The big, big move

So there's big news in Casa de Bennett, Internets -- we're moving to Texas! Bjorn got a new job down in Dallas, my hometown, and he's moving this weekend to start on Monday. I'm going to stay behind in Virginia with the kids to sell the house with the goal of being down there first of August to be ready for Andy to start kindergarten in the fall. Oh, and in the middle, we have an awesome two week trip to Australia planned. So we've got a bunch of once in a lifetime events crammed into one summer. I had no idea I was such an overacheiver.

When we got married, oh, back in 1998, we always said that after the big kids got out of school, we would move back to Texas. I had never really intended to be here that long. It was a three month internship (a three hour tour...) But then I met a great guy and the rest is history. But here it is, nearly 12 year later and we're really doing it. I am so excited about the move, excited to be near my family and watch my kids and nieces grow up together, get a huge house for what our modest house costs around here. It's a win-win except for all the family and friends we're leaving here. Fortunately, Bjorn is looking at houses so massive we could bring everyone down for a weekend not run out of places for them to stay.

We've got a neighborhood down in Dallas all picked out -- the Southlake/Carroll area near the DFW airport. I have some friends from high school that live there and love it, we can get a house twice the size of our current one and be in a good school district with a great football team (I've been making sure to watch Friday Night Lights just to keep up. Oh, who are we kidding. I was watching already.)

I have come out to my office and they have been amazing. I'll stay on through the summer and then transition to a part-time role to finish up some projects as well as go to our big meeting in the fall. It's a good solution for both of us, I think. Plus, my adored assistant director is getting promoted to my job. I'm thrilled about that part, too (although having my successor named is sort of like being a lame duck president, I've decided).

Selling the house is going to be hard, especially trying to keep it clean with two kids and a 21-year-old who ignores most of what I ask about keeping his room tidy, but hardest is going to be Bjorn going on ahead for a couple of months. I'm trying not to think about it too much, but certainly a couple of weeks at a time will be the longest we've been apart since we've been married. Sad.

Even though I've been yelling at him for his refusal to pack in general, he's a total champ for doing all of this. How lucky am I?

It's a....

girl! We went for the big sonogram (ultrasound?) today and the baby is healthy, measuring as it's supposed to and almost certainly a girl. The technology was amazing -- they were able to see the four chambers of the heart beating, the spine, the hemispheres of the brain and even fingers and toes (at one point, she was even waving to us, or flipping us off for waking her up, one or the other). They were even able to tell the direction of the fluid flowing into and out of the umbilical cord and bladder to see that things looked as they should, which was a great relief. The tech even got a fabulous crotch shot of the baby and confirmed not on the absence of male genitalia, but could even identify the labia. Rather amazing for a person that barely weighs 12 ounces.

This further confirms my suspicion that the baby has been secretly trying to poison me with all her estrogen over the past 4 1/2 months, which is the reason I've been so nauseated for so long. Now if only there were a way to let her know that if she makes the next 4 1/2 months relatively pleasant, there will be lots of treats on the other end for her. I'm not above a little bribery here.

Breaking news

With all my blathering on with school and travel, it occurs to me I haven't mentioned the big news in the house which is I'm pregnant. I know, I know, I swore I wouldn't do it again considering how much I didn't much like being pregnant the first time and how hard I thought having a tiny baby was, but apparently time really does heal all wounds (and memories). We're excited although I vacillate being really looking forward to seeing my own tiny baby again and all the things I'll do better this time and fear at how in the world I am going to handle two when one seems pretty impossible some days. I'm due beginning of February, but in my mind I've already backed that up a few weeks. That somehow makes the time ahead seem less daunting.

I've been casually floating to Andy questions like, "Would you like to have a baby like Baby Emma?" And he usually says, "Yes. Get a baby." He them seems disappointed that we can't pick up one at Target right now. He hasn't asked about why mommy is so big yet, but I'm sure that's coming. It will naturally happen on a day that I haven't slept and feel huge, I can feel it.

What's amazing is how totally different the two pregnancies have been. After having no morning sickness with Andy, I found myself completely sick for about six weeks and even now I will find myself throwing up randomly some days if I don't seem to eat just right. It seems bizarre to me that not having a full stomach actually makes me sick, but I've already decided that Mother Nature has a pretty wicked sense of humor.

My sister returned my maternity wear and I've done a little shopping with my mother to supplement that stash, but I still find myself every night going through what I have to wear to work tomorrow and getting stressed out. Because my body is constantly changing, I find that the pants that fit last week, are now a little too tight while some of the shirts in my closet are still way too big. Sigh. Only four and 1/2 more months, that's no time, right?

Welcome baby Mary

My cousins had their baby, named Mary. She came in at an extremely healthy 10 pounds, 11 ounces. Fortunately for her mother's sake, she was born Ceasarean. Congratulations Frances, Ben and George!