Father's Day.

When I found out I was pregnant in 2010, I had no idea what to do. I was about to go off to college and William and I hadn't been together terribly long, though we loved each other an insane amount already. When I told William we were expecting, he already "knew." He sat with me and let me spill my emotions, he did whatever I needed. We talked and talked and knew we were meant to be together and raise a baby. 

William cared for me while I battled Hyperemesis Gravidarum and it was NOT pretty. He looked into breast feeding and birthing classes and massaged my feet while I cried over how uncomfortable I was. He went out at 1AM to find me a cherry lollipop. When we found out we were having a boy, William was so excited he almost cried right there. And when the time came to have Luka, William never left my side, even when getting my spinal block for the c-section. Once in recovery, he immediately put Luka to his skin and watched hockey with him while I rested. 

He encouraged me when I had trouble feeding Luka, he changed every single diaper until I was able to get up without pain medication, and would get up with him at  all hours of the night to let me sleep. He worked crappy jobs so that I could stay home with our son. He did everything he could to keep us happy.

Fast forward to February 2012, William came to me and said he was tired of struggling. He wanted to join the Army and provide for us. He had talked of joining the Army from the first day we met and he finally felt it was time. I supported him 100% and put my own reservations aside. After enlisting, we decided to conceive another baby. 

He told me on Mother's Day that he was ready for another and by Father's Day, I was telling him I with child. He was ecstatic. Almost immediately, I began experiencing HG again. I also went through a threatened miscarriage, and again, William made sure never to leave my side. We found out we were being blessed with a little girl and were so happy.

William left for Boot Camp in October and I was due in February. I went through the rest of my pregnancy without him which was rough, but I did it. I sent him countless photos of my growing belly. When he FINALLY graduated and we saw him again, he knelt down and kissed my belly. He picked up his son and hardly put him down. He talked to his daughter and felt her kick around whenever he could when he came home. For Christmas, we got a 3D ultrasound and he grinned from ear to ear as the tech and I pointed out all of his features on our daughter's face. He bought her an expensive dress, demanding photos of her in it when she was born and put together various baby contraptions.

It was rough to let him go to AIT two weeks later. Luka was devastated to drop off his Daddy and William was just as lost. Although we could communicate now, it was still heartbreaking. I decided I wanted him there for the birth of our daughter and scheduled an induction. He got granted leave and we were ready. Eloise, however, had other plans and decided to come the night before the induction. William met her over video chat five minutes after her birth and we gushed at how perfect she was. He came the next day and put her to his skin, just as he had with Luka.

Now here we are. Graduated from AIT, living in Kansas, with a 2 year old boy and an (almost) 4 month old girl. William puts Luka to bed every night and Eloise will immediately quit crying when handed to him. Our kids are just as in love with him as I am. No tantrum is too rough and no diaper is too stinky for this man to handle; he loves every second. He asks to take the kids on his own and wrestles Luka on the floor. He's the perfect father.

So what do you get the perfect Dad for Father's Day? Well, I let Luka pick him out a card (It had Finding Nemo on it!) and I took pictures of Eloise in that dress he bought her. Then we put together a Man Bouquet for him with mini liquor bottles, gum, protein bars, muscle milk, and five hour energy shots. He loved it! He took a long nap with his daughter on his chest and took a walk with his son. All in all, he just wanted to be with his kids.

Anyway, this turned out longer, deeper, and way different than I intended, but it should be published somewhere how wonderful the man I married is and how much we appreciate him. I love you, William. Happy Father's Day.

Adventures in Potty Training.

Lucky me, I get to potty train a puppy and a toddler at the same time! It definitely isn't easy. I see wet spots on the floor and wonder who it belongs to: dog or toddler? Or did they both squat in the same place? We've been working on having Luka use the potty for about two weeks now. We progressed from nothing to going a few times to full blown using the potty all day and happy about it back to "if Mom does not physically put me on the potty, I am going on the floor." I am exhausted of it. Luka will say "Mama! Potty!" and then run away, throw himself to the ground, and force me to pick him up and place him on the potty. That gets old pretty fast! Especially if you have to put down a napping infant to do so. BUT he is making progress. He gets so excited when he gets to put a sticker on his potty chart. Sometimes, he will dance and sing "I went potty! I went potty!" And then we have the days where he cries for a diaper and doesn't want to even look at the potty. Either way, we truck on. I'm in no hurry to get him on the potty (it was him to asked to go in the first place!). Sometimes you hear parents/doctors saying "Oh, they should be doing x, y, z by now!" or "He's too big for a, b, or c!" But in reality, Luka has been on this planet for two years and three months...he is still just a baby. Sure, he can talk, run, put his dirty dishes in the sink, load a DVD in the DVD player, and take photos, but those are all brand new! Children go to the bathroom even in utero. They just go in their diapers and that's that. During potty training, you are telling them to unlearn something they've always done and replace it with a new thing that is MUCH more work. It's hard! Sadly, I feel like too many people don't understand how difficult that may be for a child. Regardless, it may take Luka (and the dog...) a few more weeks, months, maybe even a year to really learn how to go potty and that is OK by me. Go on with your bad self, Luka! and A+ for trying :)

-Kacy

Meanwhile, In Kansas...

So far, we've really just been settling in here and haven't done too much in the area. However, we have done some stuff! We explored Milford Lake, a really nice lake area right by our house...

It was beautiful!

We also went fishing with some friends of William, which Luka LOVED! He liked to pretend to fish with a pole that had no hook on it. William even caught and killed a snake!

For Memorial Day, we went to an awesome carnival on post. Luka rode the spinning apples and a HUGE slide with William and then rode a train (twice), bounced in a moon bounce, and rode some cars! We all played some games. I won Luka a puppy dog toy and he won himself a large, inflatable bat (yeah...that's fun). Afterwards, Luka was DONE.

Today, we even explored an awesome zoo nearby! we didn't see the whole thing as Luka had skipped a nap and was getting a little crazy, but it was fun and awesome none the less!

Can't wait to explore even more!

-Kacy

Unpacking.

All of our belongings FINALLY arrived on the 16th. We had been sleeping on an air mattress for two weeks and sitting on the floor the rest of the time. Are you aware of how difficult it is to hold a 10-12 lb infant all day with no arm support? Props to cave men because I think I would die without my rocking chair! Sleeping on a bed for the first time was like magic. I actually sleep at night. REAL SLEEP. 

As wonderful as having all of our stuff is, here comes the less glorious part...unpacking. UGH. We had SO MUCH JUNK that our boxes almost touch the ceiling and we can't move anywhere! Though I went through a lot of our things on my own back in VA before we moved, we still ended up with a ton of crap here that we do not want! (gimme a break. I was heavily pregnant with a toddler or with both newborn and toddler. sleep sounded more important!) We only had one day between Williams's graduation and when we had to leave, so the whole thing was a hot mess. Anyway, that means we are up to our ears in boxes, packing paper, and unwanted items while trying to put away things we do want AND manage the kids and the dog in all the mess...it's been crazy.

My wonderful husband completed the kitchen the other day and I completed Luka's room today. Our bedroom is halfway done as is Eloise's. We are really trucking along seeing as it has only been two full days since we got our things and William had to work one of them! I am hoping with my whole heart that we will be 100% done by next weekend.

It's been rough, but we are getting there! The kids are starting to really adjust and get into a routine and so are we. Things can only get better as we start to settle into our new home :)

-Kacy

Hyperemesis Gravidarum

Today, May 15, is Hyperemesis Gravidarum Awareness Day. HG is a serious illness that sometimes occurs in pregnancy. It is categorized by severe weight loss (at least 5%, but usually around 10%), dehydration and production of ketones, nutritional deficiencies, metabolic imbalances, and trouble with daily activities. With both of my pregnancies I have suffered from HG. With my son, Luka, I was severely ill from 6 weeks until he was born. I often just put pillows and blankets on the floor of the bathroom so I could vomit there. Most days, I never left my bed. The scent of my own husband made me sick. Turning the light on made me sick. I would drive around with a plastic bag hanging from my ears so I could vomit into it hands-free. I had to turn around and go home copious amounts of times to change because I spontaneously vomited on myself. Yet, most people still never understood how badly I felt.

It is not "morning sickness." It can't be cured with saltines or go away in a couple of hours. It is 24/7, persistent, concerning vomiting. It is throwing up five sips of water. It is going to the ER for IVs because you haven't been able to keep anything down in days. It is taking medicine designed for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Hyperemesis is REAL and can be terribly damaging to the mother or child, but most people haven't even heard of it. Not enough research has been done to determine an exact cause nor cure. Women who get HG will suffer well into their second trimester or even until their baby is born. 

HG is known to get worse with each subsequent child, limiting the prone women to fewer pregnancies to avoid the dreaded vomiting. Many women who have had it admit to feeling suicidal due to the never ending nausea and depression that comes with needing to be in a dark and quiet environment for nine months. It is a serious illness that should be receiving much more attention than it does. 

I'm not extremely passionate about many 

causes, but this one I have experienced first hand. We want a large family of six children, but are unsure how possible that is as I had HG again while pregnant with Eloise and, though it tapered down in my second trimester, it was extremely difficult to care for Luka as I was alone with William off at training. 

I understand if the issue of funding research for Hyperemesis doesn't sound important to you. It is difficult to fully understand the severity of something you haven't experienced, witnessed, or even heard of. However, it is a big deal and it needs to be made aware of. I truly hope one day there is a cure for HG and that then no other woman nor baby will have to undergo the physical and mental stress of a relentless "morning sickness"

-Kacyl

Meet Elvis

Well, we FINALLY did it. We got a dog! Since moving to Kansas, we have been looking for a perfect pup. Luka has been begging for a dog since he could speak and we knew as soon as we were able, we would be adding one to our family. As soon as we got here we started searching shelters, Craigslist, petfinder...EVERYTHING! and no luck in finding a match for us. Three weeks and a lot of disappointment later, we have finally added a puppy to the Drake family! Meet Elvis: a 9 week old Miniature Pinscher! He is the sweetest little boy and loves to cuddle and play and chew! We are completely in love and can't wait to watch him grow!

-Kacy

Kansas Thus Far

So far, us Drakes LOVE Kansas! For everyone who told us "you're going to hate it!" and "there's nothing out there!" (which is incredibly rude, by the way) you must not have had any idea of where we lived before. We lived in the center of nothingville. It took around 25 minutes to get to the nearest Walmart. A total of an hour and a half (round trip) to get fast food. At our gorgeous apartment here in Kansas, we are FIVE MINUTES from a Walmart, Starbucks, and bunches of food places. THE SUBWAYS AND LIQOUR STORES HAVE DRIVE THRUS HERE. We are only 20 minutes from the mall and other larger shopping centers. We have neighbors and a pool and a playground that we can comfortably walk to from our building. This is everything we have ever wanted! There is even a zoo and plenty of museums close by. The weather has been a bit rainy, but the last couple of days have been sunny and bright and warm and windy. It is so bright and sunny out, that we barely have to turn our lights on in the house!

We still don't have our furniture which is a bit tough. We have an air mattress that William, Eloise, and I sleep on and Luka sleeps in his pack-n-play, but that's about all we have at the moment. Soothing a baby sans rocking chair is definitely giving me some biceps though! And it may be hard and my body may hurt, but I would rather us be here with William than in Virginia without him, anyway.

-Kacy