So sad... so very very sad... Kurt left for a six-month deployment last Friday. I have managed to weather this first week pretty well; I haven't even cried yet. I almost did as we were saying our goodbyes because the goofball decided to choke up a bit himself. I didn't want his last image of me to be me weeping, so I decided to hold myself together. Plus it was easier to say goodbye by dropping him off at the ship than it is to say goodbye at the airport. This was the first time that I haven't had to take him to the airport when he had to leave.

I just wish that Grace were a little older if Kurt had to be gone for six months. There are so many developmental milestones in the first year of a kid's life, and he's going to miss half of it. But then again, it's a good thing he's going now. Grace isn't much to handle at the moment, and I only have the one child to take care of.

The cool part is this may be his last deployment for quite some time. The Navy generally sends a ship on a six-month deployment every 18-24 months, and we'll be transferring in two years. At that time Kurt will be on shore duty for three years, so it could be possible that this is his last long deployment for five years. That's pretty darn exciting. :o)

So Grace and I have just been hanging out. She started to crawl yesterday!! She only went a few inches, but she managed to put her arms and legs together to get movement. I was so proud of her. She kind of crawled a bit today too, but she hasn't really figured out that that's how she's getting from point A to point B. She'll figure it out soon enough, though -- and then I will need some baby gates to keep her corralled!! :o)

Like I mentioned earlier, Grace is now eating solid food. She still gets formula to top her off when she's done eating, but she's cut WAY back on formula consumption. She usually gets 12-20oz of formula, where before she was on solids she was drinking 32oz a day. I usually give her jarred baby food, which completely flies in the face of what I was intending to do. All the baby books I had read before Grace was born had mentioned how gross baby food was, and if we thought it tasted yucky, why would we give it to our babies? Well, I have tasted Grace's baby food, and it almost always tastes like what it should taste like. The chicken noodle dinner tastes like an unsalted version of Campbell's chicken noodle soup! The carrots taste like carrots, the squash tastes like squash (yuck!), and they even have Hawaiian fruits like mango and guava (with added sugar, so I don't give her much of those).

The only thing is I am disappointed in is some of the baby food veggies. The green beans taste like mashed up canned green beans (not fresh or frozen), which are just gross. I don't know about the peas because I made my own mashed peas, but they don't look very appetizing either. My peas are a very bright green, and baby food peas look dingy. So I made my own peas, and tonight I just made my own green beans too. I also like to make my own sweet potato because it just turns out so well. I could make my own corn, but I try not to give her much in the way of corn because it's an allergen. I try not to worry too much about allergens because no one in our genetic family has allergies of any kind (although my brother is basically allergic to the outdoors), and my pediatrician reassured me that I didn't really have to worry about it. I've also made my own chicken puree that I add to some of her veggies because she doesn't like the texture of straight chicken.

I also like the jars because they are easy to give Grace, they're cheap (20-30 cents a jar for me at the commissary), and they have a good variety. I couldn't give her vegetable ham, for instance, because I don't like ham and I don't keep it in the house. It's easier to buy a jar of vegetable beef than it is to actually make beef (which she doesn't like anyhow because the texture is just all wrong). I don't worry about the argument about canning robbing a food of all its nutrients. Grace still gets formula, which is her primary source of nutrients.

So is it June yet? I am so excited to go to DC and see my family. But at the same time I am kind of nervous about the trip. I love to visit people; I just don't like to travel. At least now J will drive me to the airport, so that's a huge load off my shoulders. I thought I was going to have to take the shuttle and wrestle all the luggage myself with Grace too. I love J. She's such a great friend!!!

If there is nice weather where you are, go play outside! Even if it's just for five minutes, you will rejuvenate your soul. Go ahead -- take your shoes off and plant your toes in the grass! Doesn't that feel good!? :o)