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Friday, May 30, 2008

Summer (almost) fun and BIG NEWS!

Long overdue for a post, I know. It has been a busy couple of weeks but also a lot of fun. I actually had 3 days off over Memorial Day and Mari and I just chilled. We had great weather and were able to try out our little swimming pool, just all around fun.

I've mentioned before about a "light bulb switching on." I guess you could call them developmental growth spurts. This past week has been great. First Mari got her top two teeth a couple weeks ago, just out of the blue and this week another one popped through on the bottom left (absolutely no signs of teething, just pop! Sorry to all those parents with bad teethers, Mari again impresses me with how easy-going she is). She is a little lopsided with 3 on the bottom and 2 on the top, oh so cute in a jack-o-lantern way! She never stops chattering (that's NOT new) but has added a whole host of new sounds...it almost seems like she is stringing different sounds together. She has finally taken an interest in books and will actually pull them off the shelf and try to open them (yea!!). And yesterday, she stood up all by herself!! Now she is really trying to do a lot of solo standing; three days ago she wanted nothing to do with it!

So the BIG NEWS! I got a new job. I have been struggling with my current one because of the schedule, compounded by the physical exhaustion of 12 hours on my feet constantly moving, and then throw in the ever-constant threat of some very dangerous communicable diseases that I deal with and could potentially bring home to Mari (had a little scare over the weekend, all's well though). It was just too much at this point in our lives. I love emergency nursing and will greatly miss my job but it was time to move on. I landed an awesome job (and I say landed because the timing was perfect and everything fell into place easily) at a local plant as an occupational health nurse. It will be Monday through Friday, daylight only (no nights, no holidays, no weekends!!!). The hours are somewhat flexible, the benefits comparable, the salary much better. They will pay for more education and will also help me get my certification as an occupational health nurse which could include a large raise (it will take me a little while to get there, though). So it looks great. I turned in my notice at work earlier this week and, as of today, I have 5 shifts left. I have worked at this hospital for 11 years and it will be sad to leave behind a lot of my coworkers but just being able to pick my daughter up from daycare every day and have the energy to play with her and nurture her will be worth it. And just knowing that I will have Thanksgiving AND Christmas off to spend with my family is a luxury I haven't had in a long time. So, as of next Friday, I will be jobless for 2 weeks until I start my new one. Two weeks of bonding time. Oh yeah, and to catch up on all the cleaning, paperwork, prep for new job, tie up loose ends, etc. that I have not been able to do for several months!

Well, on to pix!! Everyone's favorite part.

Hey, it's a book!
First day in the pool!


Second day in the pool...finally leaving the hat on!

Here is what playing in the pool does to me....zzzzzzz!
Playing in the pool. Took a little while to warm up to the idea. Be patient while watching, there are some great giggles near the end.

9 comments:

The Taylor Family said...

Congratulations on the new job!!! It sounds perfect! I'm sure you and Mari will really enjoy all that extra time together.

gigglechirp said...

So happy for you!! Love the pics and video -- they made my day.

Cannot wait to meet you both soon!

Julianne said...

Thanks for the new video! Although he still wants me to go back every time and find the spaghetti one! Less than 1 week before we invade you!!

Kristina said...

Congratulations! Thanks for the video. The boys LOVE watching them.

Mom to many said...

Congratulations on your new job. It sounds like a great one. More time with Mari is a great plus. She is sure loving the pool. Great pictures. What a cutie.

Don't Mess With Mommy said...

Too cute in the pool! Happy new job!

Kristina said...

I'm tagging you for a Breast Cancer Awareness meme

MandyJo013078 said...

Jill - I was wondering if you knew if CHI did allow singles to adopt from Ethiopia at this point. When I checked on the website I thought it said no singles, but maybe it's changed since you've adopted. I am starting to think I might want to adopt from Ethiopia vs. Russia like I thought when I first started. Email me if you have time.
MandyJo013078@yahoo.com

Thanks,
Mandy

Wheelers said...

Congratulations Jill!!! I know you and Mari will enjoy the extra time together!!!

Deborah