Church Shopping

Today we went to church for the first time since we've arrived in Gulfport. We arrived in Gulfport on a Sunday (July 10th); the following Sunday my dear friend Michelle (one of my college roommates) came to visit, and my dad also arrived that same Sunday evening to help us unpack. The third Sunday (July 24th) my mom and stepdad were in town (although they left that day). I will provide a better timeline and story of our moving experience soon...

Anyway, we went to church today. In Jacksonville we belonged to a contemporary Southern Baptist Church that we LOVED, and today's church was of the same genre. There are lots of churches in Gulfport (especially Baptist churches...not that we're dead set on a Baptist church, but the sheer number astounds me), and we plan on church shopping for a little while before settling on one. Although we also know how important it is to not dawdle too long, because we're only here for two short years, and the sooner we get settled the better (especially since Baby #2 will be here soon, and Chet will be deploying not too many months after that).

26- and 27-Week Belly Pictures

It's been exactly three weeks since my last post, and I promised myself I wouldn't go longer than three weeks without blogging again. Since I have a lot to update you on, I'll start with something easy: belly pictures! I didn't take pictures the 25th week; too much going on. Also, I'm not wearing "good" shirts for these pictures, so it's kind of hard to tell what I look like! (I kept having Chet take more pictures, as if a better camera angle would make up for the poor choice in clothing. Poor Chet.) I'll take a better 28-week picture, I promise.

24 Weeks (for comparison)

26 Weeks

Again

27 Weeks

Again (with Syd this time!)

Speaking of baby, I am all registered with my new OB (well, OB office really). Like Sydney, I'll have this baby at a military hospital, but on an Air Force base rather than a Navy base, because there are no Navy hospitals close by. But I've heard wonderful things about the Air Force hospital, so I'm happy. Sydney and I went to an administrative OB appointment last Friday (yesterday), just to make sure all of my paperwork was in order, and to schedule my next regular appointment (Monday). Sydney was very energetic as I tried to talk to the nurse, so I will drop her off at the base's Child Development Center on Monday so that I can do my 1-hour glucose test and 28-week OB appointment back-to-back without a cute little toddler running around. Last time I didn't pass the 1-hour glucose test, and had to take the 3-hour test...I REALLY hope I pass it this time, because the 3-hour test is not fun!

I promise to post more soon, including house pictures!

Update!

I know I said I wouldn't post for a while, but I have a laptop and some time, so why not?! The packers came to the house Wednesday (their job was to put everything into boxes). They showed up at noon. Not cool. They finished packing at 8:30 p.m. Also not cool. The movers came to the house Thursday (their job was to load the boxes into the truck, as well as wrap everything that didn't fit into a box and load it onto the truck). They showed up at 11:00 a.m. and finished at 8:30 p.m. Not very cool either. You know, if I owned or managed a moving company, I would 1) Call the customer the day before and confirm the time my packers/movers would be there and 2) Make sure my packers/movers showed up on time and worked with a sense of urgency. But what do I know?

To play devil's advocate with myself, both the packers and movers seemed to do a good job, so I shouldn't complain too much, especially since that part of the move is behind us. But still, tardiness is not a good business practice (and I can't WAIT to fill out that customer satisfaction survey they so desperately want us to fill out once the move is finished)!

We checked into the Navy Lodge (hotel on base) Wednesday, because we didn't feel like "camping out" in a packed up house Wednesday night. So this is our 4th night in the hotel, and it's been a good stay. Chet's parents arrived today to also spend the night; they will drive with us to Gulfport and help take care of Sydney/keep an eye on the movers as they unload all of our things. Tuesday should be the unload date in Gulfport (let's hope they show up before noon!).

I'm excited to arrive in Gulfport and get the keys to our new house. It's both fun and exhausting to set up a new home, and I'm glad we've started the process...the sooner we start the sooner we finish!

Last post for a while...

This will be my last post for a little while. The movers come tomorrow to box everything up; Thursday they pack everything in the truck and drive it away. Chet and I "check out" of our base house Friday afternoon (we have to clean it thoroughly and have it inspected by the housing office). We should be in the base house in Gulfport this time next week. We will stay in a hotel beginning tomorrow for our last few days in Jacksonville, and then a couple of nights in Gulfport before getting into the house. Chet's parents are making the trek from Jacksonville to Gulfport with us, which will be a huge help, Sydney-wise. It's so strange that the move is finally happening! We have enjoyed our time in Jacksonville, but it's rare to be in one place for so long (six years for Chet, five for me!) when you're in the military, so we're ready to embark on our new journey!

She's saying "hot" in the picture, and waving her hand. One of us was cooking and she saw the steam.

Thirsty

Coloring

Cheesy, Snotty Smile

Ready to swim!

She started to walk away.

Sydney loves her Crocs!

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day! Here is Sydney, wearing her patriotic tank tops. We didn't really do anything special to celebrate the 4th. It's so hot, and we're so engrossed in this move, it's hard for us to make other plans right now. I hope everyone had a great holiday!

She likes to sit on the rug by the garage door and read and play...gross.

This picture cracks me up.

23 and 24 Weeks...and Stuff

Here are my 23- and 24-week belly pictures. Not much of a difference in my opinion. I've been sick the last two weeks with a cold (I guess it's a cold...something that makes me sneeze and my nose run and cough and have a sinus headache), so food hasn't tasted very good (it's hard to decide what to eat when you can't imagine what it tastes like). Anyway, hopefully it's over soon! Sydney caught it too, and she seems to be on the mend. Although it's tough when kids (her age) have runny noses, because she doesn't understand how to blow her nose...I think she'd get well a lot sooner if she could blow some of that gunk out!

22 Weeks (for comparison)

23 Weeks

24 Weeks

Also, Chet's last day at work was June 30th, so we've been working very hard since then (I started before that, but we are more efficient as a team)organizing, purging, and packing. We've tackled and completed projects that I've been meaning to do for months, and that I was adamant about completing before the move...because I knew those projects would go straight to the bottom of a very long to-do list if I didn't finish them now. We are not doing much packing ourselves (other than what the movers aren't allowed to pack and what we need to survive during our transient state). What I'm mostly doing is grouping "like" things together around the house, so that "like" things get packed together. The last move taught me that it is very hard to open a box to find 1 picture frame, 3 books, and a throw pillow. What am I going to do with those random items right that moment, when I'm still trying to figure out where everything is going to go? It's much easier to open a box full of picture frames, know you're not ready to deal with pictures frames, and set the entire box aside for later. (By the way, the orange pieces of paper taped to the door behind me in the pictures are my moving to-do lists...I like being able to write things down as soon as they pop in my head, and I'm less likely to do that if my lists are put away nicely and I have to make extra effort to get to them!)