PCS Move: Packing/Moving Day

On February 13th, the packers and movers arrived at our home around nine in the morning. Wielding boxes, a vast amount of packing tape, and mountains of packing paper we began our quick walk through so they could decide where to start. There were two packers and one of them had a broken hand and as I tried to keep Avalyn occupied I over heard them ask Brian if our home was a three bedroom. He replied, "Yes." and I heard them say something along the lines of "They told us it was only a two bedroom, I am not sure if we have enough supplies.". Of course after hearing/seeing that my stress levels began to sky rocket. I began to get very overwhelmed and extremely worried that we had too much stuff and that we would go over our weight limit of 8,000 pounds or that they would run out of supplies and not be able to finish packing everything in one day.
I tried calming myself down in order to take care of Ava until our good friend, Magan could come and pick her up. I knew that if I had a freak out that Ava would freak out and the last thing I wanted was for her to get upset. It was already bad enough that she wanted nothing to do with her morning nap with all of the commotion of the packers packing everything.
So I did what I thought was best!

I pulled out the Baby K'tan (before the packers got a hold of it...they literally pack EVERYTHING) and quickly put Ava into it. I was a little nervous about wearing her considering I had not used the K'tan since November and we had had issues with her staying high enough up on me (she was a little too small for the position shown). But she was big enough and comfortable enough for me to wear her and this helped us out tremendously! I was hoping the snugness of this position would help her fall asleep since it was indeed time for her morning nap, but instead she kept popping her little head out from under the strap like a little gopher and looking around at everything. She was so alert! She was also very keen on gumming the strap. Silly little bird.
She eventually did take a little bit of a snooze, but of course not long after I had to take her off of me due to the sudden rise in temperature. Apparently the upper 70's is common this time of year in South East Georgia.
Not too long after, Magan came and picked up Ava and she spent the day with her and Baby Sarah.

While there she was able to stay entertained and socialize with other people (and baby!). Magan made sure to snap this photo of little Ava gumming up a stuffed bunny. I was so nervous about Ava being away for the day, but from what I was told, she did really well.
During Ava's stay at Magan's house, Brian and I monitored the packers and tried to be somewhat helpful. The thing that I hated the most about the packing was not being able to do much. I felt like a big lazy bum just sitting there at the table watching our things being packed up. It also bothered me that I did not really have a say in where and how things were being packed.
After a lunch break, the movers/driver arrived and helped the packers finish packing, take inventory, and load up the truck. It was a very long day despite not having done much of anything except observe.
So, what is the point of this post?
Well, for those of you getting ready to PCS and are worried about the move, here are a few suggestions that helped us feel better about complete strangers being in charge of taking care of our things until our move in day and ways to help make things a little easier.

#1- Designate a "Do Not Pack" area for things that you don't want the packers and movers to see or pack up. These people will pack up everything and if there are things you do not want them to see or pack up...pack it up and move it yourself.

#2- Offer your movers/packers beverages and food; Brian and I made sure to provide bottled water and soda because let's face it, who wants to be stuck in someone's house, doing their grunt work and not be able to quench their thirst. You can buy a 24 pack of bottled water for $4 and a six pack of soda for like, $2. We also bought them lunch; which was a $5 pizza from Little Caesars...also very affordable! There is no need to deny these people the luxury of a full belly because think about it, they are in full control over how things are packed, etc.

#3- Pay attention to what is being packed! I will admit that I forgot a few things to stick in my "Do Not Pack" area and almost had important things packed up.

#4- Try to stay out of their way while being observant; they know you are there to monitor them, but try to do so while staying out of the way...no one likes trying to do their job when someone else is hovering.

#5- Have ziplock bags on hand! The packers will use them when they take things apart; they took apart things like Ava's bassinet, the kitchen table, and the coffee/end tables, etc. You don't want to loose the screws, etc.

#6- Do not sign the inventory list until you have double checked it. It is better to be safe than sorry!

#7- If you have animals or children, definitely arrange for a babysitter and designate an area for your pets.

#8- Keep a pen on hand! Someone will need one at some point considering how quickly they seem to disappear. You will need it at the end of the day in order to sign off on the inventory list (although your driver will most likely have one).

#9- Make sure that you have a plan ready in regards to where you and your family will be staying once the movers leave. Whether it be a hotel stay or staying with a friend, make sure that you have everything confirmed the day before your move.

#10- DO NOT FORGET TO PACK EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR YOUR BABY! Or child/ren. I forgot bottle caps...of course we got by without them, but it was still pretty annoying.

I am pretty sure that I covered everything...there are other things that your moving company may ask you to do before the movers come, but every company may be different. Ours asked us to remove everything from the walls, unplug all electronics, and to disconnect our washer and dryer because they would not do those things for us. They also informed us on what they will and will not pack, so we took the measure of either discarding those items, giving/donating them, or bringing them with us in our vehicle.


Apart from the obvious, my best advice for your packing/moving day is to try to stay calm, try your best to be prepared, and try to keep a smile on your face!