Noah's new playmate... again

If you've kept up with this blog, you know I've had a post with the same title previously. Although you didn't get too many details, you know the puppy didn't work out, and he was sent back after a couple of days. Unlike the last time, we won't be able to return this new playmate. He or she will be around for good! Meet the newest member of our family...

This is our little peanut at 12 weeks. I'm 16 weeks along now and due November 5th. Yes, that's only 3 days before Noah's birthday. So not only is Noah getting a new playmate, but he might be getting a new birthday buddy too... let's hope not. Billy thinks it would be great for them to share a birthday, but who in the world would want to share a birthday with their brother or sister???

If you've kept up with the blog, you also know that Billy will be leaving for a year. He's leaving on July 20th, which means I will be alone in my third trimester with a toddler. Yes, you can call me crazy! I'll admit I'm a little worried and I know it's going to be tough, but I know that God is only giving me as much as I can handle. And I know that family and friends will be around to help out. So I'll be okay. I might have a head full of gray hair by the time Billy gets back, but if I still have my sanity, I'll count myself lucky!

I consider myself blessed and I'm so excited to have a new edition to our family, but like I said before, it might be a tough year and we could use your prayers!

12 on the 12th for May

1. Noah's breakfast
2. Noah was ready to go to bed
3. I had to take all my pictures with my Iphone and I downloaded an application for frames. I was playing with it and made a wanted poster for my little monkey.
4. The lockers at the gym
5. Billy thinking hard about everything that needs to get done... I see this face daily
6. Noah's a muscle man
7. Weather.com for Charelston
8. My Carolina Panthers cup... but I still love the Cowboys!
9. Noah's looking at the light while he eats. He LOVES lights.
10. A trip to the library
11. My work calendar
12. It's really tough to take a picture of the 3 of us with the phone!

Billy's Taking a Little Trip

Okay, so it's more than a little trip. Billy's going to Izmir, Turkey for ONE YEAR. His report no later than date is July 31st, so he'll be leaving sometime between July 20th and the end of the month. We knew this was coming, and honestly, we're counting our blessings because he could have been sent somewhere much worse. So believe it or not, we're actually thankful that he'll be in Turkey. From the information we've gathered so far, it shouldn't be too bad. He'll be living on the economy, meaning he won't be living on a base. He'll be living in the city in one of their apartments and he'll be shopping in their stores and eating their food. He'll be totally immersed in their culture. I'm actually a little worried about the culture shock he'll be going through. The first month or so will be pretty rough for him. In fact, he's been warned to stay close to the restrooms at first because the food can be a little tough to get used to. But I'm sure that once he settles in, he'll really enjoy his time there. Of course he'll miss me and Noah, but beyond that, I think this is going to be a good assignment.

If you're curious, you can read about Izmir here, but I'll give you some basics. It is the third most populous city in Turkey with 2.5 million people. It is located on the water and there is a ton of history there. Some research indicates that there was activity in the area as early as 6500 to 4000 B.C.!

I don't know what Noah and I are going to do with ourselves. Billy will be missed more than he knows. All of us will need your prayers. It's going to be a busy year!!

Noah's 1st Haircut

Noah's hair has decided to grow like crazy in the last couple of months. He has gotten some wild curls. And you wouldn't believe how many people call him a girl just because of his curls. It doesn't matter if he's dressed like a boy from head to toe, they still think he's a girl. Why is that just because a small child has curly hair, it's automatically a girl??? Anyway, it was getting kind of long and falling into his face, so we decided it was time to get a haircut. Well, it was more like I decided and Billy reluctantly agreed with the condition that it was nothing more than a trim and the curls had to stay. We took him to a place specifically designed for children and they were wonderful with him. He wasn't exactly happy about it, but he tolerated it well for the most part. We convinced Billy to get Noah's hair trimmed in the back, but don't worry, his curls are still plentiful. In fact, we had someone comment on how cute "she" was this afternoon. When I informed the person that Noah was a he, she said she thought he was a girl because of all those curls. So anyone who was worried about us chopping off all his precious hair, it's still there and it's still gorgeous!

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER (still plenty of hair and curls left)