MONDAY
Monday morning we had a late breakfast with Sarah & Jessica Abel at the Airport Way Diner. It only took two seconds for Sarah to warm up to Natalie and color her a beautiful picture. We had tasty food and Olivia made the rounds around the table. Everyone got a chance to hold her, even Sarah. After our meal we went to Coldspot Feeds to get more dog food, dog treats and some sweatshirts for Eagle & Circle. Eagle & Circle are two of Sophie's & Paula's former teammates. They are looking a little frail and definitely in need of some extra warmth & tenderness. Maybe it's time they visited the Mulvey Home for Wayward Sled Dogs. Next we went to Old Navy where Aunty Natalie found some very cute things and I found things for Olivia (of course) and a dress that might work to welcome Adam home. We made a quick stop at the Commissary for ingredients because Aunty Natalie was making her own homemade spaghetti sauce for dinner. Yum! Tonight we tried out our first cloth diaper. It was a success. I think a better test will be once I get more diapers and am able to wash a whole load in the evening. But so far, so good!
TUESDAY
Tuesday we got a relatively early start. Today we got breakfast at Sunshine Bagels so that Natalie could have the Alaskan coffee hut experience. We ate in the car and then began our journey to North Pole...which is south of Fairbanks. We had intended to go to the Santa Claus House, but it is apparently only open on the weekends. But since everyone was in a good mood and it was a beautiful day, we just continued driving south. We drove through Salcha and almost all the way to Delta Junction - about 50 miles and showed Natalie some of the beautiful Alaskan scenery. It's hard to choose the best place to stop for pictures, when you're met with sweeping vistas around every corner. On our way home I stopped and mailed some packages at McPeak's and we came into Fort Wainwright via the back gate. Morgan came over in the evening with sushi from Tokyo Express. She spoiled us with a beautiful selection of rolls! What a spread! Olivia snacked on a baby doll. We watched some episodes of Supernatural and had a lot of fun gabbing. Morgan had to work Wednesday so she left by 9 and it wasn't long after that that the rest of us went to bed. But not before Olivia had some tummy time! Look at how well she's holding up her head!
WEDNESDAY
Wednesday we were planning to go to Baby & Me Yoga, however our plans took a different turn. This morning - after Olivia did her morning exercises and stared at the ceiling fan - Natalie & I did some tidying around the house and sorted out the mounds of recycling that have been gathering in the garage and took a trip to the bins next to the Commissary. As soon as we got in the car, the tire pressure indicator light came on again. It seemed clear that we had a leaky tire. I called Kendall when we got home and made the earliest appointment I could to have it looked at, which was at the same time as Baby & Me Yoga. The tire took precedence. Aunty Natalie took a quick shower, we packed the diaper bags and headed out. Before going to the car place we stopped in the Toy Quest to look for gifts for the boys. We found a few things and had lots of fun looking at all their fun merchandise. Kendall zipped the car right into the shop and since it was going to take a little while, we walked over to the Cookie Jar for lunch. The seated us in the way back room - maybe they remembered Olivia crying the other day - right next to a bubbling fountain. Perhaps it was the perfect storm of timing, fountain and luck, but Olivia slept peacefully for the whole lunch. Kendall Auto called us right as we were checking out - it was indeed a leak, so the charge for patching was only $15. Phew! Next we stopped by the dentist's office to make an appointment for my worsening tooth. They offered to do a quick evaluation of the tooth, x-rays and the like, right then! I was able to nurse Olivia in the waiting room and then they took me back. It turns out the tooth has not only worsened underneath the bad filling from the past, but it has cracked into pieces as well. A new filling won't really help, so it's a crown for me! We made the appointment and I was thankful that I've been saving money - dental work is always so expensive! But it needs to be taken care of. We went to Value Village next and I found some things that I'd been wanting for a while - a fountain for Bertram, some silk greenery to decorate his cage, new blankets for the dogs, books, etc. We went home, ate a light supper and watched some 'guilty pleasure' movies - Step Up and Step Up 2. Aunty Natalie gave Olivia a bottle and after some more visiting, we went to bed.
THURSDAY
Thursday we had a relatively quiet day. Aunty Natalie came and snuggled in bed with us this morning. Much of the morning we were waiting to hear news about my grandfather's surgery. I worked on some family photo projects, while Aunty Natalie entertained Olivia. They visited with Bertram and listened to music. It seems that Olivia really likes hip hop! She danced with Aunty Natalie...and brought us to tears laughing. It was a nice way to ease the tension of waiting for news. After breakfast, the dance party & a quick shower we gathered our paperwork and went to the Fort Wainwright Tax Office. The army prepares our taxes gratis, so even though we have a relatively simple return, I elected to have them do it - especially because they do all sorts of quality reviews. Adam & I got a very nice return, which will help with my dental bill! (Thank goodness!) After the taxes were finished we heard that Grandpa's surgery went well. It was almost five hours long, and he has a long and worrisome recovery ahead of him, but thank goodness for today's success. Thank goodness for the skill of Dr. Sanderson and his team, the hospital staff and all the prayers and positive energy being sent to my grandfather. We were able to go to the food court at the PX with lighter hearts. We had a sandwich and then did some more shopping. We got lots of goodies for the boys and some for Natalie, too. She deserves them after all her hard work this week! We stopped by Jessica Abel's house so that Natalie could meet Remi and then we went home. Olivia had been sleeping this whole time and I needed to nurse her. At home we nursed and then it was time for Olivia's bath. We chose a pretty outfit and got ready for our Skype date with Daddy! It's so nice to see his smiling face. After our date, I brought Morgan to the airport. Natalie stayed in with Olivia and then we spent some final quality time together on the couch before it was time to go back to the airport again, this time with Aunty Natalie. We're going to miss her so much and we're so glad and grateful that she came to visit us!
FRIDAY
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Friday morning we had our two month check-up. Olivia is great! Super healthy! And growing like a weed!
She weighs 13 pounds (90th percentile), 23 inches + long (75th percentile) and her head is 40.7cm (75th percentile). After her exam, she had to get four vaccinations - three as shots and one taken by mouth. She was a trooper. She cried a little bit, but for less than a minute. She had the moral support of one of the Williams girls (Ashley) who was there for her 4 year old shots. After everyone had their shots, and tears were wiped, we all adjourned to the pharmacy. We got some infant Tylenol, just in case Olivia develops a low grade fever or seems fussy - there may be some injection site tenderness. Jess Abel also met us at the pharmacy and afterwards we went to get lunch at Breuggers. Olivia was fine during lunch, but by the end she was hungry and fussy - so we went home. Once home, I ran around and did some chores at super speed. Then Olivia & I went up to the nursery and spent some quiet time cuddling. Then we took a little nap, nursed and Skyped with Mimi, Pop and Kari. Olivia seemed to have some bad baby dreams and was more prone to crying, so I gave her a dose of the Tylenol. More cuddling was needed, for both of us, and now she's sleeping peacefully. I hope she isn't troubled by any more bad dreams!
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