Well, we only have a little over a week left in the final pre-deployment train up. They have definitely held true to their word that it's training for the families, too!
We have been prepped that Afghanistan is not Iraq. With Iraq this last time (OIF 09-10), he had wireless internet in his room and we Skyped every day. Afghanistan will allot us a few 5 minute phone calls a month and a few emails. I hear from him every few days to check on our FRG (I'm the leader) and that's about all we have time to talk about.
On one hand, I'm glad he's going to get this opportunity to be in command the whole deployment. At the same time, I can't believe we are that "old" and grown up, either. On the other hand, I still fret about how I will keep him involved in our daughter's life during her first year. Do we just scrap it? And still on the other hand (I have 3 hands in this model), I can't believe this is his 4th deployment and he will have spent part of every year deployed 2004-2012. I worry about him and our Army family. We have had one really rough deployment before and I don't know if I have the emotional stamina to endure any more funerals of people taken too soon.
My mom flew in on the 24th to hang out for a week and a half. We've done so much! We've gone shopping in Schweinfurt, done day trips to Wuerzburg, Bamberg (yay for the big H&M there) and Nuremberg. Plus, we went down to IKEA one day to see if we could find a chair for baby's room. Didn't find a chair, but I did get a cute print to hang over the crib (still waiting for AAFES to deliver it to our PX) and curtains for her room. Hubby gets to hang them when he gets back.
Speaking of getting back, once hubby is home from the field, we're going on our last hurrah before the deployment/baby comes. We're doing 3 days in Dublin and 2 in Brussels.
In baby news, I have my glucose test this week and then have to get my Rhogam shot to protect against making blood antibodies that aren't good for the baby. I took my mom up to the hospital where I'll deliver yesterday and she got to meet one of the midwives and look around the birthing rooms. She's more than a little nervous about me having a baby over here since she's a labor and delivery nurse back in Texas. But, I'm pretty sure lots of babies are born here all the time and they turn out just fine. :)
