Meredith is due tomorrow!

[Hisey]

Why am I the first one to post this? What does that say about my lack of a life?

in her latest post, Joy shows us Meredith's new apartment, her baby shower, a pic of Stephen, the location of their new home (Georgia), pictures of the younger brothers, etc. And her due date is Sept 10. I hope the baby is not born on Sept 11, I'm not sure why.

http://alexanderadventuresfamilyblog.bl ... r-fun.html

[fundiefan]

I read that but I kind of got the impression that the baby was already born with the end sentence.

Next post.....introducing baby Margaret Alice! Thank you for your prayers for her safe arrival.

But, I'm not a Meredith fan like others here so didn't think much of it. I was surprised I still had their blog in my reader - I think I put it there when the son went a courtin'? But, anyway. I could be wrong but it seemed that way to me.

[keen23]

I understand why Joy would want to be there for the birth of her grandchild. I totally get that. But to go back to Meredith's house with three of her youngest kids in tow? Seriously, find a sitter or just don't go. A woman in labor doesn't need three of her young siblings wandering around.

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks for the link... that seems to have come around quickly!

I read that but I kind of got the impression that the baby was already born with the end sentence.

Nah, the mother is loopy - I doubt the baby is here yet, she is just fixed in her mind about the next chapter in the story. :roll:

Meredith looks well and happy - I hope she has a safe delivery.

Stephen has clearly had to be away for much of the last month - I hope he gets properly engaged with Meredith during the last week. Very odd to have the younger sibs around. I feel for Sweet Sheridan, whom Meredith suggested should pray for a baby sister just as she had done. It could be very confusing for her so see her sister-mom bring a new baby into the world, and then to be taken away from her again.... I hope they had the sense not to have Meredith sharing a bed with Sheridan during her recent stay but I doubt they have the foresight or sensitivity for that.

[addyviolet]

Dr. Stanley's messages have given such sound spiritual teaching to our family through the years. We love listening to him as we're getting ready to go to church. His famous line, "If you're listening, say 'Amen!' keeps the Alexander family hollering out "Amen's" as we're scurrying around on Sunday mornings.

I'm just picturing the family driving around, randomly shouting "Amen!" every few minutes. It's a highly amusing thought. :lol:

[Clementine]

Oh, can't wait to see the baby and I love the names! This is almost as exciting as when a newborn royal baby is photographed for the first time!

[MamaJunebug]

Why am I very pleased that they permitted Sweetsheridan to dress in military clothing?

Dr. Charles Stanley ... oh, please. :roll:

[desertvixen]

It doesn't seem like the baby is here, just that they're very set on the name and won't do another blog post until she's born.

We had a name picked out for our daughter around month seven or so, but we didn't really share with anyone until she was born (because that cuts waaaaaay down on the "You're naming the baby WHAT" - and coming from a family that features a kid named Adonis, I wanted to cut down on that). It just seems weird to call them by name before they're even out.

[Hisey]

I think she brought along the 3 youngest b/c Timmy doesn't want to care for them. The older boys can take care of themselves.

[YPestis]

So those pics of the baby shower was set in Meredith's new house? It looks pretty nice. What does Stephen do again? I thought he was in the military. If they are living debt-free, I wonder where they are getting the money for the house. I have to assume they are renting it for now until they can pay in cash.

I'm surprised how quickly everything took. Meredith was single and blogging and now about to pop out a new baby....all in the space of a year! I think it's kind of sad that she seems so fertile. For a couple that don't believe in birth control, this may mean a baby every year for a very long time. Given their debt-free lifestyle, I hope Stephen finds an awesome job after law school and military because a fast growing family is hard enough to raise without having to worry about finances!

[Clementine]

It doesn't seem like the baby is here, just that they're very set on the name and won't do another blog post until she's born.

We had a name picked out for our daughter around month seven or so, but we didn't really share with anyone until she was born (because that cuts waaaaaay down on the "You're naming the baby WHAT" - and coming from a family that features a kid named Adonis, I wanted to cut down on that). It just seems weird to call them by name before they're even out.

Like Aubrey Ann, the five month old fetus, who was going to be adopted, who got a pink monogrammed bible at the baby shower. I still can't get over that. It's the weirdest thing ever and like from a SNL parody.

[clibbyjo]

Mere looks great and I am happy to see she is back here for the birth. I hope she starts a mommy blog now because her mother does not update enough and we will need to know everything.

[hoipolloi]

I think the pictures from the baby showers are in the homes of friends near the Alexanders' farm, not in Ft. Benning, GA.

Not sure if the picture of Meredith hanging a quilt was taken in their assigned quarters at Ft. Benning, or if they're living in a house off-base. I'd think they'd opt for base housing, if it's available, which it may not always be, especially for the lower-ranking folks (like 2LT Hammer).

Agree that it was a pleasant surprise to see Sheridan dressed in BDUs & boots as well. Credit due, I guess...

[Beeks]

I wish Meredith would blog again. Her mom's blogs are too boring and infrequent for me to care.

[Witsec5]

I didn't know Meredith too much from before she married but I notice sleeveless shirts in two photos and her knees are showing. They look happy, genuinely so :D

[MissBitters]

Since he is in the army, Stephen is getting a monthly stipend for rent and other living expenses. This is in addition to his monthly paycheck. The amount varies due to the cost of living in the state a base is located and rank. I am a new army wife so I could be wrong, but I think the number of dependents could increase the amount. Stephen ranks above my husband so I imagine he gets a reasonable amount. It would at least be $1200 a month. He & Meredith could rent a very nice apartment on or off post with the stipend and not worry about living beyond their means.

[desertvixen]

Since he is in the Army, Stephen is getting a monthly stipend for rent and other living expenses. This is in addition to his monthly paycheck. The amount varies due to the cost of living in the state a base is located and rank. I am a new Army wife so I could be wrong, but I think the number of dependents (kids) could also increase the amount. Stephen ranks above my husband so I imagine he gets a reasonable amount. It would at least be $1200 a month. He & Meredith could rent a very nice apartment on or off post with the stipend and not worry about living beyond their means.

BAH for their area, his grade is $1212 this year. They should be able to do pretty well in GA with that. There's NOT an increase for number of dependents - either you get money for them or not. A lot of places, especially if you only have one kids or none, you can get a better deal than what on-post housing would be, because on-post housing basically means you pay all your BAH as rent. We lived in Augusta, where the BAH rate would be just over a hundred less, and were able to find a nice apartment in a nice area for less than our BAH. On-post housing is divided up by grade, with different areas. I live on post where I am, but it's more for convenience than economic.

The wait list there for his grade would be 1-2 months.

His basic pay is either $3207 or $3652, depending on whether he's been in less than 2 years or more than 2 years.

[hoipolloi]

BAH for their area, his grade is $1212 this year. They should be able to do pretty well in GA with that. There's NOT an increase for number of dependents - either you get money for them or not. A lot of places, especially if you only have one kids or none, you can get a better deal than what on-post housing would be, because on-post housing basically means you pay all your BAH as rent. We lived in Augusta, where the BAH rate would be just over a hundred less, and were able to find a nice apartment in a nice area for less than our BAH. On-post housing is divided up by grade, with different areas. I live on post where I am, but it's more for convenience than economic.

The wait list there for his grade would be 1-2 months.

His basic pay is either $3207 or $3652, depending on whether he's been in less than 2 years or more than 2 years.

Interesting, thanks for the insights. My experience with military folks (from working for the Army as a civilian) is in higher-cost areas of the US, where off-post housing is very expensive, even with the BAH. In these locations even field grade officers will opt for base housing if it's available.

[desertvixen]

@hoipolloi - Also where we were (Ft Gordon), a lot of the on-post housing had not been built new/renovated yet. The Benning housing website doesn't have pics of the exteriors, so it's hard to tell if they're new or not - they're also pretty small (to me, anyway), 928 sq ft or 1100+ sq ft. Most of my stations have been South/West, so it's been a toss-up.

[keeperrox]

Why is the picture captioned, "The happily expecting couple," a shot Meredith and Sheridan? (And the pic above it is a shot of the 3 youngest kids in military garb, so it's not like I have it confused.)

[PBrooke]

On my screen, there's a pic between the pic of the kids in military garb and the one of her and her sister - and it is, in fact, a pic of the happily expecting couple. Looks like your computer just didn't load a photo. :)

[keeperrox]

On my screen, there's a pic between the pic of the kids in military garb and the one of her and her sister - and it is, in fact, a pic of the happily expecting couple. Looks like your computer just didn't load a photo. :)

Hmmmm... that's weird. I refreshed a bunch of times before and it was still how I posted above. I just refreshed again, and now I see the one of her and Steven, and the last picture is gone. Did anyone else see that blurry picture at the end?

[MissBitters]

Off topic for a sec. Thanks for explaining the BAH better desertvixen! I am still trying to figure out all the army stuff & get a little confused about the details sometimes. My husband has only been in it a year and we've been married over two months now.

[desertvixen]

@ MissBitters - feel free to PM me on here if you have any questions re: Army life, coming up on 13 fun years!