Which path is the one for me?

Since I was around 7 months pregnant with Leah I have been fascinated by all things breastfeeding, cloth diapering, labor & birth, doula & midwife related thanks to an awesome group of ladies that shed A LOT of light on the topics for me. I spend a lot of my free time researching, browsing forums and websites, as well as networking with others that have a similar interest in everything birth-y as it's often put. I have piles upon piles of printed stories and articles, highlighted with questions scribbled and AHA! moments jotted down. I love when someone asks me for my help or opinion - because many of those women are just like I was not too long ago. Completely unaware of the many choices she has before her when it comes to raising her child.

In April I re-enrolled (more like re-activated) my studies at Penn Foster for Veterinary Technician certification. While I love animals and I enjoy learning about how to care for them, and would enjoy bettering an animals life, I don't feel as strongly about it as I do about being, say, a birth educator or a lactation consultant. I don't spend my free time reading about animal illnesses caused by alternative feeding methods, I don't look up the benefits of letting my dog sleep in my bed. I love animals, and I ensure I obtain all of the information I can to care for them correctly, but I wouldn't spend a rainy day reading books about them.

I've been kinda sorta looking for schools &/or programs that I could take while in Okinawa or after returning to the states. I found a few that are wonderful, and one was suggested to me by a lovely woman named Kayce that is a distance learning class that costs $400 for all of the books, study guides, CD's, etc. that I would use to study with. It looks, and sounds, perfect for lack of a better word.

The problem I'm running in to is we have a payment plan set up with Penn Foster to pay my $700 tuition for the semester I am currently enrolled in (over 1/2 way through). Christian completely understands how in love I am with everything motherhood and I know he would tell me to go for it if I mentioned to him I wanted to enroll in a few weeks/months/a year or two. But I feel guilty. I feel like if I don't stick with this vet tech program for the next 2 years like I originally expected to I just threw away that $700 and made myself look like an idiot.

When I originally enrolled in the program I was fueled by "well what do you expect to do when your kids are in school? You need an education, you need a job!" I like animals, let's do something with animals then. Vet tech certification is a lot cheaper and faster than trying to get my RN or become a teacher, right? Clearly I made that choice without thinking it through.

That's where this entry comes in.

I feel like this is something I'd love to do. As Cassie, my dear friend, has said the life of a doula/midwife is not glamorous and it's not always convenient. Babies are born when THEY want to be, you can't plan around that. As much as I think I'd enjoy being part of the birthing process I don't feel comfortable considering that line of work, at least not right now. Childbirth educator, however, I think would be amazingly fascinating and rewarding job. Same goes with becoming a lactation consultant. I love nursing and it broke my heart when Leah and I came to the point in our relationship where I could tell it was just stressful for her and she was no longer getting ALL of the benefits she deserved. Nursing for us wasn't just about saving money or convenience - it was a time for us to spend together, calmly and quietly. One of the biggest things I look forward to with our new son is nursing again.

So, basically, I am at a crossroads in my "future" life. Haha. I am just afraid of beginning this line of study and something derailing it somehow. Or my husband thinking I am just blowing his money on things I don't take seriously. I don't think he'd ever feel that way but you never know. *sigh*

What would you do? Go with the training & education you could enjoy if you put your mind to it or take the plunge and chase what you feel you are more in tune with?

Busy lives, 25 weeks pregnant, and nonstop unpacking

Our home for the next 3 years. It's pretty spacious!

Well, we did it. We are officially moved in to our new house! The house was ready for move in on August 17th so we jumped at the opportunity and made it happen. The best part is all of our belongings had arrived so we didn't even need to get military loaner furniture. The first night I slept on an air mattress with Leah because we got to go in the night before if we wanted (and I wanted Kairi out of the kennel so I did that) but the next morning they were there ready to put things where they belonged. The movers were nice guys and hauled a lot of heavy crap up our 20 stairs but never complained once when I said that big box needed to be carried to the second floor. Haha. Of course I went into I-want-my-house-put-together mode and cleaned that whole day nonstop but I am trying to slow down a little bit because I had some swelling and pain in my legs and back from too much bending and lifting. Right now the kitchen is the only room that is pretty much put together and that's fine by me because that's where all of the cooking and eating happens anyways!

This is my car, the Primera I mentioned buying in my last post.

Since I last wrote I've been to my first OB appointment here, Leah has been to her 12-month wellbaby check up (which she went to at 13 months but oh well), Kairi came home (yay!), Christian has been on a crappy schedule (boo), and life has continued to throw punches and unexpected blessings our way. Some days are harder than others but I think that is just how things are when you're pregnant, have a husband who's exhausted from his job, and your 13-month-old is going through a growth spurt while teething. I have days when I feel like Christian isn't even really here because all he does is work and sleep, and those are the ones that are the hardest to get through because I just want him home with us. He is going to put in for leave this week hopefully so we know for sure he will be home in the days following the baby's birth.

Taken around 22.5 weeks along

I am now 25 weeks and 2 days pregnant. At my first OB appointment I was flat-out denied a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean), and was given the day right then and there that the OB would reserve for my repeat cesarean: November 30th. So, little Z and I will share a birth month. I was really excited at the chance to have a vaginal birth just because I am still fuzzy when it comes to thinking about the day Leah was born after I got into the OR. It makes me really sad to think I may not remember holding him for the first time - a memory I still struggle with about Leah. Part of me feels like stopping after this birth, never considering a third, because I will forever be seen as a "risk" to doctors. Another part of me says if I can have my third, I should - I've always wanted 3 or 4 kids. *sigh* But I digress. Because I will have another cesarean - and this one is scheduled - we can request Christian's leave dates to begin a day or two before hand and have them go through the next week. My mom is also looking at plane tickets since she'll have her passport in a few weeks. It's crazy to think next week is already September then it'll be October...and before you know it I'll be 23, going in to have my second child. It's such a crazy thought to me. It's exciting, but it's nerve wrecking at the same time. How will Leah adapt? How will I adapt?

Leah loves her talking Mickey Mouse :)

Baby Z is still nameless but I am making it my goal to change that by this weekend. I have a lot of names I like, Christian just wants a more ~exotic and ~unique name, something I understand but also realize isn't always the best idea. I want them to stand out more than "John" or "Aiden/Aidan" (two really popular names) when they start school and make friends, but I don't want him to get mocked because I gave in and let Christian name him HORATIO (yes, he is serious about that name). I remember as soon as I found out I was pregnant with Leah I had names picked out and ready by 15 weeks. I have a million girl names I like, boys are just tougher! Haha.

For now Leah is back up and I am going to take care of laundry while we watch Mickey Mouse. I'll try uploading some videos & photos to Facebook, Flickr, and this blog tomorrow. :)

Finally an update on our crazy life

It’s been almost 2 weeks since I was last able to post an update about life here in Japan. It’s weird to think we’ve been here as long as we have (almost 4 weeks!) because some days we feel like we don’t know what we’re doing or how we got here….other days it feels like we’ve been here much longer than we actually have been. I’m going to do a really straight forward sectioned entry about the good, the bad, and the humid here in Okinawa.

Our ‘great’ car-

A few days after buying the car and getting the title we noticed the car was acting up. Shaking and lurching after driving for longer periods of time than just to and from the store. We took it by the auto body shop here on base and the most they could tell us without an actual appointment (which we didn’t have at the time) was that it could be a really easy fix or the death of the car. Yay. I asked how that’s possible when we had driven the car around the second gate of base and had no problems why was it suddenly acting up…and according to the tech it’s probably a problem they’ve been dealing with for a few weeks or months with the RVR. They claimed to have been using the vehicle daily without concern for 3 years so they were clearly bs’ing or willingly omitting vital information RE: the condition of the car. Instead of getting upset and pissed off about it we have decided to look at it as a lesson in trusting people. Obviously we understand not everyone is untrustworthy…but we will be more cautious about believing what others say and claim in the future. It is an expensive lesson - $2500 – but a lesson nevertheless. We’re going to take the RVR in soon to get checked out to make sure Christian is in no danger driving the car to and from work. Christian is already talking about selling the RVR in a few months (he has to have the car in his name for 4 months before selling it) to get another compact car similar to the Nissan.

Our car that is actually great-

After all that crap surfaced about the RVR we asked around Christian’s job for places people went to buy cars for reasonable costs. We heard about a place called B.C. Motors that is within walking distance from the hotel here on base. We walked over and looked at the car lot - which is FULL of all types of cars in great to excellent condition ranging between $4000 and $6000 – and found one that we loved almost immediately. It was a 2001 Nissan Primera, silver, automatic, with minimal wear & tear. We got to turn on the car, but they don’t allow test drives for Japanese auto sales due to insurance restrictions according to what we’ve been told. The air conditioning works perfectly, the back seat has plenty of room for two car seats, and it has good trunk space. We checked out the rest of the lot and saw a few cars that looked nice but they were more expensive, or were lacking in the back seat or the trunk space. After discussing the purchase agreement we bought the Nissan. It cost us $5050 total with a year of insurance, road taxes for a year, JCI for 2 years, and the car registration. We put $500 down cash and now have an 18 month lease – 0% interest – for the remaining $4550 balance which puts us at $250 a month for the car payment. This car is “mine” for the time being, at least until we get the RVR cleared because we don’t feel safe having Leah in there until we know for sure and hear for sure that the SUV isn’t going to randomly break down or explode. I love it, and I think it’s really cute. Makes me want to buy a Nissan when we’re back in the states!

Kairi-

She is now in the kennel on base. The short story (because I get really emotional about my dog, yes I am one of those weird people) is we were in a pet friendly Temporary Living Facility that they booked for another in-coming family 2 weeks after we arrived so they would have somewhere to stay with *their* dog. We were unable to rebook another pet friendly TLF so we had to put her in the boarding kennel temporarily. I can’t visit her too often because I get *really* upset seeing her behind a fenced door, just wanting to be given attention and love. She can’t come out so our only choice is to take turns going in to the kennel to pet her. I can’t go alone because Kairi gets so excited I can’t take Leah in with me. I have had Kairi since she was 7 weeks old and the longest I have ever been without her she was with my parents so I could call any time to know what she was doing and how she was. She was 8 months old when Leah was born so she was my first baby and I feel responsible for her beyond vaccinations and feeding her regularly. She’s part of our family, that’s why she is here in the first place…leaving her anywhere but with us doesn’t feel right.

Our new maison-

Housing finally got back to us the other day and we were given housing options. We ended up in a quadroplex (is that even a word?) by default because they are one of the only places pets are allowed in housing. We didn’t even bother looking at the tower apartments or the house – just called and said we’d take the pet friendly location. They said our tentative move-in date is around 20 August but we’ll get a call in the next week or so with a more accurate timeline. Our small shipment of items is already here and as soon as we have the house keys it’ll be delivered to us. The large shipment including the rest of our house basically is scheduled to arrive 19 September. We were able to find the house the other day and it looks alright overall…there are a few things that made us say “well that sucks” out loud but nothing worth complaining about. The house is definitely smaller than the one in California but we’ll make it work. It’s a 2 story 3 bedroom 2 bath by the 0900-2200 Video Rental, 24-hour shoppette, 24-hour Chili’s, and the Flight Line. Win-win overall!

Baby Z-

I’m going on 23 weeks pregnant right now and I’ve had a lot of discomfort lately. Falling asleep is rough, staying asleep is even more difficult, and I have times when I can’t even breathe because I feel like someone is stabbing me in my abdomen.  We walk every day for at least 30 minutes but remaining active isn’t getting easier with time. My knees are very sore and my back is constantly killing me. But I know it’s best for me and the baby so I push through it anyway. I have my first check-up in 5 weeks tomorrow so I guess we'll see what they have to say about the baby’s development and my discomfort. I feel him kicking and wiggling around nonstop so I know he is okay in there overall. I might have an ultrasound tomorrow according to a friend who had a baby here (she said she had one at every appointment) which I would happily welcome…I wonder if they’ll tell us Baby Z isn’t a “him” after all. :P

For now I have to get going again. Christian works late tomorrow but he will be coming with me to my appointment so I can actually be seen not just chase Leah around. I will have to come back tomorrow to post a photo entry so be on the look out!

Housing, car hunting, and lack of sleep

Now that I’ve gotten the trip out of the way, let’s see what else we’ve been up to lately.

We got here on Tuesday around 10pm and Christian was called to work on Wednesday at 8am. He didn’t get much sleep that first night but his quick check-in at work was just that – quick – and he was able to come back to the room to relax. He’s been doing a lot of running around trying to get errands done and the first day that was a pain because he was relying on people to drive him around being we don’t have a car and all. We ended up renting a car to save our sanity but sanity comes at an expensive price…almost $600 for a week not including gas. We decided that we were willing to swallow that pill but we’d need to jump on the car hunt asap or before you know it our car fund would instead be the rent-a-car fund.

They have two options for cars here: dealership or what they call the lemon lot. The lemon lot is where people resell their POV (personally owned vehicle) because they want a new car or before PCS’ing to another location. You’re not allowed to leave the island while still owning a car so you can sometimes get a really good deal from a desperate service member trying to get rid of their car in time to head to their next duty station. The first day we went we got a general idea of what people found to be important in the car (when the JCI is due next and working A/C were the top of the list) and kept our eyes open for ads that listed those two bits of information while still keeping our budget in mind ($2500). We found a lot of really nice that-would-be-fun-if-we-didn’t-have-kids cars but all of the family vehicles were pretty big. After seeing some of the roads and parking spots we decided we didn’t want to go any bigger than necessary really, so mini vans and most SUV’s were off limits. We found 3 sedans priced $350, $1200, and $1700 along with one mini-SUV for $1000. The $350 sedan went right away (I mean come on, who doesn’t want a cheap car?!), and the other two sedans ended up being so-so and the owners were in a big rush to get cash in their hands asap which is easier said than done when all you can really do is withdraw your limit in cash every day. The mini-SUV we found around 8:30pm so Christian didn’t want to call then…when we called the next morning at 10am it was gone. We decided we were going to sit back and just hope to find a car and called the next 2 we liked right away. My absolute favorite ended in an incorrect number (boo!) but the other was a winner from the start.

The couple is selling the car because they are hoping to add one more child to their family before they leave the island at the end of next year. (Side note: the wife had nothing but awesome things to say about the hospital here. She delivered with a midwife and was able to walk around, use a birthing ball, eat & drink, etc.) They have owned the car for 3.5 years, and have two daughters of their own (6 and just-turned-3). We asked questions about the battery, JCI, A/C, how is it space wise, any mechanical problems, etc. and they were completely open and honest with their answers. The JCI is due next year which is a little crappy (that just means that we’ll only have to do it once while we’re here), but the car is in great condition and actually has a lot of space for its size which surprised me. The backseats are super adjustable so car seats fitting between the two rows isn’t an issue at all, and the car isn’t too much narrower than our Kia so I’m sure we’ll get the infant seat in just fine. Christian said it drives super smoothly (I don’t have a license yet so he test drove it tonight), and besides a messed up windshield wiper (that they are fixing tomorrow morning) it has no mechanical issues. To me it looks like it’s in excellent condition and the fact they only want $2500 for it is a steal. It’s the newest of all the cars we looked at (besides a 2005 Skyline that was being sold for $5500) and for being a family car it looks great inside and out. They are willing to take payments if we’re unable to get the cash up front which is really helpful to us, and they even offered to take us by the insurance office to get everything switched over to our name. The wife also volunteered to help me out during the day if I need a ride somewhere which I thought was really kind of her.

So the point of all that? YAY WE HAVE A CAR!! No more paying to rent our awesome, but expensive, Mazda and no more stress over whether or not we’ll find one that is compact and still capable of carrying 2 car seats.

It’s 10:17pm and Christian is out cold next to me (I’m typing this on Microsoft Word in our room then I copy & paste when I’m able to get to the lobby) and Leah is getting tired, too. Leah adjusted to the time difference fairly easily from the get-go and we were all up by 8:30am on Wednesday. Currently our sleep schedule is everyone out by 10:30pm, Christian goes to “work” (aka in-processes) around 6am then Leah and I are up between 8 and 9am. She usually naps from 11am-1230pm then again around 4 or 5pm until 6ish. Sometimes I nap with her but lately I am trying to stay awake so I don’t become reliant on the naps this early in my pregnancy. Come September/October I’ll be taking naps any time I can sneak one I’m sure so I should do my part to be a responsible parent and all while I can still manage. Today she is a teething monster, however, and she is not on a sleep schedule of any sort. She took two really long naps today and has had more meltdowns in the last 12 hours than I think she’s had in her entire year of life. Her bottom gums are definitely swollen in two spots so I know she’s cutting a tooth of some sort. Patiently we wait for it to make its appearance.

Leah is also a walking master and hates to be carried at ANY time right now. She still uses those tip toes of hers but has no balance issues of any sort. She tried climbing stairs today and didn’t do TOO bad but she did trip over one and almost gave me a heart attack (I was standing right behind her, but still!). When I took her away from them she melted down (of course) but she is still fairly distractible right now so she calmed down pretty quickly. After getting her back to a zen state Kairi decided it was time to break out of the room and managed to get loose. Of course Christian had Leah at the time and I was tripped by the dog running out but Kairi had some bad cabin fever I guess. She ran around outside our door, used the bathroom real fast, ran around some more, then ran back into the room. She’s on quarantine for 63 more days so she’s not supposed to be outside unless she’s using the bathroom or going to the veterinarian – and we take it seriously out of respect – so we were pretty annoyed with her after that. Needless to say she did not get praise for going potty outside since all she had to do was sit by the door if she wanted us to take her out, not run me over when I am trying to go get laundry. I gotta admit I can’t completely blame her for going crazy after being in this room nonstop for a week…there’s really not much room in here for ANY of us.

Oh, speaking of that…housing! We went to our “appointment” on Friday to find out it was supposed to be a service member only briefing which left Leah and I in the lobby for an hour and a half which Christian went in to the mandatory meeting. When he finally came back out (Leah had been an angel at 8am thank god) he asked me if I had proof of pregnancy with me. I gave him a look of “I’m not just fat you know” and he said it was for our housing folder. During the meeting they asked if anyone had a pregnant spouse and when he said he did she asked if we had any other dependents. When Christian said yes she said she would authorize us for a three bedroom house instead of a two bedroom if I could provide documentation of pregnancy. We gave them a copy of my last ultrasound notes stating there was “positive fetal heart movement” with all of the baby’s measurements and my due date noted. She said it was acceptable and put it in our folder. On our way out they told us they have 3-bedroom houses available on base, so we should hear from them by this Wednesday. Here’s to hoping one of the houses is on Kadena instead of a neighboring base…that would cut down Christian’s drive time to work considerably.

Go figure that as I write about all these good things happening for us I accidentally spill a cup of sode directly into my pair of flats. Oh, universe, you and your ability to balance things out!

Flickr was updated with tons of pictures the other day and I’ve added a few more today so check ‘em out if you’re curious about what we’re doing here and what things look like. We haven’t had the chance to explore too much so the pictures are a little generic still, but once we get out and about I’ll take photos of EVERYTHING we see from cool vending machines (seriously, I love them here), to what Yen looks like, and the beaches.

We have landed!

Where do I even begin?

The day before our flight we went to my Grandpa’s house in Dixon. He asked for us to stop by at least a day early so he could see Leah and we could spend a little time together before we took off. We got there around noon, and not even 15 minutes later we all fell asleep and took a nap. We’d been packing the hotel up the night before and were still exhausted. After our nap Leah wanted to explore the house so she got to: she walked around, got to “look” at pictures, and I took some pictures of her for my dad to see.[ That was the first time Leah had been in his childhood home in over 9 months – whenever we drive down to Dixon it’s to go to someone’s house for a party. ] After just talking for a while we went out to dinner at a little local Mexican place, then we stopped by my Tio Angel’s house to visit with his family one last time. Leah enjoyed herself as usual, and it was nice to be able to relax and see some more of my family before we made the plunge and got on our flight the next morning.

At that point it hadn’t really sunk in that we were moving for Christian or myself. We’ve both lived out of suitcases and hotels for one reason or another, and we’d been back and forth between our “usual stops” of Dixon, Galt, and Roseville…it just felt like a really weird vacation.

That night I didn’t sleep at all. Christian and Leah passed out eventually (him around midnight, her around two), but I just couldn’t bring myself to close my eyes. I was paranoid we’d lost something, we’d forget a necessity, what if Kairi gets stuck in San Francisco, or even worse: what if she gets stuck in Tokyo? I quadruple checked our tickets to make sure we were on the same flight, seats together, the right day and time. I made sure the vet didn’t overlook a single detail of Kairi’s history, and double checked her food supply we’d be giving the airline. After I finally convinced myself we were okay, and things were in order, I sat on the bed next to Leah and watched Dexter until 5am rolled around. Then it was time to wake up Christian and my Gramps to get the car loaded so we could be on our way. Our flight didn’t take off from San Francisco until 11:30am but we’d been advised to arrive 3 hours early so we could get our tickets, baggage checked, Kairi paid for and approved for flight, make it through international security, find the gate, etc. My Gramps has lived in the Bay Area forever it seems so he advised we take off 3 hours before our suggested arrival time to give us plenty of time for traffic since we’d be going through right around when people start heading to work for the day. Well it would figure that on this particular day his prayer for us showed results instantaneously – there was NO traffic the whole way to San Francisco, and even on the bridge we never once had to completely stop. We ended up in the SFO airport at our terminal a whole 4.5 hours early. We grabbed something to eat and let Leah walk around since it was a huge seating area and we were three of the seven people waiting that early. I got on the WiFi connection the airport has and woke my sister Jackie up, and she got everyone in her room so they could see Leah walk around on webcam and we could talk one last time before we took off. Even then I didn’t really feel like we were doing anything life changing…we’d flown as a family before, and came back. Nothing made this trip feel like it was anything special – Kairi was even waiting for us at our destination during our last trip – but I could tell my nerves would kick in soon enough.

After trying to maneuver the ramp with a baby, a stroller, a car seat, and 6 carry-ons (that we ended up regretting taking since only 2 of the bags ended up serving a purpose) we found our seats and settled in. I didn’t realize it until later but before the plane even finished taxiing out to the runway Leah and I were both completely asleep. She woke up ~2hrs later but I didn’t wake up for almost ~5hrs. When I first got to see our “in-flight map” we were halfway across the Pacific Ocean. I was in-and-out most of that flight, as I expected myself to be. Thankfully Leah was in a good mood and didn’t cause Christian much heartache. The last two hours seemed to drag on. They played four or five movies and a few episodes of FRIENDS so there was plenty to distract us, we were just getting antsy. Leah had woken up and was annoyed to STILL be on the plane and we really couldn’t blame her. By this point I had lost the feeling on the inside arch of my left foot though only slightly. When we were finally informed we were making our approach is when Christian and I started asking each other “Can you believe we’re here? Can you believe we actually made it?” After taking off around 11:00am and being on a plane 10hrs we were kind of expecting to land in the middle of the night – instead we walked off the plane and were welcomed to a warm afternoon in Tokyo. It was ~2:00pm when we landed.

Before we left the check-in desk in San Francisco they told us all of our baggage was checked through Okinawa. “Don’t pick-up bags, don’t re-check dog” they kept saying. All we’d have to do is go through customs and security again to get to our second flight.

This of course meant that when we landed in Tokyo we see Kairi sitting in the middle of the walkway by baggage claim and our stuff on the incoming belt. I wanted to cry my eyes out. We didn’t bother with the baggage but instead grabbed Kairi’s crate and took her over to the animal quarantine desk to see if something was wrong or if we simply needed to provide her paperwork to get her on to our next plane. The guy working the counter was nice, and although he spoke very little English he knew exactly what we needed to fill out and took only the papers he required for his records. Kairi was terrified, naturally, but was in one piece and that’s all I really cared about at that point. Christian and I were trying to figure out how we were going to push Leah in her stroller, a cart with all 6 luggage items, 6 carry-ons, and 1 dog crate through customs and to a ticket counter. Just then one of the airport employees must have felt our panic and fear because he walked over to us and asked “Are you the Zambrana’s?” and when we said yes he smiled and said he had our luggage on a cart ready for us. When we thanked him he asked if we were traveling alone with all of the bags plus a baby and a dog. We said yes and he called a stewardess-looking employee over and explained to her we needed her help. She smiled and took us exactly where we needed to go and explained what each counter meant. The ladies at the counter for All Nippon Airways (ANA) were very kind and helpful. They played and talked with Leah, got us our tickets, explained where to go and when, and took care of our baggage entirely. I was feeling frantic and completely lost when we first landed in Tokyo but after that I was completely fine. We walked to our terminal, got a drink and a snack, and that’s when I was able to get online to let people know we’d arrived. The calling card we’d bought to use while in Japan didn’t have an international number on it (only on the top part that most people will automatically throw away, go figure) so e-mails were sent instead of phone calls. Leah got to stretch her legs and run around the terminal while Christian and I took turns chasing her.

When we finally went to board our second and final plane we first got onto a bus, then we were bussed to the plane that was waiting for us a short drive down the flight line. After making it to the plane we were told it would be a few minutes and people just kind of stood around waiting to be told they could go on. After we were released to the plane Leah and I took our seats by the window and Christian took his across from me in the middle. The first plane we had been on was much bigger – since it was an international flight and all – with three seats by the windows, and six or seven across the middle. This plane was two seats by the windows, and four in the middle. We had a small delay taking off and Leah was in a foul mood so she was crying and throwing any and everything we tried giving her. When we actually started taxiing out to the runway she passed out cold and slept the first 45 minutes of the flight. The rest of the way was rough. We ran out of water and they only served tea and soda on our flight so we were screwed as far as formula, milk, or juice went. We tried teething tablets, pacifier to help with her ears, orajel, any and everything we could think of – no dice. We ended up just playing pass the baby and hoped we’d keep her calm enough to not want to kill one another before we landed. Christian did manage to get a cat nap in on that flight though not too long after he passed out Leah went into super-bad-baby mode and threw a huge fit that woke him up.

We landed at the Naha International Airport around 9:45pm local time on July 20th. The scramble to get all of our luggage together as well as find Kairi began and we hoped and prayed Christian’s sponsor would be there waiting for us to help us get to base. Thankfully he was, and he was a smart guy and asked another of Christians soon-to-be co-workers to meet him at the airport to help “just in case” we couldn’t fit in his little car. He has a 2 seater car with less trunk space than most smart cars so it was definitely necessary that someone else help out. It was a VERY tight fit but we managed to get everything in the cars. It meant all of the passengers had luggage in their laps and Kairi was surrounded by bags on the top and sides, but we got everything back to the base.

It was weird driving on the left side of the road, and terrifying watching the motorcycles weave through traffic – two things that are standard in Japan. We were warned of common practices such as cars blowing through red lights and speeding up when it turns yellow and got to see it happen more than once on the 45 minute drive to base. The whole island seems to look pretty similar from what we could see at night and on the main highway…lots of casinos. I think we counted 5 on the ride home. There are also quite a few McDonald’s and some A&W Rootbeer restaurants.

The base itself is pretty dang huge, and confusing. I think it has a lot to do with us getting use to the traffic laws to be honest. Christian was able to get an Okinawan rental car with his international driver’s license which has been a huge help to us since he won’t be getting his base-approved license until tomorrow (if all goes according to plan).The hotels on base don’t have internet except for in the little lobby down the road, and while there’s a shuttle that will pick you up from your room if they are available, there is currently only ONE servicing the entire base so we haven’t had any luck with getting a free ride. The first full day we were here (July 21st) we decided to try to walk the half-a-mile to the PX and commissary. We didn’t make it 20 feet when it started pouring. Not a little rain shower, not a quick sprinkle, downright torrential rain. Naturally Leah had nothing covering her stroller and we all got soaked. It was still ~80 degrees outside so we survived but we took that as a sign that Okinawan weather really isn’t predictable at all. Leah thought it was fun, and she laughed and played while we waited for the storm to pass so we could take her back to the room for a quick change. The humidity here is ridiculous and if I don’t put in contacts I will see nothing but fog on my glasses for a good 5-10 minutes upon going outside. I have a picture on my camera of our car and it looks like I’m standing in the middle of fog because the lens was hit by the humidity. Besides the rain and constant humidity the weather here isn’t all that bad.

It’s been two days since we arrived and my left foot is still numb. I called the hospital to ask if I should be concerned about it and it sounds like my big baby possibly picked one of my nerves and decided it would be nice to cuddle up with and has cut off the feeling to that part of my foot. I have no discoloration, no temperature change, and no severe symptoms otherwise…just numbness. I have an appointment to be referred over for my pregnancy and such on August 9th and if it is still a problem then I may see a specialist. Until then I have been told to do my best ot be on a “modified bed rest” schedule since Christian is in-processing and gone most of the day and I can’t very well tell Leah to just stop having needs. While he’s at work I am to keep my activity to a minimum and drink plenty of fluids; when he gets home I am to take my activity level down to nothing if at all possible (the nurse told me to have my husband take over duties with Leah haha) and elevate my feet. She recommended this because I have had a lot of back pain with this baby so far and from how I’m carrying (very prominently) at only 20 weeks my body is most likely strained and under stress from all of the traveling. I haven’t had much time to relax (except while writing this) today mostly because Leah is fighting her nap as usual and Christian is taking one instead. At least one of them will hopefully have a sunnier disposition in an hour or so!

Besides wreaking havoc on my innards, Baby Z is doing well at 20weeks+. I get plenty of loving kicks and punches throughout my day and my appetite is just fine. We do not have a name picked out yet for those of you who have asked, and I don’t know when we will have one. We have a girl name we like a lot but boy names are a little more difficult for us to agree on. I haven’t started shopping for boy things quite yet because while the PX here is pretty big their baby section is lacking a little in the clothing department for my taste. I sense an order from Carters.com very shortly…

I don’t have a ton of pictures to put online yet but as I take them I’ll be updating our Flickr account. Until we get a house (appointment is on Friday, waiting list is currently between 9 and 12 months…) I’ll be using the hotel internet so don’t be surprised if I am unable to update daily or if I don’t reply to messages or e-mails. It’s not done purposefully as anyone with a small child and a busy husband can tell you – I just don’t have a ton of free time on my hands right now. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can, and I’ll update whenever possible. It’s nice to have a connection to our stateside family and friends still, even if it is online via the internet.

Happy 4th of July! [late of course]

Happy 4th of July!
Originally uploaded by auphelia

I wanted to make sure I posted this picture to our blog just for memories sake. This was our first, and only, 4th of July as a family of three.

Independence Day, packing up, and we have movement!

Well it's about that time again...I'm due to write an update on how the Z family is doing. There are a few things of note that are going on lately, so I'll just jump right in.

As you all know, Sunday was July 4th, the United States of America's day of independence. We made plans to spend the day with my family in Galt as we've done in the past, which was a lot of fun...when we got there. Leah's been in full teething mode lately so we arrived MUCH later than planned (6pm) since we didn't wake up until 1:30pm with our little insomniac. Calculate shower time for 2 adults, a thick head of curls that needed to be straightened (yes, NEEDED - anyone who's seen my poodle hair can vouche for me that it is a necessity), cupcakes that needed to be put in a holder, a dog that needed to be taken out as well as given plenty of fresh food and water, packing a diaper bag, and feeding, changing, and dressing an 11 month old....and you'll have arrived at a late departure as well! Thankfully there was no traffic on the way and we made good time on the drive down. We got to eat lots of yummy food, spent some time socializing and enjoying company, then we watched the fireworks show. My cousins also set off some fireworks at home that Leah was terrified of - she didn't even like the sparklers Christian bought for me! We had fun and even though we got home very late (1am) it was worth it. My family got to take pictures with Leah, and we will hopefully be stopping by one more time this coming weekend to drop off and extra food or cleaning supplies we have after the house is packed up since it won't do us any good. Then it'll be a long while until we see them again.

Wednesday is day 1 of packing up the house....and it will be complete on Friday. We're debating whether or not we're staying here in the house Friday - Wednesday when we have no furniture or entertainment of any sort...the military will only pay for 5 days of hotel & food costs for us so that leaves us with 4 days out of pocket if we choose not to stay here. It would only be ~$400 but there are pros and cons to both decisions. I have a feeling we'll end up going to a hotel because Leah will get tired of being in an empty house VERY quickly. I'm still in disbelief we're moving. I don't think I'll really accept it until I wake up in a hotel at 4am feeling very hungry and tired. Even then I might just blame my weird pregnancy dreams. We are down to less than 2 weeks until we'll be in Japan...less than 2 weeks until we start on the third most exciting journey of our lives. It's going to be incredible.

Christian had a 4 day weekend which has sadly come to a close, so he is asleep. Leah is sitting here with me eating a multi-grain cracker (since she's still on a cracker binge we got her a healthier option), and Kairi is asleep on the floor looking goofy. I am exhausted, and would really like to be asleep, but Leah's got a slight fever that I think is once again teething related. Instead I have the washer and dryer going. I might as well get the rest of this laundry done if I'm going to be up anyways, right? Tomorrow we'll be packing our suitcases so it would be a good thing to get done any ways. Leah will be in cloth diapers only through tomorrow, then we'll be packing them up and having them sent with our early shipment so they will be delivered once we have a house again. Back to the days of disposable diapers stinking up my trash can....sigh. My super sensitive pregnant nose can smell trash from a mile away so it won't be a fun 2 weeks, but such is life. I'm hoping since we've been on the housing waiting list for a little over a month now we'll be offered a house within a decent time frame...and that the house is pet friendly!

This morning (er afternoon) I woke up to some very noticeable baby "kicks". They aren't super strong or externally visible, but Christian and I were both able to feel the baby move around for a few minutes throughout the day if we sat and put a hand on my stomach. It's amazing to think that at 18 weeks our child is already developed enough to make them self known. In just a little over a week we'll be able to make the big announcement about the sex of little Baby Z...I can't wait! I think I might go buy an IntelliGender testing kit for kicks & giggles...it would be interesting to see if it is able to accurately determine the baby's sex in advance.

This took about 40 minutes for me to type up, thanks to my child demanding another cracker and getting mad at me for having electronics near her haha, so I think I will end it here. Hopefully I'll be able to update again later in the week before we lose internet. Until then, stop by our Flickr Account to see some updates pictures of our family.