Scion,
Congrats on beoming current!
I was in a similar situation with the Dec VB. I collected all my paperwork, filled forms, got my medicals done within a week, and sent them to the attorneys. I also made sure, that they will FedEx my app on Nov-30th and postponed my tickets to the first week in Dec. I got FedEx confirmation that my app has reached the lockbox, before I left. You can give a cushion of a few days between the receipt of your app and before you leave. Hopefully, I should not/will not have any problems on re-entry. Just keeping my fingers crossed.
I have my H1 stamping valid until late 2012 and can re-enter using that. You can follow a similar procedure only if you have a valid visa stamping before your re-entry (as you will not have your AP by then).
Hope this helps.