Adventures in the Hospital

We're on day 6 at the St. Francis NICU, and hopefully tomorrow will be the last day that we're there. It has been a long week of driving back and forth to the hospital, and we're thankful that even though it has been tiring, we've been very blessed. Ethan is doing well. They took all of his breathing and feeding tubes off a couple days ago, but then the jaundice showed up, so along with making sure that he does well eating (which he does, but we weren't surprised--he's a Corbin), we've spent some time with the lighted blanket and a little bit under the spotlight. He was doing well today, but the head nurse thought it would be best to keep an eye on him until tomorrow. We are very excited to get him home and spend some time together as a family. I will have some more pictures soon. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!

A Christmas Eve Eve Surprise

Even though he wasn't supposed to show up for another few weeks, Ethan Andrew Corbin decided to make an early appearance. I'm so glad Anthony was able to come home when he did because I don't know what I would have done without him and this little adventure. Anthony arrived on Saturday afternoon, and Will and I were very happy to see him. Will hesitated a little at first, but it seemed like the busy airport was throwing him as well. Once we got in the car, Will started talking more, and ever since, he wants Anthony to hold him all the time.

On Sunday morning, I started having a few contractions but they stopped, so we weren't too concerned. I had a doctor's appointment Monday, and the doctor said I could go anytime. An hour and a half later, I started having contractions again. I don't think he meant I would go into labor right away, but apparently Ethan took that as the go-ahead. Everything was off and on for a few hours, but by that evening, they were coming pretty regularly. I still debated about whether or not we should go to the hospital, so I went ahead and made dinner and followed my normal routine, but we decided to go ahead and ask Katie Corbin to come over and watch Will in case we did need to leave. A little after 9:00, we thought it would be best to at least go and check things out, and we ended up being admitted within the hour. Everything went very smoothly (once my second dose of the epidural kicked in), and luckily the doctor made it just in time so the nurse didn't have to deliver the baby herself. Ethan came so quickly that the nurse had to tell me to quit laughing with Anthony (which Anthony pointed out is probably not something she often has to tell patients) because it was making me accidentally push. Ethan was born at 5:07 a.m. on December 23, weighing 6 lbs 14 oz and 20 1/4 inches long. He was having some trouble breathing, which was something we had been concerned might happen since he was exactly 37 weeks. But the NICU team was able to stabilize him, and Anthony and I were able to hold him for a bit. On the way to the nursery, the nurse saw that he was still panting and grunting, so she went ahead and took him to the NICU for monitoring, and that's where he's been ever since. The next few days will tell us a lot about what needs to be done, and the doctors are still deciding whether it's an infection, fluid, or lung immaturity. From everything we've heard, no one is overly concerned about his condition. We just need to find out what will be best to help him breathe correctly. He does have a breathing tube, but it is not pumping oxygen--it is mostly to help him stretch out his lungs and make it easier to take breaths--and he has a feeding tube from his mouth to his stomach since he's not ready to suck and breathe at the same time. Whenever we visit him, he is doing very well, and he seems a little better each time. Hopefully he will be released in a few days, but it could be sometime next week. We'll continue to post info as we get it, and we'll have pictures later. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!

Alaska?!

I knew it was an option. I just didn't expect it to be a serious possibility. But Anthony got his first base assignment today, and at the end of March we'll be heading to Elmendorf AFB, adjacent to Anchorage, Alaska. After I got over the shock, I was excited. Never in a million years did I think when Anthony and I got married that we'd be spending our third wedding anniversary in Alaska, and not just on a visit either. I also didn't expect the Air Force to send us overseas (and Alaska is considered overseas for them), especially knowing that they are sending a family of four, with a one-year-old and, by then, a three-month-old. But as we've been told from the beginning, the Air Force's needs come first!

Some things I've learned so far about Alaska:

1. Winters aren't so bad in Anchorage. They're situated so there's warm air currents coming from Japan, and they're sheltered by mountain ranges, so it's not extreme weather. According to Accuweather, it's the same temperature there as it is here. But while we might get up to 45, there going to stay in the 20's. It looks like the highs in July average 65, which to me still doesn't sound warm, but maybe I'll adjust. Snow from September to May, so I won't be packing away the winter clothes. I also think it's time to upgrade to an SUV.

2. It may take up to a month for us to get our stuff shipped there! And since we'll probably fly and they'll ship our car (which will also take several weeks to show up), I don't know how we're going to pack enough to get us through. Although the nice thing is that with military fares on an airline, they don't charge for the first three bags or so. Can I convince them that Ethan has three large bags as well? I guess I should have asked for luggage for Christmas. I also saw that American Airlines will check antlers (for a fee), so if Anthony bags an elk while we're there, we will be able to bring it home. Thank goodness!

3. We will get certain pay bonuses for higher cost of living. Groceries are 31.4% higher and health care is 91.1% higher (thank goodness that one's taken care of the Air Force--or Obama and his socialized health care). The Commissary on base "tries" to keep it's prices lower.

4. The animals most often hit by cars: moose, fox, and bears. Once again, I think an SUV is in order. I do not want to see what would happen after I hit a moose with my Cavalier. We're also warned that it is probably better to hit the animal with a "glancing blow" than to end up in a ditch or go over a cliff. I don't there is such a thing as a glancing blow with a moose, unless you hit it as you are leaving a stop sign.

5. If anyone wants to visit us and go camping, it's only $11 at the on-base campgrounds! Or you could get a hotel room and still have all of your toes in the morning for probably just a little more money.

6. There's a ski lodge, snowmobile trips, ice fishing, a skating rink, and a tubing hill. I'm definitely going to have to work up some excitement for winter activities. The first and last time I went skiing, I never left the bunny hill. But at the Recreation Camp a short drive away, you can see whales, porpoises, puffins, sea lions, eagles and mountain sheep.

7. The movie theater has showing times at: 7 p.m. That's all. There will be no late nights out, I suppose.

8. Not only do we need to watch for crazed animal wildlife (caribou, reindeer, polar bears, grizzly bears and the musk ox), but we also have volcanoes and earthquakes. I'm assuming blizzards, even though no one bothered to mention that. Good thing Anthony is an Eagle Scout. Wait a minute, maybe that's why they chose us to go there.

9. Population of Indianapolis: 781,870. Population of all of Alaska: 677,00. Half of those live in Anchorage, so at least we won't be too lonely. Population of Caribou: 1,000,000+

It's definitely going to be an adventure. I can't even imagine, but at least our blog posts may be more interesting!

In other news, Will learned a new trick on Monday. He woke up and was chatting to himself for a minute or two, and then I heard him start crying as if he was hurt. I got into his room, and when I looked at the crib, it was empty! I looked down, and there he was, kneeling on the floor. How he got out, I don't think I'll ever know. I don't think he's tall enough to throw a leg over to climb out, so maybe he pulled himself up somehow. The mattress has now been lowered to the bottom level, which makes it harder for me to lift him out, but I don't have to worry (as much). He's been quite the monkey this week, climbing on everything. He learned how to get into the little rocking chair that used to be mine when I was little. Sometimes I'll find him in his room just rocking away.

Will's also decided that he's done having people feed him. He's old enough to do it on his own, thank you very much. I made the mistake of trying to feed him macaroni and cheese, and I've never seen such a meltdown. Both hands started sweeping the rest of his food off of his high chair, accompanied by howls and tears. He's getting better at using his fork, but halfway through, it's usually back to using his hands. We're working on it though. It's nice that he's becoming a little more independent so I can just let him go at it while I'm taking care of Ethan, who will be here in 2 weeks (oh my gosh!). Other than that, we're still fighting colds, finally finished with Christmas shopping, and getting very excited to see Anthony in 2 days!

Sometimes you're just too tired to think of a good title

This week has been filled with great blessings. We were able to get Anthony's flight set, and it wasn't quite as expensive as I had feared, plus we were able to get good flight times, so he'll be able to spend more time with us. He'll be arriving on Saturday at 4 p.m., and Will and I are very excited to see him. I'm probably a little more so, since Will doesn't seem to grasp that anything different's going on. If I could only get inside his little head to know what he was thinking. So far the only answer I'm able to get from him on any subject is "No." (He really enjoyed watching Shrek 2 tonight and repeating "No" every time Shrek did in the scene where Donkey asks over and over, "Are we there yet?") Whether he realizes Anthony's missing, I can't tell. I'm curious to see how he acts at the airport.

We also were able to FINALLY sell our truck. It has been a headache from the beginning--thank you Andrew for giving it to us. :) I think I just have bad feelings toward it because it started out stressful since it needed a lot of work, and I've never quite forgiven it. Mostly it's been good to us and helped out a lot on multiple moves. But we've been trying for awhile to sell it, and it is so wonderful to look out at the driveway and see just my car. I even parked in the middle of the driveway and took up part of both spots, just because I could. Ah, luxurious lanes. Now the only thing I want to see even more is a "Sold" sign in our front yard.

Will's taken to pressing his face into my stomach and yelling. I can only imagine what Ethan thinks of having someone screaming inches away from him. I'm sure it's a little disconcerting. But it's probably also good preparation. How am I supposed to explain to a one-year-old that babies sleep a lot and need some quiet? Nap times are going to be loads of fun, I can tell. Will's already given up his morning nap as of this week, which makes it a little harder to find time to get a shower. Maybe my aversion to those fences where you can corral your kids will fade after a few days with two babies and no showers. Something's got to give.

Will's also walking more often than he crawls. It still is a little weird to see him pop around the corner, but I'm getting used to it. The other day he and his cousin Jerod wandered into the kitchen together, Jerod all steady and Will a little shaky but right alongside him. I could almost picture them running around together as teenagers, which was a little scary.

Anthony's still waiting to officially start his classes at Tech School. Right now it's still meetings, details, and assignments--like watching the front door. Exciting stuff. He gets to act like a true government employee and refuse to go find who ordered pizza from Papa John's. As he put it, "I work for the US government, not Papa John's, so that's their problem if the person doesn't show up." I think the power's going to his head. He was also being threatened to be put in the band again--even though he didn't raise his hand this time, they have the list of the band members from Basic--and now he's thinking of volunteering. He says it's because he gets a special Letter of Appreciation in his file that shows he was willing to sacrifice his time, but I think deep down he doesn't want to let on to me how much he enjoys it, knowing my aversion to band geeks, I mean, members. He'll start classes just a few days before coming home, and we actually may get to find out this week where our first base will be. I'm praying for something a little more exotic than Idaho. Sorry to anyone I've offended, but really, between England and Idaho, which would be more exciting? Which means we're going to Idaho.

I've been busy selling trucks, arranging flights, dragging myself and Will to finish Christmas shopping, visiting doctors and making appointments, and fighting a nasty head cold. But you know what? It's been a good week.

Graduation & What You've All Been Waiting For...

Pictures of Anthony with cool glasses and no hair. I finally had time to download the pictures and get this blog updated (sorry, I've been sick). I didn't get any pictures without his hat though because he has to have it on when he's outside. But hopefully you can use your imagination. Or you'll just have to wait until Christmas.

First, here's a picture from the Airman's Coin Ceremony. It's the first time Anthony saw me. Notice that he is not doing so well with his serious military face.



Graduation was on Friday, and it was freezing cold. I did not plan for sitting outside in 30 degree weather in Texas. So I had to scrap the skirt and go with pants, but I still was under the impression that it would warm up soon, so I just grabbed a sweater instead of my coat. Then I made the mistake of getting to the Parade Grounds as soon as the first bus showed up, so I got to sit in cold bleachers for an hour. The plus side was that I got a front row seat in front of Anthony's flight, so I found him easily.

Anthony's to the left of the girl in the gray hat

I also sat next to a really nice family that was smart enough to bring blankets, and the mom kept wrapping me up in one. One of the daughters had a little boy about Will's age, and the poor thing was so upset about being out in the cold that his mom didn't get to see any of the ceremony. So while I missed Will, and Anthony and I both would have liked for him to be there, I'm glad I didn't bring him with me. It would have been too hard on all of us, and I was really glad to be able to enjoy the different ceremonies. Unfortunately, it was mind-numbingly cold, so I don't remember a whole lot of what was said. I did enjoy when they recited the Oath of Enlistment. I know I heard Anthony shout out his name, even amongst the 700 others doing the same. He agreed that he said it pretty loudly.

After the ceremony, I had to get on the bus and go back to the squadron to meet him. Stupid rules about the band. I was afraid I would miss him because I wasn't sure where they were going to show up, but after wandering around for awhile, someone told me the band was marching up to the dorms. I found Anthony and he got to show me the dorms. I also was warned several times not to touch his stuff, or anyone else's. They had to be inspected again before they could be released. Anthony said he appreciates me even more for all of the work I have to do around the house. Although he never had to work in the kitchen, so he still refuses to do dishes. But he sure can make a bed!


The last official part of the weekend was taking pictures with the flight. Since the band flight doesn't get to march by everyone at graduation, their TI wanted to let them do that and get some pictures. They also took a flight picture in front of one of the planes. Of course the plane they chose ended up having not the nicest picture on it, but they were already there.


So we took our own picture in front of a slightly less scandalous plane.


Then we were free for most of the weekend. We visited the Base Exchange, went to a hockey game, and went to Denny's. Anthony wanted to eat as much as he could. He said he never got enough, and apparently he did not make friends by telling everyone in his flight about all of the food I would make him at home. Everyone I met said he talked about me all the time, and food was a big part. I'm more than a little afraid to be weighed at my next doctor's appointment. Living on fast food and Oreos for four days cannot have been good.

By the time Sunday came, I was not ready to go home. It was a wonderful trip--one of the best I've ever been on--and I hated to say goodbye. But at least I know he'll be home soon for Christmas. Anthony's flying in Saturday December 20th at 4 p.m., and he'll be here until Sunday January 4th at 2 p.m. Enough time to have a baby and then head right back to school. He's in Wichita Falls, TX at Sheppard AFB, and so far it's been a lot of sitting around at meetings. He is ecstatic that the last kid who was in his room left a bunch of items, including an 8GB Zune. That's mostly what I hear about. He does get more liberties than he did at Basic, so he's been able to call each night for just a little bit, which is nice. And he'll be done with Tech School on March 23rd. We probably won't know which base we'll be assigned to until closer to that time. But we do know that he'll be working on the F100 and F119 engines:

That definitely limits the number of bases we could be assigned to. He put down on his "Dream List": Virginia, North Carolina, Arizona and Florida. Our other possibilities are: California, Alaska, Japan, England, Idaho, and Nevada. So we could be pretty much anywhere and in all kinds of different climates and cultures. From what I've been reading, it sounds like most first duty stations last for 2 or 3 years, but that probably depends a lot on the military's needs as well.

Here are a few more pics we took on the last day, when it was finally nice enough for Anthony to take off his coat and show off his 4 ribbons. Check out how tight his shirt has to be too. The blousing straps that hold it down are strapped to his socks, so the dress blues are NOT comfortable. He kept asking me to bend down and pick things up. 8 months pregnant and I'm the one more capable of reaching down to the floor.

First Day of Graduation Ceremonies

I was able to (barely) fit my laptop in my carry-on, so I'm able to update on the road. It was a long flight to get here, and I had to hurry to get my rental car to make it in time for the Airman's Coin Ceremony. Thank goodness I asked several times how to get to the Interstate because there was a total of 1 sign pointing me in the right direction, but no sign to tell me where I needed to turn and nothing telling me that the road I turned on was correct for quite awhile. San Antonio roadways are not so user friendly. I also got off on the wrong exit because the Lackland AFB website says get off on exit #7, when actually they mean get off on exit #4. I figured the military knew what they were talking about when they posted directions to the base. Once I made it to base, I was even more confused about where I needed to go. EVERYTHING is brown. And there isn't a lot of signage (is San Antonio against directional assistance?), so I was driving around base with 10 minutes to go until the ceremony and praying that I didn't drive out onto an airfield or some other restricted area where I'll be immediately executed. Plus the rental car was a little nicer than my own car, so I'm stopping on a dime any time I even think about touching the brakes. I finally found someone to ask where I needed to be at, and he gave me excellent directions. I found parking fairly close, and as I was walking up, I could see that the band was standing at attention right in front of me, so I knew I was in the right place. All of the flights were introduced and then the band came in, and Anthony was right in front, so I was able to find him easily. He's definitely got the military look about him. A lot of the other guys seem so lax about how they stand, walk, or present themselves, but not him. Stiff as a board, always ready to salute the higher-ups, and pants hiked way higher than I've ever seen them. He's the same, but different. I don't know how to really describe it. I'm curious to see how he'll act once he's on leave for a couple weeks. Maybe I can convince him then that he can walk on the grass, and we won't have to take the long way around. Several times already I've lost him because he's had to stop to salute someone or I've tried to take a shortcut.

After the Coin Ceremony, we then had the Honor Grad Ceremony where he received a special coin and he'll be able to wear another ribbon tomorrow after graduation, which makes his grand total of ribbons 4, the highest amount you can get in Basic Training and his goal. He said people usually get 3 if they work hard, but they either have brains (the Honor Grads) or they can shoot well (the Marksman). He's the only one in his flight (of about 48) who got all 4, and only about 32 of 640 received Honor Grad, so he has worked very hard during the last few weeks. Unfortunately, he had his Base Liberty Pass cut short by 2 hours today. His flight decided to not bother with cleaning up their dorm properly, but even though they were the ones who did it, they received all of their time off while the Element Leaders and the Dorm Leader were punished. How that's fair I'll never understand. What do the rest of the guys care if they don't get in trouble? If they do it again, I am going to be really angry. I did not come down here for them to mess around and get Anthony in trouble. So after all the ceremonies and trips to the clothing store to get last minute things for graduation, we ended up with about an hour together. It was wonderful to see him though. I'll be able to post pictures once I get home. His hair is SO short, but at least the glasses are not so bad. Thank goodness he doesn't have to wear the BCG's!

A Great Thanksgiving & 3 Days Until San Antonio!

I was able to talk to Anthony on Thanksgiving for an hour. That's the first time that we've been able to talk without someone breathing down his neck and keeping track of the time. Of course, we had to make ourselves heard over the band playing in the background, but there's always some sacrifice. I'm still a little unsure of exactly where he was at. Most of the trainees were invited to the homes of people in the San Antonio area, but a few were lucky enough to attend special events. I know Anthony said it had something to do with Harley Davidson, and I know there were a lot of people, but what it was all about, I didn't understand. A lot of trainees wanted to attend, but only those who were deemed responsible enough (i.e. wouldn't embarrass themselves or the Air Force) were allowed to go. They spent time with a Lieutenant Colonel, they rode over on a tour bus flanked by retired Airmen on motorcycles, and then had dinner and entertainment and were allowed to make phone calls and relax. Anthony really seemed to be enjoying himself, and I was glad to hear that they were taken care of so well.

Anthony updated me a little on Warrior Week. He said the tear gas was absolutely awful. He managed to say his statement, then he had to walk back across the room (one kid tried to run and was told to walk back to the middle of the room and return again to the exit). Once he got out, he said he was stumbling and had tears and snot running down his face. The exercise works though--he will never take off his gas mask in a combat situation. The obstacle course was brutal, and one Element Leader was recycled because he decided to eat the tootsie rolls from his MRE (Meal, Ready to Eat). Other trainees have been recycled for pulling pranks and pretty much treating basic training like it's Boy Scout Camp. Anthony's flight was also awarded the honor of doing the best job during Warrior Week. So the best the Air Force has to offer is the group of band geeks. :) Watch out world!

Anthony earned one extra ribbon so far for graduation--the Small Arms Marksmanship Ribbon. I believe he said he hit the target 47 out of 50 times. He is also still trying to earn the Honor Graduate Ribbon, but I won't know if he made it until I get down there. While he didn't get the top physical fitness award, he was able to go from running a mile and a half in 11:48 to 10:02. I'm pretty sure I can't run a mile in 10:02, pregnant or not, so that's impressive. This week is their final written test, haircuts (how much hair can they have in 6 weeks?), briefing on how to behave with town passes, the Airman's Coin Ceremony, and the Graduation Parade.

Will and I have done lots of Christmas shopping the last few days. Katie Corbin and I ventured out on Black Friday, and while we only hit 3 stores and were done by 10 a.m., we were able to get a lot of gifts. I'm glad I'm close to being done because with as cold as it is and as tired as I am, visiting multiple stores is not appealing. Will also helped make desserts for Thanksgiving. He loves stirring, so I poured ingredients in the bowl, and he sloshed them around for a bit. We had lots of filling from the pumpkin pie left over, so we made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, one of which he grabbed off the cookie sheet and ate raw. Both of us were a mess, but we had fun. He even took bites out of a cookie (one that was baked) instead of cramming the whole thing in his mouth. Will also seems to be understanding more and more every day. He will say "Uh-huh" if the answer is yes (although a lot of times I still get no regardless of what he wants). And when I was giving him a bath, I asked if he wanted to get out, which he said no to. I told him the water was running out (our drain doesn't work so well), and he stood right up and tried to turn on the water faucet. Every day it's a new surprise!