Does A Baby Really Change Your Life??

I type the title of this post with pure sarcasm!!!  Our sweet baby girl, Reese, has not yet made her debut into this world and she's already making BIG changes.  In my last post I talked about an opportunity at work...this is an opportunity that truthfully I have waited for since the day I started at Eli Lilly.  If you know anything about pharmaceutical sales, we each have a territory that we're responsible for.  My territory is great!!  I travel to Benton/Bryant (about 10 miles from our house), Hot Springs, Arkadelphia, Malvern and Nashville, AR.  It's really not bad.  I have REALLY LONG days about twice a month which is totally doable.  The great thing about my territory is that I can walk into these offices and I know all the staff and the doctors by name.  I can have one-on-one time to talk to them without an appt. or without special access.  I love that about my territory!!

Just recently, our Little Rock rep (the one who basically works in my backyard) has decided to leave to be a stay-at-home mom.  Stephanie is awesome and I am so sad she's not going to be with us anymore, but I'm happy that she's doing what she really wants to.  Friday, my boss called me and told me that if I wanted the Little Rock territory (meaning no traveling), then I could have it!!  This is something that I have waited 5 years to hear!!!  Something that I would've jumped on without thought just 7 months ago.  Well, 7 months ago, I didn't have a baby growing in my belly ;)

I took the weekend to talk to Matt, make a pros and cons list, visit with Steph, our hospital overlaps, and other people who work the surrounding area.  With lots of consideration, I've decided to turn it down.  It's amazing how priorities can change in an instant.  I have always been focused on my career, always tried to give 150%, and always had a vision of climbing the corporate ladder with Eli Lilly.  I LOVE MY JOB, and I STILL LOVE MY JOB...it's just amazing how a baby can take precedence even before their arrival.


I write this post more for myself, so that I can look back and remember why I made the decision I did...so that I don't have any questions or regrets. There are a couple of main reasons I turned it down.  1) I would be REALLY taking over the new territory in January, right after 4 months of maternity leave, and truthfully the thought of balancing motherhood for the first time as well as a BRAND new territory would be overwhelming.  I know myself and I would beat myself up if I'm not succeeding at both.  I don't want to let my little girl down because Mommy is working all the time, yet I can't stand the thought of failing my team.  2) I don't think it's any secret that Matt and I are hoping to relocate to NWA within the next few years.  Truthfully, if a position opened up tomorrow, we'd be house hunting this weekend.  However, it's a delicate situation in which the right position has to open up for me to transfer.  It could be within a year or it could be 5 years...either way,  I am willing to be patient with God and trust that he will move us where we need to be when His timing is right. 


Of course, I have my list of other reasons why it is beneficial to stay where I am, but the two above are very important to not only me, but Matt too.  A baby is going to turn our world upside down...in a good way, so I think the more familiarity we have in front of us, the BETTER!!!

In the meantime, Matt is loving his job in the O.R. and this kid is just going to keep plugging away in my current territory and focus on finishing the year strong!!!