Catching Up: There...and Back!

I think I set the record for the shortest deployment ever. Most everyone knows why, but I thought I'd catch everyone else up to speed just in case...even though I am almost two months late in updating my blog. Forgive me please! I have been busy. Now that I'm back and have a little bit more time than I did pre-deployment, maybe I'll be able to keep this regularly updated. Maybe I should make it a resolution for the new year. Hmmm....we shall see.

Okay, so on November 23rd, 2008, I had everything packed and ready to go to Iraq. Shoot, everyone did. We gathered all our gear and lined them up for inspection (by the K-9 guys) at our unit's pavilion.

My bestest work buddies and I waited in anticipation....

...to load the planes that would take us on and endless flight overseas. We made stops in Wisconsin and in Germany and then arrived in Kuwait after about a day of traveling. Once we got to Kuwait, we immediately started training. We were at the range, did vehicle roll-over training and spent what seemed like countless hours in predeployment classes. It was, by no means, fun.

And what sucked even more, is that it rained for days and the flooding did not make it easy to travel to and from meetings, our sleeping tents and to the bathrooms (porta-potties = yuck!).

However, what was nice was that we all got to spend a very happy Thanksgiving over there. Our meal was spectacular!

But, in the midst of it all, I didn't notice a lot of things that were happening to my physically. For example:

• Once we finished training (which happened over a span of three days), we had a lot of down time because we were pretty much waiting on our flights out to Iraq. So I would take long naps in the afternoon. I'm not talking about cat naps, but hours-long naps. I'd take a nap right after lunch (around 1300) until about 1800, just before my evening meetings--and I'd still be dog tired. But I didn't think anything of it. I figured it was the time difference. After all, we gained 10 hours in just a few days.
• To this day, I tell this part of the story...a friend and I went running at the gym while we were there. I felt like I was about a ton heavier than normal because it was more difficult. I didn't think anything of it because it had been a while since I had done some serious PT. All the deployment preparation had hindered me from doing it. But what was particularly different was that my boobs felt so much heavier, like I should have been wearing about three or four more sports bras. They hurt! Again, didn't think anything of it...I thought it was just the recent weight gain. I was eating...A LOT. But no one else thought anything of it...they say I eat A LOT all the time--which is true.
• I was peeing like a freakin' racehorse. I only remember this vividly because it sucked to have to walk to the darn porta-potty for what seemed like every half hour (and sucked infinitely more at two or three in the morning when I was trying to sleep) and mostly in the rain since that's all it did in Kuwait at the time. No problem though...I'm always peeing. All the time.To add to the porta-potty issue...they stunk. I mean, really badly. And it never bothered me before, but man, I had a hard time trying to use the bathroom without dry heaving. Man, I dry heave now thinking about how awful it was.
• Speaking of smells, it was hard for me to walk to the dining facility just to get a meal. Anyone who has deployed before knows that there is a certain smell that eminates from the dining facility and it's not just of food. But it was so bad, I could barely make it there, let alone stomach anything to eat once I got in.

Still, I pressed on. And all the way into Iraq. I'd settled into the our humble abode below--and the smallest room I've ever had to stay in (even smaller than the room I had during my first deployment).

Once I got there, I had gotten sick and had an inkling that I was pregnant. After all, I was still tired all the time and I my back was starting to hurt a lot. And when was the last time I had had my period? Gosh, I couldn't even remember. Because I was scared to go into the PX to buy a pregnancy test (which yes, they do sell over there), I'd asked my guy friend, Joe, to do it for me. It was the night that Kid Rock and a comedian, whose name I can't remember, were on the base entertaining the Soldiers. As a group of my friends stood among the crowds listening, Joe came out of the PX and handed me a bag with a pregnancy test. Thank you Joe! I waited until 0500 the next morning to take it. And seriously, the + sign didn't take but a few seconds to pop up on that darn stick to confirm what I pretty much already knew at that point. Great scott, I'm pregnant!

I had 14 days to get out of theater, because prenatal care was just not available in our area of operations. It was hard to be excited about being pregnant. Actually, to be quite honest, I wasn't. I was disappointed to leave my friends and my Soldiers at such a crucial time. Delivering news of pregnancy to co-workers while deployed is not actually welcomed by all. Thankfully, my superiors were very supportive and offered their congratulations and a speedy and safe trip home. However, I regret that the news of my pregnancy wasn't exactly good timing for some close friends--one had to find a new roommate, and some had to change jobs to accomodate my loss. To those individuals, I am truly sorry. But I am mostly sorry to my section, whom I left behind. I know they are currently doing great things under their new leadership!

Getting home...was a feat. My goal was to get home in time for the holidays! So I had an agenda. Malu was going to be in Colorado Springs visiting my family and we wanted to suprise all of them with the news. Okay--rewind: as soon as I found out that I was pregnant, I got a hold of Malu as quickly as I could and he was excited about the news. At the time, he was still mobilizing for his deployment in Fort Dix, NJ, but was being released for five days for Christmas. Before he found out I was pregnant, he had planned to make a stop in Colorado to visit with my family. So we planned to surprise them with the news on the evening that my parents were holding a Christmas dinner in Malu's honor. So for about two weeks, I held the news from my parents. Imagine how difficult that was! So yeah, I had to fight against all odds to get to Colorado Springs on time to meet Malu at my parents' house! I won't go into all of it, but I'll break down the sequence of events. In summary....in was a nightmare.

• (3 Dec - 12 Dec): I had to be out of Iraq in 14 days. It took 9 days for my release packet to be approved and completed at Division/Brigade headquarters.
• (12 Dec - 15 Dec): No flights available out of Kirkuk, Iraq. The waiting officially starts.
• (16 Dec): I finally leave Kirkuk, Iraq and arrive in Balad, Iraq.
• (16 Dec - 17 Dec): Wait for flight in Balad, Iraq. Slept in transient tents.
• (17 Dec - 18 Dec): Depart Iraq and arrive in Kuwait; fight to get flight to States.
• (19 Dec): Depart Kuwait; stop in Germany and Iceland on the way)
• (19 Dec): lose 10 hours due to flight and arrive at Fort Dix, NJ, where incidentally, (1) there is a huge snow storm (2) and Malu is training with his unit somewhere on Fort Dix in the middle of the said snow storm. The snow storm was said to be one of the worst in history. And indeed it was. The nearest airport was Philadelphia and the roads out there were pretty much closed. Malu couldn't even come to visit me because they were trapped out in the field because of the inclement weather. Go figure. Somehow, those guys were able to get us out to the airport.
• (19 Dec - 21 Dec): After four cancelled flights and sleeping on an armchair in the overcrowded USO facility because there were no taxies departing from the airport to the hotels (all of which were booked because travelers were trapped everywhere), and after Malu booked a $700 ticket for me (while out in the field) because I was sick of my Army-booked flights getting cancelled, I was able to leave the Philadelphia Airport. Still, the flight departed Philly late and caused me to miss my connecting flight in Dayton, OH. So I had to stay overnight. At this point, I'm panicking. Malu was going to be in Colorado Springs the next day.
• (22 Dec): I prayed that God would help me make it out of Dayton, OH and into Colorado Springs by way of Minneapolis, MN. At this point, I had been traveling in the same uniform for about a week and had no toiletries, as all of my baggage had gone out to El Paso in one of m previously cancelled flights. And God truly answered prayers, because I made it to Colorado on time. Malu had been picked up by my parents an hour before and I made arrangements for a family friend (sworn to secrecy) to pick me up and keep me at her house until dinner at my parents' house.

So, pretty much, the suprise went as planned and I wish I had captured it all on tape. When I walked into the house (which was filled with all my family and extended family and friends), you would have thought those people saw a ghost. They could not believe that I was there. And my mom was completely ecstatic. She kept jumping up and down saying that she's finally going to be a grandma. And Malu could not have been smiling any wider.

So all the pain and chaos I had to endure to get home...forgotten and well worth it! Not only did I make it home in time to see my family, but Malu and I were able to head out to Utah to spend Christmas day with his family--the first time in years.

Truthfully, it wasn't until I was in the midst of family and my true friends, that I was able to finally be happy about our soon-to-be baby. I hope that doesn't sound like a bad thing, but there is so much pressure in my career field, especially as an Army officer, to not get pregnant. Honestly though, was there ever going to be a perfect time for me to have a child? There was probably always going to be another assignment, another deployment, another whatever. But my friend, Chrissy (also an officer in the Army), told me that a female general told her Captain's Career Course class that any time is the perfect time for a female in the Army to have a child--because there really is no perfect time. And you know what? I am ready. I've been ready for quite some time. And I do not feel guilty for something wonderful that is about to happen in our lives...at least not any more.

I have yet to go to visit an obstetrician. Those of you who are familiar with the Army medical system should know that, well, it sucks. Here in El Paso, we're typically not seen until we're in our 20th week. I have my first appointment on the 29th. Well, it's an orientation, so I'll actually see an OB sometime thereafter. Because I'm impatient, I'm working to get an exception to policy to be seen at a civilian facility. I'm anxious to know how officially far along I am and better yet, when I will be due. By the 29th-ish...I'll probably be able to tell if I'm having a boy or girl, so I'll keep all of you posted!

On another note, Malu departed for Iraq just before New Year's Day. I posted his mailing address on my Facebook page, in case anyone wants it. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We're definitely going to need it!

Thanks for sticking with me through this entire catch-up entry. I start a new, and probably more stressful, job at the end of this week. Still, I'll endeavor to keep this updated more frequently. And since I'll be cooking a lot more regularly in an attempt to eat healthy throughout my pregnancy, you might see my cooking blog get updated every now and then! Until next time... and to my husband, whom I know is reading this...thank you for this special gift. I look forward to starting this new chapter in our lives!