Growing Belly

All of a sudden, my belly has popped out and is showing quite a bit. Joe would not leave my side while my mom took a profile shot of me.21 Weeks

Pumpkin Festival

Today Joe and I went to the Annual Pumpkin Festival at Butler's Orchard in Germantown, Maryland. Last year, we went there with Ken, Rubi and Lindsay but this year it was just the two of us. Joe went on his first pony ride and was a real cowboy! He fed some pigs and sheep and we went on a hayride to get our pumpkin. We finished the day by having some pumpkin pie and apple cider. All in all, a very fun day!Welcome to the Festival!
Joe and his new friend
Choo choo!!

Having fun at the festival with Mommy

Feeding the sheep

Look at my pumpkin!

2 months down and counting!

Well, almost 2 months since Ken has been away and it sure has felt like MUCH longer. Joe and I have settled into a routine and both my mom and Ken's mom have been a big help to us. Ken is keeping as busy as he can taking care of Iraqi inmates at Camp Cropper. Luckily, he is able to call me at least once a day which helps tremendously. It is always great to hear his voice and see what he is up to. The time difference can sometimes be challenging though since many times I will be at work, in the operating room, etc. but we still manage!

Here are some pix he sent recently of a sandstorm in Baghdad. This is not done by a camera filter!! This is really how the sky looked!!

It looks like he is somewhere on Mars!

Dust on the buildings

Say Cheese!

I took this picture of Joe and I a few weeks ago, but you can start to see the beginnings of Nelson baby #2 in this shot!! Yes, that's right! We are happy to announce that we are expecting another baby this February. We are all very excited about it to say the least. The ladies at day care tell me how great Joe is with the other babies, so it looks like he is already practicing to be a big brother.

Greetings from the Middle East!

Well, so far the trip has been ok. It was very long. After a week of training in Georgia, we left for Kuwait. That trip took 41 hours from barracks to tent. We spent a few days doing more training in Kuwait,then left for Iraq. We arrived in Baghdad a few hours later and moved into temporary billets. Tent city in Kuwait

Inside the tent

Now we have switched to what we'll be staying in. It is pretty nice, especially for a war zone. I have a room with an attached shower and bathroom and one roommate. He is a general surgeon and seems like a pretty good guy, though he is leaving and getting replaced in the next month or so. It is very hot and dusty. So far we've topped out at a little over 120. Not much fun to be out in, I must say. At night it is pretty reasonable though. We are doing detainee ops as our mission, with about 15% American. So far the ones I have met seem ok. The vast majority of them are guys who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, though we do have a few who are bad guys. One of my current patients blew himselfup trying to plant a roadside bomb, then tried to resist the troops who came to arrest him and got shot. He's going to make it though.

Loading the plane to fly to Iraq

The food is good. I have no complaints yet, though I have been told the menu has little variety and you get tired of it after awhile. I will have to wait and see. I hope you are all doing well!

Coffee kiosk at Camp Cropper

Going to the chapel

Last weekend, my good friend Karen married David Bowes in Baltimore, MD. They are off on their honeymoon now somewhere in the Caribbean! It was a lot of fun and they were so blessed to have had a GORGEOUS August day (as compared to our wedding 3 years ago in 102 degree blazing heat and no A.C.!!!)

The beautiful bride

Karen, David and David's daughter, Trisha

Walking around the Inner Harbor for pictures

View from the banquet room

The three amigas! Ole!

Joe's boo boo

Poor Joe fell off his new truck yesterday and got a nasty boo boo on his face. Mommy learned that even if you are watching a baby closely, all it takes is looking away for a second for an accident to happen!!