Separation Anxiety.

Kaiden and I have a morning routine. He usually wakes up and comes into my room to wake me up. I try and bring him into bed with me so I can get a few more minutes of sleep buuuuut...it never works. At that point, he usually tries to jump on me and so my little, living alarm clocks wins the battle. We go downstairs and I make breakfast. Sometimes it's eggs or omelettes...sometimes it's pancakes or waffles...but the easiest is fruit and cereal/oatmeal. His breakfast keeps him entertained enough that I can eat mine and do my devotion's at the same time, which is nice.But lately, our morning routines have included sad faces and some cries. Kaiden sees a picture of him and his daddy on the wall and gets sad. He will point to it, say "No, no, no" and reach out his hand as if the picture itself would come alive for him to touch. It breaks my heart since he seems to do it every meal time. This is just one of the many signs Kaiden has been showing of a common occurence in military children (or kids whose dads frequently travel for work) called separation anxiety. I always thought that those two words only dealt with a baby or child's going through a "stage." But nope. It is very normal for little ones to experience this with deployed parents or parents who frequently go on TDY's, like Ethan. For a while, I didn't understand why Kaiden was being so needy or clingy. It wasn't until Ethan saw something on a military channel (while overseas) about separation anxiety that we made the connection this is what Kaiden was dealing with. It makes sense. Dad is in your life one week and then gone for several more. And the cycle repeats itself. Over these past few months, Kaiden's consistent sleeping habits have gone out the window...eating habits too. He wakes up in the middle of the night with bad dreams and only wants to sleep in my bed. For several weeks I was doing nothing but rocking him to sleep, multiple times in the night. He has been throwing more tantrums, testing my limits more and always wants me to by his side. If he hears the sound of a diesel truck, he runs to the door thinking it's his dad's and waits for someone to walk through the door. There are just so many little things he does that all point back to his daddy being gone.Thankfully, this past week things seem to have gotten better. He has been sleeping through the night for the past few days and I no longer have to rock him, so long as I sit by his door while he falls asleep. We are looking at pictures of Ethan constantly, talking about where his daddy is and I'm always reminding him how much we love him and won't leave him. I'm just grateful for technology and the fact that we can Skype or FaceTime on occasion. Kaiden gets sooooooooo incredibly excited and there are so many moments throughout the day where he grabs my phone and tells me he wants to talk to da-da. Whenever Ethan calls, Kaiden takes the phone around the house and shows his dad all his toys and is always talking a million miles an hour. He doesn't like to include me either lol. I guess that is HIS time with dad and he doesn't want to share it. We've been making the most of these months and I just can't wait for Ethan to get back home this week. We will have another two weeks together before he leaves again but thankfully after that TDY he should be home until baby is born and won't be gone again until July. That gives us a good two straight months together. I knew that this would be a part of our military life but I never realized the impact that it would have on our kids. It makes me all the more appreciative of the time I do have with my husband and for those mom's with multiple kids whose husband's are gone even more frequently than mine. The biggest thing this has all taught me is to have complete dependence on God...because the Lord knows I surely couldn't do this on my own.Are there any other military wives or even civilian wives whose husband is gone a lot that can relate? Feel free to share below! It's always encouraging knowing that we are all in this together. :)

Baby Girl's 4D Ultrasound Pics

It's been a busy few days for us, today included. We had another 4-D ultrasound since Baby wouldn't cooperate last time and we also got some maternity photos taken by a friend! I just wanted to quickly share some of the 4D pics that we recieved today. The reason Baby Girl wouldn't cooperate is because she sleeps with her hands covering her face. She was like this even at our hospital ultrasound so I'm guessing that's her comfortable position. She did a bit better today but the pics still aren't as clear as what others may get. I guess that's the risk you take when you do these ultrasounds but it was still amazing to just watch her yawn, smile and move around...even if her face was buried in the placenta or covered with her hands and feet. :) 

She reminds me so much of Kaiden in this picture. She definitely has the same nose as him. ^^

It was pretty awesome watching her smile... ^^

Our little sleepyhead ^^

She was getting very doze covering her face with her hands and feet. Not sure how this position could be comfortable... ^^

It almost looks like she is praying!

Pointing her fingers at the camera :)

My little hippie child...Kaiden gave us "the bird" at his 4D ultrasound and she threw this up lol. Hopefully it's a foreshadow of her chill personality.

A traditional shot. This way you can see her arm on her face. :)

Pregnancy: Week 7

I've been slacking on the blog posts because I haven't been feeling well at all. This "morning sickness" lasts pretty much all day and hits especially hard at night. It sucks. It's honestly a little depressing that I am barely into my pregnancy and already feeling this way. Kaiden has been extra clingy as of recent days and I think part of it's due to the fact that he is constantly around new people and has a changing environment (with this trip.) I was reading, though, that toddlers can sense when mom is pregnant and will become clingy for that reason as well. He screams if I'm not by his side and as sweet as it can be sometimes, it's rather tiring. Has anyone else experienced that happen?Baby Size & Development:Blueberry. The kidneys are now in place and arms/legs are beginning to emerge. Baby's brain (both hemispheres) is developing at a rapid rate of 100 new cells every minute...no wonder I'm completely wiped!Signs & Symptoms:Nausea still.Bigger belly. I tried on a leather jacket and it wouldn't zip around my belly...so lame lol.Fatigue. All day, every day.Cravings:Nothing in particular but if there is such thing as anti-craving it would be me wanting to avoid eating all cheese. My favorite food is cheese but the thought of it makes me sick.Best Moment This Week:Arriving in PA knowing that family could help take care of Kaiden and would give me a break.Worst Moment This Week: Thinking about how much longer I have left in this pregnancy.What I Most Look Forward To:The next meal. I'm constantly hungry and have to eat little meals all throughout the day.