Update...

Konnichi wa-

I can't believe it's been a month since I posted our last blog entry. It has actually been a pretty busy month. I took a week off work to celebrate Chris's 34th birthday. We took a trip up the coast to Okuma, the military beach resort. We had planned on doing some snorkeling and had booked a deep sea fishing trip. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate with us. The morning we drove up was overcast, drizzly, and windy. It's about a 90 minute drive to get there, but took us over two hours with the traffic and the FLAT TIRE that we got along the way. Once we got there, we picked up a couple of movies and went to our room. It was so cold and windy outside that we just stayed in. We watched a movie, ate dinner, watched the other movie, and went to bed. The next morning it was obvious that the weather wasn't going to get any better, so we canceled our second night and the fishing trip and drove back home. His birthday wasn't a complete bust. We ended up going out for dinner to a Japanese steakhouse with some friends, and Chris has been getting a lot of use out of the new putter I got for him.

Chris has started working as a substitute teacher at the middle school on base. He finally got on the payroll after applying for the job in early October. He has worked about 5 shifts in the past few weeks and is really enjoying it. He enjoys the students a lot, although I think the children in a military-run school are naturally better behaved than children at the average school. The bad thing about the job is that Chris has to get up every morning and wait for a phone call. He doesn't seem to mind, though, because he goes to the golf course when he's not needed at school.

We've also recently decided to give up our beautiful appartment and move into base housing. We love living here, but my expanding belly is making the place feel really small. We'll be moving into a single family home, which is usually reserved for higher-ranking officers. I'm not sure how we got it, but we're definitely not complaining. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a huge laundry/storage room, a screened porch, and a nice yard. We're very excited about all of the room we'll have. Luckily the military is going to move us, so I shouldn't have to carry anything too heavy. They're sending movers here on the 21st to pack up everything, take it to the new place, and unpack it. It's going to be a LONG day. We'll still have the same mailing address, but we're getting a new phone number. I'll keep everyone posted.

Today was an exciting day for us. I had a "diagnostic" ultrasound done this morning. We got to see the baby's brain, heart, kidneys, stomach, hands, and feet. We also got to find out the gender (see pictures below). Everything looked good, and seems to be progressing normally. Based on the measurements, my calculated due date is June 28. My OB doctor says July 1, so it's pretty much on track. My next OB appointment will be at 24 weeks, and is scheduled for March 12. Hopefully Chris will be able to feel this baby kicking by then, because I've been feeling it for the past few weeks. The kicks are definitely getting stronger and happening more often. It's very exciting!

That's right, IT'S A BOY!!!! Chris is a very proud papa, even though he thought we were having a girl. Anyways, I hope all is well back in the states. I'll keep you all posted on the move and the pregnancy as things progress. Love and miss you all!

Cindy