xmas2012

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He's just preparing for the big day/ 5 months

Yeah, looks like we have a little Halloween tradition goin' on.  Once Hans sees his costume...he must put it on every.single.day. That polyester has got to be sticky and hot (not to mention flammable), but homeboy doesn't care. 

The actual 'name' of this costume is Dragonsaurus, but Meathead calls it "Godzilla."  Whatever keeps him from having a 3 year-old mental breakdown, right?

On to Rowan<3, he's 5 months old (time is flying with this babe) and I just started him on baby oatmeal cuz he's hungry ALLLL of the time and he's sucking the life outta me lol. He smiles roughly 18 hours a day, is ticklish, laughs at his derranged brother, and doesn't give a cat's meow about rolling over.  We have decided that Rowan is the 'thinker' of the family (Thank God, cuz we need one). One of our weird family hobbies is saying what Rowan looks like he's thinking. Here are a few of the keepers:

"I can't believe I got dealt these cards."
"I'm graduating a year early from high school so I can get out of here."
"I hate you, Hans."
"Really Mom?  Why must you always have it on the Hallmark channel!"
"Is Dad ever coming home again?"
"Clovis, New Mexico is the worst place ever."

6 More Months Til' Moustache March

I don't blame the new tasche fad that is sweeping the nation.  I blame his father, mainly for growing one every single deployment and the beloved month of March...year after year after year.    Sometimes I could just kick the Air Force in the face.  Hans has spent the last 2 days playing and watching "Dino Dan" with this Mr. Potato Head accessory in his mouth.

And this face, well this face makes it easier to deal with Hans wanting a real moustache when he grows up.

I wanna go back

(Eddie Money has a regular spin spot in this house)

Hans started MDO, Rowan turned 3 months, we got new carpet...I know I know, I'm just so interesting.
Let me explain the title before I just post pics and call it a morning.
Now that my day consists of Hans and Rowan (I literally wake up, blink and then it's 8pm), time is flying. These days are going too quickly.  So, I'm doing my best to just soak up the boy love in this ole' house.  I have never felt more fulfilled than I do right now. 

First day of school.  This kid was so happy and excited that he didn't even say goodbye to me.  Whatevs.

Rowan is grinning cuz Hans is at school= peace and quiet.  No really, Rowan is the easiest babe ever.  He just hangs out and enjoys the Eulberg show day in and day out. I love this little guy so much and if I test the powers that be, I'm pretty sure that I'll never get another laid back child again.
But you know me... I get a kick out of testing the powers that be.

My photographer is better than yours

The first of many

Rowan- 7 weeks

Toes in the sand, suckas!

Me and the boys will be livin' it up in beachy, beautiful and sunny (well maybe not right now) Florida for the next 3 weeks. 
Trips to Destin beach, oysters from Pensacola, maybe a pizza or two from Helen Back's, Juana's on a live-band night, midnight girltalk sessions on the porch (20 yards from the bay)... well I could go on but then I'd probably be added to some hitlists*

*I'm already on some hitlists. 

Friends with benefits

(it's not what you think hehehehe)

Gay and Johnnie's bedroom had some great natural light goin' on this morning, so I took some pics of the boys.  Then my bestie Candice gone and done edited them.  NOW we're talkin'!

It's like I'm on tour.

In the last month I: had a baby, loaded Baby up and headed to Texas, celebrated Hans' 3rd Birthday (ACK!), sent Justin off to Alabama for the summer, aided my parents in the birthing of 18 goats, put Hans is swimming lessons, and started my "Joanie gets her rockin' bod back" workout regime. 

Next Friday I will: load the newborn and Hans up and start driving. Where, you might ask?  Everywhere.  Why?  Cuz I'm a warrior.

lol

Rowan update:  He's such an easy baby-  breastfeeds like a champ, sleeps for insanely long periods of time (he can sleep thru anything- poor guy has a loudmouth mother and brother) and is a pooping machine, AND...Rowan is a snuggler.  Just like his brother. I love that so much. Yum. He looks a little like Hans, has my brother Clint's nose, Justin's lips and my almond-shaped eyes. But Gay says he looks just like my brother Justin.  It's too early to tell, people!

Hans update:  He's almost 3 and is the size of most 6 year-olds, almost completely potty-trained and loves himself some dinosaurs.  His fave: T-Rex.  We took him to Dinosaur World in Glen Rose, Texas, last Friday and celebrated with cake at Mimi and Papa's (Uncle Clint and Aunt Jennifer were also there for the blessed event).  He's currently in swimming lessons and poor Ms. Bethany spends the first 10 minutes of every day listening to rants dedicated to dineroraurs (dinosaurs) and daggies (dragons).

Justin and Joanie update:  Well, Justin has gone to Alabama for 8ish weeks of training.  Lousy timing but a wonderful opportunity for him (and we're thankful for those).  I'm already missing him terribly and I know he's missing Hans and Baby Rowan, but we'll be making our way to him soon enough. And I've started my borderline psychotic diet and exercise program.  Neck-deep into Day 3 and I can't feel my legs anymore and my arms are bumpin'. I've got some work to do.  Time and patience. Time and patience (that's what I keep chanting to myself). 

                                                                 Rowan- 1 month

                                 Dinosaur World!  Next to Dad's childhood fave- Stegosaurus

                                                          Happiness is Dinosaur cake!

Rowan Patrick Eulberg

6 days late but here's the post- Rowan Patrick arrived May 8, 2012 at 3:24 a.m. (that was fun) weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring 20 inches long.  He's perfect, yummy and so chill.  An absolute angel. I have to wake him up to feed him- how did I get so lucky??!!

I had a very long labor but a short delivery.  I feel great, so great that Gay has threatened to get on the Greyhound bus because "I don't need her help."  No! Wait, Gay!  I'm putting on my pajamas and staying in them all day! Don't. Leave. Please.

So in wrapping this up, I'm the happiest girl alive and even having my cell phone stolen from my car during Mother's Day worship service won't ruin this euphoric feeling. 

And...I already want another one (baby, not another stolen phone incident).

Wahoooooooo!

I'm getting induced on Monday at 7:30am!  I don't know how I'm going to get any sleep this weekend.  Exciting times!

According to ultrasound today, Rowan weighs 8 and 1/2 pounds and has some cheeks.  I'm already so in love with this pudgy bundle of goodness, I can't imagine what is coming my way in just a short couple days. 

                                                                          40+ weeks

Life is good and there is much to be joyous about.

Going, going, almost gone

Today is my due date.  And I'm obvs not in labor.
If any of you believe in witchcraft and wizardry, cast a spell for me.
If any of you light candles, strike a match already.
Thanks a million.

                                              40 weeks

p.s.  I am happy to report (or brag, you choose) that I still have no stretch marks.  Eat your heart out.
        

The Last...Easter

I've been crying a lot.  Not cuz I have a billion extra hormones surging thru my body but because Hans is about to be an only child no more.  He's my first baby.  We've been thru so much together, I mean, Justin has been deployed or tdy for over half of his life and it has just been me and my little mancub.  We've put tens of THOUSANDS of miles on the vehicle together, stopped at our fair share of shady gas stations together, been dead sick all alone together, fussed at the dogs together, memorized Sirius Radio's 80's on 8 playlist and lyrics together...and now I'll have to split my attention between 2 babies. 

(Sidenote)
Gay has become concerned and intervened.  She's the one who told me that I need to stop calling Hans 'Baby Hans.' She also ordered and sent a book from Amazon (this is huge as Gay + interwebs = virus-filled CPU) entitled, "A Baby Is Coming To My House." I've been instructed to read this book daily to Hans.  I'm also getting the standard Gay voicemail guilt trip, "Joan, Baby Hansie deserves a whole lot. A whole lot.  He has a little soul."
(End Sidenote)

So, Hans, one day when you're reading up on your mother's blog (not that you or any other kid is gonna give a rip), please know that you're the moon of my life, I didn't know love or life before you, and you'll always be my sweet German baby.

The bloody end of my rope

There. I said it.

I'm 36+ weeks and I went to the commissary this morning and bought myself a bottle of castor oil and a few (5) fresh pineapples. 
Justin's going tdy tomorrow but do I care if I go into labor without him? Nope.
I'm at "that" stage where sleep at night is a joke and my hands are falling asleep constantly.
This kid, weighing in at 7 pounds, is head-down and determined to up my chances of becoming an avid Flomax pill-popper.
I'm making a lot of unnatural sounds, so much so that while cuddling (if you can even call it that when I'm the size I am) last night Justin said, "I'm starting to feel guilty for getting you pregnant."

Bottom line:  I'm ready to meet Rowan and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to help him rear his precious head.
Advice gladly welcomed.

Rowan's comin' on up!

This past weekend was overwhelming. Our dear friends threw us an epic celebration which involved much food, beverage, the most beautiful cake ever, an industrial-sized bouncy house and gifts galore. (I love that military folk usually throw "family friendly" celebrations, as our husbands are never home and we need to GET OUT! of the house.)

And meet the heroes of the day:

Dulane is obvs on the left.  She is the most easy going military wife that I've ever met and she's always down for a girls night.  She co-hosted Rowan's shower and is 10 weeks pregnant to boot.  She's a trooper alright. I would do just about anything for this broad.

In the middle is Andrea- her hubs and Justin became entirely too close on their last deployment and when she and I hit it off...I mean we HIT. IT. OFF.  She's about as blunt as I am.  I love her and she took on planning Rowan's shower on top of working 50+ hour weeks and raising a 2 and 18 year old. 

On the right is my Julie.  She took me on as a friend during the roughest patch of my life last year and we keep each other planted in this God-forsaken town with our love of the beach, online shopping and fashion.  Her hubs is also gone all of the friggin' time and she managed to co-host this shindig with 4 year old twins and 2 year old in tow.

And here...is my cake:

Isn't it perfect?!?!  It matches Rowan's bedding- old-fashion nursery rhymes. 

And finally, the nursery.  Gay and Johnnie slaved away and here it is: (sans curtains, pics and decorations)

And one more for the road, me at 34 weeks. I'm officially getting "puffy" (as is well-shown in the pic)  and feeling exhausted by noon every day.  You know it's bad when I feel accomplished if:

1. Hans makes it out of his pajamas

2. The pooches get fed

3. We don't run out of toilet paper

4. The trash gets taken out on Thursday

(look at my hunka hunka hubs.  He didn't gain any sympathy weight during this pregnancy and is as buff as ever.  I don't know how he has resisted the load of crap I have in the pantry.)

Slooooooooow down

In the last few weeks I've begun nesting.  Really I've just been throwing away a mass of good quality items without remorse or even considering hauling it to Goodwill. And Justin gets real mad when I don't haul said quality items to Goodwill...so I've been nesting while he's at work. teehee. We have too much stuff in this crackerbox!

Last weekend we took our final roadtrip before Rowan's arrival to Ruidoso with friends.  It was relaxing and grand in that I didn't have to cook dinner every night. We (Justin) took Hans tubing at Winter Park and I got plenty of girl time in between chasing and putting 5 rugrats in time-out.  Sometimes I'm so thankful that God put me in a military lifestyle- I've made dear friends of all personalities and histories. We have a common bond and help each other out in ways "regular" women just don't get.  And although at times I wish I could live in the same city forever, down the road from Grandma and Grandpa and all of my old friends, I'm on an adventure that forces me to branch out, examine myself and open up to new opportunities and people.  And it has changed me for the better, thank the Lord for that.

On the Rowan homefront, I had a check-up a few days ago.  Turns out "things" are progressing and I am to start weekly visits from now on.  My midwife thinks that I'll deliver by 37-38 weeks...that's mid April aaaaaaahhhhhhhh!  When I called Justin and told him that my cervix is beginning to thin he said, "Oh boy. I think my cervix just thinned out a little bit."
What a clownshow. 
So I still have nothing done in the nursery.  Enter Gay and Johnnie.  They'll be here thru the weekend, Johnnie will start painting and Gay will start sewing.  And everything will be okay.  Because there's not much Gay can't do.  And I'm helpless, even still at 33, without Gay. And I'm not ashamed to admit it. Cuz I just did.

Seaworld part deux and the Billy Goat Hoof Incident of 2012

Justin had a 4-day weekend (thank you, kind sir, for your service) so we hit the road for a whirlwind tour of Texas.  We never thought that we'd be that parental unit, going to nearly any length to see Hans' face light up with joy.  But we are and I digress.

Seaworld was a blast- Hans is now tall enough to ride the kids' rides (my baby's growin' up). And of course we had to hit the Shamu show "One Ocean."  I have been trying to figure out why I've been so fascinated with Shamu for the past few years and Justin wrapped it up for me:

"Of course you would like the show where things go one of two ways:  Shamu performs as expected or kills a trainer."

So true.

After leaving San Antonio, we headed out to my parents', as they needed our (Justin's) help with the Billy Goat 'Nero' (but Gay calls him 'Buddy' instead because Nero was so evil in the Bible...shocker). Anyhoo, Buddy weighs more than 290 pounds and (sidenote) his horns frighten me.  My Dad started trimming his hooves, and cut a little too much off of one.  I won't go into the amount of blood loss but I will list some of the vocal reactions:

Hans: "Oh nooooooooo."

Gay: "He's gonna need a transfusion."

Me: "Dad, you hit an artery."
Gay: "Nooooo, he didn't hit an artery....but almost."

Gay: "Johnnie, Buddy is going to pass out."

Me: "Are we gonna watch this goat bleed out? 
Me:  "I'm feeling light-headed."
Me: "I better go up to the house."

FOR ALL OF YOU CONCERNED ABOUT POOR OL' BUDDY, HE IS ALIVE AND WELL.
He is just walking around with a makeshift boot fashioned out of an old washcloth and duct tape.

The Pregnancy Post

I kept such a detailed journal of my pregnancy with Hans..and I'm feeling a little guilty as time has flown this time around with Baby Rowan and I've documented very little.  This pregnancy has been such a surprise from the get-go. I found out that we were expecting 5 days after Justin deployed- you can imagine that phone call!  There was a lot of laughter and joy involved.


Due Date? May 1, 2012.  I am 29 weeks as of tomorrow.
Morning Sickness? Yes. I wasn't sick a single day with Hans but sweet Rowan has been a stinker!  I finally started feeling good and energetic around week 20. I would've bet $$$ that this baby was a girl but Ha!
Weight Gain? I'm the size of a dolphin and a whale.  I have gained 30 pounds but let us keep in mind that I was 23 pounds heavier at this point with Hans soooooo...I win.
How am I carrying? Low, very low.  Hans was swinging from my ribcage and Rowan is head down and playing my bladder like a drum. It's all good.
Aches and Pains?  I'm gettin' old. I don't know how Gay (my mother) did this into her 40's! I'm so crickitty crackity at night...it's just sad.
Cravings?  TACO SALAD (every day please), wings, seafood, blackberries, whole milk, pineapple, black olives, sherbet, caffeine free diet pepsi (and I'm a Diet Coke girl!!!!!!!!) and Twix.
Emotional? I'm so tenderhearted these days. I was so chill with Hans and now, I will cry so fast your head will spin. 
Does Hans know what's about to go down? Yes and no.  He's all about the babies anywhere we go, but it'll be a challenge once Rowan's here (as he's had Momma's undivided attention for nearly 3 years). Justin and I are so happy that Hans is getting a little brother. It's just what our high-energy mancub needs. 

We can't wait to meet this precious Rowan who is so active and spunky.  How did I get so lucky?

Grab a newspaper and settle in already

For the past few weeks we've been in the throws of potting training.  What that really means is Hans runs around naked all day every day with me watching him like a hawk (I knew Gay's ol' hawk eyes would eventually rub off on me) and repeating, "Hansie, do you need to go potty?"

He's pretty consistent with going "#1" and I don't have to remind him much anymore.

But going "#2" in the toilet, therein lies the challenge.  Let's put it this way: Hans likes to drop the kids everywhere BUT the pool.
He likes the kids to go in his hands.
His favorite John Deere toy tractor, well it gets some kids on occasion. (Hans actually goes to the trouble of backing his booty up and pooping directly on top of a toy) 
His bedroom door during naptime, kids all over it.
I could elaborate more but I'll spare you the gag reflex you may or may not have by now.
And I thought that with Justin home Hans would step-up and be a man.
Negative.
When Hans pulls these shenanigans, Dad has to exit the building whilst gagging and carrying on.
It's hard to distinguish what I'm more frustrated with at this point:  Hans and his fecal creativity or Justin and his hyperreflexia.

Will someone please hand Hans the memo that it's about to get real in 12 weeks and I don't have the time nor the energy to play these poop games?

I fought the blog and the blog won

Justin, my husband, and I have spent the last 3 years debating on whether or not I should start a blog.

Justin: "Blogs are for lame moms who are seeking attention and have nothing better to do."
Me: "But I'm funny."
(silence)

I win. But I usually do. Really though, there's just too much about our life that can't be confined to a couple of facebook status updates per day. Here we go:

Justin and I knew each other for 3 years and one day realized that we really really liked each other. Enter the whirlwind romance which resulted in an elopement that shocked the family (we're all friends now). And so for the past 5+ years we've:
moved 3 times (home is where the Air Force sends you right?...lol)
fought hard
loved hard
cried hard
laughed all night
pushed thru deployments
found happiness in Clovis, NM (you have no idea)
Well, you get the idea. But most importantly we got this...

And this:

Life is good.