In the NAVY!

Swearing in; it's official now!

The Family

Shaking hands with the recruiter

Brad and Derrick--two of the very few married BU dental students
I'm entertained by the fact that Brad looks short in this picture!

Today was an exciting for Brad. He was commissioned as an officer in the US Navy. We won't bore you with all the details but this is something we've been waiting for since April. David and I picked Brad up from school and we headed to the main armed services building in Boston. Brad signed away four years of his life in exchange for free tuition and some wonderful benefits while he's in school. David enjoyed being the center of attention at the recruting office; he got lots of free Navy toys. Everyone was so accomodating, I liked being somewhere and not worrying too much about what David was getting into while Brad did a bunch of paper work.

Brad was sworn in and then waited for his classmate Derrick to do the same. You'll have to ask us what being a dental officer in the Navy is like in four years when Brad gets his first assignment. For now we'll just enjoy the benefits that are supposed to kick in sometime next month. Government red tape I guess. Congrats Brad for being approved and commissioned, I'm proud of you.

Our "Little Man" or 9 Months Old

It is hard to believe how time flies! David is nine months old and growing up too fast. We often find ourselves calling him nicknames like Dave, Davey, Bubba, Little Man, Monster, and Baby David (this name stuck because it is what our wild child nephew calls him). He has started to get really wiggly and a bit messy. He loves pulling things out of baskets, cupboards, and drawers. He enjoys opening and closing closet doors and playing with anything that isn't a baby toy...especially shoes and paper. He'll pull himself up and walk along all of the furniture. He loves to climb the stairs. David isn't afraid of dogs and other live animals; this makes me a bit nervous. He really loves it when his Dad comes home from school.

We called him snaggletooth for awhile...but it looks like the pearly whites are now coming in nicely. We sure love you Baby David.

Little Monster II

Well what can I say? He just loves to get into things...literally. His new favorite is climbing into the bathroom cabinet after pulling out all of the towels and washcloths. The other day Brad left David downstairs and came up to talk with me for a minute. Next thing we know we hear the thump thump of a little crawler coming from the UPSTAIRS hallway. David had quickly and quietly climbed the stairs (thanks Brad for neglecting the baby gate) to find us. We both felt pretty stupid but glad that he is such a proficient stair climber and didn't get hurt.

Library Story Time

I was pleased to find that the children's section of the local library is very baby friendly. They offer a baby story time for kids under one year. David and I left early so he would have a chance to play beforehand. He really loves the big cars and trucks they have there. (Note to self--boys LOVE things with wheels--probably obvious but to a Mom who grew up with girls this is fascinating.) I thought the story time would be a little silly but the lady did a good job and the babies seemed to like it. David was the oldest one there and at one point decided to karate chop the book that was being read. Luckily everyone (including the reader) thought it was funny. Hopefully they'll welcome him back next month.

"Yard" Work

Sometimes we are sad that we aren't homeowners yet but we decided we could still do something with the little strips of dirt on our front porch. We spent a much needed Saturday at home! The dirt was overgrown with weeds and looking really awful, we figured we could at least cover the area with mulch until we decided what to plant. I was surprised at how easily the weeds came out of the dirt--one benefit to not living in Arizona. Brad actually kept David outside in the stroller while he worked and allowed me to get a few things done too.

Imagine VERY TALL weeds here before. They were so ugly I didn't take a picture.

I think it looks a lot better with some mulch. Now we'll decide what (if anything) to plant. Brad really enjoyed having a project and an excuse not to study. :)

Little Monster

When I caught David after he had pulled every piece of his clothing out of the dresser I said "Well if you wanted to get dressed you could have just asked," in response he gave me a very big grin...I think they know when they are being naughty! I'll have put his clothes away somewhere else from now on. Having a very mobile baby is challenging because even though they cause lots of extra work sometimes you can't help but laugh at what they do.

Happy Birthday to Me...

Birthdays seem much different now than they did when I was in school or working. It was pretty much a normal somewhat boring day. :) I am beginning to wonder when I'll feel more like a grown up. I still don't. Anyway, I did spend a lot of the day on the phone with family and friends; I spoke with Danielle several times because she was flying London that evening. (Check out her new blog--danielleduffy.blogspot.com--it already has tons of details on her adventures in England.) Brad came home with a nice perfume set for my gift. I was excited about that. I have bottles and bottles of scented sprays but nothing "special." We ate Taco Bell for dinner. Aren't we so gourmet? They are few and far between out here and it is my favorite fast food. I feel asleep watching an episode of our new favorite TV on DVD series Smallville. I'm not much of a party animal I guess.

On Saturday afternoon we went to see Dark Knight. We hired a sitter and the whole bit. I'm usually not a fan of a movie like this but after Danielle and Brad prodded me enough I watched and really enjoyed Batman Returns. My step-dad was concerned that Brad was taking me to see an action flick for my birthday, but I assured him it was by choice. The movie was great but much darker than the first. We got out early and did a little shopping without our little monster. We came home to find our house cleaner than we had left it and a happy David. PHEW! Even though the movie was cheap by the time we paid the sitter I realized why people find it so hard to go out. It was expensive and this young lady doesn't even charge the going rate. I fell asleep early again...maybe we'll have a night on the town next year if I can manage to stay awake.