Finegan's Begin ...Again!: 1st update

Well it's been 3 weeks since daddy has left and I thought an update was overdue...

Update on John: John left for Afghanistan on a Wednesday evening and got there that Saturday around midnight which was a way shorter trip than he anticipated. He went right to his unit and the guys were so excited to see him. He woke them all up of course. We talk every day and do facetime mostly every day unless I'm out away from the computer. They are 8.5 hours ahead of us so by the time he gets off work and goes to the gym, showers, and gets back to his room it's about 11am -1pm our time so it's not bad at all. Elizabeth is usually napping though when we talk but he still gets to see her mostly every day. He lives in dorm like quarters, 4-5 sets of bunk beds to a room and fully equipped with a mini fridge. The bathrooms are in another building so he has to walk outside to use them. He says he's surprised at how comfortable it is there and understands why single military members don't mind going over there because it's so comfortable and more pay. He has wireless internet in his room however it's not that great so they allow you to pay a $30, $60, or $90 monthly fee for better wireless. The camp is just like any other base that has an exchange there where he can buy food, toiletry items, or any other misc items but he rarely has time to get out there so he has been requesting items he needs to be sent to him in packages. Plus, lets face it, everyone here is dying to mail him something! I just sent his first package 2 days ago. He said it takes like a week to get there so I expect he will have it hopefully before father's day (because it has things pertaining to his first father's day!) He has been requesting things like baby wipes, chef boyardee, easy mac, ramen noodles, his old spice deodorant, razors, his shampoo, qtips, olives, and homemade chocolate chip cookies (but don't send any of those things because I just sent him all of that ha). He has been working on little projects on base such as setting up concrete barriers along a road, moving dirt, and things like that. He's been operating more equipment than he thought--he thought they were just going to put him in the office. He says the days are long but the weeks go by fast. He works every day except Sundays he only works half days. He looks good, very tan, but is very upbeat and chipper for the most part, and very content with being there and having it meet his expectations (which weren't very high).

Update on us: So we are back in MD living with my mom and step dad. The whole downstairs basement (which is where I lived before I got hitched) is where our new home resides. It is equipped with one bedroom (my old living quarters), one full bath, a living room with a back entrance (convenient to let Oliver out) and a work out room. My old room has of course been turned into a guest room/nursery with a king size bed, a crib, a rocking chair and a changing table. Josh and I and especially my mom worked very hard on making it somewhat similar to Elizabeth's nursery back home but not too nursery like that it can't be used as a guest room when we leave. If you notice my mom bought the same bedding for her crib as we have in NC and the fabric that is hanging on the walls has the same floral print that is also in her room in NC. Here are some pictures of it.

So for the most part, Elizabeth has adjusted pretty well to our home in MD. We took the plunge and started her in her crib our first night there. All this time, she's been in an inclined rocker to help with reflux and gas (she still loves to nap in this). We thought since it's already a new environment, why not just make everything new. And surprisingly, she did great the first two nights, sleeping 6-8 hours a night. And then as the week went by, she was getting harder and harder to put down to sleep-she was getting very gassy. I have to be very careful of what I eat for dinner because that is what she gets in her night time feeding and what can dictate a good night or a bad night. Now she goes down a lot easier but she is still waking up to feed once maybe twice a night. She'll sleep for 5-6 hours just not right when I put her down. It's usually from 3-8am or 5-10am.

At this point, she has made her rounds to everyone in MD that has been dying to see her for the last 2.5 months. We had an appointment with the pediatrician in town just to meet her and check up on everything. She weighs 12 lbs (as of 6/3) and everything is great! She has started recognizing me as her mother and as a familiar face which has been really rewarding seeing her always greet me with a smile. I'm no longer just the person that feeds her milk every now and then. She coos and talks to us alot! Daddy has been able to witness that over facetime which has been good. She's also found her tongue and started reaching for things! Time is going by so fast! And just when everything has been unpacked and settled in MD, it's time to go to NJ and make our rounds up there!! Stay tuned! In the meantime, here are some pictures!