Mish-Mash

 

Jun has had her entertaining moments, her “What did you say?” moments, and her snarky moments this week.

We were watching a movie. Suddenly, Jun sat rigidly upright, jumped up from her seat, and began running from the room and shouting,

          Jun: I should not have trusted that fart!

You have no idea how happy I am she reserves these outbursts for when she is home and not in public. I look at her father for these words because I certainly do not teach them to her.

Chao lei and Jun were discussing a recent outing we had enjoyed but it seems they could not agree on the details.

          Chao lei: We apparently remember things differently.

Jun: Yes, I remember them clearly. You do not.

Touche, my daughter. Touche.

She had other things this week that were very surprising, but I believe they would be inappropriate for this blog. I now know though; my children will fill in the blanks of information they do not know so it is clear that they be assured there is no question they cannot ask me and that I will answer.

On the pregnancy front…

Bladder the size of a thimble. Check. Heartburn. Check. New addition, it seems the baby will not allow pao cai (the Chinese version of kimchi, sort of). For those who do not know, kimchi is usually fermented cabbage with spices. Pao cai is vegetables that are pickled and fermented. A slight difference but enough for Korea to argue over. I get it. Protect your culture. At any rate, I can have neither without consequences.

I learned something new. Jared has purchased a new summer White uniform. His CoC will be conducted in whites, so a new set was required. I love the white uniform. He looks so handsome in it too. What was learned? Jared asked me to help him assemble it. It is more difficult than one would believe. I have never used a ruler to prepare my dress to be worn. Everything must be placed as exactly as possible. Who would have believed it would take 1½ hours to do this.

Jared’s preferences for my wardrobe for the CoC have been stated. He wishes for me to wear a white dress with some gold trimming. It is not often he has made requests such as this, but I understand what he is going for. I have the perfect Qi Pao but I will be 15 weeks pregnant so it would not fit. Being given suggestions of my wardrobe makes it easier since my tendencies are to greens and blues. Funny as it is, I hate standing out when in a crowd but my choices tend to make me do just that, such as a Navy Ball I attended in an emerald green gown that was the ONLY emerald green in the room. Sometimes my tastes are my doom. As at the Navy Ball, my usual tastes not blend in a sea of white.

Everything seems to be speeding up. February is over already leaving 3½ months until we leave Japan for Spain. Let us see if my scheduling is effective.

Beginning to Get Ready

As I begin to prepare my things to be shipped, I discover I have things that I forgot about or just do not think about. For instance, I found my wedding crown and jewelry in a box hidden in the back of the closet.

 This set is older than I am. It has been passed down through 4 generations. My mother gave it to me for my wedding. I will pass it to my eldest daughter when she marries. Until then, it is kept in its box and the box is carefully wrapped.

I also found other small things that require justification to pack them. Going through these things is like choosing which piece of children’s art to keep; you want it all but cannot keep it all. This is the hardest part of PCSing for me. I acquired it for a reason. It does not matter how much I like it, only is it necessary and can it be replaced at my next home? These choices can seem harder than they appear.

Admittedly, it is easier to do when one’s mood is bright and cheery to start. I will say I may start that way but as the sorting goes on, my mood dims a little. I believe that is why so many things I acquired for my house are not expensive or of any value. Why should they be? I am only going to leave them behind. I think I will delay acquiring “nice” things until we finally settle to our final home after retirement.

My mood continues to be bright. Perhaps it is hormones, or it could be because I have my entire family with me. Every day, at least for the next five months. That is enough to give me joy. I will spend these next few months saving up family time to hold me when Jared is gone again. I will touch him as often as possible to fill those times when he will be gone, and I do not forget what he feels like.

Jared may be happy to return to sea by the time we get to Spain. We have not taken breaks from going and doing. Every weekend from now till we leave is filled with an activity. Of course, we are a Navy family, so we anticipate changes. It is better to be prepared for change rather than be rudely surprised by it. We have planned several weekend trips. Sadly, I believe the children will see more of Japan in our last 5 months than they have for the preceding 3 ½ years.

Oh, there it is. The heartburn has begun. At least it is not bad so far.

First Baby Post

 

I thought it was time to begin writing pregnancy posts.

 It is week six and Little one is the size of a blueberry.

Mother followed an old Chinese superstition and did a forecast of Little One’s gender. I have said before, for me, gender is unimportant. I only pray for a healthy baby. I cannot say I would be disappointed if the forecast was accurate though. According to Mother’s results, I am to have a girl. I believe I will await the doctor’s opinion of it. The thought of another sister does not make Chao lei happy. He wants a brother to play with. Jun is thrilled about the idea of another baby in the house regardless of gender. Jared says, “Whatever as long as it is healthy.” He attempted to use that phrase before Chao lei but I could see his real desire for a son. This time, I believe he is sincere, or he has gotten better at hiding his real feelings.

Unlike Chao lei and Jun by this time, this baby has not decided that there are things I cannot eat yet. Chao lei was insistent of no dumplings, chocolate, or spices of any kind. I was fortunate to eat salt without him pitching fits. Jun hated ramen and eggs and would barely tolerate Longjing tea. Longjing tea was the only tea I could drink any of. Bonus question: How many tea shops outside of China serve Longjing tea? None that I could find. Stores that sell it? Same. Mother had to mail me tea. Coffee? I got nauseous only thinking of it.

There is no heartburn… yet. I am expecting it to begin at any moment. It would be wonderful to avoid this pregnancy, but I am not confident that will happen so I must return to left side sleeping for the reflux. That puts me back-to-back with Jared at night unless he is willing to sleep on his left side. His track record so far is he may begin that way but by morning I wake with maybe a foot touching him. Or… I could make him swap sides of the bed with me. I like that plan better.

So far, the only real effect has been my bladder has shrunk to thimble size. I would become afraid if that were all to happen. A too perfect pregnancy is as bad as an overly eventful one since I would always be worried of something suddenly going wrong. I prefer a normal one where there is heartburn and foods you cannot eat.

Next appointment is March 21. Then we will have our first ultrasound.