House Exterior

I just got an e-mail from Lynn to tell us that the appraisal is done and all is well along with a copy of it. There was a picture of the house in it so I thought I'd post it so you can all see! I can't save the ones of the inside that are on the web, and I can't post a direct link so I probably wont be able to post those until we get the keys, but I'll take pics when I can!

Got the internet back!

The hotel wireless internet connection has been down for the past few days so I haven't been able to update! It's back though, so I'm posting to let you all know what's been going on this week!

Monday we went and filled out our loan application, our broker Lynn is just waiting for the appraisal to come back (she should have it by today or Monday) and then she'll send it up! Everything still looks great, and we're getting more and more excited (and impatient I might add)!

Tuesday we went to our OB orientation, it was pretty much a repeat of a class we already took in England, I felt like a seasoned pro at this point, and of course almost everything they were talking about didn't really apply to us because I'm so far along at this point. I did get a few resources though and that's always a good thing! Amazingly, the girl that was sitting behind me tapped me on the shoulder so I turned around and it was somebody that I had met in England! She is a really good friend of my Stampin' Up! downlines, so I actually know somebody here! I had completely forgotten that they were coming here too. She's 13 weeks a long. I gave her my number, so hopefully she'll call so I can have somebody to talk to and maybe we can get together, this hotel room gets pretty boring.

Also on Tuesday I was able to call and schedule my OB appointment. They tried to get me in this week, but the doc's schedule was completely booked so I have one for next Tuesday at 10:30AM. I'm really looking forward to the appointment so I can get a bit more information and also see how things are progressing!

I'm still feeling pretty good, though I think the baby has begun to drop over the last few days. I've noticed a significant difference in pressure on my lungs, it's so much easier to breathe! However I can feel quite a bit more pelvic pressure and my tummy seems to be lower and sticking further out now. I'm still getting kicks in the ribs, but those are quite tolerable! She rolls around a lot, Drew gets a kick out of feeling my tummy and guessing what parts are sticking out. It's kind of funny when she's leaning forward or out one side because you can feel an obvious distinction between her body and just the fluid. Oh, I also had a Braxton Hicks contraction the other day. Just one though! I felt my whole uterus tighten for about 60 seconds and then it released, it was pretty weird feeling, it didn't hurt or anything though. Guess my body is just practicing!

I have signed up for a birth preparation class on the 15th of December for both Drew and I. Then on the 6th we have a required tour of the hospital facilities and their anesthetic procedures. I still have to schedule the breastfeeding class which is on the 19th, and a couple more things. Otherwise things are getting on track!

Drew and I are going to a Christmas party (very early) for his shop tonight at 6. I'm looking forward to meeting some people in his shop, some wives perhaps?? I hope I'm not the only wife there! I get embarrassed and feel out of place when I am. I think that's most of the updates for now, if I think of anything else I'll let you know! I'm going to try and get some pictures for you all this weekend of the area we are in and a few other things.

Love to you all!

34 Weeks!

Drew took my 34 week photo today! I must admit I love finally having a belly, when the baby is really active (most of the time) I love watching it move and bounce all over the place. She moves a lot for Drew now also so he gets to take part in baby moving. She was going crazy at dinner tonight so while we were waiting for our food we were watching her roll around. Such fun!

We went to a place called the Louisiana Boardwalk yesterday which is a big shopping center on the riverside. It's all outdoors though and it was raining so we just popped into a few places then decided to go to the movies to see Beowulf. It was pretty good! We were there really early and they had a Dance Dance Revolution game, so I played it for a little bit. I was surprised that I still had the stamina to play, but I rocked it!

We went to the gym today and went and stocked up on some groceries for the room. Drew starts in-processing tomorrow and we have to take our rental car back and swap it for a smaller one and do another contract. They have been really helpful at enterprise trying to keep us in a car for as cheap as possible. Unfortunately because last week was a holiday, their corporate office hiked up the rates, which is why we are re-doing the contract tomorrow when the rates go back down.

I'll probably hang out on base while Drew does his stuff tomorrow. It's a pretty long walk to the gym but if it's not too cold then I might go there. Hopefully my referral will come tomorrow so I can schedule my OB appointment. Other than that.. same ol' same ol'! We should hear in the next day or two about when the appraiser will be out and when we can finish up the loan paperwork.

All for now!

House Inspection

We just got home from the house inspection, it did fantastic! There was only 2 things that need attention. One was the shower head in the main bathroom was loose and in the master bathroom the tub faucet is also loose. Everything else passed with flying colors! The fireplace has never even been used. We got a whole binder of the "property inspection report" that had everything that he checked and even definitions of the stuff he checked for those of us that don't know much about houses! There's also a book in the back of DIY maintenance stuff like keeping your heating/air running top notch, replacing filters, fuses, things to test regularly. It's a pretty handy little information book!

After getting to check out the house again, we're even MORE excited! It was even better the 2nd time around, and we're so happy that it passed the inspection so well. They did ask us for an extension until the 17th of December, but since we still wont have furniture anyway it shouldn't be a problem. The house they are moving into isn't completely ready I guess.

So that's the update for today, Pat (our realtor) said they should be out to do the appraisal next week and she'd keep us posted.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! We don't have much planned for today. We got up this morning and went to breakfast. We came back to our hotel room and are just hanging out until we get hungry, then we're going to head to the "chow hall" to get some Thanksgiving dinner. Hopefully it's pretty good. We almost did a microwave Thanksgiving, but then remembered the dining facility was having one and decided just to go there. We did pick up a no bake strawberry cheesecake for dessert though!

We did want to share a few things that we are thankful for however. We are thankful for being able to be together and in the States for the holiday's, even though we wish we could be with family, we know that now that we are back it will be easier come future holidays, and look forward to them! We are thankful for all the love, help and support we have received from family and friends during our move, and this pregnancy. We are thankful that the baby is doing so wonderful and that things have been progressing so well for the past 7.5 months. We are thankful that we were able to find a nice house that will suit us and will be in before Christmas. There is so much more that we are thankful for, and we send our love to all those that we can't be with during the holiday season. You mean so much to us!

We hope you all have a wonderful day and we'll talk to you soon!

Love,
Jen, Drew and Baby L!

Offer Accepted!

Well, they accepted our offer! They did put a cap on the closing costs but it should be pretty close to that. They put a limit on the appraisal and the home warranty as well, but it's enough to cover both of those things. We have to pay for the inspector, and might have to pay a little out of pocket at closing, but if anything it should be a small amount, so that's exciting!

They are military also, but are not moving to another base, they are just buying a bigger house. They are putting an offer in today and the house they are interested in is empty and ready to move in, so essentially we could be in before the 14th of December depending on how long it takes our VA loan to process.

So, yeah!! We're super excited! We'll call the Lynn at the mortgage office tomorrow and set up an appointment with her to get the loan process started. Pat (our realtor) will get with her to set up the appraisal so we know when to schedule the inspection.

We'll keep you posted as the process goes on, but it looks great so far!

We put in an offer!

Today was so eventful! I couldn't believe how much we got accomplished today!

The realtor picked us up at 10 this morning and by 4pm we'd looked at 15 properties and pretty much had made our decision at #10. We had covered all of the houses that we had written down in the last 2.5 months that were still available, plus a few extras that she thought would suit our needs and budget.

We saw 2 houses that we really liked, but had small things that we weren't completely satisfied with and they were both just a few thousand out of our price range, one was probably negotiable, the other one was not likely to budge.

The 3rd one that we absolutely fell in love with is in Haughton, about a 10-15 minute easy drive from base. Outside of the city limits so we don't have to pay city taxes which were quite substantial, it's also out of the flood zones! It's a 2006 model, 3 bedroom, 2 bath and 1330 sq. feet. It's a little smaller than we originally planned, but it's layed out well and is cozy, but not cramped! It has a 2 car garage, but a big long driveway, enough to fit 4 more cars in if we have company! The kitchen is gorgeous, appliances are new and they are even leaving the fridge! The sheet listed the washer/dryer as negotiable, so we asked them to leave them in the offer if it gets accepted. It has a nice sized fenced yard as well.

We're really excited and should know by 4pm tomorrow if the offer is accepted. If it is, then we have a closing date set for December 14th! So wish us luck and we'll keep you posted!

We made it!

Just wanted to let everybody know that we're here in Louisiana safe and sound!

I left San Francisco this morning about 8:50, and flew to Las Vegas, then to Dallas. I realized that Drew and I both were going to be in Dallas but his flight to Shreveport left two hours before mine, so I hunted down his gate and surprised him there! We had a late lunch, then hung out until his flight left. I was going to try and see if I could get on his flight but decided we would have to wait for my luggage anyway so stuck to the original plan.

My flight arrived in Shreveport and Drew was waiting for me, we got my bags (which made all 3 flights, yay!) and we went outside to wait for our ride. I guess there was a little lack of communication because we knew nothing about our sponsor except his last name and that he was suppose to be there at 9pm, no phone number or anything. We waited until 9:45 and it was getting pretty chilly outside so we decided to go ahead and rent a car for the weekend. The rental car place was very helpful and gave us a map and directions to base which really wasn't that far! We didn't get lost once,well, we passed the road we were suppose to turn on, but got right back to it. We went straight to billeting and got our room.

We just got settled in and we're really hungry now, it's 11:25pm here, so 9:25pm in CA and 5:25am in England so we're all messed up! Luckily we were able to order a pizza for delivery so we don't have to go and try and find something. I hope we can stay awake long enough for it to get here.

Tomorrow morning we'll call the realtor to get some times set up with her and also try and get some cell phones so we can have an easier way to communicate with everybody! As soon as we get numbers we'll call and let you know what they are! In the meantime, the main number for billeting here is (318)456-3091, registered under Drew so if you need to get a hold of us in the meantime, that's the best way!

We'll keep you posted on how things are going! Drew and I are stoked to be back together and getting a move on the next chapter of our lives. What will it bring us??? Stay tuned!

Love to you all,
Us

A picture!

I know, I know, I'm REALLY late with this, but I kept forgetting to have somebody take a pic of me, so I did it myself this afternoon since I don't know when I'll have computer access again. It's not a great pic, but you can see I'm definitely popped now (in the front AND back)!! It's still hard to believe I only have 7.5 weeks to go! Hey, look at all that California blue sky in the background!



So Drew is all done out processing in England, the house checked out and his car is sold! I finally get to see him tomorrow evening, yay! I have to be at the airport by about 7AM and my flight gets in at 8:50pm LA time, I think Drew gets in about 7:30, so he'll wait for me there and his sponsor is picking us up around 9 or so to take us to the base hotel. We're slowly making progres..next stop, house hunting!

We'll probably go and get phones on Friday also so as soon as we have numbers I'll pass them along so we can stay in contact! Tah-tah for now!

Time Flies..

Is it Monday already???

Mom picked me up Thursday and we stopped at the Gilroy outlets to check out the shops and wait for the big traffic to pass. Mom got me a few tops at Motherhood and I picked up a really soothing lip balm and a lotion for $5 at Bath and Body works! We got home about 7:30. I absolutely cannot believe how big the boys are! It makes me feel old!

On Friday, I got up and took Mom to work/school so I could use the car for a few hours. She gave me a tour of where she works at UC Merced and some of the campus. I met a bunch of people that she works with, then off I went to a couple stores just to browse. Who would have thought Target would be so exciting? I kept getting asked if I needed help finding anything because I was just meandering around looking at all the new things that are available that I've missed out on! I went and saw my old band director who was busy preparing for the band review on Saturday, and then stopped and saw a friend from high school for just a few minutes before I had to be back to pick up Mom.

We had to go straight to the High School to pick up Shawn for an optometrist appointment. The optometrist also happens to be the dad of another friend of mine from high school and she works there so I got to chat with her and we're having brunch this morning! Shawn does need glasses so we helped him pick out a pair then headed home.

Saturday Mom and I went to our Stampin' Up' meeting and made a bunch of cards for the shoebox swap. It was a lot of fun, I definitely needed to get some stamping therapy done! We got home and Shawn and I went to CCBR (Central California Band Review) to check out my high school. We missed the marching portion, but we saw the Jazz Band, they were pretty darn good! I ran into two other friends as well, it was good to see them! Then back home we went for a little bit. When we got back Mom took the boys and I to see the house that they want to buy (we looked in a few just for fun though) then we went to the store and back home.

Yesterday we got up and went to Grandma Helga's for lunch. I got to see my cousins Katie and JR, then a little later my Uncle Rob, Aunt Yas, and other cousin Hannah came by so I got to see them as well! I received some lovely gifts for the baby as well! I can't wait until she gets to start wearing all these adorable clothes! I didn't get a chance to see my buddies in Sacramento, but hopefully next time we are here we'll meet up, because I miss them too!

We got home a little after 9pm, and I was exhausted, so I went to bed. Kristina should be here in about half an hour for our brunch date, and I'm not sure what the plans for the rest of the day are, but I guess I'll find out! Mom is going to bring me back to Dad's tomorrow and my flight is Thursday.

I spoke with Dad Saturday and he said Cossie is doing well. Dad slept on the couch with him a couple nights in a row. I think somebody is spoiled, and I think his name is Cosworth! Dad said he doesn't seem to be stressed at all, so that's good. I'm glad he's enjoying it there. I'll get to see him tomorrow so he knows that I'm coming back! It's going to be so hard leaving him, but it's really the only option we have right now. At least I know he's in good hands!

I was 32 weeks yesterday, 8 weeks left! She's still active and doing great as far as I can tell! I am getting anxious to get to LA and get set up at an OB though so I can have my check up just to verify, though I'm not worried. I've been feeling fantastic. I do get some leg cramps in the middle of the night, and my right ribs feel bruised most of the time since that's where she likes to hang out the most, but overall nothing too terrible. I feel pretty lucky actually.

I'm off for now, I'll update more later. Hope everybody is doing fabulous!

Love to you all,
Me

Thursday update.

I talked to Drew this morning and he said they came and picked up most of our stuff today (the slow shipment) and everything went well! He said the house is really empty, and kind of weird. They will come tomorrow for the rest of the stuff and he'll spend the weekend cleaning the place, sodding the back yard and getting ready for the final inspection on Monday. I hope it goes well!

I'm headed to Mom's today, she should be here in an hour and a half or so to pick me up. We're going down to see Auntie Debbie, and then back home! I'm looking forward to seeing Gary and the Boys as well! Grandma is coming down tomorrow I think, so that's exciting! I'm not sure who else I'll get to see but I hope it's as many people as possible. I sure miss everybody! It seems like forever since I've seen anybody! I wish I was going to be here longer, BUT we'll be back as soon as possible with a new addition to the White Family.... are you excited?? I am!!!

I'm still doing well, the baby is still active and rolling around a lot. Cossie is getting better and better every day. He was full of energy this morning, but after breakfast and his medicine he's resting on the couch again. I think the pain meds keep him a little subdued, but that's a good thing! He's really been a trooper and I'm very pleased with the way his recovery is going.

I'll update more this weekend!

Love to you all!

Single Digits

9 weeks left to go! I'm 31 weeks today. .amazing huh?

It's been a crazy week, and nothing really new to report on the baby front. Still waiting impatiently and things are going smooth as ever. Baby L was quiet for a couple of days and has been really active for the past couple. We've had a lot going on of course, but she seems to be doing well! As soon as we get to Louisiana I'll get an appointment with an OB, it's going to be a busy last couple of months!

Cossie is doing well. He's a little bit sore which is to be expected, and he has been resting comfortably wherever he can find a spot. He's been good about staying calm and not licking at his sutures. I'm so proud of him, he really is the best dog ever! I just wish he didn't have to go through these traumatic experiences this week.

A couple photos

Here's the pic I took of Cossie last night when he came home and conked out on his bed. You can see how his abdomen is all shaved from the surgery.

It's hard to see, but this is his incision, it goes from his penis to the middle of his ribcage, which is quite a long way on a dane! It looks crooked, but only because I'm pulling up on his skin so you can see it.


He seems to be doing well this morning. I was scared to feed him, but I did and he's doing great. I'm offering him small amounts of water at a time so he doesn't overdo it and we'll feed him twice a day. He did well throughout the night, slept on his bed the whole time and didn't lick his wounds which is good, I don't want to have to put his e-collar on unless I have to! He'll HATE that thing!

He's home.. again!

Cossie is home! He looks great, better than he's looked at all since getting off the plane Wednseday. He looks like himself again! He has a huge incision about 8-10 inches on his belly, it's really purple and bruised, but he looks great otherwise. Apparently he had a small umbilical hernia and they fixed that too. He's currently passed out on his new bed and has his head on a pillow. I took pics but I wont be able to upload them until tomorrow. I'll be sleeping on the couch next to him for the next 4 or 5 days to give him a bit longer to heal. I don't want him to hurt himself by getting on the couch or trying to get on the bed so I'll just lie next to him so he'll stay there.

The emergency clinic was wonderful with him, they kept us well informed and didn't mind my many phone calls to check on his progress. He came out with a cute bandana and ready to rock. I thought he would be in much more pain, but he was good to go and happy to see his mom and family! I don't even want to let him out of my sight I'm just so thrilled he's home.

While it's been a traumatic experience for all of us, I'm glad it's mostly over (still another 10-14 days of recovery) and he's on his way to being our happy healthy Cossie boy again! Thank you to everybody who sent their well wishes and prayers. They were very much appreciated! After some long nights, I'm hoping to finally get a good night sleep, so I'm off to bed!

Pray for Cossie

Well, Cosworth bloated and torsed tonight and is currently in the hospital undergoing emergency surgery. They were able to decompress his stomach and they will do surgery to flip it back where it's suppose to be and tack it in to place. He's not out of the woods yet and we should be able to call in an hour or so to see if he is doing okay.

It most likely occured due to the amount of stress he's been under the past few days with the travel and being in a new place, and everything combined, but nothing that we could have prevented.

I'll keep everybody posted as we find out more, but we sure could use all the prayers we can get.

UPDATE:

I just called to check on Cossie and he's doing well. They were just closing up his surgery when I phoned. They said that it wasn't a bad torsion and they were able to fix it and tack it while they were in there. There was no damage to the rest of his internal organs and he should recover just fine. He'll be in recovery for the next couple of hours and I'll call and check on him again. Hopefully everything else will be uneventful and he can come home tomorrow night.

UPDATE #2:

The vet just called to let me know how Cossie was doing. She said that his spleen was a little bit congested, but it should be fine. His stomach was flipped 180 degrees (it can flip anywhere from 90-360), so they fixed it and did the gastropexy. He's recovered from the anesthesia and is on pain medication and resting. They will offer him food and water tomorrow and see how he does. If all is well he should be able to come home around 10pm. So I'll call in the morning to see how he's doing and go from there, so besides the huge hole in the pocketbook, things are looking great.

He's here!

So we went and picked up Cossie last night! I felt sick when I saw him, my poor baby. His eyes were as big as dinner plates and it took him a few minutes to realize who I was. I don't think he'd slept in the 3.5 days he was in transit, and I'm not sure he ate or drank very well either. He started crying right away and was acting not quite like himself.

He was so dehydrated his poor tongue looked all dry, but the people at the airport in SF were REALLY nice. I had called several times throughout the day to get info and they always knew who I was. As soon as I walked in they told me he was here and safe and they would get him to me as soon as possible. As soon as they wheeled up his crate they let me take him out and she got me some water for him which he inhaled. He looked so skinny, even for the few days he was gone, but I think if he didn't eat well and being dehydrated contributed to the look.

We got his kennel loaded in the truck and then we hopped in and headed back home (about a 45 minute drive). He was still really out of it and he was SO tired he collapsed onto my lap and wouldn't move even when I was talking to him and trying to get him to respond. I was scared to death, and kept checking his pulse to make sure he was still with me.

Once we got him home I let him out and he peed for about 5 minutes (no joke) and then I gave him a bit of food and more water which he gulped down. We went to bed and he passed out right away, even the cat was sleeping right at his feet and he didn't care. He's been sleeping most of the day, but he looks a million times better than last night, almost back to normal. He's a little confused with all of the new sounds and smells and people to get to know, but I think he'll adjust well. I'm just glad to have him back safe!