On Monday I found out that I got the Nurse Practitioner position at the clinic 2 minutes away from my house. I am so happy! No more being away from my little ones. I am looking forward to putting them to bed every night. Gerritt likes to read books now, so we both really enjoy that special time at night when we can snuggle & share a book together. As my husband & the kids were leaving to grandma's house for the weekend this evening (with Gerritt crying, "Mommy stay!" & Sophia bawling because it was her bedtime), I realized again how much they both need me & that this new job came at the right time.
I will be working 3 days a week: 1st day I am done at 4:30 pm, 2nd - at 5 pm, & 3rd - 7 pm (the latest). I've been working evenings forever, it seems, & it will take me a while to get used to my new life. I've missed so many weekend parties & evening-time friend get-togethers because of my work schedule, I've lost count! I used to work 12-hour day shifts (7 am - 7:30 pm), however, changed to evenings when I took 0.5 FTE position in the fall of 2005 (to accomodate my graduate school schedule). Now that I think about it, my husband has had evenings all to himself 2-3 days a week on average from the very beginning of our marriage. We are so used to doing things separately & having a lot of our own down time. It will be interesting to see how our family dynamics will change - hopefully, for the better (that was the whole point of accepting this new job).
Tomorrow will be my last long work day (Clinic 9 am - 1:30 pm, then hospital 3 pm - 11:30 pm), & next week I will work my last 3 evening shifts as a nurse. No more working on weekends (only if I choose), late evenings or holidays. I am looking forward to spending Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year's with my family! I hear myself saying, "Just this once," "The holiday time-and-a-half pay is sure nice," etc. Meanwhile, my children are growing up, & those precious moments & memories are passing me by faster & faster the older they get. I will still work as a nurse once a week, but on per diem status, meaning I make my own schedule.
I spent this past week giving my 1-month notice at the University District clinic & my 2-week notice at the hospital. I spent time filling out benefit forms at my new place of employment. Also, I researched & found new daycare for Sophia & new school for Gerritt. Sophia will go back to Gerritt's old Russian home daycare ($50 for the whole day (up to 10 hours), unlike $10/hour I was paying previously). Gerritt will go to the Spectrum Academy, the "whole-brain" Montessori-style preschool, that also happens to be 2-3 minutes away from our house. There were no openings until mid-June, so he would have to wait 3 more months to start. I was immediately impressed with the school when I saw children doing yoga & learned that all of the teachers are Montessori-certified & bachelor's or Master's-prepared. I knew then it wasn't just your average run-of-the-mill school. I believe Gerritt will blossom there since he'll speak English, & it will be encouraged & praised instead of corrected. I only wish he could start the new school earlier!
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