Fall has arrived

It has technically been Fall for a while now, but recently the weather has announced the true arrival of fall. The air is crisp and brisk. The smell of burning foliage is most pungent in the late afternoon. The grocery store is full of my favorite fall vegetables. The weather is cool enough to wear sweaters and scarves. I LOVE IT.

So the base had a fall festival and I decided to take the boys. I hadn't taken them to any fun social event like this the whole summer, so I really wanted to do this. I found out that a family we knew would be there and they offered to help me with serving the meal. And they did, and thank goodness because holding the baby and helping feed two toddlers while trying to feed myself...... was very hard.

 You can see from the pictures, that I had the boys strapped into their stroller. That was on purpose of course. If they weren't strapped in their stroller, they would have been running around the place like wild animals..... like the other children that were there. I was holding Sebi in my baby carrier most of the time except during the meal. And it was quite warm inside the building, so I had to take his arms out of the fleece sweatshirt he was wearing. He was pretty hot and really sucking down that water.

The boys didn't really eat much at all. They normally love hotdogs, but they really wanted to play. So after I finished eating, we headed outside.

The boys had fun hula hooping and throwing fake bananas and just running around. I had them bundled up with undershirts, long sleeve polos and big sweaters and hats, but it was still a bit chilly for Jacob. Once in a while his little teeth would chatter and he would shiver. We didn't stay long. Towards the end, Joaquin lost interest in the games and discovered that picking up pine needles and throwing them in the air was pretty fun. And I was able to get a photo of myself with Sebi.

We ended up staying for about an hour and a half. It wasn't long, but it was a great time for the boys and I'm glad we went. I didn't get pictures because my hands were full, but Jacob absolutely loved jumping in the bouncy house. He was squealing with delight and having the time of his life. I asked Joaquin if he wanted to get inside and he said "Nope. No way momma." That little boy is something else.

In other news, Jacob is making progress in his speech. I recently changed speech therapy facilities and I have seen a big difference. Jacob has progressed more in just 2 sessions than he did in 6 months at the other place we were going. I'm so happy with his new speech therapist. Some things he's saying these days.....
"Mommy, look!"
"Want chocolate milk"
"No Mommy"
"Key"
"Keyhole"
"Red ball"
"No baby"
"Jacob"
"More Papi"
This list may seem short, but for us, it is really excellent and long for Jacob. I have renewed hope that he will be up to speed in a very short time.

Ok, it's late and I need to go to bed. I just wanted to get a quick post in and add some photos for Javier and family and friends. I know Javier checks this website often to view the pictures, so here they are. I hope you like them babe. We all miss you very much.

~Latrice

Half way mark

Well, in a few days, we will have reached the half way point of this deployment. Sometimes, it's hard to wrap my brain around that. It has felt like soooo long already and I just can't imagine the remainder of time feeling so long. But while I can, I am trying to keep everything in perspective and enjoy the things that we are blessed with now.

One of those things is the fall season. The weather has been so lovely lately. I have had the windows open and dressing the boys in long sleeves. They have been outside playing a few times and these are the pictures from those play times. Sebi is working really hard to mow the lawn.

And when he's not mowing the lawn, he is just trying to get the hang of walking while wearing shoes and walking on the uneven lawn.

Joaquin loves just running around and playing goofy games. He loves picking up the fallen leaves and telling me what color they are. He also found some tall utility boxes in the yard and kept calling them drums. Then he started playing them like the congo drums.

Jacob had a good time running around. When he got tired, he would go sit down for a minute or two, but then he would get right back up and start running around.

And even though Sebi knows how to walk, I think he gets frustrated because it is slower than his crawl. So if he wants to get somewhere quick.... he crawls.

Tomorrow, Jacob has a followup appointment with his orthopedic surgeon to look at his arm. I hope it turns out well.

Well, ordinarily I wouldn't make such a short post, but it's late and I have a long drive tomorrow, so I'm going to close this entry. I hope everyone enjoys the pictures. Sometimes I am amazed at how much they are growing right before my eyes. I'm doing my best to get it on film before their whole childhood passes me by.

~Latrice

Healing and sickness

On a day to day basis, this deployment seems to be dragging by. The minutes feel like hours and the hours feel like days. But every once in a while, I have to step outside of my mental anguish and look at the big picture. I can tell that time is passing because of all the things that have happened.

Jacob broke his arm, had surgery, and 5 weeks later had his cast and pin removed. On the day of the cast removal, I left a little early and took him out to lunch. We went to an Indian restaurant that had a lunch buffet. It was soooo yummy. Jacob loved it too.

Then we went to the doctor's office where they did another xray. Here is the pin:

The nurse took off the cast and we had to wait around for the doctor to come take the pin out. If anyone wants to know how to distract a child during a stressful time.... dumdum lollipops and stickers.

The doctor came in and cleaned up around the pin, put big pliers around the ball, and pulled it out. Jacob did not even flinch. ....But the hole that was left from the pin started to bleed and when the doctor put pressure on it to stop the bleeding, Jacob was feeling it and moaning a bit. Since then he has been doing well. He is still tentative with his right elbow, avoiding things he couldn't do when he had a cast. I have to remind him that he can use him arm for things like climbing up in the dining chair. He still has a lot of follow ups to look forward to because the fracture was through his growth plate and the bone will need to be monitored for normal growth.

In other news, Sebastian is now a walker. He has been relentless in his determination to learn to walk. Everyday for the past two weeks, he would practice standing up and cruising along the furniture. A few times he would try to take some independent steps. Well, a couple of days ago, he was finally successful in taking 3 independent steps. From that moment on, his only focus was on walking. He is now up to 8 unassisted steps and he is so proud of himself while he takes those steps. He is still a little wobbly and learning, so he tends to walk like a little Frankenstein with his arms outstretched for balance. He started walking at 9 months. I know a lot of kids do it, but considering the twins started walking when they turned 1 year old, I am very surprised and impressed by Sebi's progress and determination. He has learned to walk and yet he has not even gotten his first tooth. So he's trying his hand at big boy activities, but he's still my little squirt. Now and forever.

These boys certainly fill my day. I can't imagine how bored I would be if I didn't have them to keep me busy before the sun comes up and into the wee hours of the morning.

These days they are really into learning new things. Their little brains are like sponges, thirsty for knowledge. We play games, sing songs, watch Nick Jr., and their favorite thing to do is read books.

I wish I had more time to sit down and read to them, but they will sit down and "read" the books by themselves too. I hope they keep their love of books and learning.

Jacob is still not talking much. He is attempting more words, but still has difficulty forming some sounds, so he is still in speech therapy. I am confident that he will improve greatly in due time. Joaquin on the other hand is a complete MOTORMOUTH. He talks non-stop. And he says the darndest things. A few of my favorite:

"Sweet dreams Momma. I love you Momma."
"Oh no. What happened?"
"Bless you."
"Look at me."
"Oh my goodness."
"Where is Papi? Where'd he go?"
"Awww....what's wrong Sebi? What happened? Are you okay?"
"Mmmmmm........delicious!"

All day long, he says things that crack me up or make me smile. And likewise, Jacob has been working really hard to say phrases too. And when Jacob speaks, a warm feeling of pride and elation washes over me because I know how hard it is for him to form the words. He is a man of few words and when he does speak, it really means something. I wonder if he will be this way when he grows up.

On a sad note, Joaquin has become sick. Today he has fever and is coughing. I gave him Motrin and he laid down on the floor and fell asleep. I picked him up and put him on the couch with a blanket. Here is a picture. He is somewhere under all that hair. Poor baby.

I hope he feels better soon. And I hope my other babies don't get sick, but past history has shown that they usually follow suit within a few days.

As for Javier, he is doing well. I am so grateful for technology. We are able to email each other daily and he can send text messages to my cell phone and I can text him back. We also try to skype once or twice a week. With those things, we are able to stay connected and he can stay current on what's happening with our boys. We miss him dearly and February seems soooo far away at this point. But we are trucking along, one day at a time, and just looking forward to the day when our little family is reunited. 

I will try to update again soon.
~Latrice