minutes tops in his whole life) he didn't even freak out on the plane. I am so proud to be his mommy, he is the most amazing son I could ever ask for!!
I can't wait until we move back for good, really could be anytime within the year. Eric is getting medically discharged from the Army, stemming from his injury in Jan 11' at JRTC (pre-deployment training) but there's a whole list of things being included in his MEB packet. He goes for his big appointment in April, and from there his packet will be sent out to Washington D.C. for review. Once it gets reviewed we will find out the disability percentage he will be receiving for the rest of his life, and also when he will be getting released.
The Army has been a great stepping stone in our lives. While I know I could never be a career Army wife, these last few years in many ways has helped us for the current time and is providing us a better future. Eric now can go to school if he chooses, or has a greater opportunity to get a job due to military experience. We will be able to get a VA loan when we decide to buy a house. Lots of doors are open now for us. I also can't wait to move back and get back to work! I love being a stay at home mom because I don't miss anything with him, but I do miss getting all dolled up for work, and I truly do love doing hair.
When we moved here mentally I was just not in a good place to be a stylist, you always have to be on and cheery and also you get so personal with clients. The inevitable "how many kids" question always comes up, and while it is still my most dreaded question, 2 years ago I couldn't answer that without crumbling to pieces. Then once I got pregnant I knew I needed to stay home, this was the thing I had wanted so badly and I just couldn't envision myself missing out on anything. Thankfully when I do move back and get to go back to work, a hairstylist is a great job for a mom, and I will have plenty of people to help watch Cameron, not keen on daycares!
Also, Eric and I together have decided we need to get in shape bad!! With all the medicines he has been on the past year and me being pregnant for just about two years we have lots of fluff to kick to the curb! It always helps to do it with someone though, you can't eat healthy and be around someone who is eating bad! Kate's wedding is 2 months from now, I have a goal of 10lbs I think I can make that happen. Thankfully body wise both of my babies have been very good to me, I've seen some post partum bellies and thank my lucky stars for how I look.
I mostly blog for my family and friends back home wondering how life is going with me, and I know now from my visit back home it is no longer about Ashley anymore it's all about Cameron, so I'll leave you with some little tidbits about him!!
-4 months old weighs 15.6 lbs and 25.59 inches long
-3-6 and some 6-9 month clothes
-loves to laugh and smile all day, he especially loves his neck kissed (yes just like mocha!)
-sleeping through the night!!!
-eats rice cereal and recently tried avocado for the first time....verdict is still out on if he likes it or not!
-finally got to visit his sister Isabella's grave in February
-learned how to kick his legs like a nut and make his bouncy chair bounce!
-has discovered that he has feet and they are tasty
-pulls his pacifier out of his mouth and can put it back in
-holds his own bottle 80% of the time, gets lazier when I'm the one feeding him...go figure!
-says mama all the time...for real
-has also discovered his voice and does nonstop baby babble, squealing and yelling
-rolling over from belly to back and almost from back to belly
