On Monday I begin work at Early Connections (EC) as the Vice President of Finance. I'm looking forward to this next chapter in my life. As I've mentioned to some of you already, no matter how much I wanted to work at Compassion, the position wasn't in the same category as the opportunity at EC. The position at EC is a leadership role, shows increased responsibility, and sets me on a different track (executive) for the long term.
EC is a small non-profit located near downtown. The organization is the oldest non-profit in Colorado - they've been around since 1897. In fact, the building I'll be working in was built in 1923 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. In general, the organization provides education and child care for families of limited means. About 50% of the children served come from single parent homes and about 40% come from families living at or below 140% of poverty. In addition to being responsible for all things Finance, I'll supervise three full time and I believe one part time staff in the department. It's pretty small financially speaking, but I think it will provide me experience in every aspect. I may end up staying for a long time (like most current employees have), but if not, I think it will be a good stepping stone to something great in the future. The size and work environment will also be a good place to cut my teeth and make some mistakes as well.
As far as salary goes, it pays about 15% more then what I was making at my previous position. However, when you factor in various benefits it's probably more around the range of a 10% increase. The good news is that it meets the amount I believe I needed to make should Stacey discover working from home with two kids too difficult. Since their health insurance premiums are too expensive for the family, I'll have to sign up for our own coverage. It's going to take me about 30 minutes each way to commute, but I don't mind since it's not traffic related. I actually like having a little bit of time in the morning and at night. I think Stacey and I are going to sign up for the YMCA again, since their downtown location is about a mile away from EC. Stacey and the family can just use the YMCA on this side of town and I can join them there on the weekends, etc. A couple of my friends from church also work about a mile away from EC, so we're probably going to finally start up the weekly or bi-weekly Bible study we've been talking about doing for awhile now.
We so excited.
11 May 2011
09 May 2011
Rico Suave
Today Stacey dressed Jonathan in his Easter suit. Unfortunately, since we were in the hospital over Easter weekend, he didn't have the opportunity to wear it to church. The little ladies at the nursery really missed out. The nurses at the hospital flirted with him instead. The word spread quickly about the cutie in room 4225.
Danielle was our favorite nurse (and we think Jonathan's favorite too). She's going to get a thank you card from him with this picture. For me, I think this is my favorite picture of Jonathan to date. It's destined to be a classic.
Danielle was our favorite nurse (and we think Jonathan's favorite too). She's going to get a thank you card from him with this picture. For me, I think this is my favorite picture of Jonathan to date. It's destined to be a classic.
08 May 2011
Spring Shoes
This weekend the weather was really nice. The temperatures were in the 80s. We spent some time outside in the yard and talking with the neighbors while both Julias played with each other. I don't think I've mentioned this before, but already at three years of age Julia wants to be like the other girls...but so does Julia Kay (our neighbor).
It must be something innate in girls. First, she wanted a Jeep Powerwheels since our neighbor Julia Kay owns one. At first I thought she was asking for a real Jeep, which I thought her extremely young to be asking for a car already. I'm positive we'll have to address that issue in the future. It went back and forth. One took their shoes off, then the other wanted to as well. Next were bubbles, so the other one had to get her bubbles. Chalk, sand buckets, sippy cup, snack, a baseball bat and ball - you name it. If one pulled something out, the other wanted to get theirs out too. This has been going on for weeks now.
The next day our Julia couldn't stop talking about one of the things she didn't have..."flip flops". Since the straps on the brown shoes she's been wearing are no longer holding, it was time to buy her some new shoes anyway. So, we took a trip to Wal-Mart and bought her some new sandals and white shoes for the upcoming months. We so excited. We had to stop on the way out of the store and put them on. When we got home she wanted to go outside to show Julia Kay, but the wind was too strong to be outside today. Instead, she insisted I watch Jonathan while Stacey painted her toenails to match her new sandals. She was so excited and in a great mood the rest of the day.
Also, "B" has stopped breast feeding. At some point in the past few days "B" also got a stomach tube. Julia has been feeding "B" on the couch with an "empty" pump and tube. Today she praised "B" for not throwing up the formula. It's good to see that Julia (Mom) and "Buddy-Dadda" (Jonathan) are taking good care of their baby, "B".
It must be something innate in girls. First, she wanted a Jeep Powerwheels since our neighbor Julia Kay owns one. At first I thought she was asking for a real Jeep, which I thought her extremely young to be asking for a car already. I'm positive we'll have to address that issue in the future. It went back and forth. One took their shoes off, then the other wanted to as well. Next were bubbles, so the other one had to get her bubbles. Chalk, sand buckets, sippy cup, snack, a baseball bat and ball - you name it. If one pulled something out, the other wanted to get theirs out too. This has been going on for weeks now.
The next day our Julia couldn't stop talking about one of the things she didn't have..."flip flops". Since the straps on the brown shoes she's been wearing are no longer holding, it was time to buy her some new shoes anyway. So, we took a trip to Wal-Mart and bought her some new sandals and white shoes for the upcoming months. We so excited. We had to stop on the way out of the store and put them on. When we got home she wanted to go outside to show Julia Kay, but the wind was too strong to be outside today. Instead, she insisted I watch Jonathan while Stacey painted her toenails to match her new sandals. She was so excited and in a great mood the rest of the day.
Also, "B" has stopped breast feeding. At some point in the past few days "B" also got a stomach tube. Julia has been feeding "B" on the couch with an "empty" pump and tube. Today she praised "B" for not throwing up the formula. It's good to see that Julia (Mom) and "Buddy-Dadda" (Jonathan) are taking good care of their baby, "B".
07 May 2011
A Bird In The Hand...
...is worth two in the burning bush? On Thursday and Friday I visited the campuses of my prospective new job.
On Thursday, Diane gave me a tour of the main building at Early Connections. I met all of the staff, got a tour of the historic building that I would be working at, and met some of the children that were there. At one point a little boy sheepishly approached me. He kept walking until he was close enough to lean into me for a hug. I'm not sure if they put him up to it in an attempt to convince me to take the job (joking), but it was pretty effective. All in all I think it would be a great place to work. Diane really wants to hire me.
The next morning I met Derek at Compassion. We had breakfast and coffee at the cafe while we talked about the organization, the group, and the job that I am interviewing for on Monday. As we all know, Compassion is doing some great things around the world. I was impressed by the facility, what I heard about the staff, and everything else that have caused the ministry to grow even during these difficult financial times. I think this position would also be a great fit for me. From what I gather, it's down to me and one other candidate.
Assuming that Compassion offers me the job, I'll have a decision to make. My biggest worry is that Compassion will take two or more weeks to let me know what they decide. I have to let Diane at Early Connections know next week. I can't drag that offer out any longer - it wouldn't be fair to them. In some ways, I almost hope the decision is made for me, in the sense that I don't have to really choose one over the other. Either Compassion will go with the other candidate or tell me that they are going to take more time then I can afford to make their decision. That would make it easy. I'd hate to pass up on the Early Connections position and then have Compassion not offer me the job. Conversely, I'd hate to take the job at Early Connections and then a few weeks later have Compassion offer me the position. I'm really hoping for some answers on Monday after the interview - or, at least some indication so I won't have any regrets due to "circumstance".
Wisdom and speed in the process, that's what I need!
On Thursday, Diane gave me a tour of the main building at Early Connections. I met all of the staff, got a tour of the historic building that I would be working at, and met some of the children that were there. At one point a little boy sheepishly approached me. He kept walking until he was close enough to lean into me for a hug. I'm not sure if they put him up to it in an attempt to convince me to take the job (joking), but it was pretty effective. All in all I think it would be a great place to work. Diane really wants to hire me.
The next morning I met Derek at Compassion. We had breakfast and coffee at the cafe while we talked about the organization, the group, and the job that I am interviewing for on Monday. As we all know, Compassion is doing some great things around the world. I was impressed by the facility, what I heard about the staff, and everything else that have caused the ministry to grow even during these difficult financial times. I think this position would also be a great fit for me. From what I gather, it's down to me and one other candidate.
Assuming that Compassion offers me the job, I'll have a decision to make. My biggest worry is that Compassion will take two or more weeks to let me know what they decide. I have to let Diane at Early Connections know next week. I can't drag that offer out any longer - it wouldn't be fair to them. In some ways, I almost hope the decision is made for me, in the sense that I don't have to really choose one over the other. Either Compassion will go with the other candidate or tell me that they are going to take more time then I can afford to make their decision. That would make it easy. I'd hate to pass up on the Early Connections position and then have Compassion not offer me the job. Conversely, I'd hate to take the job at Early Connections and then a few weeks later have Compassion offer me the position. I'm really hoping for some answers on Monday after the interview - or, at least some indication so I won't have any regrets due to "circumstance".
Wisdom and speed in the process, that's what I need!
06 May 2011
11 Months Old
Today I am eleven months old! We haven't quite figured out the best way to get in the recommended calories yet, but we'll get there. In the last picture you can see the feeding tube and pump hidden from view during dinner.
04 May 2011
Home Sweet Home
We're finally back home. After two weeks at the hospital (almost to the hour) we were sent home.
I wouldn't wish what we've just experienced on anyone. The nurses and doctors were great, but living in the hospital with your child isn't any fun. The hardest part was sleeping since Jonathan insisted on being held during the night. I'd say the next hardest part was not being in control of caring for your child. For example, every time he needed to eat we had to track down the nurse to get his formula prepared. Obviously, these are the practical issues in addition to the overall stress of not knowing, thinking and talking through issues incessantly, and waiting to find out what or if anything was wrong with him.
In the end everything checked out. It took him over a week in the hospital to recover from whatever bug he caught. It must have been nasty. We never did find out what made him sick, but it sure was one whopper of a virus and/or bacteria. The other week or so in the hospital was spent addressing his poor weight gain and appetite. Again, all tests came back normal so we just opted for an additional feeding "insurance policy" with the button.
My mission when I arrived at the hospital this morning was to get us sent home. I knew that there probably wasn't a medical reason to keep us any longer, so it was up to me to coordinate everything. Tip number one is: nurses don't make any of the decisions. They are well versed (and reminded often) that they are there to do what the doctor tells them to do. I spent most of my effort talking to them so that we could get all the specialists that needed to visit us on the schedule for today. Since we have been working with a pediatrician, a gastroenterologist, and a surgeon, I also had to find out who had the authority to release us. At different stages of our visit each doctor was handling our case depending on what was going on. For most of the day, the nurses led me to believe that our surgeon needed to release us. I talked to the pediatrician and gastroenterologist and they both agreed there was no reason to keep us. The gastroenterologist then called the surgeon who told him he didn't need to see us before we left. So, the case was back to (i.e. assigned to) the gastroenterologist. It's funny how much they all DON'T talk to each other. I guess they are too busy with patients and no one is really there to coordinate these administrative sort of things. He had the authority and so released us. He called in the prescriptions to be filled. Before we left, since I never heard where the scripts were filled, I asked the nurse's station. I don't ever recall giving him our pharmacy location. Long story short, we never did find out where the prescription was sent. The nurses were able to get the pediatrician instead to call in the scripts for us at our pharmacy. The lesson of this story is that you have to be personally involved at least to a point where you can ensure things are working smoothly. Obviously, I'm not a doctor and wouldn't recommend acting like one in the hospital...but, being a passive patient (or parent) and assuming everything is working properly can be just as bad.
This last day shouldn't give you the wrong impression. Overall, things went great. Sometimes you just have to grease the wheels to get what you want. What matters is we're home now - healthy, prepared, and informed. These two weeks have taken their toll on Stacey and my Mom. Both of them are sick. At least now we can all sleep and recover in our own beds.
I wouldn't wish what we've just experienced on anyone. The nurses and doctors were great, but living in the hospital with your child isn't any fun. The hardest part was sleeping since Jonathan insisted on being held during the night. I'd say the next hardest part was not being in control of caring for your child. For example, every time he needed to eat we had to track down the nurse to get his formula prepared. Obviously, these are the practical issues in addition to the overall stress of not knowing, thinking and talking through issues incessantly, and waiting to find out what or if anything was wrong with him.
In the end everything checked out. It took him over a week in the hospital to recover from whatever bug he caught. It must have been nasty. We never did find out what made him sick, but it sure was one whopper of a virus and/or bacteria. The other week or so in the hospital was spent addressing his poor weight gain and appetite. Again, all tests came back normal so we just opted for an additional feeding "insurance policy" with the button.
My mission when I arrived at the hospital this morning was to get us sent home. I knew that there probably wasn't a medical reason to keep us any longer, so it was up to me to coordinate everything. Tip number one is: nurses don't make any of the decisions. They are well versed (and reminded often) that they are there to do what the doctor tells them to do. I spent most of my effort talking to them so that we could get all the specialists that needed to visit us on the schedule for today. Since we have been working with a pediatrician, a gastroenterologist, and a surgeon, I also had to find out who had the authority to release us. At different stages of our visit each doctor was handling our case depending on what was going on. For most of the day, the nurses led me to believe that our surgeon needed to release us. I talked to the pediatrician and gastroenterologist and they both agreed there was no reason to keep us. The gastroenterologist then called the surgeon who told him he didn't need to see us before we left. So, the case was back to (i.e. assigned to) the gastroenterologist. It's funny how much they all DON'T talk to each other. I guess they are too busy with patients and no one is really there to coordinate these administrative sort of things. He had the authority and so released us. He called in the prescriptions to be filled. Before we left, since I never heard where the scripts were filled, I asked the nurse's station. I don't ever recall giving him our pharmacy location. Long story short, we never did find out where the prescription was sent. The nurses were able to get the pediatrician instead to call in the scripts for us at our pharmacy. The lesson of this story is that you have to be personally involved at least to a point where you can ensure things are working smoothly. Obviously, I'm not a doctor and wouldn't recommend acting like one in the hospital...but, being a passive patient (or parent) and assuming everything is working properly can be just as bad.
This last day shouldn't give you the wrong impression. Overall, things went great. Sometimes you just have to grease the wheels to get what you want. What matters is we're home now - healthy, prepared, and informed. These two weeks have taken their toll on Stacey and my Mom. Both of them are sick. At least now we can all sleep and recover in our own beds.
03 May 2011
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off To Work I Go
Diane, the CEO/President of Early Connections called this morning and offered me the VP of Finance position that I interviewed for last week. As I thought, the interview went very well. My references "raved" about me (not surprised there - I wouldn't have listed them as a reference if I thought otherwise). I'm planning on meeting everyone else in the office on Thursday.
There is catch. I still have my final interview with Compassion on Monday. Thankfully, Diane was understanding. My commitment is contingent upon my interview with Compassion. I made it clear that I'm not playing favorites, just that it would be unwise not to finish my discussions with them. I'm so close to the end on the Compassion position that I should follow through. Just like they interviewed more then one candidate, so am I. I was completely upfront - and her willingness to let me see it out also says a lot about my potential future supervisor.
Either way, it looks as if I'm headed back to work.
There is catch. I still have my final interview with Compassion on Monday. Thankfully, Diane was understanding. My commitment is contingent upon my interview with Compassion. I made it clear that I'm not playing favorites, just that it would be unwise not to finish my discussions with them. I'm so close to the end on the Compassion position that I should follow through. Just like they interviewed more then one candidate, so am I. I was completely upfront - and her willingness to let me see it out also says a lot about my potential future supervisor.
Either way, it looks as if I'm headed back to work.
Hospital Day Fourteen
Everything is going as planned. We're just trying to gradually increase the amount of formula given through the button so that everyone is convinced we can feed him enough when we go home. Today was all about eating and waiting/killing time. Tomorrow we're really going to push to get out of here. Unless there is a medical reason to stay, we'd much rather manage the button from home (which we're sure we can do). No sleep is getting old.
02 May 2011
Hospital Day Thirteen
Today was the "big day". Jonathan had his button put in shortly after lunch. All went well!
Since he wasn't able to have any food on either side of the procedure we sent Stacey home. He wasn't allowed to eat eight hours before and not until the following morning after. Jonathan sees Stacey as his food source and not me (for obvious reasons). When he's hungry and she's around, he makes a fuss. I can distract him long enough. It's easier on everyone.
I had the nurse give him a full feeding from 3 a.m. to 4 a.m. this morning. That bought me some time. Towards the end of the morning I had to periodically give him sips of juice and graham cracker crumbs to appease him. That, in addition to walking around and spending time in the play area, barely worked.
At about 11:45 a.m. we were escorted downstairs. He clung to me and then broke into tears when I handed him to the nurse as we parted ways. About an hour later the surgeon came and found me in the waiting room. He told me everything went great. I was taken to the anesthesia recovery area and found Jonathan still fast asleep.
He eventually came to and we made it back to our room. He slept off and on for a few more hours. During that time he would wake up, look around for a few minutes, and then bury his head in my arms or shoulder. We took some pictures of it since his grogginess was funny, cute, and sad all at the same time. Later that night he slept well but woke up at 4:30 a.m. (a full 24 hours after his last meal) ravishing. Stacey showed up right at 6 a.m. to feed him. On cue, the minute he saw her he started whimpering for breakfast.
The rumor is we could be going home Tuesday (tomorrow) or possibly Wednesday. It can't come soon enough.
Since he wasn't able to have any food on either side of the procedure we sent Stacey home. He wasn't allowed to eat eight hours before and not until the following morning after. Jonathan sees Stacey as his food source and not me (for obvious reasons). When he's hungry and she's around, he makes a fuss. I can distract him long enough. It's easier on everyone.
I had the nurse give him a full feeding from 3 a.m. to 4 a.m. this morning. That bought me some time. Towards the end of the morning I had to periodically give him sips of juice and graham cracker crumbs to appease him. That, in addition to walking around and spending time in the play area, barely worked.
At about 11:45 a.m. we were escorted downstairs. He clung to me and then broke into tears when I handed him to the nurse as we parted ways. About an hour later the surgeon came and found me in the waiting room. He told me everything went great. I was taken to the anesthesia recovery area and found Jonathan still fast asleep.
He eventually came to and we made it back to our room. He slept off and on for a few more hours. During that time he would wake up, look around for a few minutes, and then bury his head in my arms or shoulder. We took some pictures of it since his grogginess was funny, cute, and sad all at the same time. Later that night he slept well but woke up at 4:30 a.m. (a full 24 hours after his last meal) ravishing. Stacey showed up right at 6 a.m. to feed him. On cue, the minute he saw her he started whimpering for breakfast.
The rumor is we could be going home Tuesday (tomorrow) or possibly Wednesday. It can't come soon enough.
01 May 2011
Hospital Day Twelve
...and on Sunday we rested. The biggest news of the day was that Jonathan had no problem keeping six ounces of formula down. We increased from four to five yesterday and then from five to six today. Since he can keep six ounces of formula down we have one foot out the door. We are obviously going to work hard to limit the amount of time we need to use the button, but now we know that we can feed him enough that way if we need to.
An interesting point worth mentioning: more and more people are commenting on how Jonathan looks like me. A lot of the nurses have commented that we look alike.
In completely unrelated news, I have my final interview at Compassion on Monday, 9 May. I know that in addition to myself, there are only one or two other people that are being considered. Between that interview and the one I had last week, my sabbatical is most likely coming to an end.
An interesting point worth mentioning: more and more people are commenting on how Jonathan looks like me. A lot of the nurses have commented that we look alike.
In completely unrelated news, I have my final interview at Compassion on Monday, 9 May. I know that in addition to myself, there are only one or two other people that are being considered. Between that interview and the one I had last week, my sabbatical is most likely coming to an end.
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