November

November was not as busy as October was but it was still a great month for the Tyma family.

Little Natalie turned 6 months old and continues to grow like a weed. She's sitting up, rolling around, saying mama, and is just the sweetest thing in the world. She also got her little ears pierced this month.

Mia is loving the colder weather and we have been practicing a lot with her alphabet, numbers, and name... This little girl will be going to preschool in 2013!

Let's see, Thanksgiving was wonderful! Good food and company. I definitely realized that I have so much to be thankful for and take so much for granted... I have a wonderful husband, 2 beautiful girls, amazing friends, and extremely supportive family. I mean really, what more could a girl ask for?! Thank you to everyone for being in my life. You all mean more to me then I could ever put into words! 

Navy wise, Troy's boat came back from deployment and so he was able to finally finish checking in with them and actual meet people he'll be working with. He was in a two week class at the beginning of the month and finished that class as second by .5% and ended it with honors. We also found out that he passed his advancement exam and as such is officially a petty officer second class. We all could not be more proud. 

As for me... I GOT MY BRACES OFF!! I may be way too excited and happy, but I am definitely okay with that. I have a new retainer/splint and things have been going very well in that aspect. No jaw pain yet and I can feel a major difference. So happy. =) I'm still on the hunt for friends, still have the office room to unpack (still not sure what I'm doing in there), and have really maintained the focus of getting things settled such as doctors, appointments, schools, babysitters, registrations, etc. 

November also brought an end to the psychology part of my gestational carrier journey. Whew! Digging through my not-so-amazing past can be a bit difficult, that's for sure but, with that being said, I was recommended to continue the journey. Yay! The best part was seeing the IPs (Intended Parents). It is so great to see people who are genuinely great people. We have so much in common and she has quickly become one of my best friends. =) It makes me so very excited. The next task to complete would be getting the contract straightened out and then the medical screening. All is moving smoothly so far. 

October

October was a pretty busy month...

First of all we moved (completely in ONE day might I add) from South Carolina to Virginia. It actually wasn't as terrible as I had imagined. Girls were great and equally were the dogs. So, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Virginia, at first, was frightening  Just SO much all around and really a lot to take in but, after a few days, it was all okay again. And, I really should say that Norfolk was just a lot to take in and I suppose anywhere new can bring up different feelings... Anyway, I am LOVING it here. We have some truly amazing neighbors, we live in a beautiful house, and it seems pretty ideal for our little family so it is definitely a WIN!

After we all got a bit settled in it was time to have a little fun. Our first adventure was with an AMAZING couple and it was simply stunning. We visited a beautiful garden and it was a complete blast, butterflies and all. I didn't really get any amazing photos but I'll have to see if I can post some that were sent to me. Truly beautiful. Our second outing was to the zoo and it was.. a little underwhelming. They were doing construction so many of the animals were in hiding but it was still a very nice day in all. Since then, we have gone again and it was about the same experience but with 31,631,979,416 people (yes, exaggeration at its best but it really was A WHOLE LOT of people) due to it being military appreciation day put on by the USO.

Troy then checked in to the command. His boat is currently away so he has really done, well, not much except the exhausting process of checking in to EVERYTHING. The boat should be back soon so we should have more in that department shortly but for now he is starting a new training program tomorrow. Good news is they should not be doing another deployment for a while so that is a bit exciting. Also, Christmas stand down is coming up soon. Woot!

Halloween 2012 was great! We had a beautiful Tinkerbelle and a super cute elephant. Both enjoyed going out with their new friends to collect candy and also playing around at the pumpkin patch. Definitely a fun time for the family and we are very much looking forward to Thanksgiving... Well, at least I am. ; )

Now, the most exciting news... I am going to be a surrogate! Gestational Carrier to be exact but I could not be more excited or thrilled. Most don't know but it has been something I wanted to do for 3 years now. Troy and I wanted to wait until it was the right time for our family and well, that time is now! While I was waiting on Troy and still in South Carolina I was looking up Virginia's laws and I stumbled on a wonderful woman's blog. Happy that she had it all laid out and easy to find/understand, I wanted to thank her. I mean, I was looking around for HOURS for the info. that she had neatly arranged. I found her on Facebook and was sad to then see that the surrogate she was working with had backed down. Troy and I both read more of her blog and her overall story that night. SUCH A STRONG WOMAN!!! Oh my goodness I could not tell you how many times I was in tears. Anyway, I wrote her to thank her and to also keep hope. I told her that I was just looking into becoming a surrogate, I read her story, and I would like to help if she was still looking. I The next morning I got a response! Oh my goodness... It was so exciting. Troy and I then discussed everything and we both agreed that everything about the situation and time was perfect. Since then this lovely lady and I have talked every few days and she has become an amazing friend. We could not have been more lucky to have found her. We are on the same page about most everything and have so many similarities, REALLY could not have found a better woman (and couple) to go on this journey with.

On that note, we have started fulfilling Virginia's requirements. This includes getting the approval of a psychologist which has been proven to be a little tougher then it sounds but, it is coming along. By the end of this month we should be on to the next chapter so please keep us all in your thoughts and keep your fingers crossed that everything else goes smoothly.