new years resolutions

So, this year I resolved to start a little journal to note anything interesting in the growth and development of my children - sickness, new words, new tooth, funny experience, whatever. And so far I've been doing pretty good with my little "Mom journal".

I also resolved to update my blog once a month, just to make sure I really do share pictures and news with our out-of-state family on a regular basis. But then January went and got crazy on me - so it's time to catch up.

Our first bit of excitement for the year arrived when the timing belt went out on the van. Jeremy took a day out to try fixing it himself, but ultimately discovered he just didn't have the tools or the time required, so it went back to the shop. In the meantime there was a week or two in there we were borrowing Jeremy's Mom's Jeep Cherokee to get around. By the time we finally got all the repair work done, we were so glad we could return Mom's vehicle to her, and so grateful to have our own wonderful little van back in service.

Otherwise, January brought me some graphic design work that kept me plenty busy. Work for the business was very slow, in fact January was when Jeremy and I started settling into a new level of faith. Financially our circumstances were totally bleak - and still are, but it was beginning to sink in that God always comes through, and somehow the world doesn't come to an end. Panic doesn't help anyhow, though 8 months pregnant and nothing in the bank account equals periodic emotional breakdowns despite the head knowledge that everything is going to be ok.

the train set Reuben got for Christmas

Anna giving Daddy a pretend drink from one of her new tea cups





Me, very pregnant



Our little reader

Morning snuggle time with Daddy

About the point that I was wondering how on earth I was going to keep fitting into my pants for another month, and nesting instinct was starting to really take hold, life took a crazy turn. January 20th was a Wednesday, and I felt really weird and tired all day long, but I still could keep myself from rearranging half the house anyway. Thursday morning at my prenatal check up they discovered that I had developed pre-eclampsia, and sent me to get lab work done then to go home and rest, and come back first thing the next morning.

The next morning Jeremy and I packed bags for ourselves and for the kids and left them at Grandma's on the way to the Dr. My condition had only worsened overnight, so I was immediately admitted to the hospital and they started induction right away. The whole thing was very distressing to me, I knew the induction process for pre-eclampsia would be miserable, and I was really afraid the induction would go wrong and I'd end up with an emergency cesarean.

God was very good to us though, and despite my disappointment that I didn't get to go into labor under normal circumstances, and my labor involved more drugs than I ever want to experience ever again, God was still sovereign through it all. So many people were praying for Laura's safe delivery, and God just poured out His grace and peace on me, and it all just worked out in the end. My Mom was able to hop on a flight and got there well in time for the delivery, and best of all Jeremy finally got to be there for the birth of one of his children.

The whole experience is kind of a fuzzy memory due to all the drugs I was on, but sometime Saturday afternoon right after the nurses changed shifts, Laura Leigh was born weighing 6lb 10oz, and measuring 19.5in long. She was pretty blue, and got whisked away by nurses before I even got to see her, and it seemed like they were rubbing her down and messing with her for the longest time before I finally got to hold her (which was very annoying to me in my semi-deranged state).

My Mom and newborn Laura Leigh

Anna meeting (and hugging) baby Laura for the first time (with Jeremy's Mom)

When we finally got out of the hospital Monday evening Laura's due date was still two weeks away. The day I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia was the day I was going to get the van cleaned out. The day I was admitted to the hospital was the day I was going to clean my house. None of these things happened, indeed, I was cheated out of my "nesting" phase almost entirely, and came home to a house that was a disaster zone. Mail was already piling up, laundry was still in baskets, and I was still barely able to move around.

To make life just a bit more interesting, Laura had a mild case of jaundice that first week, so after getting home Monday evening we were out the door first thing Tuesday morning for a check-up at the pediatrician. They sent us right over to the hospital for lab work, and several hours later we got the call that Laura would need light treatment and we should report to the hospital as soon as we could get there. So from about 3:00p.m. Tuesday until 3:00p.m. Wednesday I was camped out in a hospital room with Laura, missing Reuben and Anna terribly, and incredibly grateful that my Mom was there and at least they were getting in some good Honey Bear time. Then Friday morning we were back at the pediatricians office for yet another check-up...and at that point I was so sick and tired of doctors and hospitals I just wanted to cry. Really, if Mom hadn't been there that week, we don't even know what we would have done - she was a life saver.

Watching YouTube videos with Daddy

My Mom and Laura, trying to stay warm

Reuben, holding Laura for the first time (didn't last long ;)

Laura Leigh

Our little monkey girl...still don't know exactly how she got up there by herself

Friday and Saturday I was finally recovered to a point that I could enjoy Mom's visit, and then early Sunday morning it was already time for a tearful farewell before Jeremy took her to the airport in Boston.

Since I started out already way behind, getting caught up after Laura was born was...a lengthy and frustrating process. Just this past week things have finally started feeling "under control" again, though in reality I never actually have control over much of anything (chuckle). Work has started to pick up a bit for Jeremy, and graphic design projects somehow keep coming in for me - though unfortunately those don't involve much income, if any.

So often during Laura's pregnancy I would happily imagine how much Reuben and Anna would enjoy having a new baby sister, and much to my delight, it's even better than I pictured it. Anna adores her, and both kids are so good with her. I often find them leaning over her softly stroking her hair, giving her kisses, and/or pressing a cheek up against her (their version of a hug). It's really precious.

Reuben has begun potty training, (Anna too, to a certain degree) and he's doing pretty good with it - though I've a feeling it's going to be a long process with him. His vocabulary is constantly growing, and he's started taking on the role of protector of his little sisters - which is good, 'cause Anna needs all the looking after that we can muster. That girl is a one person demolition derby like I've never seen. She's the sweetest little thing ever, but you never met a little girl so curious. Always investigating, always climbing on something, always, always into something she shouldn't be. She's also the kid most likely to sit down and read a book, or put together a puzzle. I won't be the slightest bit surprised if she's constantly giving Reuben a run for his money when they start school.

Daddy with his littlest girl

Sleeping Laura

All three kids in our bed



like father like son

and...like mother like son too I guess ;)

Reuben on his little potty

Smiling baby Laura



goofy little Anna



Anna loving on her baby sister

About a week ago Jeremy got a letter from Norwich Police Department, indicating they would like him to begin the application process - beginning with the physical fitness test in about six weeks. Jeremy had about given up on becoming a Police officer, and had stopped pursuing applications so he could just focus on the business. But Norwich is our hometown, and his dream department (more or less), and in less than half an hour he decided he was actually excited about applying for Norwich. He's started working out in earnest, and this evening he's out doing a ride along with some lucky Norwich cop. We don't know what God's up to, and we're both tired of guessing wrong, so we're just hanging loose and waiting to see what God does...or at least we're trying not to get our hopes up too much. God will only open the door if that really His best, that much we know.

Anna holding her baby sister - with much needed help

Anna's new little toddler bed, that Reuben likes at least as much as she does ;)

home again :)

So on April 4th my Dad and my brother Willie helped me load all our junk into my parents 15 passenger van and then drove us to my Maw Maw & Paw Paw's house in Baton Rouge, LA. Then Monday morning, with all our junk having been transfered to Maw Maw & Paw Paw's minivan, we set out on the first leg of our drive to Connecticut.

That first day we got to Atlanta, GA where we stayed the night with Maw Maw's niece Dianne and her husband John. Tuesday we drove from Atlanta, to Otto, NC where we stayed with Paw Paw's brother Rich and his wife Velma. Wednesday we drove to Glouchester, VA where we stayed with Jeremy's Maw Maw & Paw Paw Duck. And on Thursday we got all the way from Virginia to our home in Connecticut - despite some navigational challenges along the way.

Reuben and Anna were SO good the whole trip, I was so proud of them! It was such a blessing to be able to drive rather than fly with them. I can't even tell you how grateful I am to my grandparents. It was really neat to be able to show them where we live, and just enjoy the"vacation time" together.

Meanwhile, in another part of the world, Jeremy had flown from Iraq to Kuwait, and Sunday, April 10 he flew from Kuwait to the states. After a week of demobilization at Fort Dix, NJ we were extatically planning to pick him up at the welcome home ceremony in Hartford, CT this past Saturday the 18th. But...his company commander and/or immediate staff goofed, didn't fill out some paper work they were supposed to, and so the welcome home party was cancelled and they will now be getting relased tomorrow in New Haven, CT.

When the word came that we wouldn't be bringing Jeremy home Saturday, we were all obviously very dissipointed. Within a few hours Jeremy and I got the opportunity to chat, and within a few minutes we had decided that the kids and I were driving to Fort Dix to spend the weekend with him. So I started packing furiously, then jumped in bed to sleep a few hours before packing us and our stuff in the car at the crack of dawn. All past aversion to speeding was thorougly obliterated in the excietment of the moment, and we made it in record time.

We really had the greatest weekend too! There are some great playgrounds there on the base, and we got a room at a motel so we could stay the night. Reuben did remember Jeremy, and within hours he had warmed up to him pretty well. Anna took to him very quickly too,very in character for her. Life was definitely more fun with Dad around, he let Anna play in the dirt, fed Reuben donuts & coffee for breakfast, and showed Reuben how to blow BIG bubbles. I was downright giddy most of the weekend, and quickly began to recognize and appreciate the wonderful fact that Jeremy's can make all the decisions now, and he's way better at it than I am too!

We're now just anxiously awaiting the chance to see him again tomorrow, and this time actually bring him home with us!!

the end in sight

In less than three weeks, though we still don't know the exact day, Jeremy will be home. He went on his last mission yesterday and has officially turned over his job to the gunner from the replacement unit. Though it's all unofficial still, he expects to be flying from Iraq to Kuwait April 7, and from Kuwait to Fort Dix, NJ on April 10. Hopefully the "Wecome Home Ceremony" will be April 18...or 20...or who knows!

This week I've been slowly but surely packing things up and preparing to make the move back to Connecticut. Saturday afternoon my Dad and some random siblings will drive us to my Maw Maw & Paw Paw's home in Baton Rouge, LA. From there my grandparents will be driving us the rest of the way home in their minivan, stopping to stay with relatives several places along the way. It'll be a long trip, but at the end of the trip I'll be in my own little home again, and I am really excieted about getting to my own home again!

Our time here has been so many things: precious, hard, fun, overwhelming, irreplaceable. It was really awesome to see my parents and siblings actually getting to know my children, and vise versa. There were many times I thought that would never be possible. I got to know my brothers and sisters again, three years older than when I married and left home. They are without a doubt some of the coolest people I know...which I thought three years ago, but they're even cooler now. My family have been such gracious, generous, and patient hosts. I am really going to miss them, and my new church here, and many precious friends.

The last several months I've been very aware that Reuben's training and education was seriously lacking. Knowing what to do with babies and small children does not come naturally to me. So, I've been reading books, asking questions, and listening to a child training course on CD; trying to learn from others wiser than I. I can't wait for Jeremy to get home! He's so much better at this kind of thing than I am.

Amidst all the training issues, I've noticed that Reuben's speaking skills are not much better now than they were a year ago. So, the last Dr. check up I asked about that, and we were sent to get a hearing test, which happened this afternoon. It seems that he has fluid built up in his middle ear, he can hear most things, but it's all muffled. Now comes the excieting task of figuring out what to do about it.

potty training, etc.

So this past week I set out to potty train Reuben...or at least start the process. He really liked his underwear, in fact, at one point he turned around in circles about 20 times trying to see Lightning McQueen on his rear end.

Reuben in his "Cars" training pants

Unfortunately that was the only part of the experience that really worked out for us. Reuben peed just about everywhere but his training potty, and he really didn't seem to grasp the concept at all. Ah well...guess we'll just try again in a bit, he'll get it eventually.

Sitting on the potty watching a movie, just trying to keep him still until he actually goes where he's supposed to

This week I also managed to get a couple of tiny servings of rice cereal into Anna, and we had a little bit of success getting her to drink out of a bottle. The teething cookie (apart from being a huge mess) was a big hit though!

Enjoying a teething bisquit

It's so cool to see her play sitting up, and "army crawling" wherever she wants to go. She's such a sweetheart.

Texas Roadtrip

One of my keys to surviving this deployment is to plan special projects or activities that I normally wouldn't do while Jeremy was home. It takes the focus off of all the things I'm missing, and turns it around to see each day we're apart in a more posative light. For me that list of special projects and activities has involved reorganizing our house several times over, lots of quilting, some digital scrapbooking, spending time with my family in Texas, and visiting friends.

In the spirit of this survival key, Rebekah, Reuben, Anna, and I all set out on a road trip last Monday morning. Our first stop was at Bryan & Leah Hovey's home in Hilltop, TX. We arrived in time for a late lunch, and enjoyed the first good chat since Leah and I were at IPS together, back before either of us were married.

We took off from there for the International ALERT Academy in Big Sandy, TX to stay with Corrie & Keon Pendergast overnight. The last time I really got to stop and visit with Corrie, her oldester daughter Katie was not quite walking. Katie is almost four and a half now, and has two younger brothers: Connor (3?) and Clayton (1?). We had a fun time catching up and playing, and Stacey and Hannah Smith even came over for lunch so we could see them as well. (Hannah and Stacey took over the office I used to work in at ALERT)

Playing in Katie's room

Connor and Anna

Anna, me, Corrie, and Clayton

As naptime came around we loaded up again and headed for Brian & Amy Cahill's in Irving, TX. We got there in time for dinner and had a really fun visit with Brian, Amy, and 9 month old Lance. The next day we packed a picnic lunch and walked over to the park a 1/4 miles away and enjoyed the outdoors for several hours before packing up for our next stop. But on this little family, I'd like to pause to share some history...

There were only two reason that I survived the 14 months I worked in the main office at ALERT: the grace of God and Brian Cahill. In my half day job training my most helpful bit of instruction was "If you need any help just ask Brian, he's right around the corner in the Smaj. office." And ask Brian I did, more times than I could count, and he always managed to save the day. He's one of the most hardworking and patient people I know.

The first year Rebekah and I taught the canoe course at STEP together, we were roomates with Amy Jones, and over the course of that month we became fast friends. Bekah and I are agreed that Amy is pretty much the coolest, most amazing girl we know. She's always such an encouragement and inspiration...just thinking about her makes me want to be a better person.

I have a running mental list of both guys and girls that I would be very angry with if they married some looser I didn't like. Brian and Amy were both near the top of that mental list, so I was very happy when God brought them together...but had never seen them interact as a couple until last week. God did a really good job.

Reuben on the playground

Anna, me, Amy, and Lance

Again we took off right at nap time so Reuben could sleep in the car for the four hour drive from Irving to Bill & Holly Orr's place in San Marcos, TX. Holly kept dinner waiting for us, and even had a birthday cake waiting for me when we arrived. We tried not to choke on our food laughing while Bill told his paramedic stories, and then watched part of a comedian routine they'd been telling us about before we turned in for the night.

William Orr Jr. and Anna Beth

The next day Kerrie Lynn (Giese) Ryan drove down from Killeen, TX to visit with us for a few hours. The three of us had gone to church together for years, went on a mission trip together, and had always been "kindred spirits" though never exceptionally close. It had been over two years since we'd seen Kerrie Lynn, so we had a lot of catching up to do. She brought pictures from her wedding, and I brought some pictures of me and Jeremy. We had to leave in a rush to get back to Houston in time for Rebekah to teach a piano lesson, but it was a good visit while it lasted.

Holly, Kerrie Lynn, and me

The whole trip was really, really fun. It was overwhelming to be reminded just how many incredible friends I have, all over the country. The kids were troopers, and Rebekah was wonderfully helpful and very nice to have along.

Traveling Buddy Anna

Traveling Buddy Reuben

Our faithful driver Rebekah

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;" Phillipians 1:3-5

holiday catch up

For Thanksgiving this year, we went to my Maw Maw & Paw Paw's house in Baton Rouge and had a lovely time with my Dad's side of the family. At my grandparent's request, Anna, Reuben, and I stayed on for an extra week after the rest of the Don Zeeks went home. We had a really wonderful visit, and it was very cool to see my little guy toddling arround their home just like I did at the same age - even enjoying the organ with all the buttons, just like I used to do.

Reuben, Great Paw Paw Zeek, and Anna

Playing in Maw Maw & Paw Paw's living room

Reuben playing the organ

Me playing the organ, when I was his age

Shortly after returning to Texas, we were suprised and delighted to get an inch or two of snow on the ground; the most snow I'd ever seen in all my years living in Texas. It was mostly gone by morning, but boy did my brothers and sisters live it up while it lasted.

The week before Christmas found us moving into the spare room next door (finally!), and the crazy adventure of repainting the main living area at my parents, while having hard wood floor installed.

My sister Rebekah...after lots of paint fumes

We got the whole thing...well, mostly done and put together again just hours before Dad's family arrived from Louisianna to spend the holiday with us.

Me, Bekah, Minda, Aunt Marisa, & Cayla in our penguin slippers

Anna, me, and Reuben

Zeek family group pictures - Christmas 2008

Anna has been growing so fast! She's right on the verge of sitting up unassisted, regularly gets up on all fours, and rolls/ooches herself all over the floor when she's given the chance. She's generally a happy little kid, pretty dang noisey much of the time, a wiggle worm like you never saw, but happy and sweet as they come.

Sweet Anna

Reuben is so close to talking it's painful. Seriously, it's so frustrating, for him and us. He tells us all sorts of things in the course of the day, but most of the time we just can't make it out for the life of us. My youngest brother Willie has become very good buddies with Reuben, though he really enjoys playing with all his uncles (and Aunts too, though not as much).

Uncle Willie & Reuben

Jeremy's doing pretty good over there in Baghdad, with less that 100 days to go we are on the home stretch and very, very thrilled about it. He got the day off Thanksgiving and Christmas, though some administrator at the battalion level didn't file his paperwork, so the brigade level administrator decided Jeremy's battalion didn't get their day off for New Years (Jeremy was pretty bummed about that).

Jeremy & his new MRAP truck

Despite the fact that Reuben, Anna, and I are still batteling the same miserable cold we got five days ago, this was a very happy day for me. We finally paid off our credit card, and Jeremy and I both chopped up our cards to celebrate going into the new year debt free! Plus, when 2008 dawned I was dreading Jeremy leaving and having to somehow survive without him for a very long year; as 2009 dawns, I'm looking forward to him coming home, and the only thing happier than that is Jesus coming back.