April 12th to the 18th!

April 12^th – April 18^th 2012

Jessica and I had anticipated that when I returned we would have more time for many things, and that with both of us helping everything would be easier.  For the most part this is true. One person is no longer changing every diaper, or answering every cry.  However when it comes to updating Olivia’s blog, we have been doing so much with Olivia that we (and by we I mean me, Adam) have neglected to update the ‘Daily Olivia’.  Sometimes I just can’t help it, as I sit down to write and to document her daily adventures I am so easily distracted by her smiles, or by her funny gestures.  Even now, she is engaged in a deep conversation with a mirror suspended over her swinging cradle.  I will attempt to spend more time each day writing this record.  We intend not only to write for our friends and relatives who are half a continent away, but we will also share this with Olivia some day so that she knows how grateful we are to have welcomed her into this world.

Thursday, April 12^th

Today Olivia was very lucky indeed, she was invited over to have a play date with Sarah for a few hours so that she could enjoy some time away from her stuffy old parents. (We went to see The Hunger Games.) Sarah considers Olivia to be almost a sister, and has anticipated lots of playing, starting even months before Olivia came to us.  Sarah and Olivia particularly like playing in the jungle, especially because it gives Olivia many targets for her increasingly agile feet.   Although we could have stayed away longer, we missed Olivia after a short while and we returned to shower her with kisses.

Today we also picked a date for Olivia's baptism (The 17th of June) at the Bridgewater Congregational Church, the same supportive congregation where we were married.  Since we had a date confirmed, we were able to select fancy invitations to mail out to our relatives and friends. 

Friday, April 13^th

With the weather getting nice and warm and the roads begin to dry, we decided to take a trip out to Two Rivers.  Just east of us, at the next stop along the trail of the Yukon Quest is Two Rivers. Jessica and I had originally only known this area as a waypoint on the way to Chena Hot Springs, however as we learn more about Alaska, and meet more of our neighbors we have come to find Two Rivers has lots to offer.  Seemingly a mecca for sled dog mushing, we have been able to watch some of our favorite mushers race from the Two Rivers General Store.  Today we were treated to an excellent massage (well, just for us adults, not for Olivia).  Jessica had come out to this peaceful cabin in the middle of the woods while pregnant for an amazing prenatal massage.  After raving about the quality and service of Stephanie, we decided that after the last year we could both use some good pampering.   Olivia was also treated, to several of her favorite things, she is an avid fan of ceiling fans, and can entertain herself to no end whether they are spinning or not.  Then Olivia was treated to all different unique scents.   I think she is just beginning to notice different smells.  The one that she can place is of course milk, however she wiggles her nose at the smell of bananas.  She was able to smell so many soothing and different smells in the massage studio.  We have been trying to introduce her to as many sounds, and textures as we can, and now I have started on smells as well. Olivia, as usual was perfect during our few hours in the middle of nowhere. She lounged in the sun, studied some local birds, and slept peacefully.  Once again we were treated to a compliment, that although we have heard often we are always grateful to hear.  As we were getting ready to leave, Stephanie told us ‘as an outside observer, can I just tell you that your daughter is beautiful’.  We of course know this, but we always very happy when others recognize just how blessed we are.

Saturday, April 14^th

Olivia has been working very hard to become the strongest baby that she can. Her neck and back muscles are growing every day.  When she is uncomfortable, she lets us know with a strong arching of her back. Believe me, if you aren’t prepared for it, she can almost get away from you.  She has also become able to either choose or reject certain things by turning her head away.  She will move towards a pacifier if that is what she would like, or she can move away from a particular toy if she doesn’t feel like playing with it.  Her most beautiful action as of late involves kisses from Mom, when Jessica plants several kisses on Olivia, she will blush, hide her face in my chest, and then quickly turn back, smiling for more kisses.  No mater how many times I see this, my heart melts. 

We have also been working on her balance, and her standing.  She is getting better every day at staying upright (with a little assistance)  today she was able to hold her self onto the side of her rocking cradle with only her hands as support. 

As for crawling, she doesn’t seem to enjoy it, and that is ok, however when she is distracted and not noticing that she is crawling, she does just fine.  My latest trick has been to distract her with a iphone playing ‘Yellow Submarine’ when she sees and hears Ringo, she lifts her head of the ground and tries to move towards him.  She is already pretty opinionated at only 4 months. 

 Today, Jessica  went and got lunch at The Chowder House and met Morgan for lunch at Creamer’s, while Daddy and Olivia watched part of Winnie the Pooh for the first time. (there are so many Disney movies and other classics that Adam hasn't yet seen) Today Olivia was 16 weeks old. To celebrate,  we took her for a walk in a new stroller.

Sunday, April 15^th

Today we went on errands first thing in the morning. We went to Wal-Mart and got things for jelly making & yarnbombing. We got lunch at Wendy’s. We tried to fix the Blazer, with no success. Looks like Olivia will have to share her car with Adam for a while longer. In the afternoon Morgan came over and played with Olivia. She & Mommy educated her about things like Care Bears. Adam made pepper jelly and then cooked dinner for everyone. Isn't Olivia lucky to have a father that cooks?





Tuesday, April, 17th

This morning Olivia made her Daddy very happy.  For the past few weeks, as a newly returned face in Olivia’s ever-growing world, she took several minutes, and a little bit of holding to warm up to her father’s embrace.  This morning however, as I was standing over her watching her in the last few minutes of her sleep, he eyes crept open and she immediately recognized me, she gave me a huge smile, following by uncontrolled laughter and happy noises.  I look forward to many more mornings where she beams like that.  The whole past year of difficulties can easily be erased by such amazing sights.

Her abilities have been ever-increasing, at least to her doting father it seems that way.  Her feet remain the most active limbs at her disposal.  She doesn’t simply use them to kick or to stretch, but she has a unique way of intertwining her toes, almost as hands clasped in a devious movie villain way.  Silly Olivia, in no time you will be up and walking, and you’ll have to use those feet for moving around instead of playing.

This evening Olivia was in a very cheerful mood, and we have always been good about trying to arrange skype dates around her moods.  So we quickly plopped her down on a lap in front of the webcam and dialed Connecticut.  Olivia is so very lucky to have such a grandfather as Big Boppy (as we have taken to calling him).  His repertoire of entertaining songs is endless.  He can delight Olivia from across the country with songs about dogs, old ballads, Czech folk songs, and even a rendition of Yellow Submarine.  Now, some of you may have heard of Olivia’s fascination with the Beatles, I had thought that perhaps it was simply the moving images on her favorite video, or the colors that it presented.  Big Boppy disproved all of this, as he captivated Olivia with his version of her favorite song. 

We cut our skype short as we quickly remembered that tonight was the Volunteers Appreciation Dessert at the Georgeson Botanical Gardens (http://georgesonbg.org/)  Before she was even born, Olivia has been volunteering to help maintain these beautiful gardens, and now that she is older she plans on continuing this summer.  As the society is made up of mostly retired folks, Olivia quickly stole the show upon entering the fancy new green house.  She was swarmed by new admirers, who were very happy to meet the ‘youngest garden volunteer’.  The event was to thank the volunteers who have helped in the past year, and to allow them to meet each other.  The evening also included a raffle, to which Olivia was given three tickets.  She was one of the first ones selected as a winner, and she received a nice yellow t-shirt… it is much too big for her, but at the rate she is growing it won’t take long for her to fill it up.  A few raffle tickets later, and Olivia WINS again!  This time she picked a farming book for her father.  Just when we thought we couldn’t get any luckier, Olivia WON a third prize, however with the car seat, the diaper bad, the toys, Olivia, and the two prizes that we had already received, we decided to leave the last prize unclaimed.  Olivia was able to meet a great bunch of people who will be with her during her first summer of gardening!

After returning from the University, Jessica and I had very little trouble getting Olivia to sleep.  After such a busy day, she was truly ready to call it a night!  We almost considered doing the same, but as we were flipping through the late night channels we stumbled upon the local PBS channel which was showing  “Small Farm Rising” (http://www.smallfarmrising.org/) which detailed the lives of several small first-generation farmers in Upstate New York.  One of our favorite pastimes is planning our future together.  Sometimes we will talk about traveling during our retirement, or having a small farm somewhere in New England.  While I realize that retirement is a far off concept for many, for those of us in the military it has a somewhat different meaning.  After a twenty-year tour of service in the military, one can retire and start a second career.  Many civilian sector jobs I know do not even offer a pension, and those that do have a much longer term of service.  I’ve even heard of some teachers having to work for 37 years before they can retire.  Jessica and I will have the luxury of my first retirement in 8 years.  At that time the Army will give me a monthly pension, and we will have health care provided until we are old enough for Medicare to kick in.  Having a guaranteed income, albeit a small one, will permit us to do things because we want to do them, not because we must.     This documentary really hit home for both of us.  We had always liked the idea of having a farm, although I wasn’t really sure if I was talking about being a ‘working farmer’ or a ‘gentleman farmer’, at least until we began to discuss our dreams.   The documentary took place in northern New York, very close to where my family spent many years of my childhood (just outside of Plattsburgh, NY).  One of the farms in the film was a farm that used to belong to Rockwell Kent, one of my favorite painters.  There were so many personal connections intertwined in both this PBS film, and in our idea of farming that it seems to have stuck in our heads once again. 

We stayed up for many more hours discussing, planning and dreaming.  The end result being that Jessica has started her certification process to become an Alaskan Master Gardener (at the University of Alaska), and I have begun preparations to start an MBA program which is focused on Sustainability and Agriculture.  With Jessica’s skills in planting, and mine in marketing and regulation, all we will need is Olivia and many siblings (to be named later) for the labor.   I hope you don’t mind getting a little dirty Olivia!

Wednesday, April 18^th

Today was my first day back at ‘work hours’. I had been getting up when Olivia got up and spending the first few hours with Olivia. Today, however, I had to get up and to work at around five-thirty.  I was only able to play with the dogs for a minute, and not Olivia.  I had gotten so used to mornings with Olivia, that I missed her very much.

Jessica went to Breuggers bagels for lunch, and as it happened they were shooting a television commercial at the store.  So if you happen to see it, and you hear a baby crying in the background… well that baby is our OLIVIA!!

Oh well, we knew that it was going to happen sooner or later. Olivia seems to have begun teething.  Although we haven’t seen anything pop through yet, it is obvious that her gums are starting to feel it.  We are open to any and all suggestions to find what might work for her.  The only tip that we haven’t tried yet, is one that I remember my father telling me about years ago, and that is using a soft cloth dipped in Scotch to sooth the gums.  Maybe back in the 70’s that was considered ok, but I don’t want to start Olivia on the single malt just yet.   Two things that we have tried with some success, have been the use of refrigerated teething rings (one cute one is shaped like a lady bug, and looks funny being sucked in and out of Olivia’s tiny mouth), and the other has been an Amber necklace.  When Jessica first mentioned it, I wasn’t sure what to think.  I envisioned a necklace meant to chew on, and that the amber would somehow help her teeth come out.  I think that I remembered reading about Victorian era teething toys which were made of ivory, but I couldn’t help but think that amber would be much too hard against her gums.  That is until I saw the necklace.   It is very similar to these http://www.amberartisans.com/frasqu.html , supposedly the natural properties of the amber, containing 3-8% of succinic acid, a scientifically examined medical substance used in contemporary medicine. The highest content of the acid is found in the amber cortex--the external layer of the stone.  So far her teething pain seems to have lessened, as has her drooling.  It may be a coincidence, or it may be the amber.  Who knows? 

April 9 - April 11, 2012

April 9

Olivia seems to be adjusting to all the changes around her very well. Although we have been trying our best not to let the addition of ‘Daddy’ change what has been working so well, some changes can’t be avoided. However Olivia has been an amazing little trooper. She spent the majority of the day just being happy and giggly. It doesn’t take a lot to amuse such a naturally happy baby. It has become quite evident that one of her favorite pasttimes is staring out of the window while being held. Lucky for us there are so many windows to chose from. She can look out the back window at the neighborhood playground and see the big kids playing in the swings and in the colorful fort. She then goes east and looks on the back porch and watches the dogs as they play. Next up for Olivia is the front window which looks out over the bird feeder and a fruit tree. This is a particularly fun place for Olivia as the window has a nice built in seat which is very comfortable and warm in the sun. If for some reason the birds aren’t enjoying the seed buffet, Olivia will devote her attention to a stack of flashcards which let her see all the colorful types of birds that may appear in her window.

The window seat is also favorite area of the dogs, neither Paula nor Sophie like to climb up onto the seat (or the sofa, or even the stairs… such easy dogs to have around) but they do enjoy sitting on their beds right by the seat. The sun comes through and keeps them quite content for the better part of the day. In the last few days, Olivia has started becoming much more aware of the dogs. I think it started a few days ago when Jessica held her and helped her to pet the old huskies. Now it seems as though they have been coming by to sniff her and check on her regularly. Olivia’s eyes widen and she follows them around. I can tell that she isn’t quite sure what to make of them yet, perhaps she is trying to figure out if they can give her milk or change a diaper. Who knows what she is thinking? Looking into her eyes, I can tell that she is getting smarter every day as she learns her routine and is getting better at recognizing the objects around her.

Olivia has been so fortunate to have such a following in family and friends, her toy baskets are overflowing with cute little animals, mostly fuzzy, fluffy and pink. Without question, pink is her favorite color! It is very evident that she is already choosing favorite toys. When offered two different choices, her eyes and arms make a conscious choice as she tries to reach out and grasp one. It looks as though the front runner right now is a pink puppy with a bright red bow (he goes by the name Mingo). You can see him on the Olivia's Friends page. I can tell already that we will need to acquire several spares, just in case.


April 10

Olivia is getting very good at anticipating and some basic communication, she especially likes continue to play a game that Jessica started called the ‘kissing game’. When her name is called out and you slowly approach her, she giggles and smiles with anticipation as she knows she is about to be showered with kisses. It seems as though the slower you approach the gigglier she gets until she can’t wait any more for her kisses. She particularly makes her Daddy very happy when he approaches and she spreads her arms out wide asking to be picked up. She doesn’t have many ways to communicate, but she tries to let her opinions be known. When she is in need of a diaper change, she is quickly able to spread the word. However the interesting part is when she is laid on the changing table (or one of the other places where she is routinely changed) she will become happy and content, knowing that she is about to be changed. For being such a small and relatively new person, she is quite intelligent.

Today she and I began singing some favorite Irish folk songs (lucky that her father knows a few). She doesn’t have any favorites yet, but it’s obvious that she can tell when you enjoy what you are singing, and the more you enjoy it, the happier she gets. She has definitely become very good at taking her cues from those around her. This is very visible when she immediately echoes the smiles that she sees around her.

In the afternoon Olivia got some more practice at sitting up and crawling, her leg muscles are getting very strong, and although they she hasn’t figured out how to coordinate her movements very well, she seems to be able to plow her way across a blanket (mostly using her face on the ground as support!). We are going to keep at it until she is up and running around in no time.

April 11

The interior Alaskan weather is just starting to get nice enough for Olivia to enjoy some outside time. Despite the feet of snow still on most of the ground, it has been consistently warm (even up to the low 60s!!!) with lots of sun. Today we put Olivia into a little stroller, gathered up our two resident Alaskan Huskies and went for a loop around the neighborhood. Olivia was at first a little hesitant to the idea, but once the sun warmed her up, she quickly fell fast asleep. It’s a shame that she didn’t stay awake for the trip as there was so much to see. This neighborhood is particularly nice in that it is separated from the main road and doesn’t have too much traffic. What is does have are a tremendous number of kids out playing, riding bikes and enjoying the warm weather. Each little cluster of children that we passed would alternately coo over Olivia, or stare at our beautiful dogs. I think that this should become a part of our daily routine.

One thing that definitely has become a part of Olivia’s every day routine is singing and dancing. She has become particularly fond of the Beatles (she is a Ringo fan, *while her mother's favorite is George). Today she was gleefully swaying to Octopus’ Garden, while trying to eat her big blue stuffed octopus. She watched Ringo's YouTube performance at least seven times in a row. She certainly is quite a performer.

*corrected by Jessica :)

April 5th - April 8th 2012

5 April 2012

Although I didn’t come home as early as we had wanted (or as early as my mother had planned) I am finally back home in Alaska, and a full partner in this family once again. In the past several weeks, we have had many false starts in our journey home. While many back home were beginning to get worried while watching the terrible news reports coming out of Afghanistan,
our delays were entirely bureaucratic in nature.

Don’t get me wrong, even a delay of a day is a hard pill to swallow, but having a week or two in limbo was also a good thing. For many months we had been operating at a very fast and hectic pace, so a good bit of down time at the end was a great benefit of an otherwise unpleasant change of plans. For the majority of the time we were waiting at KAF, the Kandahar Air Base, a sprawling compound with many amenities. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/07/kandahar-boardwalk-kaf-of_n_706963.html) We were able to choose from Nathans Franks, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and even a TGI-Fridays restaurant. Best of all, were the facilities provided by the USO. We had access to dozens of computers, phones, and internet connections. I was able to chat with Jessica at least once (sometimes twice) a day. By the 5th of April we had already made our way north on our first stop. The processing center for all Soldiers leaving Afghanistan is the Manas Transit Center in the Kyrgyz republic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transit_Center_at_Manas) . Not as large and luxurious at Kandahar, however, once at Manas we are “out of the war zone” a fact which is a tremendous relief to our families.

As we were getting ready to leave Manas, we found out that our flight had received the correct diplomatic clearances to fly directly across Siberia on the ‘Polar route’ which would take us across Russia and then to the Bering straight. Instead of more than thirty hours of flying with multiple layovers we were able to fly directly to Eielson Air Force base in North Pole Alaska.

It was a very emotional homecoming for me, as well as for many of my Soldiers, http://newsminer.com/view/full_story/18162414/article-Latest-Strykers-to-arrive-home-mark-the-beginning-of-a-surge-of-soldiers-returning-to-Fort-Wainwright?instance=local_news
. Seeing Jessica, and Olivia for the first time (in person) after many months was an amazing feeling. With Olivia asleep in her car seat, Jessica waited in the ‘stands’ as we marched in.
Even though we arrived at the AHA (Alert Holding Area) just around midnight, there was still a crowd of around 600 people, and a marching band… both groups were extremely loud and were not what Olivia wanted to hear as she was trying to sleep. It took me a few minutes to work my way through the crowd, zigzagging though swarms of relatives and families. Within a few minutes I was able to hug Jessica and end what has been the longest year of my life.

I know that the transition will not be easy, as I learn to be a father, and remember how to be a husband, but seeing Jessica smiling through the crowd made me overjoyed at all the possibilities.


6 April 2012

Olivia had been up far later than usual because of my homecoming, and she was pretty loud about it! It took her a little bit to finally settle down, and by the time she did, both Jessica and I were struggling to keep our eyes open.

Having come more than 11 time zones in such a short time has made it a little difficult to get my internal clock reset. As a result I was up and wide awake after about four hours of sleep. Knowing that I would take a while to get back on track, Jessica had kindly stocked all kinds
of things in the refrigerator for me – the one thing that I was most looking forward to was a giant bowl of her Chili, so at 4am, I devoured the pot of it, and went back to bed.

Although I was able to come home and be here for Olivia’s first week, so much has changed in terms of her routine, and her needs, that I am still a more than a little lost. It was nice and educational for me to begin watching Jessica’s morning routine, so I can get used to the this-and-this-and-this-and-that of the day. Lucky for me, Olivia is pretty easy going, and keeps giving me a look of understanding, as if to say ‘I know you’re trying Dad, you’ll get it”.. And I will.

During the first two weeks of my return (reintegration the Army terms it) we are given a very light work schedule to allow us to adjust to being home. We have a few hours of work each day,
starting with medical checkups, and tests, meeting with counselors,, and other support agencies. Once we were complete for the day (a very short day). I came home to see my two ladies again. Jessica and Olivia decided to take me out for lunch to welcome me back home. Only a day or so into my return and I am already getting a sense of just how difficult it has been for Jessica – almost as though she were a single parent while I’ve been gone. The simple process of getting Olivia ready to go, getting her in and out of the car seat, and catering to her ‘whims’ while in the restaurant were a new experience for me. I am in awe of how much Jessica has accomplished and how easily she seems to have handled it - not that it is easy by any means. I am going to have to work hard to follow her example, but I know she and Olivia will work hard to help teach me.

Following lunch we ducked into the AT&T store to activate my new phone. As a welcome back gift, Jessica picked up one of the newest iphones for me, and after a few minutes it was up and running. Now that I am assisting with this blog, it will be nice to be able to take decent photos
with my phone to be able to share.

7 April 2012

I’ve often thought to myself, how hard could this whole parenting thing be? I mean, as a Drill
Sergeant a few years back I was able to singlehandedly control two–hundred-and-forty teenagers and mold them into warriors, I’ve invaded countries and traveled the world. This afternoon when Jessica told me that she needed to do some errands and that she was going to leave Olivia and I behind… well let's just say that I was more stressed out than I had been on a dozen combat patrols. Olivia cooperated for about half of the time Jessica was away… to be honest, Jessica wasn’t gone for more than an hour or so, although at the time it felt like much longer to me. I started off walking around carrying Olivia, singing to her the two songs that I know. Then when everything appeared to be going well, I put her in her swing, and wrapped her up in a warm fuzzy blanket…. She smilled and cooed and enjoyed herself. A little bit later, she began crying… no sweat, I thought… I’ve got this… I checked her diaper… bingo! So we went up stairs and I changed her. Everything was going great. I glanced down at my watch, thinking it had been a while that Jessica has been gone (twenty minutes have passed since she left). So Olivia and I read a book about animals with little patches of fake fur for her to feel. Then she started crying again. Could it be another diaper? Nope. Did she want to get in the swing? Nope. Was she too cold? Not a chance. Did she want to be bounced? Carried? Kissed? Hugged? No on all counts. By this time, she was wailing, her eyes getting red, and her bottom lip beginning to quiver. I tried music, singing, the radio, finally I thought of Jessica telling me that the noise from the shower was relaxing to Olivia. Into the kitchen we went, where I turned on the faucet and hoped for the best. Sure enough the noise was just music to Olivia’s ears, if only for a minute. Olivia had calmed down now, just about the time the Jessica returned from her errands (and with a surprise order from a great Thai restaurant for us). This brief episode (lasting maybe 75 minutes) taught me a lesson about how much work and dedication I am going to have to devote to this little girl… and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

8 April 2012

Happy Easter everyone!

Today has been a good day, Olivia cooperated with me this morning so that after her breakfast we were able to play for about two or three hours while Jessica was able to stay in bed and get a small slice of much deserved rest. Then it was time to get Olivia up and dressed in a nice Easter outfit. I laughed when Jessica said that Olivia had many Easter outfits. Why would she need more than one (I thought to myself) as Olivia began to spit up a bit of morning milk all over herself.

After cleaning her up, I dressed myself up to match. Following a year of wearing the same dirty uniform day in and day out, it was nice to throw on a pair of khaki pants and a nice button up shirt. Jessica laughed and said that I shouldn’t be getting dressed up. That was the cue for Olivia to spit up on my dress shirt. Not missing a beat, I cleaned up Olivia, took her into the bedroom, and placed her on the bed while I got a different button up shirt. This was the second cue, for Olivia to spit up on yet another shirt. All the while, Olivia was laughing and smiling at me. Jessica’s common sense finally prevailed and I just grabbed a t-shirt.

We settled in for a nice relaxing day of chatting with family and playing with Olivia, all the while I am trying to watch what Jessica does in each situation so that I can follow her lead. I am lucky to have such an amazing partner for this latest adventure.

April 1 - April 5, 2012

April 1 - April 3  Today I joined my sister in a vigil at my grandfather's bedside via Skype. It started very early and lasted most of the day. In the evening, once Aunty Kari went home, Morgan came over and joined Olivia & I on a walk with all three dogs - Cricket, Sophie & Paula. It was good to get some fresh air. The next two days were spent in vigil as well. I am so thankful for Skype. It has kept my family close through this whole year. It's allowed me to see my husband during the deployment, my family to see baby Olivia and here it allowed me to be with my grandfather on his last days. I was online with the family at the hospital when he died on Tuesday afternoon. It's been a devastating time. I will miss him so much. I'm so grateful that Olivia & I went to Connecticut when we had the opportunity.

April 4th Today was spent doing chores because...Adam was scheduled to return home tomorrow! Lots to do! Veronica came over in the afternoon to watch Olivia so that I could do some cleaning inside & outside without interruption. What an emotional rollercoaster these past weeks have been.

April 5th Today was the day! We got up early and began our last spate of chores. We went to the PFD office again, to Holm Town Nursery for some plants, got the car washed and then met Morgan at Barnes & Noble. Morgan watched Olivia while I ran in Wal-Mart & the liquor store. Morgan came over and we watched some television, baked some cupcakes and passed the time. In the evening Olivia & I both primped and then went out to the AHA. What a wonderful evening!! I can't believe we have Adam home!! Pictures to come!

March 25 - March 31, 2012

Sunday, March 25th This morning Olivia & I took Nana out for breakfast at The Bakery. Nana had a delicious plate of eggs & hash and I had a Belgian waffle with fruit. Mmmmm. We thought we would stop by the library, but they weren't open yet, so after breakfast we went home for a little while. Nana built Olivia towers of blocks to knock over. Olivia sure is spoiled! :) In the afternoon we met Jessica & Sarah at Artisans' Courtyard for Family Yoga. There was a meeting going on in the lounge area, so Nana went for a walk to Toy Quest while we stretched. It was a successful outing, I was came out more limber and Nana found some goodies for Olivia and the triplets. On our way home we stopped for coffees at Starbucks and then in the PX to look for some things Nana needed. While there, we got sandwiches from Subway for dinner. We had our first 'toy casualty' on our way home. I did not notice that the cute owl hanging on Olivia's carseat fell off on the way to the car. Poor owl. While we ate our supper, Olivia lounged in her vibrating chair and played with her bugs. She can actually reach them now - with a little help. Good work Olivia!

Monday, March 26th We got an early start this morning because we had a full day of adventures planned. After a quick breakfast at home, we loaded up the car with our emergency gear, bags of baby gear and headed out to Chena Hot Springs. We stopped at Sunrise Bagels for snacks to eat on the road and filled up the gas tank and we were three ladies with nothing to stop us! It was a beautiful, sunny day - perfect for a little road trip and sightseeing. We were some of the first visitors to the kennels, and Morgan arranged for Cathy to have a sled ride. Once I bundled Olivia into her snowsuit she preferred being outdoors and looking around at all the noisy dogs. We saw Jiff, Eagle, Circle, Mozart - all our doggie friends. And of course Cricket, Morgan's Shiba Inu, was there to be our official doggie guide. As usual, the Japanese tourists loved Olivia and took lots of pictures of her. I wonder if someday I'll see her on an add for Alaskan tours, or Japanese baby food or something. Cathy LOVED her sled ride. She has decided to become a musher and move to Alaska! Well, maybe not the second part, but I think she will second Adam's notion of having dog sledding trails on our 'future estate'. After a lovely morning at Chena, we came back to Fairbanks in time for lunch. We ate at The Cookie Jar. Both of us had a steak sandwich, saving half for our dinners. And of course we couldn't resist getting some cookies to-go. On the way home, Nana ran into Toy Quest and got Olivia a new 'owl' - only this was a peacock and she also got her a very funny octopus. They are both big hits already. In the evening we had a Skype date with Adam. It's not the same as having him here, but we do the best we can.

Tuesday, March 27th We had a nice leisurely morning. Olivia & Nana cuddled & I got to do some chores and take a shower. I made a batch of chili in the crockpot and set it to cook all day. At about 11:30, Jessica came over and we all went shopping downtown. First we stopped at Breuggers Bagels for some lunch. Next we all enjoyed browsing through If Only, a fabulous boutique, and found some great things to buy. Olivia picked out a present for Daddy to welcome him home. Then we went through the Co-Op and visited Gallery 49 where both Nana & I bought a piece of artwork. It was a productive (reductive for the wallet!) shopping trip. In the afternoon I went and picked up Christina from her hotel and gave her a tour of Fort Wainwright before bringing her to our house. Morgan was already there and all five of us ladies spent a lovely evening together eating, chatting and watching Downton Abbey. Morgan had brought a selection of Coldstone ice cream, which was devoured! Heard bad news tonight about my grandfather, more family discussions are required tomorrow.

Wednesday, March 28th Today we did some more errands around town, stopping in Wal-Mart, Petco, etc. For lunch we went to the Chowder House, which Nana really enjoyed. My eyes were too big for my stomach, so I took about half of my order home. Once home, Nana & I gave Olivia a splashy bath. Olivia was being very coy and cute. I got lots of fun pictures. She sure knows how to mug for the camera! I had a very tough Skype phone call with my family about my grandfather's condition. It was very tough to be cheerful after that. Nana, Olivia & I had to get going, however. We had a dinner date at Big Daddy's BBQ with Sergeant Komarek. Once there, Olivia decided she did not want to be at a restaurant. I spent most of the evening walking around the restaurant with her. I think that Cathy & Komarek had a nice time talking about Adam, though. We packed up my meal and left for home. Of course as soon as we were in the car Olivia fell asleep. So we took the scenic route. It was a beautiful sunset and we were able to get a spectacular view of Denali. We also drove past the Large Animal Research Station and saw the musk oxen. I'm glad that the weather and animals cooperated for Cathy's last night in Alaska.

Thursday, March 29th This morning Jessica Abel brought over some coffees for Cathy & I. She also brought me some flowers, knowing the news about my grandfather. Cathy finished her packing and once she was through I left to be a part of a conference call at the hospital. It was nice for Olivia to get spend time with her Nana. And it was very nice for me to have Nana here to take care of her during this tough time. After I got home it was just about time to take Nana to the airport. We stopped to get her a sandwich and then it was an easy ride to Fairbanks International Airport. She made it through with time to spare. We sure will miss having her here. Olivia & I went home and tried to rest a little bit before the redeployment ceremony tonight. We got fixed up and picked up dinner for the Abel ladies. It was a few hours of waiting at the AHA (Advanced Holding Area) before the soldiers came marching through. It was a joyous sight. I'm excited that next time it will be our turn, hopefully. I took pictures for everyone but was ready to take a very tired Olivia home. It was an exhausting and emotional day.

Friday, March 30th I was very tired today, so Olivia & I stayed in. I spent most of the day swapping out Olivia's clothes that were too small for the next sizes. This meant rearranging her dresser, the closet organizer and washing and folding. We had a pleasant break when Alexandra and James came over with sandwiches. What a treat! Then it was back to the nursery. It's a good thing we were staying quiet because Olivia was sick all afternoon. Poor baby. I was able to phone the hospital and speak 'to' my grandfather who was now in hospice care. The rest of the day was spent taking care of my sick baby and on the phone with Connecticut.

Saturday, March 31st Today I finished our Permanent Fund Dividend paperwork, which was difficult because Olivia was still sick and spent most of the day crying. It made it and even tougher day than it was. In the evening I was able to Skype with my sister at the hospital on her laptop. It was nice to feel that I was 'there' and to support my family.

March 18 - March 24, 2012

Sunday, March 18th Olivia & I went to church for the first time. Olivia got all dressed up in a pretty floral corduroy jumper from Mimi and ballet slippers. It was a lovely sunny day - a perfect spring morning. Olivia enjoyed listening to the choir rehearse and meeting all the wonderful members. What a good baby! She spent the whole service examining the shining gold printing on the cover of the hymnal. After the service she got to meet the rest of the church at coffee hour. It was a very special morning for us. Olivia spent the rest of the day at home and I went and visited Grandpa at the hospital for a while. In the evening, Aunty Kari read us some fun stories - including an Aunty-annotated version of The Three Bears. It was very funny.

Monday, March 19th Olivia & I get an early start. We grabbed a sandwich from the Mobil station and went to Kohl's to check out their selection of baby things. While we did not get anything for Olivia, we did find some things for a friend of a friend who is having a baby & has nothing. She is having a little boy, and while we have a few gender neutral things to pass along once, Olivia thought he would like some new clothes too. We were also on the hunt for red or blue tights for Sarah. No luck. Our next stop was the post office, to send some boxes up to Alaska, but as I was getting out of the car the phone fell in the parking lot and the face shattered. I was so distraught. So much of my world involves using the phone to stay connected to my Connecticut family, to Adam, to take photos of Olivia. I couldn't imagine being without it (or one). So I scrapped the post office and went right over to the AT&T store to get a new iPhone. Guess Adam isn't the only one getting a new phone for the redeployment! The clerk at the store was a dolt and offered me some sage advice - while I'm visibly distressed and Olivia is crying - "Well, next time try not to drop it on the front." I stared at her in silence. I couldn't decide where to begin my response to such a ridiculous comment. After that I changed Olivia's diaper in the parking lot & nursed her. We were going to meet Brigid at Starbucks but she had to delay, which was a good thing because both Olivia & I were having mini meltdowns. We went home and napped it off. We did get to see Brigid at Starbucks in the afternoon, which was very nice. Like all the visits, it seemed too short. But that's a reflection on the good company. It was very close to the time we had to pick up Mimi at school so we went right over to JPS. After school, Kari joined us for a late lunch/early dinner at Friendly's. We spent the rest of the evening at home.

 Tuesday, March 20th We spent the morning getting the rest of our things together, this is the latest I'd ever waited to pack for a trip! Then it was off to the airport to begin the long journey home. I checked more things on this return trip. I decided that I didn't need all the things I had brought as carry-ons 'in case' on the way to Connecticut. Even so, it was still a little unwieldy trying to manage Olivia, the diaper bag, the stroller, and the Boppy on the way to the security screening. In Fairbanks, Veronica had been able to walk right up to the screening with me - it's such a small airport. Here, I was going to have to manage the line alone...and what a line it was. Just as I had finally strapped everything to me and put Olivia in the stroller, the first line attendant sent me through the VIP line. Thank goodness for my military id! We zipped through the security area. Well, maybe not zipped, but it could have been a lot worse! We had gotten to the airport quicker than expected, so Olivia & I had a couple hours to wait at the gate. But that was okay, better early than rushing! Although the attendant who had checked us in had moved us to an empty row, the flight accepted so many standy-by passengers that it was completely jammed. I ended up sitting with a nice Canadian family. They were good company. Olivia was awake for the whole flight, but was pleasant and I kept her entertained. On the way off the plane everyone stopped at our row to say what a good baby she was. In Seattle, she realized how tired she was. I tried to get something to eat, but Olivia was so distraught/overtired that I was unable to eat it. She screamed so loudly that I felt sorry for the other passengers at our gate. I finally got her to sleep and she ended up sleeping for the whole flight. This one was completely full, too. It was so crowded that it was all I could do to keep from jumping out of my skin, but at least Olivia was sleeping. Veronica was waiting to get us at the airport. It was nice to be home, but boy were we tired! The house was lovely - quiet & clean. I'm so glad I did all that work before we left and so grateful for Ashley next door and Morgan who took care of the pets.

Wednesday, March 21st Olivia & I hit the ground running. We slept until our normal wake-up time, around 8:00 but then we had lots of chores to do! Lots of preparations! There were many packages waiting for us here, too. Presents from Sheryl, two big boxes of clothes from Robyn - we are so lucky to have such wonderful friends. Even though we slept for about eight hours, Olivia was still kind of cranky after our journey - I don't blame her one bit! - so we stayed close to home. We dropped off the baby things for the 'friend of a friend'. Then we met Jessica & Sarah at the Commissary. Since the cupboard was bare, we had a lot of groceries to buy! While the bagger helped me out to the car, Jessica & Sarah & Olivia went to get in line at Subway. We ate dinner in the food court and then went home.

Thursday, March 22nd Today was a day of cleaning and errands around town. We wanted everything to be perfect for Nana's arrival tomorrow night.

Olivia looking at the little birds who visit our bird-feeder.

Friday, March 23rd Another early start today. Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning! Soaking beans for soup. Making sure that Bertram looks his best. We talked to Nana as she was on her way to the airport, it was very exciting! And then we got some disappointing news. Adam was scheduled to return within the next few days, but something happened and flights were delayed. It turned out that Adam would not be here at all for his mother's visit. I knew she would be very disappointed, too. I resolved that Olivia & I would try to make this a fantastic visit - full of fun Alaskan adventures. I also knew that a friend, Christina, was coming in to town on the same flight as Cathy. She was also expecting to meet her husband here. We chatted and I invited her to join us on our day trips, etc. Hopefully she will join us. I also contacted Adam's section sergeant, Komarek, and he said he would come over and regale Cathy with stories of Adam's war-time follies. Komarek also volunteered to come over and watch Olivia while I did some chores. That was very nice. At about 9pm, I woke Olivia up and we headed over to the airport. Nana's flight was on time and we were so glad to have her here, safe & sound. We took her home and put her right to bed.

Saturday, March 24th Once Nana was up, we had a little breakfast and talked to Adam on the phone. After we were all dressed, we took her on a tour of Fort Wainwright. Then we went on some errands around town, so she could see Fairbanks. We stopped at Wal-Mart, Blueberry Baby and Value Village. We had a nice lunch at Brewster's and spent the rest of the evening at home.