Road Tripping

I should probably update on our road trip, so without further ado...
After our appointment with Dr. M. on Thursday, AC and I had a nice farewell lunch with SH and my dad. Things had been a bit strained with them since I moved out of their place and into the house in CT (living in a tiny one-bedroom apartment for several months together will do that to you!), so it was nice to have a sort of informal reconciliation.

Anyway, then we hit the road and drove to McGuire AFB where we had dinner with some Air Force friends. They were all really excited about the baby--one friend even gave us a funny card with a Target gift card included (she had seen Andy's announcement on Facebook). It felt weird not telling them the complete truth about the IVF and everything, especially when they asked questions like "How long have you known?" or "How did she break the news to you?" We just sort of glossed over those questions with vague answers.

Later though, when I got a chance to be alone with one friend who knew about my fertility struggles, she asked me if we ended up seeing a fertility doctor. So of course I told her. AC and I had decided in advance that we're not going to volunteer the info about the IVF, but if anyone asks questions that lead in that direction, we wont try to hide it. My friend asked me a lot of questions because she and her husband have been trying to get pregnant for 3 months, and she's worried they may need assistance since she's already 31. I tried to help her as much as I could by answering her questions and giving her advice--I know I would have loved to have someone do the same for me when I was in her position.

The next day, Friday, we drove to AC's hometown in Maryland and had lunch with one of his high school friends. I hate to admit it but I was relieved when work prevented AC's brother from being able to make it. As luck would have it though, I did end up seeing him before the weekend was up! We then continued on to Annapolis for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. After the dinner, we celebrated AC's oldest aunt's birthday as well as mine (we were both born on April 5!), and then AC ended up making the announcement about the baby. It was really cute how excited everyone got! I guess it's a big deal that our child will be the first of this next generation.

The next morning before the wedding we walked around the Naval Academy, which was beautiful--I think for once the military's architectural contract didn't go to the lowest bidder! :P The wedding was also really beautiful, although I was surprised at how traditional it was. The pastor said that the wife must submit to whatever the husband chooses for them and must always follow and obey him. It just seemed really old-fashioned. I haven't been to that many weddings, but this was definitely the first time I'd heard anything so, I hate to say it, misogynist spoken.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention it, but the biggest surprise at the wedding was that AC's mother and brother showed up even though they've said all along that they wouldn't come. AC was so angry when he first learned that his mother was there, but fortunately he didn't do anything rash. His mother was actually really nice to both of us. I can't say the same for his brother. He didn't say a single word to me the entire time, even though we sat at the same table later at the reception (later he did tell AC that he just felt like he didn't know what to say to me).

After the ceremony, we posed as a family for pictures, and AC's mother even placed her hand on my belly and asked AC if it was true about the baby. She then asked if we were taking the baby to Okinawa (this was all in Chinese of course, but AC translated). At one point she grabbed my hand and squeezed it, and then remarked how large my hands are (not in a mean way). I pointed out that my feet are also large, and she smiled. She also noted that I was very "white" or "bai", as she said in Chinese (AC said she meant pale). I'm so used to my mom saying this as a bad thing, as in, "You're so pale. You must be getting sick." But I know that Asians really value pale/fair skin, so maybe she meant it as a compliment? Either way, whether she was complimenting me or concerned about my health, she was definitely being nice and attentive.

AC and I later discussed what could have brought about the change. Is it really the baby that's made the difference? Is she just acting or playing a game as AC suspected at times? Has she just finally decided that it's not worth it to fight anymore? Has AC's brother's recent marriage to someone she considers even less suitable than me caused her to favor me? We're not really sure what's going on, but I was definitely relieved that at least a temporary reconciliation seems to have been established.

Overall, I had a really nice time at the wedding. It was fun to see all of AC's relatives again, especially since I hadn't seen most of them in almost three years since our wedding. Another of AC's cousins will be getting married next August, and I would love to go, but it's so hard to know if we'll be able to what with AC's irregular schedule and being in Okinawa. So far one of his cousins has married a white guy, and this cousin is marrying a white girl, which means our kid will have Hapa cousins (assuming they have children, of course)! I think that's so cool :) Two of AC's cousins are also Hapa (they're half Icelandic), so it's already a pretty diverse family.

Sunday and Monday were spent driving back to Little Rock--it was a really beautiful drive. Virginia is a gorgeous state, with lovely rolling green hills. Tennessee was also very pretty. We stayed Sunday night in Nashville, where it was unseasonably cold. AC drove the whole way (what a trooper) while we listened to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and I ate and napped frequently :)

Overall it was the best road trip we've had (says the girl who didn't drive an iota :)