Happy New Year

2012 is proving to be full of challenges.

Last week I had an MRI done on my right knee - and it turns our I tore my ACL. The injury happened back in February and I went to physical therapy to treat my sprain. When I stopped progressing they sent me for an MRI, but by then I was pregnant with baby Michael. After reading up on that type of injury, 90% of patients who get surgery to repair it make a full recovery. Let's hope I'm in the majority!

JG completed 10% of his deployment. Communication is much better, thus far, than our last deployment and I'm so thankful for that.

In other news, tomorrow I'm officially a master sergeant.

There are only two days left of winter vacation. YES! The boys really needed some good down time after how hectic things were with moving, Michael being born and their Dad leaving for deployment. But, I need a break now. There are so many projects I wanted to get done during my time off and it seems like time keeps slipping away.

Tomorrow the Christmas tree comes down. Maybe after that I'll take the boys to a movie.

Merry Christmas

Zachary, 11; Edward, 7, and Michael, 4 weeks, in front of the Christmas tree in the home we just moved into five weeks ago. Although JG and I have skyped since he deployed about three weeks ago the connection has been unreliable. Imagine my joy when skyped was crystal clear as JG was able to join us Christmas morning when the boys opened their presents! Even better, that night (the following day for JG) he received his first care package from home.

JG is very sneaky. On Christmas Eve he sent Zachary to the basement to bring up the gifts he bought and hid. I know that made him feel good and it made me feel special. :)

For Christmas dinner we hosted folks from the office. We hardly made a dent in the rib eye roast (the boys and I had steak and eggs for breakfast this morning). It was nice to have company - it made the day pass by quicker and I always love to feed people. There was one big lesson learned: a 16 pound roast does NOT take 4.5 hours to cook. Only about half the time! Although it was yummy and juicy I would have liked it more rare.

The boys have another week of winter vacation. They've been really helpful with Michael. Zachary is getting really good at giving him a bottle. Edward is able to feed Michael if the baby is sitting in his car seat or vibrating chair. Michael is already trying to launch himself forward with his feet and he's doing a great job holding his head up. His abs are also becoming more stable. I predict he'll be crawling before JG gets home.

I keep thinking about JG's homecoming. I know it's early for this but I just can't help myself. I miss him so badly.

Milestones Begin

JG has been gone for 18 days, but it feels like months. Maybe it's because Michael is changing so much it makes the time seem like it's passing faster than it actually is. The boys and I got the Christmas tree up today - but now that they're older they put many of the ornaments on the tree before I have the chance to remissness. It did warm my heart to unwrap and display our bride and groom ornament.

Michael has arrived

This is Michael Luke Buzanowski. He was born on JG's birthday. This is the camera JG was packing for his deployment. He left yesterday. By the time JG returns home, Baby Michael will be six months old and will no longer fit in a camera bag.

I can't tell you how busy and stressful the last few weeks have been for us. JG was TDY for combat skills training in Wyoming and the day he got back we had new keys for our new home on base. We spend that next week moving and the Saturday following Thanksgiving Michael was induced. A week and three days later I dropped JG off at the airport. His mom, Martha, arrived Thursday and she's staying through the weekend to help out as we get the rest of the house settled.

I'm convinced I can "do this" if I can just get more than an hour of sleep at a time. :)

Abbot's Roll of Honor

These are photos my father sent from a new Roll of Honor that was added to the veteran's memorial in the center of my home town of Abbot Village, Maine. In this first photo, you can see the main road to the right, which is actually Route 15. Between the guard rail you see and the white pickup truck is the Piscataquis River. The store that vehicles are parked in is called Trafton's. The road that passes directly behind the memorial is actually Monument Road - it makes a sharp corner then runs just about parallel to Route 15. That's the road I grew up on. The monument with the statue has been there ever since my family moved to Maine in the early 1980s. The American flag display and the Roll of Honor are new.

Below is a photo of my grandfather, Joseph A. Auger. I'm not sure when this photo was taken. Although my grandfather lives in Massachusetts he visits my dad in Maine several times a year.  

My maiden name is Jennifer Auger. I was deployed to Balad Air Base, Iraq, from January - April 2007. During my time there I traveled to Camp Victory and Sather Air Base. I wear one campaign star on my Iraq Campaign Medal. One of the most exciting stories I wrote at the time was about the battle of An Najaf. The name of my unit was the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, namesake of the Tuskegee Airmen lineage. It was at this unit where I met Chief Master Sgt. Rudy Lopez for the first time. He was the chief enlisted manager for the medical group. The most media attention we received at Balad, both American and International, was about the theater hospital. In 2007, the hospital was literally a bunch of tents connected together - but the care our wounded military members (and even Iraqis and the occasional terrorist) was second to none. Fast forward three years later and Chief Lopez is now the command chief master sergeant here at Fairchild AFB, Wash., where JG and I are stationed now. The Air Force gets smaller each and every day! 

Here's a photo of the front of the Roll of Honor that begins with honoring veterans from the Civil War.

1 cm

This is JG's second trip away from home in the last month and the boys decided they need to test me yet again. I had two appointments downtown yesterday afternoon and finally got back to the base just after 3:30 p.m. - I had just enough time to pick Edward up from the youth center and Zachary up from home and bring them to the clinic for their flu shots before they closed at 4. Zachary was really excited - it was the first time he wasn't afraid of getting a shot. Normally, it would be Edward who wouldn't have a problem with shots and would show up his brother. Not yesterday. Edward SCREAMED AND CRIED so loud. I was so embarrassed. It took three of us to hold him down. That set the tone for the evening. Edward was fine through dinner until he wanted seconds on applesauce. I told him to grab it out of the fridge - it was on the top shelf and when he reached up with the arm that got the shot it hurt - and Edward had a meltdown. The evening routine of homework then shower was like pulling teeth. Luckily I was able to talk with JG and he was able to talk to Edward. After his shower he was finally pleasant and we watched two episodes of The Avatar on netflix. Edward was tucked in by 7. He needed the extra sleep. I'm one centimeter dilated and fifty percent effaced. I don't believe the baby will come before JG gets home, but I'm stressed thinking about the possibility. And, if that's not enough, we're only two weekends away from picking up keys to a new home on base. Work wakes me up in the middle of the night - I dry run the next day and go over the to-do list - only to be haunted the next day by what I didn't get done or discovering other responsibilities I own that I have to figure out. I dislike IMMENSELY not being the expert and not having the answers. My Ju-Ju girl, loyal K9 of about 13 years is showing signs of aging. I'm in denial of her graying muzzle - but it's harder to ignore a large lump between her two front legs. I need to get her to vet. Last weekend the dryer died, this weekend the washing machine died. JG earned another gazillion reward zone points at Best Buy. They delivered the set yesterday and I was excited, for once, to do laundry. Except, the water spouts where the washer hoses hook up decided to leak - even shut completely off there's a slow drip. It will be fixed today, hopefully. Time for a nap.

My eyeball hurts

My left eye is killing me. I saw the optometrist today instead of going to my OB doctor. I was sure my eyeball was rotting out of my head it was hurting so badly. I have a bunch of irritated cells on my cornea and the doc expects it's from a viral cold. The cool drops they give for numbing and antibacterial he didn't prescribe me, you know, being pregnant and all pretty much the only remedies available are Tums and Tylenol. Go letter T! So I'm on quarters until Friday afternoon - the entire left face and head feels like it's been struck by a mallet. I had booked Edward a doctor's appointment for tomorrow, but I may have to cancel if I still can't drive. He has a wart and he's also been complaining of stomach pains. JG is in San Antonio this week as a guest instructor for the Air Force Communicators' Workshop. I'm so jealous. That was my baby in 2009, I was deployed for it in 2010 and I was way too pregnant to travel this year. One of the Airman from our office went as an attendee - I can't wait to hear all about it. I am missing JG. Mainly because he's warmer than I am, but I'm sure he's getting better sleep not being woken up by me going pee every two hours and tossing and turning all night.