Okay, so first off I apologize life has gotten the best of us and it has been crazy busy. I think the last time I posted was in October. So we will start off there.
September- Pretty mellow month, Derek continued training at AIT in FT. Jackson, SC while I stayed in Utah hanging out with Jaxon :)
November- Went up to Logan to have Thanksgiving early with my sister and step dad. Lots of fun there, especially with the cutest nephew Sawyer. Spent Thanksgiving day with Derek's family and skyping all day pretty much. I was super bummed that I couldn't be out in SC with him.
December- Last month of being pregnant yay! Derek got to come home for 2 weeks on winter exodus with the Army and we were finally able to be sealed in the temple! It was such an amazing experience. I was so sure I was going to go into labor, I had been having contractions at least 10 min apart all morning, but he waited :) We celebrated Christmas with my dad and step mom and I cooked, yes 37 weeks pregnant and I made everything homemade for dinner! We hung with family and enjoyed our time together. We did not know or think it would be a possibility for Derek to come back home (especially money wise) for the birth.
January- Ddate approaching, We had received orders to Ft. Richardson, Alaska and were thrilled. We started the command sponsorship process but due to my medical record they were going to change our duty station yet again. I didn't worry much or begin to pack since the Army moves you right? haha. I kept in close contact with Derek back in SC and my OB here in Utah. She was so amazing and I will be forever grateful for her working with us, let alone giving up her whole weekend to be with us for a induction. Derek flew home 01//13/13 at 12:30 am and we left for the hospital at 6:30 am.
1/12/13- cool birth date right! I wish... this began the very,
very, very long labor process. I won't give all the details on a blog
because frankly I think birth is such a personal and sacred
experience. I am so grateful for a wonderful friend Ashlee who was my
Douala and stayed with me and coached me through 17 hours of intense
labor with 3 hours of pushing. Derek was amazing as well. It was the
most beautiful experience I'm not sure I even have the words for it.
Being a mom is surreal. Here are a couple of pics from the day... Or not.. stupid blog wont upload for some reason.
Kayson Robert Billings came into this world at 12:54 AM Jan. 13, 2013 6lb. 11 oz 19 inches long
February- Derek officially started Airborne school at Ft. Benning Georgia. At this point I had been on my own with Kayson for a couple of weeks. It was going much better than expected. At the end of the month Kayson and I traveled to Georgia to see daddy graduate. My grandparents also came down from Ohio to meet their first Great Grandchild. It was a lot of fun, but the best part was getting to fly back home to Utah as a family.
March- Oh boy! Where to start haha. We came back home and Derek started working with the recruiting office for a couple of weeks. On our last Sunday there we had Kaysons blessing with the whole family. It was such a special day and the spirit was so very strong there. It was a moment that I have been waiting to see for many years, what a privilege it is to have a great husband that holds the priesthood. The next week it was time to pack and head out. We needed to start moving to Ft. Bragg, NC. Luckily for us I had met a friend on our plane ride to Georgia. Him and his family were stationed at Bragg. I was able to get in touch with his wife who found us a house in their neighborhood. They have become very good friends of ours. We celebrated my 24Th birthday and settled into our new house.
April- April is kinda a blurr for us... We did more settling, more decorating our home, and lots of yard work. We enjoyed our first visit up to Raleigh for an afternoon and enjoyed exploring NC. I was called as the 2ND counselor in the Young Women's presidency in our new ward. Kayson continued to grow and expand his cute personality.
May- Wow! Never thought I would actually make it to this post haha. This month we just returned from a week vacation to Ohio visiting my family. The big highlight being Kayson finally got to meet his Great, Great Grandma. It was a lot of fun, especially to hang out with all my cousins. Kayson is now 4 months old. He has his checkup in a couple of days so I will be sure to post on that. Life is good, and NC heat is starting to pick up. I will be sure to update much more frequently..I hope.
