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!!! 

Memorial Day Weekend

I guess we are finally getting back in the swing of things, after spending the majority of the last month on vacation!  Don't get me wrong, it was FANTASTIC, but I must admit that I'm glad to be home and excited to stay put until Reese makes her arrival.  This past week was a busy one, and here it is in a nutshell....

1. We had our OB appt on Monday and everything looked great.  Blood work revealed that I don't have gestational diabetes and I'm not anemic. 
2. I had a freckle removed for skin cancer on Monday and got the results back on Thursday, thankfully it is non-cancerous and not malignant. 
3. Matt started his job in the Operating Room this week and he is LOVING it!!  He's right in his element and he's going to be great.
4. Reese has been kicking up a storm, doing somersaults, and Lord knows what else.  I love the movement.  Matt and I settle in at night and just watch my tummy move. 
5. I received some exciting news on Friday about my job - not going to elaborate right now, but I have some decisions to make soon.
6. As my stomach grows larger, I feel the need to spend more money on mani/pedis, spray tans, eyebrow waxing, facials, etc.   Something about all this just makes a girl feel pretty :)

Our weekend was very relaxing!  I will say that I missed being on the lake with the rest of the fam, but we've just had so much to do around here since we've been gone.

Friday night we decided to have a date night at Bonefish and enjoyed a nice, quiet dinner.  Saturday, Matt had an 8:15 tee time with the boys and enjoyed a morning of golf.  So, you know what this girl did...some SHOP, SHOP, SHOPPING!! 

When Matt got back from playing golf, we went to register at Pickles and Ice Cream.  It's an adorable boutique here in Little Rock.  Afterwards, we ordered in pizza and made a night of painting the nursery and putting the crib together.  It's slowly beginning to all come together and I love it. 

Sunday, we slept in and went to late service.  It was nice for a change!  We had a lazy afternoon and since neither one of us had to work Monday, we decided to go to a movie.  Our choice (or should I say my choice) was very fitting.  We saw "What to Expect When You're Expecting."  It was cute and you can obviously tell we're making every excuse to be out and about before Reese arrives. 

Most of you probably relaxed on Monday, but we had a list of things to accomplish.  We officially registered at Target and Babies R Us.  I am feeling much better having all that done now.  Poor Matt...it's pretty safe to say he was BEAT by the end of the day, but he was such a good sport!!!

Our week is off to a fast start and I am SO GLAD that it's only a 4 day week!!  We've got big plans this weekend in Rogers.  One of my favorite munchkins turns 2 and Brandi is having a baby shower.  It's going to be so much fun and I can't wait!!!


I'll leave you with some BIG FAMILY NEWS!!!!  Matt's sister, Emily, and her husband Jack are expecting BABY #4 in January!!!  We are VERY EXCITED for them!!!

The three kiddos reaction!!  :))

Half Moon Bay

Our wonderful vacation continued when we got to Half Moon Bay Thursday afternoon.  Upon check-in at the Ritz, we were given a glass of wine and a goodie basket.  The views from our room were amazing!!

Matt enjoyed my glass too ;)

After settling in, we went downstairs to the reception for our team.  It was great to see all the familiar faces and we had a wonderful time eating, drinking, and then roasting smores by the outside fire pit.  It was a BIG celebration in honor of a great 2011!!

 

 

 

Mattt and Brittney cracking me up while trying to make smores!!

When we got back to our room, we had a welcome present waiting for us...Patagonia jackets!!  It was a good thing too because it never got above 60 degrees out there.

Our first night at the Ritz was wonderful!!  Friday morning, our team headed to the Redwood Forests for a hike/tour.  Afterwards, we enjoyed lunch in Pescadero at Duarte's.

Enjoying my Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast :)

Brittney, Me, and Steph

After our hike and lunch, Matt and I headed back to the hotel to walk around the grounds.  We got a drink and sat outside on the patio, enjoyed the sunshine, and took lots of pictures.

After a nap, we headed down to meet everyone for dinner at Miramar Beach. 

Saturday, we slept in and had a VERY LAZY DAY!  We started with breakfast in the formal dining room of the Ritz with a great view of the ocean.  Afterwards, Matt went to the gym while I headed down to the spa for a relaxing prenatal massage.  We decided to go down to the pool and get some exercise that afternoon and then came back to the room for a nap.  Saturday night we had reservations at Pasta Moon downtown.  It was by far the BEST meal we had while in Half Moon Bay.  After dinner we went back to the Ritz and watched the sunset over the ocean. 

I didn't get any pictures of us at dinner, but Matt loved this HUGE great dane that was outside and I believe it's safe to say he would like one now :)

They had a man play the bagpipes as the sun set at the hotel

It was the perfect end to our week-long vacation!!  We flew home on Sunday and Matt and I both took off work Monday to recoup and get ready for the week.  We had the best time and are so thankful for such a fantastic vacation!!!!

San Francisco

Matt and I were very blessed to have spent the last week in sunny California!!  We started our week in San Francisco and then moved on to the Ritz Carlton at Half Moon Bay, where we met up with my team from Eli Lilly.  YEP!!!  The A-Team had a year of exceeding sales expectations and won a trip, all expenses paid!  We had the best time!  I have lots of pictures, so I'll start with the first of the week where we spent 3 days in the beautiful city of San Fran!!!

 

We enjoyed some sunshine in Union Square across from our hotel as soon as we got there. 

We stayed at the Westin St. Francis.

 

We spent our afternoon on Tuesday enjoying lunch at Scala's and then shopping.  (This Mama may or may not have splurged on a new Gucci handbag ;)) That night we had dinner with my cousin Tyler and his wife, Avery.  They've lived in SF for two years. They took us to the Foreign Cinema for dinner- an old theater that has been remodeled into a restaurant.  They play old movies on the outside walls...it was delicious and a great atmosphere!!

 

 

We started Wednesday morning at the Starbucks around the corner from our hotel.  After breakfast we went to Alcatraz.  It was one of the highlights of our trip and something that's been on my "bucket list."  It was eerie and yet so interesting.  Here are a few of the MILLION that we took.


 

Waiting for the ferry to Alcatraz

The Golden Gate Bridge (really far away)

After spending the morning at Alcatraz, we went down to Fisherman's Wharf and ate at a great restaurant called the Pier Market.  We enjoyed some fun on Pier 39 and then went back to the hotel for a little nap before heading to the Giants/Cardinals game that night. 

Side Note: My cousin, Tyler, works for Sony and is involved with the MLB Playstation Vita games.  In other words, he has the TOTAL HOOKUP.  We sat in the "Cardinals Friends and Family" section and he even got a ball signed by David Freese (the third baseman) for Matt, who's a big Cardinals fan.  Freese was the only Cardinal to hit a home run that night!

After cheering on the Cardinals 4-1 win, we met my cousin Kayla at one of the bars in our hotel.  She just happened to be in San Fran for work and ironically was staying at the same hotel we were!!!  Talk about meant to be....  We had the best time catching up and words can't express how good it was to see her!!

Thursday morning, we slept in and had a leisurely morning of walking to Starbucks, enjoying breakfast, and taking in the city.  We ate lunch at Cafe de la Presse and then explored Chinatown. 

After Chinatown, it was time to head to Half Moon Bay (which is about an hour outside the city on the coast).  We had a car pick us up at the hotel, said good-bye to San Francisco, and headed to the Ritz.  It was a great start to a wonderful week!!!!