Thursday, September 29, 2011

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.  =)

Friday, September 23, 2011

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.

Monday, September 19, 2011

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!