16 weeks - Everything Happens for a Reason

Wirewalking

Big update....

Back in November 2011, Kiel made the decision to quit his job as an aerial lineman for Havefield where he'd been for 5 years.  Up until the middle of last year he'd been working out of Joliet so he was home every night and actually enjoyed what he did.  Things had started to change a lot with the company and Kiel had started a traveling schedule where he was gone for 21 days and home for 10.  As much as I hated it, I'm pretty sure Kiel hated it more so he turned in his resignation just after Thanksgiving.  What we thought would be a couple month job hunt turned into rejection email after rejection email.  It seemed like you had to know somebody just to get your foot in the door.  Almost 10 months later (which in this economy really isn't that long), here he was still looking with no real "leads".  Luckily, he knows some great people he used to work for and has had a steady job the majority of the time he has been looking.

  

As cool as it looks, I'm so glad he's done with this

The last application he turned in was for an Apprentice Lineman position in Washington, IL with Ameren IP.  Out of 500 applicants, Kiel got a call for a phone interview.  A week later, he got another call to come in for a face to face interview.  And then, just a few days after that he got word he had been one of the 12 selected to participate in the 4 day evaluations (climbing & skills assessment) in Decatur, IL.  At this point, we just kept saying, we're not going to get our hopes up, but deep down we were both PEEING OUR PANTS!  Even though evals were hard & he was a little rusty, Kiel came home feeling pretty good about his chances...there was just one problem.  The other guy up for Washington had an uncle who worked for Ameren.  Ugh!  He was fresh out of line school, a flawless climber, and he knew someone.  Luckily, Kiel knew someone too....Alex.  Alex was a friend from Flanagan who'd been hired on with Ameren the previous year and put in more then a few good words for Kiel.  I don't think we can ever thank Alex enough for whatever he said because he is a big reason that Kiel got selected out of those 500 applicants, and then out of however many that interviewed to come to evals, and then for the actual position in Washington....yes, we found out yesterday KIEL GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!  It all happened so fast it's almost unbelievable.  We are beyond excited & grateful for this opportunity he's been given!  It's what he went to school for...it's what he enjoys and that's the most important part.  It will be hard as all linemen know, there are lots of overtime hours and missed holidays, but it will all be worth it.

I've said more then once this year, it happened this way for a reason.  Even though quitting Haverfield seemed crazy at the time, and even though he didn't get the job with Com-Ed he really wanted...it all brought him here.  All of the choices we've made have led us both to this exact moment in our lives when even though it feels like we're doing things a little backwards...it's all coming together.  We've had our moments (and I'm sure we'll have more), but I like to think this is the start of something really amazing.

He should find out specifics of when he starts and all that jazz next week sometime so I'll be sure to include that in my next post.  Until then, we'll be celebrating Kiel's new job...hopefully someone can have a few drinks for me :)

And now for baby news...we're 16 weeks in!  Our next appointment is at 18 weeks, August 28th.  I'm really hoping we'll get an ultra sound scheduled so we don't have to wait until the next monthly appointment to find out the sex.  I can't believe we're almost there already!

I wish I could blame this belly on all the food I ate last night, but it doesn't look any smaller today before dinner so....

Still feeling great and hungry!  I do have one minor complaint so far...this whole not being able to sleep on my stomach or lie on my back seems like torture! I usually fall asleep best on my stomach so this rolling from side to side is not my favorite pregnant activity, but whatever's best for the baby right??!!

Your baby's the size of an avocado!

Now, she's about 4.6 inches long and weighs about 3.5 ounces, and she's big enough that your doctor may be able to hear her heartbeat. 

• She's listening to your voice, thanks to tiny bones forming in her ears.
• She's growing hair, lashes and eyebrows.
• And she's forming taste buds

In other happenings...I went with my sister & her family to Brookfield Zoo this weekend and it was so much fun to watch Henry and the twins get excited about all the animals!  The dolphin show was the biggest hit with the boys.  And I think the people watching was the adult fav!  Everyone else had the same idea so it was pretty crowded, but the weather was perfect and the kids had a blast so the rest gets forgotten. 

Picnic in the van!

Penguins!

Nemo & Dori!!!!

-Nicole

   

_________________________________________________________________________________

RIP Maci Jo Russell 8/3/2012 - 8/3/2012
My cousin Barry and his wife Kristi lost the newest addition to their family the first weekend in August.  Maci may have only lived an hour, but I know she will be loved and remembered for much longer then that.