Monday, November 20, 2017

Currently: November

Happy Thanksgiving week (to my American readers)! This is one of my favorite holidays of the year so I am super excited for all the yummy food on Thursday! Here's what's currently going on in my life!

Reading: Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnston. One of my reading goals for 2017 was to read 6 books that I already own. I've had this book for a couple of years and am finally getting around to reading it! It was recently recommended on the podcast, "What Should I Read Next." I think I am going to like it!

Loving:  feeling the baby move! Since I have an anterior placenta, I felt movement later than most moms do. But I finally started to feel movement a couple of weeks ago. Phil hasn't been able to feel kicks yet but hopefully he can in the next couple of weeks.

Feeling: really tired and kind of cranky at times to be honest... I never got that second wind of energy during my 2nd trimester like many other moms due to my RA. I don't like feeling cranky but when I feel so tired it's kind of an easy emotion for me to feel.

Thinking: about my trip to St. Louis to visit Nora. It's going to a fun, low key girl weekend. She'll be post-chemo and I have my usual pregnancy/RA exhaustion so we will both need a quite, low key weekend together. But this trip is all about spending time with her. I know we'll do some fun things, like go to the movie "Wonder" (super excited for this as I loved the book and have heard good things about the movie), check out some book stores and eat Mexican food (a cuisine we both LOVE, but I'm mostly excited to be able to chat with her face-to-face.

Anticipating: holiday traditions. This weekend I will make a special brunch on Sunday and we'll decorate our tree. In a couple of weeks, I'll have my college friends and their kids over and we'll decorate cookies. Later in the month, Phil and I will have our own little Christmas celebration. We'll celebrate Christmas with Phil's mom which will include Phil driving us around to look at Christmas lights!

Watching:  Hallmark Christmas movies. I know they are super cheesy but I love them. We don't have cable so I don't have access to the Hallmark channel anymore but my sweet friend Erin sent me a DVD with a bunch of Hallmark Christmas movies so I am getting my fill on them thanks to her!

Grateful: for my excellent boss and work environment. Last week my boss was in town and he sat down with me and told me he was concerned about how I am doing since I have had so many flares and seem particularly tired. He gave me the name/number of a person in HR that he suggested I reach out to for information about going on short term disability before the baby arrives if I feel it is necessary. I really want to work until 36 or 38 weeks but it's nice to know that I have his support if I need to stop working early. He also said I can work from home as much as I need to. I'm super lucky to have this kind of support as I know it is very rare, especially in my field (asset management) which is known for discriminating mothers and expecting moms.

Working: on finding furniture for our nursery. We are not going to buy a crib before the baby comes as we are hoping to find a house before the baby transitions from the bassinet in our room to a crib. We are trying to avoid having to take apart and re-assemble a crib when we move. If the baby needs to transition to a crib-like structure before we find a house, we will probably just use a pack n' play. But I do want to buy a glider and a combination dresser/changing table. The glider could take 10+ weeks to arrive so I want to order it soon as my due date is about 15 weeks away!

Listening:  to the "It's a Real Mother" series on the podcast, "The Longest Shortest Time." It's a series about workplace discrimination against mothers. It's really eye-opening and sad to listen to how our culture and companies treat mothers.

Wishing: for some warmer weather. Winter arrived early this year. We don't have snow on the ground (although we've had 3 snowfalls) but it's been so cold! I hope we get some warmer temps before winter settles in for good! 

What are you reading, anticipating and loving these days?

11 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you have the support of your boss! That is incredibly helpful and reassuring, especially when you are already so tired and in pain because of the flares! I'm excited for you and Nora to get to hang out and relax together, y'all will have a wonderful time! It's nice to have the benefit of understanding you don't "have" to have a crib right away. They are such a bear to assemble I would only want to do something like that once, or realistically I would pay someone, LOL! We had my family Thanksgiving yesterday and it was wonderful! Thursday I'll spend my first Thanksgiving with Michael, and with his family so I'm looking forward to it. I also have my Thanksgiving 10K that I like to kick off the day. I haven't really been reading all that much lately. I'll be taking Charlotte and Jack to my parents on Friday to decorate and I'm excited to start that tradition! How did the shopping for the family with your SIL go? Did y'all find everything?

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  2. I am so glad your boss is so supportive of you; that's such a blessing. I hope you can work as long as you want to, as well, but it's nice to know options exist should you need them.

    Reading: a Joanne Fluke mystery. Nothing fancy or literary but I'm enjoying it!
    Anticipating: Your visit! I have a loose itinerary as to what we can do and when. I'll email it to you soon for your input! Also our trip to NYC this weekend.

    I can't believe I get to see you a week from Friday! <3

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  3. I am really enjoying that series on The Longest Shortest Time too! So interesting.

    Your trip to visit Nora will be so wonderful! Love that you guys are planning to have a super low key weekend together and do some Christmas-y things. Our house is feeling a lot more festive after we put up some decorations last week but I'm still really looking forward to getting our tree up!

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  4. I am really happy to hear that your boss is being super supportive and helpful during this time for you! I know it has to be so difficult to have such terrible RA symptoms during your pregnancy, and it must feel like a weight off your shoulders that your boss has your back.

    I'm so happy that you and Nora will get some one-on-one time. You both need it, I think, and it'll be good for both your souls. <3

    I'm currently reading Miracle on 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan, anticipating THANKSGIVING and my birthday, and loving the cooler weather we've been having.

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  5. There are a ton of hallmark movies on youtube if you have a smart tv! I love one on one time, even if it is low key. enjoy!!

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  6. You are fortunate to have such a supportive boss! That is a blessing you can be thankful for this Holiday! My boss was pretty supportive of me when I was pregnant, too!:)
    I so hope you find the house of your dreams in the short future! Have you looked at anymore recently or are you going to wait until after the baby arrives?

    I am looking forward to seeing you, Phil and the rest this weekend, and spending some time with you on Friday!

    Have a great trip to visit Nora!

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  7. I know. They are super cheesy and we could all write one. (And should.) But I watch them too -- more than I should and some multiple times. It's Christmas. It's what we do.

    I'm sorry you're still feeling pretty punkish but I'm so very glad your boss is a supportive person. That means loads and loads. And your holiday traditions sound like such fun, so I hope you can pull off each and every one!

    Reading: Just finished Kristin Nelson Tinker's "Out of my Mind" -- a coffee table bio of her folk art, life with Rick Nelson and more. Anticipating Thanksgiving weekend (decorating and seeing the Baby Grand) and loving the idea that TG is early this year!

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  8. What a great boss! It's so good to know those options are there!

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  9. That's too bad that you've been feeling grouchy. I don't blame you with all the flares you've been having, and how worn out you must be.

    Your holiday traditions sound lovely, as does your upcoming girls trip :-) I like how American Thanksgiving is so close to Christmas; it's so much warmth, and holiday tradition all put together.

    Your boss sounds AMAZING!

    I am currently:

    Reading - "Searching for Sky". It's a middle years novel that I am reading as a potential book to use with my class.

    Anticipating - A lot of Christmasy fun to come! We plan on decorating next weekend, as well as baking, etc.

    Loving - That we finally got some reprieve from the freezing cold. Today we had plus temperatures, and the snow is melting. I hope you get the same soon too!

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  10. That's great that your boss is so supportive of you! I know that is one of the main reasons you went to work with him in the first place though, as he has always been behind you all the way! Those kinds of people are often scarce, so we really need to cherish them!

    I just finished Behold the Dreamers and liked it, although I did not love the relationship between the Cameroonian husband and wife, mostly because I cannot imagine just doing whatever your husband tells you to do, and not having a say otherwise. I am about to start A Conjuring of Light, which is the 3rd book in a series which I have enjoyed so far! This one is about 4 alternative versions of London, some bad, some good. The main character (but not other people) can move between the worlds and can work magic. It has been a fun, quick series so far and is good for some lighthearted reading time!

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  11. Looking forward to joining in on another year of cookie decorating. Have fun on your girls weekend away!

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