Hi CrabApple,
First off, .docx files cannot contain macros. You could, however, have a macro in the document's template. Be aware, though, that your use of the 'template' term doesn't appear to be the same as what Word regards as a template (i.e. a .dotx or .dotm file). Saving a template doesn't produce a .docx file - it remains a .dotx or .dotm file. A document created from a .dotx or .dotm template, however, will ordinarily be a .docx file.
As for the dates, what you've described so far can be done without macros or formfields. To see how to do this and just about everything else you might want to do with dates in Word, check out my Microsoft Word Date Calculation Tutorial, at:
http://windowssecrets.com/forums/sho...ation-Tutorial
or
http://www.gmayor.com/downloads.htm#Third_party
In particular, look at the item titled '
Calculate a Stepped Date'. Do read the document's introductory material.