A BECKY update....

I thought that I'd post a little something about what I am up to lately. My life is so exciting right now, and that includes more than just growing a healthy baby boy!!!

First off, Brian and I have been married for 4 years!!! YAY!!!! Our anniversary was September 18th. It seems like SOOOO much time has passed since our union in the day room of the barracks. Four years seems like such a small amount of time, and in the grand scheme of things, I suppose it is. So much has happened in the past four years. We've survived moving in together, a year long deployment to Iraq, planning and executing a wedding, moving and adjusting to Germany, deciding to get pregnant, getting pregnant and losing the baby, successfully getting pregnant again, moving in Germany, preparing to become parents, getting ready for another 15 month deployment, and a million other things. We have had to say goodbye to so many friends that we left behind in the states, and yet we have been so blessed to meet such wonderful people here in Germany. It has definately been a whirlwind four years! To all of those people that thought that we would never make it, what do you have to say for yourselves now? We have both grown and matured so much in our relationship, and I can honestly say that it has been the most rewarding growth of my entire life. I know that we are bringing our child into an extremely loving, understanding, and humorous home. If nothing else, our baby will DEFINATELY laugh and know that he is loved everyday. So, yay to Brian and I for all that we have accomplished in these past four years.

Second, I am back in school again. It is SUCH a relief!!! I am still taking courses with CTC online, and though they are not my favorite, I need to get it done. It is amazing the amount of motivation and determination becoming a mommy gives an individual. I have this new found understanding that I am no longer taking classes for myself. I am getting my college education to ensure a better life for me, my son, and my family. That is SO important to Brian and I. I have to refrain from beating myself up for taking so long to get my ass moving in school, but luckily I am not a person that likes to live in regret. I am determined to push myself, and I WILL succeed. The only negative thing about school is the incompetent financial aid department at CTC. For reasons unbeknown to the majority of the rational population, their student loan policy requires a student to pay for ALL of their classes up front every term. Once the loan money comes in, that money is given to the student since their classes are already paid for. When I confronted the morons in the financial aid department, even they did not agree with the policy. I pressed the argument that if I HAD the money to pay for my courses out of pocket, WHY would I get a student loan??? Their response to this was, "Well, that is just our policy." As ludacris as it is, my classes had to be paid for, and thanks to my wonderful family, it is taken care of. It is still such a sore subject for me because of the sheer ridiculousness of the policy. Ugh...anyways, on to happier things.

Finally, I have started volunteering at the elementary school down the street from me. It is SUCH a wonderful experience!!!! I get to work with children in the setting that I have desired to work in my entire life!!!! On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I work with a different first grade teacher. Then, on Tuesdays and Thursdays I get to tutor children after school. The best part about the tutoring is that Brian does this with me!!! It's amazing to watch him work with the children. He is so talented and I can really see that it is his passion. It warms my heart so much. Tutoring is definately one of the best experiences that I have had to date.

That is about all that is going on in my little part of the world. Life is great. I am so thankful for all the wonderful people and experiences in my life. It just doesn't get much better than this.

I know that it has been a LONG time since I have posted anything new about Brandon and the rest of the family, but I am now only being seen once a month, so there hasn't really been a whole lot to update everyone about. We had an ultrasound today!! We got to see our little boy, and he is growing fabulously!!!! He weighs a little over a pound, and is a little over 11 inches long, so he's getting big!!! I started feeling him kick a couple of weeks ago. In the beginning, the kicks were very random and very sporatic. Lately, he has been kicking everyday, multiple times a day. Brian actually felt him kick for the first time last night. It was a beautiful moment, and I will remember it always. I have an appointment with my OB on the 26th, so I will also post an update after that appointment if there are any new developments, or anything interesting to say about it. Here is the picture from today's ultrasound. It is a profile pic. You can see his little nose and mouth, and his hands are in front of his face. Brace yourself....he is adorable!!!!