Travel is a Go!

Yes, it looks like we do get to go ahead with our planned trip away!  Thanks for your prayers, support, and encouragement.  I started feeling a teeny bit better on Monday.  At least my terrible, deep cough was gone and my congestion was going down.  My appetite came back in full force yesterday, so I've been eating way more, which means my energy is also up as well.  That is good because I lost 3-4 pounds being sick, and I wasn't trying to.  As much as I usually like to see the scale going down, it's a bit scary to see while pregnant.  I still have some nasal congestion, which makes me super nervous for the flight tomorrow night, but hopefully my ears will cooperate and not be painful.  I've flown with plugged ears before and it is not pleasant at all.  At least we have a non-stop flight and the skies look clear.

I've got mixed emotions going into the weekend.  First of all, it's hard to believe that the weekend is finally here.  I remember when DH and I booked our tickets months ago.  It seemed so far away and I was so nervous to travel because I'd be at the end of the 2nd trimester and almost starting the 3rd.  I didn't want to travel in the 3rd trimester, yet this is the only weekend that worked for us an my sister-in-law.  In reality, I feel great pregnancy-wise and don't know what I was worried about.  It's so hard to believe once we get back next week I'll be starting the 3rd trimester.  It's still surreal to me. 

I'm excited to see my family and yet I'm sure there will be drama involved because that seems to be the case whenever my mother is around.  She loves to be the center of attention and talk all about herself.  My patience for that is virtually non-existent these days. I'm hoping the drama is minimal or that DH and I have the courage to address some ongoing issues with her face to face.  I'm praying for wisdom to know if the time is right for that! 

We're staying in a guest suite at my grandma's new senior living facility, so it should be fun to check out her place and spend time with her.  My time with her is always a mix of emotions though.  I never know if my visit will be the last one with her (she's 89 1/2), so I always try to cherish our time together.  We also have the task of going over to her house and setting aside all of the things I want from her place since she's getting ready to sell her house in the coming months.  That will be hard. 

It'll also be hard to celebrate this baby along with my brother and sister-in-law's baby without my grandpa.  I know he would be so proud to hold his 1st great-grandchild and to meet his future 2nd one.  It's hard to think about all those joyous family moments without him.  I know my dad is thinking about the same thing because he broke down crying on the phone just the other day when we were talking about the baptism and baby shower.  I'm sure there will be a few shed tears amidst all of the laughter this weekend.

It's bittersweet to think about this as our last trip as just the "two of us." While we are so excited to meet this little child, the realization that travel will never be as easy again is a new one to ponder.  I don't know when we'll travel to see my family again- I don't expect it to be for several months at least- and so with that, I don't know when we'll see grandma again.  She's too old to travel to see us, so this very well could be the last time we see her or not.  I don't see myself getting on a plane with an infant and DH doesn't have many more vacation days he can take this year, so it's that unknown element that can be scary.  I hope we have the chance to travel back and introduce our baby to grandma, but this very well may be as close to an introduction as we get.

So I will enjoy as much of the weekend as possible and cherish the time we have with family and friends.  The weekend will surely fly by, and before long, we'll be back home again into our weekly work routines.  More from me when we return!