December 2012 – Yea Yea Pueblo

I don’t care that it only snowed two inches, and that the snow has already melted away. My upbringing in Bakersfield, CA has left me eternally deprived of this wintry white stuff; that’s probably why anytime it sleets or snows, I clap with glee while repeatedly asking anyone around me if they’ve noticed it’s snowing. Needless to say, I was outside taking photos from the moment the puffy, sluggish flakes fell from the sky over our neighborhood in the suburbs of Olympia, WA to the moment it all melted away.

Now that this beautiful scenery has returned to it’s normal, wet, evergreen status, I’m back inside, tapping my fingers in anticipation of another brief snow storm (which is tentatively scheduled in our 10-day forecast). If snow doesn’t show around Puget Sound again this year, then that’s fine too. This is all I need to sate my snow-lust until next year when the Army sends us to Alaska for a three year assignment.

Please remind me of this day of snow-day-giddiness when I’m stuck indoors in Fairbanks, Alaska for four months while the extreme winter weather rages on outside. Future me will need the perspective, I’m sure.

It feels good to know that Baby Margot’s Nursery is set up and ready to go; from the piles of little onesies to the stacks of tiny diapers, she is stocked. I really had no idea how much stuff went into preparing the home for a baby, but now I’m painfully aware. Babies need almost everything adults do, but miniaturized (why did this surprise me?). This baby now has tiny nail clippers, itty-bitty wash rags, and a small bathtub to call her own; pre-pregnancy me had no idea these even existed–and that’s just considering a few hygiene products. Trust me, it’s a brave new world (for us).

What does not feel good, however, is to know my husband won’t be there for her birth like we had originally planned. The Army has other plans for him from February to April of next year, regardless of my March 8th due date.

To say that I spent a few days moping around my own pity party is an understatement, but perspective is always important, especially considering the sacrifices of the many Army Wives before me. Isaac will only be gone for 6 weeks, a span that pales in comparison to the 9 month deployments many other soldiers are on at any given time. I’m actually very lucky that he’s not being sent to Afghanistan (anytime soon), and that he will be back to see his newborn before she’s even aware of his absence.

I’m also fortunate to have family who is willing to make the trip from Oklahoma to Washington to be with me during Margot’s birth. What a relief that is!

Wish us first-time parents luck, we certainly need it. And Happy Holidays!