Saturday 28 August 2010

Preparations underway!

It's the last weekend before my parents get here! And that means...cleaning. Whomp whomp! :) Actually my nesting tendencies have kicked in, so I don't mind it too much. It's good to give the house a nice thorough cleaning before the baby comes anyway...can't bring the little guy home to a dirty house (he'll see plenty of that for the rest of his life!!). His room is pretty much set up - got the changing table arranged and made sure I had all the diapering necessities within easy reach. The crib will be in our room for several months - for his safety and also because his room doubles as the guest bedroom while my parents are here.

Our friends just had their little boy a few days ago. Bryce went to basic training and part of tech school with Adam, and he met Mallory over here in England. It was quite the shock the day we told those two we were pregnant...because their response was, So are we! Their little boy Nolan is so adorable. We went to see him when he was about 9 hours old. It was weird to hold him and think that we would have one of our own very soon. It made both Bryce and I all the more excited!

Wednesday 25 August 2010

Having faith in the universe

One of my favorite quotations of all time is "Faith sees what the eyes cannot." I saw it on a church message board once and it just stuck. I think it stuck because I have a hard time with having faith and patience. I can be impetuous at times and get frustrated if I don't get what I want RIGHT NOW. I suppose that's human nature. :)

I try to remember that my life is running on a different timeline than the one I have planned for it. Death Cab for Cutie said it best in their song What Sarah Said: every plan is a tiny prayer to father time. We can make all the plans in the world, but watch out if those plans don't coincide with what the universe has planned! Any time things don't work out as I planned, I try to remember that the universe may be trying to tell me something. Like, when I applied to nursing schools for three years in a row and never got accepted, I realized that maybe I wasn't meant to be a nurse. Now I have 2 degrees in public health and I am enthralled with its study and practice. Most recently, I've been trying to find a job in my field of public health. Not so easy on an Air Force base, and after a year of applying to many different jobs, I've gotten one call back in July for a temp job that would have ended in September. So frustrating. Since I am about to have our first child, I'm wondering if the universe is saying that I shouldn't work right now; that maybe my place is at home with our baby. I like the idea of staying home with him; it's just that I've worked since I was 17 and I have a hard time not contributing financially to our family. But I think being a good mom is the most important job I'll ever have, so maybe I should listen to the universe again and quit trying to find employment outside the home...for now. :)

Tuesday 24 August 2010

Here we go...

So what is this "next step" that I've been so ready for? Mommyhood! Today I am 38 weeks pregnant with our first child - a little boy. I've felt ready for a child for quite some time, so to be on the brink of having one is very exciting.

My husband and I have been married for almost 3 years. He joined the Air Force in February 2009 - partly so that we could better afford to have a child. There were other reasons as well, of course, but free health care and a guaranteed living wage for at least four years was a compelling reason. Imagine our surprise when we found out our first duty station after his tech school was RAF Lakenheath in England. We had hoped to go international at some point in his career, but didn't expect it so soon! It's been an adjustment, but we are enjoying living over here. Plus, it's pretty neat that our son will be born in a different country, with the possibility of dual citizenship (still need to check on that, though).

Even though we moved overseas midway through my graduate program, I managed to finish my Master of Public Health degree in June 2010, thanks to a crammed Summer 2009 schedule, online classes, a few flexible professors and a very dedicated advisor. It's hard to find a job in my field over here (the base is out in the countryside, 2 hours outside of London), which has been frustrating. I'm torn between wanting to be a stay-at-home mom while my baby is young, and using this degree that I worked so hard for, that's in a field I'm really passionate about. Not to mention the student loans that are hanging over my head. :)

I finally feel inspired to write again - now that my life is about to change so much. Moving to England was a big change, but I don't think it'll compare to caring for a tiny human. Hopefully you'll find my journey as interesting as I do!