264 Days Down: Baby Update

And only NINE more days to go!

Yup, that's right, just nine.

Here's what's up lately---

The biggest news is that two weeks after we moved here I was diagnosed with mild preeclampsia, so the past couple weeks have been very busy with monitoring twice a week and an additional couple trips a week to L&D for headaches that won't go away. Yeah, we're now on a first name basis with some of the doctors and nurses on the labor deck, so that's cool. So because of the preeclampsia I now have an induction set for Friday the 23rd at 39 weeks---just nine more days! Bananas. However at my NST yesterday the nurse said it looks like I'm in early labor already so hopefully things will keep progressing on their own and he'll come before we even get to all that induction business. We're just glad that this all waited to happen until after we got through our road trip and were mostly settled in our new house!

The little guy is still measuring a couple weeks behind and (even though their estimates can be pounds off so I take it with a grain of salt) is clocking in at around 5.3 lbs. So take that, all you random strangers that insist I must be carrying twins or you can't believe how big I am! But though he may be little, he's still rollin' and a movin' like he owns the place. He always has a stellar heart beat and movement at our NST appointments and is regularly bumping things out of my hands if I lean them on my belly. Often he'll stick his little bum out and turn my belly into an almost cone shape---we joke that he's in there doing downward facing dog and stretching that tush up as far as he can. 

We had an ultrasound last Friday (and once again he didn't let us get any good photos of his face, the little stinker) and they said that (as best as I understand) his kidneys are "borderline normal" and they're concerned about potential renal pelvic dilation. We were told there's no reason to worry yet and that he's probably just going to have some more in-depth exams and ultrasounds with the pediatrician when he's born. Sometimes the condition corrects itself before the baby is born, so lets just hope everything is fine and he'll be healthy when he arrives!

Being pregnant has been a really great experience, but I have to admit, there are some things I'm looking forward to about not being pregnant anymore, like being able to cross my legs again and not having to mentally prep myself every time I have to bend over. This severe ligament pain has been terrible (the past week I haven't even been able to get out of bed without Joey moving my legs and helping to hold me up) and after five months of it I'm pretty much ready to be done with it. And ditching all of this swelling from the preeclampsia will be so great! But I'm gonna get all cliche here and say, that even though there have been tough things about it, I'm really grateful for this experience and I wouldn't give it back for anything.

And this guy.

I just wanted to give a shout out to this awesome man. He's been nothing short of amazing these past few weeks making sure I'm as comfortable as possible and helping me with things I haven't been able to do as easily because of migraines or the ligament pain or just plain exhaustion. He's so excited to be my labor coach and practices his skills whenever I'm trying to get through the ligament pain or am having a bit of anxiety about various stressors in our lives. Any time I have a contraction now he smiles the biggest smile and, while trying to stifle his ear-to-ear grin, asks "what's wrong, are you ok??", hoping that I'll say its go time because the guy is just so darn excited for his son to get here. And almost every night lately he rubs my belly and encouragingly tells baby boy "Ya know, you can come tonight if you want to! We're ready to meet you!" Joey just can't wait to be a daddy, and its the sweetest. 

And lucky for us, Joey is going to be home for the birth and will be able to take the full amount of paternity leave. We just learned something pretty neat actually---so Joey was originally supposed to be on a different boat and about a week before he finished prototype we got a voicemail saying the Navy switched his assignment and we'd be going to a different boat. Well we just found out not too long ago that the original boat we were supposed to be on just left on deployment and if we had still been on it, Joey would've completely missed the birth. So the boat change has turned out to be a huge blessing and we definitely feel Heavenly Father was watching out for us and put us exactly where we needed to be and with the crew Joey needed to have. 

Well, the cloth diapers are prepped, the bags are packed, the car seat is in the car, and we're ready to go---or as ready as we'll ever be, at least!

We're Still Alive.

And overall doing well!

Its been just about three weeks since we arrived in Washington and a lot has happened since then, including finding a new home, unpacking many boxes, getting ready for the baby, and Joey starting work at his new command. 

I'm happy to report that so far we love it here. The landscape is absolutely gorgeous and the rain hasn't been too bad. And everyone here is simply the nicest, its almost unreal. Truth be told, I had a bit of a beef during our time in South Carolina because, despite my best efforts to find it, that famous southern hospitality everyone is always referring to (with a few exceptions) was largely nonexistent. I don't know where people get that stuff! So Joey and I have been so happy too see how polite and friendly literally every interaction has been since we've gotten here. 

We're also really happy with our new home and feel very blessed to have even found it. Some of you know that we were pretty stressed about finding a home here not only because we had just a few weeks before baby boy arrives, but also because of the cost of living in this area. We had been told the wait list for base housing was 2-5 years, however out of desperation and after looking at a handful of inadequate houses of base, we went to the housing office anyway. Lo and behold, there was one home that had somehow remained vacant and because no one else wanted it, we were able to skip the wait list and move right in! And its been perfect for us. Its so nice to have a home with a big yard and lots of space for our family to grow over the next three years. We're also close to work, things are quiet, and the area is lovely. Finding this home really was a little miracle for us and we're so grateful. 

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Anyways, I thought I'd touch base and share some photo highlights from our 16 day drive across the country…...

First stop was Virginia Beach to see Joey's parents and siblings. We enjoyed a couple family get togethers and even went on a date to get pedicures----so amazing after frantically getting things together to move in a week. We also got to see Luke and Mikhail, a couple of great guys that Joey's known for a while. I know Joey really loved getting to yo-yo together and catch up with them.

Stop #2: Lexington, VA. Lucky for us, Lexington is on the way from Virginia Beach to Ohio, so we stopped for a couple days to visit our alma maters and some of our favorite places from when we were dating. A trip to Pure Eats for donuts was a must---and we managed to snag the last 5 donuts of the morning!

We also took Remy to VMI's parade deck to run around and play fetch with her beloved tennis ball. Our little apartment dog caught on quick to the idea of running wild and free!

And we may have gone to sweet things three times in the day and a half that we were there…..even Remy got to have a little taste of my favorite honeydew sorbet.

We're so glad we got to have one last visit with our best buds Mallory and Andrew before we moved to the west coast. Mallory and I have shared some great memories and I can't wait to be reunited and eat key lime pie together again. ;) We love you guys and little Jane and miss you already too!

Stop #3: Beavercreek, OH to see my family for a little bit. While we were there, my mom's friends threw us a baby shower and let me tell you what---the coolest baby gifts come from your mom's knitting group. Baby boy is so spoiled with the most beautiful and unique had knit clothes, blankets, and booties! Mom, your gifts were amazing and we're so grateful for your kind and generous friends.

Stop #4: St. Louis, MO to meet Joey's extended family. And boy was it a party! We had a great time and I really liked meeting Joey's aunts and uncles, and I know he was so happy to see them all after several years. 

After St. Louis our trip west really started. Queue the nigh unbearable drives through the flattest, most boring, most isolated nothingness that is essentially the central United States. 

We stopped for one night in Middle-of-Nowhere, KS and then headed to Colorado where we were able to meet up with my uncle James and aunt Jenna. We got to catch up after almost ten years and Joey and I got to meet my cutie cousin, Jackson.

One of our favorite yet slightly nerve wracking moments was driving through the Rockies the next day  on our way to Utah. We joked that all of the snow we missed while living in the South decided to meet up with us in the mountains---there was a lot. We managed to find a rest stop (which we couldn't find at first because it was seriously buried in snow) and spent a little time there letting Remy experience her first snow.

 I just love that face.

Stop #7: American Fork, UT. We decided to have a little longer visit in Utah so that I could have a bit of a break from the discomfort in the car and so Joey could see Salt Lake City for the first time. We went by the new Provo City Center Temple site, and tried Cafe Rio for the first time (though full disclosure: we'd probably opt for Chipotle over Cafe Rio. Please don't hate us). We got together with old friends from high school and SVU, and satisfied Joey's craving for In-n-Out as well. We also snuck in a trip to the movies, potentially for the last time before baby boy arrives and the ease of movie-going somewhat disappears. 

Joey loved our time at Temple Square and getting to learn more about church history. And we lucked out with beautiful flowers everywhere because we came just days after General Conference, so things were looking extra spiffy. 

After Utah we had a night in Boise, ID and a night in Portland, OR with Joey's friends, Seth and McKenzie (including an amazing dinner at an awesome Lebanese place that my stomach is still grumbling for), and then we finally made it to our new home!

 We live right across the Puget Sound from Seattle and we've already taken the ferry over which was super fun and so beautiful. Living here in Bremerton has been really great so far. And its amazing how many trees there are…well, everywhere!

Remy and Marley did astoundingly great on the trip, but they're certainly happy to be in a stable place again and even happier to not be in the car constantly. They're really loving all of the warm sunshine that pours in to our new house, so much so, that they will even sort of nap together---a previously rare occurrence in our home. Meanwhile, we've been learning about our new area, have already found our new favorite Vietnamese restaurant (and really, what more do you need?), and have also made innumerable runs to Target as we've rushed to get our home unpacked and organized before baby arrives. 

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Thank you so much to all our wonderful friends and family who hosted us, fed us, threw us baby showers, and made time for us as we hopped from city to city and state to state for sixteen days. While this move was difficult, it was such a blessing to catch up with some of our favorite people as we completely shifted our lives from the South to the Pacific Northwest. We're really grateful for you!

Thanks for reading and we will hopefully have a baby update (and potentially the last one!) up soon!