Block leave has ended, Brian is back at work, the guests have came and gone, and I guess now we settle into normal daily routines.
But, what ARE our normal routines?! The Geraghty family only strives for the unusual and exciting!
So, I have one more twist to add to the story. As many of you know, November 10th is a very special day for the Marine Corps. On that infamous day in 1775, the United States Marine Corps was born. Every year we attend the Marine Corps Ball in celebration and it's always quite an elaborate event. I've been diappointed to miss out the last couple years due to the back-to-back deployments. I was elated to attend this fall. But...
...turns out, we're NOT going to be able to attend yet again. Instead, we'll be gracing an area hospital for a different kind of celebration. :)
Friends and family, we are very happy to announce that Baby 3G is on the way!!! And since I have the honor to serve as the 2012 Marine Corps Spouse of the year, this little one is fittingly due on the Marine Corps birthday. (Um, no we didn't plan that. And NO, we will not be naming the baby Gunner, Liberty, or Sarge!)
We found out several weeks ago so we've already had our first ultrasound. Brian was still on block leave so it was easy for him to attend the appointment. What a wonderful moment. It seems new all over again!
But, what ARE our normal routines?! The Geraghty family only strives for the unusual and exciting!
So, I have one more twist to add to the story. As many of you know, November 10th is a very special day for the Marine Corps. On that infamous day in 1775, the United States Marine Corps was born. Every year we attend the Marine Corps Ball in celebration and it's always quite an elaborate event. I've been diappointed to miss out the last couple years due to the back-to-back deployments. I was elated to attend this fall. But...
...turns out, we're NOT going to be able to attend yet again. Instead, we'll be gracing an area hospital for a different kind of celebration. :)
Friends and family, we are very happy to announce that Baby 3G is on the way!!! And since I have the honor to serve as the 2012 Marine Corps Spouse of the year, this little one is fittingly due on the Marine Corps birthday. (Um, no we didn't plan that. And NO, we will not be naming the baby Gunner, Liberty, or Sarge!)
We found out several weeks ago so we've already had our first ultrasound. Brian was still on block leave so it was easy for him to attend the appointment. What a wonderful moment. It seems new all over again!
I found out the morning of March 5th. Pregnancy tends to hit me hard with nearly instantaneous symptoms. After a few consecutive mornings of waking up feeling sick and exhausted, I looked in the bathroom mirror and just KNEW. After dropping off Caden at preschool, Cole and I hightailed it to Walmart before his PT session began. Sure enough, I was right. Such an exhilerating feeling to see that line appear and to realize your life just changed, big time! YAY! It was fun sharing it with Brian later that day. I tried to get Caden to say it but I finally had step in and share the fact that Caden and I had a discussion at Lowes, and he wants a boy but I think it's a girl. Brian looked at me in disbelief and sat back on the couch in shock, mouthing "Holy sh*t!". Caden asked, "What's wrong Dad?!" Brian responded, "Daddy needs a minute." HA HA! Of course he was elated, but he didn't see that one coming! So funny.
The best part about this though was the significance of the timing. We found out about the baby the day before we completed genetic testing at Chapel Hill. Brian and I wanted to know if we were carriers of SMA. We knew it might affect our future decisions. We had always discussed if we wanted two children or three. Brian was willing to have three either way, but I cannot deny that it might have swayed me. With two wonderful boys, would it be careless to pursue another, who could perhaps have even more difficulties and hardships? Perhaps even life threatening? Well, it's almost like God reached out and said, just trust me. You are meant to have this child. What an awesome revelation, just 24 hours before testing.
Turns out, the testing came back positive and both Brian and I are indeed carriers of SMA. I was holding onto hope that we were the tiny exception and that Cole's disease was a random occurrence. Believe it or not, this has been passed from generation to generation in our families, one carrier after another, but has gone undetected until me and Brian. That means one of our parents, one of our grandparents, and so on. All our children willl have a 25% chance of having the disorder (like Cole), a 25% chance of having normal genetic coding, and a 50% chance of being a carrier. Unfortunately, the results revealed that my genetics are a tad weaker than Brian's so we could potentially have a child with more severe symptoms than Cole.
Now we must decide, do we have need to know ahead of time? There are tests they can perform to determine if the baby will have the disorder. If it was an easy blood sample, we would absolutely pursue it, but the amnio and the CVS placenta sampling present some risks. We are still weighing the risks versus the power of being prepared and being able to plan. For example, this will affect whether or not I will have to be induced and travel a great distance to a hospital for delivery. It will also affect our mental well-being and stability the rest of this pregnancy and on the day of delivery. Lots to consider and think about. I have faith things will be okay but I still catch myself wanting to be prepared. I've been praying and talking to some people but without a doubt it's a PERSONAL decision that we must be comfortable with first and foremost. So I ask that #1 you pray for the baby's health, #2 pray for us to make the right decision FOR US, and #3 pray for Cole's strength. Thank you!
On a lighter note, you'll get a kick out of this...I sold the crib 3 months ago. Yeah. We need that. Well, luckily they're easily available here in Jacksonville, the baby capitol of the universe! I had already painted the guest room a soothing palm breeze green, so it will work perfect for a nursery, boy or girl. You'll be surprised to hear that we might actually find out the gender this time. We've waited in the past but this time our curiosity is piqued. Both Brian and I would love a little girl. But if we can add a cube to C-squared, that'd be cool too. I'm at 10 weeks right now so we would not be able to find out for several more weeks. I'll keep you posted!
I'm looking forward to a fall delivery. I'm hoping 100-degree days will be long gone. We do not have many late-year birthdays in the family so this will be a welcome change of pace. It also means that my parents can visit after harvest, and there's just something about having your Mom around when you're learning how to be a new Mommy all over again! Caden will be almost 6 and Cole will be 3 1/2, so the distances in age are ideal. Caden will also be in kindergarten full time so that will help during the days. Brian will be here for the next couple years with NO deployments on the horrizon. So all in all, this little surpise couldn't have been UNplanned any better.
Celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary and the news of Baby 3G!
On to other news...
Cole's wheelchair is on order and should arrive in the next couple weeks. We purchased a suh-weet 2012 Chyrsler Town and Country so the next step is to get Caden into soccer so I can be an official soccer Mom. The van will have to be modified to fit the wheelchair so we still have some work to do with Tricare. Hopefully the process will be fairly painless. The wheelchair only took one week of back and forth discussions, presenting some frustration but all was well in the end. It's fully covered and we're very grateful.
As for Cole's progress, you won't believe this...he stood unassisted 2 weeks ago for about 5 seconds!!! Brian let go of his hands and he stood their motionless, balancing, relying on his braces. Then he dropped. I didn't see it, and the idea of it fascinates me. This is HUGE. We have not seen that since he was very young, just over a year. I wish I had witnessed it but I know it will happen again. He has been motivated to use his gait trainer all by himself, making it advance and change direction without our assistance. That is significant pogress also. Yesterday, I convinced him to go the entire length of the driveway in one shot. I really do believe he will walk one day. It will take time, but that miracle is waiting, somewhere.
Good job Cole! We use his trainer often on the back deck and tickles and hugs always wait for him at the end.
He gets to ride the roller coaster as a reward.
You can do it Colebug!
More tickles!
Cole is absolutely full of personality and talks in full sentences and conversations all day long. One of our favorite nuances is how he sweetly says I love you: "Too Dad." About two weeks ago he switched to calling us Mommy and Daddy. We like it. :) As of late, he abhors diaper changes and fights nap time. But his naps still stretch 3 hours so I know that's not disposable yet. His smile and laugh are absolutely infectious and he is always asking us to tickle and "get him." He loves praying, "Father, Mom?" and never lets us forget. He has a very specific pattern he follows. He plays with Scout, although Scout would consider it more on the lines of torture. He keeps busy playing with trains and trucks, and asks to ride his John Deere gator daily. That motorized toy has been such a blessing, giving him freedom to go and also driving lessons before receiving the wheelchair. We think he's going to take to it easily.
The best place to read
Caden will finish preschool next month and has made some progress since last year. He enjoys writing more and at least attempts to spell his name. He still needs work on his letters but perhaps his interest will grow over time. He loves his friends and the teacher comments that he is her rule follower. He also likes to inform others if they are not following rules! Oh boy.
Caden has adjusted well to having Brian home so that's a relief. It was almost seamless. Both boys sleep great and really enjoy sharing their bunk beds! We hear them talking at night after we shut off the lights, and they always get up together in the morning. "Morning brother! Get up!" They never leave the other behind. It's the kind of special bond I had hoped for.
Three muskateers
Wrestle mania, a nightly routine
Relaxing with long-time friends from Denver, Josh Welch and Brian Gilbert
Cheeseball
Is that mold on that waffle or green sprinkles? Let's hope the latter.
Both of them are excited about the baby. Caden draws strange pictures, which make no sense and he likes to carry around the ultrasound picture. Cole thinks the baby is growing in his belly. Eh, at least they are both aware and we'll just have to work on the details! Caden wishes for a girl and has decided to name her Genevieve or Masterpiece. Two very different options, eh?! No baby names nailed down and it will absolutely not be revealed until delivery day anyway. Baby 3G will do for now.
Brian enjoyed his month-long block leave. We had numerous visitors, including his parents, the Hasleys, some friends from Denver, and my parents.
Pat and Pam were here for Homecoming and enjoyed viewing all Brian's deployment photos and videos
Relaxing time on the beach
So nice just being together
Allie and Gabrielle loved Scout!
Cole's favorite place to be
Cousins
Best buds, Lawson and Cade
The Hasleys at Shackleford Island, ready to find those wild ponies!
And there they are!!!
Super Dad
Backyard NFL
A rare treat, the Commandant's Marine Corps Band
AND the Silent Drill Team!!! AMAZING.
Perfection. Honor. Pride.
Salute!
Family pic...such a great week!
These kiddos were MADE for the beach! Marcus (2 1/2), Lawson (7), Bella (5)
We were super stoked to have Brian around for the Easter holiday. We've been fortunate that he's never missed an Easter with the boys and my parents' visit was extra bonus! The boys participated in 4 different egg hunts and are still working through their gifts and candy. Thanks to all the Aunts and Grandma's who contributed to our future dental bills. The kids have been in heaven.
Cole is trying to kick Caden in the head here. Caden is thrilled.
Neighborhood Easter Parade...and he's not sure about the chicken. Creepy or cool...fine line.
Preschool Egg Hunt...and I've never seen him run so fast.
Poised for battle.
The yearly disaster we call coloring eggs.
Easter morning and he suspects the squirrels have infiltrated his egg hunt.
Who knew Easter eggs could promote physical therapy?! Atta boy Cole!
He always had to shake them and make sure they were not defective. Otherwise they got tossed.
Happy Easter boys!
St. Francis Xavier on Camp Lejeune...love this church!
And they're still cooperating for a great pic with Mom and Dad!
One last pic in their Easter best
But patience is waning and this is one of the other 900 pics that did NOT make the blog. Nice.
Easter dinner! Check out the amazing bread my friend Jill brought. Mmmmm.
More Easter gifts! Oh and candy! YIPPEE! (Ugh.)
Yes, Brian definitely enjoyed the down-time. But vacations can't last forever, unless you win the lottery. And...we didn't. So, back to work he goes! He is excited about his new position and there are no plans for a deployment for a few years. Thank you Jesus for granting me sanity! He is going to catch up on some professional schools and help instruct the new guys. He's looking forward to the new challenges and some time at home. He's been working out a lot and will run his first official half marathon next weekend.
I'm also supposed to run that race, but may not due to my current state of health. As I mentioned earlier, pregnancy hits me hard, but I could do without the additional challenges, like bronchitus, a sinus infection, and possibly a cracked tooth. Fun stuff. I pray it will all be taken care of soon so I can function at even 50% again, and be ready and raring to go for the big reveal next month!
On that note, it won't be long and we'll be heading to DC for the Military Spouse of the Year announcement! I received my official invitation this past week and was astounded to see my name listed. Sometimes, it's still surreal.
I've been busy with Stroller Warriors, launching new chapters, nailing down our new logo, ordering shirts, organizing workouts, and countless other projects. Last month, we did our half marathon fundraisor for Families of SMA in honor of Cole, and raised $6750. Thank you to all of you that contributed! Last month, we held another fundraisor, a Stroller Warriors yardsale. Proceeds will go toward purchasing a trademark for our name and logo and a web site domain! I feel so official! Seems I'm always behind though on these projects, but I'm becoming pretty sharp at delegating and the members love to help. We've grown to almost 500 here at Lejeune. That's a lot of warriors to keep track of! I love it though. It makes me tick.
So appreciative of Shannon Sierra's amazing design expertise in establishing our new logo!
The Wrightsville Beach Half Marathon...Stroller Warriors #1!
My biggest fans, all adorning Love Cole shirts. Such a happy day.
Stroller Warriors unite
Baby 3Gs first race, and given my respectable time of 1:55, maybe "she" is a runner?! And yes, we're hoping for "she." :)
Nothing much else to report. All is well with the house. Brian is trying to get some grass growing where I apparently let it die. Note to self: do NOT forget to weed and feed in the fall or else you'll get an unpleasant surprise come spring. The weeds completely took over. So disappointing after all the work he put in last spring. Oh well. Lots of my new flowers are blooming and we're replanning flower beds. Mom planted a ton of new flowers for me while lazy pregnant Steph rested. Brian wants to put in a garden but I told him he's on his own with that one. As much as I love watching stuff grow, I have too much on my plate as it is!
Brian is currently staining a piece of furniture we had built to help encourage Cole to play while standing. We hope it succeeds and helps with his therapy. It will be a beautiful addition to the toy room and an excellent way to organize those unruly toys too. I am concerned about having a girl because of the toy situation. How in the world will we have room for princesses and dolls with all these boy toys everywhere?! I think she's going to just have to adapt to Thomas and John Deere.
Well, that's plenty for you to digest for now. It feels so good to share wonderful news and I cannot wait to hear your responses! I bet you'll be surprised. Well, we were too! But sometimes surprises are the BEST gifts, and timing can be everything. Without a doubt, it was our time. 2012 is looking up.
Much love, Steph, Brian, Caden, Cole, and Baby 3G
