Braden get's a haircut

Our littlest B got his first little man haircut today. He also had a couple shots so he was a little sad. Matt took him to Suzie, the lady who cuts his hair. Here are the before and after.

Brenna's birthday

Brenna turned the big 3 on the 4th. She had a wonderful party made even more special by the family and friends there.

Pumkin patch

Finally got them over to the patch today. Hard to get pictures of Brenna these days, shes a fast moving target. Braden was more interested in playing with and tasting the straw. Thankfully, grandmawas there to help keep em corralled.

My little singers

My little singers.

Navy Ball

Matty and I went to our first Navy ball together last night. We had been told how much fun it was last year and that we should really give it a go. So I wore my bridesmaid dress from Christina's wedding and Matt wore his choker whites. He looked so handsome ;-) . We got there had a couple drinks and mingled. Then we had dinner (not too tasty). I had high hopes for the giant cake that would be cut later. After dinner there were a couple laim dance songs, s/a the electric slide, celebration, cotton eye joe. Then 3 speakers were to talk about there IA experience. Evidently no time limit was set and these poor guys were not public speakers. Looking around the room, people were yawning and talking amongst themselves. I excused myself to the ladies room between speakers and on the way back found Matt and some others in the bar. I was there for quite some time before I went back. I figured the speaking would be almost over. I was wrong. During the featured speakers talk the county commissioner,who was a few seats away, collapsed. For a while the speaker kept going but then EMT's got there and it was obvious his condition was serious. We and most of the party goers stepped out for his privacy. During that time 1/2 - 1/3 of the attendees left the ball all together. Hard to have fun and dance after that. Matt and I and most of the Vigilant Eagles stayed. There were a bunch of door prizes to be had and our odds had just improved. We ended up having a good time and Matt won a $100 savings bond. It definitely wasn't what I expected but it was nice to dress up and go out with my husband. Ohh, and the cake was excellent!

Aww poop!

Yesterday I decided to feed Braden lunch before Brenna and I. So a warmed his sweet potatoes and started. He has become a bit picky lately with his cuisine. So he makes the nasty face, then blows raspberries, so the sweet potatoes become an aerosol and make a fine mist like spray for the surrounding area. I tried to alternate formula and potatoes but he is fussing. Then he does a big poop. Great I think, I will clean him up and he will eat his lunch. I take him to the changing table to find poo oozing between the snaps of his overalls. It has squished out of his diaper, past his onsie, and through his pants. At this time I hear my opportunistic daughter in her room saying "it's raining". I hear money hitting the floor, so I know she has taken the stopper out of the hippo bank (B calls it a butt plug, lol) and is throwing it all over the place. All I can do is yell pick up the money but as expected my request falls on deaf ears. I begin Braden's wipe-a-thon and its all down his legs and of course he grabs a foot to hold, so now its on 3/4 appendages. After I get him cleaned up, we go help Brenna pick up the money. Then back to finish lunch. Except when I get back to the kitchen, Tater has helped herself to Braden's lunch. She is sitting next to his now empty bowl licking her chops. Can I get a break I say? Brenna and I both have a cold thanks to church school this week. So, we share a bowl of soup and at least that is nice. After lunch things are beginning to feel a bit under control so I called mom and while I'm on the phone Brenna (who is mostly potty trained) poops in her panties.

No break.

This week has gone by soo fast. Matt went to Ft. Rucker to study and take his ATP test. He passed with flying(ha ha) colors. Now he just has to take the check ride portion and he will be a licensed transport pilot. Anybody want a charter?

Matt's maternal grandparents were in town visiting from Washington state the past couple of weeks. They did lots of shopping and beaching and snuggling with Braden. It was so great to spend time with them.

whats been going on

Okay, so there has been so much going on lately I hardly know where to start. I will start with Matty. He is finally finished with his EMBA. It was a long, hard road for him getting this Master's. Instructing full time and going to school, and homework left him and the family with very little time for fun. It's great he's done but I know there is always something else around the corner to take up time. He is looking forward to moving on to Japan. We should be heading out in early February if all goes according to plan.

We are still trying to sell the house. We are in quite the predicament with this place. We, like much of the country, are upside down. So we can take a huge loss up front, or try the rental market. We are now leaning toward renting. Keep us in your prayers. Worst case scenario would be the kids and I would stay behind and Matt would go to Japan for 2 years unaccompanied.

I had some much needed fun a couple weekends ago in the form of a ladies weekend in Nashville. I drove up the Huntsville, dropped the kids off with Mimi and Tutu and wished them well. (Big ups to Mimi and Tutu !!) I had the best time catching up with my Chi-O's. Good friendships are hard to find and I am so thankful for each of them. Due to geography we can't get together often, but when we do it's just like old times. This is a picture from dinner one night - Shelley, Rebecca, Jennifer, Christina, Rebecca, and me.

Brenna is smart as a whip and learning something new everyday. I am always amazed by her. She is currently deciding on what to be for Halloween. This is a big decision for her and she is not taking it lightly. She has been carrying around a Halloween costume catalog searching for the perfect one for her. Still no luck in the potty training department. My hope is that by her birthday we will be there.

Braden is doing well with his bottles and formula. Mimi got him on a schedule while I was in Nashville. I have just been maintaining it. He is taking cereal and some veggies too. I am making his food, I know-I deserve a culinary award right? The thing is, I bought all those conveniently packaged little foods for Brenna when she was a baby. I though Gerber had to make better food than me. My sister was telling me how easy it is and how much $ it saves, so I gave it a whirl. I can't believe I didn't do this before. It is easy and he seems to like it. Although, my little guy might eat poop off a spoon if I smiled and served it up. He likes to eat. On a sad little note he is sick right now. He has some sort of intestinal bug that has left him with diarrhea and a wicked diaper rash. It has been a day and a half so I hope the worst is behind him.

Thats all for now. Jessica

Braden

It's been a while since I posted an update so here goes. During Braden's medical screen to go to Japan, the Dr. suggested his eczema could be related to allergies and scheduled allergy testing. Today Braden had his appointment with the allergist and it turn out he is allergic to eggs, and milk. Poor guy had been on breast milk and I eat and drink everything. I feel kind of sad that in trying to do what is best for him, I was making him sick. We were told to go ahead and wean him and start him on a hypoallergenic formula. Matt and I drove around buying bottles and formula today. Unfortunately this special formula costs twice as much as regular formula. Even worse the first few tries have not been pretty. The Dr. said this formula doesn't taste as good as the others. I think Braden agrees. He would take a few sips, give a nasty little look to whoever was holding the bottle and spit it out. I am sure he just needs a little time to transition, frankly I need a little time too. Gone are the days of always having food available, and cleaning bottles was done with soap in the shower. He should have a pretty quick improvement to his skin and frequent spitting up, once he is exclusively formula fed. My hope is that in time he will out grow these allergies. He can be retested around 2 with a blood test to see if it has resolved. In the mean time I have a lot to learn about shopping and cooking without dairy and eggs. If anybody know of a good recipe or website please let us know.

Kids say the funniest things. For those of you familiar with kids tv shows, Brenna likes Yo Gabba Gabba. Just one of the many. I think it's on Noggin. Anyway, so today we went up to the Walmart (yieppee) for a few things. When were leaving she asked the greeter/cart/ return guy for some stickers. He was very kind and gave her two. We skipped to the car and she was saying Gabba Gabba give me stickers. I started cracking up. The Walmart guy was a tall, skinny black man, and here is a picture of the host of Yo Gabba Gabba.

Another funny Brenna story. Brenna has developed a little habit of counter surfing. She sees an apple in the fruit basket and she takes a bite. She sees a measuring cup, she thinks something yummy must have been in it. This morning she grabbed a measuring cup off the counter and licked it. I'm sure she saw dark brown and thought chocolate, it was coffee grounds. She made a terrible face and said " I don't like it" She wiped her mouth off on the towel but here is her pict. She may be a little more cautious next time.

Some say "the early bird catches the worm" at my house, the early bird catches the wrath of mommy. Unfortunately for me my little Brenna has been waking up a little earlier each day until now a consistent 0515 has been achieved. There has been no change to her routine, in fact we put her to bed at 2000, and she chats to her babies and sings until almost 2100. She takes one 2 hour nap after lunch and all had been well. So this new wake up time is not only unwelcome, it is resented. I get up 2-4 times a night with Braden already so really starting the day in the 5 o'clock hour is just not okay. I am not unreasonable, 0600 is a perfectly acceptable wake up time. 0630 is better, but you get the idea. I try very hard to say the right things to her and be the best mom I can be. Lately though, fatigue has gotten the best of me and mommy is a short tempered, unhappy camper in the morning. I have upped my one cup-a-day coffee to almost 2 cups. Matt has been having early briefs so at least he is spared from my attitude. At first I tried turning on Max and Ruby for her, but it turns out that Max is a rotten little bunny and Brenna has picked up some bad behavior for him. Today I deleted all our saved recordings of Max and Ruby. Until Max can get his act together, I don't want him teaching Brenna more bad manners. Another bummer is my nap schedule. I have a 15-20 minute nap a day to keep me functioning. I can do without it but it makes such a difference in my quality of life. Too bad lately Braden and Brenna have been out of nap sinc, leaving me with no nap.
I digress. First I had to tell Matt his siren of an alarm clock, that goes off at o dark thirty, has to be turned down or moved closer to him. That thing will go on and on while Matt leisurely strolls over to turn it off. So, now my big plan is to shift her nap and bedtime to the left. Everything is 45 minutes earlier. I think it may be working. It could be a fluke but today Brenna came into our room at 0559. This is progress! Even better, Braden only woke up to eat 1 time. I usually get up 3 times and then bring him into our room at the 0400 feeding. I have been so afraid I won't get to his room before his warning cry is over,and the ear piercing scream begins, waking Bren. (He is like his father this way, he gets really mad when he is hungry and food isn't presented to him in the acceptable amount of time, immediately. So, my kids were sleeping last night and I was checking the monitor, awake, waiting for them to wake up. I guess I am not sleep training them, they have sleep trained me. Wish me luck and if there is free space on your prayer list, I am asking for sleep ;-)

Matt's 30th birthday

Yesterday was Matt's 30th birthday. He took a personal day from work and stayed home getting done some desk organization and taking care of car registrations. The 4 of us met his parents at Carrabbas for his birthday dinner. It is always a gamble going out to eat with the kids. Sometimes it works out flawlessly, other times the whining and misbehaving just gives us heartburn and leaves us wondering why we even try. Braden was the offender last night and despite being held and attended to started the shrieking just as my seafood dinner arrived. I excused myself and battled the gauntlet that is Carrabbas to get outside. They have the most narrow, patron unfriendly walkways ever. Only one person at a time and with servers stopped at every other table the whole restaurant got an earful while I was impatiently waiting my turn to get out of there. Just as expected as soon as we stepped into the breezy evening air, all screaming stopped. We walked around for a while until I thought it safe to return. Of course everybody was finishing up their meals and I was just starting on my no longer warm dinner. It was still good though. Ohh well, better luck next time I tell myself. After our meal we went back to Matt's parents house for his birthday dessert. One of his favorites, chocolate eclair, was the dessert of choice this year. For those of you who don't know, Brenna loves all things birthday. She loves the balloons, cake, gifts, you name it. We sang, Matt blew out the candle, and cake was eaten. Matt then opened the gift from his parents. It was a $100 dollar bill wrapped up in a box. He showed Brenna the bill expecting her to say it's for the ice cream truck, but when asked who was on the bill she said " that's grandpa" . We all got a good laugh out of that. I think overall Matt enjoyed his birthday. He has been reluctant about turning 30 for sometime now. I hope the transition to the "other side" isn't too painful for you Matt. Embrace your 30's , I bet it will be even more exciting and fun than your 20's.

goodbye fish pond

As you all probably know Matt and I built a fish pond in our backyard when we moved here. Matt was always going on about having a koi pond and I didn't want one. He finally talked me into it just to decide he didn't want one anymore. So, one day I went out there and dug a giant hole and did it myself. As time went on we added rocks and fish and plants. A lot of blood, sweat, and swearing went into it. It was a rewarding hobby. We rebuilt it a few times do too weather and aesthetics. This past Saturday morning was just such a day. We worked on it and got it looking great. So Sunday when the water level was 6 or so inches low I though maybe a little leak? We've never had a leak. This morning I looked and it was almost a foot low. Humm, this isn't good. Matt, left for work early and isn't getting home until 2030. I kind of forgot about it and after nap time I peaked out there and there was only about a foot of water left for all of my fish. The pond is usually 3 + feet. So, I called my mother in law to see if her employer wanted some fish for their pond. They have a koi pond outside of Celebrations, with only a few fish. We had 17 that need homes asap. She said sure bring them on down. So, I turn on a show for Brenna, Max and Ruby give me 2o minutes. Braden swings away and watches too. So, I start catching fish and putting them in our cooler. I am moving as fast as I can because I don't have a portable pump and my fish need oxygen. Let me tell you, those koi are a smart lot. They fought me until the bitter end trying to stay in the shallow water of our pond. Brenna came out so I knew I had been out there longer than I hoped. She counted down the final 4 fish as I tossed them in the cooler. I start to pull the cooler around the side of the house and realize it weighs a ton. I ran inside, packed up Braden, grabbed Brenna and took them to the van. Once kids are all buckled up, I finish dragging to cooler to the van. Van says 94 degrees outside, I believe it. I get the cooler to the back and to my horrer I can lift it up high enough to get it in. I try to get it behind the passenger seat, no luck. I try behind my seat, nothing. Doesn't fit in the front seat floor either. Now my legs are all beat up from heaving it up just to have it scrape down my shins. My arms are shaking and I have sweat through my clothes. So the kids have been sitting in the van for a while now and I am beginning to panic. Time to meet the neighbors. I go the houses that I can still see the van from. Yes I left the van doors open and the AC on high. The good Lord hears my prayers and the people across the street come out. They surely think I am a mad woman because I am out of breath, rambling about my fish pond and I can't lift the cooler. He helps me put it in and I mentally forgive him for parking cars all over his yard. We drive the 30minutes and release the fish into their new home. Thankfully they all made it and seemed no worse for ware. I however have chipped nails, bruised legs, and fatigued arms and back. I try to remind myself that this is a good thing. After we fill in the giant hole, the yard will be a safer place for Brenna to play. No more yelling No!! don't put that in the pond. I learned a valuable lesson today. Accept you're limitations. I just kept trying and trying. Next time I'll ask for help sooner and save myself time and pain.

Braden and I at Pensacola Beach



Brenna getting dressed like daddy


baby Braden

Welcome to the Baker Family page. We are hoping to get the hang of this so our friends and family can keep up with us wherever the Navy takes us.

For now we are still living it up here in good ole Pace, FL. Matt is instructing at Whiting Field and I am staying at home with my little B's. 2008 has kept us pretty busy, and doesn't look to slow down anytime soon. On May 25th we were blessed with the birth of our son, Braden Matthew. Big sister Brenna (11-4-05) has been such a "big helper" with him. Matt and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. Seems like just yesterday we were exchanging our vows. Probably because the Navy has kept him away so much we have only really been together 4 years, lol. I had my 30th birthday and Matt's is coming up here on August 1st. Matty is also finishing up his Master's degree. Hallelujah!! Let's see... ohh we are selling our house. Trying to anyway. Cars too for that matter. Looks like our next duty station will be Sasebo, Japan in the beginning of 09. I think that just about sums up whats going on right now.

Jess