11 Months

Wow! I can't believe that Tristan is already 11 months old! Just one more month and he will be 1! The other day, it was the 25th I was thinking back eleven months. I was at home and little did I know that Tristan Jacob Haun would be born the next evening at 8:36 pm. I knew at the time that it would be close but I had pretty much given up hope that I would go to the hospital that night. It turns out that that is just what had happened. It really does not seem like it was that long ago.
Tristan is walking full speed now. He can walk across the room without much of a problem. Sometimes he takes a spill but more often than not he can get to where he is going. I can't believe how fast he has perfected it. Just three weeks ago to the day was when he took his first unassisted step and now he is walking across a room!
He has not said "Mama" since the first time that he said it. I am hoping that he will pick up on it before we come home, but he has perfected "Dada" Robert will be happy about that.
Robert is still doing fine. I have not talked to him in a few days but he is keeping really busy. Which is good for him as it makes the time go by faster.
Well that is all for now. See you all soon.

First Step

The other day Tristan took his first real on his own step! I was so proud of him. In our living room I have our couches set up in a sort of an "L" shape. I was sitting on one of the couches and he was standing up next to the other holding onto it. I told him "Tristan come here" and put out my hands and he took a couple of steps to get to me!
It is kind of funny because Tristan is a very out going baby and always has been. He always tries to do things. It seems that he has no fear at times, but when it comes to him walking on his own he is a little bit timid. He is getting there though. I am sure that he will be walking by the time that we come home in December to see everyone.
If any of you are wondering, the picture above is of Tristan right after he pulled his sock off with his teeth. He is so silly, he does that a lot. He will take it off and then crawl around with it still in his mouth. I always get a good laugh out of him being so funny.

Mama

Tristan has been getting more vocal and is able to make more sounds. Everyday he gets closser to talking. About fourty five minutes ago he got up from his nap. After he was up I got him a snack of apple and strawberry chunks. He ate that up good! After that we got out of the highchair and he was wondering around the living room. He was making all sorts of noises and tried to go to the phone cords without me noticing. "darn she caught me" I told him to come to me and as he was doing so he said "Mama"! I said "Tristan you just said Mama!" He finally said it! He has been saying "Dada" for months so this was really exciting for me!

Number Four

Well, there is not too much going on right now. Same old, same old.
Tristan is doing really good. Growing like a weed! He is ten months old now. My how time flies! He got his fourth tooth in the other day. Those top teeth are killers. He was really unhappy while they were coming in.
A couple of weeks ago I took Tristan to play outside in front of our building. I was hoping that he would play in the grass a little bit but he was not really interested. But I got some good pictures out of it.
The picture of him with the messy face is when I gave him a cookie! He loves to eat them. They are the Gerber biter biscuits.
Well, that is pretty much all for now!

Tristan outside in front of our building

Tristan just got done eating his cookie

Long Walk

Today, Tristan and I set out for a walk into town. We were going to go to the PX to get teething tablets for Tristan. My friend Evi was going to join us. We walked to her house, she lives in town, and walked to the main post from there. She showed me the walk in gate. It shaves a few minutes off of your walking time. She needed to go to the post office, so we walked up this hill to get there. Then we stoped by the power zone (that is the electronics store on post). Then we went to the PX. They were still out of teething tablets. So I asked customer service if they could transfer some from another store, and thank goodness they could. After that we went to the commesary (grocery store). The commesary is at the clear opposite side of town from where I live. And from there we walked home. the worst part is walking up the hill to my house. I was huffing and puffing all the way up. But it is good for me and I enjoy it, so I hope that I can continue.
This weekend we girls are thinking about having another Girls Night. I am excited. Evi is planning on making her fondue again. It is the best stuff ever.
Well, that was just an update. Take care.

Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band

Yesterday, July 5th, Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band came to Baumholder. A few friends and I, along with Tristan went to the concert. We had a really good time. The concert started at 7pm. It was a free concert put on my the USO. When the concert started Gary Sinise (Lt. Dan of Forest Gump) got down on his knees and played for the kids. Then at one point he came into the croud. I got some pretty good pictures. I hope that you enjoy these. The band was really good. He said that this was his fourth tour and it was the fifth show in this one. He said that because of taping CSI he cant do it nine months out of the year but on the weekends they try and go around the country to play. I thought that was really cool.

Tristan's little head, Me, Evi, and Ally at the concert

At this point he was really tired!

Gary Sinise, aka Lt. Dan of forest Gump
Or if you are a CSI fan, Detective Mac Taylor

Tristan and Angie dancing at the concert

SPC Haun!!

Great news!! Robert has been working on getting his next rank for a few months now, and today he got it. He has been getting the pay for about a month now and got pinned officially today. So now he is SPC Haun! SPC stands for Specialist. I am so so proud of him! Kick some butt honey! I know that I told you in the last post but he is still doing fine and good. He has the internet now, so that is good for him. He is keeping busy. It was so sweet, he got Tristan and I some presents. He got Tristan a John Deer Tractor Truck and he got me a new cartrage for my cricut. So anyways, I just wanted to update you on the news!

Doing Good

Well, I just wanted to give you all an update as to what is going on with us.
We are all doing fine. Robert is doing good. Still is excited for his R&R. Tristan and I are excited for that too.
Tristan is doing really well. He has his second tooth and is working on his third. He is now nine months old. He wants so badly to walk. In fact the other day, he was at the daycare, and he had a bad spill because he was trying to walk and does not have all of the balance there yet. He got a little scratch on his ear but is ok. I bought some safety gates the other day so I can block off the areas that I don't want him to go. So now he can go from the living room to the dining room. He really enjoys that. Today, he did a lot of exploring in the dining room. About a week ago, I was curious as to how much he weighs and he is already 20.65 pounds! Such a big boy. We have been working on baby sign language so he can talk before he can talk. I got a couple of DVDs from amazon.com that teach babies how to sign. We have been watching the Baby Einstein one. I have learned the signs, now we just need to be patient while Tristan learns. He has not got any down as of now, but we have only been working on it for a couple of days now.
Joey is doing good upstairs with Angie. She has not had any problems with him so that I good. I was a little worried about it. She told me that he has made himself right at home. She has two cats that he now bosses around. Also, she is babysitting a little dog, that he has taken upon himself to boss around also. I am glad that he is well. I thought that it was going to be harder than it has been for him to be gone. I thought that seeing him everyday would make it tough. But it has been ok. It has been nice to be able to check and see how he is doing.
As for me, I am doing good. I am still going to the gym every week. That has been nice. I feel so good after a good workout. I have been slacking in the scrap booking area though. I need to get started on that again.

My Dearest Joey

Today our dog Joey moved upstairs to live with our neighbor Angie. I have still been having problems with him growling at Tristan. I had had enough. So I asked Angie last week if she wanted Joey. She talked to her husband and they said yes. So that makes me happy. I know that that will be a good home for him. I just hope that he will behave for her. He is going to be very very missed. I love him so much. But at least this way, Robert will get to see him again when he comes home.

Way Too Hot!

Today was so so hot out. There was not even a breeze. It seemed like when you stepped out you began to sweat. LOL! It reminded me a lot of home. I miss the Tri-Cities and all of my family and friends. I am so excited to be going home for a visit in December.
About a week ago I ordered some things to make the long trip home easier on both Tristan and I. There is this thing that I found on the internet that you strap to the car seat and then you can carry it on your back so you have hands free to deal with other things. I think that that is the best investment that I could have made right now. We will just have to see how it goes. I also got Tristan a harness. I used to see parents in the store with their kids in a harness and i would think "why do they have their kids on a leash? They aren't dogs." But thinking about it it is a good way to keep a hold of your kids in a busy airport. The one that I got for Tristan has a little Doggy backpack attached so it should make it fun for him too.
I had been looking for a highchair for Tristan for a couple of weeks and I really did not like the ones that they had at the store here so I started to look online. I found one that I really liked by Fisher Price. But when I went to order it it said that it could not be shipped to my address. It is funny though because I checked back a couple of days later and they charged me five more dollars and shipped it to me. I just got it today and I love it. It is one of those space saver ones so it just straps onto a regular dining chair and you are good to go!
Well, I guess that that is enough talking about nothing for today. Hehe! Have a good one.

Nothing Much

Tristan in his stroller while we were out for a walk

Hi everybody. Sorry I have not updated you in a while. Not much is going on. Tristan got his second tooth! He is so cute! I have not got a good pic of it yet but when I do I will be sure to post it. He is able to stand and let go for a second. But I am sure that he will be walking soon. Too soon!
Robert is doing good. He is keeping busy.
Joey is doing better. We were thinking about getting another dog to keep him company but now I am not sure. It is a big responsibility to take on a new pet. So we will see.
I am sorry that I don't have much to say. Like I said not much is going on. I hope that all is well with you. Take care and I will update you again soon.

Spaghetti

I gave Tristan spaghetti for the first time the other day. He really liked it. Isn't he cute? It got everywhere but that is ok. Tomorrow I plan on giving him Lasagna.

Tomorrow he is going to be eight months old. I can't believe how fast he is growing. He is learning so much! I am sure that by the time we come home he will be walking all over the place. We are very excited to see everybody!

Yummmm!

Laundry

When I do the laundry Tristan likes to help me. He helps me to take out the clothes and fold them. It is really cute. Then he helps me to put them away. He is such a good helper. What would I do without him?

Our Walks

On Tuesdays and Thursdays Tristan and I have been going on walks with my friend Evi. We usually meet at about 9am or so and walk around town or on the track. Then at 11am we have a class/group that meets up and goes on a walk for about an hour. The last two times we have gone into the country. it is really pretty out there. I had never seen this side of Baumholder. It is very nice. It makes me like it here more. And I have something to look forward to. Also, about two or three times a week I put Tristan in daycare, and try to go to the gym with "My Girls" (Evi, Dawn, and Ally). We have been really good at keeping it up. It has been a lot of fun!

Tristan's Tooth

On about May first Tristan's first tooth finally broke through! We had been waiting for months for that to happen! It is on the bottom on his right side. It is a sharp little bugger! It hurts when he bits down on you! Hehe! Now we are just waiting on the other ones to come along too. But I just wanted to show you all what Baby With Tooth looks like!

Say "Hi" to the tooth

Joey

So, I realized that I have not updated you on what has been going on the last few days. Things are going well. I have been really happy because I have been able to talk to Robert often.

However, we are having problems with Joey. He has been needing to go to the vet quite often. He went the first time about a month ago. That was to the Baumholder Vet. Just for shots. While he was there I asked about medication to put him on because of his occasional seizures. The gave me some. About a week or two later I noticed that he has a lump between his back leg and his ribs. So I tried to call the Baumholder Vet to make an appointment. They were not answering the phone all day so the next day I called the vet in Birkenfeld that we took Panda too. They got him in the next day. She took a sample of the lump and it was nothing to be worried about. But she was upset that the Baumholder Vet did not do blood work before giving him the medication. So the next week we had to go back for that. Then the next week he had a follow up to make sure the lump was still nothing to worry about. While at the appointment I noticed that his paws looked a little dried out. So I asked about that. It turns out that he has allergies. They wanted to bring him back this week for another follow up. But I told her that we could not keep doing this. It is getting too expensive. She said that was fine but if things got worse then he would have to go. I agreed to that. I am very happy with how involved and concerned they are for Joey, I just wish that he did not have to go anymore. He does have to go one more time to get more blood drawn to make sure that his levels are good on the medication. It is just hard because each time we go we spend at least 45 euro. That is like 70 dollars. The most we spent in one time was 70 euro, that is over a hundred dollars. I just cant keep this up. Anyways, that is what is going on. Just please pray that Joey does not have anymore problems.

leaving on Deployment.

On April 7, 2008. My husband left for Kuwait. It was one of the hardest days of my life. Knowing that I would not see him for months and not knowing exactly the next time that I would see him next, because we did not have his R&R (Rest and Relaxation) dates yet. He has been gone for over a month now and so far we are doing ok. It can be stressful at times. But I just have been trying to keep busy. I have made some new friends that have really been supportive for me, and I hope that I have been for them in turn. I was so excited to learn this Mother's Day weekend that I will be able to see Robert again in a few months! That is right we got his R&R date. Now I cant tell you what the dates are for security reasons but just know that our family and I are very happy! I cant wait until this deployment is done and we can see each other and he will be home for good!

Talking over the internet while he is in Iraq.

Our last good bye

The guys loading their gear into a trailer behind the bus.

Morning formation in the snow.



We Love and Miss You Honey!
Come Back To Us Safe

Lovelace The Guru

The other day Tristan was taking a nap. When I went in to get him he had total "bed head". It was cute. But the more and more that I looked at him the more familiar he looked to me. I could not place it right at first but then I had it! He looked like the spitting image of Lovelace the Guru from the movie Happy Feet! See for your self!

My Family

I am in love with my family. I am so lucky to be married to my best friend and a true hero. He is a soldier in the United States Army as an Infantry Man. Currently he is deployed to Iraq. We all miss him so much. Together we have a beautiful bouncing baby boy. He is our pride and joy!