Hellobee

Hello Bees!

I am so excited to be blogging with you all here on Hellobee. It’s truly an honor to be a part of such a wonderful online community. Many of the bloggers and moms here on the boards have brought me great comfort, relief, and understanding through my journey into motherhood. I hope that my story and the things I’ve learned so far as a new mom might be helpful to you all as well. I want to share a little bit about myself and the Deer family. So let’s get to it!

I was born and raised in sunny San Diego, California. My parents divorced when I was very young, and I am an only child. When I was 12 years old my mom and I moved up north to Whidbey Island, Washington. Those not familiar with the Pacific Northwest may not know, but Washington state actually has many islands within its Puget Sound waters. Whidbey Island is about 25 miles north of Seattle and is just a 30 minute ferry ride from the mainland. The north end of the island is home to a Naval Air Station and has a large military population. The south end is smaller and pretty rural. We lived on the south end of the island, so I attended a small high school and grew up in a close-knit community.

I first met Mr. Deer when I was just 12 years old. He lived a few streets up from me, so we rode the same school bus together. He was quiet, kind, strong, smart, athletic… quite a catch! Starting our freshman year of high school I began to think of him as more than just a guy I rode the bus with. I was falling in love. After several years of sitting next to each other in class, chatting in the halls, and riding together on the bus, he began to feel the same way. We began dating our senior year of high school and we’ve been together ever since.

Though being high school sweethearts sounds very romantic, we faced a lot of challenges after graduation. Mr. Deer got accepted into the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and I stayed to attend a local college in Washington. Though difficult, we managed to make a long distance relationship work for the next four years. I think many wouldn’t have tried, being so young and all, but even back then I knew that he was everything I wanted in a husband. That time apart was hard, but I truly think it served to build a solid foundation for our marriage. We really had to learn to communicate well with each other and value the time we had together.

In May of 2009, the week after he graduated and was commissioned as an Officer in the Navy, we got married. He was fortunate enough to get stationed on a ship in Everett, Washington, which was close to home. We found a small apartment in Seattle and finally started building our lives together. Those first couple of years were busy. His ship was often gone conducting training exercises, and he went out on a seven month long deployment. Meanwhile I was studying away in nursing school, working towards my goal of becoming a pediatric nurse.

By the end of 2011, I had finished school and was working as an RN in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of Seattle Children’s Hospital. I absolutely loved the work I was doing. Children are so wonderfully resilient. Being able to be by their side and care for them while they were critically ill was a privilege. Though difficult, I really enjoyed learning the skills necessary to not only care for my patients, but to support their families as well.

That winter, two and a half years into our marriage, life seemed to mellow a bit. Mr. Deer’s commitment to his ship got extended for another tour, so we were happy to be able to stay in Seattle for another two years. One night, after coming home from our community group meeting (a weekly small group gathering through our church) we brought up starting a family. A couple in our group had just had a baby, and he was so precious. A night or two of snuggling him at group really got us thinking. Could we be ready to have a baby? Two months of “not trying but not preventing” later and Little Deer was on her way!

My journey to motherhood was not an easy one, as I know many of you can relate to. The entire pregnancy I was extremely nauseous and had to be on an antiemetic up until the day I delivered. I missed three straight weeks of work my first trimester and was on intermittent-leave throughout my entire pregnancy. Making a baby is hard work! At 41 weeks pregnant, just a few days before Christmas, our Little Deer finally made her way into this world. I labored for 12 hours and had a natural birth, but there were a few complications on my end. Fortunately our sweet baby, Lucy Grace, was strong, happy, and healthy. I expected her to come out a little squishy red-faced baby but the second I looked at her I thought she was so beautiful. I could see my eyes, Mr. Deer’s nose… it was so much fun to see this gift from God that was a part of both of us. We were finally parents and both so excited.

Life as a first-time mom wasn’t easy (and truly it still isn’t!). Mr. Deer deployed when Little Deer was just two weeks old, so I was essentially a single mom for the first five months which was so much harder than I could have ever imagined. Breastfeeding issues, postpartum complications, Little Deer’s milk/soy protein intolerance, occupational and physical therapy… it was overwhelming to say the least. There were definitely some dark moments, ones I wasn’t expecting. I knew I would be tired from lack of sleep, but I thought having a baby was a joyous time in a persons life. And it was, but it was so life-changing in so many ways that it caught me off-gaurd. It was a steep learning curve those first few months, but with help from family and friends (and Hellobee!) we persevered.

One thing I was surprised by though, was how much I missed my work as a nurse. The last few months working 12 hour shifts had me dreaming about the day when I could just relax at home with my baby. Once Little Deer was born though, it didn’t take me long to learn that staying at home and caring for a baby is not exactly relaxing; it’s a 24/7 job. And there are no breaks (especially when your husband is gone). I found myself missing my coworkers, my patients, and really using by brain for critical thinking.

I was due to return from maternity leave around the end of April, but I knew that just wouldn’t be possible with Mr. Deer being deployed. Not to mention Little Deer absolutely refused to take a bottle. I was able to extend my leave a bit, but we soon found out that once Mr. Deer returned from deployment we were going to be stationed in Monterey, California. It hit me pretty suddenly one day that I wasn’t going back to work, I was going to be a stay at home mom.

Being a SAHM is very rewarding but also challenging. I don’t get lunch breaks or get to chat with other adults. I’m not learning new things or getting out and about as much. And I don’t have that same sense of purpose as I once did. That being said, I am definitely not complaining. We are so blessed that we can financially support my ability to stay at home, but it’s all still so new for me. I do hope once we’re settled in Monterey and Little Deer is a bit older that I may return to nursing. I love being a nurse; it not only fulfills my wanting to help and serve, but gives me skills that make me a better mom. We shall see what the future holds, but for now I will be home, loving on my Little Deer and learning how to be a good mother to her.

Now that Mr. Deer has returned from deployment, life has been so much more manageable, and wonderful too. The Deer family reunion was one of the happiest moments in my life. Little Deer is very shy and reserved, even around family members. I was expecting tears as I handed her to him for the first time, but instead she looked right up at him, touched his face, and smiled. I’m not kidding, I absolutely melted. The only explanation for her behavior is that somehow, even after only being with him for two weeks, she remembered him. From the second he came home, she was totally comfortable around him as if he had never left.

This summer we had almost three months off together before Mr. Deer needed to report to his next assignment. Finally being together as a family of three was so wonderful. We soaked up time with our families and got out as much as we could to enjoy our last bit of time in Seattle. We weren’t able to stay in Washington a third time (the fact that we even were able to stay for two assignements was amazing) so we were off to Monterey, California. We are now moved and getting settled in our new home. Little Deer’s excited to be a beach babe and I am really enjoying how absolutely beautiful the Monterey area is.

I hope to share my experiences so far as a mother, both the joys and challenges. And who doesn’t love sharing updates as their little one grows? Being a nurse also means I have a special interest in health, and I love researching things and have a few topics I’m hoping to share. Mr. Deer and I are currently doing the Whole30 eating plan, so I can’t wait to write about what that’s been like, the health changes we’ve been making, and the new recipes I’ve learned. I’m also interested in photography, cooking, reading, and crafting (though full disclosure, I have more of a crafter’s heart than hands). And why Mrs. Deer you might ask? Living on Whidbey Island there were always wild deer around us. I love how beautiful and gentle they are. Not to mention how devoted and watchful a mother doe is over her fawn.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know me. I am so looking forward to blogging with you all!