Lots o' pictures!

Photos haven't been scarce in our household, but my time spent uploading them has been! Things have been going well, though busy in our household! Today, though, Hannah and I took some time out to visit Curious George at the Children's Museum of NH. We had a great time, and even got to hang out with Hannah's friend Spencer and his mom and dad, Anne Marie and Ed. It was great to see them, since it had been a while since I got to visit with them.



We've been having fun just getting outside when the weather is nice, and various other things like that. We scoped out a new playgroup, but I'm still not sure if we'll stick with it or not. They are a group that is always on the move, and they have things scheduled a lot of days during the week. The problem is that a lot of things are scheduled for the days I work, so I'm not sure it will be practical for us. Normally, this would be okay, but I would have to pay dues to join, so I don't know if it's worth it. Sometimes, I just think it's easier to go to the children's museum on my schedule.

John has been busy lately with school and concert stuff. He has a concert with the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra tomorrow. He thinks it should be a good show, and with the weather, I would think there would be a good turn out. I debated going, but ultimately decided against it. I thought it would be nicer to let Hannah nap at home and then I can take her outside since the weather is slated to be warmer than today. It's been getting up into the 50's on a really nice day, so we've been taking advantage.

I've been working on another freelance writing assignment that will hopefully be published in Parenting NH this May. Of course, I'm not holding out too much hope, because they accepted another story for publication, and it hasn't been run yet. They accepted it in November, but keep having space issues. I understand, but it's frustrating. I've also taken on a great work at home job that I am enjoying. I basically set up customer accounts for Melaleuca, which is great. The products I really like, and so it's easy to tell people about how great they are, because I use them too! I've been in the process of switching our house over to all of their products. When the story just came out about the toxins in childrens bath products, it was something I was already aware of and had switched Hannah off of, because the Melaleuca products are amazingly better. Ask me if you're interested for more info.

Anyway, I'll leave you with more photos of Hannah!

Freelance Writing

So, I recently picked up some freelance writing jobs to help supplement my income. I LOVE it! I love writing my stories, and knowing that they might make a difference to someone. Even though it's a relatively local publication, the pay is decent, considering that I love doing it, and I get to write about stuff I enjoy learning more about.

The downside? None of them have been published yet. I submitted a story to the magazine I write for in November, being told it would be published in the January or February Issue. Then I was told the March issue. It's been bumped from all three due to "space issues." Now it's going to run another time, but they're not even giving me an issue.

The upside? I actually have an assignment. I'm currently working on a story about resources in the current economy for families. It's an interesting topic, really. Even though I work two days a week in a homeless shelter, I've learned a lot more about resources for families that I was only vaguely familiar with.

So, what do I have to say about freelancing? It's fun. Don't do it if you want steady income. Do it only if you like to write, but can wait to reap the rewards. Not everyone can freelance. I'm not even that good at it yet, but I still enjoy it.

One whole month???

What the heck? Where has the last month gone, and why is there still snow on the ground?

I am so ready for spring. I can't even begin to tell you how much. Wednesday morning was decently nice out, so Hannah and I went out side for a walk.

We enjoyed the sun and getting out of the house for a while. We didn't get to stay out long, but it sure felt good to get out and walk on the road for a little while!

Hannah fingerpainted a picture for John for Valentines day this year:

John is on vacation this week, which will be nice. If only he and I could stay healthy at the same time, which hasn't been the case at all this winter. I just got over a bout of strep throat a few weeks ago, and now am battling a cold/sinus infection. John came home from school sick yesterday, which is not good, because now neither of us will be able to get healthy this vacation. On the up side, though, Hannah has not been sick yet this winter (knock on wood), and has actually been doing really well. She's cutting her eye teeth, which is good, but it will be even better when it's all over - those are the last teeth we are waiting on for a while! 

I'm still waiting on my first freelance story to be published, every month they say it will be the next month. I'm having a story published in May too, but I haven't even written that one yet. I've got to get it in by April 1st, so I need to get going on it. I have som research to do for this next one!

That's about all the news from here. Hopefully I'll actually post more often again!

The results of my plunge...

I failed to mention that I received an e-mail back from the editor of the parenting magazine I submitted my article to yesterday. She accepted it! I'm really excited about that!!! It will be published likely in January or February, but I will keep everyone posted as I hear more.

So now, I can add "freelance writer" to my résumé. That makes me happy.

Hannah has discovered a new hiding spot:She recently discovered that it was a lot of fun to hide out under the dining room chairs. In this picture, she had tipped over Kane's (our dog) water dish over, and dumped water all over the floor. She was then content to play in the water under the chair for a little bit. I let her for a few minutes, but then decided we should probably change her wet socks and pants.

This past weekend, we had our murder mystery party, Death of a Wizard, with a bunch of our friends. We had a really great time! Hannah even came with us, though she didn't make it into the pictures.

Randomness

Wow, I'm SOOOO behind on updates! I guess that's because the more things change, the more things stay the same. There really isn't much to report, but of course, there could be lots to talk about.

Hannah is now 7 months old, which is amazing to me. I feel like she should still only be one month old. She's trying desperately to crawl now, and she's getting really close to doing it. Right now, her favorite pass time is rolling around on the living room floor. Literally. Tummy to back to tummy to back and over again. John thinks that it's because she has finally figured out HOW she does it, and I'm inclined to agree. She's started saying Mama too, though she hasn't put the meaning behind it yet. She's learned to clap her hands. Actually, yesterday at church, she was riveted to the priest's sermon, and when it was over, she clapped. It was hysterical! We told Fr. Damien at the end of mass, and he got a big kick out of it.

Work is still work, and I still live for my 4 day weekends. At least it's only two days a week, but still - sometimes even that is just too much.

Our washing machine broke last week, so now we're trying to decide if we should buy a new one or get the old one repaired. I think we're leaning towards a repair, because the cost of a new one would be upwards of $700, including an extended guarantee and delivery of the new one.

That's about it from here... John has his first teacher day of the new school year on Wednesday, and the kids go back on Tuesday of next week. John is one of the latest districts in the state, but his teacher contract doesn't allow the students to be back in school before Sept. 1st. I'm looking forward to getting into more of a routine for the fall, so all around, it should be good to have him back in school.

Wow am I behind...

I can't believe I haven't updated in two weeks! I guess I've just been busy with various other things. We went away to Wells, Maine the weekend of 4th of July, so I've got some pictures to share from that trip.



John and I have been playing tennis a lot more lately, and we both ordered new rackets, which is exciting too. I ordered a Völkl DNX 7. We decided that the grip on my old racket is too big for me, and that is why I've been having some wrist problems lately. Plus, this new racket is lighter, but not by much. I can't wait to get it! It was back ordered, so hopefully I will get it this Friday. If not, I should have it the following Tuesday.

Work is still busy, but at least it's still only 2 days a week. We had two families move out last week so we've got some space again. Hopefully we'll be able to get some new families in that are much more mellow. We had a lot of issues with the families that were there, so hopefully the problems will start settling down now. Two of the families that are there now will be moving out soon too, probably by the end of July/beginning of August.

Hannah is doing well. Believe it or not, she'll be 6 months old tomorrow!!! I can't believe how fast the last six months have gone! It's nuts! I swear she's gone through a growth spurt recently, because I feel like she's just gotten huge! We will be getting her a new carseat soon - probably in the next month or less. She's almost out grown the length restriction on her current one! She can sit up in the front of the grocery carriage now, which is fun. I think she enjoys it more too, because she can look all around. Of course, that also means we need to be much more careful about planning shopping times, so that it doesn't interfere with nap time. Learned that one the hard way this past Friday! =)

Tomorrow we are going to do Hannah's 6 month portraits at the Target in Concord, which will be fun. I'm knitting Hannah a dress and I'm trying really hard to be done in time for her to wear it for the photos tomorrow, but I'm not sure if that will happen or not. I'm hoping... hence why I'm going to finish this post now and post more tomorrow night after the photos!

An update for an early Friday morning

Sorry, no pictures to share today. But I just figured that since it was so early (4:55am as I sit down to start writing), that I would just share a little about how things are going and what not.

Work has been going well. We had two families move out of the shelter and one family move in. The dynamic will shift, but so far, it seems like all the families are getting along. Hannah still comes to work with me on Thursdays, and goes to her Memé and Pepé's house on Tuesdays. I love only working two days a week, because it's just enough to keep my foot in the door, but it's also enough to make me feel like I have time at home. The biggest thing I love is that I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything major in Hannah's life. It's pretty much an ideal situation. Sometimes I definitely have the days in which I wish that I didn't have to work at all, but two things would come out of that: 1) I'd probably go stir crazy and 2) We'd have to move in order to still be able to save money.

John is on vacation next week, which will be nice. We have a lot of projects to get done around the house while he's home: We need to replace a storm door on our side entrance, rip up some carpeting on our basement stairs, build a banister on the basement stairs, and get some yard work done. I'm mostly concerned about getting the yard work done, and the storm door, but John is more interested in getting the basement stairs done. I don't blame him, but at the same time, that's lower on my priority list because of the simple fact that Hannah isn't mobile yet. If she were, I'd be more concerned about her climbing the stairs and falling off them onto a tile floor.

Hannah is doing well, too. She has a check up today. I can't believe she'll be 3 months old on Monday! John and I talked about going to a portrait studio to get some family portraits done that day too. Since it's supposed to rain, Monday would be a good day to get that done. I've just got to confirm that the place we are planning to go is still where I think it is.

I guess that's about all the news from here.... =)

Hannah is 2 months old!

I can't believe that it's been 2 months already! Hannah is doing great, she has her checkup on Monday the 24th. Unfortunately, that check up will involve shots, but what can you do, right? I'll give Hannah a dose of Tylenol prior to the appointment.

I've had a cold the last few days, and I think it morphed into a sinus infection. I'm hoping to get in to see the doctor today for some antibiotics. I'm prone to sinus infections, so I wish I didn't have to go in, but that's the way it goes.

I went back to work on the 11th, which has been going pretty well. It's really nice when I can bring Hannah, because it's another way to relate to my clients. It makes work fun!

Finally, here are some photos of Hannah!

Gone are the days...

...of getting to post a couple of times a week, huh? *grin*

Hannah is getting so big these days! I've got some more photos of her to put up today too. We're planning her baptism now, it will be on April 6th at the 11am mass at St. Josephs church. I'm really looking forward to it! Her godparents bought her christening gown and it arrived yesterday - it's BEAUTIFUL! I'm going to try to get a picture of it up before her baptism, but that may not happen, so we'll just have to see.

I go back to work on Tuesday, which is both exciting and scary. It will be nice to have a few days out of the house again (I'll be working Tuesday and Thursday), and I'm glad I'll be able to have Hannah with me at work too. The downside is that I'm really, really enjoying being a stay-at-home-mom. A lot. Maybe a little too much. But what can you do - it's almost impossible to survive on one income these days. And like I said, it's only 2 days a week, so that's good.

Since there isn't much going on, here are Hannah photos!

Here's Hannah enjoying a tub bath in the kitchen sink.

Here's Hannah in her bouncy seat - she really enjoys this, because it's got an automatic bouncer in it, so since she's not strong enough to bounce it yet, she still gets to bounce lightly.

And here she is having some tummy time while her daddy was home on vacation (that's who she's looking at in the photo).

Just another day in Paradise

John is home on vacation this week, which is awesome. I'm really excited to have him home with me this week. I have this week and next week off before returning to work on March 11th. I'm not looking forward to going back, but you gotta do what you gotta do, right? I'd love to be a stay at home mom, but I'd also love to be able to afford our house, so guess which one wins out? :-) Fortunately, it's only two days a week that I work, but the down side is that I am waiting to hear back from my boss as to which two days it will be. I used to work Monday and Thursday, but now she wants me to work Tuesday and Friday. I e-mailed my boss to ask for Tuesday and Thursday instead, but she hasn't gotten back to me yet. I'm hoping that she gets back to me soon! I need to be able to tell John's mom that if I need a baby sitter, those would be the days. I have to let her know soon, so she can tell her boss.

Hannah is doing awesome, speaking of baby sitters. She's starting to make new noises. This morning she experimented with "goo" and "maa", so it's been fun listening to her sample these new sounds she has discovered she is capable of.

Well, it's time for us to pack up to head to church. Hannah is really well behaved at mass services, so we'll see how she does again today!

Photos, updates and just general life stuff

So this past week has been fairly uneventful for me. Hannah and I are finally starting to hit our stride, which is good, and we're starting to kind of get things figured out. Going back to work is going to be a challenge, not so much because I'll be taking her with me, but because I'm not going to want to go! I really enjoy my "stay at home mom" time with her, and I wish I could find some sort of work to do from home. I've tried, believe me, to find some, but it's hard without having some sort of training. If I could, I'd probably want to work from home as a medical transcriptionist, but you really have to have training for that, and the trainings I've found for it are all over $1,000. I guess technically we could afford that right now, but it's something I'd really have to be sure of wanting to do, and I'm just not sure that's exactly what I want. I also think it would be kind of fun to franchise a Stroller Strides, but I have no experience in fitness and teaching it, and I wouldn't really know just where to do it anyway. If anyone has any suggestions of things I can do to work from home, I'd really appreciate it!

Hannah has been doing really well lately. She sleeps for about a 3 1/2 to 4 hour stretch at night between feedings, and she does well during the day too. She's not very fussy a lot, which is nice. Some days are tougher than others, but that's how it goes sometimes.

Anyway, without further ado - PHOTOS!

Ravelry, Work and other misc. things.

Wahoo! I'm finally on Ravelry, which is a website for knitters and crocheters! It's a really cool website that will let me track all of my projects, my yarns, etc., as well as find new patterns and whatnot. I'm so excited! I've started posting projects on there, but it's going to take me a while to sort it all out. I'm having some issues with the photos thing, so hopefully I can get someone to help me with that soon.

I am working today because of the snow day yesterday. My office at the shelter was closed due to the weather, which is a good thing because I heard the roads were kind of bad. I'm looking forward to being off of work completely until next Thursday. I am officially done subbing now, except for maybe occationally going in for the librarian at Johns school. But I'm looking forward to the down time until the baby comes.

I'm really excited about Christmas this year - I think it will be fun, and I'm excited to have everyone over for the day that day. It will be a good time!

Into month 8, the birth care unit tour, and work related stuff

My Baby

Sure, 37 weeks is the magic number -- that's when your baby is officially deemed full-term, even though pregnancy may go to 40 weeks or beyond! But this week is also an important one for early arrivals, since almost all babies born at this stage or later survive and go on to have very healthy, normal lives. By this time all of his major organs are fully functioning except the lungs, which need just a bit more time to mature completely. This week your baby will also start to shed that downy hair (lanugo) that's covered his body for the past few months. He'll lose most of this fuzzy coating by the time he's born, but you may spot some errant hairs on his back or shoulders.

At around 4 pounds, your baby's taking up a lot of space in your uterus now -- so much so that it's getting a bit crowded for kicking. So don't be alarmed if you don't feel him moving quite as much, though it's a good idea to count your baby's movements occasionally to make sure all's well in there (it's best if you can do this while you lie on your left side for a while). If you feel anything fewer than 10 kicks, rolls, flutters, etc., in two hours, call your doctor to double-check that everything's A-OK.

My Body
While a teeny part of you might be thinking "Get this kid outta here ASAP!" we bet the rest is sincerely hoping he'll stay in there a while longer. As your due date approaches, it's a good idea to learn the signs of early labor, just in case. These include your water breaking (which could result in a gush of fluid or just a trickle), some not-too-painful tightening of the uterus, period-like cramps, vaginal bleeding, increased pressure in the pelvic area, and diarrhea. With the exception of your water clearly breaking, don't worry too much if you experience one of these symptoms, since they don't always result in premature labor. But do tell your doctor right away, to be on the safe side.

My Life
Hey all you working mamas -- it's time to start thinking about when you want to start maternity leave! Some women opt to work right up until their due dates, which gives them more time to be home with their babies toward the end of their leave. Others prefer to wrap up a week or two early, so they can relax and finish any last-minute baby prep. But here's another great option we love, especially if you have a long commute: Propose working from home a day or two during the last few weeks prior to taking off. It will help you ease into your leave without eating into your actual sanctioned time off. Oh, and one more thing: Don't forget to factor in any remaining vacation or sick days when you sit down with the calendar to hammer out your exit strategy; many companies will let you count them toward your time off.

I can't believe I'm 7 months pregnant and into the 8th month now! People have been telling me all along about how fast pregnancy goes. They sure weren't kidding! I know I've said that before, but it really never ceases to amaze me just how fast this all happens!

Yesterday we had another child birthing class. After finding out about the change in class schedule (we were supposed to have a class next Wed., but they cancelled it and moved it back to the following week, and the last class is now the first week of December), we got to take a tour of the birth center, which was nice. We were able to get an idea for rooms I'd like to be in, as well as where our parents should go when I go into labor. That makes things nice and takes some of the stress away.

For those of you who are wondering, Frisbie's visiting hours are from 8am to 8pm, but the birth care unit is a little more flexible with things like that. That doesn't mean it will be okay to show up at 8pm, but if you came later in the day, you'd be allowed to stay a little longer too.

I have to go into work today, and for some reason, I'm kind of dreading it! I feel a little weird today, and I don't know what's causing it. I'm not sure if it's pregnancy related stuff or not. There are some issues that have come up with some of the residents that I know I'll have to deal with today, and I don't really want to. Also, I got an e-mail from my boss yesterday asking if I'd gotten any work done on this one thing we need to provide some numbers for, and I told her I couldn't because I didn't know what numbers I was supposed to be using, and I know nothing about the program, so I don't know what numbers I am looking for!

Anyway, I don't want to get into a rant about it anymore. It's something I am just going to have to go and face and deal with and then come home and be done with it until Monday. Just keep telling myself, I only have 14 or 15 more days there until my maternity leave! (Remember - I work only 2 days a week!)

Week 24 check up and other random things to write about

Today I had my 24 week appointment. It went really well! I started seeing the other doctor in the practice, whom I like much better than the doctor I was seeing, so I think I'll stick with her for the time being. John hasn't gotten to meet her yet, as today was the first time I met her, and he had to work today. I'm hoping that maybe my November appointment can get scheduled for a time that he will be able to make it. I think he would come if he could, but doctors offices are always only open at the same times as schools - go figure.
Anyway, the baby's heartbeat was 154 beats per minute, which is good. My due date got bumped up another day, to 1/16/2007, but I'm not going to worry about that, because it's a whole one day difference. But I'm glad the appointment went well.
There isn't a whole lot of other news. I still have some gripes about my job, but there isn't much anyone can do about it - stupid working for a non profit that doesn't have enough grant money. I should have known what I was getting myself into when I took this job. Subbing is going well, as always. I still wish I'd gotten the teaching thing to work out this year, but no such luck. Maybe next fall when the baby is older, I'll look for a teaching job again. I'm starting to consider getting a masters so I can teach. It would be great if John and I could operate on similar schedules. At least with my shelter job, I am only working 12 hours a week there, so it would practially be like having the summer off with him. Plus, I get a 3 day weekend, so we could still go away if we wanted to, and not have to worry about leaving after work, etc.
The only other gripe I have probably isn't really appropriate to post in a plublic blog. It has to do with people that lots of people I know are friends with, and I don't want to start a big issue. So I guess I'll just leave it at that I am missing a lot of my friends right now - it's hard to have virtually all of my friends not know what it's like to be pregnant, or getting ready to plan for a baby. Sometimes I don't even feel like John understands completely how much this is going to affect our lives. I think he's trying to understand. I think women just understand it more because we're the ones to carry the baby until it's born. It's much more real for someone that feels the baby, or the pain, aggravation, etc., that goes with it.
Anyway, that's about all the news from here for now. I'll be back again later in the week to update!

Week 22, New Job, what else...?

My Baby
This week taste buds begin to form on your baby's tongue, and he's fine-tuning his sense of touch (thanks to maturing brain cells and nerve endings). Your baby may experiment with these newfound skills by feeling his face or anything else he can get his hands on. Now weighing about a pound and almost 7.5 inches long, your baby will develop two kinds of hair in utero. The first is lanugo, a soft, downy body hair, which usually falls off before or shortly after birth. Then there's the hair on his head. He may be born with next to none -- or something completely unexpected. Towheaded couples often have babies with full heads of black hair; brunettes can have a little blond or redhead. Got great curls? Your kiddo might arrive with pin-straight hair. The locks your child is born with probably bear little resemblance to his future hair. By the time he's about 6 months old, his birth hair usually begins to fall out, to be replaced with the real deal. Look back to your and your partner's own baby pics -- they may give you a glimpse of what to expect.

Only 18 more weeks to go! I can't believe how fast this whole pregnancy thing goes by! You never believe it at the beginning when people say "Oh, it will go by so fast!" And you're thinking "Gosh, I hope not, because we have SOOOOOO much to do now!" But it all gets done, and it's great. And it all really does fly by, but that is great too, because you spend so much time getting excited for the next doctors appointment, or ultrasound, or whatever might be coming next. My next doctors appointment isn't for another 3.5 weeks, so I still have some time. Nothing too exciting happening at this one anyway. The next time I have an ultrasound scheduled, I've got to try to get it in at a time that John can come. That won't be until 28 or 32 weeks or something like that.

I started my new job yesterday, the case manager position at the homeless shelter in Stratham. So far, I really like it! I thought it was going to be tricky, because the director of the shelter and I don't always get along on a personal level (we know each other from church), so I'm hoping we can put that aside for the sake of professionalism. I'm a little nervous about bringing the baby to work when that time comes, because I am afraid that she will try to tell me how to raise the baby. But I'll cross that bridge when we get to it. I may be worried over nothing. Yesterday was a pretty basic day, I went over the case files for the families currently in the shelter, I got caught up by Pati (the director), then I moved in some of my stuff. After that, and lunch, I met briefly with the people that were there in order to set up a time to actually have a long meeting with them next week. So that was good. Pati and I had a long conversation with the one man that is in the shelter right now, because he has quite a few issues going on, and we needed to see if he could meet us halfway with some of the things that have been going on. That took probably 45 minutes right there. Then I just got to meet with the woman that does our book keeping, make a couple of phone calls and meet the outreach worker. That was really the extent of my day, but you know - if that's all it is, I can DEFINITELY handle this! I think it will be good.

News from home

A random mid-week post that has nothing to do with babies or knitting! Go figure!

I figured I should probably give an update of just things here at home!

This week has been pretty quiet. John went back to school on Tuesday for his teacher days. Today is his last one, then he has a 4 day weekend for the holiday, and he's back to school on Tuesday with students. It's nice for him, they get to ease back into it - 3 days without students, 4 days with students, 4 1/2 days with students (they have a half day the second week of school), 5 days with students.

Second, John had an audition for the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra on Monday. The PSO is a semi-professional orchestra that rehearses (obviously) in Portsmouth, but performs all over the Seacoast. He just heard yesterday that he got the trumpet spot that was open. He was surprised, he thought for sure it would go to someone else that was there, but he was happy, and I think he is excited too. I am excited for him!

I am still off for another week before starting my new job - I don't go in until the 6th. It will be nice to get out of the house and go to work for 12 hours a week. I was thinking that it's a great way to "ease" back into the workforce too, since I've been off for the last month, and have been out of social work for almost 9 months!

Did anyone see the story on Good Morning America about the blog that bashed Elizabeth Edwards for taking their kids on the road with them? I just looked up the blog online, and read the post and Elizabeth Edward's response. I don't know how I feel about it - frankly, I figure their parenting choices are their own, so long as they're not denying their children and education, or fostering any other form of abuse or neglect while on the road.

I guess that about wraps up this post for the time being. I guess I'm going to go knit :-)

Good news!

I definitely did get the case manager job I was hoping for! The downside is that the hours have been cut from 20 to 12 for the time being (Seacoast Interfaith Hospitality Network is a non-profit and is all grant driven) because the money for my position is being split between me and the new position the woman who had my job is creating. We're hoping come 2008 that I'll be able to be back up to 20 hours. In the meantime, I'm going to sub at John's school again for the three days I won't be working at the shelter.

I figured since no one is really familiar with SIHN, I'd post a little blurb about it:

Any family can meet with hardships causing loss of income, health, and home. When these crises present themselves, a community shares hospitality and transitional assistance with families facing temporary homelessness. The Seacoast Interfaith Hospitality Network (SIHN) provides a structured path toward self-sufficiency, consistent income, and stable housing. Seacoast IHN relies on hundreds of community volunteers from different faiths. Our mission is to meet the food and shelter needs of guest families while preserving their dignity and privacy. Families with children under 18 years old are admitted to the Seacoast IHN program following an interview process. A case manager designs a custom goal-oriented plan with the family that defines steps to regain self-sufficiency and secure housing. Until that plan is fully executed, usually 8-12 weeks, guest families receive compassion and encouragement from our volunteers.

Local faith-based institutions open their facilities to serve meals, provide private sleeping arrangements, and distribute personal necessities to up to 14 guests at a time. Professional staff operate the Family Resource Center by day where families receive information and advocacy to services including public housing, employment, training, and education. The Center also provides a kitchen, children’s play area, computers, and telephones.

A typical day in the network begins early at the host congregation where families pack lunch, have breakfast and board the agency van or drive themselves to the Family Resource Center, school, work, or training programs. In the evening, guest families return to the host congregation for the evening meal, followed by playing, sharing, and doing homework. Each family then retires to private quarters for the night.

The community rallies to empower and encourage families to become independent and to maintain that independence after leaving the network.

After several years of development, Seacoast Interfaith Hospitality Network opened its doors in November 2003 with 8 faith-based partners and one paid staff person. Each partner in the network provides scores of volunteers to fulfill the mission of the organization, while offering each congregation the opportunity to serve those in the community in need right in the congregation's own building. Congregations that normally would have little interaction are working together as partners to provide this important service to families. No preaching is permitted, but volunteers are able to demonstrate their faith commitment through the example of their good deeds. In 2006, Seacoast IHN had 2 paid staff, more than 400 volunteers, and 13 congregations involved and more are needed.

You can check out the website at www.sihnnh.org and see more about it!

I'm very excited about starting off in this new position, and am looking forward to it gaining more hours! The other nice benefit is that Pati, the director, already knows about me being pregnant, and instead of having to pay for daycare, I can bring the baby to work with me! That will be a huge money saver!

Job interviews

I've had two job interviews this week, and I have a third one tomorrow. I was turned down for the first job (just as well, I'm sure I would have hated it), I was offered the job for the interview I had today (which is a decent job working as a paraprofessional in Epping) and tomorrow is an interview for a part-time case manager job at a homeless shelter.

I have a history with the case manager job. Let me back track a little: I interviewed for this job in the late spring of this year, after leaving my job at DCYF. The woman doing the interviewing is a woman I know from church, and a group we were in together. The decision wasn't up to her, but she said I was in the top two. The board of directors made the decision to hire someone else. Well, The other day I get an e-mail from her: Melissa, are you working?

Me: No, not yet. I’ve got some interviews, but the more pregnant I look, the harder it is to get hired anywhere. I’m doing some independent contracting for Social Work p.r.n, but I JUST started, and haven’t gotten any assignments yet.
Why, you still have something open at your place? :-)

Her: Yes, The case manager who came here, who is a wonderful woman, really wants to be more out in the field, on the road and following the families when they are out of the program.
I am going to have her look for funding to see if we could facilitate that.
She will be here through the end of the month. Interested in packing up 15 to 20 hours with me? $20.00 an hour.

Me: Definitely still interested!!!

Her: Can you come for one more interview on Friday the 24th and plan on starting after Labor Day?

Me: Absolutely!!!

So, anyway, does that seem to you that she offered me the job? Or just an interview, telling me that I would start after labor day if I get the job? At first I thought she offered it to me, then I wasn't so sure. I don't really know what to think right now, so I figured I'd go through with the other interviews, and see what happens. I can always turn down a job, but I'd rather not have nothing to fall back on if this one doesn't work out.

So, what makes this so ideal? Well, for one, the pay. Second, she already knows I'm pregnant, so that won't be an issue. Third, I can take the baby to work with me! So that will be great - no daycare cost! Johns parents have even offered to help out for a day or so a week, which would be nice.

So that's where I stand right now. I'll update again tomorrow with the final verdict on a job, as well as the latest updates about the baby. I can't belive that I'll be considered full term in just 18 short weeks!

Misc. Update

I feel like that's the only title to give my updates these days, because I feel like I'm ALWAYS updating!



Okay, so here we go:

1. John's car came out of the shop yesterday, so that's good. It wasn't as expensive as we thought it would be either, which is ALSO a good thing. You never realize how much you rely on having two cars until you suddenly don't. Turns out it was the alternator that went, plus he needed an inspection. He still has to get his third break light (the one over the rear window) replaced because some punk kid at his school smashed his to bits, and it doesn't work. My car goes in for its inspection on Monday. I know it will need at least two new tires to pass, but possibly 4. It also might need breaks, but otherwise, it's in good shape. I like my car. :o)



2. I had a "job interview" yesterday which went well. I put the words job interview in quotes, because it wasn't really an interview. It was basically me sitting down with this guy, Arni Swanson, and him telling me all about Social Work p.r.n., which is like the equivalent of a temp agency for social workers. P.R.N. is the medical abbreviation for "as needed." So I've agreed to go on with them as an independent contractor. I got all of my paperwork out in the mail today, and I'm waiting on my liability insurance to come through. In the meantime, the hunt for an at-home job continues. We need the income of two jobs, but my primary goal is to not have to pay for day care when the time comes. I would much prefer to be able to stay at home with the baby if given the choice.



There was something else I was going to update about, but I can't remember what.



John and I will be away this weekend at my parents house, but I'll probably post with a baby update before we go for the weekend.

Car woes

Last night John and I went out to our favorite date night spot, Café on the Corner, which is down in Dover. We got there around 8:10 and had a good time just relaxing drinking hot chocolate (for John) and chai (for me). Then at about 9pm we started driving home, and as we headed up towards Weeks Crossing (a major intersection on the Dover/Somersworth line) John noticed his car acting funny. The interior lights were getting all dim and I think the headlights were too. I didn't think anything of it, because the interior lights in my car are bright blue, and you would definitely notice them if something was wrong. John's, however, are green, so I didn't pay much attention, because I think green lights are dimmer anyway (just my perception). But John said that something was up with the car, so he pulled into the Friendly's parking lot, thinking he could just restart the car. Nope. As soon as he shut it off, it wouldn't turn back on. He thought it was the battery, but I told him that couldn't be the case, because the lights all worked. Then I noticed the clock in the car had reset itself to 12:00 (like if you lose power). So then, we decided we'd call Johns parents. Well, John's pre-paid phone had no minutes on it (he never puts any on it in the summer), and I didn't have my cell phone (because I didn't bring my purse at all). So then John thought there was a payphone in Friendly's. I guess they took it out though, beccause he had to use the restaurant phone to call them. So they came, picked us up, brought us back to their house, and John called a towing company. Someone got out there just after 10 to get the car, and they towed it to the shop we get all our car repairs done at. $75 later, Johns parents were driving us back home, and I was in such a bad mood it practially ruined the rest of the night.

Then, I started to feel horribly guilty for not having a full time job to help pay for all the costs of stuff that we needed to pay for now (his car repairs, our impending inspections and registrations, etc.). We've been counting on this help that we're supposed to be getting any day now (but we've been "supposed to be getting it any day now" since April), but since we don't know when it will get here, my guilt is just immeasurable. With a baby on the way, the last things I need are to be broke and stressed all the time.

Anyway, I just needed to rant about this for a while.