The Good News
I went to another appointment on Wednesday with my surrogate and got another ultrasound. We had Jocelyn who is the technician who prints a million pictures for us -- OK, not a million, but 26. The babies are growing. Remember way back when Chloe's uncle used to put his hand on her stomach and say, "Grooooooooow baby"? Well, it worked. The babies, according to the fruit tracker, should be the size of a cabbage and two and a half pounds. They are 3lbs 13oz and 3lbs 14oz. Yikes! They're in the 83rd and 84th percentile. They have plenty of fluid and the low-lying placenta has moved up enough that it is now not an issue. The only problem is that Baby A has decided to go butt first again. Hopefully he/she will go head down at the next ultrasound. We still have about 5 more weeks of twisting and turning to try to avoid a c-section.
The Bad News
I went to H.R. a couple days ago to file for FMLA for when the babies come. I want my paternity leave and my boss was bugging me to go do the paperwork. I explained to H.R. that I wanted to take several weeks off and asked what I had to do. The woman who runs that program checked my hours and said I was probably ineligible.
Excu-sa-wha-huh-come-again???
Yep...that's right. I work part-time for a hospital. I work 20 hours a week which comes out to 1,040 hours a year. In order to qualify for FMLA I have to work at least 1,250 hours in the 12 months preceding my leave. As luck would have it I am very, very, very close to 1,250 hours because I grab every bit of overtime I can possibly get. But my broke hospital is clamping down on any overtime so I probably won't be able to get FMLA.
What does that mean? It means that I can take all my PTO at once IF my supervisor approves many weeks off all at once or I can take Personal Leave of up to 90 days IF my supervisor approves that. However, neither one of those provides me with job protection and with the money situation I'm hoping my paternity leave doesn't make for a good excuse to make it a permanent leave.
Gotta love our amazing Congress for making such "family friendly" laws. Apparently parents who work less than 24 hours a week don't need time off to care for their children.
The Lovely News
Oh, and the other piece of news is that I asked Chloe if she wanted to attend the baby shower and she immediately said yes. Maybe I'm over-analyzing it, but she seemed excited to come so thanks to everyone who told me that I should invite her. My lovely friends who are hosting the shower are planning on giving her a book full of thank you notes and one friend mentioned making a basket full of things to pamper her. I think it will be nice to have her there.
Moist Banana Bread
3 months ago
Great update! I love hearing about big strong babies. So glad to hear your surro was excited about the shower invite. Your friends sound awesome - I'm sure she will GREATLY appreciate those thoughtful gifts!
ReplyDeleteBummer, though, about the work situation. I'm sure this is NOT what you wanted to worry about right now! Here's hoping you figure out something that will work well for you AND the boss!
I hope your boss doesn't act like a jerk and approves your PTO! OR, just sneak a "late" day in where you can and bump those hrs up to 1250 (that's my vote!) such BS, ugh! I am SO glad your surro will be at your shower, I can't wait to hear all about it, I know it's going to be awesome!! Your babies are BIG!! Y'all done good! ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt's probably too late for this to help, but if you were to move to the NW suburbs -- and get a job up here, say at NW Community -- we could work out a day care gig. You still wouldn't get as much time off as you're hoping for, but you'd know your kids weren't hangin' with some stranger in a group of 40. I don't like puttin' my kids in day care. But I DO like babies. They don't even need any sauce.
ReplyDeleteChloe, keep them babies growin' sister! I am sending baby flipping vibes... turn, Baby A, turn.
ReplyDeleteIck! Having to deal with HR can be such a pain. I am hoping there is a chance you can meet the requirements for FMLA.
I tear up thinking how Chloe will feel to receive that book of notes. She will treasure it always, I am sure! You have some pretty amazing people in your life.
Love hearing all the stats about the babies...and hate to hear that your job is being lame about FMLA...but LOVE that Chloe will be coming to the shower! And double love the idea for all the notes from your friends. Can we steal it??? Post photos of the shower please!
ReplyDelete