"We need to tell the internet so many things"

It seems like this once somewhat looked-after blog is becoming a semi-annual affair where I give a quick check in and make lots of promises for future posts that never come. Sorry about that, likely-only-reader-that-is-left. I won't promise to do better because we've all seen how well I keep my blog promises.

With the obligatory niceties out of the way, I'll go ahead and blurt out the Big News:

We're pregnant!

Yep! I am almost 20 weeks along at this point, and here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions so far:

1. We don't know the gender and will not find out the gender until the kid pops out mid-year. It's one of the last few remaining true surprises in life, and it's fun not to put gender expectations on a fetus. The conversations surrounding how we will raise our child have just been centered around making him or her a good person, not about what sports he/she will be signed up for or which scout troop to join. Plus, not knowing the gender means that any gifts we get before the kid is born will have to be gender neutral and practical, a must for people like us who are moving every couple of years and plan to have another kid eventually. I'm not packing up and moving stuff that might not be usable for the second kid! 

2. I don't care what gender the kid is, we still have to take it home with us no matter what is between the legs. Tyler is pulling for a boy, but of course will be happy with anything as long as the baby is healthy and loved. 

3. The baby will be born in Australia. We have insurance here, and there is no way we could afford a birth in America. I guess technically that means the kid could be an Australian citizen, but in my cursory google search, it looks like it can only be a citizen if at least one parent is an Australian citizen or permanent resident at the time of birth. Sorry, kid, that's proof enough for me that we don't have to do more paperwork than what is already going to be required to make you an American. 

4. We have some names in mind, but for some reason we're guarding them. A couple years ago before I miscarried we had made a list of names and talked about them with family. That list has stayed the same, but we so far we haven't been telling anyone else the names we have in mind. Hey, guys, it's a big deal that we are telling the internet about this kid in the first place! We seriously considered just posting a photo of a goopy newborn in a few months with the caption, "Surprise!" 

And now I'll go ahead and blurt out the Other Big News: 

Bonus points if you can identify the country flag without having to google it. 

Yep! The Mister (aka the Baby Daddy) snagged a contract with a school in South Korea, so we're moving in July!

Yes. I said July. 

Yes. I am also having a baby in July. 

Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions so far:

1. Tyler has to report for work in late July, so hopefully the kid will arrive on time (I'm due June 30/July 1) so he can have about 3 weeks with us before taking the cat and most of our worldly possessions and flying to our new home. 

2. I will stay behind to wait for the kid's American passport to come through and wade through the mess of getting a Korean visa for a newborn. Plus I want to get some vaccines into the kid before we get onto a disease tube that'll hurtle us through the air to meet up with Baby Daddy in late August. I have to be out of Australia by August 31 when my visa expires. I probably could get a visa extension because...you know...brand new baby, but I have the sneaking suspicion I will be DONE with filing government paperwork by the time this kid arrives and will just want to be reunited with my husband (and, let's me honest, my cat) as soon as possible.

3. I will not be here all by my lonesome for the month that Tyler will be in South Korea. I have an adopted Australian family that I'm sure will make sure that I'm not sitting in the apartment alone with a newborn. My mom has generously offered to come stay for a couple weeks after Tyler leaves, then my sister-in-law will come to help me navigate my first international flight postpartum. Meanwhile, my mother-in-law will be in Korea with Baby Daddy to help him set up a nursery and help me with finding a pediatrician after the Baby Train arrives in its new home. 

4. I will not be teaching for the 2017-2018 school year. Thankfully the school in Korea agreed with me that trying to deal with a brand new baby, new country, and new job all at the same time would not be a smart idea, so I'm taking a year to wrap my head around keeping a human alive. They have agreed to let me come in the second semester as a sub, which is really awesome because I'm sure by the 6 month mark I will be desperate for some classroom time. 

5. The school is in a semi-rural area in the southern part of South Korea, not Seoul, which Tyler and I think will be really helpful to our transition into parenthood. There are a lot of young families on staff, and I think the lack of hustle and bustle will be good for us not feeling like we are missing out on happy hour or fun times with new childless friends. One major draw to this school is the fact that some former colleagues from Kuwait, including Tyler's old teaching partner, are already at this school and have just had a new baby themselves. We are really looking forward to learning about this whole expat parenting thing alongside them.

Now that the word is Internet official, I'm hoping to be a better blogger since I have all kinds of things I have learned about prenatal care in a foreign country. Until then, I remain

Vicariously yours,