(If you’re like Frank, you’ll sing that out loud to the tune of the song by Staind. If that doesn’t happen, I envy you.)

As per my last post, so very much has changed, all over again. We do have an Instagram page, linked here, so if you already follow that or keep in touch with us, these changes will not be surprising. For everyone else, here’s what happened:

Yes, we moved to Chicago late fall/early last winter. We stayed in Chicago for about three months, through the worst of winter no less, and caught Covid in January. After convalescing in Frank’s family’s house in Ohio for a few weeks, we acknowledged the benefits once again of living near family. It’s easier to have more hands on deck with a new little one on the way. As we usually do, we made a rather spur of the moment decision to move back down to the Space Coast of Florida for a time, to be close to my family. We loved the time we shared with Frank’s family after Victoria was born, and we wanted to repeat the experience with mine for the Nugget.

Late January Shenanigans

I confess, however, I dragged my feet for a little while. I was already quite pregnant and did not enjoy the prospect of packing all of our things again, finding a new place to live, and especially finding a new doctor. Thankfully, Frank took my hesitation under consideration. He therefore took on the overwhelming brunt of all things moving-related. He packed our apartment, found a new place for us to move to, and helped me choose a new doctor, among a thousand other things.

On the other hand, I was determined to milk the last few weeks we had in Chicago. Thus, I did a ton of “only in Chicago” types of things. I made sure to eat at most of my favorite places again, visit the Graceland Cemetery very close to our apartment, and especially spend time visiting many of the beautiful churches all over Chicago. Our other Instagram, nomadcatholicfamily, features many of the photos I captured during that time. Frank and I will also eventually write blog posts about them. Many churches throughout Chicago have been closing over the years, so I wanted to make sure I got to see as many as I could, while I could.

(My parents also joined us for Christmas, and we spent a lovely stretch of time visiting quite a few Chicago landmarks and experiences. I expect to write a separate post about all of that in the near future as well. We had so much fun!)

The Move

On our last weekend, Frank’s mother and one of his sisters joined us in Chicago. Before Frank finished cleaning the apartment and oversaw the loading truck, Brittany took amazing pictures of us in downtown by the Chicago River! It was frigid, but it was fun capturing such a precious moment for us.

We made the cross-country move once again at the beginning of February. As we have done that move so many times now, it actually felt almost kind of old-hat and familiar. Though, of course, I had never moved while that pregnant. That was uncomfortable and challenging, but we made it!

I had selected a new doctor in Melbourne before moving, and I settled into the schedule of late pregnancy appointments. We got our apartment set up and unpacked in short order, and Victoria quickly adjusted to seeing “Gramps and ‘Lita and Tio Malcolm” on a more regular basis. All of us were constantly on Baby Watch as my due date got closer and closer. I was finally induced on my due date. (The Nugget was stubborn and did not come early, as Victoria did.)

It’s a Boy!

Dominic Ambrose Wagoner, born April 20, 2022 at 5:03 PM, 6 lbs 11oz and 19.5” long!

I won’t go into all of the details of labor and delivery, as that’s not what this blog is for. All I’ll say is, it went fairly smoothly overall, and he was born healthy and whole!

Life on the Space Coast with a New Baby

Firstly, we all love him, SO MUCH. He’s a Mama’s Boy already, and Daddy’s little man. Best of all, Victoria loves helping take care of him, playing with him, and loving on him with hugs and kisses. Secondly, he had a few colicky months that we endured and survived. Now that he’s a little older, it has gotten easier to venture back out into the world. For a while, we oscillated between our apartment and visiting my parents’ house. We only really ventured out to attend Mass on Sundays.

As most new parents know, the early days with a newborn are just so hard. You don’t really know if or when a meltdown will occur. You don’t want to be That Family out at a restaurant. Though we live in a technically lovely location, summers are quite hot. Beach and pool days have been few and far between, and now there is constant rain. You need to protect new babies as best you can from various illnesses, severe weather, and they need a lot of sleep and constant meals. Thankfully, Dominic is a fairly good sleeper and eater. Also, he crawls now, got his first two teeth, and pulls up!

Feeding the Nugget

As with Victoria, I couldn’t get the hang of nursing without extreme pain. So, once again, I have been exclusively pumping to provide milk for him, and this time around has been a relative breeze compared to last time. It was not a decision chosen lightly; I wanted to avoid the formula shortages (and long-term costs, because let’s be honest, formula gets Expensive over time!), and I wanted Dominic to get breast milk if my body was able to produce it. Also, I pumped for a year for Victoria and figured if I did it once, I could do it again.

In general, we feel fairly cooped up more often than not, though our apartment is comfortable and feels like home. This stretch of time remains temporary, and we still intend and expect to be nomadic next year. Much more on that, later.

Long-Distance Travel with a Toddler and New Baby

We have now completed the cross-country road trip up to see Frank’s family in Ohio three times since Dominic was born! Dominic and Victoria both are complete troopers and allow fairly long stretches of the drive in between stops. They nap well, and on occasion I sit in the back with them to keep them company, fed, and entertained. Frank’s family has reveled in New Baby Snuggle Time, loving on Victoria, and overall good, quality family time. On our second trip, we witnessed Frank’s younger sister get married, and we gained a new brother-in-law! 

We also had some more adventures along the way! To celebrate my 30th Birthday in early August, Frank and I rode roller coasters at Cedar Point and got to see Michael Buble perform in Orlando after we got back from Ohio. Both of these were some of the greatest experiences of my life so far, and I cannot wait to write more about them soon!

Latest Visit and Ian

Most recently, we coincidentally timed our latest visit perfectly to unintentionally evacuate for Hurricane Ian. Coverage of Ian’s destruction ruled almost every television in the house for days. We did our best to keep in touch with family and friends still in Florida riding out the storm. Tension was high, and for those of us (me) who needed breaks from the images and videos of the devastation, distractions brought occasional relief. Somehow, thankfully, while there was some damage and/or flooding here and there, everyone we knew in Ian’s path was ultimately safe and sound. Yet, countless stories exist online and in the news of people who lost everything. It is all truly heartbreaking.

We continued watching coverage of the aftermath. The images and videos of the desolation in Sanibel Island and Fort Myers Beach will haunt my dreams. Frank and I both expressed a wish to physically go down there to help. Yet, we know we’d only be in the way with two little ones and a dog to care for.

Reflections on Past Hurricanes and Ian’s Destruction

As mentioned before, I grew up in the Space Coast. I remember the intensity of hurricane activity in 2004, when Charlie, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne dominated Florida. The following year saw Katrina, Rita, and Wilma wreak havoc on the Gulf and southeastern US all over again. Michael, Matthew, Irma, Harvey, and Sandy as well; constant exposure to these crazy storms has us on a first name basis.

It’s hard and painful to dwell on the lives lost, homes and businesses ruined, and billions in property damages, among so many other ill effects of all of these hurricanes. Especially when watching footage of the ruins left behind in the storms’ paths, it can be easy to feel helpless, frustrated, angry, and heartbroken. Every year, the threat of a new major storm looms, and we hope and pray for a quiet hurricane season. This season has not been quiet, and we have been and will continue praying for everyone affected by Ian.

What’s Next on the Agenda?

Now that Dominic is a little bit older, we are finally ready to truly embark on our digital nomad life. Starting in December, we will switch to one month rentals, primarily in AirBnBs, and start making our way around the country. We will take occasional visits back to Ohio and Florida to enjoy time with family, but we are really doing it now! 

The next month will consist of finishing paring down everything, making sure all of the things we are bringing can fit in and on our SUV, storing everything we aren’t taking, and spending as much quality time as we can with loved ones on the Space Coast. Every day really counts, and our excitement grows with every new purchase and every unnecessary thing we shed. We will still try to live our lives in the moment, of course. We still need to celebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving somewhere in all of the upcoming chaos after all! The rest of this year is likely to be completely nuts. it will also be filled with so much joy, passion, and a little trepidation. We can’t wait to bring you along for more of our adventures!