Stop And... GROW!

I am officially twelve weeks pregnant today. That’s three months, or 84 days, or 2,106 hours, or 120,960 minutes, or 7,257,600 seconds. Only 196 days (4,704 hours / 282,240 minutes / 16,934,400 seconds) to go.

It also means that today is the last day I have to take my blasted surro-meds. Not that they’re painful or anything, but the estrogen tends to make me hyperventilate from time to time, and the progesterone gel is just messy. Additionally, the schedule is a pain in my ever-expanding rump. Vitamins, estrogen pill and progesterone gel when I get up in the morning. Estrogen pill at lunch time. Estrogen pill and progesterone gel again at bed time. Not so hard, right? Then add in the estrogen patch in the morning every 3 days. I’m very happy not to have to remember more than, “Take my vitamins in the morning,” from here on out.

I did discover, thanks to discussions with my friend Mama about a month ago, that the prenatal vitamins I was taking were making me more nauseous than I needed to be. She suggested trying two Flintstones chewable vitamins instead, since they also contain folic acid. This was what her OB/GYN suggested to her. So I checked with mine, just to make sure they agreed with the suggestion. Now instead of taking one wheat-flavored swallow-able vitamin every morning, I get to relive part of my childhood and take two Flintstones instead. Don’t judge me; they’re still yummy, and I’m not “Omidog kill me” queasy anymore.

Haven’t heard much from I.F. in a while but well, he’s a full-time Dad to an eighteen-month-old and works full time on top of that. He checks in from time to time when he can though, and it’s always pleasant to hear from him. If I haven’t mentioned it before, he’s a very thoughtful person and I am truly happy to be working with him again. Our next appointment is on the 14th.

Things seem to be going well at last. Hubs’ and Pooka’s Solstice gifts were tablet PCs – one for each of them. After nearly a month, and a lot of hullaballoo with both Dell and FedEx, we finally got them. Yesterday. I got my newly repaired and beautifully cleaned engagement ring back yesterday afternoon, along with a fresh proposal from Hubs. Of course I said yes again. (What can I say? We’re saps, and still adore each other, even after seven and a half years living together.)

I’ve applied for a new job at a different state department. It’s within easy walking distance of home, as opposed to the four miles I travel now, and the seven I’ll have to travel once our office consolidates all of its staff and moves to a different town in early 2014. It also requires less extended travel. Right now when I do fieldwork, I’m gone from home for a week at a time. This is not the best arrangement for Pooka who, while highly independent, still seems to enjoy her time with Mommy. (Which I HATE, of course. Every possible ounce of sarcasm intended.) There’s also the added bonus that I’d be working with my good friend Bamf, and would work all but across the street from the aforementioned Mama.

I need a change of scenery. A change of pace. I’ve been at this job for eight years, and it’s not going anywhere. It’s not expanding, it’s not growing; it’s certainly not going to pay more (my reclassification request was denied almost out of hand, despite the Big Boss fighting tooth-and-nail on my behalf.) I can’t get professional development. There’s only one phrase that’s truly appropriate for my position: DEAD END. Now if I can get human resources to forward my resume, perhaps I’ll have a chance at the job. I know I’m more than qualified for it, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed and hold my proverbial breath.