It's official, part 2!

So I hinted in a previous post that there was something exciting going on, besides my new job.

Well, it's now official. Hubby told his boss yesterday that he would be leaving his job!

Hubby started this job just over a year ago, when I was about six months pregnant. At the time, he was working at my company (although in a totally different division from where I work). He decided to leave with two of his co-workers to create a new start-up company.

We knew that the risk was high -- certainly, not all start-ups succeed -- but that the potential reward was high as well. We also knew it would be a lot of work.

The company has actually done very well. But all the work has really gotten to Hubby, and to me, for that matter. Particularly for the first six months of Littles' life, he traveled on business at least once a month, and even when he was home, he pretty much worked and slept. I know he was sad that he couldn't spend much time with Littles, and it was hard on me to have to shoulder the vast majority of child care responsibilities.

He started tiring of it all around Christmas, and so for the past three months or so, he's been better about putting the work down and doing more with Littles and around the house in general. It's been wonderful.

He had a business trip about two months ago to Dallas, which is where we used to live, and he ended up talking to one of his old friends. His friend works at my company and had just started managing a brand-new team. The work sounded fascinating to Hubby. And we had been talking about moving back to Dallas -- much of Hubby's family is in Texas, we both have a lot of good friends there, and it's a lot closer to my family on the East Coast.

So Hubby applied for the job and got the offer a few days ago. He'll be staying at his current job until May 5th, then taking a few days off and starting his new job in Texas on May 12th.

Now, I'm sure you're thinking, "Whaaaaaaaaa? Didn't you just get a new job?" Well, yes, but fortunately, it's a work-from-anywhere position as long as I'm willing to make trips up to Seattle. My new manager is a little concerned about the extra expense of flying me in from Dallas rather than San Francisco, and she's worried about the time zone difference between Dallas and Seattle, but I think I can effectively mitigate those risks.

The other thing you might be thinking is, "Whaaaaaaaaa? You're moving in a month?" Well, no. We're planning to move in early June. So yes, we're going to have about a month where Hubby is working in Texas but Littles and I are still living in California. It will be tough, but we have some weekend visits planned. Actually, the really tough part is that I'll probably have to travel up to Seattle during that month, but we found out that my company provides up to 100 hours of heavily-subsidized backup child care per year. So when I do need to go to Seattle, I can bring Littles with me, use the backup care in Seattle, and still pay for Maria back home (which is part of our nanny share agreement).

Hubby and I are still hashing all this out, and I'm sure many of my future posts will revolve around this pending move :)

Where I pumped today. Fourth in a series.

Yes, I pump while driving!

I only do this when I have a lengthy commute (at least 60 minutes) to a customer site or, like today, to my WOMEN Unlimited training program. It works out well, because if I can pump on the drive in, during lunch, and on the drive home, then that gives me enough pumping sessions for the day without having to take much time at all away from my work.

What I do is I put the pump on the passenger seat (you can see it on the left of the picture above) and get it all hooked up. I use an AC inverter for power -- it plugs into the cigarette lighter and provides a normal AC outlet to plug my pump into.

I then put my Hooter Hider on -- that's the white apron-like thing in the picture. It's designed for nursing in public, but it works well for pumping as well, because it has boning that helps the neck stand out so I can see what I'm doing.

Once I'm properly covered up, I get myself hooked up to the pump. As you might imagine, I have to use a hands-free kit. I usually use this hands-free pumping bra, which works very well. Today, though, I just used some hair bands. (I'll probably use the bra from now on -- the hair bands definitely didn't work as well.)

Then I'm off! All I have to do is pray that no cops decide to pull me over, because that would be hard to explain :)

As far as safety goes, I don't feel that the pump is really a distraction once I get it all set up (which I usually do while parked). But I prefer not to think about what would happen to the pump and my body if I got in an accident.

I'm glad that I have just a few more months of this craziness left.

Maybe now it's more clear why I get so excited about pump rooms with chairs, fridges, and no airbags :)

It's official!

I have a new job!

My trip to Seattle last week was actually for a job interview. (I kept it quiet until today, when I got the official offer, because I know my co-workers occasionally read this blog.) It's for a program manager position -- I'd actually have responsibility for shipping a piece of software that my company develops.

I'm really excited about it. It's a great fit for me, and a perfect "next step" in my career.

I am not as excited about the fact that it will require semi-regular travel up to Seattle, about 1-2 weeks per month. But relocating to Seattle just isn't right for our family right now. Plus, I think it will be good for Hubby and Littles to have some bonding time while I'm away!

Pumping will be a challenge, as always, but since my start date is not until May 5th, I'll be just a little over a month away from quitting pumping for good anyway.

There's some other exciting stuff going on, but again, I want to keep it quiet until everything is official :) Stay tuned...

Pumping away, away from home

I was a little nervous about the logistics of pumping while in Seattle, but it all went pretty smoothly.

I left 31 oz of milk for Littles on Sunday night, a mix of refrigerated and frozen milk.

I nursed Littles at around 6pm, just before leaving for the airport. She got one more bottle that evening before bedtime, and I pumped when I got to my hotel.

Staying in a Residence Inn made things a lot easier, since I had a full-size fridge and freezer to keep my milk and ice packs cold overnight.

On Monday, I woke up at around 8 AM and did a long pump, about 60 mins. I hoped to do another pump before my meeting at 11 AM, but I was running late and had to skip it.

I did get a short 10-minute pump break shortly after lunch, at around 1:15, so I got to check out the pump room in our Seattle office:



It's a nice setup, with two "cubicles" and a curtain, so that two moms can pump simultaneously with some privacy. There is also a small fridge, which came in handy for keeping my milk cool while I was in my meetings. No freezer, though -- I put my ice packs in the freezer in the main kitchen.

After my 1:15 pump break, which only lasted about 10 mins, I got another short pump break at 2:15 and then a longer (30 min) pump break at 3:30. My meeting ended at about 4:15, and since I was in no real rush to get to the airport, I pumped for about 20 mins until I was pretty empty. Then I pulled my ice packs out of the freezer, packed up my milk, and hit the road.

This is probably the only time you'll ever hear me say this, but thank goodness for the TSA's stupid liquids ban! I got to the front of the security line at the airport, and TSA asked me to pull out all my milk. That's when I discovered that I'd left one of my coolers of milk in the rental car! If it weren't for the liquids ban, I might not have noticed until I got home. Fortunately, I was able to run back to Avis and have them search my car for the bag, which quickly turned up. Whew!

My flight was delayed for over an hour, so I had plenty of time, even with the rental car incident. I ate dinner and then pumped for the last time at about 9:00. I pumped in the handicapped stall in the bathroom. I didn't chronicle that location for my "where I pumped today" series. Sorry.

(I've since gotten a tip that the family restrooms at most airports have a power outlet and more privacy, since they're a separate room, rather than just a stall where everyone can hear the whoomp-whoomp of your pump. I'll probably return to Seattle in a few weeks, so I'll check it out!)

With the delay, I ended up getting home shortly before 2 AM. Littles ate all 31 oz that I left, and I brought home right around 30 oz, so that worked out well. The milk in my Medela bag with a Medela ice pack was still cold when I put it in my fridge, 10 hours after I'd left the office! My Playtex Fridge-to-Go bag didn't work out quite as well -- it was no longer cold at all when I got home, but that milk was from my last two pump sessions of the day, so I figured the milk was still fine, having spent less than 10 hours at room temperature.

First business trip

Tonight is my first night away from Littles. She's sleeping at home right now, and I'm in Seattle on a business trip.

Luckily, it's a short trip. I'll be home tomorrow night, although not until after Littles is asleep.

Still, the logistics of getting away even just for 24 hours can be overwhelming. I had to find time to pack -- no more waiting till the last minute, lest Littles slip into "Mommy Hold Me" mode at that exact moment. I agonized over how much milk to take out of the freezer. Since I've never been away from Littles for a full day, I have to guess at how much milk she drinks over the course of a day. I booked a hotel room at a Residence Inn, since I know it will have a full kitchen that will let me chill my freezer packs overnight, ensuring I can keep my pumped milk cold tomorrow.

Leaving home was rough. Littles crawled after me with a confused expression as I walked out the front door, and I briefly flirted with the idea of tucking her in my suitcase and taking her with me. (Then I remembered that my pump takes up half my suitcase.)

I've done this San Jose to Seattle hop many, many times, including for my very last business trip pre-Littles. I used to have it down pat. Not anymore. For starters, they've completely reconfigured Terminal C at SJC airport in the year or so since I was last there. I almost panicked when I couldn't find my favorite dinner spot -- turns out it's now behind security, instead of before it.

I was very pleased to see that they've finally gotten a Preferred board at the Avis in Seattle, so I can go directly to my car without having to check in with an Avis agent (a process that has cost me many an hour waiting in line, usually at 1 AM when my flight has been delayed and I just want to get to my hotel). And I had a giggle when I saw that this Avis location, which used to always upgrade me to Hummer H3's, decided to give me a Prius this time :)

Some things never change, like the incompetence of TSA. I completely forgot to put my toiletries in a Zip-loc bag and was sure I'd get busted, particularly since my breast pump (which apparently looks like a bomb on the x-ray machine, based on previous TSA experiences) and all my bottles for milk collection (which they could have no way of knowing were empty) were in the same bag. But they waved it through without a secondary inspection.

I grabbed my dinner (forgetting to pay with my corporate Amex card, which is practically dusty from inactivity) and was heading over towards my gate when I saw a family with a baby right around Littles' age, and I teared up instantly. It just doesn't feel right, being without her. The family ended up sitting a couple of rows in front of me on the flight, and the baby's coos and babbles bothered me. Not in an annoyed sort of way, like loud babies on planes used to bother me as a business traveler, but in a my-heart-is-breaking sort of way.

The business of my trip presents all sorts of challenges, and I should really be focusing on those. Instead, I'm focusing on the happy Littles wallpaper on my computer.

I can't wait to get home tomorrow night. I'm going straight to Littles' room, just to see her sleeping and hear her breathing and smell the lavender from her shampoo.

Supply dip

I've had more of these than I care to remember over the past 5+ months. Sometimes for obvious reasons, like when I got the stomach flu and lost 5 pounds during three days of barely eating. Sometimes for not-so-obvious reasons -- too much stress? not enough sleep? not enough pumping? some combination? Who knows.

This week, I've been dealing with a supply dip for not-so-obvious reasons. I usually pump about 12 oz over the course of the workday (plus another couple of ounces at night after Littles goes to bed) but this week, I had two days where I was in the single digits for ounces pumped during the workday. Not good.

My prescription for bringing my supply back? Lots of nursing (thank goodness for the weekend) and pumping. Trying to rest more and stress less (ha!). Oh, and lots and lots of food. Seriously, I've been a bottomless pit these past few days, which I interpret (rightly or wrongly) as my body's way of telling me that it needs more sustenance. And who am I to argue with my body? :)

Even though I've been through this before and always recovered, I always get scared that this will be the time that my milk won't come back. I try to put those thoughts out of my head, since thinking about that possibility could turn it into a self-fulfilling prophecy. But it's hard.

The good news is that with a little over two months to go till Littles' first birthday and almost 200 oz of frozen milk in my freezer (Littles usually eats around 15 oz a day), I'm getting close to the point where even if a supply dip becomes permanent, I should be able to coast, pumping what I can and using my freezer stash for the rest.

But I don't think I'm at that point quite yet. So, pass the Cold Stone Creamery! :)

Where I pumped today. Third in a series.

I've been onsite for most of this week at my "main" customer.

Finding the time and a place to pump during onsite customer visits is always a challenge -- I often end up not pumping at all during the workday, or pumping in the bathroom. My situation at this particular customer is better than anywhere else, because I come here so often that 1) I have located their pump room and 2) they've given me an official contractor's badge with full office access (very important, because the pump room is on a different, secured floor from where I usually work, and so it would be a huge pain if I had to ask someone to let me in each time).

The room is pretty cozy:


The sink is a nice touch -- I can rinse out my pump parts when I'm done, without having to walk them over to a bathroom. I like the comfy chair, although I do miss the table from my San Francisco office. That's a fridge under the counter, but I don't use it. The sign on the door says "This refrigerator is not for food," and I figure breastmilk is food for Littles, right? So that means it doesn't belong in there. Silly, I know!

Anyway, this sure beats pumping in a bathroom.