Liberty Call

Turtle, turtle, turtle!

Had the BIG Level II Ultrasound yesterday.  After talking with a genetics counselor to see if there were any other markers to look for besides Down Syndrome (which there weren't) we got down to the business of checking out the baby for any of those DS markers.

Our first view?  Butt up, legs spread, and showing us HIS junk!

So let me introduce Ethan Weaver.  The hubby is Scot-Irish, so I wanted a strong first name (Ethan means strong, firm in Hebrew), and Weaver is my paternal grandfather's (whom I never met) name.

He has all the bones in his pinkies, the correct amount of fluid in his neck, and his femur and humerus bones are the length they are supposed to be.  So in other words, healthy!  We are thrilled and excited to say the least.

And boy is he active!  Tumbling, punching, kicking.  The poor technician was having a hard time trying to get all the measurements.  But it was an awesome sight for sure.  Got to see his heart beat, his spine, ribs, well, everything.  I am in awe of the little miracle that is growing inside of me!

So now I get to plan.  And D's mom has already started buying little boy stuff, of course.  I cannot wait to meet my little man!

Has it really been that long?

I have thought about getting on here so many times, but either I get distracted, or I can seem to find the words to describe the past few months. 

So I officially retired on June 30th.  Here's a pic at the end of my retirement ceremony, which is how I felt the day I got my pretty blue ID card:

We did get a house, though it's not the one we really wanted due to price (thanks to D's ex) but it's still a great house.  We close on the 30th - two weeks!  It's got a great yard for the dog to run around in and three bedrooms.  We were kind of in a rush to get one before winter started because of this:

 

Yup, we're pregnant!  Four months now.  Had a doctor's appointment yesterday and we got to hear the heartbeat.  For every milestone we make, I get less and less worried.  We didn't want a repeat of last year, that's for sure.  We are due March 1st.

So now I hope you understand why I haven't posted lately.  So much has happened in the last 4 months, it is absolutely insane.  It's like our life is on fast forward.  We'll be packing up next and moving in to our new house soon, so I hope that I can keep up to date again.

So close, yet so far

So this past month has been a whirlwind.  We haven't found our permanent home yet, but soon.

So for right now, we're living in my SIL's little rental.  It's 586 sq ft.  Yes, you read that right.  So me, the cat, a Weimaraner and soon (August) the hubby are living in this tiny ass place with no AC.

The biggest problem with finding a house is getting a mortgage.  Thanks to D's ex-wife, his credit is utter crap.  We haven't tried with me, because I really don't know exactly what my pay check will be in August.  Kinda sucks but all we can do is wait.

I did plant some flowers, and started some herb seedlings.  The herbs are in containers but the flowers are easily transportable.  It felt so good to get into the dirt.

I haven't seen D since the weekend of my retirement ceremony.  He had to go back down to NC for his training, but I get to see him again Friday!  He'll be working a rotation up here the whole month of June.  I'm pretty excited; I miss him so much.

Now that my "Dear Diary" moment is over, I'm going to go run some errands before the big storm The Weather Channel keeps threatening is headed this way starts.

I think I may need a bottle of rum, yo ho

I still don't have internet, which is why I still haven't posted. Comcast is going to get an earful today.

I stand relieved

Today was my retirement ceremony. My computer is shut down right now, but as soon as I can I will post more. Tomorrow we will finish packing and clean before the 8 hour drive to WV.

Doing this from my phone really sucks.

Will be back soon!

No, it's not a real post

But it is a wedding picture.  (14 August 2010)

Seemed only to be fair since I've been so busy.

Friday the movers are coming.  Tuesday they should be finished.  19 more days until the retirement ceremony!

Getting ready for the moment

I have 47 days.

47 days until I officially go on what is called "House Hunting/Job Hunting Leave".  In actuality, I have 45 days.  45 days until I walk out of this apartment for the last time and drive 8 hours to my husband's hometown.  With my mother, my cat, and whatever I can fit into my truck.

I have a crapload of things to do still.  There are some things up in the air still.  I still do not have a place to live.  I am stressed and I feel totally unorganized.  Have I mentioned that I have to work during all of this?

When you enlist, they rush you through.  It takes ONE DAY to get you ready to be a member of the Armed Forces.  But to leave?  I started January 24th and I am barely half done.

Retiring should be relaxing.  It shouldn't be this damn stressful!

Liberty call, liberty call!

As with most things in life, they eventually end.  After 20 years in the Navy my career as a Sailor will come to a close.

Unlike most people that retire, I am only 38.  That's young enough to start a brand new career.  For me, I get to start a brand new life.  No more uniforms, no more underways, no more reveilles, no more foreign ports and no more waking up at the crack of dawn just to get a good parking spot and praying to Davey Jones at the end of the day to get off of work early enough to make the HOV.

I'm not sure how I'm going to handle the transition of becoming a civilian.

My time in the Navy was the journey, this next stage in my life will be an adventure.