804 days

804 days from the day we arrived to the day we leave. I don't know what to call the 804 days. A vacation? a detour? a time of growth? a time to learn about the depths of our character? a time in paradise or a time in Hell on earth? mid-life crisis? an escape from reality? a play time? I have no idea. So right now it's just 804 days.

I'm very excited about starting my engineering job. I had thought my engineering career was over because of my arms. My arms are a lot better, but they still cause me a "little" pain. Monday, the 24th, Brody's 5th month, I'm actually flying up to Washington, DC to have the National Institute of Health (NIH) to see if they can help. Thanks to my loving mother who has persisted that I go for almost 4 years now.

The company that hired me is Heatcraft. They are a part of Lennox(the air conditioner people). Heatcraft makes the condensers for walk in freezers, warehouses, and large stores like Wal-Mart. A condenser is the part of the air conditioner that sits outside your house and you see them on top of buildings.

Anyway I'm real excited about moving close to family and letting Brody grow up knowing everybody, BUT! I'm really sad to be leaving the keys. I love the big water, but it's not going anywhere, so hopefully when Brody and our other kids "to be" get older we'll have a chance to live near the big water again. As far as being able to share my thoughts on leaving, well it's just too much. I'm actually trying not to think about it. CO says I'm walking around feeling sorry for myself or I'm suffering from acute depression. I'm sure I'll be able to express myself better on the subject later this year, during the COLD months. All I can say right now is;

"Brody, I'm sorry! I tried to let you grow up on the ocean, but circumstances just didn't permit it. But! you can cherish the fact that you got to know your family and you have the rest of your life to live on the big water. So stop wasting time, buy a sailboat and get out there, don't forget about your dad and grandad. You're now the 3rd generation of men who has wanted a life at sea. If you don't make it, just try to get a little closer than I did, and hopefully your son or his son will actually make it."

We are moving to Moultrie, Ga! Adam got the engineering job in Tifton and we will be living with his parents for the time being. His start date is October 1st - and we are moving September 23rd.

4 months

brody's 4 months marked much more activity and his emerging gentle personality. he has grown much more comfortable with people (ie - no more screaming when an old lady from church gets in his face). we have had an active social schedule this past month including a going away party, a wedding, visit with family, and church activities, and he has been a champ. he will attempt to stay up forever, so we as a household have adjusted ourselves this month. many parents out there may say "duh" to this, but brody does much better on a schedule. and we as new parents are evolving somewhat, and learning as we go. so, no "us" time until brody has been bathed, nursed, and is in his bed - usually around 8-8:30. and i have learned i must be persistent in this as he will try to convince me he has no need for sleep at that hour.

this month has marked a truce between brody and the carseat - no more endless screaming all the way to key west. and he also has decided that yes, he does like baths and no, he will not scream all through those either. i have also given up rocking him to sleep - he twists and turns and wiggles so much that i now just put him in his bed, pat him some, pick him up some, talk to him in his bed some...whatever i can do to coax him to sleep. despite some scream-fests and crazy days/nights, we do pretty good most of the time. sleep is just not always his favorite activity, despite my efforts to help him see all the benefits.

since i have decided to become the nap-nazi, he has gone to sleep much easier. his nap schedule is strange to me - 1 hour naps about 3-4 times a day, but works well with him. he is still sleeping in his hammock, but that is due to the fact that we have not bought him a crib yet. i could get into how absolutely difficult it is to get anything bought/shipped/ordered/etc down here on the edge of the planet, but it will only frustrate me more, so i will leave it at that.

he had his first beach day this past month, and he did well. he swam, and conked out. good times. he does love to swim - he has been several times now, however, the ocean is not his favorite water to be in.

mostly we have enjoyed lots of grinning, giggling, circular movements on the play mat/big towel, finger-sucking, drooling, rolling over, and just his sweet, sweet nature that comes out in all he does. he is such a joy to us, and we love to see his personality come out more an more every day.
so, onward we go, into the trials of teething (more on that in the next month post), solid foods, sitting up, etc...pile on top of that all our other drama, and you have a packed life. i suppose we wouldn't have it any other way.

just stuff

-We just got back from one of CO's best friends wedding in Raleigh. We drove up to Ft. Lauderdale and flew up to Raleigh. Brody did GREAT! The only time he really fussed was when he got hungry. Really hungry. Just like his parents. I'm going to calculate his travel miles one day. 5 flights, and 4 trips over 10 hours.

-The weekend before we drove to Moultrie for me to interview in Tifton and CO to interview in Tallahassee. CO was offered the job on the spot, but the money wasn't worth leaving Brody. Then we drove up to Augusta, Ga. for a farewell party for the Thompsons. They are going to England for 2-3 years. They hosted our wedding in their backyard and they were key players in bringing CO and I together. They are going to start a blog as soon as they get Internet hooked up. So everybody will get a chance to realize how special they are.

-I'm waiting on a offer from Heatcraft for a Manufacturing Engineer position in Tifton, Ga. They said it would be last Friday. We have stalled at a major fork in the road and don't know if we're going left or right. We do think it is time to leave the keys though, so no matter what Heatcraft says we'll probably leave in a month or 2.

-Nobody has even asked about the house yet. So we are going to talk to a real estate lawyer or a HUD person to understand the consequences of our options.

-I'm almost finished with the JJ dock, so I'll be loading some pics soon.

-Back to Brody. CO and I feel like celebrities when we are with Brody. He is so sweet in public and doesn't mind being held by everybody. People are amazed at how good he is and they instantly fall in love with his cuteness. God has really blessed us.

-I sold my motorboat. I'm sad, but I knew it had to be done. I still have my sailboat for a little while longer.

-We just celebrated our wedding anniversary #3. We decided to celebrate by getting ooked out on milkshakes from chik-fil-A (VERY GOOD, but too big). Then fly to south Florida to partake in a 3 hour traffic jam in Miami. Followed by a 3 hour road trip into the heart of the very scenic keys, at night. It was one to remember for the ages. AND a nice little reminder of our 1st 3 years together. 4 addresses, 6 different jobs, 5 hurricanes, 1 rabbit, 1 bird, 4 water crafts, 1 business, a blog site, the highest mortgage of anybody we know, a busted neck, a 3 month illness, 1 kitchen remodeling (without permission) , 1 pregnancy, and 1 very sweet and cute addition. Not to forget about all the unmentionables. "I love you baby"

-that's all "the stuff" for now.