Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The new job

Well, I've been at the new job for a week now.  I started last Monday with a 4 hour "orientation" to the job and it's broad and very non-specific requirements.  I was excited but honestly, a little bored.  I have to sit down with about every "white coat" (as I call the leadership, non-staff persons) in the hospital to introduce myself and see what their job is and how it relates to my job.  Yippee.  (insert sarcasm script there)  I'm lucky though, I'm working in critical care, amongst the people I know and love working with and around.  Many of the people I have to "introduce" myself to already know me, so it'll be quick.  Kristy, the gal who they hired as the other part timers, has ER experience and she's in the Oncology area of the hospital.  She knows minimal people, although she was on committees and knows people from those, and she has that friendly, easy to talk to personality.  But she doesn't even know her way around the hospital at times.  So, she has a bigger learning curve than I do.
I like the job, so far.  I'm just trying to get organized really.  And find stuff to do.  Yesterday, I voluteered to coordinate orientation for new nurses... but was told I shouldn't as I'll be off on maternity leave for 8 weeks.  Ugh.  This kid puts a cramp in things.  Luckily, Kristy voluteered and said we could work together  so I could take over when I come back if I wish to.
Another thing is the old critical care educator had a candy dish that she kept filled pretty much all the time.  I bought three bags of candy last week and it's all gone!  Woa.  I can't keep this shit up!  Not to mention, I'm sitting by the candy dish... I'd love nothing more than to eat it all day.  Jeez.  I don't know if candy will stay high on my priority list, that's for sure.  (c:

The baby shower was excellent, the thank you's are still unfinished.  )c:  We got new french doors and a new back door, and the house is warmer already!  It's freakin' amazing.  And we can have a door mat now!  Our old back door was warped and dragged across the kitchen floor when opened, this one actually fits in the frame correctly and doesn't move the mat when opened.  I was so excited when I saw it!  So worth the money to replace the doors.  Love love love them.  If we decide to stay in this house, you know windows are back on the top of my wish list. (c:  I haven't told Joc though...
About a month to go until the due date.  This countdown is annoying but inevitable.  I'm anxious to see what the baby looks like, how labor will be and what life with a child is like.  Soon, so very soon we will see.  It just feels like a long time away still.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Shower time!

The nursery is almost complete, thank you Jocelyn!!  Joc has done so, so much in that room, who am I kidding, she's done pretty much everything... I think I weighed in on when it was time to take the spare bed out and helped move the furniture a little but really, that's about it.  She painted a row of sheep on the wall that she made by drawing and cutting out cardboard stencils, she made our old TV armoire into a mini closet (the doors and drawers need one last coat of paint and should be installed by the end of the weekend), she unpacked the crib and put it together in record time, she took an old dresser put a fresh coat of paint on it and changed the knobs for fancy brushed nickel knobs and built a changing table topper for the baby to have diaper changes.  She bought some nice baskets for blankets, and organized the clothes, she's rearranged the room (a few times) so it flows perfectly, she installed a dimmer switch for the light, and bought a nightlight to keep on for the baby.  She's been the perfect helper for this baby momma.  I am so blessed and lucky to have her around to help us prepare and most days, I think she's more excited than I am to meet this dancer that's grown to about 5 pounds now in my uterus.  (I call him or her a dancer because he likes to back his butt up into my right side... I've taken to singing that song, "back that thing up" all the time... I rub my side and say, "honey, there's no more room over there!")  She rubs my feet after a long day at work, is sensitive (most times) to my hormonal needs, and is constantly rubbing my belly and talking to our baby.

I took some pictures of the nursery last night but Joc wants to wait until the doors are completed and on the closet before sharing them on facebook and on here.... so you'll have to wait a few more days, it's very cute and very baby.

We have our big and final shower Saturday, we are excited to see our friends and family and to hang out with them to celebrate the baby that will join us soon (thank goodness!).  We'll wash the clothes, pack the diaper bag (thanks Rachael!), and start thinking about our hospital bags (although really how can we pack that bag when I might need to wear those clothes yet... and my toiletries are used at least 2x a day... those might be the last minute things we grab along with a meal, when my water breaks or labor begins).

It's getting closer and closer.  It's getting real and yet still so unbelievable... there's a baby in my belly.  I know it's true but I'm not sure I believe it just yet, not until it comes out and omg... there is it.  Gulp.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Solutions

Solution to my previous dilemma:  the boss lady agreed to 24 hours a week in the salary position, so I officially (over the phone and email) accepted the job.  The offer letter is "supposedly" in the mail, I start Monday the 18th but have no clue what my schedule will look like.  I'm not even sure how flexible it will be or if I'll find myself at the hospital 5 days a week but for different amounts of time each time.  Regardless, I hope I've made the correct decision and that I enjoy the new role as much as I hope.  It's bittersweet, as my shifts on the unit will be significantly less, I hope to pick up at least one 12 a month but depending on my workload for the new job and how I feel in the last couple months of the pregnancy...  I have said since graduating nursing school that I would only work as a bedside nurse for 5 years, here I am at 6 years and I'll be sad to leave it behind.  I'm praying this is the path I am supposed to go down and I will still have opportunities.  I will mostly miss my co-workers and friends, but will still seem them, at least the ones I am truly friends with.  

Another issue I've brought up on this blog: religion.  Our struggle, well Joc's more than mine, with the Catholic faith not accepting our relationship has come to a head... but not a big nasty one, a nice and hopefully peaceful one.  One of the nuns from Aquinas that Joc spent a semester in Ireland with, Sister Alice, was at the Ireland reunion that we attended a few weeks back.  Sister Alice has a gay niece who lives in CO and just had a baby with her partner.  We didn't really get into a deep convo with her at the reunion but Joc decided to go to mass at the Marywood chapel (where the Dominican nuns live, whom are affiliated with Aquinas and we were told by a neighbor has an accepting congregation and a more liberal approach to the faith).  She ran into Sister Alice at mass but it wasn't until a few days later that Sister Alice emailed Joc to welcome her and let her know how happy she was that Joc had decided to come to mass there.  Joc then took the opportunity to express her frustrations with the Catholic church and Father Jim's outright refusal to baptize our baby.  Sister Alice's response was lovely.  She pretty much disagrees with the stance and hopes that the church moves forward soon (which I'm not holding my breath for but whatever) but she also let her know that there are multiple gay couples who attend mass at Marywood and she's pretty sure there have been baptisms for gay couples there too.  She encouraged us to come again and speak with another Sister, who later also emailed Joc to welcome her.  It felt nice, and I know Joc was pretty pleased with how it has played out.  We'll have to see how it all goes and hopefully, we've found a nice Catholic home to raise our kids without changing our faith to fit our needs.