Stuff. More stuff and boxes. Boxes of stuff. Where did we get so much stuff? 10,500 lbs of stuff. That is what we own and how much we moved. I can only imagine how much more stuff we are going to move in 3 years.Our lives have been extremely busy these last few months. I finally graduated from EWS and am now assigned to Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 29 at MCAS New River, NC. I will serve as the Assistant Aviation Maintenance Officer and as the Quality Assurance Officer. These 2 billets are usually held by 2 different officers, but the squadron is so short handed that I have to fill them both. It will be interesting and challenging and I look forward to it.
Joaquin and Jacob continue to fill our lives with happiness and gratitude. They continue to develop very distinct personalities and we are adjusting our hopes and expectations to meet their needs. Jacob is extremely cute, very cuddly, and adorable. When you think of a baby and all of its cuteness wrapped into a package, you get baby Jacob. Loving him is so easy to do and he loves you in return. Joaquin is our baby boy who keeps us on our toes. He has led a very challenging life thus far as far being healthy. His latest battle had been very severe eczema on his face and body. His flare ups are really disturbing and it makes him very irritable and uncomfortable.
It is very hard for him to get restful sleep because he spends the majority of the night itching and scratching his face. Even though we cut his nails, he still manages to cut into his face and neck. He also pulls out the hair around his ears and neck. Its tough to watch him go through so much pain and discomfort at such a young age. Last weekend we rushed him to the hospital at 2 am in the morning because he had a fever of 102 and was vomiting. We spent 4 hours there and he was diagnosed with a virus of some sort. They gave us Tylenol and well wishes and told us to come back if the fever didn't go away. The fever did go away but now he also has a nagging cough that wakes him and Jacob up in the night. Our nights are challenging, but we are doing the best we can and am grateful I haven't had to go to 
work for the last few weeks.Jacob hasn't really hit a growth spurt and his weight has leveled off for now. Joaquin is growing everyday despite all his medical issues. He weighed in today at 17.5 lbs. He is a big boy and his bone structure is thicker than Jacobs. You can really feel the weight difference when you pick them up.
We have started the boys on "solids". They are doing stage 1 foods such as pureed carrots, applesauce, pears, etc. It was really funny to watch them wrinkle their noses and suck in really tight when they got a taste of the food. Joaquin is enjoying his food and he likes to open up for each bite. Jacob is still trying to work it out. He sort of treats the spoon like a bottle and prefers to
suck the food off the spoon. However, when the sugar kicks in he goes into overdrive and starts to attack the spoon and grab your hand to prevent it from leaving his mouth. He starts making noise and almost hyperventilates waiting for the next bite. It is funny watching him and we have dubbed him "animal" when it comes to eating.Our house is a mess right now. It is a pain to move. It consumes so much of our lives. I wish we could pay an interior decorator to come through and make this house fabulous in a 24 hour period.
This new house is really nice and roomy. It is a 4 bedroom 2.5 bath with 2250 sq ft of living space. The back yard is great with a shed, a swing set, fenced in with a nice deck for bbqs. The front of the house has a nice little porch with some nice landscaping in a very picturesque neighborhood.
Yesterday we went to the beach to escape for a few hours and get a change of scenery. The boys enjoyed being out and we hope we can do it more often. We look forward to our lives here in North Carolina and are hopeful that our families will come visit us since we have plenty of space to entertain. We are happy with the home we found.
