Introducing Austin Joseph Bierman

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Everyday Life

It has been pointed out to me that for someone who doesn't work, & doesn't have kids (yet!) that I am one busy girl!  Half of the time I don't remember what I've been doing, but I know I'm busy.  Between PWOC (our women's Bible study), worship practice, squadron spouses, & serving on the board for our Yokota Officer's Spouses Club (YOSC) some weeks I have a meeting or two everyday.  Don't get me wrong, I love to stay busy and I know that I got that from my Momma.  Sometimes I wonder how I'm going to squeeze all of this in and keep the house up when our little man gets here.  I know it will all work itself out, but I get a little overwhelmed just thinking about it every once in a while. 

In other news, I can't believe that our little man will be here in a little over 3 months!!!  WOW!  I was talking to my friends Karen & Lynn this week and said something about being shocked that he would be here in 4 months, and they quickly pointed out that it wouldn't even be that long.  I guess with all of that counting in weeks I lost track of the months.  Where has the time gone?  I am so excited that I get to see my family in a couple of weeks, & they can see my baby bell in person.  It just loses something on Skype.  =)

24 Weeks!

Ok in my effort to do better at blogging, I figure I should do a post even if I don't feel like there is really something big to write about.  For someone that doesn't work, this has been one busy week for me!  I had meetings on Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday along with a baby checkup.  Thankfully today is a change of pace, and to top it off Kenny should be home from work around noon & will be off the rest of the day and tomorrow!  I love getting to spend some extra time with that man.  The weather has been amazing here this week, so I think we'll head into Tokyo today to do some exploring.
We got a good report at the doctor yesterday for our 24 week check-up.  Baby Boy Bierman is doing great!  Everything looked good from our 20 week ultrasound, and he has a great heart beat.  That is my favorite sound in the world!
Well, that is really it for today.  I decided that I had to write something, or I'd slip right back into being a slacker.  =)

Japan has had one heck of a rough year!  Since March we have had a 9.0 earthquake, tsunami, nuclear disaster & a couple of typhoons.  Oh & don't forget the hundreds of aftershocks we have had & continue to have since the big earthquake.  Thankfully, we here at Yokota have been kept safe. 
I just wanted to note that Americans & most other countries in the world for that matter, could learn a lot from the Japanese people.  Throughout all of this, they have maintained order & respect for people and their property.  There have not been the robberies and murders like there are when hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters hit places in the US.  It is so sad to see thieves in the States prey on people when they have just lost loved ones & almost everything they own.  The world should step back and learn a few things from the amazing people of Japan. 
That's really all I have to say.  I just wanted to give some props to this country that I am temporarily calling home.  Don't get me wrong, I love America & look forward to the day that we live there again.  I just wish we could bring a few things like this back with us.

Our lives since April...

Well, once again I am beyond behind on my blog, and a LOT has happened since my last post in March.  The absolute biggest thing that has changed in our life is that we're pregnant!!!!  That's right, Baby Boy Bierman will be making his debut in January.  We couldn't be more excited.  This child is truly a miracle & blessing from God.  I could do a whole other blog post on our road to finally being pregnant, but I'll save that for another day.  The timing could not have worked out better when I found out that I was pregnant.  I had a trip back home planned already, so I got to tell my family in person.  It was so much fun!  I bought a cute little onesie here on base that said "Made in Japan...with American Parts" and had it wrapped up to give Mom & Dad to make the big announcement.  There was definitely lots of hugging & tears involved in that process. 
I had a wonderful & hectic trip at home in May/June.  I got to spend lots of quality time with my family as we were all living under one roof!  Yep, that's right, all 9 of us (we missed you Kenny!) were at Mom & Dad's house.  Bek & Ben were getting ready to move to Birmingham and had already sold their house, so we were extra cozy.  While I was at home, we ended up having my Mimi & my sweet nephew Hayes both in the hospital.  It was such a blessing that I was able to be at home to help out my sister with the kids & whatever else I could do. 
August came around, & Kenny and I got to go on the vacation of a lifetime!  We went to Hong Kong, flew to Sydney and cruised to the New Caledonia Islands, then back to Sydney for a few days.  It was amazing!  What a great way to spend our last kid-free vacation for a while.  It was nice to have Kenny home & away from work for a while.  He hadn't really had a chance to stop much since Thanksgiving last year, so it was a well deserved break for him. 
Unfortunately, I have to throw some bad news in here too.  Living as far away from family as we do definitely has some drawbacks, & we had to experience the worst kind in August.  We had just returned from vacation to get the news that my Mimi had passed away.  Ellen Jane Wightman, Mimi, passed away on August 17, 2011, at the age of 92.  Mimi was my mom's mom.  Those of you that know me well, know that Mimi holds a very special place in my heart.  It was extremely hard for me to not be able to go home to be with my family at this time, but it just was not possible.  It warmed my heart to hear of the love & support that my family got from our friends back home.  My friends here in Japan comforted me the best they could.  We are going home at the end of October, & I know that it will be bittersweet for me.  One of the first things I have always done, is go to see Mimi.  It is going to be hard not getting to see her, but I know that she is in a a better place and is no longer in any pain. 
That about brings us up to date.  September has been pretty busy here at Yokota so far.  We kicked off our women's Bible study ministry for the year as well as our spouses organization.  This past weekend we celebrated the United States Air Force's 64th birthday at the AF Ball.  We had a great time, but I have to admit that my feet & back were killing me by the end of the night!  Now we are just focusing on getting ready for this baby!  We are also looking forward to a whirlwind trip to Seattle & Little Rock at the end of October. 
I will try to do better at blogging, especially with this little one on the way.  I know that I have said that before, but really I'm going to try! 

A New Normal

Strange as it may sound, things are starting to feel normal around here.  Granted it is a totally new kind of normal, but it is normal nonetheless.  The active duty member are still working 24/7, there are a lot of people who have left the base & many of the places on base are closed or have shortened hours.  We seem to have settled in to some sort of routine.  Thank goodness!  Yes, it's no fun having husbands that are working 7 days a week, but this is still nothing compared to the loss that so many people have experienced.  We were fortunate enough to have a very normal Saturday night.  Kenny had to work all day, but he wanted us to do something with friends when he got off work.  So we called up our dear friends the Miners, and asked them to come join for dinner.  It was the first time we have gotten to fire up the grill in a while.  We had a great, relaxing evening sitting around the table eating, talking & laughing.  It is so nice to feel somewhat normal again.  Things in Japan are going to take a very long time to return to normal.  But, I am so thankful for our Yokota Family that is adjusting together to make our own normal. 

Thank goodness for friends!

I would be lost without my friends!!!  I am so lucky to be surrounded by such an amazing group of women here in Japan.  Since the day that the earthquake happened we have all rallied around one another to help each other through this.  Last night was a very needed break from everything going on.  My friend Gabbi is a Pampered Chef consultant here.  She had a party planned with someone that chose to take the voluntary evacuation, so she called me and asked if I wanted to have the party here.  As you know, I'm never one to turn down a party, so I gladly agreed.  It was very last minute, but we had a great group of about 10 girls here.  One of our friends showed up with her "Earthquake Margarita Kit" and it could not have been better timing.  We had a great night talking, laughing, eating and relaxing.  We all agreed that is was just what we needed!  With all of our husbands working so much we have leaned on each other a lot.  I can not imagine being here without my friends. 

I don't want to leave out my family and friends back home in this post.  I have been so overwhelmed by the love & support both from Yokota and at home.  Your prayers, support & encouraging words are helping to carry me through this.  Please continue to support Japan!