Alison & BJ Curtis

Welcome to the newest Bergman, Macy Irelyn Curtis!

She was born to Alison and BJ Curtis on Monday, July 23rd at 9:07 p.m. Alison says: my labor started in the morning and we went to the hospital at 12:30 and she was born that night. It was pretty quick and no complications. She weighed 6 lbs and 6 oz and 20 inches long. She just got out of the hospital because she has jaundice but she is doing better and we are glad to be home.

Before Macy made her arrival, Alison had this to say about what's been keeping them busy:

I can’t believe another year has gone by, but we were more than happy to embrace 2007. 2006 began as another tough year with BJ deploying to Iraq again in March. This deployment was rougher than the last due to his job duties and worrying about his security most of the time. Most of the deployment went ok until he was just weeks away from returning home and his convoy was hit by an IED (improvised explosive device). Luckily, most of them came out of it with minor injuries including BJ. He was given a week to recover and then a few weeks later it was time for them all to return to the U.S. We were so grateful to finally have him home safe and for good.

In October we went to Ohio for a visit and took a well-needed vacation to Gatlinburg, which was great relaxation for us. We also have some very exciting news to share, which was our Christmas present to the family, we are having a baby. We found out we were expecting at Thanksgiving but decided to save the big news and share it with everyone in person. We are having a little girl and she is due to arrive soon, July 31st, however, it could be sooner. We are very excited and we are looking forward to her arrival. Her nursery is decorated with lots of animals, but we are still organizing things and still have a few things to get. I guess you can never be 100% prepared especially if they decide to come early.

In other news, BJ decided after two very long deployments he was going to switch jobs and become a Marine Corps Drill Instructor. He endured 11 weeks of intense physical and mental training and graduated in March at MCRD Parris Island, SC. We then moved to Beaufort, SC in early April and we are enjoying it much better than NC. His job is rough and includes long hours and is physically and mentally exhausting, but again, it’s much nicer and safer than being in Iraq. We know the job will get easier with time, but starting out, it's not very rewarding. Once his first round of recruits graduate (July 6th) he will get two weeks off, which will be a nice break. That will also work out nicely if our little girl decides to make her grand appearance early.

As for me, I am still taking classes online and plan to be completely finished in the fall. Then I can enjoy my time with the baby and take my time looking for a job. As far as my pregnancy goes, I’ve been very lucky with little nausea just major fatigue in the beginning. However, now that I am 9 months pregnant, this SC heat is making me more miserable by the day!! Most days I have trouble getting up and getting motivated but its all well worth it. I think that about wraps it up for us, but we promise to keep everyone updated on our new arrival and things here in SC. Happy Summer to all!!

Love, Alison