And then there were three...

A continuation of In the beginning...

So there we were, in El Paso, Texas... far away from everything we had ever known.  Alone.  Well we had each other.  On the weekends anyway.  My husband was still in training so he could only come home for the weekend but had to live in base quarters during the week.

It was mid August.  I was about 7 months along when I arrived in Texas (go ahead do the math... yes we did things a little backwards!).  My mother in law and I flew out and my father in law and two sister in laws drove the U-Haul and we all met there.  We arrived just in time to pick up BJay for the weekend :)  I remember being a ball of NERVES.  I mean last time he had seen me I was still skinny.  I wasn't even showing yet when he left, I was so nervous to see him.  I remember telling my father in law that it was okay if he got a little lost.. and to take his sweet time.  LOL.  The funniest thing was when I did see him, he had gained more weight than me!  I almost didn't recognize him.  He I think had gained about 18 pounds.... I had only gained about 8 at that point!  So funny.  He looked great, better than ever and it was right then and there that I remember feeling like that was where I was supposed to be.

We spent the weekend moving into our apartment.  His family left to go home on Sunday and  he left to go back to the base.  I was all alone.  And scared.  No, terrified.  Monday I started having some pretty severe back pain.  It started early in the day while I was at the grocery store.  By evening I couldn't even hardly breathe.  I took bath after bath after bath to try and get comfortable.  I finally called my mother in law and she said that I needed to go to the hospital.  I didn't even know where I was, let alone where a hospital was.  I ended up calling an ambulance.  I started throwing up on the ride to the hospital.  I had a fever, and a really bad kidney infection which put me into pre-mature labor.  I spent an entire week at the hospital.  They put me on meds to stop labor, and wouldn't let me go home until I didn't have a fever for at least 24 hours.  BJay was able to come and spend some time with me.  That is how my very first week being in a new place went.

Great start huh?

Everything worked out fine though.  Peyton was born on October 15, 2000 a healthy beautiful baby boy with a head full of dark hair!  Love at first sight.  We were parents.  Holy crap.  I honestly wish I could say that it was wedded bliss from day one.  It wasn't.  Is it ever?  It was hard.  It's STILL hard.  The ARMY life in my eyes made it even harder.  I really wanted to like it.  I TRIED to like it.  I admire those who can make it a lifestyle and I know a lot of people who really do enjoy it.  Although we met some pretty great people, that I still call friends to this day we were also bombarded with some of the strangest people I have ever met.  In. My. Life.  We got some pretty... ummm.... bizarre requests from other couples.  It was all just a bit much for my naive mind.  When it was time to either re-enlist or get out... I pretty much told my husband that if he chose the first, I was GONE.  Two deployments, and three and half years was ENOUGH for me.  It was just two weeks shy of his release date that I gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl I had ever laid my eyes on.  Pajha was born on October 10, 2003.  A head full of dark hair and a smashed little nose (from being so low for so long, I believe) her little nose eventually straightened out!  Who knew you could experience love at first sight TWICE.

We. Were. Free.  It was scary though.  Here we were with two young children, and no income.  We moved back to Utah for a few months so that BJay could find work.  It seemed like forever but it was only about 4 months later he found a job.  But... we would be moving.... again...

to be continued.....