Family of Four

Tristan is finally here!! We're all home and doing well. Justin has maternity leave for the next 10 days to help out, but it already feels like we're on a schedule. Tristan is a really good sleeper, we have to wake him up to feed him sometimes. Tommy loves him, I have to put Tristan in his crib every time he sleeps because if he's anywhere in Tommy's line of view then Tommy is going to want to play with him. We let Tristan finish his nap in his carseat when we got home, and I caught Tommy bent over him asking "you want out?" and then proceeding to tickle him.

Friday afternoon we went shopping for flowers that we're planting on our balcony. Later we were going to take a boat ride across the river going through our little town, but my water broke at the store. Kind of embarrassing, but it'll make for some good jokes later I'm sure. So we went home to pack my hospital bag really quick and then headed to the hospital. The labor was pretty quick, no complications. It was wonderful. Having Justin there meant so much to me. When I had Tommy Justin was in basic training. We spent three days in the hospital and got to come home yesterday morning. The hospital was awesome, I loved it.

Tristan Caleb Brooke was born June 12th at 1:16am, 8 lbs 21.5 inches. Big healthy boy. He looks so much like Tommy when he was a newborn, but their personalities are definitely different.

Add some cuteness to your day!

Decisions, decisions...

So much going on this summer! Not only are we adding another little person to our family, but Justin and I need to decide on where we want to be stationed next and if he's going to re-enlist for another 3-5 years.

This August marks Justin's 3 year anniversary in the military. So far it's been hard, but wonderful. We love Germany and all the benefits that come with being in the military. The health insurance is incredible. On the other hand, it would be nice to live near family and Justin will have a few career opportunities thanks to the training he's gotten in the military. He's up for a promotion this August and is doing really well in his field. There are a lot of pros and cons to both decisions and so we're working on figuring things out. We'll need to make a decision within the next couple of months. We'll let you know how it goes and what we decide.

Also to consider, where we want to be stationed next. We can stay in Germany for an extra year (then he will have finished his enlistment) or we can choose to move back to the states for the last 12 months of his enlistment. I think I would prefer to be stationed in Texas or California for that last year so we can be closer to family (much closer!) because I want Tristan and Tommy to have their grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles nearby. We do have an opportunity to go to Hawaii, but he would have to re-enlist because you can't stay in Hawaii for less than 2 years, and he will only have a year left. Tempting!

Justin and I are still in awe how fast the last 3 years have went by. We still feel "new" to the military and it's hard to believe we're well over 1/2 of his 5 year enlistment. He will have 3 years inactive duty after his 5 year active duty is over, but we will be able to live wherever we want and it won't disrupt his new job. Most soldiers in Justin's field have a job lined up 6 months before their enlistment is over, so we're counting on a few options to choose from if we decide not to re-enlist. We're hoping to get interviews in Arizona, but most positions for Justin's field open up in Alabama where the main calibration team is located, which is what Justin does in the military, calibration. You'll have to ask Justin to explain what exactly that is because I will for sure just confuse you. :)

So we have a lot on our plate this summer. Stay in the military, get promoted and live closer to family (or in HAWAII!)? Or get out of the military, live where we want and have a regular career and get paid more?

Decisions, decisions!

I leave you with a cute picture of my new niece Kristabelle Victoria, isn't she cute!

In Your Face, Justin.

Observe --> Justin and I like to debate who Tommy is most like. I say he is more like me, Justin thinks Tommy is his little clone. I now have documented proof that Tommy's apple didn't fall far from his mommy's tree.

For those who don't know this about me (in which case you don't pay enough attention to me, so shame on you) I am an extreme perfectionist. This both frustrates yet pleases Justin. He's happy his wife keeps the house sparkling clean even when she feels like she's dying from the flu, yet he hates watching me, giving him a disapproving look, fix the remote he just turned out of line with the others. Yep, it's that bad.

Tommy is the same way. I don't know if it's because he watches me and notices me lining things up, but he has been lining up his cars from biggest to smallest for the past 6 months. If I come by and move one, he fixes it. The picture up there is just one example. As an experiment I turned one car away from the others, and sure enough, he fixed it.

I consider us pretty lucky that Tommy is so tidy. Now Justin is the odd one out and I don't have to feel like a weirdo. Tommy may look more like Justin, but he has my personality! Attaboy Tommy!

The Best Pasta Salad. Ever.

Pay attention, folks. I'm about to give you the best pasta salad recipe you have ever tasted. Tommy gobbles it up and he doesn't even like food.

Exhibit A.

So, let me get right down to it. Here is the recipe. I don't have exact measurements but trust me, you don't need them. This recipe is fool proof.

Ingredients:

1. One box penne pasta

2. About a cup of pesto (best if homemade, but I get mine from the German deli)

3. Two handfuls of baby spinach

4. About a half cup of feta cheese.

5. About a cup of lite ranch dressing. (Come on now, don't use anything but Hidden Valley)

6. Cup and a half of cherry tomatoes.

Directions:

Cook penne per box instructions. Al dente is best. Drain and cool with cold water. Pour into a bowl. Stir in pesto, ranch and feta. Mix well. Add baby spinach and cherry tomatoes.

It's super easy and delicious. I hardly ever make it because I've been known to eat too much of it if left alone with the bowl. It's good in the fridge for about 3 days, but definitely better fresh.

You're welcome!

As you can see, I leave out the tomatoes. Yuck. I add them only if I'm making it for a party because it adds a pretty color.

Olive Fingers!

I had to share this picture of Tommy. He discovered olives have perfect holes for his little fingers. I couldn't get him to eat them, but at least he found some sort of use for them!

So excited!!!

Good news, and bad news. The past two days have been a mixture of both.

I woke up Wednesday morning feeling perfectly normal, went about the day as usual. Justin came home for lunch, we ate together and then when he left Tommy laid down for a nap. I decided to catch up on emails and sat down at the computer. After a few minutes I started

feeling kind of strange and I stood up and noticed my right leg was really swollen, while the left side was perfectly normal. I've been swollen the past few months here and there, but nothing like this. I was also seeing little floating stars in my vision.

So I called my doctor, as usual her line was busy. So I called the hospital and they said I should come in, swelling in just one leg is usually a bad sign of either pre-eclampsia or a blood clot. So Justin came home and we went to the hospital. My blood pressure was low, my temp. and pulse were all normal. My blood work came back and they said my iron was really low and could be causing the sparkly flecks I had been seeing in my vision the past few weeks. Pre-eclampsia was ruled out, so they decided to keep me for two days to monitor my swelling and do more tests to see if it could be a blood clot.

It was a boring two days. My swelling went away, and I had to have the baby's heart beat monitored twice a day for 30 min. each. Everything came out fine. This morning they did a really extensive ultrasound to check absolutely everything on Tristan. They said he seems to be a really healthy baby but were concerned because he's not getting enough blood flow from me. I'm going to be getting more ultrasounds to see if it gets better. The baby is really big, the doctor says the baby will probably come early since he is so long and has put on a lot of weight. He is 5 lbs and I'm not quite 33 weeks yet. Healthy boy!

I got to see a lot of the hospital and meet the doctors there, it was awesome. This hospital has EVERYTHING! I'll have a midwife that stays with me throughout my labor and delivery giving me massages, walking around the hospital with me, and coaching me through the delivery. They have several big jacuzzi bathtubs that I can stay in as long as I want to help me relax, with classical music playing. It's so cool! It has me so excited that I'm actually thinking I won't need an epidural this time. My doctor is convinced my labor and delivery will be quick, I fully dilated with Tommy in only 3-4 hours. He says I may not even have time to get an epidural if I progress fast again, which I should. So I may try to do this completely natural and see how it goes. I don't want to be stuck in the hospital bed the whole time like I was with Tommy. That is the goal, we'll see if my mind changes while I'm actually in labor. :)

So good news: the baby is big and healthy and most likely coming early. Bad news: my iron is low as well as my blood pressure, and the blood flow to the baby may not be ideal. I have an appointment next week and the doctor is going to double check everything then, I hope my iron and blood flow rights itself by then. I should have taken some pictures of the awesome hospital I'll be in but I just didn't think about it! I did find some on the internet though. You can see how big it is, and lucky for me the labor and recovery rooms are at the top, so it's a beautiful view. You can see my house in the second picture, I live literally 3 minutes away. I'm feeling good now and so excited to meet our new baby!

~Brittney