The Verdict

The results are in: My husband is going to be a jet pilot! I'm so excited for him. It's exactly what he wanted to become a Marine Officer to do. And we also got the location we wanted. I'm happy to report that we will be moving to Meridian, MS, in the next few weeks. I'm really pumped because Meridian is only 7 hours from home!!! I can drive home instead of taking Abby Kate on so many flights. His training starts May 7th.

I'm sure I'll have much more to report once we know the details of our move. Thanks for all your prayers! We are very happy with the outcome!!!

Mike will start his training in the jet pictured at right. It goes up to 650 miles per hour! Below are some additional specs.

T-45 Goshawk

Contractor	Boeing [McDonnell Douglas] - prime British Aerospace (airframe) Rolls-Royce (engine)
Wing span	30 feet 8 inches
Length	38 feet 9 inches
Height	13 feet 1 inch
Max grossweight	13,000 pounds (5,897 kg) approx.
Internal fuel capacity	2,893 pounds (1,312 kg)
Powerplant	Rolls-Royce F405.RR-401 Adour Mk. 871 5,845 pounds (26.0 kN) Thrust
Speed	maximum: 560 knots 0.85 Mach Max level flight speed
Ceiling	50,000 feet
Range	maximum: 1,400 nautical miles
Power plant	one Rolls-Royce Adour Mk 851 turbofan engine
Crew	one instructor, one student
Design life	14,400 flight hours (20 years at 720 hours per year in a "carrier environment")

Has It Really Been TEN Years?!

I got an e-mail from an old friend directing me to a site set up to provide information on my upcoming 10-year high school reunion. But seriously, 10 years?! No way!

When I remember those days, I just get lost in my thoughts for awhile. So many memories, fun times, and not-so-fun times. My life has changed so much since then!

As I browsed the reunion site, I saw many familiar names and faces as some of my classmates have added their names, pictures, profession, etc. Some also added personal Web pages. I spent way too much time looking through them. But it's neat to see what everyone's doing now, and seeing their babies is the best part! I put a link to this blog under my name. So to any 1997 graduates of OCHS who have found my blog: Hello to you!!! Please leave a comment if you'd like. I hope to see you this summer at the reunion.

Mike's Selection Date Moved (Again)

We thought we'd know today, but it turns out we have to wait yet another day before we find out where we'll be going and what Mike will be flying. I'll post tomorrow afternoon soon after Mike selects!

Sitting Pretty

My baby can sit up all by herself! Just mastered it today. Of course, she doesn't stay up for more than 15 seconds or so, but hey, it's progress! I think she likes seeing things from a sitting perspective, especially her toys. Since I was up trying to take pictures, she got a little taste of what falling feels like. It scared her the first time, but after that she didn't seem to mind. I had to send a phone picture to Mike because he's working late tonight. She'll have a lot to show her daddy tomorrow when she wakes up!

Sitting...

sitting...

...uh-oh, falling...

... but still smiling.

And one more picture, just because I think this one's cute. :)

Update

Mike has now been told he will "select" (find out which type of aircraft he'll be flying) next Thursday instead of this week. So we will know if, when and where we'll be moving then. The possibilities are:

Meridian, MS -jets
Kingsville, TX - jets
Corpus Christi, TX - cargo planes
Milton, FL (where we are now) - helicopters

More updates to come!

Welcome to the World

Luke Michael Wallace

Congratulations to CJ and Amber on the birth of their son. Luke was born March 12, weighing 8 lbs and 15 ounces and measured 21 inches long. Mom and baby are doing great. We are very excited to meet our newest nephew!

Abby Kate's New Obsession

At this stage, Abby Kate is so interested in her surroundings. She grabs everything within reach (including Junah). So we got her what's called an "Exersaucer ." It's like a walker, but it's stationary. It has so many things to play with and a seat that swivels, so AK can access all the buttons, toys and sounds it has to offer. Plus it bounces... sort of. Anyway, we put her in it and she fell in love immediately! And so did we. She'll sit and play in it for a half-hour or so, giving me some time to get a few more things done each day. It took me about an hour to put it together. Time-consuming, but pretty simple. I'd recommend this to any mom. My nephew, William, has the same one and he loves it, too.

When Are We Sailing On?

Well, that's been the question for a while now. Everyone asks, how long will you be in FL? Where will your next move be?

We moved here last March. I can't believe it's been a year already. Turns out it's taken almost exactly a year for Mike to complete this part of his training. He expects to be done sometime next week or perhaps the week after that, depending on the weather. He'll then find out whether he'll be flying helicopters or a fixed wing aircraft. If he gets fixed wing (meaning jets or cargo planes), we'll be moving. And fast. He is guessing that they'll give us about 10 days or so to get to the new place. That new place could be Texas or Mississippi. If he gets helicopters, we'll be staying put.

It's weird not knowing where we're going to be living in a month. But I'll let you know as soon as I know. Please pray that it all turns out well...

and that wherever we end up has a gym with daycare. :)

AK[A]: The Terradactyl

Abby Kate has really found her voice now. It started one day when I was changing her diaper - her most favorite part of the day besides bath time. OK, and eating. The girl loves to be naked. Maybe we should feed her naked. Right, bad idea. :)

So where was I? Terradactyl, right... kay, so I was changing her one day last week and she was relishing her happy-naked-time and got so excited that she made this awful screeching noise. She startled herself at first, but then was so elated that she could produce such a sound that she continued going to this glass-shattering octave for the next hour at least. Later, when Mike came home, she started it up again. Mike says she sounds like a bird. Not the cute kind with the pleasant little birdie chirp. He mentioned the giant dinosaur bird. The Terradactyl. Now, we all know no one's ever actually heard a Terradactyl, but you can imagine the horrific sound it might make.

Did anyone ever watch He-Man as a kid? You know, the cartoon with the big muscle-y guy and his pet tiger? I remember there being some kind of big, scary bird on there, too; and every time Skeletor's (the villain's) castle would be shown, that big dino-bird would fly around and shriek this echoing, awful sound. So that's what I'm drawing from here. I'm aware you really didn't need that long explanation, but I need justification on the He-Man thing. Did I make up the whole bird character, or was that for real?

Anyway, as with all my stories, I'm no doubt exaggerating a bit. But maybe not! Hear it for yourself...



It's a good thing she's so dang cute!

Grami's Visit (continued)

As promised, here are a few pictures from Mom's visit last weekend. We had a great time with Abby Kate out on the beach. It was such a nice day... perfect for lots of picture-taking! Abby Kate and I loved having Grami here. We miss you already, Mom! Thanks again for coming to visit.

Look at those chubby legs!

Mom brought Abby Kate a Johnny Jump Up. Here she is giving it a test drive. She likes it, but doesn't really know how to "jump" yet. She just sort of swings in circles, watching Junah wherever he goes.

Four Months

Abby Kate turned four months old on Sunday. I feel like we've had her for so much longer for some reason. I guess it's because she grows and changes so fast that it seems impossible for all that to happen in just four months.

Mike and I took her to her 4-month wellness checkup this morning. She weighed 13.5 lbs and is 24.5" long. This puts her in the 50th percentile for both height and weight. Her head, on the other hand, is in the 75th percentile. She must've inherited her daddy's brains! Dr. Branton said she is right on track and is in perfect health.

Again, she was all smiles for the doctors, right up until the first shot went in. I couldn't watch. But then I did anyway, and it was so sad. She cried huge tears while I tried to hold my own back. I nursed her afterward and held her for a bit before putting her back in the carseat. Her smile returned and then we headed home. Now she's resting in her swing sound asleep.

Since the four month mark, we've given her rice cereal twice. It was fun watching her try to suck on the spoon. Most of the rice fell out of her mouth at first. She got the hang of it fast, though, and seems to really like it as long as I mix it with breast milk instead of water. If it tastes like it smells, I don't blame her!