One Way Ticket

We had celebrated Christmas with everyone, our house had been packed up and hauled away along with our cars, and we were ready for our next adventure. The day after Christmas of 2019 we took a one way flight to Arizona and our lives were about to change in so many ways. Once we landed we got set up with our rental car and headed to the hotel that was going to be our home for the next week or so. The next day we went to get the keys to our new apartment and began getting a few things set up there, but our things weren’t set to arrive for at least a week. Mr. Blue began to run around and seemed so excited about a new place. It was definitely going to be a big adjustment going from a 2 story house with a basement to a 3 bedroom apartment, but we felt ready to take it on. 

We were so blessed to be in an apartment complex right across the street from our cousins and the boys were so excited to get to spend lots of time together, and since we had no toys or furniture - we relied on hanging out with them at their place a lot in the beginning. In the meantime I realized that in the hustle and bustle of packing up the house, finishing up at work, Christmas, saying goodbyes, and moving - something was missing. I sent Nic to the store to pick a few things up and in a few minutes our lingering question was answered, I was pregnant! What a whirlwind of a few days with so many running emotions. We immediately told my cousins since we would be spending a lot of time with them and it would have been nearly impossible to hide from them. We were going to be a family of four! Talk about a new adventure for sure. We celebrated New Years while in the hotel, just the 3 of us with a cheers to the new adventure ahead of us. The semi with our belongings and our vehicles finally arrived and we set to work getting our place all set up before Nic began work. We got most everything in place before he started work but there were still a few boxes that I worked on and some rearranging that needed done after figuring out our original plan for where we thought some things would go, wasn’t going to work.

Another cousin in town had told me about a mom’s group at their church that would help me get to know others and an opportunity for Mr. Blue to play with others as well. I signed up for that right away and I am so glad that I did, I met some of the most amazing women and gained some necessary life tips and perspectives during a very big life transition. It was my first big move, away from our parents, first time being a full time stay at home mom, and I didn’t know many people - the value these ladies brought to my life in this time was immeasurable. I am still in contact with a few of them to this day and I treasure our friendships. I was going to the moms group once a week, going on daily walks with our cousins, figuring out nap times and just really trying to get my bearings at this whole stay at home mom thing. Meanwhile, Nic was trying to settle in with his new job and dealing with a heavy amount of traffic during a long commute that he wasn’t used to - we were both trying to find our footing and a new normal.  

The second week of Nic’s time at his new job they sent him out of state for training for a whole week. To be honest, it was a rough week. Being a solo parent in a completely new place, still trying to learn our way around, it was trying - but I learned that I could do it. So in a way, it was a great experience to gain some confidence in my abilities. It wasn’t always pretty and there were a lot of tears from both of us, but Mr. Blue and I were figuring out our daily routines without Dad around and celebrating when he came home in the evenings. In between figuring out our new routines and learning our way around our new home we were able to have a little fun and explore all the beauty it had to offer. Then it came time for my first OB appointment and I was really excited to get to share this experience with Nic AND Mr. Blue. I had an ultrasound and we got to see a healthy growing baby with a sound heartbeat. And for the first time being pregnant, I wasn’t filled with fear and dread - this was going to be a fun pregnancy, and I was going to be able to fully share it with our son. In the beginning of March of 2020 my mom came to visit for a week and we went to parks, cafes, and just enjoyed getting to show her around our new home. And of course she enjoyed getting to see her sister, niece, nephew and their families as well. We so enjoyed our time with her and it went by way too quickly. The next week, COVID happened. (DUN DUN DUN!)

XOXO, mischief managing momma.