Heads Carolina, Tails California.

May 31 - I sent this text message to Glenn: “I want to leave now. I wanted to leave yesterday! Let’s pack up and just surprise our families in CA!” Glenn counters with concern about needing a hospital for baby. I tell him that any hospital will work, they all have doctors, and one day it would make an entertaining anecdote when she hears how she was born somewhere in the middle of the country. Today I still feel like I want to just peace out on Glenn’s last day of school and just start driving. Glenn thinks that my spontaneity will fade, but I really think that we would make it to CA in time, and having our families all be able to meet baby girl would make it worth the risk.  

Less than two weeks ago I wrote this, and today is officially our last day in North Carolina! With much conversation, prayer, tears, advice, understanding and also intense disapproval at my road-tripping across the country at 38 weeks pregnant we are leaving tomorrow. We are so content in our decision and know that this is the best move for our little family. The more we contemplated potentially moving for the summer the more we realized it didn’t make any sense to stay in North Carolina. With Glenn not having a job here in the fall it wasn’t worth staying and wasting valuable time that we could be spending time with our families, and it is the perfect window for everyone to meet baby girl. Especially since come fall we could be living anywhere.  

The stress came with the logistics of moving in such a short time frame. We literally came to an official conclusion about this one week ago. So many loose ends to tie up! All of a sudden we went from knowing where we were having our baby to urgently needing a new OB in CA practically the second I arrive in CA. Not to mention the vast safety concerns of making a 5 day journey in the car when I am so very pregnant. Glenn had some summer lighting and design gigs that he had to quickly and very apologetically back out of. We are stuck paying out the last two months of our lease even though we won’t be living here. The Fox furniture flipping business was in full swing and we had two large pieces we needed to finish. Packing, packing, and more packing. Choosing what’s coming to California, what’s staying in a storage unit here, and what’s getting free-listed to Craigslist. Not to mention all our goodbyes to the fabulous friends we made here. This was definitely the hardest part. I feel so incredibly guilty that I just had the most amazing baby shower, and all these women who were so generous and kind to me won’t even get to see the baby. Although it came as a surprise to most people, I really appreciate that when I was saying goodbye how understanding people are.  

After much preparation, probably pushing myself a little too hard, and likely making my husband slightly crazy, we are basically ready to go. I have done extensive research on traveling while pregnant and we know it will be pretty slow going with the amount of stops I will need to stretch and pee. We have a detailed travel plan with all our stops, and the distance to hospitals at any given time. More than anything we have faith that this is what we were supposed to do for our family. It was difficult for me to put aside other’s opinions and make the decision that was best for us. And as crazy and last minute as this was, we know it’s right! Now we just hope and pray that baby girl chooses to stay squished inside just a little bit longer, and I’m optimistic that she will. After my last Doctor’s appointment I was really worried that she wants to come early because I was already dilated to a ‘generous 1-2’. At my OB appointment this morning the Doctor was so positive that Baby and I will make the trip perfectly fine. I have low blood pressure, zero swelling, right on track with weight and measurements, practically perfect! His calm manner really helped any baby nerves I was having.  

I also need to give a huge thank you to Rebekah!! My sister flew out from CA and surprised me at my baby shower. I was SO surprised and emotional and couldn’t believe that she was actually here! She had a one way ticket and was planning on staying until baby girl’s arrival. Little did she know, or we know, that we were going to leave NC. Her vacation turned into helping us finish up projects and pack. She teased that we were slave drivers, and allowed us to pay her back for her assistance with donuts and NC Cuisine (aka, Cook Out and Bojangles). She flew out yesterday and I am missing her already. We seriously would not have been ready this quick without her!