A LOOOOOOONG-awaited update of our Victoria Rose

So, as mentioned in the previous post, YES we are expecting a little bundle of joy this upcoming December!! Our "mimu" (pronounced mee-moo) is growing big and strong...strong enough to jam her head into mommy's side and box with mommy's bladder. It's been so fascinating to feel the baby getting stronger and stronger as she grows bigger. The first movements I felt reminded me of indigestion and I sincerely couldn't tell the difference between my typical 'stomach chat' and the baby. But, the movements have significantly increased so I can clearly feel distinct punches, kicks, and roll overs... especially at night just when I think I'm exhausted enough to actually fall asleep.


I've been honestly shocked at the multitude of changes affecting my body. I guess I naively thought that pregnancy was mostly a belly affair...but I've learned my lesson! I'm going to spare you the first 14 weeks of my pregnancy for the so-called "morning" sickness symptoms aren't really worth repeating. But there are other things that I've learned also come with pregnancy. For you mothers out there in bloggerland reading this, these symptoms won't seem like anything unique, but I want to record them before they cease to be novel to me:


* EXHAUSTION--isn't it supposed to be the newBORN baby that keeps you up in the middle of the night and makes you tired?? Why does the whole tired thing have to start now??

* Seriously strange dreams and frequent dreaming.

* Cravings--thankfully they haven't come often or unbearably strong, but there are the occasional foods that refuse to leave your mind until acquired and snarfed down.

* wider feet--not swollen, just bigger.

* bleeding gums--even when just brushing but guaranteed to gush every single time I floss.

* "baby brain"--let's just say I have to write things down more often and my poor piano students are getting used to their teacher repeating herself.

* Overheating--it doesn't help when we go through 2 official heat waves with weeks of temperatures in the 90's, but I have felt every climbing degree SO much stronger than I usually do. Especially since returning from Paraguay, I've been much more acclimatized to the heat, but having a living oven inside me has turned me into a hermit hiding under the air conditioner, leaving only to keep my puppy from peeing inside the house.

* And, of course, increased emotions. I can't say I've had any verifyiable "mood swings" but I have felt my emotions sink lower and soar higher than usual. As you'll see in later posts, I've spent a lot of time thinking about what matters most in life to me and being a lot more sentimental about things. I don't cry at life insurance commercials (yet...) but I do laugh harder at stupid jokes, sigh more at romantic love stories, and yell at the news channel a little louder.





If the symptoms themselves weren't enough evidence that something incredibly new and different is happening to my body, here are some prego pics for you all to enjoy:




The 26 week sonogram. It amazes me how technology has evolved that a little wand attached to a screen and some sound waves can introduce me to my growing child before she makes it out. I had to go back for a follow-up sonogram after news that I had a placenta previa. But, while I was there, I asked the technician to do a double-check of the gender to help Dave feel more secure to tell his friends we were actually having a girl. Thankfully, no surprises. We have a princess on the way.

16-week pictures after I first began to "show". I was still in class at the time and surprised one of my colleagues with news that I was pregnant--she thought I had a digestive issue because I would absent mindedly be rubbing my tummy much of the day.



Here's 20 weeks and my section phase of "popping." I had a student's mother do a double-take after her 2 week vacation to walk in and see that I had, indeed, popped bigger.

Finally, some almost-26 week pictures. Yeah, it's a LOT more obvious that there's a baby and not just extra flab in there!

I have a fantastic friend, Angela, who is also getting ready to welcome her first little one to the world. She's due in less than 2 weeks and I hosted a baby shower for her at the end of August. It was SO fun to look through and choose decorations, invitations, favors, games, and prizes. Her mom helped organize the food and her sisters worked hard doing setup and take-down. We didn't have the turnout we had hoped for, but it was fun nonetheless and I definitely enjoyed helping her celebrate her pregnancy in the midst of my own. We snagged this great shot of our bellies--Angela won.

Finally, some more proof that I really am pregnant--I've repeatedly craved Texas RoadHouse rolls and made the staff laugh when I walked in and asked if you could order JUST rolls with their yummy cinnamon honey butter. No steak. No burgers. No sides. Just rolls. To my delightful surprise, not only can you order rolls to go, but they include the yummy butter or you can even buy the butter as a separate tub. Thanks Texas RoadHouse for being prepared for crazy pregnant women like me!!

Thanks everyone for your patience in not hearing a peep from us in more than a month. We're increasingly excited to have our little girl (and be done with the pregnancy thing for a while!) which also means we get to actually spend two weeks in the same physical location. The deployment continues to tick down in days apart, though every time I see my wonderful husband on the Skype screen I can't help but long for this whole ordeal to be over. If nothing else, the baby gives us a constant supply of interesting conversational material as we both learn about the miracle of parenthood and our own processes of preparation to take on this responsibility. While the timing isn't what we had originally planned, we continue to see the hand of our Heavenly Father helping us with what we need and teaching us in ways only He can. We are blessed to be entrusted with one of His precious spirits and are very excited to share the adventure with all of you!!

The baby bump is a-growing!

So I know this is a long time coming...I might get into the blogging habit some day!

Dave and I are extremely excited to be welcoming our first mini-Clay to our family sometime this December. At 21 weeks, I'm feeling surprisingly good--constantly exhausted and increasingly uncomfortable--but good. The first trimester was a nightmare and I learned very quickly just what "morning" sickness was all about. I will never understand how people could intentionally make themselves throw up because I have never felt so miserable in my life. Luckily, the second trimester is treating me much better. I'm also able to take more naps since graduation freed me from daily classes.

In a general update, I've returned to teaching piano lessons--which I LOVE. I only have 7 students (including 1 that just got promoted to an early intermediate level!) so I'm not exactly making a fortune or working all the time, but it keeps me happy and decently busy. I've also returned to sewing and am trying to work on my VERY limited skills to help me make some baby stuff. It's hard right now since we don't know the sex yet, but I'm diving in anyway!

Dave is doing well, considering the distance and the monotony of his desk job. He's been incredibly supportive and interested in all the minute changes happening to my body and our lives. I'm beyond grateful to have a great husband beside me to experience this adventure with me--even if only through Skype.

Here are some pics from my graduation from Syracuse University at the beginning of July. It was fantastic to have my parents visit for the weekend. They got to see where Dave and I have been for the past year and the places I lived since coming to Syracuse. We spent a day on the lake too and enjoyed the 4th of July fireworks from the vantage point of a boat! From the good food at Dinosaur BBQ and Erawan's thai food to our quick visit to the Corning museum of gladd, it was a great weekend. My parents said their dogs seemed like giants compared to Peter when they got home :) He's still growing too but definitely more of a lapdog. Marc and Kathy were great hosts for our graduation dinner too where my folks got to meet the extended family. I'm so grateful for the chance I had to get an education that I can now use to teach our children to appreciate teh world around us. I may not be able to make a career as I had once envisioned, but I know that the skills and info I learned in the classroom will make me a better mother in our home.

You can see the beginning of my baby bump. This is approximately 18 weeks. I've "popped" since then and will post some more pics when I take some that I like :)

Flags over Al Faw

Dave:  So here we are at another palace.  This time it is Al Faw palace, which is the presidential palace where Saddam met other dignitaries.  It is completely covered inside marble and has huge pillars.  Al Faw palace is the headquarters for all US forces in Iraq.  Its basically where all the generals hangout.
    

One of the traditions of the miilitary is flag flying.  The flag is an emblem of the country we defend and stands for the ideals and freedoms we seek to uphold.  Some members carry flags with them to fly where ever the military takes them and have been flown in many countries.  Others are flown and given away as a sign of respect and gratitude for support.  We flew over a hundred flags up this little flagpole on the roof of the palace.  Later we recieved certificates sign by General Odinero which certified the flags had been flown over USF-I HQ (US forces Iraq Headquarters) and commended whoever they were flown for, for their support of troops here.  I was actually suprised General O signed them himself.  It was a nice touch.    

Here is one of the palaces affectionately known as "The Juicer."   All these pictures were taken on the same day.  It was clear and blue when we started, but as you can see in this picture a sand storm came in a made it all grey and extremely dusty.

Here is just another shot of the lake around the palace. 

This is me sitting in the throne of the big man himself.  It was a gift from another country and has very ornate work all over it.  If you ask me, its big enough for both me and my queen to sit side by side. But something tells me that wasn't Saddam's style.

I wish I had a picture to show the constuction of many of the other building here.  It is interesting.  The majority of the insides of the walls are just brick and concrete which don't seem to have enough mortar.  Outside of the brick is a layer of rebar and attached to the rebar is a thin layer of finely cut stone. The effect is that the buildings look very ornate and well made.  In comparision to castles and other monuments of old though , the buildings here seem to be lacking the depth and strength of the structures made with solid stone.  Concrete is nice and cheap, but it nevers turns out as nice as stone.  I guess the same could be said of people too.  In the end whether we can weather the test of time depends largely upon what we are made of. 

Meet the Newest Member of the Clay Clan...

Peter Camelside!!   aka "Stinky Pete"
So I literally let the computer sit overnight to try to load a video of my little guy playing with his squeaky sandal, but to no avail... I had grand ambitions of posting this last week but technology doesn't seem to agree with me, so I apologize for the delay. You'll have to settle for some pics.
Our little puppy joined our family on Wednesday, June 9th. He's a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel and the sweetest, calmest, and most wonderful companion dog I've ever seen. Of course I'm more than a little biased being his mommy and all, but everyone falls instantly in love with him upon sight. I'd wanted to get a dog for a while and purposely moved into a complex that accepted dogs so I could have someone to keep me company while Dave is gone. I started researching breeds and fell in love with the Cavaliers--then found out they were insanely expensive because they are typically show dogs bred for competition. Both sides of his family are champion dogs though I have no real intention of showing him. Long story but I contacted a breeder outside of Rochseter and as we emailed back and forth she told me that her grandson had served in Iraq and her husband was a Vietnam era veteran and they were willing to work with my budget to help out another military family. Extremely touching how she really reached out to me and helped me find just the right little guy to keep me sane while my husband is halfway across the world.
Of course he's a lot of work but he's doing just fine. Now officially 4 months old, he isn't nearly as energetic and out of control as I would have expected. His favorite things are to sit in my lap and to chew carrots under the coffee table. That's actually how we got the name--his love of carrots made me think of Peter Rabbit and Peter Cottontail. Dave noticed his markings on his right flank look like a camel and so he wanted to name him Camel and we compromised on Peter Camelside.


He's still super shy around strangers and is trying to get used to all the changes in coming to his new home, but he's handling things well. He's accompanied me to a few group meetings and would hang out sleeping under my chair while we worked. He's survived two baths now toon (including the super scary blowdryer)! His house training is coming along great--despite peeing in the house for the first few days, he has been 100% outside for almost a week now! He still piddles if he gets excited--usually only when I've been gone for a few hours and come back or when he meets a bigger dog than him (which is everyone except for the occasional chihuahua). He's 10 pounds, the vet says he's healthy as can be, and we are thrilled to have him join the Clays. Enjoy seeing the cuteness!!

The Sights and Sounds of Victory

Dave:  So here we are seeing the glorious sights of Baghdad, or at least the glorious sights on Camp Victory.

First on our stop is Saddam's Victory over America Palace. In an effort to show his great victory over America in the 90's, Saddam decided to celebrate with a palace.  Unfortunately the palace is still in construction, and Saddam is still working on that victory over America thing too. Way to go Saddam!

Next we have the Flinstone's village.  Originally when I heard about this place, I thought it just looked like the Flintstones because of the construction.  The truth is that Saddam's kids like the Flinstone's cartoon so much he actually built them a fully functioning village patterned after it.  I was a little disappointed to find out there weren't any foot powered cars or dinosaurs. 

As you can see, Americans couldn't help but decorate in their own special way.  Too bad. 

I'll get more pictures of the palaces and other fun stuff  when I can.  But I can't drive around here without wondering, now that we are legitimizing the government here don't they want all this stuff back?  I think and I know Kristine agrees that we should give it back to them, right now, as long as the said transaction would require me returning to NY.  I think this deal has promise.

Hooch to Work, Work to Chowhall, Chowhall to Hooch, repeat.

Hooch = room, work = work, chowhall = food

Dave:  So here I am in Iraq.  This time feels very different than the last. Before there was a real fight that we were trying to win, but now the feeling is we are all just waiting to leave.  Much of the country is shutting down, packing up and moving out.

I on the other hand have just moved in.  I am working in an office.  I now proudly wear the biggest indicator to the fact that I don't really feel the need to go out on missions: the shoulder holster.  I turned in my rifle, so all I have is a pistol to lug around everywhere.

Here I am getting ready to go to chow.  The Army came out with great athletic clothing that was reflective so we could be seen at night. But it must not have worked well enough because we also must wear a highly reflective belt as well.

Kristine doesn't like my lack of hair, but it keeps me a little cooler, which in 120degree heat actually means a lot.

Here is my room for the next year.

Saddam during the 80s and 90s hosted a number of international meetings.  At the beginning he did have enough hotel space to fit all his guests, so he built a couple palaces near the airport.  Another meeting happened and he still didn't have enough space, so he built a huge complex of canals, palaces and lakes to impress all who came to visit.  The last palace Al Faw was completed in 2002. All of the area around the lakes and palaces was lush and well maintained. Little did he know that the US military would be the ones to appreciate his hard work.

Here is the view from right outside my office.

This one is on the walk back to the hooch

Here is one of my favorite things to do.  The waterways are full of fish, mainly carp, and they love to eat anything.  Once or twice a day I will go out with a little muffin or a box of cereal and give it to them.  They see me coming and swarm. Any direction I swing my arm, they race to in order to catch whatever food lands.

Its hot. Its lonely. Its tiring, but as long as I get a minute or two to talk to my dear wife, its not that bad.

Ft Dix: Training Training Training

Dave:  So I've been here for 3 months now..not actually 3 months, but it feels like 3 or 4 months.  Technically I have only been here 3 weeks but time is dragging.  I know I will have some kind of leave or pass in another 3 weeks and I am really excited.  Between now and then we have a FULL schedule of training.  We have first formation around 5am then start gearing up for the day's mission.  We train on weapons, vehicles, convoys, and everything else the army can imagine us doing.  Except for the early mornings, sleep depravation and being away from Kristine, its not that bad.  Not really that great either. 

So basically this is what I do every day.  I am a driver, so I get the vehicle ready, keep it fueled, and drive to all the training. As a Detachment we drew 12 vehicles, and honestly I think I got one of the better ones.  It has an awesome A/C and heat, a turbo charged V8 engine, interior radios so we can hear eachother over the vehicle noise, and nice new seats.  It is similar to one I had in Iraq last time, so I knew how everything worked, which was funny cause I was the only one in my vehicle that knew how.  I had to take a sec and explain how everything works to the rest of my crew.

Cranston, Corriveau, Me

The main motivation that drives soldiers to do what it is that they do is comradery. We do things that nobody wants to do, but we have to do anyway, and if not for good friends, there would be many good people driven past the point of sanity. Here I am with a couple of my takeout buddies.  Once or twice a week we order take out and watch a movie.  I don't think I have ever watched an entire movie through though.  I keep getting up after a while and go call my wife.