A Big Day!

Today is a big day in our house...

Today I am 24 weeks pregnant.

24 weeks...should I have to deliver after this point, the odds of survival are pretty good. I feel like after today I can really take a big deep breath and relax a little. I know that won't happen, but I can do it if I want. :)

Today I am 13 weeks from being full term.

Today I am 16 weeks from my due date.

This is getting real folks. In just 16 weeks I will be holding my sweet baby squirrel! That is so painfully exciting! I really want to scream from the roof tops that I get to meet my baby in just 16 weeks.

I love watching my husband get excited about meeting our baby. Some days he gets so excited, he is almost giddy! He can't wait to meet our baby squirrel either.

But, what really makes today a big HUGE day in our house...

I am taking out my tongue ring.

I got my tongue pierced while I was college and my husband was deployed overseas. I had to do it while he was gone because he doesn't like piercings. He is ok with tattoo, but he thinks that piercings are mutilating your body.

He didn't hate the piercing or anything, he just isn't a fan. When I did it, years ago, I promised that I would take it out when I got pregnant with our first child. That's when it is truly time to grow up.

When I got pregnant this time I didn't take it out right away because I know that things can change very quickly. I'd had it happen before, so I told my husband that I would take it out when I was 12 weeks pregnant and the risk of miscarriage went way down.

When the 12 week mark came and went, I said I would take it out eventually.

A few weeks ago he asked me when it was going to come out. I told him it would be out before that baby made it's entrance into the world. But apparently that wasn't a good enough answer for him. He wanted a date. So after so serious feet dragging I decided I would take it out at 24 weeks. Viability.

Sunday night my lovely husband reminded me that Tuesday was the "BIG" day. I'm not going to lie...I got a little panicky. I don't know why, but I did.

Taking my tongue ring out means that this is real...I am really going to be a MOM!!

So there ya have it folks...it is a big day in our house. All because I am taking my tongue ring out...and of course because I am 24 weeks pregnant and I get to meet my baby sooner rather than later!

Remembering a Hero. Our Hero. And the Foundation of Our Family.

On Saturday August 6 my family held a memorial service for my grandpa.

He passed away on November 5, 2007 at the age of 87. My grandmother followed him just a few short months later on April 17, 2008 just 2 months shy of her 90th birthday. They had been married for 65 years, raised 4 children, had 10 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.

My grandpa fought in World War II. He was a Major in the US Army. He served throughout Europe while his wife was at home with their youngest child. He was shot in the war and spent a full year in a hospital recovering. For his service to our country he received two purple hearts.

With his death and funeral falling so close to Veteran's day there were not enough people to give him his full military honors that he deserved. For that reason, we had a memorial service to remember the two people who meant so much to us.

They are both truly missed in our family and everyone was eager to be there to honor them.

The service was a full military honors service for my grandpa, but it was also a time to remember my grandma, who was the foundation of our family.

When my grandpa was choosing their burial plot years ago, he specifically chose a spot under a large tree. He always said that he chose that one so that when people came to visit them they would be comfortable in the shade. When we arrived at the cemetery that Saturday it was raining. When the service was about to start the family gathered under the tree to get out of the rain, just as he would have wanted. And then, as if he were watching over us, the rain stopped. It stopped just until everyone was in their car after the service, then it poured. But, we all knew he was there with us.

We buried them 4 years ago, but there is something so devastatingly final about the shots being fired and taps being play. It was like a wound that had been healing for almost 4 years had been freshly opened again. I have missed my grandpa every single day, but this day I felt like the hole in my heart was being ripped open.
 

 
My amazing husband was a part of the ceremony and he read the meaning of folding the flag as they folded it. He loved my grandpa and my grandpa loved him like he was his own grandson. He was so proud of him for being a Marine. I know he was honored to have him be part of it all.

After the military portion of the service was finished, we had a family service. The ivy wreath was empty and each person came up and told a story about my grand parents. As each person finished their story they put a flower in the wreath. It was such a wonderful way to remember them. Even a few of the great grand kids that are old enough to remember them stood in front of us and spoke. People spoke of how they know they are with us every day, funny stories or something they will never forget.

The memory wreath looked really nice when we were done. Before we left the cemetery My mom and aunt filled a small vase with flowers, one for each person who couldn't be there. They now have 16 great grand children and the 17th is on the way, so they left a flower for each person so that they knew we were all thinking about them. 

My grandpa was one of the best people in my life. I saw him all the time. He always had an excuse to see me and to spend time together. When I was in high school my grandma went in to a nursing home. I went and visited with her 3 days a week and I would drive out to his house 2-3 times a week just to chat with him. I would call to tell him I was on my way and he would put a beer and a soda in the freezer. When I got there we would sit and chat over drinks. I loved spending time with him. When I moved away he bought a cell phone so he could call me and I wouldn't get charged for it. We had a weekly phone date.

I am certain that he is the reason I am pregnant. He always said we would be good parents. My due date is December 21, which I feel is his doing. He loved Christmas and in my crazy mind I feel like he is showing me that he loves our baby to be and that hes got our back.

I miss him.

I miss them both.