I think these boots are one of my better Target purchases :)
February 23, 2010
February 15, 2010
What's in a name?
The Hubs and I spent A LOT of time coming up with Michael's name. It was a long and lengthy debate but in the end we were able to come up with a name that we love.
The name Michael has many meanings. Both of his grandfathers are named Michael so it was kind of a given that if we had a boy that the name Michael would be in there somewhere. What sealed the deal for me is that Michael the Archangel is one of the patron saints of the military and given that the Hubs was going to be in Iraq when Michael was born I liked the idea of having that connection.
Michael's middle name, August, was the no brainer part of our name discussion. Growing up, one of the Hubs's best friends was named Augie. They went to school and were in the boys scouts together from the time they were six until they graduated high school. Following graduation, Augie's family moved to Ohio where he went to college and joined the Marine Reserves after 9/11. The Hubs and Augie kept in touch through the occasional email and AIM chat which doesn't sound like much but if you knew my husband you'd realize just how much effort that was.
In 2005, Augie's reserve unit was sent to Iraq. "Lucky Lima" as they were called suffered major casualties throughout their entire deployment. That spring, the Hubs's unit was asked to send Marines to augment Lima Co and he seriously considered going but after some thought and talking to Augie he decided to stay home and focus on school. On August 3, 2005 Augie and 13 other Marines were killed when an IED exploded underneath their transport vehicle. It's impossible to even begin to explain the Hubs's devastation over the loss of his friend but I can say that without a doubt he would not be a Marine Officer today if it were not for that experience.
Currently, there is a traveling display in the National Museum of the Marine Corps honoring the 22 Marines and Navy Corpsman from Lima Co who were killed during that summer. We took MIchael today so the Hubs could "introduce" MIchael to Augie and we also took some pictures to share with Augie's parents.
The Hubs, Michael and Augie (rockin the "warstache")
While I love Michael's name, and the meaning behind it I hope that next time around we can choose a name we love without so much emotion behind it.
The name Michael has many meanings. Both of his grandfathers are named Michael so it was kind of a given that if we had a boy that the name Michael would be in there somewhere. What sealed the deal for me is that Michael the Archangel is one of the patron saints of the military and given that the Hubs was going to be in Iraq when Michael was born I liked the idea of having that connection.
Michael's middle name, August, was the no brainer part of our name discussion. Growing up, one of the Hubs's best friends was named Augie. They went to school and were in the boys scouts together from the time they were six until they graduated high school. Following graduation, Augie's family moved to Ohio where he went to college and joined the Marine Reserves after 9/11. The Hubs and Augie kept in touch through the occasional email and AIM chat which doesn't sound like much but if you knew my husband you'd realize just how much effort that was.
In 2005, Augie's reserve unit was sent to Iraq. "Lucky Lima" as they were called suffered major casualties throughout their entire deployment. That spring, the Hubs's unit was asked to send Marines to augment Lima Co and he seriously considered going but after some thought and talking to Augie he decided to stay home and focus on school. On August 3, 2005 Augie and 13 other Marines were killed when an IED exploded underneath their transport vehicle. It's impossible to even begin to explain the Hubs's devastation over the loss of his friend but I can say that without a doubt he would not be a Marine Officer today if it were not for that experience.
Currently, there is a traveling display in the National Museum of the Marine Corps honoring the 22 Marines and Navy Corpsman from Lima Co who were killed during that summer. We took MIchael today so the Hubs could "introduce" MIchael to Augie and we also took some pictures to share with Augie's parents.
The Hubs, Michael and Augie (rockin the "warstache")
While I love Michael's name, and the meaning behind it I hope that next time around we can choose a name we love without so much emotion behind it.
February 1, 2010
Confession
My kid eats hot dogs. A lot.
When he started out on solids, I was determined that my child was going to eat right, right from the start. I made all his baby food, everything was organic and I loved it. I would spend Sunday afternoon and evening with my husband, chopping, steaming and pureeing. Life was good.
When Michael first made the transition to finger foods, I continued to make all his food for him. Sweet potato fries, broccoli bites and chicken nuggets were recipes frequently on the menu and the Hubs and I got quite good at preparing foods for our son that were homemade, unprocessed, organic...you get the picture.
Then Hubs went to OCS, accepted his commission and started TBS all in a three month period and I was thrown back into life as a single Mom. Sure he was home on the weekends but that needed to be used for reviewing bills and budgets and shopping and getting his laundry taken care of and uniforms ready for the next week. He didn't have time to help me in the kitchen and I didn't have time to spend in the kitchen on my own because I needed to prioritize things that needed to be done while the Hubs was home.
And so long gone were the days of homemade chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries. I found myself on a first name basis with the "crew" at my local Trader Joe's where I was able to buy pre-made and frozen sweet potato fries, organic string cheese and organic, all natural, uncured, nitrate free hot dogs among other convenience foods that Michael would eat. Each time one of those packages landed in my cart I felt like there was one more tick in the crappy Mom column with my name on it. Sure, I was doing the best I could but what if my best wasn't good enough?
I thought about this tonight as Michael inhaled a hot dog and string cheese for dinner. Sure, it wasn't the "quality" meal I wanted to serve my son but he is happy and healthy and eating. There is some small victory in that. And today, and in many days ahead, I am going to have to take those small victories and celebrate them for all they are worth.
So yeah, my kid eats hot dogs. And if that is the worst thing that happens to him today, well then we are both way ahead of the game.
When he started out on solids, I was determined that my child was going to eat right, right from the start. I made all his baby food, everything was organic and I loved it. I would spend Sunday afternoon and evening with my husband, chopping, steaming and pureeing. Life was good.
When Michael first made the transition to finger foods, I continued to make all his food for him. Sweet potato fries, broccoli bites and chicken nuggets were recipes frequently on the menu and the Hubs and I got quite good at preparing foods for our son that were homemade, unprocessed, organic...you get the picture.
Then Hubs went to OCS, accepted his commission and started TBS all in a three month period and I was thrown back into life as a single Mom. Sure he was home on the weekends but that needed to be used for reviewing bills and budgets and shopping and getting his laundry taken care of and uniforms ready for the next week. He didn't have time to help me in the kitchen and I didn't have time to spend in the kitchen on my own because I needed to prioritize things that needed to be done while the Hubs was home.
And so long gone were the days of homemade chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries. I found myself on a first name basis with the "crew" at my local Trader Joe's where I was able to buy pre-made and frozen sweet potato fries, organic string cheese and organic, all natural, uncured, nitrate free hot dogs among other convenience foods that Michael would eat. Each time one of those packages landed in my cart I felt like there was one more tick in the crappy Mom column with my name on it. Sure, I was doing the best I could but what if my best wasn't good enough?
I thought about this tonight as Michael inhaled a hot dog and string cheese for dinner. Sure, it wasn't the "quality" meal I wanted to serve my son but he is happy and healthy and eating. There is some small victory in that. And today, and in many days ahead, I am going to have to take those small victories and celebrate them for all they are worth.
So yeah, my kid eats hot dogs. And if that is the worst thing that happens to him today, well then we are both way ahead of the game.
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