Halloween Part III -- The Final Scene

The Deadly Pink Spider picks its location of opportunity carefully. In this rare photo, she is seen at the Battlefield Mall roaming from vendor to vendor with her jack-o-lantern, setting her trap with a sly smile, a soft "trick or treat," and an eager bag thrust toward her prey.

While the spider may conquer quickly, her endurance is limited. She must pace herself with well timed moments of rest. This does make her vulnerable to the jealousy and envy of other competitors who admire her beauty. If seating is unavailable, the spider will climb on top of her father or grandpa in order to move throughout her environment.

Finally, the night is complete as the deadly pink spider sheds her skin and takes account of her loot. In the next moments, she will inhale the sugary sweets, run around in circles for 2 hours howling, and then pass out for the evening. And she knows . . . tomorrow is another day, but there is only one Halloween per year -- the night of the Deadly Pink Spider!

Halloween Part II -- The Deadly Pink Spider

Rarely seen in its natural habitat, the deadly pink spider is seen here being lured out by sugary sweets. While she looks innocent enough, her ferocious appetite for candy is enough to send this smiling arachnoid into a terrible tantrum if not satisfied.

The deadly pink spider can be seen here preparing to pounce.

Here, the deadly pink spider has captured her prey. The next few minutes will involve the spider squeezing the neck of her prey until he is unconscious.

Halloween I -- The Jack-O-Lantern

First, you pick a good pumpkin

Second, you let daddy handle the cutting

Third, you pull off the top, see the gunk inside, and decide you are not going to stick your hand in there because it will get all icky!

Finally, you take credit for your jack-o-lantern.

Back in MO

Well, I have arrived. I was able to catch a plane from Guam to Travis AFB as a medical escort for a patient. Then, a few frequent flyer miles got me to Springfield. I left Saturday morning, got to Travis AFB Saturday morning, slept for a few hours, caught a red-eye to DFW, and flew into Springfield on Sunday. Needless to say, Courtney and Olivia were excited to welcome me. It is Wednesday now (Halloween), and I'm still recovering from jet lag. I went to bed last night at 8:30 and got up this morning at 4:30, but it is getting better.

We have had a couple doctor appointments while I've been home. All looks good, and now it is just a waiting game. Courtney is on full bed rest and popping anti-contraction pills like M&Ms.

Speaking of M&Ms, tonight is Halloween. Olivia will be dressed in her pink spider costume. Of course, we'll be sure to get pictures. Until then, enjoy this one:

Good news

Well, Courtney got to come home from the hospital today. The doctors decided nothing was really changing that much, so why keep her? The biggest concern was Katelee's heart rate dropping during contractions, but they did a biophysical ultrasound to monitor her, and I guess she passed. She didn't ace it, but we'll make her study harder next time! Courtney is quite happy to be home. It is a little tough on Olivia having mom home without being able to play though. Don't worry . . . dad is on the way! Hopefully, all plane connections will be made with ease!

Here's a fun pic we took one night in August after putting Olivia to sleep.

Weekly Update

Courtney has been enjoying the lovely walls of St. Johns hospital this past week. She went in on Tuesday due to contractions, and they have kept her there for monitoring. The plan at this point is to keep her over the weekend and continue monitoring. She is still only dilated to 1 cm, and she is 70% effaced at this point. They also did a biophysical ultrasound to monitor Katelee, and she scored a 6/10. Not sure exactly what that means, but they weren't worried.

As for Mark, the plan is for me to head out of Guam starting next weekend. I'll try to catch a hop (a military flight), which can be tricky sometimes. But, this is not the busy season, so there should be plenty of seats available. Where those planes are going is the important part! So, this may be a busy week preparing to leave. The plan is to stay through November and return at the end of the month. I'll have to work through December, but then I'll come back and get the whole family when they are ready to return.

No pictures this week, but if you just have time to spend, Blogger has a new toy allowing you to see everyone's pictures: http://play.blogger.com/.

We'll keep you posted on new developments!

Mid October

Well, it has been about a week since the last post. Not much is new. The latest was a late night last night for Courtney. She called me late (her time) with contractions. After a bath didn't calm them down, she visited the hospital. Unfortunately, the contractions had caused a little bit of dilation, but some meds helped stop the contractions for a while. She has now been put on bed rest with orders to avoid chores and relations. She is at 30 weeks, so needless to say, Katelee needs to cook a bit longer. They did give her some steroids to help with lung development.

Saying Goodbye at the Airport

We were able to webcam a bit this week, which was nice. Granted, I get the better end of the deal since Courtney sees me in the morning (not pretty) and I see them in the afternoon (very pretty). Olivia read a book about a horse named Lucille to me.

Grandpa & Olivia at the Zoo

Coping

Holding Grandma Donner's Kitty

A month has passed since leaving Guam. Of course, Mark returned after a couple of weeks, but how are Courtney and Olivia adjusting? Mark & Courtney talk nearly every day, and Olivia wants to talk sometimes. Courtney has become involved in a Bible study, as well as a play group. They have also gone to Barnes & Noble to read, created a care package for daddy, and visited the zoo!

Tigers!

Courtney told the story of overhearing Olivia rocking a toy baby to sleep. She was comforting the baby by saying, "It's ok. I know you miss your daddy. He has to work though." She has been a bit more vocal lately saying she wants to come home.

Baking cookies for Daddy's care package

But, it isn't all bad. They are having a lot of fun. They just returned from a weekend in Branson with Grandma Donner and Grandpa Joe. They also got to swim at the hotel pool. Courtney is now 29 weeks pregnant. Can you tell? She continues to have contractions, but nothing is changing. That is good.

Basketball Belly

As always, see more pictures at Flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/taylormadefamily/