Commander!

Last week our family celebrated a milestone for Noa: his promotion to Commander!  I was waiting for the official photos from the hospital, but those may take some time, so I'm posting with a few from our phones to share this event.

Military promotions are interesting because they can take almost a year to actually take place.  Service members will get notified of their selection to the next rank, but the actual promotion may take several months to a year from that point.  Until then, the service member is known as (new title)-select.  So, for almost a year, Noa was considered a Commander-select.  

Last week, he and another service member from the hospital participated in a small ceremony in the courtyard to make their promotions official.  The Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, and Command Master Chief of the hospital were there, in addition to 20+ service members (mostly officers) from the hospital to witness the event.  The day was beautiful and sunny, although the sun was right in our eyes for some of the photo opportunities.  Oh well, we're keeping it real.

The girls were troopers, considering it was Mila's nap time and the sun was in their eyes.

The ceremony included our family when it was Noa's turn.  I changed his lapel pin (Noa gets a new pin to show his new position).  Talk about pressure: all those in attendance watch this part.  Thankfully, I didn't drop anything or stab my finger while pinning it.  

A view of the ceremony: service members in attendance to the right, 

Noa in front with the CO of the hospital.

Our family with Captain Starks.

Noa, always thinking of others, presented me and the girls with flowers for our 

support of his career.  He's a total keeper.

Not the best photo, since the sun was in our eyes, but we were so happy to share the moment with Maria,

 our nanny, who is such a big part of our lives here.

Congrats to Noa, who works so hard to support our family and give us a fun, adventurous life with the Navy.  We are so proud of you!

 

Big Changes!

The first two weeks of December were consumed by my work schedule.  I needed to put in lots of extra time (and energy) since putting in my two weeks notice at work.  Noa and I had talked about it for quite some time.  With the holidays, the impending birth of baby number two, and an upcoming move this summer, we felt that it would be best if I was home more to support the family.  Plus, I was getting to the point where I felt like I couldn't devote as much of myself to the job as I would like and I felt that  the Humane Society/foster program deserved more.  This was one of the hardest career choices I've had to make since normally I leave a position due to moving.  That's pretty much how it's been for the past twelve years of working with an active duty military spouse.  Technically, I'm leaving due to a move, but the vacancy is sooner than I originally planned.  I have always felt very committed to my work and had worn a variety of hats (volunteer, humane educator, development assistant, and foster coordinator) - it was like the job had become a part of me and by saying good-bye, I was saying good-bye to a part of myself (even if I had turned into somewhat of a crazy cat lady).

My life will begin to look very different in a few months.  I'll soon be a stay-at-home mom to TWO young children and we'll be moving overseas this summer (we're headed to SPAIN!).  I know that there will be new challenges and truthfully I think I'm scared for many of them.  I hope I can meet the upcoming challenges with grace, determination and excitement.  

My last days at the Kitsap Humane Society were pretty busy with a holiday party, making arrangements during the transition, and creating and gathering training materials for the new foster coordinator.  My coworkers were extremely supportive and kind as they sent me off with many words of encouragement (and a sweet Target gift card - woohoo!).  I did have to sport this lovely headband at our holiday party, but the sentiment was sweet.

And thanks to my pregnancy hormones, I cried about a billion times over the job change.  I know that most of my tears were pregnancy-related, although I truly am sad about leaving KHS.  The good news is that we aren't moving yet, so I can still pop in and keep up with the latest happenings.  Also, I get to train my replacement….so really, they can't get rid of me.

Here are some photos from the past year.  I've been at KHS for over three years, but I have the most photos from the foster position since I had to take photos of foster intakes.  Please excuse the poor quality of some of these - animals don't always like to cooperate with iPhone cameras!

This was taken after my first day of work as the Foster Coordinator (about a year and half ago).  Noa and I discussed that one of the stipulations of my taking the position was that I wouldn't take any foster animals home.  I promised him I wouldn't.  I couldn't really, I mean, I had a baby and two dogs at home.  Where was I going to keep foster animals?  That first day, bottle baby kittens (who need constant, round-the-clock feedings) came in to the shelter at the end of the day.  I had no choice but to take them home for the night.  As much as Noa wasn't pleased at first to find a pile of crying kittens in our kitchen, I think he was won over by their diminutive size and little mews.

From that day forward, a large part of my life became all about kittens.  Kittens, kittens, kittens!  I had no idea what I was in for.

Along with the kittens, came mama cats….

I tended to fall for the "projects," who were typically the under socialized, feral kittens.  My favorites of all time, were "the pirates" - named for the faces they made.  These three went into foster care for socialization.  The foster mom adopted one and the other two were able to be rehabbed and adopted out into forever homes.  The picture is really bad due to lighting, the phone camera, and the fact that the kittens were hiding in the back of the kennel, but I just had to share it.  I don't know why I liked the issue ones…perhaps it's the gray (it is my favorite color, after all)?

More ferals…and, yes, I'm holding the next one.  I was working on socializing the little guy.  I liked to refer to those days as "hug a feral" day.  He didn't really like those days.

The three black ones above were just itty bitties, approximately 4 weeks old.  I aptly referred to them as the "hiss monsters." 

And this little one, named Sven, is a staff favorite.  He went into foster care and ultimately getting transferred to another rescue that had free roaming cat rooms.  Sven was wild and needed to be socialized by other cats.  Still, we all fell for him as he was full of personality.  I hope he gets adopted soon.

And then, there was Annie….

Annie came from a hoarding situation (over 100 cats in a camping trailer - yikes!) and was extremely under socialized.  She was pretty young, but not an itty bitty kitten, probably around 5 or 6 months old. She had a kitty version of PTSD, specifically when there were pet carriers involved.  Of course, we didn't know this when she came to us, so when it was time to put her in a carrier to go out to foster care, she went absolutely crazy and tried to maul the person putting her in the carrier.

That person happened to be me.  It was my first bite on the job.  

Not bad, considering I had worked there for a couple of years already and had walked some pretty serious dogs before then.  Still, the bite sent me to the hospital to minimize the spread of infection.  Annie went on to bite a few others after her quarantine was up due to her issue with carriers and being scared out of her mind.  She ended up in long-term foster care and got much better (she can go into a carrier without a fight now).  She was then sent to another rescue who could help her socialize with other cats and get adopted from there.

There were other animals in foster care, though the majority just happen to be kittens.  I did like having some variety though, as kittens begin to blend together in my mind after awhile.

This puppy was in foster care with his litter mates.  He was the biggest of the bunch and was named Moses.  I really loved him!

This cutie was afraid of her own shadow.  A few months in foster care helped her to overcome her shyness and although she is still not a go-getter, she's much happier and friendly towards people.  She ended up getting adopted by her foster parents and goes on frequent trips to Seattle and the beach.  Also, I'm partial to her because her name is Sadie.

Another sweet puppy…this one was brindle and black colored.  Very cute!

Another scardy pants.  Marble was a long-term foster who finally found a forever home and is now very happy and calm.  I like this photo because it looks like he's sticking out his tongue at me.

This chi cross mama came to us with her five puppies and all of them were infested with fleas!!  Mamas with nursing babies go into foster care with their babies until they are weaned.  Then the mamas can come back, get spayed, and get adopted like this mama did.

I also fell for other animals, who didn't necessarily go into foster care, but crossed my path in some form or another.

If I was to ever own a bunny, I'd want this guy.  His hair was awesome!

Doss.  This sweet girl had dealt with some pretty bad food allergies. Thankfully with a change in her diet, she healed up and was recently adopted!  Her eyes were amazing and she was clearly a lap cat.  I don't think she appreciated my pregnant belly in her way.

And then, there was Joel.  This guy has a very special place in my heart.  An older dog, he came to the shelter twice and was struggling with a neurological condition or possibly a tumor in his brain.  He had a permanent head tilt, vision issues, and had to be carried outside, where he would fall over when walking.  My colleague and friend, Laura, and I were with him until his last day and we were given the opportunity to comfort him and be there as he passed on.  It will always be a moment I remember and still brings tears to my eyes when I think about him.  He was a loving, sweet boy.

Speaking of Laura, I have to say that I was so fortunate to work with some amazing people.  Even better, I got to share my office with them.  Through all my positions at KHS, I always worked closely with the Volunteer Coordinator, who has always become a good friend (which is pretty awesome since we went through three volunteer coordinators while I was there….hmmm, maybe it was me?).  

One of my nearest and dearest here in Washington is Amy.  She was the Volunteer Coordinator when I began as a volunteer (I was totally the dorky "student" in her volunteer orientation who frantically took notes and asked questions) and when I for hired on as the Humane Educator.  We knew each other a little since our hubbies worked at the Naval Hospital, but through work, we quickly became closer friends.  That summer, we paired up to run the first and so far, only summer camp KHS has hosted.  It was quite an adventure and we had to work out a lot of kinks along the way.  I'm so glad I got to work on that project with her.  The other fun thing was that were were both pregnant around the same time (she ended up having a baby several months after me), so we were bother dealing with nausea and appetite issues at the same time.  We still remain close and if you've been reading the blog for awhile, you've seen her on it and her cute, little guy, Ben, who is one of Ruby's buddies.

And then there's Laura, who I got to know really well during her two years at KHS.  We worked on volunteer recruiting together and helped each other out with small projects, wording sensitive e-mails, and joking about some of the crazy things that happen at an animal shelter.  She was with me through the changes in my position and agreed to move with me to the main building (which meant being in an office with stinky kittens).  Laura has moved on to another job, but we still hang out and have lunch dates.  See, didn't I luck out with awesome co-workers?

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of me with the most recent VC, Sarah, and we've only been able to work together for a little over a month, but it's been a good match and we get along really well.  Both of us are pretty type-A in the work place and she appreciates my dedication to using a label maker at will.  I'm bummed that I didn't get to work with her for longer.  Sarah's going to do great things at KHS.

Finally, here are a few random photos I came across...

This entire litter had to have one eye removed due to various issues (I think there were 4 or 5 total kittens).  Interestingly enough, these kittens all found forever homes pretty quickly after they recovered from surgery.  It turns out a lot of people like these little one-eye winkers.  

I hosted a kitten shower to bring in donations before our crazy kitten season began and these were favors for the foster families.  They were pretty fun to make.  Now I need to perfect my dog cookies.

The office got dirty a lot and sometimes when we had too many kittens or really sick ones, I had to step in to help clean. In order to minimize the spread of disease, I had to take extra precautions as you can see by my lovely outfit.

Some kittens just loved the camera and were just CUTE!

So, there you have it.  Now you can see that I've become a bit of a crazy cat lady…I just made a huge post with mostly cat/kitten photos in it.  I guess we can all just blame this on pregnancy hormones, right?  

Farewell, KHS.  I will miss you.

Second Child Syndrome

I hear it from everyone: the second child never has it as good as the first.  The first one gets all the accolades, the new stuff, the leather-bound baby book with every little detail of his or her first year of life.  Well, the jokes on them because I haven't finished Ruby's baby book (oops).  Seriously though,  I'm already seeing this type of thing happen with our family.  We announced this pregnancy later than we did with our first (much of that was due to morning sickness and just feeling crummy).  With Ruby, I started taking belly photos around 15 weeks, whereas today was the first time I had an actually belly pic taken (I'm almost 19 weeks!).  And this baby doesn't even get a "real" nursery since we'll be moving this summer and we want to keep our guest room as is until then (the baby will be bunking with us).

But, I'm determined to try to fight second child syndrome as much as possible.  I want to celebrate this pregnancy and this growing baby.

I'm starting with the belly photos.  I tried to do them myself today with the tripod outside.  It didn't work out so well.  I was having focusing problems and kept coming out with shots like this:

That's not gonna work (not only is it completely out of focus, but Gunnar snuck in there behind my shoulder).  I was pretty frustrated after several shots like this (it makes me realize how much I have to learn about photography...sigh....someday...).  I had grand aspirations of taking belly photos different outdoor backgrounds, like our yard, nature trails, water, etc.  My idea was sparked from looking at amazing belly photos online.  Pinterest has pins with elaborate chalkboard backgrounds, fancy fonts included with photos, or little signs and notes about the week's progress of the growing baby next to the perfect belly shot.  After looking at these pins and reading some really cool blogs, I started to view that as the standard that I have to keep up with, especially if I want to fight second child syndrome.  In my mind, I start to think that I'm a horrible mother for not making everything picture perfect.  But the reality is that I just can't pull off something like that with the way my life is right now - between work, Ruby, and other commitments, it's just not going to happen.  Still, I can't let life stop me from keeping things special for this baby - like I did with Ruby.  This baby will be celebrated and documented -  I just need to let myself be real and not worry about everything not being perfect.

  

Tomorrow marks the beginning of my 19th week of pregnancy and I was determined to get an 18th week shot (not a blurry one) no matter what.  I have to take the opportunities when they come.  Tonight we planned on visiting Noa at the hospital since he's on call.  I decided it was just going to have to happen at the hospital.  So, on the way out the door, I grabbed my camera and had Noa take photos in the hallway of the Family Practice department.  It was totally not ideal, but to our surprise they didn't come out too bad with the horrible lighting and pale walls.

Here's the official first belly pic at 18, almost 19 weeks!  Boom.  Nailed it! 

Meanwhile, Ruby was running around and laughing.

She recently learned to point to my belly when we ask her, "where's the baby?"  It's pretty cute.  She's blurry in these photos, but you get the idea.

Our visit was short, but sweet.  We brought Noa did favorite fast food (Taco Bell).  Ruby brought her daddy a picture she made today with markers and stickers and then had fun playing around with him a little bit.  I think her favorite part was running up and down the halls into his arms.  This photo makes me melt.  She is so happy.

I'm looking forward to sharing more photos of this pregnancy and talk about the growing baby - even if it's not Pinterest-worthy.  It's special to us and that's what really matters.

PetsWALK 2013!

Last Saturday I volunteered at the Kitsap Humane Society's annual summer event, PetsWALK.  In years past, they've held it in June, around the time of our anniversary, so I haven't been able to be a part of the event.  But, the event got moved to July which meant I finally got to be a part of it.  This is one of two annual fundraising events that KHS hosts each year and so I tried my hand at fundraising, and although I didn't meet my goal (about $95 short - bummer!!), I feel like I was able to play a role in the fundraising efforts towards KHS. 

The main event is the walk.  Participants can choose to walk a 1K or 5K trail with a furry friend (most bring dogs, although there were other critters in attendance).  Other events follow the walk (more on that in a little bit), there were pet-related vendors all over and KHS' Outreach trailer set up with animals up for adoption.  It was a pretty fun morning for all.

I wish I could take credit for the awesome photos, but they are from Chance Keso Photography.

Okay, so on to the day's events.  First, some of the awesome canine friends I got to meet:

Aren't they beautiful?!  I didn't get to bring Sadie and Gunnar since I was working the event, so it was great to get my "dog-fill" from everyone's pooches.

Here's a shot of the starting line before everyone got there:

And later, when all the participants were on their way:

And then there were the events after the walk.  There was a talent contest.  This dog impressed me...he held that treat there until the owner gave him the command to eat it.  There is NO WAY Sadie and Gunnar would ever do that.  Impressive!

We also held a costume contest.  I don't have a photo of the winner, but this one was pretty cute too.

My favorite part of the day was the "Super Fun Little Dog Race."  It really was super fun.  There were actually 2 races.  One was for dogs with legs 4" and under and the other was for dogs with legs 4" to 8."  It was hilarious.

Oh, and back to the other animals that were in attendance - they were amazing!  One kiddo brought his hedgehog and another lady had her cat in a carrier (okay, that was a bit much....I don't think the cat was happy about it).  I enjoyed the lamas, who participated in the walk, and the burros (donkeys) who were at one of the vendor booths.

And finally, a quick shot of me and my bestie from work, Laura.  She is the volunteer coordinator at KHS and we get to collaborate and share an office.  I think we make a pretty good team and she makes me laugh every day at the office.