Wednesday, April 08, 2015

Realizations

So here we are, 12 weeks pregnant. I'm excited. I'm nervous. And now, I'm just trying to figure out the next couple weeks. For starters, we've told the family and everyone is excited. The question now, who is on the NEXT list? And given that Darden Reunion is Apr 24th, it ought to be Facebook official by then. Of course, when do I tell work? I feel I'm showing likely more than I am. My body doesn't feel like mine. I have been the same size, shape, weight and height since about 16. I still fit in my old prom dresses. So this new world, is weird. I am not comfortable in my clothes and not because they're tight or pulling, simply because everything feels different. I fidget more than I used to and often wonder if people notice. Maybe I'm just being self-conscious. Yesterday, I talked with a colleague in HR to ask about our maternity leave policy. I had asked early on during my search to the recruiter, assuming I'd be here for a while. Her response was, does it really matter, the state covers most of the benefit. Turns out, it does matter. I'm learning that "unlimited vacation" has it's limitations. If the state only covers a portion of my leave, I don't have PTO/ sick days to put towards making me whole. I'm not 100% sure this is correct, but it's a theory. I have decided I need to speak with the HR leader in charge of benefits. What I can't decide is whether I do that before or after I talk with my manager.