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

Travel Time!

WOW. The past couple of days have been INSANE. Moving halfway across the country is no joke, you guys! Our trip went a little something like this...

DAY ONE:
We left around 10 AM on Friday, April 26. We drove through West Virginia (MOUNTAINS!) and into Kentucky where we stayed for the night. We had planned to stop at a children's museum to get some energy out/break up the trip, but te kids were silent, perfect angels so we just kept going as not to jinx the perfection going on in the backseat of our Jetta. We got to a hotel in Grayson, Kentucky around 5 PM and everyone was passed out by 9 PM!

DAY TWO:
On Saturday, April 27, we got up and on the road by 9:30 AM. This day, we were going to go to the Newport Aquarium in Newport, Kentucky. And we did! It was about two hours from the hotel where we had stayed. It was gorgeous and amazing! If you are ever over that way, I highly recommend it! Luka had the ULTIMATE BLAST and yelled "MOMO" (Nemo) at any orange fish, sea turtle, or shark. Blue fish were "DAWY" (Dory). He was in love! After the aquarium and lunch, we got back on the road until we made it to Effingham, Illinois around 7 PM where we stayed for the night.

DAY THREE:
Sunday, April 28th (MY BIRTHDAY), we got up and were out the door by 9:30 AM again. Our day trip destination was an Air and Space museum, but we ended up going to a Zoo instead! It.Was.AMAZING! It was a free zoo in St Louis and it was huge and beautiful! (much like the DC zoo back in VA!) If you know me, you know I have a HUGE thing for elephants...and I got to see 4 elephants on my birthday (I cried). We let Luka run through the whole zoo as it wasn't very busy and it thoroughly tuckered him out! He even ate a whole grilled cheese sandwich (crust included), half an order of fries, and a carton of milk. As soon as he was strapped in his carseat, he passed out. We then drove onward until making it to Kansas City, Kansas around 5PM. We went to dinner for my birthday where I got to order my first alcoholic beverage. Pretty cool!

DAY FOUR:
We woke up on Monday, April 29, and hit the road again around 10 AM to finish our journey to Fort Riley. It was only about an hour and a half drive, thank goodness. We are all exhausted at this point and if we spend ONE MORE MINUTE in our little car together...well, the number of members of our family might quickly dwindle. We made it to a hotel in Manhattan where we are staying until we find an apartment here. William has already been on post and I can't wait til I get a chance to go! We did pass the air field he will be working on, though, and saw plenty of helicopters throughout the day of exploring Kansas! We drove around in Manhattan and Junction City (on either side of Fort Riley) and we definitely like it out here! There are no trees, hills, or anything green out here which is a bit of a culture shock. The air is dry (no humidity, yay!) and it's really windy! Definitely going to take some getting used to!

Anyway, it's been an exhausting and fun trip out here, but I can't wait to get settled in a home. Sharing one room between the four of us is getting old fast! (Seriously, what is personal space?) I am definitely happy the travel part is over, though! Everything is slightly more obnoxious when your legs are cramping up and you've heard Toy Story on the portable DVD player six times and your infant seems to have forgotten how to suck, but also desperately wants her pacifier and you cannot reach it.

BUT WE ARE IN KANSAS!
-Kacy

Graduation Day!

Yesterday, William graduated from AIT! Despite both of my adorable spawn crying through a good portion of the ceremony, it was a fantastic day. How can you get upset about anything (like when your sandal breaks, you spill a whole bottle of water in your lap in the car, your kids are screaming in the PX while you look for new shoes and non-wet clothes, or getting stuck in some major traffic on the way home) when the love of your life is coming home with you and NOT leaving in a few hours? I would like to say I was the most excited, but I think Luka won that title. As William was packing his things into the car, the following conversation took place:

Luka: "What doing?"
William: "Putting my stuff in the car. I'm coming home!"
Luka: “What!?” 
Me: "Daddy is going to come home with us!” Luka: “MY daddy!?” Me: “Yeah! He’s coming home!” 
Luka: “WHAT!?”

He just couldn't believe it! Once we FINALLY got home, Luka just followed him all around the house. Although he may have been the most excited, I think it was a rather close contest. Going to sleep next to my husband and then waking up and having him still there felt like a dream. I can't even begin to express how happy I am that my family is back together again! Our soldier is officially home and we are SO proud of him!

And tomorrow we start our journey on the move to Kansas!!!

-Kacy

Ready To Go

As Williams's AIT graduation gets nearer and nearer (SIX DAYS), we are also nearing our big move halfway across the country: from Montpelier, Virginia to Fort Riley, Kansas. It has been a LOOOONG eight months with William away at training and we are BEYOND ready to reunite our family. In the time he has been away, our son, Luka, turned two (TWO!!!!) and I gave birth to our beautiful daughter, Eloise, in February. Though I have much enjoyed my one-on-one time with Luka, and now with both children, I am so excited to have my husband back. I am insanely proud of him and all he has accomplished thus far and will support him no matter what in his choices relating to his career, but BOY, did I miss him! The longest we had ever been apart before this was about a week. So imagine the shock to my system when I got MAYBE 15 letters and a total of 45 minutes on the phone over a ten week period! Add on my extra pregnancy hormones and I was DONE. Luckily, he was sent to AIT at a base very close to home and we have seen him quite often over the past few months and hear from him daily. However, this is still nothing like having him home with us. We have missed him more than we can bear and, FINALLY, the end is in sight! Though we are all apprehensive about such a big move away from all of our friends and family, it is beyond worth it to be together again. I am excited to see what is in store for us now that we are closing the Virginia chapter of our lives. I am ecstatic to see my son's reaction to waking up in the mornings and having his daddy still here. I am anxious to watch my little girl get to know her daddy better. I am giddy to have the love of my life back with me. After all, what's Barbie without her GI Joe? ;)

-Kacy