At the least...

I will not be alone today.

Of course there will be Chao lei. There will also be two sailors. This year I have again drawn two females. The difference this year is they are enlisted. They will arrive soon and will spend the day. If it were for me to decide, I would host more. The Navy says I may only have two. The Navy and I do not agree on this. I wonder of a way to invite more that the Navy need not know about. ;-)

I know the feeling of loneliness in a different country so my heart aches for those that must be alone; especially at a holiday. A telephone call is good but the happiness of it soon goes away and even encourages worse feelings at times. In my times of loneliness, I had the Bings to cheer me but they were not Mother and Father. Of course, it must be known I do not speak of American holidays for my experience but the nationality of the holiday does not matter. The feelings remain the same.

If I could ask one thing of any who read here, I would ask that you remember those single servicemen alone at the holidays. Please frequent:

• http://anysailor.com/index.cfm, 
• http://www.anysoldier.com, 
• http://www.anymarine.com, 
• or http://anycoastguard.com

If you know a unit or ship, feel free to send a donation to the FRG so they are able to better provide for those alone.

They, and I, thank you!

♪♫Alone again. Naturally!♪♫

I am alone again. But it is for a good cause. It is good since he is not fond of remaining in port for long periods. He is a Navy man.

Chao lei is doing well. He puts everything into his mouth. This causes much attention to be paid him. It is too fast that he discovers something else to put in so I have found it necessary to leave things for him to chew. Unfortunately, it is common he chooses something not intended for baby teeth to chew.

He currently favors his socks as suitable things to put in his mouth. For this reason it is difficult to keep socks on his feet. I get "looks" when we are out and he has pulled them off. At the least, if he is chewing it I am able to say "See? He removes them to chew them! It is not as if I did not put them on before leaving home."

This sock removal is only an issue when he tires of chewing and decides to throw instead. I am unable to recall how often I have gone to the NEX to buy him new ones. I certainly hope he will grow from this time of sock chewing very soon. Lt is sure to begin asking of the frequent new socks Chao lei is wearing.

I am a happy mother. Chao lei seems happy even though his mother leaves him for some time each day at daycare.

As an aside, can anyone tell me of how to get Chao lei's hair to lie down without covering him in creams? It absolutely refuses to stay down in spite of any hair product for babies I have used. I am getting crazy from it.

Picture for a Friend

I found this picture and it reminded me of my friend.

Enjoy your day! (~ locomojis.com/teddybear/16 ~)