This Will Be A Fun Story for Later

(Why the nutella? It came up when I image searched "Overwhelmed new mom", though I can't figure why! But hey, it made me feel better, as nutella always does, so it's representin' for this post!)

Baby Fromage is due to arrive in a mere 9 days now. Give or take, of course, since despite the fact that he’s less than 10 pounds and not a day old yet he’s running the show. Lots of anticipation around here and every time CPT Fromage or I make a phone call home, the first question is always “Is she/are you in labor!?” I’m as miserable as I’ve ever been and ready to say goodbye to pregnancy and start the feeding/diapering/crying baby stage.

I mentioned in my last post that we were adding to the excitement of a baby with a move to Mississippi 8 weeks post-birth; I later realized I didn’t mention WHY we were relocating there. CPT Fromage was offered a training position at Camp Shelby while he transitions out of the Army; easy-peasy staff job with National Guard and Reserve soldiers and no chance of deployment, can’t say no to that! So come the first week of November, we’ll settle in at our third address in as many states for the year… with a new baby this time... should be fun!

As if our first born on the way and a move on the horizon aren’t enough to keep us busy, it looks like CPT Fromage is going to need knee surgery in the coming  4 weeks or so. Amazing timing, right! About a month ago he injured it at PT (Physical Training) playing football. An X-ray didn’t show any problems, so he took it easy a few weeks hoping it was a sprain; when it didn’t heal up, and MRI showed 2 meniscus tears and a cyst. Wonderful.

We’re a pretty sorry sight to see, CPT Fromage on a gimpy knee and my waddling around, belly as big and inconvenient as ever. Undoubtedly now I’ll need a c-section, because c’mon, that’s the most awesome scenario imaginable right? Both new parents recovering from surgery and running on no sleep; prepping for a move in between changing dirty diapers and cleaning spit up? Maybe Baby Fromage can be colicky too! Oh my….  /sarcasm

Truthfully, our excitement hasn't been dampened, it’s going to be just fine no matter what. We’ll get through it one way or another. My mom is on standby, as soon as she gets the call she’ll be on her way to help and a friend of ours – who recently became a baby pro -  just moved into the same apartment complex and she’s volunteered to give us a hand as well. Phew! The in-laws will hopefully be coming out shortly after and my sister is going to drop in for a few days too.

If there’s one thing to be grateful for it’s that I made 3 weeks’ worth of meals and froze them; at least in the midst of the chaos we’ll have something to eat besides delivery!

"Get this baby OUT of me!" - MIL

(Forgive the tacky bathroom mirror picture, please. At least I'm not making a duck face!)

40 weeks is a crazy long time to have a tenant in my uterus, especially when he’s not sticking to the lease agreement. Did he ask about the remodels? No. I didn’t plan to expand the space in there, and if he wanted purple stripes so badly we could have painted them in the nursery instead of on my tummy. My tenant also keeps a partier’s schedule, being up most of the night banging on the walls and disturbing his neighbors (I do take some pleasure in the fact that he often kicks CPT Fromage in the back at night, so I’m no longer the only one being kept awake!)

I kid, kid. Baby Fromage can hang out as long as he needs to, we want a big healthy boy coming home from the hospital and truthfully, I’m not sure caring for a fussy, pooping, burping, hungry baby is going to be any easier than being 37 weeks pregnant in the Oklahoma summer heat anyway. Last week, the weatherman used this phrase, one I’d never heard before, to describe the day’s forecast: “Lava-like temperatures”, which apparently is 115 degrees. A friend made a joke about it melting the sidewalk, to which I replied with a link to the news story about the pavement buckling on one of the major roads. It’s flipping hot here! Most nights, at bedtime it’s still over 100 degrees. Thank God it’s downhill from here. Once Baby Fromage is born, I’ll cool off tremendously (I hope!) and everyone keeps telling us that the hottest time of year here is the last 2 weeks of July and first week of August. Hope they’re all right and the mercury drops a little soon. On the bright side, it’s been fantastic weather for making sun tea.

Three weeks ‘til D-Day – assuming he’s a due date baby (which few are). Never has a Fromage been accused of being on time, much less early, so bets are on that he’s going to be late, but a gut feeling tells me he’s going to surprise us all and join the party before August 29. We’ll see! Shortly after our new addition arrives, we’re off to Mississippi; less than 3 months from now CPT Fromage reports for his new job there; hooray for another move /sarcasm. Lots of big changes coming up for our little (growing!) family, all happening fast! I should be getting prepared, but all I really want right now is a nap.