An Update on Hubby

I have spent so much time on here giving baby updates and sharing my own struggles with weight and other issues. I realize, though, that I have failed to share marital updates and how my hubby is. 

PJ has been a little stressed at work, lately. It has been a bit of a whirlwind these last couple of months with his performance review, an offer to move stores and the potential loss of one of his strongest technicians. His review went well, and I was so proud to hear that his store is progressing so well as one of the leading stores in the High Desert.

His boss offered him a different store in the same area which is also underperforming (worse than where his current store was). He hoped PJ would take over to help improve it and follow a similar career path as his manager. That is, clean up store after store until they are ready to bring him up to a corporate level. He politely declined the position, honestly sharing that he did not have the desire to follow the same career path. It was difficult, as it would have come with a pay raise, but it was just as far if not a little farther away from home and was open later hours. We like the store he is at now because his other staff member likes the closing shift and PJ has days 99% of the time. There would be no scheduling guarantees at the other store. Along with the relief of keeping his daytime work schedule, PJ is excited to remain with his current team and see more growth where he is.

One of the most dependable technicians was considering leaving PJ's store. It would have been a big loss, since he was one of the few who could work multiple stations proficiently. With another job lined up and a plan to leave soon, hubby set to work on finding a replacement, along with another part timer to cover call outs and vacations. With the process in motion, the district manager reached out to the tech and convinced him to stay. In addition, he is still allowing PJ to hire another part timer and request backup from neighboring stores so the area has a floater tech. Hubby has enjoyed conducting his first interviews and it has been a good experience for growth. 

In other news, hubby shared that it has been difficult to find sufficient fellowship outside of Sunday mornings due to work. I have no doubt many of my own friends' husbands feel this way. I am extremely blessed to have my weekly women's study, times to meet up with my friends during the week, and the opportunity to catch up on Sunday mornings. It is hard for us to do weekends with friends, as PJ is in a retail pharmacy, and his days off are Sunday and Thursday. 

It is fortunate, though, that there a few close friends of his from church who also have odd hours. Hubby was able to join them in an early morning study on Thursdays. Please be praying for a rich time of fellowship and encouragement. I am so excited for him to have this time to spend in God's Word with godly men. 

Thank you for your prayers and love for our family! 

Love, Jessy. 

Baby Number 2

I did not exactly "embrace the bump" with AJ. I will be honest, I was ashamed and embarrassed by the fact that I was already overweight and I never really felt like I looked pregnant with her. It was like I continued to get wider and I was jealous of all those mamas with cute little bumps that were adorably distinguishable. All that to say, I really do wish I had taken more bump photos to see the physical progression of her growth. 

This time around, I'm embracing my little one and all the bodily changes they're causing. I am a little more confident with number 2 since I'm a little seasoned now haha Also, I'm simply in a better place. Before this pregnancy started, I was walking 4-5 days a week and already working on changing my diet. I'm 17 weeks today and I'm actually still losing weight. It definitely has (or has not) helped that we were all ridiculously sick multiple times and just under 2 weeks ago I had my braces put on and I'm still adjusting. 

Well, I'm back to my honeymoon weight, which is still far from my goal. However, I am embracing this bump and all the bodily discomforts he or she is causing me :) 

Happy Monday, everyone!

Love, Jessy 

6 Months Old

AJ is now 6 months old and she is an incredibly independent child! Still stubborn, but not as deliberate about it, she is eating solids and LOVES them! Now that she moves around a lot more, she has a greater appetite, so feeding times are not as dreaded for mommy :)

6 Months:
*Very much enjoys eating baby food and strawberries
*Loves tummy time, uses to plank and swim
*Wants to crawl, but can't quite figure out how to coordinate arm and leg movement at the same time
*Loves to stand up and browse about
*Teething and chewing on everything, no teeth yet, though
*Enjoys trying to see if the yellow stuffed Peep is an actual marshmallow - it's not
*Thinks she's older than she is, displayed in her refusal to be held - especially like a baby!

One of my favorite memories is watching her try to crawl. She got up on her hands and feet, as if she were planking, and started doing mountain climbers. From there, she dropped her hips down and pushed herself up to look at me. I smiled at her, and she dropped down instantly and began kicking her legs as fast as she could, she looked like she was trying to swim! I was talking to daddy on the phone during his lunch and apologized that I couldn't get a video because every time I pull up video, she just stares at me blankly. His words were incredibly encouraging and I will never forget them, because they help me through the tough days, "That's okay, my love, as long as you treasure all these things in your heart, it's enough for me to hear you tell me about it."

PJ's favorite day was when he came home from work and I was feeding her in the bedroom. She was taking a break and I called him in to say hi and give her hugs. He came to the doorway, I told her, "Say hi to daddy!." She beamed over at him and squealed with delight! It was so precious.