End of an Era

First things first... as Andy and I noted the passing of the 25th of March, and I officially passed the 36 week mark, we continued to work on preparing for baby girl's nearly imminent arrival. (By "preparing," I of course mean that we kept busy so as not to panic about this fact...) Once again, IKEA saved the day when we found this lovely canvas reproduction of a Gustav Klimt painting for mere pennies (almost). I saw it and knew it was exactly what I wanted for the wall next to the glider... it's just perfect.



We did a handful of other errands, and I'm happy to say that we're making progress. On the docket for next weekend: install car seat and pack hospital bag. Andy is in charge of the car seat installation, so wish him well as I've heard horror stories about the challenges this task can present. Good luck, Andy!

Speaking of progress... here is the pregnant belly at 36 weeks:



Finally, perhaps the biggest development this week... my last day at work. As of Wednesday, I'm done with full-time work for a while. Not sure how long "a while" will be, but I can tell you that it will be longer than the measly 3 months of FMLA maternity leave that most working women receive. I have to say, it's definitely bittersweet... I started earning a paycheck at 16 and I've done so almost continuously since then (including while in school). That's 12+ years of earning my keep, and though I realize that I will most definitely be earning my keep at home, it's hard for me to imagine not seeing the tangible financial result of my efforts. I'll miss my friends at work, and the daily adult interaction that working in an office provides. I'm ready for a new adventure, though... the work I'm leaving is not the career path I intended or wanted to be on, so I look forward to this new chapter of my life and for the potential to eventually end up doing something that makes me happy (be that staying at home, going back to school, or changing careers). Time will tell.