Bellies, Babies, Diplomas, and Coconuts
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| I think I win! |
First, I'll catch you up on on Mr. Mason. I am pretty sure he is the size of a small car, although the fun newsletter I get weekly tells me he is the size of a coconut. Just a coconut with arms and legs that constantly moves around, likes to stick his toes (or fingers, whatever is up there) between my ribs and is very present in letting me know when I'm in a position he does not like. Fun, right?! Kidding. (Not really) In all seriousness, he is as long as he will probably be when he is born, and somewhere between 4 and 6 pounds. At my last appointment all my measurments were right on track, his heartbeat is super strong and steady, and every lab I've had has come back normal. We are 35 weeks this Saturday which really blows my mind. That means in one week we are full term and that brings on MANY different emotions. I have never wanted to meet someone so badly in my entire life. I'm thankful everything has gone smoothly, and pray the last 5 weeks are the same. I also pray I don't freeze James to death in the house. As the temperatures creep up outside, the thermostat temperature in here seems to creep down. Here is a text message conversation from not too long ago:
Me: You slept with your hood on last night.
James: Yeah it was super cold
Me: It isn't THAT cold
James: Yes it was.
Me: We have a window unit in our room. Impossible to make it so cold you have to sleep with a hood on.
James: My ears were cold.
Oh James.
Mason is such a spoiled little guy, we had two baby showers and they were both amazing. The first was in Dunn hosted by my Aunt Sue and my mom's best friend Maryanne Skender and I was so overwhelmed (in a great way) by all the people who came to celebrate and shower Mason. The decorations were so precious (Anchors Aweigh!) and between Aunt Sue and Maryanne, there was quite a feast of food!
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| Shower damage at home! |
The second baby shower was a couples shower hosted by all my favorite gals! Annie, Tara, Tricia, Sara, Alison, and Zoe put together a shower for our friends to get together and hang out and it was so nice to have most of our favorite people in one place to just catch up and spend time together. The food was so good and of course Mason racked up on goodies.
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| 32 weeks! |
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| More shower damage! |
So what other amazingness could have gone on? I'm not really going in chronological order here by dates, but on Mother's Day I flew to Atlanta for...drum roll...ANNIE'S GRADUATION! Dr. Hardison-Moody got her big 'ol diploma saying she's officially super smart and we got to watch her walk across the stage and get her hood and I was so proud! When I called James that night I said to him, "Annie has been in school my whole life pretty much. I don't know how to feel about her being done!" I do feel so happy for her accomplishments and so proud to be her sister. There isn't really anyone that compares to Annie, and I look up to her in more ways than she knows :) She is the smartest and strongest person I know! Tomorrow we are headed to Raleigh for her celebration and I can't wait to post about that and show pictures. And I won't wait 3 months this time!
The other news around here is of course Navy news! James is settled on the USS Roosevelt and has been there long enough that he isn't one of the "new guys" anymore! Just to remind you, the carrier is in the ship yards in Newport News where it has been getting its half life rehaul. They bring it in halfway through its life and basically update everything. Literally everything is taken off the ship, updated, repainted, and reinstalled and this takes a couple of years. There are pros and cons to this. Negatives? James's equipment hasn't been installed so he hasn't been doing electronics work which can be frustrating. They are constantly redistributing guys to different jobs to keep them occupied (they won't pay them to hang out obviously) and sometimes the jobs aren't exactly tied to your field at all. Pros? When your wife is pregnant, it is really nice to know your ship won't be leaving anytime soon so we've been so lucky he has been here for everything and won't miss Mason's birth. And as a military wife, I'm pretty spoiled because I haven't had to watch his ship pull away from the pier. But like I said they won't pay James to do nothing, so 0n October 1, he starts what is called his Temporary Assigned Duty. Everyone has to do one and it is either another job on the ship or a deployment with another active ship. He goes to Security Forces! His chain of command really has been wonderful, and since they knew he has a baby on the way they opted not to send him out on another ship. Basically he is a police officer on the Roosevelt and this will last for a year. So, we have lots of changes coming this fall as he will start a new schedule, I hope to be back at work by November 1, and of course...MASON! James is continuing to get his Officer Candidate School packet put together and all the holes filled so keep him in your thoughts. We will keep you updated on his situation, although hopefully nothing much changes between now and October 1 on the Navy front.
And of course, we will keep you all updated the next 5 weeks as we countdown to Mason Eldridge's arrival. The nursery is almost complete, but I don't want to ruin it and post pictures until it is all done. :) I can say it looks better than I had it pictured in my mind and it is the perfect nursery! Keep us in your thoughts as we travel this weekend, it is my last allowed trip that far from the hospital so we are making the most of it! I'll get a good belly picture too so you can see the coconut head taking over my body.
Thank you for all the love and support we have gotten and always get from our friends and family. You are the best and we couldn't do any of this without you!
Julie, James, Mason, Lilly, and 2 fat cats.
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