Back to work

Yesterday was my first day back to work. Because of the logistics of when I started this job, when it became full time and when my benefits started, I hadn't been a full-time, regular employee for a full year when Lila was born. This means I wasn't eligible for FMLA, or voluntary shared leave (where my coworkers could donate their leave to me). So I had four weeks of leave built up, and that was it. I could have taken leave without pay, but since I carry our insurance I would not only be without pay, but would owe GTCC for my insurance. This just didn't make sense for two weeks at home, so I decided to come back after four weeks. What helped with this decision was that Jay would be home with the kids, and I wasn't having to send Lila to daycare. I figure I got to spend a whole year at home with Hayden, and then had all the time when Jay was in training, in Afghanistan and in the field...so now he gets to spend similar time with Lila (and Hayden too).

We are still figuring out the logistics of how everything works, but we got off to a good start yesterday. I went to the doctor for my four-week check up and to get my paperwork. My appointment was at 9, I was at my desk by 10. Before I left the house I made sure Jay had a bottle to get her started, pumped milk defrosted, Hayden and Oscar situated and plans to come home at lunch. Right now I have it in my head that I can feed her before I leave, pump once at work, go home for lunch to feed her, pump again at work and be home for her late afternoon feeding. That worked yesterday and so far works today, we'll see how it goes! I didn't have a lot of these issues with Hayden since I didn't work for the first year, so it's a lot of learning for us. But we seem to be handling it okay.

I made it through the day without any tears. I think because she's home with Jay and right down the road it makes it a little easier. Next up? Get pictures of her in my office so I can see her sweet face all day!

Working it

Last week, I attended a conference for Financial Aid at Embassy Suites in Greensboro. I was excited to finally get in a little professional development, and even more excited that it was in my backyard and NOT across the state. I got to see my Sarah, whom we miss dearly, and meet some new friends. I also ran into two Salem alums, as well as the Financial Aid Office staff from Salem. It was fun to have that piece of "home" amongst a ton of new faces!

Myself, Jen Cassels, Dee Dee Carter and Christy Chesnut, in a quick break between sessions.

I learned a lot, brought back some good informations and some swag for my office, and generally had a good time meeting with other financial aid professionals and learning more about my job. This is a tricky business, with regulations changing all the time and it was nice to hear a lot of things in one place instead of piecing them together.

I'll miss out on the spring conference on account of one newborn baby Rogers, but I'm excited to attend another one later!

Getting caught up

These days, we do our best just to get through the days! For two weeks in mid-August our office uproots and moves downstairs so we can serve a larger group of students during open registration. For me, this means getting to work by 730am so I can find parking, get to my desk and be up and running before 8. We work all day, take lunch, and try to get out by 7pm each night. Getting to work by 730am means getting up by 530 am to get myself and Mr. Hayden ready and out the door by 630am. Luckily there's no traffic at 630am so we can get where we're going in good time. For Jay and Hayden, it means dinners together (without mom), baths (without mom) and getting to see mom for about 15-20 minutes before they go to work (Jay) and bed (Hayden). It means little house work is getting done, only the laundry we need, and poor Oscar gets no fun. The weekends rarely slow down, which makes for one tired family!

But our downstairs time ended last week, and even with a busy weekend we're managing to get things back on track. Monday afternoon I got off at 5, was home by 530 and we were eating dinner by 630. Together. As a family. Amazing! After dinner and a bath for Hayden, I GOT TO VACUUM. Before anyone went to bed, at a decent hour so as not to anger the neighbors (because some of us are considerate) and to get up some of the dog hair and daily dirt that accumulates under our feet. Unbelievable! I actually got to do dishes from the meal THE SAME DAY WE ATE IT. Incredible! It's amazing what you can get done when you're not dog tired and ready for bed while the sun is still up.

What's this? Enough down time to blog?

Remember that time I got a job? Well I started the 10th. Sort of. My start date was the 10th, but thanks to the snowmageddon that wasn't, I didn't actually start until the 13th, and then it was a two-hour delay. This would have been more awesome if I had gotten PAID for said missed snow days, but I am not yet that kind of employee. I start amidst utter chaos, which seems to be the theme for my last two jobs. Is it me? Maybe.

Anyway, I started my job and I love it already. I really do. I sort of forgot how much fun it was to A) work with civilians in a world where NO ONE knows any acronyms relating to the Army and b) work with students. I really love higher education as a trade, and it's so different from Salem that I don't feel like a traitor. *Sidenote--I have friends that went to Salem that have gone on to work at similar schools and that's okay for them. I, however, could never sell a school like I could Salem. If I could, I would have gone there instead.* I learn new things every day and am so grateful to be employed! Right now I'm sort of a gopher, doing the stuff no one else wants to or has time to, and it gives me the chance to learn stuff all over the financial aid map. Even better, a full-time, real-live, salary and benefits option has opened up and I applied for it today. Woohoo, fingers crossed.

Jay is in full swing of third-shift work and going to school. Bless his heart, next semester we'll do a little better planning around his schedule but for now we're just making the best of it.

Hayden started his new daycare on the 10th, because they don't close for snow days! Only if the power goes out, which is awesome for us. That meant he got to ease into school by going a few hours for each of the first three days before full-on all day at the end of the week. He is adjusting well and doesn't hate to be dropped off as much now that he realizes we always come back at the end of the day for him. And sometimes he gets to see his cousin Zoe, his aunt Erin or his uncle Eric, depending on how early he gets there. Bonus points!

We have also found an apartment to rent. After some careful consideration, number crunching and consultation with a lender, we decided to hold off on buying. We are going to spend the next year getting settled and adjusted, paying off cars and loans and whatnot and learning how to be responsible home buyers instead of impulsive. I'm excited! We found a really great three bedroom place that has some breathing room, unlike our tiny and narrow apartment in Germany, and this one comes with a dishwasher. Finally! I get my first dishwasher! Bonus points for the indoor pool, the outdoor pool, the walking trail for Oscar, the stock pond for fishing, the playground for Hayden and the fireplace. We move in early next month and are counting the days!

And finally, Hayden has gained one inch and three pounds since we moved back to the states. America agrees with him!

Trucking along

This week at work was a lot of fun, as I got to learn tons of new stuff. I'm feeling a little more comfortable with what I'm doing and am ready to get into the groove of how I do things. Everyone has a different way, and I'm hoping I can figure it out soon!

Hayden is still enjoying our current situation. He gets to play with Cassandra a few hours a day and get a break from me, and we still have our time in the mornings and evenings. So far, this could not work out any better! We are still on the waiting list for childcare and unfortunately have moved back DOWN the list. When families register that are single or dual military, they bump us so we are back to 6. There are TEN spaces for all kids ages 6 weeks-18 months in this community of several thousand people. It's frustrating because they encourage spouses to be employed and volunteer, especially when the soldier is deployed. But when we DO get jobs, there's no childcare available! We have been so lucky to have great friends that are willing to help us out but it's still frustrating.

Hayden and I are both battling colds, so there is a lot of snot in this house! Hayden seems to be feeling much better and mine peaked on Friday so this weekend has been a relaxed one. Friday when I got off work I ran a few errands and then came home to my little buddy. He was running a low-grade fever so we opted out of our dinner plans and hung out together. Just when we get him back on schedule, the cold rears its ugly head and a stuffy nose interrupts his sweet baby sleep. Ugh! Saturday was a particularly fun day though. Hayden went to daycare on post for Super Saturday and I got to scrap with the girls for a few hours! We put all the kids in and brought food over to Kelly's and got down to business. It was nice to have a little me-time after these crazy two weeks of being back at work.

Today we are playing catch-up on housework and hopefully staying in the house...it's cold out there! The high has been in the mid-20s this weekend and it is just bitterly cold out there. This week we have a few fun things planned and will be preparing for my week of training the first of February. Today is the two-month mark in our deployment, so we are moving right along! Missing Jay a lot but staying busy and making as many trips to the post office as possible to make things easier for him. I also decided to try out my new polish pottery pie plate, and made my first apple pie. It was a success! This week also marked Hayden's FIFTH haircut...we almost can't keep up with all his hair!

Back to the working world!

Well, one week ago today I started my new job as a customer service rep at Community Bank. We are the overseas division of Bank of America but are merely governed by them; i.e. a BOA account doesn't translate into a Community Bank account. But you can use the ATMs without fee with either card! So. What do I do?

My first day I read. And read. And because I read fast, they ran out of reading for me so I filed. Super, since I already knew how to do both of those. My schedule is pretty sweet; most days I'm in from 11-4, some days 12-5. Everyone starts out part time with a later option to move to full time. It's perfect for my first job after Hayden's birth. I'm only gone from him about five hours a day and he sleeps three of that. Right now our friend Cassandra is watching him AT OUR HOUSE, which is about the sweetest setup you can get. They have a really good time together and he gets to be in his normal surroundings and stay on the schedule he's used to. Day one was a little crazy since we had to do a little car swapping so Cassandra could get her tire fixed (finally!) but since then he's done really well.

Day two I started learning my actual job, which involves everything from figuring out why an ATM card won't work to opening new accounts, account maintenance and bill payments. I really like it! The challenge, as with any job, is learning the system and how everything works. There are lots of new things to learn every day and it's a ton of fun to use my brain for things other than scheduling meals and changing diapers. I love being a mom and a wife, but I needed something that uses my brain even if it doesn't use my degree.

My first week went really well work-wise, but it was the after-work activities that wore us out! We had something to do every day after I got off work and seven inches of snow between my first two days. The weekend was also busy but we are getting into the swing of things and figuring it all out. Hayden has THREE new teeth, two on the top and one on the bottom. That brings our total to seven. Wow!

We also finally got our webcams set up and working so we can see Jay! On Friday he had his but we didn't have ours, but Hayden got to hear and see his dad and he immediately knew who he was! He pointed at the screen and said "dada" and then just started jabbering to him. He squealed when Jay talked to him and laughed and laughed. Oscar seemed to recognize the voice too. It's amazing the joy a pixelated, dim picture can bring to your life during a deployment.

In two weeks I go to training about two hours from here, and luckily they were able to accomodate Hayden in their child development center while I'm there! That means we'll have our mornings and nights together and he'll spend his days at the CDC hanging out with other kids his age. It will definitely be an adjustment for him but he'll get through it! And if anything, it will probably help him sleep better at night. Two weeks in a hotel room will be an adventure but we are up for it!

Hayden has also turned into a full-fledged monkey, climbing on anything that sits more than a foot off the ground. He is pretty good at it, just like his mom was as a baby. He likes to take the toys out of his box and make a spot to sit in, and then park it there for a few. He is getting into lots of mischief, which is to be expected at this age. I love his determination and his awareness of what will get him in trouble. Those blue eyes and that smile only get him so far!

The snow keeps coming

We were suppposed to get a pretty bad snowstorm this weekend, but it turned out to be just a few inches of light, fluffy powder. We stay put a lot in the snow but with my new all-season tires I feel pretty good about driving around in the thick of it. We took a quick trip to the antique store on Saturday and when we got back I figured since Hayden was already dressed for the snow, we should try it out! I love his snowsuit and his new hat, he's just so cute. I took him out in the front yard since it's smaller and I thought it would be less intimidating. Hayden wanted nothing to do with it! I don't know if it was too cold or too close to lunch time, but next time we'll try it with Oscar who LOVES the snow and can make anyone excited.

I start my new job today and luckily I don't have to be in until 11 because it's STILL snowing. 6-7 inches is probably a good estimate of what's in my front yard right now and it's coming down steadily. Today is a little bit of a hectic day, since our friend Cassandra will be watching Hayden but has a car appointment this morning. So we'll be car swapping and meeting on post instead of her coming straight to the house. I figure this week will be a learning experience for all of us, so wish us luck! Hayden likes Cassandra but I'm worried about him being sad that I'm not home with him all day. He's tough, he'll be fine :-) We also have an FRG meeting as soon as I get off work, so it's going to be a long day for us. Tomorrow should be more calm! Hayden did wake up at 3 this morning and just needed a little cuddle time. He didn't want milk or even to play in our bed like he usually does; he sat down next to me in the bed for a minute and then laid down right next to me with his head in the crook of my neck. I guess sometimes we just need a snuggle to put us back to sleep!