Check In
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Totally fine @VeryKatie! Enjoy the holiday ☺️0
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Just got a job promotion!! It was one that I didn't really expect, so a nice surprise. Now my manager, team lead (I will be taking this position) and I are trying to determine how best to work the transition with my upcoming maternity leave.
Very long side not: Finally got to talk with someone in HR last week about maternity leave. We do get 12 weeks FMLA leave. Unbeknownst to me, however, is that the first 6-8 weeks is at full pay. They just pay me out of my sick leave balance (the company provides all full time employees approximately 6 months worth of sick leave each year). I then have the option of using vacation/PTO or doing unpaid leave for the remainder. Since my husband and I budgeted for 12 weeks unpaid leave and I don't have a ton of vacation saved, my plan is take 1 week of vacation before the baby pops out, and then do the 12 weeks FMLA with the first part paid and the remainder unpaid. I had hoped to return at part-time status for the remainder of the year, and then go back to full-time in 2018. Unfortunately my manager said that taking this promotion would mean less flexibility with that and I would need to back at full-time within 1 month of returning. Someone else just told me though that our organization is seriously backing off on allowing part-time work in general, with several people in her department recently having their requests denied or their current status revoked and forced to full-time, so I may not have gotten nearly as much flexibility as I had hoped and expected anyway.
The concern with my promotion is that I will fill the role for no more than 4 months and then be on maternity leave for 3 months with someone temporarily filling in. The current team lead is worried about continuity for the team (as am I) but my manager has reasons for wanting to start the transition immediately. Either way, this will be interesting....0 -
Congratulations @puffbrat - fantastic news about your promotion and about the paid leave!0
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@puffbrat Congratulations Jessica!!!
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@puffbrat ...(the company provides all full time employees approximately 6 months worth of sick leave each year) WHUT?! You get 6 months of paid sick leave?
Also congrats on the promotion! It sounds like you might be unsure about it though with the less flexibility it might provide. That is also great that you get half of FMLA paid! That must be a relief!
As for my check in, Ive kinda gone off the deep end and refound my love of candy and sweets. Clocked in at 193 this morning (up from 190 2 weeks ago) and am now ready to return from my crazy sugar binge and eat like a grown up again! I think I was just being too strict for too long, and that makes me binge and is not good for my waistline or my mental health.
Also, first month ttc and my period is late but pregnancy tests are negative. OMG this is so hard! Who knew I'd become an obsessive crazy person over this? I just wish my period would come and crush that little bit of hope that is hanging out thinking "but maybe I am pregnant." Cause I can only get so many negative tests (6 days in a row!) Im just ready to start a new cycle. Also, symptom spotting is the most real and horrible thing ever. Why is everything a symptom of pregnancy?! Diarrhea? Constipation? Bloating? Cramps? Nausea? Headache? Ticklish? Ughhh. I didnt really think we would get it the first month trying (coff, like puffbrat!) but I did have some hope, man!0 -
@Kirstie155 Hopefully you can find the happy medium you need to go forward so you don't feel like you're over restricting but not so much that you end up down the deep end again. It's a hard balance. I hope your cycle comes soon or you finally get the positive! Baby dust sent your way!
As for my check in, well I'm currently on my second period for March. haha which kinda explains why I had the other bout of increased appetite and wanted to eat everything (and I did).
I did manage to get in almost 13,000 steps yesterday which is a new record for me and I ended the day in a nice deficit.0 -
@puffbrat congrats on the promotion! I hope it ends up ultimately being a good thing for you and your family! And your career!
@Kirstie155 It's definitely hard to not be too restrictive and not too out of control. I like tracking because I feel like if I have to log it in my diary, even my out of control days aren't THAT bad because I think to myself, "I cannot possibly log one more beer tonight" (alcohol is definitely my calorie issue...except when ice cream is my calorie issue). And then on the TTC front I'm sure I'll be in the same boat when we start trying. Hang in there!
@WifiresGettingFit 2 periods in a month sounds TERRIBLE! Good job on the step record though!
DH and I got in a big fight this morning right before I left for work which is absolutely the worst timing. I'm trying to calm down and get to work and also come up with a solution. I think typing it out will help me realize where I'm wrong.
Context:
- I've cooked dinner for us the past two nights and have been too tired for lunch prep
- I woke up at 5:20 Monday and today to go swimming (first week officially training for triathlon)
- DH has Wednesdays off and stays up late on Tuesdays
This morning I went swimming and got home around 6:20 to shower and get ready for the day. Since DH has Wednesdays off, I don't have to walk the dog, so I had time to do the meal prep I'd been putting off all week. However my noise in the kitchen disturbed him, and I also ended up not having time to clean up my mess before I had to leave for work. He got out of bed about 10 minutes before I had to leave. He was really annoyed at the noise and the mess even though I was apologetic about it and said I'd clean it up tonight. Then he said he wants me to train in the evenings because he had been awake basically since I got out of the shower. This simply WON'T work for me. I am never consistent with evening training and use it as a backup in case I can't get it done before work or at lunch.
So I'm thinking I can:
- Ask him to help with dinner more so I'm not so exhausted from planning and cooking dinner after work that I can't do lunch prep
- Hard-boil eggs at night and have them ready for breakfast instead of frying eggs in the morning which also makes noise in the kitchen
- Pack my work bag at night
- Have clothes downstairs for getting ready hopefully out of earshot. Our house is just not very soundproof
Week 1 of any change is full of troubleshooting, I realize. I'm sure we can work this out, but today I am frustrated and sad.
Meanwhile my weight loss has worse than stalled. Definitely not meeting my March goal and I just hope I don't show an overall gain, though I might. Ugh.0 -
@pezhed How much noise were you making?! Lol. Banging pots and things? Joking aside, Im sure you'll get this figured out. Prepping is so important for success for me. I cook a bunch of meat on Sundays.10 chicken thighs and about 5-6 chicken breasts on the grill this past Sunday. We have them for dinner on Sunday, pack for lunches during the week, and we put them in containers that night to just grab and go as needed. DH and I dont eat meals together M-F because he works later than I do and is often not home until 7:30-8pm and we dont want to eat that late. He eats at work and I eat when I get home around 6-6:30pm by myself. I'll admit that while its lonely, it also really takes the pressure off. Just want a sandwich? Cool, just make it. Hardly any clean up, and no one to complain about "meatloaf again?!" However, having that chicken precooked makes a world of difference. This morning I chopped a breast and tossed it in a container with salad stuff. Chicken salad!
The hardboiled eggs prepped is a great idea. Why not make a dozen at a time on your prep day and just peel and eat?
I do feel you on the not waking him up though, DH stays in bed until after I leave for work. I sneak around my dark bedroom getting dressed.
Also, I will not make my goal for March. Dont give up, each day is a new opportunity to make great choices! Plus you are training for a triathlon, you're amazing!
@WifiresGettingFit my cycles are usually 24 days long, which means I have 2 cycles in a month often. Like this month was the beginning of March, and was also expected yesterday. Meh, just means I get to start trying again that much sooner. Fertility friend says my fertile week is next week!0 -
@Kirstie155 Haha, I think it was cracking eggs and chopping garlic. Oh and pouring pasta! Our house is not very soundproof since it's a split level, and we leave the bedroom door cracked for the dog and cat. Oops! Yeah I'll definitely hardboil a dozen when I do it, especially because I detest hard boiled yolks so will have to eat an extra egg white or two. I'm not gonna lie; there are times I wish I only had to feed myself, and this morning I was very much wishing I lived alone again. I'm sure DH was too! That's great about your chicken prep! My pasta sauce I made this morning is supposed to kinda be like that...today with pasta, tomorrow with chickpeas, Wednesday with quinoa patties. I just have to not make it (or the things that go with it) at 6am perhaps
Thanks for the encouragement on the triathlon. I'm feeling selfish for even wanting to do it.
I also just found out a guy I really don't like working with is joining our group at work. I have a feeling he's going to take some of my projects which I'm already feeling steamrolled about. Holy cranky day. This withOUT any PMS!0 -
I'm pretty sure my second period is the result of coming off birth control.
@pezhed Why are you feeling selfish? Honestly I feel like your husband is the one being selfish expecting you to cater to his schedule. You have different schedules, you have stuff you need to do in the morning so I don't see why he's all bent out of shape about it. Sure being woken up sucks but it isn't like you were doing it on purpose. I hope you can work it out and find a good compromise but do not feel selfish for wanting to do something for you. EDIT: That also sucks about work, I hope things work out there as well and that your week gets better!
@Kirstie155 I honestly can't remember how long my cycles used to be before birth control. haha I just know I had a period every month but getting to try again sooner is definitely a positive with having shorter cycles! Fingers crossed for you!0 -
Kayla, I didnt know how long my cycles were before HBC either. Ive just been off it for like 18 months so I have lots of data. Any new wedding developments?
Pez, you should not feel selfish for the triathlon training, that is amazing what you are doing! you are making me feel super lazy, haha! I agree with Kayla, there needs to be some concessions on his part. You'll try not to wake him, but if you do accidentally, he doesnt get to be angry that you have things to get accomplished while he attempts to sleep.
Oh, do you have an instant pot pressure cooker? It makes the easiest to peel hard boiled eggs!0 -
@Kirstie155 I think I have some of my old data on calendars somewhere in this apartment haha but I figured that my cycle will probably be a bit different this time around so not sure it'd even be worth digging it out to try to get an idea.
As for the wedding, we've set the date to 7/7/17 haha Can you guess our favorite number? =P We're going with a very small ceremony (just inviting immediate family). We do not have a location yet (there is a possibility that it'll be on a river boat since we're keeping the wedding party very small) and we are working on getting an officiate. (Andrew has a friend that could do it but we haven't heard back yet.) I'm trying not to be overly stressed but time is going fast. haha0 -
@pezhed I hope things get better. Different schedules are so hard. I'm an early bird and my husband is a night owl. He goes to bed at about 2am and I am up around 5am. I try and do things before coffee has kicked and and always end up dropping a bowl or something on the floor. I feel like a jerk sometimes!
@Kirstie155 We aren't even honestly making an effort to TTC yet and I still feel like every little thing makes me wonder why I feel off or think I feel off. Also--what's the method for doing pressure cooker hard boiled eggs? I've been buying the pre-peeled ones at Costco because my dwindling flock of old hens only give me about a dozen eggs a week and that fresh of eggs don't peel very well!!
As for my check-in...after our move I finally found my fitbit! Yipee. I just don't like how my phone tracks steps, and I don't like to carry it around if I don't have to, so it's nice to actually have my steps tracked again. I hit 10k the last two days, but it's pouring rain today and I just don't think work would appreciate me coming back from lunch looking like a drowned rat.
I suck at it, but I've been trying to incorporate some Yoga into my routine so I did that this morning. It's hard for me to handle, I'm more of a weight-room geek but I don't feel like I can pay the gym fees right now until I find a spot in my schedule I can fit it in and stay consistent. I use my alma mater rec center and students leave early May, I think I'll get a 4 month pass about the time they leave, until then I'm hoping to average 10k steps a day in April as the weather continues to improve. The college arboretum has a nice trail that is 1 1/2 miles long, it makes a good 30 minute lunch time walk, and is only about 2 miles from work, so it's a quick drive to the parking lot.0 -
@sheilannesmith give this a try! http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2016/04/instant-pot-hard-boiled-eggs.html
that isnt the same recipe I used, but its pretty spot on. So easy to peel!
I should also be doing yoga because of my leg/back injury but I dont like it. Glad you found your fit bit! I should start wearing mine again, too!0 -
@WifiresGettingFit Great job on the 13,000 steps! Best of luck with the wedding planning!
@Kirstie155 I know what you mean about the symptom spotting - I do the same thing every month!
@SheilAnneSmith From tge spreadsheet it looks like you smashed your goal! Great work!
@pezhed Don't worry about your weight - with the triathlon training you'll hit your goal in no time! As for the issue with your husband, it dounds like you have lots of fair compromises in mind, so I'm sure you guys will work it out.1 -
@samlovesthesnow Thank you! 0
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Period is officially 2.5 days late, with negative tests all over the place. And if you're thinking "oh, but you cant possibly still have hope that you're pregnant, all those negative tests, no symptoms right now...." or "you probably O'ed late, so you're not really late-don't be silly!" you'd be wrong. So so wrong. There is always a glimmer of hope every time I see my period is still not here.
the two week wait is terrible, but the two week plus extra days wait is AWFUL! 0 -
Thank you, everyone, for your kind support. I think it's all going to work out just fine and your advice is really helpful! We had a lovely sushi date last night and everything is good...at least until I wake up at 5:20 again tomorrow morning! I won't cook this time, I promise.
@Kirstie155 I'm going to use that egg recipe. Also, I am kind of imagining that your negative tests are false so I can't even begin to think what you're thinking for every minute that passes without your period!
Does anyone want to be fitbit friends?
This should be me: https://www.fitbit.com/user/24YYHZ
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@pezhed I'll be your friend! Gotta dust off and charge the ole fitbit, and also find it. hm. Also no judging my lack of movement, okay?
Edit: okay, added you. Im KMcM!
Edit 2: Here is my link in case anyone else wants to add me https://www.fitbit.com/user/2QKX4X Gotta find it and get it charged!
And ya, idk whats up with my uterus. I suppose time will out though right? Trying to be patinet but I am so impatient in general but in ttc and babies especially!0 -
@Kirstie155 I'm hoping all of your negative tests are wrong as well so that we can go through this together!
@pezhed Balancing the importance of your goals and eating with your spouse's schedule and ideas can be so tough. Sounds like you have a very level head about it and you thought of many different options to help out the situation! You guys will figure out what works best I'm sure!0
