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.

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.

Blood isn't always thicker than water

This is the entry I've dreaded writing. It is going to come out completely selfish, and completely ridiculous sounding, but believe you me when I tell you it's the sad, unfortunate truth.

There is a very long version and a fairly simple version. For the sake of my mental health I will only be sharing the fairly simple version. This whole ordeal takes a lot out of me, and hurts me deeply. I can only hope by the grace of god that by the time Leah is old enough to understand all of this the situation has somehow bettered itself.

Christian's family - his father and stepmother primarily - have not liked me since October 29th, 2006. That's right, the day we began dating. His stepmother claims to be psychic and she told him on Christmas 2006 that she had a bad feeling about the relationship. When Christian asked what she meant all she said was "You're going to want to marry this girl." [They will tell you that they were "nothing but kind" up until our engagement - that is a bold faced lie. We have saved every internet conversation from day 1 in case we were to ever need to take legal action against them.]

It should be said that Christian's parents are not very...supportive of long term relationships at a "young" age. While in Belgium they used to tell him often to "go out and get laid already". When Christian told them at 20 (over a year later) that he was going to propose to me they lost it and said they'd never approve of his decision and they would never recognize the marriage. After he proposed and my family welcomed him with open arms he decided to do what he wanted for once.

So we got married.

His family wasn't there for multiple reasons. They were upset that we were having the ceremony in a church (they believe religion is the government's tool to control your mind and your life), they refused to accept that we were already legally wed (we had a JOP ceremony 3 weeks before the church ceremony), and they were extremely inappropriate towards myself and my family. Christian and I expressed our feelings on the topic and flat out told them if they couldn't be respectful of MY family they were not welcome at the ceremony.

For the first year of our marriage all that came from them was pure, distasteful, hateful words and actions. One of the most ridiculous issues that came up time after time was the fact that I share the same name as his stepmother. She refused to acknowledge me if Christian called me "Nessa" because that was HER nickname first. They went as far as to tell me I should go by my middle name so that we wouldn't have financial troubles. She seemed to think we'd accidentally get credit in her name instead of mine one day or that her paycheck would come to me instead of her. I flat out told her to get the hell over it, she is not the only Vanessa in the world, and I was not going to be bullied by a woman 8 years older than me over my legal name. (Yes, she is a mere 8 years older than Christian and I) After that exchange they chose to completely ignore me. They would go from hanging up the phone if I answered instead of Christian to sending e-mails calling my family and myself every derogatory name possible. No matter what Christian said or did they continued to badger us with their negativity. His grandmother did nothing but call us and tell us how we are ruining the family. They called me a gold digger and told Christian over and over that I don't love him, that I am using him, never have children with her she just wants child support.

We went to Texas for my sisters graduation from high school in June of 2008. They went crazy. Calling all the time, yelling at us about visiting my family but not visiting them yet. They didn't want US to visit - they wanted CHRISTIAN to visit. That simply was not going to happen.

Then, I got pregnant with Leah in October.

Suddenly everything changed. They want to call and talk to me about my pregnancy. They wanted pictures and weekly updates. Christian was deployed and they wanted him to call them instead of me. His stepmom would call to tell me about the "great care package" she sent him - packages he never got. If I didn't call for every birthday and holiday she would call a few days later and tell me off for ignoring them. But she never called for my birthday, never called for any holidays. Christian picked out Christmas gifts for his family in advance and all they had to say when they received them was "We have enough money to buy what we really want, don't bother sending gifts again".

Around my second trimester of pregnancy they told Christian they wanted to buy Leah's crib for her, and told us to send them a link to the one we'd like. After much discussion we decided to take them up on the offer - we asked them for three months when we should expect the crib to arrive. I was 8.5 months pregnant when they finally told us they weren't buying it anymore. We ended up buying it with baby shower gift cards, a very real blessing to us at that moment in time. My parents had told me from the start as soon as I found out the due date they would book tickets and be sure they were here to see Leah - his parents got upset because they couldn't afford to fly out (his father decided to retire from the AF without a back-up job and his stepmom didn't work - I had NO sympathy) and they were offended we didn't tell my parents to not come out, too, because they were unable to. We took family pictures while they were down and that caused another huge fight - one that led us to not speak with them for three months.

This kind of crap has continued since Leah was born, all the way up until we visited them in Florida about 10 days ago. Christian took 2 weeks of leave so we could go see his family in Florida for 7 days then go to Maryland for 5 days so I could say goodbye to my family and pick up our dog, Kairi. His parents absolutely refused to take any time off to see us, which severely limited how much time we'd be spending with them. Not to mention they live 7 hours north of his grandmother, the person we were staying with the first half of the trip because it was over $100 cheaper to fly in to central Florida than the panhandle. His parents smoke, have three ridiculously yappy dogs that pee and poop in their house, and his 3 brothers have NO sense of respect or discipline - it simply wasn't an option for us to stay at their house.

The base has a rule that any more than 14 days of leave has to be approved by the commander and currently he is not approving any requests unless it involves a sensitive family situation. We explained this to them as they ALL badgered us about not spending more time in Florida, why do we have to see MY family, yada yada. I had no problem telling them that we were going to see my family because I am having to leave them behind, too. They seem to think that they are the only ones having a child move half way around the world.

So we get there and they completely ignore me. To the point where they don't even say hello to Leah until Christian has her and is changing her diaper. They ask Christian to step outside so they can talk to her, and ask him to bring Leah with him. I was left inside their house, alone, for almost four hours. I heard Christian raise his voice a few times - something he rarely does - and anytime he tried to come inside to talk to me his dad would call him back out. It was an absolutely horrible experience. When it came time for us to leave his dad came in and said "Well, sorry we didn't get the chance to talk, I don't think this a good way for us to get to know each other. Maybe next time."

I told Christian I would not be going back with him the following day - nor would Leah - if he was going to allow me to sit and be ignored again. We got into a huge fight and he agreed that if I felt I was being pushed out of the conversation and visit we would leave. He did wonderfully and did not let his parents try to avoid including me. When we left that day I did not like them any more than I had the day before but I had been very civil and polite. I told them about Leah's likes and dislikes, things she can and can't do, and took pictures of them with her. They told me that I shouldn't be pregnant yet and they "hope it turns out okay" but "wouldn't be surprised" if it didn't.

Our last day in Florida was filled with them calling his grandma (where we were again since we'd also be flying out of central Florida) telling her we didn't spend any time with them, we ignored them for Christian's other side of the family, what a waste this trip was, etc. We spent $1000 to visit them, plus the cost of a rental car, food, and gas, and that's all they have to say about the trip? I was beyond livid at that point. The day we flew to Maryland I was so relived I cried at the airport.

While in Maryland Christian's parents call us liars, and his stepmom decides to delete and block us from Facebook. No problem, we block her in return so she is unable to play the "haha I am messaging you but ignoring you" game. His brother makes a fake account and begins messaging ME, telling me to "go to hell you f**king b***h!", that my "family can all go to hell too!", and that Christian is a "f**king idiot" now that he married me.

After a very long, drawn out conversation (as soon as it popped up I gave the laptop to Christian and told him I'm not playing this bs game) Christian and I made all of our blogs and accounts private to prevent his family from reading and or taking any of our updates or information and finding a way to twist it or share it when we have not giving them permission to do so.

Christian is having a hard time not communicating with them and feels he needs to call on Mother's Day to be polite. I have told him how I feel about this and he just can't seem to grasp that he isn't the one that's ruining his family's relationship, it's his parents. I am having a very hard time handling all of this because I am the one that's constantly being badmouthed. I fear when Leah is old enough to really understand what they are saying that they will convince her that I am a bad person or that I don't love her. I worry that they will try to tell her that my family is evil, or that they don't care for her, the way they convinced Christian so long ago about his mother's side of the family. I worry that I stress over all of this too much and that I could miscarry the baby. I am afraid that my husband will never be able to face that perhaps OUR life would be better if they weren't as involved - or involved at all.

Right now, I'm not entirely sure of what steps to take to make the situation any easier for me. There's therapy or counseling but the last thing I want is for them to tell Christian's first shirt that they are worried about my mental health and refuse to let Christian PCS. The truth is, I am concerned about my mental health. As long as this situation continues the way it has I don't know how I am going to handle it.

Quick update before dinner

I apologize for the very abrupt change in privacy as far as requiring an invite to read goes. I will further elaborate at a later time about the situation but for now I would prefer to just remain mum. It's not all that easy to explain so when I have the chance to sit down and put my thoughts together properly I will share the current problematic situation we have found ourselves in.

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On to happier things! We had our first doctor appointment on April 16th, Christian's 23rd birthday. I was so afraid of missing the ultrasound (it had already happened once) that we got there almost an hour early. We got the same doctor who delivered Leah, Dr. Wilson, and he said everything looks perfect. We got a picture of our little blob (<3), got to see AND hear their heartbeat, and we got my EDD: December 7th, our 3rd wedding anniversary.



We are almost 100% sure my mom will be coming out in October to stay with us until at least January to help us adjust to having two little ones and so we have someone we know and trust to take care of Leah while I am at the hospital. Since I will be delivering in Japan at a military hospital I am almost guaranteed to deliver via cesarean again. I was very fortunate to have my sister around for Leah's birth and I am not entirely sure I'll be able to handle caring for a new baby after another cesarean while still maintaining a regular routine with Leah. I know I'll fall into my own little schedule and routine but having her there will make me feel much more secure and confident.

Leah is doing great. She is up to 19 lbs 6oz, and 28 inches long. She is 9 months and 2 weeks old. She can pull herself up on almost anything within reach, can stand for about 10 seconds on her own, and today took 2 steps before falling over. They were "running steps" of sorts, she took them trying to keep herself standing upright. Haha. She still babbles "mama" often and loves hearing herself make noise. She hasn't mastered "dada" quite yet, but Christian is patiently waiting. :)

Currently we are on "vacation" in Maryland. We spent last week in Florida and we go home on Friday. When we get back to California we should HOPEFULLY get our orders then we'll be in PCS overdrive.

I'll finish our very lengthy update with a separate entry later on!

Well, well, what have we here?

Well ladies and gentlemen, our lives have been permanently interrupted! We found out 2 days ago that on November 23rd, 2009 we were chosen to PCS to Kadena AFB. Kadena, if you're unfamiliar with it, is located in Okinawa, Japan!

Christian will fly out ahead of us at the beginning of June to get us a house and to scope out the place. Leah and I will fly out afterwards to meet up with him. We were sad at first, but now we're filled with excitement! We cannot wait to go on a new adventure as a family. :)

This will greatly affect my 101 list so I'll be making changes shortly. Anyone who is military and has lived overseas can tell you it really is NOT that easy to get enough leave (and approval!) to leave the country you're in the visit the states. So instead of some of the locations we hoped to visit here I'll add MANY we hope to visit while in Asia and maybe even Europe again!

I have a feeling this will also affect our plans for children. We will still begin trying to conceive when we originally planned to but because I will deliver in a Japanese hospital the chances of me having a VBAC will be much lower. Depending on if I end up with a repeat cesarean we may have to stop having children much earlier than we originally wanted to. I'm trying not to think about it too much because it is a very saddening thought for us.

Leah will have her first birthday in Okinawa and my family is planning on flying out to spend it with her! I am grateful she will still be surrounded by loved ones on her first big day. :)

Kairi is coming with us as well. We have to get going on lots of paperwork and such for her but gosh dang it I am not leaving my puppy behind! I've had her since she was 8 weeks old and she's 13 months now. She helped me through Christian's first deployment when I was pregnant and alone, and she is my constant companion now that I have Leah and we're home all day. Life in Japan just wouldn't be the same without her.

We can't take our car "Betsy" with us (our Kia) so I am thankful we haven't bought a new car yet. :) In Japan they drive on the left side of the road (similar to in the UK), plus they have very strict requirements of vehicles within their country. We technically could take it but it would cost thousands and thousands to adjust it to their standards.

We are so excited to have such an amazing opportunity for our first PCS. Beale was Christian's first duty station so we're in for the adventure of a lifetime!

One day closer

We officially have less than a month left until Leah and I head to California with my parents. I am so anxious to get all of this traveling over with because it's going to be a very very long day. We leave on one of the first flights of the day and will arrive in California in the early afternoon. I am hoping to get Leah and I back into a west coast routine fairly quickly so we'll need to try to stay up as much as possible that day. I will probably regret it when the time comes but for now that's my plan. At least my parents will be there to keep Leah entertained and me sane.

Christian and I haven't had the chance to talk as much lately as we used to. They switched him from the evening shift to the early morning shift. Bah. So he's asleep during our daytime hours and has work while I sleep. Even when we do talk he's usually in a rush out the door or he's so tired he can hardly comprehend when I'm saying. I am ready for him to just come home already. Leah needs her Daddy and I need my husband back. He's looking at applying for an instructor position at Beale. If he were to do so, and be accepted, it would be a controlled 4 year tour. No deployments (emergencies of course don't "count"), small increase in pay, no PCS guarantee. I like the idea of being somewhere we are familiar with for a couple of years, and the idea of him not being deployed every 8 freaking months.

Another plus: when it comes to us having more children I really loved the birthing center I delivered Leah at (even though my birth plan didn't pan out), and Leah (plus any other children) would get to see the same doctor consistently. We've discussed when we plan on trying to conceive our second child and anybody that is military can tell you it's nerve wrecking to think that your husband will be deployed when you get pregnant, will miss the delivery, or you could find out you have to PCS the month you're due. So knowing we'd be in the same place, Christian would be home, and Leah would have family nearby to help us take care of her while I am in labor (should anything happen -knock on wood-) is comforting.

In other news I started taking a cake decorating class at the local Michael's and I love it. I have wanted to take this class for over a year now and I am so happy I decided to do it before going home. I have the class once a week (Monday) for 2 hours a night and so far I've learned how to fill cakes, make different types of buttercream frosting, frost cakes, dye frosting and cakes, and the basics of all kinds of fun accessories. I am going to have so much fun baking cakes and decorating them just because. On the same note I have also finally written down approximately 7 of my favorite recipes my Mom came up with from enchiladas to home made soup. I can't wait to get home and make them for Christian and I. :)

Tomorrow is a big day....Leah will be SIX MONTHS OLD. My baby is already half of a year old. Where does the time go? Monday her WIC checks become active and she'll get a box of rice cereal and 92 (yes, NINETY-TWO) jars of baby food for the month of January. WIC is really trying to make a point that breast feeding is best for mama and baby!

For now, that is our update. I am starving...time to get some soup!