It's Offical

Where do I begin? Jake's pending/possible deployment has officially come. I am not allowed to give a lot of details so please do not ask.

Here is what I can say:

• He will be leaving sometime next week
• He could be gone just long enough to make it home in time for Cameron's birth
• He could be home when she is a few months old (this of the two options is more likely).
• If Cameron comes before he's back there are ways I can reach him to let him know but he will not be able to come home early just because we had a baby.
• His initial mission is not considered hazardous but a possible second mission is still unknown.
• We do not have an address or anyway to send care packages because the first mission will be too short to send something out and have it reach them.
• I will most likely go the first 45 days or more without hearing from him but I know that no news is good news.

This is what we ask:

• Please do not apologize to us or feel sorry about this 'situation'. We are military and proud of it and this is part of the life we signed up for together and we know that God is in control.
• Please understand that I do not know how long he will be gone so I can not tell you.
• Please understand that I can not give to much information, especially on the internet, for security reasons.
• Please don't ask me a million times how I am because if I am not doing good I promise I will seek out friends and family to help me. I know the best thing to do is keep myself busy and focused and whatever duration of time he is gone will certainly fly :)
• Please don't ask how I feel about possibly having Cameron here without Jake. I am a very proud U.S. Marine Wife and we decided to start a family knowing he could be gone. We are cherishing the memories and the times we have and not focusing on the things we have no control of.
• The greatest thing you can do for us keep us in your prayers.

Thank you in advance for all the love, support, and prayers that we get from everyone. We are a truly blessed and strong couple with God as our backbone. We love our lives and wouldn't change a thing about this blessed life we live!

Baby Prep List

So, in less than a week I will be making a trip back east for an entire month and in that time I will have my baby showers and be the maid-of-honor in one of my best friends wedding (I know, I know, I'm married and am supposed to be a 'matron-of-honor' but matron is such an old feeling label I refuse...see, I'm too childish ha!).

Lets do a little math lesson: This coming Saturday I will be 29 weeks. When I return home in 4 weeks I will be...(29+4=33) 33 weeks! Whoo who! That means I will only have 7 weeks left before our sweet baby girl will be here.

Here is where the minor freak out begins to happen. Have I started the nursery? Umm...no. As an 'A-Type' personality and a military wife I have, for lack of a better phrase, split personality. My A-Type side wants control, order, and a plan at all times but as a military wife knows that is not possible because everything could change at literally any minute. Can you see where the conflict begins to happen? When you throw the fact that I have a bachelors in Interior Design it makes the project of a nursery a pretty big priority in my book (not to mention it is the future home of our baby girl).

Now, I have until recently refrained from buying anything for the nursery because our plan (yes, my mistake) was to pack everything, put it into storage and move back east while Jake was deployed for 7 months. Since I wasn't going to be able to put the nursery together and furniture for the nursery would just be more to store it seemed sort of pointless to get anything. The plan, recently, has changed due to military events and I am now staying so I have a nursery to put together...and fast.

I need to make a list and since I promised to keep you all updated I thought where better than to put it on here so here we go:

• Sell our queen size mattress, box spring, and metal frame.
• Move the upholstered headboard (to where - stay tuned)
• Organize closet
• Paint the walls (stay tuned)
• Move our Amish window frame (stay tuned)
• Finish sanding and painting crib (stay tuned)
• Finish sanding and painting rocking chair ( you guessed it - stay tuned)
• Print mommy created artwork
• Find frames
• Paint frames I have
• Find a dresser - even if it needs a little TLC
• Get all the baby gear organized from showers
• Make bedding
• Make mobile
• Sand and paint side table
• Find a lampshade
• Buy blackout shade
• Find curtains - or make them
• Hang artwork

...I'm going to have 7 weeks to do this...33 weeks pregnant. I can do this right? I just have to focus on one thing at a time and I can just try to get maybe one thing done every other day? Yes, I can!