I really thought that post-baby I would be doing more blogging. Everyone told me that the first couple of weeks are rough, but - as with many other things about having a child - I gave them no credence. Silly me, eh?
Slowly but surely, the importance of naps became more and more obvious to me. Fortunately the aptitude for taking them mid-day has also become easier. Initially, though exhausted, I would nod off when the baby was feeding half the time, but in between I would try to stay up and talk, visit, or clean. Looking back, it probably came from the urge not to have my entire waking day taken up by having a baby latched on and feeding.
Recently, however, it has become easier to get by on two short naps or one long nap during the day and however long she lets me sleep at night. Fortunately, once sleeping, Rachel is a long sleeper. Not necessarily a deep sleeper, she can be woken up by herself or by one of us, but given the right situations, she does tend to sleep for 3 - 4 hours at a time during the night and around 2 hours during the day time. This is good for me!
Actually, I think my lack of blogging has more to do with two things: my pre-existing laziness in regards to posting, and my constant desire to hold Rachel. Why SHOULD it be necessary to put her down? I know I can put her into a carry pack and have my hands free... but it feels so much better to hold her with my own arms. This, of course, is detrimental to my typing skills. In fact, it is detrimental to my cleaning skills also, so you can imagine the state of the apartment right now!
*Sigh....
As the time I have off from work slowly but surely dwindles away, I am more and more loath to return. How much of that is because I want to spend it with her, and how much of it is just not having to deal with stress? I'm not quite sure, but she is definitely a stress reliever. Cuddling with a sleeping or almost sleeping baby is one of the best things ever. Right now my idea of a perfect moment is this: Sitting on the couches holding the baby (or watching Mike hold her), sitting in front of a merrily burning fire with the cats around us, talking about the day and drinking some hot apple cider or hot chocolate. I might even go for some Christmas music.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Rachel Isabel Auffhammer
The big day - Monday, November 30th, 2009 - came both earlier and later than expected. Somehow the day just snuck up on two very nervous soon-to-be parents of a very new born baby. Though the last couple of weeks seemed to take forever to pass, and sleep was scarce the night of the 29th, 5:30am arrived in a rush on that particular day. Amazing how subjective our perception of time can be.
The night previous, neither Mike nor I had slept well. Funny how when we were waiting on my "due date" a week earlier I was not nervous, just ready; but the night before being induced with it being a sure thing I was a bag full of nerves. For Mike it didn't help that I was snoring - a habit apparently picked up during pregnancy and hopefully to un-learn afterward. By the time 5:30 rolled around and the alarm clock was scheduled to wake us up we were both long out of bed.
During the extra week of waiting I read many stories about babies, prepping for babies, etc. One of the articles spoke of things you might want to do when you are in labor that you will probably not get a chance to do later, such as shave your legs. Since labor was induced, this was easier for me than for some other mothers (at least so I imagine). I hopped into the shower, shaved my legs, brushed my teeth, and still did not feel ready. Does one ever?
Over the course of the pregnancy Mike has complained that he has felt rather "gypped" because I have not had all the extensive symptoms that he prepared for. No midnight runs to the grocery store for inexplicably disgusting items, no uncontrollable mood swings, or any other uncontrollable pregnancy symptoms. Now he was being cheated out of a wild dash to the hospital in the middle of the night with me screaming in the passenger seat "go faster, go faster, this baby is coming NOW!". No, instead it was a controlled, rather quiet drive to the hospital. This is probably for the best, as his car does not have grab handles for me to hang on to. I could not help but contemplate on the drive that when we went home there would be a tiny baby with us. Wow. Just wow.
We arrived early to Wake Med hospital in Cary, checked in quickly thanks to pre-registration, and were lead to the labor and delivery room that would be "ours" for the next couple of hours. Oh Lord... by the time I leave this room there will be THREE of us... help! The nurse who attended us, Sherry, was a blessing. Having never been through this I had so many questions about everything going on around me which she not only put up with, but answered cheerfully. Not to mention my needle phobia. If I had known how many needles were involved in a pregnancy....
As Sherry started the Pitocin drip to induce labor she also showed me how to read the monitors and see when I was having a contraction. At first I had to see it on the monitor to confirm if I'd just had one or not, but after a bit they became noticeable enough to register without that aid. To begin with it was just tightening, but I'd been feeling that on and off for a bit now without realizing it was a contraction. After that it was stronger tightening, then it became tightening with some pinching, then more pinching, then discomfort. At that point Mike suggested I ask for the pre-epidural meds, which take an hour to kick in. Thankfully I listened, because they quickly went from slight discomfort to not pleasant at all. Granted, I could still talk through the contractions, and they were not lasting a minute in length. Shortly thereafter they went to painful, and that was when the anesthesiologist arrived.
Suffice to say that the first epidural did not take. For whatever reason I happened to be in that 20% that needs the epidural removed and re-positioned. Lovely, eh? I felt for Mike, who was watching me in all this pain (by this time I wanted to cry during contractions) and could not do anything about it. Now I know why they used to kick the men out of the room - there is really nothing they can do except fret. Once the second epidural was in place it kicked in rapidly, to the relief of all involved, and I went from feeling to the blissful state of NOT feeling. God bless the inventor / discoverer of epidurals!!
By this time it was around 6pm, and we had been at the hospital for near 11 hours. I was so tired that since I could no longer feel anything, I drifted in and out of sleep. Before I slept, however, Bert (the nurse on the night shift) had switched me to laying on my side. Around 9pm she came to switch me to my other side and I told her I was feeling a lot of pressure. Since none of us were expecting this to happen anytime soon (not even the doctor), we were incredibly surprised to find out that I was completely dilated and the baby's head was RIGHT THERE. I had been dilating so slowly, even with the Pitosin drip and having my water broken, that we expected sometime in the early morning. Instead, Bert left a little after 9:15pm to call the doctor. At this point I frantically started calling Mike, who had left the room to get some food and walk around a bit. Reception was bad and I kept getting voicemail, so I sent a text message that wasn't even spelled right that said "come nack".
Dr Maydew arrived shortly thereafter, thanked me for not being a 4am delivery, got some paperwork done, and said "Okay let's push!" Mike got to help hold my legs and watch as Rachel was born. I am not sure I envy him that. Dr Maydew wears glasses, so I did get to somewhat see what was going on as I pushed, and that "somewhat" was definitely enough for me! Holy cow... is that REALLY me? Is that really coming OUT of me?? Wow!
Pushing is hard when you cannot feel your muscles. I could tell when I was doing it right because the nurse would say "yes, like that, keep going". A couple of pushes later out pops a little head, and with one more push the rest of Rachel came out. One of the top 10 strangest feelings I've ever had. From there everything started happening in high speed. They pulled her out, put her on my tummy, cleaned her up quickly, Mike cut the cord and the nurses began to clean, measure, weigh and wrap her up.
Then one of the nurses handed her to us and it was a feeling like nothing else in this world. Everyone else faded into the background and it was just Mike, our baby, and me. I'm in love!! She is so beautiful and so perfect, and I can see in his eyes how much he loves us both. I hope he can see the same in mine. What a wonderful day - November 30th, 2009. I went in expecting a baby and came out with a family. Life will never be the same again, and I am so glad.
The night previous, neither Mike nor I had slept well. Funny how when we were waiting on my "due date" a week earlier I was not nervous, just ready; but the night before being induced with it being a sure thing I was a bag full of nerves. For Mike it didn't help that I was snoring - a habit apparently picked up during pregnancy and hopefully to un-learn afterward. By the time 5:30 rolled around and the alarm clock was scheduled to wake us up we were both long out of bed.
During the extra week of waiting I read many stories about babies, prepping for babies, etc. One of the articles spoke of things you might want to do when you are in labor that you will probably not get a chance to do later, such as shave your legs. Since labor was induced, this was easier for me than for some other mothers (at least so I imagine). I hopped into the shower, shaved my legs, brushed my teeth, and still did not feel ready. Does one ever?
Over the course of the pregnancy Mike has complained that he has felt rather "gypped" because I have not had all the extensive symptoms that he prepared for. No midnight runs to the grocery store for inexplicably disgusting items, no uncontrollable mood swings, or any other uncontrollable pregnancy symptoms. Now he was being cheated out of a wild dash to the hospital in the middle of the night with me screaming in the passenger seat "go faster, go faster, this baby is coming NOW!". No, instead it was a controlled, rather quiet drive to the hospital. This is probably for the best, as his car does not have grab handles for me to hang on to. I could not help but contemplate on the drive that when we went home there would be a tiny baby with us. Wow. Just wow.
We arrived early to Wake Med hospital in Cary, checked in quickly thanks to pre-registration, and were lead to the labor and delivery room that would be "ours" for the next couple of hours. Oh Lord... by the time I leave this room there will be THREE of us... help! The nurse who attended us, Sherry, was a blessing. Having never been through this I had so many questions about everything going on around me which she not only put up with, but answered cheerfully. Not to mention my needle phobia. If I had known how many needles were involved in a pregnancy....
As Sherry started the Pitocin drip to induce labor she also showed me how to read the monitors and see when I was having a contraction. At first I had to see it on the monitor to confirm if I'd just had one or not, but after a bit they became noticeable enough to register without that aid. To begin with it was just tightening, but I'd been feeling that on and off for a bit now without realizing it was a contraction. After that it was stronger tightening, then it became tightening with some pinching, then more pinching, then discomfort. At that point Mike suggested I ask for the pre-epidural meds, which take an hour to kick in. Thankfully I listened, because they quickly went from slight discomfort to not pleasant at all. Granted, I could still talk through the contractions, and they were not lasting a minute in length. Shortly thereafter they went to painful, and that was when the anesthesiologist arrived.
Suffice to say that the first epidural did not take. For whatever reason I happened to be in that 20% that needs the epidural removed and re-positioned. Lovely, eh? I felt for Mike, who was watching me in all this pain (by this time I wanted to cry during contractions) and could not do anything about it. Now I know why they used to kick the men out of the room - there is really nothing they can do except fret. Once the second epidural was in place it kicked in rapidly, to the relief of all involved, and I went from feeling to the blissful state of NOT feeling. God bless the inventor / discoverer of epidurals!!
By this time it was around 6pm, and we had been at the hospital for near 11 hours. I was so tired that since I could no longer feel anything, I drifted in and out of sleep. Before I slept, however, Bert (the nurse on the night shift) had switched me to laying on my side. Around 9pm she came to switch me to my other side and I told her I was feeling a lot of pressure. Since none of us were expecting this to happen anytime soon (not even the doctor), we were incredibly surprised to find out that I was completely dilated and the baby's head was RIGHT THERE. I had been dilating so slowly, even with the Pitosin drip and having my water broken, that we expected sometime in the early morning. Instead, Bert left a little after 9:15pm to call the doctor. At this point I frantically started calling Mike, who had left the room to get some food and walk around a bit. Reception was bad and I kept getting voicemail, so I sent a text message that wasn't even spelled right that said "come nack".
Dr Maydew arrived shortly thereafter, thanked me for not being a 4am delivery, got some paperwork done, and said "Okay let's push!" Mike got to help hold my legs and watch as Rachel was born. I am not sure I envy him that. Dr Maydew wears glasses, so I did get to somewhat see what was going on as I pushed, and that "somewhat" was definitely enough for me! Holy cow... is that REALLY me? Is that really coming OUT of me?? Wow!
Pushing is hard when you cannot feel your muscles. I could tell when I was doing it right because the nurse would say "yes, like that, keep going". A couple of pushes later out pops a little head, and with one more push the rest of Rachel came out. One of the top 10 strangest feelings I've ever had. From there everything started happening in high speed. They pulled her out, put her on my tummy, cleaned her up quickly, Mike cut the cord and the nurses began to clean, measure, weigh and wrap her up.
Then one of the nurses handed her to us and it was a feeling like nothing else in this world. Everyone else faded into the background and it was just Mike, our baby, and me. I'm in love!! She is so beautiful and so perfect, and I can see in his eyes how much he loves us both. I hope he can see the same in mine. What a wonderful day - November 30th, 2009. I went in expecting a baby and came out with a family. Life will never be the same again, and I am so glad.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
One week and counting...
It was a chilly day outside. Possibly even to be described as cold. Okay, it was actually so cold, in fact, that it should have frozen my nose off just for sticking my head outside to test the weather. It, however, did not. It also did not make the baby be born.
Nothing seems to work on this baby. Not freezing cold, boiling heat, climbing stairs, lifting weights, walking malls, eating spicy food, guzzling water, having a glass of wine, or any of the other millions of old wives tales that abound. Not even ignoring the baby, or attempting to apply Murphy's Law (ie going to a restaurant, going to a movie, or unpacking the clothes in my hospital bag to use them). Nothing.
Currently only maternity clothes actually fit, and even some of those do not encompass the enormity that is my belly. I may have misguidedly made the offhanded comment a month or so ago that I did not see how my stomach could stretch any further. It did. I believe I was also was silly enough to joke that I did not see how I could possibly fit in another stretch mark. I could. At some point I think I let slip that I did not see how I could stand another week of being pregnant. Silly me. We are now one week and counting.
Fortunately I have my husband to keep me sane, my friends and family to keep me encouraged, and my cats to keep me entertained. Also, there is a library nearby that keeps me well stocked with books. I thank the good Lord every day for these things, without which I would surely have killed someone by now.
If all else fails, there is one last ray of hope I hold on to: Monday at 7am I have an appointment at the hospital where they will induce me to labor. Resist THAT little baby!
Nothing seems to work on this baby. Not freezing cold, boiling heat, climbing stairs, lifting weights, walking malls, eating spicy food, guzzling water, having a glass of wine, or any of the other millions of old wives tales that abound. Not even ignoring the baby, or attempting to apply Murphy's Law (ie going to a restaurant, going to a movie, or unpacking the clothes in my hospital bag to use them). Nothing.
Currently only maternity clothes actually fit, and even some of those do not encompass the enormity that is my belly. I may have misguidedly made the offhanded comment a month or so ago that I did not see how my stomach could stretch any further. It did. I believe I was also was silly enough to joke that I did not see how I could possibly fit in another stretch mark. I could. At some point I think I let slip that I did not see how I could stand another week of being pregnant. Silly me. We are now one week and counting.
Fortunately I have my husband to keep me sane, my friends and family to keep me encouraged, and my cats to keep me entertained. Also, there is a library nearby that keeps me well stocked with books. I thank the good Lord every day for these things, without which I would surely have killed someone by now.
If all else fails, there is one last ray of hope I hold on to: Monday at 7am I have an appointment at the hospital where they will induce me to labor. Resist THAT little baby!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Rachel's New Due Date
I have officially decided to change my due date to Dec 1st, 2009. That way I don't have the stress of my first child being late, right? Of course right! That way my head isn't asking me how many more days I have left to go and people aren't trying to express their condolences on a late child.
So far it's working out well! I no longer am stressed the way I was on Saturday and Sunday wondering if "today" would be "the day". Now I am relaxed. If my daughter appears today, well great. Otherwise I have an appointment for Monday, Nov 30th at 7am to induce labor. Wait..so why did I set my new due date as Dec 1st? Easy enough - that way she is still not "late" !
Technically speaking, due dates in general, and mine in specific are all guesses. Educated guesses though they may be, they are still just guesses. On my initial visit to the OBGYN they asked me when my last menstrual cycle was. Umm..... not sure? Mine is not the most predictable of cycles to begin with, and honestly I had just moved across country, started a new job, setup a new household and I wasn't really paying attention. So I guesstimated based on what I remembered. Based on that, they guesstimated a due date until I could have an ultrasound. Based on the ultrasound they said the OLDEST she could be was 13 weeks and 4 days at the time of the visit. Obviously one of those guesstimates went awry.
So it doesn't seem to be a travesty if I change my due date, does it? Under 15% of babies are born on their due date... and technically "full term" is anywhere between 38 - 42 weeks. What? 42 weeks? That's more than 9 months, you may be thinking! Well yes, sir, it is! So if due dates are all estimates, and full term is a range, than what have you been told about pregnancy that IS true? The gory details of pregnant women with terrible morning sickness, mood swings, and disgusting cravings? For some, but I did not encounter any of these. Oh granted, many women do have these symptoms, but what I have learned about pregnancy is this: Nothing and everything you hear about pregnancy is true.
In case that is too cynical a note to end on, I wanted to leave you on a positive note: With an eye to being the day before Thanksgiving, and being thankful, here are some more things I am thankful for.
So far it's working out well! I no longer am stressed the way I was on Saturday and Sunday wondering if "today" would be "the day". Now I am relaxed. If my daughter appears today, well great. Otherwise I have an appointment for Monday, Nov 30th at 7am to induce labor. Wait..so why did I set my new due date as Dec 1st? Easy enough - that way she is still not "late" !
Technically speaking, due dates in general, and mine in specific are all guesses. Educated guesses though they may be, they are still just guesses. On my initial visit to the OBGYN they asked me when my last menstrual cycle was. Umm..... not sure? Mine is not the most predictable of cycles to begin with, and honestly I had just moved across country, started a new job, setup a new household and I wasn't really paying attention. So I guesstimated based on what I remembered. Based on that, they guesstimated a due date until I could have an ultrasound. Based on the ultrasound they said the OLDEST she could be was 13 weeks and 4 days at the time of the visit. Obviously one of those guesstimates went awry.
So it doesn't seem to be a travesty if I change my due date, does it? Under 15% of babies are born on their due date... and technically "full term" is anywhere between 38 - 42 weeks. What? 42 weeks? That's more than 9 months, you may be thinking! Well yes, sir, it is! So if due dates are all estimates, and full term is a range, than what have you been told about pregnancy that IS true? The gory details of pregnant women with terrible morning sickness, mood swings, and disgusting cravings? For some, but I did not encounter any of these. Oh granted, many women do have these symptoms, but what I have learned about pregnancy is this: Nothing and everything you hear about pregnancy is true.
In case that is too cynical a note to end on, I wanted to leave you on a positive note: With an eye to being the day before Thanksgiving, and being thankful, here are some more things I am thankful for.
- Soon I will be able to hold and interact with my daughter.
- My in-laws are coming for Thanksgiving and, bless them, are taking care of the meal!
- My husband and I are both gainfully employed (though I am on leave right now).
- I am making new friends here after a long time of not knowing people and am very happy!
- My grandmother is coming to visit after Thanksgiving to help with the baby.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Ignoring the Inevitable
November 22nd, 2009. It was a dark and stormy night... and at the end of it there was still no baby born to Mike & Elisa Auffhammer. *Sigh. Another baby with little interest in joining the "real world". I know that I usually procrastinate on things, but did the baby have to turn out like me? Really? Not even a twinge of a make believe contraction or ANYthing!
Well, today is the 23rd, and so far everything has been quite. Since no baby was forthcoming yesterday, it would appear that sitting around doing nothing but hoping does not induce labor. Similarly, neither does walking, stairs, eating spicy food, rubbing the belly downwards, squats, laughing, or even the option involving a husband. So. Maybe ignoring the pot will make it boil? I guess that will be today's tactic.
So in the spirit of ignoring the inevitably LATE baby... I decided with Thanksgiving coming up I should start a list of things I am thankful for.
Well, today is the 23rd, and so far everything has been quite. Since no baby was forthcoming yesterday, it would appear that sitting around doing nothing but hoping does not induce labor. Similarly, neither does walking, stairs, eating spicy food, rubbing the belly downwards, squats, laughing, or even the option involving a husband. So. Maybe ignoring the pot will make it boil? I guess that will be today's tactic.
So in the spirit of ignoring the inevitably LATE baby... I decided with Thanksgiving coming up I should start a list of things I am thankful for.
- Another day to enjoy my baby's squirms inside me.
- My husband letting me sleep in, even though he has to get up to go to work.
- My husband!!
- The wonderful people in my life, both recently met and long standing!
- (Believe it or not) Facebook, which allows me to connect with everyone.
- My cats love me unconditionally (even if they are exasperating at times)
- The fact that I have an apartment to clean, and that I can clean it.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Last minute still counts!
There are so many things that I have either been putting off till the last moment, or trying to get away with not doing. I'm sure it's driving Mike nuts, but I can't help it. This is not my usual procrastinating either. After some serious pondering I've decided that I am trying to postpone the inevitable by just not doing things.
For example, we just went to the hospital yesterday to do the tour of the Women's Birth Pavilion. Yes, I know.. I am due on Sunday.. it would probably have behooved us to do this earlier. Today I just went to the local Fire Department to have them help me install the carseat. Yes...I know... should have done that earlier too. I put off packing my hospital bag until last Sunday also. The whole "nesting" thing never happened to me. We got things setup because Mike would do it, not because I had any motivation to!
I know that I say I am ready to be done being pregnant, but all the signs are that I am not! Crazy, eh? I hope that my reluctance does not influence my daughter, because I really don't want her to be late, and I really don't want to be in the hospital over Thanksgiving, or be weeks late. I am just a bundle of contradictions! Hopefully she has the sense to override me.
Regardless of the signs, however, I am so excited to be able to see my "Tiny Baby" as I have been calling her. Be able to see her, and hold her, and take care of her. Hard to believe that you can fall so in love with someone you have never met. I never thought this could be the case, either, but unborn and tiny as she is, she has made me fall even more in love with my husband! Just watching how he talks about her and to her in my tummy reaffirms what a great choice I made. :)
Well... I need to stop procrastinating and get some dinner made up. Until next time!
For example, we just went to the hospital yesterday to do the tour of the Women's Birth Pavilion. Yes, I know.. I am due on Sunday.. it would probably have behooved us to do this earlier. Today I just went to the local Fire Department to have them help me install the carseat. Yes...I know... should have done that earlier too. I put off packing my hospital bag until last Sunday also. The whole "nesting" thing never happened to me. We got things setup because Mike would do it, not because I had any motivation to!
I know that I say I am ready to be done being pregnant, but all the signs are that I am not! Crazy, eh? I hope that my reluctance does not influence my daughter, because I really don't want her to be late, and I really don't want to be in the hospital over Thanksgiving, or be weeks late. I am just a bundle of contradictions! Hopefully she has the sense to override me.
Regardless of the signs, however, I am so excited to be able to see my "Tiny Baby" as I have been calling her. Be able to see her, and hold her, and take care of her. Hard to believe that you can fall so in love with someone you have never met. I never thought this could be the case, either, but unborn and tiny as she is, she has made me fall even more in love with my husband! Just watching how he talks about her and to her in my tummy reaffirms what a great choice I made. :)
Well... I need to stop procrastinating and get some dinner made up. Until next time!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Ready or not...
Well so much for keeping up with the updates. The ironic thing is that there are a couple of blogs that I do follow consistently, and some that I follow not-so consistently, however though I look for updates from my friends, I am not so great at my own.
So for some updates.. it is currently Nov 18th, and I have stopped working in prep for the baby's arrival. Hopefully she decides to be on time, because I'm really praying not to be in the hospital for Thanksgiving! She shows no indication of wanting to come out, tho. We will see - I was 4 days late, Mike was 3 days early - maybe that means she will be on time, or at most 1 day late? One can only hope!
It's strange being at home and sending Mike off to work. I haven't been out of work for this long in a while. Granted, I only took my leave starting this week, but I was actually out sick the entire week last week (ugh!) so it seems like longer. Last time I was without a job was when we moved here to NC, but I was putting in resumes and applications everywhere at least once a day. So this, for me, is strange. I'm sure once I have the baby I won't have time to think about it!
Looking around there seems to be so much to do, and I really have no motivation right now to do any of it. Is that wrong? Those of you who know me know that while I am at work I am very organized, but that it does not always translate over to my home. My home feels lived in, and I like it that way. Somewhat messy is better than sterile clean I feel. At least, it's a good excuse, right? I wish the dishes and laundry would do themselves, but I guess I'll become accustomed to doing that more often. Getting home tired used to be a good excuse, now it's not as much of one since I'm not at work.
Well, so... ready or not this baby is coming soon. I cannot begin to fathom how our lives will change with this new addition, but we are eagerly anticipating her arrival. Eagerly, but somewhat terrified. There is so much to learn, but a million plus parents have done it before us, as evidenced by.. well... us!... but still. Now WE are the ones who will be learning everything, and having to sort through all the "tips" people give us to see what we really want to teach our children. What have we gotten ourselves into?
So for some updates.. it is currently Nov 18th, and I have stopped working in prep for the baby's arrival. Hopefully she decides to be on time, because I'm really praying not to be in the hospital for Thanksgiving! She shows no indication of wanting to come out, tho. We will see - I was 4 days late, Mike was 3 days early - maybe that means she will be on time, or at most 1 day late? One can only hope!
It's strange being at home and sending Mike off to work. I haven't been out of work for this long in a while. Granted, I only took my leave starting this week, but I was actually out sick the entire week last week (ugh!) so it seems like longer. Last time I was without a job was when we moved here to NC, but I was putting in resumes and applications everywhere at least once a day. So this, for me, is strange. I'm sure once I have the baby I won't have time to think about it!
Looking around there seems to be so much to do, and I really have no motivation right now to do any of it. Is that wrong? Those of you who know me know that while I am at work I am very organized, but that it does not always translate over to my home. My home feels lived in, and I like it that way. Somewhat messy is better than sterile clean I feel. At least, it's a good excuse, right? I wish the dishes and laundry would do themselves, but I guess I'll become accustomed to doing that more often. Getting home tired used to be a good excuse, now it's not as much of one since I'm not at work.
Well, so... ready or not this baby is coming soon. I cannot begin to fathom how our lives will change with this new addition, but we are eagerly anticipating her arrival. Eagerly, but somewhat terrified. There is so much to learn, but a million plus parents have done it before us, as evidenced by.. well... us!... but still. Now WE are the ones who will be learning everything, and having to sort through all the "tips" people give us to see what we really want to teach our children. What have we gotten ourselves into?
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
North Carolina and more!
Well it has been a while since I posted any updates to this blog. So many things have happened since that it doesn't seem there is time to speak of each.
We moved to Cary, NC, which is a suburb of Raleigh. People are nice, and weather is fair, but very humid. So far haven't made many friends, which is a bummer. I guess I usually make friends at work and then branch out from there, but I'm at a small company.
Mike and I both got jobs in the Apartment industry when we first arrived, but he has since moved to the IT world. This is a good thing, because he has also started studying for his college degree in IT!! Experience AND a degree! If you don't marry a sugar daddy, make one! Oh wait..
Since we arrived we moved to a new apartment complex. We'd hoped to give Raleigh a year trial to see how we liked it and then maybe buy a house, but so far that's not possible. Instead we moved to another complex, same area, but less expensive so we can save up more. Still unsure if we will settle down here long term, but we're on another year lease, so I've agreed to give it that long. After that... who knows? Anything (not Utah) is possible!
We have a new addition on the way. Doctor says she's due around November 22nd - which is all guesstimates on their part, of course. We're going to name her Rachel Isabel Auffhammer. I've already decided that she is NOT going to be an 8lb baby when she is born!! I've also decided against stretch marks. While she is not really cooperating with me on the latter, I have no doubts that she'll be a good little girl and grant me the former!
For now, that will have to do as an update, because it's time to get ready for work, but it won't be that long before I update again.. and if it is, just email us! ... theauffhammers@gmail.com
We moved to Cary, NC, which is a suburb of Raleigh. People are nice, and weather is fair, but very humid. So far haven't made many friends, which is a bummer. I guess I usually make friends at work and then branch out from there, but I'm at a small company.
Mike and I both got jobs in the Apartment industry when we first arrived, but he has since moved to the IT world. This is a good thing, because he has also started studying for his college degree in IT!! Experience AND a degree! If you don't marry a sugar daddy, make one! Oh wait..
Since we arrived we moved to a new apartment complex. We'd hoped to give Raleigh a year trial to see how we liked it and then maybe buy a house, but so far that's not possible. Instead we moved to another complex, same area, but less expensive so we can save up more. Still unsure if we will settle down here long term, but we're on another year lease, so I've agreed to give it that long. After that... who knows? Anything (not Utah) is possible!
We have a new addition on the way. Doctor says she's due around November 22nd - which is all guesstimates on their part, of course. We're going to name her Rachel Isabel Auffhammer. I've already decided that she is NOT going to be an 8lb baby when she is born!! I've also decided against stretch marks. While she is not really cooperating with me on the latter, I have no doubts that she'll be a good little girl and grant me the former!
For now, that will have to do as an update, because it's time to get ready for work, but it won't be that long before I update again.. and if it is, just email us! ... theauffhammers@gmail.com
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