Steve is now working for a freight company as the bookkeeper. The owner retired from being an accountant 9 years ago and started the company with a couple of his sons. Larry, the owner, is the company's CFO as well, so Steve works directly for him. Steve really likes how laid-back everyone is and feels pretty comfortable there. I like that he'll be doing all sorts of accounting-related activities instead of just one or two like some of the jobs for which he applies. He'll be doing payroll, accounts payable and receivable, reconciliations, and others along with a little HR. It will give him lots of good experience in case he ever decides to leave.
The job is down in the Salt Lake area, so he has to commute every morning. He doesn't seem to mind it as much as I did when I worked in Salt Lake. I wonder if part of the reason I hated the commute so much was because I disliked my job so much. I'd like to move a little more south at some point, so his commute will be shortened, but we're not sure if or when that might happen. We love our house and neighborhood. I guess it depends on Steve and if he gets tired of driving 45 minutes both to and from work.
Steve getting a job opened up the possibility of me not working after our baby is born. In ways, it was a hard decision for me to make. My job isn't perfect, and I certainly never planned on it being my "forever job", but I do like it and really like the people with whom I work. I like working. It's what I know. Even when I worked as an hourly student in the health center for not a lot of money, I liked having a job.
In the end, it came down to how comfortable we feel about putting a six-week old in daycare. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with doing that. Some people don't have any other choice and others just don't want to stay at home. That's okay...for them. Not for us. Since I don't have to work, I had a hard time picturing taking our baby to daycare at such a young age. Especially so I could go back to work in a job that, although I enjoy, isn't what I plan on doing long-term. If I hadn't gotten pregnant, I would have started looking for a new job next Spring when I graduate with my Masters.
With that decision made, I gave my notice yesterday. My boss took it well; she wasn't surprised, knowing it was a possibility if Steve found a good job. I told her I'd stay until Sept 1 unless the baby came sooner (he's due Sept 9) and might stay a little later if needed if he comes after the 1st. I really hope we can find a great replacement soon so I can have a good amount of time to train. When I was trained, it was a little crazy because my trainer, who was pretty cool, was also training another person (she had two positions) and working to keep all her balls up in the air while preparing to move to Korea with her husband! I'm planning to have my replacement stay by my side all day every day so I can not only teach what I do but when I do it. Fingers crossed that we find someone who will be a great fit!
I'm focusing on how wonderful it will be to be at home with our baby and to watch him grow. It still blows my mind that I'm having a baby! Will it finally seem real when Baby is home with us? I also look forward, eventually, to working on somethings that I don't have time to do, like learn to sew and write. Things have really worked out for the best, I think, since I feel like I'm better suited to staying at home than Steve - he gets so bored and I find things to do to keep me busy.
That said, we don't plan on me staying at home forever. At some point, I'll either go back to school (law school maybe) or find a job as an accountant. Like I said, I enjoy working and plan on having a career of some sort at some point in time. Every so often, we'll evaluate where we are, how we're feeling and doing, and make that decision when it's right for our family.