Resolved

Big sigh of relief.

My husband spoke with his HR department AND his bosses boss and has been assured that if he has to miss his training class there will be no repercussions or problems. In fact, they're going to order him the training materials ahead of time so he can self study (which actually would work better for him what with his ADD tendencies).

We're both tremendously relieved.

Additionally, he's been given the OK to work from home for a bit after the baby is born so no more fretting about him only getting to spend a short bit of time with the tiny one when she comes home with us.

And his douchebag manager was called into a meeting with both HR and the big boss guy. Woot!

A dilemma

My husband started a new job about 7 months ago (he's in the mortgage industry - ugh). The company is terrific - great pay, benefits, etc. They're very good about communicating to their employees how the market is affecting their bottom line which is very reassuring to me.

A couple of weeks ago they won a big piece of government business (which makes his job MUCH more stable - yay!). In order for Todd to get started on this project he has to get some kind of certification which requires some pretty specific training (a 3 day class). The company is paying to have the trainer come out here so they can get everyone in his division certified at once. Naturally, the training is scheduled for 4 days after my due date.

Todd went to talk to his manager yesterday after the memo with the dates came out. His manager made a really shitty comment about "having to decide what is more important". Luckily he stayed a lot calmer then I would have in that situation and he didn't resign right then and there because there aren't a lot of stable jobs in the industry right now and we can't afford to have him unemployed for very long. He went to talk to HR this morning - she was much more gracious, apologized for the assholeness of his manager and reassured him that they'll figure something out. He has a meeting with his manager's boss (who is the one that scheduled the training) this afternoon to get his feedback. I'm secretly hoping they'll push back the training but I know that isn't realistic at all.

Todd hasn't been there long enough to qualify for FMLA. In fact, he'll only have 2 paid days off when the baby is born. Our tentative plan is for him to take off a 3rd day unpaid and a couple of half days after that. My mother and sister are planning to fly out when I give them the okay (we have no family here). In my mind they would arrive the first 1/2 that Todd goes back to work.

I really don't want to rock the boat too hard with his job. He really likes it there and can see himself working there for a long time, his manager isn't usually such a jackass and they have wonderful benefits. Am I crazy for considering an induction in order to get the logistics of his training, my mother & sister's travel arrangements and our collective piece of mind settled?

34 weeks

Last night we met with our doula for the first time. I'm SO excited about having her on our "birth team". I wasn't sure what to expect prior to our meeting but she answered questions I didn't even know I had.

I have the slightest bit of anxiety about a low intervention birth in our hospital. They have a decent reputation for respecting the mothers wishes about that kind of thing but there are a few OBs that are known for being difficult. Our doula will be there to protect our interests and guide us through any difficult decisions that may have to be made. And she'll take pictures. And record a timeline of our birth. And remember to give me my glasses when they put our baby on my chest for the first time.

I had such sweet baby dreams last night (well, the part of the night I was able to sleep anyway). I'm already overwhelmed by the love I have for this unborn child, I can't comprehend how my heart will be able to expand once she arrives.