End of a Decade

The fact that we're ending a decade has caught me by surprise. I remember so much media coverage of the end of the 80's and 90's but have not seen much for the end of the ...well what do you call this decade anyway....the 00's? Of course I seem to miss a lot of current events these days since my toddler interrupts my TV viewing by wanting me to pretend to talk on her cell phone or sing the itsy bitsy spider for the thousandth time.

For me the first ten years of this millenium have been transformative as one might expect from somebody who spent the bulk of the decade in her twenties. The first part was spent finishing school and building a career, and then in recent years adding to our family. Here is a quick re-cap:

2000

• I entered the decade at 21 years old. Jeramy and I had been married for 1.5 years. I was going to school at the University of Washington, and working at a mom and pop owned canoe and kayak store where I'd been since age 17. We lived south of Seattle in a small apartment.
• April: in anticipation of my graduation I took a part-time job at a biotech firm that would go full-time when I graduated.
• June: earned my B.S. in chemistry
• July - November: Dispised my job and my evil, bitchy co-workers. I hated working in a lab in part because being a lab technician can feel rather limiting (I was essentially a production worker) and because I'm a complete and total klutz which doesn't mix well with working in a lab.
• December: Took a job with my current employer as a Program Assistant

2001

• October: in the wake of 9/11 we decided to buy a house. It seemed to come together way to quickly but within a couple weeks we had made an offer and moved in.

2002

• February: Got Cujo and I experienced my first taste of parenthood, which I found so stressful I nearly had a nervous breakdown. Okay, maybe that is exagerrating it. Maybe.
  
• March: After working at one dead end job after another, Jeramy applied for a Pipefitter apprenticeship and managed to beat out loads of other applicants.

2003

• Nothing special that I can remember. Jeramy was working and going to night school, and I kept growing in my position at work and received a few promotions over the years.

2004

• June: I had jaw surgery as part of my orthodontic treatments. My jaw was wired shut for a few weeks nearly driving me insane. Unfortunately the surgery did not go as smoothly as planned and would require a repeat surgery down the road.
• July: I was accepted into the Executive Master's in Health Administration program at the University of Washington. I'd spend the next two years working full-time while going to school.

2005

• Spent the year in a haze of stress from work and school

2006

• August: Graduated with my MHA!
• September: Started in my current Project Manager position in a different department
• October: Jeramy's graduation banquet from his apprenticeship. I don't think he was officially a journeyman until the following year, but he finished all of his schooling!
  
• December: After years of putting it off we began TTC. I was never optimistic that it would be quick given my history of sporadic cycles. I was never casual about TTC and began charting and using OPKs immediately.
  

2007

• May: Went to my primary care MD about my irregular cycles and charts showing a late O
• June: Tests show nothing wrong. Referred to an OB but scheduled an appointment with an RE instead
• August: Clomid cycle #1...ovarian cyst #1
• October: Clomid cycle #2 w/IUI...ovarian cyst #2. Switched to Femara.
• December: Started Femara cycle #1 w/IUI on Christmas Eve

2008

• January: BFP!!!
• January - October: Happy pregnancy and relatively easy pregnancy. Jillian born 10/7/08!
• October - December: Maternity leave and coping with a fussy newborn
• December: Almost on a whim we decide to look at houses closer to my MIL who would be watching Jillian after maternity leave. Within a week we find a house, get approved for a loan and have an offer accepted.

2009

• January: Move to new house
• February: Jeramy gets laid off which we expected. He devotes his time to getting our old house on the market. We get a couple offers within a few days of listing it!
• April: We officially own just one house again.
• April - July: Jeramy devotes his time to adding on the master bedroom
• August: A surprise BFP!
• August - present: A happy and relatively easy (albeit stressful lately) pregnancy with Hayden

Presumably the 2010's will bring us more good times watching our two girls grow. By the end of the next decade they'll be 9 and 11!