Leave Time

 Now that the major exercises are complete, Jared is applying for leave. It is not that there are many places we could travel to but that is not his plan. We are going to spend time together to make up for the time he was away.

The officially observed Thanksgiving was enjoyable for us at home. We had our solo sailor. She proved to be very likeable and someone whom I would enjoy knowing better. Chao lei apparently likes her company. Where she was he was the entire day. For someone with no children, she was very adept in her understanding of what Chao lei was doing. The only thing our day was missing was Jared.

To have memories of family holidays, we enjoyed a second Thanksgiving when Jared returned. It is tiring to prepare two holiday meals so close together. lol We had the traditional dinner that most would recognize but again we had some of my favorite foods included. Jared and I both enjoy blending our heritage where we can. We had the turkey of course but with a twist. It was prepared Cantonese style with hoisin sauce, sweet bean sauce, garlic, shallot, ginger, and stuffed with tangerine peels. There were also guotie (pot stickers) and honey-hoisin sweet potatoes. No one may acuse us of being normal I suppose.

If Jared gets his leave, we will remain home and be together. We will hike where we may, together. Together is the operating word in all we will do. Winter is not the best time to make our memories but we will make them when we can. Spring will arrive soon enough and hopefully we will be past all the restrictions, or at least, past many of them. We will depend heavily on the MWR office to discover activities we can do.

We had a short scare with June and this shows importance of communication. It seems Chao lei was lazy to get a cup and got a bottle instead and filled it with milk. Cow milk. Since he did not finish it, he placed it in the fridge. Jared, thinking it was June's bottle, heated it and put a nipple on it instead of waking me to feed her. Junes little belly swelled and she was in obvious discomfort so I took her to the pediatrician where, upon her vomiting, we discovered she was full of milk. We also discovered she is lactose intolerant to the extreme. The following diapers were not fun.

Now Jared knows, I do not express milk to a bottle unless I am going out. I certainly do not leave the bottle open in the fridge when I do. Chao lei knows he is not to use a bottle again unless I or his father send him for one. June has returned to her normally happy self. All is well now. Jared has sworn he will ask questions whenever he is going to do anything with June. He feels guilt for having been the one who gave the cow milk. For such a strong man, he can be such a softie.