Playing Catch Up

So much has changed since my last post. I have been procrastinating and a bit overwhelmed. I don't know where to start.



Dustin has joined the Army. He left on April 5th. He went to Ft. Sill, OK for Warrior Transition Course. It is a modified boot camp for prior enlisted. He really wanted to go Air Force but he didn't do very good on his test. I think that really shook his confidence and the Army said they would take him so he went. He still wants to be an officer so I think he will attempt that once things settle down. His job will be Aviation Operations. From my understanding, that means he will deal with all the administrative stuff for the planes and stuff dealing with the FAA.

Since he has been gone, I have been home with Kellen. I am so happy that I am finally a SAHM. I am also SUPER excited because on Monday, I am flying out to see him. He gets some time off on Tuesday night and his graduation is Wednesday and then he gets the rest of the day off. They don't get an overnight pass though. I fly home on Thursday and then he is off to Alabama. He will attend AIT at Ft. Rucker, AL for 8 weeks. He has been gone for 6 weeks and will still have 8 to go!

Kellen has changed so much since my last post. He now has 5 teeth. He is officially a crawler and soon to be walker. He is so much fun. I have such a blast playing with him all the time and seeing how he has progressed. I am so glad for what Dustin is doing for our family but I feel so bad that he has missed the baby. Kellen is 30in tall (75%) and 19lbs, 12oz (25%). I am a little surprised by his weight. I thought he weighed more but recently he has become alot more active so I guess it makes sense.

This is Kellen with my flowers he sent me for Mother's Day.

I have been watching the blogs of other people and I am jealous of how crafty they are. I have bought some stuff to start scrapbooking I am going to try my hand at that. I realized that I had a ton of photos of Kellen but they were all digital. I finally got around to printing them and as soon as I get them, I am going to town. I am going to try to bleach print some shirts for Kellen and I bought a hot glue gun. Not sure what I need it for but doesn't every good crafter need one? :-)

Tooth and Air Force

So I am happy to say that Kellen has cut his first tooth.
Here is the story: I called Dustin on my way home from work and Kellen was throwing a fit in the background. I guess he was sleeping and suddenly woke up and started crying and wouldn't stop. I could hear the stress and concern in Dustin's voice. When I got home, Dustin was walking Kellen around and he had stopped crying. I could tell they were both happy to see me.
I knew Kellen started teething because he was trying to chew on everything he could get his hands on. I had also seen a little white spot on his gum a few days ago so I knew the tooth was coming. I decided to check on it because I suspected that the combo of tooth pain and sleepiness was the cause of his fit. I saw a big white spot and when I rubbed my finger on it, I could feel the sharp little tooth. After some good cuddling, I finally got him to fall asleep in his swing.
I can't believe how quickly he has grown. Now if I can just get him to start sleeping through the night. (Dustin says its my fault because I pick him up at every wimper.I can't resist though. I hate to see him sad.)
Dustin is currently studying to take the AFOQT (Air Force Officer's Qualifying Test). This will allow him to be approved to go to OTS (Officer Training School). Going back into the Air Force will be a sensible move but it isn't where is heart necessarily is. I know that he would love to get a great job as a Graphic/Web Designer and let me stay home with the baby. The Air Force will allow us to do that and maybe let us see the world.
Anyways... After finally cracking open the book today, he saw that there is some areas where he could improve. The test is scheduled for Thursday but he talked to the recruiter today and found out that they give the test every month. I think putting off for a month is wise. If he takes it this week, he can't take it again for 6 months but if he waits, he has alot more time to study. Math and vocabulary are his weaknesses. He just needs to remember all the things he learned back in the day. They reccomend you study the SAT books to prepare. We'll see how it goes. I am trying to help him study. I look at things and know the answer so sometimes it is hard for me to explain it. I thnk this is good practice for when Kellen needs help with his homework. I know Dustin is smart but he isn't the best test taker. The better he scores, the more career oppurtunities he will have. Maybe we will luck out and he will pass with flying colors and we will get a job in the Air Force that is in his field. We can only pray.

All About Baby

1- Where were you when you first found out you were pregnant? My bathroom

2- Who was with you? No one, I was by myself

3- How did you find out that you were pregnant? Home pregnancy Test

4- What was your first reaction to finding out you were pregnant? Surprised. Even though we were trying, I was convinced it would be negative.
5- Who was the first person you told? Dustin

6-Did you plan to get pregnant? Yes

7- Did you tell everyone else right away? Yeah. After I took the 2nd test and it was positive, I started telling everyone.
8-Was everybody happy for you? Very happy. And surprised!

9- Did you go out and celebrate? Not that I remember.

10- Did you want to find out the sex? No. Dustin did so I gave in because I knew he couldn’t keep it a secret from me.

11- What was the sex? Bouncing Baby Boy

12-Did anyone throw you a baby shower? Yes, My mom and WBFF

13- Did you get any outfits at the baby shower that you just knew you weren't going to put on your baby? No. Everything was adorable but I don’t think he wore everything before outgrowing it.

14- How much weight did you gain? 30 lbs

15- Did you lose all of the weight that you gained? I am below what I weighed at 8 weeks but I still have about 10lbs more I would like to lose for sure.

16- Did you get a lot of stretch marks? I totally got them on my belly the last few weeks of my pregnancy

17- What did you crave the most? Nothing

18- WHERE DID 18 GO?

19- Did you crave anything crazy? I didn’t have cravings. I was more selective about what I could stomach.

20- Who or what got on your nerves the most? I couldn’t tolerate people’s stupidity. I spoke my mind a lot more.

21- Were you married at the time? Yes

22- Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? No. I had morning sickness pretty bad for 2 months and then had swelling at the end but I was in Tucson in the summer.

23- Where were you when you went into labor? I was in bed

24- Did your water break? Yeah. That’s how I knew I was in labor. I was in denial because my water came in two gushes. I knew for sure after the second gush.

25- Who drove you to the hospital? Dustin

26- Did you go early or late? Early, 7am

27- Who was in the room with you when you gave birth? Dustin, my doctor, the charge nurse and a student nurse.
28- How long were you in labor for? About 8 hours

29- Did you have any drugs for the pain? An epidural and it was fabulous!

30 -Did you go Natural or have a c-section? Natural. I pushed his head for and hour.
31- What was your first reaction after giving birth? I don’t even know. I think I was overwhelmed and tired.
32- How big was the baby? 7lbs, 7oz and 19.5in

33- Did your Husband cry? Nope

34- What did you name the baby? Kellen Reed

35- Does the name have any significant meaning? We just liked Kellen and Reed is Dustin’s middle name.
36- Did you have any visitors? My parents

37- Did the baby have any complications? Picture Perfect health

38- How old is your baby today? 5 months

39- When is the next one coming? Not until Kellen is potty trained. I can’t do 2 sets of diapers.
40-If you could, would you do it all over again? Absolutely. I had a blast and got the best result.

Changes

So alot has happened since my last blog. I will try to catch up.

The day after my last post, the Director of my campus was fired. YIPPEE!!! He was a drunk, sexist jerk who had a personal vendetta against me. I was told by my director that I had a target on my back and he was trying to get my fired. Needless to say, the entire school was rejoicing. The next day, my Director was fired too. We all knew that it was coming, we just thought it wouldn't happen till the beginning of the year. Don't get me wrong, he was a nice guy and he had good intentions, he just was really bad boss. I guess he already has a new job which is better suited to his skills.

Things on the home front are good. I still have a happy, healthy family. Dustin had an interview that he thought went well but he hasn't heard anything back from them. He has made the decision to try to get back into the Air Force. I think he feels like he needs to do anything to support his family. Circuit City isn't cutting it. I am not sure how to feel about it. I know there are many benefits if he gets back in. I think I am just scared of the unknown. My biggest concern is selling the house. The housing market sucks and I don't want to deal with all that but you have to do what you gotta do.

Kellen is amazing. He is so tall. He still fits into his 3-6 onesies but is in 6-9 pants and sleepers. I can't believe he is already 5 months old. Time really does fly. My parents are amazing. They got us a playpen and high chair for christmas. Perfect timing because he was too long for his basinette and since he isn't sleeping through the night yet, I haven't put him in his crib. Yes, I am too lazy to walk to the other side of the house to nurse him several times a night.

I have been on vacation since the 20th. It has been amazing. I haven't really done anything. Now that I am going back, I have a list of things I would like to do around the house but I know I am not going to get around to them. If we have to sell this bad boy, I better get it looking in tip top shape.

Work and Pumpkin Seeds

So I am sitting at my desk supposed to be working. The problem is that there isn't any work for me to do and if I get caught not working, I will be in trouble. I have like 4 potential students but I have already called them twice today. Does anybody know of anyone who would like to go to school at ITT? They are great programs. I promise.

I am also eating pumpkin seeds and they are hurting my lip. They are the David brand and I have come to realize that David puts too much salt on all their products. I don't really care for pumplkin seeds. I think I am only eating them because I am bored. The only time I like pumpkin seeds is the ones you make at Halloween after carving pumpkins. Yummy.

Kellen Reed McInelly

In October 2007, Dustin and I decided that it was time to start a family. On December 7, 2007, (6 weeks after being off birth control) we found out we were expecting.

My pregnancy was a breeze. I had a rough couple months because Morning Sickness was brutal. I actually lost 8lbs but I quickly regained them. :-)

While pregnant, I still worked full time and was a full time student.

Dustin and I were both convinced that we were going to have a girl. We both dreamed of it but the morning of the Ultrasound, the Doctor said "Look at his little Snail." We were both shocked. I think I was scared at the beginning because I didn't know what to do with a boy. I couldn't be happier now. Now I think I am scared to have a girl because my little boy is such an angel.

July 30, 2005: I woke up at 5:30 (to go pee like all preggos do) and I felt a *gush.* I was in complete denial that it was my water because I wasn't due for 12 more days. I got up and started feeling the start of contractions. I woke up Dustin and he got frantic and said we needed to get to the hospital ASAP. I told him to calm down and we didn't need to rush. I got in the shower and all the while, my contractions were increasing. After the shower, I called my parents and sat down to rest and felt a bigger *gush.* The rest of my water broke so we grabbed everything and got the hospital.

I was checked in by 7 and at 7:30, I was only 2cm dialated. My contractions were getting stronger and stronger and I wasn't feeling good. I had my epidural by 9:30. It was the best thing ever and I was already 5cm dialated. Everything went like a whirlwind after that. At 12:30 I started pushing and at 1:33, I had a beautiful baby boy.

Kellen Reed was 7lbs, 7oz and 19.5 inches. He had big blue green eyes and was very alert and inquisitive. He is now 4 months old and weighs 15lbs, 4oz and is 26in long. (His length is in the 90th percentile.) I have a giant baby. :-)

We named him Kellen because we heard the name and fell in love with it. Reed is Dustin's middle name.

I thank God for him everyday and look forward to seeing his smiles every morning and everyday when I get home from work. He has started teething, he can roll over and he can stand supported. He is very smart and talented. Just like his parents. :-)

Starting things off

I saw that everyone seems to have a blog and maybe I was feeling a little left out so I created one.

A little about me:

After graduation I moved to Tucson to attend UofA. I did that for 3.5 years and realized that I didn't like it as much as I should of so I took time off to figure out what I wanted. In that time, I got hired at ITT Tech and saw a totally different way of education and I liked it so I started attending in September 2005. I just grauated with my B.S in Information Systems Security in September 2008. I am a certified computer nerd.

I met my husband, Dustin, in July 17, 2003 while I was waitressing at Red Robin. He had been stationed in Tucson for about 2 weeks. When I first saw him, I thought he was really cute and I knew he had a good personality because he was wearing a Super Mario T-Shirt. He wrote down his phone number on his credit card slip (which is totally out of character for him) and I called him (which is totally out of character for me). We have been together ever since. He had to serve 3 months in Iraq which was really hard on us. We were apart over the Holiday Season but he proposed to me a few days after he got back home. We were married on July 23, 2005.

Dustin is a very talented Graphic Designer now and he just graduated with his B.S. in Digital Entertainment and Game Design.

We had our first son, Kellen, on July 30, 2008. He is a true little blessing. He makes everyday so much fun and I thank God for him everyday. He is the best baby and that is coupled with my really easy pregnancy. The worst part was the 4 months of Morning Sickness I dealt with.

I am still working at ITT Tech as a Student Enrollment Representative. It is my job to make sure this is the right school for potential students and help them get on track to obtaining a degree and reaching their goals. I really like my job because everyday I get to help strangers turn their lives around. I would like to get into my field of study and actually utilize the degree I invested my time and money into. More than that, I want to be in a steady financial situation so I can be a Stay At Home Mommy. I pray everyday that the economy will turn around and that Dustin will find that good job. For now, I am blessed to have a job and a fantastic family.

I think that is the past 8 years in a nutshell.