Introducing Dr. XXX

I am pleased to announce that I successfully defended my dissertation in February with just one very minor correction, and I am scheduled to graduate officially in May! So here's to the soon-to-be PhD in town! All I can say is, "Thank you Jesus!" It is only by God's grace I was able to go through this 5-year journey successfully. Of course, there were rough times when I felt I could not go on. There were times when I had no clue what I was doing, but thanks to God for bringing some wonderful people into my life that helped me through this journey. I am hoping & praying that I am strong enough to attend my graduation ceremony in May. Baby boo will be here by God's grace so we'll see. My biggest gift, and I say this with all seriousness, is having a healthy baby and being healthy myself. Still keeping my fingers crossed on attending grad in May. If I can't attend that one, I'll attend the summer grad. The only downside is my parents will not be around for that one.

Pregnancy wise, we are 30+ weeks now. Everything is fine with baby boo and I. Thank God for that. I am feeling him move around a whole lot. Not just kicks and jabs, but actual movement. This excites me to no end. I have been having some back pain, and my calves hurt. Trying to get up or roll over in bed is now becoming a challenge. I can only eat a little at a time. If I try to force myself, I get very, very uncomfortable. Time is really moving fast, and I cannot wait to hold our son in my arms. This month, I am going for my hospital tour, and the pediatric conference where I get to talk to (interview) pediatricians & hopefully choose one. That's exciting!

Job wise, I have decided that I am not taking any jobs outside the DMV area (even though I interviewed for one in NY). The main reason is because I am tired of being in a long distance relationship (LDR), especially with baby boo on the way. I want senior boo to be involved in the day-to-day life of this child, and I want us to raise our child together. Another reason is that most of our family live in the area.  Ever since we got married in 2010, we have lived apart. The only time we lived together was when he was at my place for his 2-month rotation. In fact, since I started grad school in 2008 we have been in a LDR. Since senior boo got his fantastic job offer in the MD/ DC metro area, I have examined all my options. I have prayed, and I am still praying for direction and God to order my steps. As a matter of fact, I have even played with the idea of being a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) for a couple of months to a year! I never thought I would even consider that as an option, but things do change. No offense to the SAHM out there, because I am sure it is a very demanding job. Senior boo is against me going the SAHM route, and frankly speaking I think I may get bored quickly. Maybe I can be a SAHM and work part-time as an adjunct faculty at one of the universities in the area. I am taking it one day at a time, and looking forward to this new chapter of my life that's about to begin.