The last three months have been such an ordeal. The week after the earthquake, we were told we had the option of evacuating. The OB base recommended that us pregnant ladies, about to have their babies, have them Stateside. If there would have been any major complications with the birth, the Japanese hospital they usually rely on wouldn't be able to support us. We had one day to decide and declare whether or not we were going to evacuate. It seemed like the smart thing to do: err on the side of caution. I wasn't scared of the aftershocks or the nuclear reactor's situation, but it made sense to have the baby in a full hospital that was ready for any emergencies. So we boarded a plane a few days later and were shipped to Colorado to see my mom.

In Colorado. baby Raven was born without any complications on the April 23rd. On the 25th the evacuation order was lifted and the family members were to return home to Japan. We obviously could not fly with a two week-old baby. I was really surprised that the order was lifted, considering all the reasons for the initial evacuation hadn't seemed to be resolved. There were still lots of homes off-base without reliable resources and the base residents were told to conserve energy or face rolling blackouts. Sending thousands of family members back to the military bases would mean more resources would be used. And while in the US, I did watch the news and admit that I started to get a little nervous about the radiation situation. I read about radiation finding in local food and hot particles found in people in Tokyo. Even though we were constantly reassured by our military leadership that we were completely safe, no matter what happened at Fukushima, I still felt like there was some risk. We were told we could apply for an ERD – an Early Return of Dependents – so we could stay in Colorado until Matt finished his tour in Japan. He had less than a year left in Misawa and it seemed worthwhile to keep the boys away while the reactor is being taken care of and there are large aftershocks.

Since we were in the US anyway, I thought it would be nice to visit with Matt's family for a few weeks. Mom came out to Colorado to help me fly to New York with the boys in mid-May. We arrived in New York very early in the morning, and by that afternoon we had heard that the ERD was declined and we are to return to Japan. I ordered Raven's birth certificate so we could apply for a passport. I started dreading the idea of flying with a 2 month-old, an almost-two year-old, and a three year-old overseas, carrying three car seats, a stroller, our luggage, and a diaper bag. When I flew over here, there were military people waiting in Seattle to assist me (well, and other family members of course.) I had help carrying and installing the car seats, lifting luggage, and chasing down toddlers. Once I took a commercial flight to Colorado, it was a different story. I had specifically requested assistance and was denied it from the airline. I was 38 weeks pregnant, carrying one toddler and trying to wrangle another, while carrying a bag and a toddler car seat and I had to get everyone on the plane in one go. So I was a little worried about what I'd be faced with on the return trip.

I heard from a few pregnant ladies who had evacuated that they had been approved to have their military husbands fly out to escort them home. I figured if a woman five months pregnant with no other children and no pregnancy complications could have her husband assist her, then a woman with three children three and younger might be able to as well. We tried and tried but unless I had a doctor's note saying that I had a medical condition and required an escort, it wasn't going to happen. We could probably purchase commercial tickets for Matt to fly out and hopefully get him on our commercial flight back, but we just don't have the money for that right now. And even with the two of us, four planes and an overnight in Tokyo with our three little fellas would probably be just as difficult as me flying solo with them from Seattle to Misawa on the Patriot Express. So the hope now is that Jen and Mom will fly with me from New York to Colorado, see Mama and pick up my stuff, then fly me to Seattle where I can get on the Patriot Express to Misawa by myself.

We've had some problems with military red tape. In order to allow Raven on the plane, we need my evacuation orders amended to have him on them. In order to do that, we need to amend Matt's Misawa orders. To make that change, Raven has to have a command sponsorship letter. We've been working on that. Last month we were told we needed a note from his pediatrician stating he was clear to fly so we could get him command sponsored. Last week, the letter finally showed up. Matt took it to the personnel office to get him processed and was told the letter was unacceptable, that it needed to be on a different form. I called about the form, but the pediatrician's office was closed for the day. When I could get in touch with them, they said they have nothing to do with that form. I've called around and it seems like no one knows exactly what to do with us. I have been told that once we get the appropriate form, it will take a minimum of three weeks to process the letter anyway. In the meantime, Matt has expressed his frustration to his supervision and it seems they might have a work-around. I'm waiting to hear back in the next few days if we will be able to leave this week. Ideally, we'd fly out to Colorado on Wednesday, then to Seattle on Saturday to wait around for the Patriot Express early Sunday morning (and be home in Japan on Monday!)

These last few months have been really tiring. The first seven weeks at my mom's was tiring because we hadn't all adjusted to the time, the boys didn't sleep well, I was very pregnant, I was worried for Matt, I missed Matt, I was adjusting to parenting by myself, and we had no idea when or if we'd be back with Matt any time soon. The last nine weeks have been a little better. The boys have been a little better behaved. I've gotten used to handling them on my own. I guess I've gotten used to being away from Matt (though I still really miss him!) Matt's parents and Jen have been around a lot to help out with the boys, which has been wonderful. I suppose we've gotten into our groove here, but I'm so anxious to get back home. I know the boys will have an easier time when they're around Daddy and their things and their friends. I miss Matt, our home, my friends and church, and my things as well. I am praying we'll hear some good news sometime next week so we can be on our way home!!

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