Friday, June 8, 2012

Flooding (because when it rains...)

I have about half a dozen, meaningful posts that are half-written, but since I haven't had the mental capacity to sit down and finish any of them I thought I would do a post of the many changes going on right now. It has been raining down both blessings and challenges from all directions. Here's an update:

*I have officially left my full-time job at Black Rock Retreat, and have begun my new job as Director of Awesomeness at home. (To be clear, D is the one who picked my new title. It helped a bit with my emotional reaction to the transition of homemaker - which is my real job title, I suppose.) The transition was a lot more challenging than I initially expected. First, I loved my job at BRR. It is rare to find a job doing what you love in a place that is so supportive, caring, and positive. I don't know how D and I would have survived these last three years - especially through his health issues - without the help and prayers of my co-workers. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have worked there. Second, I am not good at cleaning or cooking. This makes my new position a bit daunting, but I woke up Saturday morning and started to tackle the mess that has been accumulating for three years and have so far made decent progress. I was afraid I would be bored at home, but so far I feel like the days pass way too quickly and there is still so much to be done. Boredom has not yet entered the picture.

*I'm almost entirely ready for baby (well, at least in physical preparations). I have done more loads of laundry these past few days than I think I have done the last few months. All the baby clothes up to size 3 months are washed, folded, and sorted. The pack n play (our crib for now) is set up in our room. The car seat is installed. All of the prefolds for the cloth diapers have been washed several times to help them reach their absorbancy (this might not seem like a big deal, but since we don't have a dryer and I have to wait for everything to air dry, laundry takes a lot longer than normal!) The birth bag is *mostly* packed (with a few things that will be added once labor actually begins - like snacks, my own clothes, etc.). All of the baby's other stuff is organized so it is (hopefully) easily accessible as I need it. And in regards to the baby herself, she is sitting low and just biding her time. She could make her appearance any day now, but I have a feeling it will be another week or two (she is due the 17th). We shall see!

*D accepted a full-time job in Williamsport, PA. This is very exciting, since I will be staying home with the baby full-time. He will be the new Aquatics Director at the downtown YMCA, and he is already busy planning and preparing for his role. He starts work the first week of July. 

*Williamsport is three hours from where we currently live, which means we must move. We are now in the process of trying to find apartments in an area that has an exorbitantly high cost of living (at least for the quality of housing available). We went up on Wednesday and had very little luck. D will be going back up next week to try to search some more, and we are both trying to stay positive. It seems pretty likely that we will be moving into a small one bedroom apartment for the first year, so in addition to preparing everything for the baby, I am trying to downsize as much as possible. My de-cluttering project that I started a few weeks ago is still going full swing (although I haven't had much time to blog about it), but I'm still amazed by how much stuff we still have. Once one box of donations leaves the house, I start filling another.

*With moving comes not only the "get rid of all our junk" process, but also the packing puzzle. I am trying to pack up what I can, while still leaving out enough that our home feels like "home" for just a few more weeks. Also, "packing" is quite the opposite of "nesting," which is what I have been having the urge to do for quite a while now. So I am going against my natural inclinations to settle in and get ready for baby, and am instead putting pictures, books, clothing, etc. into boxes and stacking them in the corner. Most of the baby's stuff is still packed away in its original packaging so it will be easier to move.

So, with the old cliche of "when it rains, it pours," my world is completely flooded right now: leaving one job, transitioning to stay at home, preparing for baby, D taking a new job, preparing to move, trying to find a place to live on short notice, and trying to get emotionally ready to become a mother. It's all a little bit insane right now! But I am thankful for the support of friends and family. Starting next Tuesday with the arrival of my sister, we will have constant help up through the birth and until the move (my sister, my parents, D's family, and our friends who have offered so much already). We have a wonderful community around us during this crazy time of transition!

On a random note, I find comfort in the fact that I, too, was born into transition. My dad had just accepted a Y job in Massachusetts and had to move up there to start work. My mom and sister stayed behind in DC until I was born. My dad was able to come back down for my birth, and we moved shortly thereafter. So my parents experienced very much the same transition that I'm going through now (although they also had a four-year-old to consider!) and survived. I was no worse off for starting my life amidst major change, and I know my daughter will be just fine through this flood! I just need to remember the blessings we've already received and rely on God's faithfulness. Because He is faithful, even when I feel like I'm starting to drown! I know that all things are working together for good, and as long as I trust in that promise, my little family will get by just fine!

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