Erick got home a couple of weeks ago—yeah!  We are glad to have him back so we’re a complete family again.  Even though Erick’s still at work most of the time, we’ve managed to have some fun times when he’s able to break away.  We’ve gone to the park to ride the train & carousel that Joshua loves, gone to a picnic & a BBQ, & even found a cool new park that’s just up the street from our house (I have no clue how I managed to not know about this before, but I plan to make up for it by walking to the park regularly when the weather’s good).  Erick had a big first last weekend—he actually took Joshua somewhere all by himself!!!  I worked on Saturday & Erick really needed to get something from the PX, so that meant he had to take Josh with him.  He got a glimpse into how things are running around with a toddler, although I personally think he wimped out at the end because he decided not to go to the commissary (which is in the same building & we really needed to groceries!) & went directly home instead.  But it’s a start, after nearly 23 months of having me always there to help out or take over as needed.  Fortunately, Joshua behaved nicely, per Daddy’s report, so I am hoping that this will give Erick the confidence to go out with Joshua more often on his own.  Wouldn’t that be nice?

Joshua & I signed up for a 6 week FunFit class through the county & I’m enjoying it.  Joshua had a great time at the first one but today he didn’t seem to get into it.  It’s like there’s a full moon or something because Joshua has been very stubborn all day.  For example, it took literally 20 minutes to walk from the car to the classroom (which shouldn’t even take 3 minutes).  He kept sitting down in the parking lot or going limp if I tried to guide him along (I managed to get him to the sides of the lot when cars came but even that was a struggle).  I got “that look” from the other moms because they knew what it was like when their toddlers don’t feel like doing what you’re doing or going where you’re going.  Today was our day for that.  OK, it’s not because of the moon (I checked the calendar), so I think it’s just teething.  Joshua’s still got 2 teeth that you can see through the gums & should break through any day now (hopefully!).  Josh often gets pretty clingy & whiny when he’s teething so maybe they’ll come through in the next couple of days.  At class this morning, Joshua needed me to hold him for the first half of the class & then he was fine for the rest of it.  Unfortunately, the class is only 45 minutes long, so there wasn’t much time for him to enjoy himself once he realized he was going to be OK.  But he got to play with the big parachute, musical instruments, beach balls, & even got 2 stamps on his hands when class was over.

This doesn’t have to do with Joshua but I’m excited so I have to share—a couple of nights ago, I got invited to Walter Reed for a red carpet event.  The TV show “Army Wives” (of which I’m a huge fan) had a screening with the actresses, writer, & other dignitaries making appearances.  A couple friends & I went together & got to talk with 2 of the actresses which was really neat.  They kept thanking us for our service (for being married to soldiers!).  The general of the entire Army & his wife were there along with the wife of Bob Woodruff, the reporter who was hurt in Iraq.  It was a great event & a nice time to get out with friends.  I haven’t gone to anything like this since we moved away from Los Angeles, so it was a nice reminder of what I’ve gotten to do with my LA friends.  Erick got home just in time to watch Joshua & he’d just put Josh down when I walked in the door so he wasn’t asleep yet.  I had to get Josh up to nurse him & have some cuddling time before putting him back down again (sorry, Erick—I couldn’t help myself).

Erick gets a 3 day weekend for the 4th so we’re excited to spend it together.  We’re going to a friend’s place for a BBQ in the afternoon & hopefully will watch fireworks if it doesn’t rain at night (which it’s supposed to do, being the DC area I know & love so much—ugh!).  Erick will be spending much of the weekend studying for his board exams that he will take in August but it will still be nice to have him here rather than at school or the hospital like usual.  Happy Independence Day, everyone!