Homestretch

Here we go! We're about to start our last week in our apartment. Pack out happens on Friday. We'll stay in our apartment Friday night on air mattresses and head to our hotel on Saturday. We have a super busy week ahead of us. Eye appointments, haircuts, shopping, last minute packing, organizing, and my last grocery trip in the United States!!

I have a very complex grocery system. I have molded it into an art form and I take great pride in whittling my grocery bill down each week. I average $60/week, which I believe to be not to shabby for a family of 4 in Washington, D.C. Since I only go once a week tomorrow will my last all out grocery trip before we go. Next time I get back to meal planning I'll be perusing the grocer stalls in New Delhi, India.

5 days until pack out! 16 days until we fly for India. Whoa.

3 weeks

We fly for India via Frankfurt in exactly 3 weeks. Wow.

10 days until pack out.

Johnny is running around crazy trying to wade through the paperwork.

Gabriel is contributing to the craziness by potty training. He is doing very well. I am taking it very slow. He wore underwear for 2 hours this morning. He had a successful episode but had an accident towards the end because he did not want to take off his super cool Nemo undies. We'll have to work on that.

I tried to withhold Zach's allergy medicine for a couple days in hopes that things have cleared up. I hate drugging him up every night, but last night he couldn't sleep and kept rubbing his eyes and nose and complaining that his head hurt. Back to the drugs we go.

Both little time-consumers are sleeping and I'm taking a break before dishes and mopping the floor.

Visits

My family stayed for the week, helping with the boys while did inventory and sorted everything we own. My sister made two beautiful dresses for me. I was having difficulty finding knee-length dresses with sleeves.

Stewie and Hamlet stayed for the weekend. Johnny took them on a D.C. nighttime excursion, which always yields plenty of stories. We met with Caity yesterday and hit up the museums.

Everyone left quickly this morning. Stewie and Zach to Cincinnati via West Virginia, and Johnny back to D.C. to do battle with bureaucracy.

Groceries today. Tomorrow I'll do a little shopping for India, the smaller necessaries from Wal Mart. There is also a small goodbye party for me from my MOPS friends. Parties for me make me uncomfortable, but it is such a nice gesture. It will be good to chat with friends.

3/3+

What do those numbers mean? Oh, well, that would be the Spanish test scores for my incredible husband!! He's done with language training!!!!!! Go Johnny!

Countdown:

Johnny's Test: FINIS!

Pack out: 15 days

Leave for India: 25 days

Family and Friends

Mi familia is here for the week. My sister is making two dresses for me (and they are soooo pretty!) and my mom is corralling my little monsters while I work on pack out preparations. It is a relief to have help, especially since the boys had nasty colds this weekend and spent most of last night coughing and/or crying. They settled down for the "night" at about 3 a.m. and Zach awoke at 7 a.m. A couple extra hands at the grocery store are a welcome relief for Zombie Mom and her two sniffling rugrats.

We have a pre-pack out survey on Friday. The movers will come and get an idea of what they need to pack and what weights they're looking at. The answer is "not much." The heaviest items will be books and the bunk beds we're getting from IKEA. I doubt pack out will last more than 2 or 3 hours.

Gabriel is ready to potty train. Am I ready for him to potty train? Absolutely not. But I can't baby my Peanut. That's not fair to anyone. Time to break out the smallest undies I can possibly find. I might have to get my sister to take them in for my little Buttless Wonder.

Zach and Chris (a.k.a. Hamlet and Stewie) are coming on Saturday. If they're not too tired Johnny plans to whisk them away for nighttime D.C. sightseeing. My family leaves on Sunday morning so we'll subject the guys to a full day with the wee ones. Other friends will be jetting in and out of town next week and then we brace ourselves for big life changes. Huzzah!

Countdown:

Johnny's Test: 3 days

Pack out: 18 days

Leave for India: 29 days

Pack out

Pack out is officially scheduled for July 2nd. We'll have pack out that Friday, stay in our apartment on air mattresses Friday night, then settle into the hotel on Saturday where we'll stay until our flight on July 13th. The boys and I get to toodle around D.C. for the week.

So, new countdown:

Johnny's Test: 5 days

Pack out: 20 days

Leave for India: 31 days

Gloom and Sunshine

It is very dreary outside today. We attempted to make a morning trip to the library only to find that it doesn't open until 1 pm on Wednesdays. Seriously?!

So we went to play with the Sarmientos instead. Gabriel asked for Emma by name today, a new accomplishment for him. He is really starting to talk. He also said "thank you" clear as a bell when, "Emma's mama" gave him macaroni and cheese.

Zach and Emma are ever buddies. It's going to be so sad when they don't have each other to play with. I hope there are nice kids for Zach and Gabey on our compound. Little Mr. Sunshine, my Gabey-baby, let's himself get pushed around if Mommy isn't around to lay a smackdown on some little brat. Zach is getting much better about sticking up for himself except against girls. My little man is already a chivalrous gentleman.

I hope the clouds clear up. Zach wants to go to the "train park."

Sage and BBQ spareribs for dinner.

Countdown:

Johnny's test: 8 days

Pack out: 24 days or 27 days

Leave for India: 34 days.

And the Allergy List Lengthens

I have added alcohol to my extremely lengthy allergy list:

Peppermint

Gluten (sort of - Celiac Disease)

Wheat

Rye

Barley

Eggs

Grapes

Melon

Citrus (oranges, lemons, pineapples)

Cassia

Codeine

Alcohol

See?

I had a fabulous date night with Johnny last night and I decided to go crazy and have a Strawberry Daquiri. Rum is gluten free and I have never had adverse reactions to strawberries. Last time I consumed a few sips of alcohol it was a vodka cranberry, also Ari-allergy free. At that time I experienced chest pain, flushing, and hyperventilating so severe that I had to lie down in a dark room and will myself to make the huge effort to breath. I was on the verge of calling an ambulance.

I chalked it up to a panic attack due to my unwillingness to let go and let the alcohol loosen me up. I am, as Johnny so delicately puts it, "somewhat high strung."

So, last night, I gave myself a little pep talk as our rather surly waiter placed me drink in front of me. I took several calming breaths and took a drink. After a few minutes I was fine so I took another. Within another 10 minutes or so the chest pain was back. I had to excuse myself and go to the bathroom to do the same breathing exercising before the chest tightness loosened enough for me to breath without terrifying difficulty. I was nauseated, flushed, and on the verge of fainting for nearly twenty minutes.

Nachos, fresh air, and a long walk around Downtown D.C. cured the effects, but darned if I'll make the same mistake three times. Johnny finished my last drink for me.

It's definitely a blessing that I was pregnant for my 21st birthday.

New and Improved Countdown

We have an actual leave date! Because we have actual airline tickets! And actual diplomat passports! Woo!

I imagine the passport office got a huge kick out of Gabriel's passport. Not only is his picture hysterical, it looks absolutely priceless with the fancy dip passport background surrounding it. Zach looks very serious and official in his. We have the two cutest little diplomats ever.

Our flight takes us from Dulles to Frankfurt, Germany where we will stay in the airport Sheraton. We'll be roughing it at this four star hotel for the night and then we'll leave Frankfurt for New Delhi!

So, New Countdowns:

Johnny's Spanish Test - 15 days

Packout -34 days

Leave for India - 41 days

Holy Mother of Pearl! Why am I sitting here blogging??? I need to go make more lists...