Back to School (& Big News)

Well, we've had quite a bit of big news the past couple of days, but instead of inundating your readers with a million updates, I figured I'd save it all for one big post!

First things first:  I had my 31-week check up Monday.  Yes, folks, I'm already 31 weeks pregnant and only two more "every-two-weeks" appointments until I start going every week.  I can't believe the last seven (plus) months have gone so quickly and we're so close to meeting Bunkey (Hubs calls me "Bunny" - as in Snuggle Bunny - and I call him "Monkey" so we combined the two!)...  Yes, the paranoia of becoming a mother is starting to set in, and I've been known to have a few melt downs to that effect every so often...  Otherwise I'm doing well.  My weight, blood pressure, fetal heart rate, and all that jazz are all normal.  Everyone is measuring as expected, and I haven't had any problems.  I had my second prenatal massage and my back pain is significantly less than before and the massage therapist even commented that I wasn't retaining any water, which is a nice feeling!

This evening we started our child-birth classes.  Not only did I learn that it's That Time for me to pre-register at the hospital, but I also really need to start thinking about a pediatrician.  Don't get me wrong, these things were high on my list of to-dos, but I kept telling myself I had plenty of time so I didn't need to stress too much.  Well, now someone has reminded me, ever so kindly, that I could perhaps go into labor in 4-6 weeks and they wouldn't stop me, so I guess I should get that show on the road.  The rest of the class, however, was a review from nursing school (and the last 7-ish months of pregnancy) and I didn't get much out of it...except a banana milkshake from Dairy Queen after it was over (Hubs is being pretty good to me since my cravings have really not been bad!).  The nurse midwife teaching the class sorta joked with me when I didn't have any questions.  Honestly, I only paid for the class for Hubs' benefit and for the tour of the birthing center.  Next week we go over the actual labor, so that will be more beneficial, but of course Hubs will be traveling and will miss out.  I'm hoping my mom will be able to go with me, because I plan for her to be in the delivery room with me, so it'll be a nice refresher for her on some techniques to help me stay focused and calm while I'm laboring...

Which brings me to my next point:  Hubs received his orders this morning.  Although we've known what to expect for several months (since Fall, really), now it's official!  We're heading west to Monterey, CA!  According to our orders, we're only going to be there 18 months, so it'll be a quick trip and almost as soon as we get settled we'll be prepping to go somewhere else, but at least now we have paperwork so we can get the ball rolling!  While there are still a lot of unknowns (mostly due to the ticking time bomb that is my uterus) at least we can start making phone calls and piecing together a variety of possible timelines for the many different ways this scenario can play out.  Among the things to figure out?

-Our house.  As you know, we sold Hubs' bachelor pad last summer, and we continue to live in the home I bought way back when I was an Ensign and we weren't engaged yet.  But with the market the way it is, we just can't sell right now.  The original plan was to rent the house ourselves and manage the property from CA, with my parents here to keep an eye on things every now and again.  However, with my dad's recent death, we don't want to levy more requirements on my mom, so we've decided to hire a property manager.  I really like the lady we chose, who came highly recommended from a girlfriend of mine, and she's coming to take pictures tomorrow.  Hopefully we'll find renters soon so the house won't stay vacant for long!

-Pack-out.  Because of the way Hubs' orders were written, the earliest we can schedule our pack-out is June 1st.  My due date is June 6th.  Pack-out will probably last two days (one for packers to box everything up and one for movers to load it on the truck).  Then we'll need to schedule a professional cleaning and carpet shampoo before renters move in.  I'm praying Murphy stays away and I don't go into labor with packers in my house, but I can't control it and we'll just have to have a contingency plan.  Please cross your fingers for me (and I'll keep my legs crossed too, just in case!)...

-Car shipment.  The plan is to ship my car and drive Hubs' car.  We're hoping that Bunkey will arrive early enough that Hubs can stay with us for about a week before starting the mega-drive across country.  He'll pick his father up on the way (Kentucky) since I am adamant he not drive thousands of miles alone.  I will fly as soon as the doctor clears Bunkey and me for travel, and my mom will come with me to offer moral support help!  We're going to attempt to time things so that our shipment of household goods, Hubs, and Bunkey/Mom/me all arrive in California around the same time.  That way Hubs won't have to unpack by himself and I won't have to reinspect each item and rearrange each piece of furniture.  Obviously this is all easier said than done, so we'll just have to wait and see how it all pans out.  Which brings me back to...

-Pediatrician.  I know who I want to use (the same doctor Little Brother goes to and loves...and his office is right down the road!) but we have a rather unconventional situation.  I'll probably only be in Virginia for the very first well-baby check up, so this doctor will likely only meet Bunkey and then send us on our way.  I sent Dr G's office an email and explained who I am and what my circumstances entail, and asked if it was possible for him to take us on as short-term patients.  His receptionist answered that he would likely see my baby and it shouldn't be an issue with our insurance, but that I need to have a consult first.  So tomorrow I need to schedule that appointment, and then hopefully it'll all work out!  I'm not sure how soon Dr G likes to see babies after birth.  The doctors at the hospital where I did clinicals last summer saw babies anywhere from a few days, to a week or two, to several weeks after birth.  Obviously I'll do whatever the doctor says, but I'm hoping we can have our first appointment about one week after birth so that I can fly out to CA and start setting up house!  So finally...

-Base Housing.  I have all the phone numbers to call.  I'm hoping that now that we have orders we can start lining things up.  My list of things to do tomorrow is long, and it's mostly making phone calls, but hopefully (yes, I know I've used that word a ton in this post) I'll be able to at least get some answers as to what type of quarters we'll qualify for and what paperwork we need to get on the housing list.  Hubs and I would both like to avoid as many hotel stays as possible!

So, that brings you pretty much up to speed on everything going on here!  It's a busy time of year, but somehow we'll get everything done!  I have a baby shower and Little Brother's Prom (he's taking Miss Virginia Teen USA!) this weekend (and my dad's birthday, which I'm trying not to think about because it makes me cry that he isn't here to blow out his candles)...  Next weekend Hubs and I are attending the wedding of dear friends of ours (she was one of my roommates on my first ship and he was one of Hubs' roommates on the same ship!) and then Dad's inurnment at the Naval Academy...  

And then we'll just be starting the countdown to Little Brother's graduation and Bunkey's arrival!  Wow...it'll all be here before you know it!