Babymoon to ATL

When I opened Blogger I saw my last post was in October. I can not even believe that to be true. Where in the world did the time go?

We did have an extremely busy November and one of the highlights was the babymoon John took me on. We went to Atlanta and stayed at a very nice hotel downtown. We had such a great time. we....

Ate delicious food. The best was a Sunday brunch that had entirely too many options and was right next to the runway at a little airport. We saw planes land and take off as we enjoyed plate after plate of amazing food (and you could put on headphones to listen to the towers!). 
Visited museums. We went to the Atlanta aquarium (saw the best dolphin show ever), Coca-Cola museum (tried sodas from all over the world), Fernbank museum (walked through the Khan exhibit), and the Atlanta History Center (where we walked through the Olympic exhibit and took a tour of a beautiful old house--my personal favorite of the museums).
Attended a NFL game. We were able to score some tickets to the Atlanta Falcons game and watch the (then) undefeated team take another win. It was unlike any football experience I had ever had. And the stadium was within walking distance from our hotel (just another added bonus).
We also slept in, shopped a little, saw family, laughed till our stomachs hurt, explored different areas of ATL, and got a massage. Neither of us wanted to come home. It was perfect in every way.

November also brought a trip home for John (and I stayed home and crafted, and surprisingly time went by quite fast while he was gone). John hunted while home and had a great time seeing family.
And a new job for John. He is working as an Air Traffic Control Flight Planning Dispatcher. What does that mean? No idea. It's to keep him busy until he starts his next school.
And a beautiful wedding on the beach.
And a trip from the Vandaments (minus Tyler and Lia) for Thanksgiving. And what a great Thanksgiving it was! The turkey was amazing (as well as all of the other food), we ate entirely too much, we went black Friday shopping (duh), set up Christmas decor, spoiled Belleau, and everyone but me learned how to drive (or ride?) a Segway on base. I love my family and love that they come visit us for Thanksgiving. We always have such a blast, and it always goes by way too fast.

That was our November ... and now it is December. I will try to sum up these three days of December in just a few sentences: my teaching career has been put on hold (as I become a mommy), we are loving our small group at church, and waiting for baby Lynch to make his or her arrival! Please be praying for a healthy labor and delivery, and baby! 

Phew. That was quite the blog.

hello mister helo pilot

John deserves to be mentioned first. He finished Primary (the school he has been in for what seems like forever) and selected last Thursday (selected = found out what type of aircraft he will fly for his career). He will be a helicopter pilot which is exactly what he wanted! God is good and has His hand in all that we do. Helo school will start in mid to late February and is here in Florida, so we will be Pensacola residents for at least ten more months. Finishing Primary is a pretty big deal. John is amazing.

In the meantime (before the next school in Feb), he has finally has some free time and has found some new hobbies. He has decided to take up bow hunting, and he is hoping to take a trip home before our baby arrives. Maybe he'll even find time to figure out how helicopters work, and then he will hopefully be home with me and baby for several months. How spoiled am I?

Very. And very pregnant. Thirty-one weeks today and can hardly wait to meet baby Lynch! I am so thankful that this pregnancy has been so good to me. Pregnancy brain is a new experience that has made teaching tenth graders quite entertaining. Forming sentences takes work. And I have started leaving myself numerous notes in order to remember what I told certain classes.

In other baby news ... I had a baby shower last weekend that my mom came down for AND MY SISTER! Tori surprised me and flew in for the weekend. Such an awesome surprise and I am not an easy person to surprise! Only thing that could have made it better is if she would have decided to stay for at least a month :). The shower was perfect and I have such wonderful friends down here that made it that way.

We still have a few essential items to buy from our Amazon registry, but it will all come together in due time.

Some of the latest belly shots:

28 weeks

31 weeks (today!)

And a little something I love more than my growing belly ... baby Lynch moving! This baby rarely stops moving (we have started praying for parental patience). Baby moving (click for video).

week twenty five and feeling alive

Three weeks into school and twenty five (and a half) weeks into pregnancy ... and I really feel great. School has been keeping me busy, as expected, and still no swollen feet to report. The fact that we are three weeks into school is a bit of a lie though. School did start on August 20th, but I have only taught nine days out of thirteen days thanks to good ol' Isaac and Labor Day. Isaac did not bring much action to Pensacola, but school was closed for THREE days in a row (better than snow days, if you ask me) and John was off FOUR days in a row. We had lots of unexpected free time in which we filled with selling the Volvo (miss you, Theo) and researching and researching and researching, then purchasing a new X1.

It's such a pretty vehicle. And smart, which I am still getting use to. The engine shuts off when the car comes to a stop (such as, at a red light), the wipers are automatic based on the amount of rainfall, and the driver seat moves based on who opens the door (moves up and forward for me and back and down for John). Thinking of naming him Bernhard, but haven't received the all-clear from John yet.

(If only naming a baby were as easy as naming a car ...)

John is in the same place he was during the last post (slowly going through the last block of school). He is still expected to finish in early October! Trying not to think too much about it, but I sure am anxious to know what he will fly for the rest of his career.

Belleau is crazy and adorable and fun and precious and sweet and currently, snoring. She's my doll. She is still adjusting to the no-more-summer schedule and it has not been easy. She's just so sleepy in the morning, it makes me laugh every day.

Baby Lynch is a kicker, or dancer? Either way, this baby moves often and I love it. Sometimes I do think the baby is trying to escape out through my belly button. I'll leave you with pictures of the ever growing belly.

week 22

week 22

week 25 (most current)

Story time--one exciting night

This blog is being typed for two reasons. 1)  I am watching Julie and Julia as John is at work until midnight (what a fun Friday night for us)... and though I am not cooking, watching it has made me remember I am very past due on blogging. 2) I had a very exciting night last night and must share.
 
Story time. This is a non-fiction.
I have been consumed with sewing since last November when we bought my Black-Friday-deal sewing machine. Most recently, I have been working daily on two Christmas presents. I try to give it at least an hour or two each night after work. Last night was my seventh night in a row on the same project and it was the first night John was not home (he, much like tonight, had to be on base well into the evening). I gave myself just one hour to do as much as I could then I would move on to washing sheets, and cleaning the ignored house. Ten minutes into my "one hour" ... I sewed straight through my finger.

Let me tell you, that machine is fast. I would love to be able to tell you how exactly this happened, but even as I sit here and replay it over and over ... I have no idea. It was fast, and surprisingly painless. The needle broke right away and I could feel it break and turned the knob on the machine to lift the top of it out of my finger. Then I had to cut the thread on the top and bottom so I could move out of the machine. At this point, I started to yell (not scream) "Oh my heck, Oh my heck". And the loyal Belleau came sprinting in panting. She was nervous for me. I wasn't exactly sure what to do. I went directly to the kitchen and ran it under water to get the blood out of the way so I could see what I was dealing with. That is when I realized pliers would be best to pull it out.
... why would this happen on the night John isn't home? (I can't tell you how many times I thought that).

I decided to walk to my neighbors and have her pull it out, but in her driveway I realized asking an 80 year old woman to pull a needle out of my bleeding finger may not be the wisest decision. I then decided to try our other neighbor (we don't know them as well, but they are definitely second on the best-neighbor list. Plus they owed us ... we put their trash out while they were out of town one weekend. ha). I walked over and rang the doorbell. Neighbor answered and I said "this is going to be the oddest neighborly request you ever receive, but will you pull this needle out of my finger?"  He looked more nervous than I felt. He brought me in the house, had me sit down and asked if I needed water or anything else. I am sure the sight of a pregnant woman with half a needle in her finger is not a sight you would be calm about. He cleaned the pliers and pulled it right now. Still no pain in the pulling out. 10...9...8...7... ah, there was the pain. It felt like a burn. A bad burn. My, my, my was it exciting. I must say, I am very proud of myself for how calm I remained. I kept thinking that I didn't want to stress out the baby. I showered when I got back home and applied a gracious amount of neosporin. When John got home, I woke up to tell him the story (and showed him the needle the neighbor so kindly put in a baggie for me).
I now have a bruised, tender pointer. And an exciting story to tell.

The end.

Other updates since the last post ...

... I have started school! Second year of teaching is one week underway. My students seem to be a fun bunch. I was graciously rewarded with three honor classes. I really do have the best schedule. And I feel great! Not too many aches and pains. I have started off my mornings with 20 minutes of yoga and that has seemed to cure my back pain!

... I am close to sporting an outie and cannot believe how much this baby movies. I will post new pictures in the next couple of weeks.

... John has been studying like a crazy man. Just last week he finally got back into a plane! Looks like he will finish this phase of schooling in October. Continue to keep him in your prayers!

... Storm Isaac is headed our way. Eek! I am anxious to experience our first hurricane, but I am equally nervous about it.

baby in my belly

There is no denying it, I have a pregnant belly ... in fact, I feel very pregnant every time I walk into my closet and have to face the fact that zero of my pants fit me (well, I should say zero zip and button, all still fit me).

Before the pictures ... lets talk about the love of my life ... Johnny. He was recently promoted to 1st Lt. Yay! for him. He is in the LAST block of training for Primary. Once this final block is completed he will find out what he will be flying for his career! It has been a long journey, please continue to pray for his brain and this crazy Pensacola weather. A clear mind and a clear sky. This last block, Instruments, should take roughly 6-8 weeks to complete. It starts with classroom time and tests (which is what he is in the office studying for now) then come more flights. John finished the Formation block with flying colors (semi pun intended). He loved it and "rocked" his solo, as he put it.

Bell is still an absolute nut. Some days she is the most well behaved dog, and other days ... well, other days she is just flat out crazy. She makes us laugh a lot, and continues to make a great walking partner. Today she is recovering from a five hour play date at her BFF's house yesterday. Her BF(s)F are an American bulldog and a French bulldog. They play perfect together.

Okay ... me, now. I have been feeling more and more like myself with the exception of back pain. I don't sleep many hours due to my stinkin' back, but some how I have a ton of energy. I have been sewing a lot and researching baby items. My next appointment is Tuesday and we will have the 20 week ultrasound that I can hardly wait for! (No gender reveal, sorry folks, we like a good ol' fashion surprise!) I met my midwife for the first time last week and already adore her. She was beyond sweet and really took the appointment to get to know me, and John. I left feeling very confident in myself and in her, which helped with any nervousness.
I am amazed by how fast my belly seems to be growing.

Just look for yourself. Weeks 12-19 (missing 17, ops). My photographer (aka baby's daddy) says, "I love taking these weekly photos of you" after each shoot. He's adorable and sure makes me feel beautiful.

Week 12

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15

Week 16

Week 18

Week 19

And now it's the end of June

Yay for summer!

The school year wrapped up perfectly. I was asked to come back next year during my end of the year evaluation and cannot wait for a second year of teaching in Pensacola!

As many of you know, my school year will be more like a semester due to the BABY coming in December.

I have to start with John, otherwise my pregnancy will take over this entire post.

John had his first solo in the T-6 a couple of weeks ago. He is finally starting to move through school at a more acceptable rate. More recently, he soloed in the aerobatics phase of school. Solo = flying alone ... crazy. He still continues to amaze me. Please continue to pray for all of his flights and for the weather to continue to cooperate in order for him to complete the needed flights. The goal is for him to fly every day Monday thru Friday. The more frequent the flights the better. He does a lot of studying in his office (thank goodness for a split floor plan ... he has one side of the house and Belleau and I have the other). When he is not studying ... he hangs out with me (movie, dinner, walk, Jeopardy, etc.), plays golf, or goes bowling. He does occasionally let himself have a little fun.

Belleau is still a nut. She was spayed two weeks ago and it about broke our hearts. She had to stay the night at the vet. It was so weird coming home after dinner to an empty house while she was gone. She was not quite the same the first two days (didn't want to go outside, didn't want food, didn't want her toys), but boy is she back to normal now! She is currently barking in our room ... but this was what she was doing when I walked in ...

She often likes to pretend she isn't up to anything, but there are two pillows on the floor. I let her believe she outsmarted me ... probably not a good idea.

On to this pregnant belly of mine. We found out in late April and had our first ultrasound on 15 May. Baby Lynch was quite the mover! Arms and legs were moving like crazy, it was magical to see.

Since then we have had one more ultrasound and two other heart beat listens. It amazes me every time. Today I am just a little over 15 weeks and finally starting to have more energy! The last 15 weeks have not been the greatest ... started with nausea, then no desire to cook or even look at uncooked food, then zero energy to do ANYTHING, then a nasty metallic taste. The taste and the zero energy were the "worst" in the first trimester. My biggest complaint today is the gagging. I gag roughly 20 times a day. And there is nothing specific that triggers it ... it is everything! Quite annoying. Hoping and praying it goes away in the next couple of weeks.

Please pray with us for a healthy pregnancy and very healthy baby (with John's blue eyes)!

Here are the links to the videos of us telling our parents. They are very worth the click to YouTube.

First is mom and dad Vandament via FaceTime using the song "We're having a baby" from I Love Lucy. Second is mom and dad Lynch at the airport when they arrived.

Mom and Dad (Vandament)

Mom and Dad (Lynch)

have you given up on us?

January 24th was the last post. I can hardly believe it. Ashley, you should be getting on me for slacking. Since January 24th we've had two birthdays, an anniversary, visitors, flights, etc.

Let's go case-by-case

As a family, first. The Vandament parents came to visit in March and we had a BLAST. They were here on my (Tenisha's) Spring Break. We went to the beach, ate lots of great food, went to base, visited the museum, ate more, played with Belleau, played lots of Monopoly Deal, cooked, had a Pampered Chef party and played with Belleau more. Tori is the next visitor lined up, then we must have our Lynch family out for a visit.

Belleau turned ONE! And although she occasionally pretends to be mature, she is still a gosh darn puppy. We took her to the dog beach just yesterday and she played for 90 minutes with no break. She was a beast, and impressed all of the humans there. We had to literally drag her away from the water when we were ready to head home. Some owners of a retriever were very upset with their dog that would not fetch a tennis ball, but you better believe Belleau was after it in a heart beat each and every time. She is still a riot and keeps us ever so busy.

John is finally back to flying after his wisdom teeth surgery. He was out for several days. You would be amazed with all he has to memorize. He is currently in the office going over his brief for tomorrow's flight.

He flies.

Can you believe it?

I still can't.

I've been asking him to give us a paragraph, in his words, of what he thinks of being up in a plane with the controls at his hands ... and once he has a break from studying ... I'll get him typing.

I am still teaching and loving it. I am only seven weeks away from summer and the completion of my first year of teaching. I received a raise for completing my masters, which is always exciting. Can't decide on my next degree, but be assured there will be another. I have wonderful friends at school that I have absolutely loved getting to know. And my students are the reason I love the job. We are in the middle of Shakespeare, and I am thankful to Dr. Darcy at UNO for making me love and appreciate good ol' William.

I know this does not give you a play by play of what we have been up to in the last THREE months, but our lives are seeming somewhat normal at the moment, and for a life in the Marine Corps normal feels so odd. We have lived in Florida for almost a year and that also seems odd after eight months in Omaha and seven months in Virginia. But normal is nice, and we are enjoying it while we can.

Food. Now, of course that topic deserves its own paragraph. We have been cooking as usual. I am experimenting with pot stickers. I have the dough down, and the Asian filling. Thinking a buffalo chicken and blue cheese filling is in my near future.  Pizza is still a love of ours. In fact, I just made the most "boring" one we've had in awhile: pepperoni, mozz, goat cheese, and sage. Last week we had turkey bacon, apples, maple syrup, and chicken ... mmMm. Oh and for Valentines day we had chicken lasagna. A personal favorite.

On one last note ... I have started picking blackberries in our neighborhood! One of our fantastic neighbors showed me the way to yummy berries, and I have started going out there daily to grab a few more. They are delicious.

For my own sanity, I will not wait three+ months between posts. *I will TRY not to ...