Wow this has been a very busy year so far. We are in May. I kicked myself every time I thought of your blog and how much I need to write.
You are getting so big, so independent, and so moody. That is lightly put. The attitude has really started to come out in my sweet little baby, but I’m well aware that it all comes with toddlerhood. You know how to push my buttons, and when you do, things get loud! We will get through it kicking and screaming, eh?
We have been preparing a move. A big one. We are moving to Houma, Louisiana. This was not a choice made by your Dad and I. The Coast Guard is moving us there for your Dad’s job. We were really hoping somewhere more exciting like San Francisco, Portland, OR, or Seattle, WA. We made up a list of about forty-five different cities of where we would like to go, and we didn’t get any of them. We ended up with a ‘leftover list’ and here we are about to move to Houma. You are too young right now to be aware of how emotionally stressful this is. I am the one in the family having the most trouble with it. Going from an amazing town with so much to do, to a small town with not so friendly things to do is going to be hard for me. Especially with a child. I want to be able to entertain you and spend time outdoors, but this town doesn’t seem like it provides much for that. New Orleans is about an hour away, so it will be a nice get-away when we can.
We move in less than a month from now. Lately, I have not been able to get myself together. I am stressed emotionally on leaving this town with my other mother friends and your ‘play date buddies’. I am sad to leave that support system and have to create an entirely new one in Houma. I am sad to leave the first house you have ever lived in. The one we brought you home to. The one you had your first grasp in, first crawl in, first walk in, and first word in. We have built so many memories in this little house and once we leave, I know we will never see it again. Now I know why people buy a home to make it their own and stay in it forever. The memories made will always be in my head, yes, but I will forever miss seeing you run up and down the hallway knowing exactly which room you want to go into, or going behind the table in the dining area to hide or take a ‘time out’ for yourself. This house (and the city of Charleston) will hold my heart. We may just have to move back once your Dad retires.
All in all, you won’t have any recollection of this place. You will only have pictures to look at when you are older. The truth that I have to keep repeating to myself is that we will be happy wherever we make our home as long as we have each other. We will make new memories in a new place, and continue to do so for years to come. Such is the life of a military family. It’s what we signed up for. My main wish is that the moves help you grow into a mature girl with the experiences you will have under your belt that a lot of other kids don’t have.
I plan to take pictures all around this house so I can show you every nook and cranny and also show you your favorite spots. I will do the same around town for our favorite places to go.
AliceLayne 