5/23/2006
Just droppin’ in
American Soldier says,
Hello all. It’s the Mrs. dropping in to say hello and let you know what’s going on here.
Readjustment has it’s ups and downs for both of us. AS is going through a lot of differnet things- medical issues due to his injury, anger. anxiety, sadness. He has gone for his medical exams and things are improving, just very slowly. He is still finding it difficult to go places but we do it together. I try to be aware of his physical ques so that I can help calm him. It is still very difficult for him to ride in the car- he sits on the edge of his seat and is always looking around. And he is still not sleeping well. He’s up until all hours of the early morning trying to occupy himself on the computer.
As for me it hard to watch the one you love so much in such a state of emotion. Some days I feel at a loss as to how I can help him. You hear the old addage “time and patience” but I feel there has to be more out there than that. I mean, he needs physical comfort- for me to hold his hand, or just to rub his neck and tell him it’s OK, or just to be close. As well as his mental needs, how do you meet those? It’s not just about him getting used to being home. It’s me trying to help him help himself and understand that things are OK and will be OK and that he is safe. And it can be frustrtaing for both of us to always communicate that.
Some things that have been going on since he’s come home… We just got all his gear back today. It was very emotinal for him to go through those tough boxes. For an injured solider to go home and have his things sent back from war all cleaned and labled like they do if he had not been so lucky really strikes a nerve. I think it may have made him realize that this was over for him. At least for now. For me it was neat to see some of the things he had in his room or some of the gear he wore while out on missions.
He wanted to make a garden when he got home. We have done that. It’s nothing big, just an 8 x 10 raised bed with a few rows of our favorite veggies. He loves to go check on it and water it each morning.
And the best thing of all is that we’re having another baby! We had talked alot about it while he was gone. We both thought it would take a while but it happened right away. So needless to say we were both shocked and excited. So this will bring the number up to 5! He’s looking forward to having his own little fireing team.
So that’s all the happeneings in our little world. Thank you for all the support and well wishes. They are greatly appreciated!
Mrs. AS
Filed under: General, News from home
45 Responses to “Just droppin’ in”
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Thank you SO much for the update, Mrs AS. Its good to hear how things are with both of you. I’m glad AS has such a wonderful wife to be there with him in all this. Thank you for sticking by him. Know that both of you continue to be in my thoughts and prayers. God give you wisdom, strength and courage. We love you both! (and the kiddos too) HUGE congrats on the newest little AS!!!
CONGRATS on the baby, and thank you for the update. I am glad to hear things are getting better even if it is slowly. i know time and patcience is hard, i just hope God gives you the strength to get though it together!! You are a great wife to help him though this!!
Thanks so much for the update Mrs AS…always nice to hear from you. Congrats on the baby!!!! I pray that you both will continue to grow closer through this as well as be comforted with the comfort only God can give! God bless.
Just remember soldier, you’ve got a whole army of battle buddies and we’re here for you. You’ll get through this it just takes time. I know what it’s like and it WILL get better. You have the love and support of all your readers and fellow soldiers. The hardest part is over, getting back. Now it’s all big PX and Burger King. If you ever need anything, if you ever need to talk, if you ever need us, we’re here for ya brother.
HOOAH!
Mrs. AS,
Thanks so much for the post! I keep praying for AS and for you that soon he will be healed and you two can enjoy life again like it’s supposed to be.
Oh, Congratulations on the baby to both of you! That is so cool! The baby is a God-send for both of you. AS can help in the planning of everything for the baby and that will be very theraputic for him as well as for you!
You guys take care and prayers are coming your way!
Mrs AS
Thx for the update. I have been wondering if everything is alright as it has been a while since a new post has been added.
Congrads on the new addition. That is an exciting time for any family. I am glad to see AS doing things and being active. I hope he continues to write his story.
Still in my prayers and thoughts.
Once again you bring hope to the world, you’re an amazing family.
Congradulations!
Thank you for the update. Congratulations on the newest addition to your family. Keep taking good care of each other!
Thank you so much for the update. AS & Mrs. A.S., we love y’all & are real proud of y’all, and thankful too. Hang in there… you are in the prayers of MANY!
And congrats on the new baby! wooohoo! OK, y’all - you’ve outdone me, almost. I had four kids myself (2 from first marriage, 2 from current), LOL! But, not quite caught up with my “total” number of kids, haha - hubby has three grown kids from his first marriage - so technically, I’ve got SEVEN!
Oh, and A.S., you might remember that my youngest stepdaughter (now 20) had a baby about six months ago, making me a grandma at age 33? Well, guess what? She is two months pregnant AGAIN… so, I’ll be a granny again.. probably right around the same general time frame y’all become parents again! LOL!
a very big congrats on the baby! the love you share is amazing. thank you for keeping us all updated. my thoughts and prayers are with you both.
Great news! To bring a life into this world is priceless… God Bless you both and all your little ones! Thanks for the update. I am sending prayers and well wishes daily.
Stephanie
KEWL!
Congrats on the baby! WHOO HOO! You’re a braver woman than me, Mrs. AS.
And for you, AS…. hang in there. I hope you’re able to get back some normalcy a bit at a time, and that sleep will come easier to you. I have no advice, just prayers and best wishes.
I wish you the best with the healing process and know that it can take awhile. But remember there are a lot of us out there going through the same thing, and we’re here to help each other out. Godspeed, and All The Way!
I am glad to hear he is doing well. Congratulations on the new addition to the family!
Hey, thats great! I was 2 outta 5. Congratulations guys.
Hey, AS. I wish you well on the civilian-ization. I can’t imagine how tuff it is. And gardening is a good hobby. You should build a koi pond too. Those are neat. Get some turtles er something. I used to do that.
Congrats on your new baby!! That is great. I will keep you in my prayers, it is hard on you also Mrs. AS, but, you are doing the right thing being there. Hopefully you have someone to talk to that has been in your shoes.
Turtles are a good idea, at least they are low maintiance.
God Bless The entire AS family.
A new baby!! That’s wonderful!!!
Thank you for the update, Mrs AS. Been wondering how you all were doing.
My husband gardens for his sanity too. (I myself have a black thumb all the way up to my shoulder…)
Praying that the adjustment eases and goes well ~
Happy news about the soon-to-be new baby! Hope all is well with you, Mrs. AS.
AS, whatever helps you, you are wished.
Web Reconnaissance for 05/26/2006
A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention.
hey guys, just thought you might be interested in checking out my blog… right-wingreasoning.blogspot.com
Will Conway
Congratulations to both of you.
And thank you for sharing about how things are going.
You are both very special people and I cannot thank you both enough for all you do.
May God Bless Your Family! That’s the most important thing in this world. I hope this new member brings you even closer together and brings you peace and motivation for your future. All the best wishes for a wonderful homestead. And THANK YOU for all of your sacrifices for our country.
I hope things continue to only improve and wish you and yours well.
Congratulations on our pregnancy!
Congrats on the new one to come! I am still keeping you all in my prayers and thoughts! Happy Memorial Day to you both and a HUGE HEARTFELT THANK YOU TO AS for his personal sacrifices as well!
“Photographs taken by a Marine intelligence team have convinced investigators that a Marine unit killed as many as 24 unarmed Iraqis, some of them “execution-style,” in the insurgent stronghold of Haditha after a roadside bomb killed an American in November, officials close to the investigation said Friday.
The pictures are said to show wounds to the upper bodies of the victims, who included several women and six children. Some were shot in the head and some in the back, congressional and defense officials said.
One government official said the pictures showed that infantry Marines from Camp Pendleton “suffered a total breakdown in morality and leadership, with tragic results.”
The case may be the most serious incident of alleged war crimes in Iraq by U.S. troops. Marine officers have long been worried that Iraq’s deadly insurgency could prompt such a reaction by combat teams.”
Time to get out of Iraq.
Albatroz is a demonic puke. What kind of pathetic person uses this as a venue to demonstrate against the war? You disgust me.
That is good news on the new baby. Don’t know what more to say for AS and you than good luck and my thoughts are with both of you to work through all this.
btw - I found a pretty good plugin for WP for Spam. Here’s the link:
http://unknowngenius.com/blog/wordpress/spam-karma/
I had it installed and it works pretty darn good with no effort on my part. I just saw the spam comments and thought you might be interested.
Mr & Mrs. AS….. congratulations on your new baby! Thank you for the update.
God Bless you both and your family!
Howdy…just popping by on this Memorial Day weekend to say THANK YOU for your service, and all you’ve given on our behalf. We truly, truly appreciate you. And we will ALWAYS seek to honor the memory of those who have fallen.
Thank you, a million times over.
Thank you Mrs. AS for the update. I am truly sorry it is so difficult for AS to adjust upon his return. I prayer for his healing in every area and strength and guidance for yourself in helping him. It would be discouraging and heart breaking to witness, but I can tell you have the spirit to keep thinking positive and the patience required.
Wonderful news about the family addition! And so life continues.
Thank you AS for your devoted service and sacrifice to our country.
Great to see an update, thanks Mrs. AS. Congrats on your pregnancy! My prayers for a beautiful and healthy addition to your family.
And also, my thoughts and prayers for both of you; for strength, peace and healing of all things physical and emotional.
Albatroz, go away.
I salute you and all the guys who are there fighting for our freedoms against the hatred and the evilness. May god helps you on this…
Congrats on the baby, thanks for the update, and as always, good luck and thank you.
Mrs. AS, congrats on the new baby. You do not need to feel so helpless. As I have told you before, I have PTSD. I have had it for some time but due to something toitally unrelated to war. I can honestly say those who helped me most were people such as yourself who held my hand, didn’t make me feel guilty for being sick, [it is a disorder caused by stress or trauma], didn’t make me feel I had to apologize for my bad times but insisted that I treat them respectfully at all times.
You can’t “fix” AS. Only he can do that with proper help and support. You guys have got that coverd pretty well. He seems to be very motivated to fight this, and it is a fight! But because of how you guys are facing it full on now and not ignoring, he will get better!
There is only one or two things I’d like to add you both may find helpful. First, you also need therapy from someone who specializes in combat related PTSD so you can keep AS from wearing you down. You also need the support. That person will help you see all that yor are doing right. Believe me you are helping a lot. But you need to be careful to not develop PTSD yourself due to the stress of his deployments, your pregnancy now, and helping him now.
This is something even I just found out about. They will also help you not become an “enabler.” That is an easy thing to do when you love someone. That will also help AS as he will see that you are not letting his problems wear you down.
The “que” thing you are watching for and learning about, I cannot stress how great that is and how helpful to both of you. Him, because it removes some of his feeling he has to ” protect you by hiding stuff” and because it also makes it easier for him to have that hand there at the “dark” times, especially when he’s so caught up in the moment he can’t ask for you to hold his hand to help ground himself because he’s caught up in the memories and fear. But it has to also be good for you to know how much such a simple jesture is worth.
Both of you would benefit from keeping a journal. You only need to take 10-15 minutes a day to write in it. Forget about spelling and such, just free thought. Mrs. AS, DO NOT GET UPSET IF you find yoursel;f ANGRY at AS for developing PTSD and it comes out in your jounal or whatever. That type of anger, if it comes, is normal.
I mentioned drawing before with pastels, crayons, etc on news print. etc. Well now that I know you have “four” kids” I have another idea. Get some finger paints, lots of brown paper, include lots of reds, purples, blacks etc. for AS and you, and you two and your kids have a big family finger pauinting time. This will help you all. The kids do not miss anything. They know there is a problem with Dad too. But, do it some place where you don’t care about the mess. It will relieve a lot of tension. It will help AS get rid of or control his “ghosts” and it will be one hell of a good time for you all!
Oops, sorry for swearing!
You guys are a wonderful family. I love the way you help and love each other and your kids. Never forget we are all out here to help anyway we can. That means it is ok to gripe, too. We are “friends” and we can take it.
As always tell me or anyone else if we are not helping or you would rather we didn’t offer suggestions or whatever. This is about you guys and supporting you.
I hope you don’t mind my comments. I am always afraid to offer help for fear of saying the wrong thing. But, I am never offended when told to back off. I understand. If either of you ever need a live shoulder to cry on by phone or chat, you got it here. Nothing helps me more than being able to help others. I have had some wonderfully kind ears in the past. I can never repay them for all they did for me. But, I can “pay it forward” like in that movie about the little boy.
God Bless you both, your kids and your new baby on the way. Thank you for all you both have sacrificed for our country. It just doesn’t seem enough but it is all I have to offer.
PS, Albatroz, any time you feel the need to pick on someone, come on over to my site. I welcome the challange. That’s if you have the guts to take on someone who is in a better position to take you on.
congratualations on the baby! Thanks for the update, stay strong, it’ll get better. Thanks again AS.
I am so happy for you both on the baby news!! I can’t imagine how tough the adjustment has been you both, and really appreciate the update. Healing will come, especially as you work together to get through each day.
AS, thanks for your service. My brother is being sent to sandland this summer, so, although I’ve never served myself, the military is a culture and a way of life with which I’ve grown familiar over the years.
In any case, I found it interesting that we have two things in common. First, I’m a gardener myself, and I’m pretty damn good at it, too. It must be because all of my ancestors were farmers. Second, my wife and I expecting our first child on - believe it or not - July 4th.
In any case, I’m including a link to your site in my blogroll. Good luck, and God speed.
Regards,
-the Canine Pundit
http://caninepundit.blogspot.com/
Just checking in on you both ~ hope things are easing up and your healing is going well.
Excellent news both of you. Glad things are healing well. Children are a blessing from the Lord! and you will need his strenght to take care of 5!
I ought to know, I have 6!
Hang in there, time does heal.
AS,
The garden thing is very important. add more, as much as you can. Making something grow that is nourishing, or adds beauty to your environment is importanf for healing, just my opinion.
devildog6771 is a fraud. He challenged me to his pitiful blog and then erased my comment. That´s a simple way never to lose an argument…
I don’t recall seeing albatroz on any post on my blog. However, I also can’t thinik of a single post I have ever edited! Out of respect for AS I’ll leave it at that5!
Hoping your wife is not having too bad a case of morning sickness, AS. You got lots of salt free saltines on hand, lol?
THanks for the update. I know it must be tough on you. I myself have sorta been through the same thing. Ive told myself, only time can heal the wounds. You at least have each other for the support and that is wonderful. Congrats on the baby!!
Thanks AS for all that you do!
perfect site good information, very nice news and etc… tnx
hello