August Already?

How is it August already? Where did the month of July go? It feels like we just moved, and it has been almost a month. I find it amazing that when people ask when I am due, I can just say the 26th. Not too much longer. We are pretty busy until then, so hopefully the next few weeks will go by fast. We are very excited about meeting Blake.

I am also amazed that this month a year ago, I was admitted to Bethesda with Ethan and Jacob. I have been thinking about them often, as their birthday is slowly approaching. I want to do something for their birthday, but I am not sure what yet. I want to make sure that their birthday is never forgotten.

I am still amazed when I look at the pictures we have of them. They were so tiny, but such big fighters. When Ethan was in the NICU, it was amazing how strong he was. I still remember those days like they were yesterday. I remember right after we left Bethesda on September 15th, I was so scared I would forget. I was terrified that those short moments and memories I had with my babies would fade. I still remember it all, just like I did that day. I remember the fear, surprise, shock, love, and heartache of those 36 hours.

It is impossible to not what-if everything that happened last year. What if they had made it... we would have almost one year olds. We also wouldn't have Blake yet... he would still be in Arlington, VA in the freezer. How would life be for us? When we finally did transfer our last embryo (Blake), how would we do with three boys? There are so many questions that I wonder about.

I am sure that our angels are watching over their little brother already. When we were doing our frozen transfer, I often said that Ethan and Jacob were in Heaven picking out their sibling. How many parents get their children hand picked by angels? I am sure that Ethan and Jacob did a wonderful job picking out their little brother. They have been making sure that he is healthy and full term. I know they will be watching over us when Blake makes his big appearance.

So, 24 days until Blake's due date. I can't wait to meet this little man who insists on rolling around all night and keeping me awake. Joseph can't wait to meet the little man who kicks every time he touches my belly. Not much longer!

33

Only 33 more days, and we will be at Blake's due date. Holy crap, where did time go? It is exciting to get this far. What a blessing to be almost full term. Even though it is hot, and I am really uncomfortable... I am so glad for every day that Blake is able to stay inside. I can thank Ethan and Jacob for my outlook on this. Their early birth taught me never to be the woman begging for an early induction. We are blessed to have made it this far and possibly have a healthy, chubby baby.

This week was my last progesterone injection! That was the highlight of my week. I have been getting them since week 15 (I am now 35 weeks). Before I was getting them, I was getting shots for IVF/FET. I am sick of shots! Those weekly shots did their job though. Here we are, without any preterm labor. I had gotten good at giving them to myself while Joseph was at TBS. I am sure all of my paramedic buddies are shocked at that. I am the biggest baby ever, and here I am giving myself a shot in the bum!

We also did our labor and delivery tour this week. It was pretty short, as all the rooms were full of laboring women. They didn't get to show us any of the rooms. Hopefully, it won't be as busy when Blake comes. We did get a checklist of what to bring and expect. I have started packing our bag. I get non-stress tests twice a week, and the nurse said it was common to be admitted for induction after one. She advised us to have a bag ready for Joseph to grab, just in case that happens to me. We will see. Blake has been doing really well on all of his, so it isn't an issue right now. His room is almost complete. I need to do some more work in his closet, and Joseph has to hang pictures. It will be done soon though.

Our house is still coming together. Our spare room remains a disaster area. My goal is to have it put together before the middle of August. We will see. It could be worse I guess. The rest of the house is in working order, so when we have people over the spare room door will be shut!

All-in-all, we are doing pretty well in Jacksonville. Joseph has to go out in the field for a week in the middle of August, but he will be close... so if anything happens with Blake, he can be home soon. Hopefully, it won't be a problem and Blake will be a good baby until his daddy comes home.

I leave you with pictures of Bailey's first trip to the beach. He was pretty interested in the water.

More House Pictures

Spare bathroom

Master Bath

We are home

We made it! Our new house is getting put together, and we are calling Jacksonville home for the next few years. Everything with the home buying process went really well. We paid for the smoothness of buying our house though, because turning on utilities has been a nightmare. It seems like every single time we went to change something over... there was some sort of problem. Thankfully, it is all set up now.

Blake is doing well. I am being seen on base here, and I really like it so far. I am going 2-3 times a week for appointments, so they are watching us pretty closely. I love that the base is closer than Bethesda was. It is so nice to leave home 20-30 minutes before my appointment, instead of hours before.

Joseph has started working at his new unit. He likes it so far. He did find out that he will be deploying with the MEU next summer. So it looks like another boat ride for Mr. Joseph. He is thrilled (note my sarcasm). The alternative was a year long deployment to Afghanistan though, so we will take the six months. We are also very happy that he will be around for most of Blake's first year.

We are still unpacking our house. It is starting to come together, although our spare room is still a disaster. Overall, I am very happy here... a lot happier than I thought I would be. Hopefully it stays that way!

I leave you with pictures of Blake's room. It still is not completely done, but getting there. I got a new camera for my birthday, and I am still figuring it out. I took pictures of the house, Bailey, and Joseph with it today.

Blake's dresser

His changing table

My grandmother got him this. I think it is just too cute.

It's here!

Graduation week for Joseph! He is so excited to be done with TBS. This has been a long six months for him. The six months included limited sleep, trips to the rifle range in the snow, trips to the field in the 90 degree heat, and land navigation in the dark. It didn't sound fun, but he made it! I am so proud of him and all of his hard work.

After graduation, we are going to Bethesda for our last non-stress test and ultrasound there. Joseph hasn't been able to see Blake very often during this pregnancy because of TBS, so he is excited to actually be able to attend an appointment. At my appointment yesterday, he was looking great. He has hair now. The ultrasound showed it! He also had his little toes in his hands the entire time they were measuring my fluid levels. So far so good. Hopefully the doctors in Jacksonville will continue with our treatment plan.

Everything is going well with our house. So far we are on schedule to close on the 6th of July. I am so excited to get there. Only another week and we will be sitting in our living room. Hopefully things will continue to go as smoothly as possible with the closing and moving.

Almost Done

The past few weeks have been busy. Buying a house is hard work, especially when you are doing it from five hours away. Everything has been going smoothly, but it still involves a lot of work and time on the phone. With Joseph being gone all the time, I had to do it all. We finally found insurance for our new home, which means we are officially done with our part of the process! The rest of the work is done by the bank, my realtor, and the sellers. I am done!

I have also been really busy packing and trying to get our house in order. Because Joseph is so busy at work, this has also all been on my shoulders. My list of things that need to be done is getting smaller and smaller. We have two and a half more weeks until the big move, and I think we are going to be ready. My mom is coming to help me pack next week, which will be great. We found a fridge and dining room set for our house, which were both things we needed. All-in-all it is coming together.

Everything is going well with Blake. We have about 10 weeks until his due date (which has made this packing and house buying process a little more challenging). I have officially been removed from the high risk clinic at Bethesda. I am just a normal pregnant woman, or so they say. It is going to be stressful switching hospitals at the last minute, but I have only heard great things about Camp Lejeune's L&D. The past few weeks have been flying, since I have been so busy with moving. Hopefully the next ten weeks will also fly, and he will be here before we know it.

I leave you with a few pictures of our house. I can't wait to move into it!

Changes...

Life is all about change. Sometimes good changes, sometimes bad, and sometimes indifferent. As I type this, I am surrounded by boxes. Our time in Quantico is coming to an end for at least the next three to four years. We are moving to Jacksonville, NC at the beginning of July. As we pack our things and prepare for our next adventure in Jacksonville, I think of all the dreams and plans that we had when we moved here three years ago.

I was going to continue working as a paramedic, and I was so excited about working in a busy suburb of DC. Joseph was going to work at HMX-1 for four years then get out of the Marine Corps. We were going to save money, then start a family. We were going to do everything right. We had it all planned out. God laughed at our plans.

While we have been in this townhome, our lives have changed so much. We have gained and lost so much. We learned how to live together as a married couple. We learned that Bailey will never be allowed to roam the house while we are gone, no matter how old he gets. We learned that tacos will catch on fire in a toaster oven (it even says so on the box). We learned that shower doors are horribly hard to clean, and we never want them again. We learned that laundry in the basement is a pain. We learned about and toured the sights of DC.

We also learned that bad things happen to good people, and no matter how hard we hope and pray... we are not in control of this life. No matter how many promises we make, we just can't make the outcome what we want it to be. We went through pain that I never thought was possible to live through, and we experienced the joy of a possible sibling for our angels. I will always remember Quantico, and all of the changes that we experienced here.

So, as we move to Jacksonville... we have plans again. We hope to have Blake safely, and be able to watch him grow up. We hope that our marriage will stay as strong as it is now. We hope that life will be kind to us.