I returned to Monrovia Sunday afternoon… The trip was long and painful, but not nearly as painful as saying goodbye to Shannon and Leyton at the airport. Wow, it is amazing how a little baby like that can influence your life so much in such a short amount of time. After 3 weeks with her, I felt so attached and loved her so much. Saying “goodbye” and “see you soon” was very difficult and I hated to do it. Shannon is doing such a great job with her. She has transformed into such a wonderful mom and Leyton and I are so blessed to have her as our own.
My time at home was superb. I had such a nice time hanging out with Shannon and Leyton and enjoyed every time she moved, smiled, yawned, sneezed, slept, and even when she pooped on me (3 times). This little kid is pretty amazing. She started out sleeping pretty well…. Example: One night she slept for 4 hours straight, got up and ate, went right back to sleep, and then slept for 5 hours. Shannon and I were thinking, “Wow… this is too easy…” But then the next few nights she was up practically every hour requesting to eat. Still, those times with her were priceless. Shannon and I would spend hours just watching her. Who would have thought that watching a baby do nothing for hours upon hours is entertaining?? I cant believe how fast the time went by. It really seemed like I was only home for a few days. Hopefully this trend will continue while I’m in Liberia and the time will pass buy quickly. We over-nighted a few evenings in Lynchburg so that we can see what is like to be just the three of us. Since the weather was so nice, we were able to go on walks and utilize Leyton’s B.O.B stroller. That thing is the Cadillac of all strollers! On one of our walks we walked around the hospital campus where Leyton was born. I was able to go up into the areas where they both were and see what it looked like in real life (and not from the webcam). I was given a small tour of where she was born and where they stayed for the following two days. It was a very nice place and very impressive.
We took Leyton to her first doctor’s appointment and she got her first shot. She wasn’t a big fan but it only bothered her for a few seconds. She is tough cookie, like her dad when it comes to immunizations. She was gaining weight pretty well. She was back to her birth weight around 1.5 weeks after her birth. We also took her to Grammy’s (Dawne) office to weigh her another time and she was nearing 8 lbs already.
Since my birthday is exactly 2 weeks from Leyton’s, I was home to celebrate turning the big 3-1. Leyton turned 2 weeks old, and dad turned 31. We have yet to determine whom she looks like. I can see Shannon’s mouth on her (because of the shape and not because of how loud she is), but that is about it. The only confirmation that I have that validates she is my child is the fact that she carries the sickle cell trait, like myself. Other then that, she resembles our mailman back in Memphis. She definitely is a cutie though…. I’ll give her that. You know how every baby is always so cute… well, I have never been a firm believer on that. Some babies are just not that cute, in my opinion. I know my opinion is slightly bias here, but I think she is a good-looking kid!!
So I arrived in Monrovia on Sunday afternoon. This time, I wasn’t as lucky like I was on my fight from Atlanta to Lynchburg, VA - because The Bachelor; Jake Pavelka wasn’t the pilot. Yes, he did fly me from Atlanta to Lynchburg on my way home. Some of you might be asking how do I even know who he is… well, the people on the plane were talking about it….duh… come on, you think I watch that dumb show?? His landing was so soft and his explanation of the route was very informative. What a guy! My fight back out to the team site was on Monday morning at 10am. So like that, I am back in lovely Liberia. One day I have Leyton and the family there, electricity and running water, and the next day I have…. Well, none of that. Back to reality.
I’m going to try to come back to the good ole USA again in Feb 2011. I’m trying to work out the details with my command so it isn’t “for sure” quite yet. It would be nice to break up these last 6 months of this tour.
Everything is pretty much the same as how I left it. We have a few new people at the team site. We gained a MILOB from Malaysia and one from Ukraine and lost our MILOB from Russia. Apparently, the President of Liberia fired her entire cabinet as well. So that is the “news” around here. 2 of the Americans, who were only here on 6 month orders, departed while I was away also. They were replaced by two others; (1 Marine LtCol and 1 Navy LCDR). The rainy season is behind us so now it only rains once a week or so. These next few months are supposed to get pretty hot and are the supposedly the hottest months of the year. Right now looks like im going to have a few days to settle in and then ill go on patrol on Wednesday. The guys are throwing me a welcome home/congratulatory BBQ on Wednesday as well. No pig this time, just chicken.
I am happy to report that there is currently electricity at my accommodation and it has been there the entire duration of my leave. So hopefully that isn’t an issue any more. However, when I entered into my room, I saw a mouse scurry along the baseboards and into the closet. I hunted the sucker down, trapped him in a bag and took him outside. Looks like he was shacking up here for a while because he left some delicious rat terds everywhere. So while unpacking, I also conducted a thorough cleaning of the place, which including applying a thick coat of Lysol on the entire floor.
Thanks to you all for the warm salutations and blessings regarding the birth of Leyton and my safe travels to and from Liberia. She truly is a blessing and she is an absolute joy to Shannon and I. We are so excited to what the future holds for the three of us.
Here are some photos of my visit to the USA:
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