Life in Virginia

So we finally completed our move to Virginia!  We began the moving process on June 18th and finally moved into our house on July 16th.  The move was fairly uneventful with us spending an entire month with my parents in Ocean City and having our items in storage.  The movers moved us into the house in one day and it was an extremely HOT day!  I just don't know how the movers do that job, day in and day out.  I was tired just watching them climb the three flights of stairs, over and over again.  We didn't have a lot of damage to our items and the damage we did have were items that can be replaced or fixed easily.

Now that we have been living here for two months, we have just really come to the conclusion that we miss New Bern so much!  I have always wanted to move back to a city that has a lot to do and lots of restaurants and shopping.  Well we are here, and its tough to take advantage of all of those things with a newborn!  Now would be the perfect time to live in New Bern where there isn't a lot to do or a lot of restaurants to dine.  The traffic is still terrible and it takes forever to get anywhere.  Just to drive 6-8 miles, takes about 25-30 minutes because of all the lights and cars.  We also do not have the friend circle that we used to have so we feel pretty isolated, or maybe thats just me, since Ricky has his classmates.

I have tried "Mom Groups" and bible studies and other similar groups but I just can't get excited about them.  When we were in the squadron I felt like we had instant friends and people that just "got you."  Now that we are in VA we are meeting all types of people and it takes more effort to get to know them and sometimes you can tell that you are just not going to hit it off.  Don't get me wrong, I have met people, I just think I am spoiled by having so many amazing friends in NC and I just miss them.

The one aspect that we are loving, are all of the beautiful parks that Virginia has to offer.  We have several a stones throw a way and we have enjoyed taking Grant in the stroller and watching his fascination with trees grow.  I can only imagine that in a year from now we'll be visiting the parks daily,  to meet Grant's wishes.    

This transition (from working professional without children to a Stay-At-Home-Mom) has been a lot tougher on me than I expected.  I adore Grant and I wouldn't change my situation at all; going back to work is not the answer, but I just wish I had people to do things with or motivation to accomplish a lot during the day.  Other than my daily run with Grant in the stroller, I lack the motivation to do anything but empty the dishwasher, vacuum my floors and play with Grant.  I think thats probably okay, but I still feel like I should be doing more.  I sorta feel like I am missing out on something, but whats crazy is that the one thing I am NOT missing out on is my child's life, the one thing I can never get back and the one thing thats MOST important.  As they say, this too shall pass, and I have a feeling this lifestyle of mine will begin to grow on me.  I am just so blessed that I am able to stay home with Grant because there are many moms out there who don't have the choice and would probably do anything to be in my situation.    

      

We Have a Water Baby!

If anyone knows Ricky and me, they know how much we just love the water.  We spend our weekends on the boat on the river, enjoy swimming, spend our vacations at beach resorts and talk about retiring in an area surrounded by water.  We are just so thrilled to learn that our son, probably enjoys the water more than we do.









During Grant's first bath at the hospital we were shocked that when the nurse was scrubbing him down and dosing his head under the faucet he just closed his eyes and appeared to be completely relaxed.  This has continued during every bath thus far.  As long as the water is warm, Grant is a happy camper in the water.  He truly enjoys bath time and only cries when you take him out and the air is cooler than the bath water.

                                                       

About to go swimming for the first time!

Taking a snooze under the bimini top while the boat is anchored.

We decided that it was time to take him on the boat. A little soon some may think, but when we found a Coast Guard approved infant life jacket we knew it was time.  Ricky decided that prior to taking a boat ride with this uncomfortable looking preserver, we would try it out my parents pool.  Well, he LOVED it!  He literally fell asleep wearing it in the pool and continued to sleep for 30 minutes just floating around. When his little feet began resembling raisins we took him out of the pool so he could continue his nap in the shade.  The next day we tested it out on the boat.  Again, he LOVED it, and slept for the entire 30 minute boat ride.  We have since let him swim and few more times and have taken him on the boat once more, and each time has been a complete success.  We know that once he starts walking that locks on the door and an alarm in the pool will be imperative as I think he would live in the water if we let him. 

The wild ponies on the beach-so beautiful.

We took another boat trip just days later to visit Assateague Island and see the ponies.  We spent only moments on the beach due to the warm temperatures and not wanting Grant to have sun exposure.  We did relax on the boat under the cover and just rocked back and forth in the cool breeze.

Happy Dad, enjoying his day off collecting berries at the beach.

Happy Boys on the sand.

Lovin' this water baby!

           

Grant Meets the Inspiration for His Name

If there was a word to describe my grandfather it would be gentleman.  They should have his picture next to the word in every dictionary ever published.  Harris Dolan is 92 and has experienced so much in his life time that I think it would take my entire life time to learn everything that that he has been through.  He and I have a very special bond because I am his only grand daughter and his youngest grand child.  He is so honorable, kind, generous, intelligent, respectful and adores his family so much and would do anything for them.

Each time I spend time with my grandfather, I learn another lesson about life and he provides advice that carries a lot of weight in my life.  During a conversation a year or so ago, the topic of names was discussed and how in his lifetime he saw a theme where names more often than not, shaped the future of the person.  It is human nature to visualize someones appearance when hearing a name and many times we are not even close to how the person actually looks, yet we continue to do it in the future.  This also tends to hold weight when we receive resumes for a job opening, choose a doctor, and even when deciding if we should go on a first date.  I would provide examples but the intent is not to offend anyone or make a misjudgement myself.  So in this memorable conversation with my grandmother, unfortunately my grandfather probably does not recall it, he explained how men especially with one syllable names or nick names that they predominately went by, they tended to be more successful, likable, popular and well respected.  I will give an example of this because I know lots of successful men with one syllable; Jim, John, Bob, Rob, Mark, Rick, James, Tom, Bill, Ken, Matt, Luke, Dave and the list goes on.  Why do I bring this up?  I mentioned that I had considered naming a future child (I was not pregnant at the time) Harrison.  He explained that not only was it not one syllable as most successful men are, that if we shortened it to Harris like him or Harry, the child would be made fun of.  He was teased throughout elementary school and referred to as "Harry-ass"because his name was Harris.  

When Ricky (who goes by Rick most of the time) and I were trying to figure out what to call our little boy we knew it had to be one syllable.  We also wanted Harris to be a part of his name as it is very important to us.  So we just fell in love with Grant, and Harrison just sounded so good together.  Once we decided on the name it occurred to us that these were the last names of our nation's 9th and 18th presidents, who were also successful people.  

We were very fortunate to spend July 4th with my grandfather and he had the opportunity to meet Grant Harrison for the first time. We hope my Pop Pop is correct and that he is successful and that he has an extremely bright future.   

Celebrations

Exhausted after a night of partying!

Grant arrived just in time to celebrate Father's Day, Ricky's birthday and Ricky's farewell from VMAQ-1.  Something tells me this kid is going to be just like his parents, in that he isn't going to miss out on a good time!  If there's a party or a celebration, he'll make sure he's there.

The "Farewell" also known as a Hail and Bail was hosted by our dear friends Chase and Amanda Rose whom we just love to pieces.  Amanda and I went through the last deployment together as Chase and Ricky became good friends flying around the world.  The celebration was bittersweet for us but we truly had a wonderful time.  It was catered by a local Mexican restaurant and the beer and wine was just a flowin'.  Ricky received wonderful remarks from both his good friend Matt Oberdorfer and his CO, LtCol Chandler "Sweet pea" Seagraves.  Both brought tears to our eyes and there was no question, that Ricky "Rico" would be truly missed in the ready room.

Amanda-I just love this girl-a true blessing in our lives.

Grant and his Daddy

World's Best Sister!

Three generations of Burias...three beautiful smiles.

Father's Day was a perfect day for Ricky and his dad.  We ended the contemporary service at church which was light and musical and very relaxing.  Immediately following, Ricky and his dad took off for a round of golf while the ladies and Grant went shopping in New Bern.  We ended up back at the house that evening for a nice Father's Day dinner with paper plates, plastic ware as all of our kitchen items were in the family room in brown boxes.  We're glad Ricky was able to spend this time with his dad and son.  Once we arrived in Maryland, we treated my dad to an evening out at the renowned restaurant, The Grove Market.  It was fantastic and we highly recommend anyone visiting the the Ocean City area to try it.  It is a quant restaurant where there are no menus, you have no idea what anything costs, the chairs dont match, the tables are all different and the food is simply amazing.  

Two VERY proud abuelos.

A happy family, even Luke is smiling.

Despite not having his family around, Ricky's birthday turned out to be pretty special as he had his military family surrounding him as well as his sister.  Grant and I left immediately after the movers took our furniture and headed to Maryland so Ricky spent his birthday cleaning and painting-sounds fun huh?  He was staying with our close friends Matt and Rebecca so Rebecca made sure to make Ricky and special birthday dinner followed by attending an open house for our friend Alex who just opened a cupcake shop.  Ricky was in heaven.  Later in the week, he went to his favorite restaurant called the Chef and the Farmer with Matt, Rebecca and his sister Cathy.  I really appreciate them ensuring that he had a wonderful birthday, since I was unable to make that happen.

Our First Wedding as a Family of Three

It works out quite well when you have a family event occur shortly after having a baby because everyone who hasn't had the opportunity to see the baby gets to.  As much as we love having visitors and going to visit our friends and family, scheduling it and fitting everyone in, gets more challenging every time.  One of the most important people a the wedding was my grandmother, Mom Mom Theresa.  I have been anxious for her to meet Grant since the day he was born, as she truly means the world to me.  On June 23rd my cousin Lisa got married in Ocean City.  The wedding ceremony was perfect in every way and the reception was just incredible.  We are so thrilled for Lisa and Lucas and we know that they will have a beautiful life together.  

Mom Mom Theresa and Mrs. Peggy Layton-these are two incredible women in our lives and we were so excited for them to meet Grant.  We think my grandmother looks pretty proud to be holding that little guy!

Grant in my cousin Michele's arms, quite content.

GiGi and her sweet baby Grant.

Our first wedding as a family of three!

 

The Move

Ricky and I was just so thrilled, blessed and thankful that Master Grant made his arrival a couple of weeks earlier.  Since he arrived on the 20th, we had few more days of breathing room and time for tons of visitors.  When June 1st arrived the real fun began.  As characteristic of the Marine Corps, they tend to request the presence of their service members at the most inopportune times to go to the most inopportune places.  Fortunately for us, they hooked us up on the duty station by sending us to Virginia allowing me to be close to family and friends while raising this new baby.  The downside is that Ricky was given these orders in April for a July arrival.  This seems reasonable, right?  We thought so too pre-baby, until he arrived and we soon realized that making it to the grocery store and finding everything on our list was a big deal or that a 30 minute doctor appointment for Grant literally was a 4 hour evolution.  I found that taking a shower and brushing my teeth may not happen until 11:00am yet before I knew it it was 11:00pm and those were my only two accomplishments of the day (aside from feeding the little guy 10 times).

Ricky's Mom with Grant, rocking away. 

What did we have to accomplish during the month of June?  We had to prepare to move in just three weeks, ensure the house was ready to rent, complete paperwork for our new rental, complete paperwork for our house and all awhile learning how to be parents to the sweetest little guy on the planet.  We were so fortunate that we found tenants to rent our house in May, who requested to begin their lease on June 22nd.  Since we had to attend my cousin's wedding on the 23rd, the timing of them moving in could not have been better.  Our packers were scheduled to begin on June 14th for a packout date of June 19th.  Additionally, Ricky's parents arrived from Puerto Rico to meet Grant beginning on June 5th and stayed with us until June 18th.  They were a huge help but I couldn't help but feel like I was not on my "A game" for entertaining, especially when we realized that the packers had packed all of the cooking utensils and salt and pepper, making it a bit challenging to make and serve black beans.  They fell in love with the baby and looking back, I really don't think they cared as long as they were in earshot or view of sweet baby Grant.

An empty house.

 We spent every day for those three weeks, painting, installing a circuit breaker and switch for the dehumidifier under the house, replacing items in the house that we should have done 4 years ago-like the vents on the floor, washing the inside and outside of all cabinets, purging and organizing every room, making trips to the dump and Goodwill and ensuring that we had all of our paperwork together like our tenants lease and Grant's enrollment in TriCare health insurance.  We successfully completed the move on June 22nd when Ricky remained behind to oversee the professional painters, carpet cleaners and pack out of the remaining items that the moving companies are unable to take.

Our newly painted family room.

We will miss our house in the Taberna housing development, our wonderful friends who have become our family AND the pond across the street. ;)  We spent 4-1/2 wonderful years in the sweet charming town of New Bern and have so many fond and exciting memories that we will treasure forever.  We are on our way to the "big city" and we have high hopes that our little man is going to give us some even better memories in our new home in Springfield. 




    

And They Came to See the Beautiful Baby...

We have been overwhelmed by the number of friends and family that have come to meet Grant just hours after his arrival.  As a parent, it is such an incredible feeling to talk about your child and to show them off.    It truly is, no longer about Ricky and me.  We are so blessed to have so many people in our lives that fell in love with him before they even met him, and then fell even harder once they had the opportunity to hold him for the first time.  I always had a concern that we would have the "uncute kid", the one that people whispered about and said "bless his heart".  I also had a concern that Ricky and I would be living in a dream world believing that we had an attractive child, when in all actuality he is not cute at all.  Everyone always told us that you will think your child is beautiful because all parents think that and you will love them regardless of how handsome they are.  Unless the visitors are lying to us, everyone has just had wonderful things to say about our new addition to our family, and we really appreciate it.  It means the world to us that everyone loves him as much as we do and makes positive comments about his demeanor and sweet face.  We want to thank our parents and siblings for their support during this life changing event and also for all the encouragement that our friends and extended family provided us up until this point.

The first visitors were my parents who began their travels at 5:00pm on Saturday evening, arriving at the hospital at 1:30am just under two hours before Grant made his arrival.  Ricky's sister Cathy and her boyfriend were right behind them.  Many friends from the local area stopped by the hospital and continued to do so upon us coming home.  We have also been so fortunate to have my brother, Jimmy, my sister-in-law Amber and nephew Dylan come for a visit as well as Ricky's brother and sister-in-law Claudia and our niece and nephew Gabby and Matthew.  We love having family so close and we are even more excited that when we move to our new digs that we'll have the opportunity to see even more close friends and family members.

My Mom and Dad started driving as soon as they heard that I was headed to the hospital.  They arrived at 1:30am just in time for Grant to make his arrival.  :)

Cathy and Chris came to the hospital in the morning. 

Georgiana (not pictured) and Evie came to see Baby Grant on Monday.

Amanda also came on Monday to meet him.

Rene, Ken and Craig paid us a visit on Grant's birthday.  

We loved being able to introduce Grant to Jimmy, Amber and Dylan! xo 

Ricky's brother Luisto headed east to see the new baby.

Gabby and Matthew (our niece and nephew) are totally in love with their cousin.

Misty got to meet Grant for the first time!

Max came to visit!

Rebecca did too!