One month already!

Parker is growing so quickly! She is already one month old and 9 lbs! The pediatrician said she looks great and has more head control than he would expect at her age. We started tummy time and she can turn her head from one side to the other and also keep her head up for several seconds at a time. She likes a clean diaper regularly so that she can segregate her wet and solid diapers... this is funny AND true. As soon as we change her wet diaper, we hear explosions! We've tried holding out, but we're no match for Parker; she can wait longer :) Last week she used a record 23 diapers in one day. At least we no longer have to worry about her output.

We ordered her newborn photos last week and I picked them on on Wednesday so that we could ship our large portraits. We got a 15 x 30 inch of the first picture below and also my maternity picture. We also got a larger family portrait. Hopefully we can find a way to hang them on our concrete walls. I scanned some of the 5x7s we ordered because we only got 2 as jpegs from the photographer and some of them are below. Her name is Jena Craig and her website is http://www.photographybyjena.com/. She did a beautiful job AND runs a great business.She was wonderfully patient with Parker during the session and we are sad that we won't be in San Antonio to do more pictures of our family as Parker grows.

This week has been a LONG week. My mom flew in to help us last weekend and once again saved us before our move! She watched Parker while we tried to study, but most of my studying was done with my Boppy on my lap and Parker nursing. At this point in my career, I've taken several standardized tests, and I am not a test champion. This was no exception. I am very unsure that I passed the exam. Corey feels better about it and I am sure that he passed. The ABP gives you an outline in preparation for the test with 6 large sections. I felt that the test focused heavily on 2 - the two that contained minutia and (to quote Corey) left me thinking "who cares about this junk?" These were academic areas - not things I use in practice. Please keep your fingers crossed. About half way through the test I started thinking things like "if I don't pass this, Corey and I can't come back to the US together next May and do IVF again" and "it's been almost 2 hours - I need to go feed Parker" and "as soon as we are done with this, we have to pack up to move into the hotel tonight." Too much on my mind!

We moved into the temporary lodging facility on base Monday evening after the boards and my poor mom slept on the couch. We were all so tired, however, that she didn't move an inch when I went out to feed Parker. I am still so sore from the delivery that I can only sit certain places, and I have to sit out on a chair to feed her in this room. It's actually pretty nice for $41/night. We have a decent kitchen and tvs in both rooms with great cable (important during breastfeeding) and they come by every day to clean because we are in a pet-friendly room. On Tuesday we spent all day (and until midnight) at our house organizing and after my mom left on Wednesday, we were out at our house again until after 11 pm. Parker has been exhausted and so have Corey and I. We have both awaken delirious and it is laughable later... once I came out to where Corey and Parker were sitting after I had taken an hour nap... and I told Corey to hurry back to the room because she was laying on the changing table... except he was holding her. Corey recently sat straight up in bed when Parker was fussing from her "crib" and then he started patting the covers around him saying "it's okay Parker" because he though he was still holding her. We are just so exhausted! On Thursday the movers came for our unaccompanied shipment that will hopefully be in Okinawa within a month. Friday was the move to storage. These are long days because we have one car so either Parker and I sit there all day (no tv, no glider or couch) or we drop Corey off for a bit and drive around and then come back. We tried both and both options are exhausting. We also took Bailey and Jack to the vet yesterday afternoon and luckily Corey was able to help.

Jack flew to Pittsburgh today to stay with my parents. I am bummed because I was sleeping when Corey took him to the airport, so I didn't say "good-bye." I know he's in good hands, but we miss him already. Bailey does not share our sentiment and has been loving life! We only have a few days left in San Antonio and we are trying to get some rest and get organized for our flight on Wednesday. It's an emotional time for me as I look back on my time in San Antonio. In 2006, I moved here as a single girl with a 7-year Navy commitment. Now Corey and I have been married over 2 years and have a beautiful daughter. We have so many good memories in San Antonio despite the painful ones associated with our residencies :) I know we will have great adventures in Okinawa, but my Navy training is looming over my head. I will be glad to get it over with and start my 3-year payback so that I can have more time with Parker!