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The Good
1.
I did find another job. Ironically it is the
same job with the firm that won the account. The blessing side of this job is
that I can still work from home which I hope will help with daycare expenses. Also,
I know what the job entails which should help with maternity leave. The only
downside is the pay cut (around 7K) that I took to keep this job but compared to
the other job offer I received, it was the best on the table.
2.
Baby is doing well! We’re about 7 ½ months along
as I type this and so far so good. The IVF drugs that I worried about affecting
our child hasn’t so far and my fingers are crossed that everything will be okay
when we meet the little one in person. We’ve decided not find out the gender
which ironically enough is harder on family and friends than us. Many people
don’t understand that we’re just really happy that we’re pregnant and want a
healthy baby.
3.
My family seems like it’s getting back to
normal. Things are not perfect between my father and me but it is getting
better. My sister had a baby this past summer and my niece has helped a great
deal in bringing us together. Our relationship is a work in progress but it is
moving in the right direction.
The Bad
1.
Mr. M’s job. We thought in December that he was
going to be hired for a new job and would be moving to a new state this month. It
didn’t work out and we’re back to square one which I can tell is emotionally
draining on him. Even though I have hinted, begged and maybe even nagged for
the last four years about looking for a new job, it wasn’t until he cleaned out
some paperwork that he realized that he hasn’t received a raise of any kind
since 2008. Now, we’re bringing a little one home and I can tell that he’s
stressed over the fact that we’re financially stuck for the time being. It would
be easy to tell him to get a second job but with his schedule…no week is the
same as the next.
2.
My car. The yellow engine light of death began
appearing this month and now won’t go away. So much of our savings went to IVF
that we don’t have enough in our car fund to get a new one in cash. This is a
stress point for us because I argue that we’re playing with fire by keeping
this car and need to get a new one. To fix any more issues on this car would be
throwing good money at a bad problem. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t want a brand
new car but a used car that could keep us safe for the next year or so before
we trade it in for a better car. This would mean that we would have a car
payment (which I HATE) but we would be safe.
Looking forward in 2014
1.
Preparing for Baby M. Our lives are going to
change for the better and I’m trying to knock out all that I can do in the next
10 weeks.
2.
Finding contentment. Since we’ve been on this
debt free journey for four years and counting, it’s hard to maintain the energy
to keep this lifestyle up. It isn’t for the weak and I know that we’re building
a foundation for a stronger, wealthier future. These financial bumps in the
road (car issues, loss of income) could make me bitter and I’m trying to find
more peace when these issues arise rather than stress.
