We don't know when L'il Allison is going to arrive. Most people in our situation have no way of knowing for sure, obviously, but we're even more in the dark than most. At this point, after much measuring and contemplation, Doctor Nadkarni has decided on a due date of “some time after the end of November and before the end of December”. Great.

This would all be easier, of course, if I were slightly smarter and capable of remembering a few key dates that have . . . what? . . . slipped my mind? Only I could forget these particular dates when we were actively trying to make a baby. But we'll leave my mental deficiencies for another day's topic of conversation.

So. Either the kid is due in late December and is really, REALLY big, or the kid is due some time earlier than that and is the size of a normal person. How will we know? When I go into labor, of course.

In an effort to at least try to be prepared, though, we have taken some measures to devise a battle plan. We are now moving from Yokohama to Tokyo earlier than originally planned. Much to my delight and utter surprise, the folks in the government who need to OK these types of things have been helpful, supportive, logical, and just plain damn nice.

We're scheduled to move on 20 November, at which point we will be reunited with our stuff. We will then set up house in our permanent residence and Chris will being to commute from Tokyo back to Yokohama for class. Hopefully, the house will be organized just in time for me to move, temporarily, to the navy base in Yokosuka. I'm scheduled to do that on 7 December. They have a nifty system by which they house big fat ladies like me in an apartment right by the hospital. The place is called the Stork's Nest. How funny is that? Then Chris will stop commuting from Tokyo to Yokohama and being commuting from Yokosuka to Yokohama. You confused yet? I think I'm getting the better end of the deal by giving birth. Then the baby will show up at some point before 26 December, we hope, because that's when I have to get the hell out of the Stork's Nest. After the mission is accomplished, we'll move back to our lovely new house in Tokyo and Chris will start work there.

Got it?

We're hoping that L'il Allison will comply.