There's been a lot happening since my last post, and I tend to get a bit wordy so my goal is to keep it short and sweet here.
For my last post, Nic and I had decided to deliver Audra in San Antonio so that he would for sure be able to attend her birth. The plan at that time was for me to join him in S.A. after school got out, then get acquainted with the hospital and things at that time. ...The hospital in S.A. had other thoughts. We made the decision to deliver there on a Friday, and the OB clinic was closed for the weekend. Nic worked a night shift Sunday into Monday morning, so after he got off work on Monday he stopped in the clinic to talk with someone to give them a heads up on our situation and see if there was anything further we needed to do. They basically told him that me arriving that close to my due date was not enough time for me to establish care within their system. They said if I wanted to deliver there then I needed to get myself there ASAP. (You and I both know that they can't legally deny care, but the fact that it wouldn't be optimal was enough for me to go along with it.) Cue the start of my whirlwind week: Monday I talked with my principals (who were AMAZINGLY supportive of me doing what I needed to do), Tuesday I talked with HR (who was also AMAZINGLY supportive, making Tuesday my last day of school (!!!!)), Wednesday I packed up everything I'd need for birth, new baby, and living in S.A. for a month, Thursday I had my last Lubbock OB appt and then hit the road! I arrived Thursday evening and have been in San Antonio ever since.
I was able to establish care here within their system, have had a few appointments, and have basically just been hanging out and tying up any and every loose end before she arrives. Her due date was actually YESTERDAY but still, we have no baby. :-( I am really really really REALLY hoping she comes on her own (with the help of everything we're trying), otherwise they'll schedule an induction toward the beginning of next week. We're thinking the induction would be either Sunday the 10th, Monday or Tuesday. We'll just see when they're able to schedule it. But AGAIN, I've always had this goal of doing the whole thing naturally so I really REALLY don't want to induce.
My mom also had an AMAZINGLY supportive workplace, who allowed her to come join me here for the arrival of our little bundle. Mom arrived here in San Antonio about a week after I did, and has been here ever since. We've shown her the way to the hospital and Labor & Delivery, and we've all gotten quite settled in a nice little routine. She's able to work from here, which is nice, so she's gotten a lot accomplished while I sleep in or Nic and I busy ourselves on days when he's off. It's been so nice to have some mother-daughter time!
Here's the LAST pregnancy update. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!?
How far along: 40 weeks & 1 day
How big is baby: She should be about 7.5-8 lbs right now (though Nic is convinced that she's not quite that big since neither of us were)
Labor Status: We went into the hospital on Friday (not due to contractions, but more b/c we wanted to know the progress of dilation), and I was still only dilated to a 1 (same as 3 weeks prior when my Lubbock OB had checked). But that was 4 days ago, and apparently a lot can be happening in a small amount of time, so we'll see how it goes.
Belly position: She's dropped a TON! I can really tell she's getting ready for her debut! It's been a relief to be able to breathe again with her off of my lungs. Her head is down, her little booty is against my belly-button area, and her legs are stretched up toward my ribs. I can actually feel her little feet and can tell how cute and tiny they are. I love it!
Movement: She's a little mover! It's pretty cool that I can tell what actual parts of her body she's moving, versus just feeling the movement as a whole. For example, I can tell she's stretching her back and pushing her bottom out, or I can tell she's stretching her legs and her feet are pushing out, or that she's having hiccups, or that she's moving her head around. I love knowing her orientation and being able to picture her moving in there.
Part of me thinks I'll really REALLY miss feeling her little movements in there. It's so comforting to know my baby's safe and sound and growing inside of me. Nic and I took a walk a few days ago and I was saying how sad it has to make mommies knowing that their little babies make unsafe decisions or put themselves in harm's way. I wish I could ensure that she'd be safe and warm forever. But I guess that's the start of letting them live life.
Exercise: EVERYTHING feels like exercise now. My body is in serious baby-concentration mode. Going to the store and going on walks is about all the exercise I get. I've been trying to walk every day, to help with dilation, and at the end of the day I am absolutely exhausted. In fact, Nic wakes up around 5:00 for work, works a 12 and then is ready for bed relatively early. I sleep in until anywhere between 9 & 11 and am still quite ready for bed when he is. I'm SO THANKFUL to be getting caught up on sleep before Audra's arrival!
What I'm loving: Knowing I'm going to get to lay eyes on her ANY DAY now!!! I think about her all the time! What will she look like? What will her cry sound like? Will she be a good eater? Will she latch correctly? Will she have hair? I just can't wait!!!
I'm also loving all the relaxing I'm able to be doing. I've been making Father's Day gifts (for Nic and both our dads), hanging out with mom, enjoying life with a baby on the inside. :)
What I'm NOT loving: The anticipation! It's killing me!
What I miss: Home. Living for a month away from your home is not the same. We're in a pretty nice Extended Stay hotel here. It's got everything we need: living room area, kitchen, queen-sized bed, plenty of bathroom space, room for Audra's bassinet, swing and other things... but it's just not the same as being home. However, my heart is here-- with Nic-- so as the saying goes, doesn't that make THIS my home? ;) I'll be happy when our whole little family makes it back safely.
Well, say your prayers that we don't have to induce! My next post will probably be introducing our little angel and telling you our birth story. Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Saturday, May 12, 2012
A Mess of Stress [37 weeks]
Strange how quickly a tune can change. I had forgotten I titled my last post, "A Happy Heart." Not to say that my heart isn't happy... it's just a LOT more stressed.
Shortly after that post, Nic got his schedule that tells him his days off for the remainder of his program. He was quite disheartened when he saw that he's scheduled to work 3 days immediately after Audra's due date. Not only that, BUT he also had hardly any time to come home and see us because the scheduler had failed to give him extra hours like Nic had requested. He was super bummed about that, and even more bummed that other people in his program were up to 2 shifts ahead of schedule without having asked for that. We knew his program leaders weren't being the most accommodating when it came to giving him time off for Audra's birth, but once the schedule was set it seemed to be even worse than we had originally thought.
We had many a tearful conversation seriously considering what it would be like for me to give birth without him here. I KNOW that military wives do this all the time. And I KNOW it wouldn't be the end of the world. But ALSO, my husband is only 6 hours away! And I'd heard multiple times how the Air Force tries its darndest to be family friendly. ...I just wasn't seeing it. They weren't going to let him out of a shift should I go into labor while he worked, and they were pretty adamant that he had to be at other required things the week of her due date and following weeks as well. In my mind, them saying they're trying to be more family friendly then refusing to work with him on his schedule was just plain unacceptable.
I'm not trying to bad mouth them. I'm sure there is a perfectly legitimate reason. I just don't think that I agree with that reason. My poor husband was nearly in tears with the thought of not being here and feeling helpless to change that-- all the while, being in the same state and perfectly capable of transportation.
At my appointment on Thursday, my doctor asked if I'd ever considered delivering in San Antonio. My initial reaction was a solid, unwavering NO. I believe my words were, "I mean, we can talk about it, but I really don't think that's something we're interested in." We have a doctor we love, a birthing center I'm in love with, great nurses, friends, family ALL HERE. So why would I leave that?
BECAUSE HE'S MY HUSBAND AND AUDRA'S DAD.
No matter how many pros about here I can think of, or how many cons to being there that I can think of, the fact that I LOVE HIM and I can't imagine going through something so major without him outweighs them all. He's the only person in the world that I think I would be ok with making whatever weird labor faces I'll make... whatever animalistic noises (I hear that happens) may come out, whatever nasty ...leakage... happens, or WHATEVER else there is... I'd be ok with him seeing that. I know this man loves me, and I feel comfortable enough for him to see that, by my side. Not only comfortable enough... I WANT him by my side!
So it looks like if Audra can hold off until the 26th, I'll be heading to San Antonio to wait out her delivery. I've heard and read really great things about their new birthing center (opened in Oct.), and am hoping to get a few good recommendations on doctors there. We'll have to get an appointment scheduled for as soon as I get into town, but other than that, I think everything will come together quite easily. The thought of Nic not having to travel back and forth between us and SA, and the thought of him coming "home" to us after his shifts/classes/whatever makes my heart so happy. It's going to be stressful getting there. And it's going to be stressful delivering there, especially after having acquainted myself so well with UMC and the UMC staff. But, like I said, being with him is the most important thing (besides a healthy baby, obviously).
I have to admit, this has all been pretty hard to me. SO MUCH TO THINK ABOUT! I try to remember to put my worries in God's hands and remember that He has a plan that will work out beautifully. I've just always had trouble with trusting in that. I wish I weren't such a planner sometimes! I worry about whether I'll like my doctor, whether they'll follow our birth plan, about breast feeding, whether I'll have everything I need, whether I'll go into labor during one of Nic's shifts (if that were the case, he would still have to finish his shift), about pleasing all of our families, and to top it all off- WE'LL BE MOVING LESS THAN A MONTH AFTER SHE'S BORN. So there's still all of the house stuff to think about. After the normal day of battling the end of the year craziness with 14-year-olds and thinking about all of these personal things, I could just come home and CRASH. But of course, when I try to sleep I can't... because I'm 9 months pregnant.
I guess this turned into more of a vent session than I was intending. There's just a LOT going on right now, and sometimes I feel sad about that. There are times when I wish we could just be "normal" and JUST worry about having a baby, and NOTHING ELSE! I know that a few months from now, when we're safe and settled into our new house in Virginia, none of this will seem as big of a deal. I'm confident, though, that I'll be happy it's over.
I have to admit... I'll be happy for Audra to be able to claim San Antonio as her birth city. I've only been those few times, but I've already decided that it's a pretty rad place to be.
How far along: 37 weeks on Monday
How big is baby: She should weigh somewhere around 6 lbs. right now, and be about a foot and a half (18 in.) long.
Labor Status: Dilated to a 1! Who knew?!?
Belly position: She's dropped a little bit and instead of feeling her mostly in my middle region, I feel her way lower, like UNDER my belly button. I hear this will continue until she basically feels like a bowling ball between my legs. Lovely.
As far as her positioning inside my body, her head is down and her legs are up, more toward my right side.
Maternity clothes: I pretty much feel like I wear the same things over and over... well, because I DO! I wish I had more $ to have a large maternity wardrobe. The only light in this tunnel is that here in a few months I should hopefully no longer need these wardrobe pieces.
Movement: Moving all the time! I've noticed her movements change a bit. Now, instead of just kicking or flailing her hands and arms around, she's been pushing OUT. I think she's getting a little cramped in there! Sometimes she'll push straight up (into my ribs) or straight down (into my bladder), but the FUN ones to watch are when she pushes straight out on my stomach.
She still gets hiccups at least twice a day, usually 3 times. Earlier in the week, she had hiccups so hard that my name tag at work (which hangs on a lanyard) was moving from her hiccups. I pointed it out to a few kids and now I hear them tell someone about it almost every day. They thought that was just so cool! :)
Exercise: Only two times this week. Like I said, it was sort of a stressful week. Pretty sure my heart rate rose enough for me to just say I worked out 3 times. :)
What I'm loving: The fact that there are only 2 WEEKS left of school! I'll miss my colleagues, but MAN will it be nice to have school checked off the list and be able to focus on Audra and her birth.
Oh, ANNNNND baby shower #3 is TOMORROW! Once again, another exciting thing that I looked forward to on the calendar is HERE! Can't wait to see all of the cute, fun things that Nic's mom and aunt put together. They are quite wonderful. :)
What I'm NOT loving: All of the things swirling around in my head! I'm so ready for some peace and for things to be calm. Funny... I remember when things were so calm and peaceful, I would wish for SOMETHING to stir things up just a bit. And now I'm taking it back... give me peace, give me calm, give me low-stress & happiness!
I'm also not loving the fact that I feel sort of like a beached whale. I'm the largest I've ever been in my whole entire life. It's weird to picture myself in my head then see this other person in the mirror. This would make an interesting psychological study, come to think of it. ...I'm just not used to this body. I want ME back!
What I miss: My husband being mine, all mine, and not having to share him with the Air Force. But that's not changing any time soon. I miss good sleep, too.
I think Virginia Beach on a few of Nic's days off will be a MUST. Some R & R will do us good.
Hopefully your lives are a little more stable and less stressful at this moment!
Love you all!
Shortly after that post, Nic got his schedule that tells him his days off for the remainder of his program. He was quite disheartened when he saw that he's scheduled to work 3 days immediately after Audra's due date. Not only that, BUT he also had hardly any time to come home and see us because the scheduler had failed to give him extra hours like Nic had requested. He was super bummed about that, and even more bummed that other people in his program were up to 2 shifts ahead of schedule without having asked for that. We knew his program leaders weren't being the most accommodating when it came to giving him time off for Audra's birth, but once the schedule was set it seemed to be even worse than we had originally thought.
We had many a tearful conversation seriously considering what it would be like for me to give birth without him here. I KNOW that military wives do this all the time. And I KNOW it wouldn't be the end of the world. But ALSO, my husband is only 6 hours away! And I'd heard multiple times how the Air Force tries its darndest to be family friendly. ...I just wasn't seeing it. They weren't going to let him out of a shift should I go into labor while he worked, and they were pretty adamant that he had to be at other required things the week of her due date and following weeks as well. In my mind, them saying they're trying to be more family friendly then refusing to work with him on his schedule was just plain unacceptable.
I'm not trying to bad mouth them. I'm sure there is a perfectly legitimate reason. I just don't think that I agree with that reason. My poor husband was nearly in tears with the thought of not being here and feeling helpless to change that-- all the while, being in the same state and perfectly capable of transportation.
At my appointment on Thursday, my doctor asked if I'd ever considered delivering in San Antonio. My initial reaction was a solid, unwavering NO. I believe my words were, "I mean, we can talk about it, but I really don't think that's something we're interested in." We have a doctor we love, a birthing center I'm in love with, great nurses, friends, family ALL HERE. So why would I leave that?
BECAUSE HE'S MY HUSBAND AND AUDRA'S DAD.
No matter how many pros about here I can think of, or how many cons to being there that I can think of, the fact that I LOVE HIM and I can't imagine going through something so major without him outweighs them all. He's the only person in the world that I think I would be ok with making whatever weird labor faces I'll make... whatever animalistic noises (I hear that happens) may come out, whatever nasty ...leakage... happens, or WHATEVER else there is... I'd be ok with him seeing that. I know this man loves me, and I feel comfortable enough for him to see that, by my side. Not only comfortable enough... I WANT him by my side!
So it looks like if Audra can hold off until the 26th, I'll be heading to San Antonio to wait out her delivery. I've heard and read really great things about their new birthing center (opened in Oct.), and am hoping to get a few good recommendations on doctors there. We'll have to get an appointment scheduled for as soon as I get into town, but other than that, I think everything will come together quite easily. The thought of Nic not having to travel back and forth between us and SA, and the thought of him coming "home" to us after his shifts/classes/whatever makes my heart so happy. It's going to be stressful getting there. And it's going to be stressful delivering there, especially after having acquainted myself so well with UMC and the UMC staff. But, like I said, being with him is the most important thing (besides a healthy baby, obviously).
I have to admit, this has all been pretty hard to me. SO MUCH TO THINK ABOUT! I try to remember to put my worries in God's hands and remember that He has a plan that will work out beautifully. I've just always had trouble with trusting in that. I wish I weren't such a planner sometimes! I worry about whether I'll like my doctor, whether they'll follow our birth plan, about breast feeding, whether I'll have everything I need, whether I'll go into labor during one of Nic's shifts (if that were the case, he would still have to finish his shift), about pleasing all of our families, and to top it all off- WE'LL BE MOVING LESS THAN A MONTH AFTER SHE'S BORN. So there's still all of the house stuff to think about. After the normal day of battling the end of the year craziness with 14-year-olds and thinking about all of these personal things, I could just come home and CRASH. But of course, when I try to sleep I can't... because I'm 9 months pregnant.
I guess this turned into more of a vent session than I was intending. There's just a LOT going on right now, and sometimes I feel sad about that. There are times when I wish we could just be "normal" and JUST worry about having a baby, and NOTHING ELSE! I know that a few months from now, when we're safe and settled into our new house in Virginia, none of this will seem as big of a deal. I'm confident, though, that I'll be happy it's over.
I have to admit... I'll be happy for Audra to be able to claim San Antonio as her birth city. I've only been those few times, but I've already decided that it's a pretty rad place to be.
How far along: 37 weeks on Monday
How big is baby: She should weigh somewhere around 6 lbs. right now, and be about a foot and a half (18 in.) long.
Labor Status: Dilated to a 1! Who knew?!?
Belly position: She's dropped a little bit and instead of feeling her mostly in my middle region, I feel her way lower, like UNDER my belly button. I hear this will continue until she basically feels like a bowling ball between my legs. Lovely.
As far as her positioning inside my body, her head is down and her legs are up, more toward my right side.
Maternity clothes: I pretty much feel like I wear the same things over and over... well, because I DO! I wish I had more $ to have a large maternity wardrobe. The only light in this tunnel is that here in a few months I should hopefully no longer need these wardrobe pieces.
Movement: Moving all the time! I've noticed her movements change a bit. Now, instead of just kicking or flailing her hands and arms around, she's been pushing OUT. I think she's getting a little cramped in there! Sometimes she'll push straight up (into my ribs) or straight down (into my bladder), but the FUN ones to watch are when she pushes straight out on my stomach.
She still gets hiccups at least twice a day, usually 3 times. Earlier in the week, she had hiccups so hard that my name tag at work (which hangs on a lanyard) was moving from her hiccups. I pointed it out to a few kids and now I hear them tell someone about it almost every day. They thought that was just so cool! :)
Exercise: Only two times this week. Like I said, it was sort of a stressful week. Pretty sure my heart rate rose enough for me to just say I worked out 3 times. :)
What I'm loving: The fact that there are only 2 WEEKS left of school! I'll miss my colleagues, but MAN will it be nice to have school checked off the list and be able to focus on Audra and her birth.
Oh, ANNNNND baby shower #3 is TOMORROW! Once again, another exciting thing that I looked forward to on the calendar is HERE! Can't wait to see all of the cute, fun things that Nic's mom and aunt put together. They are quite wonderful. :)
What I'm NOT loving: All of the things swirling around in my head! I'm so ready for some peace and for things to be calm. Funny... I remember when things were so calm and peaceful, I would wish for SOMETHING to stir things up just a bit. And now I'm taking it back... give me peace, give me calm, give me low-stress & happiness!
I'm also not loving the fact that I feel sort of like a beached whale. I'm the largest I've ever been in my whole entire life. It's weird to picture myself in my head then see this other person in the mirror. This would make an interesting psychological study, come to think of it. ...I'm just not used to this body. I want ME back!
What I miss: My husband being mine, all mine, and not having to share him with the Air Force. But that's not changing any time soon. I miss good sleep, too.
I think Virginia Beach on a few of Nic's days off will be a MUST. Some R & R will do us good.
Hopefully your lives are a little more stable and less stressful at this moment!
Love you all!
Monday, May 7, 2012
A Happy Heart [36 weeks]
I just had a WONDERFUL weekend with my handsome husband! He had a few days off from his clinicals so he was able to come home and meet me here on Friday evening. Here's a quick recap of my weekend and all the reasons I loved it:
Friday
After school, I went to get a pedicure since we were having pictures taken Saturday morning (the fact that my toes didn't even show b/c I was wearing heels is beside the point). Everything about this month-- the weather, the fact that there are 3 weeks left of school, the fact that the pool is open-- is screaming SUMMER! I opted for a bright pink with teal polka dots. For now, my summer is living on my toes. :)
THE HUSBAND: As if this even needs an explanation... every time I see his sweet smiley face and feel his arms around me, my heart melts and all is right in the world. He gave me my first Mother's Day present!!! Since he won't be here next weekend, he made sure it happened early. It consisted of a really precious card and then a Willow People figurine of a couple with their new baby. The title of it is Our Gift. My mom had gotten us one with a man and his pregnant wife, so this that he got me for Mother's Day was PERFECT! I know our Audra isn't quite here yet, but it's not too much longer! I cried happy tears and we sat in love until we were too hungry to sit any longer. :-D We ate at Cancun then watched TV in bed while I fell asleep (we were both pretty tired as he had just worked a night shift and... well... I'm about 9 months pregnant).
I felt like a giddy little school girl with my husband's presence near me for the rest of the weekend.
Saturday
The same lady that's taking Audra's newborn pics (Lynette Reeves with Only Imagine Photography) also took our maternity pictures. It was great to meet her, and I cannot WAIT to see what she did! We took them in two locations: 1) at the Veteran's Memorial where my dad swore Nic in as an AF officer, and then 2) at a local park where there are lots of trees and a pretty playa lake with a fountain. I'm thinking they'll look pretty sweet!
The rest of Saturday was spent doing CrossFit, finally eating Chipotle again (for some reason the thought of it made me nauseous for months), having dinner with his parents and taking home the baby clothes his mom washed. (She's pretty awesome, btw.)
Sunday
Sunday was our day of relaxation. We slept WAY in, watched a podcast from church, lounged some more then did a bit of shopping. I was able to get some foam paper to use as separators for Audra's clothes, a maternity swimsuit, and Nic got some classic children's stories he'd seen at Barnes & Noble (we got The Secret Garden and A Little Princess). I'm in love with the fact that he wants to read to her SO BADLY. I simply cannot wait to witness this! Almost too much cuteness for one heart to handle.
Nic helped me fine sort the baby clothes (his mom had pretty much already done this) and we got the separators in their spots. Looks good, don't you think?
After that, the only bad things about this weekend happened... and within minutes of each other: Nic left, then the garage door broke. Boo and boo again. I said my goodbyes and then shut the garage as I went inside and heard a huge loud noise as soon as I was in the house. I looked and saw that one of the springs had snapped. Well, crap. We knew it needed to be looked at b/c the springs were loose and it was making weird noises, and finally the thing fell apart. So it's out of commission for a while... hopefully our landlord will have it looked at in the near future.
And before I leave, here's the update:
How far along: 36 weeks tomorrow! 4 weeks till our due date!!!
How big is baby: Weighs about 5 lbs. now! And holy moly can I tell! ;)
Maternity clothes: Just bought a maternity swimsuit today. I don't care if those cute skinny college girls stare at my huge belly... it's HOT outside and I WANT TO SWIM! :) And plus my friend Kristine goes and she's pretty pregnant too, so it'll just be a little preggo party out there for us.
Sleep: Not good. I did make a new arrangement in which I sleep inclined and also with a pillow between my knees. This helps keep my hips from falling asleep, but it's a hassle to turn over since you have to move the pillow, move your belly, etc. I don't think I go more than 1 sleep cycle (about 1.5 hrs) without waking up. Yuck.
Movement: She's our little mover! I love it! Actually, yesterday was kind of a milestone in her movement: she actually hurt me! Her head is down and her feet are up, slanted to my right. She stretched and kicked my right rib right in the bone. I've heard of this happening, but her strength and sneakiness was startling. And we still have a whole month left.
When she's fully stretched out, which she does every now and then, I feel like her head is down past my hip bones and her feet are all the way up by my ribs. It amazes me how BIG she is! She's been pressing out more lately and I can actually feel her little feet if I put my hand under my ribs. If she curls her legs up extra, I can tell where they are. Sometimes when she stretches, her head (or hand) goes right into my bladder area and it's the most sudden insane urge to use the bathroom I've ever experienced to this point. Usually she'll stay that stretched out for only a few seconds, then she'll move back to where she was and the feeling will go away. I guess it's getting pretty cramped in there!
She gets the hiccups multiple times a day. It's fun for me to feel her rhythmic movements. It's fun to let other people feel those, too, since I know she can't stop them. :) Last night when I was sleeping she had them SO HARD that it was jolting my whole body. I was dreaming while this was happening, and I was telling someone in my dream that Audra was hiccuping and having them feel my stomach. Then I woke up and realized it was happening for real. It was kind of funny. She got them again later in the morning and again after we ate lunch. 3 times a day isn't uncommon for the hiccups; for us anyway.
Belly-button: An innie that is sticking out. You'll get to see it when the maternity pics are up.
Exercise: 4 times this past week. Woot woot! Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday. So easy & so quick, but it's something.
What I'm loving: The countdown! I've always been told + or - 2 weeks from the due date... so realistically, she could come in only 2 weeks! I can't believe how fast it's going by!
What I'm NOT loving: Not having a nursery. I had another little pity party moment there earlier in the month because so many of my friends are posting pics of their cute nurseries as they prepare for their babies. And they're due AFTER me. I've got a guest room with a bunch of baby stuff not at all in its place (except for the clothes). The crib isn't set up (and won't be until after we move), we've got no bedding and no decorations for the walls. I know all of this will fall into place VERY quickly after we get to Virginia... I just wish I could do it now. I'm ready to nest her room into perfection but I can't. My mom keeps telling me to keep my head up, that she'll help me get it all settled once we get to Virginia, and I fully believe her. So for now, I just stare at everything while I blow dry my hair in the mornings. I can't wait for her to have her own space.
What I miss: My husband, of course. Being able to bend over. Rolling over without using my hands and feet to propel me. Breathing like normal. Running errands without feeling like I ran a marathon (not that I ever have, but I can imagine).
That's all, and according to Nic, it's past my bedtime. Haha. Goodnight!
Friday
After school, I went to get a pedicure since we were having pictures taken Saturday morning (the fact that my toes didn't even show b/c I was wearing heels is beside the point). Everything about this month-- the weather, the fact that there are 3 weeks left of school, the fact that the pool is open-- is screaming SUMMER! I opted for a bright pink with teal polka dots. For now, my summer is living on my toes. :)
THE HUSBAND: As if this even needs an explanation... every time I see his sweet smiley face and feel his arms around me, my heart melts and all is right in the world. He gave me my first Mother's Day present!!! Since he won't be here next weekend, he made sure it happened early. It consisted of a really precious card and then a Willow People figurine of a couple with their new baby. The title of it is Our Gift. My mom had gotten us one with a man and his pregnant wife, so this that he got me for Mother's Day was PERFECT! I know our Audra isn't quite here yet, but it's not too much longer! I cried happy tears and we sat in love until we were too hungry to sit any longer. :-D We ate at Cancun then watched TV in bed while I fell asleep (we were both pretty tired as he had just worked a night shift and... well... I'm about 9 months pregnant).
I felt like a giddy little school girl with my husband's presence near me for the rest of the weekend.
The same lady that's taking Audra's newborn pics (Lynette Reeves with Only Imagine Photography) also took our maternity pictures. It was great to meet her, and I cannot WAIT to see what she did! We took them in two locations: 1) at the Veteran's Memorial where my dad swore Nic in as an AF officer, and then 2) at a local park where there are lots of trees and a pretty playa lake with a fountain. I'm thinking they'll look pretty sweet!
The rest of Saturday was spent doing CrossFit, finally eating Chipotle again (for some reason the thought of it made me nauseous for months), having dinner with his parents and taking home the baby clothes his mom washed. (She's pretty awesome, btw.)
Sunday
Sunday was our day of relaxation. We slept WAY in, watched a podcast from church, lounged some more then did a bit of shopping. I was able to get some foam paper to use as separators for Audra's clothes, a maternity swimsuit, and Nic got some classic children's stories he'd seen at Barnes & Noble (we got The Secret Garden and A Little Princess). I'm in love with the fact that he wants to read to her SO BADLY. I simply cannot wait to witness this! Almost too much cuteness for one heart to handle.
Nic helped me fine sort the baby clothes (his mom had pretty much already done this) and we got the separators in their spots. Looks good, don't you think?
After that, the only bad things about this weekend happened... and within minutes of each other: Nic left, then the garage door broke. Boo and boo again. I said my goodbyes and then shut the garage as I went inside and heard a huge loud noise as soon as I was in the house. I looked and saw that one of the springs had snapped. Well, crap. We knew it needed to be looked at b/c the springs were loose and it was making weird noises, and finally the thing fell apart. So it's out of commission for a while... hopefully our landlord will have it looked at in the near future.
And before I leave, here's the update:
How far along: 36 weeks tomorrow! 4 weeks till our due date!!!
How big is baby: Weighs about 5 lbs. now! And holy moly can I tell! ;)
Maternity clothes: Just bought a maternity swimsuit today. I don't care if those cute skinny college girls stare at my huge belly... it's HOT outside and I WANT TO SWIM! :) And plus my friend Kristine goes and she's pretty pregnant too, so it'll just be a little preggo party out there for us.
Sleep: Not good. I did make a new arrangement in which I sleep inclined and also with a pillow between my knees. This helps keep my hips from falling asleep, but it's a hassle to turn over since you have to move the pillow, move your belly, etc. I don't think I go more than 1 sleep cycle (about 1.5 hrs) without waking up. Yuck.
Movement: She's our little mover! I love it! Actually, yesterday was kind of a milestone in her movement: she actually hurt me! Her head is down and her feet are up, slanted to my right. She stretched and kicked my right rib right in the bone. I've heard of this happening, but her strength and sneakiness was startling. And we still have a whole month left.
When she's fully stretched out, which she does every now and then, I feel like her head is down past my hip bones and her feet are all the way up by my ribs. It amazes me how BIG she is! She's been pressing out more lately and I can actually feel her little feet if I put my hand under my ribs. If she curls her legs up extra, I can tell where they are. Sometimes when she stretches, her head (or hand) goes right into my bladder area and it's the most sudden insane urge to use the bathroom I've ever experienced to this point. Usually she'll stay that stretched out for only a few seconds, then she'll move back to where she was and the feeling will go away. I guess it's getting pretty cramped in there!
She gets the hiccups multiple times a day. It's fun for me to feel her rhythmic movements. It's fun to let other people feel those, too, since I know she can't stop them. :) Last night when I was sleeping she had them SO HARD that it was jolting my whole body. I was dreaming while this was happening, and I was telling someone in my dream that Audra was hiccuping and having them feel my stomach. Then I woke up and realized it was happening for real. It was kind of funny. She got them again later in the morning and again after we ate lunch. 3 times a day isn't uncommon for the hiccups; for us anyway.
Belly-button: An innie that is sticking out. You'll get to see it when the maternity pics are up.
Exercise: 4 times this past week. Woot woot! Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday. So easy & so quick, but it's something.
What I'm loving: The countdown! I've always been told + or - 2 weeks from the due date... so realistically, she could come in only 2 weeks! I can't believe how fast it's going by!
What I'm NOT loving: Not having a nursery. I had another little pity party moment there earlier in the month because so many of my friends are posting pics of their cute nurseries as they prepare for their babies. And they're due AFTER me. I've got a guest room with a bunch of baby stuff not at all in its place (except for the clothes). The crib isn't set up (and won't be until after we move), we've got no bedding and no decorations for the walls. I know all of this will fall into place VERY quickly after we get to Virginia... I just wish I could do it now. I'm ready to nest her room into perfection but I can't. My mom keeps telling me to keep my head up, that she'll help me get it all settled once we get to Virginia, and I fully believe her. So for now, I just stare at everything while I blow dry my hair in the mornings. I can't wait for her to have her own space.
What I miss: My husband, of course. Being able to bend over. Rolling over without using my hands and feet to propel me. Breathing like normal. Running errands without feeling like I ran a marathon (not that I ever have, but I can imagine).
That's all, and according to Nic, it's past my bedtime. Haha. Goodnight!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Oops... [34 weeks]
Things these past few weekends have been quite hectic, as I may have mentioned in the last post. Nic is currently at Lackland AFB in San Antonio for the Nurse Transition Program, and I've been going to see him pretty much every chance I've gotten. San Antonio is only about 6 hours away, and the drive is actually quite scenic (at least during the half closest to San Antonio). The first time I drove all the way by myself was particularly eventful. I was embarrassed and shameful to talk about it at the time, but it could really happen to anyone, so I'm ready to write about it now.
It was toward the beginning of this month, I was leaving on a Thursday afternoon since we had Good Friday off from school. I was hoping to hit the road around 4:45, but I had a doctor's appt at 4:15 and they happened to be running behind (not usually the case), so it was shortly after 5 by the time I hit the highway.
Things were going really well there for quite a while. I was stopping to use the restroom when I felt like I needed; I was jamming to my jams, talking [using hands free] to my peeps... I was really focused on the directions Nic had given me. I knew that coming up very shortly would be a highway change. It wasn't just a highway change; it was the change that basically meant I was getting really close and it wouldn't be too much longer until I got to him. By this time, I'd been driving for over 4 hours and I felt good! I was almost to my man, and we'd be spending the WHOLE WEEKEND together! Shortly after I made the highway switch, a little light came on... ya... the GAS LIGHT. But no biggie... Nic and I had been (unfortunately) in the habit of letting that happen in the past (in the city though, not on road trips), so I knew that I could drive a while and get to a gas station. As the light caught my eye, I took notice that I was passing a gas station, but I wasn't too concerned; I knew I had quite a while before I ran out. Right? Wrong. I'm sure as smart as you are, you've already figured out that I ran out of gas. Seriously, I went over 40 miles with NO GAS STATIONS. WHAT KIND OF HIGHWAY PLANNER DOES THAT? Anyway, the speed limit was a whopping 80 mph, so my 1st concern was just getting off the highway before someone plowed me from behind. So I got off the highway very quickly, and then realized I should have gotten even further off the highway. I'm feelin' pretty nervous about how close I am to the white line (I had about 3 or so feet between me and the line), but of course I can't move since I have no gas.
I call Nic to come rescue me (which he was very sweet about, considering I was more than an hour from him) and he advises me to stay in the car. The last thing he wanted was his little pregnant wife to be standing on the side of the highway in the dark. So I stay in my car, all the while it's rocking as semi's are passing and I'm thinking, man... I'm pretty freakin' close to the road; PLEASE GOD KEEP ME SAFE!!! I called my parents to update them (since I would not be arriving at my ETA). (Anyone else STILL have to call their parents on long road trips? Yes, I think it's a little silly, too, but to them I'm still small I guess. Even though I'm 27.) Being on the phone with my parents was just bad timing, because I think the following event would have been less dramatic if I were just able to tell them about it. But we happened to be on the phone when this happened: a semi came so close to me it knocked of my driver side mirror. I mean GONE; pieces in the road. Of course it scared the bejeezus out of me so I screamed, and my parents probably thought I'd been hit in a much more major way. Of course it wasn't that bad... but it's scary to think how darn close I kind of came to it! Just a few more feet over and that would have been it for me and little Audra. But God obviously has other plans.
So my parents insisted that I call 911 and get a policeman out there so the flashing lights could help with visibility. I'm not sure why I didn't think of that before. So I called, and they came, and Nic finally came and gave me some gas and we were on our way to finally arrive in San Antonio for bed around 1:30.
The rest of the weekend I was quite shaken by the whole ordeal. Just, you know, frazzled from a semi being feet away from taking my life. And with the whole broken mirror thing came the fact that I got to drive all over San Antonio (a quite large and unfamiliar city to me) to get my mirror replaced (you know, since I don't want to drive 6 hours back home without a mirror). But in the end, the mirror was fixed, I was with Nic, I was fine, Audra was fine and we were able to just count our blessings that it wasn't worse.
I really feel like the worst part of it all is how incapable it made me seem. I have never NEVER run out of gas in my entire life! Between Nic and I, I'm always the one to say that we need to get gas. I like to think of myself as pretty responsible, confident and capable of doing what I want and need to do. Which is why running out of gas on the side of the highway and then stopping close to the white line seems like such an idiot thing to do. Of course, the rest of the weekend my parents and Nic's parents are calling to check on me (particularly on the drive home) and are asking about my gas levels and how everything was working, etc. I felt the need to iterate to all who were concerned that it was just a really REALLY dumb thing that happened. Because dumb things of that magnitude aren't so typical of me. Now dumb things of a smaller magnitude (like losing my keys in my own classroom or forgetting whether I printed something so I print it 4 times) I am more than fine with owning up to. But that time... that was just embarrassing. SO, moral of the story: pay attention to your gas, and even smart people run out of gas. And it doesn't make you less smart or less capable if you DO run out of gas; it just makes you feel dumb.
So it was a big, sincere "ooops" moment. Glad things are finally getting back to normal. :-)
A QUICK UPDATE:
How far along: 34 weeks
How big is baby: weighs about 4.75 lbs. now (about as much as a cantaloupe)!
Sleep: I wake up 1-2 times a night to use the bathroom, but many more from discomfort. My hips are the main problem; they fall asleep and seem to stay asleep, even after I've taken the pressure off. Grrrr!
Movement: She's quite the little mover! The kids can even see my belly move when I'm teaching in front of the class, which is kind of funny. I had read about baby hiccups, but hadn't experienced them until these last few weeks. Now I feel like she gets them almost daily. I can tell they're hiccups because she doesn't really move all that much if I try to feel her except when I feel her hiccup. It feels just like a little bump, very rhythmic and constant. I was surprised at how quick they are. I'd say she hiccups once every 5-10 seconds. I feel like as a grown human, I hiccup once every 20-30 seconds. It's fun to feel her move. I'm loving this part!
Belly-button: Still an innie that's squishy feeling- what I would think an outtie would feel like. Someday I'll take a picture and post it, but not today.
Exercise: Only 2 times last week, but 3 times the week before and this week will be 3 or 4 as well. I'm still doing crossfitmom (from crossfitmom.com) and am now doing the "Beginner" workouts so I'm sure to give little Audra enough of what she needs to keep growing and moving.
What I'm loving: The countdown! The movements! That most people are SO nice to pregnant ladies! I feel like I'm getting waited on hand and food quite often; but I'm not so used to that. It still feels kind of awkward to me to just have people doing all these things for me. But I'll take it!
What I'm NOT loving: That things are seriously getting a bit hard around here. Even just sitting. My stomach kind of rests on my legs, which is not comfortable for breathing. But I don't want to be nasty and spread my legs to let my stomach hang through... (sigh) Standing, particularly standing still, and also walking-- especially in heat-- are all pretty difficult.
I'm also not loving all the sweets I'm craving. I've never been a sweets fanatic till Audra and now I just can't get enough. Anyone who knows me well knows I have a thing about teeth, and I always want my teeth to feel clean... and all of these sweets just make my mouth feel pretty gross. I hope this trend goes away after birth.
What I miss: Life as I knew it: 1) working out like I mean it, 2) eating hot dogs whenever I want, 3) bending over comfortably, 4) sitting comfortably, 5) filling my lungs all the way up when I breath, 6) recognizing the body in the mirror, 7) laying out without concern of overheating the baby and concern for strange tan/burns due to pregnancy-related skin sensitivity, 8) iced tea without worries...
I think that may be it for now. ;-)
As always, thanks for reading! Please let me know if you did so I know to keep up with these things! Love you all, and hope you're well!
It was toward the beginning of this month, I was leaving on a Thursday afternoon since we had Good Friday off from school. I was hoping to hit the road around 4:45, but I had a doctor's appt at 4:15 and they happened to be running behind (not usually the case), so it was shortly after 5 by the time I hit the highway.
Things were going really well there for quite a while. I was stopping to use the restroom when I felt like I needed; I was jamming to my jams, talking [using hands free] to my peeps... I was really focused on the directions Nic had given me. I knew that coming up very shortly would be a highway change. It wasn't just a highway change; it was the change that basically meant I was getting really close and it wouldn't be too much longer until I got to him. By this time, I'd been driving for over 4 hours and I felt good! I was almost to my man, and we'd be spending the WHOLE WEEKEND together! Shortly after I made the highway switch, a little light came on... ya... the GAS LIGHT. But no biggie... Nic and I had been (unfortunately) in the habit of letting that happen in the past (in the city though, not on road trips), so I knew that I could drive a while and get to a gas station. As the light caught my eye, I took notice that I was passing a gas station, but I wasn't too concerned; I knew I had quite a while before I ran out. Right? Wrong. I'm sure as smart as you are, you've already figured out that I ran out of gas. Seriously, I went over 40 miles with NO GAS STATIONS. WHAT KIND OF HIGHWAY PLANNER DOES THAT? Anyway, the speed limit was a whopping 80 mph, so my 1st concern was just getting off the highway before someone plowed me from behind. So I got off the highway very quickly, and then realized I should have gotten even further off the highway. I'm feelin' pretty nervous about how close I am to the white line (I had about 3 or so feet between me and the line), but of course I can't move since I have no gas.
I call Nic to come rescue me (which he was very sweet about, considering I was more than an hour from him) and he advises me to stay in the car. The last thing he wanted was his little pregnant wife to be standing on the side of the highway in the dark. So I stay in my car, all the while it's rocking as semi's are passing and I'm thinking, man... I'm pretty freakin' close to the road; PLEASE GOD KEEP ME SAFE!!! I called my parents to update them (since I would not be arriving at my ETA). (Anyone else STILL have to call their parents on long road trips? Yes, I think it's a little silly, too, but to them I'm still small I guess. Even though I'm 27.) Being on the phone with my parents was just bad timing, because I think the following event would have been less dramatic if I were just able to tell them about it. But we happened to be on the phone when this happened: a semi came so close to me it knocked of my driver side mirror. I mean GONE; pieces in the road. Of course it scared the bejeezus out of me so I screamed, and my parents probably thought I'd been hit in a much more major way. Of course it wasn't that bad... but it's scary to think how darn close I kind of came to it! Just a few more feet over and that would have been it for me and little Audra. But God obviously has other plans.
So my parents insisted that I call 911 and get a policeman out there so the flashing lights could help with visibility. I'm not sure why I didn't think of that before. So I called, and they came, and Nic finally came and gave me some gas and we were on our way to finally arrive in San Antonio for bed around 1:30.
The rest of the weekend I was quite shaken by the whole ordeal. Just, you know, frazzled from a semi being feet away from taking my life. And with the whole broken mirror thing came the fact that I got to drive all over San Antonio (a quite large and unfamiliar city to me) to get my mirror replaced (you know, since I don't want to drive 6 hours back home without a mirror). But in the end, the mirror was fixed, I was with Nic, I was fine, Audra was fine and we were able to just count our blessings that it wasn't worse.
I really feel like the worst part of it all is how incapable it made me seem. I have never NEVER run out of gas in my entire life! Between Nic and I, I'm always the one to say that we need to get gas. I like to think of myself as pretty responsible, confident and capable of doing what I want and need to do. Which is why running out of gas on the side of the highway and then stopping close to the white line seems like such an idiot thing to do. Of course, the rest of the weekend my parents and Nic's parents are calling to check on me (particularly on the drive home) and are asking about my gas levels and how everything was working, etc. I felt the need to iterate to all who were concerned that it was just a really REALLY dumb thing that happened. Because dumb things of that magnitude aren't so typical of me. Now dumb things of a smaller magnitude (like losing my keys in my own classroom or forgetting whether I printed something so I print it 4 times) I am more than fine with owning up to. But that time... that was just embarrassing. SO, moral of the story: pay attention to your gas, and even smart people run out of gas. And it doesn't make you less smart or less capable if you DO run out of gas; it just makes you feel dumb.
So it was a big, sincere "ooops" moment. Glad things are finally getting back to normal. :-)
A QUICK UPDATE:
How far along: 34 weeks
How big is baby: weighs about 4.75 lbs. now (about as much as a cantaloupe)!
Sleep: I wake up 1-2 times a night to use the bathroom, but many more from discomfort. My hips are the main problem; they fall asleep and seem to stay asleep, even after I've taken the pressure off. Grrrr!
Movement: She's quite the little mover! The kids can even see my belly move when I'm teaching in front of the class, which is kind of funny. I had read about baby hiccups, but hadn't experienced them until these last few weeks. Now I feel like she gets them almost daily. I can tell they're hiccups because she doesn't really move all that much if I try to feel her except when I feel her hiccup. It feels just like a little bump, very rhythmic and constant. I was surprised at how quick they are. I'd say she hiccups once every 5-10 seconds. I feel like as a grown human, I hiccup once every 20-30 seconds. It's fun to feel her move. I'm loving this part!
Belly-button: Still an innie that's squishy feeling- what I would think an outtie would feel like. Someday I'll take a picture and post it, but not today.
Exercise: Only 2 times last week, but 3 times the week before and this week will be 3 or 4 as well. I'm still doing crossfitmom (from crossfitmom.com) and am now doing the "Beginner" workouts so I'm sure to give little Audra enough of what she needs to keep growing and moving.
What I'm loving: The countdown! The movements! That most people are SO nice to pregnant ladies! I feel like I'm getting waited on hand and food quite often; but I'm not so used to that. It still feels kind of awkward to me to just have people doing all these things for me. But I'll take it!
What I'm NOT loving: That things are seriously getting a bit hard around here. Even just sitting. My stomach kind of rests on my legs, which is not comfortable for breathing. But I don't want to be nasty and spread my legs to let my stomach hang through... (sigh) Standing, particularly standing still, and also walking-- especially in heat-- are all pretty difficult.
I'm also not loving all the sweets I'm craving. I've never been a sweets fanatic till Audra and now I just can't get enough. Anyone who knows me well knows I have a thing about teeth, and I always want my teeth to feel clean... and all of these sweets just make my mouth feel pretty gross. I hope this trend goes away after birth.
What I miss: Life as I knew it: 1) working out like I mean it, 2) eating hot dogs whenever I want, 3) bending over comfortably, 4) sitting comfortably, 5) filling my lungs all the way up when I breath, 6) recognizing the body in the mirror, 7) laying out without concern of overheating the baby and concern for strange tan/burns due to pregnancy-related skin sensitivity, 8) iced tea without worries...
I think that may be it for now. ;-)
As always, thanks for reading! Please let me know if you did so I know to keep up with these things! Love you all, and hope you're well!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
So much to say, no time to say it! [32 weeks]
Well those weekly pregnancy updates obviously got pushed to the side. I wish I were better about getting on here and writing up things. But to be honest, when I have down time, I prefer to just RELAX. Truth be told, I've been going WEEKS without getting on my computer. Facebook on my phone has been my online social outlet, but even then it usually happens when I'm in public waiting on something.
All that being said, there's a lot to catch up on! I truly intended on each of these little things having their very own post, but alas, they do not. So here's what we've been up to:
THE TRIP TO VIRGINIA
We were fortunate enough to have the time and money to visit our future Air Force base in Virginia. I can't even describe to you how pumped we are to get there, now after seeing it with our own eyes. There's SO MUCH to do there! And it's green. AND there's an ocean! And ALSO a very awesome shopping area that reminds me a lot of Zona Rosa in Kansas City, which I always loved to visit. We made the decision while we were there to go ahead and keep our names on the wait list for the Air Force housing. We'll see what we get when it's moving time! We had way too much fun enjoying the bridge tunnel (at least I did) and admiring the views of the bay. Hard to believe that 3 months from now, we'll be there. Virginia, here we come!
THE HUSBAND LEAVES
Nic left around the beginning of March for his Commissioned Officer Training. They basically owned his life for the entire month of March. He was up at 4:30 and in bed around 11:30, and was both physically and mentally exhausted. He says he wasn't having fun (he said "fun" was the wrong word) but I think he did, and won't admit it. He still enjoys looking at his flight's Facebook page and stays in contact with his flight members.
As for my first taste of being the Air Force wife, forced to be alone without a husband- um... yea... it sucks. A lot. Nic and I are the type of couple that does nearly everything together. We were friends before we ever dated, and that has remained throughout our marriage. Once he was gone, I was just so SAD. I missed my friend! The first week was the hardest. I didn't even want to clean up things he'd left out because then the reminders of him living in our house would be gone. I cried. And THEN I got over it. I had my pity party, then I buckled up to try to make the best of it and tried to keep him in good spirits. I cleaned the house, sent him a care package, talked to him daily, thought of fun sexy things to make him smile while he was away, and it all worked out! It really did go by fast. And before I knew it, I was watching him graduate in Montgomery! (Which also meant I got to attend his fancy dining out, and got to meet his new friends. Ah, fun times.) :-) We also had the pleasure (seriously) of experiencing 18 hours in the car with Nic's parents. I'm honestly not being sarcastic here... Clark and Dendy are such fun people! It was a good time!
SPRING BREAK
A few weeks after Nic had been gone, school went on Spring Break. That was quite good timing for me-- right in the middle of his time away, which gave me some much wanted distractions and company. The highlight of my Spring Break (besides seeing my family, of course!) : The Missouri Baby Shower! My mom and my best friend, Rachelle, did a ridiculously FANTASTIC job of planning and prepping the shower. There was way more delicious food than necessary, the hugest diaper cake I'd ever seen, and a seemingly endless supply of generous gifts. I felt so blessed that day, to have all of those wonderful people in my life, loving me and loving Audra. I couldn't have imagined a more perfect shower. (And THANK YOU, again!) :-D
SCHOOL
It's hard to believe we're already in our last 6 week session! We've got it organized into a 2 week block, a STAAR testing week, then a 3 week block, then all of a sudden it's the last week of school! The days are going by so fast and I know it'll be here before we know it. This may seem so dumb for me to even mention, but if you all knew how long I'd been looking forward to the last day of school (pretty much as soon as I knew Audra would be coming around that time), then you'd know how important that day is to me. My heart is leaping with joy just knowing how quickly it'll get here!
THE BABY
Well, she's still cookin' away. I'm at week 32 now, so an update is beyond due! So for those who are interested:
How far along: 32 weeks
How big is baby: weighs about 4 lbs. now!
Maternity clothes: DEFINITELY went maternity shopping. These clothes changed my pregnant life! I wish we would all wear maternity clothes all.the.time! They're so comfortable! I should have done that a long time ago!
Sleep: No longer normal. I'm sleeping on my sides, as I'm supposed to, and my hips are constantly falling asleep-- and STAYING asleep! I wake up with my sides incredibly sore and the soreness barely wares off by the time I go to bed again. When I'm at home, I usually wake up only once for the bathroom (due to the TempurPedic putting less pressure on my bladder); when I sleep other places, I usually wake up about 3 times to use the bathroom. Audra doesn't wake me up, but when I roll over (again, due to the hip falling asleep), I feel her GINORMOUS kicks [which is actually kind of fun].
Gender: CANNOT WAIT TO MEET SWEET LITTLE AUDRA!!!
Movement: Movement, lol, how about ALMOST ALWAYS? It's so fun feeling her move around in there! I can tell she's getting so strong! Last night, I was sleeping on my side, with my arm kind of draped over my stomach, and she was kicking so hard she was moving my arm. It was crazy! There was a teeny little concern for a few days when she quit moving like crazy. She was moving, but not like the crazy mover I know her to be. So that worried me. I had a feeling it was connected with my workouts, and once I saw the doctor, my suspicions were confirmed. Basically, she's growing so quickly now that she needs a lot more from me than she ever needed before. My workouts (not all THAT intense, mind you) were stealing away the supplies she needed, so she was moving less to conserve her energy. Interesting, huh? I was advised to ease up on the workouts, and so I have. It feels like I'm doing hardly anything when I work out now, but... AH, the start of sacrificing for my little gal...
Belly-button: It's an innie, but it sticks out kind of (not plush with the rest of my rounded stomach). It's confusing to me, to tell you the truth. It doesn't LOOK weird, but it feels soft and I can push it in a little. Yet like I said, it's what we would all consider an "innie." Didn't anticipate this bellybutton weirdness.
Exercise: I've been sticking to my goal of 3 times a week, and I've been proud of it! I wish I could say my eating habits have reflected the healthy lifestyle, but that's not as much the case. I'm not going nutso like I was toward the beginning, but I'm not holding a whole lot back, either. I make sure I eat at least 1 pretty healthy meal a day so Audra gets some solid nutrients. But I also indulge in more ice cream now than I ever have in my life. Never really been a dessert fan until this pregnancy... and I kind of like it...
What I'm loving: The fact that she'll be here in less than 2 months!
What I'm NOT loving: Missing my husband. But trainings are over before we know it!
What I miss: Painting my toenails (but I DO love pedicures!), being able to take medicine, not waking up to pee, having a neat guest bedroom (which has been taken over by baby supplies... yet gifts are no reason to complain, I know!), having time to relax!
So there you have it! I'll try to be more regular with this, but I make no promises! As always, I hope this finds you and yours all very happy, healthy and well. Keep in touch! If you read, let me know so I don't feel like I'm just talking to cyber-space! :) Take care!
All that being said, there's a lot to catch up on! I truly intended on each of these little things having their very own post, but alas, they do not. So here's what we've been up to:
THE TRIP TO VIRGINIA
We were fortunate enough to have the time and money to visit our future Air Force base in Virginia. I can't even describe to you how pumped we are to get there, now after seeing it with our own eyes. There's SO MUCH to do there! And it's green. AND there's an ocean! And ALSO a very awesome shopping area that reminds me a lot of Zona Rosa in Kansas City, which I always loved to visit. We made the decision while we were there to go ahead and keep our names on the wait list for the Air Force housing. We'll see what we get when it's moving time! We had way too much fun enjoying the bridge tunnel (at least I did) and admiring the views of the bay. Hard to believe that 3 months from now, we'll be there. Virginia, here we come!
THE HUSBAND LEAVES
Nic left around the beginning of March for his Commissioned Officer Training. They basically owned his life for the entire month of March. He was up at 4:30 and in bed around 11:30, and was both physically and mentally exhausted. He says he wasn't having fun (he said "fun" was the wrong word) but I think he did, and won't admit it. He still enjoys looking at his flight's Facebook page and stays in contact with his flight members.
As for my first taste of being the Air Force wife, forced to be alone without a husband- um... yea... it sucks. A lot. Nic and I are the type of couple that does nearly everything together. We were friends before we ever dated, and that has remained throughout our marriage. Once he was gone, I was just so SAD. I missed my friend! The first week was the hardest. I didn't even want to clean up things he'd left out because then the reminders of him living in our house would be gone. I cried. And THEN I got over it. I had my pity party, then I buckled up to try to make the best of it and tried to keep him in good spirits. I cleaned the house, sent him a care package, talked to him daily, thought of fun sexy things to make him smile while he was away, and it all worked out! It really did go by fast. And before I knew it, I was watching him graduate in Montgomery! (Which also meant I got to attend his fancy dining out, and got to meet his new friends. Ah, fun times.) :-) We also had the pleasure (seriously) of experiencing 18 hours in the car with Nic's parents. I'm honestly not being sarcastic here... Clark and Dendy are such fun people! It was a good time!
SPRING BREAK
A few weeks after Nic had been gone, school went on Spring Break. That was quite good timing for me-- right in the middle of his time away, which gave me some much wanted distractions and company. The highlight of my Spring Break (besides seeing my family, of course!) : The Missouri Baby Shower! My mom and my best friend, Rachelle, did a ridiculously FANTASTIC job of planning and prepping the shower. There was way more delicious food than necessary, the hugest diaper cake I'd ever seen, and a seemingly endless supply of generous gifts. I felt so blessed that day, to have all of those wonderful people in my life, loving me and loving Audra. I couldn't have imagined a more perfect shower. (And THANK YOU, again!) :-D
SCHOOL
It's hard to believe we're already in our last 6 week session! We've got it organized into a 2 week block, a STAAR testing week, then a 3 week block, then all of a sudden it's the last week of school! The days are going by so fast and I know it'll be here before we know it. This may seem so dumb for me to even mention, but if you all knew how long I'd been looking forward to the last day of school (pretty much as soon as I knew Audra would be coming around that time), then you'd know how important that day is to me. My heart is leaping with joy just knowing how quickly it'll get here!
THE BABY
Well, she's still cookin' away. I'm at week 32 now, so an update is beyond due! So for those who are interested:
How far along: 32 weeks
How big is baby: weighs about 4 lbs. now!
Maternity clothes: DEFINITELY went maternity shopping. These clothes changed my pregnant life! I wish we would all wear maternity clothes all.the.time! They're so comfortable! I should have done that a long time ago!
Sleep: No longer normal. I'm sleeping on my sides, as I'm supposed to, and my hips are constantly falling asleep-- and STAYING asleep! I wake up with my sides incredibly sore and the soreness barely wares off by the time I go to bed again. When I'm at home, I usually wake up only once for the bathroom (due to the TempurPedic putting less pressure on my bladder); when I sleep other places, I usually wake up about 3 times to use the bathroom. Audra doesn't wake me up, but when I roll over (again, due to the hip falling asleep), I feel her GINORMOUS kicks [which is actually kind of fun].
Gender: CANNOT WAIT TO MEET SWEET LITTLE AUDRA!!!
Movement: Movement, lol, how about ALMOST ALWAYS? It's so fun feeling her move around in there! I can tell she's getting so strong! Last night, I was sleeping on my side, with my arm kind of draped over my stomach, and she was kicking so hard she was moving my arm. It was crazy! There was a teeny little concern for a few days when she quit moving like crazy. She was moving, but not like the crazy mover I know her to be. So that worried me. I had a feeling it was connected with my workouts, and once I saw the doctor, my suspicions were confirmed. Basically, she's growing so quickly now that she needs a lot more from me than she ever needed before. My workouts (not all THAT intense, mind you) were stealing away the supplies she needed, so she was moving less to conserve her energy. Interesting, huh? I was advised to ease up on the workouts, and so I have. It feels like I'm doing hardly anything when I work out now, but... AH, the start of sacrificing for my little gal...
Belly-button: It's an innie, but it sticks out kind of (not plush with the rest of my rounded stomach). It's confusing to me, to tell you the truth. It doesn't LOOK weird, but it feels soft and I can push it in a little. Yet like I said, it's what we would all consider an "innie." Didn't anticipate this bellybutton weirdness.
Exercise: I've been sticking to my goal of 3 times a week, and I've been proud of it! I wish I could say my eating habits have reflected the healthy lifestyle, but that's not as much the case. I'm not going nutso like I was toward the beginning, but I'm not holding a whole lot back, either. I make sure I eat at least 1 pretty healthy meal a day so Audra gets some solid nutrients. But I also indulge in more ice cream now than I ever have in my life. Never really been a dessert fan until this pregnancy... and I kind of like it...
What I'm loving: The fact that she'll be here in less than 2 months!
What I'm NOT loving: Missing my husband. But trainings are over before we know it!
What I miss: Painting my toenails (but I DO love pedicures!), being able to take medicine, not waking up to pee, having a neat guest bedroom (which has been taken over by baby supplies... yet gifts are no reason to complain, I know!), having time to relax!
So there you have it! I'll try to be more regular with this, but I make no promises! As always, I hope this finds you and yours all very happy, healthy and well. Keep in touch! If you read, let me know so I don't feel like I'm just talking to cyber-space! :) Take care!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
A trip in the works [22 weeks]
Today is Sunday, and on Thursday morning, we leave for a short little trip to HAMPTON, VIRGINIA (aka our future home)! Although this is not necessarily meant to be a "babymoon," I'm sure we'll find some fun non-Air Force things to do while we're out there. We have two plans as of now: 1) to watch the sun rise over the ocean (since it rises in the east), and 2) to check out the CrossFit gyms in the area (there are 3) to see which one(s) we like. If you have any suggestions as to what else we can do, please comment and tell me! We've never been there, thus the reason we're going. We want to see what the area has to offer before we roll up with our huge truck and a 1 month old in our arms. Of course, we're also excited to see the base and meet Nic's sponsor, and to see what housing is like. This little trip will help us visualize the move much easier. We'll be gone Thursday thru the following Monday (which means a lot of sub planning for me... yuck...) and we couldn't be more pumped! I'll update you with pictures and news when we get back.
********************************************
How far along: End of 22nd week (half way through the 6th month)
How big is baby: weighs about 1 lb., is about as long as a spaghetti squash
Maternity clothes: Still haven't found any pants my length, and have come to accept that I'll have to order them online. :( I've been very fond of my leggings and other elastic-y pants lately. Still sporting the Bella band along with using a rubber band/hair tie around the buttons of pants.
Sleep: Feels pretty normal! I wake up about the same amount as I did pre-pregnancy, and dream about as often as I did before, too. No complaints!
Gender: Still a girl! ;) It's been fun calling her by name and thinking of her as a little person and not just a dot in my belly.
Movement: Her movements no longer feel like a floppy fish... now they feel more like a large something thumping round in there. I can tell she's getting stronger by the day, and some of those movements surprise me! She'll be moving around nice and gently and then bam!- a hard one! Well... hard for teeny little her, anyway. It doesn't hurt at all (yet) and is quite fun to experience (as of now). I would tell Nic when she was moving, and would put his hand right where I could feel it but it seemed like every time he laid his hand down she would quit. :( ...Even though I'd just had my hand there 5 seconds earlier... So for my birthday, I had one real wish: that Nic would get to feel Audra move. And alas, when I woke up from my birthday nap I put his hand there and he felt her! That night, he felt her many more times. It was a really special moment for us, and was quite the highlight of my day. Before this week, she would move for only a few seconds at a time. Now, she'll move for hours at a time. I'm enjoying every minute!
Belly-button: Still a tightly stretched innie. And I still think it's cute. :)
Exercise: I met my goal this week of working out 3 times. Yay me! Here's what my workouts looked like:
Monday:
"Baby Desforges" [CrossFit workouts will sometimes have names]
3 rounds of:
5 deadlifts using the barbell at 60 lbs
10 horizontal pull-ups using rings
5 hang power-clean & jerk using the 60 lb barbell
10 toe to bar
If you're interested in seeing the original "Baby Desforges" workout without my slight changes, look here. It's the Jan. 28th workout.
Friday:
"Warrick"
15, 12, 9, 6, then 3 of:
Wall balls using 10 lb ball (This means holding the ball, squatting, then standing and simultaneously throwing the ball up about 10 feet. Catch the ball, repeat w/ squat, stand&throw, squat, stand&throw.)
Step-ups on monster-truck tires
This was the Feb. 3rd workout from CrossFit Mom.
Saturday:
3 rounds of:
500 m row (using rowing maching)
20 Back squats using the 65 lb barbell
40 ab mat sit-ups (workout called for 10 knees to elbows, but bars were all full of tough guys doing pull-ups)
(I can't remember which day this is from.)
I pick & choose my workouts to try to not overwork one muscle groups more than others. So those that I post on here won't always go in daily order from the website. I feel pretty good! I'll continue to do things like using the barbell for cleans and doing ab mat situps as long as my belly isn't in the way. Like I've said before, I take VERY frequent breaks and drink lots of water. I also wear a heart-rate monitor and keep close tabs on that throughout the workout.
What I'm loving: Life, in general. Turning 27 and being pregnant and very happily married with 2 sets of parents to love who love me... having a good job with great superiors and cheerful colleagues. Having things to look forward to (traveling, baby, moving). And, AND (this seems more trivial) SPRING is just around the corner! I am SO ready to wear flip-flops and capris again!!!
What I'm NOT loving: Peeing all the time, that Nic leaves in about 3 weeks, all the things that have to get done before we leave for our trip on Thursday.
What I miss: Margaritas. Today is the Super Bowl and my friends are having a mexican-themed party. I would love to be there eating nachos and drinking margaritas. But I will settle for staying home and doing the work that has to get done so we can leave on Thursday (I have something to do Monday, Tues & Wed after school so tonight is it. Blah.).
Tomorrow starts week 23, over halfway through the 6th month!
********************************************
How far along: End of 22nd week (half way through the 6th month)
How big is baby: weighs about 1 lb., is about as long as a spaghetti squash
Maternity clothes: Still haven't found any pants my length, and have come to accept that I'll have to order them online. :( I've been very fond of my leggings and other elastic-y pants lately. Still sporting the Bella band along with using a rubber band/hair tie around the buttons of pants.
Sleep: Feels pretty normal! I wake up about the same amount as I did pre-pregnancy, and dream about as often as I did before, too. No complaints!
Gender: Still a girl! ;) It's been fun calling her by name and thinking of her as a little person and not just a dot in my belly.
Movement: Her movements no longer feel like a floppy fish... now they feel more like a large something thumping round in there. I can tell she's getting stronger by the day, and some of those movements surprise me! She'll be moving around nice and gently and then bam!- a hard one! Well... hard for teeny little her, anyway. It doesn't hurt at all (yet) and is quite fun to experience (as of now). I would tell Nic when she was moving, and would put his hand right where I could feel it but it seemed like every time he laid his hand down she would quit. :( ...Even though I'd just had my hand there 5 seconds earlier... So for my birthday, I had one real wish: that Nic would get to feel Audra move. And alas, when I woke up from my birthday nap I put his hand there and he felt her! That night, he felt her many more times. It was a really special moment for us, and was quite the highlight of my day. Before this week, she would move for only a few seconds at a time. Now, she'll move for hours at a time. I'm enjoying every minute!
Belly-button: Still a tightly stretched innie. And I still think it's cute. :)
Exercise: I met my goal this week of working out 3 times. Yay me! Here's what my workouts looked like:
Monday:
"Baby Desforges" [CrossFit workouts will sometimes have names]
3 rounds of:
5 deadlifts using the barbell at 60 lbs
10 horizontal pull-ups using rings
5 hang power-clean & jerk using the 60 lb barbell
10 toe to bar
If you're interested in seeing the original "Baby Desforges" workout without my slight changes, look here. It's the Jan. 28th workout.
Friday:
"Warrick"
15, 12, 9, 6, then 3 of:
Wall balls using 10 lb ball (This means holding the ball, squatting, then standing and simultaneously throwing the ball up about 10 feet. Catch the ball, repeat w/ squat, stand&throw, squat, stand&throw.)
Step-ups on monster-truck tires
This was the Feb. 3rd workout from CrossFit Mom.
Saturday:
3 rounds of:
500 m row (using rowing maching)
20 Back squats using the 65 lb barbell
40 ab mat sit-ups (workout called for 10 knees to elbows, but bars were all full of tough guys doing pull-ups)
(I can't remember which day this is from.)
I pick & choose my workouts to try to not overwork one muscle groups more than others. So those that I post on here won't always go in daily order from the website. I feel pretty good! I'll continue to do things like using the barbell for cleans and doing ab mat situps as long as my belly isn't in the way. Like I've said before, I take VERY frequent breaks and drink lots of water. I also wear a heart-rate monitor and keep close tabs on that throughout the workout.
What I'm loving: Life, in general. Turning 27 and being pregnant and very happily married with 2 sets of parents to love who love me... having a good job with great superiors and cheerful colleagues. Having things to look forward to (traveling, baby, moving). And, AND (this seems more trivial) SPRING is just around the corner! I am SO ready to wear flip-flops and capris again!!!
What I'm NOT loving: Peeing all the time, that Nic leaves in about 3 weeks, all the things that have to get done before we leave for our trip on Thursday.
What I miss: Margaritas. Today is the Super Bowl and my friends are having a mexican-themed party. I would love to be there eating nachos and drinking margaritas. But I will settle for staying home and doing the work that has to get done so we can leave on Thursday (I have something to do Monday, Tues & Wed after school so tonight is it. Blah.).
Tomorrow starts week 23, over halfway through the 6th month!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Off we go into the wild blue yonder...
Well, I've alluded to this post many times, but was unable to really spill until now. I did say something way back during the summer, before Nic graduated nursing school, but since he got hired at the Heart Hospital we've kept things pretty mum.
He had done his clinicals at one hospital here in town, and initially interviewed to work there- as they'd encouraged- as graduation approached. The outcome of the interview was that they absolutely LOVED him... but he wasn't in the best interest of the hospital since he'd told them about leaving for the Air Force. They openly said that the job would have been his if they didn't know he was going to leave. He interviewed at a second hospital here in town, and literally the exact same conversation took place. I guess he was hoping that they'd still take a chance on him and would be happy for his loyalty to our country by rewarding him with the job. But no such luck. They said they loved him, but wouldn't risk taking on someone who would be leaving within the year. They advised him to not tell those with whom he next applied. So that's what he did. The honest guy I married had a real moral issue with this, not to mention was dying inside from a) keeping a secret, b) not being able to share his excitement about that secret and c) being afraid that somone would find out and he'd have to come clean before he was ready. Needless to say, we aren't the secret-keeping type. But alas, his departure date is approaching and he had the conversation and put in his two weeks. They weren't exactly thrilled, but in the end they wished him the best and things are going smoothly. He has only one more week left there and then he's all mine for about 3 weeks until he leaves.
People have asked if I'm getting sad and bummed that he'll be gone, and the answer is OF COURSE! He's my husband and I love every second I spend with him and I actually MISS HIM when he's gone! BUT I also know that he's going to be right in his element and I think he'll really love what he's getting himself in to. He'll have cell phone and internet access and I'm sure we'll talk daily or at least every other day, so it won't be the end of the world. AND it'll be less than a month before I see him again, and then we can see each other a bit more regularly.
Each time I talk about him leaving, I get the standard, "Where is he going again?" and "How long will he be gone?" In general, people are easily confused by our timeline (and I would be too) so I'll tell you as much as I know. He hasn't officially gotten his orders yet (which is why he waited so long to put in his two weeks) so there' still a teensy chance this timeline could change, but I'll update you below on as much as I know. Since the arrival of Little Miss Audra is clearly intermixed in there, I'll add that too, because most people eventually get to the question, "So what does that mean for you and the baby?"
May 2011:
Nic is 1 out of 30ish to be accepted into the United States Air Force Nurse Corps that year. He gets a heads up of this probable timeline in advance.
October 2011:
We find out WE'RE PREGNANT! His first concern is leaving me during this exciting and predictably difficult time.
December 2011:
My dad (a retired Army Colonel) comes to Lubbock and swears Nic in as a military officer. This makes Nic an officer on 'reserve' status since he hasn't officially started his training and full-time employment. This ceremony took place at the World War II Memorial, next to Nic's grandpa's brick and was quite a special day.
End of February 2012:
Nic leaves for Commissioned Officer Training (COT) in Montgomery, AL. This is a one month deal where he learns the ins and outs of being a military officer. He can't leave the base nor can he have visitors (until graduation). But like I mentioned before, he'll have phone and internet access, when he has time (which will be minimal).
End of March 2012:
Nic graduates as a Commissioned Air Force Officer. This is the beginning of a long and adventurous road! His parents, my parents and myself will be joining to celebrate the event and also to see how cute he looks in those uniforms. ;)
Beginning of April 2012:
He'll have about one week at home, and then Nic will leave to San Antonio for the Air Force Nurse Transition Program (NTP). This is where he'll learn what it means to be a nurse in the Air Force. He's already received his degree in nursing (an obvious pre-requisite) and this is his step into Air Force nursing. This will be more like his clinicals in that he'll follow an Air Force Nurse and will be able to come and go from the base as he pleases (& have visitors as often as he wants). This will allow us to see each other while he's there. San Antonio is about 8 hours from home.
June 2012:
Audra is due to come around the 4th! Nic's NTP doesn't officially get over until the 21st. This is the part that initially had us worried. He's done some research and is comforted by the information he's found: he'll be able to come home for the birth and will possibly be allowed to stay home and not return to the program without consequence. Staying home depends on whether his commanders feel that he's excelled enough and learned what he needs to know, and if it's near enough to the end of the program. This month holds the major question mark. We'll just have to put it in God's hands and see how it goes!
July 2012:
They give him about a month from the end date of his NTP to his official start date at Langley. Yup, that's the Langley you may have heard of in movies. It's on the east coast in Hampton, Virginia, about 30 minutes north of Virginia Beach. Needless to say, we're quite pumped about being on the ocean and away from all of this dry DUST! What we're nervous about: having only about a month and a half (or so) between giving birth, recovering, showing her off to everyone, getting our house packed up, and then moving 27 hours across the country to a new home. OH and somewhere in there, finding a place to live. Just thinking about it gets my heart racing. WOWZA that is a LOT of things to do with not a lot of time! AND what we'll REALLY be wanting to do is just stay home and be a family! That will definitely happen, but maybe not for as long as we'd like. Duty calls!
August 2012:
Nic will now be working daily as a full-time Air Force Nurse, and I"ll be staying home (at least for a bit) with the baby. We'll be in our new home on the east coast, and *hopefully* things will be coming together quite nicely.
And there you have it! Now I say all of that like it's set in stone and that's just the way it'll be. But I know as well as anyone that sometimes God has a plan that's different (and ultimately better!) from our own. I'm just saying that as of now, that's what we're predicting to happen if all goes according to plan. You'll definitely be updated as time goes on!
Now that he's put in his two weeks, we can talk a lot more about the Air Force and how excited we are to be starting a new adventure in our lives. Well... technically, a couple of new adventures will be starting at about the same time! He's quite pumped about this, so if you're reading and have questions or want to chat with him about it, just shoot him a message & he'd be happy to talk with you. :-)
As always, I hope this update finds you and yours happy and well!
~*Stefanie*~
He had done his clinicals at one hospital here in town, and initially interviewed to work there- as they'd encouraged- as graduation approached. The outcome of the interview was that they absolutely LOVED him... but he wasn't in the best interest of the hospital since he'd told them about leaving for the Air Force. They openly said that the job would have been his if they didn't know he was going to leave. He interviewed at a second hospital here in town, and literally the exact same conversation took place. I guess he was hoping that they'd still take a chance on him and would be happy for his loyalty to our country by rewarding him with the job. But no such luck. They said they loved him, but wouldn't risk taking on someone who would be leaving within the year. They advised him to not tell those with whom he next applied. So that's what he did. The honest guy I married had a real moral issue with this, not to mention was dying inside from a) keeping a secret, b) not being able to share his excitement about that secret and c) being afraid that somone would find out and he'd have to come clean before he was ready. Needless to say, we aren't the secret-keeping type. But alas, his departure date is approaching and he had the conversation and put in his two weeks. They weren't exactly thrilled, but in the end they wished him the best and things are going smoothly. He has only one more week left there and then he's all mine for about 3 weeks until he leaves.
People have asked if I'm getting sad and bummed that he'll be gone, and the answer is OF COURSE! He's my husband and I love every second I spend with him and I actually MISS HIM when he's gone! BUT I also know that he's going to be right in his element and I think he'll really love what he's getting himself in to. He'll have cell phone and internet access and I'm sure we'll talk daily or at least every other day, so it won't be the end of the world. AND it'll be less than a month before I see him again, and then we can see each other a bit more regularly.
Each time I talk about him leaving, I get the standard, "Where is he going again?" and "How long will he be gone?" In general, people are easily confused by our timeline (and I would be too) so I'll tell you as much as I know. He hasn't officially gotten his orders yet (which is why he waited so long to put in his two weeks) so there' still a teensy chance this timeline could change, but I'll update you below on as much as I know. Since the arrival of Little Miss Audra is clearly intermixed in there, I'll add that too, because most people eventually get to the question, "So what does that mean for you and the baby?"
May 2011:
Nic is 1 out of 30ish to be accepted into the United States Air Force Nurse Corps that year. He gets a heads up of this probable timeline in advance.
c
(Sorry for the blurry pic.)
He notified me of this exciting news by bringing me my own Air Force shirt to school. It was quite an exciting day!
October 2011:
We find out WE'RE PREGNANT! His first concern is leaving me during this exciting and predictably difficult time.
He's not fond of this photo, but I like the classic look on his face, when he starts to think of all the things to come...
This was a still shot taken from the video I had running when I told him the news.
December 2011:
My dad (a retired Army Colonel) comes to Lubbock and swears Nic in as a military officer. This makes Nic an officer on 'reserve' status since he hasn't officially started his training and full-time employment. This ceremony took place at the World War II Memorial, next to Nic's grandpa's brick and was quite a special day.
Making it legal... signing the documents!
[See one of our FB accounts for more pictures.]
End of February 2012:
Nic leaves for Commissioned Officer Training (COT) in Montgomery, AL. This is a one month deal where he learns the ins and outs of being a military officer. He can't leave the base nor can he have visitors (until graduation). But like I mentioned before, he'll have phone and internet access, when he has time (which will be minimal).
End of March 2012:
Nic graduates as a Commissioned Air Force Officer. This is the beginning of a long and adventurous road! His parents, my parents and myself will be joining to celebrate the event and also to see how cute he looks in those uniforms. ;)
Beginning of April 2012:
He'll have about one week at home, and then Nic will leave to San Antonio for the Air Force Nurse Transition Program (NTP). This is where he'll learn what it means to be a nurse in the Air Force. He's already received his degree in nursing (an obvious pre-requisite) and this is his step into Air Force nursing. This will be more like his clinicals in that he'll follow an Air Force Nurse and will be able to come and go from the base as he pleases (& have visitors as often as he wants). This will allow us to see each other while he's there. San Antonio is about 8 hours from home.
June 2012:
Audra is due to come around the 4th! Nic's NTP doesn't officially get over until the 21st. This is the part that initially had us worried. He's done some research and is comforted by the information he's found: he'll be able to come home for the birth and will possibly be allowed to stay home and not return to the program without consequence. Staying home depends on whether his commanders feel that he's excelled enough and learned what he needs to know, and if it's near enough to the end of the program. This month holds the major question mark. We'll just have to put it in God's hands and see how it goes!
July 2012:
They give him about a month from the end date of his NTP to his official start date at Langley. Yup, that's the Langley you may have heard of in movies. It's on the east coast in Hampton, Virginia, about 30 minutes north of Virginia Beach. Needless to say, we're quite pumped about being on the ocean and away from all of this dry DUST! What we're nervous about: having only about a month and a half (or so) between giving birth, recovering, showing her off to everyone, getting our house packed up, and then moving 27 hours across the country to a new home. OH and somewhere in there, finding a place to live. Just thinking about it gets my heart racing. WOWZA that is a LOT of things to do with not a lot of time! AND what we'll REALLY be wanting to do is just stay home and be a family! That will definitely happen, but maybe not for as long as we'd like. Duty calls!
August 2012:
Nic will now be working daily as a full-time Air Force Nurse, and I"ll be staying home (at least for a bit) with the baby. We'll be in our new home on the east coast, and *hopefully* things will be coming together quite nicely.
And there you have it! Now I say all of that like it's set in stone and that's just the way it'll be. But I know as well as anyone that sometimes God has a plan that's different (and ultimately better!) from our own. I'm just saying that as of now, that's what we're predicting to happen if all goes according to plan. You'll definitely be updated as time goes on!
Now that he's put in his two weeks, we can talk a lot more about the Air Force and how excited we are to be starting a new adventure in our lives. Well... technically, a couple of new adventures will be starting at about the same time! He's quite pumped about this, so if you're reading and have questions or want to chat with him about it, just shoot him a message & he'd be happy to talk with you. :-)
As always, I hope this update finds you and yours happy and well!
~*Stefanie*~
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