A different style of Menu Monday

Let the craziness begin! Thus begins moving week for this branch of the Rumely family. I have driven back to Lovejoy so that I could bring Christmas presents back so they could be packed by the movers. Jessica is staying in Athens so that she can spend her last few days with her parents.

Tomorrow, Jessica and her mother will drive to Lovejoy so that Jess can leave her car to be shipped to Richland, WA. She'll leave with her mother to go to a doctor's appointment to do our final checkup on the baby in Georgia. After the appointment, Jessica and her mother will go back to Athens while I stay and make sure that the movers are correctly recording the state of our furniture. Wednesday morning I will meet with our landlord to make sure that everything is taken care of as far as Jessica and I moving out. We will then be done with all the moving in Georgia! Wednesday evening, I will attend a friend's wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner with Jessica.

Thursday we will be taking care of making sure that clothes are washed and things are “together” and ready to be packed. Thursday evening is my friend's wedding, and I will be a groomsman.

Friday Jessica and I will spend the afternoon with both of our parents at the Rumely's house eating a New Years dinner. Georgia plays in its football bowl game in the afternoon, and depending on the state of packing we may or may not watch the game. (sigh) Jessica and I will not watch the ball drop, instead we will be fast asleep (hopefully) getting rest before our early flight.

Saturday morning we will leave Athens, GA heading for the Atlanta airport around 5:00 a.m. Our flight departs at 8:20 a.m., and, after a layover in Salt Lake City, UT we will head for Richland, WA. Currently we are scheduled to arrive at 12:20 in the afternoon Pacific time (3:20 Eastern time). After that we check into the hotel that has been set up by Bechtel.

Sunday at noon Jessica and I will make our way back to the airport so that we can pick up our scheduled rental car (they are not open on Saturday). After that I plan on visiting the hotel's workout facilities after a quick drive past the place that I report on Monday.

We have arrived at crunch time, and I pray for God's grace in dealing with the many people involved in helping us make this transition. I also pray that stress would be kept at a minimum, and that Jessica and I would rely on His strength and not our own. Thanks to all of our family and friends for supporting us throughout our first year and several months of marriage. We love you all, and we look forward to continuing our relationships with you even as we start new relationships in Washington. God Bless!

P.S.  These plans are subject to change based on +/- sleep levels and ability to get people's help.

Our little blessing at 24 weeks

Merry Christmas to everyone! We've had a wonderful time with family and friends this last week. And we're one week closer to meeting our little man!

How far along? 24 weeks

Baby’s size? The baby is about the length of an ear of corn (almost a foot long and about a pound and a half!).  Much of that weight comes from accumulating baby fat, as well as from growing organs, bones, and muscle. Those little ears of his are getting sharper and can hear very loud sounds, from a yapping dog to a jackhammer. Also by now, that fabulous face is almost fully formed, complete with eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair. Is your baby a brunette, a blonde, or a redhead? Actually, right now his locks are white since there's no pigment yet.

Maternity clothes? I'm pretty much wearing solely maternity clothes. And with us about to move, I'm only going to pack maternity clothes because the regular clothes won't fit long enough for me to bother packing them for however long we're going to be staying in a hotel. 

Sleep? Sleep is fine. I'm sleeping pretty deeply for the most part, though getting comfortable takes some effort, especially since during the holidays we're sleeping in bed different from our own in one way or another. 

Food cravings? I'm still craving big tall glasses of ice cold milk. Otherwise, I'm just enjoying Christmas goodies with little to no guilt over calories (without going overboard, of course).

Food aversions?  None.

Symptoms? Not much. I get out of breath a little easier than normal. I've also been a little more tired. 

Best moment this week? Celebrating Christmas with our families before the move. Baby Rumely got several presents despite still being a fetus. :) Also, Dad finally felt the baby move on Christmas Day so that was exciting. It's also amazing knowing that next Christmas we'll have a sweet 8-month-old baby!

Movement? I feel a good amount of movement throughout the day and night. Only Tim, my mom, and my dad have been able to feel him from the outside so far, but he seems to be getting stronger. 

What I miss about not being pregnant? Nothing really this week. I got a lot of cute maternity clothes for Christmas so I'm not missing not being able to fit into "regular people clothes."

What am I looking forward to? Feeling him moving a lot more. And I can't wait until we find a place to live in Washington so that we can set up the nursery. It will feel so real when we have the room ready for him to come home to!

On the move...again.

This is a post written by Tim about our latest big news:

On January 1, Jessica and I will be embarking on the next adventure of our lives.  We will board a plane headed to Richland, WA (part of the Tri-Cities area which also includes Kennewick and Pasco) so that I can begin a new position as a Project Controls Engineer for Bechtel National, Inc.  We are very excited about the possibilities this job affords our family, and are heartbroken that we can’t bring our friends and family along.  

I will be working on the Hanford Vitrification Project just north of Richland.  My duties will include:

Job Description: PROJECT CONTROLS ENGINEER I
Supports cost estimating, analysis, and control activities and schedule development, maintenance, reporting, and monitoring activities, as directed. For a large project or staff group, duties encompass a variety of tasks, but remain within parameters established by the procedure or process being supported. For a medium project staff group, duties encompass a variety of tasks that are required to support the project/group.

In short, I don’t know exactly what I will be asked to help with.  It could be in one or all of the above categories.

The project is funded by the Department of Energy, and its purpose is to stabilize the nuclear waste left from the refining of plutonium during World War II and the Cold War.  Should any nuclear waste seep into the Yakima or Columbia River, there would be lots of farmland left without irrigation, and the ecosystem could be wrecked.  In Bechtel’s words:

In southeastern Washington state, Bechtel National, Inc. is designing, constructing and commissioning the world’s largest radioactive waste treatment plant for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). When complete, the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) will process and stabilize 53 million gallons of radioactive and chemical waste currently stored at the Hanford Site.

The WTP will use vitrification technology, which involves blending the waste with glass-forming materials and heating it to 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit (1,149 degrees Celsius). The mixture is then poured into stainless steel canisters to cool and solidify. In this glass form, the waste is stable and impervious to the environment, and its radioactivity will dissipate over hundreds to thousands of years.

The WTP Project is equivalent to building two nuclear power plants. Its construction site spans 65 acres and includes four major nuclear facilities -- Pretreatment, Low-Activity Waste Vitrification, High-Level Waste Vitrification and Analytical Laboratory. Construction began in October 2001, and, in late 2009, the plant surpassed the 50-percent complete mark.

Construction is expected to be complete in 2016, and, following commissioning, the plant will be operational in the fall of 2019.

The "High Waste Building"

I’m personally excited about the opportunity to work on a site of this scale.  It is a little daunting, but when my career is over I want to be able to look back and be proud of being a part of projects that were so much larger than individuals or companies.  Bechtel has a reputation of taking on many historic engineering and construction jobs, and I’m excited to join a company that doesn’t set limits on its capabilities.  Some of Bechtel’s projects include the Hoover dam, the “Big Dig” also known as the Ted Williams Hwy in Boston, and the “Chunnel” or car tunnel under the English Channel. 

As for the move, Jessica and I will fly out of Atlanta at 8:20 a.m. January 1, 2011.  We will be routed through Salt Lake City, and then on to the Tri-Cities area (Richland, Kennewick, Pasco).  Once there, Bechtel has arranged for us to stay in a hotel for up to two months as we search for a permanent place to live.  The project has the rental market almost completely full, and we pray that we’ll have a simple transition into a new home. 

Showered with love

     Our big shower was this past weekend. My aunt and my cousin got together with a few others to throw me a shower before we move across the country in January. And Tim and I are so overwhelmed with the love people showed to our baby boy and us. It was so wonderful!

     We had a lot more guests attend than I thought would considering the last minuteness of the shower and Christmas coming up. Everyone there blessed us so much! I was so surprised by the enormous mountain of presents and that the guests could hardly fit into one room with me while I opened gifts for what seemed like hours.

     Here are some pictures:

This is one of the diaper cakes that my cousin Johanna made me. You can see the other UGA-themed one in the background. I think Johanna could have a career in diaper cake making if she wanted. They were so cute. 

A friend also made me a diaper cake, topped with Peepee Teepees, but I don't have a picture on my camera. 

Here is a picture of the beautifully wrapped presents on the gift table. Surprisingly, this was before most of the guests had even arrived! As the first grandchild on both sides of the family, this little boy is going to be spoiled with love!

This is the super yummy cake that my MIL ordered. Sadly, none of it made it home with me, but the piece I had at the shower was delicious.

We were set to play a few games before opening presents, but because there were so many gifts, we only got to play one before I started unwrapping. Guests had to try and guess the circumference of my pregnant tummy using crepe paper. My church friend Brennen was right on the dot when she guessed. My BIL's fiancee came in second with a very close guess as well. 

We received so many great gifts. I won't put a million pictures on here, but I'll try to summarize some of our gifts. We received our changing pad, baby monitor, lots of diapers, lots of cute clothes including blue jean overalls and some really preppy rompers, our baby bath tub, bottles, a breast pump, stuffed animals and toys, an infant seat, our baby bedding, our stroller and carseat thanks to my inlaws, Diaper Genie, bath stuff, and so many other little things off of our registry. 

I had a blast! But I was also so tired and hot when I finished opening all these gifts. Haha! I am so grateful to everyone for the shower and the gifts. I was really sad when I found out we were moving because I was afraid I wouldn't get the experience of having a baby shower. This was such a wonderful surprise.  

Our little blessing at 22 weeks

How far along? 22 weeks

Baby’s size? The baby is about the length of a papaya (10.5-11.8 inches long and 12.7-20.8 ounces). According to TheBump.com, the baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby’s starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when—just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop. (This baby likes to be awake at night and sleep during the day. Just getting me ready for when he’s born, I guess.)

Maternity clothes? I wear mainly maternity clothes and some of my longer shirts. I love that my belly has started to fill out my maternity shirts.

Sleep? Sleep has been really good for the most part. I have to get up to use the restroom about every two or three hours, but I fall back asleep pretty quickly.

Food cravings? Still craving milk. And my cereal of choice at the moment to have with my milk is Apple Dapples (the Publix brand version of Apple Jacks). My fruit craving has pretty much gone away. I still like fruit, but not in the same “gotta have it” kind of way.

Food aversions? Nothing really.

Symptoms? No bad ones, but I am hungry a lot. I have to eat small snacks throughout the day to help me make it to meal times.

Best moment this week? Feeling the baby move a lot more often. My favorite time of the day is late at night when he’s most awake.

Movement?  I feel him moving every day, still mostly at night and early in the morning. He apparently sleeps most during the day when I’m moving around.

Any ideas about the gender? A precious little boy.

What I miss about not being pregnant? Still real clothes. Now that I don’t fit in most of my old clothes, it’s pretty annoying to have such a limited wardrobe. Also, I only fit into one pair of my pajama pants and that makes me sad. :(

What I’m looking forward to? My baby shower! 

Our little blessing at 21 weeks

How far along? 21 weeks

Baby’s size? The baby is about the length of a banana (10.5 inches long and 12.7 ounces). According to TheBump.com, the baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they’ve already experienced through amniotic fluid.

Maternity clothes? I have been wearing my maternity jeans and a mixture of maternity and non-maternity tops. I went shopping last weekend and my mom got me a bunch of maternity clothes, including some sweaters, a couple dresses, and a coat.

Sleep? Sleep is pretty good. Though late at night is when the baby loves to move the most.

Food cravings? This week I have been craving milk for sure. We’ve gone through an entire gallon in four days and the majority of that was me.

Food aversions? Nothing really.

Symptoms? No bad ones.

Best moment this week? When Tim finally felt the baby move. It was just a little bonk and I’m pretty sure it will still be a few more weeks before it will be easy to feel the baby from outside my tummy, but the look on his face was still priceless.

Movement? A lot more in this last week. I feel him several times a day. It’s still not the strongest punches and kicks, but it is comforting to feel him bopping around in there. He's getting stronger every day.

Any ideas about the gender? A handsome baby boy!

What I miss about not being pregnant? Being able to shop in regular clothing stores. There are just not many places to shop when you’re pregnant. Especially if you’re looking for a dress to wear to a wedding.

What I’m looking forward to?  My baby shower next weekend! I’m so happy that my family and friends surprised me with one so I could have one before the move.