Bittersweet September

I can not believe August is almost over! September will be here before we know it and with it brings a lot of mixed emotions. I love having the weeks tick by knowing that our little nugget is growing and changing along the way. I've recently been REALLY anxious and counting the days until I can welcome the long awaited second trimester. It seems like the term alone brings pregnant women to clap and cheer and do happy dances. This time next week I'll be crossing that mile marker!

September has a lot of exciting things going on (which I'll get to) but September also brings with it Dylan's deployment. I think with everything going on with this new life of ours, we aren't focusing on his leaving as much as we probably would have been otherwise. I think once September hits, so will the reality that he really is leaving. We keep talking about the deployment like it's this far off, distant event.

With the deployment comes a lot of changes, most of which I'm looking forward to. I think I'm trying to focus on the positive because it's less stressful and the last thing I want to be right now is a big ball of insane worry. I will be moving back home to Atlanta to be with family & friends which I am thrilled about! Moving back is a little easier said than done, considering I have these three fur babies in tow. I consider myself lucky to be able to go home for this period of my life. I think it will help immensely while Dylan is gone. I can't imagine being here alone & pregnant.

This will be Dylan's second deployment and I have to say it's  a lot less scary than the first. I think with the first deployment, it was the fear of the unknown. The idea of 7 months of him being gone was daunting and overwhelming. Knowing what to expect and how it feels having them gone helps take a lot of the anxiety off the table. I know that it's possible to survive & with the last deployment I was surprised how much I was able to do on my own. Obviously being pregnant this go around changes things quite a bit but I feel more confident going into it.

If he were to be deployed for the standard deployment time, he wouldn't be coming home until about 3 months after the baby is born. The idea of him not being here for the birth and for those first few precious months hurts, not just for me but for him. I want him to have those amazing, life changing moments for himself. I want to meet our baby together! 

However, there is a "good chance" (that term can have a lot or a little meaning in the military) that he will be coming home earlier, possibly even before Baby G makes their debut. We've lived the military life for five years and first rule is that you don't rely on anything you hear. Things change day to day, minute to minute, especially when dealing with deployments. With that being said, I'm crossing my fingers and staying hopeful that he will be home early while at the same time planning as if he will be gone for the standard time frame. It may sound like a negative outlook, but it's just easier in the long run.

I'm  giving it all to God. I have to. Sure, I could sit here and plan out each possibility, but where would that get me? I'd be stressed out and restless at a time where I need to be happy and thankful. However it works out will be fine.

So, that's the bitter aspect of September, but still sweet.

I am most looking forward to our trip to Georgia in the beginning of the month. We will be home for about 2 weeks. We will be happily busy seeing everyone! It's Dylan's predeployment leave so we will see friends and family before he deploys (boo...)  but it will also be our first time seeing everyone since we found out that we are parents-to-be (yay!).

This weekend Dylan I decided to add in a really exciting moment to our trip. Originally we were set to find out Baby G's gender at our next doctor appointment (right before Dylan is set to leave) but we decided to schedule a 3D/4D scan for September 7th! I am counting down the days, I can't wait!

I received a glowing recommendation as to where to go & after reading all of the reviews and emailing the owner, I feel really confident we made the right choice.

(First Impressions)

I think I am most excited about getting to share the experience with loved ones. I think it will be amazing to get a good long glimpse of our sweet baby, watch them move around, hear their heartbeat, and learn whether we will have a son or daughter.

Seriously, is it time yet??

I've been dying to make a little baby purchase but have had zero luck finding anything gender neutral in this town. Dylan & I even braved going to the Jacksonville Mall on Saturday to look around at baby clothes at Gap and of course, Gap is no longer there. It's been replaced by some atrocious, cheap store. I guess it's better suited for that town than Gap could ever be. Grrrrr...

Shopping in general is a little blah at the moment. Not only is it kind of in between summer/fall seasons, I am in limbo as far as what to buy for myself. I'm not quite in maternity clothes yet, but obviously will be soon. I don't want to keep buying clothes that I won't be able to wear much longer, but buying maternity clothes ahead of time can be tricky as well. I guess I'll just stick to long, loose shirts for now!

I see a lot of baby shopping while in Atlanta, another perk of finding out the gender while we are in town!

So, it's obvious why I am in such a hurry up/slow down battle with time at the moment. So much to look forward to, but I also don't want to see Dylan leave. I guess this what they call life.

Until next time!