What have we been up to?

A whole bunch of nothin'!

The past couple of weeks have flown by with Bryan at Ft. Stewart. Jack and I spend our days eating, sleeping, cleaning and so forth. On the weekends, Bryan came home. This last weekend was his last one here. Laid low, for the most part. We started the long weekend off by going to St. Simons Island. The weather was crap - so no time for the beach or anything else. However, it was great to get away from all the distractions in our house. No dishes, laundry or staring at the elephant in the room [Bryan's packed bags waiting for him to take to Mississippi]. So, we made use of the quaint hotel room ... ate out, took a walk, and got a great night's sleep. Let's not forget that this was Jack's FIRST overnight visit somewhere! It was good practice to see what we needed to pack. (Jack and I will be heading to NJ and MN at the end of the month)

The Village Inn & Pub, St. Simons Island, Georgia

Some trees with very large vines in the park

Bryan and Jack watching TV

Steph and Jack ... Jack obviously annoyed by me for some reason.

We spent the rest of the weekend at home. We took the night off and got a sitter come Friday (thanks, Miriam) and spent the evening with some of the guys from Bryan's unit. The weather was still pretty crappy - didn't make for much fun outside. Bryan, Tom and Matthew went to the gun show on Saturday. Jack and I stayed in our PJs. Then we hung out on the couch all night long and watched movies while the storms rolled through. The thunder and lightening were crazy. Our neighbors house got hit a couple of times by lightening. The thunder was so ridiculous it was knocking pictures off of the walls and making the glasses in the cabinet shake. It was rather creepy.

(I came to realize that we had only two pictures of us as a family ...
so we had a makeshift photo shoot on the couch - pretty disappointing)

Sunday, the sun came out - finally. We enjoyed the weather and Bryan packed his last minute items. The flowers that Lindsay and I planted in the front yard are finally blooming! Together, Lindsay and I planted 100 tulips and 100 daffodils; for those of you who don't know ... we did it the day before I was admitted to the hospital - hmm... I am thinking Jack was pretty pissed for my crawling around my yard all afternoon and wanted revenge. But - it was worth it! Beautiful flowers and a beautiful boy! :)



Then, Monday morning Bryan left for Mississippi. It was tough on all of us. Bryan is finally accepting how much Jack will change and grow while he is gone and I am accepting that Jack and I will come home to only Peanut and Mac. The house is definitely quiet without Bryan. He will be in MS for approximately 45 days. At one point, he 'should' get a pass. I say that loosely. So, we will hopefully see him in May. Maybe I'll get that family picture.

BUT ... on a lighter note:
Jack and I have SO much to look forward to. We are getting visits from family and friends during the month of April. Kim, Ryan, Pete, Christine, Adriana, Sophia, Ann, Matt, Drew and maybe Keeb will be coming to meet our little man. Then, grandma and grandpa Arends will stop in again. At the end of the month, Jack will take his first plane ride to NJ to meet some more family and celebrate great-grandma Jane's 80th birthday. We'll follow that trip up with one to MN to meet even MORE family and celebrate Laura and Aaron's wedding! Hip, hip hooray! I'll get back just in time to go back to work May 5 and come June I will be reattempting to start my Masters. :)

Farewell!

Well, Bryan hopped on the bus to Mississippi this morning. I took the last picture of him and Jack for a while. We've been so busy getting Bryan ready to leave that I haven't really updated the blog - but, it's a game of catch up now. So stay tuned :)

Top O' The Mornin' To Ya!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Thanks to Ashley's mom, Jack is decked out in a festival outfit!

Jack's Baptism

With Bryan leaving soon, we wanted to get Jack baptized prior to his departure. I called the Statesboro United Methodist Church for help. Lucky us, the senior pastor is also the Chaplain for the GBI and Georgia State Patrol and is retiring in June to work with Homeland Security. So, needless to say, he has a special place in his heart for families like ours. Although we are not members of SUMC, he was very happy to hold a private ceremony for us Saturday morning. We are so thankful. Our Statesboro family came out to witness the ceremony as well. The Carters, Waters, Wilkes, Lindsay and Jeb (soon-to-be Tysons... !!!) were all present as we vowed to raise Jack as a Christian until he chooses to confirm his faith. Due to the last minute arrangements, it was impossible for family to attend - however, having our friends there meant the world to us. As always - we really value our friendships and think of all of as you family.

Baptism Ceremony with Godparents Robbie and Matthew Wilkes and Pastor Charles Houston.

Dad, Mom, and Jack

Matthew, Robbie, Jack, Mom and Dad

Dad, Mom and Jack with Pastor Houston.

The whole group: (l-r) Greg, Trish, Dylan, Robbie, Olivia, Matthew, Steph, Josh, Jack, Bryan, Brandi, Jeb and Lindsay.

Afterward, we invited everyone to our house for a very informal celebration: Cake and sweet tea. Olivia and Dylan got the chance to spend some time with Jack. Crazy to think the kids I used to babysit are old enough to babysit my kid. Jeb and Lindsay, however, took off to catch a flight to Vegas! But we were happy they were able to come to ceremony, of course! At least they got a bit of God in before a bit of gambling :)


(It's quite apparent by looking at these pictures that I need a new point and shoot camera ... :( sad day. )

Baby Pics!

Thanks to Granny and Grandma for sending along some baby pics of Bryan and I. We were curious to see who looked like Jack more as a baby. We have Bryan at 2 months and Steph at birth. We'll have to check back in a month to see where Jack and Bryan stand. I think they are well on their way to have matching cheeks.

Baby Bryan (2mo.)

Baby Jack (1mo.)

Baby Steph (newborn)

1 Month Check-Up

Today was a successful day. Jack's jaundice is gone - hooray! No more heel pricks! He's now 9 pounds, 1 ounce and measuring 22 whopping inches long. He's growing! I told you so! The circumference of his head has even made the jump from 13 1/4" to 14 3/4" - :) It's in the 80's in Statesboro today. Quite warm - so warm I neglected to bring a blanket for Jack - whoops on me when I forgot he spends the entire appointment in his diapers. Hey, you live and you learn (But Jack has forgiven me yet). The doctor told me I can turn me heat off in the house now. Um, thanks - did that a while ago.

1 Month Old!!!

Seriously? Already? No way. This can't be! He's growing up too fast...


This last month as flown by. Holy crap. It's so hard to believe. It's amazing how much our lives have changed as well. Gossiping has turned into poop counts. Cuddling on the couch has turned into gawking at our baby. People no longer care how I am - they only want to see Jack. Which is fine - I like him enough - so I will share. Jack is definitely busting out of his newborn clothes. It's crazy. It's so much fun to watch him grow into a little person. He's impatient, yet easy going - but when it's time to eat, it's time to eat. He hates taking breaks to be burped... he'll just grunt, grunt, grunt. He's strong - he was holding his head up at 2 weeks. Granted - there's a little instability to go along with it - but he's getting there. He smiles and hums in his sleep, so big you can see his gums. His feet are huge - if you'd judge his feet like you'd judge a dogs paws - he's going to be a tall boy! It's just so amazing to be a parent. As so many of you know, there are no words to explain the love you have for your baby - I am so happy to have joined the club.

(I love how some of you compare each month to a static object, like a stuffed animal. It's a great way to see how much they are growing. Thanks for the idea!) So, let me introduce you to ...

Jack's best hippo friend...

Getting a little closer...

Lounging around...

Keepin' it real...

Telling secrets...

& giving kisses...

Things have been moving along since Bryan left. He was able to get a 4 day pass last weekend so we spent the weekend with friends and just spending time as a family. We are so thankful he was able to get so much time off after Jack was born. I think he got around 3 weeks off? We definitely got into a routine - I had night duty and Bryan took Jack in the morning so I could get a few good solid hours of sleep. I was usually up, showered, bright eyed and bushy tailed by 9:30am. However... without Bryan here now - I think I am showered by 1:00pm? Definitely a big difference. Parenting is MUCH better with TWO parents, for sure. I hate it. Half of my day is wasted. But soon, we'll get into our own routine and *hopefully* I'll be getting up at a decent hour sooner or later.

Grandma & Grandpa's Visit!

Grandma and Grandpa Arends drove down from Minnesota to get a break from the miserable cold weather and visit their first grandson. We had a great time. We ventured over to the Wildlife Center on campus seeing Jack was clear to leave the house. And dad finished wiring power to the shed. We now are able to hit a remote from the house to light up the backyard from the shed. Pretty awesome.

More 48th News - Even Highlighting Jack!

>> Watch the Video Highlighting Jack <<
(Some have complained the video freezes ... if so, sorry.)

48th: ‘We are Prepared’

Battalion receives warm send off at Armory

Sgt. Matt Hersey of the Georgia National Guard 48th Brigade Special Troops Battalion and girlfriend Jessica Fahey, left, entertain Thomas Chicola, 3, son of Alpha Company Commander 1st Lt. Dan Chicola, Monday at the Statesboro Armory as the unit readies for training and deployment to Afghanistan.

As Spc. Malinda Odom held her 15-month-old son Jase, it was clear who she’ll miss most on her upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.

“When I get back, Jase will be 2 years old,” Odom said. “I miss him already.”

Odom and about 300 members of the 48th Brigade Special Troops Battalion attended a send off ceremony Monday at the Statesboro Armory. The Georgia National Guard battalion began rolling out to Fort Stewart after the ceremony for 45 days of training in preparation for its mission to Afghanistan.

The battalion then begins its 12-month deployment with two months of intensive training at Camp Atterbury in Indiana. The 48th will head to Afghanistan for 10 months some time in June 2009 and is expected to return in April or May 2010.

In Afghanistan, the guardsmen will be charged with training soldiers in the Afghan National Army.

“We have trained and worked hard for this mission,” said Lt. Col. Tom Bright, as he addressed the packed gym Monday at the Armory. “We are prepared to go down range and do our duty for our nation.”

Bright said he has been impressed with the dedication of the battalion since he assumed command in June 2008.

“You are a strong group,” Bright said. “We recognize that the coming months will be a defining time in the history of Afghanistan. Similar to the successful surge in Iraq, we are increasing our troops and our focus in Afghanistan. The Afghan people and army love their country like we love ours. We are going there to help.”

Also on hand Monday at the Armory were members of the Family Readiness Group. Representatives offered advice to guardsmen and their families about how to best prepare to handle the logistics of the deployment.

Capt. Chuck Carter, a Bulloch resident based at Fort Stewart, urged the guardsman to make sure all their paperwork from insurance to mortgages to wills was in order before they left.

“All of you down range and those back home have enough to concern yourselves with,” Carter said. “Don’t leave without taking care of the important details.”

There are about 4,000 members of Georgia’s 48th Brigade and about 2,600 are deploying to Iraq, said Col. Steve Joyce. Joyce will be in charge of the Brigade in Georgia during the deployment.

“The guardsmen are anxious to do their duty,” Joyce said. “We are confident it will be a successful mission and we hope everyone returns safely.”

Spc. Isaac Johnson, a combat engineer from Columbus, was at the Armory with his sister Taylor, 9, and brother Cameron, 7.

“We are ready to complete our training and get to Afghanistan,” Johnson said. “The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get back home and to the people we love.”

Farewell Press

Statesboro Guardsmen Say Farewell

By Dal Cannady

STATESBORO, GA (WTOC) - Hundreds of National Guard soldiers based in Statesboro left Monday for the last part of their preparation before they deploy to Afghanistan.

Pfc. Malinda Carr hardly let go of her 1-year-old son. Her first ever trip overseas will be serving the 48th Brigade.

"Ain't no way to prepare for leaving your young'un. But I'm prepared as far as getting things done," she said with a laugh.

Hundreds of citizen-soldiers gathered to say goodbye to loved ones. They leave for six more weeks of training, some to Fort Stewart, some to Mississippi. Then they'll join different units already in Afghanistan. More than half the group have deployed before.

"For me, it's not my first deployment. I know what to expect. I've just been trying to get her (his wife, Beth) prepared," noted Spc. Edward Blanchard.

The soldiers said their mission will be different than what they did a few years ago in Iraq. But the challenge of being away from home will be the same.

"You have to get in your mind that you have to go and it's something you have to do," added Sgt. Cleveland White.

"A lot of us are anxious, enthusiastic about the mission. They're excited to get it over with," explained Spc. Daniel Larubio.

Commanders said the Afghan troops they'll be helping have plenty in common with the citizen soldiers of the American Revolution.

"Those guys want their own country. They don't know what it will look like yet. They know they want freedom and we have the opportunity to work shoulder to shoulder with them to find their way to success," stated commander Lt. Col. Tom Bright.

And when they return, they'll find proud and happy families waiting for them. More than 400 troops will deploy with Statesboro's BSTB Headquarters company.

>> Watch the Video <<