Change.

What is the point of life if not to take risks and embrace change??  Miles and I probably took that philosophy a little too literally when we decided, at 26 weeks pregnant with our first child, to pick up and move to Houston, taking on a life with only one income and a baby on the way that will significantly change everything we've always known.  Don't get me wrong, we are so excited about this opportunity, and we are fully confident that this move is for the best.  That being said, it doesn't take away the fear and uncertainty we are faced with as we put a contract on a house and enter the last month of my pregnancy!

So, to lay it all out there, here is a summary of what's been going on with us:

Miles started his job down here on June 2nd.  We listed our house in Benbrook on June 4th, and by June 6th we had 3 full or above-asking price offers on our precious abode.  Thank you, Lord!  Things were going about as great as we could've asked, until the house appraised for SIGNIFICANTLY less than our asking price (and what the buyers had offered).  That was pretty heartbreaking because the buyers had no additional money to put toward the house.  That meant a huge hit to the amount we were going to be able to put down on our house here.  Such a bummer.  And that house was worth so much more, stupid appraiser.  After lots of back and forth, and considering all options, in the end we decided to drop the price of the house to the appraisal value, and we prayed that this blessing would be paid forward.  I know how much I loved that house, and I wanted the same for the young couple that bought the house.  I just hope they appreciate it and love it like we did.  We closed on the house, moved our stuff to storage in Tomball, and had a shower in Rio Vista all in one weekend, and to say that it was rushed and chaotic is putting it mildly!  But hey, at least pregnancy provided me with an excuse not to lift boxes and to take frequent breaks while packing...and Miles can't say anything about it.  Not that he would because he's totally over-the-top and crazy about everything I do, but that's a whole 'nother can of worms!

Anyway, I moved to Houston around the middle of June, switched doctors at 28 weeks pregnant, and found a great hospital only about 5 minutes from where we are staying for Tate's delivery.  I'm sure the new doc took one look at my file and was like GREAT, here comes a needy one! :)

Since then we've had baby showers in both Longview and Rio Vista.  I can't even begin to detail the kindness and generosity of our friends and families.  This child has absolutely no idea how much he's been prayed for, loved and showered with blessings before he's even arrived!  Since we don't have a house yet, the majority of the stuff Tate was given at these showers is currently sitting at my parents' house and at Miles's parents' house.  Lucky for us they are kind of obsessed with this baby so housing all of his stuff is so far not a problem! :)

We had to miss the cruise this year because by then I was 31 weeks pregnant.  Carnival doesn't allow you to cruise if you are more than 24 weeks pregnant, so we knew all along we weren't going.  Call me spoiled, I'm well aware, but missing our annual family vacation was TERRIBLE!  The worst part of missing one trip in ten years was that it was Chance's first cruise, and I hated missing that experience with my sister and our family!  The good news is that we are already planning the trip for next year, so it looks like Tate's first big adventure will be ALASKA for Mimi and Big Daddy's 60th anniversary!

Currently, we are bunked up with family in Houston, and I can't tell you how blessed we are to have such kind-hearted and generous people willing to go above and beyond to make sure we are taken care of.  It's been fun having "roomies" to go to dinner with and binge watch HGTV, Fox News, and "Orange is the New Black" with all the time!  For those of you unfamiliar with that show, it's quite provocative and scandalous and can make one terribly uncomfortable watching with other people if you're the least bit modest.  But it's addicting nonetheless.  Just saying.  Either way, we are living the posh life in the midst of our homelessness, so we really can't complain much!

We are set to close on our house here on September 5th, and little man Tate will make his long-awaited debut sometime in August.  We had already discussed inducing labor (as long as everything is going as it should) with the doctor so that we can be out of the hospital by the time September rolls around and our insurance changes drastically.  That is if and only if the Tater is totally cooked and ready for the world!  Just one more thing to worry about - the stress of insurance changes when looking for pediatricians in an unfamiliar area.  Lord help me!

After our doctor's appointment this week, where we were told that Tate, at 35 1/2 weeks, weighs about 6 pounds 10 ounces, and that (without giving too much detail here) my body is already starting the whole labor process, we are thinking he's going to make an early exit.  And he's going to be freaking huge.  To quote my sister, "he's running out of womb!"  Thanks a lot, Miles!  Things can change quickly, or take forever to progress during pregnancy, so who knows what this little guy will end up doing?!  Needless to say, Miles and I decided it's fine time we get in gear and start doing all of the last minute shopping and prepping for baby.  As anxious and, well, let's be honest, PSYCHOTIC as I can be about stuff, I've really been okay for the most part throughout all of this chaos.  This week I've come to realize that has only been because I was just ignoring everything and delaying the inevitable!  Since our appointment, we've been shopping for last minute items and I've put Miles to work getting some of this baby stuff set up in our temporary home!  It's all become very real very quickly this week, and I may be starting to freak out JUST a bit. :)  Not having the ability to set up a nursery as you buy things and as you receive gifts, and to truly get a sense of everything that you have is quite stressful to say the least.  Being homeless is for the birds.

Hambone is still confused about what's going on in his life, and I feel so sorry for him because it's only about to get worse!  Judge all you want, but he's my first baby, and that dog has gotten me through years of despair dealing with infertility, so it just kills me when he's sad!  He's totally spoiled, don't get me wrong, but I can't help but feel incredibly bad for him.  Miles doesn't get it.  Just last night he told me "that dog is spoiled rotten and he's perfectly fine!"  I just hope he can adjust easily as soon as we get into the new house with a new baby.  He's going to be a great big brother!

As I read back over this post, I see that it's pretty much all over the place.  But basically that's my life right now, so if you're reading this, welcome to my world! :)

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support for our family and Baby Tate.  He'll be here before we know it and life will never be the same.  I can't wait!