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.